A/N: SO SORRY FOR THE HIATUS EVERYONE! I'M BACK! College… All I'm going to say. Enjoy this much delayed chapter!

Chapter 53: Space Rock!

My finger traced over the smooth white stone with the carving of a polar bear dog. My gift from the Painted Lady was one I would never forget. Of course, I was still puzzled by what had occurred. Everything about the dream had felt so real. I was struggling with the possibility that I had truly seen my mom. Maybe her spirit? I knew I probably would never know if what occurred was more than just a dream. All I knew was I would cherish the moment forever.

When I told Katara about what the Painted Lady had gifted me with the next day, she was astonished. She also didn't know what to make of it. Aang heard my story too. He just smiled and said, "The Spirit World is something even I still don't understand. The monks once told me that if you reach spiritual enlightenment then you may be granted the ability to live in the Spirit World. Then of course, others usually are reincarnated like myself. So… whether it was a dream or really your mom visiting you… well, I don't have an answer. But that stone seems to be something the Painted Lady felt you should have. So I'd treasure it, and the time you had with your mom."

His explanation was comforting enough.

We were currently camping again. Sitting by the fire, I turned the stone over in my fingers, still rethinking my moment with my mother. I had felt so much peace since that vision. I felt like my mother was truly beside me.

Yuna hopped over to me and stared up at the stone. I held it out to her and she sniffed it. She then rubbed her cheek against it and purred. She liked the gift too.

"Hey! Look!" Aang shouted.

We all looked up from where we were sitting by the fire. He was pointing up at the sky where balls of light were shooting across the starry space.

My eyes widened. I hadn't seen something like that before. "What's going on? What are those?"

"Ooh! Meteor shower! I loved watching these as kids!" Katara exclaimed. She jumped up and looked over at us. "Come on! Let's get a better look."

Toph sighed. "I've heard of those. I think it happened once back at my estate. My parents went out to watch. Of course, I stayed inside. I guess I can at least come and give you company."

Katara gave a sad smile. "Sorry, Toph. I really wish my waterbending could heal your sight."

Toph waved her off. "Don't be. I like who I am. My ability to see through the earth allows me to detect things better than all five of you combined. Just describe it to me. That will make me content."

As we walked away from camp to get a better view, Zuko asked Katara, "Did you try to heal Toph's sight?"

Katara nodded. "Yeah… We thought about experimenting one day. This was while you and Amara weren't with us. It didn't work. I even tried to use a little water from the Spirit Oasis. I guess you can't heal everything."

Toph waved her off. "I'll come to you the next time I get a blister on my foot, Sugarqueen. That will be all the help I need."

We eventually got to a nice spot on a cliff and sat down. You could see a village lit up in the distance past the forest. The meteors were still shooting across the sky, their lights beautiful even though Zuko explained to me they were giant balls of space rock and fire. He told me they usually burned up in the atmosphere or landed in the ocean, but sometimes they did hit the earth. He had never seen one hit the earth before, but he told me people had found some over the years that had created large craters.

Yuna and Momo stared at the balls of light with wide eyes, their tails swishing. Even Appa, who sat behind the group, was watching with intrigue.

"Wow, this is amazing to watch," Katara commented.

Sokka tapped his chin. "Kind of makes you realize how insignificant we are."

Zuko added, "I always wonder what else is out there..."

Aang exclaimed, "I've actually seen it! When I was with Guru Pathik my spirit went out of the earth! It's millions of millions of stars and other planets! Galaxies! It's endless! Amazing!"

"Really?" I sat up and looked at Aang. "It's that big?"

"Yeah! We're just a small part of the universe, Amara! Like a little speck of dust."

I was astonished. I stared up at the sky in awe. There was so much I did not know. "That's amazing."

"Eh, you've seen nothing once, you've seen it a thousand times," Toph shrugged beside me.

A huge meteor suddenly shot down into the valley below us, hitting the ground hard. We gasped as the fire from the giant piece of space rock started to eat at the trees and spread across the area.

We were quickly on our feet in horror. Even Toph had felt the crash of the object onto the earth and looked worried.

Sokka spoke with terror. "Oh man, you've never not seen anything like this."

Katara was horrified. "The fire is gonna destroy that town!"

Aang snapped, "Not if we can stop it!"

We all quickly got on Appa and headed towards the flames. As we did, Zuko started to plan what we should do. "Toph and Aang can work on building a trench with earthbending to stop the spread. Katara and Amara, go get some water once you drop us off to put out the fire in the trees. I'll work on weakening the flames to give us time to put them out."

Sokka asked from where he sat on the saddle, "What about me?"

Zuko looked at him with uncertainty. "Um… Stomp out some of the smaller flames."

Sokka huffed and crossed his arms.

We eventually got to the spot where the meteor had hit the earth. Aang, Toph, Sokka, Momo, and Zuko quickly slid off Appa to work on containing the fire while Katara and I flew over to the creek nearby to get some water. Yuna flew ahead as if guiding us to the water source. Once we arrived, Katara and I used our bending to pull up as much water as we could. Then Appa flew us back to the crash site. Once he landed, Katara and I worked on shooting water to the flames around us to extinguish the largest areas of damage. I saw Aang and Toph had created a trench while we were gone, which had stopped the flames from spreading further. Zuko was in the center, concentrating on controlling the flames and lowering their intensity. He lowered his hands and the flames that were roaring began to decrease. Aang shot air at what Zuko had lowered, and the flames extinguished. Toph used slabs of earth to cover areas of flames and smother them.

