The water had turned black and as cold as ice, striking him with a knife's sharpness. Aang's throat bobbed as the dark liquid crept up his legs, up his waist, getting deeper with every step. Soon, he was tilting his head back so it wouldn't get in his mouth.

"Um, you don't really expect me to go under, right?" he called to the voice that had been guiding him.

Now he was no expert on water, but he was pretty sure you weren't meant to swim in stuff that was black as pitch. Not to mention he couldn't bend. He guessed he'd passed into the Spirit World when he'd jumped into the abyss, which was fine since he'd been hoping to make it here, but that also meant no waterbending.

"Hey!" he called a bit louder. "You there?"

No answer.

His heart thumped faster. For all that he'd determined he had to learn to walk on his own, just like the spirit had advised, that didn't make it any easier. Or maybe it was because a part of him instinctively knew that once he went under the water, there would be no going back.

"To be reborn, one must first taste death. One must be willing to lose everything. Are you ready to lose everything, Avatar Aang?"

He closed his eyes, his entire body pounding with the pulsing flow of his blood. It was thunder in his ears, in his chest. It pulsed and pulsed with life, with a need to preserve that life.

But he had come this far.

He had come this far and he had to trust that this was all part of the plan. He had to trust that the voice had guided him here for a reason.

"I can do this," he whispered.

He took another step forward, then another step. The water swallowed him in black. It was like sinking into endless night—no moon, no stars, no light or life at all. Panic seized his chest but he did not resist. He embraced the darkness, the cold, the soul-piercing shivers.

He let the water pull him down, down, down.

"Are you afraid, young Avatar?"

The voice came from all around him, louder than before.

Yes, he thought in answer. He could not speak unless he wanted to get a mouthful of water. Yes. I'm afraid.

"Yet you still surrender yourself to me?"

I have to.

"Why?"

This is what you told me to do.

"Is that all?"

What?

"All you have shown me is that you can follow orders. I wonder, is it bravery to walk into death's embrace because you are told to, or is it just stupidity?"

Hey! That's not fair! It's not like I didn't think about what I was doing.

"Then why did you come?"

Because …

He reflected on all his thoughts and feelings—why he had jumped into the abyss, why he had agreed to sever his bond with Zuko, why he had let the water take him. Fear had made him hesitate at every point, had whispered for him to turn back, but he had kept going.

He had known.

Because this is the only way. Because I've already failed the world once and I refuse to do it again. Because I'm the Avatar and I have to make myself whole again, even if that means facing death itself!

Light glimmered from the depths. Two eyes like massive rubies. "Humans often mistake water as being the element of life, but water is and has always been the element of change. Change does not come without sacrifice. It is the chill of winter that paves the way for spring; it is the death of all that is weak and unnecessary."

I understand.

"Then prove your conviction. Let your anchors and your old self die so you may be reborn and the Avatar this world needs can live again."

Aang closed his eyes. In his mind, he could see the boy who had run from his responsibilities. The boy who had never wanted to be the Avatar. Even after unlocking the seven chakras and accepting his destiny, he had been so quick to fall into old habits. Now he understood why he had failed. Knowing he was the Avatar wasn't enough. Accepting that he had to bring balance wasn't enough.

He had to act. He had to change.

Aang opened his mouth and let the black water rush in, let it slip its way down his throat and fill him completely. It wasn't choking. It wasn't even that unpleasant. This was nothing like drowning. Instead, he felt like he was being returned to the womb, back to the dark depths where all life took seed.

Ruby eyes glinted brighter and he caught a glimpse of a shadowed form, almost like a turtle with the head of a snake. Then his heart slowed, his thoughts unravelled, and all he could think and breathe was water.

oOo

Ding. Ding.

It was the strange chime again. Aang opened his eyes to blurry bunches of pink and white. He blinked. The bunches were still there, but now his vision was beginning to settle and he could see that they were blossoms. One of the petals came loose and landed on his cheek, soft as snow.

He sat up. The water was gone. Instead, his hands and legs brushed against green shoots and dirt. Trees brimming with blossoms encircled him like a giant crown, and every breath filled him with the scent of freshness and new life.

"Okay," he murmured. "I think I just stumbled from winter into spring."

"That is correct."

He jumped and cried out as the green thing appeared out of nowhere. It kind of looked like it had the head of a lizard, aside from the antlers, but at the same time it was such a weird combination of animals that he didn't know what to call it. It walked on two legs, which were furry and hoofed like a goat's. It had tiny arms and little clawed hands, and it had a long tail like a lion. It also wasn't much bigger than his hand.

"Um, who are you?"

What are you would probably be too rude of a question to ask.

"I'm the green dragon," it responded in a rapid-fire voice.

