Author's Note: Hey everyone. Go check out my new Maiko oneshot if you haven't already :)

Ryan Lohner – I haven't been able to respond to your reviews, since you're an anonymous reviewer, but thank you very much for adding my fanfic to the Recommendations page on TV Tropes. I really, really appreciate it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender and I am in no way associated with the creators of the show.

Book 2: Earth

Chapter 3: The Ruins of Omashu


"I can't believe it. I know the war has spread far, but Omashu always seemed... untouchable."


A gentle rain started to fall.

He couldn't believe it. This is what it had been reduced to.

At least before, the Earth Kingdom city was inhabited by the Fire Nation, but now…

It was empty, a ruin. Nobody lived here now. From across the canyon, near the exit from the Cave of Two Lovers, Aang was able to see that. The great towers and the palace were crumbled, the mail delivery systems nonexistent. The mountain that the city was built on was carved strangely, which Aang realized was probably from earthbenders trying to defend their home.

And even after the battle had been lost for years, the water was still winning. Waterfalls streamed down the mountainside surrounding the ruins. Ribbons of water even streamed through the city elaborately, falling down from one central point – the very tip of Omashu, the palace. For some reason, the city seemed to be pushed against the mountainside behind it, and the rivers were fed by water from the mountains. The water ended its journey down at the bottom of the ravine, which seemed to be a grand lake by itself. He assumed that an underground waterway led to the sea.

Behind him, Azula and Sokka had stopped bickering, and the former stepped up beside him. "You know," she said, "If you really look at it, the ruins look sort of… pretty."

Aang's stony expression didn't change. "It was, when it was still a city."

"But now it's been reduced to nothing," Sokka said condescendingly. "The siege lasted for days, and the Water Nation won. They didn't even give the city a chance to surrender."

Zuko walked up after them, getting his own view of the once-grand city. He narrowed his eyes at Sokka. "They killed them all," Sokka finished.

"You shut up, Sokka!" Aang yelled.

Aang pointed the tip of his sword at Sokka, who responded by gathering water and ice at the tips of his fingers from the rain. Azula did nothing as the droplets slid down her face and hair, but Zuko ran between them.

"Guys, stop!" he shouted as the force of the rain increased. "Let's just get to shelter."

"Oh, but I love the rain!" Sokka shouted back, condensing the water into a solid bullet and shooting it at Aang, who dodged and sent back a burst of fire. It didn't go far before sizzling out, creating steam that hissed into the air.

Trying to end the fight quickly, Zuko slid behind Sokka and held one of his broadswords to his neck. "Don't do anything else!" Zuko yelled to Aang, his hand quavering as he held the sword. Sokka noticed this and dropped down, sweeping his leg out behind him and tripping up Zuko. He froze there a second later. Sokka stood still for a moment to regard his two foes. Aang had sheathed his sword and drawn his staff, while Azula stood still, looking slightly amused by the situation but didn't seem as if she was going to do anything.

"Why did you want to take me with you, Avatar?" Sokka called to Aang angrily, his one eye wide. With his mussed up hair soaking wet, he looked like a crazy person. "Why did my grandmother leave me so readily?!" He thrust his hand toward Aang, shooting a cutting blade of water from the ground. In response, the Avatar jumped over the attack and dropped his foot down in an axe kick, hitting Sokka with a torrent of wind that forced him to the ground. As Aang landed, he swung his staff horizontally, hitting the waterbender with a wide, windy arc.

Globules of water rose up next to Aang and converged on him from both sides, one to his head and another to his legs, sending him spinning to the ground. Before his face smacked against the mud and rock, he stopped his fall with his hands and looked up at Sokka, who was standing.

Sokka was about to attack him with more water, but without warning, Azula came up behind him and punched him in the back of the head. Before he could fall forward, she grabbed his left arm and twisted it almost to the point of breaking, before simply holding it behind him. Sokka fell unconscious.

