A/N: Shorter chapter than the others. After this one, I will get back into the episodes. Enjoy!

Chapter 55: Waves

Third Person POV

Much of the ash had settled. There was silence. The sun slowly rose over the land, revealing the remnants of what used to be a grand estate. On the outside, the estate had been a beauty to others. No one had known the truth of the darkness that was within. Now the estate would no longer be able to hide what truly occurred within the walls. The truth was already spreading. Fire Fountain City was passing the information throughout the early morning marketplace that Admiral Gru had a daughter, and that daughter had come to exact revenge on those that did her wrong.

The giant of a man stood at the burnt gates of the entrance. He heard the sobs of a servant woman. He heard the cracks of pieces of wood that were still lit with embers. The area was nothing but black ash and burnt wood. The strong smoky scent entered the man's nose. His raven-eagle was perched on his shoulder, watching the scene on alert.

He stepped forward into the courtyard. He glanced over at the woman who was sitting on a bench that had not been burnt up. Another servant woman was with her, consoling her.

"Can't believe this…" A guard nearby muttered. He was staring at the rubble before him. There was still smoke and small flames burning what remained. "That kid was so powerful… all of this time…"

Another female servant stood beside him. "I don't blame her for what she did… I just can't believe she actually did it. There's no telling if there will even be a body to bury. The whole place is destroyed…"

The guard frowned. "We tried to get to him. It was impossible… and… That man got what was coming for him. The way they treated that child… I'm not surprised she snapped. There were so many times I wanted to turn my eyes and let the girl go..."

"Tou… it's not your fault."

He let out a heavy breath. "You're wrong, Lin… We are all part of that child's suffering… Tu Lan was the only brave soul out of all of us for helping that child. We're all getting what we deserve right now… I guess this is good in a way… with Xi being the last of Admiral Gru's blood, the estate would've fallen eventually… There was no way Amara was taking over…" He turned and went to walk away. He stopped though, his eyes wide as he saw the giant man with a metal arm and metal leg. He shot his glance to the tattoo of an eye on the man's forehead. His skin turned pale. "Hey… I heard about you… you're that infamous assassin!" He jerked his spear from behind his back. Lin had backed behind him for protection. "What do you want?!"

The man stepped forward, jerking a scroll out of his shirt. He unrolled it in one hand to show the image of Amara drawn on the parchment. "This girl… which way did she go?"

Tou was stunned. The image was close enough in detail to reveal who the intended target was. "Why… why are you looking for her?"

The assassin did not answer.

Tou got the picture. "Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you. That girl's been through enough."

The assassin scowled. He stepped forward and grabbed the man's spear. He jerked the shocked guard forward, and his metal hand moved to Tou's throat. Tou was horrified as he was gripped by a man known for murder.

The man spoke again in a harsh whisper. "She was here though… right?"

"Yeah… yes," Tou choked through the man's grip. "She left six hours ago."

"Which way?"

Tou shut his eyes in fear. "I… I saw her head south… but I'm sure she's long gone."

The assassin shoved him back, and Tou stumbled. Lin managed to help stabilize him. The assassin said nothing else. He turned and made his way back out of the burnt gate of the estate.

Once he was gone, Tou rubbed his neck where a bruise was forming.

Lin asked, "Who was that? Why was he looking for her?"

Tou answered softly, "He's a man known for getting the job done. It would seem Amara is his target. However… After what she did last night… I have a feeling he won't be succeeding."

The two turned and looked back at the ruins again. Smoke rose to the sky above from the still burning wood, and ash drifted down like snow.

Amara POV

The group said nothing to me as I joined them for a late breakfast. Although, it was more of an early lunch from the way the sun was centered in the sky. The silence was probably because they didn't know what to say to me. We hadn't spoken much since they found me at the cliff where Tu Lan had planted my mother's hydrangea bush. I knew that would change though. They were sure to question me any second.

After the group had found me last night, and Zuko had comforted me, I was guided over to Appa. As we sat in the saddle and flew away from Shuhon Island, Yuna came over and curled beside me. I was relieved to feel her presence after such a long night. At some point, I had dozed in the saddle. When I woke up, I was only alert long enough to follow the others off of Appa and put my sleeping bag down on the land we had found. Then I dropped onto the fabric and fell asleep again.

