"So what exactly are we supposed to do?" Zuko paces. He's already sharpened his swords, gone through his katas, shaved off stubble that isn't there and meditated. He glares at the sun only barely past it's zenith. It's the fifth day like this.

Katara shrugs. "I don't know I was always training him or there was always something to do. We had a place to go, a destination." She looks over at Toph and Aang training before dropping her head in her hands. "Sokka," her foot prods him, "You have any ideas?"

He glances up from under the arm over his eyes. "I was trying to sleep."

"You did enough of that already, come on think of something."

"Why me?"

"You're the idea guy, remember."

"Well, my idea is that we all take naps." He glares at the two of them. "Far far away from each other." He tilts his head. "We should probably be making plans."

"Plans, for what?"

"Really, for what," he scoffs. "We're travelling with the Avatar you know, the kid who's supposed to kill the Fire Lord, and we have no idea how to do it. We need to come up with something."

"Good idea." Zuko sits down beside the other boy.

"Really?" Sokka's eyebrows scrunch. "You think that getting a plan to sneak into your home and kill your dad is a good idea. Your dad - dead."

"It's not my home anymore and yes it is good to have a plan."

"O-kay then."

"I got my map back from Aang we can start planning a route." Katara joins them. "He needs to master the elements first though."

Sokka waves her off. "We've got plenty of time, it's just good to be prepared, just in case."

"What do you mean plenty of time?"

"What does plenty of time usually mean? It means we've got plenty of time," Sokka shrugs.

"Wait, so you don't know that - no you wouldn't know - oh shit."

"What?" The siblings demand in unison.

Zuko rubs the back of his head. "It's well, it's -"

"Spit it out!"

"Sozin's Comet. It comes every hundred years and it's due back the end of summer. It's supposed to be unimaginable power, the Fire Nation would be unstoppable with it."

Silence falls on the trio before a course laugh erupts from Sokka. "Of course. Of fucking course."

Katara droops, "No. That can't be right."

"I'm sorry."

"No," Sokka snarls, "We've fought too hard, come too far to quit now. We'll take him down!" He drives his fist into his other hand. "We'll figure something out. Is there anything else that's managed to slip your mind?" Zuko shakes his head. "Okay then, we just need to strike before the comet. How good is Aang at water bending?"

"I think he's learned as much as he can right now. There are a few things I've been working on but I think he's good enough at it that he needs to focus on the other elements. He just needs to refine his techniques."

"And fire bending, how's that going?"

Zuko snorts. "He still won't let me teach him. I've tried but he blows me off."

"Well he needs to get his butt in gear and-"

"Sokka, we don't want to overwhelm him," Katara cuts in. "Have him get earth bending before he starts fire that way he doesn't get them mixed up or discouraged or anything."

"No, he needs to do this now!"

"Piling stuff on him won't help any, it'll just stress him out."

"Hmpf, fine."

"You're damn right Twinkletoes needs to learn earth bending! He sucks!" Toph shouts and the trio jumps completely unaware that she heard them from so far away. She plods over to where they are, dragging a confused Aang behind him. "But don't you think he should be involved in this conversation?"

"Wha-?" Aang manages to get out of Toph's grip. "I should be here for what conversation?"

"Well, we just found out that at the end of the summer everything's going to hell if you don't take out the Fire Lord before that." Sokka huffs.

Aang balks, "What do you mean?"

"Sozin's comet is coming and with it my father will be unstoppable."

"Please tell me you're joking."

"No. There's enough dissent in the military that he may not be able to completely win the war that day but it'll be close. You need to stop him before that happens."

"But the end of summer is so close! How am I supposed to master all the elements, how am I supposed to - no! I can't do it!" Aang's breathing quickens and his arms wrap around himself.

Katara steps forward, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You can do it. You've already mastered water and air. You can do it."

"No! It's too much, too soon!" He jerks away from her. "I can't!" He runs, jumping up and flying away before anyone can stop him.

"That went well." Katara mumbles.

Toph just shakes her head. "Stupid airbender."

"He'll be back. Just give him some time to cool off," Sokka says.

. . .

Aang collapses in on himself as soon as he lands atop a cliff far away from the group. "I can't do this," He mutters over and over again, shaking his head. Tears roll don his face.

"There's no way I can do this by the end of summer." He looks to the sky, the sun high above him. "Why me! I didn't want this! Why can't you just give me a break?" He shouts, the words falling into open air.

He sighs. All of the monks used to talk about the spirits of the wind and how they would guide people to the right choices. Despite being the Avatar he's never heard them. Maybe going to the spirit world will help! He crosses his legs and begins to meditate.

In-two-three-four. Out-two-three-four. In-two-three-four. His breath slows and evens. To his left a bird caws, he jumps. He's back in the swamp, or the forest he entered during his trip here at the North Pole, or it's an entirely new place with entirely new spirits and the pond that isn't a pond in front of him just looks familiar because he saw it a thousand life times ago. The Spirit World always disconcerts him a little. Everything is familiar but he doesn't recognize a thing.

