"You can't just let my sister off so easily, Zhao."

Zuko was keeping himself as calm as possible, but on the verge of setting the vice principal's tranquilly dim office in flames. Aang could see that in the young man's clenching fists, as he stood behind him in the group of familiar kids who crowded around the small room. Katara and Sokka had also shown up to the meeting... and the lovely girl had a comforting hand on Aang's shoulder, keeping him steady as this argument kept building itself up.

"You will address your Vice Principal in the correct way, your highness," the older man responded with an edge of malice and sarcasm. "From what I can gather, princess Azula and her friends did nothing but try and show her admiration and respect to the Air kids. She did her research... she even tried to welcome them with a lovely campfire dinner... but it looks like these Air people aren't the thankful type."

"She set my head on fire," Xai brought up soft-spokenly next to Zuko, letting the candlelight of the room embrace the tanned scar that now overtook his scalp.

"An accident on her part... she explained it to me, and her reasoning was understandable. Don't all male airbenders shave their heads anyway?"

"Yes, but--"

"And didn't you want to be presented as an airbender in this school?"

Zhao pried at him through his maliciously stern eyes, and Xai could feel himself getting nervous, his form sinking back into the small group of people who surrounded him.

"Y–yes... but--"

"Then I believe she did nothing except do you a favor," the vice principal sat back in his seat with nothing except the thinning of his lips hiding a sadistic, smug look on his face. It made all but one student raise eyes in disbelief.

"That's not what happened, Zhao, and you KNOW IT!"

Zuko was gritting his teeth as he said what he felt, without remorse, stepping closer in an unbelievable growl to the vice principal's desk dangerously. His clenched fists were seeping with steam, and the few people behind him stepped back in fright. Aang didn't move from his place, and neither did Katara.

The young airbender could barely take in everything being said, with his eyes wandering sadly to the group of familiar classmates who'd been called into that room along with him, that Wednesday afternoon. Goodness knows why it had taken Zhao so long to set up a meeting about this incident, and Aang was certain that it was under Azula's suggestion... perhaps for the 'victims' to have a proper cool-down period.

Seeing Katara's faithful eyes, there, standing in that room full of arguments out of her own will was enough to remind Aang that not all was completely lost.

Only a handful of days had past since the airbending ceremony... though it seemed like weeks. He had missed the strong daylight, the calm thoughts in his mind, and it didn't bother Aang so much that the airbenders where still reluctant to speak to him. To even acknowledge his presence. What really bothered the boy was that the young girl who'd once smiled and laughed shyly to him under her dark brown bangs... had not shown up to school yet.

He'd sent a messenger-hawk to her family twice since the incident, asking if she was okay.

Part of him worried that he would never see On Ji again.

"And that outburst just cost you another Saturday detention, prince Zuko," the man then responded, but with an obvious hint of enjoyment. Katara's lips trembled with deep anger because of that, and Sokka was the one who had to look at her, and reassure her to be still.

Zhao continued to speak almost exclusively to the torn prince. "It seems to me that you're trying to set these air people free from all the regulations against them."

"But Vice Principal, that's just it," Suganya then spoke up from the very corner of the room, clearly sounding exhausted by this heated argument. "We're not the ones who should be punished; it was Azula and a group of... of... Firebenders who attacked us."

"Oh?" Zhao leaned on his chair, craning himself closer to the students. "And why would the princess of the most civilized, respectable Nation in the world attack a group of harmless young air people?"

Sokka stood next to Suganya, his face looking furious by the soft candlelight in the office. He could tell she hated how Zhao seemed to mention them as if they were invisible. "Because Azula is a ruthless, power-hungry psychopath. That's why."

Unfortunately Zhao did not look at all amused.

"Name-calling is not going to get your arguments anywhere," the former military man crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes to mentally remember the distinct faces of these students who were putting down his own precious Fire Nation.

"But he's telling you the truth!" Katara spoke up once and for all, ignoring the fact that Sokka was urging her not to. "Azula's a monster, and the only reason she's doing this is to scare the airbenders. She wants them to see how powerful she is, compared to me... so they won't have a choice but to vote for her in the Class Presidency."

