Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or anything associated with it except my fanfictions.

Don't expect regular updates for... I'd say... the next two weeks or so. I have three, full-time summer programs that I decided to sign up for, and now I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. Sorry about that.

The water was calm, not a ripple disturbing the sheen of the reflective liquid. The nearly full moon cast a soft glow on the dark bridge below where Sokka was standing. He was leaning over the railings, staring into the water. It was on this spot that Yue had run away from him, saying she couldn't be doing this with him.

He was so upset... but also confused.

After Pakku had barely avoided killing Aang after seeing his sister's necklace, Aang and Pakku pieced together what had happened to Kanna. "She must've ran away from your home after getting sick of living under your culture's stupid sexist rules. She didn't want to live a live of suppression and misery under your customs. That's why she must've left. It must have taken a lot of courage for her to do that... or a lot of pain."

Suddenly, Yue covered her face with her mittens, and started crying. She sprinted away from the crowd gathered, much to the shock of everyone present.

But unlike Kanna... Yue came back. She glided gracefully over to Sokka. "What do you want from me?" she asked softly.

Sokka sighed. His heart ached, but he had to let her go. For her good. It would destroy Sokka, but he didn't care. "Nothing. I just want you to know... I think you're beautiful, and... I never thought a girl like you would even notice a guy like me. I'm glad I got to meet you... and talk to you... these were easily the best days of my life. But I've been selfish. I'm sorry. I won't bother you again."

"You don't understand," Yue whispered, eyes shimmering with tears. Sokka hated to see her like that, and tried to comfort her in the only way he could.

"No, no. See, that's the thing. I think I do understand now. You're a Princess, and I'm ... I'm just a Southern peasant. We couldn't ever be with each other. It wasn't meant to be. I'm... I'm just glad we met each other," he said, fighting back tears of grief and love.

"No, Sokka..."

He turned around so Yue wouldn't have to see him crying. "It's okay. You don't have to say anything. I'm sorry for being so selfish and rude. I'll see you around, okay? If that ever happens again..." he noticed the silence, and began to turn around. "Princess?"

And then he was whirled around by Yue's hands, and pulled into the most beautiful kiss he ever experienced in his life. He could taste the sweetness of her lips through the salt of her tears. Thoughts about anything else were quickly dispelled as he came to the realization that the girl he loved... had her lips on his. They broke apart.

Sokka was now very, very confused. "Okay. I thought I understood, but now... now I'm very confused. Very happy, but very confused."

Yue gently touched Sokka's cheek with a bare hand - the first time he'd ever seen her without mittens. "Sokka. I do like you, a lot. I think I might have even fallen for you. But we can't be together, and not for the reason you think. It hurts my heart, but... we're... we're not possible. It's because..." Yue pulled down her coat to reveal a necklace. It was of a different design, but otherwise was identical to the necklace now on Aang's neck. "I'm engaged." she whispered, and she ran away from Sokka for the second time in two days.

Sokka stood there, feeling a plethora of emotions. Shock. Elation. Grief. Understanding.

But underlying it all, beating deep within his heart, was the warm feeling he now recognized as love.


"Aang, what are you doing here?"

Aang cringed. He had hoped that, despite the dealings of yesterday, that maybe Master Pakku had relented on his previously impregnable stance against women. He had hoped that Master Pakku's love for his Kanna - and the realization of the fallacies of his culture - would allow him to retake the young Avatar as his pupil.

But apparently, that was not to be. His former master's voice cut through the air like a metal prow on ice.

"The sun is already high in the sky, and I need to teach you the final form you must perfect before you have mastered waterbending. Honestly, my prediction of a hundred years of training might not be far off the mark after all!"

Relieved, Aang smiled at Pakku, and to his surprise, Pakku smiled back and hugged Aang. "Thank you, pupil Aang... for showing me the light," whispered Pakku. Then he pushed Aang away. "Now that's it with cuddle time. We need to get back to the brutal, bitter cold that is life and waterbending and training!"


They seemed to like that bridge.

