Blazing Crystal: Rewrite!

by faithy waithy

Crystal is the twin sister of Sokka, and older sister of Katara. She has always believed that firebenders are cruel and heartless beasts, especially after being burned by one as a child. However, that all changes when she meets a certain Fire Nation Prince. Join Crystal on her journey as she learns about the world, grows stronger, and falls in love. *Romance. Crystal (OC) X Zuko.*

31. Mini-Vacations

Chapter 31: Mini-Vacations

(Crystal POV)

"You're straining… I told you not to go so fast."

I gasped and dropped the water back into the pond. Sweat beaded down my forehead, and my arms burned like crazy. Without hesitating, I moved my hand forward again and lifted the water into the air with one hand.

"Concentrate," Katara said. "Don't think about your other hand. Use only one."

I tried my best to concentrate, but Katara's words kept replaying in my head distracting me.

Why does she make this look so easy?!

"Come on Crystal. Just a little higher. You're so close!"

I tried to lift the water more, but my hand cramped up and I lost control. Dropping the water again, I rubbed my hand over my brows trying to wipe off the perspiration. "I think I'm going to go back to the last move," I muttered. "I can't get this one."

"One more time," Katara encouraged. She stepped closer, and I could see her kind smile from the corner of my eyes. "You can do it!"

Letting out a heavy sigh, I looked back at the water before me. We'd been at it for an hour, and I still couldn't lift a stream of water higher than two of me combined. I could do it fine with two hands manipulating the molecules, but using only one hand was much more difficult. When Katara did it twenty minutes ago, she made it look like the easiest move in the world. I wanted so much to be like her. I was such an amateur compared to her skills.

"Fine… One more time…"

Holding my hand out towards the water again, I slowly lifted my hand up and made the molecules follow my movements. As I lifted my hand slowly, the water followed. I breathed in and out in slow motions. As the water began to stream up past my head, I felt my arm strain again but I kept going. I felt thrilled as I moved the water higher and higher, and I wondered if I would actually succeed. I was so close…

"Crystal! Katara!"

I gasped and dropped the water, my hand falling to my side as I twirled around to look at the interrupter. Aang dropped down in front of us, shutting his glider as he did.

"Aang… What's wrong?"

Katara jumped to conclusions, and I stared back at the water with defeat.

I'll try again another day…

"I want to show you both something! I was going to just show Toph and Sokka, but I decided you two would like it as well." He reached forward and grabbed Katara's hand. "Let's go before it's too late." As he pulled Katara off, I sighed heavily and glanced at the water one last time.

One day I'll be stronger…

"Crystal! Come on!"

Aang's call made me turn around and follow after him and my sister. When we got back to where the others were, I saw Appa was taking his nap still. The poor guy had been flying us for a few hours now, and I knew he was exhausted. Momo chattered as he stood in the middle of an empty space surrounded by a bunch of holes.

"Okay! Everyone stand back and watch!" Aang took a seat cross-legged on the dirt, and pulled something out from inside his shirt. I noticed it was a flute carved from wood. It reminded me of the flute Ku played on Zuko's ship during music night.

My brother looked at the holes in the ground puzzled. "What's out here?"

Toph spoke up as she knelt to the ground and placed her palm on the dirt. "A lot actually… There's hundreds of little-"

Aang turned with his finger over his lips. "Shhh! I know you can see underground, but don't ruin the surprise. Just watch."

He turned back towards the holes and placed the flute mouthpiece under his mouth. Playing a note, a creature suddenly popped out of the hole and made the same sound. Then the small animal disappeared back into the hole. I knew from the look of the animal that it was a prairie dog.

"Heheheha, yeah!" Aang excitedly cheered. He played a few more notes and the prairie dogs rose up from their holes copying him with their calls. "I'm putting an orchestra together!"

"Orchestra, huh? Well la dee da," Sokka muttered, moving his hands from side to side. He wasn't amused, and I knew why. He was more focused on the battle at hand than on the Avatar's side adventures.

Aang smirked and began to play some more. As he played each note, a new prairie dog would pop its head out of the dirt and sing the same tune. Momo chattered and went to grab one playfully but missed. As Momo tried to catch one of the creatures, I turned and walked over to Appa who was awake now, and watching with what I took to be amusement. Patting Appa on the spot on his foot I knew he liked, I felt the giant flying sky bison nudge me with his nose. Appa and I had gotten pretty close over the time I'd been with the group. He made me think of Zan… I really hoped my ostrich-horse friend was safe...

Sokka stepped up to Aang and placed his finger at the other end of the flute. The air going out was cut off, and instead the air shot back into Aang's mouth causing him to have puffy cheeks.

Sokka quickly stated, "This is great and all, but don't we have more important things to worry about? We should be making plans." He unplugged his finger and looked down at Aang with expectancy. He hoped the Avatar would side with him.

Toph quickly spoke in defense. "We did make plans. We're all picking mini-vacations."

Stepping away from Appa, I said, "A vacation in the middle of the Earth Kingdom where the Fire Nation roams isn't exactly relaxing. We should be training… We have to be ready for anything."

"I'm learning the elements as fast as I can," Aang promised. "I practice hard everyday with Toph and Katara. I've been training my arrows off."

Katara nodded. "Yeah. What's wrong with having a little fun in our downtime?"

Sokka crossed his arms. "Even if you do master all of the elements, then what? It's not like we have a map of the fire nation. Should we just head west until we reach the Fire Lord's house?" Sokka mimicked knocking on the Fire Lord's door. "Knock, knock! Hello, Fire Lord? Anybody home?" He leaned towards Aang, closing his hands into fists and dropping them to his sides. "I don't think so. We need some intelligence if we're gonna win this war."

Toph shrugged. "Ask Princess. She was with the Fire Nation for months."

The group all looked at me. I grimaced. "I… I don't really know much… Zuko and Iroh didn't exactly discuss the Fire Nation's secrets with me."

"What about a location? Weaknesses? Allergies?" Sokka grabbed my shoulders. "There has to be something we can use against the Fire Lord."

I frowned. "The Fire Lord only cares about one thing… He wants power, and will do whatever it takes to get what he wants."

"Come on Crystal! Something!" He shook me, and I cringed from his rough movement.

"Sokka!" Katara stepped over. "She doesn't know. Knock it off!"

