I do now own Avatar The Last Airbender. It is the creation of Michael DiMartino and Brian Konetzko. I own nothing.

Also, I have made a decision. You'll see.

Enjoy!

"Good work learning to earthbend vessel."

"Thanks."

For once, Zuko was actually glad to receive praise from Vaatu. Mostly because this time it didn't feel like an insult, and now he had earned it.

"Now, do you have any plans for water and air?"

Zuko's smile falls when he hears that question.

"Um, no. I actually hadn't thought that far ahead. I don't know I'm going to learn the other two."

"Excellent. Keep it up."

Zuko's eyes widen. That wasn't an answer he was expecting.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Plans are for people of order. You are the vessel of chaos. The less you plan things, the better they will turn out for you."

"That doesn't sound right."

"Really? Tell me, who would know best about these things? An ancient spirit of chaos older than humanity itself? Or one abandoned angry child?"

Zuko frowned.

"Ok. I think I get it."

"Then again, perhaps anger it its own form of wisdom."

"I Got It!"

"Just checking. Just remember, go with the flow of the universe. Things will work out the way they are meant to. And it just might be beneficial to us."

Zuko decided to keep that in mind. Vaatu could be right.

"In any case, you should probably wake up."

"Why?"

"Your teacher will return soon. And I want to see her teach you again. Her methods are very entertaining."

"Vaatu, I swear..."

"Goodbye vessel."

Just like, that, the world disappeared again.

"Alright, Sparky! You got it!"

Zuko grinned as he held the boulder on his back. It had only been a few days since his first rock toss, but he was already getting the hang of what Toph was teaching him.

"You know what to do now?"

Zuko didn't answer her with words. Instead, he tossed the boulder into the air. When the boulder was on the ground again, Zuko struck it. It shot forward, breaking into pieces and smashing down a tree.

"Jeez. What is it with firebenders and hurting trees? Do your people get off on that?"

"Hey!"

"I take offense to that young lady!"

"Yawn"

Druk decided to just take a nap.

Toph chuckled. "Ah, calm your diapers, I'm just messing with you. But seriously Sparky. Maybe lay off on attacking plants? I thought you guys wanted to stay hidden."

"I would have to agree with her nephew," Iroh said. "I am proud to see your earthbending skills progress. But destroying tress does not seem to be a good scale to check."

Zuko just sighed. "Alright, fine. Fine. I won't break any more trees. Happy now?"

"Eh, I don't really care."

Zuko glared at Toph.

"Anyway. Time for your next lesson."

Zuko took a deep breath before asking, "What is it?"

"I'm going to teach you to see."

Zuko frowned. "You do know I'm not blind, right?"

Toph gasped. "Sparky, was that a blind joke? Directed at me?"

Zuko's eyes widened.

"Wait! No! I didn't mean it like that. I-"

Toph snorted.

"Sparky, it's just a joke. Seriously, you need to learn to calm down. Lighten up."

Zuko just glowered at the girl.

"Anyway, you're going to need the blindfold. This is similar to what we did yesterday. Only this time, you need to use the earth to see. Know what's around you by knowing what's on the ground."

Zuko frowned. "How does that work?"

"Just take off your shoes and put on the blindfold. I'll tell you what to do after that."

Unsure of what else to do, Zuko bared his feet and covered his eyes. All he could feel was the earth inside his toes and the darkness that clouded his vision.

"Just to be clear, you can't see anything right?"

"About as much as you can."

Toph chuckled. "Nice one. You're improving. Anyway, I need you to feel the earth now."

"It's inside my toes. I can feel it already."

"No. Don't just feel it with your feet. I need you to feel it with your spirit."

Zuko frowned. "Huh?"

"Yeah, that might have been too vague. Let me try explaining how I do it. You can't see, right?"

"I think we established that."

"No more jabs from you. Now, I want you to forget everything."

"What?"

"Focus on the earth beneath you. Don't think about anything else. Just focus on the ground, and what you feel on it."

