"All we know is that the spirit comes out at night.", Bushi told the so-called Avatar, "But only a few people have seen it."

"Any one I could interrogate?", Azula asked the eccentric old man.

"Just my brother X-", Azula cut the old man off with a flash of orange flame, "Is this a game to you?"

Xu laughed, "Game? I'm partial to Pai Sho. Bushi prefers card games, though."

Azula extinguished her flame with a sigh. No one else was helping her. Not even Aang now. She had to make do.

"I saw her once.", he mumbled, "It was the middle of the night. She was a woman. About your age. And she appeared in a puff of mist. Then, as quick as she came, she vanished." Xu scratched his head. "Next morning, a couple of teens trying to look into her vanished."

"Any idea what draws her out?", Azula stroked her chin.

"Seems to happen whenever someone tries to look into things.", Xu pointed at Azula, "Like a certain young girl right now."

"Leave that to me to worry about.", Azula brushed off the old man, "I just have to wait for nightfall."


Aang sniffled. His mind was racing with thoughts of home.

Living in the Western Air Temple wasn't easy. Aang was away from his family and his father figure, Gyatso. The nuns of the Temple tried to make him feel at ease, but Aang couldn't relax in the strange, new temple.

"Your airbending is amazing.", the nuns would say, "You'll be ready for Waterbending soon."

Waterbending. Earthbending. Firebending. Once he learned even one of those skills, in Aang's mind, he was truly the Avatar: the only person who could bend more than one element. This sat like a stone in Aang's conscience.

As he laid in his bed that night, he thought long and hard of what being the Avatar would be like. Already, people distanced themselves from Aang. Even back in the Southern Temple, the kids stopped playing with him when they found out he was the Avatar. Aang didn't find the Western Temple any different. That was going to be his life now: separated from the rest. Standing "above" the crowd. Given too many responsibilities. The weight of the world on his shoulders.

Hoping out of bed, Aang ran to his skybison. Leaving the world behind. If only he knew then that'd be the last time he ever saw any one of his friends.

That last thought shot Aang back to the present. Airbenders are trained to run and evade. They are sworn to never take a life. Their philosophy discourages violence, mandating rigorous life tenets to minimize one's harm to others. Aang was an airbender, in the worst way. He ran from his problems in the past. He was doing it again now.

He couldn't run away. He lost Azula over it. He could lose Zuko, Ty Lee, and even Appa if he kept running. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed his staff. Standing up, the monk wiped away his tears. With a stretch of his shoulders, he latched onto the ladder and made his way back to the village.


It was midday as Aang made it onto the dock. The town seemed to be gathering towards the center. Aang could see her from here: Azula.

Aang decided to get closer, but kept his distance. He wasn't ready to talk to her just yet. Not after what happened. Those words hurt.

As the monk approached, he could hear murmurs from the crowd.

"She wears all white."

"Her face is painted red."

"She floats on water."

Aang surmised they must be talking about the Painted Lady. Azula proceeded without him, just like she said she would. Everyone looked so hopeful. Someone was standing up to the spirit. Someone was giving them hope. Someone was giving them the help they needed.

That was Aang's job. He sighed. Seeing it first hand, he began to realize the importance of his duties.

The monk inhaled. He couldn't stand on the sidelines any longer. He was going to confront Azula and do his duty as the bridge between man and spirit.

Or he would have, had he not noticed someone sneaking off out of the corner of his eyes. It was Ko. Why was the guy moving so suspiciously? Checking over his shoulder as he left town?

Something wasn't right.

Aang looked to Azula. He did a long stare. Then, he turned to follow Ko.


Aang followed Ko out of town. With his glider, Aang could stay in the air for hours. People never looked up. Side-to-side, behind them, and sometimes even at the ground. However, people never look up. It's just not a direction people expect someone to surprise them. The monk took full advantage of this as he circled overhead, following the young man.

Aang followed Ko as he walked from the lake up the side of a mountain. From the erosion on the side wall, Aang had a feeling this mountain might have once been a waterfall. That waterfall must have fed the lake. Why was Ko heading back there?

Aang noticed that, as he followed the old man, the forest seemed to come alive. The farther they were from the riverbed, the more trees and plant life flourished. Perhaps that was to be expected, but the monk couldn't help but wonder.

It was late day when the old man came to a stop a few miles up the river. Aang took the chance to land in some nearby trees. Landing as quiet as he could, he turned his glider back into a staff with a flick of the wrist. The dense shrubbery provided cover as the Avatar kept himself out of sight.