But then again, it was a symbolic landmark of their love. Two people, from the opposite side of the world, from opposite spectrums of class, meeting on a bridge, connecting them with love. But still more, it was where they had their first private "activity," and furthermore was the place where they had confessed their true feelings towards each other.

Now, Sokka was balancing on the railings, making sure not to fall into the water like he was usually prone to doing. Yue was right beside him, acting like the perfect lady with poise that proved a convincing facade hiding her soft, gentle self. They were regaling each other with their memories and tales of their tribes.

"So they don't have palaces in the Southern Tribe?" Yue asked curiously.

Sokka sat on the ledge so that he could concentrate on the beauty in front of him. "Are you kidding? I grew up in a block of ice. It's not exactly a cultural hub."

Yue laughed and put an arm on Sokka's shoulder. He smiled back at her, and her joyous expression was replaced with one more confused and guarded. "Sokka, this is wrong."

"What's wrong? We're taking a walk!"

Yue tentatively tugged at her hair loopy. "I'm engaged. It just feels ... wrong."

Wrong? This was the most right Sokka had ever felt in his life! He smiled reassuringly at the love of his life. He hopped down and took her hand. "I know what you need. You need to meet my good friend Appa."

"Who?" Yue asked.

"Let's just say he's a furry lug I'm well acquainted with." Sokka dragged Yue with him to the stables, and Yue let her guard down for the first time in her life and smiled. It was a cautious smile, but a genuine one. One she never expected to have.

But then again, she never expected Sokka to enter her life.

Before long, they had entered the dim stables, a sheen of blue from the moon reflecting off of every surface. They stopped in front of Appa, who was studying Yue curiously.

"Appa and I go way back. Don't we, boy?" In response, Appa licked Sokka, the force of which knocked him to the floor. "Gaaah! Ptah! Ptooey!" he spat, trying to get the taste bison saliva off his tongue. But the bison then landed on top of him and started licking every bit of Sokka presented to him. "Ack! Ah, ah, easy! Down boy! Agh! No, up! I meant up!"

Yue stood over him and giggled. "Looks like you haven't been giving Appa enough attention!"

Sokka tried to glare at the Princess, but for some reason it was like being angry around this angel was nigh impossible.


"So, how does this work?" Yue asked, sitting on the saddle.

Sokka was sitting on Appa's neck, reigns in his hands. He found he rather disliked this position, but his discomfort paled in significance to the beauty he had caught the attention of. "You holding on tight?" Sokka asked. Yue nodded. "Alrighty then. Appa... yip yip!"

For a moment it seemed as though Appa had gotten too lazy in his previous spoiled days, and that he wouldn't budge from his place under the starry night sky and the watchful eye of the moon. Then, he finally pushed his legs off the ground, lifted his tail, and before they knew it they were floating over the city that Yue was heiress to.

"Oh ... my ... goodness!" Yue said in wonder, gazing upon the lights below her, and the sea in the distance. "Wow, I can't believe you do this every day," she breathed in awe.

Sokka stretched his arms. "Yeah, we've pretty much been living up here..." his face darkened. "Ever since our ship was blown up."

Yue regarded him with worried eyes. "Did you ever figure out who did it?"

"No, but it's like a sixty-thirty split between the Fire Nation and pirates. The other ten is them working together. Our crew had technically betrayed their country, so..." Sokka trailed off when he saw the black snowflakes. He had seen them twice in his life... once on the day his mother died... the second when he had faced against Zuko for the first time. They only came from one source. The ashes of Fire Nation ship columns. "Oh, no..."

Yue peered perplexedly at the black precipitation before her. The last of the Fire Nation's raids against her home had occurred near the beginning of the Hundred Years' War. "What... what is that?"

"Soot. From Fire Nation ships. Based on how thick it is, there's a lot of them. And by a lot, I mean a lot. It's a guarantee that the world knows about the Avatar in the North Pole." He looked at her in fear. "Especially the Fire Nation." His eyes widened. "Oh Spirits..." he said, muttering a string of cusses that would make any pirate proud.

