"Are we there yet?" Sokka groaned. "We've been flying for hours!"

"The answer hasn't changed the past ten times you've asked, Sokka. No!" Katara shot back.

"Guys, calm down, we're almost to a rest point. After we land and get some rest, it'll only be maybe another hour until we reach the air temple," Aang giggled.

Aang, Katara, Sokka, Kyojuro and a very reluctant Zuko had been flying on Appa's back for the past few days attempting to finally reach the Southern Air Temple.

Since leaving the Southern Water Tribe in search of signs of his people, the journey while fun has not been what one might call...smooth. Sokka and Katara were vehemently against bringing along Zuko who even while tied up showed nothing, but hostility and aggression towards them. Especially with Kyojuro.

He hurled nothing but threats and insults toward him most likely for kidnapping him against his will and separating him from his uncle.

Kyojuro was fast asleep with his arms folded with Zuko sitting right beside him staring daggers into everyone. He'd tried to escape numerous times only to have his attempts cut short since Kyojuro could not only sense him moving, he was able to restrain him with no issue at all. Not even firebending worked as from what he could tell, it was as if he was fireproof.

It confused and annoyed him that there was no point of escape from what he could tell. Until further notice, he was stuck with fools and now didn't even have contact with the only family member who would speak to him, his uncle.

"How's the prisoner doing?" Sokka asked, knowing he'd get a response out of Zuko.

"Don't speak to me! Be grateful this big idiot and that waterbender of yours keeps me from breaking out of these ropes."

Katara used her waterbending to constantly dampen his clothes along with the ropes securing him which weakened his bending

"I have a name," Katara argued.

"And did I ask?" Zuko argued back.

"Shhhhhh!" Aang signaled. "Can't you see how peaceful Kyojuro looks?"

"Aang, I don't think you know how deep of a sleeper he can be," Sokka said. "Unless it's deathly serious, he could probably sleep through an earthquake."

"Do you think I care about keeping my voice down!?" Zuko shouted. "I only wanted to capture the Avatar and go home! Now I'm stuck dealing with a bunch of children and an oversized man child!"

Aang turned away from the group with a guilty expression that did not go unnoticed by Katara.

"Um maybe you should look in a mirror, but you don't look that much older than us," Sokka replied back. "Oh wait, you can't look in a mirror since it'd probably crack thanks to you being so ugly!"

"What did you say!?" Zuko snarled.

Kyojuro grabbed hold of Zuko and brought the boy in a one handed embrace while still asleep. It was as if he was thinking of someone else while dreaming, but from their perspective it looked as if he was snuggling a small teddy bear.

"Release me this instant! I will not stand for this, traitor!" Zuko blushed in embarrassment and a pinch of anger.

"Aw, it looks like Kyojuro likes you," Sokka laughed.

"Look, let's just calm down. We're about to land now anyway," Aang broke.

He landed Appa alongside a small cliff overlooking sunset. Everyone soon got off except Kyojuro and Zuko which annoyed him once again.

"Hello can someone wake this idiot up? I don't plan on being up here all night," Zuko ordered.

"Sorry, your highness, but unless you can wake him from whatever slumber he's in, you're gonna be stuck there all night," Sokka teased.

"What! You can't be serious," Zuko tried to nudge Kyojuro awake, but the ropes used to tie him were tight and left little room to move. The only thing this did accomplish was tightening the grip Kyojuro had on him.

"Come on, you cannot be serious! I deserve to be treated with respect!" he barked at them.

"You are being treated with respect, Katara snickered. "He's treating you like a little brother, isn't that sweet?"

They proceeded to laugh at his plight and literal steam began to rise from Zuko's head. He was pissed, but unless things drastically changed, he was stuck dealing with them.

"What purpose is there in dragging me along to the southern air temple? Everybody knows they were wiped out in the war. It'll be nothing more than ash and dust along with relics of the past," Zuko quipped.

"You're wrong," Aang tried. "Just because no one has seen an airbender in a hundred years doesn't mean they were all wiped out." He didn't know why he was even entertaining the idea, but Aang felt he had to defend the hope that his people had just gone into hiding.

"Sure you keep telling yourself that," Zuko grumped.

The air grew tense as nobody had any words to soothe the worries that plagued Aang's mind.

"Anyways everyone should rest up," Aang stated. "We've got a big day tomorrow once we reach my home."

"Hmph," Zuko was still being embraced by Kyojuro and had no intention of replying back to the small monk.

Everyone readied their sleeping bags hopped inside ready to drift off to sleep. Aang however stayed up staring at the night sky seemingly unable to sleep.

"Aang, are you not gonna sleep?" Katara wondered.

"Nah, I'm not tired right now," he answered. "Just have some things on my mind. Don't worry about it, you get as much sleep as you need. I'll be ok," he smiled, but she could tell it was forced.

Deciding once again not to comment on it she laid her head down, closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. It didn't take long for Sokka to follow suit, snoring up a storm much to Aang's amusement. Zuko eventually fell asleep, silently cursing them along with his current situation.

The only one still awake was now Aang who slowly allowed doubts to creep into his mind.

"Nobody had seen an airbender in over one hundred years and everyone thinks they've been wiped out," he thought. "Maybe, they really are gone…"

"No! Listen to yourself talk," he shook his head and smiled at the stars again, still slightly hopeful they were just hidden away.

"Have faith and I'm sure everything will be ok. They've gotta be alive," he hoped.

"They have to…"

He laid back into his sleeping bag and finally fell asleep with his head full of hope that there were still airbenders alive that could put his thoughts and doubts at ease.

Kyojuro blinked his eyes awake before sitting up off the saddle he had been sleeping on to stretch his body. "Those naps are always quite exquisite!" he joyfully thought.

He saw Zuko sitting in the direction the sunrise was coming up from and decided to observe just what it was the boy was doing. His eyes were closed and he was focusing his breathing in a way that peaked his curiosity, but would not interrupt him.

"Interesting, so it seems like the boy has some skill with calming breaths," he watched.

The sun continued to rise and Zuko continued to concentrate on what his uncle taught him whenever his nerves grew wild and tense. "Stay calm and focus, don't overthink things, fire is power and harness it as your energy," he repeated internally.

