XII.

The food and conversation continued long after the ka-tsu broke. Appetites were scarce, but everyone ate simply because it was routine, because the food was there, and because it may have been the last meal some of them ever consumed. As the voices grew less muddled and more hushed, Aang Sokka, Katara, and Lenara lingered over solemn goodnight embraces. Then they parted, Sokka to the north end, Aang and Katara to the south end, and Lenara to the lookout tower in the west. Iroh unrolled his sleeping mat and stretched beneath the stars.

"It is strange to sleep on solid ground again, isn't it?" Zuko removed his armor, shed his shirt, washed his face. He would have much to face soon. Peeling everything off, even if it were just clothing and the day's dirt, helped prepare him. He stood and wiped the water from his chin.

"Good night, Uncle."

"You'll not sleep here tonight?" Zuko could tell his Uncle was not entirely surprised.

"Would you if Chi-hü was waiting for you?"

"I suppose not," Iroh grinned, "Good night, Prince Zuko." The Dragon of the West rolled over on his side. Zuko slipped his open vest around his body and hiked westward into the forest. Even with a palmful of fire, he still managed to run head first into the ladder leading up to the watchtower. Zuko whispered a colorful curse into the night sky. Lenara suddenly rolled back against the ladder, upside-down, feet hooked under the rung above.

"Oh, it's you. Nearly broke my neck ramming the ladder like that."

"It wasn't intentional," Zuko grumbled, rubbing the bruise on his forehead, "why aren't you in the tower?" She gave him a smirk drowned in conspiracy.

"That's the first place they'd look." Zuko followed her up the ladder and into the small tower. A single mat lay rolled up in a corner.

"I'll be up here for four hours. You don't have to stay, you know. You should get some sleep."

"What, you can't appreciate the fact that I want your company?" Lenara gave him a look, with a grin garnishing it off, "besides, sleep is something I won't be favored with tonight."

"Anticipating a long night?"

"Yes."

"And not a drop of Fire Saki around."

"I can do without. " Lenara scanned the carpet of pine needles below. She enclosed a stone in her hand, the weight of it reassuring.

"When this is over, what are you going to do with your ship?"

"I suppose I'll take it out to the middle of the sea, let the sun hit it just right, and then sick the wretched sucker."

"That's a shame. It's not a bad ship, you know. A bit beat up, sure. But the abuse it took was pretty amazing. Lasted through five storms, not to mention a couple of landslides."

"I wanted to forget that."

"Good times," Lenara sighed, the memory already fading, "good times." Zuko stared at Lenara, her back to him, leg bent at the knee with a toe in the dirt. Her hair had gotten longer. The moon capped the curve of her ear in silver light. He tried to drink it all in, remember everything before the day separated them. Nothing normal could exist after a battle. Not that normalcy was the order of the day in his life to begin with…

He stood beside Lenara. For four hours, the stars seemed to step from the curtain of the night as they kept vigil for the people curled in blankets below. And when it was over, the two descended back among the distractions and duties of the world. Lenara held the stone out to Zuko. He curved an inquisitive black arch above his eye.

"The first with which to sink your ship," she explained, "though why I bothered to put so much work into that helmsman's tower is beyond me now." Zuko closed his hand over the stone, then swiftly pulled Lenara to him. She felt his hand on the curve of her back, the other still coupled with hers. The stone grew hot between their palms.

"Don't move," he whispered. A flame in the shape of a falcon rippled from their fingers and climbed the cold sky. Zuko grinned.

"Learned that from Uncle Iroh."

"His talents are going to waste, you know." Above them, the stars rolled; their odyssey through the night only just begun. Their light never compared to the fire from the hands of two warriors. The falcon burned the stars to shame.

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Aang scraped the dirt around the dead campfire. The embers had long since expired, the skeletons of charred wood stacked smote at the bottom. He traced a spiral in the ash with his finger. Katara walked up to her friend, Sokka's club at her side.

"Can't sleep, huh, Aang?"