As Aang neared the edge of the forest, he could hear the sound of running water. Peeking his head through the bushes, he saw a great ice dam blocking the river. Behind it, the river water broke fruitlessly against the wall. Waterbenders on each side worked to keep the river flowing back, stopping a flood.

"The Water Confederation was behind it.", Aang whispered to himself.

Aang could hear voices talking not far off. One was clearly Ko, but the other two were unfamiliar. One was an older man while the other was a young girl.

"We got another one of them poking their nose into our business.", Aang recognized that voice as Ko's.

"I knew we should have just invaded.", the older male whined.

"And risk the Earth Kingdoms getting involved? This island is the closest one to the South.", the girl spoke back, "This island can be used to strike both Kingdom's bread baskets. They'll send men if they know we have a base so close. We can't deal with their reinforcements. Not with the men Nukilik Arnook supplied us."

The older man growled. "Hey, girlie, we only have you here because the myth required a girl for the part. You just happen to look like that statue."

Ko made a disapproving sound. "You shouldn't treat your women like that. You could get burned."

"Quiet, islander.", the older male voice barked, "Water Confederation women know their place, unlike your countries' 'women.'"

"And Water Confederation men seem to forget that they need the women here to heal them. You know, when you try to invade this place by force and get clobbered by reinforcements?", the younger girl mocked, "It's easier to just wear this place down. Give them enough relief supplies and they'll love us."

"It's not like our warlord's done anything for the town.", Ko chuckled.

Aang could hear the group move farther away. The young girl continued, "When they secede the city to us, we will have the perfect staging ground for an assault on either Kingdom's breadbox. Without any refugees begging for help from their Warlords, we can quietly build the base on the top of the waterfall. By the time anyone notices, we'll be too entrenched to remove."

"I know the plan!", the older male was yelling, "I just hate this song and dance we have to do." Aang could tell the male was using air quotes when he said "Painted Lady" in an insulting tone.

"Don't forget who let you in on that little story," Ko chimed in, "And the one who you promised governorship when this place becomes part of the Eastern Water Tribe."

"Yeah, yeah.", the girl dismissed, "We know the deal."

"And don't you forget it.", Ko cackled.

Aang heard footsteps coming towards the voices. The person was moving in a hurry.

"Sir," a young male shouted, "General Jeong Jeong has attempted escape again."

The older man groaned. "Of all the prisoners we had to take, we had to get a general."

"Double the ice in his Cooler.", the young girl interrupted, "That should teach the General to act out."

"Don't give the orders!", the old man screamed at the girl. "I give the orders!" He paused. "Do what she said."

Aang heard enough. The Water Confederation starved these people of water so they could quietly take this town. No, not the Water Confederation. Aang shook his head. He couldn't let Azula influence him like that. These people who served the Water Confederation starved these people of water. Not all of the Water Confederation, not even their entire navy, but these people.

And something told Aang this wasn't the only 'bad' thing they were doing. It's not like the Water Confederation was evil, Aang had to remind himself. If the situation was reversed, the Fire Nation wouldn't treat this village well either. If Azula's attitude was any evidence. This war was evil. People were doing awful things.

It was Aang's job to stop this war. It was Aang's job to bring balance. It was Aang's job to help those people.

But, he couldn't do it alone.

Aang didn't know how to Firebend yet. Nor did he know Waterbending. He wasn't going to blow that dam on his own. Azula, however, once used flames to start melting Appa's ice chains. This dam was thicker. The monk had a feeling she would just need to melt some key points and the dam would collapse from the pressure.

Aang gulped. This would mean he'd have to go to talk to her so soon after their fight. Aang had to stop running away and evading his problems. Aang had to be more like fire, burning through his issues. Or like water, adapting with life's struggles. Or like rock, enduring the pain. Or perhaps all four. He was the Avatar, all these forces were within him. That was his gift and his burden.

As silently as he could, Aang unfurled his glider and flew down from the waterfall, back to the village.


Azula was leaning against the wall. Spirits? She had a few plans to try and fight it off, but something wasn't adding up. She knew little of spirits. However, all of Xu's - Bushi? Dock? - stories tied to one key factor: someone only disappeared if they were looking into the strange occurrences.

If the spirit wanted the problem fixed, why would she abduct the people who were trying to help? Furthermore, no one knew General Jeong Jeong was here. If he was looking into the situation, wouldn't people have remembered him? Everyone acts like they never saw him.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a thud. On reflex, she darted her eyes to the source of the sound. Then, she tried to ignore what she saw.

"Azula.", Aang started, "I wanted to talk."