He couldn't help, but get the feeling that he was being watched so he peaked one eye open in annoyance to see Kyojuro staring him down intently.

"Can I help you?" he snapped.

"Actually you can! Enlighten me as to what you're doing," Kyojuro replied. "I've noticed ever since we've been travelling, whenever we sleep, you are the first to rise and always meditate facing towards the sun."

"Why would that be? I wonder…"

"Are you dumb? How do you not understand what I'm doing? Aren't you fire nation?" Zuko asked in confusion.

"I have no such association with that nation of demons!" he boomed.

"Nation of demons? Do not insult my people with such a belittling title!" Zuko shot back.

"But what I say is right! Your people are the entire reason why the world is out of balance and now needs correcting after one hundred years of destruction!" Kyojuro stated.

"No! You understand nothing about us, you traitor. You should be ashamed to even call yourself a warrior," Zuko argued.

"HaHaHa! I know enough to understand how evil your people have grown thanks to the balance being so unchecked over the past century."

"My people are not evil and it's the rest of the world that's wrong for going against us!" Zuko shouted.

"You cannot truly be that foolish to believe there is nothing wrong with the way your people have done things throughout the war. I refuse to believe that, Zuko!"

"Stop talking about things you know nothing about!" By this point Zuko was all but shouting at Kyojuro who decided to take it in stride.

"If that's the case then explain what happened to the air nomads?" Kyojuro asked.

"That's easy. They tried to ambush us at the very beginning of the war so we fought back in self defense. It was the only way to defend ourselves. It's not our fault they fought us all the way to extinction!"

"That's a lie," Zuko and Kyojuro turned their heads to see Aang swoop in into his saddle, visibly upset with what he was hearing from Zuko.

"The air nomads are pacifists and would never do something like that. You don't know what you're talking about," he said.

"I think I know my own nation's history. So what if you're an airbender? Maybe you don't know your own people well enough,"

"What did you just say?" Aang asked, growing more agitated. He wouldn't just stand here and listen to him disrespect and bad mouth his entire culture.

"Woah, calm down! There's no need for conflict. Once we leave and head for your temple, I'm sure we'll be able to clear the air about what's true or false between your beliefs!"

He reached up and placed a warm hand on Aang's shoulder calming his nerves, "For now, let's just stay calm and head to your home until we figure out what really happened,"

"Ye-yeah, you're right, sorry I lost my temper there, Kyojuro," Aang apologized.

"Don't worry, we all lose our cool here and there!" Kyojuro said.

"Not everyone should be angry all the time like Zuko here," Kyojuro grabbed the boy in a brotherly-like embrace, annoying him once again. "It's not good for you," he smiled.

"For the last time, get your hands off of me!" he snarled.

"Jeez, could you guys be any louder?" Sokka mumbled. He woke up out of sleeping bag, upset that the loudest people in the group somehow managed to create enough noise to wake him up early.

"It seems there's no helping it now, Sokka," Katara rubbed her eyes. "I think it's best if we begin making our way early so we aren't in a rush to get there later on."

"Ugh, why did I get stuck with three walking megaphones for traveling partners…" he groaned.

Sokka and Katara got up, rolled up their sleeping bags and soon boarded Appa along with everyone else ready for take off.

Looking back to see Sokka groggily trying not to fall back asleep, Katara smiling at him, Kyojuro and Zuko getting along oh so swimmingly(Zuko no longer barking at him as he'd grown tired of fighting a losing battle, so he let Kyojuro big brother him), he decided it was time to take off as everyone was now secured.

"Appa, yip-yip!" And with that, Appa took flight off the mountain and they were now en route to the southern air temple where Aang could finally get the answers he desperately desired.

Upon arriving at the rest stop to report about the incident at the south pole, Iroh had been invited to enjoy tea and chat with Zhao. Iroh did not trust this man and above all else, he only wanted to hide the fact that he had somehow managed to lose Zuko which if word got out would seriously brand him a traitor and he'd be wanted dead or alive(mostly dead).

He walked down the halls towards Zhao's chambers and saw two guards awaiting his arrival.

"Commander Zhao, General Iroh has arrived," a guard alerted.

"Let him in," Zhao replied. The doors slid open and Iroh saw Zhao sitting near a table with a small kettle of tea and two cups for them.

"Ah, it's been far too long, general Iroh," Zhao greeted. "Please sit, you must allow me to ask about what you've been up to for the past few years?"

Iroh knew Zhao was trying to get something out of him, but what that was exactly was left up in the air.

"Nothing much," he answered. "My nephew and I have been chasing the Avatar for three years now and while we haven't found any trace of him, it's been a pleasure spending time with Zuko."

"Such a shame that incident was," Zhao started. "Who would've known that speaking out at a simple war meeting could have such dire consequences?" Iroh didn't miss the thinly veiled sarcasm behind his tone.

"Yes, my brother is not a man known for his forgiveness. I should've warned Zuko of the potential consequences…"

"Speaking of my brother, if you don't mind me asking, how did you manage to escape his wrath after your fleet was lost to that water tribe ambush?" Iroh asked. He saw a twinge of anger cross his face before disappearing once again.

"Ah...losing my fleet to those water tribe savages was such a shame. I managed to survive thanks to the sacrifices of my men who valiantly gave their lives to assure my own. They wanted me to live as if to show the world that the fire nation still had hope that one day we can end this war and claim what's rightfully ours."

Iroh didn't buy a word coming out of his mouth, but felt no need to interrupt his story.

"When I made it back to Firelord Ozai to report what had happened, his reaction was quite different from what you'd expect."

"He welcomed me with open arms and treated me like a hero for managing to come back alive after everything that happened to me and my men. Before I left he gave me a gift that he said would keep me safe during my travels and because of that gift, I was able to come back alive."

"What kind of gift did my brother give you?" Iroh asked.

"I..can't say. His majesty swore me to secrecy, but I can assure you that your brother entrusted it to me."

There was more to the story here. Much more. Iroh could feel something not adding up about Zhao's story, but yet again could not see a scenario where the truth came from his mouth.

"Fair enough," Iroh relented.