"The only thing I hear is you speaking badly about your opposing candidate, Katara."

Katara widened her blue eyes and grimaced. "That's because you're not LISTENING to me."

It was Aang who held her back, gripping a small hand to her arm.

"Watch that tone of yours, girl," Zhao warned in his scraping, monotone voice, so much that Sokka was now getting annoyed by it. "Don't forget that with any sort of misconduct from you this year... I can have you suspended. And I suggest you stay away from her highness at all costs."

"And what do you suggest we do, Zhao?" This time it was Jet's rough-ridden voice that came from the very back of the room, his face barely getting any candlelight. "Just sit back, and wait for this noble princess to strike at these young kids again? One of her buddies tried to attack a nine-year-old in those woods. That doesn't sound like a very honorable, princess-y thing to me."

Aang noticed how the fierceness of Katara's blue eyes faded momentarily; hearing that familiar charismatic voice... but he kept his grip on her steadily... comfortingly, bringing her back to the current situation.

"I've had quite enough with your smooth-talking nonsense, boy..." Zhao tossed over a menacing look to Jet. "...and don't think I'll start believing any ridiculous thing you say."

"But someone did attack Xuan... he's my little brother." Xai mustered the courage to speak up from his dark shadow, again. "I don't know who it was, but I could tell it was a guy--"

"It was Rion Jon," Mai then brought her voice into existence, looking to one of the tapestries in lowered eyes. "He was supposed to attack the airbending siblings that day."

Everyone seemed to look over in Mai's direction, with Jet keeping at her side in the most intriguing gaze ever. The slender, pale girl lifted her thin eyes from the ground, finally marking her presence to Zhao, and revealing to everyone that she could be the valid source they were looking for.

Or so they thought.

"Ah... so you must be Mai, right?" Zhao smiled over to the pale young woman, in a keen eye, as if she were some sort of contraption he was about to take apart, piece by piece. "Princess Azula warned me about you."

Mai blinked, taken aback by that sudden change to Zhao's voice (almost sympathetic). Jet was ultimately confused, and Zuko turned over his shoulder to see the faint expression the girl's face, wondering what the hell Zhao was going to bring up.

"About how you kept to yourself all the time... how it was Princess Azula who took pity on you, and befriended you out of the goodness of her dear heart. And in spite of everything she's done for you... you turned your back on her by refusing to help with her campaign."

Aang had never seen the pale girl's eyes widen so much, changing into a rare color: two elliptical spheres of aged silver. It almost reminded him of his own eyes, whenever he felt afraid or threatened by something he didn't understand. The room was speechless.

"Oh, and incidentally...she told me about the knives you carry around in the school grounds."

Zhao kept his gaze on the pale, withering girl, oblivious to the sour looks that Zuko and Jet were returning to him.

"But her Highness suggested that I give you a light punishment... saying it must've been your troubled mind that would provoke you to use these knives, almost as a cry for help. Is that right?"

Zuko clenched his fists into tiny smoke, desiring nothing but to punch Zhao in the face.

Mai was utterly lifeless in front of them, now, and the only way Aang knew she was still at large was the small gulping movements she made beneath her jaw. Like she was holding back tears. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, much less the fact that Zhao had dared to say such things in front of a crowd of young people... as if she were a crumbling fossil, or bone.

"No," Zhao concluded to himself, with a smug look on his face as his arms stayed crossed. "No, I don't think I'll hold you accountable for this incident, either."

The young Earth-dweller felt he'd heard enough.

"But you will go along with anything this crazy princess decides to do, right?" Jet said through gritted teeth, bringing himself closer to Mai by a few footsteps as she weakened in color.

Zhao challenged that thought. "She is not crazy. She is the sole hope for the future of the Fire Nation. As long as you can prove to me that anything she does goes against the mission of Praying Mantis High School, or against the personal safety of the students, I will take action. But until then, I have plenty enough paperwork to do."

A dozen eyes stared skeptically to their so-called loyal vice principal, while the respective airbenders could not help but remain silent in that dimness of the room. Zuko was the one who growled under his breath, as if speaking for the lot, and Suganya pursed her lips with uncertainty as she felt it course through her system. Katara stayed close to Aang's side, as if protecting him from an invisible flame, and Sokka crossed his arms like a guardian to the vulnerable Xai. Mai was the one who looked elsewhere, and Jet could almost feel the sad trembling of her breaths as she slowly tried to hide herself from the candlelight.