He reaches out, pulling himself up. "Excuse me?" He calls. Wings flap to his side but there's no answer. "Hello? Is there anybody here?" The monks were supposed to take him into the Spirit World first. They were supposed to teach him how to navigate, what to do, how to talk to the spirits, to his past lives but now he wades out into the pond. Roku appeared to him in water last time and he has to hope. More accurately, he has to try.

Nothing. Sweat drips down his spine, who knew it could get muggy without a physical body.

It's hard to get to the tops of the trees without airbending but after much grunting, swinging, and falling he manages it. Silent wind passes through the leaves, shaking them violently, tugging at Aang's shirt. There's no whistling between branches, no roar in his ears, only silence. Whatever spirits the monks would have shown him aren't talking today.

"Do not worry about it young Avatar. It comes with time which you have plenty of."

Aang whirls around, expecting to see Roku. The man in front of him - on the ground but somehow close enough to touch - is most definitely not the previous Avatar.

"Spirits will talk when they're ready." He laughs, "Much like my nephew they're stubborn and unwilling to change except for very good reasons."

"Wha- how are you here!"

"I have some free time on my hands currently and I thought that -"

"Oh." Aang pauses. "I remember. I saw you in chains when I saw the banyion tree, are you alright?"

Iroh grimaces. "I'm fine, just waiting for some friends of mine."

"Are you in jail?"

"Not for long young man. Please do an old man a favor and don't tell Prince Zuko about that. He would worry too much. Though if you would tell him I said hello I would like that very much."

"Are you sure?"

Iroh nods. "He is busy and shouldn't have to worry about me. Tell me though, how is he?"

"Uh - he's good. I think. I don't really talk to him much. We went and saw the dragons though!"

"Ah, I always knew my nephew would meet them. Was it wonderful?"

"Oh, it was amazing!"

"It was to me too. So tell me how's Sokka and Miss Katara?"

"Sokka's Sokka. He's bored but I'm sure he'll figure out something to do!"

"And Miss Katara?" Iroh prompts when Aang doesn't add anything else.

Aang shrugs. "Okay I guess. She panics a lot and sometimes she seems different but she tries. Trying's the important part I guess. She's getting along with Toph, I was really worried about that. Toph's my earth bending teacher. She's so cool!" Iroh just sits and listens and Aang talks, pouring out details and thoughts to the man he hardly knows but who is somehow so familiar. "- and that's why I don't have as much time as I thought I did. I have to learn all this stuff by the end of summer and I don't even know what I'm doing!"

"It's not as dire as you think. It's true that the comet is coming but so is the eclipse."

"The eclipse? What does that have to do with anything?"

"A solar eclipse blocks out the sun - and fire bender's abilities."

"Yeah, sure."

"I mean it. You need to -" Iroh's spirit flickers. "I have to go!" He clasps Aang's hands hurriedly. "You have to warn the Earth Kingdom and please, please tell my nephew I love him!" Iroh disappears.

Wind howls through the trees.

. . .

Aang glides in, trying to act as though he didn't leave in the middle of a very important discussion. Sokka looks up from his diagram in the dirt, raising an eyebrow. Katara just pretends he never left though he notices now the dark under her eyes. Zuko crosses his arms and somehow manages to look disappointed in a way that makes Aang squirm. Toph however stomps up to him.

"You'd better not fly off again the next time you hear something you don't like cause guess what, you're the Avatar. People are gonna be telling you stuff you don't like for the rest of your life. You'd better get used to it. Now, are you ready to learn how to kick some Fire Lord butt?"

"Yeah, just give me a moment. Zuko?"

The scarred prince follows him a ways from everyone else. "Yes?"

Aang folds his hands, unfolds, then folds again before finally speaking. "I saw your uncle."

"What!"

"I was in the spirit world and -"

Zuko's eyes widen and he grabs the front of Aang's robes. "You saw him there, he's not - he's not is he?"

"No!"

Zuko exhales violently, letting go of Aang. "You're sure?"

"Yeah I am. He was just meditating," He promised not to tell Zuko about the prison and so he holds his tongue. "He wanted me to tell you he loves you."

Zuko's forehead creases, he blinks rapidly but swallows the emotion down. "Did he say anything else?"

"There's an eclipse. It will block out all the firebending and we need to tell the Earth King."

"Did he say when it was?"

"No but the Earth King will probably have something that can figure that out, they just may not know what the eclipse does."

"That would make sense." He claps the younger boy on the shoulder, turning to go back to camp. "Are you sure he didn't say anything else?"

"That's it, Zuko."

"Okay."

Everyone looks up as they enter camp. "We're going to Ba Sing Se."