"I also understand that Zuko incurred his wrath, but maybe that was because he didn't understand Firelord Ozai's vision," Iroh noticed a crazed look beginning to show in his eye before he caught himself and calmed back down.

"Well no use thinking of the past. Moving forward and finishing the war would be best for everyone involved, wouldn't you agree?" Zhao grinned while sipping his tea.

Iroh took a sip and almost spit it out with how awful it tasted. "This tastes like hot leaf juice…"

"How's the tea, sir? I've been working extra hard to get it just how I heard you liked it before embarking on this journey with your nephew."

"It's…" Absolutely awful! But Iroh wouldn't risk making him mad so he decided to just lie about it and move on. "It's definitely...not half bad," Iroh forced out.

"Excellent," Zhao clapped his hands and grinned at Iroh again. "Where is your nephew? He must try the tea I've prepared for you."

"My nephew is very busy so he's still resting on the ship," Iroh answered. "He's a growing boy and needs all the sleep he can get. I'm sure you understand what it's like to work hard with not much sleep so when you get the chance to rest, you take it."

"Oh really? Well...that's just too bad," Zhao turned away from him and stood up facing the fireplace, "I really was looking forward to meeting him again to see how much he'd grown."

Iroh began to rise from his position, ready to make his way back to the ship and begin his search for Zuko, "It's been a pleasure, Commander Zhao, but I believe it's time for me to make my leave. I'm sure my nephew is eager to resume his hunt for the Avatar."

"I bet he is," Zhao replied.

Before Iroh could leave, a soldier entered through the door with news for Zhao, "Sir, we've finished interrogating members of Prince Zuko's crew. They say the Prince has been kidnapped and Iroh himself banished him for getting captured by the enemy.

Iroh paled and a savage grin grew across Zhao's slimy face, "Oh really, well...that's a far different interpretation of Zuko still sleeping on the ship."

"You interrogated my crew?" Iroh huffed. "Who on earth gave you permission to do that?"

"I did not need permission to do this, but if you must know, the fire lord himself asked me to keep a close eye on both you and your nephew. It seems like my hunch of something happening to him was right on the money," Zhao sneered.

"Iroh, I believe we both have little time for games so enlighten me as to what really happened during your expedition at the south pole?"

"That is none of your concern, Zhao! And you can tell my brother the same thing when you see him. I will find and rescue Prince Zuko so you do not need to brand him an actual traitor just yet. I only said those things in front of that man to please him so he'd spare the crew and my nephew."

"A man?" His expression changed to one of annoyance.

"Yes, he was a firebender living in the south pole who kidnapped my nephew with a smile on his face. I warned my men to stand aside because even though he didn't throw a single punch, I could tell he could've slaughtered them all without much effort," Iroh said.

Zhao looked like he'd seen a ghost. His heart rate skyrocketed remembering the man behind his initial defeat and downfall.

"Where is he? How did you find him? Is he still there?" Zhao began rambling with a bead of sweat covering his forehead.

"I don't know if he's still-"

"That bastard is part of the reason why I lost my entire fleet!" Zhao grabbed Iroh by the collar and began spewing off his hatred and contempt he held for Kyojuro.

"I'll kill him! I swear I'll kill that bastard no matter what! I was weak before…,but now…" His eyes grew wide in borderline ecstasy which creeped Iroh out and the bloodlust made itself known as it was almost leaking from Zhao.

He stopped almost immediately realizing what was about to happen and released Iroh before he revealed his true intentions to him. Things would end badly if the surprise was revealed too early. He had plans for him and he wouldn't ruin them now by throwing a temper tantrum. He'd simply take it out on someone else. No problem.

"Forgive me, General Iroh. It seems I let my temper get the best of me."

"Zhao, I don't know about whatever history you two possess nor do I care. I only ask that you do not report about what happened to Zuko. If my brother finds out what has happened to him, it'll be the end for him."

Zhao pondered to himself for a moment before responding, "Well if you'll indulge a request of mine, I'm sure we can work something out," he grinned.

"What do you have in mind?" Iroh questioned. "As long as it's not too much trouble, I'm sure I can indulge you in whatever you ask."

"Fight me," Zhao answered.

"Fight you?" Iroh question again. "Why?"

"I didn't stutter did I? Fight me in a traditional Agni Kai. I want to test something I've been working on and someone of your caliber is the perfect candidate to help me perfect it."

"If that's what it'll take to keep you quiet about this entire affair then fine," Iroh sighed. "I'll meet you on the deck at sunset so we can have our duel, but after that, you must agree to keep your mouth shut about Zuko's situation."

"Deal," he stuck his hand out to shake his hand and Iroh quickly clasped it signifying their agreement.

"As long as you hold up your end of the bargain, I have no problem keeping my mouth shut," he grinned.

Iroh bowed and left his quarters where a now excited Zhao stared menacingly at the fireplace. Excitement to finally test himself for the first time in two years since his defeat to Kyojuro was finally at hand.

"It won't be long now...just hold yourself back and everything will fall into place…" he grabbed his head still attempting to calm himself down for the heated battle he had to look forward to. And best believe he'd enjoy himself to the fullest.

"Guys, we're almost there!" Flying through the skies, Aang finally noticed familiar structures and knew they were almost to his home.

"Look!" he pointed upward and everyone could only gaze at the massive structure above them almost hidden amongst the clouds.

"Wow…" Katara was at a loss for words with what she was seeing. "Aang, it's beautiful."

"Yeah that's great and all, but how are we supposed to get all the way up there?" Sokka asked.

"The answer is simple, Sokka!" Kyojuro stated. "Isn't that right Aang?

"That's right, unless the fire nation has any flying bison, there's no way they could've made it all the way up here," Aang informed.

He angled Appa upward and they began building speed going upside the side of a mountain and continued like this until they finally reached their goal. Aang lit up in excitement to finally be home for the first time in over one hundred years.

They reached the top of the mountain and if they said that it took their breath away, it'd be an understatement. Everyone except Aang and Zuko were starstruck.

"Aang this is your home? It's higher than the clouds!" Kyojuro gazed. It was one of the most beautiful things he's ever laid his eyes on. It looked almost, if he had to use a word,

"Heavenly,"

"Huh?" Sokka asked.

