WATER

I.

Nothing prepared us for how cold this winter would be. I grew up in the South Pole and those bitter nights seemed to reincarnate themselves in the winters of Hakü.

Poor Appa, covered in snow, tried to battle the blizzard we were caught in. Sokka was anxious to get to Hakü before dark, but this was crazy! If you ever want to die frozen to a flying bison, ask Sokka's Instincts.

Aang shivered. For once, he seemed miserable in this raging wind. I unfolded our blanket and we huddled under it together. Sokka, clutching the reins, turned to us. We could barely hear him; the wind was so loud.

"I think I see Hakü!"

"What?"

"I said I think I see Hakü!"
"Gehsudite!" Aang shouted. Sokka slapped his forehead in disbelief.

"HAKÜ! DOWN THERE!"

"Well, you don't have to shout!" I yelled, "We saw it a few minutes ago!" I watched my brother choke on his own fury, which is a pretty funny thing to see. Appa banked right and we headed for the few cottages that formed the lonely town of Hakü. Mo-mo peaked out from under the blanket, where Aang had kept him tucked under his cloak. The snow had not stopped for days. Even the sea was mostly ice now. I was glad about that-it meant the Fire Navy ships, particularly Zuko's, would have a tough time catching up.

Appa landed in a cloud of powder. His huge, fuzzy head shook off the snow and he grunted. Aang raced to the side of the saddle.

"Watch this, Katara!"

"Aang wait! The snow's too…" WHUMP! "…deep," I finished. Sokka and I strapped on our snowshoes and slid down Appa's tail. We pulled Aang out of the drift. His blue lips matched the blue arrow on his head.

"S-seriously, you guys, you don't know what you're mm-missing." I draped the blanket over him and we headed for the nearest house.

Before I could knock on the door, a man opened it so a slice of light spilled onto us and regarded us with a nervous eye. He had wild, fuzzy white hair around his ears, an anxious stare on his face. He took one look at Aang and yelled over his shoulder:

"Nothing out here but the wind!" and slammed the door in our faces. A pile of snow fell on our heads.

"Geez, what a crackpot!" Sokka exclaimed, brushing snow off his shoulders. Mo-mo shook out his fur.

"That was weird. Why did he look so nervous?" I wondered aloud. Aang shrugged.

"Maybe he's never seen a lemur before." We trekked through the snow and stopped at the next house down the road. Sokka pounded on the worn wood door and again, the door was only opened a little of the way. A middle aged woman, apron around middle and tea kettle in hand, glared at us. She stared at Aang, then bent forward, raising her voice to someone behind her.

"Tis only the cat. Shoo! Be off with you!" She looked right at us, her voice a whisper.

"Leave, Avatar," and slammed the door. Sokka jumped away from the door, where a pile of snow dropped from the roof. The batch from the tree, however, hit him directly on the head.

"Oh, man!"

Aang pointed to his face, confused.

"Is there something wrong with me?" I smiled.

"No, Aang, you're fine. Something strange is going on here." I glanced up the frosty, blown trail. The village's general store sat at the end of the path, the windows a butter yellow of warmth on this night.

"C'mon. Let's try the village store. At least then we can get out of this snow." We shuffled up the path. Shallow footprints were already half full of snow. As we stepped onto the porch of the general store, Sokka breathed in and smiled.

"I smell jerky," he drooled. We pushed the door open. The clerk stood behind the counter, his small eyes in his massive face were wide with fright. By now, we were used to getting that reaction. A drab curtain separated the back of the store from the front, the floor cluttered with Pi-sho boards and barrels of apples and dried jerky. Mo-mo scooped up a handful of Leichi nuts and sniffed them. I pushed back the hood of my winter cloak and approached the counter.

"Hi! We were beginning to thing no one in town wanted us here." The clerk leaned forward.

"Get out of here. The Avatar's in danger…" He straightened up and quickly began shoving random items into a wicker basket.

"No problem, m'am. I'll get you set up for the storm," he said in a loud voice, "sure is a whipper out there, isn't it?" He thrust the basket in my hands.

