Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate hearing the feedback from you guys!

Chapters 8, 9, and 10 have all been fully edited and updated just so that you know. Everything that happened in them is the same plot-wise, but I did add small dialogue and descriptions to make it flow better - as I had done in the previously edited chapters.

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender

XxXxXxXxXxX

A stream of light flooded across the area and Hama felt small shades of unease at the sight: legions of men and women, all Firebenders or Children of Earth who were also non-benders, were lined up, standing still, poised for the upcoming journey across the frigid ocean to the Northern Water Tribe. She stood next to Piandao as he looked down at the legions, Lee on her other side, and Vaatu loomed directly behind Piandao, cementing his place. Zhao stood on Piandao's other side, looking beyond smug and Hama wasn't sure how she truly felt, especially when she glimpsed the boy, Lee's insane eyes.

It was both mesmerizing and eye-opening in regard to how Vaatu and Piandao had garnered power. These legions were in lines facing Piandao, heads all craned up, and from what she could see, most of these disgruntled men and women didn't wear fine clothing, even the former Nobles in the damned Fire Nation whose eyes glowed with hidden knowledge that Hama knew nothing of; instead, rags and muscles were seen, scars visible to her blue eyes. She finally began to understand it, the unmistakable observation, the grand design of Piandao's plan.

They looked savage, eager to kill, and while she knew that it might be the darkness of Vaatu influencing them, their ferocious natures did nothing to reassure her. Some of these men, from what she knew, particularly the Children of Chin who, shockingly, weren't Earthbenders, used to freely kill before their decision to ally with Piandao and Vaatu against the Avatar; she knew that they probably all used to rape innocent women and girls, too. It was in their face, their eyes, the animalistic hunger and depravity that shined in their orbs. They had been left by Chin V when he and his earthbending brethren and allies had departed for Ba Sing Se, leaving them under Piandao's command.

The bodies of all the Firebenders - and the non-benders, too - were all strong, and staring down at them from the terrace, Hama closed her eyes at the sheer magnitude of the immense strength of the legions of Avatar-haters, the aura of vengeance that floated in the air, fueled by Vaatu's own horrifying and unholy shadows. That was the terrifying aspect of her sudden realization: these people belonged to Piandao and Vaatu, they had pledged themselves, their very souls to them. Her lover and savior had both accomplished what they had sworn to do: they had amassed an army to conquer the Northern Water Tribe, all in the goal of securing the Ocean Spirit to bless Vaatu - and thus, Piandao - with power over water.

Feeling shaken, she watched as Piandao raised his flaming fist in the air, his voice as deafening as thunder while all of the legions of Firebenders raised their own flaming fist in unison. "Our presence will be felt by the Children of Water. The winds of fate have all dealt us great losses, but now, because you have rightly chosen to serve Vaatu and I, we can change that. Look at what we've done! We've created an army to obliterate the cursed Northern Water Tribe!" Hama suddenly swallowed as Piandao continued. "And where is the Avatar? Nowhere! He's a fucking quim, isn't he? He has glimpsed our might, our combined strength, and realized that not even he can stop us! We journey to the North, and we will desecrate their home, their icy tundra, pillaging until nothing's left! This is our opportunity to gain even more power so that we can unleash revenge on the Avatar and Fire Lord Zuko." Hama glimpsed Piandao's great golden eyes flicker with malignant intent, and she knew then, at that moment, that while he may have been born a non-bender, he was just like all Firebenders. "My fellow vengeance-seekers, we will set fire to the North, kill their citizens, and torture their Chief. No one can stop us now, not even the Avatar!"

Zhao smiled sickly and the sight did nothing to quell her abrupt feelings of nausea, and she watched as Vaatu glowed briefly with energy, and then the mighty spirit spoke, his deep voice booming. "I've glimpsed and seen things that none of you could imagine, but I've never seen such legions of willpower; I believe that we will surpass the Avatar, and become the pillars of power that we all yearn for. The Fire Lord and the Avatar have vanquished us to nothing, forcing us to be Masters of nothing, but soon, that will all change. My existence has spanned eons, since the creation of the Realms, and I've never been as close to true supremacy as I am now, not even when before Wan became Avatar - I can feel it! Our ascendancy is inevitable! Our alliance is unshakeable, invincible, and impervious to those who seek our downfall."

Animalistic intensity flooded the area as every member of the legions roared with approval, and aggression and darkness began to cloud Hama's own senses. She shook her head, but the feeling intensified, and she suddenly began to wonder why she had felt unsure. The Avatar must suffer, and because of her aid, the Fire Nation was being decimated thanks to Lee's plague! Everything that had happened was beautiful, what she had wanted, and she yearned for the North to experience the might of Piandao and Vaatu. Hama smiled darkly, feeling Vaatu's darkness sweep through her, and she welcomed it, needing more of the delicious strength.

Feeling powerful, all of the blood in everyone's body a beacon to her senses, she watched as all of the non-bending Children of Chin pulled out various weapons, how confidence lined their postures, the ease with which they carried the weapons. It was a sign, a beautiful omen: they were deadly warriors and no one in the North would be able to defend themselves from the combined forces of Firebenders and these non-bending warriors of Chin the Conqueror's bloodline.

"Set sail to the Northern Water Tribe," Piandao cried out, his voice heard by all. "Show no restraint, no regrets; be uncompromising and deadly! Our power and prestige are growing, and if the Avatar and Fire Lord Zuko are to be destroyed, we must gain more - and only from the North and the Children of Water! Let us begin! The fires will melt the icy North, and we will be their reckoning. The Ocean will be ours!"

XxXxXxXxXxX

Ran and Shaw looked just as he remembered; their long and powerful forms coiled around the Sun Warriors in a protective shield, and Samir looked at the two Dragons in awe, no fear on her face, and great relief filled him. On the trip to the Sun Warrior 'ruins,' he had felt nervous that Samir might fear the great beasts of legend, but it was a sign of his daughter's maturity that she didn't show fear. He felt immensely proud of her.

After making sure that Samir hopped out of Appa's saddle safely, Aang helped Azula's mother and she smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you, Aang, I am not disappointed in my daughter's choice of husband. I know of no one else, save maybe my own son, who would aid me off of your Sky Bison. I am happy for her," the golden eyes that were reminiscent of Azula's darted around to stare at Ran and Shaw, her breath stilling. "Oh, by Agni, they are beautiful."

"I told you, didn't I?" Zuko asked rhetorically, pointing at them, whispering something to Katara that Aang chose not to hear; he refused to invade their privacy with his airbending by using soundbending.

"Welcome, Fire Lord Zuko and Avatar Aang!" The Sun Warrior Chief stepped forward out of the small crowd, bypassing the enormous tails of Ran and Shaw to bow before them. "You bring us great pleasure in seeking- " he abruptly stopped when he caught sight of Aang. "Avatar Aang," he sounded horrified. "What is that on your head, on your airbending tattoo?"

Aang pointed at the birthmark-like design. "It's because I mastered combustion-bending- "

"Combustion-bending?" The Sun Warrior Chief, along with all of the other Sun Warriors looked bemused. "What kind of art is that?"

"It's a subset of firebending. Would you like me to demonstrate?" When they all nodded, Aang floated into the air, ignored their awed gasps and stared directly upward into the heart of the sky. He felt his own inner flame thrash through his chi and quickly, the energy erupted out of his forehead from the mark, shooting up into the sky with detonations echoing terribly, the sky a red color for several moments as a shockwave of energy exploded through the heavens; the whoosh of air slammed back down towards him, but he merely waved it back, calming the out-of-control air.

He floated back down and the Sun Warriors were in terrified amazement. "Avatar Aang, the power of an Avatar have been greatly falsified in the legends; you are much stronger! And you carry a bow-and-arrow, now, too. You have become a mighty warrior."

"And I hope that the Dragons will join me in the coming battle," he stated evenly.

Azula placed a hand on his shoulder, grabbing his attention when her voice seemed far away. "They are powerful, can't you feel it, Aang? Fire flows through their blood."

"And fire flows through the Fire Royal Bloodline, Princess Azula," the Sun Warrior Chief narrowed his eyes.

His wife blinked, "You know who I am?"

"Of course," the Chief's narrowed eyes suddenly became cold. "Any of us would know the stench of Sozin's blood from leagues away."

Zuko frowned, "My sister has made mistakes, but she has more than paid for them in full."

"You will not be the judge of that, Fire Lord Zuko," the Chief's hand twitched and then Ran and Shaw both opened their massive jaws, fire glowing in the back of their throats, rising to their full height, looming over all of them, blocking out Agni's dim light, casting even more darkness on them.

Samir suddenly yelped in fear and hid behind Aang, and he put a consoling hand on her small shoulder, glaring at the Chief. "This is completely unnecessary,"

"No, I don't believe that it is, Avatar."

"You wanted Fire Lord Zuko and me here, the both of us." He countered fiercely, "We chose to bring them with us and you will respect our decision."

"Ran and Shaw have chosen otherwise, Avatar," the Chief dared to glare back at him, Aang's show of power seemingly forgotten in the Firebender's mind. "Do you dare disrespect them?"

"Do you dare disrespect me?" He bellowed, his fists clenching, beginning to regret coming here; he should have known that this would happen! "Azula is my wife! Any threat against her is a direct threat against me. I am no longer that boy who you had met at the twilight of the Great War, so choose your actions with great care, Chief of the Sun Warriors - and Ran and Shaw, too."

The Chief looked at him in astonishment, horrified fascination carved into his face. "She is your wife? That is why she wears Air Nomad garbs? You've chosen one of Sozin's line to rebuild the Air Nomads, to bear you Airbenders?"

Azula drew herself up, looking as royal as any he had ever seen, her Air Nomad garments proudly displayed. "Yes, he has, and I am unashamed to admit that the Avatar and I share a very special bond of fondness and affection. Can't you imagine it, Chief of the Sun Warriors? An Air Nation inherently imbued with the power of Fire? The Air Nomads will return to this world through me, and they will be glorious."

Katara drew water onto her hands, more streams swirling around her body dangerously. "And we will all defend her from you and the Dragons," her words stole Aang's breath and his eyes widened when Azula didn't look surprised, just thankful. "I will be the first to admit that Princess Azula was once, along with her father, the epitome of what evil Sozin's line could unleash, but she has changed to become someone who I am willing to start anew with; her sins are in the past and they should stay there. The true threat is Ozai and Dark, not her."

The Chief paused for a moment and Aang noticed that both Ran and Shaw seemed to flinch in fear at the name of Ozai. "You are Ozai's daughter, Princess Azula," the Chief said quietly, looking for something.

"And I am his son!" Zuko declared, golden eyes as fierce as Ran and Shaw's golden orbs. "Have you forgotten?"

"No, we haven't, Fire Lord Zuko, but it is easier to trust you because you were an ally of Avatar Aang during the Great War - and your uncle vouched for you, as well."

"You trust my uncle and he is of Sozin's line, too. He doesn't have the blood of Avatar Roku in his veins, and yet he triumphed over the evil of Sozin's blood! If you were able to trust him, then you can trust Azula because I vouch for her, and her husband, the Avatar himself does - and my uncle would, too." Zuko declared, standing tall, fearless in his demands.

The Chief nodded his head slowly, eyes connecting Aang's. "Very well, Fire Lord Zuko and Avatar Aang. Princess Azula will not be harmed by any of the Sun Warriors or Ran and Shaw unless she attacks us."

"Good," he glanced at Ran and Shaw, then at the Chief. "Why did you need both Fire Lord Zuko and I here? We had only needed a letter that revealed your answer of whether your Tribe, along with Ran and Shaw would join us in this upcoming fight against Ozai and Dark. Did you wish to give the answer in person?"

"No, Avatar Aang," the Chief licked his lips. "We will all join you against the vile Ozai and… who is Dark? Is that Vaa- "

"Don't say his name! You cannot say his name because saying the names of spirits gives them power and a subtle sway over you. Yes, Dark is who you think he is."

The Chief looked fearful for a moment. "And if we've already said his name?"

"Then it is imperative that you never say it again. It's okay, mistakes happen, but learn from them and you'll be fine."

"Yes, Avatar Aang, thank you. The reason why you and Fire Lord Zuko are both needed is that- …what do you know about our Sun Stone? What can you recall about it?"

"Sun Stone?" Ursa tilted her head, glancing once more at Ran and Shaw. "I've never heard of it. What is it?"

Zuko blinked, "It was golden, round, and it was incredibly warm when I touched it, a pleasing warmth, actually."

Aang nodded, looking at him. "That's right, you touched it; I had forgotten. It's why we were trapped for the whole day."

"You'll never let that go, will you?"

The Chief interrupted, "Have you ever wondered why we, the Sun Warriors guarded it so aggressively? Why we were more than willing to kill over it?"

"Were?" Azula echoed, "Why the past tense?"

The Sun Warriors' Chief looked impressed, "You are as clever as they say."

"Who is they?" She asked, brow raised.

"Stories of your deeds have reached our 'ruins', Princess Azula," the Chief turned around slowly, staring at Ran and Shaw. "Princess Azula is correct, the Sun Stone is no more."

"What happened to it?" Zuko wondered, "And what is it? You didn't answer my mother's question."

Aang saw Appa's head suddenly perk up, staring at Ran and Shaw with intelligent and aware eyes, the beginnings of a snarl gracing his large face.

"The reason why the Sun Stone is no more is that it hatched, Fire Lord Zuko." The Chief waved his hand and Ran and Shaw both moved, and when they did, another Dragon was visible, a much smaller Dragon, and Aang realized why Appa had snarled.

Silence.

Azula leaned back in understanding, "The Sun Stone was a Dragon egg."

"There's another Dragon?" Zuko breathed out, hand braced on Katara's shoulder for support.

"A male Dragon," the Chief added. "When he comes of age, he will breed with both Ran and Shaw."

Ursa brought a hand to her open mouth, tears of joy welling in her eyes. "Oh, this is… Dragon Hunting must be rendered a crime punishable by death. You'll need to change it, Zuko."

Zuko still looked shocked. "Yes, I'll do that," he murmured, still staring at the newest Dragon.

Katara smiled, "This is wonderful! The Dragons will be saved!"

Aang felt dread claw up his spine; he was incredibly relieved that the Dragons had a future in this world, but what about the Sky Bison? Appa was the last of his kind and there were no females to breed with.

"Why did you never tell me?" Zuko suddenly demanded, "I've been worried sick because, for years, I had thought that the Dragons would die out because of Sozin!"

"Forgive us, Fire Lord," the Chief seemed wary. "My brethren and I had only wanted to ensure that the newest Dragon grew healthy, under the care of Ran and Shaw."

Azula raised her eyebrows, "You didn't name him? Why not?" Aang realized that, indeed, the Sun Warriors must not have named the Dragon or else they would have called him by name.

"No, we didn't, and that brings us to why Avatar Aang was called here."

"You want me to name the Dragon…" he trailed off, understanding dawning on him. "He's bonded to someone, isn't he?"