"Don't you guys think this place looks heavenly?" The expression that took over his face was one of wonder, but also one of sadness knowing the real reason why they are even up here today. Aang would not like it, but he had to come to an understanding today so he could move forward with his duties.

"It's huge!" Sokka gaped. He felt his stomach rumble once again and his better instincts kicked in. "I hope this place has some food…"

"Sokka, seriously?" Katara slapped his shoulder in annoyance. "We're about to be the only outsiders who have set foot inside an air nomad's home and all you can think about is eating?"

"Hey, can't blame a guy for being hungry," he groaned.

They landed and exited off of Appa's back ready to begin the tour of a place long forgotten about. "Guy's follow me! There's so much I have to show you." Aang sped off leaving everyone behind. The doubts in his mind would be finally put to rest once he finds the other airbenders. Just a little more and this potential nightmare will all be over.

"Aang sure is energized today! We shouldn't fall too far behind, so let's put some pep in our step!" Kyojuro secured Zuko's ropes and Katara used her bending to soak them once again, draining him of much of his firebending abilities.

Zuko said nothing other than a slight growl in annoyance. He's nowhere near land and the last thing he'd want to do is try and escape while basically trapped above the clouds in an air temple. It'd be literal suicide if he tried so he resigned himself to wait it out and find another opportunity. His uncle always did tell him that patience was a virtue, after all.

"Zuko, are you prepared to sightsee with us?" Kyojuro asked.

Hearing nothing, but radio silence, Kyojuro leaned in, forcing Zuko to look at him.

"What!" Zuko growled.

"I get the feeling you aren't too excited to be here," Kyojuro said.

"Of course I'm not excited to be here! The air nomads were wiped out over a hundred years ago. I've been to the western air temple in my hunt for the Avatar so excuse me if I'm not all too excited to be at another desolate wasteland."

Kyojuro slapped him on the back with a smile on his face, "Hahaha! So that's why you've been so quiet about everything. Normally one would at the very least be in awe about what we're seeing, but you aren't because you've already seen stuff like this already."

"Interesting!"

"So you've already seen how much damage the fire nation did to these people, correct?"

"We never attacked them first! They did, so we had to fight back to protect ourselves. My people aren't evil enough to attack a culture full of pacifists!" he shouted.

"Is he serious-" Katara started.

"Katara, don't interfere right now! You and Sokka go on ahead. Zuko and I need to have a little chat about some things!"

Both siblings hesitated before nodding and moving on to find Aang inside the temple. Kyojuro and Zuko stared each other down before Zuko flared his nostrils in anger.

Making sure they were ahead of them, Kyojuro nudged Zuko forward and the two of them began to explore the southern air temple while making their way over to the others.

"Look, I don't need you to lecture me about my people's history again. I know what really happened here so I don't understand why you continue to question me!"

"I'm asking you because I want to know if that's what you truly believe! Every other nation in the world knew the air nomads were a group of peaceful individuals not known for conflict, so why would they randomly attack your people out of the blue?"

"That's-" Zuko stopped to rack his brain overtime for answers. Even though he one hundred percent believed in his nation, he'd be a blind fool if there weren't a few holes in the air nation incident they were taught growing up.

"They threw the first strike which set off the hundred year war," Zuko answered.

"Hmmm, so you really believe these people are capable of things like this even after seeing Aang having not a hint of aggression in his body."

"How sad…"

Kyojuro turned to begin his exploration of the temple while grabbing the end of Zuko's rope to drag him along.

"It looks like the brainwashing they've done goes even deeper than I thought. No matter!" he looked down at some of the dust that had been collected over the years and sighed.

"You seem like the type of person who'll only believe what you can see for yourself. You're very similar to Sokka, in a way!" Kyojuro smiled.

"Do not compare me to that idiot!" Zuko shot back. "I'm a firebending master who could take all of you down with ease!"

"Haha! Is that so?"

"Well how about we make a little wager, shall we?"

"A wager?" Zuko looked at him skeptical, but figured he would tell him anyway.

"I'll let you go if you can land three hits on me!"

"Huh-"

"It doesn't matter if we're sparring, sleeping, eating or anything else for that matter. If you can land three solid hits on me then I'll give you your freedom."

"Stop messing with me! Why on earth would I take you up on that offer when I could just beat you and escape without doing all of that nonsense?"

"If you truly believe you can beat me then take the time you need, ready yourself and charge at me with everything you've got! I must warn you though, just because I'm nice doesn't mean I won't put a pupil of mind through the ringer!"

"Pupil? This isn't some game! I'm not your pupil and never will-"

"So moving along!" Kyojuro cut him off, his words falling on deaf ears which annoyed Zuko for the tenth time today.

"Will you listen to me-" Zuko argued.

"Our training will be long and grueling, but I'm sure you'll come out better for it in the end! Before you know it, you'll be able to stand toe to toe with Sokka!"

"That water tribe peasant isn't stronger than me! He's not even a bender!" Zuko fumed.

"Indeed he isn't, but what does that matter? He was trained by me and I almost never have to resort to using my flames!" He slung his arm over Zuko's shoulder and smiled not knowing what he was about to say would strike the literal hornets nest.

"Do not worry about your inability to keep up with Sokka and I! At your current level, I'd say Sokka would push you to your limits and even then I don't know if you'd win."

"For a beginner such as yourself, your potential for growth is quite high!"

"You are still young and have so much room to grow! Yes, your combat form is sloppy and needs plenty of work around the edges. Your anger and temper is another problem we need sorted out as well!"

He could see more smoke rising from Zuko's head, but thought nothing of it so he continued.

"Being honest, I'm not even sure you could beat my other pupils Katara and Aang either as one is your polar opposite since she's a waterbender and the other is a gifted airbender. Personally speaking, you'd probably be the weakest student I am tutling currently,"

"Fear not however! I will whip you into shape and mold you into the warrior I know you can become!" He smiled at Zuko who had an unreadable expression on his face.

"Have...you...lost...your….MIND?!" He roared fire in anger and annoyance as Kyojuro simply continued to walk with him and laugh.

"See that's what I'm talking about, Zuko. That temper of yours is holding you back from becoming stronger so I'll help you in any way I can!"