With one final move of my own, I spread my water over the remaining trees in the distance that were still ablaze and dropped the liquid over them. The fire simmered and smoke filled the air. As Katara and Aang put out the last of the flames, I slid off Appa and walked over to Sokka who looked upset. Momo was beside him, looking up at him with his ears dropped. Yuna landed on my shoulder as I joined my cousin.

"Sokka… You okay?"

Sokka sighed, his shoulders slumping. "No… I'm frustrated. I couldn't do anything to help…"

A sudden rush of snow came our way as Katara and Aang put out what remained. I gasped, blocking the white powder from hitting me and Yuna. Momo had jumped behind my legs to avoid the powder too.

Aang smiled with satisfaction as he stared at the contained site where no more flames were. "Good work, everybody."

I heard a growl beside me and grimaced when I realized I hadn't blocked Sokka. Looking over, I saw Sokka was covered by a pile of snow. "Oops… Sorry," I said. I pulled the snow off him with my bending.

He beat off the remnants with a sigh. "No… not your fault…" He sulked off then back over to Appa. I watched him go with a frown.

Later that night we were back at camp. The others were chatting excitedly about how they had saved the town, and even told Zuko they were impressed by his ability to control the flames. Zuko commented that he was going to train Aang tomorrow with some basic moves because it was time to start learning firebending. Aang had kept putting it off, but Aang finally agreed to learn. He also felt better knowing that Zuko was going to train me some more too.

As the group continued to chat, I saw Sokka was quiet and pouting against Appa. I left the circle and walked over to him with concern. Yuna hopped along on the ground to follow me.

"Don't let tonight get you down, Sokka…"

I sat down beside him. Yuna moved into his lap to offer him comfort. He smiled a little, petting her with gratitude.

He let out a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry, Amara… I'm glad you all were able to put out the flames. I just… I wish sometimes I wasn't so useless in moments like these. Not being able to bend sometimes makes me feel so weak. I want to be stronger for the group, but sometimes I don't know what I can actually offer. I've never learned how to fight like the other warriors… All I know is how to use my boomerang… read maps… fly Appa. I wish I could do more."

I frowned. "Sokka… You do so much. You keep our group motivated. You're amazing at leading us to our next destination. And you are a great fighter, Sokka. I've seen it. At Ba Sing Se you knocked out a ton of guards when we broke into the palace, and you also helped take down some Dai Li agents. You're not weak."

He gave a small smile. "Thanks… I just wish I could do more I guess. Be someone important."

"Well… You're important to me," I promised. I leaned against him and shut my eyes. "I'm honestly jealous of Katara sometimes… I wish…" I let out a heavy breath. "I wish you were my brother too."

He put an arm around me to give me comfort. "Even though you're my cousin, you are definitely a sister to me, Amara. If being a brother to you can replace the horrible memories of that monster who tortured you for so many years, then I gladly will accept that role."

I smiled. "I like that."

The next day we went into town to buy some breakfast. As we went around the town, I could tell Sokka was still upset about the night before. I knew that our talk had only comforted him slightly. I spoke to Zuko as we headed through the town. "He's really upset."

Zuko glanced at Sokka who was walking ahead of us. "He'll get over it… It's just a guy thing. I get this way too when I feel helpless."

I crossed my arms. "Maybe… you can train him. You know… Teach him some sword fighting moves. That may cheer him up."

Zuko took my hand to pull my arms apart. He held my hand between us as we continued to walk, saying, "I'll offer. But my focus today is Aang's training. Maybe I'll have some time tomorrow."

I nodded. "Okay. I just hate seeing him beat himself up."

"That's because you're the most caring girl I know…" He said. "Don't worry. He'll be back to himself in no time."

We eventually got to a small tea shop that served pastries and fruit. As we sat on one of the outside tables eating our food, I watched as Sokka sat on the ground away from us picking at his own food. I wished I could cheer him up. Yuna hopped down beside him, rubbing her head against his arm. He pet her and handed her a piece of fruit, but I could see he was not any happier than before.

Aang suddenly spoke from where he sat between Katara and Toph. "These people have no idea how close they were to getting toasted last night." He looked around at the other townspeople who were eating their food and chatting amongst one another.

Toph nodded. "Yeah, the worst thing about being in disguise is that we don't get the hero worship anymore. I miss the love."

Sokka scoffed. "Boo-hoo, poor heroes."

Katara looked at him with shock. "What's your problem? You haven't even touched your smoked sea slug."

Zuko muttered beside me, "I told him he wouldn't like it…"

Sokka didn't hear Zuko's comment. He turned to look at the group with frustration. "It's just, all you guys can do this awesome bending stuff like putting out forest fires, and flying around and making other stuff fly around. I can't fly around, okay?" He turned back to his bowl with dismay. "I can't do anything."

Katara argued. "That's not true! No one can read a map like you can!"

Toph added with a shrug, "I can't read at all!"

Aang jumped in. "Yeah, and who keeps us laughing with sarcastic comments all the time?" He looked at Katara. "I mean, look at Katara's hair, right? What's up with that?"

Katara was horrified. She brushed her hair down with her hands. "What? What's wrong with my hair?" She looked at Zuko for an answer. Zuko stopped eating his food midway, surprised she was asking him. He shrugged, not sure what Aang was talking about.

Aang was immediately embarrassed. "Nothing. I was just trying to…"

Sokka interrupted. "Look, I appreciate the effort, but the fact is each of you is so amazing and so special and I'm ... not. I'm just the guy in the group who's regular."

Katara calmed from the hair comment. She let out a sigh and then made her way over to Sokka. She sat beside him, saying, "I'm sorry you're feeling so down, but I hope you know, none of us see you that way." She looked down for a moment. Then she put a hand on his shoulder with a confident tone. "I know something that's going to make you feel better."

