AN: MAN, I am terrible at keeping my promises, aren't I? Sure, the wait between this chapter and the last one isn't 2 years, but TEN MONTHS?

In any case, it's back (for now), and I hope you all liked the chapter (but I won't lie, you may find these next three chapters to be more padded out-to give a fair warning).

Special thanks goes to:

1) Toa Coy 2.0 - My typical pre-reader who gave a quick response when I needed it. I've said it before, I'm saying it now, and I'll probably say it again in future chapters.

2) VirgoDragoX - A rather recent addition to those helping to write this story. A definite help indeed, since Virgo's advice and interaction helped to push this forward. Not to mention the help given to write the story of the brother Spirits and such.

3) HRC Stanley - Another of my typical pre-readers who helped to point out certain errors whenever he noticed.

Note: Myself and glebius98 talked a bit on discord to go over the grammar in this story, but we sadly lost touch, not helped by me getting stuck on chapter 8 for 6 months and giving nothing in that time (and I believe he said he doesn't use discord that often, so I should've contacted him via an alternative means). I do appreciate him wishing to help, though, and I hope he's still willing to work with me despite this hiccup.

With that out of the way, let's get started.

Kopaka found the taste of the ocean… strange. Well, more of a feeling than a taste. The further north he traveled, the warmer the waters grew. Its energy brushed against his submerged palm, making it glow with the reflective light of yet another afternoon. It was nothing next to the newfound warmth reminding him of Tahu.

Kopaka tried not to complain. The only other time he had replenished himself was back at the South Pole, absorbing the energy of nearby fish and snow before the emergence of the white light. Katara, Sokka, and Appa looked refreshed after a night of lying down. Kopaka did not question it. It was their way of recharging. After traveling across the ocean, he and his companions were on a new beach with different trees, rocks, and even water waving over him–

Splash!

"Sorry, Kopaka! I was practicing!" Katara said from further down the beach.

Sokka's voice followed. "Yep, better get used to that."

After wiping his mask dry, Kopaka suppressed the urge to freeze Katara and her water tendril. Sokka kept closer to dry land, cooking a fish or two. Since their encounter with the Kyoshi Warriors, neither asked about their target. Then again, said target had gone across the waters to a town on the other archipelago in the distance. Catching up with the ship earned the day they had lost, and Kopaka's mask noted it wouldn't go far in its damaged state.

In the meantime, Katara and Sokka dug into their fish while Appa ate a nearby bush for nutrition. Kopaka didn't regard them, deep in his thoughts. A bit too deep. His finger absently trailed along the sand until he heard Katara. "... you ready, Kopaka? Hey, what's that?"

"What are you two doing? A day's already passed! It won't be long before we miss that ship and…" Sokka himself said, stopping when he looked over Kopaka's other shoulder. "Huh, looks kinda familiar."

Kopaka found the two peering over him. "Girls. Mask," he explained as best as he could.

"I wonder what they say," Katara said about the three lines of circular symbols Kopaka wrote, the same lines he had read on that mask Suki showed him.

"Koti. Mahi. Turahni," Kopaka read aloud in his tongue, which his companions never understood while he recounted each word's true meaning.

Koti. Unity.

Mahi. Duty.

Turahni. Destiny.

Kopaka had heard those words before. In his dreams? Maybe from before, if there had been anything. The old one from the ship said the first word in Kopaka's tongue. Did everyone know it, like the word "Toa?" If Kopaka gave it enough thought, he could–

"That sounds very interesting, but we gotta get going. You can look at your special circles later," Sokka said and backed away from Kopaka's glare. "Uh, forget what I said!"

Kopaka had to after a shadow drew their gaze to the dark clouds. Then, a million drops struck Kopaka's raised shield. Katara raised her hand to form a shield of rain with her "waterbending," as she called it. Appa, with all his fur, was well protected.

"Oh, c'mon!" moaned the unprotected Sokka, who never experienced anything like this back in his icy home.