"Dismissed."

It was all that Zhao said to summon the silent crowd's footsteps, with a small, victorious grin on his face. He could practically taste the poison that was bound to leave the Fire Nation dominant for this young, future generation of people.


"Alright, who's calling dibs on Rion Jon? Somebody better break his arms, or I'm gonna kill that son-of-a--."

"Xai," Suganya placed a grip on his arm before he hit it against the wall of their small conference room. "I know you're upset this happened to you– we all are – but we have to try and outsmart Azula without so much violence."

The young man placed a hand on the bandana that now wrapped the entirety of his scalp, refusing to look at his fellow airbender's eyes. To him... this was all beginning to look like a huge mistake. He should've never gone to that welcoming ceremony.

"You think I'm just gonna let that fucker try and mess with my brother again?" His eyes were flaming, almost giving Zuko's bright copper ones in the corner a run for their money.

"Hey buddy… not in front of the ladies, okay?" Jet brought himself out of the leaning position he had in the doorway to acknowledge Mai (and Katara, from a corner) as she sat silently with her arms crossed, looking at nothingness towards a window. "Besides, it was your choice to stay here, so why don't you deal with that, and quit whining."

"I'm not whining. I'm just a little pissed," Xai crumpled a loose paper from one of the desks and tossed it to Zuko's direction. And the boy caught it without even lifting his head up. "You know any girls who're attracted to bald heads?"

It was like all of a sudden, everybody immediately noticed that Aang was in the room... and the boy just sat there with a struggling blush, staring at the ground. He didn't even notice the color that appeared in Katara's cheeks, just for a second before she spoke up.

"Okay, Xai. Let's try and be productive here. You and Suganya -- and Aang, of course -- are the only airbenders here, but anything you can say will help us prepare for the campaign. Now let's get started... Yue has a water-tennis match, so she couldn't come... but that's alright."

It was all being done in Mr. Pakku's math classroom, and Katara moved to the front to commence her usual presidential campaign meeting... after hearing the verdicts by Vice Principal Zhao over those accidental incidents in the forest. Sokka moved up at her side with an armfull of scroll-like paperwork being carried in his arms, and he tried to keep his stern face despite the weight of it all.

Mai kept her arms close, still looking out a window in an eerie trance. Jet kept his concerned eye on her, and it was like seconds were passing silently in her head -- she didn't blink. Through an unexpected urge, right before Katara was planning to speak again... Mai slowly got up from her chair, turned around towards the doorway, and left the classroom. Everyone turned their heads oddly to watch her leave, and all except Xai seemed to take a saddened expression as she did. Nobody said anything, but Zuko was about to turn and follow Mai out... he stopped, noticing how Jet was just about to do the same. The prince lingered harshly, only for a moment as he glanced over at Katara's worried... slightly sad gaze.

Zuko stared over at Jet just as he was about to head out the doorway, and the young Earth-dweller returned a very assuring smile. From what Aang could process, it must've meant "don't worry... I'll take care of her," but overall, the airbender was glad that Katara wouldn't be distracted by Jet's presence in the meeting.

Right as Jet left the classroom to find Mai, a few surprising new faces had shown up... just as Zuko and Xai finally settled down to find a seat. As Aang turned his head, he realized it was Toph, rolling Teo through the doorway.

"Guys, you made it!" Katara beamed sweetly, running over to hug Teo from his wheelchair. The air seemed to return to normal on account of the meeting... and Aang noticed the musical, non-distracted change in Katara's voice.

Teo smiled generously, while Toph just shook her head in sarcastic dismay.

"Meh, I'm just sorry I missed that forest action on Friday." Aang didn't have to guess, but he knew Toph had turned her head sympathetically to her airbending friend's direction. "Anyone who messes with my teammates messes with me. So when's the next bending battle happening?"

Sokka tried to keep his scrolls from falling off his hands, trembling foolishly as the little girl stomped fiercely with her words.