He looked at her with question. "What's that?"

She stood and grabbed his hand. She pulled him to the table and made him sit. "Eat first. Then I'll show you."

We ate the rest of our breakfast. Then Katara guided the group back through the town towards a nice wooden building. There was a path that left the building and seemed to go up into the mountains beyond the town. Upon entering, I saw weapons all around the room.

Sokka grinned with delight. "Shopping!" He rushed inside the store to look around at the different display cases. He walked over to a shelf. "Maybe a little something to reinvigorate my battling." He picked up a weapon that had two sturdy wooden sticks held together by a chain. "Hey, how about these?" He started to swing around the nunchaku and accidentally smacked himself in the face.

Zuko, who was eyeing some broadswords, saw Sokka's poor use of the weapon and shook his head. "Stick to swords, Sokka."

As Sokka returned to looking over other weapons, the rest of the group was looking at different items as well. Katara was trying on gloves. Toph was checking out a metal disc used for throwing at enemies, interested more in the material than its actual use. Aang moved over to look at some armor in the corner of the room. As they were occupied, I walked around the area with Yuna glancing at the items as well. I was not a huge fan of weapons and preferred my bending.

"Ooh!" Sokka exclaimed. I jumped a bit from his excitement and looked over at him wondering what had his attention. He had stepped over to a sword on display across the room. "That's what Sokka's talking about."

Zuko approached the display case and suddenly turned shocked. "No way… I know this craftsmanship…"

I walked over to, now curious to hear why Zuko was so intrigued. The others approached as well.

"Really?" Sokka asked.

Zuko nodded. "Yeah… A great swordmaster… He gave me my first set of broadswords. I haven't seen him since I was a kid."

I stared at the fine sword with bewilderment. "You mean your old sword teacher Piandao?"

The male weapons store shopkeeper walked over with a smile. "You have a good eye. That's an original from Piandao, the greatest swordmaster and sword maker in Fire Nation history." He looked over at Zuko who had his hood up to conceal his identity. "You must be quite skilled with swords if you were trained by such a master." He pointed out the window. "He lives in the big castle up the road from here. If you're an old student, I'm sure he'd be thrilled to see you." The shopkeeper left us then to go speak to a man across the room staring at some maces.

Aang looked over at Sokka. "That's it! That's what you needed all along, Sokka."

Sokka was puzzled. "A sword?"

Aang argued. "Not the sword… A master!" Aang continued as Sokka picked up the sword. "We've all had masters to help us get better. You should see if you can study with Piandao."

Katara spoke enthusiastically, "That's a great idea. I could've never gotten to where I am without Master Pakku. Everyone needs a teacher! And Piandao seems really great if Zuko got his skills from him." She said the last part softer so that the fire nation men in the room couldn't hear.

Toph nodded. "Not a bad idea. I learned from badgermoles. They don't talk, but they're still good teachers."

I nodded. "If it wasn't for Iroh and Zuko, I would've never learned firebending. A teacher would be perfect. There's no harm in going."

Sokka stared at the sword. "It would be nice to be a master sword fighter. All right, I'll talk to him." He glanced over at Zuko. "Will you come?"

Zuko was shocked. Then he quickly shook his head. "No. That's a bad idea. If Piandao learns who I am, he'll know your Water Tribe, Sokka… You need to do this on your own. Plus, I already made it clear that Aang needs to work on firebending today." He placed a hand on Sokka's shoulder. "Piandao's a great man though, Sokka… just be yourself… and genuine… he'll definitely take you on as a student just from your drive alone."

Sokka let out a heavy breath. "Okay…"

We parted from Sokka a few moments later. He headed off to go see if Piandao would teach him, while the rest of us headed back to camp. Once we got back, Zuko immediately went into teacher mode. As Aang tried to chase after Momo, Zuko grabbed his shirt collar and started to drag him the opposite direction away from camp.

Zuko looked back at me when he saw I wasn't following. "Come on, Amara. You can learn some new moves too."

Toph smirked. "Great. While they're off flinging fire I'm taking a nap."

Katara snapped, "You could help me grab some water for dinner later."

Toph ignored her and plopped down on the dirt, bending a tent to shade herself from the sun.

"Amara! Come on!" Zuko begged. "Before Aang loses his attention span!"

After telling Yuna to hang with Appa and Momo so she wasn't near the fire, I rushed to follow Zuko who was still dragging a pouting Aang away from camp. Once we were in a safe secluded spot, Zuko ordered me to do some breathing warm ups while he got Aang started. As I heard Zuko snap at Aang about his stance and poor breathing, I shut my eyes and practiced the breathing techniques that Iroh had taught me so long ago.

However, the thought of Iroh distracted me slightly. I stopped my exercises as my heart ached for the man that was still locked up in prison. Even though I didn't feel comfortable calling him "uncle" or "dad," Iroh had become someone special to me over the years. He had saved me after sixteen years of pain and captivity. He had kept his promise and helped me find my family. Iroh had done so much for me, and for Zuko… and now he was rotting in a prison because he sacrificed himself to save us at Ba Sing Se.

I really hoped he was okay.

"HEY! Watch it!" Zuko suddenly snapped. "I said hold the flame. Not shoot it!"

I came out of my thoughts and looked over to see Zuko was stomping a small flame with his boot that had taken light in some grass. Once he killed the flames, he snapped, "Again! This time just hold the flame!"

Aang groaned. "But that's so boring!"

"That's control!" Zuko explained. "You have to learn how to control the energy before you just start shooting randomly!" He pinched the bridge of his nose, shutting his eyes to try and calm down. Then he let out a heavy breath and glanced my way. "Amara… Can you come do this one with him? Maybe if he sees you listening to me he will too."