When I woke up, the sun was above the trees. I heard the soft chatter of my family. I managed to pull myself together, running a hand through my hair. I was surprised when I felt the pieces of ash that had settled on my hair. I could smell the smokey scent in my clothing. I was sure I looked a mess.

When I arrived where the others were, the group stopped whispering as they sat by the small fire and looked over at me with concern. I dropped my gaze to the campfire as I sat beside Zuko. He handed me a canteen, and I was surprised by how thirsty I was. I downed the whole container. When I was done, Zuko handed me a bowl of rice and eggs. I took it with a small smile.

It seemed they let me get in a few bites before they spoke.

Finally, Sokka broke the silence. "Okay… We need to talk about yesterday."

Toph let out a heavy breath. "Or, we could just move on and forget about it."

Katara responded. "I don't think this is something that can be forgotten…"

Aang added. "It's best we discuss it now… we need to talk about what happened."

Toph groaned. "Guys! What's the big deal! She did what she should've done! Don't you want to take down the Fire Lord for wiping out your people, Aang? And don't you both want revenge on the guy who killed your mom?!" She said the last part to Sokka and Katara. "She deserved this chance! She deserves her revenge!"

Katara snapped, "That's beside the point, Toph! Amara doesn't know–"

"She does though!" Toph snapped, crossing her arms. "You all don't get that! She isn't the same girl you all met at the North Pole! She understands more than you all give her credit for! She knew what she was doing yesterday! I'm glad she did it!"

"You should've told us she was!" Sokka snapped. "You let her walk right into that place yes–"

"Stop!" I begged, finally speaking for the first time. I shook my head. "Stop accusing Toph. It's not her fault."

The group looked at me with surprise.

"I did what I had to," I said. "Let's move on…"

"Move on? Amara! You understand why we're upset, right?" Sokka exclaimed. "You had us worried sick!"

I didn't meet Sokka's gaze. I stared at the fire instead. I spoke with sincerity. "I'm not going to say sorry for what I did. I'm only sorry for worrying you all. And for making you mad at Toph… She isn't to blame."

There was another moment of silence as the group tried to think of how to respond. Finally, Katara let out a heavy breath. "We understand why you did what you did, Amara… But you have to understand the way we see this… You put yourself in so much danger last night. We could've lost you. We wish you had told–"

I cut her off. I shut my eyes. "If I told you, then you would've stopped me. I had to do this."

Sokka jumped up. "Yeah! We would've stopped you! You could've gotten yourself killed last night, Amara! Or captured! We've done all we can to keep you safe! Then you go right back to the place where everything started! How are we supposed to protect you from those monsters if you go right to them?!"

I felt my heart pound heavily. My eyes burned as my cousin's words echoed through my mind. I put my bowl down. Yuna, who was perched beside me, gave a whine as she noted my tears. I pet her softly, trying to calm down. It worked a little.

I found my voice. "You couldn't protect me as long as that man still breathed. Xi was still alive… he still could send someone after me… or you all… now… now he can never hurt me or my family again… You all don't have anything to protect me from anymore. It's my turn to protect you all…"

Sokka argued. "We're your family! It's our job to protect you!"

I snapped. "And it's my job to do the same!"

Katara tried to calm the situation. "We understand why you feel that way, Amara… but this isn't you… Killing people… its–"

"I didn't kill him," I argued. "He was alive when I left him."

Aang frowned. "Amara… We heard the report this morning… Zuko and I flew into town to check on things… Your uncle didn't make it."

I felt my last worry fade. Thank you, Fate… Thank you for finally being on my side…

I defended myself. "He wasn't my uncle… he was just an evil man… What happened to him after I left the study was not my doing… The fire spread… He didn't escape… It was just bad luck that fell upon him…"

Sokka went to argue. Zuko cut him off. "Amara… Can you at least tell us what happened… did he hurt you at all? Say anything that upset you?"

I let out a heavy breath. I met Zuko's gaze. My mind went back to my conversation. "He was a monster like usual… he called my mom a wench… That's all he ever called her…"

Katara asked softly, "You spoke to him then?"

I gave a small nod. "Yes… I was a bit disappointed, honestly… I grew up fearing him my whole life… but when I faced him yesterday… he was so weak. He blamed me for Zhao and Admiral Gru's death… he told me that my mom should've been killed when she was pregnant with me. That she should've never been brought to the estate… like she had a choice…"

My blood started to boil as the anger returned.