"Ahhh! It's like I'm talking to a freaking brick wall!" Zuko roared again.

"Having fun there, spoiled prince?" Sokka teased.

They were so caught up in their conversation they didn't even realize that they had made it to their destination.

"I was just telling Zuko how I'm going to train him just like I did with you and Katara!" he beamed.

Both siblings look at each other in confusion. "Kyojuro, you're joking right?" Katara gaped.

"Not in the slightest! This boy uses fire for the wrong reason, so I'll mold him into someone capable of using his flames to shield others!"

"Oh great," Sokka sighed, "He's got that look in his eye."

"You're really planning on taking him as a student aren't you?" Sokka asked.

"Sokka, when have you known me to lie?" Kyojuro grinned.

"It's more like he's incapable of lying," Katara answered. "Well as long as your good little pupil behaves himself, then I guess it's okay," she teased.

"For the last time I'm not his pupil!" Zuko roared while they all laughed at the situation. They continued to walk until they caught up with Aang who looked conflicted and distressed over what he was seeing.

Since nobody wanted to speak up, Katara decided to be the first one to break the silence. "Aang, are you ok?" she worried.

"This place used to be so full of life and warmth…" He looked around the shape his home was in and his heart began to sink, "It's completely different now...it's...wrong."

"I can't seem to find any more airbenders either. Maybe...maybe they left this temple and went to another," he figured. "It's the only thing that makes sense besides…" He wouldn't think of the worst case scenario just yet.

Deciding to change the conversation, Katara noticed a small area in front of him, "Aang, what's that? She pointed.

At that he perked up slightly in his response, "Oh, that's just-" He all, but forgot about his plight remembering his favorite game to play while living here.

"Airball!" he smiled. "It's a game where we'd use airbending to cause a ball to ricochet among the poles and enter the goal on the other side of the court."

"I'm sure Sokka would love to play with you," Katara said.

"I would?" She nudged him in the shoulder hoping he'd catch on to what she was trying to do.

"Oh..of course! I'd love to play, Aang."

"Really! Great, let's go!" He grabbed Sokka and dragged over to the court where Aang would finally be able to relieve some of the stress he'd been building up and finally reminisce of the fun times he had here.

Kyojuro watched on with a slight frown on his face, "Katara, you know you can't hide the truth from him forever. Sooner or later, the boy will find out the truth of what really happened to his people."

"I know that, Kyojuro, but...just look at him," she turned her attention to Sokka dodging for his life with a speeding ball coming close to his head while Aang atop of the poles, laughing.

"It's just when he finds out about the air nomads being killed off, he'll be devastated."

"As would anyone, but it's imperative he finds this out now rather than later. Time eventually heals all wounds no matter how deep or severe and it does not wait patiently as you stand by and grieve," Kyojuro stated.

"Aang has to come to terms with the destruction of his people and I'd rather us be here to support him as he grieves than him finding out on his own. I know from personal experience that grief can break a person's spirit," He closed his eyes remembering his father and Kishna and his heart felt a bit heavy.

"You're right, but I still don't know how we can ease it onto him. He won't accept what we say until he sees it firsthand," Katara said.

"I feel that maybe easing him into the truth may be the best course of action," Kyojuro replied. "With him, there's no telling how his emotions may affect him…"

"My people aren't in the wrong," he muttered under his breath. "It was nothing more than self defense…" he said that last part with less assurance in his tone.

"You're still on that? The air nomads were peaceful, get it through your thick skull. The fire nation attacked them just like they attacked the rest of the world," She grew closer and came eye to eye with Zuko who scowled at her in silence.

"Your people are the reason why the world is in chaos-" Katara started.

"That's a lie-"

"Your people are the reason why the air nomads were wiped out-"

Zuko opened his mouth to retort, but quickly shut it. For the first time in years, Azula finally had someone who could give her intimidating stare a run for its money.

She put her finger in his chest and prodded it with fury covering her face, "Your people are the entire reason why our home was raided! So excuse us if we're the first people in your life that's finally told you, you're in the wrong."

"Katara, are you ok?" Kyojuro placed a warm hand on her shoulder.

"I'm fine...I just got a little worked up, that's all," she scowled at Zuko before resuming her conversation about how to break the news to Aang.

"Hey, Stop!" They heard Sokka yell.

Katara, Kyojuro and Zuko(who was now being carried over the shoulder by Kyojuro) ran down to where Sokka had crash landed and saw him still trying to remove the snow from around him.

"Sokka, what happened? Where's Aang?" Katara asked.

"I got knocked into the wall and it revealed that fire nation soldiers had been here," he lifted a worn down fire nation helmet up out of the snow and dread quickly set it in.

"He ran that way, but he looked pretty upset."

Kyojuro put Zuko down on the snow, "I'll be going on ahead! I'm the only one fast enough to catch up to him and the last thing we need is for him to start seeing some of the darker secrets this place holds."

He sped off hoping that he'd be able to catch up to him before it was too late.

Seeing that fire nation helmet caused his heart to drop and he ran away out of the fear of what it represented and the dread filling his soul knowing the possibilities of everyone being gone becoming true.

"No it's not possible!" he cried. "How could they have gotten up here?" He continued to dash by familiar places he'd grown up in and stopped when he saw burn marks that looked like they'd been there for ages.

He looked around again to finally notice burned relics and other air nomad heirlooms that had been destroyed and thrown away like garbage. He felt sick to his stomach, but continued onward.

He turned a corner and saw Monk Gyatso's statue and a rush of memories popped into his head making his eyes water. "This is a nightmare…" He ran past it and made it to another room where he froze at the horror he was looking at.

Skeletal remains of his fellow air benders littered the room causing him to sink to his knees and vomit, unable to hold it back any longer. "No….no,no,no,no" He sank into despair realizing that so many of them may have shared this horrific fate.

"Aang, where are you?" He heard Kyojuro call out to him, but his emotions were so wild that he did the only thing a confused and scared child could do.

He ran.

He ran as tears swam down his face as he didn't know what to do. He didn't mean for this to happen. No one told him refusing his responsibilities would end so badly.