"What?"

"Zuko," he hissed, and without another word, they hurried back to the ground, trying to get to Zuko before the angry mob would.


They were standing near the fountain, talking about their times in the North Pole, about their next steps to take, about saying their goodbyes, when they saw the soot falling down, turning any surface it touched a diseased dark color.

It didn't even take Sokka to realize what was going to happen next. They found spears leveled at them for the umpteenth time - and this time, no one was there to save them. "At long last, you have shown your true colors and have brought the Fire Nation down upon us," hissed Pali. "Now... you shall see what we do to traitors and war prisoners."

Suddenly, Pali stiffened. At first, Aang and Zuko thought that he was priming himself to murder the two boys. Then, he fell down onto the snow, and they turned to see a boy holding a boomerang. With a certain girl of authority behind him.

"Stop," said Yue. Instantly all the soldiers present bowed down to her. "If there are any grievances, we will take them to my father. But considering that that boy is the Avatar, are you really willing to throw away our last shred of hope under a false guise of petty revenge?"

And without a word, Zuko and Aang were escorted to the Chief's home. It did not escape their attention that Sokka did not receive any guards to detain him. Although Yue did rather have him tethered in the heart.

Before they left, Sokka dipped a hand into the now black fountain, and came up with a thick pile of soot. He paled. "this is a full-out fleet."

"Only an admiral has the authority to summon such a massive force." Every eye turned to scrutinize the burned prince. "Hey, I might've been a failure at a lot of things, but I did pick up a thing or two from the endless prattling of my private tutors."

"So that means... we're probably dealing with Zhao," Sokka and Aang said. Everyone swiveled between the trio of boys. "What? We've traveled across the whole world to get here. You do end up learning up a thing or two here and there. Especially when it's spitting at your face."

Finally, they were pushed in front of the palace, and shoved to their feet, Sokka excepted. Arnook came out. "I saw the soot." He narrowed his eyes at the entourage before him. "Let those boys go."

Pali flared his nostrils. "With all due respect, sir - "

"You are blaming three boys - one of whom has been horribly traumatized at the tender age of twelve, even more so than the harsh life we are accustomed to - for an entire fleet of ships that would have come for our home regardless of the circumstances?" Arnooks quiet voice bit at the men before him.

"This is the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. Likely he was the one who ordained this -"

"Princes don't have military power unless they have served to the proper level of distinction," Zuko snapped. "And for the record, my father considered me too soft and stupid to be sent out to the front lines, and that I would have done more harm than good for my nation. Besides, we've been over this a hundred times: I am no longer loyal to my sadistic nation."

Arnook nodded. "Let these boys go. You have already brought dishonor upon yourselves for trying to kill such a small party - and such a young one as well. But now... now you are trying to murder these boys under purely circumstantial evidence - and extremely faulty evidence at that! I do not know what to say about my countrymen." Arnook sighed. "All the same.. we must err on the side of caution. Zuko, you must stay here in the palace, or at least under the watchful eye of an escort. Sokka is free to do whatever he chooses - so long as he is under the supervision of our people - and the Avatar... we must discuss our next course of action to save my people."

Aang nodded grimly, glad that even though so much responsibility was thrust upon him, he had at least accomplished what he had came for. No longer was he the naive boy who still had one more tier of airbending to perfect. He was now a full-fledged waterbending master, and halfway to becoming a fully-realized Avatar.

If he wasn't ready now, he wasn't sure if he'd ever be.


Okay, he wasn't ready.

Arnook finally had to drag the stunned Avatar from the outer walls of the city. "Avatar Aang! You must not concentrate on that! What we must do is find out how to defend this city -"

"From that flotilla over there?" Aang said sarcastically, his wild eyes the only door to his house of madness. "Those ships I destroyed... I smashed their machinery, disabled their engines, wiped out their crews - completely exhausting myself in the process! And when I finally finished the absolutely exhausting labor, I come back here, only to turn around and see that the gigantic contingency I managed to demolish was merely a scouting party. How are we going to be able to stand up to that? How are you being so calm when we're going to be flooded with an entire fleet of ships, all primed and prepared to wage both siege and skirmish? We're doomed - doomed! Why are you trying to fight on in va -"

Arnook sighed and slapped Aang. "Avatar Aang! Get a hold of yourself!" he cried,

Aang dumbly touched his raw cheek, blinked, and nodded. "Thank you, Chief Arnook," he said sheepishly.

