"It's not fair, Sokka. How come dad is letting someone like him stay so close to everyone? He'll get everyone killed!"

Katara hadn't been thrilled hearing the news that someone associated with a nation who killed her mother and ravaged her home was currently staying in a prison cell thanks to her fathers orders. The hatred she had for the fire nation wouldn't be stopped just because this man wanted to put on a mask and hide his true nature. She'd prove to everyone that this man was evil just like the rest of them.

"I'm just as baffled as you, but I think we should know by now that sometimes dad does stuff we don't understand for good reason. I'm sure he has a good reason for keeping a fire bender who could slaughter us all where we sleep so close to where we live…", He didn't like it, but even someone like him who idolized his dad found it hard to make sense of this decision.

"See, you can't make sense of any of this! Dad is making the wrong call," she continued to argue. "The only thing fire is good for is to destroy."

Sokka, although older, had a hard time finding fault in his little sister's words. This Rengoku individual seems nice enough on the surface, but as history has shown them, most if not all of the fire nation are rotten to the core.

"Well what do you suppose we do, Katara? It's not like we can do much about it anyway. We're just kids, nobody will take us seriously," Sokka said.

Katara furrowed her brow and felt more tears coming up due to her pure frustration with everything. Is she really about to just sit back and watch as yet another tragedy unfolds right before her very eyes? The moment this man reveals his true colors, things will hit the fan and it'll be too late to fight back or retaliate.

Unless…

Her expression lit up with realization written all over her face when she finally found a solution to this whole ordeal.

"Ponru," she offered.

"What does he have to do with this?" Sokka asked. "Half the time he's just a cranky old man going around telling war stories from when he was younger. Yadda yadda this, yadda yadda that and he is always so freaking angry at everyone it's so annoying."

"No Sokka, you're missing the point! Ponru has been to the front lines and has seen first hand what the fire nation is capable of. If we can get him to agree to help us expose that man's true colors then we may be able to change dad's mind about getting rid of him," she stated.

Sokka waited a moment and thought it over before replying, "Ponru is normally just a cranky old man…, but I'd be lying if I said I had a better plan than your little sis. Alright I'll go and talk to him and you sit back and keep a close eye on dad and Rengoku."

"What!? This is my plan so why are you doing all the heavy lifting?" Katara hoped her idiotic brother wasn't about to say the one thing he fell back on whenever he was being outmatched by a girl.

"Look Katara, I understand you wanna help save our home, but this stuff for us men to handle. Women are weaker than men biologically anyway so it's not like you'd be much help, no offense.

Offense was most definitely going to be taken after a comment like that. "I cannot believe you!" she fumed. "Even after being the only one of us to actually come up with an actual functioning plan, you decide to hog all the glory for yourself as usual and chalk it up to it being a guy thing."

"You haven't even hit puberty yet, you jerk."

"Hey I'll have you know that my voice has squeaked twice in the past month. I soooo am going through puberty."

"Actually that's getting off topic," Sokka began. "I'm going over to have a talk with Ponru to see if I can get him to agree to our plan and you may not like it, but you spying on dad sure as heck will come off as a lot less suspicious than I would. Whenever I'm keeping an eye on dad, it's either because A. I did something bad and have been trying to hide it or B. I did something extremely bad and have also tried to hide it."

For the first time in their conversation, Sokka had said something that actually made a lot of sense. It pained her to admit it, but he had a really good point in her keeping an eye on dad.

Groaning, she knew he had her beat, "Fine, I'll let you have this one, but if you think I won't be witness to him being exposed just because you want me safe, you've got another thing coming. I'm a waterbender and if push comes to shove, I'll beat him on my own," Katara replied.

Sokka's face had slowly morphed into one of pure laughter as much as he tried to hold it in. Katara knew he wasn't taking her seriously, but he held back his words as he probably didn't want to get drenched in ice cold water if he continued to poke at her nerves. "Sure little sis, whatever you say," he replied back sarcastically.

Walking away from their hiding/meeting spot, Sokka began setting things into motion leaving Katara to start her mission of keeping tabs on dad and this fire bender until the plan could commence.

"So how's the inmate been?" Hakoda asked. It had been three days since his "trial" and surprisingly, the inmate hasn't even once tried to escape or use his flames. The more he was around this man the more puzzled he continued to become. Never in his life had he seen a fire bender act so courteous and calm before. Normally they'd shoot fire and ask questions later if they were in situations that Rengoku had been in, but instead he took it without any complaint.