"I was so sick of him acting like she was the problem. She was not at fault! It wasn't her fault! She was a woman that was kidnapped from her home, raped, beaten, and locked in an attic to raise a daughter on her own. She spent her last days broken and defeated. She was the one murdered! He had no right to call her anything but Kala… not Wench! Not Waterbender! Her name was Kala! She had a name!"

The fire suddenly shot up from the wood in front of me. Yuna and Momo jumped with shrieks and flew behind Appa away from the fire. The rest of the group also looked shocked. Appa groaned, alerting me that he was surprised too.

I shut my eyes and took in a few breaths to calm. The heat from the flames decreased. The fire returned to its normal size. The air around us calmed.

"Sorry," I spoke softly. "I… I need a moment alone. I need to cool down…"

Katara frowned. "Amara… We're sorry… We shouldn't have upset you by bringing this up… We just–"

I shook my head. "I'm okay… I just… I need a moment…"

I stood and left the group. I walked away, headed deeper into the woods. I heard Zuko's steps as he followed me. I knew he was too worried about me to let me be alone. I was okay that it was just him. He understood more than the others the anger I felt.

I felt my heart calm as I passed more trees, creeks, and flowers. The island's foliage was peaceful. I only stopped once I reached the sand again. The island we were on wasn't huge, so the trees did not stretch far before reaching the beach again. Stopping in the sand, I took my shoes off which I'd put on when I got up. I dropped them in the sand, and then let my feet sink into the warm specks. I moved forward again, walking towards the shoreline where waves were rolling onto the beach. Zuko still followed behind me, but he stayed quiet letting me have my moment.

I stopped at the dampened cool sand, and the water moved over my feet giving me a calming sensation. I felt the heat inside me cool as the liquid brushed my skin. I moved forward so I was in ankle deep water. The sensation felt so nice… calming… warm…

I spoke to Zuko as I stood in the waves that lapped over me. It was the first word between us since I left the others. "I never knew the water was so warm in these parts… I had only seen it from a distance… I never got to feel it…"

Zuko spoke softly behind me. I was relieved to hear his response. No judgment… Just complete understanding.

"It's a little warmer after the summer solstice happens. Maybe you'll be able to feel it then."

I nodded. I felt my heart calm as the breeze blew against me. "It's nice… It's not like the beaches in the Earth Kingdom I've seen… I wonder what it's like at the South Pole…"

He answered calmly. "Much like the North Pole. Cold… You definitely wouldn't be barefoot in sand. You'd be in boots sinking in snow… Probably turning to ice if you touched the water."

I smiled slightly. I opened my eyes and stared at the horizon in the distance. "The world is a confusing place… How it can be so warm here… yet only an ocean away there's a land of snow my mother used to live on… It amazes me… The things I've gotten to learn about this past year… they amaze me…"

"You've learned so much… We're all proud of you," Zuko reassured.

I frowned. I crossed my arms. I dropped my head. My hair fell on both sides of my face. "Aang… Sokka… Katara… they're… disappointed in me… but I didn't kill him… I'm not a killer. He just didn't get out. That's not my fault."

A small silence fell between us as my words hovered. I heard the sound of Zuko dropping his boots in the sand suddenly. I heard the splash of water as he walked over to me. He came beside me, and I saw he had rolled up his pants since I was in ankle deep water. He placed a hand on my arm, forcing me to turn and face him. His thumb brushed my cheek where a tear fell.

"No… You're not a killer. I know you aren't. What happened yesterday was an unfortunate event that fell over Admiral Gru's estate… And your cousins… Aang… they aren't disappointed… They are just upset you did this without telling us. You had us all worried... You have to understand that yesterday was hard for them… What you did… They are just surprised."

"I didn't kill him, Zuko…" I whispered. I was still trying to defend myself, although I knew I didn't need to. "It's not my fault that he didn't get out. The ice would've melted by the time the fire got to him. He had a chance if he ran." I shook my head against his hand which was still pressed to my cheek. "I… I just wanted the place to go away. I didn't want it to be there anymore. Those walls… that attic… they didn't deserve to stand anymore."

"No…" Zuko whispered. "They deserved to burn… Honestly… I was going to do the same thing when I became Fire Lord… I was going to burn that place to the ground for you…"

I met his golden orbs which were full of understanding. "I… I faced him Zuko… I faced the last monster that hurt me. I feel like I can finally breathe… I feel like I can move forward at last. Everything… Everything feels so light now."

