The next day, the four of them decided to split up. Zuko was determined to check on his mum and Shizue, and for that he needed to know more about the prisons and who was guarding them. Since Azula didn't trust him to get the information on his own, claiming he would miss something, the two of them had left earlier to meet with Atsuo and Yuzo. Katara and Aang were to go spirit searching.

Only a month ago, Aang would have been ecstatic to know he would be spending most of the day with Katara. The thought of it being just the two of them would have made him blush and his stomach flutter. Learning that she liked Zuko, however, had put a definite puncture in those feelings. Frankly, experiencing his first heartbreak had sucked. It had really, really sucked. But now he was relieved to find that the hurt had dulled enough to let him enjoy being around her (and Zuko) again. Maybe he smiled a little too hard sometimes, maybe he laughed a little too much, but the sting wasn't so bad. He was moving on.

So when he noticed she was using a new comb and learnt that Zuko had given it to her, he just blinked. "Wow. You guys are serious then?"

Now it was her turn to blink. "What?"

"The comb."

Her brow furrowed. "What about it?"

"He gave you a comb."

"I know. It was my birthday the other day, remember?"

Aang blinked a few more times. "Okay, I'm guessing the Water Tribe doesn't have this tradition, but didn't he explain it to you?"

"Explain what?"

"The meaning of that gift in the Fire Nation."

Her frown deepened. "No …"

Aang was shocked. Had Zuko just assumed she would know? Was that why he hadn't told her? Well, best to fix the confusion now so they were both on the same page. Aang could do that much for his buddy.

"It's a pretty special tradition. See, when you give someone a comb in the Fire Nation, especially a nice one like that, it means you want to grow old with them—as in be together and get grey hairs together and all that. It's basically like an offer of marriage."

Colour bloomed on her face. "W-what?"

"It's true. Kuzon—the real Kuzon, I mean—told me all about it. He liked this girl who lived down the road from him, and he said he was going to give her a comb as a promise that they'd get married."

"Wait, wouldn't you have been even younger then?"

"We were seven." A beat. "But he was sure she was the one."

Katara just stared at the comb she was holding. "Are you sure this is a real tradition? Maybe Kuzon just—"

"It's real. Trust me."

She pressed her hand to her flushed cheek. "But why would … we're not even …"

"What?"

"We're not dating," she said softly.

Aang's eyes widened. "Wait, you actually aren't?"

"Why does everyone keep thinking we are?"

"Uh, maybe because you guys are all over each other."

Her blush spread in deepening waves. "We are not."

"Are too."

He should know. Seeing them all snuggly and sharing in those little touches and looks had used to stir the most unpleasant of feelings in him.

Katara put the comb away. "Well, it's not what you think. We just … he just … I mean we haven't even …"

Aang's eyebrows crept up his forehead.

She pressed her hands to her cheeks again, trying to ease the heated pink. "It's not what you think, okay? Anyway, we shouldn't be talking about this here."

"Oops, you're right."

She sighed and finished putting up her hair. "Let's just hurry and find that spirit."

oOo

They ended up at the temple. Aang wasn't in a rush to see the sages again, but trying to question the other tribespeople hadn't got them very far. Plus, temples were usually pretty spiritual places. He hoped that he might discover something.

"Where is everyone?" Katara asked, once they were inside.

Aang shrugged. The whole place stunk of incense, but the dais with the seven cushions was empty. "Hello?" he called. "Anyone here?"

A shuffling sound came from one of the side passages. Cam soon emerged, soft-footed and cradling flames. "Ah, the Avatar."

"Hi." He waved.

She snuffed the flames. "Why are you here?"

He tugged at his collar. "Um, well, like I said last night, I'm looking for the spirit of these islands. I was hoping you'd have some suggestions about where I might find it …"

"I do not."

"Um, okay." He bit his lip. "Then maybe you can—"

"No."

Katara frowned. "You didn't even hear what he was going to say."

"I don't have to. The answer will still be no."

This was too much for Katara. She planted her hands on her hips. "Don't you think you're being unfair? Aang hasn't done anything to you or your tribe."

"Aside from lie and cheat his way in, you mean."

Both Aang and Katara flushed. Cam was not making things easy for them. Unfortunately, no amount of apologising or pleas could budge her either. She had no time for liars and seemed to think that he should be able to figure things out on his own.