I nodded. I walked over to help teach Aang. I was honestly fine doing beginner moves. My mind was too distracted to try new techniques. As Zuko taught Aang a new move, I willingly demonstrated. Aang watched me, and tried to copy my movements. First, I held a flame above my palm to show him how to keep a fire steady. He stood the way I was and did the same. As our two flames danced, he asked, "What's the point of this?"

Zuko answered, "The point is learning how to control your flame through breath. My uncle always told me that firebending comes from the breath and not the muscle. You have to learn how to breathe correctly if you're ever going to firebend."

Aang sighed. "Okay… I'll breathe."

We practiced controlling our flames for a few minutes. Then Zuko wanted Aang to try and shoot the fire towards a stone nearby. I continued to demonstrate for Aang, who followed my lead. After a few tries, Aang was able to hit the center of the stone perfectly. He cheered, and I smiled with relief. I was glad to see he was catching on so well. Even Zuko seemed pleased with the progress.

We practiced a few more basic moves with Aang for another hour. Eventually, Zuko wanted Aang to try an exercise on his own. As Aang shot a small flame from his foot over and over again, Zuko showed me a move I had never tried.

"Make a dragon?" I was astonished. "That's possible."

He smirked. "You can boil water by just staring at it, and you're asking if making a dragon shaped flame is possible?"

I blushed. "I've just… never seen that before."

He took a few steps in front of me. "This is a move Uncle taught me. You basically form the flames into a stream and spread them out into the shape you want. Firebending performers use this technique all the time."

I was amazed. "You mean I can make something besides a dragon?"

He nodded. "Yeah… I guess. I've never tried anything but a dragon before… I'm sure you can make something else though."

"Like… A butterfly?"

He shrugged. "I guess."

My eyes widened. "Can you try to make that instead?"

He was surprised by my request. Then he glanced back at Aang who was busy shooting flames with his feet. He let out a heavy sigh. "Okay. But don't you dare tell the others I'm firebending butterfly shapes."

I nodded, smiling with excitement.

He took in a deep breath, and then shot his hands forward. A flame shot in front of him. He then started to move the fire as if it were a stream of water, and as he moved the element he began to form it midair into a large flaming butterfly with four wings. He let the shape he was forming move right and left for a moment, and I watched with amazement as he held the shape even with the fire raging within. He finally released the element and the shape dissolved, turning into smoke.

I was astonished. "Wow! That was amazing, Zuko!"

He let out a final breath as he rested his arms beside him. "I'm actually surprised I could do that…" He looked over at me. "Now–"

"Aw! Zuko! That was so sweet of you."

We jumped when we heard Katara speak and start clapping nearby. We looked over to see her standing with Toph a few yards away by a large boulder. Yuna was on Toph's shoulder and Momo was on Katara's.

Aang suddenly stopped his training,turning around with confusion. "Huh?" He had not seen what Zuko had desired to hide from the rest of the group. "What? What happened?"

Katara stepped over with a smirk. Toph didn't seem to know what was going on, but was amused by Katara's teasing.

Zuko's face turned red. "Wha– How long were you there?!"

Katara crossed her arms and shrugged. "We were bored. Without Sokka there's not much to do but laze around. We thought we'd come to check out the training. Thankfully we got here just in time to see you make such a pretty butterfly with your fire."

Zuko defended himself. "I did it for Amara. I was going to make a dragon!"

Toph laughed. "Aw. I think we embarrassed Sparky."

Aang whined. "I didn't see! Do it again!

Zuko covered his face with one hand in embarrassment. I felt bad they were all teasing him. I decided to come to his aid. "He was showing me so I could do it. Now it's my turn to try."

I grabbed Zuko's arm and pulled him back so he was no longer the center of the area. Then I took my spot so I could try what Zuko was attempting to teach me. Taking a deep breath, I tried to picture the butterfly in my mind. I then shot my hands forward creating a stream of flames. As I continued to manipulate the fire, I tried to spread the flames apart in the areas I wanted to. A two winged creature took form, but I was unable to form the other wings. I lost my hold and the flames evaporated.

I pouted. "Well… It was better than nothing."

Zuko spoke reassuringly. "For this being your first time, that was really good."

I smiled back at him with gratitude.

"So… How's firebending training actually going?" Katara asked, turning serious as she turned to the mission of teaching Aang. "Is Aang getting some of it down?"

Aang nodded. "Sure am! Check this out!" He took two steps forward and swung his fist. A flame shot out in front of him.

"Wow! That's great Aang!" Katara exclaimed. "You'll be a firebender in no time! I'm so glad Zuko can teach you."

Aang agreed. "Without Zuko or Amara, I wouldn't know who else I'd be able to learn from."

Later that day, we sat by the fire eating some dinner. Sokka still wasn't back, and Zuko reassured me that Piandao was taking good care of him. Without Sokka, we didn't really have much to discuss. Sokka was always the chatterbox of the group, so it was weird not having him around.

Toph spoke after a long period of silence. "So… Where are we headed after this?"

Zuko answered, staring down at a map. "There are a few small islands to the west of us. We can keep island hopping to stay out of sight of Fire Navy ships."

"Ooh! What's that one?" Aang asked, pointing at a larger piece of land. "There's a sketch of a statue on it."

Zuko answered with slight hesitation. "That's Fire Fountain City… We'll have to pass over that one too in order to get closer to the Black Cliffs."

His words made my heart skip. Fire Fountain City… Shuhon Island… I was that close…?

"But… we shouldn't linger there too long," Zuko spoke again.

Katara was confused by his statement. "Really? Why?"