"It should be alright, Sokka. Don't you remember what dad said from his travels? A little rain won't hurt," Katara assured.

"Easy for you to say! Ugh, it's already getting into my clothes!"

"Hold on, let me try some bending."

"Katara, wait–!"

Expecting it this time, Kopaka tilted his shield down to the oncoming splash.

Tahu hated the rain. Each drop eroded his power and sense of purpose. Not even his new mask's speed could avoid them completely. It did allow him to watch the water descend at a snail's pace. With it, he also zipped back into the ship's hull after being on its deck all day.

He also saw the confused crewmembers whom he passed. Some were probably talking about him again. While nothing new, Tahu had heard more than enough after being ordered to not leave the ship for the past night and day. He heard no more after he hit a wall at a turn.

And at another turn.

And at another turn.

Tahu grunted after his shoulder hit the wall one last time. He was not completely used to this new power. Still, it was more manageable than months of practicing with the other mask allowing him to levitate.

"What was that?" Tahu heard from behind the wall. The Avatar.

Iroh's voice came from the same direction. "Must be the men. No doubt, they're preparing for music night."

"You have a music night?"

"Oh, yes!"

"Uh, sir?" said the guard by the door of the Avatar's cell.

Tahu focused his mask back into its main shape to bring some familiarity. "Do you know where Zuko is?" Tahu asked.

The guard blabbered about the prince being on the bridge. Tahu focused more on the other conversation, hearing Iroh say, "Your allies from the South Pole were here, again."

"Yeah, I figured. I heard Appa. He's my flying bison, by the way," the Avatar had said.

"Yes, quite the animal guide you have. Not unusual since past Avatars used others. He was quite ferocious. He alone put the rhinos through the wringer. I bet he won't stop chasing you until he sees you again."

"Does that mean you'll let me go and see him?"

A pause. "I'll talk about that with my nephew."

"Sir?" Tahu heard the guard say again.

"Nothing. I'll go look for him. Thanks," Tahu said and turned to leave.

The cell door opened, letting out the smell of tea. "Ah, Tahu! I didn't expect you to be here," said Iroh, who held a tray in his hands.

"I thought Zuko would have been here." Tahu paused to regard the guard who informed him. "I was told he's on the bridge."

"Good, because I need help to finish this tea!"

With the guard locking the cell door, Tahu followed Iroh up the ship. He didn't worry about the staring crew whom he passed on his way to the Avatar's cell. Iroh's voice greeted them all, announcing his presence and Tahu's upon reaching the bridge. "Ah, Zuko! There you are! I have some tea for you to try!"

Zuko didn't turn from the map in the bridge's center, as if he didn't hear his uncle. Tahu didn't need a special mask to notice the prince trying to stand steadily over the map. "Lieutenant, are they still following us?" Zuko asked for perhaps the fifteenth time.

Lieutenant Jee said from the map's other side, "They are, Prince Zuko. One of our men spotted them on an archipelago several kilometers away. Probably resting for now, but…"

In the silence, Zuko faced Tahu to ask, "How are the repairs coming along, Tahu?"

Reminded of his original reason for coming here, Tahu stepped up to the map. "I spoke with the engineers. What we have won't help. They said we'll need better materials. For now, they're scrapping something to fix the remaining damage."

"And how long will that take?"

"Another day. Two at most."

Focused on Zuko rubbing his temples, Tahu almost forgot about Iroh until the older man stepped up beside him and poured some tea. "Actually," Iroh said, "this may do some good. It may be a good time to head out and replenish our supplies. I believe everyone is due a break."

Zuko frowned. "A break? Uncle, we can't–"

"As Tahu said, the ship still needs repairs. It won't be good for the crew if they stay inside the whole time. It may do some good for all of us."

Still frowning, Zuko said, "... Alright."

"Great! Now, how about some tea?"