"Take this and get moving!" he whispered, glancing behind his shoulder at the curtain. Aang was peeking into a barrel as I grabbed his arm.

"Let's go, Aang." Sokka looked up from a display of jerky.

"What's going on? Are we leaving?"

"Yes, Sokka," I said in a low voice, "we are."

"Aww, c'mon! We just got here and they have four kinds of jerky! Four, Katara!"

"Shut up, Sokka." I kept my eyes on the curtain behind the shopkeeper. Something or someone was behind that curtain.

"What's the big deal? We all need food! Even Avatars have to eat!" The curtain ripped open. Fire Nation soldiers stormed over the counter and surrounded us. Aang glanced as me with worried eyes. I glared at Sokka, whose hands were up in surrender.

"What?"

"Instincts my butt."

"How was I supposed to know they were here?"

"You weren't. That was the point," a young female voice, soft but menacing, came from the back room. The girl walked from the doorway, pushing the shopkeeper in front of her. She was obviously Fire Nation: pitch black hair, sparked amber eyes; she wore the armor of a soldier, reds and leathers. A falcon sat lithely on her left shoulder. Her smile was cruel; her small figure belied the strength she showed as she made the shopkeeper, a fully grown man, wince in pain as she bent his arm back and shoved him on his knees.

"You are an elusive prize, Avatar. Birds who escape too many times…" she bent the shopkeeper's arm completely backwards and we all heard the bone snap. He screamed. She smiled.

"…they need to have their wings clipped."

II.

Aang, Sokka and I sat on the worn floor of the general store, for once untied. Mo-mo sat on Aang's shoulder. The girl tied a scroll to the leg of the falcon perched on her arm. She stroked its head.

"Straight to Zhao, Xirqusis." The falcon lifted from her outstretched arm and disappeared. She turned back to us.

"How is it possible our little banished prince couldn't find you?" She smiled, savoring the insult, "all we had to do was wave your weaknesses under your nose."

"Hey we are not weak!" Sokka argued. His stomach rumbled and he clutched it.

"Food and shelter were the only things a group of travelers would crave from this storm. We simply made sure we had access to every house where a cold and hungry Avatar might stop." I thought back to the old man at the first house and the woman with the tea kettle.

They were trying to warn us!

"You had soldiers invade these people's houses? That's low." I glared at her. She gave me a haughty smile. Man, what I wouldn't have given to water whip that smirk off her face!

"These peasants weren't willing to lose their lives over the Avatar."

"That's funny. They seemed to do nothing but warn us to leave." The confident smirk faltered on her face, but she regained her composure.

"Then we'll just have to burn the village after we leave, now, won't we?" She flicked her amber-colored eyes at Sokka.

"You. Tell me about Zuko's pursuit. Did he actually try to rescue the Avatar from a Fire Nation prison, or was that just a firetime story?" Sokka gave her a demented look.

"He's been trying to capture us since the Avatar's returned! Why would he try to rescue Aang?" The girl nodded her head and two soldiers hauled Sokka to his feet. She held out her hand, a column of flame spiraling upward.

"I'm not sure. All I have are my suspicions. I'm wondering if he's still your enemy, or if he's become your friend. "She advanced on Sokka, the fire dangerously close to his face.

"He's not our friend! He's a jerk!" he yelped. She grinned.

"I know. I just wanted to give you a pretty scar. I could make you look just like our banished Prince-would you like that?" She grabbed Sokka by the hair, forcing his head back. Aang and I jumped up. Aang scrambled away from the arms of the soldiers and shot a gust of wind that blew the girl's flame out. I tried to bend the water in our water skin, but it was frozen solid by the storm.

"Great," I muttered, tossing the useless chunk of leather to the ground. She shot a flame at Aang, then turned on Sokka.

"Who could love a monster with a scar?"

"I've wondered the same thing," he muttered.

"Think anyone would love you with a mangled face?" Her smile was ugly and cold. I watched my brother stare at the fire in her hand, then raised his eyes level with hers. I knew who he was thinking about.