"Come now, Cam." Taiyo stepped out from the same passageway, well-groomed and sleek as ever. "There's no need to be like that."

Cam pursed her lips. "Excuse me?"

"The Avatar is a child. Don't you think some allowances should be made? It's what we decided last night, isn't it?"

Aang brightened. "Then you'll help me?"

"Why not?" Taiyo said with a shrug. "None of us have actually seen the guardian spirit. Consider me curious. Besides, your presence makes the tribe uneasy. The sooner you get what you need, the sooner you'll leave."

"Um, thanks … I think."

Cam just made a scoffing sound and turned her back on them. It seemed she hadn't been persuaded by Taiyo's explanation. Still, Aang had found a sage willing to help. He couldn't complain.

oOo

"How much farther?" Katara asked, moving closer to the fire Aang was cradling.

Taiyo had taken them deep into the temple—deep enough that Aang was sure they were no longer in the building but had merged back with the cave system. The tunnel he led them down was narrow, sometimes rib-grazing, and the rocks overhead got lower and lower until Taiyo was as bent as an old tree which had been shaped by the wind. There was no light except for the flames he and Aang conjured.

"Hey," Katara said, louder this time. "I asked you a question."

"I know." Taiyo aimed his flames to light up a fissure in the wall ahead. "But as you can see, we have reached our destination."

She frowned. "You want us to go in there?"

"That's right."

Her eyes skittered from the fissure to Taiyo. "What's in there anyway?"

"You ask me that now?" He laughed and walked forward, climbing through the gap without another word.

"Guess we should follow," Aang said with a shrug.

"Wait." She pressed her hand to his chest to hold him back. "I know he said he'd help us, but this place gives me the creeps. I mean how far into the caves are we now? And listen."

Aang glanced around at the shifting shadows. "What? I don't hear anything."

"Exactly. There must be no one around us."

"Avatar? Kana? Are you coming?"

She clutched her coat tighter to her chest. "I don't know about this, Aang. I don't know about him."

"Ah, I'm sure it'll be fine. Besides, we've come this far."

"No, wait—"

He grabbed her wrist and tugged her forward so she wouldn't get left in the dark. As soon as he got close to the gap, which now glowed with light, something brushed against him like an exhalation of air. Except it wasn't air at all. Prickles and shivers crept over every inch of his skin.

"Woah," he breathed.

Her fingers plucked at his sleeve. "Woah what?"

Aang quickly scrambled through the fissure and blinked as he found himself in a chamber and staring at what could only be described as an abyss. It was just a hole of endless black. Flames flickered on torches all around it.

Katara took one look at the abyss and then rounded on Taiyo, water streaming from her hands. "What is this? Why have you brought us here?"

His eyes widened a fraction. "You're a waterbender."

"That's right I am." She manipulated the water into ice blades. "And trust me, you do not want to make me mad."

"Kana, wait!" Aang held an appeasing hand towards her. "It's okay. You can relax."

"But he brought us to some creepy hole! He's probably planning to push us in!"

Taiyo smiled slightly. "Tempting, but no." A nod at Aang. "He understands."

"Aang? What's he talking about? What is this place?"

Aang closed his eyes, pulse throbbing as shivers rippled over his skin. "This is it," he breathed. "I can feel it. I can feel everything."

"Feel what?"

"Energy." He opened his eyes and smiled widely at her. "This is the centre. This is where spirit energy flows."

She faltered in her stance. "You mean the place Yuzo mentioned?"

"Exactly."

Taiyo tilted his head. "Yuzo told you of this place?"

Aang clamped his hand over his mouth. "Oh no. Is he going to get in trouble for that?"

"Normally he would for sharing our tribe's secrets with outsiders, but I guess it doesn't matter now that I've brought you here myself. I'll let it slide this time."

Aang exhaled in relief. The last thing he'd wanted was to get Yuzo in trouble again.

Silence settled for a moment. Katara guided the water back into her flask and glanced around at the chamber, then back to the abyss.

"Well, Aang?" she asked. "Can you sense the spirit?"

"No. Just a lot of energy." He stepped closer to the edge. "You think it's down there somewhere?"