Sokka released me in surprise. I stepped back crossing my arms in dismay. My thoughts suddenly moved to Zuko and Iroh… If they were with us, they would have the answers… If Zuko were with me now, we'd have all the intelligence we needed.

At that moment I realized how much I was beginning to miss the company of my two companions. We'd been together for months. I'd only been with the gang for a few days.

"Crystal wasn't focused on intelligence. She was focused on surviving," Aang stated. "Besides… Zuko and his uncle don't exactly seem focused on the war as much as they are on capturing me."

"Aang's right…" I said softly. "They didn't talk much about the war plans… Although…"

"What?" Sokka looked at me with desperate eyes.

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Well… There was Zhao who blabbered about the Fire Nation…"

"What did he say?" Aang seemed interested now. "What's the Fire Nation planning?"

I let out a heavy breath. "They're planning on hitting the Earth Kingdom head on… They want to defeat the Earth Kingdom by taking down the Earth Kingdom city of Ba Sing Se… He said it was their best way to win the war… Iroh explained to me that the city is impenetrable, and he couldn't even break into it. I don't think we have to be too worried."

Sokka pondered over this. "Either way, we should find some information on both Ba Sing Se and the Fire Nation. The more we know, the better chance we have of winning."

"Alright," Katara began while Aang jumped up with his airbending. "We'll finish our vacations, and then we'll look for Sokka's intelligence."

Sokka rolled his eyes as Aang opened the map that Katara just handed him. He knelt and placed the map flat on the ground. "Your turn, Katara." He held the map down and looked at Katara with eager eyes. "Where would you like to go on your mini-vacation?"

Katara stared down at the very blah map and pointed at one of the only interesting images on it. "How about the Misty Palms Oasis? That sounds refreshing."

Aang perked up at this. "Oh yeah, I've been there! It's a pristine natural ice spring, and I usually don't use the word pristine. It's one of nature's wonders."

"Misty Palms Oasis…? That does sound pretty nice," I began. "I just feel like we should keep away from the desert region… Iroh told me there are rough men around those parts."

"This coming from a firebender," Sokka muttered. He didn't think I heard him, but I had. I tried not to let him see the cringe on my face. He spoke his next words louder. "While we're at it, we should ask around and see what people know about Ba Sing Se. We need to get what information we can to understand the situation of the war."

"Always about business," Toph muttered. "Can't we ever go to a place for fun?"

Sokka crossed his arms. "We can't fight firebenders with fun!"

"I'll show you how to one day," Aang promised. He walked over to Appa then. "What do you say buddy? A trip to an oasis will be fun!"

Appa groaned in agreement. Momo chattered in excitement and flew over to Appa. Those two guys were always together.

Eventually we climbed onto Appa's saddle and hit the sky again. As we did so, I leaned against the side of the saddle and watched the land pass by. As I did, the warm air lulled me into a doze. When I drifted away I dreamed.

Arms were wrapped around me as I leaned back against something solid. "Hey beautiful," Zuko whispered in my ear. "I've missed you."

I smiled, feeling safe in his arms. "Me too… I wish we didn't have to part…"

He turned me and I saw through a foggy vision his gold eyes stare deep into my own. "We're not apart… I'm right here." His hand brushed against my cheek and he kissed me on the lips. I shut my eyes enjoying the moment.

When I pulled away, I expected to see his gold eyes once more. However dark blue ones burned into my own. My eyes widened when I saw I was no longer in Zuko's arms, but in a young man's I hadn't seen in years. Areto smirked when he saw my look of surprise. "Expecting someone else." His hands suddenly grabbed my arms as I tried to pull away.

"No! Areto! Where's Zuko?!"

He jerked me up from where I'd been sitting and pulled me close to his face. "Don't worry… You're safe from him. The Fire Nation prince is searching for the Avatar."

I tried to pull from him. "No! I have to find him!"

His hands were unbreakable bonds. He inched towards me more. "My wife shouldn't be chasing after the enemy."

"I'm not your wife!" I tried to pull from him again.

"Of course you are… The ceremony happened yesterday…"

I felt panic rush through me. "What? No! That's not possible!"

He smirked and reached forward. He lifted something from my neck and I looked to see it was a blue charm on a dark blue choker. Similarly dangling on his wrist was the same charm.

I gasped and jerked away from him. My hand went to my neck and I pulled up the charm enough to see it in my vision.

"My necklace! Where's my crystal necklace?"

He pulled something from his coat pocket. My eyes widened when I saw the necklace Zuko had given me.

"Oh this," he began. "You don't need this anymore." He threw it down and it hit the campfire beside us. I gasped as I saw the crystal jewel begin to burn up in the flames. I went to reach for it, but Areto grabbed me again. "Careful… Wouldn't want you getting burned."

I struggled as I watched my necklace begin to melt. "NO! ZUKO!"

I threw my eyes open with a gasp, and quickly pulled from the side of the saddle. Grabbing at the necklace on my collarbone, my heart rapidly beat as I felt the crystal against my skin. As soon as I collected my thoughts, I let out a deep and heavy breath as I realized my necklace was still on me. My hand tightened around the crystal and I fell back against the saddle with relief.

"Crys…" Katara suddenly spoke from beside me. She'd been sowing a pair of pants. "You okay?"

Looking over at her, I released my necklace and let it fall back on my chest. "Yeah… Sorry… Just a dream…"

"About Zuko?"

Her question made me cringe. I looked over at Sokka who met my gaze, but then he quickly looked at the passing fields below.

I spoke softly. "It was at first… then Areto…"

Katara was surprised by this. "Areto?" Understanding fell over her though. "Oh… The arrangement…"

I looked out towards the sun. "Sokka and I turn sixteen soon…"

My twin brother sighed heavily beside me. "Crys… Stop worrying. I'm going to make sure this arrangement doesn't happen. Dad will listen to me."

I pulled my knees to my chest and set my chin on top as I hugged them tight. "I wish you had that power…"

"Power or not," Katara spoke up. "Areto is with the warriors, and we're in the middle of the Earth Kingdom. You can't be married if you and him never cross paths. You'll be fine." She pressed a hand to my shoulder. "We're not letting the tribe make you marry a guy you don't love, Crys…"

"But even so… the guy I do love will never be accepted by the tribe…"

Toph and Aang remained silent, not wanting to get into the awkward conversation. Sokka frowned and looked at the clouds we passed by.