"That was dirty," Aang said to Azula as he stood up from the muddy ground. All of them were completely drenched.

"I know," Azula said with a smirk. A crack of lightning lit up her features. "Let's unfreeze Zuzu from that ice before he drowns or something."

Leaving Sokka on top of Appa, who was miserable in the rain, Aang and Azula thawed Zuko with their burning hands. As the swordsman stood, he tried wiping the mud off of him and spoke. "We should try to find shelter."

"The Cave?" Azula suggested.

"No… They're probably filling up with water right about now," Aang said. He looked back to Omashu. "We should go there." Zuko seemed uncomfortable with the statement, but Azula shrugged.

"Whatever. As long as we're out of the rain," she said. Another blast of lightning lit up the sky.


Piandao stood in a meditative stance, standing straight and erect with his sword held behind him, keeping his posture correct. He kept his balance with the swaying of the ship in the slightly rough ocean, his eyes closed. He was at the front of the ship, facing his destination.

The Earth Kingdom.

But a storm was coming. He could feel it in his bones. More specifically, he was going to the storm. Behind him, Fat the Butler approached.

"We'll be arriving at the Earth Kingdom soon, sir," he said. "I advise you to come inside. It's going to start raining." As soon as he finished his words, water droplets began to fall on the two of them.

"Alright," said Piandao with a small sigh, walking to the inside of his own private boat. It was smaller than the ones of the Water Navy, but it served its purpose.

"Are you sure you don't want some guards accompanying you as you travel?" Fat asked, showing some worry for the old master.

"Yes, I'm sure. And for the last time, I don't need any protection."

"Not even a carriage?"

"Traveling on foot will be sufficient," said Piandao. Extravagance was not important. He was perfectly fine with living and traveling like a regular Earth Kingdom peasant. He would be safer that way on his quest.

He was hunting the Avatar.

He wanted his meteorite sword back.


The group managed to find a large, cavernous house that was high enough to stay dry and big enough to fit Appa. Flying over to the city, Aang and Azula tied up the unconscious Sokka again, but by the time they were finished, he was conscious again. Azula, Zuko, and Sabishi gathered around a fire lit in Aang's hand, since finding some dry wood was an impossible task. Sokka stubbornly sat outside of their ring.

"As soon as the storm ends, we're out of here," Azula said. "I've never felt so miserable in my life." She was more than miserable – she was cranky. And a cranky Azula was not fun to be with.

"You're telling me," said Aang. Storms brought back bad memories, both in his world and in this one.

The rain was softer, but it was still a storm. At least the explosions of lightning wouldn't keep them awake anymore, though the wet and the cold did anyway. It was drafty and water seemed to seep in everywhere.

"Someone should tell a story," said Zuko. After a pause, he said, "Anyone got any good ones?"

"I do!" said Sokka, his voice dripping with fake excitement. "One time, not too long ago, I was captured by a bunch of idiots who had no idea what they were doing. Then I was betrayed. And humiliated. But then, there was a bright, happy rainbow and we all happily lived happily ever-happy-after."

The other three stared at him.

"Relax, guys," said Sokka dismissively. "I was joking. There was no happy ending. I'm still captured."

"I fail to see the humor in your statement," Azula said flatly.

"What a shame," Sokka bit back. "You could use some humor in your life."

Azula glared at him, then at her brother. "Way to go, Zuzu. Your story-time idea was a bad one."

"At least I'm trying to think of something," Zuko responded, glumly resting his chin on his knees.

Sokka snorted. "I can't believe you answer to something as pathetic and unmanly as Zuzu from a girl."

"Shut up, Cyclops," Azula shot at him. Before Sokka could try to attack them again and humiliate himself with his bound hands, Aang stopped them with a loud whistle.

"Okay, guys! Enough!"

Azula and Sokka were effectively silenced.

"How come they never listen to me?" Zuko groaned.