"Other than the nonstop chatting, he's been well behaved," the guard replied.

"Non-stop chatting? What do you mean?" he asked.

"It's like this guy doesn't have an off switch and he's continuously at full throttle no matter the situation. Hell half the guards here can barely stand to listen to him prattle on about the importance of our sword movements and how we breath. It's exhausting just being near the guy so I don't know how we're going to do a voyage to the earth kingdom with him aboard."

Something from what this man said caught his ear and he had to make sure he heard it right. "So what he's like some kind of fire nation swordsman?"

"Well as far as we can tell, yes. I don't think he'd agree to being associated with the fire nation, but he claims he's one of the strongest swordsmen from his group. He mentioned all of them being a Hashira or for a better translation "Pillar" whatever the hell that even means," the guard answered.

"Is that Hakoda? If it's him we need to talk immediately," Rengoku shouted down the hall all the way from his cell. "This pressing matter at hand cannot continue to be ignored."

"See what I mean," the guard groaned. "His instincts are sharp too, chief. The fact that he could tell it was you who walked in says a lot seeing as he shouldn't even be able to see us from way down here."

Making their way down to the end of the hall, Hakoda locked eyes with a now bright eyed Rengoku who would no longer be ignored by these people. "It's good to see you again, Hakoda. You must've been extremely busy as this is the first time we've met since imprisoning me."

Truthfully, Hakoda had barely gotten a full night's rest with having to juggle dealing with the blowback from this firebender being here, arriving late to his meeting with the earth kingdom general, his children giving him the cold shoulder due to his decision...all in all, he had a lot on his plate even if he refused to show it to the man in front of him.

"My wellbeing is besides the point. You still never answered why you've been causing ruckus for the past few hours until I was dragged here to address you," Hakoda said.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten already? I made a promise to that woman and it's one I plan on keeping so if you'll allow me to talk with her that would be wonderful."

Rengoku couldn't even dream of forgetting about that woman who had laid her soul bare for him a few days ago and with her wanting to know why he shares the same smile as her deceased husband and child, he'd be heartless to not help her determine the answer to her question.

"I cannot in good faith allow the two of you to talk alone. I have a job as the head of this tribe to determine the best possible course of action for my people and as much as she may not like it, I don't think her dealing with someone like you for extended periods of time would be the best for her mentally," Hakoda stated.

"Now that's completely unfair to both her and I!" Rengoku shot back. "She gave me a chance when no one else did and that's the reason why I'm not exiled or killed. To take such a thing away from her after all she's been through is completely unfair and I won't stand for it!"

"Maybe you aren't getting the picture so I'll explain it once more. A Hashira is someone who is a pillar meant to protect those who cannot do it for themselves. No matter the era this mindset has not and will not change just because someone in charge believes he knows what's better for someone than the person themselves."

"What you are hiding from her is a potential chance at freedom from the darkness that has clouded her life these past few years and coming from one who has also lost someone close to you, I'd think you would understand her feelings the most."

The nerve of this man sitting in his cell almost caused Hakoda to lose his temper. How on earth could he attempt to turn this around on him and guilt trip him when it was his people's fault that they were in this mess to begin with. Had his people not invaded their home and slaughtered their waterbenders, they wouldn't be going to war, leaving their remaining families alone.

"Leave us soldier. Rengoku and I need to have a little chat about who's in the right and wrong here," Hakoda pushed out. The anger slowly seeped into his voice.

"Sir, are you sure this is a good-"

"You must not have heard him the first time so allow me to reiterate. Leave us alone for a moment, we have things to discuss and assumptions to correct," Rengoku interrupted. He now stood up off the floor of his cell and met Hakoda eye to eye with the same burning passion as earlier when he first talked to the tribe.

"There's that look again," Hakoda thought. He'd be lying if the face Rengoku was making wasn't blinding to an extent. He didn't trust this man nor his people, but that look told him all he needed to know about whether or not he held any ill intentions toward him or anyone else here.

The soldier saluted his chief and walked out of the door leaving both Hakoda and Rengoku still staring each other down eye to eye.

"Now that we're alone, is there anything you want to ask me, Hakoda? I can tell that something extremely heavy is weighing on your mind."

