Howdy team and welcome back to A Walk Through Fire. Just wanted to let you know that in this story, some of the locations will be changed. You'll understand what I mean. Hope y'all had a good Turkey Day! Don't forget to Follow Favorite and Review. Stay Safe!

I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender

It had been about two weeks since Aang's birthday and to say that both parties weren't happy was an understatement.

Azula had never been as happy as she was right now. She always had a smile on her face and whenever Aang was in the room, she was either holding his arm or his hand.

Aang was fairing the same way. Ever since the kiss, there hasn't been a day where he didn't kiss his girlfriend at least five times. Every morning, he would wake up and make her breakfast before she had to leave to do her work. After that, he would make her lunch at midday, where they both would talk about the things they had done. In the evenings, they were usually joined by Ty Lee and Mai for dinner, which Aang also cooked.

Today, however, was a different day. Azula's ship had landed at Roku's Island, much to the excitement of Aang. He had learned from Roku that this was the preferred place for Aang to get Azula into the Spirit World without the Avatars having to intervene like they did in order to bring Azula into it for the party.

It started off as any normal morning. Aang woke up slightly before Azula so that he could get started on cooking breakfast for Azula. Azula then woke up a little later, kissed Aang on the cheek, and went into the bathroom to get ready. When she came out, she had her hair in a bun and was wearing a dark red long sleeve shirt and black leggings.

"What are you making today?" she asked as she walked over to the table that was already set up for a meal.

"Oh, just some biscuits and gravy," he replied as he scooped the gravy into two biscuits with a plate of fresh strawberries. "Would you like any tea or coffee?" He turned around, placed the food on the table, and smiled at her.

Man, he sure does like to cook hearty meals. She smiled back and sat down. "Maybe some tea would be nice."

Aang nodded his head and bent water into a cup with a tea bag in it. He then placed his own plate on the table that only had one biscuit on it with a larger assortment of fruit. Once the tea was done, he placed the cut next to Azula, who thanked him.

"So, what's the plan for today, Avatar?" Azula asked as she started digging into her food.

"Well, I was thinking that I could help you meditate and teach you an Air Nomad secret," he explained as he took a sip of his water. "It's in the scroll that Yangchen gave me for my birthday! And I thought that I should teach it to you." He smiled at her and continued eating.

"Oh, really?" she inquired. "What's this secret technique that you're supposed to be teaching me?" She smirked at him and took another bite from her plate.

"Well, it's a locator technique that was mastered by the Air Nomads long ago," Aang stated. "It was used to communicate with people who were over a long distance. It takes a lot of concentration, but when mastered, it can be very useful!"

Azula was shocked that she had never heard of this before. She thought that she had learned everything that she could about the Air Nomads, but was shocked to find out that there were things she still didn't know.

"That sounds very useful. But, why did we need to go to Roku's Island for it?" she asked as she continued to eat her food, while also taking the time to wipe her mouth as she ate.

"During one of my last conversations with Roku, he explained that it would be easier if we were at his temple since you are a Firebender and the border between the spirit world is weaker there for Firebenders."

"Oh, well, that has solid logic," she concurred while taking a sip of her tea. "Are there temples like Avatar Roku's all over the world?"

"Not that I know of. After the war, maybe we could try and find them!"

"Yeah," she said, blushing lightly. "That would be very nice."

The couple continued eating their breakfast, with Aang finishing his food first. He stood up, brought his plate to the sink, and started washing it.

"You know, you sure do know how to make a hearty meal, Aang," Azula noted to him as she tried to stifle a burp.

Aang merely chuckled and glanced back at his satisfied girlfriend. "What can I say; I like keeping you well fed!" He smiled at her and continued to clean the dishes.

"Yeah, well, listen here, Avatar," she began. "I don't want to get turned into a beached whale with all this food I'm eating." Oh, I'm so about to mess with him. "Unless you want me as fat as a beached whale, then by all means, keep feeding me." She smirked when she saw him immediately go rigid and drop the fork that he was currently drying off.

"Umm, no! I mean, you're really nice to cuddle with! And I…uh…well...uh...UGH," he groaned as his brain short circuited, which made Azula laugh.

