Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender

XxXxXxXxXxX

Sunlight pierced through the eternal darkness of his mind, gently wakening Aang from his… slumber. It had impaled through his defenses suddenly, but the sharp, wounded cry was familiar as awareness swept through him. He blearily opened his eyes and unseeingly stared at the intricate air symbols carved into the stone for several moments as he tried to orient himself. Where was he? What had happened?

He felt a terrible exhaustion that wasn't at all physical and a terrible headache pounded between his ears. He tried to think of the reason for his physical state but no matter how desperately he sought the answers, he couldn't think straight. Trying to keep himself from panicking, he inhaled slowly and tried to latch onto his last memory. What was the last thing that he remembered?

Azula had been sitting next to him, but his attention hadn't been on her, had it? No. No, it was something else. What was it? 'Mad Balance-Keeper!' The screeching words suddenly and painfully erupted into his ears with the force of Combustion Man's explosions and Aang flinched as he was catapulted back to what had happened as he had sat on Appa's head-

Appa!

The events in Ba Sing Se – everything that had happened – assaulted his mind and Aang physically recoiled from the images, springing back at the memories. Appa's blood was sticky and fresh as it stained his hands, marring his Air Nomad arrows with the blood of his best friend. Kuei's face – and all of the Dai Li and Council of Five – were all marred with terror beyond understanding, their necks all arched in a painful angle and their vein-exploded, blood-filled eyes were filled with death-causing pain.

Aang lurched out of the bed, falling on his face as his legs collapsed, but he ignored it, pitifully crawling to the window. He had to leave! He was suffocating, throat closing just as he had suffocated Kuei and the Dai Li and Council of Five, and he felt the walls closing in on him, attempting to crush him.

"Good Morning, Aang,"

The images vanished before his eyes and he groaned aloud in relief, turning around. His eyes wearily connected with Guru Pathik's, feeling the stark contrast between them as his spiritual mentor's eyes were brimming with mischief and life.

He licked his lips, "Hello, Pathik," he grunted out, the words barely understandable since his mouth was so parched.

Pathik stepped closer and sat down next to his sprawled form. "It is good to see you again, old friend," the Guru smiled, eyes crinkling with warmth. "Your friends were quite worried about you – and Appa and Momo were, too." Aang's eyes shut as Pathik lifted his head, a bowl pressed to his lips. Reflexively, he opened his mouth and the familiar taste of onion and banana juice spilled down his throat, and he greedily slurped all of the juice, trying to quench his seemingly unquenchable thirst. "Is that better, my friend?" Pathik asked as he placed the now-empty bowl to his side.

Aang nodded, "Yeah, thank you, I needed it," he coughed, scratching his neck anxiously. "How's Appa doing? He was shot down and- "

"Your friends explained everything that happened so there is no need for you to delve into painful memories, for now, Aang. Anyway, Appa is completely healthy, more so than I've ever seen for a Sky Bison, and has been seeking his best friend for a long time."

Tears welled in his eyes and Aang felt such relief, knowing that his best friend, the only being that remembered the Air Nomads as he did save for Pathik, was going to be okay. He closed his eyes and nodded his head gratefully, thanking no one in particular. "That's good news, Pathik, such wonderful intelligence. So, how long was I out?"

"Over two weeks," his spiritual mentor's words were serious but kind. "We have a lot of work to do, Aang. Whatever you experienced on the ride to the Eastern Air Temple," Aang had a flash of all of the ghosts, particularly Gyatso's, condemning him, "have blocked many of your chakras. And since your arrival, the rest became blocked as well. We must begin the process all over again, but this is a blessing in disguise, though, my friend."

"Why?"

"You never completed your training."

Aang tiredly snapped his head to meet Pathik's gaze, narrowing his eyes. "What? Yes, I did, Pathik. I'm a fully-realized Avatar."

"You may be a Master in all of the bending arts – and Energy, too, if your friend's words are true – and have control over the Avatar State, but there is a lot more that you can achieve. Did you know?"

"Are you talking about chakras, Pathik?" Aang asked, shaking his head. "I already did that, remember? I can control the Avatar State – mostly." His eyes shut as his deeds at Ba Sing Se floated in front of him.

"I am, indeed, talking about chakras, Aang, but you had only merely unlocked them, which helped you gain control over the Avatar State, yes. But you need to master your chakras – there's a difference, Aang. By doing this, you will be able to access your full power and potential and Raava's vast spiritual energy, too."

"Are you being serious, Pathik? This isn't a joke to welcome me back to the land of the living, is it?" Aang asked incredulously, "I mean, mastering chakras? How do you even do that?"

"Practice, my friend, and practice makes perfect." Pathik grinned, eyes crinkling.

"No, perfect practice makes perfect, old friend," he corrected, sighing as he realized how much tediousness and emotional agony that he would experience by mastering his chakras.

"Truer words haven't been spoken, Aang, and that reminds me: one of your friends said those exact same words to me about practice when I mentioned it. Who is Azula, my friend?" Pathik's voice carried a curiosity and something that Aang didn't want to think about.

"A Firebender who taught me that phrase," he said dryly.

Pathik's laughter was pleasant and Aang soon joined him, chuckling quietly as the guru wiped a tear from his eye. "That was quite clever, Aang, but that's not what I had meant. What I had meant was, who is she to you?"

"Azula is my friend," he replied calmly, fearful of where Pathik was hoping to take the conversation.

Pathik raised a bushy eyebrow, "Really? Azula is nothing more to you than a friend? I mean, would a friend sit by your side each day for over two weeks as you recovered, simply waiting patiently for you to wake, staring at you and Agni's light? Would a friend take such a fascination in the Air Nomads, spending as much time beside your side as she did in the library in the Air Temple?"

He swallowed, "Yes, a friend would do both of those things," he said more than a little unconvincingly, unable to help the flush of affection that had rushed through him at Pathik's words.

"I don't think so, Aang, and I don't think that you think that. Perhaps you have finally found someone who would be willing to support you as the Avatar by being your wife and help you restore the Air Nomads to their rightful place in this world, prepared to bear an entire nation through her body alone."

Aang blinked and then his lips parted as he registered Pathik's outrageous assumption. "What? No, that's crazy, Pathik," he rushed out, not feeling tired anymore. "I'm not attracted to Azula and she's not attracted to me. That's it, the end of the story."

Pathik shook his head, looking incredibly disappointed, causing Aang to feel chastised. "You are blocking your chakras even more, my friend, but for now, I will let you hold onto your misconceptions."

His head perked up, "What did you just say?"

"You're blocking your chakras even further because of your denial of your feelings towards Azula, my friend."

Aang tried to sit up, but he was still too weak. "No, no," he ignored Pathik's words about his feelings and focused on something else. "After that!"

"For now, I am letting you believe your misconceptions. Was that it?"

"Yes, that's it!" Aang glanced around the room, looking for his sack that contained the ancient airbending scroll – 'Let go of the misconceptions that plague you. Enter the void and become the wind.' – but it wasn't there.

Aang looked wildly at Pathik, "Where's my sack? I need it now – it's important."

"Azula has it," Pathik tilted his head to the side, considering him. "She is something special, you know?" He shook his head in amusement. "If you wish to have your sack, you must speak to Azula, my friend."

All of Aang's exuberance faded like Agni's light when the darkness of night appeared. He couldn't talk to Azula, not yet! It wasn't because he didn't want to, but rather because Pathik's words would be echoing in his ears if they talked, thus forcing him to wonder and imagine. They, the Avatar and the Princess of the Fire Nation borne of Sozin's line, would never work, not even a little. They were totally different in character and beliefs and personality. He was an Airbender, evading every obstacle in his path and achieving freedom, whereas Azula was a Firebender, aggressively attacking every obstacle in her path and seeking power. Plus, she had tried to kill him dozens of times and almost had when she shot him full of lightning in Ba Sing Se all of those years ago.

It didn't matter that he felt such a simple and soul-soothing peace whenever he was merely in her presence, or that she was willing to challenge him, the Avatar, unafraid to speak what was on her mind, a first that he had experienced. It also didn't matter that she seemed to accept every part of him, including the unholy darkness and evil that he could unleash so effortlessly that he himself was terrified of. It didn't even matter that they understood each other and had a bond and that she was the most strikingly attractive woman whom he had ever encountered.

None of it mattered.

"I take it that you would like to see Appa, yes?" Pathik's suggestion gave Aang the relief that he hadn't known he was seeking.

"That would be great, Pathik, thank you."

"Come, take my arm and I'll bring you to him, my friend." Pathik gripped Aang's arm and pulled him along slowly to Appa's location, passing Air Nomad art and statues, bringing a subtle peace to Aang's soul.

Then, after several more moments, he heard his friend before he saw him. Appa's roar of joy could be heard in the Fire Nation. In a huge blur of motion, an enormous tongue suddenly smeared against his face and Aang welcomed it. "You're okay," he breathed out and closed his eyes, feeling Pathik step aside as Aang reverently hugged his best friend.

"Yes, he has made quite a splendid recovery, methinks – he's stronger than ever." Azula's voice drifted into his ears.

His gray eyes snapped open in alarm, an emotion close to panic. He didn't know how to talk to her since Pathik's words, unable to help but wonder about a potential… future of possibilities. Slowly, he warily turned around, Appa's slobber drizzling down his face and body, gray eyes connecting with beautiful golden ones, and somehow, he knew what to say. "I'm glad that he did. I don't know what I would do if something had… gone wrong while I was cataleptic. So, thank you for taking care of him for me whilst I've been… lifeless, Azula." He felt a small smile grace his features when Momo darted off his perch from Azula's shoulder and blurred towards him, nestling into Aang's chest, and he hugged his Lemur back.

Even though he didn't look at her, he could envision Azula's smirk, "Well, who else was going to? Plus, I think that Appa trusts me now; he even likes me." She stepped closer and rubbed Appa's arrow and his best friend grumbled in agreement, soothing vibrations bringing peace to Aang's soul as he laughed freely. Now, none of Pathik's words tormented him, mocking him as they echoed in his ears, and he found it effortless to converse with her; he remembered the steps to their dance.

"Twinkletoes, you're finally up! You gave us all quite a scare, you know?" Toph appeared out of the shadows near one of the pillars and dashed forward, slugging his arm brutally.

Aang winced, still feeling weak, but he managed to grin at her, ignoring Momo's angry chattering. "It's good to see you, too, Toph." He rubbed his arm, glancing back towards Azula and that was when he noticed the small girl, who was now standing behind Azula's leg, shyly staring up at him. He tilted his head to the side, wondering if Pathik had found a new apprentice, perhaps, or a potential successor as a Guru. He smiled kindly, trying to put the girl at ease. "Hello, my name is Aang. What's your name, young one?"

The girl's eyes finally connected with his own and he was astounded by their gray color. "My name is Samir, Avatar Aang," she said, her words spaced considerably, and he dimly recognized that she was trying to be as perfect in her pronunciation as possible.

Instead, his lips had parted at the familiar name, the Air Nomad name. Feeling a burst of excitement, he closed his eyes and focused on the energy of Samir, anxiously feeling, deciphering. Almost immediately, though, disappointment swept through him; she wasn't an Airbender as he had foolishly hoped, not even a bender at all.

He didn't let the distress show on his face, though. "It is an honor to meet you, Samir," he said genuinely. Even though the girl wasn't an Airbender, he wasn't going to be rude; and he should have known better than to believe that any Airbenders still existed – Sozin and his blood-soaked armies were ruthlessly persistent, enduring on as they left no stones unturned in their quest to rid the world of the Children of Air. Plus, she was really cute, looking to be around five years old, if he had to venture a guess.

"So, Twinkletoes, answer the question that's on all of our minds: is she your spawn?" Toph huffed out, looking eager while Aang blinked at the question, bafflement sweeping through him.

"What?" He demanded, wondering how much he had actually missed. "No, I think that I would know if she was of my blood, Toph, and she's not! I've never even laid with- " he cut himself off, feeling embarrassed, refusing to look at Azula.

Samir suddenly smiled brightly, all shyness vanishing as she suddenly looking like the young child that she was. "It's okay that you're not my daddy, I was sure that you weren't. But I do have dreams, though!" She shouted, rushing forward at him, beaming up at him innocently. "That's why I snuck on Appa. I wanted to talk to you."