He continued to run as fast as he could, all the while the skeletal remains of his people, fire nation soldiers and everything else horrible about this place caught his eye. He stumbled across a tarp where even more fire nation soldiers' remains lay in front of him, but the thing that broke his resolve and crumbled it into dust was a familiar face now nothing more than a skeletal husk.

"Monk Gyatso…" Guilt crept up throughout his soul as he felt responsible for all of this.

He fell to his knees, crying his eyes out not caring about the consequences. His body began to feel hot as if energies were spiraling within himself, ready and waiting for a chance to break free. All of his pain, anger, sadness, confusion, horror all thrashed about needing to escape.

"It's my fault," he sobbed. His tattoos began to glow and slowly he felt himself slipping away even though he was still conscious. Everything that had been building up since his awakening finally came to a head as the wind around him swirled violently and rapidly.

He no longer had the willpower to stop himself from losing control of his emotions and instead he only wanted to vent. He didn't understand what was going on, but at this point, he couldn't find it in him to care.

Kyojuro already understood the atrocities the fire nation had committed were evil, but dashing past and seeing the skeletal remains of families trying to protect their loved ones, children that weren't even old enough to fight...one room had a nursery that...let's just say it's best not to talk about that one.

"Evil."

"How evil can a nation be to try and justify this?" He'd seen some absolutely terrifying things during his time as a demon slayer, but nothing came close to this. Senseless in every sense of the word and snuffed out so many innocent lives as if they were less than dirt. If he's being honest it made his blood boil knowing they were outright lying to their people about what really happened one hundred years ago.

He spotted a small area of vomit in a room full of corpses and knew Aang had been there. His heart ached for him knowing his mind must be in a whirlpool of negative emotions, but no matter what, he had to find him before things grew out of control.

He felt the air around him slowly begin to shift back and forth and knew something was wrong. Kyojuro held back his speed so as to not cause any damage to the surrounding area, but right now, he needed to find his pupil ASAP. Agni warned him of the consequences of losing control and it felt like Aang was in the midst of having it happen.

"Damn it, I don't have time to be respectful of this place! I'm sorry Aang, but I can't be careful right now, I have to find you."

He shot forward, breaking the floor and surrounding walls apart rushing to the source of where the strange air current was originating from. He dashed through the area reaching his destination in no time at all and unfortunately saw what had been causing the air to change like this.

"Aang?" Before he could utter another word, Aang became surrounded by a large ball of pressurized air which pushed Kyojuro and everything in the room back, destroying most of it and sending Kyojuro flying.

Katara, Sokka and Zuko who trekked behind the both of them heard a loud boom and picked up the pace to see just what was going on. They finally caught up to find Kyojuro coming out from under fallen debris with a determined look on his face.

"Kyojuro, are you ok!? What happened?" Katara panicked.

"I'm fine, do not worry about me! We have an even bigger problem on our hands," Kyojuro focused.

"Why is there a tornado on top of a mountain!?" Sokka shouted.

"Take a better look, Sokka! That is no simple tornado." Focusing their gaze through the deadly winds being summoned and surrounding the area, they noticed there was someone inside of that ball of air floating above them. And they were…

"Glowing?" Zuko gaped. "Is that the monk?" If he said that he looked powerful, he'd be underselling it by a country mile. He had his suspicions since finding out his origins and his ability to airbend, but never in his life would he imagine an Avatar being this powerful.

He's just a mere child and yet his throat became dry and his body became heavy. The imaginary power gap between the two felt extraordinary and the power radiating off of him was raw energy in its purest form.

"He's…" Zuko tensed, unable to move from his spot.

"The Avatar," Kyojuro finished.

"I've known about his true origins for quite some time and wanted him to open up to us on his own, but as of now it looks like we don't have any more time to wait!"

"Well whatever we're gonna do, we need to do it fast!" Sokka shouted. The winds continued to grow wilder and they grabbed hold to the nearest piece of debris hoping it'd be enough to secure their footing. "If we can't calm him down, we'll get blown off the mountain!"

Two generals and master firebenders stared each other down in anticipation for the Agni Kai fated to begin. Sunset quickly approached and the calming waves the sun was giving off told Iroh today fate would be extremely kind to him.

"Are you sure you want to do this, commander Zhao?" Iroh warned once again. "Once we begin, I won't hold anything back."

"It'll be in your best interest if you fight me seriously," Zhao shot back while grinning. "Take this seriously or you'll end up with more than just a few burn marks," he warned.

"Have it your way…" Iroh steadied his breaths and removed his clothes and revealed the standard Agni Kai gear that barely fit him as he'd grown severely out of shape.

"General Iroh, you've really let yourself go," Zhao sneered.

"It's been a while since I've felt the need to stay in fighting shape. Forgive me if I'm a bit rusty," he mused.

Zhao readied his stance and glanced at the setting sun. He quickly returned his gaze over to Iroh who was perfectly focused at the task ahead. Zhao could see that even now, the man in front of him was still a firebending master levels above him just by the way he stood. His presence was like an exuberant flame that was condensed into a small space just itching to be released.

His thoughts began to wander on other thoughts and the urge slowly began to creep in his mind.

"No, fight it!" Zhao focused. His mouth slowly began to water and he could feel himself losing control, "It's...not the time for that yet. I can wait…" Iroh saw that it looked as if Zhao was struggling against something. Physically or mentally he wasn't sure.

Was he sick? He could not be sure, but whatever troubling him, he'd wait until Zhao made the first move. He was honorable and attacking a man who was not yet ready to defend himself was not the way he operated. The same lessons he instilled in Zuko were the same one's he'd live by.

"Are you ready, commander Zhao?"

"Yes…" He shook his head before making eye contact with Iroh. He smiled at him with malice hidden behind the facade he was putting up.

"If you are unsure, we can always reschedule-"

"I said I'm fine!" Zhao yelled.

Iroh nodded and they both inched closer to each other, the sunset still breathing life into them as they never broke eye contact. The closer Iroh got however, the more emotion he could feel radiating from Zhao.

Bloodlust. Far worse than earlier in fact.

It felt absolutely awful and for the life of him he couldn't figure out why. Zhao isn't a very bright individual, but before today, he'd never known the man to have such negative energies surrounding him.