"Well, hopefully," Katara was gathering her notes and her thoughts as she said this, "we won't need to face another bending battle. We have the Avatar-in-Training! He can set the best example as to why unity in this school is so important."

Aang quickly brought himself into a straight sitting position, trying hard not to remember all the things Monk Gyatso had said to him during that long night after the ceremony. He wanted to pretend that things would run their course smoothly, for once.

"Whatever happened in those woods is now in the past. Granted, not in the distant past," Sokka attempted trying not to see Xai's glance at him as threatening, "but we still need to move forward with the campaign, and see what we can do to spread Unity."

Suganya was the one who spoke up, then. "But Sokka, the airbenders; I mean, there's a reason to why Loung and Brei An haven't shown up to school all week."

Sokka brushed off Suganya's worried eyes with a head shake. Of course, Aang thought, it was so easy to do that if your life hadn't been put into MORTAL DANGER…

"She misled you," Sokka pronounced, "and at least now you know what she's capable of. We need to be more careful from now on. I got in touch with Lo and Li at the attendance office... Brei An's meeting with Mr. Iroh as we speak, and Loung is planning to come back tomorrow."

"That's not the point, Sokka!" Aang finally mustered the mood to not think about Jet sitting in the same room with Katara... and followed up on what Suganya was saying. "Azula attacked the airbenders, and she scared them because of me. She made them believe the Avatar was too dangerous to be trusted. How am I supposed to get the whole school to trust me, if my own people are afraid of me?"

Katara choked in a half-breath before speaking, giving herself the leadership role at the front of the class once again.

"Okay... so now we have something to work on. Aang, since you're the future Avatar… it's going to be your responsibility to show the school how wrong Azula is about you. That you can actually protect us with that power you have, and the abilities you can develop with the four elements. I suggest that we train you."

"Don't you think the teachers are better for that?" Sokka questioned at her side.

"No way!" Toph definitely had to speak up to this. "I've been teaching this little guy the wonders of Earthbending myself… and what did he do? He sunk that crazy princess into the ground. God, I'm so proud!"

She laughed, and Aang smiled over to her and Teo.

"I agree," the young airbender said to everyone, but especially to Sokka. Teachers wouldn't make the methods any less stressful. "I'd love it if you guys could help me. It'll be more fun!"

Zuko turned his dark eyes slowly to the boy, as if studying him in a light way. He tried not to show so much of the scarred side of his face. "It isn't the most pleasant element to learn, and I can't guarantee your safety… but I'll do whatever I can so you can hold your own against my sister."

Aang grinned hesitantly, although he wasn't sure if that had been more frightening than encouraging. It bugged him how Katara didn't seem at all concerned with the ominous look in the Fire Nation prince.

Toph's voice came in again from the boy's other side. "And you know I'm still the best Earthbending teacher you'll find anywhere. Bring it on, Princess Crazy." She stomped again in excitement, which made Sokka impulsively twitch in fear.

Katara smiled as the boy quickly turned his head to her. "And of course, I'll be honored to be your Waterbending teacher… but remind me to go easy on you."

"Sounds good to me!" Aang said excitedly, but he did not allow himself to rule out the other brave Airbenders and Non-Benders in the room as well. "Suganya, Xai… I think we can all help each other out in our airbending, too, right? And Teo… you're a genius with flying contraptions…maybe you could help me with that."

Everyone seemed utterly pleased with the results. Everyone, except Sokka.

"Uh, guys?" he said, agitated. "Boy Scout Survivor, Class Five? Two-time Regional Science Fair winner? Do you see him??"

"Oh yeah, Sokka," Katara then placed a comforting hand to her brother. "You're the most organized person I know. Maybe you should keep track of Aang's lesson plans for us!"

Sokka's blue eyes widened like honeydews in front of his calm sister, and his mouth was twitching again to say something. Of what? Aang couldn't tell… because he was too busy laughing from the look on the warrior's face.

Katara was just about to continue explaining her plans for community, when another small student walked into the room. Someone that Aang almost didn't recognize at first sight.

She was wearing a crimson and gold headband over her forehead, now, and her shoulder-length hair had been cut into a simple, more stylish bob at her jawline. On Ji was standing quietly at the doorway with a few notebooks over her arms like an old habit… looking as if her presence was ultimately setting a different, more mournful mood.