"Please Azula, stop fighting with him," Aang nearly begged. "It's not worth it. I don't want to see you two hurting each other."

Azula narrowed her eyes. "Why do you care about him?" she questioned. "Why did you want him with us in the first place?"

Sokka grunted and stared at Aang. "I'd like to know that, too."

"It has to do with that thing you can't tell us, we know that already," Zuko said, entering the argument. "But what is it, and why can't you tell us?"

"What are they talking about?" Sokka asked, his voice rising aggressively. "Why am I involved with whatever secrets you're hiding?"

"Guys, it's nothing, really…"

"Like that's not an obvious lie," Azula cut in.

"Don't you trust us, Aang?"

"Just tell us already!"

Aang grasped his head with both hands and looked around at all of them, his eyes wide with slight panic, trying to get his thoughts in order.

"You've kept secrets for far too long."

"We've told you everything about ourselves," said Zuko. "We're a family, aren't we?"

"Aren't we?"


"Monk Gyatso and the other airbenders may be gone, but you still have a family. Sokka and I, we're your family now."


"I don't know!!"

Aang hurled the fire in his hands to the floor, causing it to shoot upward in a great pillar of his helplessness and anger. Azula, Zuko, and Sokka all jumped back, shielding their faces from the heat. Once the fire was consumed by the air, Azula calmly put her hand down and stared sadly at Aang.

"But why? After all this time, don't we mean anything to you?"

Aang was unable to meet her eyes, but his voice was hurt. "Please… I didn't mean that. I'm just so confused. Just give me time, and then I'll tell you. Okay?"


"Katara and I aren't going to let anything happen to you. Promise."


Was that promise ever kept? Didn't they all go through lifetimes of pain?


Aang was unable to deny it to himself any longer. He was attached to Azula, Zuko, Sokka, and the whole world they lived in. But somehow, it made him feel overwhelmingly guilty. He felt as if he were betraying Katara and Sokka of his world.

Were this Zuko and this Azula part of his family now? Or did he just go and make a new family, leaving his old one behind? Were they being replaced?

Azula crossed her arms stubbornly and looked away. Sokka found himself doing the same thing, but he stared right at Azula. Huffing, they both turned their heads again, away from each other.

Zuko, in an attempt to diffuse the situation, gave an uneasy smile and pointed outside. "Look. It stopped raining." When no one said anything, he picked up his sword sheath. "Aang, let's go train. I'm tired of sitting around." Giving out a long sigh, but realizing this was more than he could've asked for, Aang followed him outside.


The ostrich-horse maneuvered itself well through the mountain pass, avoiding rocky crags and quick pitfalls to death. A winding, old trail was still visible and usable, guiding the old woman on her way to the Omashu Ruins.

Even though she had a brown cowl wrapped around her face and a tan shawl covering her shoulders, in addition to thick Earth Kingdom clothes, the woman still felt the cold seeping to her bones. Traveling through high-altitude mountain passes made the cold even worse. The ostrich-horse she was riding was a loyal steed, however, and it stayed with her despite the travel conditions.

That didn't mean it wasn't susceptible to fear.

Bandits were a common occurrence here, and she would have been stupid to come unprepared. Three thieves emerged from the craggy rocks, brandishing swords and knives, grinning cruelly. The old woman set her blue eyes on them without fear – the only part of her face visible.

"Well, well…" said one of the bandits, dropping into a clumsy knife stance, "What do we have here? A defenseless old crone on an abandoned trail? The opportunity was too good to pass up."

"I'm not in the mood for lengthy conversations about the wrong paths you chose in life," the old woman said simply. "So I'll just cut this short." In one quick movement, before the other two could even level their swords at her, the woman sprang from the ostrich-horse with the agility of someone a fraction of her age. She rolled to a stop in front of the first thief, grabbed his wrist and diverted his panicked stab with her gloved hand, opening up his defense and palming him in the chest. He rolled down the mountain path, tumbling to a stop several feet below. Yelling in fear, he scrambled away.

