Disclaimer: I do not own any Avatar or Korra characters created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, and owned by Nickelodeon. All OCs, however, are all mine.

Chapter III

"… and from the original four nations of this planet, there are people who can telekinetically manipulate the elements through martial arts, or 'bending' as you call it?" Leo asked, seeing if he understood everything Aang and Katara explained to him as best they could, making quotation marks with his fingers as he said the word 'bending'. He had situated himself where Toph had been at the foot of the stairs.

"That's right," Katara answered. She and Aang sat side-by-side on Appa's tail, sitting across the way from him.

"And the element that a person can bend depends on the nation they're from?"

"Yep," Aang replied.

"And at first there were four nations, then three, then four again, then five?"

"Uh-huh," Katara took her turn answering.

"And the fifth nation is made up of people from all the other four?"

"Yeah," Aang then took his turn.

"And the only person able to bend all four elements is a person called the 'Avatar'?" Leo made quotations with his fingers again as he said 'avatar'.

"Yes," Katara said.

"And the Avatar is stuck in a cycle of reincarnation, being born into one nation after the next?"

Aang gave a long sigh before he answered what he hoped was Leo's last question, "Yes, that's correct."

"Wow," Leo was amazed with everything the couple had told him that there was to know about their world, "That's a lot to take in."

"Not as much as what you told us about you and your people," Katara replied. It was an awful lot, Leo knew, but still.

"Yeah, I guess you got me there," Leo chuckled as he agreed with her.

"Do you think your people know where you are?" Aang asked, concerned that their new friend might be lost to his people.

"My fighter had a tracking beacon in it. Even though it fell apart in the atmosphere, I think they'll be able to find me. It's in my cockpit," Leo assured them.

"Well, that's good. We can go check it out in the morning," Katara promised.

"Thank you, Katara," Leo responded.

"Hey, Katara, what time is it?" Aang asked his girlfriend after yawning and stretching his arms.

Katara took out her pocket watch and opened it up, "Very late, like half past one in the morning."

"Goodness, that is late," Aang agreed with her, then looked to Leo, "Come on, you can take my room."

"Oh, thank you, but you don't have to give up your bed for a stranger like me. I'll be fine under the stars," Leo appreciated Aang's offer, but couldn't accept it in good conscience.

"Leo, it's no problem. There's plenty of room for every one on this ship," Katara insisted.

"Really?" Leo questioned.

"Yes, really. You're not kicking anyone out of their bed," she continued.

"Well, if you insist, alright then," Leo finally accepted, taking up his blanket. Aang and Katara smiled as they took him below deck after saying goodnight to Appa. Leo was so tall, he had to crouched down a bit so as not to hit his head on the ceiling. They went to the crew's quarters and straight to Aang's room; or what used to be his room.

"Goodnight, Leo. Hopefully it'll be fine, despite your height," Katara said, then turned to Aang and whispered in his ear, "See you in a few, Sweetie," kissed him on his cheek and went down the hall to another door, looking back before going inside.

"You too, Babe," Aang beamed.

Just as Aang reached to turn the handle, Leo voiced, "This isn't your room, is it?"

Aang looked up in surprise, his eyebrows jumped, stumbling for a moment before he responded, "Wha- uh, how- how did you know?"

"Because I don't smell your scent coming from this room," Leo simply answered. He knew this wasn't Aang's room from more than just his lack of scent coming from behind the door. It might've been at one time, but not anymore. He noticed Katara looked back before closing her door, and if Leo wasn't kicking anyone out of their bed, that meant Aang and Katara had been sharing a room for a while now. He also heard what Katara had whispered in Aang's ear, and knew what she meant when she said that. He wondered if Sokka knew Aang was shackin' up with his sister. Despite all he knew, Leo said nothing else, wanting to be polite and not a bad guest.

"Um… okay," Aang said, feeling a bit weirded out right now, then opened the door, "Yeah, I hope it's not too small."

Leo crouched through the doorway and found there was a bunk bed, a couch, and a desk. He nodded as he began to think how he could make this work for him. The size of the room was just fine. The ceiling was a bit low for him, but the room was long enough for him to lie down. He turned to Aang and gave his approval, "This'll do just fine."