The Chief nodded, "Yes, and that is why Fire Lord Zuko is here."

Aang whirled to face Zuko, who looked astonished. "What? What does a bonding have to do- …he's bonded to me, isn't he?"

"We believe that he is, Fire Lord Zuko, because he is bonded to none of our Tribe. We've checked multiple times. Since you are the only person in existence who ever dared to touch the Sun Stone before it hatched- "

"He bonded to me," his friend finished in a whisper. "Just as Sozin and Azar were bonded."

Azula nodded, "And just as Appa and Aang are."

"So why am I here, then? Only the person who is bonded to a creature names them." Aang pointed at the new Dragon, ignoring how the animal screeched in fear, suddenly disappearing behind Ran and Shaw. "Zuko is who will name him, not me."

"Wait, what?" Zuko turned to look at him, "I name him?"

"Yes, you do, Fire Lord Zuko. That is why, just as Princess Azula pointed out, we haven't named him. The reason why we need you here, Avatar Aang, is because you are the only person who we know of whom is bonded to an animal."

"You need me to make sure that nothing goes wrong to complete the bonding process," he finished in understanding. "I'm the only one old enough who remembers it, aren't I? None of your Tribe look old enough to remember the times before the Great War." Aang suddenly looked at all of the Sun Warriors, and a thought occurred to him. "Wait, where are all of the women? Are they… dead? How have you reproduced?"

Katara gasped, looking around them. "Yes, where are they? How could any of you exist otherwise?"

The Sun Warrior Chief nodded, "The women of our Tribe remain in the Temple, offering daily praise to Agni, especially during his duress."

"Do you know why his great light has dimmed?" Zuko asked, "It's most disconcerting."

"That it is, Fire Lord Zuko, but we do not know why Agni is suffering. That's another reason why we requested the Avatar's presence."

Aang sighed, "It's because of Lee's plague, then; he is who caused Agni's great light to dim, I'm certain of it."

"Who is this Lee? What monster would inflict such dread on our great Fire Spirit?" The Sun Warrior Chief demanded, drawing himself up like a true Firebender. "Show me!"

Azula narrowed her eyes, "We don't know who he is or what he looks like. All we know is that he is an Energybender who- "

"What is an Energybender? I've never heard of such a bending art - it's preposterous!"

"One who can take one's bending away," he answered tiredly. "It's what I did to the former Fire Lord Ozai at the end of the Great War; it is a mistake that I now regret. I should have, in spite of my beliefs, killed him. I can see that, now."

"And we all could pay the price for your actions," the Chief said softly, daringly.

Aang nodded, "Yes, I know, but the past cannot be changed. We can only work together to create a future worth living. Let me finish the bonding process between the new Dragon and Fire Lord Zuko."

"Thank you, Avatar Aang," the Chief gestured for the young Dragon to approach and after what looked like encouragement from Ran and Shaw, the new Dragon did.

"Zuko, come here," he stepped forward and motioned his friend forward, staring at the new Dragon that looked fearful, jaw opened slightly, prepared to attack at a moment's notice. "Reach your hand out to the Dragon, okay? Do it slowly while I grasp the connection between you two, your spiritual energy, all right?"

Zuko looked hesitant, but quickly, his features smoothed out to reveal determination and a faint excitement. The Dragon looked at him with wide eyes, a brilliant golden color that shone with fire, but he thankfully didn't flee back to Ran and Shaw. Slowly, Zuko's hand touched the snout of the Dragon, a sigh escaping his lips.

"Now what?" His friend whispered, transfixed by the new Dragon.

Aang closed his eyes and centered his own energy before reading the Dragon and Zuko's. It was apparent immediately that they were bonded, but what startled him was the great connection between Katara and Zuko. Those two must have begun a relationship, and the realization brought a gladness to his heart that his words couldn't easily express.

He pulled back, "You two are definitely bonded, but I need to solidify it, immortalizing it forever. Right now, I guess you could say that it's incomplete."

"How will you do that, Aang?" Azula asked from her position by her mother and Samir, staring at him curiously.

"I actually don't know, at least for Dragons. I only know how to bond Sky Bison with their bonded human," he looked at the Chief for answers.

The Sun Warrior Chief looked apologetic. "Forgive us, Avatar Aang. We have failed in our central duty of preserving the Dragon species. If a Dragon has no bond, they will be doomed to a lonely existence."

"Who are Ran and Shaw bonded with?" Ursa asked, "One of you?"

"No," the Sun Warrior Chief shook his head solemnly. "That is why we have committed our lives in dedication to Ran and Shaw. They never had the opportunity to bond with someone, and have thus been cursed to lonely lives. We ease their loneliness in whatever ways we can."

Aang ignored them and thought furiously. Could it work the same as the Air Nomads' bonding ceremony with the Sky Bison? If only he could speak with someone who was actually bonded to a Dragon.

Roku.

He chuckled with realization at the thought and stepped back from the forms of Zuko and the new Dragon. "I will not be doing the ceremony."

"What?" Zuko turned to him rapidly, his hand still touching the Dragon's snout. "What do you mean? Who will?"

"Roku will do it," before anyone could interject, he closed his eyes and immediately, he felt a tornado of power swirl around his body and he was then sucked into his own soul, Roku taking his place.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Zuko felt his eyes, even his scarred one, burst from their sockets when Avatar Roku appeared where Aang had just been standing, dimly reminding him of what had happened at Avatar Roku's Temple all of those years ago.

"Av- Avatar Roku!" He exclaimed, unsure whether he should bow or not, especially when the Sun Warriors all bowed but Katara, his sister, Samir, who looked freaked out that her father had disappeared, and his mother did not.

"Where's daddy?" Samir asked in a frightened whisper and Zuko saw her fingers digging into Azula's leg. "What happened?"

"He's the Avatar and this is his former life, Avatar Roku." Azula's hand softly kept Samir rooted in place. "It's okay, Samir. Aang will be back soon."

Roku suddenly inhaled deeply and Zuko looked at him and then the former Avatar's eyes opened, connecting to his own astonished ones. "It's been a long time since I've breathed true air and I thank these borrowed lungs." Roku turned to look at the new Dragon, who looked frozen in place. "He looks much like Fang did when I first met him, grandson."

"Avatar Roku," the Sun Warrior Chief stood to his feet. "It is an honor to be in your presence, Balance-Keeper."

Zuko's great-grandfather observed everyone for a moment. "You hold much respect for me in spite of my egregious tenure as Avatar. Because of me, the Dragons were hunted down like rabid beasts when they are anything but."

The Sun Warrior Chief's smile faded. "Fire Lord Sozin is who- "

"And it was my failure to stop him that led to Dragon Hunting, but by completing the first true bond since Sozin and Azar, I hope to make amends, Chief of the Sun Warriors."

Zuko felt the Dragon flinch under his palm when Roku turned his attention back to them, and he soothed him. "It's okay, all right? You'll be okay. He won't hurt you - and I won't either."

"Your instincts are good, my grandson," the former Avatar intoned. "Now, the process of securing the bond to a Dragon is difficult. Are you prepared?"

"Yes."

Roku smiled, and his face lost years of weariness from the movement. "Good, good, Fire Lord Zuko. You will need a large amount of fresh meat."

"Hyouka, get meat!" The Sun Warrior Chief immediately ordered, turning to point at one of the numerous, silent Sun Warriors.

"Right away, Chief," the man scurried away before any of them could react.

A tense silence befell everyone as Avatar Roku simply stood there silently, eyes full of power observing all of them.

After another moment, Zuko's mother stepped forward, and her eyes looked misty. "Hello, grandfather," she swallowed, craning her head to look up at Avatar Roku. "I've always wanted to meet you and speak with you." Avatar Roku said nothing, tilting his head down at her, eyes beckoning. Zuko removed his hand from the newest Dragon to watch his mother; her eyes spilled tears as she looked up at her grandfather. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I never told my children of their special heritage, that you were their great-grandfather. I should have, but I never did. Perhaps I could have changed things if I had."

Avatar Roku's face lost its severity, replaced by gentleness and a soft smile. "My sweet Ursa, you are much too hard on yourself. I have never been disappointed in you, and you shouldn't be disappointed in yourself, either. None of it is your fault, not even Fire Lord Azulon's death. The blame for the Great War hasn't compounded on your shoulders because you failed to keep Fire Lord Ozai off of the Dragon's Throne, my granddaughter. The Great War is exclusively my fault." Avatar Roku seemed to age before all of their eyes, the wrinkles in his sunken face becoming more pronounced, and his golden eyes looked bone-weary. "You are of my line, but my sins and failures do not fall onto you, nor to your children, Ursa. They are mine alone, just as Sozin, Azulon, and Ozai's sins are all permanently seeped into their dis-respective legacies." The former Avatar turned his attention to Azula, gesturing for her to step forward, and Azula did so without hesitation, Samir being left to stand by Katara. Slowly, Avatar Roku's hand gripped one of Zuko's shoulder, and the other gripped Azula's, but Zuko was shocked by how real the hand it felt, how strong it gripped his shoulder in spite how frail Roku suddenly looked. "You two have faced much in your short lives, and I am proud of the decisions that you've made. It wasn't always easy, I know that, but you were each able to defeat the darkened taint of Sozin's blood inside you."

"I couldn't have done it without, Aang," his sister said calmly, staring into the eyes of their great-grandfather… and her husband's past life. Zuko refrained from dwelling on that fact.

"Everyone needs someone to aid them in their journey of self-discovery, Azula." Avatar Roku smiled gently. "I had my various Masters, you had Aang, and your brother had your Uncle Iroh."

Zuko realized something. "But Aang had no one after the Great War when he was undergoing his biggest self-discovery."

"But he has you all now, and that's what matters."

"Chief, I have the meat!" The Sun Warrior stumbled back into the clearing, carrying bloody and raw meat in his hands.

"Good," his great-grandfather straightened, his voice carrying great power, commanding absolute respect. "Zuko, place your palm back on the Dragon's snout and keep it there no matter what."

Azula and his mother both walked back to their positions as Zuko slowly did just that, returning his palm to the new Dragon's snout, feeling the scales against his flesh, the hot breath of the creatures. "Now what?"

"Take the raw meat from Hyouka." With his other hand, while keeping his eyes locked onto the Dragon, he reached out and felt the juicy and bloody meat placed into his hand. "To secure the bond, you must both eat half of the raw meat."

"What?" Zuko looked at his great-grandfather in resigned shock. "You can't be serious!"

"I am, Zuko. This is the only way to fulfill the bond between you two. It's what I did with my Dragon, Fang, and Sozin did the same with Azar."

"For once, I won't try to steal your glory, brother," Azula called out, unable to keep the disgust out of her tone.

"He's gonna eat it?" Samir whispered, her words reaching him.

His mother swallowed, the sound audible to his ears. "Yes, my dear, he must consume it."

"It will be okay, Zuko." Katara's words were soothing and he looked at her for guidance, reassurance. "In the Southern Water Tribe, we all had to sometimes consume raw meat. You just can't eat too much of it, or else you'll become very sick."

Zuko glanced at the Sun Warriors, who peered at him desperately, hoping that he would do it. Ran and Shaw had leaned forward, their large heads staring at him with intensity, eyes excited.

He looked back at his great-grandfather. "Very well, then. I'm ready, Avatar Roku."

"Good. You will take a bite of the meat, then you will present the meat to the Dragon. He will take a bite, and then you will. This process will continue until all of the meat is gone. Then the bond will be fully secured."

His face paled, but staring at the Dragon, he felt his own resolve strengthen; he could feel something between, something that was incomplete just as Aang had said. Zuko wished for it to be finalized, to have his own Animal Bond just as Aang had with Appa.

The rough scales beneath his fingers carried him on as he raised his other hand and sunk his teeth into the cold, bloody, raw meat. Revulsion spread through him at the chewy texture and terrible taste, at the blood that coated his tongue, but through much effort, he swallowed it down without retching. With a small, weak, and shaky smile, he offered the meat to the Dragon. The creature reached out and took his own bite, the sharp teeth grazing his hand gently. Their eyes connected once more as the meat was swallowed down and Zuko gasped, feeling the bond between them reinforce.

"Druk," he whispered out the name.

"Well done, Fire Lord Zuko. You have named your Dragon." Avatar Roku's ancient voice filled his ears, but he was unable to look away from Druk, mesmerized by the creature, of his own Animal Bond. Was this how Aang felt with Appa? "Now finish the meat with Druk, and then nothing will ever break your bond, not even an Energybender." As if in a daze, Zuko took another bite, swallowing it without effort, and Druk did the same.

The Fire Royal Family and the Dragons had finally begun the path to reconciliation.

XxXxXxXxXxX

"I'm quite surprised at Chyung's sudden change of heart, grandfather." Bor looked at him anxiously. "Do you think it's a ploy? It's undoubtable that Zaofu and Chyung are now both wary of you, of your power; you hold Omashu and Ba Sing Se."

"Don't worry, if they try anything, we'll smash 'em to bits." Toph punched her fist into her cupped palm, the sound snapping through the Throne Room like a small explosion. "We have three of the strongest Earthbenders in the world in one area. They wouldn't stand a chance."

"That's very true," Suki pointed out, "but as Zuko said, assumption- "

"Is the mother of all failures, I know. Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Because it's true," Bumi interjected before a squabble broke out. "Aye, indeed, it is suspicious, Bor, but what else can we do? I've been trying to raise an army for Aang, and this is finally the opportunity. We'll then have three of the Major Earth Kingdom Cities' legions to oppose the army that Ozai has constructed."

"Zaofu declined again?" Bor leaned forward, "Are they that blind?" His eyes widened and he looked towards Toph. "I didn't mean you, Toph. I just meant…"

Toph burst into laughter, her howls of amusement painful to Bumi's ears. "Please, Bor, that didn't offend me. If anything, your reaction to your own words is hilarious!"

Bor grinned at her and Bumi suppressed a sigh. That girl had his grandson wrapped around her finger - and she knew it, too. "Yes, they are continuously stubborn, true Children of Earth. They refuse to see reason; they want the Fire Nation and all of Agni's Children to be annihilated."

"What a bunch of morons." Toph shook her head. "That's just major Badgermole shit."

"I couldn't agree more, Toph," he nodded at her approvingly. "It's their loss and I'm going to be honest: I couldn't care less if they are destroyed because Zaofu and I have never been on good terms."

"You know what?" Suki suddenly declared, "What if Chyung heard about the plague that was unleashed in the Fire Nation? The chi-stealing one?"

Bumi stared at her. "And you think that because the Fire Nation has been weakened substantially, that Agni himself is in duress, Chyung decided to join us?"

"It makes sense," she claimed. "Aang doesn't even know if he can fix the energybending-thing that Lee unleashed, so it might take the Fire Nation centuries to recover, if it ever does. Chyung could see this as an opportunity to gain power over the Children of Fire, claiming back full control of the Earth Kingdom Colonies."

"That makes sense," his grandson murmured. "He doesn't feel threatened by the Fire Nation, so he is willing to aid us in the fight against Ozai."