Zuko glanced my way. I pulled my legs closer to my chest as I stared at the fire we had started a little while ago.

Katara noticed his gaze went towards me. She gasped. "Wait… Is that where–"

I cut her off. "Can we change the subject… I don't want to talk about it."

The group was surprised by my plea. They obliged though and changed the subject. I was grateful. However, the rest of the evening I was distracted by the news I had been given.

Shuhon Island… The estate… Uncle Xi…we were close… close to my dark past…

Last time I was at Shuhon Island, I was so weak and scared. I was broken. Hopeless. I had so many doubts that I would ever be free from General Gru's family.

I was free now… Stronger…

And… I wanted revenge...

Another hour passed by. The group had been chatting about different things we had experienced on our journey in the past. I listened, but my mind was elsewhere. Soon the others started to find other things to do to keep themselves busy. I stayed by the fire, deciding I was okay where I was.

Someone sat beside me after a few minutes. "Hey Kitten… What's up with you? You've been quiet since dinner…"

I glanced over at Toph as I stroked Yuna who was nestled in my crossed-legs. I lied. "Just worried about Sokka."

She frowned. "That's not true."

I flinched. "It's nothing. Just thinking."

"About what? I won't tell. What's up?"

I glanced over at Zuko, who was beating his sleeping bag over by Appa. Katara and Aang were bending a stream of water back and forth between one another to practice waterbending.

"Toph…" I glanced her way. I knew she would understand better than the others. She had basically been a prisoner too. "You were trapped inside that estate as a child… If you could tear down the walls that had hid you away from the world… would you?"

She was surprised. She shrugged. "I guess I never thought about it. Those walls around my estate sucked, but I guess they were never really an obstacle for me. I was always able to earthbend my way out… I could leave…" She furrowed her brows. "Why are you asking?"

I let out a heavy breath. "Because… There's a part of me that fears going back to the place that I grew up… But then there's another part of me that wants to face it all. I want to go back… and tear down the walls that trapped my mother and I… I want to destroy it all…"

Toph fell quiet for a moment. She thought about what to say. Finally, she whispered, "I understand why you want to do that… but you need to realize that the place you grew up isn't holding you anymore, Amara… There's no need to destroy it. You're never going back. You know none of us would ever let you fall under the hands of your Fire Nation family again."

I shut my eyes. "It's not about being afraid I might go back… that has nothing to do with it."

Toph furrowed her brows, confused. "Then why?"

I opened my eyes again and stared at the fire. "That place is evil… and it shouldn't stand." I glanced over at Toph. "Toph… Can you do a huge favor for me?"

She seemed uncertain. "What's that?"

"When we get to Shuhon Island… I know you'll be able to sense I'm lying to everyone. I know you'll see me sneak off… Please… Don't stop me… Don't tell the others… Just let me do what I need to do…"

She frowned and pondered over my words for a little bit. "So… Shuhon Island is really where it all happened huh…" She let out a heavy breath. "I don't like it… I don't like you going alone… But I know this is something you need to do. I won't stand in your way. Plus, you're older than me, so it's not like I can stop you… but… If you get hurt–"

I shook my head. "I won't… I'm not letting him hurt me again."

Toph knew who I was talking about. "What will you say to him? If you see your Uncle…?

I stared back at the fire. An image of the monster flashed across my mind. The last monster from my past…

"I don't know… But… I'm sure when the time comes, the right words will be found."

She seemed to ponder over this again. Then she said softly, "You don't have to do it alone."

I shut my eyes again. I stroked Yuna's fur to remind myself I was in the present. "I do… This is my battle. Let me have this one, Toph."

She sighed again. "Okay… Just be careful, Kitten… If something happens to you, I'll never forgive myself for letting you do this."

I reassured her. "The only thing that will happen, is I will finally destroy the darkness of my past and be free… The walls that once held my mother and I from the world will be destroyed."

Later that night we were lying on our sleeping bags. Sokka still had not come back, which was making me more concerned by the hour. The others had not heard my conversation with Toph, and I was relieved that Toph had not said anything to them. I hoped she wouldn't tell them my plans. I wanted to trust her.

It was around dawn when Toph suddenly broke through my sleep. "Sokka's coming!"

We all woke from her call. I was filled with relief as I took in Sokka's shape. He came up the hill towards us, and we got up to go greet him.

Aang and Katara rushed forward, pulling Sokka into a hug as they welcomed him back.

Aang exclaimed, "Sokka!"

Toph cried, "You're back!"

Katara cried, "We missed you so much!"

Aang added, "Say something funny!"

Sokka glanced over at me. "Funny how ?"

I shrugged while Katara and Aang laughed.

Zuko sighed. "You all act like he's been gone for weeks."

Toph smirked. "You know you missed him too, Sparky."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Only because he's good at keeping the rest of you out of trouble."

Katara scoffed. "As if! He gets us into trouble all the time with his instincts."

"What a welcome party," Sokka broke in. "Anyway, I need some help."

We looked at him with confusion. He explained. "Master Piandao wants me to make a sword of my own. And… I really want to use the material from the meteorite to forge one."

Zuko was astonished. "Woah… That would definitely be an impressive sword for sure."

Toph sighed. "So, what's in it for me? Because I'll be the one pushing this thing up the mountain."

Sokka pouted. "Helping out a friend."

Toph scoffed. "Fine. Just don't say I never did anything for you."

As the group prepared to leave, I asked about Appa, Momo, and Yuna. Sokka said it was best that they stayed behind. The three would draw too many questions. I pouted, but I gave in knowing that he was right. A giant flying sky-bison would be one sight to see. Instead, I told Yuna to keep an eye on Momo and Appa. Yuna gave a "mew-hew" as if to indicate she understood. Sometimes, I believed she did.