Azula ignored him. She should be the first to speak. She was the one who exploded. A voice in her screamed that would be a sign of weakness. He needed to apologize to her. Bow down to her. Anything else was unacceptable.

Aang waited a moment. When it was obvious the princess wouldn't budge, he continued. "I did run away back then.", he looked to the side, "I ran away from the Temple. That's how I ended up frozen on Roku Island."

Azula tensed up.

"I wanted to run away from learning firebending. Just like I did when they wanted to teach me waterbending.", Aang was sullen, "Being the Avatar is scary. When everything happened on Umbie, I felt I had to get involved. Appa was in danger, people were in danger. Everything happened at once and I moved. But, with this, it's so slow that I had a chance to think it through."

Azula chuckled.

"I thought that doing this would cement my fate as the Avatar. That learning firebending was making the choice. That I'd never get to live an ordinary life once I did.", Aang paused, "But that's not what makes someone the Avatar."

Azula stirred.

"The second one becomes the Avatar is the second they choose to live for others. Even when it's scary and difficult."

Azula put her hand up to stop the boy's words.

"What?", Aang was confused.

Azula put her hand down, "I don't care about any of that. That selfless nonsense is for fools. I don't want to help this village. I just need them for the next step in my plan. I just want to be sure you are ready to do what's necessary to defeat the Water Confederation."

Aang felt frustration surge from his stomach. "Is that all you care about!?"

"Yes," Azula was pretending to be disinterested, "wasn't it obvious?"

Aang snorted like a bull. "I can't believe you!" Aang stepped towards Azula. "Is it just about winning with you? Does no one else matter?"

"Of course it's about winning.", Azula stepped forward in retaliation, "If you don't win, you lose. If you lose, you have to do whatever the winner demands. I am sick of being beneath my inferiors."

"I can't believe I was coming here to apologize!", Aang burst out, "You would never apologize to me!"

"I'm not weak! I won't be treated like Zuko or my mother, Uncle!" Azula realized what she said too late.

"Uncle?", Aang was confused.

"Nothing.", Azula leaned back, "It's nothing. Forget I said anything, immediately."

Aang put his hand on her shoulder.

Azula sighed, "You're not the first person who has lectured me on my behavior, Aang. My mother thinks I'm a monster and my Uncle thinks I'm crazy. They both like Zuko more."

"She didn't seem like she hated you.", Aang countered.

"Really? And did she address me once when you were there? Or did she only talk to Zuko?", Azula raised her voice.

Aang shrugged.

"Of course you wouldn't notice.", she rolled her eyes. She pushed Aang's hand away.

Aang sighed. "Maybe we don't understand each other.", Aang sought common ground, "But, we understand what needs to be done, right?"

Azula looked Aang in the eye, "For once, you're making sense, airhead."

"So, are you the spirit expert, after all?", Azula playfully mocked the young Avatar.

"About that, there is something we should discuss," Aang leaned in to Azula's ear.


Night fell on Jang Hui village. There was a chill in the air. In the center of town, Aang stood in a meditative pose. He was preparing himself for what was to come. No one else was out on the street. Everyone was hiding inside.

A mist began to enter the village. It blanketed the sleepy town in white. Aang opened his eyes to see a woman floating on air. She was wearing a veil covering her entire body, but the red paint of her face stood out. This must be the "Painted Lady", Aang thought.

It was best he played the part.

Raising to his feet, Aang commanded the "spirit", "Painted Lady, I am the Avatar. I'm here to put you at peace."

The figure showed no response. Aang wasn't surprised.

"Why have you been attacking this village?", Aang did his best to sound authoritative.

The lady did not respond.

"What has angered you?", Aang asked again.

The lady was unresponsive as before.

Aang was expecting this silence. It would ruin the illusion if she gave an answer. It might contradict the myth.

He needed to keep them here for this all to work. He took a step forward, fully expecting something to strike.

Sure enough, two tendrils of water burst through the floor planks and grabbed Aang's feet. With a swipe of his staff, he blasted the water away. Jumping back, he got his footing further into the village. He readied. He knew where they were now, but he couldn't let them know he was onto them. They had to think this was real.

"I'm not here to hurt you.", Aang was trying too hard to sound concerned. His voice was stiff and unconvincing.

The mist shot forward and turned into ice shards. Aang spun his staff, shattering the ice as it approached. After he parried the last shard, he swung his staff hard. The resulting blast of air shot the mist away. For a second, Aang was able to see the water spiral the Painted Lady was using to "float."

I just need to buy some more time, Aang reassured himself.