"That man's name alone should have garnered support to build an army from everyone in the entire fucking Earth Kingdom." Toph snarked, "Why any Children of Earth would join him, I can't even fathom."

Bumi sighed, "I suspect that many are fearful because of Kuei's death by the Avatar's hands. The news spread rapidly through the entire Earth Kingdom. Zaofu and Chyung were petrified that the Avatar might kill them, too."

"That's insane!" Toph erupted, fists slamming on the table. "How foolish are they?"

"In my mind, quite foolish, but from their viewpoint, Kuei was innocent." Bumi said slowly, trying to piece it together himself. "They see Aang's act of… vengeance as slaughter. They think his hasty trip to Ba Sing Se to convince Kuei to rescind the threat of war against Fire Lord Zuko was just a facade, concealing his intent to make a bloody supper throughout the entire city."

"Without the context of the situation, it would seem that way." Suki said after a moment, "Have you explained it to Zaofu thoroughly, what had really happened? Chyung knows already, correct? He wouldn't agree otherwise."

"I have explained it, but for whatever reason, the name 'Ozai' doesn't carry the weight that you would think that it would; the truth isn't as well received, either. I've found that people prefer the image of an Avatar's unjust rampage rather than one fool attempting to challenge him."

"Why?" Toph looked befuddled. "That makes no sense."

"History prefers legends over truth, that's why." Bumi looked down to stare at his maimed legs that were hidden from sight. "What better legend than that of a Mad Balance-Keeper?"

"Aang is who saved them!" Suki began to look agitated. "How could they hold such a vile belief about the man who liberated them, saving all of the Four Nations from destruction and death?"

"Who knows?" Bor laughed without humor, "It's easier to blame the Avatar for everything wrong that happens. I know that after my father's death, when I learned the truth of what happened, I blamed the Avatar for a little bit even though he didn't deserve it."

Bumi nodded, "Aye, most of the past generations have blamed the Avatar for the Great War, and while Roku deserves much blame, he doesn't deserve all of it. There were external factors that most know nothing of, that Roku himself was unaware of."

"King Bumi!" A guard suddenly burst through into the Throne Room. "King Bipin of Chyung is here, along with his personal guards, a platoon of soldiers, and his advisor."

He stood to his feet, the others following his lead, and then he punched his fist downward; the entire table vanished into the stone. "Send them in. We wouldn't want to cause a bad impression, would we?"

"Of course not, King Bumi," the guard stuttered and bowed before almost bolting out the doors.

Toph cracked her knuckles. "I guess it's showtime, is it not?"

"Yes, it is," he sat on his throne, gesturing for them all to sit down on the cushions near him. "Don't say anything unless spoken to. This King Bipin is young, his ego undoubtedly large. We need an alliance with him; Chyung's soldiers have always been hailed as true warriors. Don't do anything that could upset him."

"Of course, grandfather."

"Yeah, no problem, Bumi." Toph looked at Bor, "I'll keep him from doing anything stupid."

Suki laid a hand on her stomach, "I doubt that I'd have anything of substance to say anyway."

Before he could respond, King Bipin and his entourage entered through the doors led by the guards, dressed all in fine clothing, the King dressed most elaborately. Bipin looked young, indeed, eager for his tales of immortal glory to resound through history.

The entourage stopped, along with the personal guards, while Bipin continued walking forward, staring up at Bumi with eyes showcasing youthful lust for everything. The boy inclined his head forward, "King Bumi, I thank you for your invitation to visit the great city of Ba Sing Se."

Bumi nodded his head back in respect. "King Bipin, I thank you for your willingness to engage in conversation with me. I will treasure your visit for the rest of my days."

"They will remember this day as one of grand importance." Bipin drew himself up and Bumi reckoned that Bipin could have easily been a Firebender; his arrogance was blatant. "My father and his father before him have wanted vengeance on Sozin's line, and it will be my name that the scribes and scholars know by heart - the man who secured the death of Sozin's blood!"

"We are not fighting Fire Lord Zuko, just his father, the former Fire Lord Ozai. Fire Lord Zuko and his sister, the Princess Azula aren't to be harmed, King Bipin." Bipin didn't look pleased by his words so Bumi elaborated. "It has been ordained by Avatar Aang. It would not be wise to disobey his decree."

"I am not King Kuei. I am no death-seeker, so I will not cross the Avatar."

"So you hold no intentions towards Avatar Aang?"

Bipin didn't even falter, still standing tall. "No. All I want from him is something simple."

"And what is that, exactly?"

"When the former Fire Lord Ozai is vanquished, along with this spirit, I will demand Zaofu in repayment for my help."

"You want Zaofu to belong to you, to be its King? Why?"

"Because of you, of course! You hold more power than any other Earth King, than any other in history, so I want to even it out. The city will be mine and we will become equals, King Bumi."

"And you are willing to provide an army, to join forces to rise against Ozai?"

"Yes. Among the immortal warriors who will participate in the coming battle, I will be there, grasping divine, lasting stories of my might"

"How old are you, King Bipin? You don't mind my curiosity, do you?"

"Not at all. I am 17-years-old, King Bumi, a man who is willing to spill my own blood for glory."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Toph muffle a groan against Bor's shoulder, but he ignored them. "Have you ever been to battle, King Bipin? I ask only for tactical strategy," he lied. "Have you ever seen a slain body? Have you killed a fellow human?"

"Not yet, King Bumi, but I assure you, I am more than ready. I learned a lot from the tutors and my father before his death."

The irony struck him. Bumi's kingdom and power hadn't been inherited from his father, not at all. It was through his own persistence and strength of will that he had become King, unlike Bipin who was given everything. It had only been decades ago, when Fire Lord Sozin had held him at Death's door, when he had ceased to be a mere footsoldier for Omashu. Facing Bipin, the differences between them were vivid to his eyes. He was no longer that young man who took Omashu, but an older man who simply yearned for peace. Bipin was a young man, eager for immortality and for his name to echo through history; it was the far reach of all young Kings, and Bumi himself had once felt it.

"My advisor will soon join us. He was held up by the body's needs." The young Bipin smiled, showcasing his short tenure as King and Bumi didn't like it.

Instead, he nodded his head graciously. "Of course, we'll wait for him," he glanced at his grandson, Toph, and Suki. "This will be a historic day, my friends and grandson. An alliance between Ba Sing Se and Chyung has never been reached before. Today, we will change that; we will be the first. Our alliance will be as the Earth itself: unshakeable and resilient to every threat against it. We will stand against Ozai and defeat him."

"Ahh, King Bumi, here is my advisor now." Bipin said before anyone could respond. "He is just chatting with his cousins."

He heard a deep chuckle by the pillars and looked towards it, watching as a small group of men and a single woman entered. The man at the front broke away and stood next to King Bipin while the rest of the group stepped near the staircase, intending to ascend. All of them gazed at him with dark green eyes for a second, but Bumi could not see the man on the far end; he was on their other side, his head oddly turned away.

Then, for an instant, the man's head turned and their eyes connected; it was brief and volatile, and Bumi suddenly could not breathe, was unable to draw air into his lungs. He was suspended in a moment of disbelief, staring at a scarred face, a head, a pair of eyes that he had not seen in two decades. And when he had seen, it was in the darkness of unholy night, for he had cradled his son's dead body that night.

Oh, by Devi - it was him! From the living and dying terrors that had haunted him for years, it was him! His son's butcher!

Bumi rose from the throne as if in a trance, knocking over his chalice, unconcerned as it dropped to the floor, clattering loudly against the stone. He stepped off of the platform and craned his head, peering to get a better look at the group that contained a ghost, the ghost who was a killer - above all men who he had ever encountered, more so than Fire Lord Sozin, a killer! Everyone who had spoken with him after Sheil's death had all said that the man might appear again, but he had never believed them, thinking the man wouldn't dare; he believed them now. It was the man, the monster, the Butcher!

His thighs ached terribly from the memory of the lava attack that took a lot of his mobility from him and the dead-looking eyes of his son's murderer were all that he could see.

"Grandfather?" Bor touched his shoulder and Bumi jerked away like a wounded animal, swallowing in realization.

"We're all going to die," he whispered.

At his words, King Bipin frowned in concern, looking astonished. "King Bumi, what is it? What's wrong?"

Bumi breathed heavily, panic and dread warring in his mind. "You've been tricked, King Bipin!" He pointed at the advisor in horror, "Your advisor isn't who he says he is."

"What is he talking about?" Bipin looked at his advisor, whose dark eyes gleamed triumphantly as he ignored Bipin's words, staring at Bumi with eyes that suddenly filled with darkness, a subtle change that no one - not even Toph! - seemed to notice.

Strength filled his body and he whirled towards Bor, Toph, and the pregnant Suki - she was pregnant; he couldn't let anything happen to her or her child! "You all must flee! Get away from here!"

"What are you talking about?" Toph demanded, looking incredulous. "What the fuck is going on?"

"I'd like to know the same, King Bumi," the young King of Chyung declared.

Bumi's eyes darted everywhere, paranoia and fear seizing control of him. "He's here! It's him!"

"What?" King Bipin began to look around, ignoring his advisor. "Who's here? Who?"

"It's him! I'd swear to it! The man who butchered my son!"

"Son? Your son was- " the advisor suddenly jammed a knife into the side of Bipin's neck, wrenching it to the side and the boy choked grotesquely and fell to his knees, hands flying to his gaping neck, trying to stem the abrupt tide of blood, but it was useless. After several moments, he collapsed to the ground, dead; blood spilled out from his wound, red creeping in every direction.

Hysteria swept through everyone: the guards all screamed their King's name in unison, rushing at him, Bor grabbed Toph, who lunged at Suki, protecting her herself. Meanwhile, Bumi just stood there, feeling his mind became hazy as he stared at the blood - the same color of blood as Sheil's had been.

"Oh, shit!" Toph cried out, "Look out! The ceiling!"

Before the guards could reach Bipin's slain body, men and several women appeared out of nowhere, falling from the ceiling - how did Toph not feel them? - and slit the entourage and guards' own throats. They, too, fell to the ground dead.

Bumi immediately bent a large boulder at the advisor, who rolled to the side. "Get out of here!" He roared towards his grandson and the others, but more men burst through the walls and floor, tearing through the ceiling to land before them. "Where are you?" He yelled, "By Devi, face me, Butcher!"

Toph flung her hands outward, stomping her foot at the same time, and a wave of quaking earth was blasted towards the men, but before it crushed their enemies, lava burst through the earth in a much bigger wave, engulfing the stone, melting it and stopping it in its tracks.

"No, leave her alone!" Toph roared, but Bumi couldn't take his eyes away from the lava, the heat that suddenly encompassed the room and the burning sensation that swept through his thighs, making him feel weak.

"No!" Bor shouted and Bumi suddenly punched his fist forward, a large rock smashing into a man who had grabbed the pregnant Suki. His chi filled his body with strength and he jumped up and arching his back, he slammed his fists into the ground, shaking the entire Throne Room, the smell of blood ubiquitous.

Several of the men and women stumbled back and Bumi lashed out, sending boulder after boulder, the power of the earth flowing through him; a portion of them were crushed by his attacks, their souls leaving their bodies.

"You will pay for what you did, Butcher!" He screamed, spittle exploding past his lips. "By Devi, I swear that you will die!"

Bumi unleashed his full strength, the pain and grief and rage coalescing in his mind to form something truly dangerous and vicious. Violent tremors rocked his body for a moment and then he raised his fists and with a roar of violent intent, he smashed them both down. A massive wave of earth exploded out from him, barrelling relentlessly at the large group of murderers - the Butcher's men! Most of them screamed in pain as they were crushed and killed by his attack.

"We gotta get out of here!" Toph yelled, "I can feel them; we're surrounded. We can't beat 'em; there are hundreds!"

"Get ready to- " he was cut off as he noticed five men to his left jump back to their feet, not too harmed from his attack. Before Bumi could finish them off, they heaved together and a massive boulder abruptly appeared in his vision, much larger than any boulder that he had ever seen. The men all cried out and then, in the blink of an eye, the boulder blazed toward him and Bumi's eyes widened. Quicky, he rooted his feet in a split second and swung his fist into it, smashing it into pieces.

Dust and pebbles blocked his vision for a moment, and he couldn't see, but when he could, all he saw was a dash of silver before a metal shard connected with his maimed leg; all of the strength that he had procured fled him, leaving him in a rush just as quickly as it had filled him.

Bumi fell to the ground with a cry of pain, hands flying to the wound, pulling the metal shard out of his leg, hissing between his teeth, trying to keep the pain from overwhelming him. Suddenly, as he still laid on the floor, elbows propping him up, hands holding the wound on his thigh, his eyes landed on his son's butcher, hidden in the shadows; large metal shards floated above the man's fingers, spinning with deadly intent. Then, before Bumi could try to jump to his feet to attack, fill his chi with strength once more, the metal shards darted at him, unimpeded in their path.

They sunk into his flesh, piercing through his legs and arms, and Bumi roared in agony, his body feeling as warm as it had when his legs had been maimed that night. He thrashed against the large shards, inflicting more pain to his old body, but he couldn't move; he was nailed to the stone, unable to move his limbs. In the back of his mind, he was thankful that not much blood would be lost because the shards themselves kept the blood from pouring out of his wounds; he wouldn't die from these wounds, but they prohibited him from doing anything.

Spittle flew out of his mouth as he gasped in pain, jerking and craning his head, his fingers to bend the metal out of his limbs, but he wasn't strong enough; he could feel another's energy holding the shards in place, an energy that was stronger and younger than his own. Frantically, he sought out the Butcher, but the man had vanished like a specter.

"Where are you?" He cried out, "WHERE?! Face me, murderer!"

His scream was overtaken by the clashing of boulders and Bumi watched the carnage in horror, unable to do anything as lava swept towards Toph and the pregnant Suki out of nowhere. Thankfully, his grandson's future Queen was barely quick enough to raise a wall of stone to shield herself and her pregnant friend from certain death. Bumi's eyes darted everywhere anxiously, looking for him, for the Butcher. Where was he?

"You are strong," a woman's voice said and Bumi snapped his attention towards his grandson, where he was engaged with the woman who Bumi had seen earlier, entering with the Butcher and the advisor to the now-dead King Bipin. She looked around Dowager Fire Lady Ursa's own age, and she was beautiful in spite of her large ears that poked through her hair, a grace and maturity that defied her aggressive fighting technique. "But just as King Bumi, you will fall!"

Before his eyes, Bumi watched in horror as Bor was smashed into the wall of the room, metal wrapping around his throat, squeezing, suffocating. Bumi thrashed again, trying to escape; it couldn't happen again! Not this time! NO! It was just like last time!

Toph screamed and left the pregnant Suki behind, jumping towards the woman, flicking her fingers at her. Bullets of stone pelted the woman and Toph yanked her hand toward her body. The clamp around Bor's throat flew into her hand and in one smooth motion, it elongated into a deadly-looking knife and it darted through the air towards the stumbling woman.