Katara hung her head. "I'm sorry Crys… You and Zuko are from two different worlds. You say you both love each other, but in reality you two can never truly be together… He's the Fire Lord's son, and you're the daughter of the Southern Water Tribe chief… You're sworn enemies."

Shutting my eyes, I shook my head. "We're not sworn enemies… Zuko isn't the bad guy… His father just sucks…"

"The moonpeach doesn't fall too far from its tree," Sokka muttered.

I pressed my face into my knees, knowing Sokka's words were false.

Eventually we landed beside a very old and very dead town. There was no greenery or anything peaceful about it. The map had shown a lush oasis, but it appeared there was nothing but dirt and melting ice. Leaving Appa, we headed into the walled area and saw mud-huts with creepy men standing on the outside. The men wore tattered cloth that covered every ounce of them. All you could see were their eyes and mouths. They were all covered in sand.

"Must have changed ownership since I was here," Aang commented, glancing at the ice spring which was barely anything but an icy stub out of the ground.

I looked over at the men again who were whispering amongst one another. There were three of them, and their eyes kept glancing our way. Something about them made me unsettled.

"Come on… There's a shop we can go in to get out of the sun," Toph said, pointing over at the building nearby.

"Yeah… I'd prefer that than being out here," I muttered.

As we headed into the shop, one of the men was leaning against the wall of the wooden building, watching us pass with narrowed eyes. I averted my gaze as we passed by, not wanting to draw unwanted attention. I wasn't sure how short-tempered these ruffian looking men were.

Stepping inside the building, I winced as my eyes tried to readjust to the dim lighting. When I could focus at last, I found that there were small lanterns on each of the round wooden tables in the room. A wooden bar was set up on the other side of the room, and a bald man with broadswords—similar to the ones I'd seen back on Zuko's ship—stood behind it drying off some ceramic dishes with a rag. At the bar was a man who was passed out and snoring on an empty plate. At one of the tables another man was snoring, and a group of men were huddled at the table beside him playing a game with wooden cards.

The building seemed to be in desperate need of repair, and it appeared the travelers who stopped in probably didn't stay long. "Well this place is definitely the highlight of our vacation spot," I muttered.

Katara nodded beside me. "Not very relaxing…"

Toph grinned. "I like it!"

Sokka sighed beside me. "Yeah… Well I don't think a lot of these people like us."

Aang stepped forward and turned towards all of us. "Come on guys. Don't knock this place just yet!"

"One mango please!"

We all looked over at the bar again to see a man who seemed very out of place compared to the other people around us. This man wore loose white clothing and a circular white hat. Hanging from his back was a backpack and a sleeping bag, and from his waist there was a large leather pouch.

The bartender nodded at his order, and pulled both of his swords from their sheaths. He swung at one of the bowls on a shelf built into the wall, and picked it up with both swords placing it on a cutting board in the middle of the bar table. He then cut down four fruits that were hanging overhead—two large yellow ones and two smaller red ones. He proceeded to rapidly dice the fruit into several small pieces with both swords and dumped them and some water into a bowl to complete the drink. He slid the bowl over to the strange man, who accepted it with gratitude and the drop of an Earth Kingdom coin.

"I don't see anything wrong with having one of those fruity beverages while we plan our strategy," Sokka commented. He headed past us pulling some money from his pants pocket. As he went, the rest of us followed him deciding we might as well have one too.

As Sokka ordered all of us a beverage, Aang suddenly backed into me causing me to stumble back with him. We both looked at the cause and saw the man with the backpack look shocked. I quickly found he had bumped into Aang and spilled his drink all over him. The man looked horrified at his clumsy mistake.

"No worries!" Aang chimed. "I clean up easy!"

He suddenly used airbending to dry his clothes, which made my own clothes blow in the process. When he finished, I'd stepped back some more trying to get out of his whirlwind.

The man was astounded by Aang's action.

"You're a living relic!"

Aang seemed surprised, and shrugged. "Thanks. I try."

The man placed a hand on his chin, observing Aang. "An Air Nomad, right in front of me!"

A nudge on my arm caused me to look over at Sokka. He handed me a drink, and I smiled at him with thanks. Katara already had hers, and she drank it as she watched the interaction between Aang and the stranger with concern.

The man suddenly bowed to Aang. "Professor Zei, head of anthropology at Ba Sing Se University." He grabbed Aang's hand suddenly and observed it. "Tell me, which of the Air temples do you hail from?"

Aang simply answered, "The southern temple."

The man beamed and pulled something from the backpack he placed in front of him. It was a strange tool with a claw like shape. He measured Aang's head without permission, and went on to ask, "Oh, splendid! Now tell me, what was the primary agricultural product of your people?"

"Uh, are fruit pies an agricultural product?"

The professor beamed. "Oh, truly fascinating. That is one for the journal!" He put his measuring tool away and pulled out a notebook instead. He started writing stuff down. As he did, Sokka stepped forward handing a drink to Aang and taking a swig from his own.

Sokka then asked, "So professor, you're obviously a well-traveled guy. Do you have a more current map? Ours seems to be a little dated."

The professor nodded. "Certainly!"

He headed over to one of the tables, and as he did the others followed. I went to follow as well, but a hand grabbed my shoulder to stop me. "Crystal?"

My eyes widened. Turning on my heel, I looked behind me at the person who must've come in while we were distracted with the professor. The young man looked no different than when I last saw him weeks ago. He was the young man that had found Zuko, Iroh, and I on the raft after we'd made our escape from the North Pole.

"Kahru…? Wh- what are you doing here?"

I looked behind him to see one of the other members of his crew were buying them some drinks from the bartender. Two other familiar men were at a table wiping off sweat with some rags.

"I was wondering the same thing?" He looked over at my group with curiosity. "What happened to the old guy Chin and your boyfriend Shang?"

I blushed, rubbing the back of my neck. "I-uh… I split with them…"

"Really…" He looked at my Water Tribe clothing, and then crossed his arms. "I feel there's more to this story."

"Well… What about you… What are you doing off of your ship?"

He didn't seem like he wanted to let my tale go, but he did answer. "We're doing some trades inland for a bit. The Fire Nation has been a little strict about trading at their ports now, so we're seeking other means of profit… My dad's still on the ship. He sent me and a few of the younger men to find some good trade partners. We stopped in here for a little break from our journey."

I was amazed. "Oh… Small world then, huh?"

"Yeah… It is," he said. He glanced back over at my group. "Who are they?"