"I don't think that's a problem for her." I watched the flames lick his jaw…my brother's foolish heart defied the Fire Nation and I couldn't help being proud of him for it. With that, I sprinted towards Sokka's captor, my shoulder angled low and WHAM! I collided with the fire bender, the impact leveling us both to the ground. Sokka yelped; a few stray hairs clutched in the girl's hand. Aang brushed both guards away from Sokka with a blast of air. They watched as I struggled to pin the fire bender down. She roared and pushed me off with a hard kick to the stomach. She arched her back and jumped to her feet. I searched the store for anything with water. Nothing. The girl shot a fan of flames at me. I dodged the attack, but she followed with a flame kick that was so fast, I didn't realize I was burning until Aang threw the blanket over my arm.

"Katara!" Sokka kicked over the barrel of apples, the water spilling onto the floor. I looked up at the Fire Nation girl. I wasn't finished with her yet.

I streamed the water into a whip and snapped it at the girl. She rolled under the water, but I bent the puddle into a large ball and dropped it right on her head. She couldn't dodge that attack and I smiled with satisfaction as she emerged like a drown rat, her topknot of hair dripping wet. Steam rose from her body as she burned in anger. Aang and Sokka took a step back, the code among boys to give a woman scorned plenty of room.

"I'll not have a water tribe peasant best me. I was trained by the Fire Nation's best." She called her fire to her and lashed a fist enclosed in flames at me. I blocked it with a spray of water. Sokka tried to clobber her with his club, but she tossed him aside with a fireball. Aang air jumped onto the counter, whipping Pi-sho tiles at her. She took her eyes off me and tried to attack Aang. He was buying me time. I inhaled, then let my breath out cold. The fire bender's wet body froze, her fingers curled like claws to snatch at the Avatar. Aang sighed his relief.

"Good one, Katara." The other soldiers surrounded us and we stared them down, ready to fight to our last. The ice shattered and the girl brought her fist down on Sokka's head, knocking him out. The last thing I saw was her advancing on Aang before something hit my head and snowy white spots flicked across my consciousness until they completely faded to dark.

III.

Water echoed. That's the first thing I sensed when I came to. It slipped down rocks at a steady pace, an insanely slow trickle that would have gotten on my nerves has I not been a water bender.

Now my hands were tied. I opened one eye, relieved it was dark. My head was killing me. Sokka was stuffed in a corner, his white sock the only thing I could identify in the gloom. Where was Aang? Had they taken the Avatar and left us here? I had to get on my feet or I would surrender to the fear.

It took everything in me, since my hands were bound behind me, to lift my upper body so I was sitting instead of sprawled on my gut on the ground. Thank the Avatar my legs weren't tied up, or this would have been a lesson in catastrophic coordination that would have left me on the horizontal side of falling.

Who was that girl and what was her problem? What was she talking about when she said Zuko saved Aang from the Fire Nation? What was she, insane? That would never happen. Aang would tell us something like that.

Voices drifted towards us and I quickly scanned our surroundings. Dark, cavernous, wet, two shapes ahead of us in the shadows, probably guards. Rats. No escape plans were forming, so there wasn't any point in waking Sokka. I turned to face the voices alone.

The girl stepped past the guards, a handful of fire lighting her way. She was joined by two soldiers with painted faces, warrior markings done in red on their youthful faces. They aimed their drawn bows at me. She touched her bruised forehead where she scraped the floor after our collision.

"You will regret this, you know."

"I doubt it." She regarded me in silence, probably debating how she should go about torturing me. Another soldier walked up to the girl.

"Commander Xeilu, Admiral Zhao is on his way."

"Good. Let him know we have a couple of water tribe weenies he can practice on when he arrives." She turned to leave.

"Where's Aang?" Commander Xeilu stopped.

"He's not dead. That's all you need to know." I wasn't about to let it go.

"What did you hear about Aang being captured?" She actually turned to face me. She waved the bowmen away and the two guards as well. Sokka snorted and rolled over. The girl eyed him warily.

"He's just sleeping," I explained.

"He fell asleep while he was unconscious?"