Aang blinked, "What? You… snuck on Appa?" He looked at Azula incredulously, noting that she looked incredibly amused.

Azula thankfully took pity on him, soon enough, explaining. "Remember, I was trying to get your attention when you were on Appa's head, but you quickly passed out, collapsing on me - for reasons that none of us yet know." She raised a brow at him and Aang knew that he would have to explain what had happened, the appearances of the ghosts, to her eventually, "I had wanted to give you a blanket," she paused for a moment, "because you had seemed cold," her words were blank and Aang knew that there was far more to it than that, especially since she knew that he didn't feel the cold. "Anyway, when I had grabbed the blanket, I had discovered Samir hiding under it, amongst the other blankets. She did, indeed, sneak on to Appa when you were… dealing with Kuei and company, realizing that it was her only chance for safety. When we discovered her, Samir has adamantly stated that every night, she is tormented by nightmares of darkness." Aang understood the layers beneath the words; Samir was having dreams of Vaatu and Ozai.

"Samir, why did you want to speak to me about them? It isn't a regular bad dream, is it?" Aang slowly, weakly kneeled in front of her and he dimly noticed Momo leave his shoulder to fly back on to Azula's own shoulder.

"Because I want them to go away!" Tears welled in the girl's eyes, and her cheeks became flushed, looking distraught. "I'm afraid to go to sleep! All I see is… the darkness and this voice."

He noticed that everyone else, even Azula, looked taken aback at Samir's words and he realized that the girl hadn't revealed that there was a voice. He deciphered that information calmly, "And what does this voice say, Samir? Do you remember?"

The girl nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks and Aang felt the need to comfort her as she swallowed. "Yes, it rhymes, I've heard it enough to remember. Every time, when all I see is the darkness, raging fires, and mountains crumbling, the voice keeps saying: 'Lies seem true, but they cannot be. Know the truth, I must disclose to he. If the Avatar knows not these discontents, it will be cause for another war and dreadful events. Expose the truth and they will never again from memories fade, but if they are not known, the Realms will instead be wandered in eternal shade. So long as breath is drawn and eyes do see, the Avatar must converse with me. The fate of both Realms is at hand, so you must find the Avatar, child, I do demand. If he doesn't speak with me, hearing of all of the potential woes, he will find that I am the most awful of foes.' That's what the voice says, Avatar Aang, every time." Samir sniffed and her cheeks were pale, along with Toph's – and even Azula's.

Aang was impressed that Samir had been able to remember those words, but he was incredibly worried about what truth he needed to know. And even stranger, he instinctively knew that the voice didn't sound like Vaatu. But who else could it be, though?

"That is quite ominous-sounding," Azula said, golden eyes considering.

Toph shivered, "It's fuckin' creepy, is what it is."

Pathik glanced at Toph, "There is a child present, Toph, so I insist that you mind your tongue with offensive barbs. Aang, this a spirit's work, a powerful one."

"Yes, it is," he agreed, frowning when he saw that Samir was shaking badly, terror etched into the girl's features. Aang smiled softly, sadly and pulled her into his chest. She stilled briefly and then snuggled into his chest and finally, she sobbed, the wails of a poor and petrified child echoing in the air terribly. Aang soothingly rubbed her back, brushing his fingers against her sob-wracked form. "It's okay, Samir. I will help you no longer have these dreams, okay? I used to have dreams, too," he whispered into her hair.

Samir was nestled into his chest, her sobs still audibly, but he heard her question clearly. "Really?" Her voice was hopeful as her sobs quieted.

"Yes," he whispered back, remembering his prophetic dreams of Sozin's Comet that he had mistakenly and stupidly ignored.

"What were they about?" She had finally begun to calm down and her breathing wasn't as erratic, the sobs ceasing.

Aang sighed and looked up at Azula; her eyes were soft, and she was looking at him with an emotion that he didn't want to name, so he looked away, mistakenly towards Pathik, who smiled at him smugly. He shook his head and pulled Samir back, staring at her intently. "Have you ever heard of something called Sozin's Comet, Samir?"

The girl nodded her head, "Yes, it's what ended the Great War. That's what my masters said." Aang's eyebrows furrowed at the girl's words. What did she mean by masters? After a moment, he ignored it and focused back on her. "They said that Avatar Aang won on that day. Did you see Sozin's Comet, then? Was it pretty?"

Aang closed his eyes and he heard Toph snicker slightly, "Yes, I did see it, and it was very beautiful, Samir. Have you ever heard of the Air Nomads?"

Samir smiled, "Yes, you're an Airbender!" She pointed at his arrows.

He smiled sadly, "Yes, I am, but did you know that I'm the Last Airbender, Samir?"

The girl scrunched her eyebrows, eyes still red-rimmed. "What do you mean?"

"I'm the only Airbender left in the entire world – there are no more. Sozin's Comet was used by the Fire Nation to start the Great War over a century ago and all of the Airbenders except for me died."

"So, there are... no more? You're the last one?" She breathed in shock.

Aang nodded solemnly, eyes gazing into the past, ignoring the screeching voice in his ears – 'Mad Balance-Keeper!' He placed a hand on Samir's shoulder, "Yes, before the Great War began, I had dreams about the comet and the death of my people. I didn't tell anyone and maybe I could have prevented it if I did. I failed, but you, Samir, are stronger than me. I didn't have any of the strength of courage to do what you have done; instead, I let my people perish because of my negligence." He was unable to keep the shame, regret, and sorrow from infecting his voice, clouding the air itself.

He looked up with dry eyes and saw that tears were streaming out of both Pathik and Samir's eyes. He saw Toph swallow, fists clenching, and Azula was looking down to the ground and he suspected that it was in shame over what her great-grandfather had caused.

Samir then burst forward and wrapped her little arms around Aang's back as tight as she could, "I'm so sorry," more tears began to soak through his shirt.

"It's not your fault, Samir. You have nothing to apologize for," he said gently. "I will help you with your dreams and I promise you that you will be able to sleep without fear of what will come."

Samir sniffed, "Thank you," her relief was tangible and Aang closed his eyes.

"You're welcome." He had a lot of work to do; opening chakras, dealing with certain… feelings for Azula, the scroll, Vaatu, and now Samir, but Aang had a feeling that once everything was dealt with, it would all be worth it.

XxXxXxXxXxX

"Anything?" Zuko asked sharply. Weeks had passed and there had been nothing from Aang – and from Azula or Toph, as well. On top of that disturbing information, the death of several of the Fire Sages had been discovered a few days ago, and the rest of the many Fire Sages had disappeared.

"Yes," his uncle said solemnly. "It is not good, though, nephew."

"What happened?" Katara asked, Sokka nodding next to her, eyebrows pinched.

His uncle sighed and his voice was quiet, "Over two weeks ago, when the Avatar arrived in Ba Sing Se, and after meeting with King Kuei, the Avatar was sighted, along with Princess Azula and Lady Toph, bursting out of the rubble of the palace."

"Rubble?" Suki asked incredulously, leaning forward. "What happened?"

"From what I can decipher, even though I might be wrong, it seems that Avatar Aang entered the Avatar State for a brief moment, and in his anger, destroyed the palace, just as Avatar Roku did to the Caldera's palace when he became enraged at my grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin." Zuko watched as his uncle's eyes shut, pain creasing his features. "A struggle ensued as the Avatar left on his Sky Bison, and from what I've pieced together, Appa was shot down, and by all accounts, seemed dead. The Avatar State was triggered but this time, Avatar Aang didn't regain control over his enraged fury. Ba Sing Se shook under his power, thousands dying from the resulting earthquakes and crumbling buildings across the entire city, and at the center of the chaotic storm, the Avatar murdered the King of Ba Sing Se, many of the Dai Li agents, and all of the Council of Five." Zuko leaned back in shock as his uncle finished, looking weary.

Katara gasped, looking incredibly pale, even distraught. "No, that can't be right, it can't be – Aang would never do that!"

"Appa's gone?" Sokka asked in disbelief and horror. "How could this all happen? Why would Aang…" he seemed at a loss for words and Zuko's uncle filled the silence.

"Avatar Aang did do exactly what I said, Lady Katara. From my sources, King Kuei demanded that Princess Azula be handed over and the Avatar refused, and that, along with King Kuei's obstinate arrogance, led to the slaughter. Reports disclose that the Avatar was seen leaving Ba Sing Se on his Sky Bison afterward, so he had somehow been able to heal Appa from death's embrace. No one has heard anything from the Avatar since he took Princess Azula and Lady Toph with him when he fled from Ba Sing Se."

Zuko unleashed an abrupt laugh, unable to help himself. "Well, at least that bastard is too dead to annoy me any longer."

"Zuko!" His uncle looked displeased by his words. "That is no way to speak of the fallen!"

Katara looked at him with shock, "Why would you say that?"

He shrugged, not feeling at all apologetic, "Because it's the truth. Kuei may have once been a good person, but his time as King revealed the hidden bastard who he always was. I don't feel sorry for him and I know that the Children of Earth would only mourn the loss of a King, not of an actual person."

"Kuei wasn't liked?" Sokka asked, eyes narrowed in consideration. "But he's the King of Ba Sing Se!"

"He was the King of Ba Sing Se, Sokka," he corrected immediately. "And no, he wasn't liked. He became a real prick and I know that I wasn't the only ruler to contemplate assassinating him." Gasps echoed and he refrained from rolling his eyes, "I would have never done it!"

"Oh, dear, but at least we know that they are all okay." His mother interrupted a potential outbreak of accusations, eyes clear of any fear for Azula. "Any idea as to where Avatar Aang, Lady Toph, and my daughter are currently?"

Zuko thought of Aang's words before he had left the Caldera. "He went to the Eastern Air Temple."

"What? Why would he go there? He could have come here." Katara said in disbelief, finally seeming to let the subject of Kuei go for now.

"The Avatar killed the King of Ba Sing Se," his uncle said bluntly. "Right now, the Earth Kingdom is fighting over control for who will become the new ruler of Ba Sing Se as Kuei had left no children or heir – he was the last of his line, no other blood relatives living."

"Good," he cut in. "Now there could hopefully be a King of Ba Sing Se who might bestow grace on the Children of Fire, something that Kuei refused to do."

"Well said, nephew, and I think that your wish will be granted. King Bumi is at the forefront above the other Major Cities' Kings and, in my opinion, will become the new King of Ba Sing Se or one of his grandchildren will."

"I still don't understand why Aang couldn't come back to the Fire Nation," Katara spoke, eyes bemused. "We wouldn't attack him, so what's stopping him?"

"If Aang came here, Lady Katara, war would be declared by Earth against Fire." Zuko's mother kindly answered. "The best place for Avatar Aang is to be away from the Fire Nation – and my daughter, too, in all honesty. We must wait for King Bumi or one of his grandchildren to fix the mess that Kuei started."

"Bumi had kids?" Sokka exclaimed, shuddering in disgust. "That's gross!"

Suki rolled her eyes, raising an eyebrow towards her husband. "So, what we did last night was gross, Sokka?"

Sokka's eyes widened and his jaw dropped, panic visible on his face. "No, no, no!" He looked at Zuko's amused face, and Katara's disgusted one, and wildly waved his arms. "I enjoy making love to my wife. It isn't gross!" He turned towards his wife and suddenly wrapped his arms around her. "I love you! Having sex is amazing!"

Zuko cut in before any more pointless chatter could flood the room, "Aang told me that he would go to the Eastern Temple if something went wrong in Ba Sing Se. And since something did go wrong- "

"Since something terrible did go wrong," Sokka corrected.

"- Then it's logical that Aang would follow his own declaration." Zuko finished.

"Then, I believe that it would be of our best interest to send a letter to the Eastern Air Temple in spite of the long trip that takes weeks for the War Hawks." His uncle advised, golden eyes serious, "The Ladies Mai and Ty Lee attempted to assassinate their former friend, their Fire Lord nonetheless, and I believe that we all want to know why they would attempt such a thing."

Zuko looked at Katara gratefully, "And thank you again for saving my life."

She flushed, looking pleased. "You needn't continue to thank me, Zuko,"

"It doesn't mean that I don't want to, though," he said.

His mother interrupted, nodded adamantly. "Your uncle is right, Zuko," she looked at him expectantly.