Just before it tore through her chest, lava burst through the stone and swallowed the metal knife that Toph had created. Instead of being horrified, Toph swiftly pulled Bor to her side and she paused, then looked towards Bumi; their eyes locked - green versus milky!

"Bumi!" She shouted and her arm was pointing at him, and the shards piercing through his body, keeping him in place began to shake, causing him to gasp in pain and relief, but it was short-lived.

"Leave him, or the non-bender dies!" The woman who Bor had been fighting declared and Toph froze, realization creeping into her face - failure and horror fighting for control.

"No," she whispered and tears welled in her milky eyes.

He slowly turned his head, dimly noticing that Bor and Toph followed, and he swallowed when he saw Suki held by two strong, depraved-looking men; she must have been separated from Toph and Bor who each stood next to him, looking as fearful as he felt. One of the men's hands was wrapped around her throat loosely, but Bumi knew from experience that if anyone, even Suki herself, tried anything, that grip could become as hard and debilitating as steel itself, able to strangle effortlessly; thankfully, Bor and Toph knew the same, and it looked like Suki did, too, for she remained in the man's grip, unwilling to try to escape or fight with them being so outnumbered and outmatched - and the life of her child, no doubt, was the biggest factor in her decision. The other man held a fist near her stomach, ready to strike a maiming punch that would undoubtedly seriously wound the unborn child, if not kill it from blunt force.

"Don't attempt anything. If even any part of your body twitches toward either, then both of them will die." The woman with large ears said evenly, calmly.

Bor screamed in rage at her words, veins throbbing beneath his red face, but before Bumi could speak, someone else did, and it was all that he heard.

"King Bumi."

Bumi's lopsided eyes spasmed shut at the voice. "I'd know your voice anywhere, murderer."

When he opened his lids, the Butcher stood over him, the large-eared woman standing slightly behind him, the grotesque-looking scars that Bumi had put on the man's face a beacon to his eyes; he also didn't fail to notice the resemblance between the two. "I'm glad that I left such an impression on you."

"I'll add more scars to that face of yours, leaving my own impressions!" Bumi jerked his head, pain forgotten. He tried to flex his hands into fists so that he could escape, so that he could step forward, could physically confront the bastard, could strangle the man, forcing the man's eyes to lock onto his own as the breath left lungs, but he was unable to, only feebly twitching and flicking his fingers. "Free me, and I'll fulfill my promise."

"Careful, or I will spill the blood of the non-bender, Toph, and the boy for whom you blatantly care."

Bumi had no idea how the Butcher had known that Suki was pregnant, but he began to realize that there was nothing that he could do. "You work for him," he said softly. "You're an agent of Darkness and Chaos."

"And you're an agent of a fool, of a fucking boy."

"I remember you," Toph sounded horrified, realization coloring her tone. "You're the guy who- "

"With whom you had a long conversation when you were all alone, before you had even met King Bumi." The Butcher smiled sickly and Bumi shuddered, flinching as the shards dug further into his flesh; he remembered that same expression before the man had slaughtered Sheil. "Why, it was you who was the fundamental key to unlocking my full potential as an Earthbender. Thank you, Toph. Because of you, I mastered metalbending; you told me how to do it, especially after you downed the alcohol. You told me all about how you see through your feet, declaring that it was the strongest earthbending style in the world, created by you."

"Fuck," she whispered, looking paler than a corpse.

Bor stepped forward and alarm spread through Bumi's mind at the dawning realization on his grandson's face. "It was… you. You're who killed my father!"

The Butcher looked down at Bumi, a smile suddenly spreading across his features and Bumi wanted to stab him repeatedly. "Ahh, I understand why you care for him so much. He's your grandson, is he not?" He turned to observe Bor, "There are many similarities between you and your father, and grandfather, too, boy. Although, you and your father didn't inherit your grandfather's fucked up eyes."

"I'm going to rip out your spine," his grandson's fists clenched. "I'm going to take your life just as you took my father's, I swear."

"Your oath is meaningless," the Butcher pointed at both Toph and Bor to Bumi's unease. "You won't kill me, no Earthbender will! I am the rightful heir to my sire's legacy, and I will finish what he started."

"What do you want?" Bumi demanded, hoping to keep his attention away from Bor and Toph. "Why are you here, murderer?"

"I'm relieved to see that you hate me as much as I hate you, King Bumi. I came here today to strike a crippling blow against the Avatar, and to secure my vengeance on you."

"I guarantee that it will be me who gains vengeance on this day, not you." Bumi tried to move his body, tried to escape from this makeshift prison, but he couldn't because of the Butcher holding the shards in place with superior strength. "Let go of your hold on these damned shards, and I'll unleash my own vengeance on you." He craned his head towards a portion of the wall, prepared to fling it at the Butcher.

"Not if you want the mother and unborn child to die a slow death."

Bumi froze, all thoughts of trying to attack stalled. He was able to glance over to see Suki shaking, her hands cradling her still-flat stomach, the man's fist poised right above at an unprotected spot. "No, please, not my child," she whispered, eyes frantic.

"Leave her alone!" Toph roared, the earth around her cracking, but she immediately took a step back in fear when the man holding Suki tightened his grip around her slender throat, when the other man's fist reared back slightly.

"If you try anything, I assure that either King Bumi or the pregnant non-bender will die, Toph. My brethren are too fast; you couldn't even save one of them, and even if you could, both of them are out of the possibility. Yes, I am the one in control, in charge."

Toph looked sick and shaken and Bor gripped her hand tightly, snarling at the man. "Fuck you!"

"Oh, in the centuries since our sire, Chin the Great's conquest, the Children of Earth have gone from 'I regret I have but only one life to give to save someone for whom I care' all the way to 'fuck you!' That development is rather disappointing, I'm not afraid to tell you. When my supremacy over all of the Children of Earth is invincible, I will rectify that."

"You're descended from Chin the Conqueror?" Bumi whispered, beginning to understand how the Butcher was so powerful.

"And Avatar Kyoshi, too," the large-eared woman chuckled. "We are both beyond all of you, but Chin is even more; he is our sire's heir. He will finish our crusade that began with Kyoshi."

Suki's eyes widened, "No! Avatar Kyoshi would never lay with such a disgusting and vile man!"

The Butcher focused on her and Suki suddenly seemed to realize that she should have kept her mouth shut. "That's right, you are the one from Kyoshi Island, aren't you? You think that you know of Avatar Kyoshi, but you don't. You don't know of her past before she was hailed as Avatar, of the crimes she committed against my line, against my sire. My ancestors and I have worked for centuries, ever since our sire's demise, to rid the Avatar from existence. It's my noble heritage, my inheritance. All of the Chin's before me have led to this moment, to this grand triumph that I am about to inflict against the Avatar."

"You're fucking crazy!" Bor yelled, eyes beginning to anxiously dart everywhere, searching for an escape.

Bumi tried to warn him from his position, but the Butcher noticed the action, turning away from Suki, to Bumi's relief and dread. "I'm not crazy, child, merely a truth-seer." The Butcher then gestured towards Toph and Bor. "They seek to escape; tie them up, but no metal! The girl is a Metalbender."

"Don't do anything," Bumi said softly before either could react; he had seen it in their eyes, even Toph's milky ones, the spark of rebellion, the urge to fight or flee. "Or else, you risk Suki's life - and her unborn child's, too. Don't be stupid, please."

The fight suddenly left both of them and several men stepped forward, thick beads of rope held in their hands. All was silent, even Bumi who watched with solemn and fearful eyes, as Bor and Toph were heaved from the ground, limbs tied to the stone beams in the ceiling, completely suspended from the earth; Toph wasn't able to see or bend, now, and Bor could only observe everything. The ropes were flung over the beams and the men held them there, keeping them hoisted from the ground.

The Butcher turned to the large group of men and women. "They won't be a problem, now. We'll handle this. The rest of you, pillage Ba Sing Se! Make it fall! Do as our sire before us and conquer it!"

"The Avatar will stop you!" Toph shouted, "He'll kick all of your asses!"

"But thankfully, the Avatar isn't here, is he? Otherwise, he would have shown his face by now, smiting us all. You needn't worry, my brothers and sisters. The Avatar needn't be feared. Now fulfill your destinies!"

The rest of the women and men from the large group dispersed, dashing out of the Throne Room, smashing through the walls and Bumi knew that Ba Sing Se would fall once again; he could do nothing to stop it.

The only ones who remained were the two men holding Suki, the large-eared woman, the Butcher, and the men keeping Toph and Bor suspended from the ground. The pain was a constant for Bumi and he tried to distract himself from it, trying to think of ways that he could escape and keep all of them alive, but he couldn't! He could think of no plan that would keep them all alive; one of them would die if they were to escape.

"You're not going to get away with this," his grandson growled lowly.

"Yeah, he's right! Soon enough, we're going to fuck you up!"

"Just in case," the man nodded his head towards the few men, and the lone woman, who remained with him - for whatever reason, Bumi couldn't fathom. "I think that I'll make this state of your existence… permanent. You have the potential to cause me many problems, Toph." The man walked towards Toph and Bumi could do nothing but watch, just as his grandson. "Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you. No, how could I slay the one who taught us so much about earthbending? You still have much to offer me."

"The moment when I get down from here, I'm going to fucking tear you limb-from-limb!" Toph shook against the thick ropes but she couldn't break free. "I'll start with your legs, and then go to your arms!"

"How dare you?" The large-eared woman's eyes filled with fury, "You show him respect, you foolish girl! He's above you and you should beg for his mercy and grace."

Toph's head swirled wildly, trying to locate the voice. "Oh, I see what's happening. You're just his whore, aren't you?"

Bumi noticed the sharp inhale from several of the men, and he glimpsed Suki, holding her hands over stomach protectively, words tumbling from her lips that weren't audible.

"You bitch," the large-eared woman snarled, shards of metal flying into her hand. "He has plans for you and you should be grateful!"

"Fuck his plans, whatever the fuck they are!" Toph spat, eyes somehow finally staring at the woman. "Since you're obviously so fond of his cock in your ass, take his plans there, too!"

"You insolent child! You understand nothing of what Chin will bring you! He's the Sage beyond any other. All who call themselves vandals look up to him!"

"Wait, you?" Bumi exclaimed, realization and horror echoing inside him, the dots connecting in his mind. "You're the… Sage of Vandals?"

His words silenced Toph and the large-eared woman. The Butcher turned towards him, a small splitting his scarred features. "You searched for me."

The grief and rage flooded him. "Of course, I did, you damned plebeian! I searched for years, combing through all of the knowledge accessible to me. You were a ghost, and I stumbled upon knowledge of tales of horrifying power." Bumi looked at the large-eared woman. "You're his own sister, aren't you? You're the one who has been the Sage of Vandals' lover since she was a teenager. They say that she is the one who helped the Sage of Vandals pillage towns, building a cult to worship you both and your ancestors."

"And soon, Toph will be joining my brethren," the Butcher decreed. "She will be more than worthy for my plans."

Toph shook against the ropes, but she couldn't free herself. "Like I said to your whore, take your plans in your- "

"Pity," the Butcher interrupted, placing a hand on the large-eared woman's shoulder, who kept quiet. "I had hoped that you would act reasonable, but considering what I know of you, this is no surprise. You're important to my plans after this, Toph, and you will be mine one way or another. When I'm through with you, you're going to wish that you had never met me."

"You sick fuck, I'm already there!" Toph sneered and Bumi felt dread begin to fill him. "I've been there for a while, now! Why don't you release me and I can show you what I mean?"

"No, Toph, I don't think that I will." The Butcher stepped even closer to Toph and Bumi flinched when earth swirled up from the stone and slowly morphed into sizzling lava. "You won't be able to do a thing, Toph; you won't be able to show me."

The lava was held close to the naked soles of Toph's feet and she squirmed and paled. "Wha- what are- what are you doing? No, please! NO!"

Bumi's eyes widened in horror and Suki's tearful gasp echoed. Out of the corner, of his eye, he saw that the two bastards' grips had tightened and reared back once more, prepared for an attack; he couldn't do anything, especially with the large-eared woman staring at him with knowing eyes! Inhaling roughly, feeling the blood in his lungs, Bumi swallowed and was able to do nothing except stare with saddened eyes as Toph frantically tried to escape, pleading with the Butcher.

Suki swallowed from her position, tears welling in her eyes. "Toph," she whispered, cradling her flat stomach. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"Stop this!" Bor screamed as the lava inched closer and closer upward to the soles of Toph's unprotected feet. "Don't do it! I'll kill you for this!" Bumi watched solemnly as his grandson strained against the rope but the men holding wouldn't budge "STOP!"

"FUCK YOU!" Toph roared, too, right before the lava touched her feet. Then she screamed hysterically, tears bursting from her eyes, spilling down her cheeks, the smell of sizzling flesh becoming pungent to everyone's nose; her cries of agony increased as the Butcher increased the pressure of the lava.

Bor roared unintelligibly, face redder than fire, veins rupturing through his skin and he strained and strained against the ropes, his eyes glowing with absolute hatred and devastation.

Finally, the lava vanished from the Butcher's hands and Bumi had to turn his head away from the sight of Toph's charred and scorched feet, the seared blackness of the skin.

"Toph!" Bor cried out desperately and Bumi looked back to see that his grandson's intended wife and Queen had passed out from the pain and realization. "I'm going- "

"To do nothing," the Butcher finished, stepping away, staring at Bor with intelligent and dark eyes. "You love her, don't you? Yes, I can see it in your eyes, the way that your body is positioned. She loves you back, does she not? When you were being strangled, that's when she abandoned the pregnant non-bender from Kyoshi Island to save you. Toph is a rare breed of woman, isn't she?" The Butcher then gazed at Toph's unconscious form. "She's spectacular, but that needed to be done. I won't have anyone ruin my vengeance," the Butcher smiled suddenly, a grin that summoned dread in Bumi's heart. "After I'm done here, after I kill you and your grandfather, I'll leave her alive - it was part of my plan. She is fertile and since I have no living heir, since all of the heirs I've sired through her," he pointed at the large-eared woman - his own sister! - who looked ashamed, "have been deformed and stillborn, I can sire strong sons through Toph, creating an even more powerful bloodline."

Bor looked incapable of utterance and to keep his grandson safe, to keep him from saying something that would focus the Butcher's wrath on him, Bumi finally spoke, trying to keep anyone else from being maimed. "I will kill you, make no mistake, murderer: I will butcher you just as you did to my son. You said that you can't sire sons, so I guess that you're not a true man, then." Bumi felt a hysterical laugh leave his lips, hoping that he could provoke the Butcher's rage on himself to keep the others safe. "Your bitch whore's womb is so polluted that it killed all of your heirs, didn't it? You killed my son, but at least I actually had one, unlike you!" He cackled, feeling manic. "You couldn't because your line, beginning with Chin the Conqueror, has suffered from cock envy!"