It wasn't long until Tahu tasted Iroh's tea. Even after two years, Tahu was never as used to its steaming and sweet taste as the humans were. Well, save for Zuko, quietly standing by his map. "He looks like he hasn't slept," Tahu told Iroh in his corner of the bridge. Before being discovered, Tahu himself had slept for who knows how long to understand it. Since then, every human he had met did not sleep as long but required it daily.

Iroh sighed once they were out of earshot. "No, he hasn't. This journey will only grow more problematic later on. For now, he needs every break he can get."

Tahu agreed for different reasons. "Those three will still follow us."

"Yes. It's why Zuko is so anxious to leave, but not without those repairs. Hopefully, they will need to resupply and may come nowhere near us in this weather. All we have to do is rest and watch the Avatar. That reminds me, I have to brew another pot!"

'Again? How much tea can one so little drink?' Tahu thought but kept silent.

Once Iroh left, Tahu smacked his metal lips, both in concern of what may happen and to get rid of the tea's tingling aftertaste. "I probably should wash it out," he grumbled at last.

"Are you sure about this?" Kopaka heard Katara ask her brother.

A frowning Sokka walked in front, having been splashed earlier and now soaked in the rain. He surprisingly kept silent until after Appa flew across the water and brought them all to a hill near the town Kopaka had spotted. "Well, we don't have much of a choice. We need him around in case we find Tahu again, and he'll just stand out, so…" Sokka said and gestured to Kopaka.

Katara eyed Sokka's work, then Sokka. "But it's kinda short on him, don't you think?"

Wearing Katara's coat, Kopaka agreed. Sokka had thrown it on him as a "disguise." Kopaka felt ridiculous in it. Since the coat barely reached past his waist, anyone would easily see his legs, then the sword and shield on his back. Appa had been left under some trees at the next hill over.

Sokka, thinking differently, walked down the hill towards the town with a bag atop his head. "Hey, we just need to hide his face from everybody else. No one's going to look at his legs! Besides, we still have some things we can haggle with, which means we can get some food and money!" Sokka eyed Kopaka. "And a bigger coat."

"I don't know..." said a skeptical Katara.

"Look, it's raining so not many people will be out. We get in there, buy what we need, then get out. Now, c'mon!"

Kopaka shared a glance with Katara. Given their lack of supplies, they followed Sokka towards the beachside town. The town itself, its wooden buildings stretching from one end of the tiny beach to the other, had been a bit bigger than the tribe at the South Pole, but still small. Kopaka said nothing about the black ship he spotted on its docks, not wanting to repeat another failed attempt.

Sokka had been right about the people since only a few ran around the narrowed streets. Kopaka, keeping a little behind, found no one watching him. Too busy to stare or tell any nearby soldiers, perhaps. To be safe, he also tried to pull the hood of Katara's coat over his head without pushing off his mask. Meanwhile, Katara and Sokka talked with the town's natives and bartered with its vendors at small stalls holding round-shaped fruits or loaves of bread.

"Alright, alright, we're going!" Sokka said after being turned away again. "Sheesh, I didn't think it would be hard to get some extra bread!"

"I'm not sure if we have anything worth trading," Katara said. She held Kopaka's shield over hers and Sokka's head instead of bending the rain, probably to hide her abilities.

Something turned Kopaka from Sokka storing the food in the small and damp bag. He almost tensed after his mask followed a wispy trail of hot energy to a figure across the street. Try as that figure might, he or she couldn't hide their bizarre and eerily familiar fiery signature from his mask's telescopes, even if they wore a mere oversized coat.

"We can't live off this," Sokka said, bringing Kopaka back to him and his sister.

"There has to be somebody else we can try. Here, I think I see another–" Katara began, but Kopaka grabbed his shield to stop her. "Kopaka?"

Kopaka pulled Katara aside, her brother following them towards the hidden corner of a nearby building. "What is it?" Sokka asked, and Kopaka pointed a free finger across the street...

… at nobody, as his plain eye saw.