It took hours for Azula to climb that mountain. It took almost as long to reach the dam that Aang described. It would all be worth it, in Azula's mind. So much had happened to her in the last few weeks. She lost her home. She found her old crush. She told someone how she actually felt. That was all very emotional. Azula needed something to destress.

Beating up some confederates and blowing a dam up? Ruining their plans all at the same time? And getting that damn firebending teacher for Aang?

This was too good.

Her father had trained her to engage in stealth operations, alongside her brother. The secret was keeping keen awareness of the environment. It wasn't even really about being quiet or keeping low. If you know where people were, who was in earshot, and everyone's line of sight, you can be like a ghost. No one saw you, no one knows what you did, and some people may not even think you were there.

The prize was in sight. Just as Azula had reasoned, the majority of the waterbenders would be at the village to keep the illusion going. All that was left was a single guard for these "coolers" and two waterbenders to keep the river from flooding. Two of them were preoccupied with their job. The guard was half asleep.

Sloppy work, but they didn't think anyone knew they were here.

Azula snuck past the guards. She tied a fish hook to a rope and swung it over the side. Feeling it dig into the ice, she knew she had her leverage. Walking along the side of the dam, she ignited a small flame and began to hold it up to the ice wall.

She couldn't melt the whole thing. Good thing she just had to weaken it in the right spots.


Aang had his hands full in the village keeping the illusion alive. The waterbenders below deck began to fire spouts of water through the ground. Aang panicked as he walked backwards, dodging the ever increasing geysers. Finally, he had the chance to jump back. The monk landed safely on Ko's cart.

Before he could catch his breath, a small wave rocketed through the village streets towards Aang. Thinking fast, he swung his staff into a glider and took off. In the sky, he was safe from the wave. However, he was vulnerable to ice darts that began to shoot from the ground.

Aang swung his glider left and right as fast as he could. He needed to keep them from hitting the wings. Not only would he fall, but he'd lose a priceless part of his home.

The shards were endless. When one got too close, Aang decided he wasn't going to risk it. Turning his glider back into his staff, he fell to the village floor. Before he collided, he curled into a sitting position. Summoning an air ball underneath him, he landed softly.

Rocketing off on his air scooter, he readied his staff. Spinning it in the air, he gathered up a small storm. Jumping off his scooter, he lunged forward. With a downward strike, he shot a strong gust at the Painted Lady. The blast knocked the fake off her water spiral. She fell to the lake bed below, catching herself at the last moment.

Aang worriedly looked towards the mountain. His attack was too strong. Azula had better be ready. Otherwise, he just exposed their entire gambit early.


The orange glow of Azula's flame illuminated her face. Sweat dripped down her brow, she was almost there. Water was trickling through tiny cracks she had formed throughout the dam. The water was beginning to wear away at the structure. It just needed to be weakened a little more.

The loud cracking noise thundered in the night. Azula knew that meant it was time to go. She could hear the guards chatter. They knew something was wrong. She ran along the side of the wall as fast she could. The dam kept cracking to her left. If she was going to be washed away if she wasn't quick enough.

With a final leap, she was back on dry land.

"Who was that?", one guard questioned.

"It's an intruder!", the other guard screamed.

Without another word, they began to send water tendrils out at the young firebender. She didn't bother returning fire. She focused on getting into the trees. What would come next would ensure they wouldn't follow.

The burst of the dam rocked the ground. Azula looked back to see the two waterbenders knocked down by the resulting shockwave. The river began to rocket down to the village.

"Airhead better be ready," Azula mumbled, "or else he's getting a much needed bath."


Aang could hear the waterbenders beneath the village docks.

"He saw us," an older voice barked. Aang recognized it from the waterfall.

"Shut up.", the girl responded, "Only he saw us, not the whole village."

"Don't tell me to shut up," the older voice barked, "I don't take orders from you!"

"Maybe you should.", the girl got up and pointed a finger at him, "I could have done a better job fighting that so-called 'Avatar.'"

The older male was insulted. "How dare you imply that a wom-" He stopped as the ground began to shake.

Aang felt it too. Looking back, he saw the water begin to rocket down the waterfall like a torrent. The dozen or so soldiers under the docks began to rush towards the village. The group was fighting each other over who would get there first.

A smile grew on Aang's face. Waving at them, he wished them a nice bath.

The water blasted through the valley. The entire village shook as the water rocketed past the dock. Aang had to hold onto a house to keep his footing. Just as quickly as the flood started, it ended. Opening his eyes, Aang saw the confederate soldiers floating in the lake unconscious. It looks like one of them formed an ice cage to protect the group.

Grumbling, the older male and the "Painted Lady" began to wake up, as did their men.