"Nope. Have you seen Mo-mo? I can't find him anywhere." Katara shook her head, pitched the club down on the ground and took a seat next to Aang.

"He's probably wondering around the woods somewhere. He'll come back when he's ready." Aang dusted his hands on his pant leg, a ghost print left behind. He turned to Katara.

"Do you think it will work?"

"Sure. It's a good plan, Aang. We want the least causalities possible and this may be the best way of going about that. I think it's the best we've got given the short amount of time that we have. We might actually see the end of this war, Aang. Can you imagine? People in my village could actually leave to get supplies and not worry about being harassed! Sokka and I could visit King Bumi! We could…"

"It won't stop," Aang murmured. Katara's excitement evaporated.

"What do you mean?"

"The harassment to your people won't stop. They'll just do it quietly. People will still be sectioned off into the separate nations, fearing the next war, unable to trust their neighbors, stockpiling weapons…this won't change anything. People have lived this way for a hundred years and I'm just beginning to try and unite the nations again. I don't know how Roku did it." Aang balanced his elbows on his knees.

"I know it seems overwhelming, Aang, but this world isn't completely lost. So you won't be able to fix everything in a year? Big deal! You probably won't be able to fix the major problems in your lifetime. What counts is that you do the best with what you're given and then pass the torch to the next Avatar. This isn't just your work-in-progress, Aang; the Avatar has been working on the world's problems for centuries. In the meantime, don't forget this…" Katara held out her empty hand.

"Uh, great, Katara…a handful of air…'cause I'm an Air bender, right?"

"What? No! Here," Katara grabbed Aang's hand, "remember you have me and Sokka. All the people you personally touched and helped will never forget what you've done for them. I'll never forget what you mean to me, Aang."

"You mean a lot to me, too, Katara. I owe you for just getting me out of the ice." Katara felt Aang's hand shadow her own. She suddenly snatched her hand away, explaining with a smile.

"I almost forgot!" She shoved a circle of gold into Aang's hand. He held it up. In the dim moonlight he could just make out the scrollwork of the Air Bender monks.

"Lenara found it at the Western Air Temple."

"It once belonged to an Air bender. "

"It still does." Aang couldn't keep the sharp edge of hope from his eyes, "it was warm when she found it, Aang." Aang's eyes got a little wider. He brought the band up to his face and smelled the wind that had soaked into the metal. He wasn't the last. There was another! He was no longer the Last Airbender!

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Sokka tossed his boomerang in lazy swoops, catching and tossing, catching and tossing. A green blur snatched the boomerang in midair, breaking the rhythm that had hypnotized Sokka.

"Sorry, but that's really annoying." Suki rested the elbow of the boomerang on her shoulder. Sokka stood and reached for it, but Suki dipped back out of his reach.

"No way. You'll put your eye out."

"Aw, give me a break. Hand it over."

"Make me." Suki smiled. She had washed the warrior paint from her face and it made her grin soft and more human. Sokka ducked behind her and held his arm against her neck, blocking Suki from turning her head. She spun, trying to knock a leg out from under him, but Sokka used her frustration as a distraction and swiped the boomerang from her hand. He flashed her a cocky grin.

"Savor your victory."

"Thank you, I think I will."

"Boys," Suki muttered. Sokka made to leave.

"Hey," he looked at her over his shoulder, "you want some help rebuilding Kyoshi?" Suki blinked.

"Well, sure, but it may take a while."

"That's okay- I've got some time off coming to me."

"We would appreciate the help."

"Count me in. Just don't make me wear the dress again." Suki suppressed a laugh.

"Deal." Sokka strolled away, leaving Suki with her arms crossed and a satisfied smile on her face. Boys, indeed.

XIII.

Sokka barely woke up when the sun rose. He thought for a moment it was still night, then noticed the dark was actually the shadow from the comet. It had approached during the night and was now eclipsing the sun as it sped towards the Fire Nation.