Aang blinked. He'd seen pictures of dragons. This was definitely not a dragon. "Okay …"

The lizard thing pointed a claw at him. "You embraced the waters of change and have been reborn; however, as of now you are like a seed that needs to take proper root, a koalalamb that must learn to walk, a, a …"

"A rabaroo that hasn't learnt to hop?"

"No!" The green dragon threw its little hands up dramatically. "Why would you be a rabaroo?"

"Er … because they're kind of spring-like?"

"Don't be ridiculous." A forked tongue flicked out in what Aang thought was an unnecessarily rude gesture. "Rabaroo. Don't make me laugh."

Aang repressed a sigh. Spirits were always mean to him.

"In any case, you are still a work in progress. That's why you're here. You dig?"

Aang scratched the side of his head. "Er, and what am I supposed to be, er, progressing?"

The green dragon slapped its forehead with its tail. (Aang guessed a facetail was the only thing it could do since its tiny hands could barely reach its chin.) "Change is a process, sonny. You don't just get to forge yourself anew and that's it. You gotta work at that change. You gotta stay true to your conviction, and that means putting in some nice roots so you can stay grounded."

"Great." He tried not to let his shoulders slump.

"Giving up already?"

"No! No, of course not. It's just … I'm an airbender. Being grounded has never come naturally to me."

"Excuses."

"Hey!" He puffed his cheeks out. "It's not excuses! It's true!"

"So all the other airbenders were as flighty as you, were they?"

"Well, no, but …"

"Didn't think so."

"Well, most of them were old!"

A sharp claw poked him in the leg.

"Ow." Aang rubbed the wounded spot.

"You are full of excuses." Another poke.

"Hey, that hurts!"

"Good." Three more pokes. "Get it in your head that your natural element doesn't control you or your choices. Besides, you're not just an airbender. You're the Avatar."

"But—"

"You. Are. The. Avatar."

Aang gulped. The tiny lizard thing was kind of intimidating. "Okay, okay. I get it."

"Then say it back to me."

"I'm the Avatar."

"Louder."

"I'm the Avatar!"

"Yell it for the hills."

"I'M THE AVATAR!"

"Good. Now pick me up."

Aang blinked. "Huh?"

The green dragon smiled, baring two rows of razor-sharp teeth. "Pick me up, Avatar Aang."

"Um, okay."

Given the size of the little spirit, it didn't seem like a difficult request. He carefully took hold of its tiny waist and pulled.

And pulled.

And pulled.

Its smile widened. "Maybe you should try two hands."

Aang did so with no result (aside from his face going tomato-red from strain). It felt like he was trying to lift a mountain.

He groaned and fell back, hands throbbing slightly. "This is impossible!"

"Is it? Or are you just weak?"

"I'm not weak!"

"Then why can't you pick up little old me?"

"Because little old you is somehow super heavy! There's no way I can lift you! I can't even budge you!"

A tsk. "Disappointing. You really are the weakest Avatar ever. Maybe I should call you the Weakatar."

Aang scowled off to the side and folded his arms. "Well, now you're just being mean."

"I'm stating a fact."

"You tricked me! You made it seem like this would be easy, but it's not!"

"Life isn't easy. Not everything will come naturally to you, not everything will go your way, and sometimes what appears to be the simplest of tasks will be the most difficult."

Aang's shoulders slumped. "I do know that, but—"

"No buts! Now if you wish to progress, you need to complete my test."

"You can't be serious!"

"Oh, I am." A sharp-teethed smile. "I'll be over here whenever you're ready to try again."

Aang flopped against the grass with a groan. He almost missed the creepy death water.

oOo

"Land!" Toph threw herself onto the ground and used her bending to burrow in and hug the dirt. "Sweet, sweet land!"

Mai peered down at her. "I thought you were fine on the ship after Zuko settled your seasickness."

"It's still not the same."

"Clearly."

Leaving her to it, Mai joined the others and headed to the area where they were to set up their base of operations. The letters Iroh and Hakoda had exchanged with their contacts suggested their allies were not too far off. No doubt in a few days, this place would be crawling with warriors and Earth Kingdom soldiers.

"Can't believe we're here," Ty Lee murmured, coming to stand next to her.

"What, in this dirt dump?"

She shook her head. "No, I mean we're home. I just … I didn't think when I returned that it would be like this."

"I know what you mean."

Mai was not prone to sentimentalism. She had never thought she was attached to the Fire Nation, but being back on home soil and knowing she was preparing to fight her own people was a strange feeling. It wasn't quite dread, wasn't quite sadness, but it wasn't pleasure either.

"You think Azula will join us as well?" Ty Lee asked.

"I doubt it. Even if she did, she'd just stab us in the back and turn us over to the Fire Lord."

"You don't know that. I think she actually—"

"Look, we've been over this."