Silence filled the air as Hakoda tried to determine the right questions to ask this man. "Why...why are you like this?" he finally forced out. "You just waltz in here after your people wreck unimaginable havoc on our home. So many died because of it and you...you go against everything we've been raised to know and fear. For the short time you've been here, you managed to touch the heart of someone as broken as Kishna who'd lost her entire family in the raid and yet somehow, you were able to reach her when not even her own people could."

"The way you spoke to her was the way someone speaks who has also gone through something similar so I want to ask what on earth could you possibly understand about someone like her that makes you want to help so damn bad."

"Well as I've said before, I've only ever lost my mother so it's not like I've suffered on the level of any of you, but I have suffered because of her passing and the people her death affected was great with my father being one of them," Rengoku spoke.

"When I saw someone like her in so much pain and internal turmoil it reminded me of our father and how broken he became after our mother passed. I'd be nothing more than a cowardly fool if I didn't try and reach out like I did with him!"

The somewhat somber look that Hakoda saw briefly flash across his face made him determined to ask about that next.

"This father of yours, is he fire nation as well?" Hakoda asked.

"No, not at all. Before I became the current Flame Hashira, he was the one who preceded me and taught me almost everything I know," Rengoku answered.

"So all your family is full of swordsmen? How come we've never heard of these "Hashira" before you arrived anyway?"

"I guess you could say something like that. The Rengoku family has been trained in the way of sword fighting and has passed down the art of Flame Breathing for hundreds of years. The reason why you've most likely never heard of it is due to the fact that we tend to move in secrecy and value discretion over anything else."

Deep down, he hated lying to Hakoda and everyone about the true meaning of his sword techniques and how it was created to fight off demons, but again telling this man the truth might cause him to be written off as a mad man and that's the last thing he needed right now.

"So you say, but if your family has been tasked with helping others like you are claiming, then how come you haven't made yourselves known earlier? Your father should've known how bad the world had become. What was stopping him from making himself known and helping us? If you were as righteous as you claim to be then surely he'd have advocated for you Hashira to abandon secrecy and help us fight off the fire nation."

"If what you say is true then doesn't that mean you, your father and the rest of you swordsmen sat back while countless people died and did nothing at all to help rectify it?"

Images flashed to how his father slinked around day in and day out after their mother passed and how nothing he said could ever seem to break him out of his depressive state. Breaking eye contact with Hakoda, he turned away from him still hating the fact that he has to lie about his origin and the true meaning of why he hasn't intervened in this war.

"My father…" The words came up dry, but the more he thought about his father and how truly lost he was, the more he thought about the good times they had earlier alongside his mother and younger brother.

"My father was a very lost and troubled man. When I was growing up, he had the same fiery passion and attitude that you see before you in me however this all changed once our mother passed. Her leaving him caused a stark change in his demeanor and the way he treated me along with my younger brother was another factor in how things eventually played out."

"I can't fault him for how deeply he loved my mother and how devastated her death caused him to become. The bond they shared was beautiful and no matter how much he wished it to disappear, the love he had for all of us wasn't one that could be extinguished. Don't get me wrong, it's not as though he didn't try his hardest to forget about everything. He drank himself to pure exhaustion most days and his general apathy he showed to me and my younger brother wasn't a pleasant sight to behold."

"You make your father seem as lost as Kishna had become," Hakoda said.

"The two of them looked extremely similar to me in terms of their overall demeanor towards the world," Rengoku replied.

"When it was clear that my father was unable to fulfill his duties as a Hashira, I was chosen to step up and overtake his spot. When I was informed of the news, my younger brother wanted me to inform father, hoping it'd force any sort of reaction out of him. When I went to his estate to let him know of the coming developments, he wasn't happy at all. In fact you could say it only made him angry.

"Angry?" Hakoda inquired.

"Almost righteously so. The first thing he did was throw his drink in my face and berate me for chasing things such as this. He deemed me a fool who would only end up marked for death and kicked me out hoping my spirit would be crushed."

"What kind of father would even do something so cruel?" Hakoda wondered in disbelief. He knew the fire nation was far harder on their children than other nations, but this was downright unbelievable.