Her face was downcast, but still, she smiled to greet the room. She looked at Katara, acknowledging the leader of this meeting... and then she shifted, slowly meeting the eyes of everyone in the room. Even Zuko had managed to look up to greet her back, and nobody was close enough to see the hint of a joyful grin that came to the prince's face.

Aang was the only one who felt lost for words, as if forgetting how to breathe as he saw the reflection of a girl he used to know… still shy, awkward, but with a look that defied all the pretenses to it. On Ji looked over at Aang, and replaced her smile with the edge of a sad frown.

"Great to have you back On Ji," Katara commenced, but she noticed the empty look in the girl's eyes as she kept gazing sadly at the young airbender. "Um, Aang? Maybe you could give her the update on what's been going on… all the way to Zhao's meeting? We'll let you know everything we touched base on in here."

It was her way of asking two good friends to reconcile. She was particularly good at that sort of thing. And it didn't take long for the young boy to get up from his seat and escort his young friend out into the hallways for a talk.


"Hi," Aang tried to keep his eyes from peering to the scar underneath the girl's remaining bangs. Much to his surprise, On Ji did not look sad, or scared, even...and her eyes glanced back to Aang with a trace of resentment.

"You could've told me about the meeting with Zhao." Was her greeting back to him. She sounded like she was interrogating him, but with a sad muttering of words

"I was scared that Hide would show up. We're lucky, though; Zuko spoke against him -- about what he did to you -- and Zhao filed the suspension... but On Ji, you can't just pretend like he didn't attack you."

"I'm not pretending, Aang," her voice was calm but sharp, almost flustered... which was something practically foreign to the both of them. "But I don't have to be afraid of him, either. I'm an airbender, too, and I want to be here."

"It's different with you, On Ji."

"Why?" She challenged, bringing back certain sadness in her voice. "Because we're friends?"

"No! I mean... yes, but it's more than that." Aang took a deep breath and looked her straight in the eye, not caring that her glances at him were turning rigid. "On Ji, he already hurt you, and that stupid guy doesn't know any self-control... not even with his bending. He's gonna try and get to you again... and... and if I can help that at all, I want to protect you."

"What do you expect me to do, Aang?" The girl brought her head down, lifting one of her hands to rub an arm uncomfortably, her voice softening into a sad whisper. "You want me to leave?"

"Not forever. Just wait until the second-half of the year starts, when the elections are over. Tell your parents that… that you need more time to recover."

He said it so sincerely, like it was the easiest thing for her in the world, to move out of a school. It made On Ji's eyes glimmer with disbelief.

As he looked at the first airbending friend he'd ever made outside of the Southern Air Temple, Aang couldn't help but feel the unbearing sense of disappointment in her eyes. Yes, he knew she was upset... too upset to respond to him quickly... and it hurt the boy even more to think she couldn't set foot in school for weeks.

Finally, after a short, uneven breath... On Ji did speak.

"I'm glad that you care about me, Aang, but I don't need this protection. Not as much as Katara."

Aang blinked, more in bewilderment than confusion, but On Ji's brown eyes lingered elsewhere as she explained herself. Her expression became more downcast, involuntarily.

"I know how much she means to you, Aang -- I've had to sit through it during every rehearsal," she could practically feel the boy's heart race between her words, "and this election is turning into something dangerous for her."

"On Ji..." it was so tempting, but he kept Katara away from his thoughts, in order to speak his mind clearly, "... she can take care of herself. She got in trouble by attacking Azula last year,remember?"

"Yes, and Zhao warned that if she ever confronts Azula again, she'll have hell to pay. There's no persuasion with the vice principal, Aang... he's already taken his side."

Aang stared at the young, shy-yet-determined girl so incredulously. The way she transfixed her eyes reminded him of Toph... and he could feel that brutal honesty in her words, so much that he couldn't find the strength or the energy to speak against them.