"Alright, Blubber Lover, why don't you go get changed so that we can learn this special scroll?" she suggested in between fits of laughter, which only made him blush harder than he already was. He quickly dashed into the bathroom and let out an audible groan, making Azula laugh harder. Maybe he likes me a little chubby, she thought funnily to herself. Nah, it was just a joke.

Aang walked out of the bathroom in his orange cloak that was covering a red t-shirt and athletic shorts since he knew that it would be hot on the Island. He walked over to Azula, who was looking at the ocean over the balcony. "Are you ready to go?" he asked as leaned next to her.

"Sure," she obliged, and started walking out of the room. "Let's do this."

The couple walked out of their room and locked the door. Then, walking side by side, they ventured down to the main deck. Aang had his hood up so that no one would recognize him and so they were able to get off of the ship. When they got off of the ship, they walked towards the entrance of the temple.

"Why do you think Roku wanted his temple all the way out here? It's in the middle of nowhere," Azula questioned as they walked.

"You know, it's funny," said Aang. "I came here with Katara and Sokka many months ago. When we got here, Zuko followed us and tracked us to the temple. We narrowly escaped on Appa due to Roku's spirit taking over my body. He nearly destroyed the temple, but luckily, it was spared."

"Yes, I'm aware of this incident as I read the report on it after it happened," Azula explained. "That didn't answer my question as to why it would be all the way out here in the first place."

Aang looked over at her and chuckled a little. "Well, I actually don't really know why it would be out here. I mean, maybe he just wanted it in the middle of nowhere."

Azula looked at him and frowned. "I'm sure he had to have had a reason for doing this. I mean, it just appears illogical."

"I mean, it's far away," Aang reasoned. "You can see enemies coming. Why wouldn't you want to have your temple here?"

"It's far away," Azula repeated with obviousness. "What if something happened and there was an emergency? How would help arrive if the island is so far away from everything?"

Aang looked over at her with a confused look in his eyes. "You know, it's funny. That's exactly how he died."

"Yes. I'm aware of how he died."

Aang stared at her with his mouth slightly open and then proceeded to close it. He sighed and shook his head in slight disappointment. Why do I even bother?

The couple continued to walk down the path for some time. They would occasionally stop and take in the view from the sharp cliff faces that were around them. The ocean was constantly running over the rocks below and there were birds soaring high in the air. Once they finally reached the temple, they were greeted by Fire Temple guards who were standing at the door.

"Halt! Who goes there?" one of the guards boomed as Aang and Azula rounded the final stairs.

"I am Princess Azula of the Fire Nation and I am accompanied by my servant, Lee. We are here to meditate in the temple somewhere. Is that possible?" she kindly asked as she let go of Aang's hand, so not to draw suspicion.

The two guards looked at each other and then moved together to confer, much to the annoyance of Azula.

"I thought that the Princess would be a coldhearted killer. She just asked nicely," one of the guards whispered to the other.

"Yeah. Maybe we should let them in. I don't want to piss her off," the other guards replied.

Azula, who was trying to patiently wait, was starting to lose her nerve. Aang noticed this, grabbed her hand, and lightly squeezed it. She looked at him and gave a slight smile.

"We have elected to let you enter the temple," one of the guards spoke as he stepped aside.

"Thank you so much," she said, glaring at both of them as she entered the temple.

The temple itself was like a complex. There were gardens and shrines, as well as smaller buildings that surrounded a larger building. The temple itself was a large black and red building with three tiers to it. There was also a flat section on the roof, perfect for meditation.

Several Fire Sages could be seen walking around. Some were male and some were female. They were wearing black robes with red sashes. As Azula and Aang made their way to the main building, Azula was looking around and caught Aang looking at one of the more rotund female Sages and blushed immediately. Don't tell me he actually likes plumper women! Oh, Agni, that's gonna be an interesting conversation to have with him. She lightly elbowed him which instantly snapped him out of his stupor and sighed.

They eventually entered the temple and were stopped by a male Sage who looked to be in his mid 40's. He smiled at the pair and greeted them. "Welcome to the Fire Temple! More commonly known as Roku's Temple. I am Head Sage Bindo. How can we help you, my Princess?"

"Is there a place for us to meditate and not be disturbed?" she asked strongly.

