I only own the stuff I came up with. The stuff that I originally didn't have in my story is not mine.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Book 2: Earth

THE COMPANION

Chapter 11: The Escape

"Ever since I was little, I've had these visions. Glimpses of the future. Some are very strong visions, and some are just minor. The minor ones are just quick glimpses into the near future. What I see in those usually happen in one to two days. The strong ones however, are violent and painful. They tell me what is to come in the distant future. These visions are rare, but they foretell things, usually terrible things. The one I just had was awful, absoluely awful."

"What did you see?" Iroh asked with concern.

"There was fire everywhere. I saw the earth burn. The sky filled with ash and fire. It was terrifying." She was shaking a little and a few tears escaped.

"The future can be changed, Ananda."

"Not what I see." She told him, sadness clearly present in her voice. "What I see always come true. No matter how hard you try, no matter what you do to change it, what I see ALWAYS comes to pass." Then she got a distant look in her eyes. It was almost painful to see her like that.

Iroh took her hands and looked into her eyes. She tried to look away but he wouldn't let her. "Please, I don't want to see."

"Why not child? You have seen into so many others."

"Because you've shown me kindness, and your past, it's so... painful." She choked out.

"Much like your's I believe."

Her head shot up. "How could you possibly know that?" She asked in disbelief.

"I noticed your marks. I've only read of them, but I know what they mean." She stared at him, shock written all over her face. "You are the Avatar's Companion." He said smoothly. "You are a very powerful creature. You have abilities some can not even imagine." She was frozen, unable to say a word.

"How could you possibly know this?" She finally managed to ask him.

"Why don't you look and see?" Iroh said. So she did. She looked strait into his eyes, and just like with everyone else, she saw his whole story. She saw him as firelord, and his greif when his son died. How he's cared for Zuko. It was painful, but now she understood him, just as she did almost everyone else.

She gave him a nod and simply said, "I see."

He nodded back. "Now, we must get you back to the Avatar. After all, after the Avatar and his Companion meet, the two need each other. For they are a part of each other.

They had come up with a pretty good plan on how to get her off the ship. It wasn't too difficult. She just had to jump off the side of the ship. 'I've done worse things' she thought to herself with a shrug and a small laugh. She quietly crept to Prince Zuko's chambers. Her stealth was nearly inhuman. She knew he was still awake. She could sense him. So, she knocked on the door and he was completely stunned to see her standing there.

"What do you want?" It was more of a demand than a question.

"Now, is that any way to treat a guest?" She asked playfully.

He seemed to calm down. Somehow her presence had that effect on him. It seemed to have that effect on everyone. All she had to do was flash them a smile and everyone in the room seemed to relax. "Are you well?" He asked a bit more politely.

"Yes, thank you for you're concern." She told him sincerly. "Anyways that's not why I'm here. I came to tell you thank you for all your help, but I have to leave now."

He just laughed in reply. "You think I'd let you leave?" He laughed again, "you're not going anywhere!"

She walked slowly toward him, her grace seemingly impossible. "I thought you'd say that." By now she was standing right in front of him, their faces just inches away. "Which is why you won't remember any of this." Then she kissed him. It was a gentle kiss that lasted about one to two seconds. As she pulled away, it looked as if she was pulling small tendrils of silver away with her. Then, she turned around and headed for the edge of the ship, leaving a sleeping Zuko behind her.

"Guys, where exactly are we?" Sokka was SO glad to be out of that world of mirrors. But now they were lost. "Does Ananda know what she's doing? Cause I'm seriously starting to question her right now!"

"Sokka, you've been questioning her since the moment you met her. Even after she saved your life, TWICE!" Katara yelled at her brother.

"Make that three times." Aang interrupted. They turned to look at him. "She helped Hachi lead us out of Mirror World." He explained.

Katara turned to her brother again and continued her lecture. "You're questioning a girl that's saved your life three times, fed you, housed you, and will probably show up again just in time to save you! Really Sokka? You're really that untrusting? Are you gonna turn on me next? Or Aang? Maybe he's not really the Avatar! Maybe he's fire nation!"

"He already accused me of that remember?" Aang cut in, trying to hide a smile and a small laugh.

"Exactly!" Katara was doing one of her learn a lesson things. She pointed her finger in Sokka's face, got really close, and almost growled, "So you need to learn to be a bit more trustworthy, or the next person staying behind and ending up dead might just be YOU!" She regretted the words as soon as they came out. She turned to Aang and saw that he was trying not to meet her gaze. "Oh! Aang, Aang I'm so, I'm so sorry! You know I didn't mean it like that!"

"It's okay." He told her. "You're probably right."

"Aang, you can't possibly think that!" She gasped.

"Why shouldn't I? I see her as a ghost, the last image of her was her being taken by the fire nation, and we haven't heard a thing from her since we got out! What do you expect me to think?" He was shouting by the end.

"I expect you to know that she'll be okay. She's survived over one hundred years hasn't she? She'll be alright." With that, she gave Aang a hug and a smile.

Then Sokka called back to them, "Hey guys! Is it just me, or do you see a town up ahead?"

Author's Note:

I'm having a bit of trouble with this story, so ideas would be helpful. I'd like to know what you want to see happen in the story. I'm not completely sure where in season 2 I should have this pick up, so if you could give me some ideas that would be great:-)