Taking a stance, she waited for one of the other bandits to charge at her – which one of them did. She bent low beneath his stab, hit his wrist upward, grabbed his arm, and threw him right over her shoulder. He slammed against the ground in pain. He, too, got up and ran.

The third bandit eyed her much more warily, fear in his wide, brown eyes. She was about to get back on her ostrich-horse and calmly dismiss him, but an arrow suddenly shot from an unseen precipice, missing her by a fair distance but still liable to pose a threat. Her keen blue eyes shot up to the archer, who was now readying to shoot her again. Before he could, she moved into action.

Her booted steps were light as she padded up the rocky wall, propelling herself forward with outcroppings of stone, which were already in place. Lithely moving up with every step, she was about to reach the archer when he had another quivering arrow drawn, pulled back and ready to shoot. She was still too far away, and unable to twist out of its path.

The arrow shot from the bow.

A glint of silver.

Another man was there, chopping the arrow out of the air with his own sword, using incredible dexterity and balance to keep himself up on the rocks as well as move with his blade, cutting the bowman's weapon in half.

The woman pivoted on the spot, taking long strides back to the ground to take down the last bandit, whom she feared another sneak attack from. Upon landing, however, she crouched in an attempt to lower the shock, but pain lanced up her old bones. Thankfully, the bandit was gone as she applied pressure to her legs. The swordsman met her only a moment later, calming the poor ostrich-horse.

"Don't call me an old crone ever again!" the woman yelled, shaking her fist at the retreating bandits. She turned to her savior, smiling genially at the old (but still clearly younger than her) man.

"Piandao, it's good to see you," Kanna said pleasantly, pulling down her hood.

"Lady Kanna," he greeted, smiling back. "I didn't expect to see you here." He sheathed his white blade. He still had that same distinct voice she remembered. They walked along the path, the ostrich-horse between them.

"You're the same as ever, saving poor old women from run-ins with scum," she said, laughing throatily.

He smiled wider. "It's what I do." After the greetings were over, he turned to more serious matters. "What brings you to these parts? The road to Omashu isn't the safest place to be these days."

She put her hands on her hips. "How would you know, Fire Nation man?"

He nodded his head. "That encounter with the bandits just told me enough."

"Very true," she responded. "I'm here to find my grandson. He is with the Avatar in Omashu. The boy told me himself that they were coming here."

"Then it seems that we have the same goal," said Piandao. "I am seeking the Avatar's young swordsman friend. I have never seen a student with greater potential. I spotted their bison in the air." After turning around a bend in the path, the expanse of the Omashu Ruins opened up before them… but they were above it. The entrance to the city, and the Palace, were directly beneath them. A steep, narrow path winded down to it.

"Watch your step," Piandao warned the waterbender. "This pathway was constructed by earthbender archaeologists a few years after the city fell. As he carefully walked down the path, he looked behind him, only to spot Kanna sliding down the waterfall around the path on a water snake. She was cheering happily. He simply shook his head.

Sometimes, old people seemed to act like children.


Aang's single black sword met Zuko's dual silver ones in a fierce block, but Zuko swept his right sword around, which bounced off the tip of Aang's. Aang jumped backward and held his left hand away from the action as he used his right to deftly strike Zuko lightly, but repeatedly, in a faster style that he preferred. Zuko matched all of his stabs with parries and slashes. They continued this way for a long time.

He knew it was dangerous to do, but Aang's chaotic mind couldn't keep itself from wandering during their small practice duel. Stone blocks and rubble littered the ground all around them. Houses were missing walls and roofs; some were just barely-standing walls. What was left of the mail delivery system now only served as pathways for water to slide down. It was quiet except for the steady fall of water, occasional, random drops, and the steps of their feet as they splashed into puddles. A low mist hung over the entire ruin.