The large-eared woman's composure cracked and she snarled, her teeth glimmering with blood, but before she did anything, the Butcher stomped back towards him, glowering down at him, and Bumi met his stare unflinchingly. "You want the death and blood, don't you, King Bumi? Since you want it so bad, then I'll give it to you, but first, I want you to suffer for what you did to me." The Butcher's fingers brushed over the scars on his face. "I've been waiting a long time for this."

Bumi stared up at him, his mind clearing of distractions, focused only on his own grief and pain. "What are you waiting for, murderer? Release me!"

"No, the only release I will give you is death," the Butcher held out his hands and lava rose from the stone, the terrible heat felt by Bumi from his position. "I've seen this moment in my dreams."

"Then you know how it ends. You've lived your last day."

"A bold statement, King Bumi, but a false one." The lava floated above the Butcher's hands, highlighting his features with vicious intent. "Toph had an excellent suggestion earlier. I believe that I will test it on you, albeit in a modified way."

Bor shook against his restraints again. "No, leave him alone!"

"Bumi," Suki whispered in horror.

Toph's words from earlier echoed in his mind: '… I'm going to fucking tear you limb-from-limb!' Bumi gasped and fought against the shards keeping him nailed to the floor, ignoring the pain exploding through his body from his thrashing.

"You're not going to dump me in a blood-soaked ditch, murderer!" He spat, trying to quell the rising terror inside him as the spinning blades of lava approached his legs, the searing heat washing over him, echoes of the past from that night assaulting his mind.

"Yes, I will, King Bumi. You will join your son - and your grandson will, too!" The Butcher lowered his flat palm and Bumi howled as the lava blades severed through his legs, the pain overwhelming him, erupting through his mind with detonating shockwaves.

Tears flowed out of his eyes as unintelligible screams exploded past his lips, his mind alight with agony beyond anything that he had ever experienced, the sense of loss because he no longer could feel anything below his waist. His vision malfunctioned; blood-curdling screeches entered his ears and he realized that he was making the noise, that Suki and Bor were screaming, too. The pain exploded through him again as the searing blades sank through his arms, severing both limbs just as the legs had been. The realizations and pain scorched through his very blood, igniting his body with fire - where fire shouldn't burn.

"You were mistaken, you old fool." The voice of the man - the Butcher! - reached his ears, overpowering the chaos in his mind. "You've lived your final day, not me."

Oddly enough, at the words, the pain began to fade as Bumi compartmentalized it in his mind. His eyes snapped open and he looked at his stumps-for-limbs, understanding: he was in the calm of the observer. There was no blood from the amputations; the limbs had been cauterized by the very lava. The pain was a flickering flame on the edge of his consciousness, just out of reach, and he was thankful.

"I'm not dead yet," he murmured to himself, the truth of his words filling his limbless body with strength; his chi swept through him, the energy of the earth collecting and condensing. His limbs may be gone, but his face still remained - and he would have his vengeance!

"But you soon will be," the Butcher stood over him, a disgusted smirk carved into his features, the dark eyes cold and manic.

He glimpsed all of the shards of metal still jammed through his severed limbs that were sprawled near him. The energy of the Butcher was no longer holding them and he smiled. "Not until you are, murderer."

Bumi jerked his head harshly and the largest metal shard was wrenched out of his amputated arm. It floated for a second and he glimpsed the realization shining in the Butcher's eyes before the metal shard tore through his head in an explosion of red mist. Splinters of bone fragments and brain tissue littered the ground as it was painted crimson; the exhale of air, the throaty whimper was audible, and the Butcher fell to the ground dead, blood and brain matter pooling out of the gruesome hole.

"Now it is I who is the butcher, Butcher," he whispered in satisfaction; he had finally avenged Sheil's death.

Stunned silence reigned before the large-eared woman screamed, rushing towards her brother and lover, but Bumi ignored her. His chi was ready, his mind was ready, and he yanked his head backward; metal shards shot through the air, slicing through the rope holding Bor, and in one smooth motion, Bumi then painfully wrenched his face towards Suki. He saw the two bastards fall to the ground, metal protruding out of their chests, and when he saw the blood dripping out of their mouths, he knew that he had successfully killed them.

"You killed Chin!" The large-eared woman screeched and she stumbled to her feet, her tear-stained face a beacon to Bumi's eyes. "I'll kill you for it!"

Bumi watched with anxious eyes as Bor suddenly appeared, freed from the ropes, and before the large-eared woman could react to defend herself, his hands wrapped around her throat, squeezing, crushing the life out of her; she fell to her knees with a strangled croak. Then her eyes, that bulged from their sockets, locked onto him. Bor was too distracted and didn't notice that while she was being choked, in a final effort, she controlled one of the metal shards and flung it into Bumi's own chest.

He gasped and blood quickly filled his mouth, the taste and pain ubiquitous. He looked down; the shard stuck out near his heart, and he knew that he didn't have much time left before death, when he would finally be able to see his beloved Sheil again.

His grandson's guttural roar echoed through the air and Bumi looked back, seeing Bor's look of horrified realization. The large-eared woman's hands desperately clawed at Bor's, but his grandson then squeezed even tighter. The veins in her eyes burst, filling with blood and then her lips turned blue, and after several more moments, she stopped struggling and thrashing, her hands falling to the ground lifelessly. Bor released her and the large-eared woman's head slammed against the ground, thumping loudly; her body became ever still, eternally frozen in death's embrace.

All of the opposition were dead, but soon Bumi would be, too - he could feel it.

His grandson stared down at the large-eared woman's dead body before he dashed back to Suki, who was holding Toph's unconscious head in her lap. Bor tenderly picked her up, sniffles reaching Bumi's ears. "I'm so sorry. I couldn't stop him," he then turned to look directly at Bumi at rushed at him, kneeling down before him, looking distraught, paling when he glimpsed the true depth of the wound the woman had inflicted on him. Toph was held to his side, her face nestled into his shoulder and chest. "Grandfather! You're going to be okay, you'll be fine."

Bumi stared up at the face that looked so much like his Sheil's and shook his head, feeling his life begin to dim. "Toph needs you more than I do, Bor. She's more important than I. It's my time, my boy. I can feel it; I don't fear it."

Suki suddenly appeared next to Bor, her arms wrapped around her stomach protectively; she looked sick by the sight of his amputated limbs. "It won't be long before someone comes back to check back with… that man. You must let him go…" she broke off with a choked sob.

Bor shuddered and tears spilled out of his eyes. "No, you need to come with us, grandfather. Avatar Aang can heal you - he has to! You're not going to die. I can carry you and Toph."

"Aang can't, Bor. It's too late for me, and that's okay. I've lived a good life; even the Great War and the Butcher couldn't take that from me." Bumi memorized his grandson's features. "I don't feel any pain, now. Even though my lungs are filling with blood, my limbs gone, and my life not far behind, I will die in peace. I did it, I finally did it: your father's killer was killed by my hands and my vengeance has been reached. I did what I had fiercely sought to do."

"Bumi," Suki wept softly. "Thank you for saving us. You saved us all."

"You're my friends and family, and the world needs you more than it does me. My time has been near for a long time, but now I can go in peace, something that I've been waiting for."

"But I'm not ready for this," his grandson's eyes clenched shut, Toph still unconscious against his side, held tenderly by Bor's strong arms.

"No one usually is, but that doesn't mean my memory will be ashes and bones. It will live on in you and Anju - and all of the others, too."

"But I don't know what I'll do, how we'll win."

"How exciting, then." Bumi felt the Gardens of the Dead beckoning. "You don't need me anymore, Bor, but Toph does, and Aang and the others do, too. Ba Sing Se will then need you after this new war is over. You are its King, now."

Bor sniffed, the tears falling to the blood-soaked floor, covered with Bumi's own lifeblood. "I'll be an amazing King, grandfather. I'll make you and father proud."

It was becoming almost impossible to speak, to draw air into his lungs, but he mustered all that he could. "Then I've done my job. It's time for your new life to begin, the life that you'll share with Toph. What an adventure it will be, my boy."

His eyes felt unbearably heavy and Bumi finally relented to the feeling, to his eternal rest, closing his lids softly, the memorized face of his grandson glowing in his mind; sounds faded and feeling vanished swiftly thereafter, and his final breath passed his blood-stained lips.

XxXxXxXxXxX

He leaned forward, Toph's weight against his side slowing his movement. "Grandfather?" The chest had stopped its pitiful breaths and Bor placed his hand on his grandfather's chest, directly above the heart, fingers grazing the shrapnel embedded deep within, the killing weapon. "May your grief finally settle once you lay eyes on father. Tha- thank you for- for everything, grandfather. I... I lo- love you."

"We need to leave," the soft, pain-filled words reached him and Bor raised his tear-streaked face, looking at Suki's pale and fearful one. He took in her appearance, the tears spilling down her cheeks, her red eyes, and most importantly, the hands that refused to leave the protective position across her stomach.

"Yes," he didn't recognize his own voice. It sounded hazy and distant, diminishing in the darkness of his own mind.

"Bor!" Suki shook him roughly, "Please, we must leave! They could come back and we would all die! If not of me, think of Toph, I beg you. We can't fight them, any of them. Toph is grievously injured and unconscious and I'm pregnant. You'll have time to grieve later, but right now, you can't!"

The haze dispersed and Bor gasped, standing to his feet, heaving Toph into his arms. "Forgive me, you're right. I… I'll get us out of here." Stuffing his pain and grief into a box in his mind, he then dashed towards one of the massive holes in the Throne Room, ignoring the slain bodies; he peeked his head past slightly, and thankfully, no one was there. "This way, hurry! Who knows when they'll be back, looking for the fucking Butcher." Suki, to his surprise, quickly ran to him, face anxious but also calm. "You can run?"

"At least for now, yes."

"Good." Bor shifted Toph in his arms, never more thankful that she wasn't too heavy. No matter how strong he was, he would eventually tire and the lighter she was, the longer he could last. "Keep behind me. If you see anyone of threat, shout. Scream your fucking head off and don't stop." Suki didn't answer and Bor gestured for her to follow. He knew that he should probably hug the halls, but he ran instead; time was of the essence and he couldn't afford to waste a precious second. He tried to ignore all of the gruesomely slaughtered bodies of the guards and servants, keeping it from affecting him for now because Toph, Suki, and her unborn child needed him to be strong. He needed to be as his grandfather, saving all of them, and Bor intended to do just that.

As Suki had said, he would grieve later.

"Oh, by Devi," he whirled around, frowning in outrage when Suki stopped by a gash in the wall. "Look, Bor, look. Ba Sing Se, it's been- …since there were no Dai Li, it…" she stepped aside and Bor felt sorrow and horror intermingle in his heart.

Lava burned, lighting buildings and homes on fire, and desecration had swept through Ba Sing Se, the vantage providing a perfect, horrifying image that Bor would never forget. What was worse, he couldn't do anything; he could only watch as Ba Sing Se burned.

"That must be where the Butcher had disappeared to while we were first attacked. Come on," he looked away, sealing away the anguish in his heart. "It's been overrun. We must flee. They'll kill us, especially since their leaders are dead." Suki followed him, their running footsteps loud in the eerily silent and hole-ridden halls, but no one was within sight. The smell of blood filled his nose. The broken body tangled against the wall assaulted his eyes, and Bor shook his head, "Don't look! Just keep running!" He shouted, racing past the body, dimly wondering if he would ever not be able to remember all of the dead bodies he had seen this day, his grandfather's at the forefront.

They reached a large opening and Bor recognized where they were. He dashed out of the opening, out of the Palace, freezing when he heard a sound, a cry; it was low, throated, and delivered in fear. Suki halted next to him, eyes wide. A harsh slap reached his ears, followed by another, and then another. A choked scream sounded before fading, swallowed and broken by another smack.

"One of the Butcher's men," Suki whispered. "What do we do?"

Based on where they were, Bor knew that if it was a group of men, they could lose them in the many alleys in the Upper Ring. "Try to avoid him or them, but I don't think we have a choice if we want to get out of here."

"What- "

Four slaps in rapid succession interrupted her, flesh against flesh, strikes delivered with vile intent and received with screams of muted terror. It was a woman!

He dashed towards the corner at the sound, shifting Toph in his arms once again, crouching down. Suki kneeled behind him as he inched his head past the corner, and what he saw filled him with revulsion and sickening fury. A woman who looked around Suki's own age laid helpless beneath a large man, one of the men who Bor recognized from earlier - he worked for the Butcher! - looming over her. Her clothes had been torn off, shredded into foreboding pieces. The man's hands were poised over her naked body as sinister and malicious claws, squeezing her breasts, separating her legs, and the man's cock protruded from his trousers; he was about to inflict the gravest of humiliations before he carried out an execution.

He handed Toph to Suki, "Stay with her. Scream if someone sees you." Bor flung himself around the corner. "You move, you're dead!" He roared before the man could inflict any more torture. The woman looked up at him, eyes wide and thick tears of horror spilled down her flushed and bruised and swollen cheeks. The man spun around in alarm and Bor immediately stomped his foot; an oval-shaped pillar smashed upward into the man's bare cock and the executioner fell to his knees in a choked gasp, spittle exploding from his lips. "Stay there!" He yelled at the woman when she began to move in a panic. "Damn it, stay right there!"

"BOR!" Suki screamed, dashing around the corner, lugging Toph with her in a heave of effort. "I can't! There's two of 'em!"

He grabbed Suki and the unconscious Toph, pulling them towards the nude woman. "Stay there, all of you! Fuck, just do it!"

The raping executioner stumbled to his feet to Bor's right, fury glowing in his depraved eyes, one hand stuffing his bruised and softening cock back into his trousers. Then, as Suki had informed him, two more men rounded the corner, two more followers of the Butcher.

"How did you escape?" One of the men asked, "Where's Chin V?"

"So that is the Butcher's name, Chin V," he hissed softly through his teeth, adjusting himself so that the women were protected from any projectiles; they would connect with him first. "He and his whore are dead, killed by yours truly."

"Impossible!" The men all cried, but before any of them could speak again, Bor lifted a wall of earth and shoved it at them, sprinting towards it. As he predicted, they all broke the wall apart, but Bor was right there, lashing out with overwhelming rage. He formed a dagger of solid stone in his hand and kicked his foot outward, catching one at the knee, bending it gruesomely. In the same movement, he then smashed the same foot downward into the floor. Two more pillars of earth lifted the other two men off their feet, separating them from the stone, their power.

Bor plunged the stone dagger into the downed man's neck, dimly watching as he ripped it outward in the same way that he had seen the advisor do to the now-slain King Bipin. He didn't allow his horror to affect him; he moved to the other two struggling men, realizing that they weren't trained well in earthbending. Otherwise, they would have escaped. He killed them in the same way, being especially brutal towards the raping executioner.

His hands were smeared with dripping blood, and he wiped them against his shirt, ignoring the stains. He ran back toward the women, watching as the nude women crawled towards her shredded clothes, holding them to her chest, hiding her breasts, every move displaying deep shock.