I grimaced. "Uh… Well… They're my family…"

He was shocked. "What?" He glanced at Katara and Sokka with surprise as they looked down at a map the professor had sprawled out across the table. "Oh… I do see the resemblance…" He looked back at me with deep curiosity. "So you finally escaped your captors?"

I crossed my arms and looked down. "They weren't my captors."

Kahru smirked. "Sure they weren't…"

I looked up at him and went to argue. However, I stopped realizing there was no point. I barely even knew Kahru. He was just some guy that saved us from starving to death in the middle of the ocean.

"What's the real story? You can tell me," he said.

I answered him with honesty. "I found my family, and went my separate ways… There's nothing else to tell."

He nodded and looked at my scar. "Funny… I thought you and Shang would be inseparable. Guess I was wrong."

His words made a sting shoot through my heart. I hung my head as I thought about Zuko. His words made me want to feel Zuko's arms wrap around me protectively. I tried to control the pain that wanted to come out. My legs shook a little. "Yeah… I guess so…"

"Hey," Toph suddenly said, walking over to me. She crossed her arms and stepped to my side. "This guy bothering you, Crys?"

Kahru stared at Toph with question. She didn't meet his gaze, but looked ready to pound him.

"No Toph… He's just an old acquaintance…" I said softly, not wanting her to beat up Kahru for no reason. I had a feeling she would. "We were just catching up."

Kahru was amazed. "Wait… Toph Beifong? As in the girl who turned out to be The Blind Bandit! I saw you fight once! You were amazing! I heard you ran away from home to go join the Avatar!" He looked at me in shock. "How do you two know each other?"

"I'm… uh…" I looked at Toph unsure what to say. I didn't want to tell Kahru the Avatar was with us. I wasn't sure if he would tell someone else. Kahru looked over at the group who were still looking down at the map. His eyes landed on Aang.

"Those tattoos…" His eyes widened more, and he looked at me with amazement. "You're traveling with the Avatar!"

His voice was a little too loud for both Toph and I's comfort. Toph smacked him in the arm. "Hey!" She hissed. "Not so loud, peabrain! Last thing we need is someone trying to capture him and turn him over to the Fire Nation."

He quickly fell quiet. "Oh… Sorry…"

I sighed. "Yes… I'm traveling with the Avatar… Toph's helping him learn Earthbending, and my sister is his waterbending teacher…" Kahru was in awe. "I kept some things from you about my past, but I really can't say much more…"

He stood for a moment in silence, his eyes gazing over at Aang and then back at myself. "So… The rumors are true then… The Avatar is mastering the elements to defeat the Fire Lord…"

Toph nodded. "Yep."

Kahru looked back at me. "So you're all like a bunch of young heroes, fighting to save the world…" He stepped back and grinned. "That's pretty cool. Usually you picture the heroes to be brawny men in armor. You all are far from what I imagined."

Toph crossed her arms. "You saying us girls can't fight?"

He held up his hands in defense. "Not at all. I'm just amazed a bunch of kids are traveling across the world to fight to end the war. You've all got guts."

I smiled weakly. "Thanks Kahru."

He nodded, and then placed a friendly hand on my shoulder again. "Good luck with your journey. I'm rooting for you all."

Toph grabbed my arm. "Come on Princess. Let's head back over to the others. Your brother's getting antsy." I looked over at Sokka to see he had finally noticed my conversation and was staring across the room at Kahru with suspicion.

Nodding, I looked back at Kahru with sincerity. "It was good seeing you again Kahru. Have safe travels."

He pulled his hand away and nodded. "Safe travels to you as well."

Heading back over to the table, I was immediately questioned by my family about the stranger I'd spoken to. I sipped at the drink I hadn't been able to finish, and then said, "Chill everyone… He's the guy who picked me, Zuko, and Iroh up when we were drifting aimlessly in the ocean. We were just catching up."

Sokka relaxed from his suspicion. "Oh… Good."

Toph added, "Chill Sokka. They weren't kissing or anything. Not every guy is trying to make out with your sister."

I spit out the juice I had just gone to drink, and started to cough. As I coughed, Katara pat my back but was giggling. Aang laughed too in amusement, while Sokka rolled his eyes. The professor looked at all of us with curiosity.

Right before we left the building, Sokka grabbed me on the elbow and pulled me back from the others. He then pulled something from the belt around his waist. I was shocked to see it was a whale tooth knife. "I've taught you how to use one of these… Please keep it with you."

I stared at the blue handled knife with disbelief. "Sokka… I can use my bending. A knife isn't going to help me."

He grabbed my hand and pulled me forward. Crouching, he slid the knife in its leather sheath and shoved it down into my boot. "Just in case," he said, standing again. He met my gaze. "You may be in a future situation where you have no water… I'll feel better knowing you can defend yourself." He threw an arm around my shoulders, and guided me towards the door. "You have a knack for getting into trouble."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, Sokka… If it will make you happy."

He smiled over at me. "Thanks, Crys."

Eventually we made our way out of the messy resort and back over to Appa. Katara had caught me up on what was going on. We were helping Professor Zei find some library in the middle of the desert. When we got to Appa, I was horrified to see the ruffian men from before had cornered the poor guy by the wall. Appa groaned anxiously, and Momo chattered angrily on Appa's head. The men smirked with greed.

The professor gasped and rushed forward, waving his arms. "Sandbenders! Shoo! Away from the bison!"

The men stared at the professor with scowls, and then headed over to their raft vessels. Hopping on, they used the sand below them to shoot them off into the distance out of the desert. I was shocked at their bending. I'd never seen a sandbender before.

Looking over at Toph, I asked, "Can you bend sand like that?"

She frowned. "I can… It's a bit more complicated though. The sand makes things much more blurry because it moves."

Sokka grabbed Toph's wrist. "Come on then. I'll be your eyes Toph."

She ripped her hand from Sokka. "I'm not that blind. I can find my way on Appa."

As she climbed onto Appa, I looked back over at the sandbenders in the distance. Something about them and their interest in Appa made me really uneasy.

"Come on Crys. We need to head out before it gets dark," Katara spoke from where she was getting ready to climb onto Appa.

I glanced at her briefly, and then back at the sandbenders in the distance. "Yeah… Coming…"

Eventually we took flight, which the professor was thrilled about. As we flew out, I stared out at the sand around us hoping we found the library fast so we could get out of the desert.