The Fire Sage nodded in response. "Yes. There is a platform on the roof of the temple which is reserved for meditation. No one is using it right now, so I can have one of my fellow Sages lead you to it."

"That would be great," Azula responded with a smile on her face.

The Sage was caught off-guard for a split second. Wow, this is the famed Princess Azula? She seems a bit more…mellow and nicer than she has been described. "Great! I'll go get one of my Sages to walk you up there immediately." He bowed, walked towards one of the female Sages, and brought her back over to the couple. "This is Nana. She will be your guide while you are at the Temple. She will also help you get to the roof."

"If you will just follow me, we can get moving," Nana stated as she started walking towards a large spiral staircase that led all the way to the top of the building.

Once they got there, she led them to a ladder and brought them to the roof. "This is the roof and the best place to mediate. If you have any other inquiries or issues, please don't hesitate to come down the ladder and find me or another Sage," she spoke as she proceeded to bow before Azula and Aang.

"Thank you so much for your help," Azula said to the Sage. "I, and my servant, really appreciate it."

Both Aang and Azula bowed as the Sage made her way to the ladder and closed the hatch, making them both totally alone on the roof.

"Alright," Aang stated as he took off his hood. "Let's get this party started." He proceeded to sit down on the ground cross-legged.

"Alright, Aang. What's the first step in this secret technique?" Azula asked as she, too, sat down on the ground cross-legged.

"First, you need to close your eyes and clear your mind," he explained as he moved next to her. "You've never been able to succeed at this due to the fact that you've never been able to quiet your mind."

"You know," she began in an annoyed tone, "it's a lot harder than it looks."

"All you need to do is focus on nothing and you will have achieved the first step," he spoke calmly so that he could attempt to soothe her temper.

"Fine. I'll try to 'clear my mind.'" She took a deep breath and mentally cleared out her mind, making it so that she wasn't thinking about anything at all.

Aang, who noticed that her heart rate was much slower, smiled. "Good job! You've already mastered the first step. This is the farthest you've ever gotten in meditation."

Azula smirked. "Well what did you expect? I am a prodigy," she teased as she regained her concentration.

"Alright, the next step is to unlock your spirit. All you have to do is release all the stress that has been collected in your body and your spirit will be able to roam freely."

Azula did as her boyfriend asked and started releasing the tension in her body, starting from her neck. She could feel the stress and tension exit as she mentally moved lower down her body to her spine and hips. Only after a patient twenty minutes of deep breathing did she finally feel at peace and at ease with herself both physically and mentally.

Aang noticed this change in her physique and smiled widely. "Good! Now, all you need to do is let your spirit float away. Imagine you are smoke billowing into the air. Then, you will reach your destination."

Azula sighed and tried to imitate the action that he described. She could feel her senses dull more and more. Eventually, after what felt like eternity, she couldn't feel, hear, smell, see, or taste anything. She felt like she was floating in a void of nothing. It was incredible.

What is this? Is this how Aang feels everyday? Is this why he meditates?

"You can open your eyes now, Azula."

She did as she was told and found that she was sitting on a grass field in the middle of nowhere. She looked around and saw nothing but grass and rolling hills. There was nothing but grass for as far as the eye could see.

"W-where are we?" she asked tentatively.

"We are in the Spirit World," Aang replied as he lifted her to her feet, making her blush.

"So, I did it?" she asked, looking into his gray eyes which sparkled with excitement.

"Yes. You made it." He smiled back at her and pulled her in. "I'm so proud of you. You actually did it!"

Azula instantly blushed at the praise she was getting from her boyfriend. She then felt his lips on hers. It felt like lightning coursing through her body. She felt safe in his embrace. She also noticed that he tasted like leftover breakfast, which made her blush even more.

When they broke the kiss, both parties were lightly panting. She looked into his eyes and immediately felt a jolt. I can't get enough of him! "So, what about this technique you were going to teach me?" she asked with a little bit of moxy in her tone, making it Aang's turn to blush lightly.

"Alright. The thing I'm about to tell you is very important, so I need you to listen closely," Aang stated as he looked at Azula, who nodded her head in understanding. "When you care about someone, you build a connection with them. That connection is what Air Nomads call a Spiritual Link. This link allows two people to be connected to each other."

"Okay. How does it work?" she asked cautiously.