He sighed, "Very well, I'll send a letter to the Eastern Air Temple." He strode over to his desk and sat down in his chair. He then pulled out parchment and a quill and explained the situation as best as he could to his friend. "Guards!" He called out.

"Yes, my liege," the Imperial Firebenders opened the door and kneeled before him.

"Send this letter to the Eastern Air Temple immediately."

"It will be done, my liege, we will make sure of it." They took the letter and scurried out of the room, their heads still bowed the entire time.

"How did you do that?" Sokka was looking at him in awe.

"Do what?" Zuko questioned with a frown.

Sokka waved his arm to the door, "You scared the firebending out of them! How did you do that?"

"All of the Children of Fire, benders and non-benders, including all of the Noble Houses, even their Heads, and every guard in the palaces, need to show the proper respect to their Fire Lord, Agni's anointed ruler over his children. Anything less than the utmost reverence and they could easily be executed." Zuko recited the traditions that he had been forced to learn as a child, and they effortlessly slid off his tongue.

Katara frowned, "That isn't right, though."

Zuko shrugged, not really caring. "It's tradition, Katara, it's how the Fire Nation has been for over a thousand years and more."

"Never mind that, but thanks for explaining." Sokka nodded his head, "But do you think that Aang is all right? He intentionally killed Kuei and the Dai Li and the Council of Five – and thousands of citizens in Ba Sing Se were caught by death because of his rage. I wonder what effect that will have on his mental state."

"Aang did not do that on purpose, Sokka!" Katara glared at Sokka, "He was in the Avatar State."

His mother raised a brow, "That is quite a naive way of thinking, Lady Katara."

"Excuse me?" The Waterbender hissed, blue eyes flashing.

Zuko's eyes widened in anger and he was about to come to his mother's defense, harshly chastising Katara, and just when he had thought that she had changed, but his mother held up a hand, stopping him. "Aang is a grown man, Lady Katara – and the Avatar, at that. The Aang whom you had known during the Great War might have never taken a life, but life changes people, physically and mentally, and spiritually and emotionally. It's one of the many irrefutable truths of life. And whilst Aang hadn't traveled to Ba Sing Se with the intention of killing anyone, events can happen that change any predicted or intended outcome. Once Appa, whom I have gathered is his best friend, was murdered by King Kuei and his men, Aang had thought that he lost the last remnant of his people, the fallen Air Nomads – may their rest be tranquil in the Gardens of the Dead." His mother's eyes briefly shut, and she was undoubtedly sending a silent prayer, as well. Then, her eyes opened again. "What would you do, Lady Katara, if your brother was killed right in front of you?" Ursa stared at the Waterbender not unkindly, "We both know the answer to that question, my dear. When it comes to the people whom we love, there is nothing that we wouldn't do to protect them." Katara's eyes widened and her face turned pale, a memory clouded in her blue eyes.

Zuko knew that his mother was thinking of his grandfather and he interrupted before anyone else could. "My mother's right, Katara. I'll be blunt: I've killed people, my uncle has, Azula has, Toph has, Aang has before Kuei and the Dai Li and the Council of Five, and your father has killed people."

"Woah! Hang on, time-out." Sokka held up his hands, a look of incredulous bewilderment across his features. "When did Aang kill anyone before over two weeks ago?"

Zuko raised his one eyebrow in disbelief – they couldn't truly be that dense, could they? "The North Pole, remember? Aang decimated the Fire Navy like a child would their toys! Do you know how many Children of Fire never returned home because of that? I'm not defending my father's choice to allow that fucker, Zhao to invade the North, and I do agree that Aang did the right thing, otherwise the Northern Water Tribe would be extinct, but that was the first time when I realized how powerful the Avatar truly was – able to kill tens of thousands with a mere wave of his glowing hand."

Katara's eyes widened, "But that was the Avatar State, so his past lives were in control – and maybe even the Ocean Spirit, too!"

"You are forgetting something crucial, Lady Katara," his uncle's patient voice cut through the tense air. "Aang is the Avatar – in spirit, but not body, he is Roku and Kyoshi and Kuruk and every other Avatar to ever exist. He has killed before in all his lifetimes. To be blunt like my nephew, Lady Katara: you haven't seen him in years. Aang is different from the boy whom you used to know. Like Dowager Fire Lady Ursa had said, life does change people. Do you remember our conversation in the Royal Gardens?" His uncle narrowed his eyes, on the verge of an eruption. "Do you think that Ozai was a monster from the second when he was born, in spite of whatever I and my father declared him as?"

Katara looked down in defeat, swallowing thickly, "No, he was innocent."

"Yes, Lady Katara," he took a sip from his tea. "Life changed him into a monster just as life has changed Aang into a mature man who knows what needs to be done."

Zuko couldn't have said it better himself, "We all need to grow up, no more ignorance. I am in charge of an entire nation, the second most powerful man in the world." He stared at Sokka, and the man suddenly straightened. "Sokka, you will be in charge of an entire nation once Arnook and your father step down – or die, whichever comes first. Life is often crueler than it is fair – that is another irrefutable truth about life." He was consumed with thoughts of the Agni Kai with his father, thoughts of Azula, his little sister, having to live with that monster for years by herself, and he thought of Aang being the last of his race. All of those instances were cruel, and the winds of fate let them all happen. He looked at Katara steadily, "Your mother was taken from you at a very young age." He saw her eyes light up with fire just as he had known that they would. "And you changed after that, didn't you?" Sokka turned to look at his sister knowingly, just as everyone did.

Katara swallowed, "Yes, I did. All right, maybe Aang did kill Kuei and company on purpose, but what are we going to do about Mai and Ty Lee?" She tried to smoothly change the subject, but she wasn't successful.

He was relieved to see that she finally understood, so he gracefully took the offered subject. "We wait because none of us can do anything, and nobody has any knowledge about Dark." He shrugged, leaning back in his chair.

"My nephew is right," his uncle declared, looking like the General of the Fire Nation. "Aang is the only person who can help us, but we must wait for him."

Sokka grinned, "Well, at least he's good at making people wait, get it?" He studied everyone's unamused faces, "Oh, come on! Because he was gone for a century whilst the Great War raged on. Nothing? I thought that it was a good joke."

His mother shook her head, "It was a poor joke, Master Sokka, but it would be a good one in many decades, maybe, if you're lucky."

"So, what you're saying is, is that I'm ahead of my time?"

"Something like that, Sokka," Suki patted her husband's hand, and he looked pleased.

One of the Imperial Firebenders then knocked on the door, voice drifting through. "My liege, a letter has just arrived from King Bumi of Omashu for Prince Iroh."

Zuko looked at his uncle in bemusement, and when his uncle returned the same look, he had a bad feeling about the message. "Enter, but bring it to me," he called out and saw his uncle nod approvingly at his choice.

The guard swiftly entered, head bowed to the floor, and held out the message, "My liege,"

He stood to his feet and grabbed the scroll from the guard, "Dismissed." He dimly noticed that the guard then exited just as quickly as he had entered.

"What does the message say, Zuko?" Katara sensed the tension that had borne down on him.

"Yes, what does my old friend have to report to me, nephew?" His uncle had put down his cup of tea, patiently studying him.

Zuko unfurled the scroll and read what it detailed, lips parting in horror the more he read. How could this have happened? He looked towards his unaware uncle and his eyes widened in dismay, knowing that it would be he, and not King Bumi, whom would be the messenger of bad news. Slowly, like a beaten child, he held the scroll out to his uncle, almost wishing that his uncle would refuse to look at it.

But, instead, just as he had known that he would, his uncle took the offering without hesitation and scrutinized the writing. Zuko watched as his uncle didn't seem to react physically, eyes unblinking and no breaths puffed from his lips; he was frozen in his seat.

"Uncle?" Zuko asked cautiously.

His uncle suddenly collapsed on the couch, falling to his side, eyes glazed, looking much older than he actually was. "How could this have happened, Zuko? What will we do?" He murmured and Zuko quickly sat next to him, trying to console him.

"What does this fucking scroll say?" Sokka screeched, looking anxious and worried.

His uncle swallowed, "I can't say it, I can't. Zuko, you must read it aloud for me."

"Very well," he plucked the parchment from his uncle's limp hand and cleared his throat. "This isn't good news, okay? Be prepared, and don't interrupt me. This is… what it says:

My friend, the Grandmaster of Fire, Prince Iroh,

I bring the most dreadful intelligence, and in spite of rewriting this letter countless times, it is still agonizing to detail the information. This is one of the only times in my known memory when I have wished not to be an Earthbender in my approach, but I am unable to not be blunt. Iroh, the Order of the White Lotus is being slaughtered off, old friend. I've received many reports about the attacks, and when I write back, demanding answers, I never receive a response. Bodies of our members are piling, and I fear that out of our original two hundred and more members, only the Grandmasters and a few of the Masters remain – from what I've gathered, all of the Sages have been murdered, just as all the others. Never before had I imagined a force powerful and sneaky enough to massacre the Order of the White Lotus, but I needn't imagine any longer. I don't know the how, who, when, why, and where, but I do know that whatever is causing the massacre is a powerful spirit. We need Aang, we need the Avatar, and we need new recruits. Please reply, old friend. I've lost too many friends to death. I don't know what I would do if I received the notification of your own death. Please, respond to me, Iroh. I'm not sure how much more that I can handle this crisis without your help.

King Bumi of Omashu, soon-to-be of Ba Sing Se, and the Grandmaster of Earth."

Everyone stared at him in shock and Zuko looked worriedly at his uncle, not knowing how this… news would affect him.

"The who was Dark, of course. I don't know the how, where, and when, but the why would be because the Order is a very powerful organization; many of the world's most powerful individuals claim allegiance to it." Suki concluded.

His uncle nodded tiredly, tears welled in his golden eyes. "Yes, I believe that you are correct, Lady Suki. Dark must be seeking to weaken the Avatar's power, and it makes perfect sense because the Order is Aang's organization; how could we be slaughtered off so easily?" He wearily turned to look at Zuko, "We also have to think about the Fire Sages' disappearance, nephew. I can't help but wonder if these two disturbing events are related."

"Wait, the Fire Sages are gone?" Sokka asked in shock.

Zuko nodded slowly, "Several days ago, the Fire Sages who reside in the Caldera did not report to me in the Throne Room for the daily blessing to Agni. I quickly sent guards to decipher their tardiness, and they returned with nothing except to report the death of one of the Sages. His body had been found desecrated. Then, the horror mounted as messages soon came that detailed the disappearance of the Fire Sages at all of the Fire Nation Avatar Temples, with several bodies found just as desecrated, as well."

"Hold on, there are multiple Avatar Temples?" Katara asked incredulously, gripping her forearms tightly. "I thought that Roku's was the only one, and it was destroyed by Roku himself!"

Zuko cut in before his uncle could answer, "Actually, that's not true anymore. I commissioned the construction of a new Avatar Temple for Avatar Roku on the volcanic island where his home had once existed and where he had died after my ascension to the Dragon's Throne. Even though mistakes were made in his life that led directly to the Great War, he still deserves the honor because he did achieve much good during his reign. The Temple was finished years ago, and it looks divine – as it should."

Katara looked shocked, "Well, that was honorable of you, Zuko," she said after a moment, and Sokka and Suki nodded in agreement.

"Yes, it was honorable of my nephew, and to answer your question, Lady Katara," his uncle smiled a grief-filled smile, but Zuko was relieved to see that his uncle could force a smile. "Yes, there are multiple Avatar Temples in each nation," his uncle blinked heavily, and Zuko was concerned that his uncle might collapse into unconsciousness. "There is more than one Temple dedicated to the Avatar; there is a Temple for each Avatar who has been recorded in history. Sadly, and unfortunately, there are some whom have and never will have such an honor – their names have been lost to the sands of time."

"Where are these Avatar Temples, then?" Sokka asked, leaning forward, looking incredibly interested. "Surely, we would have seen them, right? We've been everywhere!"

"The Temples for the Avatar are all separated from the main cities, towns, kingdoms, and Tribes in each nation; simply, the Temples are completely isolated. For example, The Water Tribe Avatar Temples, in both the North and South, are located in unknown places. And whilst Grandmaster Pakku and the Water Sages all know of their locations, the Chiefs of the Tribe do not."

"What?" Sokka looked baffled, "A Chief must know what is in his borders. When I become Chief, I'll correct that oversight."