Arnook shrugged, but the twinkle in his eye all but ruined his otherwise indifferent countenance. "It happens to the best of us. Nothing is better at bringing someone to focus than a sharp physical sensation."

"Well, it worked on me." Aang's tentative smiled faded as he surveyed the Fire Nation fleet once more. "What... what are we going to do about them?" Aang asked apprehensively. "We don't have the troops to be rid of them, but we don't have the resources to survive a siege. What can we do?"

Arnook sighed and offered the grim news. "Wait out their siege - and hope our city is still standing when the full moon comes. With the power the moon grants us, especially the waterbenders, we will be able to drive off the enemy. But otherwise..." he trailed off, not needing to explain himself.

The ships stopped enlarging in the distance - signifying the dropping of a thousand anchors - and fireballs streaked across the sky, creating massive craters in the illusory, intangible protection of the icy walls.


The drums were sounding. Two watchmen beat a regular rhythm as the crowd of civilians hastily fled for the relative safety of the town hall. Sokka and Yue were two people in the crowd. Unique and influential though they were, during this time of panic, all veils of power and class and wealth crumbled under the imminent fear of the vast majority.

Suddenly Yue stopped, and the dwindling crowd surged past the two lovers into the town hall. "Yue! Come on! We gotta get ourselves to safety!" Sokka said, tugging at Yue's arm. When she stood there unmoving, Sokka turned around to see that Yue's face was turned away from him.

She let go of his hand. "Sokka... I'm sorry..."

"What's wrong?" Sokka said. "We don't have much time. We have to go!"

Yue blinked rapidly and let go of Sokka's hand. "No. Sokka, wait. We... we can't see each other anymore... Not at all."

Sokka's hand was still outstretched, but upon hearing these words, his hand fell limp at his side. "What? We're just friends."

Yue made a gesture as if she wanted to tear at her hair, but recomposed herself. "I wish we could be friends, Sokka," she began sadly. "I really do."

"So what's the problem, Yue? We can spend time together! I won't be an obstacle in your marriage -"

"You see, that's where you're wrong! You will be an obstacle in my marriage, because I care too much about you! I like you too much, and being around you is so... confusing. I'm marrying someone else, for La's Sake!" she turned her head, and Sokka could see a glimmer of tears on her face.

"You don't love him, do you?" Yue's silence was all the information he needed. "You don't even seem to like him."

"I love my people, Sokka."

"But you're not marrying them, are you?"

When Yue finally gathered the courage to look into Sokka's eyes, he could see a raging war of emotions being waged within her. "You don't understand. I have duties to my father, to my tribe. I have to do this. Goodbye." She turned around, but before she could take a step Sokka grabbed her hand. "Sokka - "

Sokka pulled her arm, and he put his arm around her. Yue looked ready to object, but as soon as she saw his eyes she froze. "Yue... when we're together... you said you were confused. Is it because of me, or is it because of your duty?"

Yue sighed. "It's both. But whenever I'm with you... you make me feel so sure. So right. So... good."

Sokka nodded. "Then being around me... isn't really confusing. You like it."

"Yes... I guess you're right..."

Sokka sighed. He hated to see this woman so sad, but she believed in her duty to her tribe. "C'mon. We're in a battle. Anything can happen. Let's just live in the now. You and me. We can worry about what happens with us after we all survive this ordeal. Okay?"

Yue nodded, and the tension between them relaxed. Sokka then took a risk, and kissed her forehead. "I love you," he said.