"Well, if you concentrate-and I mean really concentrate-you are able to sense a person's voice and listen to them. It takes serious determination and a very deep connection with that person, but when those conditions are met, a person would be able to not only listen to someone, but also locate them." He spoke in a very serious tone which slightly caught Azula off guard.

"Can I try it?" she asked.

Aang smiled. "Sure! All I need you to do is close your eyes and focus," he replied as he watched Azula nod her head and close her eyes.

"I need you to really focus. Can you do that for me, Zula?" he asked from seemingly nowhere.

She smiled and nodded her head.

"Good, now walk towards my voice."

This caught Azula off guard greatly. Wait, wasn't he just in front of me? I don't understand. Where is he?

"My voice, Azula. Come to my voice." He spoke softly which made Azula turn around over and over again.

"Where, Aang? Where are you?" she asked as she started wandering towards the voice.

"I'm over here, Azula," he answered, his voice sounding from no specific direction.

"Aang, I can't find you!" she exclaimed nervously as she walked aimlessly around the wide open field.

"You can do it, Azula. I know you can!"

This would continue for a few hours as she aimlessly wandered around the field, trying to locate her boyfriend. She would sometimes think that his voice was getting louder, but it would instantly grow softer and she would turn around and move in the opposite direction.

"Alright, I think that's enough for today," he concluded, reappearing and grabbing her hand. "You can open your eyes now."

Azula opened her eyes to find Aang standing directly in front of her with a smirk on his face. "What's with the smirk, Avatar?" she asked while crossing her arms across her chest.

"Looks like the great Fire Nation prodigy has finally met her match," he said smugly, only for him to receive a glare.

"Looks like the Avatar just lost cuddle privileges and an extra-hard Firebending training lesson tomorrow," she shot back, smirking and lightly punching him on the shoulder.

"You wouldn't dare," he said, fear creeping into his voice.

"Try me," she replied stone faced as she started walking away from her boyfriend, who gulped.

"I…I think it's about time that we head back to our bodies," Aang suggested, trying to get back to the topic at hand. "Especially for you since it's your first time doing this. It should almost be dinner time by the time we get back to the boat."

"Alright, just tell me how to get back," she said as she sat down on the ground.

"All you have to do is think of something that reminds you of where your body is. Coming back to your body will become easier as you grow more used to meditation. Also, someone will usually distract you, so you will be pulled from here and back to your body," he explained as he sat down and closed his eyes, attempting to prepare to return to his body.

"Alright, I think I get it," Azula said as she began to concentrate and close her eyes. After a few minutes, her senses returned to her and she could feel the stone roof she was sitting on.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Aang stated as he, once again, helped Azula up.

"How did you get here before me?" she asked as they began walking towards the hatch where the ladder was.

"I've been doing this far longer than you have. I'm much quicker than you are," he explained as he put back on his hood and cloak.

"Ah. That makes sense."

The couple made their way back down to the main floor of the shrine and thanked the Sages, who bowed and smiled back. They walked back to the boat and found that it was almost dark outside. By the time they returned to their room, the sun had completely set and Aang had to light the numerous candles in the room.

"You can go change and I'll make dinner," he said as he put on his apron, pulled out a pan, and turned on the stove.

"That's fine with me," Azula agreed as she walked towards the bathroom to shower. Why couldn't I do it? Was it my focus? My connection? Oh well, I'll focus on it later.

She sighed to herself and, after a longer shower, stepped out and dried herself off, changing into pajamas.

When she walked out of the bathroom, she saw that Aang had already set the table and placed a plate with a hamburger that contained lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and bacon in it. There was also a large helping of fries alongside it. Note to self: Ask Aang if he seriously wants me fat. "This looks really good, Aang!" she said aloud as she sat down and started eating, not expecting her to be this hungry.

"Aww, thanks, Sparks!" He smiled as he placed his plate down, which had a noticeably smaller amount of food on it. "I'm glad you like it."

The couple ate their food in relative silence, only stopping to have small talk about what the coming days were going to be like. Once dinner was finished, Azula moved to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She walked out to let Aang go shower and change.

Aang walked out of the bathroom to find that most of the candles had already been extinguished and that Azula was already in bed. He sighed, used Airbending to blow out the remaining candles, and climbed into bed next to her.

