"This way, hurry." Diablo told the group behind him.

"We've been walking east for three hours…are you sure you're going the right way?" Zuko asked him.

"I've gone this way a hundred times…I know where I'm going." Diablo told him.

As they neared the outskirts of the village Diablo looked around, "Now if memory serves me correctly they'll have evacuated the village of the women and children, the men would stay behind to defend it."

"So the Avatar would've gone with them, this was a waste of our time!" Zuko yelled at him.

"You're not looking at the whole picture boy, once I get my rivals out of the way and my place is secured and certain…then you will get what you came for." Diablo explained to him.

Suddenly a veil of smoke crossed the village, when it lifted several grey cloaked figures stood before them. Fenix removed his hood and said, "This is not your land, I expect you to leave at once and never reveal our location."

"Fenix…is it really you?" Asked Iroh…stepping into Fenix's line of view.

"Iroh, old friend…what brings you here?" Asked Fenix in response.

"We're looking for the Avatar and his friends, take us to him at once!" Zuko ordered.

"To get to them you'll have to go through us!" Tem responded.

"Very well," Zuko said in a stern voice, "soldiers attack!"

Just then the soldiers and Zuko released a barrage of fire-balls from their hands.

"In the name of prelate Aiur, brethren defend!" Fenix ordered, the grey cloaked figures conjured a black flame wall to shield them selves.

"Dark Fire-Benders, Fenix is that what you've become?" Iroh asked.

"One cannot run from his chosen path, old friend." Fenix responded.

Suddenly Fenix saw a grey blur charge and attack Zuko, it was Tem. As quick as that happened the battle was under way.

Tem removed his hood, Zuko looked at him and said in shock, "You look just like…like me."

"Yes, now I know why Katara looked at me in such shock when I removed my hood." Tem told him.

"Well no matter, even if we look alike, we are not equal." Said Zuko.

"True…but though we are not cut from the same cloth, we are the same cut in appearance. But I have to ask you why we have to fight? Violence is not a solution…it only leads to more violence." Tem told him.

"Enough talk!" Zuko yelled, and with that sent a flaming fit right at Tem, but Tem dodged it and said, "Now that time you weren't thinking about your target."

"SHUT UP!" Zuko hollered, then tried to karate chop Tem in the neck, Tem blocked it and roundhouse kicked Zuko to the ground. "Oh look what I did, I'm sorry…how about after this me and you do some spear fishing and put this behind us?" Tem asked apologetically. Zuko just picked up some of the dirt from the ground and threw it in Tem's face. "You know, a simple 'no' and I would've taken a hint."

Meanwhile Fenix and Iroh circled each other, "I can't remember the last time you and I faced off like this, old friend." Said Fenix.

"Me neither, but I see you still have the weapon I had made for you." Iroh said, looking at the katana Fenix had tethered to his right hip. "Your eyes are as keen as I can remember, but this weapon I will not use on a friend such as you." Fenix said, throwing the katana away from him.

Meanwhile Zuko and Tem were still at it, neither of them had an advantage at this point. With one flaming kick Zuko forced Tem away from him, giving himself some breathing room and thinking space.

"You know…the more I look at it, I'd have to say you were trying to hurt me." Tem told Zuko.

"What do you think I've been trying to do!" Zuko asked him angrily.

"But why hurt those who've not done anything to you? Why do so much damage to the physical world with your powers and the spiritual world with your negative energies?" Tem asked him.

"I don't need to explain myself to you." Zuko responded.

"Very well, but I should warn you…as a student of the Tomaì, I have a power over Fire-Bending that you do not possess." Tem warned him in a clear voice. "Come with it then." Zuko commanded.

Just then Tem went running straight for Zuko, a long chain of Dark Fire trailing from his left hand behind him. Zuko conjured a couple flames in his hands and used them to black the chain, there was a thunderous cracking noise when both flames struck.

Zuko looked around to see that his troops and him were losing ground. "Prince Zuko…perhaps we should retreat." One of the soldiers told him.

"I'm not abandoning this mission!" Zuko bellowed.

Tem then looked at Zuko and waved his hand in front of him, his face then turned into a scowl and with an up-scaled battle cry, charged at Zuko.