For a good three hours we searched the desert for any sign of a building that looked like the drawing on Sokka's map. Sokka used a spy glass to search out in the distance, which was provided to him by the Professor. Professor Zei was too busy talking to Aang about the air nomads and not helping us search.

After another hour, I couldn't take it anymore. "Are we sure it's out here?"

Toph sighed beside me, hunched over on the side of the saddle. "I'm with Princess… Does this place even exist?"

Professor Zei looked back at us with a smile. "Some say it doesn't!"

Toph turned her head in his direction irritated. "Shouldn't you have mentioned that before!"

I groaned and I placed my forehead on my arms. I was so tired of flying. How did my brother and sister do this all the time? I suppose I'd become too comfortable on ships.

A few minutes later, Toph suddenly shouted from beside me, "There it is!"

My brother and sister jumped over to our side of the saddle looking over. I rolled my eyes at their excitement. I knew Toph was joking. They glared over at her when they realized the same.

She waved her hands over her glazed eyes. "That's what it will sound like when one of you spots it."

"Hopefully that will be soon," I muttered.

"Aw! Cheer up, Crys!" Aang turned towards me from where he sat near Appa's head. Momo sat on his shoulder. "We'll get there. Just think of the trip as another mini-vacation!"

Toph grimaced. "This isn't a vacation to me! I can't see a thing!"

Sokka sighed, lowering his spy glass. "Come on everyone… I know the desert isn't the greatest place for relaxation, but it's ten times better than having to fight off the Fire Nation. Besides… This is important. Finding this library will give us advantage over the Fire Nation."

I frowned. "Sokka… Even if we get the information we need… How are the five of us supposed to take down a whole army?" I ran a hand through my hair. "I mean… These people have been training to fight their whole lives. The soldiers don't care that we're all a couple of kids… They'll kill us if they have to…"

"We'll find a way," Sokka promised. "And we have the Avatar!"

Katara nodded. "Don't worry, Crys. It's all going to work out."

The Professor suddenly added, "The probability is very slim, but such a victory is possible."

Toph sighed heavily with a shake of her head. "Thanks for the vote of confidence dude."

Another few minutes passed, and I was getting tired of looking out towards the endless sand. Turning away, I leaned back against the side of the saddle and closed my eyes. As I did so, I thought back to my time on the ship with Zuko and Iroh.

"Just read it!" I begged, shoving the book over to Zuko.

He scowled. "I'm not reading it!" He shoved it back to me. "I don't do cheesy romances!"

"Come on Zuko! I have to know how it ends, but I can't read these last few words!" I shoved the book back to him. "Your Uncle said he would finish reading it to me, but he had to go speak to the Captain."

Zuko stared down at the book on his table where five candles were lit. He had been meditating, but my constant pacing had driven him crazy. He had grabbed me by the sleeve and forced me to sit at the table. It had been a few days after I had started reading with Iroh, and I was still learning as much as I could but struggling.

"I'm not reading it for you!" He shoved it back to me. "How will you learn?"

I huffed and shoved it back. "You read it out loud, and that will help me learn as I follow along."

He went to argue again, but his eyes met my own. He shut his mouth, and then let out a hard sigh. "Fine…"

He picked up the book and scoot closer to me. Placing it between us, he started from the spot I'd asked him to. "The fair maiden and the loyal warrior reunited at the edge of the kingdom having been separated for many days. They spoke of their futures, and how they knew the only path to true happiness was to stop the war that separated them. The valiant warrior spoke to his King, while his beautiful love begged her own King for peace. The two were granted their wish. The two kings had noticed the love that the maiden and warrior held towards one another, and a truce was made. The two kingdoms further united as one, and the warrior and maiden were finally allowed to be together. On their wedding day, they vowed to protect one another and never break the bond they held."

By the end of his reading, I had leaned into him to follow along with the words. When he finished reading, it was only then that I felt the warmth through my skin. A blush spread across my cheeks and I ripped away from him, turning away in embarrassment.

"Sorry…" I spoke, feeling like an idiot.

He chuckled. I looked at him with question. His gold eyes met my own. "You should be… That book was terrible."

I smiled weakly. "No it wasn't… The warrior won the battle and they both united two feuding kingdoms. I thought it was beautiful."

"And cheesy."

I rolled my eyes. "You're a guy… Of course you would say that." Closing the book, I placed it back on the pile with the others I had read. Standing, I went to head back over to my cot. Zuko's hand suddenly stopped me though. I looked back down at him, and he stared up at me from where he was sitting.

"Let's read one more…" He released my hand and looked away from me. "I'm bored with meditation…"

I smiled. "Okay." I sat back down and picked up another book. "How's about The Tale of The Sage?"

He nodded. "Sounds good… You read it to me though…"

"Me… I can-"

"I'll help," he interrupted. He took the book from my hand and opened it to the first page. Handing it back to me, he said, "I'm tired of talking anyway. I want to listen to you."

I stared at the book with burning ears. Zuko was making me nervous quite frequently. "Okay…" Taking in a deep breath, I began to read. "Once long ago, a wi… wise old man told a young mer… merchant child he would be something of greatness…"

"It shouldn't be this hard to spot a giant ornate building from the air," Katara spoke suddenly, bringing me out of my reverie.

Sokka looked through his spy glass once more, scanning the area. His eyes widened. "Down there! What's that?!" He pointed towards something I could make out was jutting up from the sand.

Momo squeaked as Aang moved his body. The lemur had been asleep on Aang's head. Aang stood and raced to the side of the saddle looking over, while Momo hopped onto the saddle searching for sturdy ground. As Aang did so, Katara rushed over to Appa taking his reins and guiding him back to the spot Sokka had seen. Eventually we landed and slid off of Appa. Momo flew down and perched on Aang's shoulder. All of us stared up at the firm cylinder structure stretching twenty feet above us in question. There was a pointed roof at the top.

"Forget it," Katara said with a heavy sigh while holding a drawing of the library in her hand. "It's obviously not what we're looking for. The building in this drawing is enormous."

The sound of heavy steps on sand caused me to turn from the tower structure and look over at an approaching animal. A large gray fox appeared before us, and in its mouth was a scroll. It ran past us, stopping only for a second to gaze our way. It decided we weren't a threat, and then ran towards the structure.