There were no people anywhere in the city. He desperately wanted to know more about the siege of Omashu, but Sokka admitted to not knowing more than he already told them. Pieced together with what Aang already learned from Long Feng weeks ago, Bumi's fate was unknown. Aang didn't know if his old friend was dead, as he was in his own world, or still alive somewhere. According to Sokka, everyone was killed.

Bumi was gone.

Aang sighed, accepting the fact, even though his hopes of seeing his old friend again were shot down. The Avatar struck a little harder against his training partner.

"Whoa, Aang! Calm down!" Zuko warned, blocking Aang's sword with the flat of his blade. He pushed against the airbender, causing him to slide backward into a faded stone pillar. Disoriented for a moment, Aang paused, but stared at Zuko and swung his heavy blade down, readjusting his grip.

"I'm just getting started," the Avatar replied, grinning. Zuko grinned back, sliding into a deeper stance.

"Good," said another voice from above. Aang looked around, instantly on guard with his sword. He turned around just in time to bring up his sword to block a straight, silver blade. "You're ready for a longer fight, then."

"Master Piandao!" Zuko gasped. "What are you doing here?"

Aang narrowed his eyes slightly, straining against the sword master's strong hold. Aang's sword arm shook as he gripped his hilt with both hands. "I wasn't expecting you to follow me," he said.

"You expect me to let you walk off with my most valued sword?" the old man responded. Zuko's eyes widened.

"Aang, did you steal that?" he asked accusingly. "You told me you two made a new one!"

"Sorry, Zuko," Aang said to his friend, "I didn't want to lie to you." Piandao broke the hold, sliding his sword around to Aang's lower region, but the Avatar blocked it. The old master spun, striking with a harder swing which pushed Aang back.

"I want that back," said the master. Zuko's hands shook, his knuckles turning white around his sword hilts.

"Sorry… But I really can't," said Aang. The meteorite sword belonged to Sokka – he was adamant about that. Sokka needed that sword in order to save more lives… which it did countless times in the past. In this world, however, the sword would become a mark of their friendship… It would belong to Sokka, if all went as Aang planned. It wasn't just for the nostalgia.

"Why not?" Zuko yelled, charging at his friend. Aang's eyes widened considerably as he sidestepped the blows, dodging nimbly between them. With the help of his airbending, he jumped back a safe distance, but Piandao was on him immediately after.

"I really like this sword!" Aang gave as an answer.

"Zuko, get out of this fight," said Piandao. "You have no business in it."

Zuko looked hurt, but did not sheathe his swords. "But I want to help you!"

"I won't have you turning on your friends. It doesn't follow the code of honor," the old swordsman replied.

"Neither does running, really, but I have no choice," Aang spoke up, using more of his airbending to circle around Piandao and Zuko and sprint up the stone ruins. Piandao quickly gave chase, but he fell behind in seconds.

Aang ran back to the abandoned house as fast as he could, hoping Azula and Sokka didn't wreck the place in another one of their fights. He was quickly attempting to come up with an explanation for them and why Zuko suddenly seemed to turn against him. He couldn't exactly leave him behind, but… Something had to be done.

When he got back to the house, Azula, Sokka, Appa, and Sabishi were all outside. Surprisingly, the firebender and the waterbender weren't trying to kill one another.

"I'm bored, Aang," said Azula, yawning. "When can we leave? Bothering Sokka sort of lost its appeal." The waterbender glared at her, his hands still tied, munching on seal jerky.

"We're leaving in a couple of minutes," Aang responded. Surprisingly, Sokka even seemed happier about leaving the ruins.

"Wait!" a voice called to them. Aang gripped his sword, fearing Piandao again, but Kanna emerged from around stone blocks. "I'm glad I made it in time," the old woman said, smiling.

"Hello Kanna," Aang greeted, bowing quickly. Sokka stood up immediately, glaring daggers at his grandmother. He was only slightly surprised, but it was only because he forgot that they planned to meet here after Kanna finished gathering information from her 'sources.'