"When I went back to speak with my little brother, he asked me if speaking with him made our father happy. At first I wanted to lie to him and tell him that it indeed lifted his spirits, but I knew a lie like that would only get his hopes up for a reality that was not yet ready to present itself to us. So I looked him square in the eye and told him, no it did not make him happy. I informed him of what he had said and done while I was there and it brought him to tears."

Hakoda slowly noticed his expression lift itself from his earlier somber look and he almost had to do a double take. As much as he didn't want to, this man resembled her in more ways than one.

"But! I told him do not fret over things you cannot change nor lose heart in the face of true adversity. Our father is going through his own trials and tribulations. Whether or not he manages to grow and overcome them is something that only he can decide. My mother blessed me with a strong and durable body meant for saving others and my father…"

Closing his eyes he felt his spirit burn hotter and hotter looking for any sort of release from his body. "My father blessed me with a burning spirit! Even as he lost his way, the spirit I was gifted with could never be extinguished, no matter how much he may have wanted it to happen."

"It is the obligation of those born strong to defend the weak. You have to never lose that spark in your heart if you want to fulfill your mission properly. Don't ever forget that."

"What-"

"Those were the words my mother spoke to me before her passing. I've kept them close to my heart ever since and that's the reason why I'm now taking a proactive stance when it comes to helping bring peace back to the world. My father may have given up and lost hope, but I won't, you can count on that! I can't rectify the things that have been done to you nor bring back what you have lost, but you have my word that as long I'm here right now, I won't let even a single person die! I tend to make good on my promises after all," he finished with a smile so bright, Hakoda almost had to turn away.

"Since I've answered all of your questions, I hope you'll indulge me with one of my own. Why did you save me, anyway? I'm the enemy and with how things have gone for you and your people, I wouldn't be able to find fault had you decided to execute me on the spot."

"Well...that's…" Once again Rengoku left Hakoda struggling to find his words.

With everything he's heard from him, Hakoda saw no harm in finally divulging the reason as to why he chose to spare his life a few days ago.

"Your eyes are the same," he said.

"Whose eyes are the same?" Rengoku asked, unsure of what he was implying.

"When Kishna said that you had the same expression as her deceased husband and son, I couldn't help but notice that you shared the same hopeful and kind eyes that my wife possessed before they were snuffed out by that fire nation soldier."

"She'd kill me for talking with you about it while barring her from doing the same, but since you've been honest with me it's the least I could do for you."

"Someone with eyes such as yours can't lie with such conviction written all over their face. If it was fake or disingenuous we would've spotted it from a mile away and somehow a fire nation civilian possesses eyes that bring calmness to our minds and sadness to our hearts when we think about what we've lost."

"At least that's what I think is going through her head anyway."

"See! That's more than enough of a reason to allow me to speak with her. We just had a reasonable discussion of things and I bet even your heart feels calmer for having it. Either allow me to speak with her or bring her to me so we can talk just like you and I have. Now that you are certain I'm not a threat, things should be much easier to digest now."

Hakoda took a moment to ponder whether or not letting this man out of his cell was really a good idea. Weighing the pros and cons of bringing Kishna to see him, he determined that it'd probably be best for everyone if he along with a few guards escorted Rengoku over to her home so she could speak with him in private.

"I'll allow you to speak with her under a few conditions. One, you must agree to have your hands and feet bound in chains. This is to prevent you from using your fire bending or flame breathing as you call it. Two, do not interact with civilians who may try to talk with you. And three, do not and I repeat do not, antagonize Ponru. You've already exchanged words with him during your trial so even if you dislike what he says, ignore him should you run into him."

"If you can agree to these terms and promise me on your honor as a...Hashira, then I'll allow you to see her."

Rengoku's face lit up in anticipation knowing he was finally going to meet Kishna so he could make good on his promise, "It's a promise! On my life and status as the Flame Hashira, I swear I'll abide by your rules until we reach our destination."

Calling in a few guards to help bind his limbs and ready him for transport, Hakoda gave the instructions to begin bringing over to where Kishna lived and little did they know, they would have quite the surprise waiting for them when they arrived.

They also failed to notice Katara who had hidden herself away and listened in to that entire conversation. The fact that her dad admitted that this fire bender had her mother's eyes was inexcusable. There was no way someone like him could be as kind hearted as she was. The sheer audacity of her father to even try to justify this as the reason he spared this man's life earlier was downright infuriating.

"I'll prove it to everyone that this man is a monster. I won't let him keep brainwashing, dad. I promise, mom."