"Sokka never misses a chance to nap." Xeilu crossed her arms.

"The Avatar was captured by Admiral Zhao while in the swamp of Ji-Shoji. He was taken to a Fire Nation post to await transport to the palace. It was Zhao's proudest accomplishment and a slap in the face of our dear Prince Zuko," she grinned.

"But the same night, a masked vigilante snuck into the camp, sporting the face of the Blue Spirit and armed with two Miyazaki swords. He aided the Avatar's escape, but when faced by Admiral Zhao, he threatened to kill the boy, thus beginning the Avatar cycle all over again. Zhao allowed them to escape, but recognized a desperate attempt when he saw one. Who could be that desperate to risk breaking in and then out of a Fire Nation stronghold just to keep the Avatar away from Zhao and his father?" Xeilu crouched down to face me, "Zhao believes it was Prince Zuko who helped the Avatar escape. As do I."

I couldn't believe what she was saying…could I? Aang never mentioned anything like that and the only time he was by himself was when both Sokka and I caught the flu. A sinking feeling weighted down the pit of my stomach.

"Does…does the swamp at Ji-Shoji have frogs?"

"Yes."

"Are they frozen?"

"Yes…" She was getting suspicious. Aang had mentioned something when he returned, a regret of not making any new friends. He was gone for so long-why didn't he tell us? Xeilu read the thoughts on my face.

"Then it's true."

"I…I don't know. Aang never told us where he was that day." Xeilu glared.

"Zuko would be stupid enough to pull a stunt like that. He's a fool."

"What have you got against him?" If I could just keep her talking, I could work out a plan…

"He's a disgrace to his father, you know. He betrayed our nation."

"So I heard. He spoke out against the war."

"How did you know about that?"

"Your beloved Admiral Zhao informed us."

"Don't try to be sarcastic with me. You suck at it."

"Okay fine, I won't! Look at me; I'm the polite, simpering little water tribe peasant, who'll do your bidding and answer your every whim," I made a face, then rolled my eyes, "now that's sarcasm." She was not amused. She stood back up.

"Admiral Zhao is a great leader; the best the Fire Navy has ever had. Fire Lord Ozai has great things in store for him." I really wanted to continue being nasty to her, but I didn't savor being roasted, so I let it pass.

"He has great things in store for Zhao, but not for his own son? That's pretty poor planning."

"Not exactly. Lord Ozai has a solution to his problem for the next heir to the throne, but it's not something I can discuss with your kind." Despite my best efforts, I felt my face grow red with anger.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Yeah, I heard you asking for another beating from a water bender. I'd be happy to oblige." She smirked.

"Maybe later. Admiral Zhao will be here any minute and I have to present the Avatar to him. I'm in an excellent position to become General now."

"General?"

"Yes. I'll be the youngest General the Fire Nation has ever had."

"And you're what-ten?"

"I'm fourteen." Geez, she was the same age as I was! I tried not to look so surprised…or impressed.

"Good for you."

"Bad for the Avatar. Now that I have him, my position as General is secured."

"You sound pretty confident. How do you know we won't escape? We got past Zhao-twice now. "

"Yes, I've kept that in mind. That's why we've separated you and kept a sharp eye out for Zuko, in case he tries another rescue attempt."

"He's not on our side, you know." She walked over to Sokka, ignoring me. She stood over my brother, a dominating glint in her eye.

"Maybe I'll keep this one for my own amusement. He is kinda cute when he screams," she looked at me out of the corner of her sharp amber eye. I didn't say anything. I just wanted her to leave. I couldn't abide cruel people, and as much as it killed me to say it, she was worse than Zuko. At least he helped save Aang. But why? It was really bothering me. She moved away from Sokka and called for the guards. Sokka's foot moved. I suddenly realized that my brother wasn't asleep-he had been listening to our conversation. He had also untied his hands. He jumped up and ran at Xeilu, wrapping the rope from his binds around her chest. She roared, stomping on Sokka's foot as she backed up. I watched stunned from my place on the ground. Sokka made sure she was tied up tight, then ripped off one of his socks as she hollered for the soldiers.