"I don't get it."

"Ok. Just don't think about it. Just feel the earth beneath you. Can you do that?"

Not seeing the point, Zuko nonetheless focused on the dirt beneath him. He blocked out Iroh, he blocked out Druk, and he blocked out Toph. All he could think about was the Earth.

"Ok. Stay with the ground, but try expanding that. Use all the senses you still have. Try to feel what's around you."

Zuko did that. He ignored his eyes, and he instead used his ears and nose. He was starting to get an idea of what Toph was talking about.

"Reach out with everything Sparky. Connect to what's on the ground."

Zuko could still feel the dirt under his feet. He could also feel the dirt that was all around them. He could also feel some of the rocks that were there, just staying in their spots. He could feel the stillness around him.

And he could also feel things that... weren't still.

He felt something small walking on the ground. No, it was a lot of small things, all of them walking. All of them were walking in unison, almost uniformed. He could almost hear the footsteps.

"Is something close by? I can feel a lot of things walking by us."

"Walking by... are you talking about that?"

Zuko took off the blindfold and looked at Toph. She was pointing at the distance. When Zuko followed her finger, he was surprised by what he saw.

It was an anthill. A small one. One that would be missed by most people.

"But, I felt it. I felt them moving. It was almost like I was there."

"Wow, you actually got that faster than I expected."

Zuko frowned.

"Got what?"

"Seismic sense. It's what I use to move around. It's what lets me know what I'm surrounded by. So long as it's on the Earth, I know where it is."

Zuko eye's widened. So that's how she didn't need help. She used earthbending to overcome her blindness.

"This sense of yours, how accurate is it?"

"It helped me find you. And you guys are very far from my home. You think any other blind girl could find you at this distance?"

"No. No, I don't."

Zuko meant that.

"That's right. Cause I'm the best of them all."

To add to the effect, Toph literally created a stone pillar to stand on.

"You ready to get back to training, my humble student?"

Zuko grinned.

"Definitely."

South Pole- Hidden Air Temple

"But Monk Gyatso, I thought you said we were going to wait before I started my spiritual training."

The old monk sighed. He knew these questions would come, and he could not avoid them. He needed to face them.

"I believed so as well. Unfortunately, the elders believe you should begin early."

"But why?"

"They do not want you to simply waste a year having fun," Gyatso rubbed the arrow on Aang's head. "You have mastered the physical aspects of airbending, and faster than anyone in our history. And I am proud of you for that. But I'm afraid it is time for you to take the next step Aang."

Aang could only look down in defeat. Given more time, he would probably start pouting.

That's when Gyatso kicked in.

"Tell me Aang, why is it that you fear spiritual training so much?"

Aang shuffled his feet as he gave an answer.

"It's because... because no one has fun anymore after that."

Gyatso's eyebrow raised. "What do you mean Aang?"

"It's always the same. I've seen it with the older kids too. Once they start learning about the Spirit World, they stop having fun. They all become so serious. I... I don't want to be like that."

Gyatso had some understanding of Aangs concern. Although, he only had a part of the full image.

While it was true that many of the most spiritually attuned monks become more serious individuals, it often had little to do with the training itself. No, the root of the newfound solemnity could be traced to the condition fo the world. It was a world out of balance, one that sought to have Air Nomads killed. But practitioners of the wind were meant to be free, to explore the world. The fact that they could no longer do so is what weighed so heavily upon all their shoulders.

But there was another issue that Gyatso took with Aang's observation.

"Are you saying I am not fun Aang?"

"What? No! No! I didn't mean that!"

"Alas, all these years I thought my jokes and pranks were bringing us close together. Only now do I learn that you care nothing for them. My own student."

"That's not true Monk Gyatso! You're lots of fun. Really."

"Really? Then perhaps you can be like me Aang."

At those words, Aang's panic stopped. He had never thought that Monk Gyatso was boring. The two of them actually had fun together whenever they could. And he had even gone through the same spiritual training.