"What kind of animal is that?" Sokka had never seen a fox before. The only animal even remotely close in the South Pole was the snow-wolf that wandered around our village at times. I knew it was a fox though, because I had seen it in books from Iroh. This fox struck me as odd though, especially when it ran straight up the tower wall and through the window as if it had no force fulling it back down to the earth.

"I think that was one of the knowledge seekers," the professor said, tapping his chin. He then beamed. "We must be getting close to the library!"

I stared at the tower only a second longer, and then realization hit me. "Guys… We are close! This is the library!"

Sokka looked at me with question, and then took the map from Katara. "Wait! Crys is right! Look!" He pointed at a spot on the drawing, and the others followed his finger. As he pointed to the highest tip of the drawing, he moved his point towards the physical structure. "It's completely buried!"

The professor was horrified. "What?! The library is buried!" He dropped to his knees with his backpack in front of him. "My life's ambition is now full of sand!" He hung his head, and reached into his bag. Then he smiled when he found what he needed. He had in his hand a small metal shovel. "Whelp! Time to start excavating."

As the professor began to dig in the sand, Toph stepped over. "Actually, that won't be necessary. The inside seems to be completely intact, and it's huge."

The professor looked up at her with thrill.

Sokka pointed up at the window. "That fox thingy went in through a window. I say we climb up there and give it a look."

Sokka's knowledge of the creature being a fox took me off guard. I realized then my assumption had been wrong. He and my family had been traveling for months across land. They probably knew more about the world than I ever would. This realization made me sigh. I had a lot to learn from my family.

Sokka headed back over to Appa and returned a second later with a rope. He then took his boomerang out and tied the rope to it so he could throw it through the window.

As he did so, Toph insisted, "I say you guys go ahead without me."

Katara was amused. "You got something against libraries?"

She shrugged. "I've held books before, and I gotta tell you, they don't exactly do it for me."

Katara was surprised, and then realization hit her. "Oh, right… Sorry."

She smiled. "Let me know if they have something you can listen to."

Aang walked over saying, "That works out. You can keep Appa company. He probably wouldn't want to look at the books either." Appa groaned. Aang walked over and patted him. "Don't worry buddy. I'm not making you go underground ever again. You can stay out here with Toph."

I looked up at the window anxiously, and then walked over to Appa. "Uh… I think I'll stay out here too…"

Katara and Sokka were both surprised.

Aang was curious and asked, "What? Why?"

I looked away from them feeling my heart ache. "I… I just don't want to look at books right now…"

They all seemed to replace their looks of confusion with understanding. I'd told them about how Zuko and Iroh had taught me during my time with them how to read.

"Okay," Aang said. "We shouldn't be gone long."

Eventually Sokka threw his boomerang up at the window, and they all climbed up and over. Katara was the last to disappear, and once she was through the window Toph, Appa, and I were left alone.

For what felt like hours we sat in the sand, both trying to be shaded by Appa's body. As we did, Toph questioned me about my relationship with Zuko. She asked me what it was I liked about him, and why I had fallen head over heels.

"… I mean, you clearly love him if you two have kissed. Why is that?"

I smiled weakly, hugging my knees to my chest. "I don't know… I guess… As different as we are, we are both really similar…" I thought about Zuko as I spoke. "Even though he wants his honor, he has a heart that's pure and strong. He cares about the people who love him, and he does all he can to protect them from harm. He doesn't let his past stop him from fighting for what he wants… We've both lost something, and we both feel responsible…" I sighed. "Zuko is compassionate and sees me for what I am… I love him for that…"

Toph took all of this in. She then crossed her arms leaning back against Appa. "I never imagined the enemy's son to actually have a heart… No wonder his heart was racing so much though when you left him for us… He didn't want to lose you…"

I grimaced.

"No worries though, Princess. You'll see him again," Toph promised. "I don't think fate would bring you together just to break you apart forever."

I shut my eyes feeling my heart ache. "I hope you're right…"

Appa groaned from beside me. Toph beamed. "See! Even fur ball thinks so."

I smiled over at him, and pat his fur beside me. "Thanks Appa."

They had been gone for a good two hours, and silence had fallen between Toph and I. It didn't last though. Suddenly, Toph roused me from my doze.

"Hey…" Toph suddenly spoke. "What's that shaking sound?"

Opening my eyes from where I was chilling against Appa, I heard the rumble she was speaking of. I looked over at the building with question. When I saw it sinking I was horrified. "What!" Jumping to my feet, I stared at the building in horror. "Toph! The library! It's going down!"

"What?!" Toph jumped up from where she was sitting against Appa and raced over. "Hang on! I'll stop it!" She smashed her hand into the stone of the building tower, and managed to slow the sinking. However, she started to sink with it. She released briefly, causing the building to sink fast again. She hardened the sand around her to give her a firm platform, and then she tried again. Slamming her fists into the tower, she shouted, "Where are they?!"

I felt blood pound through my ears as I worried for them. "I need to go help them!"

"No! It's too dangerous!" Toph pushed against the building harder, but I could see it was a lot of weight for her.

"Toph! I-"

Appa suddenly groaned from behind me, and I looked over at him with question. When I saw the cause of his noise, I was horrified. A thick cloud of sand was coming towards us, and I knew immediately who the flying sand belonged to. I also knew what they wanted.

"No!"

Pulling water from my pouch, I rushed in front of Appa. "Crystal? What is it?" Toph had no clue what was happening.

"Keep your focus on the building! I'll deal with these thieves!"

The sandbenders were all on wooden sand gliders. They all wore wrappings around their body to the point where the only thing uncovered was their eyes. As they approached, I prepared to shoot my water from the pouch on my waist.

"Appa! Go!" I wanted him to escape while he had the chance.

Appa didn't move, and I knew why. He didn't want to leave me to face these men on my own. They circled around us, coming to a stop so they were blocking our escape. As they did so, one of the sandbenders shot his hand forward causing a whirlwind of sand to surround us. I gasped as the sand surrounded both Appa and I?

"Who's there?!" Toph was anxious as she struggled to keep the building up while also wanting to help me. "What's going on Crystal?"

Appa groaned and stepped forward placing his giant foot in front of me to block me from the sand. When the whirlwind settled, I was horrified to see four sandbenders had jumped off of their gliders, and each one held the end of a rope as they prepared to steal Appa.

"No! Go away!" I shot my water forward, and it hit one of the men hard sending them flying on their back. Bringing my water back, I shot it at another who saw it coming. He shot a wave of sand up and the water hit into the sand making the particles wet. When he dropped the sand, I realized then I had no water. I was prepared to fight though.