"You must speak with the Avatar Aang because it was Avatar Kuruk himself who ordered the secrecy for the Water Tribes, forbidding that the Chiefs and their families have such sacred knowledge; only another Avatar can disregard a command of a previous Avatar. Anyway, the Earth Kingdom Avatar Temples are built into mountains and extremely difficult to find, even for a Master Earthbender; Grandmaster King Bumi and the Earth Sages know of their locations, but none of the other rulers do. The Fire Nation Avatar Temples are always erected on volcanos, accessible to a very limited few, and their locations are only known by the Fire Royal Family and the Fire Sages. The Air Nomads, may they rest in peace, were the only ones who had chosen not to assemble a Temple dedicated to all the Air Nomad-borne Avatars. Instead, incredibly beautiful statues were built in their honor and placed in a public place where all Airbenders could view as they pleased. The statues were placed in the Air Temple where the Avatar had been born. Only the Avatar knows where every single Avatar Temple is located, no matter the nation."

"So, they're all like Roku's temple, then?" Sokka concluded.

"Yes, but we need to get back to the Sages' disappearance," his mother reminded the room.

"Thank you, mother," Zuko stood up and crossed to the high arc of the window. Sunlight streamed through, bathing his body in warmth, and his thoughts turned inward. Why would the Sages disappear? Was it a coincidence that they had disappeared at the same time when the Order had been slaughtered? His eyes shut slowly, and he groaned aloud as he deduced the nightmarish plan that Vaatu had brilliantly commenced, "The Fire Sages, and maybe the Sages of the other nations, have betrayed the Avatar. They have aligned themselves with Dark. Those who had remained loyal to Aang – and the Fire Sages who had refused to betray the Fire Lord, who is a close friend of the Avatar – were killed, thus the desecrated and gruesome corpses left for people to find."

Sokka leaned against the wall in disbelief, "Woah! I hate to say it, but that is genius! Vaat- oops, sorry! Dark has thought this through. It's perfect," he whispered. "He's loosening Aang's allies and political power structure."

"It is, Sokka," his uncle muttered, defeat shockingly wafting off of his form. "I have no idea what to do about this until Aang returns."

"So, we just wait?" Katara asked incredulously. "Dark is gathering power by the moment, literally, and we're just going to wait for Aang to contact us?"

"I don't know, Lady Katara," his uncle slumped against the couch, looking much older than his sixty years of age, looking eerily similar to how Zuko had always imagined his great-grandfather near his death.

Sokka took Suki's hand, "Well, to distract from this, frankly, horrifying news, Suki and I are both going to go eat. I haven't eaten anything today and anyone is welcome to join us. What says you?" He was clearly trying to disperse the sorrowful atmosphere.

"That sounds excellent, Master Sokka," his uncle tried to stand up, and Zuko helped him to his feet. "Hopefully, as you have intended, it will reprieve my mind off this tragedy."

His mother then stood up as well and grabbed his uncle's arm, hooking her own through his. "I will join, as well, I haven't eaten anything today."

Zuko watched as they left his study, leaving him alone with Katara.

"You must think that I'm naive," she eventually said after several moments, looking quite vulnerable, arms wrapped around her stomach.

He turned towards her and shook his head. "No, Katara, I just think that you tend to think with your heart instead of your head." He slowly took out his crown and placed it on his desk, tiredly running a hand through his hair, "I'm envious of you in some ways, actually, believe it or not. I simply cannot think with my heart – I don't know how. I don't trust anyone except my uncle and mother and Aang. And whilst I do trust my sister somewhat, I am still waiting for a knife in the back. I can't seem to let go of the past, of her actions towards people who I care for and towards me."

Katara stepped closer, aligning her body next to his own. "I guess that we balance each other out, in some ways," she said softly. "Since my mother died, I've been using my heart, thinking with it, opening it, hoping that someone would fill the great void that had been left by her."

He looked down at her, trying to be subtle, but he wasn't sure that he succeeded. "And have you succeeded in filling the void?"

"Maybe, but I'm not sure yet," she admitted, staring up into his golden eyes.

His heart began to beat faster, and he was unable to keep from swallowing, "Well, I'm sure that whoever you have your eyes on would be happy to fill the void left by your mother."

"Do you think so?" Katara inched closer until no space was left between their bodies, "This stranger has been wronged greatly by my actions."

He stared into her hypnotic ocean-like eyes and felt some of his composure slip. "I'm certain that this stranger will forgive you,"

"I hope that he does, Zuko, because I miss him a lot. I regret my actions terribly, you know? I was such an idiot; I've always felt such a fierce connection, a bond with this stranger. I want him to know that I'm willing to wait until… until he's ready." Her blue eyes were kind and soft and understanding, "Do you think that this stranger will understand that, Zuko?"

"Yes," he breathed out in a rush. "This stranger will surely understand and eventually forgive you."

Katara smiled brilliantly, blue eyes alight with a beautiful hue. "Good, I'm glad, I truly am. I'm going to join everyone for lunch now. I hope that you join us," she then leaned up and kissed his cheek, her soft lips pressing gently to his warm skin. "See you there, Zuko," she then walked out of his privy chambers calmly.

When the door fully shut, he groaned and fell onto the couch, refusing to acknowledge his racing heart, the blush that adorned his face, and the smile that graced his usually stoic features. He had told her the truth in spite of his attraction and yearning that he, if he was honest with himself, felt. He would eventually forgive her, but not yet. He still held a bitter grudge, but his feelings of rage and betrayal had slowly lost some of their potency, with her actions the previous minutes diminishing them quite a bit.

And maybe it was a good thing, though. He couldn't afford to feel hatred and rage because those emotions, as Aang had disclosed, could potentially fuel Vaatu's power and whatever the malevolent spirit is planning. Zuko just hoped that his friend was trying to solve this crisis about Vaatu whilst he remained at the Eastern Air Temple.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Aang stared at Pathik incredulously, "What do you mean a Dark Avatar?"

"Vaatu is Raava's opposite," his old friend said calmly, a generous smile on his face. "One is Light and the other Darkness. Vaatu knows that he cannot defeat you because, simply, you are too powerful. If I had to guess, I suspect that he broke Ozai out of his prison in hopes of creating his own Avatar, the Dark Avatar."

"So, Vaatu is seeking to gain all of the elements and to create his own Avatar cycle." Aang tiredly concluded, running his hand through his long hair, the complicated puzzle growing with each passing day.

"Yes, and it would make sense that, since his release, Ozai has regained his firebending, a terrifying thought. Vaatu will now try to somehow acquire the rest of the elements, similar to how Raava did eons ago. And if he succeeds, Aang, they will be able to fight you on even ground."

"But what about the Harmonic Convergence's energy? That's how the Avatar Spirit was born: Wan absorbed the pure cosmic energy and it bonded he and Raava together forever."

"Yes, I know, and Vaatu would do the same as Wan did, securing an eternal bond between him and Ozai; I don't know how he would accomplish this, but I imagine that is Vaatu's true intent. He will try to kill Raava and destroy the Avatar." Pathik explained.

"Then how can I beat him?" Aang asked desperately, "Vaatu is in the Spirit World; I can't even bend there! He's Darkness itself."

"You can bend in the Spirit World, my friend," a smile graced Pathik's features. "It's been done before, only through the Portals, but I can teach you another way."

Aang's eyebrows pulled together in shock, "What are you talking about, Pathik? No, I can't, I've tried bending in the Spirit World before and knew that the Elders had been correct; they had always said that the Spirit World was a Realm where no bending existed."

Pathik shook his head, "The Elders were right, but you are the Avatar, my friend. Rules that apply to everyone else don't apply to you. It is now time to finish your training."

"To master my chakras?" Aang slumped forward in disappointment, not wanting to delve into his mindset and blocked chakras. He could still hear the screeching voices – 'Mad Balance-Keeper!' – but he didn't want to face them again; he would rather just hear the echoes of their unifying screams.

Pathik laughed, "Yes, Aang, and by fully mastering your chakras, you will be able to, in layman's terms, teleport to the Spirit World. And you will be able to bend because your actual body will be there instead of just your spirit. Also, with your mastered chakras, you will also be able to access your full power. What you have achieved thus far, my friend, is only a mere drop in the ocean compared to what you are truly capable of."

Aang's jaw dropped, "Are you serious?"

"Is it possible for me to do that, as well?" Azula stepped into the room, and he had been wondering when she would finally reveal herself.

Pathik smiled at her, "It is good to see you, Azula, and to answer your question: yes, you can do this. Anyone ideally could with the right guidance and discipline."

"How much of a difference would there be? What could I do? Go to the Spirit World like Aang?" Azula asked as she sat down next to Aang, and he smiled kindly at her.

Pathik stroked his beard, "Oh, a difference would be apparent, Azula. If I had to venture a guess, I would say that, with your mastered chakras, your firebending would be comparable to the boost that you had received from Sozin's Comet when it had appeared at the end of the Great War."

"Really?" She leaned forward, looking almost excited and Aang chuckled quietly. "Is there anything else?"

"You are a cold-blooded fire-wielder, yes?" Azula nodded and Pathik continued, "Then you would also be able to shoot lightning immediately, no longer needing to complete the bending form before you unleash it. And lastly, you would be able to travel alongside Aang when he ventures into the Spirit World, but you would be a spirit. Your body would remain in the Mortal Realm, and you wouldn't be able to bend there, in the Spirit World."

Azula's lips parted in wonder and Aang's eyes widened slightly, possibilities filling his mind. She quickly turned to him, smiling genuinely, "When do we start?" He could feel his heart begin to beat faster, and he wouldn't be surprised if Toph could feel it from where she was watching – playing with – Samir. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Pathik wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

He ignored his old friend, staring at Azula seriously "Are you certain, Azula? It is incredibly difficult. To succeed, you must deal with your past and triumph over it."

She looked at him for a moment and then she smirked. "I'll be fine, Aang, I can do it," she turned back to Pathik. "I am ready, Guru Pathik, and am waiting to begin."

Pathik smiled, "Very well,"

Aang really hoped that Azula could handle mastering her chakras, but he honestly didn't know, and he was too afraid to glimpse the future. He already knew the details of her past, but he also knew that she had never fully accepted it, never coming to terms with her life and all of the pain that she had suffered under Ozai.

He took a hold of her hand and squeezed it gently, relieved when she smiled at him, and the emotions swelled inside him, appearing in spite of his best efforts to keep them at bay. Pathik had been right: Aang was fiercely attracted to her, a deep fondness and affection that he had never truly felt for someone else, but he already knew that nothing could ever come of it, though, and the thought created a painful ache in his heart.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Azula smiled as Aang sighed aloud and turned back to Pathik, gray eyes dark and serious. "Whenever you're ready, Pathik."

The Guru assessed her specifically for several moments and then the man suddenly closed his eyes, head bowed slightly. "Chakras are the nexuses of chi within one's body. Everyone, no matter if they are a bender or non-bender, has chakras, but the crucial difference is that a bender can become so much more if they master their chakras. Now, there are seven chakras, each situated at a different location in the body, albeit, they are all located on a central vertical axis, and each chakra has a specific purpose and each one deals with a different emotion, which can then be blocked by another emotion. As such, the chakras can be opened and closed depending on the state of one's mind. So, when a chakra is opened, the energy of the chi is free to flow through the body, achieving someone's full bending potential. But when the flow of the chi energy is restricted, the chakras are sealed and lead to one's bending potential never being attained." Pathik's voice had become raspy, almost ancient, and Azula hung on to every word.

"Close your eyes, Azula," Aang spoke softly and she briefly looked at him, but when she noticed that his eyes were shut, she followed his command and instruction, closing her eyes.

"The Earth Chakra," the Guru's voice echoed. "This chakra deals with survival and is blocked by fear. It is located at the base of the spine. What fears do you live with? What haunts you during the night?"

Images of Ozai rapidly barreled through her mind and Azula flinched, unable to keep her breathing from becoming erratic. She had lived in fear during her entire childhood, and now, she could feel her body recoil as bruises from her memory littered her body, pain exploding across her face from where her father had smacked her many a time.

She flinched and tried to escape from it, not wanting the memories. There was a reason why she had blocked out the memories! A terrible presence began to claw through her, reaching through the shadows in her mind, and she panicked.