While Aang was pondering this, Gyatso walks forward to place his hand on his young wards' shoulder.

"Aang, this training is not going to force you to become anything different than what you already are. Yes, the things you see in the spirit world may change your outlook, perhaps even your life, but how you react to these changes will depend entirely upon you. If you wish to remain fun, then I see no reason why you should not."

Aang was slightly comforted by this. He was still nervous about what he might have to do, but at least he now knew he didn't have to become so serious. He just had to hold to a sense of whimsy. Shouldn't be too hard.

"Now, the elders have asked me to begin your training as soon as possible. What do you say we begin a small pre-lesson right now?"

Aang shrugged. "I guess. What would we be doing?"

"It's quite simple really." Gyatso sat upon the ground, his hands held together in a sign.

"Meditation."

"Oh. I can do that."

Aang sat on the ground across from Gyatso.

"Good. Now try not to focus on anything."

"What do you mean?"

"We are in the material world Aang. To access the Spirit World, you must let go of all that ties you to this plane of existence. To move on to the next one, you must let go, and become one with the cosmos."

"Become one?"

"Yes. The Spirit World exists beyond mankind. To reach it, you must extend your mind to it."

Aang closed his eyes after taking a deep breath. He tried to do what Gyatso told him.

"Good Aang. Try to take your mind further."

Aang did so. He tried to think of what laid beyond his world.

"Focus Aang. You must... in order to... all of it..."

Suddenly, Gyatso's voice was getting further and further away. Aang tried to open his eyes, but he couldn't. It felt like something was closing them shut.

When Aang opened his eyes, he wasn't sitting on the temple floor anymore. He was falling in the air.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!"

Aang tried to use airbending to slow his fall. But the wind wouldn't respond to his movements. The air stayed still.

"No, no, no, no. Please don't let me fall. I don't want to die. Please."

Aang closed his eyes as he fell closer and closer to the ground. He didn't know if this was going to be his end. He didn't want it to be. There were still things he wanted to do. He wanted to see the world. He wanted to truly understand being a nomad. And there were people he still wanted to spend time with. Gyatso. Sokka. Katara.

He didn't want it to end.

"Umph!"

And as he landed on something that was surprisingly soft, he realized that it might not have to.

"Huh?"

Aang opened his eyes to see what he landed on. It was a bed. Made of grass. Grass that wasn't on the ground when his eyes were still open. Grass that wasn't growing anywhere else for miles as he could tell.

"Um, ok. What's going on?"

Aang stood up, trying to figure out what was going on.

*POP*

The moment he stood up, the grass he had been standing on shrank into the ground. It didn't just become smaller, it sunk beneath the dirt back into the roots.

"Ok," Aang said weakly. "How do I get out of... here?"

Aang's concentration was cut when he turned around. In the distance, there was a tree. A burnt down, dying tree.

"What happened there?" Aang said as he started walking to the tree. He ould have liked to move faster, but his bending didn't work for some reason. All he could do was walk.

Once he was at the roots of the tree, he could see that the damage wasn't as bad as it had looked from a distance. It was just the top half of the tree that's as burned. The rest of it was fine.

The moment Aang had that realization, he was bored again.

"Ok. So the tree is fine. But what am I supposed to do now? I'm stuck... here. I don't even know where here is! Oh no, Monk Gyatso is going to..."

"help..."

Those words tore Aang from his tirade.

"Who's there? Who said that?"

"i... I cannot..."

"Hold on! I'm coming."

Aang ran to the other side of the tree. But he didn't see anyone there.

"Where are you? Are you here?"

"you... human..."

Aang looked down and saw something he didn't expect.

It kinda looked like a glowing blue kite. Actually, it was colored white, but there were blue pattern markings all over its body. And it was really small.

"Who-what are you?"

"what... I..."

"You don't know?"

The little kite thing (Aang assumed it was a spirit) didn't answer. It must have been weaker than he thought.

"Um, is it ok if I pick you up? I might be able to take you to get help."