She stared up at him in disbelief, horror, and confusion. "She said 'Bor,'" she pointed her shaking finger at Suki, who looked worn and weary. "You're the Prince? You saved my life," she continued in a hollow tone. "You didn't have to, but you did, and saved… my… life. Why did you do that?"

"King now, actually," he tried to smile but knew it was actually a grimace. "Only a monster wouldn't save someone in that situation. I'm no monster."

"The city's been… overrun." Suki struggled to her feet, trying to pick up Toph. "Bor, a little help. We can't keep going like this."

Bor looked at the partially nude woman and took off his shirt, seeing no other option, knowing that she wouldn't accept any of the dead men's shirts. "Here, wear this. It's long enough to cover your nether regions while you're standing. Sorry about the blood."

"Thank you, King Bor," the woman snatched his shirt and put it on while Bor went to pick up Toph, helping Suki to her feet in the process.

"You're right: we can't keep going like this." Bor closed his eyes and using the skill that Toph taught him, how ever unrefined, he slowly let the vibrations register. "We'll need to go underground, as true Children of Earth. I recommend that you come with us." He looked at the woman. "What's your name?"

"Jin. My husband was… he was kill- killed by that…"

"I'm sorry for your loss, Jin." Bor inclined his head slightly, sadly. "I may sound like a callous fool, but you cannot let it affect you, not now. You must come with us; more are undoubtedly coming back to the Palace to regroup with the Butcher." He opened a large hold in the stone floor, beginning a descending ramp for as far as he could. "I will close it once we are inside. We can't afford anyone following us. It will be dark so hold on to each other."

He stepped down the ramp and once everyone followed, he sealed the hole, darkness ubiquitous.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Arnook felt fearful; he had received reports that vessels had departed from the Earth Kingdom Colonies, heading directly towards the Northern Water Tribe. The sentries stationed there would never lie to him about something, and what was worse, the letter had been splattered by blood. The letter was half-finished, hastily written, and because it took several days for communications to be received from sentries, it could mean that this new threat was near, could arrive in days!

Avatar Aang had sent him a letter months ago about how they must protect the Spirit Oasis at all costs. Was this new threat of whom he was speaking? Why would humans want to harm the Ocean Spirit and his daughter? Then again, that vile Firebender had done just that, forcing his precious Yue to sacrifice herself to save the Moon Spirit and all of the Northern Water Tribe.

He set aside the letter gingerly, feeling thrice his age. How was it that no peace could be found? Why hasn't Avatar Aang stopped this enemy, prohibited a new fight?

"Oh, Yue," he stared up at his daughter in the sky, wishing that he could just see her once more, be able to lay his eyes on her. "I feel that I may join you soon." Suddenly, the air flickered around him as if someone was trying to escape and then a small beam of light descended from the Moon. Arnook gasped, tears welling in his eyes as his beautiful Yue levitated down to him, looking ethereal beyond even the Avatar himself. "Yue, my daughter," he choked out, emotions overwhelming him. "You're here."

"It's good to see you again, father, but I'm here only for a short time."

"What, why?" Arnook looked at her desperately. "Please stay, I need you! I miss you - and your mother does, too."

"It is incredibly draining for me to maintain a corporeal form to appear to humans, regardless of how spiritual they are. Only Avatar Aang can communicate with me at any time." Yue looked sad and the sight wounded Arnook even further; he could never handle it when his daughter was sad. "I'm barely a fraction of Tui, father. My power is insignificant compared to what hers was. I'm the weakest of the Elemental Spirits and I can only appear for a short time after conserving my energy, saving it for such an occasion. I don't have much energy left to speak with you."

"Then why now?" The tears finally fell down his cheeks but he didn't care. "You've never appeared before, not for a decade!"

"The Mortal Realm is complex, father. Time flows differently in the Spirit World, much differently. Because I am a spirit, now, I can attempt to persuade a different path for one to take, but I cannot change what will definitively happen. Spirits aren't supposed to interfere in the Mortal Realm but I ignored it. I tried to stop Hahn but he refused to listen; Vaatu has already turned his heart to darkness."

Arnook paused, "What? What are you saying, Yue? Who is Vaatu?"

"Don't say his name, father. If you do so, he can begin to turn your own heart; he's that powerful. He's the Spirit of Chaos and Darkness, primordial in strength; he is the counterpart to Avatar Aang's essence, Raava who is the Spirit of Peace and Light."

"And Hahn? He… he works for this spirit?"

"Yes, father."

"No!" Arnook furiously shook his head, "That's not true, it can't be! Hahn loves me! He would never attempt to undermine me by working for this evil. He is loyal to me!"

"He wants the Chiefdom that you promised him when he was betrothed to me."

"But that can't be..." he whispered in shock.

"I'm sorry, but it's the truth."

"He's who began the rumors about Sokka, isn't he?"

"Yes, father."

"But Sokka was named my heir to unite the Tribes after centuries of separation. Hahn knew this!"

"My power is fading, father. I must return." Yue began to flicker before his eyes and Arnook reached towards her desperately but his hand passed right through her. He looked up at her with devastated eyes. "I have made certain that Sokka and his wife will secure the Water Tribes' futures, father. Don't believe Hahn's lies. I will always be with you."

Yue vanished and Arnook's face crumpled, pinched with grief and anger. He gathered his composure, flicking his fingers to waterbend the tears away from his eyes and off his cheeks; he couldn't look anything other than a mighty Chief for his confrontation with Hahn.

He stepped back into the Throne Room, waterbending the hole that he had created shut. "Bring me Hahn; he and I need to talk."

The guards didn't think his request strange and swiftly left the Throne Room, leaving Arnook to slump on his icy throne.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Hahn stared at Arnook curiously, watching as the Chief waved the guards out. "Leave us. I wish to speak with Hahn alone."

He peered at the Chief, glimpsing the weariness in the man's form. Soon, he was certain that the power of Chief would be his. If not, Vaatu would give it to him for his service. He, too, as Arnook had, would have the power; he would command the seas and ocean, supremacy undeniable to the Usurper. It all laid before him and all he had to do was be patient and wait.

"Chief Arnook," he inclined his head respectfully. "What did you want to speak to me about? Have you finally received word from Avatar Aang?"

"No. Not from Avatar Aang, but from a different source."

"From one of his friends?" Hahn felt the beginnings of uncertainty curdle in his mind. "From… Sokka?"

"From my daughter; she has told me everything. It is over, Hahn. I know what you did."

Hahn refused to stagger at the Chief's words, instead standing eerily still, eyes unable to conclude what exactly the Chief knew. "I'm sorry, Chief Arnook, but I don't understand. Princess Yue… is gone. She's the Moon Spirit. Did she appear before you?"

"Yes, and she shared your exploits with me." Arnook stood from his throne and with a flick of his fingers, Hahn's feet were iced over, keeping him immobile.

"Chief, what are you doing?"

"How dare you play me for a fool? You spread the rumors about Sokka and manipulated me to disinherit Sokka of his rightful position!"

Hahn tensed, indignation sweeping through him; he didn't attempt to quell his tongue. The Chief knew the truth. "That is not his rightful position, Chief! It is mine; it always has been!"

"How can you say that? I thought that I taught you better than that, Hahn."

He shook his head, "How can you lie? You're lying right now, lying to me! If Sokka was the true heir to the North then you would have betrothed him to Yue at a young age, but you chose me instead because you knew that I was the better choice, the one who came from good and actual waterbending blood!"

Arnook closed his eyes, "You're right, Hahn. I should have done that instead of choosing you. Perhaps if I had, Yue would be alive right now. Because of my foolishness, you stand before me trying to manipulate me once more."

"Chief Arnook, I have been loyal to you ever since I can remember. I am your true son, not of body but soul. I am the heir who you need, not Sokka."

"You're wrong, Hahn. I see the truth now. Sokka will remain my heir and he will succeed me when I die, not you."

"That Usurper is a failure," the fury exploded through him and Hahn clenched his fists behind his back, gripping the dagger there. "The world will tremble before my onslaught! If you want the Water Tribes to be united so badly, just marry me to Chief Hakoda's daughter. I am your loyal servant; I love you more than my own father. Just show me the same loyalty and love, now." Arnook stepped closer, eyes sad and Hahn instinctively knew what the words would be. In response, he silently withdrew the dagger from the sheath.

"After I deal with the vessels approaching us, I will deal with you and your treachery, Hahn; death likely awaits you. Sokka is my heir and as I have said, he will succeed me instead of you."

"Sokka, Sokka, Sokka! That is all who you talk about!"

Arnook stood in front of him, eyes serious and disappointed. "You have been one of my greatest glories, but you are now my greatest shame."

"Shame? I am doing what is best for the Tribe!"

"No," Arnook stepped even closer and he was finally within reach. "You are doing what is best for yourself, Hahn."

"And I will continue to do so." In a blur of motion, he seized the Chief's parka and yanked him even closer, plunging his dagger into Arnook's chest with vicious stabs, again and again, warm and wet and thick blood splattering onto his own face.

"Hahn," Arnook whispered, staring at him in shock, blood seeping from his wounds and dribbling past his lips.

He yanked out the dagger and jammed it in again, twisting it harshly. "I loved you, but you refused to extend the same feelings to me. Only for Sokka and your bitch daughter!"

Arnook fell to his knees and when Hahn saw his fingers try to flick towards him, he ripped the dagger upward to keep him from waterbending; he sliced the Chief open up to the neck. Buckets of blood splattered onto the ice, staining it red and Arnook fell across it with a thump, and the Chief didn't stir again.

Hahn breathed deeply and rapidly, understanding what he had just done. He had killed the man who was more of a father to him than his own, but Arnook chose Sokka over him. It didn't matter, now. What was done is done, unable to be redone. He wiped the blood away with the sleeve of his parka and then he chipped away the ice holding his feet in place, keeping his eyes connecting to Arnook's corpse.

Once he was free, he then stumbled towards the Throne Room door. "Guards! Guards!" He called out, "Come quickly! The Chief has been assassinated!"

The two guards burst through the door but Hahn was ready; he jabbed the dagger into the neck of the first and then he kicked the other guard in the torso, sending him into one of the icy pillars. Hahn descended on him before he could waterbend and killed him.

He stood up from his bloody supper and walked towards the icy throne, stepping over Arnook's body without a second glance.

Hahn sat down on the throne and closed his eyes for a moment, basking in his moment of securing power. While he hadn't wanted to murder the Chief, Arnook had forced his hand with his foolishness.

"You will never sit on my throne, Usurper," he opened his eyes, staring at the corpses of those he killed. "It is mine and I will do anything to keep it."

XxXxXxXxXxX

"We're getting nowhere, guys!" Sokka declared angrily as he slashed his sword through a tree branch in frustration. "We need to decide already."

Mai rolled her dark eyes, "And what is your brilliant suggestion, oh, wise-one?"

He glared at her and inhaled slowly to calm himself. "I think that we need to be blunter in our approach."

"That should be your specialty, then, Sokka," the newly-arrived Koko smirked. "Suki has always told us stories about your bluntness. It's legendary!"

Sokka stared at the small group of Kyoshi Warriors who had recently caught up with him, Mai, and Ty Lee. "I'm still open to suggestions, you know? I'm more than willing to hear any."

"If we're trying to find Piandao," Ty Lee began, "who commanded that Lee guy to begin the plague, and since Dark infected him as he had done Mai and me, wouldn't it make sense that Piandao is highly-recognized by Dark, that he holds seniority over others, in spite of being a non-bender if he was able to command Lee to steal Embers?"

"I think that I'm beginning to understand what you're alluding to, Ty Lee," he nodded his head, scratching chin in what he hoped was an intelligent pose. "When we go to villages, we should just ask for Piandao, then - be blunt!"

"I guess that would work," the acrobat and chi-blocker squirmed. "It sounds like Piandao has been gaining followers for Ozai and Dark. Perhaps he has spread his name around, focusing on disgruntled villages that are at odds with Avatar Aang."

"So now we're just going to go village-to-village asking for a man named Piandao? I'm certain that will work, absolutely." Mai's tone was as dry as ever, sarcasm clear for Sokka to hear. "Ozai could have spies in villages; they could report to him that there are people asking about Piandao."

Sokka frowned, "Do you have any better options, any of you? I know that the plan is risky, but it's all that we've got so far."

Koko shrugged, looking at her fellow Kyoshi Warriors. "If we do some small, simple questioning, then it shouldn't be too suspicious. Just tell them the truth: that you are looking for your old mentor who you haven't seen in years."

"That's… actually a good idea," he muttered. "Are we all decided, then? That's what we're going to do? Now is your last chance to say otherwise!" None of the women raised protest, so Sokka nodded his head, gesturing to the village down the hill. "We'll start there and I'll do the talking, okay?"

"Don't you always?" Mai rolled her eyes again, "That's all you ever do."

Several of the Kyoshi Warriors snickered and Sokka huffed, pointing at Mai. "If you want to talk so badly, then go ahead."

"I was jesting with you," she replied flatly.

"Oh," he felt his cheeks heat in embarrassment. "That was well played, then. I thought that you were being serious."

"It's hard to tell with Mai sometimes," Ty Lee chirped. "It took practice, but now I know when she jests; she's funny."

"Are we going to go, or not?" Koko broke in, "No offense, but this is pointless chatter."

Sokka nodded, "She's right. Let's go, everybody. To the village!"

When they reached the outskirts of the territory, he was taken aback by the solemn atmosphere. Hunched-over figures stood in the shadows, watching as they walked through, eyes distrustful; they were muted, unspeaking.

"This is creepy," Koko whispered next to him. "All I see are women. Where are the men?"

"Let's keep going and find someone who looks in charge," he whispered back.

"How can someone look in charge, Sokka?"

"Trust me, okay? I've done this sort of thing before."

Koko glanced at him, unimpressed. "Interrogating the locals on Kyoshi Island doesn't count."

"That's not what I meant!"

"What did you mean? When have you 'done this sort of thing before,' Sokka?"

He spluttered, "I'm not telling you after you just insulted me."

"Oh, Kyoshi, just tell me!"

"Fine! It… it was in my dreams."

Koko inhaled slowly, "Amazing. We are being led by a seer."

Sokka groaned lowly, "I'm not a seer; they're fantasies when I think about stuff that could happen - such as this situation! Just trust me, could you? I can do this."

"So are you looking for a village elder or something? Is that someone who looks in charge?"

"Yes!" He raised his arms in disbelief, "Look at Kyoshi Island! You're elder is Oyaji; he's in charge."

"That's one example. You can't- "

Ty Lee gasped suddenly and Sokka tensed, hand darting to his sword. "Haru!"

"Haru?" He echoed, eyes darting towards Ty Lee as she dashed forward, gliding across the ground and leaped at a man who had appeared out of the shadows. Sokka slowly relaxed as the man, indeed, looked like Haru; the mustache and build were the same, although he was taller and his hair was shorter.

The man who looked like Haru caught her in shock. "Ty Lee?" His disbelief was obvious and Sokka was still trying to wrap his mind around everything - that was definitely Haru.