"Stop fighting the memories, Azula," Pathik's voice stilled the rising presence and panic. "Don't push these past memories deeper inside of yourself. Let those memories breathe and let the emotional scars of fear finally begin to heal. Embrace the rising darkness inside of you. Stop fighting and let them flow."

Suddenly, abiding by the Guru's words, in her mind's eyes, Ozai was looming over her, golden eyes sizzling with an unholy spark, Evil himself unable to look at him. "You are weak, Azula, a pitiful disgrace to bear Royal Blood, to bear my blood, the very blood of Sozin; my grandfather would be ashamed to have such a pathetic heir to his name, as ashamed as I am! Your disrespect will not be tolerated, and just like your weak and insolent brother, suffering will be your teacher." A whimper escaped her parted lips and she felt her hands shake, the fear of her childish self a torment to her, drawn up from the deep recesses of her mind where she had buried it long ago.

"What you are seeing is not real, Azula." Pathik's gentle voice cut through her memory, "Focus, my dear, focus. These images that you see and words that you hear are but only memories; they cannot harm you. You must let them go of these memories from the past, conquer them. Ultimately, they no longer matter. The only thing that does matter is who you choose to be now, and based on what I've seen, you want to be better than your past, want to no longer be afflicted by the pain of your past, the fear that you lived with for so long. The only time that matters is what is happening now, not what happened in the past." Her breathing quickly evened out at the logic coating the Guru's words and Azula calmed her mind. And slowly, while taking a lot of effort, she defeated the memory of her father. Her eyes opened and fresh air entered her lungs for what felt like in a long time, and she felt her inner fire grow just a bit. "Azula, you have my congratulations. You have opened, and by conquering the memories, you have also mastered your first chakra." Pathik smiled at her, and Azula took pride from it. She looked to her side and saw Aang sitting motionless, eyes shut, but what drew her gaze were the clenched fists. " What are you afraid of, my friend?" Pathik asked. "Speak up."

Aang's voice was distant, as if he wasn't in control of his voice, "Failing again, cursed as the Last Airbender, Azula dying and Appa dying again or being taken from me, Vaatu winning, and… being alone."

Azula's eyes widened at his admission and she immediately felt the strange feelings that she had been experiencing since they had left Ember Island growing within her, like fire itself. She felt a heat spread across her face and instinctively knew that she was blushing slightly and tried to snuff it out.

Pathik noticed and he winked at her, drawing a confused frown from Azula. Instead of answering her, he gazed at Aang. "You have done this before, Aang, but instead of being aware of them, you must defeat them. Master your feelings, your fear, my friend, it is the only way. Vanquish them from your mind for they hold no power over you."

Aang's eyes opened and he inhaled deeply. "It was a lot easier the first time," he said softly, drawing his gaze to Pathik.

"Yes, and it was because you were only a child last time, my friend. I knew that if you simply unlocked your chakras back then, it would be for the betterment of the world. You would have never been able to master them as a child, especially as a grief-stricken and traumatized one."

"You're right, so thank you, Pathik. It had definitely been the correct decision, and if I had this much trouble mastering my first chakra, I can't imagine how my younger self would have fared."

"Yes, but you mastered your first chakra and that is all that matters. So, well done, Aang. Do you feel closer to Raava?"

Aang's eyes finally moved to Azula and she nodded her head, showing him that she was fine. He stared at her for a moment before answering. "Yes, I do feel a little closer to her Pathik, but just a little bit."

"Good!" Pathik beamed at them both, "That is to be expected, my friend. You have six more chakras to master before you can access your true power. Now, onto the Water Chakra. This chakra deals with pleasure and is blocked by guilt. It is located in the sacrum. What guilt do you feel? What deeds of your past are a source of remorse?"

When her eyes closed, the nightmarish image of her lightning ravaging Aang's body assaulted her mind's eye, causing another whimper to escape her lips. Aang had forgiven her, but how could she get rid of a guilt of that magnitude? She had almost killed the man whom now meant more to her than anyone else ever had. Tears prickled her eyes and her fists clenched as she heard her younger self speak. "Trust is for fools! Fear is the only reliable way." Those words that she had declared to the specter of her mother before her coronation as Fire Lord weren't truly hers, they had been her father's, words that she had heard daily for years.

"Your guilt is in the past, Azula," the Guru's words cut through the memory of Aang's spasming, floating body. "You can do nothing to change the past, but you can release the guilt that stalks you. Let go of the guilt and work to create a better future for you and those whom you care for. Aang has already forgiven you, but it is now time for you to forgive yourself." A tear slipped down her cheek at his words and she wondered if Pathik understood what he was saying. As if it were that easy, to release the terrible and body-crushing guilt that she bore. She had done unspeakable things, and her hands were drenched with the blood of innocents. "Azula, breathe deeply and focus. Do you want these feelings of guilt to remain?" Pathik's soothing voice aided her, and it gave her strength.

"No, I want them gone," she whispered and as she focused, the raging inferno in her mind calmed until only tiny sparks remained, and she slowly opened her eyes and wiped her cheeks.

"Well done, Azula," Pathik nodded his head. "Most people whom I've encountered do not have the strength of character to release their guilt."

"It took me a long time." Aang smiled at her, and the sight, for some reason, made her feel like the entire ordeal had been worth it. "You truly are a prodigy," he teased, gray eyes glowing in the light of Agni's rays.

"Of course," she responded with all of the grace she could muster.

Pathik chuckled, "Now, this will be the last one for today for opening chakras is an incredibly taxing process." He calmed and serenity seemed to envelop him in a blanket, "The Fire Chakra deals with willpower, but it is blocked by shame. It is located in the stomach. Now, what are you ashamed of? When reminded, what events cause your blood to curdle?"

Azula suddenly saw the face of the first man whom she had ever killed, and she had done it at the tender age of six. She had never known who the man was, just that he had been a traitor to the Dragon's Throne and an enemy of her father's, and when under the threat that Ozai would gruesomely beat Zuko even worse, she had, after a second's hesitation, jammed a flaming dagger into the man's throat, sliding it through skin and muscle. And she was watching the memory all over again, the way red had filled her vision as the man's slit throat gushed out blood like a small river in spite of the cauterized slit. The man's eyes had been filled with shock and fear, the realization that his own death was simply inevitable. Then, after several moments, the man's head had slammed back on the ground and blood bubbled from his lips, gurgling as he tried to speak or draw one last breath. And the life had then faded, the change so sudden between life and death, almost imperceptible, as the man's body had become eternally still.

The shameful feelings swept through her mind as other faces soon appeared in her vision, the ones whom she had all killed. And echoing behind them was her treatment of others: of Ty Lee, Mai, Zuko, and her mother upon her return. Then, as she was beginning to become overwhelmed, Aang's body floated in front of them, lightning arcing through his form, and she understood: she had released her guilt, but not her shame. And in front of Aang, was an image of her younger self, hands alight with sapphire flames, a cold gleam in her golden eyes. Ultimately, there was nothing she was more ashamed of than herself, of who she had used to be. She was called 'Lightning Psycho' by Toph for a reason; her sins were unforgivable and would forever taint her, and if she ever had children, the sins of the mother would taint them, too.

"To be ashamed of yourself is normal, Azula, but you must release those feelings, conquering them. Once you do so, you will be able to start anew with the seasons of the world. Release your shame, Azula. You are strong-willed, so use that strength now." Pathik's raspy voice entered her ears and broke through her cloud of woe and self-pity.

She was stronger and she would not let her past actions shame her and dictate her future, and those of her children if she ever had any. She would start anew as she had been trying to since the Great War ended, but this time, she would finally have true peace – and maybe with Aang by her side, too. Inhaling deeply, Azula released her shame and she felt her inner flame grow a little more.

"Nicely done, Azula," Pathik beamed at her, looking very pleased.

Azula looked down at her hands curiously, trying to envision all of the blood, but whilst she could, the shame wasn't truly there, it was a whisper of what she once felt. "I don't think- …no, I know that I could have done any of them without your help, so thank you."

"That is okay, Azula, and you're welcome. Nobody can do these on their own until they master them." Pathik's grace was tangible, "Now, I must focus on Aang. He is having… difficulties." Pathik shifted his body and posture straightened, eyes dimmed, and voice became raspy one again, and somehow, she knew that Pathik has been seeing everything that she and Aang had been since they started. "Aang, my friend, what is it that you see?"

"Sightless eyes of all those who fell by my hands." Aang's voice was flat, emotionless, and it filled Azula with dread. "I ran away from my people, and they paid the invaluable price for my cowardice. The world was molested by the Great War whilst I remained oblivious in the Iceberg, remaining dormant until someone rescued me."

Azula spoke up, hoping that she could offer some sort of comfort to him. While she couldn't relate to the running away part, she could relate to the former for she had much practice in it. "You are ashamed of the lives you've forcefully taken, and I was, as well."

"Yes," Aang's toneless voice was disconcerting.

And she suddenly realized that he wanted to be ashamed, that he wanted to be punished. "You're condemning yourself when you should be forgiving yourself, Aang. Your past may have many painful and blood-soaked memories, but you can create a different future. You are the Avatar! So, start fresh, and clear your forest for it has grown rank and is need of clearing for new growth. Set it ablaze, Aang – it is the only way!" She cried out, hoping that her words would help him break out of the chains of shame that were holding him down.

Aang's eyes opened after several more moments, and his breathing was calmer, and emotion was visible in his eyes as he swallowed. "I can feel her more," he rushed out.

"Good, my friend, you are making excellent progress in renewing your connection to Raava; you will become the first Avatar since Kirku to become a true fully-realized Avatar." Pathik smiled and grabbed a bowl next to him and brought it to his lips, tipping his head back.

Aang then turned to her, "Thank you, I couldn't have done it without you."

She smirked, "Well, I guess you'll just have to keep me around."

Watching as he froze and his eyes darted towards Pathik, she wondered of his mindset, especially when he spoke the words: "I suppose so, maybe,"

The Guru disrupted the awkward atmosphere, "That is all for today, my friends. We will continue tomorrow, so rest up."

"Good, I'm tired," Aang stood up and stretched his arms. "Do you want to eat?" He looked at Azula, eyes sparkling, clear of any doubts for now.

Azula smiled, "Only if you make the fruit pies that you have been telling me about. I'm curious to discover if they are as good as you claim."

"They are," both Pathik and Aang said in unison with completely straight faces, eyes serious.

"I will be the judge of that," she said evenly.

Aang rubbed his hands together, "Let's go, I can teach you."

"You get started, Aang. I would like to speak with Azula for but only a moment." Pathik smiled easily, and Azula narrowed her eyes at the Guru in consideration, knowing that he had timed that, and that he must want her alone for some reason. What was the purpose, though?

The Avatar shrugged, "Okay, but come to the pantry when you're done, Azula." He bolted out of the room with airbending, undoubtedly eager to concoct his favorite treat.

"What do you want to talk about?" She demanded flatly, turning towards Pathik after a moment.

Pathik turned soft eyes to her and sighed, walking over to the bench and he slowly lowered himself on the stone. "Aang is a great man, maybe the best one whom I've ever encountered in my One-hundred-fifty-eight years of life."

Azula raised a brow, "Yes, I know, but why are you telling me something that I already have since discovered for myself?"

"Because I don't want to see him hurt," Pathik said bluntly.

Azula took a step back, cursing herself for agreeing to stay behind, to talk with Pathik. This conversation had quickly become something that was wholly unfamiliar. "What do you mean?" She demanded, feeling defensive.

Pathik's eyes suddenly reminded her that the man before her was older than Aang's 120 years of age - he was 158 years old. "You and Aang are both attracted to each other, well on your way to loving one another already. Your spiritual energy does not lie and neither does Aang's – and neither do your chakras."

Azula's eyes widened and she shook her head almost desperately, wondering about the truth of his words, but couldn't think on them too much, otherwise, she would drown under them. "No, no, no. No, I don't like Aang, Pathik. He's my… friend," she finished softly, knowing instinctively why the last part felt like a physical blow to her heart. My, she had been lying to herself, quite greatly, indeed. She already knew that she was incredibly fond of Aang, that there was an affection for him that she had never felt for anyone else, but did that mean that she was attracted to him?

Yes.