The men were all up again, and they tossed their ropes over Appa. I rushed towards one of them, who quickly released his rope and shot sand towards me. Jumping to the side, the sand missed as I tackled him hard to the ground. He gasped as I sent the both of us falling onto the sand, and then he struggled to kick me off.

"Leave him alone!" I ordered. "He doesn't belong to you, you thief!"

He spat at me, and I cringed from the saliva on my cheek. The man kicked me off at my distraction and I fell back hard.

A deep voice ordered, "Let's go!"

The man I tackled jumped to his feet and took off. Without hesitation, I got up to my feet and raced after him. As I did this, I saw Appa was tied down with ropes and was starting to be dragged away. He groaned and struggled under the ropes with all his might, but the men had him tied hard to their sand gliders.

"APPA!" I raced forward just as the sand gliders were starting to move at a faster pace. Their buddy hopped on the wood and shouted for them to move. He wasn't fast enough. With speed I didn't know I had, I jumped onboard the sand glider as it began to move across the desert. The men were shocked by my invasion, and another man not using his bending to move the glider went to grab me. Dodging him, I kicked him in the stomach which made him stumble back. The same guy whom I had tackled earlier rushed over to grab him while he was falling. As the men struggled to regain their balance, I turned to the rope on the glider and quickly worked to undo the knot.

"Hang on Appa!"

Appa groaned seeing my effort at trying to save him. As I worked on the knot, I pulled out the knife from my boot that Sokka had given me earlier. With quick movements, I began to slice the rope in desperation.

"Stop!"

Another man had leaped from one of the other gliders and landed on the one I was on. The rope cut free, and Appa managed to get control of one of his legs. As this happened, the new man rushed over and grabbed me. Pinning my arms to my side, I gasped as he managed to get a hold of me and I dropped my knife.

"Stop it kid! I don't want to hurt you!" The voice was that of a young man, perhaps in his twenties. I only struggled harder.

"Let Appa go! You're making a mistake! He belongs to my friend!"

Another man who was moving the glider, shouted, "Knock her off!"

The young man sighed in my ear. "Sorry kid. It's just business." He shoved me then, and I shrieked thinking quick. My hand grabbed his arm as I went down onto the sand. He yelped as he fell with me, and the two of us landed onto the hot desert sand. We rolled a bit and then came to a stop. The sandbender lay beside me in a daze, and I tried to collect my sore and sand burned body. The gliders had stopped in the distance as they noticed their comrade was off.

"Gashuin! Let's go!"

A sandbender had run over, this one older than the man beside me. He grabbed his buddies hand and yanked him up. I grabbed Gashuin's arm to be pulled up with him. He tried to yank from me, while his partner shot his hand at my face. The impact sent a searing pain through my mouth, and I stumbled back onto the sand. My hand released Gashuin in the process.

"Come on!" His partner yanked him away, while I lay on my back clutching my bleeding lip. "Let's get out of here!" The men took off.

"No!" I quickly came to my senses and tried to scramble to my feet again, but a large gust of sand blew at me and I was blinded. My eyes burned as I tried to open them. When I finally was successful, I saw through the cloud of sand the gliders were moving again. Appa groaned loud and helpless as he was dragged away.

"APPA!" I tried to step forward, but my foot caught on a lift in the sand. Falling onto the hot dry ground, I cried out in agony. Tears fell as I realized I'd failed. Appa was gone, and I could do nothing to help him.

Trying to stand again, I felt exhausted but I gave it one last attempt. Through blurry vision, I ran again only to have my foot sink down in some sand once more. I fell forward hard and crashed once again onto the ground.

Appa's groan faded in the distance, and I gasped as I realized I was too late…

"No… Appa…" My voice was weak. "I'm sorry…" Tears poured down my sand covered cheeks as I held myself up with my knees and my hands. "I'm so sorry…"

Hanging my head in defeat, I grabbed a handful of sand in both of my palms letting the grains burn into my skin. What was I going to tell Aang? I should've fought harder…

I was always so useless.

Somehow I managed to find my feet. Standing, I felt my body ache as I stared out into the desert before me. The sandbenders were gone, and all that was left was the knife Sokka had given me. The knife lay in the dirt from where it had been thrown off a few yards away. Walking over to the knife with defeat, I picked it up and placed it back in the sheath inside my boot. Looking out towards the horizon, I whispered through my tears, "I'm going to find you, Appa… I promise…"

Turning, I went to head back to the others. As I did, I noticed that the trail made by the sandbenders had been blown away. Looking around, I realized I was completely lost. Every direction I turned looked exactly the same on the horizon. The expanse of the desert was endless.

I decided the best thing to do was just to walk. I hoped the direction I headed would lead me back to the others.

As I treaded across the sand, I dropped my hand from my bloodied lip and hung my head in dismay. Appa was being dragged to who knows where… I didn't know how or if we would ever find him.

It seemed I walked for a good ten minutes, and my vision blurred after a while.

"Crystal!"

A familiar cry brought me from my daze, and I looked up in shock to see Aang flying towards me with his glider. He landed in front of me and shut his glider. Racing over to me, I saw Momo was trailing in the air behind him.

"Aang…"

He stopped in front of me and grabbed my shoulders. "Appa? What happened to Appa?!"

Tears clouded my vision. Dropping my gaze, I said softly, "Aang… I tried… Appa… Th-they took him…"

Aang gasped. His voice cracked as he asked, "Who? Who took him Crystal?!"

It took me a moment to find my voice. "The sandbenders… The one's from before… They must've followed us to the library…"

"No…" Aang was in agony as he took it all in. "You- you couldn't stop them?"

I shook my head. "I'm sorry… I tried…" I covered my eyes as tears slid out. "I wasn't strong enough…"

"Wh-which way did they go? Tell me!" He grabbed my shoulders harder and shook them. "Which way, Crystal?!"

"I… I don't know… I… This desert is so big…"

"Aang! Crystal!" Katara's voice suddenly shouted from behind Aang, and I saw her, Toph, and Sokka running over. Momo sat on Aang's shoulder looking out into the desert with sadness. Dropping my gaze from all of them, I hung my head once again.

"Which way?! Tell me!" He shook me again. I cringed from the pain of his grasp.

"Aang! Stop!" Sokka suddenly rushed in between and pushed Aang off of me. "Calm down! Crystal isn't the one to blame."