"What happened?", the older male grumbled, "How did we get in this cage?"

"Would you rather I let you get hit by that wave?", the woman responded.

"Great, saved by a girl.", the man moaned.

The lady took the chance to punch his arm. He didn't even bother saying ouch. His body hurt too much otherwise.

"Hey!", Aang lifted his staff as he yelled, "I want you to leave and never hurt this village again! Let everyone know that the Avatar has returned!"

Slamming his staff, a gust of wind rocked the ice cage along the lake like a hockey puck. The soldiers screamed as they were shot far from the village.


The guards were shocked. The river was flowing. Their entire plan was up in flames. Their comrades were down there. Were they okay?

"Hey," Azula walked up to the shocked waterbenders, "I think you have more pressing concerns."

Before they could react, Azula made a wide kick. Firing a wave of fire from her feet, the waterbender quickly summoned a wall of water. The steam took him by surprise. Stepping backwards, the soldier fell into the river, washed away with the current.

The other soldier summoned up a wall of water. Punching forward with quick jabs, he began to fire ice shards at Azula. The firebender tried to block with her own firebolts, but the darts were too constant. She was being pushed back. There were too many. She couldn't melt them all.

What could only be described as the breath of a dragon blasted the soldier, knocking him into the river like his comrade.

Turning to the source of the inferno, she was amazed to see an old man. His messy hair was contrasted by his Akatastu soldier armor. He was standing over the guard protecting the coolers.

"General Jeong Jeong, I presume?", Azula started.

The old man took a deep inhale and let out two streams of flame from his nostrils. Feeling refreshed from his time in the cooler, he responded to the girl. "Princess Azula, it has been too long."


It was morning when Azula and Jeong Jeong had finished leading the prisoners down from the Water Confederation's camp. Aang was sleeping in the village square. Azula thought it was cute. It reminded her how young Aang really was despite everything. He was just a kid. Of course, Aang was only two years younger than her, but, at their age, a year could make a lot of difference.

With a shove, she woke the sleeping Avatar. Jolted awake, Aang was happy to see Azula. Jumping to his feet, he asked if she was okay. She brushed off his concern.

"Do you see what I mean now, dum-dum?", Azula grinned, "What those savages are capable of?"

"No." Aang shook his head. "Those guys may have done something bad, but I'm not going to condemn their entire people. The monks always taught us that people are the same everywhere but not everyone is the same."

Azula simply shrugged. "I don't think I'll ever understand you, Aang." Azula looked to the sky. "Just be careful. Rather you didn't fall off that moral high ground you're perched on."

Aang smiled through her comment. Despite everything, Aang really felt they had grown closer together.

Azula gestured to the old man, "Aang, I want you to meet General Jeong Jeong, your new firebending master."

General Jeong Jeong bowed, "It is an honor to train the Avatar in firebending."

Aang returned the bow, "It is an honor to be taught."

Standing up straight, General Jeong Jeong continued. "I am impressed. To think you mastered both waterbending and earthbending in your short time here."

Aang was confused. Looking at Azula, he saw a look that was growing a bit familiar. A look that read "just roll with it, airhead."

"Yep, that's me: just one element away from being a fully realized Avatar," Aang laughed nervously.

How was he going to make this work?


Zuko went to bed early last night. His training with Master Piandao had left him exhausted. When he awoke, he was surprised to see Ty Lee's sleeping bag empty. Could she have come to camp after he slept and left before he woke up?

Maybe, but something sat poorly in the prince's stomach.

Walking into town, Zuko noticed none of the villagers wanted to look him in the eye. He was used to this with his bokkei. However, once again, something just felt off.

That's when he decided it was best to ask questions. Turning to an old couple, he asked a few. But they just quickly rushed off. Was it the burn mark? No, something else was going on. The prince started to get frustrated.

More and more villagers ignored him. They knew something about where Ty Lee was, but they didn't want to say.

A few kids walked up to Zuko, "Are you looking for that nice pink girl, mister?"

Zuko spun around. Seeing the kids, he wiped away his fierce face with a quick breath. "Yeah, have you seen her?"

The boys looked guilty.

Zuko sighed, "Why is no one telling me what happened!?"

The kids were scared. The youngest amongst them started to cry, "They took her."

Zuko was confused. "Who were they?"

An older kid spoke up, "The Water Confederation. They said they were just here to trade. Then, they all went and took her."

Zuko could feel the angier rile up inside him. They got her? One of Team Avatar? Azula's friend? Zuko wasn't happy, but taking it out on the kids would be pointless.

"I guess I'll be missing my training today.", Zuko mumbled as he walked off to find her.