He moved forward and pressed his forehead against my own. He shut his eyes, and I shut my own as well.

The warm water beneath us…

His warm skin against my own…

The sun shining over us…

I felt so safe… so at peace.

Zuko asked softly. "Did he look scared?"

I nodded against him. "Petrified."

"Good," Zuko pulled away. "But I do wish you had told me you were going. I may have tried to stop you at first… but I would've given in… Toph really was the only one you felt comfortable telling?"

I frowned. "Sorry I didn't tell you… I only told Toph because she would've known I was lying when we were in town. She's got those weird mind reading skills."

He sighed. "Yeah… I guess it comes in handy though." He met my gaze again. "I'm just glad you're okay. Don't scare me like that again. At least let me know when you're running into battle."

I smiled. "I'll give you a heads up… Promise…"

Zuko kissed me on the lips then. I kissed him back. My heart warmed at his love and understanding.

Eventually we moved from the water and headed back to Zuko's boots and my shoes. I told Zuko there was a small waterfall nearby that I had seen on my way and I wanted to get some of the ash out of my hair. We walked back through the woods. I was amazed that for such a small island there was so much life. Birds flew in the trees above, and I saw some howler monkeys as well.

"How long do you think this island stretches?" I asked. "It seems small."

He thought for a moment. "Probably ten miles across. Wouldn't take long to walk this whole island, that's for sure. It's one of the many that are uninhabited out here."

"There must be a lot of islands then…?"

He nodded. "One day I'll take you to Ember Island. That one is the best. So much to see and do. My family has a beach house there… I haven't been in years… but it's quiet and pretty."

"It sounds pretty," I said.

We found the waterfall I mentioned. Zuko held my water pouch and clothes as I stepped into the pool. I was wearing my underwrappings, so everything was covered. Zuko still blushed and turned away though, which made me blush too. The water was cooler than the ocean, but not by much. I stepped up to the falling water and let my hair get washed by the stream. The ash and soot from the fire washed away, giving me a fresh start. When I was done, I also rinsed out my clothes to get the smell of smoke out.

As my back was to Zuko, I heard him let out a heavy breath. "Those scars on your back… They make me so relieved that Zhao and Xi are dead."

Staring down at the water that was soaking into my red Fire Nation shirt and pants, I said softly, "To be honest… You and the others make me forget about my scars… I still feel them… but they don't define me anymore. Before… I always felt like they were a mark of my weakness. Now… I know they're only symbols of my strength."

Zuko stepped over and crouched beside me. He brushed a strand of my wet hair behind my ear. I looked over at him and saw an expression I couldn't decipher.

"Amara…you really are the strongest girl I've ever met… I love you so much."

I felt my cheeks burn from his affection. "Thanks, Zuko… I love you too."

I eventually dried my hair and my clothes with my waterbending. Once I was dressed again, we started to make our way back to camp. Thankfully Zuko had been paying more attention than me and knew the way.

However, as we walked through the woods something caught Zuko's eyes. He gasped and grabbed my arm, jerking me back. I was horrified when bright light flashed through my vision. Heat surrounded us. A blast of hot wind caused me to fly back and hit the forest floor hard. I felt my body erupt in pain. My ears were ringing from the loud explosion. I saw something land beside me. From the grunt, I knew it was Zuko. I gasped in pain, trying to pull myself together. I had to help him.

As I managed to focus though, I was shocked to see Zuko was already back on his feet. He moved in front of me, blocking me from whatever had attacked us.

"Amara! Are you alright?!" He didn't look at me, but he inched a few steps back to get closer to me. He was staying alert, his eyes looking around through the smoke.

I moved to my feet, although my body protested. "What's happening? What was that?"

Zuko didn't answer me. Instead, he shot fire through the smoke in front of him. His fire met another blast. There was an explosion in mid-air. Finally, I was able to see what was attacking us. Across the forest, beyond the smoke, there was a giant of a man. He had a metal boot and a metal hand. On his forehead was the tattoo of an eye, steam seeming to come out of it. On his shoulder was a strange whiteheaded- black feathered bird with sharp talons.

"Who sent you?!"

The man kept a straight face. His eyes shot over to me, and then back to Zuko. "Princess Azula."