"If you throw a rock down that hole, you will never hear it hit the bottom," Taiyo said grimly. "I wouldn't recommend jumping in unless you have a death wish."

Aang paled and inched back to a safer distance. "No jumping. Got it." He glanced up Taiyo. "So, do you have any suggestions then?"

"You're asking me?"

"Well, you guys are the ones who use this place, right? I heard it helps you sense other fire healers. What do you normally do?"

Taiyo frowned. "This place is more connected than most. You feel it, yes?"

"Yeah. It's pretty intense."

"Well, we sages connect with that energy and use it like a boost to extend our sensing skills. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Huh. So it's sort of like what I did with the banyan grove tree."

"Perhaps …" Taiyo wrinkled his brow in obvious confusion.

Aang settled on the floor in lotus position. "Alright, then I'll try meditating and connecting with the energy. Maybe I can break through my block."

Katara placed her hand on his shoulder. "I'll keep watch."

"Thanks."

Taiyo simply folded his arms and leaned against the wall. "Then I shall also keep watch."

He got a wary look from Katara for that comment, but Aang didn't have the time to waste fretting about whether they could trust Taiyo. Aang pressed his fists together and closed his eyes. He focussed on the points of energy he could feel, trying to picture them as threads he could grasp. He focussed on all that he had lost, all that he was meant to be.

"Everything is connected," he whispered under his breath.

A deep inhale, a deep exhale, and then he reached out with his spirit and took hold of all the humming strands of energy. Power pulsed in a sudden influx. It was lightning in his blood, in his soul. It sizzled and flared and jolted its way into every inch of him. His body jerked, barely able to contain it all.

"Avatar Aang."

A shaky breath escaped him. "Are you … are you the guardian spirit?"

"Come."

"Okay, but come where? Where are you? Tell me how to—"

"You know what you need to do."

"But I don't! I've been trying to find you and—"

"To find what you have lost, you must first let go of all that holds you back. Abandon fear. Abandon your anchors."

"W-what?"

"Trust in faith. Trust in yourself."

Aang's eyes snapped open as the connection slipped through his fingers. It was only then he realised that he was shaking. Katara's arms were around him, blue eyes swimming before his star-blurred vision.

"What happened?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

"I think …" He licked his dry lips, heart thudding. "I think I need to jump. I think I need to go into the abyss."

oOo

Wind danced over the long sweeps of grass. Zuko shielded his eyes from the sun and glanced up at the bison circling overhead. Appa was making happy rumbles and swooping and soaring with a few of the other air bison. It seemed he'd finally made friends with the wild herd.

Azula made a tsking sound with her tongue. She was sitting on a rock, legs crossed, and had her lips pursed like she was sucking on lemons. "What's taking them so long?"

"I'm sure they'll be here soon."

"Soon isn't good enough." Her expression soured even more. "I hate waiting."

He raised his one good eyebrow. "I thought you prided yourself on your patience."

"Correction. I hate waiting when there is no reason for it."

Zuko sighed and went back to gazing out over the cliffs. Momo was not far from him, hopping around after bugs. Zuko's brow furrowed as the minutes dragged. He tapped his finger against his leg. He folded his arms, then a few seconds later unfolded his arms. He started to pace.

"Stop fidgeting!" Azula snapped.

"I'm not fidgeting."

She gave him an unimpressed face.

"I'm not," he muttered, turning away from her.

Though of course he knew he was. He had never been the paragon of patience either. What the heck was taking Aang and Katara so long? Hadn't they all agreed to meet here at this time?

The seconds kept dragging. Azula sighed loudly. "I never imagined this is what my life would come to. Here I am stuck on an island in the middle of nowhere, bored out of my mind with my brother."

He paused, standing with his back to her. "Is it really so bad?"

"What?"

"Is it so bad?" He glanced over his shoulder and met her gaze. "Being here with me?"

An emotion too fast to name flickered in her eyes. They stared at each other for a long moment. All the memories they shared flowed between them—the sad, the quiet, the almost happy, the painful. Their relationship had never been normal. They had never been allowed to be normal.

Azula broke eye contact first. "You tell me. Is it so bad?"

He turned more to face her. "You're not supposed to answer a question with a question."

"I just did."

"I asked you first."

"Like that matters."

He almost smiled. "You used to do this when we were kids as well."