Sokka threw off his blanket and half ran, half stumbled to Haru. He shook the Earth bender awake.

"Sound your horn! We have to get going! I'll find Aang!" Sokka sprinted through the valley, hurdling campfires and weaving through tents as Haru sent the first notes of battle through the camp. The Fire Nation may have heard the horn, but since there was an apocalyptic rock the size of half the planet screaming down on top of them, a horn was the least of their worries.

Katara stood frozen in awe, several Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation folks around her, all watching the comet like a primitive idol. Sokka skidded to a stop beside her.

"Where's Aang?"

"Still asleep."

"Unbelievable." Sokka paused long enough to register the fiery sock of a comet was still in the sky, then pushed through the crowd of gawkers, yelling at Katara over his shoulder:

"Get Aang's butt out of bed! We have to get moving now!" Katara moved for the tent. Sokka jogged to the trees and scaled the closest. Jet raced ahead of him in the next tree and the two boys popped their heads from the tops of the trees.

"That the comet?"

"Yup."

"We're all gonna die, aren't we?"

"Yup." Sokka slid down the trunk and ran to the south end of the valley. He passed General Iroh and Xeilu drinking tea and nearly tripped over the long legs of Zuko. The Prince was propped up against a tree, head tucked into his chest and sleep still heavy on his face. Lenara, settled into the curve of his side, pressed her back against his ribs and stretched. She carefully unwound Zuko's arm from her waist and stood, yawning the life back into her eyes.

"Hey, Sokka. Where's the fire?"

"Uh, up there." Lenara tipped her face up, a breath caught in her throat.

"Is it supposed to be that…BIG?" Sokka gave her an incredulous stare.

"What? It just seems big, that's all." Sokka shook his head, fighting a grin.

"Wake up your boyfriend," he replied, already moving up the valley, "we have to move!"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Lenara called. She glanced at Iroh, who held a steaming cup of tea out to her.

"What would you call him?" Lenara smiled into the cup.

"A salvageable male." Xeilu snorted tea through her nose.

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A crowd had grown fungus-like around the Avatar's tent. Aang emerged, an unflattering frown on his young face. Sokka walked to Aang, gasping for breath.

"Everyone's up. We should head out to the geyser flats soon." Aang nodded, his eyes on the comet. He had made it through a full circle of seasons for this day. Katara topped off her water skin and slipped the strap over her shoulder. Suki, fully dressed and dusted in white face paint, approached the group. Haru and Bumi squeezed through the crowd, a few clay beads threaded into their hair as respect for the dead. Jet and the Freedom Fighter children collected outside the pack. The last to appear were those with the Fire Nation brand on their bodies: Zuko parted the crowd with his stare. Lenara and Xeilu followed, tightening belts and lacing leather armbands. Iroh, draining the last drops from his teacup, brought up the rear. Aang watched each of them, unsure if he would ever see them all again. A silence spread through the valley. It almost seemed like the end had come early.

A hand landed on Aang's shoulder and he twitched, awoken from his thoughts. He was surprised to find Zuko of all people looking down at him. The Prince was ready to face his father, his shame, and the demons he lived with. He spent years of his young life pursuing the boy that stood before him. They both shouldered so much. It was strange to Zuko-feeling somewhat protective of the boy. Did he wish for Aang to have the childhood he never had?

"Ready to go?" Aang grinned. A new friend indeed…perhaps there was hope after all.

"Yeah. Are you?"
"I've been ready for two years." Aang reached an arm up, the Hotaru thrust above his head.

"Wait for the signal! Good luck, my friends! And if anyone has seen a white lemur…"

"He's fine, Aang. Let's go," Katara said, pushing Aang away to the forest. Appa roared his farewell. The people, a mix of Earth and Fire, men and women, warriors and mothers, waved to the Avatar, shouting their encouragement in a swell of voices, reminding Aang of a rowdy crowd at an Air Ball game.