Zuko scowled. "Why am I not surprised? She's too much of a coward to come after me herself, so she sends for the infamous three-eyed assassin. You can go back to my sister and let her know you failed. You're not killing anyone today!"

The man narrowed his eyes. "I never fail at my jobs."

I was not surprised that Azula had sent someone after us. I was only surprised he found us in such an isolated place.

He breathed in. Zuko was already one step ahead. He shot a blast of fire at the man who desired to kill us. The man shot his own blast from his head and the two streams met. Another explosion went off. I could feel the heat again. This time it wasn't close enough to force us back. I was stunned though by what I had seen.

He… He just used firebending… he shot fire from his head?!

"Amara! Run!" Zuko suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me with him. We took off running, the both of us dodging as another blast of fire shot by us. The blast hit a tree. Birds squawked and took off into the air, frightened by the commotion.

"Who is he?!" I felt my heart pound rapidly. My feet raced with Zuko as he guided me forward.

"He's dangerous! He's paid to kill people! I've only heard of him from others, but he's powerful! He's known for his special ability to shoot fire from his head!"

I glanced back, and was horrified as I saw a burst of flames headed right at us. I jerked from Zuko and turned towards the flames. I quickly forced the element to follow my control, and I moved the flames away from us. It hit another tree, the bark taking light.

I went to turn and run again. The bird from the man's shoulder suddenly came out of nowhere, screeching as it lunged. The creature swooped down at me and grabbed my hair with its talons. I screamed and struggled as it pulled painfully.

"Amara!" Zuko raced back to block another blast as I struggled to fight the bird off. There was too much going on. I couldn't focus on anything but the pain in my scalp.

"HISSS!"

Yuna suddenly appeared in my line of sight and crashed into the other bird. The black bird I finally recognized as a raven-eagle lost its grip on my hair, then shrieked and flew off, stunned by the attack. Yuna landed on my shoulder a moment later, her feathers raised as she watched the bird fly off. She growled.

I was shocked by my friend's presence. "Yuna! What are you–?"

Zuko moved in front of me again, cutting me off as he blocked another blast. As the fire was pushed back, I heard a groan from above. Glancing over, I saw Appa shooting down towards us. Aang jumped off of Appa's head just as they landed, and flew over us shooting a gust of air at the giant man. The man's attack was cut off as he was shoved back by the force of Aang's wind.

My heart was still racing as Toph suddenly appeared beside me. Sokka and Katara came a moment later, ready to attack. Aang had landed in front of Zuko, ready to defend us all. "You both okay?!"

Zuko breathed in relief. "Yeah… About time you all showed up…"

Katara spoke. "We heard the explosions and saw the fire. We came as fast as we could."

Momo landed on Aang's shoulder and hissed at the man who was trying to get back up. The giant of a man looked at Aang with shock. "You… The Avatar… I thought you were dead?"

Aang scowled. "Stay away from us!"

The man glared. He inhaled again. Then his forehead sparked. Aang shot a gust of air as the man shot his fire from his head. Aang stayed strong as he pushed back on the element, although I saw his feet slide back a little from the force.

Zuko shouted. "Aang! We have to go!"

The blast of fire stopped. Aang stopped his blast of air. "Why's he attacking you all?!"

Zuko answered, "Azula. She hired him to kill Amara and I! We have to go!"

Toph rushed forward. "Sounds good to me!" She slammed her foot down and a wall of earth shot up between Aang and the man.

Zuko turned and shouted to us, "Quick! Get on Appa!"

The group took off towards Appa then. I followed, although I didn't have much of a choice as Zuko grabbed my hand again. A blast shot at the wall, and I heard pieces of earth crash around us. I felt a few rocks hit my skin, but nothing caused serious damage. We rushed up Appa, and managed to get on his saddle. Aang took the reins again and shouted, "Yip yip!" Appa groaned and took off. As we shot into the air, I saw another blast of fire shoot towards us. Zuko jumped up and stood at the end of the saddle, catching the blast with his bending. He shot the fire to the side. An explosion went off in the air behind us.

Once we were safe, the island fading in the distance, Zuko returned and sat beside me. He was breathing heavily. Yuna was in my lap, her body still tense from her fight with the raven-eagle. I was shaking, my hand trembling as I pet Yuna to try and calm us both down.

Katara asked once we were safe, "Are you both okay?"