In fact, it was one of the first thoughts that had popped into her mind when Aang discovered her on Ember Island all of those months ago: how handsome he was, how power was carved into his muscles. Then, when they had played volleyball and destroyed any who had dared to challenge them, Azula had often, against her will, found herself wishing that he would take his shirt off, letting her glimpse those… hidden muscles.

She was bombarded with all of the emotions that she had experienced in the past several months because of him. For the first time in her life since far before her mother left, she felt happy; she felt peaceful and secure. She felt safe, and she had never truly felt safe in her entire life, not even with her mother because there was always the threat of her father. For what felt like an eternity, she had lived her life in fear of Ozai, the assassins that he could send after her if he was displeased, becoming a failure in his eyes, and of course, being scarred like Zuko, cursed to forever bear her father's mark on her face.

Azula now looked down at her hands, hands that had killed people mercilessly all for the glory of the Fire Nation, for her father. Everyone in the world loathed her, condemned her for the egregious crimes that she had carelessly committed, but Aang didn't care, though. He accepted her and had forgiven her when she had tried to kill him, and even when she had delivered that deadly lightning strike in the catacombs of Ba Sing Se all of those years ago, he had forgiven her, willing to live with her in the same house, willing to trust her with his life, the Avatar, the most powerful and important being in the Four Nation and both of the Realms.

Did she care for him? If Aang somehow, impossibly died, what would she do?

She cringed at the thought and her reaction was far more of an answer than any words could be. Azula cared for Aang more than anyone else in the world. If he did somehow die, she would be heartbroken, distraught, miserable, and probably suicidal, her mind rupturing once more, but this time, there would be no hope of healing.

Azula's eyes widened as she realized that Pathik was correct, but the question was: did Aang feel the same as she herself did? And matter of fact, had she inadvertently fallen in love with the Avatar? She wrapped her arms around her stomach, feeling vulnerable from the possibilities to each of those questions.

"You have discovered your true feelings, Azula." Pathik smiled, ancient eyes gleaming with happiness and a piece of hidden knowledge that she didn't understand. "Aang does care for you, Azula, much more than he does for anyone else – save for, perhaps, Appa – but you must not confront him – he isn't ready. Right now, from my probing, he is of the mindset that you two would never work, and I believe that that is utterly ridiculous, and deep down, I think that Aang knows that, but he has the thought stuck in his head that you two wouldn't work. From what I've seen, though, you two complement each other perfectly." Pathik tilted his head to the side, sunlight streaming through the window, making him look almost ethereal. "You see, Aang is primarily of an Airbender's mindset: avoid and evade. He will run away from his feelings and deny them. But because of his chakras, for the next couple of days, Aang must deal with his feelings as he masters them. He will be staring at the truth, and he will not be able to look away."

Azula didn't want to think about the feelings of disappointment that bubbled within her because she had to wait, "Then what do you suggest?" She asked curiously.

Pathik smiled kindly, "To wait, as simple as that. Aang will need to be the one who starts something." Pathik sighed, "Aang has dealt with so much trauma, Azula, and it is frankly a miracle that he is who he is in spite of all of the suffering that he has been dealt by the winds of fate. Any other person would have broken under the strain, any other Avatar even."

"He is resilient, like the Earth," she concluded, thinking of how hard it must be to bear the title of the Last Airbender and the Avatar at the same time.

Pathik smiled sadly, "Yes, he is, Azula, but Aang does not trust easily. He previously had during the Great War, a paradox if I've ever seen one, but now that his naivety from childhood has passed, he is wary of others. The fact that he trusts you to look after Appa shows how much he cares for you, Azula. Nobody is allowed to look after Appa, nobody. He was even wary of me when I tried to feed him."

Azula couldn't repress the small smile that graced her full lips even if she had wanted to, the fierce pleasure sweeping through her mind. "I know," she whispered. "Aang somehow trusts me, and I do everything that I can to keep that trust."

"Then, you understand the delicate position you are in, don't you?"

"Yes, I do understand,"

"Good, good, Azula," the Guru smiled, an incredible gladness in his eyes. "Now, go, my newest friend. I'm sure Aang is waiting to show you the delights of fruit pie."

Azula stood up and bowed, "Thank you, Pathik," she exited the room, but not before she heard the Guru's last whisper-spoken words.

She heard a sigh of incredible relief, "Finally, the Airbenders will return to the world once again, and she alone will be the Mother of the new breed of Air Nomads."

Her heart stuttered at his words before a genuine, pleasure-filled smile graced her features. Yes, her destiny was a great thing, indeed.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Aang smiled at the view when he stepped into the courtyard, Agni's rays shining everywhere, but his eyes were drawn elsewhere. He watched as Azula played with Samir near the fountain, finally relenting after the child had been pestering her ever since he had woken up. And surprisingly, although he didn't know why he still felt surprised by anything that she did, Azula knew how to communicate with Samir, knew how to keep her occupied and knew how to entertain the girl and play with her.

"Damn, Twinkletoes, you have the worst taste in women, like ever." Toph appeared beside him, milky eyes somehow mischievously looking at the sight of the two playing close to the fountain.

Aang turned to her, nonplussed, unwilling to reveal his feelings. "What do you mean? What are you talking about?"

Toph shifted, sightless eyes stared into Aang's and he had a flashback of all the sightless eyes condemning him on the trip to the Temple on Appa – 'Mad Balance-Keeper!' the voices screeched but he ignored them. "First, Sugar Queen," she held up a finger, "which I was so relieved to hear was over. Your relationship was much more of a mother and son – quite creepy, in all honesty. But now Lightning Psycho, are you fuckin' insane?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Toph," he replied calmly, staring at nothing. "I have no taste, as you called it, for Azula."

Toph frowned, "You've gotten a lot better at lying; Azula must be rubbing off on you. But then again, you've always been an incredibly gifted liar, always able to think extraordinarily quickly on your feet." She wiggled her toes and Aang was reminded of all the times when he had lied when he was younger, specifically after when he had awoken from the Iceberg. He had blatantly lied about his identity of being the Avatar, he had lied to Zuko when he had surrendered at the South Pole, he had lied in the Great Divide to the two warring clans and fabricated a story to end the conflict, he had lied so many other times, and most importantly, and most often, he had lied to himself.

"They're in the water, aren't they? I can barely feel them." Toph squinted and flexed her toes.

Aang looked to the fountain, where he noticed that, indeed, Azula and Samir had jumped into the fountain, splashing water at each other, and based on the expression on Azula's lovely features, she had never had the opportunity to simply act like a child during her life – or if she did, it had been rare. She was enjoying herself, playing with Samir with genuine enthusiasm.

"Yes," he nodded, pointing at the fountain. "They are both in the fountain. You know what, Toph?" He turned to stare at her, "You should join them in there. It might be good for you."

Toph snorted, an offended expression crossing her face. "No can do, Twinkletoes. You can't get rid of me that easily. Maybe later, but right now there is no way- …why is your heartbeat accelerating?" She sounded alarmed, turning to him abruptly.

He didn't pay attention, instead staring directly at Azula, unable to look away. She had fallen into the water and she had stood up, the water soaking her clothes, making it skin tight, and it left little to the imagination. And the longer he looked, the more that he could glimpse. He swallowed hard and felt arousal sweep through his body and blood began to rush to his organ, the beginning of an erection visible.

Aang swiftly turned to look at his earthbending teacher, ignoring her disgusted expression. "No reason, Toph, none at all." He lied unconvincingly.

Toph raised an eyebrow in derision and hummed, "You do like her, Twinkletoes. Your heart rate might be completely calm and steady when you deny it, but I know that you like her. Once you stop lying to yourself and let go of your delusions, you'll see that as well." She suddenly socked him on the arm, surprising her. "I might as well join the fun, Twinkletoes, I can't stand to feel your arousal for Lightning Psycho." She dashed past him and went to the edge of the fountain, plopping herself on the stone and then sank her feet in the cool water.

Aang watched Azula, unable to help but stare at the forbidden flesh that he could glimpse, saw the outlines of her nipples poke through the fabric, and he shuddered, instead trying to focus on her playing with Samir. She looked happy and echoes of her laughter echoed in the air as Samir lunged at her, pulling her into the water, and abruptly, the words of what Pathik had said floated in his mind: 'Perhaps you have finally found someone who would be willing to support you as the Avatar by being your wife and help you restore the Air Nomads to their rightful place in this world, prepared to bear an entire nation through her body alone.'

Was his old friend correct? Would Azula be willing to help bring back his race? Would she be prepared to mother Airbenders instead of Firebenders? Would she be okay with that, with any of it? And did she even care for him?

He didn't know, and because he had been borne to the Air Nomads in this life, evading and avoiding obstacles was second nature. So instead of confronting the questions as he probably should, Aang whirled around and almost ran into Momo's flying form. "Sorry, buddy, I wasn't paying attention." His Winged-Lemur squawked angrily and flew into the hallway, and Aang followed Momo, hoping to find some peace in his mind.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Azula followed Pathik as he led her to a part of the Temple that, supposedly, would help her master her chakras, but she couldn't follow their current conversation because their previous conversation from the day before had been replaying over and over in her mind constantly, words echoing in her ears. Inherently, she didn't like waiting, but she knew that Pathik was right. If she ever, which she honestly did, want her destiny – as the Mother of the Air Nomads, apparently, as Pathik had said – fulfilled, Azula couldn't think like a Firebender and aggressively attack, she needed to be more of a… Waterbender or Airbender.

"Ah! Here we are," Pathik smiled at her. "Aang will be here momentarily, but before he arrives, have you thought about our conversation?"

She huffed, "Constantly, and I've realized that, in spite of my aggressive mindset, you're right, though. It will take time for him to… admit, maybe even years." She said somewhat sadly, referring directly to Aang's Airbender nature, always avoiding the problem.

The Guru nodded, but a hidden gleam shone in his ancient eyes. "I suspect that it will not take as long as you believe, my newest friend. Just remain patient Azula, and Aang will, I guarantee, admit the truth and be ready." Pathik sat in a lotus position in front of her and Azula reciprocated, clasping her fingers together.

"Alright, I'm here, let's get started." Aang suddenly appeared in a gust of wind and sat down next to her, and when he looked at her, she tossed him a small smile and in response, to her delight, his gray eyes sparkled.

"The Air Chakra is the next chakra that you two must master. It deals with love and is blocked by grief. It is located, as it should be, in the heart. Now, what grieves your soul? When thinking of something, what causes tears to well in your eyes? What deep sadness afflicts both of your hearts, even though you try to not let them?"

Azula's eyes closed and she saw Ozai raising his flame-coated hand to Zuko's face, the smell of burning flesh filling her olfactory passages even though the event had happened over a decade ago. She had watched as her older brother, the only person who she had had left after their mother disappeared, was shamed before the entire nobility of the Fire Nation, scarred by their father and then forever banished to hunt the elusive, thought-to-be-extinct Avatar. Then she remembered how she had felt when their mother had disclosed Lu Ten's death. She had never let her tears and sorrow be seen, knowing that if her father found out, she would be beaten heavily, but she had felt shocked and truly saddened over cousin's death – someone who she had sometimes looked up to like an elder brother after Zuko, someone who had played with her when she was younger and had shown her the secret passages. Then, she remembered the sight of Fire Lord Azulon's body being set ablaze by her own father at his funeral, the gleeful expression on her father's face, the knowledge that her mother wouldn't be able to save she and Zuko any longer, and the knowledge that her mother had murdered her grandfather.

She had always been fond of Fire Lord Azulon, her namesake, for he had never threatened her unlike her father and hadn't ever acted silly to her and Zuko like their uncle. Her grandfather had seemed powerful, so mighty that he could conquer the entire world, and so calm that she enjoyed his presence whenever she and Zuko and their mother had eaten dinner with him. And then, the greatest grief that burdened her heart: her mother fleeing at the dead of night, somehow finding time to say goodbye to Zuko, to declare how much she loved him, but she hadn't done the same for Azula. On that damned night, Azula had hidden in her brother's room, unbeknownst to him, ready to wake him up and pull him into the secret passage if their father entered his quarters. But when her mother had appeared, relief had filled her, and she had known that her brother wouldn't be killed, only for the relief to morph into heartbreak and despair and grief as she understood what had happened; her mother had done treasonous things to keep Zuko safe and she was fleeing from the Caldera. Azula had followed her mother after she had exited the room, sneaking past Zuko's confused, sleep-poisoned gaze, and she had noticed that no guards where present – a sight that had horrified her, given her a sense of such terrible, ominous foreboding. She had long since mastered the art of stealth, something that her brother hadn't learned until his banishment, but she had known that the only reason why her mother hadn't noticed Azula's trailing form was that of her emotional upheaval.

