OMG, I love all my readers SOOO much, thank you ALL! I'm SOOO sorry for the weird formatting at the end of the last chapter, I hope it didn't cause anyone any difficulty in reading. ONWARD!

oh yeah, I had the PERFECT song for one of the recent chapters, but it also kinda fits in with the whole mood that's going on:

"How to Save a Life"

The Fray


Luke paced the deck angrily. Something was going on, something wasn't right. Beside the fact that Alex was—dead, something felt terribly out of place.

Oh yes, that would be their missing prince.

Iroh had long ago shut himself in his room in an awful state of mourning. He refused to come out or even allow servants to bring him meals. The crew had lost all hope, and now it was up to Luke to stay in charge.

We're going to die, it's inevitable now. I'm only prolonging what will eventually kill us all. Iroh will starve; the men might drown or allow themselves to be killed. But what about me? Will I kill myself out of wanting to be with Alex once more?

He shook these thoughts away and retired below deck.

But instead of going to his room, Luke took the long forgotten detour that led farther down into the ship. Passing Zuko's room without a glance, he opened the door to the room next to it.

Upon entering Alex's old room, a wave of emotion washed over him like he could not explain. Throwing himself onto the bed, he hugged her pillow to himself. And as tears streamed down his face, and as his body shook violently from the silent sobs, he took in deep breaths, smelling the lavender scent upon the pillow and the sheets. He knew this was all that was left of Alex, and this was all he would ever have.


Josh waited until Tina and Zuko had fallen asleep before sneaking out of the tent and venturing deep into the woods.

Alex, who had still not left, followed curiously. Where could he be going at a time like this?

Josh stopped in a small clearing where several boulders lay. She noticed in slight terror that his fists were balled up tightly, and he was breathing heavily. He was angry, but she would never have guessed how angry he was until he relinquished all his energy on those boulders.

She watched in stunned silence as he picked up each boulder and threw it across the clearing – moving only in a small area. He was earthbending, and he had never told a soul.

What would Tina have said? She had not shown the faintest trace of a bending ability, so why would he tell her that it was him and not her that had seemingly acquired it?

He was violent and enraged. Tears were running down his face as he sobbed uncontrollably before he finally collapsed on the ground.

Overcome with sorrow, Alex turned and ran back through the forest, blinded by tears. What had this come to, when her best friends were wrought with a grief thrown onto to them by her actions alone? What had they done to deserve it?

If they hadn't sent me to their world, this wouldn't have happened. She thought angrily to herself.

But would it have? After all, hadn't the war been going on before they had sent her away? And really, were they making much of an indent in the progression of the war, so why would it really matter?

She sighed and leaned against a nearby tree. Normally she would have been catching her breath, but under the circumstances it wasn't necessary. After all, if she didn't need to breathe, why would she run out of breath?

She sighed, this was all terribly confusing, in so many ways. After all, it wasn't her fault she was stuck her, right?

Actually, she didn't know.

Was it her fault…or Zuko's? Or maybe it was Shakra's…maybe it was just a phase in life that would never fully be understood by living beings.

Maybe she would understand now that that wasn't a problem.

She smiled a bit; after all, she was a spirit. Right?

She frowned. Did this really qualify?

She shook her head to clear her mind. She couldn't deal with these confusing thought's right now…she needed some sleep.