Zuko took a heavy breath. He managed to say, "Yeah… Thanks for coming."

"How did that guy find us?!" Toph asked. "We're on an uninhabited island!"

Zuko answered, finding his voice. "He's a renowned assassin. He's good at tracking people. He must've had a boat somewhere. Asked someone from Shuhon Island the direction we headed. I'm assuming word got out about Amara being at the estate… He might have also seen Appa when we went back into town earlier… He followed our trail. That's his job…"

Sokka muttered, "Just when I thought you chasing us was annoying. Now we have Sparky-Sparky Boom Man!"

Katara scoffed. "Sparky-Sparky Boom Man! Really?!"

Sokka tapped his chin. "You're right. We should call him something else."

Toph sighed. "Kitten and Sparky are just lucky we had packed up camp already. At least we can get away from him and this island."

Aang added, "I guess the secret of me not being dead is out now."

Zuko argued. "I don't think this guy will spread anything right now. He wants his money… All he cares about…"

Katara frowned with worry. "Do you think he'll tell Azula though?"

Zuko shrugged. "It's possible. I don't think this will reveal anything to them about the eclipse though. Our mission should be okay. Azula won't expect us."

Sokka suddenly shouted, "Combustion Man!"

We looked at him with disbelief. Toph smacked her forehead.

He looked at us with confusion. "What? You don't like it?"

Zuko let out a heavy breath. "It's not his name… but we'll just stick with that. It makes him less terrifying I guess."

Aang let out a heavy breath. "I guess it's just another obstacle we'll face again in the future. I'm glad you both are okay though."

Zuko glanced over at me. He frowned when he saw something I hadn't noticed. "Amara… That raven-eagle got you pretty bad…" When he said this, I suddenly felt something warm on my forehead. I moved my hand up and immediately grimaced as pain shot on my skin from a cut the bird had given me above my right brow. "Let me see," he said.

As he inspected my cut, dabbing at the blood with a cloth Sokka handed him, I saw Katara get up and grab her water pouch. She moved over to me. "Here… Let me take care of it." Katara moved some of the water from her pouch over the cut.

As she healed me, I spoke to the group. "Thank you… for coming… I'm sorry about earlier."

Katara finished her healing and put the water back in her pouch. She then ran her fingers through my hair to smooth out the mess from the bird's attack. "We're your family, Amara… We'll always be there for you… We just want you to be careful… to stay safe. We love you."

I smiled at her. Yuna had hopped off of me so I could move forward and hug her. She hugged me back. "I love you all too," I promised. "I'm so glad you're my family."

Katara pulled away. She smiled at me. "Good. Because you're stuck with us."

"We're just glad Zuko was there to save the day," Toph said. "Sparky must've felt all heroic saving Kitten?"

Zuko argued. "It was a group effort."

Aang sighed. "Well… Let's get to our next destination. Hopefully we can get some distance from combustion man. I wouldn't mind going one day without fire being thrown at us."

Zuko smirked. "We're resuming your training tomorrow, Aang. I'll be throwing fire at you."

Aang looked back at him with pleading eyes. "One rest day?! Please!"

Zuko shook his head. "Nope. From this day forward, we train at sunrise."

Aang groaned and looked back in front of him to guide Appa. "Party pooper."

Sokka added, "With Combustion Man and the Eclipse, I think we're in for a wild future."

Katara argued as she sat beside me. "Every day since we met Aang has been wild."

Yuna had returned to my lap. Momo was curling up beside Toph.

Aang grinned back at us. "We'll handle Combustion Man! Piece of cake! Plus, we were bound to run into another enemy again. You got to keep life interesting!"

Zuko muttered, "I don't know if Combustion Man being after us is a great thing."

"What's wrong, Zuko? Scared of a firebender?" Katara asked.

Zuko sighed. "No… It did kind of feel good to rescue Amara today."

I defended myself. "I blocked one of the blasts… So I rescued you too."

Katara joked, "Let him have his ego, Amara. He does need to regain his honor."

The group laughed. Zuko couldn't help but lift his lips a little from her words.

I smiled. I glanced down at Yuna. I looked around at the others. I stared over at Zuko who had shut his eyes and was leaning back against the saddle, relieved we had escaped Combustion Man.

Life was definitely not boring… it was no longer dark and lonely for me… It had definitely become interesting. I honestly couldn't wait for the future.