"Let's see who sleeps when they're unconscious now, huh?" He stuffed the sock in her mouth and grinned. A muffled scream escaped her. Sokka turned to me.

"Aww, she's so cute when she screams! Ha!" I laughed. Sokka bent and untied my ropes. As we ran past Xeilu, he tapped her on the chest.

"Oh, by the way, I was being sarcastic." She growled, thrusting her tied body towards Sokka. We both left the cave running just before the bowmen arrived. We shot behind a boulder and watched them scan the cave.

"Stay still," Sokka whispered, "they can't shoot what they can't see." TWACK! An arrow clattered just above our heads.

"No, but they can shoot what they can hear, bonehead!" We scrambled away down the hollow tunnel, pitch dark and full of rocks and water. I landed on my knees hard when I slipped and fell. Sokka stooped to help me up.

"C'mon!" We heard the bowmen's footsteps, steady and swift, behind us. I whistled a sharp breath at the water soaked rocks and they froze. The bowmen sounded less graceful as they slipped and banged themselves on the icy stones.

We saw light ahead and headed for it at a sprint. Light meant something was being watched closely, like the Avatar. Sokka tossed his boomerang at the first guard we saw. I used the ever running water in the cave to water whip the other and Sokka landed a clean blow on his head with his club. We found Aang, standing up untied with Mo-mo perched on his head.

"What are you doing, Aang?" I practically shouted. All this work to rescue him and he was already untied!

"Showing them my bison whistle." He glanced at my knees.

"Wow. What happened to you?"

"Nothing. Let's get moving before Xeilu gets loose." We walked a fast pace through the dark tunnel until we came to a divide-three tunnels, all identical, all vast and creepy. Aang peered into the center tunnel.

"HEY!" He yelled, his voice echoing down the tunnel. Mo-mo screeched and ducked behind Aang's shoulder.

"Aang! Keep it down! Those Fire Nation soldiers are still looking for us!" I whispered.

"Sor-rey…" Aang whispered. Sokka dashed past us, heading down the left tunnel.

"Wait Sokka! How do you know that's the right way?" I called. A fireball erupted behind us. We heard a female voice roar.

"Because anything's better than sticking around here to face her!" he yelped as he disappeared into the dark. Aang and I shrugged and ran after him.

IV.

We dashed down the tunnel, Mo-mo gliding behind us. We heard footsteps a few yards behind. There was more water here, which was encouraging. Aang slid to a stop and used the water wave to push the water on the ground up.

"Katara, quick! Help me freeze the water!" He had a huge wave worked up, filling the round space of the tunnel. We froze the wall solid. We didn't stick around to see if it would hold.

"Where are we going?" I gasped, running out of breath.

"I didn't really have that worked out. Sorry," Sokka replied. Aang glanced at the floor we were splashing on.

"There's a lot more water in here."

"Yeah. Where is it coming from?" The ground dipped and we all hit a deep puddle together, more of a lake really than a puddle. My clothes were soaking wet.

"Okay, stop!" I shouted. Sokka rung out his tunic. Mo-mo shook himself, water flying everywhere. Aang used a blast of air on himself, the updraft drying his clothes.

"Katara, do you want me to dry you off?" I could just imagine my hair.

"No thanks."

"Tell me again why we've stopped, sis?"

"We're just running blindly through these tunnels." I explained, "we need to find the exit and get out of here."

"What about the Hotaru? We need the water from the Falls of Hakü," Aang pointed out. I glanced at the tunnel walls. I touched them, water slipping through my fingers. Water's a curious thing. Vibration and sound are distorted, but not absorbed. You can feel people breathe in water. And all water is connected, whether frozen or flowing. I searched the water. I could feel the fire benders working on the ice, but a more powerful aura of moving water coursed through me. The falls were here! The water on the wall came from the falls, but before that, it flowed in from the Hakü River, before that, it meandered in from the Sargasso Sea. That's a short trip-I've felt water from the North Pole that ended up in my South Pole village!