"But—"

"You can have all the hope you want, but that doesn't change the fact she's a cruel, manipulative person. I'm not even sure she sees people as people. To her, we're all just tools to be used and discarded."

Ty Lee bit her lip. "I know it seems that way, but you weren't there when—"

"I don't care." Mai averted her face so only the scarred side could be seen. "I will never trust her. I will never be her friend."

She walked off before Ty Lee could say anything else, her back rigid and movement stiff. Frustration prickled under her skin like an itch that couldn't be scratched. She was so tired of hearing about Azula, so tired of feeling pressured to give her a chance. Mai had given enough chances. She would give no more.

Rather than stick with the others and help put up tents, she went off on her own and threw knives at a tree. She was still doing this when Sokka eventually found her.

"What?" she said as she wrenched the knives from the trunk.

"Just wanted to see how you were going. I saw you head off earlier, and when you didn't come back …"

"I'm fine."

He folded his arms across his chest. "Doesn't look like it with the way you're gouging holes into that tree."

"Maybe I don't like this tree."

"What did it do? Leaf at you funny?"

Her nose scrunched. "Was that meant to be a joke?"

"What if I say yes?"

"I'd say you're getting worse."

He tried to look dignified for all of three seconds before he gave up and unfolded his arms. "Okay, yes. I admit that one could have been better."

She rolled her eyes and threw another knife.

"Hey." He touched her shoulder. "I'm serious, though. What's going on?"

His tone wasn't a demand. It was an invitation. Even the way he looked at her was a silent statement of, I'm here. I'm listening. You can tell me.

She turned away, mouth a tight line. "It doesn't matter."

"Look, I won't push you if you don't want to talk about it. I'll leave right now if that's what you want, but I … I'm just worried. I don't like seeing you upset."

Her gaze darted to his in surprise.

He smiled and pressed his finger to her forehead, just like she always did to him. "Plus, that internal monologue of yours is pretty loud."

Thud, thud. Her heart pounded a little louder, a little faster. She tucked her knives back into the mechanisms hidden within her sleeves and raised her eyebrow. "Think you know me so well, do you?"

"Actually, I do."

"Then what am I thinking now?"

"You're annoyed about something. You tend to twirl your knives when you're bored, but you gouge holes in things when something is really bothering you. I don't think you're annoyed at me otherwise you'd have told me to go away already."

Her lips twitched. "True."

He frowned. "You can talk to me about it, you know. You always listen to me. The least I can do is listen to you."

She sighed and looked down at their feet. "I'm just … frustrated, I guess."

"About what?"

"I don't know. Being back in the Fire Nation, listening to Ty Lee go on about how she thinks Azula has changed. I swear if I have to listen to one more"—she put on a higher voice—"'You just have to give her a chance, Mai', I'm going to scream."

"Wow. You do a really good Ty Lee impression."

She jabbed him in the chest. "Tell anyone and I'll kill you."

He laughed, holding his hands up in an appeasing gesture. "Got it. Your secret is safe with me." The amusement quickly faded from his eyes. "But, yeah, I can see why that'd be frustrating. Azula is kind of …"

His mouth twisted.

"Pretty much. Of course Ty Lee doesn't get it. She seems to think Azula not being completely horrible those few times is reason enough to trust her again. She thinks once the others get back that we can all be friends again." Her hands clenched and unclenched. "But I'm not like Ty Lee. Azula burned my face and hasn't shown any remorse for it. Frankly, I don't care if she changes or not; I don't want anything to do with her."

"You have every right to feel that way."

Her eyes met his. "Really? You're not going to tell me this will revoke my membership from the Second Chances club?"

"Remember when we were in Ba Sing Se and you were the one who said we needed to stay and make that truce with Azula? I thought you were so brave then. I still do. But that doesn't mean you have to forgive her now, and it definitely doesn't mean you have to be her friend." He brushed a stray lock of hair from her cheek. "I won't think any less of you either way."

Thud, thud, thud, thud. The skittering beat of her heart brought warmth to her cheeks. His gaze dropped to her lips then back to her eyes, giving her that look. She'd seen it enough to know what he wanted. They'd been tiptoeing around this look and all the feelings fluttering between them ever since that first time on the beach, but especially after Suki had broken up with him.

Not yet, had seemed to be the mutual agreement. It wouldn't be right.

But here his eyes whispered now, and her heart thrummed a thundering yes.

"Bet I can guess what you're thinking," she murmured.

"What?"

She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. It was a butterfly-wing's kiss, light and teasing. She pulled back, checking to make sure she'd read him correctly. The faint colour on his cheeks and the dopey smile on his lips told her she needn't have worried.

"Yeah," he said, "you're definitely a mind reader."