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Aang, Katara and Sokka followed Zuko and Iroh as they lead the way through the forest, an uphill hike all the way to the geyser flats. Xeilu and Lenara hung back to talk with Bumi, Jet and Haru struggling to keep up. The group broke through the tangled brush and felt steam soaking their lungs. There were hundreds of geysers pock-marking the field, like a teenager's complexion before a big date. The air stunk of a heady perfume of sulfur and putrid water. Katara held her nose.

"Whoo! This place makes my eyes water!"
"Yes, it's especially fragrant now, during the summer," Iroh commented, fanning the air in front of him. Aang walked out to the middle of the wide open field, thankful for the cover of steam.

"C'mon," Lenara thumbed at Aang, "that comet's not getting any smaller." They circled Aang. Sokka and Jet stood away from the group of benders.

"Okay, Bumi, Haru-get ready to squeeze the tunnels closed. We want everything routed to this hole," Sokka said, scratching his chin much like a foreman surveying his demolition crew, "after they're done, I want Katara and Lenara here working the water. Just get it loose. Don't worry about the thrust…they'll take care of that." He thumbed at Zuko, Iroh and Xeilu.

"Stand about…here…" he took a giant step in front of Aang, straddling a crusty yellow hole in the ground, "you'll need to deflect the steam, otherwise, just ride the wave. It'll be like Koi-surfing." Aang drew in a shaky breath.

"Sort of. Never surfed anything like this before."

"You'll do fine, Aang." Lenara smiled.

"Have a safe trip!"

"Don't hit your head on the comet!"

"I won't, Sokka. Thanks, everyone." A faint whistle was on the air, the steam parted and a barrage of arrows, like locusts against the sky, shot down on the group. Lenara and Xeilu sent up hot streaks of fire, reducing some of the missiles to ash. Bumi bent the ground up in a curve, then thrust it at the arrows, shattering several. Jet picked a few off with his knife. Katara quickly drew the water out of the canteen and froze it as several arrows cracked the surface. She threw Aang to the ground as an arrow caught her through her sleeve, narrowly missing her arm.

Another cloud of arrows buzzed angrily in the sky. Aang stood and released a gale at the arrows, sending them in all directions.

"What's going on?" Sokka yelled. Zuko growled.

"It's the Yuu-Yan."

"Come out and show yourselves, cowards!" Jet yelled. A storm of arrows answered him by pinning him to the ground.

"Ah, the impatience of youth," Iroh muttered, breaking arrows from the ground.

"Hold it right there, Avatar!" Out of the steam stepped a hundred Fire Nation soldiers, circled by a ring of archers. Admiral Zhao marched up to Aang.

"Almost missed my chance to see you off," he sneered. He waved a hand and several soldiers closed in. The bows of the archers cracked and moaned. Zhao surveyed the group.

"The gang's all here."

"Even I am getting too old for these intrigues," Iroh grumbled. Zhao turned to Lenara and Xeilu, both with their fists clenched tight at their sides.

"Down, girls." Xeilu frowned.

"You're healing nicely, Zhao."

"Thank you."

"I'll have to do something about that," Lenara's eyes got a little darker. Zuko stepped forward, but Iroh held him back as Aang said:

"How'd you know we were here?" Zhao didn't turn from Lenara; he had learned not to take his eyes off a predator.

"An informant among your allies told me where you'd be. This person also told me about the pitiful army you have stashed in the valley. We had to dispatch a certain snooping animal along the way…"

"Mo-mo! What've you done to him!" Aang cried, betraying his concern. Zhao ignored him.

"I am currently awaiting the Fire Lord's permission to flush the valley out. Cleanse it with fire, so to speak."

"Who's the informant?" Sokka spat. Aang studied the faces he thought he knew so well. Who was asking too many suspicious questions? Who had something to gain by turning him in? Who was sneaky enough to conspire with the Fire Nation? Who knew Mo-mo enough to capture him? Who didn't want him to realize Mo-mo was missing? He searched the souls of his companions, not wanting to believe what his Avatar Spirit finally revealed to him. Aang turned…