"I don't see anything. Is someone watching us?" Katara said after taking a peak.

Sokka, taking a peek, said, "I don't see anyone, and I'm pretty sure there isn't anyone around who would want to. Well, aside from Tahu and those crazy firebenders. But there's no way they could have spotted us."

"What makes you think they haven't already?"

"It's raining, duh! No way they would want to be in it. You of all people should know this!"

Kopaka turned to the siblings, and his icy glare silenced them both. He slowly turned back around and activated his mask hoping to catch the stranger, no matter how far they were.

"Excuse me?" Kopaka heard and found the stranger standing in front of him.

Katara and Sokka, seeing him too, jumped. Kopaka merely eyed who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him under the extended patch of roof. "I hope you don't mind if I join you. The rain is getting everywhere," he said in a clear masculine voice.

"Uh, sure, we don't mind? Do we guys?" Sokka said.

Kopaka could hardly believe himself nodding with Katara. The same applied to the bandages covering the stranger from head to toe, the same stranger who bumped against Kopaka. "You… you don't seem like you are from around here," he said.

"Uh, no. We're just stopping for supplies," Katara said.

"Oh? Are you travelers?"

"... Kinda." Sokka looked at his sister. "Come on, Katara! Help me out here!"

"Then, perhaps some advice, from one traveler to another. Do think of a better disguise. I don't think a thick coat like that could hide your friend's entire body, especially his legs."

"I told you," Katara muttered, not too low for Kopaka to miss it.

The stranger thankfully cut in before another argument ensued. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Vakama. And you are?"

Sokka spoke up first. "Oh, I'm… Bato. This is my sister Suki, and our friend here is Ko."

A nod later, a covered hand extended to the rain. Two faint lights glowed underneath the wrapping. "The rain is dying down a bit. I'm a little familiar with this town, so I know where to find something more modest for your friend. Come with me."

The stranger, Vakama, left before anyone could say a thing. After exchanging glances, Katara first left, then a muttering Sokka went after his sister. The last to follow, Kopaka prepared to reach his sword as his mask focused on Vakama to find someone under all those clothes.

Someone like himself... and more like Tahu.

The minute the rain died down a little, Tahu was more than happy to leave the ship. He strode atop the muddy ground to follow after Iroh. While "shopping for wares," the old man had a vitality only a few could catch up with, like Zuko. Tahu's newfound speed would draw more attention than he already did, even with his new cloak.

Iroh's voice proved to be a distraction. "This one, right here. I think this cup would do nicely. We lost a few in, uh, an encounter with a whirlpool," he had said.

The vendor, a woman, tilted her head as if to catch a glimpse at Tahu like the rest of the vendors whom Iroh visited. "Really? I didn't think there were any near here."

"Well, that is an interesting story… but let us talk about this pot right here!"

Tugging at his hood, Tahu turned away from the conversation towards an ever-irritated Zuko. The young prince seemed as anxious to get off the ship as Tahu. "Did you see anything?" Tahu asked after not seeing any white masks among the regular brown or blue or green eyes.

"No," Zuko whispered with eyes strained from sweeping around every shop they had visited. "I've sent a couple of men to scout. There hasn't been anything, yet."

Tahu would have said something if not for Iroh carrying the very pot he had talked about seconds ago. "I will be heading back to the ship. The lieutenant already told me our guest is very interested in another cup of tea," Iroh said. "Are you coming?"

"I'm fine. You go on, uncle," Zuko said.

"Are you sure–?"

"Yes. Now go."

After Iroh slowly but surely left, Tahu told Zuko, "You should listen to him. You look tired."

Zuko's good eye glared at Tahu. Then, it softened, if only a little. The rain clouded the rest of his words as he walked off with a couple of soldiers. "Come on. We'll take a look around," Tahu told the two more soldiers with him and went in the opposite direction of Zuko.