"Why did you leave me with them?!" Sokka immediately shouted, forgoing a greeting. "Why didn't you bring me with you? You're a traitor!"

"Sokka, please. I found a place where we can both stay in safety," Kanna said to him. "The White Lotus is offering you shelter. We can both hide in peace from the Water Tribe and the Earth Kingdom." Aang raised an eyebrow quizzically. The White Lotus? What was that?

Sokka's eyes widened. "You'll… take me with you?" His eyes immediately hardened. "But you left me with them!" he said, indicating Aang. "You abandoned me!"

"It was only temporary," Kanna said softly. "I love you, grandson. Please, come with me. I'm sorry." Her voice was sincere, and Sokka seemed to be trembling. Aang decided to step in.

"No… He's fine with us," he said. Kanna, Sokka, and Azula all stared at him.

"Why? I found a place for him," Kanna replied. "Certainly you don't want him with you. You even have him tied up."

"Well, yeah," Azula said, speaking for the first time, "Every time we untie him he tries to attack us."

"So let me take him off your hands," Kanna offered.

"I… can't," Aang said, looking away from the old waterbender. "I want Sokka to stay with us."

"You can't do this, Avatar," Kanna said, her forehead wrinkling. Aang sighed – they were on first name terms in the Golden City. "Why won't you give him to me?"

"I'm not some object to be bartered over!" Sokka interjected. "Gran, help me get the Avatar so I can bring him home to the Water Nation!"

"We can't do that, Sokka," she said softly, shaking her head. "We're on his side now."

"I never made that decision!" Sokka yelled. "I'm not a traitor!"

And that was exactly why Aang wanted to keep Sokka with him.

Sokka needed to change. Aang knew his old friend was capable of it – Zuko was in his own world, wasn't he? Sokka had some good in him. He even began to show some of it in the short time he was their prisoner… Aang clenched his fist. He wasn't going to give up on Sokka. He was his best friend, his brother, and he wasn't going to abandon him. He felt that only he could change the Water Prince, and this time, it needed to happen faster, since Zuko joined their side too late.

The War needed to be won this time. He needed Sokka's help earlier. Kanna wouldn't be able to do it for him in time.

But everything seemed to be going wrong… His grand plan was crumbling to pieces all around him… just like these ruins.

There was a disturbance in the air.

"Aang, watch out!" Azula called. The Avatar sped out of the way just in time for Piandao's blade to sink into the ground where he was moments before.

"Azula, get on Appa, quickly!" Aang shouted to her. "Take Sokka!"

"What?" Kanna exclaimed. "What's going on?" Piandao pulled his sword out of the rock as Zuko came up behind him. "Piandao, what are you doing?"

"The Avatar took my sword," the old man said. "Now he's trying to take your grandson." Zuko stood beside his master, his dual blades drawn. "Zuko, go with your friends. Now."

"But – "

"Go! You belong with the Avatar and your sister, despite their actions. That's what loyalty is. You don't abandon your friends for anything," he said, glancing significantly at the younger warrior. "Your loyalty is one of your more astounding traits. Don't let it go for anything." Zuko's mouth was hanging open slightly, but he nodded, running to the bison.

"Stupid firebender, let me go!" Sokka yelled at Azula as she tried to restrain him.

"Get – on – Appa!" she said fiercely, straining against the strong boy. Sokka twisted out of her grasp despite his bound hands. He pushed both of them forward and bent water at her, which she sidestepped. Flames grew around her fists.

Before Azula could do anything, Aang hit Sokka with a torrent of wind, sending him flying into Appa's furry hide. Sokka quickly recovered, readying himself as Azula thought of a way to get him onto the bison. A moment later, Zuko was at her side. She smirked. Two against one – there was no way Sokka could beat them now, especially with his hands tied.