For a moment, Yue stood there with eyes wide, and Sokka was sure that he was about to be berated royally - in more ways than one - about how his actions were the very reason Yue had to steer clear from him. She opened her mouth, and Sokka prepared himself for the worst.

"You missed."

"Wha?-"

And for the second time in his life, his world stopped when Yue kissed him straight on the lips. She regarded him amusedly as he opened and closed his mouth like a fish. "What is it, prince Sokka?" she jabbed playfully.

"Ah-uh-oh-eh-guh-" he couldn't form any words. Yue giggled, covering her mouth with her mittens. It was very cute when she did that.

"You're cute when you do that, Sokka. And I love you too." Sokka goggled at her, and she nearly collapsed from laughter. "What? You did say to live in the now. By the way, I'm holding you accountable for those words when my father confronts you."

This time, it was a smiling Yue pulling a flabbergasted Sokka along into the safety of the town hall. Her laughter rang throughout the frigid lands she called home, making the bitter cold feel less biting, and making even the dark night seem a little brighter.


"The day we have feared for so long has arrived. The Fire Nation is on our doorstep. It is with great sadness I call my family here before me, knowing well that some of these faces are about to vanish from our tribe. But they will never vanish from our hearts. Now, as we approach the battle for our very existence, I call upon the great spirits. Spirit of the Ocean! Spirit of the Moon! Be with us! I'm going to need volunteers for a dangerous mission."

Sokka sat impassively next to Princess Yue, alongside the person who was supposed to be her betrothed. He wasn't horrible, but Yue made it clear that she didn't like him for whatever odd reason, so obviously whenever the man so much as glanced in Yue's direction, his fists clenched until he couldn't feel his hands anymore.

For a moment, he was considering joining this special mission along with the others to prove their worth. That changed as soon as Arnook saw him and Yue laughing and talking and smiling with each other. He quietly brought the two not-so-secret lovers to the side, and asked what was going on.

"Yue, you know that you are betrothed..."

"I know, father, but... I think that I care more for this man here than I've ever cared for my entire tribe. Especially you should know how deep that vow runs."

Arnook studied his daughter and his Southern counterpart. He sighed. "You know that this is war time... and that all the men have to go and fight."

Sokka's face fell. Once upon a time, he was eager to become a man, eager to prove his mettle, eager to show that he was a true warrior. But now... looking at the angel next to him, suddenly the idea of a warrior seemed like a horrible, disgusting one.

"And that is why... I am assigning Sokka as your personal guard and escort during these times, to protect you to his dying breath."

The shock on both of their faces caused the Chief to throw back his head a laugh a hearty laugh that echoed throughout the icy chambers, providing a stark contrast to the atmosphere of fear that enveloped the North Pole since the arrival of the Avatar and the Fire Prince. When he finally settled down, he said, "Judging by the way you look at each other -" they both blushed. "I'm certain that Sokka will do more than a fine job of protecting my daughter and heiress during these troubling times."

Sokka almost nodded his head off. "Yes, sir," he said, heart bursting with raw emotion.

And so when a good portion of men - including the the man Yue was betrothed to, who she had whispered to him was Hahn - had eagerly stood up to volunteer for the good of their tribe, Sokka remained sitting next to Yue. Being next to her... felt so right.

He was so happy that Chief Arnook was on their side. Even if merciless duty would get its selfish and selfless way in the end.


Zuko was leaning on the wall, just out of sight, listening in on the training for infiltrating the Fire Nation navy. It wasn't, altogether, a horrible strategy, but it could've been a little more thought-out. Like seriously. Watertribe skin was way too dark to pass as Fire Nation. That was bound to raise suspicion in the first place, and then questions would be asked. Which they wouldn't know the answers to. But he was being incognito, and so had to keep quiet lest they spot him and accuse the Fire Nation prince - never mind the fact that he was banished! - of spying on them. Well, he was spying on them, but that wasn't the point.

But when Chief Arnook presented a smirking man clad in a decades-old Fire Nation uniform, declaring that all men had to dress in this way, he couldn't stop himself from snorting, and once the crack in the dam was opened, he laughed so hard that he didn't noticed the spears pointed at him until he finally opened his eyes, gasping for breath.