We made our way to the meteorite that was still in the damaged earth where we left it. Toph used her bending to begin to roll it up the mountain while the rest of us followed behind her. Zuko wore his cloak and hood just in case we crossed paths with someone who might recognize him.

As we approached the giant castle up the mountain, I froze as I came upon the gate. I grabbed Zuko's arm and pointed at the symbol that could be seen from the rising sun. He was surprised as well. The symbol that took up the whole gate was a carving of a white lotus.

Zuko was astonished. "You… you don't think…?"

I looked over at Zuko. The rest of the group had kept walking. "Iroh did say that there were members of the White Lotus all across the world. It's possible Piandao could be one…"

Zuko crossed his arms in thought. "Well… until we know for certain, we need to make sure he doesn't figure out who we really are."

The gate suddenly opened. Toph stopped earthbending and leaned against the meteorite nonchalantly. I knew the presence of such a giant piece of mass would already draw question. Piandao would wonder how we were able to get it up the mountain so easily.

A very tall man in a long red Fire Nation robe with gold trim suddenly stepped out of the gate to greet his pupil. He had graying black hair in a topknot held by a gold band, and a small dark beard. He was surprised to find Sokka was not alone, and looked at the rest of us with curiosity. Zuko went tense beside me as he recognized his old master and looked down to hide his gaze.

The man seemed to look at each of us individually. "Who's this ?"

Sokka quickly spoke. "Oh, these are my friends. Just other good Fire Nation folks." The others bowed to Piandao in respect. I quickly followed. The man bowed back. Sokka asked once we were done greeting the man, "Do you think we can make a sword out of a meteorite ?"

Piandao was amazed. He then walked over to the meteorite and laid a hand on the surface. He examined it for a moment, and then smiled. "We'll make a sword unlike any other in the world!"

Piandao gestured for us to come inside then. We decided we couldn't let Toph earthbend anymore and we helped roll the meteorite as a team through the opening. Once we stepped through the gates into an open courtyard, and stopped rolling the meteorite, I was amazed. Once again there was the symbol of a white lotus designed into the stone of the courtyard at the front of the entrance to the giant castle.

I whispered to Zuko, "Do you think he knows who we are?"

Zuko glanced at Piandao who was speaking to Sokka about how they would forage the sword. "I'm starting to wonder… I mean… Sokka isn't exactly a Fire Nation name… If Piandao's a member of the White Lotus, he would definitely know who we are."

The rest of the day was spent with Sokka and Piandao working on the sword. While Sokka and Piandao worked in the forgery, the rest of us hung out outside. A man who worked for Piandao eventually showed us to some rooms we could stay in for the night. I argued about leaving Appa, Yuna, and Momo alone when the man was out of earshot. Zuko offered to head back to camp with me so we could give them company. Aang agreed he didn't like the idea of Appa and Momo being alone all night either.

The three of us left Toph and Katara who were thrilled about the idea of sleeping on a bed. Once we left the castle, Zuko took his hood down with a heavy breath. "It's so hard to hide who I am from this man. If he hasn't figured it out by now–"

I crossed my arms as we headed down the mountain. "I think he knows…"

Zuko looked over at me with surprise. Even Aang was confused.

"That lotus…" I said. "It's exactly like the one from Iroh's Pai Sho tile. Iroh told me he has connections in every corner of the world. And… the way he looked at us when we first met him… I felt like he knew us. He wasn't even suspicious."

Aang seemed to consider the possibility. "We are a funny looking group of kids… It did surprise me that he wasn't at all curious about our appearance."

"Plus… Sokka gave him his real name," I said softly. "The White Lotus is sure to know about Katara and Sokka. Their names have spread being with you, Aang. I wouldn't be surprised if he knew who Sokka was as soon as he came to his gate."

Zuko added, "That would explain why he didn't question the apparent scar on my face."

"Guess we'll find out in the morning," Aang spoke.

That night at camp, I heard Zuko and Aang chatting as we prepared to get some sleep before heading back to the castle in the morning. As they chatted, I pet Yuna who was happy I had come back for the night and was curled up beside me. Eventually, the sound of her purring lulled me to sleep.

At sunrise, we left our pals again at the hidden campsite, reassuring them that we would be back as soon as Sokka and the others were ready. When we got back to the castle, we were greeted by Piando's servant and guided to where the others were in an open hallway that overlooked the garden.

Piandao gave us a nod in greeting when we arrived, saying, "I was wondering where the rest of the group was…"

Aang sort of told the truth. "We had some other friends we needed to go see last night. We decided we weren't of much help to Sokka."

Sokka, who looked tired but relieved to be done, glanced over at us saying, "You guys definitely didn't miss much."

"Except the creation of a magnificent sword," Piandao argued. "Everyone, have a seat." We did as we were asked, taking positions behind Sokka.

As we sat down behind my cousin, I asked softly to Katara who was beside me, "Did you all sleep okay?"

Katara sighed and glanced over at me. "Most of us…"

I frowned, knowing what she meant. I looked at Sokka's back with concern. He had pushed himself all night to make his sword. I was certain he was exhausted.

Piandao's servant had walked off without me realizing and came back into the room with a sword in a dark brown leather sheath. He stood behind Piandao as the swordmaster spoke to my cousin.

"Sokka, when you first arrived, you were so unsure. You even seemed down on yourself. But I saw something in you right away. I saw a heart as strong as a lion turtle, and twice as big. And as we trained, it wasn't your skills that impressed me." Piandao took the sword from his servant.

"No, it certainly wasn't your skills. You showed something beyond that."