Piandao attacked first, charging at Aang with his sword. Aang blocked each consecutive blow, each clash producing sparks. The flurry of blades was a blur to any onlookers, but the two clearly saw each other's faces. Both sets of eyes were set determinedly.

Piandao was pushing Aang back.

Using the force of a single strike, Aang pushed himself off of Piandao's blade and propelled himself backward, landing gently on a cushion of air. He was about to turn and run for it, but a jet of water slammed into him and knocked him to the ground.

Kanna had entered the fray.

Aang was wise enough not to try and underestimate her.

"Let Sokka come to me," she said. "Don't make him go with you forcefully." Aang stood and stared at her resolutely.

"I'm sorry… But he has to stay with us," he answered. Several small water whips attempted to converge on him, but a barrier of air repelled the attacks. He retaliated with a swipe of his sword, releasing a powerful arc of fire that was blocked by a wall of ice. Before Kanna could return the attack, Piandao rushed him again, swinging his sword slowly but strongly. Aang dodged the attacks by a hair, using the agility bestowed on him by his airbending abilities. Ducking and sidestepping his attacks, Aang leapt backward again, though higher up this time. He turned and sped up the mountain of rubble.

What kind of mess had he gotten himself in to? His plans to help were spiraling out of control…

Looking back on Aang's fight with the two masters, Azula rolled her eyes. "I'm doing the grunt work. How come Aang gets to have all the fun?" She flexed her fingers, letting Zuko deal with Sokka. The two boys were currently involved in a brawl of fisticuffs, but Zuko had the significant advantage since the latter's hands were tied. Sokka, unfortunately, was doing a good job blocking the attempts to knock him out.

When Sokka's eye glinted, though, Zuko knew something wasn't going to end up well.

"I can still waterbend with my feet, suckers!" Sokka yelled, and up until that point the two fire siblings didn't realize he was gathering water around his feet. Suddenly, he slid forward, barreling into Zuko and knocking him to the ground. Azula didn't get much more of a warning as the Prince skated across the water, pushing her out of the way. With the two obstacles gone, Sokka slid across to the mountain of rubble that Aang was on, freezing the water beneath him and flying across the icy ramp.

As he was in the air, the ramp melted back into water, and using his bound hands, Sokka managed to pull off a handstand against the rock, manipulating the water with his feet to create a larger-than-normal whip. Azula was dumbfounded. Aang didn't even notice, so focused on his fight with the two old masters. Azula narrowed her amber eyes – she wasn't going to be defeated that easy! She was going to protect Aang. She was a firebending master now – she had that kind of power.

A jet of fire large enough to engulf the Water Prince erupted from her fingertips, and the waterbender was forced to cancel his attack to create a swirling shield to block it – all while still balanced on his bound hands. Azula pursed her lips. That was abnormal.

Or Ty Lee. There really wasn't much of a difference.

Aang did, in fact, notice Sokka out of the corner of his eye. He tried to lure Sokka into attacking him so he could surprise all three warriors against him, hitting them all at once with the same attack. He saw Azula stop the tribesman, but Sokka was still where he wanted him.

"You have things we both want, Avatar," said Piandao. As an enemy, the man wasn't as kind as Aang remembered… and he missed that. He was beginning to hate the word 'Avatar' as a name.

"I'm not your enemy," Aang said calmly as the master shot at him again. At the same time, Kanna expelled another burst of water. Aang smirked – Sokka was still in the right place. The boy forced his fists together and the air circled around him rapidly, shooting off in all directions, simultaneously protecting him from any attack. Piandao and Sokka were thrown back – the latter right into Appa's saddle. Kanna's watery attack was dispelled.

"You certainly act like one," Kanna said, her voice almost sad.

Aang turned to yell at Azula amidst the fighting. "Azula! You and Zuko get on Appa now! Fly away!"

"Alright!" the girl nodded. She immediately executed her next objective, taking Appa's reins as Zuko hopped into the saddle, looking with remorse at his master while he held Sokka down. Kanna and Piandao could do nothing as the bison soared into the sky, a small lemur following behind him.