"Somethings wrong," Iroh thought. "Somethings off about him, but I don't understand what I'm feeling from him."

They inched closer, arms colliding in the traditional stance about gauging who was going to make the first move before another soldier burst through the door.

"Commander Zhao! I'm sorry to interrupt your duel, but this is urgent!" he informed.

Zhao turned his head and the bloodlust coming off of him almost made Iroh's eyes water. Just what the hell was going on with him?

He remained in the stance, but his muscles tensed in annoyance and anger, "What could possibly be so important that you're interrupting me after I gave you all explicit instructions not to do that!" he barked.

"The lights at the temple just started lighting up out of nowhere," he responded with a bow. "We were told to report to you immediately courtesy of Firelord Ozai."

"The Avatar has returned."

"So that was it?" Zhao asked. "Don't tell me you interrupted our duel and my concentration to tell me that insignificant speck of information."

"But sir-"

"I already interrogated his crew and heard about the little bald monk that helped freeze Iroh's men. Don't you think I could put together that the only airbender left alive may be the long lost Avatar we've been searching for?"

The soldier began to sweat and bowed even lower, "Forgive my actions, commander Zhao. I-I didn't know that you already-"

"Do not say another word," Zhao growled. "Wait for me in my office and be prepared to face disciplinary action for this mistake of yours, soldier." The man flinched at that last part, but bowed once again and left, leaving Zhao and Iroh alone once again.

Turning back to Iroh, Zhao grinned, "Sorry for the interruption, good soldiers are so hard to find these days."

"Oh it's not a problem at all. Just don't go too hard on that young man," Iroh stated. "He made an honest mistake."

"Don't worry, I won't be that hard on him, after all, Firelord Ozai did give him special instruction and he is quite the bender among our ranks. He'll be very useful to me, I can assure you," Zhao replied.

The sun slowly dipped down even further revealing the encroaching moon beginning to show itself. Zhao's expression turned to one of absolute fury causing his veins to pop out.

"Tch," He closed his eyes and quickly calmed down in fear of lashing out at Iroh.

"I'm out of time it seems," He lowered his stance and began to walk away from the battle.

"The sun's setting, which means I'm out of time, general. Consider the debt between us settled."

"But how come you're leaving now? We haven't even thrown a single punch yet?" Iroh asked. Personally he didn't care for the duel, but whatever was going on made absolutely no sense.

"I'm not at liberty to answer that, so just consider the slate between us wiped clean. You and your men can leave whenever you feel like it." He continued to walk eventually reaching the door and exiting completely disregarding all his enthusiasm from earlier.

What changed? Iroh could only begin to wonder before another soldier decided to answer.

"Commander Zhao doesn't like the moon," he informed. "He almost never leaves his room after sunset and refuses to even stand under a starry night sky. We don't know why he's like this, but we've learned that it's best not to ask or question it."

"The person who does always ends up shipped off to another crew or stationed somewhere else."

"I see," Iroh responded. The sun had completely set by this point and the bright moon shone down upon him bringing about a much different warmth than what the sun offered.

"Well standing out here, does neither of us any good now does it?" Iroh smiled. "Come, I'll make a nice hot cup of jasmine tea."

He walked with the soldier off the deck where he could finally take a much deserved rest until tomorrow where he'd finally resume his search for his nephew.

"Aang, you have to calm down!" Katara shouted, still barely able to hear herself with all the wind thrashing around so violently.

"I don't know if he can hear me!" she panicked. Her heart ached for him, she could tell he was most likely lashing out as it's the only thing he can do to alleviate some of the grief he must be feeling.

"Well somebody do something! We need to get through to him and fast!" Sokka shouted back.

Kyojuro stood up with determination etched across his face. Getting close to the young monk would be no problem, but whether or not he'd want to listen would be another matter entirely.

"Leave it to me!" Kyojuro replied. "I'll attempt to talk him out of whatever state he's in, but he has to come out of it." He shot forward at a blinding speed and leaped out hoping to grab Aang out of the now violent ball of air.

"Aang, can you hear me? I know that this is a very difficult time for you right now, but please just hear us out-" The air lashed out and expanded again forcefully knocking Kyojuro away in midair causing him to crash through a wall.

"Kyojuro!" Katara worried.

He crawled out of the wreckage with his same exuberant smile on his face, "I'm ok, Katara. It'll take more than that to hurt me!"

Deciding to take another crack at it he dove right into the center of the building tornado in an attempt to bring some sense into Aang before he went even further off the deep end than he already was.

He grabbed hold of Aang and even as the winds crashed into him, he refused to loosen his grip on the monk. "Aang, I understand you are upset as you have every right to be! Your people are gone and the manner in which they exited this world is far too cruel to put into words."

"You must be feeling like it's the end of the world as you know it and change has come and gone without your consent. Even though you wish for it to not be true, you've seen it with your own eyes and know things can never go back to the way they were…"

"But! That doesn't mean you can just lash out and hope that tomorrow never comes! Time won't just stand by patiently as you grieve nor will it make the heartbreak you are feeling any lighter on your mind and body!" Kyojuro saw tears trickle down from his glowing eyes and he hoped that he'd understand what he was trying to say.

"Even if you feel like you're alone because of the air nomads being wiped out, that is no longer the case! You have Sokka, Katara and even though he dislikes us, you've got a spoiled prince who will soon become your ally!"

"And of course you have me! I'd never abandon one of my students!" he beamed.

The air around them slowed down drastically allowing everyone else to stop holding on for dear life and Katara ran out toward where both of them were.

"I know what you're going through, Aang! My mom was killed by the fire nation and the pain I feel probably doesn't come close to what you're feeling right now! I want you to know that it's ok," she cried out hoping he'd just let them help.

"We've all lost someone close to us so I get it! You're mad! You're frustrated! You're sad! All rolled up into one, but you don't have to go through it alone, Aang…"

The winds all but stopped and Aang and Kyojuro slowly drifted back down to the ground. His tattoos stopped glowing and he fell into Katara's waiting arms while still sobbing.

"You have us," she said while bringing him closer to her, allowing him to cry freely.

"Me, Sokka and Kyojuro, we're your family now," she stated with a certain gentleness that made Aang's heart hurt even worse.