"Good night, Sparks," he whispered.

"Good night, Aangy," she mumbled back.

"Ugh! This is getting us nowhere!"

"Yes, Toph, we are both aware that you don't like selling things, but this is what we agreed to when we accepted the boat ride to the capital," Suki reasoned as she restocked the stall that she was currently standing behind.

Toph growled at her and then sighed in defeat. "I didn't think people would be this difficult. It's like everyone wants to take advantage of the blind girl."

"I mean, if you think about it-" Sokka mused as he stood behind his own stand.

"You sure you want to finish that sentence, Ice Brain?" Toph fired back as she raised her hand, causing a pillar of earth to levitate off the ground and appear at the base of Sokka's neck.

"N-no! I like living!" he stammered out as he started to sweat.

"Good!" she said, smirking and lowering the rock back into its original place.

"Guys, can't we just have one day where we don't fight?" Suki pleaded.

"And can't you have one night where you're night fucking like wild animals?" Toph shot back, which made the couple blush immediately.

"TOPH!" Suki cried as she tried to recover her composure.

"I mean, I'm not wrong, am I?" she asked smugly.

"No, no she is not," Sokka murmured guiltily. He turned around and saw Mr. Rizon standing behind them with a smirk on his face. "You know, you're not really helping."

"Oh, come on, now! I enjoy a good session of the horizontal hustle just as much as the next guy, but I do think you both do it too much," he reasoned with a stern tone, which only made the couple flush more.

"THANK YOU!" Toph shouted as she went to give the merchant a high five.

"Fine, we won't have anymore sex till the war is over," Suki stated, which made Sokka's mouth drop to the ground.

"Y-you can't be serious!" he stuttered as he tried to get over the shock.

"Oh, get over it, lover boy!" Toph said as she patted him on the back, which made him fall onto the ground.

"Wow, he really is a wimp," Mr Rizon mumbled. Both of the girls laughed.

"I hope you're not just realizing that," Suki said between bouts of laughter.

Once the group finished laughing, Mr. Rizon told them that they would be finished soon since the sun was starting to set. After a few hours, the group closed up their separate stalls and handed all the money that they earned to Mr. Rizon.

"Good job, team! We made 8,430 gold pieces today!" he announced with a bright smile on his face. "Since Suki earned the most money today, she gets to pick where y'all eat tonight."

"Nice!" Suki said as she grabbed the money pouch and started walking towards the main town.

Lartmouth was the port city on the Island of Shu Jing. There were large wooden buildings, a market place, restaurants and cafes, and even a small theater. It was much smaller than the village that was near the Stronghold, but it was still a nice town to be in.

"So," Sokka spoke while looking at the restaurants. "Where do you want to eat, Suki?"

"Well, I'm kinda in the mood for beef tonight," Suki responded while walking.

"Too bad you can't have Sokka's," Toph mumbled under her breath, which made Suki blush.

"Did you say something Toph?" Sokka innocently asked.

"No. She didn't," Suki interjected while slapping Toph upside the head.

"It was only a joke! You didn't have to hit me!" Toph cried while rubbing the top of her head.

"Well, it wasn't very funny!"

The group continued walking until they heard commotion coming from a restaurant nearby.

"Should we check it out?" Sokka asked, dropping the volume of his voice.

"It's a bar fight. I feel five on three," Toph spoke as she rubbed her foot into the ground.

"Let's see what's going on," Suki said as she led the group towards the bar.

When they reached the bar, they were immediately surprised to find that it was now an all-out brawl. They walked over to the bartender and asked what had happened.

"Someone insulted the big guy's mom," she replied as she sighed and continued to clean glasses.

"You don't look very scared or worried about the current situation," Sokka noted to her in a very casual tone as he leaned on the bar.

"It happens very often here. The fights between the off-duty soldiers and villagers are commonplace in this town," she explained, looking at the fight and sighing.

"Really?" Suki asked. "What do they usually fight about?"

"Well, sometimes it's about family that got arrested for a stupid reason, or an insult thrown at a drunk soldier. It varies fight to fight."

"Why did this one start?" Toph asked as she jumped into the conversation.