"I'm not saying you should stop protecting the innocent, Aang... but you have to set your priorities straight." On Ji's eyes glimmered once more, to the boy, silently asking him to sacrifice the concern he had for a friend, in order to protect someone he loved. "Azula's attack on us was bad enough... but that's just part of her game. What she did to us might just be a pawn to whatever she has planned for Katara by the time elections are over.You'll need to be there for her."

A tear was forming as she, with all of her caution and awkward care, moved closer to wrap her arms around Aang. It was a gesture of gratitude, knowing that such a worrisome friend was a precious thing to have, regardless. The boy breathed within On Ji's embrace, still not sure he could handle On Ji's decision... but he hugged her back anyway.

"And would it kill you to have a little bit of faith in me?" A familiar smile returned to the girl's face as she parted, quickly forming a mini-air-discuss in her hand to take Aang by surprise. "Don't forget that I was the one who rescued you from those woods."

Aang, in spite of how he usually was, found it hard to smile back at her. "Fair enough. But... just promise me you'll watch your back... please... I--"

"Deal," the little girl said simply, like the crisp air of summer that was fading away.

They needed to get out of the shade. It was clear by the look of each other's sad, almost mentally exhausted faces. And with all the gentlemanlike manner he could muster... Aang pushed On Ji out into the sun, laughing teasingly as the girl tried to pull him out to it as well.

It was strange trying to speak like old friends again, after a weekend of recovery that had seemed to pass longer than a month... but they found comfort in just talking about the OmaShu play. Aang was happy that he didn't have to hide his non-theatrical feelings over a certain girl anymore, and On Ji was more than enough sincerity in teasing him about it. And it took a few monologues from Aang's end, putting in nearly every detail about how Katara claimed his heart since the very beginning... but after a while... On Ji expressed her own confession.

How she was falling for Kuzon.


She didn't even bother to look at him, even though he stood there, facing her with his chocolate brown eyes. But her eyes were like glass, reflecting the rare silvery hint from many tears that were refusing to fall. All she wanted was to hear that stupid carriage pull up to the entrance of the school, to take her home… and take her to the quiet familiarity of her surroundings. Her art, her paintings… where nobody else could know about her scars that she hid beneath the layers and layers of dark fabric.

She wasn't supposed to be this weak. It was all she could think about… crossing her arms so as to not encourage anymore trembling from her arms and her throat. But she felt it. She couldn't help but feel it every time she blinked, seeing that same young man with the wispy brown hair not leaving from his place. She didn't owe him anything, now, yet within the racing of her blood it felt like she owed him the world.

Her mouth trembled beneath that shade, still waiting in front of the entrance to hear that familiar sound of wooden wells along the pavement. Jet didn't say a word, except stare at her… as if asking for the mere presence of her and believing that was enough. Her arms were still crossed, and a bit of the wind slowly picked up along the elegant shoulder strands of her hair. And Jet responded to that… being so very careful to take a step closer, lifting a soft hand to brush away the flowing hair out of the girl's perfect face.

She was an angel, even in that mysterious catacomb of sadness she was digging herself into. Her arms trembled just by feeling the warmth of his clothing, and she remembered how she eventually needed to breath.

It came as a sniffle, but she still refused to look at him. She hated it. All this gentleness from a boy who'd practically heard every little pitiful detail of a pathetic teenage girl. Of someone who despised her own skin, and who longed to be recognized by the people she was supposed to adore. Someone who ridiculously believed that there was at least a fragment of trust in that friendship she'd made with that horrible princess.

The words of Zhao replayed themselves in her head like fastidious moths fluttering within patches of light. Azula had twisted everything… most of it… to the outrageous extent that it all seemed plausible. It all seemed, real. Pitiful. Something that came from the lonely obituaries of people who didn't know how else to express their feelings to the world. And to think… she may have broken through. Pitiful. She was a case of the worst kind, and it was a waste of the boy's gentleness to look at her. Still.

And the girl's eyes found the familiar Oak Tree in the distance, with another sniffling sound. Her eyes were frozen in that glass color, disregarding the heaviness that those tears were creating for her. Jet still said nothing, but the warmth and the gentleness of his presence were crumbling her. She deserved that humiliation over her being, but she didn't deserve this, and it haunted her now. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore.