"What... are you doing here?"

"Listening in on your training. What else would I be doing here?"

The warriors were shocked at the frankness of the Fire Prince, but quickly regained their composure. "What were you doing, spying on us to report to your general?"

Zuko snorted. "Please. First off, I'm a traitor to my country, so I'm not ratting you out to people that I hate. Secondly, before I was banished, I outranked a general, so I wouldn't be doing menial tasks such as spying. Thirdly, it's not like your watertribe skin color won't give you away. No offense."

The warriors shifted uncomfortably at the flaws Zuko announced to them. "In case you still don't think that I'm trustworthy, let me tell you now that if I was an enemy to you guys, I would only be revealing the simplest of mistakes that you guys are making. So in other words, if we're taking the route that I'm untrustworthy, this is an even worse idea than I'm making it out to be. And you can't send me with you guys, because none of you know if the first thing I'll do is blow your covers." He shrugged at the glares coming his way. "What? I'm just trying to help."

"A very interesting sort of help you are giving us, Prince Zuko."

"Just call me Zuko."

"Or Hotman." This time no one laughed as Aang walked into the room. He looked at everyone's faces and quickly read the situation. "So... I'm guessing something's going on here," he chirped a little too cheerily. "Have fun! I gotta place to be!" he quickly zoomed out, and an awkward silence was left in his snowy wake.

Zuko cleared his throat. "Back to where we were. The reason I laughed is because those uniforms are outdated." He went to grab one of his bags from Appa's saddle, and came running back. "This -" he unfolded a crisp, clean uniform that belonged to Jee... stop thinking about him. "Is a modern uniform. Those old uniforms have those curvy spikes that were super cumbersome, and happened to be a hindrance when waging guerilla war in the Earth Kingdom. Nowadays, uniforms are more streamlined to optimize both performance and protection of a soldier."

"And how do we know we can trust you?"

"I mean, you don't," Zuko said. "Besides this obvious thing, but I guess no one's gonna point that out." he almost poked himself in the eye when he exasperatedly pointed at his scar.

The man sighed. "Alright, fair point, I guess. But I still don't know if we should trust you -"

"Yue seems to trust this man, and I shall also trust him," Arnook said quietly.

"But sir!-"

"You know what her life's been like, Hahn," said Arnook. "That is why I place such unconditional trust in these admittedly suspicious boys."

Hahn rubbed his chin. "I guess it is rather hard to hoodwink a spirit."

"Another time," Arnook said when Zuko opened his mouth in utter confusion. "Now, our first objective is to determine the identity of their commanding officer." Everyone looked at Zuko.

"What?" he asked rather stupidly. Then he remembered what they were doing in the first place. "Oh. Right. Commander Zhao. Middle-aged, side burns, absolutely ruthless, easily angered, a good strategist thrown off by his temper."

Arnook sighed. "How about we don't say anything and you tell us everything?" Zuko grinned.

Finally, something to do.

Even if they didn't trust him.

They didn't trust me... even after all this time...

A thought was beginning to form in his head... one that was unpleasant, but one that he deemed necessary for the benefit of the Avatar and their mutual mission...


Zhao had planned on launching another salvo of flaming rocks at the now vulnerable walls of the North Pole, but he finally noticed how dim the light was on the brown and gray missiles primed for launch.

He looked into the night sky. The moon was shining full force, one day shy from granting those savage-benders terrifying amounts of power - the next opportunity he would get to defeat the North Pole would be during Sozin's Comet.

Unless...unless...

He signaled his crew to lay back, to rest until daybreak. Slowly but surely, the word spread throughout the ranks, and all was still and quiet as the firebenders observed the low point of their power.

But not for long.

He remembered a massive cathedral, scrolls filed neatly and conveniently for a human to peruse. Knowing he would be the last to ever set foot inside the invaluable walls, he pored over endless writings of all four nations, and found what he was looking for. The mortal forms of the spirits that granted waterbending. Tui. And La.