So are you sure this'll work?" Sokka asked, clearly nervous about this plan Ponru had cooked up. "It doesn't exactly sound safe."

"Quit your worrying, brat. As long as you stick to the plan, that fire nation scum will be exposed for what he truly is," Ponru replied.

From the little he had told Sokka about this plan, he was supposed to act as bait to see whether or not this man was truly as righteous as he claimed to be. Sokka would act as a damsel in distress and fall through a part of the frozen lake while Katara would be all the while using her waterbending, to make sure he stays close enough to the surface to come back up in case they end up being proven right.

"Do you trust your sister?" Ponru insisted.

"Of course I do…" The man didn't miss the hesitation in his voice, "But she's still not so good at controlling water so I have my doubts she'd be able to hold me in place for that long."

"Cmon you'll never get anywhere in life with that attitude, brat! Do you see any of us worrying about every little detail of every plan we make when it comes to fighting the fire nation?"

"No," Sokka said.

"Then as a man, you shouldn't either. Nitpicking every little detail will get you killed out in the field. Never forget that," Ponru finished.

"Now your sister said that they'd be headed in this general direction. You need to get into position," he snapped.

He saw his sister standing behind a wall overlooking a frozen layer of ice they were standing on. She gave a signal and thumbs up which meant Hakoda and Rengoku were headed their way.

"Alright get ready and hold your breath as long as you can when you go down," Ponru stated, once more.

"Got it," Sokka agreed.

The entire village would undoubtedly be able to hear him when he screamed out for help. He prayed that the plan would go smoothly as the water would be extremely cold even for someone who has adapted to the constant cold like water tribe members. Prolonged exposure wouldn't do him any good if Katara failed to rescue him in time. He just had to have faith that her bending was advanced enough to pull him ashore once the plan worked.

Ponru scurried out of the way and over to the same wall, Katara had hidden herself behind. He slinked his way back to the village and blended in like he had never left at all.

He spotted them headed to the village entrance and figured it was now his time to shine.

"There's dad and Rengoku," Taking a deep breath, readying himself to scream as loud as he could, "Here goes nothing…"

"HEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLPPPPPPP!"

Hakoda, Rengoku and the soldiers escorting them stopped in their tracks when hearing him scream out from a location outside the village.

"Was that Sokka?" Hakoda looked around hoping for it not to be the case.

"The sound came from that direction," Rengoku added. His senses were still in peak condition so tracking a voice was nothing to him. Pointing to the direction where Sokka should be, they all rushed into the edge of the village and saw a crowd waiting for them.'

"What's happening," Hakoda asked in panic. "Why did I just hear my son shout for help?"

"He's trapped on that frozen lake and the cracks are pretty bad. We can see them from here and if he makes any sudden moves, the entire thing could collapse," a villager answered.

"How the hell did he even get out that far to begin with?" another asked.

"How he got out there isn't the issue at hand! What we need to worry about is saving this young man's life!" Rengoku interjected loudly.

"If nobody else can get to him in time then leave it to me. With my flame breathing, I'll undoubtedly be the best option to get in and out before the ice can break apart completely."

Yet again, the crowd showed no signs of agreeing with Rengoku in his plan to save Sokka from falling into the frozen abyss below. Katara was about to drop her brother underneath the ice and water bend the water to push him up against the ice above him so he'd give the illusion that he was drowning.

Unfortunately for her, things wouldn't go as smoothly as they originally planned.

"Hold just a little more…" she struggled, while trying to hold the ice in plan to support his weight.

Feeling her hold over the ice grow weaker and weaker she tried to yell out to Sokka, hoping to reach him in time. It was far too late for that to happen.

The ice below him crumbled and he fell into the frozen water below struggling to find any sort of leverage as he wasn't the strongest swimmer and the water was beyond cold.

"Sokka!" Hakoda exclaimed. He knew that there may be a chance both wouldn't survive the frozen water, but if he had to make a last second judgement call, he'd throw away his life if it meant his son would survive. He loved him far too much to just stand by and let this happen to another person he holds near and dear. He'd never be able to look Kya in the face when they meet again if he couldn't save his only son.

"Don't worry son, I'm-"

Without warning the air around them grew hotter for some reason and the chains holding Rengoku broke apart without much effort on his part.