He unsheathed the sword. I was amazed by the beautiful craftsmanship. The blade was black and straight, and the handle was a dark brown. He struck the blade out to the side to show it in full to all of us.

Piandao continued, "Creativity, versatility, intelligence ... these are the traits that define a great swordsman." He sheathed the sword again. "And these are the traits that define you." He knelt in front of Sokka and extended the sword towards him. I saw Sokka take it, but I was confused by the way he held his shoulders in shame.

Piandao stood. "You told me you didn't know if you were worthy, but I believe that you are more worthy than any man I have ever trained."

There was a slight pause as Sokka thought of what to say. Finally, the words he spoke had us all in shock. "I'm sorry, Master. You're wrong." Piandao was surprised by his words. Sokka explained. "I am not worthy. I'm not who you think I am. I'm not from the Fire Nation. I'm from the Southern Water Tribe."

We all gawked at him in bewilderment.

He continued. "I lied so that I could learn swordsmanship from you. I'm sorry." Sokka extended the sword back. We were all silent in disbelief.

Piando shut his eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry, too." He reached his hand to his side and whipped his own sword out. We all jumped up in terror as Sokka quickly unsheathed his new sword and used the flat of the blade to block his attack. Piandao jerked back, and Sokka was at his feet. He jerked away as Piandao swung at him again.

We all got ready to fight, prepared to stop the man from hurting Sokka. Sokka raised his hand at us though, and shook his head. "No, this is my fight, alone."

Piandao kept an expression I could not read. "Let's take this outside."

Sokka inched back, keeping his eyes on Piandao as he made his way out of the entrance into the courtyard. I watched with concern as Piandao followed him, his sword still gripped tight.

As the two moved their battle outside, I said to Zuko with worry, "We need to stop this! Sokka could get hurt!"

Zuko seemed unsure what to do. So did the others.

The servant reassured us. "Do not worry young ones… this is all part of the training."

His words shocked me. "But… he just found out Sokka is Water Tribe… he started attacking him because of that…"

The man smiled kindly. "He is not prejudiced."

He gestured for us to follow him then, and we did so with confusion. We moved to another hall around the corner, then up some stairs and out onto a stone platform that overlooked the courtyard. We could see that Sokka and Piandao were down in the square of the yard below, both of them squaring off.

Piandao lunged forward then and began his attack. Sokka backed away to avoid his swordmaster's swings, blocking each one with his sword to stop the blow. Once he had a chance he made his counter-attack, swinging his blade towards Piandao. Piandao dodged quickly, and then stabbed at Sokka. Sokka swayed back to avoid the attack.

As the two fought below, both of them striking at one another and dodging each other's swings, the rest of us watched with uncertainty. Toph was concentrating on their movements through the earth, her fists tightened and ready to help if needed.

The only one not tense was Zuko. He was amused. "Wow… Sokka learned all of this in a day? He really is an amazing swordsman."

His words surprised Katara. "Are you saying this is really just a training session?"

Zuko nodded. "If Piandao wanted Sokka dead, he would be on the ground by now. He's testing him. I've seen these moves before. They are ones he used on me."

Aang moved over to the railing, his eyes following as the two started to move around the yard. "So… We really shouldn't be worried then?"

Zuko answered, "I don't think so. This is just Piandao teaching his pupil one last time. But, we'll stay alert, just in case."

At some point Sokka had run off from Piandao through some bamboo, and we could see in the distance he was balancing on the rail of a bridge that went over a pond. Piandao rushed up the bridge and started to swing at Sokka. Sokka jumped off the bridge to avoid the swing, landing back on the grass behind him.

Piandao exclaimed, "Excellent! Using your superior agility against an older opponent ... smart."

Piandao charged at Sokka again. Sokka readied his sword and blocked as the man swung his blade. Sparks flew. Sokka reached some stone stairs then, and I was amazed as he blocked that man's attack while going backwards up the steps. He reached closer to the top and Piandao swung another blow. Sokka was pushed against a wall on one side of the stairs as he deflected a thrust from Piandao upward. Piando jerked back, and Sokka ducked as the blade sliced through the part of the wall above his shoulder.

Piandao swung his sword again, but Sokka managed to dodge by rolling away. He got back up quickly, and then jumped towards the wall beside him. He used his legs to push himself off the wall and lunge his sword towards Piandao. Piandao deflected the attack, and pushed Sokka off. Sokka turned and quickly ran to the other side of the stairwell. He climbed up on the wall to avoid another of Piandao's swings.

Piandao shouted, "Good use of terrain ... fighting from the high ground!"

Sokka swung at Piandao below him, who parried and then swung at Sokka. At some point, Sokka managed to step on Piandao's sword on the flat of the wall, and Piandao was stuck trying to pull his sword back. He did manage to jerk his sword up and Sokka was thrown off. Sokka landed back on the earth, but he stumbled back into some bamboo.

We lost sight of them then, although we could hear their swords smashing against one another. I felt my heart race as part of me was still concerned for Sokka. Even though we had been reassured by the servant and Zuko that this was just a training session, I was still concerned for my cousin's safety.

It seemed they were in the mass of bamboo for a good five minutes. Finally, the two reappeared in the same area they had started. I could see Sokka was getting tired, but he still looked determined. However, Piando managed to strike Sokka's sword in just a way that made Sokka lose his grip. Sokka's sword went flying from his hand and stabbed into the ground a few feet away.

I gasped as Piandao moved his sword towards his opponent. Sokka had no way to block this time. Piandao didn't stab him, thankfully, but did hit him with his elbow. Sokka was forced back, losing his balance and landing on the ground. He looked up from where he was trying to sit up, his eyes wide with terror as the man raised his blade.