The fire benders had unknowingly led us to the Falls of Hakü! Talk about convenient (or luck or whatever). And a more uplifting thought occurred to me-the Fire Nation doesn't know about the Hotaru! Otherwise, they never would have held us captive so close to one of the main pieces of the bell!

"We're at the Falls of Hakü, Aang! This water is leaking in from the falls. They're just above us!" We all looked at the rocky ceiling.

"So, let's just scoop up a bottleful and get out of here," Sokka complained. I shook my head.

"Can't. It needs to be from the top of the falls. That's where the water is considered most sacred-when it's suspended."

"Well, OF COURSE!" Sokka threw up his hands in exasperation.

"How are we all going to get to the top of a waterfall from down here?" Aang asked. Good question. The sound of breaking ice called us away from our problem. Xeilu had broken through. We anxiously stared down the tunnel.

"We need to get Aang out of here. Xeilu's trying to capture him so she can gain a promotion from Zhao!"

"Who are you, the narrator?" Sokka muttered.

"How do we get out of here?" Aang wailed as an arrow whistled past. Mo-mo screeched. I pushed my fingertips into the water again. I was through with running. It was time we gave Aang weapon to fight back with. I felt the water whisper to me: 'down this tunnel, left at the end, then head left again at the split…' I broke into a run.

"C'mon! I know where to go."

V.

We sprinted down the tunnels, the light getting brighter little by little and finally we heard the hushed voice of the falls. Aang's face broke into a smile as the rushing water came into view right in front of us. We were going to collide with the water; the tunnel emptied right in the middle of the Hakü falls.

"Way to finally have instincts, Katara! Dad would be proud." Aang turned back to the tunnel. Xeilu's voice shouted in rage.

"Fire at the water snipes! Leave the Avatar to me!" I turned quickly to Aang.

"Forgive me, Aang."

"Huh?" I shot him with a heavy blast of water.

"Uh sis, what'd you do that for…HEY!" Sokka yelped as I also doused him with water, pushed Aang into his arms and froze them both.

"Get him to safety, Sokka. I'll catch up." Aang realized what I was going to do.

"Katara," he whispered, "no…"

"I'm sorry Aang." I pushed them backwards, a couple of boys stuck frozen like two glaciers that pass in time and get tangled in each other's lives. They were my world, the two boys I cared for most: my brother, my equal, and the savior of our world, my best friend; and I had to let them go. I just hoped my plan would work. I didn't want this to be our goodbye.

I watched them slide through the Hakü falls and break the still surface of the lake below. The ice should thaw soon with the Hakü River being as warm as it was. After all, the Sargasso Sea comes out of a volcano!

I could see Xeilu's outline in the tunnel as she neared the mouth of the cave. Time to get going. I had never bent this much water before. I knew the water was willing, but my body was weak with exhaustion. Couldn't think about that now.

I kicked off my shoes, my snowshoes long gone. Mittens were thrown off, coat discarded. I had to become the water, feel it snake through my toes, run slippery through my hands. It was the only way this would work.

I stood before the loud, chaotic water, eyes closed. This was a leap of faith. I had to be completely in tune with the Falls of Hakü. I listened. The falls chattered insanely fast, a roar of voices too confused to discern any one word, but collectively urging me to come to it. I felt my bare toes curl over the edge of the rock. A light mist electrified my body. This was it. Give me strength, river, come and claim me…

I stepped into the falling water, the sterner stuff of rock left behind. The water held me and I stared up, letting the falls rain on my face. I willed the water to take me up and as my feet lifted to climb, the water flowed and I rose like a flower that stretched for the sky, face turned up to the sun. I wasn't even aware of the fire benders below. My place was here in these waves, in this perfect blue that brought me out over the lip of the falls.

I emerged, wet but exhilarated, poised at the edge of the Hakü River; the water that paused before spilling over looked like fractured rainbows in the bright sunlight. It was morning. The snow had stopped. I took the small bottle from my belt and let the Hakü rush into it at its own pace. I slowly corked the full bottle, reluctant to leave the water, my element.