"And you always got mad."

"You were a brat."

"You were an idiot." A beat. "And you still are one."

Zuko gave her a flat look, but the smile that lifted the corners of her mouth didn't have any sharpness. It was the soft, small one she'd used to give him sometimes when they were just stumpy-legged children building sandcastles or chasing waves on Ember Island. It was an echo of a time and a sister he had thought lost.

He let out a small breath. "It's not."

She tilted her head in question.

"Being here with you. It's not bad. I'm actually glad we can spend this time together."

Surprise glinted in her eyes, visible this time. He had broken script. In their family, being honest about feelings or even the slightest bit affectionate towards each other wasn't encouraged. Not after Mum had left. Zuko felt that rustiness as well, the words awkward and clunky on his tongue. It took all his resolve to stay facing her, to not look away or tag on an insult.

"See, this is why I hate you sometimes," she murmured.

"What?" Hurt made his voice rougher. "That's how you respond? I was trying to say something nice to you!"

"I know. You're a nice person, Zuzu. It's what you do."

He frowned.

"Mother used to tell me to be like you, you know. She'd say, 'Why can't you be more like your brother? You should try to follow his example. Try to be kind.'" A broken little laugh. "But how was I supposed to do that? How can I ever be like you when everything in me just … isn't?"

"What?"

It was all he could say, more an exhalation than a word. He stared at her as if seeing her for the first time.

"I thought I could try. I thought I could please Mother if I do it properly this time, but I'm not like you. I'll never be like you. You can stand here and say you're glad we're spending time together, but I tried to kill you. I wanted to kill you." Her eyes were hard yet they were also too brittle. "Why? Why don't you hate me? Why don't you want to hurt me? How can you just let it go? What is it that makes it so easy for you?"

He stood there in shock, unblinking, unmoving.

"Say something!"

His eyes slid shut for a heartbeat before he moved to sit next to her on the rock. She stiffened but didn't lash out. That was a good sign.

"Sometimes I do hate you," he admitted.

Her gaze snapped towards him.

"I have nightmares of lightning. I spent days barely clinging to life because of you. You've hurt me, hurt my friends. You burnt Mai's face."

"Then why—"

"Because you've also helped me. You've helped my friends. When Shūrin tortured you, you didn't give her my name. When Aang went off in that trance, you put yourself in danger to protect him."

"I just did the pragmatic thing."

"No. No, you didn't." He held her gaze. "We both know there were other choices you could have made. Choices that wouldn't have got you hurt."

Her shoulders stiffened and she averted her face.

Silence settled between them.

"Look, I won't pretend you haven't done terrible things," he said quietly. "I won't pretend it doesn't make it difficult sometimes either, but it's not like you're the only one. I once burned Suki's village. I kidnapped Katara so I could use her as bait. I've threatened and hurt so many people over the years, and all because I thought that was what I had to do."

"Is this the part where you say we're not so different after all? Because it's not very convincing."

"No, I'm saying that our pasts don't have to define us. I'm not perfect. I'm not inherently good. I just choose to be better than what I was, or at least I try."

"And you think that's all I have to do?" she asked a bit tauntingly.

"I think you're already doing it."

The little flicker of surprise was back.

He leaned back on his palms, gazing up at the sky. "You wonder why I don't mind spending time with you? It's because I'm not so sure you're the same girl who shot lightning at me. I think maybe … maybe you're changing, and that actually makes me happy."

"Why?"

Her voice was hushed, smaller than he'd ever heard it.

He met her eyes. "Because you're my sister, and I want to be your brother."

Again, they just stared at each other.

"Lee! Ruolan!"

Azula stood up quickly. "Looks like Yuzo wants to talk to us."

She was marching down the slope before Zuko could respond. He sighed, a little disappointed they'd been interrupted, but a part of him was also relieved. It was hard to be open with her, hard to be vulnerable. It just wasn't their way. Still, if he could change, if she could change, then maybe their relationship could change as well. Maybe they could make this work.

oOo

By the evening, Zuko had a working plan to sneak into the prisons thanks to the information Yuzo and Atsuo had provided. Unfortunately, he also now had an Avatar-sized problem on his hands. Aang, as Zuko had learnt the moment they'd all met up together, had it in his head that he had to jump into some crazy abyss. Katara had managed to drag him away, claiming he should consider other options, but the idiot was still set that death jumping was the way to go.