"Good," Aang reciprocated, "Breakfast is at seven. After that, we'll go check out the crash site."

"Alright. Thanks again, Aang," Leo said graciously, offering his hand to shake.

Aang smile and shook it with a firm grip, "It's no problem."

Leo closed the door as Aang walked off. Leo sat down on the couch and reached for the cross hanging from his belt and grasped it. It was a gift from his wife, Camille. She'd given it it to him when they got married. It'd belonged to her father, and when her parents died, it was given to her for safe keeping, to give to the man who'd be her husband.

Leo was twenty-five years old, and Camille twenty-six. They'd met five years ago during the summer, after his freshman year of college. She and her cousin, Dax, had just moved to the city, transferring to the same college. Leo and Camille instantly felt drawn to one another, and they soon started seeing each other. The chemistry between them was amazing.

Then the Blackout happened. The government fell, chaos reigned, and everything broke apart; everything except Leo and Camille.

Leo leaned his head back and gave a heavy sigh, hoping there was some way to get back to her, to his wife, his family… his Jiating. Leo took the cross off his belt and gripped it in his hand, bringing it to his forehead. He prayed that he would see them again.

As Leo closed the door, Aang walked down the hall to his and Katara's room. It was weird how Leo knew that room wasn't his. It used to be his, but now he was sharing a room with Katara. But they didn't want anyone to know; that way, Sokka couldn't find out from anyone. They'd started sharing a room for about a week now and despite their efforts, Toph did find out. However, she promised that their secret was safe with her, but only because Sokka being clueless about the whole thing was way too funny.

Aang came to door and entered. He heard the sink in their bathroom running and saw Katara brushing her teeth. He'd already taken care of his personal hygiene before their stargazing. He sat down on the edge of their bed, just staring at her. She was absolutely beautiful, like a fair spirit made into flesh. It was like the universe took extra care molding her, and she had a beautiful heart to match. Aang smiled at how lucky he was to call this stunning young woman his girlfriend.

Katara felt eyes on her, turned her head to see her boyfriend looking at her with that goofy smile on his face that she just adored. After spitting into the sink, she asked, "What is it?"

"Oh, nothing. Just enjoying the view," Aang smoothly responded.

"Aang, it's only me," Katara replied with a giggle.

"I know. Best view in the world," Aang returned, making Katara blush. She rinsed her mouth out and came out of the bathroom, then jumped on the bed and tackled Aang. They both laughed together as she straddled him. She looked down at him and just couldn't help but feel content. Aang reached up to her and cradled her cheek with one hand. Katara reciprocated by holding his palm to her face. It felt warm. She took his hand, intertwined his fingers with hers, leaned down and smashed her lips against his. Aang kissed her back, moving his lips in synch with hers. Aang cupped her face as Katara put both her hands on his lean, clothed chest. They both moaned into each other's mouths, breathing through their noses so they wouldn't have to break contact. They kept the kiss slow, taking their time savoring one another. The kiss became more heated as Katara stuck her tongue in Aang's mouth. She cupped his face as his hands traveled down to her lower back. His hands ran up and back down her back, giving her goosebumps. The two felt everything disappear, it was just the two of them, alone together in their own little void. Suddenly, Aang rolled them over, causing Katara to laugh in surprise as he did so, so now he was on top. They immediately resumed their passion, Katara wrapping her arms around his neck to bring him closer, running her hand through his hair, loving the feel of it. Aang could've sworn they were floating, lighter than air. His lips left hers, tracing her jaw and moving to her neck. Katara gasped in ecstasy at the pleasure and tilted her head to the side to give Aang full access. She wrapped her legs around his waist.

Katara then remembered Toph and how she could feel vibrations, and if Aang's heart was beating just as fast as hers was, and she didn't doubt it was, their combined heartbeats were enough to make the earthbender aware of what they were doing, and she might break her silence to Sokka out of annoyance, who'd then assume the worst and start a bunch of unnecessary drama.

"Wait, Aang. Please," Katara brought their make out session to a sudden halt, causing Aang to look up at her, wondering if he'd done something wrong, "We don't want to give Toph a reason to say anything. I'm pretty sure our heartbeats together are annoying the hell out of her, but if we get too crazy…"

"She'll probably tell Sokka," Aang caught on to what she was saying.