When her mother had stopped at the door to her room, Azula had been prepared to dart out of the shadows and hug her mother's legs, begging her not to leave when she opened the door, but her mother hadn't opened the door, just staring at the beautiful engraved Dragon. "Forgive me, my precious daughter," she had whispered, placing her hand on the door, and then she had left, leaving Azula heartbroken in the shadows. Dreadful questions had echoed in her ears, tormenting her: Was she not good enough, unworthy of her mother's love? Why hadn't her mother said goodbye to her as she had to Zuko?

Looking back now, she recognized how her father had eagerly pounced into her psyche after her mother had disappeared, after he had become Fire Lord following her grandfather's murder, whispering that her mother had thought that she was a monster, incapable of love and happiness and peace. Azula may not be physically scarred like her brother, but her mental and emotional scars ran far deeper than her brother's, she was certain, and it was, ultimately, because her mother had never said goodbye; the echoes of that decision by her mother were still painful and, with her eyes remaining shut, she finally began to look past all of the grief, conquering it.

"Love is such a complex emotion, more so than any other." Pathik's voice echoed in her mind, dispersing all of the memories and images, helping her to glimpse all of the love, all of the grief transforming into the original emotion of love. "All the love that has been taken from you still lives inside you. You may think it gone, but it is not. It has instead been reborn anew."

Azula saw Aang grinning in her mind, eyes sparkling, and his deep, joyous laughter floated in her ears, bringing her peace. She felt the security that she experienced when he was around and how he would listen to her rant for hours without judgment or condemnation. It was true that she had healed somewhat after the Great War mostly on her own with Zuko's help, but it was Aang who had brought her to this point, to this moment when she could finally lay her haunted past to rest, to indulge in her inheritance that she received from Fire Lord Sozin by conquering over the painful memories. It was because of him that she was happy with who she had become, was peaceful with her chosen path.

The only reason why she was still alive, why she still had her firebending was that of Aang. Thoughts and images dashed through her mind, painting a picture of her deep affections and fondness for the Avatar, the Last Airbender. And it declared the truth: she… loved Aang, and from what she now knew, her destiny was side-by-side with that of the Avatar's himself. A brilliant, never-before-experienced peace descended through her heart, washing away all of the grief and pain that had once resided there. And while she did feel slightly annoyed that she had been so blind to understand the depths of her own feelings and emotions, it was easy to accept that she did, in fact, love Aang, and that all of the love that she had ever felt in her entire life lived on in him.

"Well done, Azula, you have mastered your Air Chakra." Pathik winked at her knowingly and Azula knew that he had observed everything that she had felt. She didn't care, though, he had already known about the depth of her emotions for Aang when she herself hadn't. She refused to be embarrassed about something that she had no reason to feel shameful about.

Before she could respond to the Guru, Aang abruptly opened his eyes and he stared directly at her, inhaling deeply, puffing his chest outward. To her delight, Azula suspected that what he had seen was her, and she actually let herself feel the strong emotions that thought brought with it. Although she craved to know who he had seen, clarifying that it had been her, she wasn't going to press and potentially frighten him.

"A lot easier this time, Aang?" Pathik said knowingly.

XxXxXxXxXxX

He swallowed, the images still floating in his mind's eye. "Yeah, it was, Pathik," he responded, unable to keep his eyes away from Azula, continuing to stare at her. When he had unlocked the Air Chakra the first time all of those years ago, he had seen the idea of Katara, the life that he had wished to live before he had ever found out that he was the Avatar. But this time, when he was mastering his Air Chakra, fully triumphing over the unimaginable grief in his heart, he had seen Azula, just Azula with all of her flaws, deeds, and past. And it brought forth an epiphany that he had suspected but was still terrified by: he loved Azula, flaws and all, and while she was nowhere near perfect at all, she somehow was in his eyes.

"Good, my friend, that is very good," Pathik smiled shrewdly and closed his eyes. "Now, we aim to master the Sound Chakra. This chakra deals with truth but is blocked by lies. Most specifically, the lies that we tell ourselves. It is located in the throat. What lies have you fed yourselves? What mountains of falsehoods have you erected to hide the painful truths?"

Before he had agreed to master his chakras, Aang had known that the Sound Chakra would be the most difficult to master, but he refused to let his fear hold him back. Quickly, allowing the words to wash over him, his mind saw Azula and all the lies that he had told himself about her. 'She tried to kill me, managing to almost permanently end the Avatar Cycle in the catacombs of Ba Sing Se. The two of us, no matter what Pathik declares, would never work; she doesn't like me, and I don't like her. At most, she's just a friend.' He gazed past those whispered deceits and glimpsed all of the lies that he had told himself so he wouldn't be angry with the Gaang over abandoning him after the Great War, and the greatest lies that he had told himself: the lies about the death and destruction that he had caused during the Great War and beyond. 'Those lives were only taken accidentally, they had to be! It wasn't me – that was the Avatar State! One of my past lives was controlling me, probably Kyoshi, thus forcing me to do those monstrous things. I would never do that, no matter how distraught and angry I was!' Aang then remembered all of the lies that he had declared to himself about the Air Nomads. 'They're not really gone; all of the survivors, and there must be many, are just hiding, that's all. I'm not the Last Airbender, and Airbenders still exist in the world. There are more out there, there must be. Otherwise, I would truly be the Last Airbender and that just can't be, it can't! I can't be alone, please! Yes, yes, the other Airbenders are probably hiding on the backs of the other Lion Turtles – that's why no one has seen them! Everything will be okay, and I'll find the remaining Airbenders!' All of the lies began to coalesce together, blurring the images and thoughts until he could no longer understand them, and throughout it all, he heard the screeching ghosts' voices: 'Mad Balance-Keeper!'

"Aang, these lies and words are all in the past. You must let them go." Pathik's voice cut through the memories.

He shook his head, eyes still sealed shut, memories drowning him. "I can't! Everything would change," he whispered brokenly.

"Not necessarily," Azula pointed out, her voice easing his heartache. "You already know the truth deep down, it is just blocked by all the lies. Remember Pathik's words? 'What mountains of falsehoods have you erected to hide the painful truths?' I know better than most about lying to cover the truth – every good lie contains a truth."

She was right, he realized. Aang did know the truth. He was a murderer, betrayer, and liar. As the phantoms had decreed, he was slightly mad, but who wouldn't be under the knowledge that he was all alone and all of the sufferings that he had experienced since his awakening from the Iceberg? It was true, he was the Mad Balance-Keeper, but he didn't need to stay that way. He was more than just the Mad Balance-Keeper: he was Avatar Aang, Master of the Four Elements and energybending, he was the Last Airbender, he was the man who was in love with Azula, and he was the man who will restore the Air Nomads and become the Father of the new race of Airbenders.

Slowly, his eyes opened, and he felt his connection to Raava increase even more. What was once hidden by all of the lies that he had fed himself, was now open and free, the truth now known to him.

Pathik tilted his head at him, "Well done, Aang. Here, have some onion and banana juice, my friend, it will help you recover." He held out a bowl, the juice inside a dark and ominous-looking color.

Aang gratefully took the offering and downed the contents without hesitation. "Thank you, Pathik, it's just what I needed."

"Would you care for some onion and banana juice, Azula?" Pathik beamed at Azula, holding another bowl in her direction tantalizingly. "I created the recipe myself and mastered it over a century ago."

Azula shook her head. "No, maybe next time," she tried to keep the disgust out of her time, but she was not successful, golden eyes flashing with revulsion.

Pathik shrugged and downed the bowl instead himself, smacking his lips after he swallowed. "That's the stuff, isn't it? Now, we move to the Light Chakra, the last one for today. It deals with insight and is blocked by illusions. It is located in the forehead. Now, what illusions have blinded you from gaining true insight? What keeps you from deciphering the perceptions that you live by?"

Aang saw bending itself, the element arts of waterbending, earthbending, firebending, and even airbending. Avatar Kirku had said that some of the original teachings of bending had been lost because new – yet not correct – ways to draw their bending from their chi have been utilized. Misconceptions have blinded humans from learning the true power of bending. He saw the belief that he and Azula would never work, that they were too different, and too much bad history between them. He saw the belief that the Avatar was the spirit of the world, spread by the Earth Kingdom in hopes of controlling the Avatar. He then remembered the airbending scroll – 'Let go of the misconceptions that plague you. Enter the void and become the wind.' He released all his illusions, the misconceptions that had always been there even though he never knew it.

Almost immediately, he felt weightless and his connection to Raava strengthened even more. Aang opened his eyes and two things stood out to him simultaneously: he was exhausted, and he was floating, untethered from the Earth.

It had worked, he had done it!

He had let go of his misconceptions, thus allowing him to unlock the ability to achieve true flight! Euphoria swept through his mind and Aang, under his own power instead of Kirku's, levitated higher, a huge grin splitting his features. He had to be careful, though, because even now, he could understand why the unnamed Airbender refused to tether himself back to the Earth in the face of Avatar Keska's orders for Aang himself felt the strong urge to never touch the ground again. Feeling the Earthbender within him, he grasped his renowned control, refusing to allow himself to go even more insane than he already was by staying untethered. He slowly lowered himself, body becoming one with the ground once again, the knowledge that he could become weightless ever-present.

"Well done, Aang, you have done it!" Pathik beamed at him, ancient eyes shining with pride. "Gyatso would be so proud of you, my friend, I know it!"

Aang swallowed, nodding his head, the phantom of Gyatso that had tormented him extinguished under the truth. "I know that he would be proud, too," he said softly, no longer hearing the screeching of his old Master and the specters. "He was always proud of me, even when I made such… stupid mistakes. He made me into who I am," his mind drifted to the past, and to his surprise, he no longer viewed those memories with sorrow. No, those were amazing memories, ones that he would always cherish, and they would be thought of as such.

"Nicely done, Avatar, it seems that you are becoming stronger every day." Azula teased, golden eyes glimmering beneath Agni's rays.

He smiled, nodding his head in her direction. "I'm fulfilling what I'm meant to – I am the Avatar. I can't change that, have never been able to, so I'm going to stop trying. This is my destiny, and I need to stop running from it."

"You might want to stop running from… other things, too, you know?" Pathik said mischievously, eyes blatantly darting to Azula.

Thankfully, though, before he could attempt to distract Azula from noticing, she interrupted. "What are you going to do about Samir's dreams, Aang? She has revealed to me that she is sleeping better, but she still feels the darkness."

"I honestly forgot," he said sheepishly, running a hand through his hair. "I'll get started on it. What was it that Vaatu had said to her again?"

Azula raised an eyebrow, "You don't remember?"

"I've kind of had… other things on my mind," he said unapologetically. "I know that you remember it, so can you refresh my memory?"

"Very well," she shook her head in amusement. "'Lies seem true, but they cannot be. Know the truth, I must disclose to he. If the Avatar knows not these discontents, it will be cause for another war and dreadful events. Expose the truth and they will never again from memories fade, but if they are not known, the Realms will instead be wandered in eternal shade. So long as breath is drawn and eyes do see, the Avatar must converse with me. The fate of both Realms is at hand, so you must find the Avatar, child, I do demand. If he doesn't speak with me, hearing of all of the potential woes, he will find that I am the most awful of foes.' I must say that it sounds quite dire."

He nodded his head, "Any ideas, Pathik? Should I speak with Vaatu?"

Pathik's brows furrowed, "Have you further contemplated the magnitude of your abilities for energybending, my friend?"

"No, but what does that have to do with Vaatu or Samir?"

"If you wish to know about what I think about Vaatu, then I believe that he is attempting to trick you, using Samir as his tool to pierce your defenses. But something more important: what have you noticed about the child? How does she act? How does she behave?"

Aang didn't see the reason for Pathik's question, but answered dutifully, "She has gray eyes like mine. That was the first thing that I noticed, actually. She is very patient, has an abundance of spiritual energy in spite of being a non-bender; she reminds me of you, Pathik, actually, in that regard. But there's something strange about her… energy, though. It somehow feels like the…" his head snapped up to meet Pathik's gaze. "It feels like the Air Nomads' energy – I'd recognize it anywhere," he breathed out.