"Huh, the winds of fate are being awfully generous," he murmured.

"Oh, great," Mai groaned as Ty Lee smashed her lips onto Haru's. "Stop them before they fuck in the middle of the village."

"Hey, cut it out!" Koko snapped at them, the other Kyoshi Warriors glaring disapprovingly. "Don't act so salacious, Ty Lee."

Ty Lee pulled away from Haru, who Sokka noticed looked glazed and dumbstruck. "I can't help it! I missed him," she rubbed her hands over Haru's chest. "It's been a long time and I can still remember the way- "

"Stop!" He exclaimed, waving his hands wildly. "I need a moment to process all of this! Just… stop, okay? What the fuck is happening? I had thought that this village was persecuted or something and then Haru of all fucking people shows up!"

Haru slowly put Ty Lee down, control returning to him; he approached Sokka. "Sokka, it's good to see you."

"Man, I haven't seen you since the Great War ended," he laughed in disbelief, ignoring the still-solemn atmosphere. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm hunting," the Earthbender's face darkened, grief and anger combining into something dangerous.

Sokka was immediately on alert. "What happened?"

"My village was… attacked," he began. "I wasn't there when it happened; I was returning from a trip to Gaoling."

"Gaoling? That's Toph's home. What were you doing there?"

Haru rubbed the back of his neck. "I was… looking for Toph, actually. I wanted her to help me fully master earthbending."

"But she wasn't there," he concluded. "She's been with us for over a year, now."

"Us? Is the whole Gaang back together?" Haru stared at the Kyoshi Warriors, Mai, and Ty Lee. "That includes you guys?"

"Yes," Ty Lee smiled brightly, tracing her fingers on Haru's broad shoulder. "Azula has even joined."

"Azula?" Haru's eyes bulged from their sockets, "The Fire Princess? I thought that she was locked up!"

Sokka rolled his eyes without malice, more annoyance than anything. "When the Avatar falls in love with you, you can pretty much do whatever the fuck you want, regardless of your crimes."

"You mean, Aang has… he loves her, Princess Azula, the one who conquered Ba Sing Se and shot lightning at him? That Azula?"

"It's hard to believe," he admitted, "but I've seen it with my own eyes. He adores her and she is very fond of him; she's changed from that insane lightning-wielder who you heard about."

Haru looked at Ty Lee, "Did you and Mai speak with… Azula, then? You always told me how regretful you were."

"We spoke with her and she apologized to us for her own actions." Mai cut in, small emotion in her voice, "Azula and the two of us have a long way to go, though, before we're all 'okay' with one another."

"What happened to your village?" Koko interrupted quickly, "So you were returning from Gaoling when it was attacked, right?"

"Yes," Haru's voice was soft, regretful. "When I returned to my village, all of the men were… killed, boys included. My mother told me what happened: a group of powerful Earthbenders led by a scar-faced man who - why, I don't know - was referred to as the Sage. He preached against the Avatar, declaring that King Kuei of Ba Sing Se had been murdered by him, that only vandals could hope to topple Avatar Aang from power."

"Unfortunately, that's true," he commented sadly. "Kuei turned into a real prick; he tried to kill Appa and understandably, Aang became enraged."

"Rumors had reached my ears of the events, but I had refused to believe them." Haru sighed and Ty Lee laid her head on his arm in what Sokka guessed was for comfort. Koko and the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors and Mai remained quiet as he continued. "The scar-faced man demanded that all of the men and boys in the village join him in destroying the Avatar. When nobody did, he became enraged and that's when he and his group of Earthbenders slaughtered them all, my father amongst them. My mother said that the scar-faced man was powerful beyond anyone of whom they had seen; he could control metal and… lava."

"Lava?" Koko asked in astonishment. "That's impossible."

Sokka swallowed, "No, it's not. Aang mastered it and Bumi shared a story of a Lavabender he met; the man killed his son."

"Do you think that they are one-in-the-same?" Ty Lee whispered, staring up at Haru with sad eyes. "Lavabending is rare; there are only myths. There are legends of how Fire Lord Sozin controlled the lava beneath the Royal Fire Catacombs to shape his own tomb, but that's only a legend, not the truth. Earthbenders can learn lavabending but there are no stories of it, no history of it until Avatar Aang mastered it from one of his former lives. The only story that I heard of is King Bumi's about the man who killed his son. The scar-faced Lavabender… killed all of the men and boys in Haru's village mercilessly; monsters of that caliber are rare to discover."

"Indeed," he nodded in agreement. "It forces me to wonder if he is working with you-know-who."

"Is there anything else that happened in your village, Haru?" Koko asked softly, sympathetically. "It could help us out in regard to the scar-faced Lavabender."

"No," Haru's face contorted in grief. "While my father and the men of my village were being killed, I was oblivious to it all. I escaped only by happenstance," he closed his eyes in sorrow and Ty Lee wrapped her arms around him, her own face contorted with sadness

Sokka digested that news solemnly. "I'm sorry for your losses, Haru, I truly am. …And you're hunting this scar-faced man, now, correct?"

"Yes," his eyes opened and deep fury and grief shined. "I stumbled upon this village days ago and something similar apparently happened to them, although it happened before my village's slaughter."

"That's why there are no men save yourself here," Koko said in realization. "They were all killed, weren't they? They, too, refused to follow the scar-faced man?"

Haru shook his head, "That's not exactly what happened here. This village is part of the Colonies- "

Sokka blinked, "We've traveled that far?"

"How did you not know that?" Koko stared at him in disbelief, "We could've been lost!"

"Well, why didn't you know it?" He challenged, "You're the one who- "

"You were saying, Haru," Mai interrupted, frowning at them both. "What happened in this village? I don't think that anyone else will tell us."

"Yes, most are traumatized from what happened." Haru wet his lips and his eyes connected with Sokka's. "From what I've learned from several of the younger women, before they couldn't speak anymore of the subject, a man entered the village; it wasn't the scar-faced man, but someone different, a Firebender. This happened many weeks ago, now, but the women told me that he demanded all Firebenders join him, men and women. The non-bending men were then taken, too - why, I don't know."

"Who was the man?" Sokka asked, "What did he want?"

"He, too, was an Avatar-hater; he declared that Avatar Aang was the enemy of us all. He said that his name was Piandao and that he- "

"What?" Sokka screeched, "Piandao? Piandao! He was here?"

"He is why we're here, Haru." Koko said calmly, "Piandao is Sokka's former Master and mentor. We are looking for him because he has been corrupted by… Dark."

"Dark? I don't understand; you're going to have to explain that one."

"Dark is the opposite of the Avatar, literally darkness incarnate," he rushed out rapidly. "He's evil beyond reckoning. He wants to darken the Realms and former Fire Lord Ozai is working for him as his vessel - he'll become an Avatar just as Aang is if he acquires all of the elements."

Ty Lee swallowed audibly. "Mai and I were corrupted by Dark, his tainted energy ravaging our minds with hate and vile darkness. We were his slaves and it wasn't until Avatar Aang saved us that we were healed."

"It's not an existence that I would wish on anyone save Ozai himself; he more than deserves it." Mai said softly, "It was like waking from a horrible nightmare; it was poison in our minds."

"Piandao is corrupted just as they were," he waved his hands wildly. "What else do you know about Piandao? What did the women tell you? What happened?"

Haru was quiet for several moments, processing everything. "Sokka, is Piandao the non-bending mentor who you spoke about at the Western Air Temple?"

"Yes. What does that- "

"The women said that Piandao was a Firebender. I told you moments ago."

Sokka laughed in shock. "No, that can't be right. Piandao's a non-bender just like me, just as all of us save yourself, Haru."

"They were adamant, hysterical about it. Then they said that a black, corporeal shadow appeared next to Piandao and shadows swarmed all of the Firebenders and non-bending men; then they all simply followed him eagerly. I'm assuming that that was… Dark?"

"That was Dark, yes, but Piandao isn't a Firebender, Haru! He is a swordsman!"

Haru leaned back, "Well, they did say that he carried a sword."

"See, exactly!"

"They also said that it was a… fire-sword."

"Then that's Embers!"

"Embers?"

"It's an ancient Fire Royal Family heirloom created by Fire Lord Sozin itself." Ty Lee answered, "It's designed to handle a Firebender's pure flames without melting."

"Isn't Agni working with Dark?" Mai questioned, "Couldn't Agni gift Fire to whoever he chooses?"

Sokka nodded his head eagerly, ignoring the small betrayal that he felt. "That must be how Piandao is now a Firebender! It's because of Agni! Piandao must think like a Firebender, then, and be one at the core of his spirit."

"The Fire Spirit is working with Dark?" Haru looked aghast, "Who else is?"

"The Earth Spirit, Ozai, and I assume quite a bit of Children of both Fire and Earth." Mai said sadly, "It's a lot to take in."

Haru rubbed his face with his hands. "By the spirits, this is terrible. Wait, who were the other ones?"

"Other ones?" Koko narrowed her eyes, "What do you mean? Were there more with Piandao?"

"Yes, there were- "

"I bet that one of them was Ozai," he cut in darkly.

"The women said that there was another male Firebender with spine-chilling eyes and sideburns and a waterbending woman."

"A waterbending woman?" Sokka laughed in disbelief. "What kind of woman Waterbender would be so depraved to join- " he cut himself off with a strangled gasp, a terrible thought occurring to him. "The waterbending women, was she old?"

"No, they said that she looked around their own age - they weren't that old, hardly any streaks of gray in their hair."

Sokka sighed in relief, "That's good. It's not Hama, then, and before you ask, she was an evil Waterbender who we all met. She's probably dead by now, actually."

"The other guy didn't sound like Ozai, except for the spine-chilling eyes." Ty Lee said slowly, "The only known Firebender who was renowned for his sideburns was Admiral Zhao. He vanished during the Siege of the North. Do you think- "

"It's not him," he declared resolutely. "He was killed at the Northern Water Tribe by the Ocean Spirit. I don't think that it's Ozai, either. From what I know of the monster, he would be the one who did the talking; he wouldn't let someone else do it for him."

Mai began to twirl a shuriken in her hand. "It's true: Ozai was particularly known as Prince to do everything himself because he never trusted anyone else."

"Then that sideburn-guy isn't Ozai, although we can never rule out the possibility," Sokka concluded.

"What else happened, Haru?" Koko asked, "Anything important?"

"Just that the Firebenders and men all left with Piandao. I've been here trying to help out the village, but I'm still on the hunt for the scar-faced man."

"Join us," Ty Lee's tone was closer to a plea. "You can help us end it and rescue Piandao, maybe inflict a crippling blow to Ozai and Dark. Then we, which includes Avatar Aang, can help you find the scar-faced man."

"We could really use your help," he said honestly. "Having an Earthbender with us will make the journey easier and potential battles quicker."

Haru stared at Ty Lee for a moment before his eyes connected with Sokka's own. "I'll join you guys. Ozai and the scar-faced man are going to pay for what they've done."

"I'd like nothing more." Sokka held out his hand and Haru snagged it in a handshake. "We're just getting started."

XxXxXxXxXxX

"How does it feel?" Katara leaned forward in fascination, petting Druk, hand touching Zuko's own. "Can you talk with him?"

He smiled slightly, "It feels strange, but also fulfilling, actually. It's as if part of myself was dormant and now that Druk and I bonded, that part of me is awake. I can't talk to him, but we can learn to communicate - just as Aang and Appa do."

"Speaking of Appa, I thought that he was going to eat Druk, regardless of his no meat-eating habits."

"I did, too," he admitted. "I don't think that they like each other much."

"They're animals; they'll learn to like each other."

"I hope so."

"I'm happy for you," she placed a hand on his shoulder, fingers inching closer to his neck. "Now this one is one less thing that you need to worry about. The Dragons will return."

"Yes," he looked around the 'quarters' that the Sun Warriors had given them. It was carved into stone by fire and quite small, but it was doable. "I had always thought that after Ran and Shaw, there would be no more. I'm beyond happy, now."

"Speaking of you being happy, I sent a letter to my father to alert him of our relationship, of my decision. I also informed him of everything that has happened and how Aang could use the men from the Tribe to aid in the coming battle."

"That's good," his hand finally left Druk's head and he felt the displeasure his animal - no, his friend - felt through the bond, but Zuko ignored it. He grabbed Katara's hand and brought it to his lips reverently. "It's still hard to believe."

"What is?" Katara looked at him with confusion, "What's hard to believe?"

"This whole thing - us together. I never fathomed that it would happen in reality, only in my fantasies."

"You dreamed about me?"

"All of the time, especially when I was lonely," he responded honestly. "Even when we were at each other's throats before you forgave me- "

"I think that I was more at your throat than you were at mine."

"- there was always this connection between us; we understood each other, or at least I did you."

"The more I learned about your past, the more I began to understand you."

"We are similar and yet we are different enough to challenge one another. After the Great War, I had resigned myself to my fate: marriage to a stiff woman who would never attempt to defy me."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Since we've reconnected, I hold no ill towards you for what happened. What's in the past is in the past; what's done is done." Zuko laughed in amazement, "I had thought that you would change your mind, if I'm being honest."

Katara frowned, "What are you talking about?"

"You chose me as your- "

"Don't do that, Zuko, because I could say the same. You are the Fire Lord, second only to Aang himself - oh, and I guess Azula - in power in the world; you could choose any woman who you want, but you chose me, a lowly Waterbender."

"In terms of rank, you are actually a Princess of the Water Tribe, not a lowly Waterbender, Katara. You could have had any man, yet you didn't change your mind to gather options."

"There it is again," she didn't look pleased by his words. "What do you mean by that?"

"Look at me, Katara. Half of my face resembles burnt meat. I'm not exactly- "

Katara interrupted him, looking angry. "You are beautiful, Zuko. You may not see it, but I do. Your scar doesn't dampen that. You are the most handsome man I've met, and I know that our sons would be just as handsome as you."

"Sons?" Zuko echoed, "You've thought of children?"

"Of course, I have to. I've always wanted to be a mother and since you're the Fire Lord, you need heirs."

"That's true," he said slowly. "You're certain?"

"What is your obsession with this?" Katara pulled back to look at him properly, "Why do you keep doubting my commitment to this, to us?"

"I'm not- "

"Yes, you are, we both know it," she placed her soft hand on his cheek and his eyes shut. "Please be honest and tell me."

"I don't understand why you want to have my children, why you want to intertwine your line with my own." Zuko opened his eyes, connecting with her beautiful blue ones. "I would think that you would change your mind, or have you forgotten?"

"Forgotten what, Zuko?"

"My line breeds monsters!" Zuko felt it all erupt out of him, "My father has literally, willingly inveigled himself with Darkness and Chaos itself; he's a direct enemy to the Four Nations and the Avatar. Two of my great-grandfathers were best friends and then one killed the other, waging a Great War across the entire world, killing by the nation and species! If going by numbers alone, my line contains the most brutal killers in history: Kai, Kazuki, Ojas, Sozin, Azulon, and Ozai - and those are only the Fire Lords, not the other branches of the House of Agni that existed! The line of Sozin is cruel, harsh, and vicious. Why would you want to intertwine your blood with mine, the blood of monsters and tyrants? There's darkness in my line, there always has been. It's miraculous that Azula and I - and Uncle Iroh, too - have escaped it. I don't want our children to inherit that, to be like their grandfathers before them because I won't know what to do if they have that darkness."