"Right, and you know how he can be sometimes," she confirmed, then remembered their guest and added, "Also I don't want to have to explain myself with this stranger around."

Aang hung his head as he took a deep breath, calming himself. He looked up and gave Katara a slow light kiss on the lips then breathed into her ear as he whispered in a deep erotic voice that drove her crazy, "I love you."

Katara's breathing became heavy again as Aang teased her, "Aang, please…"

He then brought his face nose-to-nose with hers. Aang kissed her on the nose and gave her an eskimo kiss. She smiled as they leaned their foreheads together, her deep blue eyes staring back into his silver ones and responded, "I love you, too."

Aang gave Katara another quick kiss as he rolled off her, folding his hands behind his head. She leaned into him and laid her head on his chest, resuming their close contact. Aang, in turn, wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead.

"So, how did our new guest like his accommodations?" she asked, closing her eyes.

"He said that it'll do, so that's a good sign. But he said something that… I don't know how to put it… was a bit unsettling. It was like he could read me with ease… even though he's blind," he tried his best to explain to her.

"Hm, kinda reminds me of Toph," she replied, thinking of the blind earthbender, then asked, "What'd he say?"

"He said that he knows that the room we gave him isn't mine, or at least not anymore," he told her.

Katara's eye's popped open and sat straight up, shock in her eyes as she looked back down at her boyfriend, caution in her voice, "And how would he know that?"

"I don't know. Maybe it was something we said," Aang tried to rationalize it as he tried to calm her down.

"Wait. Did he say it before or after entering the room?" she inquired, hoping they hadn't unknowingly given themselves away.

"Before," he answered simply.

"Dammit," Katara cursed.

"Look Katara, he didn't say anything else so I think he doesn't want to pry and he knows it's none of his business. And you're right, he does remind me of Toph, only he seems more easy-going and polite than rough, rowdy, and rude," Aang sat up with her and wrapped his arm back around her.

Katara went over the comparison between Toph and what she knew about their guest in her mind. Katara began to see Aang's logic and let out a sigh of relief, "Yeah, I guess you're right, Aang."

"I know, right?" Aang agreed her, then gave a yawn as he stretched his arms, "Well, I'm beat."

Katara yawned herself as they both lay back down, "Me too. Maybe tomorrow will shed some light on things."

"Like our guest and his silence," Aang pointed out.

"Or his little plight," Katara added, "Not to mention our assignment."

"Oh yeah, the reports of pirates," Aang had enjoyed the evening so much and had gotten caught up in what just happened after their stargazing, he'd almost forgotten their original task.

"Mm-hm," Katara reciprocated, closing her eyes again, aiming to fall into sleepiness.

"Who knows, maybe everything'll sort itself out and be an easy fix," Aang voiced their hopes before they both fell asleep in each other's arms.

The winds whistled in their ears, ruffled their hair and shuffled their clothes as Katara leaned her head on Aang's shoulder, both sitting on Appa's head as he steered the bison towards the crash site of Leo's cockpit. Aang kissed her head as he wrapped his free arm around her, holding the reins with the other. He was in his airbender wingsuit, Katara and Sokka were wearing their White Lotus uniforms, and Toph wore her family colors and styled armor. Leo was dressed in his dark blue changshan with its beaked hood, utility belt, greaves, and vambraces.

Leo sensed the movement between the two up front and couldn't help but think of himself and Camille, his wife. Leo gave a small smile at the closeness, but it went away when he felt two sets of eyes, or at least one working set and one broken, looking at him as he sat in the saddle with Katara's brother, Sokka, and their friend, Toph.

Leo brought his hanging head up to the attention the two were giving him. His beaked hood was up, so the top half of his face was concealed in shadow, which made Sokka a bit uneasy. It looked like some 'thing' rather than a person was staring back at him. Toph couldn't see any of this, so she just sat there next to Sokka, waiting for someone to say something, or nothing.

"So," Leo took the lead in initiating some small talk with the less familiar two of his band of hosts, "you're Sokka, Katara's brother, right?"