Slowly, he brought the same gentle hand to her chin, feeling the trembling of her whole body just as he held it. She still looked away, keeping her focus on the distant oak tree and her mind on the wind that played with her hair. All she could hear were the inconstant sniffles of her breaths, and the heaviness of her eyes that were pleading for her to blink.

And carefully, the boy moved his hand to lift her chin barely a centimeter from where it was… not taking his eyes away as she finally moved in response… returning her glass eyes to him. Another sniffle came, and under the gentlest touch of the Earth-dweller, Mai finally blinked… letting the tears pour the heaviness out of her mind… and bringing her mind into the comforting arms of a boy who had stayed true to a promise. A boy who just held her, and didn't ask questions.

Who, for right now, adored the very scent that seeped through her skin, believing he didn't deserve such peacefulness.

And there would always be room for questions later.


They'd encircled the entire Praying Mantis High School campus by the time Aang proposed they sit on the ledge of the school's beautiful fountain in the courtyard. On Ji smiled and agreed, feeling that her small feet could do with a moment's rest. She noticed how the few students surrounding them peered to see Aang's bald, exposed scalp that bared the blue tattoo... and she held onto that pride as much as Aang did... not caring about how the others grimaced from it.

By the time they'd settled on the fountain, the boy had another thought lingering in his mind, and wondered if this was the best time to approach it. Seeing On Ji sit next to him so warmly... like her usual self, again... Aang knew it would be the best moment to bring back the welcoming ceremony from Azula.

"How did you find me in the woods?"

Aang's voice remained quiet and careful as he looked over for the girl to answer.

It wasn't that difficult for On Ji to look him in the eyes anymore... like they'd gone through the depths of Hell side by side. Nevertheless, the girl took a breath before letting her thoughts pour into words, keeping her voice just as quiet.

"I was stuck in OmaShu rehearsal, remember? You made Haru look after me like a child, and I couldn't think straight... I wasso angry that you forced me to stay there." On Ji's light brown eyes gave an edge of sharpness, which was remarkably seen before. "All I could think about was you... and what Azula must've been planning... and then, I just... heard you."

On Ji stared at him then, quietly and sadly, beginning to pick at the bits of grass that folded beneath her sitting position. She was gathering her memories from that day a bit more.

Aang kept looking over at her, trying to see past the small headband that now overtook her forehead, and waiting for On Ji to finish her description. In his mind, he already knew what she was going to say... but he had to hear it out loud.

"It was like you were calling for help in my mind." On Ji kept her focus on the boy incredulously. "And it's strange, because I didn't recognize your voice. It was someone older... something stronger that told me to go into the forest. And I just... somehow I knew it was you."

Aang's silver eyes glistened, blinking after what seemed minutes.

"The Avatar spirit..." the boy concluded under his breath, feeling like a hundred tiny butterflies had flown through his stomach. "I must've been in the Avatar State when you heard me."

"Was that what happened to you?" On Ji looked at him unfathomably, frightened in a way that echoed the airbenders' first reaction to those glowing arrows. "Your voice was so different... like it was possessed by some monster..."

"No, it was my past lives, On Ji." Aang looked at her, reassuring that he never meant any harm. "They were showing themselves through me when I became helpless, and so worked up over what Azula was doing in the forest."

The girl just stared back at him, too bewildered to say anything else in response. On Ji just let her head fall towards the ground beneath her feet, trying to let those coincidental circumstances sink in. What if... instead... she had just accepted Aang's choice to stay in rehearsal? What if she hadn't gotten so angry, or flustered about it?

What could've happened to the airbenders in that forest, if she hadn't heard anything?

Suddenly, she felt a small tear course down to the corner of her small mouth, which trembled by the countless "what if"s that had taken over her system. Aang was about to hug her in reassuring comfort, but another quick thought made his silver eyes almost pop.

"On Ji, when you were in the Western Air Temple, did they ever teach you about... Listening?"

The girl blinked, raising both eyebrows as if he'd just asked if the grass was green.

"I'm serious!" Aang sat himself more upright. "Okay... so Earthbenders, right? They're always in tune with the ground. If they concentrate hard enough, I'm sure they can feel all kinds of Earth, like in metal... and glass!"