Pathik nodded, "Yes, I noticed it immediately, and I reckon that the reason why you didn't notice immediately would be that of your mind combating ghosts."

He felt the floor sweep out from under him, "You- …the ghosts, you know about them?"

Azula leaned forward, intrigue carved into her lovely features, "Wait, ghosts? What are you talking about?" Something that resembled comprehension glowed in her golden eyes and she whirled to stare at Aang. "That's what you were experiencing when you blacked out on Appa, isn't it? You were talking aloud to no one, and your words were slurring together."

"Yes, Aang, I do know about the specters that had been haunting you, but they are in the past now." Pathik smiled kindly, "We needn't speak of them, though. Samir, for whatever reason that I know not of, has the energy of the Air Nomads and she would, indeed, make a powerful Airbender." His words floated in the air and Aang felt himself stagger by the weight behind them. He had just accepted that there were truly no more Airbenders, snuffing out the lies in his heart and mind, so why had Pathik brought this up? "Matter of fact, my friend, she reminds me quite a bit of you when you were younger."

"Actually, I could see that," Azula pointed out. "Whilst I had mostly been trying to capture or kill you, there are similarities between the younger you and Samir. Are you certain that you're not… her father?"

"I'm aware now that she would be a great Airbender, but she's not an Airbender! She can't bend! And yes, I'm certain that I'm not her father," he said heatedly, hating the fact that he was being further reminded that there were no more Airbenders; in spite of knowing the truth, it was still painful to know that he was the last one.

Pathik looked at him gently, "Just think, Aang, I spoke about energybending and airbending. Why do you think that I would do that?"

Aang almost breathed fire, "What? What do you want me to think about? Just tell me!"

"Aang can give Samir airbending, can't he?" Azula suddenly rushed out, golden eyes shining with the discovery of new knowledge. "If he can take away one's bending by using energybending, then he could give someone bending, too!"

"Yes, Azula, Aang can begin the rebirth of the Air Nomads by giving Samir airbending. Only those with the correct mindset and beliefs can be gifted a specific element by an Energybender, so it would be incredibly rare for you to find an individual who could be given airbending like young Samir – her age is truly a blessing in this scenario."

After a stunned silence, he looked down at his hands, his tattooed hands. Bitterness threatened to overwhelm him because that knowledge would have saved him from so much heartbreak and anguish if he had known at the end of the Great War, but if he was honest with himself, he could understand why Pathik hadn't ever said anything, though. Aang hadn't been ready for he had still needed to mourn for the old until he was ready to give birth to the new.

"But how does this factor into Samir's dreams?" Azula questioned.

"She would have more success in repelling her dreams if she became an Airbender," the Guru explained. "A bender, no matter the element, has more chi energy than a non-bender, with the Avatar having an unimaginable amount. The chi energy can – amongst many, many other things that I haven't time to discuss – be used to ward off any unwanted invasions to the mind or spirit."

Aang nodded because that made sense. "Why do you think that she is having these dreams? Why would Vaatu torment her?"

Pathik looked out the window, at the structure of the adjacent tower, "As I already said, I suspect that he is using her to somehow entrap you, thus giving him the opportunity to kill Raava."

"Do we know that it's Vaatu, though?" Azula questioned, "Why must it be him?"

"Only a spirit, a very powerful spirit, could enter someone's mind and influence their dreams continuously." Pathik sighed, "Vaatu is the only powerful spirit who makes sense; why would any other spirit torment Samir with dreams of darkness, speaking heavily about the Avatar and how he would be an awful foe?"

Aang stared at Azula, not wanting to truly talk about Vaatu any longer. "Do you want to tell Samir that she can, potentially, become an Airbender, with her nightmares losing their potency, or should I?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, "You are the one who would give her airbending, not me, so it should be you, Aang. Also, I think that it would mean more if it came from you. She did run away from Ba Sing Se, the only home that she had ever known, just for the faith she held that she would be able to have the chance to talk to you."

"You're right, of course, I'll tell her," he agreed, and looked to Pathik. "We'll finish tomorrow, then?" He asked, alluding to the final chakra.

Pathik nodded, "Yes, tomorrow you will both feel the full potential of your power, you specifically, Aang. Azula's abilities will be rivaled to the ones that she had possessed under Sozin's Comet. Now, go tell Samir the good news, my friends, I'm sure that she'll be ecstatic."

XxXxXxXxXxX

Samir was understandably shocked, "Really?" Her gray eyes sparkled with joy.

Aang nodded kindly, smiling down at her, feeling excitement exist in his words. "Yes, for the next several days, I am going to show you what it means to be an Airbender. If you do well, then I will… gift you airbending."

"But what about my dreams?" The girl asked shyly after several stunned moments.

"I will help you with them, okay? I promise,"

"Even the voice?" She looked up at him timidly, fear beginning to creep into her gray eyes.

Aang pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back gently, "Yes, even the voice, Samir. I'm so sorry that you have had to suffer from that voice for so long."

"It's okay," she sniffed against his chest. "Why does this person want to talk to you so badly?"

"I have no idea, Samir, but I do know that I will make these dreams stop, okay?"

"Okay, thank you, Avatar Aang,"

"None of that, none of that," he shook his head. "Call me Aang, please,"

Samir giggled quietly, nestling into his chest, shocking him. "Okay, thank you, Aang,"

Tomorrow, after mastering the final chakra, he would enter the Spirit World to speak with Vaatu. He knew that Pathik didn't agree with his decision, but he needed to understand everything and although the Spirit of Chaos and Darkness was dangerous, Aang was even more so.

XxXxXxXxXxX

"This will be the hardest to unlock, Azula. Are you ready?" Pathik asked seriously while Aang felt a fierce excitement beginning to burst inside him. He would finally reconnect with Raava!

"If Aang can do it, then so can I," she smirked, eyes challenging him and Aang shook his head in exasperation; she knew how hard it had been for him the first time – and that had just been unlocking the chakra, not mastering it – and yet she was determined to make a competition of mastering their chakras.

Pathik's eyes gleamed with amusement before he smiled encouragingly, "Okay, we have approached the end of this journey, my friends. The last chakra is the Thought Chakra. It deals with pure cosmic energy and is blocked by earthly attachments, and it is located in the crown of the head. This does not mean, though, that you cannot have bonds with others. What it means is, is that you cannot let your attachments distract you from the necessary actions that need to be pursued. Now, what attaches you to this world? What or who would keep you from reaching your fullest bending potential."

Aang saw Appa, his best friend, and he watched as Momo chirped at him from his mind's eye. And standing in the saddle, on top of Appa, Azula smirked down at him, motioning for him to join her, and he felt the urge to, indeed, join her – stay by her side for as long as she allowed him. He also glimpsed the memories of his people, the Air Nomads, the remembrance of Gyatso teaching him, caring for him when no one else would. Then, finally, in the background, he saw Zuko, Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Suki. He still cared for those who had abandoned him, betraying his trust, and the sight of them helped him soften his heart towards them a little more. With Pathik's words echoing in his ears still, he was ready to let them all go, and this time, it was so much easier to do so than the last time all of those years ago.

He watched them dissipate in a gentle breeze, and all of a sudden, just like it had happened during the Great War, he was standing on the bridge of pure cosmic energy. He looked up and stared at the huge body of himself, and he immediately noticed that something was clearly different from before. His counterpart's body was much larger, bursting with primordial energy and power as it sizzled through the enormous body like veins themselves. And these veins, like they did in a human's body, all led to the heart, and in the heart, in the very middle of his counterpart's cosmic-powered chest, was Raava's floating form, pure light drifting off of her in wisps of brilliant energy.

Before he could truly think about what he was doing, he bolted forward and leapt into his counterpart's massive body, diving directly into Raava. The power was unimaginable, yet it was soothing instead of overwhelming, bringing him love and peace as it all flowed from her into him. "Hello, Aang," her voice echoed, bringing tears to his eyes.

"I missed you, Raava," he was unable to keep the tears at bay, and they began to stream down his face slowly, the realization that he was finally connecting with who he truly was, his true destiny overpowering him.

"And I you, Aang. We have a lot of work to do. I've been waiting for you, knowing that you would always be the one who would fully bear the truth of your title, the Balance-Keeper. Indeed, balance will be restored by you and we will never give up until it becomes reality."

He wiped away his tears, "I know, but I believe it will be far easier now with you there with me." He embraced Raava, his connection to all his past lives strengthening even further and his power increased immeasurably. Joy spread through him because he could feel how much he had missed her, and she him; they had been apart for thousands of years, but now, they would never be separated again. Wan's memories and every other Avatar until Kirku himself assaulted his mind, showing him the loneliness that he had felt for the past thousands of years without ever knowing it. "It's so good to see you again, Raava. I swear that all who succeed me as Avatar will know the truth of our identity, no more lies about the World Spirit!"

"We will never be apart again, Aang, I know you will see to it. I have faith in you." Raava's voice echoed in his mind, "We are bonded forever, and we will always be together in all of your lifetimes."

Aang came back to his body with a gasp, eyes opening in surprise, the connection with Raava ever-present, his energy flowing through him like a contained maelstrom of absolute power.

"Congratulations, Aang, you have finally mastered your chakras." Pathik beamed at him, "I'm proud of you just as I know Gyatso would be. You are the first, true fully-realized Avatar since Avatar Kirku."

The sorrow that usually came after a declaration like that, didn't make an appearance. He felt peace flood his heart, "Thank you, Pathik, you have brought me back to Raava. You are forever a friend of the Avatar, no matter the incarnation."

"You're welcome, Avatar Aang," the Guru bowed his head. "Azula is having trouble, as I feared she would, so perhaps you could be of assistance, my friend."

Aang turned to Azula's tensed form, observing her clenched jaw and the shaking hands. "Azula," he called out. "By mastering this chakra, the one that I had the most trouble with the first time, you will be at your fullest potential. When you master this chakra, it doesn't mean that you become emotionless, incapable of love or peace or happiness, never able to connect with anyone. I know that you can do it, Azula. You are one of the strongest people who I have ever met, and you challenge me to be better." He hesitated and swallowed, "Without you, I wouldn't be where I'm at. You have made me better."

He watched Azula's form quiver, fists clenching and unclenching, lips parted in effort, and a small coat of perspiration was beginning to become visible on her face. "I can do this," she muttered like a mantra.

"Yes, you can, Azula," he agreed. "Just let go of your earthly attachments with the knowledge that whoever you see will always have the capacity to be in your life, no matter this mastered chakra."

Several seconds passed and then her golden eyes snapped open, blue fire erupting from her lips. "Amazing, I feel like I'm under Sozin's Comet!" Excitement and pride and awe was carved into her features and Aang basked in the sight.

"Congratulations, Azula," Pathik smiled with pride. "You have now achieved your true potential; your firebending will burn brighter than ever."

Azula bowed, "Thank you, Guru Pathik."

Aang observed her delighted form, the beautiful smile on her face and he felt peace ascend on his soul, a feeling that somehow rivaled the feeling he had received from Raava, if not surpassed it. The Air Nomads might be gone, but the love that he felt for his people lived on in her.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Wow! That was quite a doozy. Took me a while to write it. Tell me what you think. Shout out to gaara king of the sand. A lot of the information about Raava and the true power of mastering chakras came from him.

**I was always curious about how nobody else in the Avatar universe, Korra herself included, was never shown 'unlocking' their chakras. Now, maybe it's just an Avatar thing, but I changed it so that mastering chakras, which is actually triumphing over the emotions that can block chakras, unleashes the greatest bending potential one can achieve. To me, it seemed that Aang had merely become aware of the emotions and realities that could block his chakras instead of conquering over them. I know in the show it had shown him kind of defeating them, but since he was only a twelve-year-old boy, I don't think that that was necessarily plausible, especially since his chakras could still easily become blocked.

**If you had thought that Katara would do a magical reversal in terms of her actions and thoughts, sorry. Big changes like the one that she is undergoing take time, so she will still have her moments of idiocy and naivety.

That's all for this one, everyone, so if you tell me what you thought about it, I'd really appreciate it. Also, please pray for the victims and families from the Texas Church Shooting

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