"Uuuuh… yeah," Sokka slowly answered, a bit awkward.

"You a swordsman?" Leo asked in curiosity, pointing to the straight jian blade slung over Sokka's shoulder.

"Yep," Sokka gave a short answer.

"I happen to be a swordsman, myself. What do you practice?" Leo continued as he went on to list martial arts, "Tai chi? Wu dang? Wushu?"

"Uuuuh… Wu dang, I guess?"

"That makes sense. Wu dang fighters are often renowned for their swordsmanship," Leo added, hoping to get something out of these two.

"Uh-huh, yeah," Sokka flatly responded.

Leo could see he wasn't getting anywhere with this guy, so he turned his attention to to the girl next to him, "So what about you? What do you practice?"

"Well, it's an ancient style developed by blind monks," Toph said.

"Wow, really?" Leo asked, curious to know, "What's it called?"

"It's called nunya damn fucking business," Toph slyly replied. Sokka let out a loud laugh at her humor, holding his gut.

"Haha. Good one, Toph," Sokka added as he recovered from his fit of laughter.

Leo scowled in their direction and figured these two were thick as thieves, and that they were assholes, just like Dax and Tori.

Aang set Appa down around twenty yards outside the crater the debris had made. Aang took Katara in his arms, bridal style, and jumped off the sky bison's head, using his airbending to land. Sokka took Toph's hand and lead her down Appa's tail.

Katara turned back and looked up at Leo, standing in the saddle, and offered, "You need some help gettin' down, Leo? We're happy to help," remembering his blindness.

"I appreciate the offer, Katara. But don't assume I'm helpless just because I'm blind," Leo politely declined, "My eyes may be broken, but I can see a lot."

Aang and Katara remembered what he'd said the night before. Sokka and Toph turned their heads toward each other with looks with guilt, being jerks to their guest, and surprised at the revelation. Leo stood on the edge of the saddle and flipped right off, landing on his feet like a cat, or a dragon as he preferred.

All four humans stared at him in amazement and shock, wide eyed; Sokka's jaw dropped. As Leo walked past them towards the crater, he brought Sokka's bottom jaw back up with the tip of his tail. He also patted Toph on the head, making them both look like fools. They both assumed it was payback for their rudeness earlier.

About to step over the edge of the crater, Leo motioned with his hand for them to follow, "Don't just stand there. Let's get to it," he turned back to face them, "Nothing's gonna eat 'cha. Promise."

The four humans all exchanged cautious looks. First Aang followed, bringing Katara with him, holding onto each others hands, then Toph and Sokka. As they all followed the alien down into the crater, they all caught sight of what was once the nose of Leo's craft, and Leo apparently needed no guidance while walking. He must've figured out some way to see without his eyes, much like Toph.

Reaching the wreckage, Leo climbed right in and plugged a cord from the watch connected to his Pommware glove into the control console. After a moment, a voice coming from the watch plainly said, "Download complete. Greetings. I am Amerigo, ready to provide any navigational guidance or communication assistance."

Leo smiled as he responded, "Ciao, Amerigo. I need to make contact with the San Francisco. How's Dragoon-1's beacon?"

The AI responded, "Unknown. The beacon is no longer attached. It fell off when the ship came apart while falling through the planet's atmosphere."

"WHAT!?" Leo roared in disbelief, then pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to calm himself, groaning in frustration before he asked, "Well, where is it now?"

"Scanning… It seems there is a map of this planet, drawn up years ago by the Tyravians. Gordon Hawkins was able to obtain it from them by chance after the departure from Terra. It seems the beacon is located in the middle of a bay surrounded by a large city, called Republic City, six thousand seven hundred and fifty miles Northwest of this location."

"Grrr. That's a long trip," Leo growled at the distance, then continued, "So Gordy hacked the Tyravians?"

"Yes sir, he did. From the Tyravian Imperial Military database," the AI replied.

"Anything else?" Leo inquired.

"Not much of any importance. There is mention of a Tyravian soldier and his family that went missing some years ago in this system. Everything else is about the planet Terra. Is there anything else you would like for me to locate for you?"