"Thank you," I murmured. I could see Sokka and Aang from the other side of the river, hidden in the deep brush, waving for me. The fire benders had backtracked into the cave, their footsteps in the water betraying their location-they were heading down to the shore! I had to get down there. We had to leave! By now, Zhao had arrived and every fire bender would converge on this beach to roast Sokka and Aang!

I've never been fond of heights. Being up this high, even though my toes were stuck in water, was nerve-wracking. Unfortunately, I saw only one option on how to reach Aang and Sokka before the Fire Nation did.

"Gran-Gran would kill me if she saw this, "I thought. I turned, facing the open abyss of the river below. Well, here goes nothing. I leaned forward…

…suddenly, a hand reached out and snagged my braid, yanking my head back. Xeilu, a rope around her waist, had dared wade into the river. She was spared going over the falls by a man holding the rope: Zhao. I knew the face of Taro Hün-dai's killer well; it was still bruised and burned from his encounter with the dead man's daughter. Xeilu's smile was twisted to match the cruel look in Zhao's eye.

"Leaving us so soon?"

"Seemed like the best idea at the time." She snapped my head back with a sharp jerk of her hand. I tried to bite back my cry of pain. No point in giving her the pleasure of knowing it hurt.

"I'm not too fond of people who waste my time. The Avatar is my prize. I won't let him escape. He'll come back for you and when he does, we'll make an exchange."

"He'll never surrender to the Fire Nation just to save me. His mission is more important than one girl. You're a fool if you can't realize that, Xeilu. At least Zuko knew that." Xeilu snarled and yanked me close to her.

"Don't pretend he's a hero. Zuko is a spineless traitor and helping the Avatar escape proves that."

"No, Xeilu, helping someone is not a weakness. Zuko may be a traitor, but he wanted to help his people. Too bad you Fire Nation associate compassion with weakness-a good leader knows when to put his people first."

"A good leader knows when to cut out the deadwood to make way for progress," Xeilu spat, "Sacrifices are part of the plan if we want better people ruling this world."

"Better people? Will you listen to yourself? No one has that right to decide who should live in this world and who doesn't."

"That's why you water benders are all but extinct. You're a weak and sniveling, pathetic lot."
"Oh really? Why don't you ask Admiral Zhao why he is still recovering from his injuries? No one weak or pathetic could have done that." She glanced at Zhao with a wary eye.

" Wanna know who gave him his beating?" From the way she hesitated, Zhao had never told Xeilu.

"Shut up," she growled.

"It was a water bender, Xeilu. She beat Zhao within a breath of his life. She would have killed him, your beloved mentor, had someone not stopped her."

"No. It's a lie. He said…"

"I was there. Ask him. It's true."

"And who…who stopped this water bender from killing him?"

"Prince Zuko." She released me. Her face was fractured in disbelief and confusion.

"Zuko? That coward? Why would he…you lie! Zhao would never…" she fumbled, trying to grasp what I had told her. Scars and bruises always stung, but the truth was the worst blow.

"Xeilu! What are you doing? Bring her here!" Xeilu turned slowly to face Zhao. He held the rope, coiled in his large fists, keeping her adrift in the rapids.

"Mentor, who gave you those scars?"

"That is none of your concern. Bring the water bender here. She's our trade for the Avatar!"

"I have to know, Mentor. Does she speak the truth? Was it a water bender?" Zhao's face was dark, but his eyes betrayed his fear.

"I told you, Xeilu, it's none of your concern."

"Then it's true," her voice was low, somber, as if the world had just crumbled from beneath her. I watched from the edge of the falls, Aang and Sokka forgotten. She snapped her head up, eyes bright.

"And the rumors of the Agni-kai with Zuko? Are those also true? Did you lose to the banished Prince, Mentor?" Zhao remained silent. Her rage was boiling the water around her.

"ANSWER ME!"

"Fine. Yes, I lost to the haughty Fire Prince. And the water bender was not what she seemed. But no one must know these things. I am the Admiral of the Fire Nation's Navy. Who would fear and respect their leader if they knew he was bested by a couple of children?" I narrowed my eyes.

"Leaders shouldn't be feared for their respect."