"Aang," Zuko said bluntly, "if you dive into that hole, it will kill you."

"You don't know that."

"It's basic science. You jump. Gravity makes you go splat."

"Gravity doesn't scare me."

"Well, maybe it should!"

Aang made a frustrated sound. "I'm telling you that this is what I need to do. This is what the spirit told me to do."

Zuko folded his arms, staring down at Aang from his greater height. "So it said those exact words, did it? It said, 'Hey, Avatar, go jump in the big hole."

"Well, no, but I'm pretty sure that was the gist of it."

"Oh, you're pretty sure, are you?"

Aang puffed his cheeks out. "You know, I really don't like it when you get all sarcastic on me."

"And I don't like it when you say you want to jump into death holes, yet here we are."

"It's not a death hole!"

"It's a giant, might-as-well-be-bottomless hole! That sounds like a death hole to me!"

They glared at each other.

Katara stepped between them and placed her hand on Aang's shoulder. "Aang, we're just worried. You have to admit that what you're saying sounds pretty crazy."

"Fine! I admit it sounds crazy, but I'm telling you that this is it! This is how I'm going to get my Avatar stuff back!" He looked up at her earnestly. "You've always believed in me before. Can't you trust me now?"

She bit her lip.

Zuko glanced between them. His eyes widened as she continued to worry her lip between her teeth. "No. No way. You're actually considering letting him go?"

"He is the Avatar."

"He wants to jump into a death hole!"

"Well, maybe it won't be a death hole for him. I mean, crazier things have happened, right?"

"And what if he's wrong?"

Aang frowned. "Um, guys?"

"And what if he's right?" Katara said, either ignoring or not hearing this interjection. "He says he felt lots of spiritual energy there, he heard the spirit, and at this point what else have we got to go on?"

"Even so, this isn't a second chances kind of thing. If he's wrong, that's it. He's gone. Are you willing to risk that?"

"I know, I know, but what—"

Azula cleared her throat. Katara and Zuko both paused to look at her.

"Just thought you should know that while you were playing worried mummy and daddy, your bald brat ran off."

"What?" Katara shrieked.

Zuko swore multiple times, his heart lurching. Aang was indeed nowhere in the house. "Why didn't you stop him?" he demanded, rounding on his sister.

"Airbenders are fast. And, frankly, if he's that determined to throw himself into an abyss, I say let him. He's the worst actor out of all of us anyway, and that's saying something with you around."

"I can't believe you!"

Azula took a sip of her tea. "You sure you want to linger here glaring at me?"

Zuko did not. He settled for making a frustrated noise and dashed out of the house with Katara. They had to hurry. Aang would no doubt be boosting it all the way to the death hole on those scrawny legs of his.

"Aang," he gritted out under his breath. "If you dare jump into that stupid hole, I swear I'll find a way to haul you back up so I can kill you myself."

oOo

Aang stood before the abyss. His heart thudded in a frantic beat against his ribs and his mouth felt too dry. He swallowed. "This is fine," he murmured. "This is what the spirit told me to do."

He took another step forward, toes sticking out over the edge. Yikes, it really did seem bottomless down there. Just endless, endless black. If he took the leap, he'd definitely be abandoning all anchors just like the spirit had suggested. There was no way he could airbend himself up from this kind of drop.

He exhaled and slapped his cheeks. "Okay, Aang. You can do this. Just think of it like jumping off the top of the air temple. No sweat. It'll be fun."

He glanced down into the abyss. His throat bobbed. Okay, it didn't look so fun, not even for him. The problem was that he knew he couldn't turn back. It didn't matter if this whole thing seemed insane. It didn't matter if his hands were clammy and his pulse stuttered like it didn't know whether to stop or thunder right out of his neck. He had to take the leap. He had to fix whatever had gone wrong inside him so that he could be what he was born to be. There was no room for fear anymore.

"Trust in faith. Trust in yourself."

Aang inhaled deeply and spread his arms as if about to take flight.

"Aang, no! Get away from there!"

He glanced over his shoulder and smiled at Zuko. "Sorry, but I can't let you stop me. This is what I have to do."

Then he jumped.