Before leaving, he burned down the Fire Nation section of the library. The only nation that was pure enough to never fall.

Soon, there would only be three bendable elements in the world.


Zuko, Yue, Sokka, and Momo were all doing their best to comfort Aang - well, all of them except the flying lemur, who was being scratched behind the ears by an absent-minded Avatar.

"They've stopped firing," Yue said.

Aang sighed. "Because of the moon. I can't believe we made it through that." He buried his face in his arms.

"Aang... don't blame yourself. Remember, the past is the past -"

"Nothing we can do about it," Aang stated woodenly. He spread his hands to the ships that numbered as many as the stars above. "But what about the present? And the fact that we're practically powerless?"

"The North Pole isn't powerless." Zuko was looking at the moon. "At night, the power of waterbenders is augmented. Perhaps because of the influence of the moon. Because of that - as well as the fact that the sun has disappeared below the horizon - makes firebenders weaker." A flash of uncertainty passed over his face, but he shook his head and rebuilt his facade of silence and aloofness. "So long as the moon shines, the North Pole - and waterbending - will never fall."

Momo contributed his part to cheering Aang up by offering him a moon peach. Aang did not accept the juicy fruit, and Momo accepted this rejection without complaint, gobbling up the miniature feast he held in his hands.

Yue looked up into the night sky. "The legends say the moon was the first waterbender." Everyone else gazed at the stars and the silvery orb floating above them all. "Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves."

Aang finally perked up, his childish curiosity revived - if only for a moment. "Is that why all the waterbenders are gathered at night? Especially under the full moon?"

Yue nodded. "Our strength comes from the spirit of the moon. Our life comes from the spirit of the ocean," she said. "They work together to kee-"

Aang suddenly shot up. "Back up, Yue. Did you say spirits?"

Yue rolled her eyes. "Yes, Avatar. The moon spirit and the ocean spirit create balance in our lives -"

"The spirits!" some of Aang's old enthusiasm had returned. "Maybe I can find them and get their help!"

Yue looked askance at the young and old Avatar. "How is that possible?"

Sokka chimed in. "He does some spirity mumbo-jumbo, and voila, spirit communication! Actually, this could be really really great! If Aang can reach the moon and ocean spirits -"

"Maybe they'll give some wisdom to win this battle!"

"Or do some 'spirit mumbo jumbo' and unleash a crazy amazing spirit attack to win this battle." Everyone stared at Zuko. He shrugged. "What? It would be nice."

"Zuko... you're supposed to be a realist..."

"But spirits aren't exactly scientific, are they?"

"Fair point."

Aang sagged. "But the last time I went into the Spirit World was sort of an accident. How do I return?"

Yue was deep in thought, and she brightened. "I might have an idea," she offered. She beckoned to them and swiftly glided across the icy ground. "Follow me."


After traveling to the Chief's Palace, they came across a wooden outline of a shrine, with a circular lid covering what appeared to be an entrance. Aang asked somewhat naively:

"So, is this the way to the Spirit World?"

Yue giggled, and Sokka flared with jealousy before remembering that Aang was smitten with Katara. Then he flared with irritation at the young boy who stole the heart of his baby sister. His baby sister! But those talks would come later - assuming they all survived this and took down the Fire Lord.

"No. You'll have to get there on your own," Yue said with a smile as she leaned over to grab the handle of the door. "But I can take you to the most spiritual place in the entire North Pole," she said with a twinkle in her eye, pulling the door open with a majestic flourish, and gesturing to the magnificence inside.

The boys' mouths dropped open one by one as they crawled through the doorway into an oasis in the frozen desert. Before them was a small pond of peaceful water, with a cheerful waterfall cascading from the glaciers above. A thin layer of mist enveloped the area around them, and in the center of the oasis, there was a small island, where a shrine similar in outline to the entrance of the oasis had been built. Two bridges linked the rest of the North Pole to the small patch of land within the blue waters. It was ringed by verdant bushes, and on the island was grass so green it hurt the boys' eyes to see after days' end of blue and black and red. But what struck them most was the heat, as though there were plucked from the North Pole and submerged in a hot bath.