Panic rose within me. A flash of my mom shot through me. A flash of her terror as Xi and Zhao went to kill her. My irrationality took over as I feared losing my cousin.

"No!" I jumped over the rail and landed in the yard below. Then I shot water from my pouch towards the man who was about to swing down at Sokka.

Piandao turned just in time to dodge my stream. He then lowered his sword in surrender, glancing over at me as I prepared to attack with fire. "No worries, Amara… Your cousin is safe."

I went still, my eyes wide in shock. The others had jumped down to join me and were also stunned the man knew my name. Sokka looked at Piandao with bewilderment.

"Excellent work, Sokka," Piandao said, looking back down at my cousin. He then held his sword straight up as his servant threw a scabbard his way. He caught the scabbard with his blade and his sword was sheathed.

Piandao glanced over at Aang then as he lowered his sword once more. "I think I'm a little old to be fighting the Avatar."

We all looked at him with amazement. Sokka was back to his feet, and he moved so he could stand over with us.

Aang asked, "How did you know ?"

The servant appeared suddenly, carrying a porcelain cup on a white cloth. Piandao answered as he took the cup. "Oh, I've been around a while. You pick things up." He took a sip of the liquid with a smile. He placed the cup back on the cloth. "Of course, I knew from the beginning that Sokka was Water Tribe. You might want to think of a better Fire Nation cover name. Try 'Lee.' There's a million 'Lees'."

I had relaxed, sensing the danger was over. I glanced over at Zuko and tried to contain a laugh. Zuko's own cover name was Lee when he was in the Earth Kingdom.

Katara asked, "But why would you agree to train someone from the Water Tribe ?"

Piandao smiled over at her. "The way of the sword doesn't belong to any one nation. Knowledge of the arts belongs to us all." He handed his sword to his servant, and then walked over to Sokka's sword which was still sticking out of the earth. He jerked it out, and then walked back over to Sokka. He handed the sword over to him. "Sokka, you must continue your training on your own."

Sokka took the sword, still puzzled. "I don't understand… You knew this whole time? You knew who we all were?"

He nodded. "Yes." He glanced over at Zuko. "Now Prince Zuko," Piandao said. "Perhaps you would like to take that ridiculous hood off."

Zuko sighed. He pushed his hood back, asking, "How did you know?"

Piandao smirked. "I knew you were in the area as soon as Sokka came here. You and your friends are well known amongst my circle. The moment I saw you the other day, I knew you were my old student." He stepped forward and placed a hand on Zuko's forearm. "Your Uncle informed me I may be crossing paths with you soon. I'm so glad he was correct."

"Iroh… You've spoken to him?" I asked, my heart skipping a beat at the thought of my guardian. "Is… is he okay?"

Piandao gave me a kind smile. "Yes. He had a messenger hawk sent for him. He wanted to inform me that he is doing well at the Fire Nation Capital Prison and has plans to break out very soon. You do not need to be concerned, Amara… He is a wise man. He knew what he was doing the day he sacrificed himself to save you all."

I then couldn't contain my question anymore. "So it's true? You are a member of the White Lotus?"

The man gave a small nod. He then chuckled and shook his head. "I see it isn't much of a secret society these days." He met my gaze. "I've known about you for a while, Amara… Ever since the day Iroh confirmed you were a dualbender. We have all been watching your progress these last few months. You have made many proud." He then looked over at Zuko. "As have you… We are all looking forward to the day that you help the Avatar end this war, and you take the throne. Your destiny is to restore the Fire Nation to a rightful path."

Zuko gave a nod. "I'll do everything I can to make my uncle and the nation proud. I want to restore peace…"

Piandao smiled at all of us. "You all have come a long way… Journeying far from your homes… Leaving many you love behind… One day, you all will be honored for your sacrifices. Be brave, young warriors. This battle will soon be won. Your mission will be complete. The White Lotus has never doubted you."

Aang smiled and bowed to him. "Thank you, Master Piandao. We will make you proud."

Toph spoke for the first time. "It's good to know someone acknowledges our hard work."

Piandao looked back at Zuko. "You have made me proud, Prince Zuko. You will be an honorable Fire Lord." He bowed to Zuko then.

Zuko bowed back. "Thank you, master… I'll make you all proud."

We soon made our way out of the castle. As we headed away from Master Piandao, I saw Sokka staring down at his new sword with pride.

Zuko spoke to him as we made our way down the mountain. "You were amazing, Sokka. You definitely are a natural sword fighter."

Sokka smiled over at Zuko. "Thanks… You kind of inspired me with your skills though."

Zuko shrugged. "Maybe one day you can teach me how to use a boomerang."

Sokka laughed. "Yeah. You could at least learn how to dodge one."

Katara giggled at the memory. I flinched, remembering how Zuko said that the boomerang had really hurt his head even with his helmet on. Hopefully he wouldn't have to dodge anymore boomerangs any time soon.

"Oh!" Sokka stopped walking. "Toph, I thought you might like this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a dark chunk of meteorite. "Since you've probably never had a chance to bend space earth before."

Toph grinned. She took the rock and started to bend it in between her hands. "Sweet! Check this out!" She made a swirl, a star, and then a strange looking splatter shape.

Katara spoke. "You know, I don't think there's such a thing as 'space earth'. If it's from space, then it's not really 'earth'."

Sokka groaned. "Must you ruin everything ?!"

Katara smirked. "I can't believe I missed you."

Aang asked, "So what's next?"

Zuko answered. "Keep island hopping. Keep training. And then, on the day of the eclipse, we stop the Fire Lord."

I gave a small smile. "And end this war once and for all."