"We would love them, that's what we would do." Katara smiled gently, "You can't worry about things that you have no control over, Zuko. For all that you know, our children could take after their father and… Aunt Azula - oh, that's something that I thought that I would never say - instead of their grandfathers, able to triumph over the darkness. Maybe they'll even take more Water Tribe traits than Fire Nation," amusement slowly crept into her expression. "They may even take after their Uncle Sokka, you know?"

"Don't even say that," he muttered dramatically, beginning to feel better.

Katara laughed, the sound sweeping away the last remnants of his fear. "You see, Zuko? I'm not changing my mind, not ever. As you had said to me, you're all there is for me."

He felt overwhelmed and pulled her into his chest. "You're amazing," he breathed out, resting his cheek on her head.

"And our children will be, too," she pulled back slightly and brought his lips down to her own. Zuko's eyes closed and lost himself; her tongue was wet and promising. "I'm ready," she whispered against his lips. "That's how certain I am. Love me, Zuko, please."

He swallowed and glanced at Druk. "Get out. I need the… room." He felt the indignation and slight amusement from the bond as Druk silently exited. "We're alone," he breathed out and kissed her passionately, feeling his own excitement more fully than ever before.

Katara pulled him to the makeshift bed and pulled away, a loving smile on her face. "Help me out of this, please."

He fumbled at the gown, hissing between his teeth. "Why is this so complicated?" Katara's laughter did nothing to relieve his frustration, his need to have her, to be fully connected with her in ways that he had only dreamed of. "Will you be angry if I rip- finally!" Zuko unwound the laces and helped her slip out of the gown and she was more beautiful than he had imagined, more beautiful than any of the whores who he had slept with. "By Agni, you are… stunning," he whispered, his hand framing her cheek. "The first time I ever saw you, I was taken aback by your beauty, and now that you're a true woman, I'm almost speechless."

She smiled and tears welled in her blue eyes. "You're not just saying that to, you know, take my maidenhead?"

"No, never," he brought her lips back to his, hoping that she could feel what he himself did. "As we have both said, you're all there is for me. This is how much I mean it: I don't want children with anyone but you. Even if you refused to have children, if you didn't want them, I would be okay with that as long as I had you. I would give the Dragon's Throne to any firebending son who Azula has with Aang, past history with Fire Lord Zyrn be damned."

Tears spilled down Katara's cheeks and she clutched against him, lips fervent now. "That was good," she panted, beginning to strip him of his own garments. "Did you practice it?"

"I haven't practiced it," he leaned down and kissed her throat tenderly, sucking lightly, trailing his tongue upward. "I've thought about it and it's the utter truth."

"Lucky for you, you don't need to worry about it," she trailed her fingers lightly over his bare chest and when she skimmed the various scars, his eyes flickered shut. "I want to bear your children, Zuko, bear our children."

Her words swept through him and a primal part of him took control; he lifted her off of the ground and her feet wrapped around her back, their lips and tongues entangled. Her hands scratched gently at his bare back, grazing long-forgotten scars, sending flashes of pleasure through him. He gently laid her on the makeshift bed, falling on top of her, one hand knotted in her hair and the other kneading her breast, fingers digging into the soft orb of flesh; he pulled away from her lips to ring his tongue across her hard nipples, flicking gently, her mewls of pleasure spurring him on in a frantic frenzy.

Katara gasped, a delicious whimper escaping past her swollen lips and Zuko swallowed it with his own, his passion and desire for her overwhelming him. His hips began to grind against her center, his straining manhood tantalizing close; the friction from the sizzling contact exploded through him and Zuko groaned loudly as he felt the familiar fire stir in his loins and his manhood pulsed almost painfully. One last time, hoping that he could hold it off, he bucked his hips against her and involuntary, his eyes slammed shut in pleasure and he knew that he had to stop immediately, or he would ruin the entire experience for them both.

"Damn it," he hissed, pulling away from her lips and lessening the contact between their nude bodies, his body quivering and shaking with need and desire. "Just give me a few moments."

"What happened?" Katara stared up at him in confusion, face flushed, her beautiful blue eyes glazed. "Did you… finish? Already?"

"No!" Zuko felt shame and embarrassment flame his good cheek and parts of his bad one. "It's just that… it's been over a year for me. I need to calm down or none of this will be pleasurable for you; it will be over before it even begins, and I want to do this right." Katara's blue eyes held no judgment or disappointment, only flashes of amusement and love - the amusement spread more shame through him. "Oh, fuck," he cursed.

"I'm honored that the Fire Lord was overwhelmed by my body," she laughed slightly, leaning up to kiss him gently and softly. "Just don't take too long, Zuko. I don't know how long that I can take."

He inhaled slowly and felt some of his frenzy disperse. "I think that I'm ready now," he slowly returned to his previous position but he took his time, slowly exploring every part of her sacred body, her moans of pleasure guiding him, and when they were both ready, they became fully joined as man and woman.

XxXxXxXxXxX

That's all for this one, everyone! I hope that you all enjoyed it and I'd also really appreciate it if you left a review; it would help me out! Oh, boy, a lot happened in this chapter!

**Ozai, Vaatu, Hama, Lee, Zhao, all Firebenders and non-benders and other company set sail for the Northern Water Tribe! Many Children of both Fire and Earth have joined them because of Vaatu's darkness influencing them. I hope I displayed what that entails with Hama and how she felt 'something' come over her.

**Aang and company arrive at the Sun Warrior Ruins! It is revealed that a new male Dragon had been born, that had been the Sun Stone before it hatched. It's not Canon that the Sun Stone is a Dragon Egg, but I think that it would be obvious. I mean, the Sun Warriors were more than willing to kill over it, so it seems priceless. What would be considered priceless to a primitive Tribe of Firebenders? I bet that a Dragon Egg would be, especially considering that there are only two - now, three - Dragons remaining in the world of Avatar. As for the animal bonding process between Druk and Zuko, I really struggled with how to solidify the bond and I based it on what seemed to work between Appa and Aang that we all saw in the flashback scene although I changed a few things. (Yes, the consuming of the meat to share it with Druk was based on How To Train Your Dragon.)

Yes, Aang realizes that he should have killed Ozai in Canon. Honestly, it's what logically makes the most sense and my mind won't be changed. I know that it was what made the most emotional sense in the show for Aang, but remember that he was 12-years-old, a boy who was raised as a pacifist and thought that killing was the cardinal sin in existence even though he killed people in Canon. Annihilation of the Fire Nation's navy at the Northern Water Tribe, and the destruction of General Fong's Earth Kingdom base, anyone? He wasn't truly mature in spite of his wisdom-beyond-his-years tendencies. Everyone else said that he should be killed but he refused, finding a different way by taking away his firebending. That is a cop-out in my mind about the true decisions in life that one must make, although I do completely understand why they went that route for him and even applaud it in some ways but that is ONLY because Aang himself was a child and it was a children's show. If Aang had been closer to Zuko or Sokka's age in Canon during Sozin's Comet, then he MUST kill Ozai because then it would show that he could be a true Avatar and a man, but since he was only 12-years-old, it was okay how it went even though I will still gripe about it. (He can learn later on that things must be done like that, as he did in this story.)

As Avatar Yangchen had told him, "selfless duty calls for you to sacrifice your own spiritual needs, and do whatever it takes to protect the world." That is a truthful statement that Aang now, as a mature man and fully-realized Avatar, finally understands. This is the reason for his entire existence as the Avatar, what he was taught, to preserve peace and balance, but in refusing to kill Ozai, thus giving one of the most dangerous men in the entire world the ability to return to inflict harm on innocents, he drastically failed in that duty. With Ozai still living, the threat that remains looms large because it's Ozai, who was immensely powerful and on top of that, an expert manipulator and political leader. Ozai should have been killed in Canon because as seen in history, an overthrown leader is never a gone leader; he could always return. Why do you think that every major removal of power in world history is seeped in the slaughtering of the old? It's because of the danger they present, the very danger that Ozai himself represents in the world of Avatar because if they/he return, they/he are a very legitimate threat who could destroy everything and everyone you love, especially in the era that the show was set in. (Look at all of the medieval history in Europe of Kings and Princes or claimants for the throne raising an army to take back their rightful throne, killing anyone and everyone in their way. Ozai could easily do that because he has loyalists, firebending be damned!)

**Bumi, Toph, Bor, and a pregnant Suki meet with King Bipin of Chyung, and then they are all ambushed by the Children of Chin and other Earthbenders, led by Chin V! Okay, I'm pretty certain that most of you figured out that Chin V was the one who killed Bumi's son and Bor's father, Sheil, and that Bumi was the one who scarred Chin V's face, making him look almost deformed. Okay, the reason that ultimately, they lost was that it was an ambush, they were drastically outnumbered, and because Suki was pregnant. (This is war. Pregnant women are at a severe disadvantage and Chin V is a monster who is willing to use people to get what he wants, someone who wouldn't care if Suki dies - and her baby, too.)

Toph is the one who pretty much taught Chin V metalbending. It was alluded to in the last chapter, but after Toph ran away from her parents for the final time, she was at an all-time low; she hit taverns during her travels and to imbue herself with worth, she bragged about all of her accomplishments. Unbeknownst to her, she encountered Chin V and after he recognized her strength, he coaxed her to drink more alcohol, thus releasing her inhibitions. She then revealed everything about metalbending and because Chin V is so talented at earthbending, he was able to learn it from her words alone.

Toph is maimed. (*Ducks from flaming pitchforks!*) Look, what else could truly happen in this scenario? Chin V knows all about Toph, about how dangerous she is. They are at a drastic disadvantage because Suki is captured, Bumi is injured and incapable of helping because of Chin V. Bor and Toph eventually allow themselves to be separated from the earth because of the threat to Suki. Chin V then, unfortunately, maims Toph, searing lava to her feet, truly blinding her because the man is not stupid. He knows that if she were freed, Toph is a legitimate threat to him and all of his fellow Children of Chin; in terms of a chess analogy, he is toppling the Queen from the board. (Don't worry, Toph will not stay maimed forever. She will overcome it because that's who she is, because she also has friends in high places.) Then, of course, there is Bumi, who is tortured by Chin V by having his limbs sliced off. Bumi gets the last laugh by using his face to metalbend a shard through Chin V's head, killing him. Chin V dies unceremoniously and that is Bumi's ultimate revenge for his son, Sheil's death and Toph's maiming. Unfortunately, Bumi dies from his wounds. That was really hard to write because I love Bumi's character, but in my opinion, it needed to be done. Honestly, it was better for him to die at peace surrounded by his grandson and some of his friends; his style of life without limbs would have been horrible. Because of his sacrifice, he was the only one to die instead of all of them save Toph. (Most realities where they are all captured as they were would end with all of them dying, even Toph if Chin V decided to cut his losses. I thought about it a lot and this was the most logical situation where most of them survived the encounter and Chin V was killed.)

Okay, I based the Children of Chin bloodlines on the Spanish Habsburg Dynasty, one of medieval Europe's most powerful noble families. The House of Habsburg was notorious for their inbreeding, trying to keep "it" in the family. In fact, because of their incessant, rampant inbreeding through the centuries, it had debilitating consequences that would ultimately cause the line to die out, particularly the Spanish branch. In fact, nine out of the eleven marriages that occurred during their Spanish reign were incestuous. This is what caused their downfall because due to the incest, it deteriorated their line until Charles II of Spain, the final male heir, who many say was impotent, was incapable of producing children to continue the line; that brought an end to Habsburg rule. Now, this is similar to the Children of Chin. Chin V is the fourth Chin after Chin the Conqueror and each generation before him was incestuous because they wanted to keep "it" in the family, too. As seen with the Habsburg Family, that has disastrous consequences. Chin V's lover is his own sister and because of this, because both of them are the products of generations-worth of inbreeding, they cannot beget an heir together, who would become Chin VI because ultimately, it's a genetic failure because of too much inbreeding. (The Habsburg's were notorious for their much-too large chins and I tried to do the ears for the woman, but I don't know how that turned out.) Anyway, that's why Chin V was obsessed with Toph: he needs an heir and she's an incredibly powerful Earthbender who could add strength to his bloodline by giving him an heir.

**Yue appears before her father and I think that it makes a lot of sense that she couldn't appear that often. I know that she appeared twice in the last chapter, but that had taken almost all of her energy. Remember, she is just a mere fraction of Tui, the true Moon Spirit's essence. The rest of Tui was killed by Zhao; she doesn't just magically go back to full power because of Yue's sacrifice. Yue is weak, to be blunt, because of what Zhao did, because Tui had undoubtedly saved her life as a baby by giving her just a small fraction of her essence. That is why she didn't just simply tell her father what Hahn was doing earlier; she had chosen to confront Hahn because, at heart, Yue has always been a gentle and kind person. She believed that she could "save" Hahn from himself, although ultimately, she was kidding herself because Hahn is irredeemable by this point.

Arnook learns the truth and confronts Hahn, informing him of his knowledge of Hahn's betrayal and deeds in smearing Sokka's name throughout the Northern Water Tribe, and of Hahn's resulting future. Hahn is furious and the entire confrontation culminates until a taken-by-surprise Arnook is stabbed to death by Hahn. For those of you who might think that Arnook was killed too easily, remember his actions in Canon in regard to his daughter's marriage? He was completely oblivious to her discontent, to her unhappiness; that shows a lack of awareness that could get him killed if he is blinded by his emotions. He loved Hahn like a son. Why else would he betroth him to his only daughter, willing to give him the Northern Water Tribe instead of creating an alliance between the Southern Water Tribe years previously by betrothing Sokka to Yue? So, because he thinks that Hahn loves him, he believed that he would never be in harm's way; that would be the last mistake that he would ever make. He also didn't use his waterbending because he was too stunned and when he tried to in a last-ditch effort to survive, Hahn recognized what would happen and inflicted the final, killing blow.

**Sokka, Mai, Ty Lee, Koko, and a few more Kyoshi Warriors meet up with Haru! I know that it was kind of random for Haru to show up, but I hope that I gave realistic reasoning for Haru's appearance. In case if it wasn't obvious, Chin V was the scar-faced Lavabender; he went to Haru's village and demanded that the men and boys join him to battle against the Avatar - this was on his way to Ba Sing Se where we all know what happened. Sokka convinces Haru to join them while they hunt for Ozai.

**Zuko and Katara finally have sex. It was a long time coming, wasn't it? I hope that it was well-written and seemed realistic. I think by now, they've both reach a point where they can commit to such things, specifically Katara.

I think that's everything so leave a review and tell me what you think of the chapter. I'd really appreciate it!

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