"Focus on your breathing...Focus on your breathing…" Looking at the boy in front of him drowning, didn't leave Rengoku with many options other than to jump into the water and swim to him hopefully fast enough to get back to land.

Dashing forward faster than anyone could stop, he removed the parka covering his body and tore off the wrappings covering his chest and dove into the water with quickness that made him seem otherworldly.

"He's so fast!" a villager stated in amazement.

"He made it over to the water in an instant. I didn't even see him move from where he was standing," another added.

Once in the frozen water, he made sure his total concentration breathing was covering all angles as this was the first time he'd used his breathing form to enhance his physical attributes since being transported here.

"All right, all good here!" he noted. Swimming towards a now sinking Sokka he dived down with incredible speed and grabbed hold of the boy who had gone unconscious from the freezing depths.

Propelling himself through the water, he made it to land almost as quickly as he left leaving the crowd watching everything completely stunned. While trivial to Rengoku who had prior experience with his total concentration breathing, to these villagers, he looked completely superhuman from the feat they just witnessed.

"What the heck? How is he that fast?" Bato wondered, now catching up to Hakoda. He was with Kishna waiting for Hakoda and Bato to arrive before coming outside and seeing this madness unfold. This shirtless man just lept into waters borderline freezing and within maybe ten to fifteen seconds, had dived into the water to grab Sokka and made it back to land all in one go.

"Insane," another villager muttered.

"I could barely see him with how fast he was moving."

"Is he not cold?" another asked.

Murmurs began to spread like wildfire as he brought the now safe Sokka over to Hakoda so he could look over him.

"Other than a mild case of the chills, I believe this boy will be alright!" Rengoku stated. "I know you told me not to do anything rash until we made to Kishna's home, but there was no way I could sit back when and watch as this child drowned!"

Hakoda had no words for what he'd just witnessed and decided to simply hug his son with dread leaving his body. "I'm so glad you're safe," he said, still holding Sokka close to himself wanting to warm the boy up by any means necessary.

"Quick, bring me as many blankets as you can!" he shouted to the villagers standing and watching.

"Actually Hakoda, there is no need for this. With my flame breathing, I'll be able to keep him warm until he wakes up and is able to warm himself. Like I said my mother blessed me with a strong and durable body meant to protect. My body will keep this child warm no matter what!"

"All you have to do is trust me and I'll assist you in any way you need," he said with another warm smile.

Hakoda looked around the village and noticed many unsure looks that surrounded the both of them. Could they really come to trust a fire bender? His kind terrorized the world for years and now all of a sudden, one with a seemingly heart of gold wonders in wanting to bring about change. It sounded too good to be true and yet Hakoda wanted nothing more than to finally be able to relax with his children who are his entire world.

"You...you manage to surprise me at every turn. Even if the people in my village don't like it, you dove into the frozen water with barely any clothes and got him out of there before things could get any worse. I believe that earned you some trust in my book," he said, looking around at the villagers gauging their reaction.

Many were still unsure about trusting this man, but one above all stood out over everyone else.

"I believe you're right, Hakoda," Kishna interrupted, making herself known to the crowd and heading straight for them.

"We can never get back what we lost and nor should we forget about them either, but…maybe it wouldn't hurt us to look toward the future so the next generation won't have to endure and suffer like we did."

"That's right!" Rengoku added. "From this day forward, you will no longer have to cower in fear due to circumstances out of your control. I may sound repetitive, but I'll say it once more,"

"As long as I'm here, my job is to keep everyone safe from harm, no matter what!"

Smiling at the crowd and Kishna, he scooped Sokka into his arms and began walking him to the nearest hut where he'd await for the boy to awaken.

"Oh and Rengoku, I hope you haven't forgotten about that talk you owe me," she started.

"Not a chance!" he shot back with the same smile as earlier. "Once I've finished securing this boy's safety, you are the first stop on my list of promises that need to be kept."

"There's that smile again…" her thoughts trailed off to her husband and child before smiling to herself.

"This man truly is something else,"

"Also, call me Kyojuro. Rengoku is my surname and it feels too informal to hear it being repeated over and over."

"Alright, I'll be waiting for you...Kyojuro."

Eventually the crowd dispersed and left a shocked Katara and Ponru wondering what the heck they managed to accomplish with this stunt of theirs. It only seemed to improve Rengoku's standing amongst the villagers and pushed them further into a trap that would surely come from someone as evil as him.