While Zuko and Sokka gazed at the spectacle before them in wonder, Aang took the opportunity to run over and sink himself into the grass.

"I never thought I'd miss grass this much!" Aang said happily. Momo flew up to the grass and took a sniff, before rolling onto his back, basking in the warmth of the sacred oasis.

Yue walked up to the duo. "This place is the center of all spiritual energy in our land. Hence why it is so hot - and so full of life."

"I'd say," Sokka said, taking off his coat. Yue did likewise, and they caught themselves staring at each other, and they blushed.

Zuko snapped his fingers at them. "Siege..." he warbled, reveling in the young love being displayed before him. Absolutely nothing like him and Mai...

Sokka and Yue blinked. "Yeah. Right," Yue said, her face a deep red in her embarassment.

Aang smiled, completely calm and at peace. The discordant cries of fear and uncertainty and guilt in his head were driven away by tranquility emanating from the oasis. "You're right, Yue. I can feel ... something. It's so powerful, yet calm and benevolent..." he crossed his legs and brought his fists together, assuming a meditative state like he remembered finding himself doing when crossing into the Spirit World atop Hei Bai's shrine.

Momo, meanwhile, saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He rushed to the pond to find some fish. One looked white, the other black. Out of curiosity, Momo stuck a hand into the water and tried to grab one of the fish. Soon, however, a shadow loomed over him, and he looked up to see Yue glaring down disapprovingly at him. He tucked his ears in, and hastily retrieved his hand from the water. In return, Yue smiled and scratched the lemur's ears, and Momo let out a deep, contented purr. "Let that be a lesson to you to not trifle with greater powers, okay?" Yue said.

"Amittermurblematabufi" was all Momo heard, but that was okay. He figured that no touching fish was better than touching fish. He went back to lying on the ground in blissful warmth, ignoring the chattering going on around him.

Yue regarded the Avatar before her with curiosity and concern. "Why is he sitting like that?" she whispered to Sokka.

He shrugged. "Spirity mumbo-jumbo. Probably best we don't speak so that we can let him concentrate. This isn't our forte, after all."

Yue nodded, and they went back to watching over the Avatar.


Aang opened his eyes, unable to figure out how to enter the Spirit World. He had tried everything he could think of, from breathing exercises, to changing meditative positions, to thinking about Katara... okay, that last one wasn't going to help. But how was he going to let her go?

He stared at the pond before him, watching the two fish circle each other. Back and forth, push and pull...

Push and pull...

Push and pull...

Push and pull...

The two fish slowly merged together until they became two teardrops completing a circle, swirling around in a hypnotizing pattern of black and white...

Push... and... pull...


They all collectively gasped when Aang suddenly slammed his fists together and his tattoos started to glow. Yue looked at Sokka concernedly. "Is... is everything alright?"

"He's crossing into the Spirit World. He'll be fine as long as we don't move his body. That's his way back to the physical world." Sokka didn't know anything he was talking about, but he figured he was close enough to nonsensical that he was correct.

Yue pursed her luscious lips. Sokka had to shake his head to remain focused on the task at hand. "Maybe we should get some help."

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Don't worry Yue. We have three people to defend him - yes I'm counting you, because I learned a while back that women are at least as capable as men at everything we do. And besides, worst comes to worst, we have Zuko. He can firebend our enemies away, right Zuko?" Zuko wouldn't meet his eyes. "Zuko?"

Sokka then remembered the last time Zuko had firebent - the incident where they had asked the Prince to shoot fire into the ravine back at the Northern Air Temple. It certainly appeared that Zuko had given it his all, and nearly exhausted himself from the strain, but all that came out was a pathetic wisp of flame. His firebending... was so weak...

"Guys... I can't believe I'm saying this..." Zuko hung his head in shame and fear. "but I can't firebend."

Please Review. Really busy for next two weeks. Don't expect too much to get done. Will come back to all my stories.