"Well, the big guy, Ringo, was talking about his mom and how she got captured for doing 'illegal things' in the market a couple days ago. One of the soldiers who was there called his mom an old delusional hag and then got punched in the mouth," she described as she watched the fight continue.

"So, what did she actually do?" Suki asked with a confused look on her face.

"She didn't give a soldier any of the goods that she bought from the markets. So they decided to arrest her and throw her in the town jail."

"Thats ridiculous! She didn't do anything," Sokka exclaimed as he threw his hands down onto the table. "Why, I oughta sock him myself."

"Go right ahead and try, pip squeak!"

Sokka turned around and saw the same soldier that was standing next to Ringo, who was now unconscious. Sokka then got up from his seat and walked over to the soldier and punched him in the gut. The soldier grunted and tried to knee him in the chest but missed. Sokka elbowed him in the neck and then stomped on his face, breaking his nose.

"Are you done?" he asked while looking down at the now groaning soldier. He then walked back to the bar and wiped his hands on his shirt. "Sorry about that. I can't stand idiots."

"Oh, no, it's quite alright," the bartender said casually. "It looks like you were able to handle yourself quite well. What are you guys' names? I've never seen you three before."

"I'm Sokka, this is my girlfriend Suki, and the short one is Toph," he replied, right before getting an elbow to the knee from Toph.

"Well, I must thank you for finally ending the fighting," said the bartender. "My name is Gale. I own this place. Is there anything I can get you?"

"Do you happen to have any beef?" Suki asked innocently.

"Sure! I'll make three steaks for you three. It's on the house!" Gale smiled and then dashed to the kitchen to start cooking.

"Well, that was nice of her," Sokka said as he sat down at the bar.

"Um, excuse me," an elderly man asked from the corner of the bar. "I couldn't help overhearing your names. Were you actually with the Avatar?"

"What's it to you if we were?" Toph asked suspiciously.

"Well, I might have some information to give you." He walked over to them and handed them a piece of paper. " I have a contact in the Fire Foundation City. He thinks that he's found big."

"Oh, really? Did he tell you what it was?" Suki questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"No, but he told me that it was a big lead," the man replied. "Something to do with a Black Sun and a rock in the middle of the ocean."

"Is there anything else you can tell us?" Sokka asked as he put the paper into his pocket.

"No. I'm sorry, that's all I know."

Sokka sighed and thanked the man, who promptly left the bar. A couple minutes later, Gale returned to them with tree heaping plates of steak, mashed potatoes, and green beans.

"Wow Gale, this all looks really good," Suki acknowledged as she immediately started eating the food.

"I bet it looks fantastic," Toph replied as she also started eating her food.

Gale raised an eyebrow at the comments. "What do you mean? Can you not see?"

"No, she's blind," Sokka responded nonchalantly as he ate his food.

"Ah. Well let me know if you need anything else," she said as she went to serve the other people who were still in the bar after the fight.

It took forty minutes for the trio to finish their food. Once they were done, they thanked Gale and left the restaurant. They started walking towards the Inn where they were staying.

"Do you think we can trust that old man?" Suki asked as she held Sokka's hand.

"I wasn't able to sense if he was lying, but from his voice alone, he sounded trust worthy to me," Toph replied as she walked next to Suki.

"Yeah, I think it's worth a shot to at least look into it. And isn't that the next place we are going anyway?" Sokka asked as he opened the door to the Inn.

"Yep," Toph said as she walked to her room. "The Old Man said that's our next stop once we finish up tomorrow."

"But do you know what he was talking about?" Suki asked Sokka, who slightly nodded his head.

"I know one of the things he was talking about was the Day of the Black Sun," said Sokka as he stood outside their rooms. "It's a day where an eclipse makes Firebenders useless and it's in five months. We found out about it when we went to the Library in the Desert. It was also the day we lost Appa."

"What about the rock thing?" Toph asked.

"Well," Sokka began, stroking his chin. "I have an idea of what that could be, but I'm not totally sure."

"Alright, well, I'm tired and want to sleep. We can figure this out tomorrow," Suki said as she pulled Sokka into their room.

"Why am I a part of this friend group?" Toph mumbled to herself as she walked into her room and climbed into her bed. She sighed to herself and went to sleep, all the while trying to mentally prepare for what the next day would bring them.