Leo thought for a moment, then remembered his sword and the tracking beacon in the pommel, "Locate my sword, Long Zhi Hun. Recognition code: three, three, seven, seven, nine, five, two."

"Scanning… Long Zhi Hun is in the middle of a massive walled-city call Ba Sing Se. It is the capital of the Earth Kingdom and was a refuge for those who sought shelter from the Fire Nation during the Hundred Year War."

"And how far away is that?"

"Approximately the same distance as from Republic City," Amerigo informed, then added, "Also, it appears I am only able to locate the beacon and Long Zhi Hun due to the satellites orbiting this planet, most likely belonging to the Tyravians."

Leo hissed as his frustration began to boil over, "Goddammit," then struck the console. He then turned around and opened the compartments on both sides of his seat, or where his seat used to be. Leo figured he was going to need some supplies if he was going to travel such great distances, first to retrieve his sword, and then reach the beacon.

In the compartment to his right, Leo found his pistol, a modified glock-nineteen with plasma rounds in its holster, with a full magazine of fifteen rounds. He also found seven additional mags, two full boxes of ammunition, and a backpack to carry them all in. He took the gun, strapped the holster to his leg, filled the bag with the extra mags and the ammo, and put an arm through each strap.

In the left compartment, Leo was relieved to find his butterfly sword, Yang. It was a gift from his master, Solomon, when he got married. Solomon gave Leo and Camille each one half of a set of duel swords. Camille was given Yin, while Leo was given Yang, to remind them that only together were they complete, as man and wife. Leo took Yang and stuck the sheathed weapon in the back of his belt.

As Leo was digging through the wreckage, the humans stared in wonder at the technology before them. Sokka had always been a smart guy when it came to technology, like solving a few minor design issues when the White Lotus worked with Future Industries or their partners at Varrick Industries, tinkering here and there with technicians. But this… what he saw beneath the metal was technology far more advanced than he could imagine.

Aang and Katara wondered what the rest of the ship might look like and how it flew. If it came from beyond the sky, what kind of universe existed beyond their world? And who did that voice belong to and where was it coming from?

Toph, unlike the others who just stood there staring, slowly stepped toward the wreckage, despite the other's cautious protests, and laid her hand on the hull. It was incredible. The Metal Clan was not only famous for metalbending, but also for its vast knowledge of different metals. Toph and her kin had studied all known metals, including metals so pure they couldn't be bent, such a platinum. She knew how they felt and what they sounded like. But not this metal. She couldn't detect any earth in the metal. It was unlike anything she'd ever studied.

Leo double-checked both compartments, but found nothing else. Checking his belt to see if everything he found was accounted for, he hopped out of the cockpit and noticed his hosts still staring at the wreckage. Amused, he asked inquired to them, "What? None of you ever seen a spaceship before?"

After a moment of silence, Aang finally answered for the rest of them, "Uuuuh… no, not really."

"What metal is this hull made of?" "Where is that voice coming from?" "How does this thing work?" Toph, Katara and Sokka all asked at the same time asked.

Leo stared at them for a moment, silent, then answered in order, "The hull is made from a metal alloy called apollonium. That voice was an artificial intelligence program named 'Amerigo' downloaded into my Pommware," he held up his gloved right hand and pointed to the watch around his wrist, "And this is pretty much the spaceship version of a jet; except a lot more advanced… very advanced. And also, do you guys mind givin' me a lift?"

"What?" Sokka questioned, a bit stupefied.

"Where?" Aang asked simply.

"Huh?" Sokka turned to Aang, wondering what the Air Nomad was thinking.

"Well, first I have to grab something I dropped in," Leo rubbed his chin as he tried to remember the name of the city, "I think it's called 'Na Sing Se'? And then the thing I need to contact my people is in ummmm… Republic City?"

"Why not?" Aang immediately answered.

"Wait. What?" Toph voiced her surprise at the absurdity.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!?" Sokka exclaimed out loud in disbelief, sounding as if he'd just had a heart attack.

"Uh, Aang-," Katara started, but before she or anyone could say anything else, there was a loud boom off in the distance. They all turned back towards the coast. Aang, Katara, Sokka and Toph suddenly remembered their original task: the reports of pirates. Finally, they'd confirm the reports and handle the renegades.