Again, Tahu went into another narrowed street with vendors and small buildings lined up against either side. The rain, too, became more familiar, having grown heavy again. After feeling his shoulders sink and suppressing the temptation to speed back to the ship, Tahu kept more to the side to hide under a nearby patch of roof.

In doing so, Tahu heard someone say, "Here, this coat should do nicely for your friend."

Tahu would have ignored it had he not spotted someone. A rather tall figure in a brown coat, possibly covering something white underneath. It could have been Kopaka, but the roof hid the face from Tahu's sight when he peeked around the corner. There were three more, one just as tall as the first Tahu spotted and entirely covered in wrappings.

"... you're a storyteller?" said a boy among the hidden figures.

"Of a sort," said the unhidden yet completely covered figure.

"It doesn't seem like the rain isn't going away," said a girl, also hidden and more unfamiliar. "We might be here for a while."

After some more words, Tahu found the so-called storyteller entertaining the others. Under the safety of his roof, the storyteller knelt and placed two stones on the ground: one pure white and round to the point of seeming serene, and the other being darker, taller, and more jagged.

Then, the storyteller's voice cut through the rain like a hot knife through ice. "In the time before time, there were two Spirits. Brothers. One of life. The other of nothing. They had been in balance for many years. The great Spirit of life planted the seeds of trees and beasts, to provide for the people, while the Spirit of nothing managed it all and casted aside anything without a purpose in the world. And so the people honored the Spirit of life for the virtues he gave them."

"Did something happen?" said the girl.

The storyteller brought the dark stone close to its pale counterpart. "Sadly, yes. Receiving no honors like his brother, the Spirit of nothing grew jealous. That jealousy grew into hatred, and then…"

Tahu didn't hear what happened next. It must have been the rain or the gnawing sensation inside of his mind. He did see the dark stone knock down the stone.

"Well, that's a downer ending," said the boy, and Tahu couldn't put his finger on where he heard that snarky tone before.

The storyteller's warm chuckle met it. "I suppose. Yet, I believe the story is not over."

Tahu leaned in some more. He didn't know why, but he had been drawn into the story. Everything about it, save for a few words, sounded familiar and felt familiar. Like something out of his dreams. Why, though?

"Hmm, their names?" said the storyteller about a question from the girl. "… They had many, and most have been forgotten. However, the few who remember the brothers call them Mata Nui, the Great Spirit. And his jealous brother Makuta."

Tahu froze. That name. Makuta. It…

Dark, empty eyes stared back. An even darker face shrouded in gray smoke overshadowed a shining city on a shining sea. In the bright sky above, two bright eyes closed to the growing evil, unable to stop it until–

"Sir?"

Tahu found himself standing right in the middle of the street. He must have wondered with his mind, and who knows how long it had lasted. For now, Tahu whirled to the soldier who approached him from behind. "Nothing?" he asked and was given a shaking head. "Alright, just…" He paused to glance at the group he spied on now gone. "We'll look elsewhere."

Though the rain lightened a second time, Tahu couldn't hide his hint of disappointment. Part of him could not stop wondering about the story he heard, not after his reaction. Maybe it had something to do with his past. It wouldn't hurt to ask that storyteller. He had been with those children, and it wasn't every day one saw a Water Tribe boy and girl far from their home–

Wait.

Tahu ran the other way, his mind too busy on what he remembered to channel his new mask. Relying on his regular two feet, he hoped to find some semblance of two children and two tall figures covered in coats. For a second, he swore he saw one of the latter two.

"Stop right–!"

Tahu's voice and feet halted before an alley. Aside from a rolling barrel and rainwater, nothing else moved. Well, save for the little one drawing on the way.

Now, Tahu activated his new mask. He first went to a vendor, freaking him out. Then, he went to an alley. Then, another vendor whom he passed jumped. Then, another alley, then another street, and so on.

Scowling, Tahu returned to the same spot with no progress. He couldn't even find that storyteller! Had he spaced out so long he let three threats escape?

"You two, search around here! I'll find Zuko!" Tahu ordered his men and zipped away.