Both knew that it was better to not let anyone know that they planned for these events to happen, but Katara felt immense shame and guilt not being able to hold up her part of the plan and almost getting her brother killed while Ponru felt nothing but agitation at the fact that this man lives another day in his village.

Afterwards things returned to a sense of normalcy or as much as one could call normal when dealing with a hyperactive and loud firebender in the south pole and he wasn't attacking. The next two weeks were smooth sailing as slowly but surely people warmed up to Rengoku and the kind aura he was giving off constantly. Everyone who interacted with him found it hard to dislike him even if they went out of their way to be rude. Overall things were going good and the trip to the earth kingdom would hopefully come smoother than his arrival was.

It was not. Not even close.

It's looking like the storm has completely let up, Hakoda," Bato informed. "We can set sail whenever you give the ok."

"So it's finally time to head out, huh," Hakoda said.

The past two weeks he had with his kids while short filled him with immense happiness aside from Sokka almost drowning. Although he was sad to leave them, he understood what needed to be done in order to continue to keep them safe.

"Gather the troops and inform them we set sail at sunset. I'd rather we travel during the night in case we come across any firebenders. It'll be easier to ambush them that way."

"What do you plan on doing with Kyojuro?" Bato asked. "You know if we take him along with us on this trip, things'll get messy at the meeting point once it's learned that he's of fire nation origin."

"I know that, Bato. I'll be the first to admit, he's grown on me over these past few weeks and I don't want to imagine what would happen to someone like him inside an earth kingdom prison. You've heard the rumors, right?"

The tales that had been shared throughout the years weren't pleasant if you were on the side of the fire nation. "I couldn't imagine someone as nice as Kyojuro having his hands crushed. He doesn't deserve that," Bato added."

"I know…" Hakoda had only one plan in mind, but it wasn't one that he was keen on acting out.

"Bato, I know you and many others aren't going to like this, but what if we left him-"

Broken off in the middle of his speech, a soldier barged through the door with sheer fear covering his face, "Chief!" was all he managed to say before trying to catch his breath.

"When we saw it, I immediately ran towards you so you could figure out some plan. We don't even know why they're here. It doesn't make sense!"

"Calm down, what are you talking about?" Hakoda asked, now worry seeping into his mind.

"Just...look," the soldier pulled back the curtain and both men went wide eyed with what they were seeing and the implication behind it.

"Black Snow," Bato forced out, still in shock.

"Damn it, you can't be serious!" he shot out.

Hakoda, seeing no time to waste, jumped up and gathered his spear ready for whatever today may bring. He doesn't want to fight, but he'll protect his home from whatever the fire nation can throw at him. He won't make the same mistakes as last time.

"Gather everyone at the entrance, Bato. We will drive them away and set sail today! If we want to keep our friends and family safe then we must win no matter the cost."

Rushing out of the hut they saw villagers standing around standing and staring at the black snow falling from the sky with pure terror on their faces.

"It's happening again."

"No, no, no, no, no."

"We can't stop them, they'll kill us all."

Ignoring the crowd and rushing to the entrance, they stopped when noticing Kyojuro standing there with his arms crossed waiting for some reason unknown to them. He was dressed up in his blue parka that had been given to him upon his arrival, but now sported that flaming haori, he was so adamant on keeping.

"Kyojuro, what are you doing here?" Hakoda asked.

Kyojuro completely ignored him and instead chose to keep looking toward the now visible ship coming closer and closer to the village he promised to protect.

"Are these the men who attacked your home, three years ago, Hakoda?" Kyojuro asked.

"Yes of course they are! Why are you standing here with no weapon?"

"I don't need a weapon to deal with people such as this! They'll be too weak to deal with me anyhow, but the fact that they showed back up to a place they ravaged and terrorized is absolutely unforgivable!"

"I don't like taking human lives, but if they do not stand down and surrender when they arrive, I'll have no choice but to burn them all to ash!"

The air surrounding Kyojuro grew intense and Hakoda could do nothing more than watch until the ship inevitably reached their home for a second time.

Kyojuro wouldn't just stand by and let these people suffer at the hands of these demons any longer. He'll show them how fire should be used and protect everyone here while doing it. It's the entire reason he became a demon slayer after all and even in this new environment, his desire to protect those weaker than him will not and shall not change.