Sokka eventually walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder showing his support and Kyojuro decided to skip the small touch and scooped all three of them up in a massive hug leaving them off the ground.

"We will never leave your side, Aang! If nothing else, take solace in the fact that my words ring true!" Kyojuro boomed.

Aang was tired. He was sad, confused, lost, angry, but above all else he was tired. He continued to sob while in the embrace never wanting it to end.

Zuko looked on awkwardly as he felt like the odd man out in this situation. Nobody was holding his rope and it seemed like it'd be a no-brainer to try and escape, but something held him in place and it wasn't anyone else's doing other than his own.

His father and sister always said his feeling made him weak and it would get him into trouble down the line and as much as he hated to admit it, he'd be the first to admit it felt wrong to try and interrupt this moment.

So he'd wait. Another opportunity would arise for him to leave and escape, but for now, he wouldn't interrupt this intimate moment between them.

Back in Zhao's chambers, he was currently sizing up the soldier that had interrupted his duel with Iroh and said nothing as he menacingly stared him down.

"Do you have anything to say?" Zhao asked. The glare he was using sent chills down the man's spine.

"No sir! I take full responsibility for my actions earlier today. They were inexcusable so please forgive me!" He said with a bow.

"Well...at least your honesty and submissive nature will make this next part all the more easier," Zhao dejectedly answered.

"Stand and look at me, soldier," he ordered. The man raised his head to see Zhao's mouth watering and he just about had a heart attack.

Zhao noticed what was happening and wiped his mouth before starting, "Ugh, you must excuse this unfortunate condition I've acquired...it's so unsightly and I can't even walk under the moonlight anymore without burning…"

He curled his mouth and snarled, "How embarrassing, a man of my stature being so feeble and vulnerable at night!"

He smiled at the man in front of him who didn't miss how his eyes began to light up in ecstasy.

"Although that isn't the worst weakness I now possess," He stood up and began walking towards the soldier who stood there not realizing that things were about to go from bad to monstrous for him.

"Sir, I don't understand-"

"Of course you don't! Someone like you who isn't destined for greatness such as myself could never understand my plight!" He stopped halfway as his mouth started to water again and the droplets hit the floor in bunches. His appearance started to change as well.

His ears grew sharper and his skin turned ash grey. The air around them grew extremely hot and the soldier tried to scream at the sight before him.

Unfortunately for him, Zhao was quicker and had already dashed forward to clutch him by the throat still in ecstasy. Now was the time to feed. He could wait no longer.

"I can tell, your bending core is quite strong. You'll make a decent meal for me," he drooled.

The grip around the soldier's throat grew tighter and tighter and the man tried to plead for his release, "Sir, stop! Ack...I just...want to make…" Tears dropped down his face as agony slowly took hold.

"It home…" He was losing consciousness and fast, "To my wife and daughter…"

Zhao loosened the grip on his throat just enough to give the illusion of hope for him, "I see."

He sneered at the soldier before answering, "Well it just looks like I'll have to speak with them after you go missing. I could use a few appetizers before my big conquest in a few months."

Upon hearing this, the man pleaded for him to not harm his family, but it would fall on deaf ears.

"I beg you! Please do not harm them, I'll give you anything you-"

*Snap*

Unwilling to listen to any more of his useless pleas, Zhao snapped the man's neck and began feasting on him starting from the head and eventually working his way down. He tore into him like a starving man arriving last at an all you can eat buffet.

Finishing his meal quickly, he stood back up and walked over to his chair. He plopped down in it, completely satisfied with the meal he just enjoyed. It did talk far too much for his liking, but it was nothing more than a small price to pay when dealing with high calibre food.

"Now I can finally think clearly," His more monstrous qualities slowly began to fade away, reverting him back into his human form that he's known for. At least outside of the small circle he's associated with.

"I've got much to prepare for and this time I won't be taken down so easily. The Avatar was most likely that small monk that I heard about in the reports which would mean that he's most likely on his way to find a waterbending master."

"That bastard…" His memory flashed of Kyojuro standing over him as if he was nothing more than an insignificant speck of dirt and his abilities began to spill out of him.

"Calm yourself, Zhao. You'll get your revenge on that man. No need to get so worked up," he told himself, forcing his blood demon art back inside his body. He may not have had the chance to use it against Iroh, but eventually he'd be able to put it to good use.

"Knowing them, they'd most likely be headed to the north pole to teach the Avatar waterbending."

"Perfect! If my intuition is correct then I can kill two birds with one stone!"

"Firelord Ozai has given me special privilege to begin building my fleet for the attack on the Northern Water tribe and I promised him, I would not fail."

The thought of being around so many strong waterbenders made his stomach growl and his mouth tried to water before he reeled himself back in. Eating strong benders normally caused him to grow stronger so the benefits of conquering them had additional benefits to him as well.

"Devouring them should give me the necessary strength to finally usurp...her!" No matter how many strong firebenders Zhao consumed, it made little to no difference as the power gap between the two still was as big as the oceans themselves.

"This should be just the boost I need to finally beat her and take my rightful place at his side!" His eye began to twitch, changing color and kanji sitting inside it.

"Just you wait, water tribe peasants...I'll finally ensure that your measly existence serves us purpose after all…"

"Just you wait." His eyes fully reverted back to its original state showing what it said.

Upper Rank: Two

So there we have it. Zhao became a demon which enabled him to survive his encounter with Kyojuro. There's so much more I want to show, but figured it'd be best to spread things out regarding the demons now existing in this world. Zhao has attempted to beat Upper Moon 1 a whopping seven times all ending in a one sided loss in her favor. She dominated him and it was not close at all lol.

Upper Rank 1: ?

Upper Rank 2 : Zhao

Upper Rank 3 : ?

Upper Rank 4 : ?

Upper Rank 5 : ?

Upper Rank 6 : ?

I also wanted to drop hints about the Northen Water Tribe arc which will be massive in scale. If anyone is familiar with Jujutsu Kaisen and has caught up with the manga, I'm basing it off of the Shibuya arc...Take that as you will.

Thanks for reading and see you all soon as the next stop is Kiyoshi Island.