"Yeah twinkletoes… Crystal fought as hard as she could…" Toph frowned. "There were too many of them for her to face on her own. We were ambushed."

Aang realized what he was doing. He quickly calmed and his face turned to guilt. Stepping back, he hung his head. "I… I'm sorry, Crys… I shouldn't have taken it out on you…"

Shaking my head, I turned away from him in shame. "You have every right to…" Tears fell from the ache in my heart. "I wasn't strong enough to save him… If I was a better waterbender or fighter, I could've stopped them all…"

"Crys…" Sokka started.

I interrupted him by looking up at the group. My vision was blurred by tears. "I let Appa down… I couldn't stop them from taking him! You all are so strong and brave… I-" I stopped as my voice caught. "I'm such a useless addition to your group."

Katara stepped forward suddenly and grabbed my hand. "Crystal! Don't talk such nonsense! None of us blame you for losing Appa! Toph told us there were more than ten men! There's no way you could've fought them all on your own, and without water for that matter. Stop beating yourself up so much."

"Yeah, Princess…" Toph stepped forward and punched me in the arm. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You fought hard… Harder than I've seen anyone fight before… We'll get the big guy back."

Aang nodded, having calmed down enough to cool his anger. "Toph's right…" He placed a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry for losing my temper and taking it out on you… I wasn't thinking… I won't rest though until I find those sandbenders. We're getting Appa back, Crys... together…" Momo chattered on his shoulder in agreement.

"How though…?" Sokka sounded dismayed. "We're in the middle of the desert with no transportation or map… We also have no supplies… And it's getting late... The sun is starting to set…"

As the group chattered, and I calmed enough to stop my tears, I looked over at the setting sun. The man I'd befriended on the ship so long ago told me once about navigation. Hul had been with me often to protect me during my time aboard Zuko's vessel, and he shared much knowledge with me.

"Whenever you're lost, follow the east star," he said, pointing out over the ocean into the night sky. "You'll know which one it is if you follow the archer arrow. The end of the arrow always points to the east."

I leaned against the ship rail staring at the star which he spoke of. My hand was wrapped tight from being broken, and the cold air made it ache. I tried to listen to Hul to get my mind off of it.

"How do you know so much about navigation?"

He smiled over at me, which I could see from the moonlight. "My father was a navigator for a merchant vessel. He taught me everything he knew before he died."

I nodded and looked back up at the stars. "Your dad would be proud of you for remembering so much."

"Yes… And your father would be proud of you for being so strong."

I scoffed. "Proud…?" Stepping back from the rail, I turned from Hul. "My father hasn't been proud of me since the day my mother died… I failed him and the rest of my people… I was too weak to protect her…"

"Your mother… What happened to her?"

Ignoring Hul's question, I looked back up at the stars. "So the archer's arrow points to the east. I'll definitely remember that." I turned back to Hul who seemed surprised by my aversion to his question. "Thanks for the lesson."

"The stars," I suddenly said.

The group stopped talking, and they looked at me with question. Katara was the first to ask. "What?"

Staring at the sun which lowered more by the minute, I stated, "We follow the stars… If we head east, we're sure to get back to the oasis we started at. The professor had us going west most of the time."

"Follow the stars?" Aang was surprised. "I don't know how to follow the stars."

I smiled weakly. "That's okay… I do…"

The group looked at me in surprise. Sokka was amazed. "When did you learn that?"

I rubbed the back of my neck. "My friend Hul taught me… He told me about the different constellations and how they're used to navigate across the ocean. The same applies for the desert… We just have to follow the archer's arrow when the stars come out."

"Hul..." Sokka seemed upset. "That Fire Nation soldier? You see him as your friend?"

I was puzzled. "You know Hul?"

He grimaced. "Yeah… I interrogated him a few weeks ago at the North Pole. We captured him during the battle."

I was horrified by this news. I'd wondered how many Fire Nation men were taken prisoner back at the North Pole, but I never imagined Hul would be one of them.

"Oh…" I looked down feeling worried for the man who had treated me so kindly. "I didn't know that…"

Katara saw the conversation was upsetting me and quickly returned to the goal at hand. "So we'll wait for the sun to completely set and follow the stars."

"A sleepless night…" Toph muttered.

Aang looked over at the group with agony. "We have to get as far as we can… I can't let them get too far ahead with Appa… We have to save him…"

Sokka nodded. "Aang's right… Traveling by night will be better for us… It won't be easy to see, but it won't be as hot either."

Nodding, I looked at the setting sun with desire. We'll get you back Appa… Just hang on…

"Hey… Where's the professor?"

Toph's question made me realize for the first time the crazy man wasn't with us. So much had just happened…

Sokka frowned. "He stayed behind… He was buried with the library…"

She grimaced. "Whelp… I guess he fulfilled his life work then…"

Katara stepped over to me then. "Here… Let me heal your lip. They did a number on you." She pulled water from her pouch and moved it towards me.

I took the water from the air and put it back in her pouch, quickly sealing it tight. She was surprised and went to argue.

I interrupted. "No… Save the water. We don't know how long we'll be in the desert. We need it to last us."

She shut her mouth and nodded, knowing I was right. Instead, she pulled a cloth out from her pants pocket and held it out towards me. "At least wipe the sand away from it so you don't get an infection."

I nodded and took the cloth from her with a weak smile.

She added, "And don't ever talk like that again… You belong with this group. Thanks to you we're going to make it out of this desert alive."

I hung my head in embarrassment. "Thanks, sis…"

She hugged me then, and when she pulled away she said, "Besides… Only someone strong and brave could survive everything you have." She brushed some sand from the area of skin that was marked by my burn. "You're alive after everything you've been through, and that shows how much of a fighter you are."

Her words made my pained heart ease. Staring at the charm on her neck, I looked back up at her blue eyes and thought of my mother. She would've said the same thing…

Nodding, I smiled at my sister with thanks. "You're a fighter too, Katara. Mom would be so proud of you."

"Aw… You two are making me cry," Sokka whined.

Toph crossed her arms. "Enough with the sibling love. We have to get out of this desert."

Nodding, I looked out at the setting sun, and then over at Aang who met my eyes with pain.

"Come on Aang," I said softly. "Let's go get Appa back…"

He nodded, and looked at the horizon with tear filled eyes. "We'll get you back buddy… Promise…"