"Oh, um... okay..." On Ji just went along with it, seeing Aang's eyes widen with such fascination and intensity.

"And Waterbenders," The boy continued, unaware that his body was leaning over towards On Ji with all of his theatrics. "...they can sense all forms of water anywhere, and learn to manipulate it! It's how they control the water in our bodies, to help us heal. And Firebenders, they summon the energy from their bodies to... to--"

"... to create fire?" On Ji attempted, hoping to make sense of where this was all going.

"Not just fire... lightning!" The intensity of Aang's eyes was practically irrevocable, as On Ji kept staring at him carefully. "Remember Azula, in the forest? Somehow, she knows how to summon a greater amountof energy, and I'll bet you anything she's trying to become stronger..."

"Aang... where were you going with this?" the girl could note his young face already flushing with too many thoughts and worries. He breathed a little, too carried away from his explanation, and finally went into his original thought.

"Well, the monks told me about Listening... how in Airbending, there's the space that we can see and control... but there's also another kind ofspace. It holds everything we feel, like... like when we taste a sour sea prune, or when Mr. Pakku gives us a Pop Quiz, or when we wake up after a bad dream."

"Oh... this other space carries our thoughts? Our feelings?"

"Yeah. Airbenders are the most clear-minded people in the world, and according to the Monks... a we can train ourselves to be incredible Listeners. On Ji... we have the power feel someone else's thoughts... to know and understand deep down what they're going through."

"I... I can do that?"

"Yeah! You already tried it, by accident. That's how you were able to hear me in the woods... or maybe it's because my powerful Avatar State couldn't shut up. Either way... it worked!"

Aang smiled a little, doing what he could to sound amusing, but On Ji looked surprisingly distraught than what he'd expected. His mouth closed, concerned, and he waited for her soft voice to speak up.

"So, if you're saying that airbenders can hear other people's minds... their space... doesn't that mean we can control them, too?"

The boy raised a brow, and laughed in remark, seeing the startled look in On Ji's face as she waited for the answer. Was there such power available to the most peaceful, nomadic culture in the world? Only in folklore.

"I'm pretty sure the Spirit World was smart enough to not give anyone that burden, On Ji... not even the all-bending Avatar."

The girl couldn't help but blush with a slight relief at that, and Aang placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"But as airbenders, it's our responsibility to feel that other delicate space, and respond to it. I once met an air nomad near the Eastern Air Temple… and I swear he said he could Listen to Appa!"

On Ji laughed at the idea of it, but gave a faint smile to her friend, believing that this new piece of information could do wonders for the days ahead. She then pondered something else. "So... if all airbenders carry this ability... what about you, as the Avatar? Does that make you the most powerful Listener?"

Aang parted his mouth to speak, but as he did so, something occurred to him, which made him think his words over. It was a small part of the conversation Gyatso had endured with that young boy, that dark night after the dreadful ceremony. Aang took a small breath and tried to recite to On Ji that blessing and burden he was eventually going to face.

"The Avatar… is capable of being the most powerful bender in the world, On Ji. Not only can he train to become a master Listener, but the spirit of the Avatar can summon enough energy to help him Listen to anything…like animals, plants, rocks... and he can even feel what they've been through."

He shifted his eyes a little, turning his head to look into the water in the fountain. It was something that hung in the very dark, untouched corners of his mind… thinking about what it must've been like, for Roku… to discover why Fire Lord Sozin had betrayed him. Did he ever Listen to Sozin as he made that full confession out of torture? Aang thought. Would he have been able to grasp the reasoning behind Sozin's attempt to expand the Fire Nation?

As strange as it occurred to him, Aang could only think about Azula, then… the descendant of that madness. Aang wondered deeply, staring at his moving reflection with On Ji right next to him… if he could ever Listen to the depths of that young girl's determination, and unquestionable resistance to pain.


A/N: yay, I'm back! So I discovered BLEACH, but finally managed to put the books down and continue writing. I wasn't planning to incorporate the Listening factor, originally, but now that I think about it... it works perfectly for the end. (Haha, yes, I DO have the ending planned out. And it's glorious!) Plus, I think it was fair for Airbenders to have an extra-special bending technique like all the other elements. Sweetness! --MM