The downpour against the thick metal walls kept Aang awake. That and the several cups of Iroh's tea. Drinking them over the several hours since his capture had more than enough sugar for him to bolt straight up to the sky and then some. Then again, Aang didn't drink every cup.

The Air Nomads taught him many things, including how to fill up one's body with as much air as possible. Aang did the same with the tea. Sip after sip, he took in the tea. Spit after spit, he released whatever he hadn't swallowed onto the ropes binding his feet. That is whenever Iroh wasn't looking, like right now.

"Hmm, it sounds like there is some commotion outside," Iroh said after a sip.

"Is it music night already?" Aang asked. He swallowed some tea if only to please the man who put all the time and effort into each pot.

"No, no, it's too soon for that. I'm afraid we'll have to cut this short." Iroh stood up with his pot and cup. "Now remember, please do not try to escape."

Aang had other plans in mind. The minute the door locked, his feet's bindings were wet from whatever undigested tea he summoned from his esophagus. It did require a couple of deep breaths, and several attempts to pull his feet free. Both had not succeeded the way he wanted and left him breathing more heavily than before.

"Hrgh! Come on! Come o–hack!" Aang's unexpected cough turned into a loud hack after the bits of leftover tea went down the wrong tube. For all the training he had, the twelve-year-old took his time to regain a modicum of air.

"Huh? Is something going on?" said the guard from behind Aang's cell door.

"Uh, it's nothing!" Aang said hoarsely.

When nothing thankfully happened, Aang continued to free his legs. Some of the tea had loosened the rope a little. His old friend Bumi always used to tell stories about slipping through tough situations. Aang saw some wisdom as he tried to break free. If he just pulled there and then...

"Yes!" Aang cried, slipping his right foot from the tied boot. "Now, just the other one."

"Alright, that's it! I'm coming in!" came from outside.

The screeching door hastened Aang's process. A tug freed his other foot, and his Airbending-supported leap surprised the guard as Aang fell atop his head and–

Clang!

Aang winced. "Sorry," he whispered to the prone and unconscious guard he sat on.

"Hey, is everything alright?" came from down the hall.

Aang breathed and spoke, making his voice as deep as possible to mimic his guard. "Uh, yeah! The kid, uh I mean the Avatar, just hit his head on the wall! Nothing serious!"

The other men, fortunately, went away. A shorter jump allowed Aang to hoop his tied arms under his nimble legs and place them in their natural frontal position. More Airbending helped him drag the guard into the cell and close the door within a minute. Sadly, no keys.

Pressed for time, Aang rushed down the hall with his bare feet and memory of the ship's interior. He also followed the rhythm of rain to where it was the loudest. Aang didn't see many men aboard, aside from the two soldiers about to turn into his hall. "So, what do you think those stragglers are doing now?" said one soldier.

The other one groaned. "Who can say? All I know is I'm going to need a longer break."

"Hah, you and the entire crew!"

The two continued, neither noticing Aang pressed into a tiny corner. Probably because his clothing blends in with the dim red lighting. And his lack of boots. Leaving soft prints with his sneaking stride, it wasn't long before the door to the ship's tower, the exit he needed was in front and–

"Hmm," said Iroh while opening the door. "I suppose I should find another time to make more tea."

Iroh's head, a bald top to Aang's eyes, turned right and left as if trying to find someone. He thankfully did not, and Aang last saw him leave before sneaking his tiny body over the door and out the exit. It took every bit of his training and a mere second to not fall in the welcoming rain. After the second passed, Aang saw the dark clouds above, the portside town on one side and the Fire Nation soldiers in it, and water on the other side, extending to the horizon. And no one was around to see him.

Or Aang thought so before he heard footsteps, and a hand clasped over his mouth. A soft tug whirled Aang into a pair of orange glowing eyes. "Come, this way," the eyes' owner said.

Aang blinked back, then went with the stranger to grasp freedom.