Aang lowered his sword as Appa gained in altitude. "I'm sorry. You don't understand, but I have to do this. To both of you."

Kanna frowned. "You disobeyed my wishes and betrayed my trust," she said to him coldly.

Aang nodded his head. "I know." As he spoke, his wooden staff fell from the sky and nearly hit him in the head. He looked up – Azula threw it down to him. He directed his stare at the older people again. "I'm going now. I… I hope we see each other again."

Piandao held his sword to Aang. "I'm not letting you go yet. You still have my blade."

Aang's gaze was stony, but he unfurled his glider and flew away before the swordsman could attack him again. An additional burden was hanging on his shoulders, and it showed to all of them.

Piandao's shoulders fell.

Sometimes, children seemed to act like old people.


Aang landed on Appa's saddle as they continued soaring through the sky, leaving the ruins of Omashu behind them. As he folded his glider, Zuko stared disapprovingly at him. Sokka's glare was hateful. Aang refused to meet their eyes.

"I didn't want to be the bad guy," Aang stated. "That wasn't my intention."

"Why did you take his sword?" Zuko interrogated him. "Why did you lie to us?"

Azula slid to the front of the saddle, sitting beside Aang. "Obviously, because of you," she said. "You're acting unreasonable. I'm actually proud of Aang. He's growing a backbone," she said with a smirk.

"This isn't a joke! And don't support him!" Zuko yelled at her. "You're both being irresponsible. What in the world made you steal from a well-respected, noble master?"

"You're not my mom or my dad, so don't pretend you know what you're talking about," Aang said venomously. Zuko shrank back. "You don't know my reasons and you can't tell me what to do."

"So tell me your reasons," Zuko said, his voice hard. He crossed his arms and stared down at Aang. Aang imagined a horrendous scar appearing over his left eye, and the thought made him sigh.

"I don't want to talk about it," he replied, looking away from the swordsman.

"Then I can't trust you anymore," Zuko said. Aang felt a weight drop into his stomach.

"What about Sokka?" Azula asked, indicating the waterbender with a wave of her hand.

"Same thing," Aang muttered, staring guiltily back at the ruins. Nothing was going as he planned… He assumed Kanna was going to show up with information about the war in the Earth Kingdom, not about Sokka… He didn't know she wanted him back.

"She still cares," Sokka said to nobody in particular.

"Aw, how sweet," Azula cooed. "Not."

"I didn't mean to say that out loud…" Sokka muttered, slumping in his seat.


"We'll follow after him together," said Piandao to Kanna, as the two navigated through the ruins.

"Just don't fall behind," she told him, offering a fake smile. They were now both on the hunt for the Avatar, each with a bone to pick.


Aang didn't mean to pick up two new enemies. He didn't mean for Sokka to hate him vehemently. He didn't mean for Zuko to distrust him.

For the first time since coming to this new world, even after discovering his friends were his enemies and his enemies were his friends, even after learning the fate of multiple worlds were on his shoulders, Aang felt at his worst. He hoped that everything would get better when he found Toph, and when he revealed the truth to all of his friends. Would Azula, at least, still trust him? Would they forgive him for manipulating them? Would they be angry?

He wanted to tell them everything... But he didn't know how, and if, he could.


Author's Notes: Hope you all liked this chapter. I was sorta nervous about it. Then again, I addressed all the concerns that you all had about Aang's bad decisions… And he made more. However, now he's getting brought down for it. Karma came back and bit him hard, which is what I planned. I love torturing Aang ;)

Kanna kicks butt in this chapter :D. So did Piandao and Sokka! However, don't count Aang's thoughts on Bumi as fact - nothing about his fate was confirmed yet.

Everyone, check out the latest fanart of a full-color drawing of Distorted!Azula, found in my profile. Thanks a bunch, nebunedzar!

Please review!