"And I suppose you won't fear the Fire Nation when we conquer the Earth Kingdom and capture your only means of protection?"

"The Avatar isn't the only person protecting us," I said, "we protect our villages by fighting the Fire Nation. Water benders and Earth benders will come together to defend their people. You may have scattered the Air benders, but I don't think Aang is the last. And as for your people, those loyal to the Fire Nation," I shrugged my shoulders, "well, maybe they would benefit from a better leader, someone who will protect them and not treat them like a wall to hide behind." I couldn't believe I was rooting for Zuko, but at this point, I was fed up with those few Fire Nation hotheads who think they are above everyone else. Xeilu had watched our exchange.

"Xeilu. Bring her here."

She hesitated.

"Xeilu!" The fire bender girl turned to me.

"I can be a General. I would have power. What would your Avatar give me that Zhao cannot?" I never even blinked.

"Hope."

"That's a pretty lame answer…" she smiled, "but I'll take it." She turned from me and faced Zhao. He read the answer on her face.

"Pity. You were such a brilliant student, one of my best."

"What can I say? I'm sick of this war. I'm tired of the anger and the screaming of children in the night. You may fight this war and then move on, Zhao, but what will be left for the next generation, for my generation?"

"So you would become a traitor, like Zuko?"

"I'm not a traitor. I want the Fire Nation to prosper. But we're not the superior nation we thought. Clearly the fight with the water bender has shown you that. And our Lord Ozai's ambition can be conquered by a twelve year old boy. I want to see peace in my lifetime, Mentor. Maybe this Avatar can…"

"Enough, you disgrace. Your fire-bashing is offensive to my ears. And since you are no longer loyal to Lord Ozai's vision, and you know my secret about the water bender, well…."he jiggled the rope, "I suppose there's no reason to keep you afloat. Have a nice swim, Xeilu." He tossed the rope into the sea and left.

VI.

Xeilu couldn't swim. What did fire benders have against swimming? She tried to grab hold of the slippery rocks near the edge, but couldn't find get a firm grip on them. I scrambled in the water for the rope and caught it in my hands just as she went over.

The rope snapped taunt over the falls. I knew right away I couldn't hold her for long.

"Let go! You can't hold on forever!"

"I'm not letting go!"

"You're a fool!"

"Remind me again why I'm saving your life?" Aang and Sokka soared above the falls on Appa. They swooped down to Xeilu, where Sokka stretched out an arm for her. They pulled her aboard and circled back for me. Aang threw his arms around me.

"Katara! You're okay!"

"Sure am. Listen, Aang, I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay," Aang shrugged, "I know why you did it."

"You do?"

"Sure! Walking up the falls alone? That must have been awesome!" Xeilu pointed to Aang.

"The fate of our world lies in his hands?" I smiled.

"Aang's the Avatar. He can save the world." Sokka sat beside me.

"He's not the only one. According to Lenara, she thinks Zuko's got a part to play."

"Lenara?" Xeilu raised her eyebrow.

"The water bender that fought Zhao," I explained, "she's on Zuko's ship."

"Really? And yet, I'm not surprised." We stopped a little closer to the village of Hakü and dropped Xeilu off. She looked up at us.

"Will you be okay here?" I called.

"I'll be fine. I've kept an eye on the underground movement here, so I should be able to connect with them. Won't be easy to convince them of everything that's happened, though."

"The right path is almost never the easiest," I said, sliding down off of Appa, "but it's the most satisfying in the end."

"It better be," she glanced up at Aang, "take care, Avatar. I'll be watching you with great interest." I stuck out my hand.

"I'm sure we'll see you again."

"I doubt it." She grasped mine and shook it. We smiled. Still telling lies.

Appa waited until I had run up his tail to the saddle, then took off to the sky. We soared past the Hakü falls a final time. I waited until the sun set, then dropped the bottle with Sokka's other sock attached into the sea. The Hotaru was almost complete. Aang's time would soon come, and ours, too. For nothing in this world goes untouched by the hands of war, and no child should be left defenseless in it, so long as they have one another to lean on.