The spirit didn't answer. It just stayed in place.

"Ok, well, I'll take that as a yes."

Aang bent down and picked up the spirit. The moment his hangs took hold of it, he felt something change in it.

"You are a child of air A human of the winds."

Aang's eyes widened. The spirit was talking. This time in full sentences. But how was it better? Was it because he grabbed it?

"Um, I am an Airbender, if that's what you mean."

"Yes, Airbender. I remember one."

"Remember? Did you know an Airbender? Was it a friend of mine?"

Instead of answering, the spirit started floating in Aang's hand. Its glow was now becoming stronger.

"I must return to the wind. He must be stopped."

Aang had many questions. What did it mean to return to the wind? Who was the spirit talking about? Who needed to be stopped?

Unfortunately, he wouldn't get the chance to ask any of his questions.

The spirit that was floating in his hands flew right into. It flew directly into his chest and disappeared inside of him.

"What the?! What just...?!"

Aang's throat caught as he felt something new coursing inside of him. He knew the feeling of freedom. It came with being an Airbender. But there was more now.

There was adaptability. There was stability. And there was power. He could feel all of that in his blood. In his spirit.

Aang's eyes were suddenly glowing white, and that was all he saw before he lost consciousness.

"Aang? Aang!"

The boy's eyes shot wide open, and he was met with the sight of his aging master. And Gyatso had a worried look on his face.

"Aang. Are you alright?"

Groggily, the young Airbender lifted himself off his back.

"I-I think I'm alright. But- I remember some weird stuff. I think it might have been a dream."

"A dream? Aang, you lost consciousness during the beginning of training. You were not responding. You weren't breathing."

Aang's eyes widened. Could that mean that... all of that...?

"Was that real?"

"Aang," Gyatso knelt before the boy, concern filling his eyes. "What happened."

"I- I think I went the Spirit World, Monk Gyatso."

The old master's eyes widened in fear, but he fought those feeling back. He could not allow uncertainty to cloud his judgment. His student needed him.

"What happened there Aang? Are you in any harm."

"No. I don't think so," Aang said. After some hesitation, he continued. "But I did meet a spirit under a burned tree. It could talk. It..."

"It what Aang? What happened?"

"It, it flew into my chest and disappeared. I don't know what that means."

Tears were beginning to flow from the boy's eyes.

"I'm scared Master. I don't know what to do."

Gyatso hugged Aang tightly. He made sure to be as comforting as he could.

"Neither do I Aang. But we will figure this out."

"Really?"

"I promise, young one. No harm will come to you."

"AAAAAHHHH!"

Zuko awoke with a start. His breathing was hard, and his eyes were wide. Sweat was dripping from his forehead.

"Zuko! What is it?"

Iroh jumped over to god his nephew. Even Druk was worried. He had moved quickly to wrap himself around Zuko, almost like a protective scarf.

"I- I don't know what happened Uncle. I just... I felt like something was wrong."

"Wrong? What do you mean Nephew?"

"I don't know. I think it has something to do with Vaatu."

"Vaatu? Zuko, what happened?"

"Something... big Uncle. Something that bothered him."

Iroh could only frown. Something that could wake his nephew and bother the spirit of chaos itself?

That could not bode well.

Zuko's Earthbending training continues. And Aang's spiritual training is now commencing. That ought to play out well.

Also, yeah, I will go along with the dual Avatars for this story. I have already figured out how the plot will play out because of it. I can promise that it will be interesting.

And before anyone asks how Aang was able to enter the spirit world so easily, remember the canon. Aang was always able to pick up on Spirit stuff very easily. The airbenders were always spiritual people, so I assume it's fairly easy for most of them. Also, you could say destiny played a hand in this. So there's that.

I also hope I made Aang's reaction believable. He's just a kid, and he went through an experience that will change his life forever. I think I'd be scared too.

Also, I think I figured out the pairing. I think. I'm going to keep it secret though.

Anyway, please leave reviews.

Bye!