Their eyes met and they kissed again, arms wrapping around each other. Needless to say, it was a while before they returned to camp.

oOo

"Alright there, sonny? You haven't moved in a while."

Aang scowled at the little lizard thing now reclining on a rock. "I'm thinking."

"Oh, thinking."

His shoulders inched closer to his ears. Dealing with the green dragon was like dealing with Toph during earthbending training. The tone it used made everything sound like an insult.

"Well, maybe if you gave me a hint," Aang grumbled, "I'd—"

"Nu-uh, no way. No freebies for you. Besides, I did give you a hint."

His eyes widened. "You did?"

"Of course, though whether you can figure it out is another matter entirely. I'm beginning to think you're not only the Weakatar but also the Stupidatar."

Aang gave him an unimpressed look. "That joke isn't getting any funnier."

"Sure it is. You don't know comedic genius when you hear it."

"It's not comedic genius. You're just being mean. Anyway, if you've already given me the hint, you can give it to me again, right?"

"Nope."

"Aw, c'mon. Why not?"

"Sonny, you're the Avatar. You figure it out."

Aang sighed. "But I don't know. I've tried so many different things and nothing works." His eyes narrowed. "You aren't just messing with me, are you?"

"I would do no such thing."

He continued to peer at the sprit in suspicion.

"Look, I gave you this test for a reason. Why don't you think about that?"

Aang frowned and rested his chin on his palms. He couldn't physically pick up the green dragon. Having accepted that, he'd tried to think outside the box and come up with a different solution, even reinterpret the words. But that didn't seem to be what it wanted. So what was the point of this test?

He tapped his finger to his cheek. "You said a lot of stuff about roots and being grounded …"

"Mhmm."

"Was that the hint?"

A smile was all he got in response.

"Alright then. Keep your secrets."

It seemed he really would have to figure it out on his own. Still, the more he thought about it, the more he was sure it had to do with becoming grounded somehow. He just wasn't sure what that meant.

Aang's brow furrowed even more. He looked around at the silky grass and blossoms. This place was meant to be like spring. Out of the four elements, the one associated with spring was earth. He'd struggled a lot with earthbending because it was all about being steady and strong like a rock. He didn't do rock very well. His nature was more to be a leaf on the wind: to drift rather than resist, to avoid rather than confront …

"Oh," he murmured.

It was like puzzle pieces falling into place. So many of his problems had come about because he had all these duties and expectations placed on him, and he honestly didn't know how to handle that sometimes. It was hard to know the right course of action. In his heart, he was simply Aang the Air Nomad, so he tried his best to follow the monks' teachings. But he was also the Avatar, not to mention living a hundred years from the peaceful world he had known.

Where did he fit? Where did his values fit? He didn't know. Ever since he'd woken up from that iceberg, he'd felt like he was being pulled in so many directions.

"I think I get it now," he said softly.

The green dragon approached with a much more solemn expression. "Yes, I think you do."

He hugged his knees to his chest. "Is that why you kept reminding me I'm the Avatar?"

"As the Avatar, it is important for you to be grounded. There are many who will oppose you or give you advice that conflicts with your purpose. How can you weather these storms if you do not know where you stand? How can you stand firm if your own heart is at war with your duty?" The spirit shook its tiny head. "In the end, a tree that is not rooted properly must give way and fall."

Aang closed his eyes, thinking of how he'd blocked the Avatar State because he'd refused to listen to his past lives and use fire against the sea serpent. He hadn't wanted to hurt anyone—not even the sea serpent—but in the end he'd got far more people hurt (not to mention almost died) because he'd lost control again and eventually the link with his past lives. He hadn't been able to protect anyone. He'd been completely useless.

"What do I need to do?" he whispered.

"That is for you to decide. The Avatar's purpose never changes, but only you can decide what kind of Avatar you will be and where you will establish your roots."

"I don't want to let the world down again. I want to be a good Avatar, I really do." A lump formed in his throat. "But does that mean I have to sacrifice everything? Does that mean I can't be me?"

"Not at all."

"But everyone seems to tell me otherwise, that it doesn't matter what the monks say, and sometimes I'm scared they're right. I'm scared that everything I know and that's important to me doesn't belong in this world anymore." Something hot prickled his eyes. "Yet how can I give it up? I'm the only Air Nomad left. For so long, I thought I was the only airbender left. If I don't follow those teachings, who will? Who will even remember them?"

A clawed, tiny hand touched his leg. "You want my advice, sonny?"

Aang nodded.

"Think about what restoring peace and balance means to you."

"What it means to me?"

"That's right."

His brow furrowed. "I guess I just … I want everyone to stop fighting. I want the world to be more like what it was, like the one I knew. The nations weren't divided then and there was more fun and laughter."

"Then who better to guide the nations into finding that world again than a boy from a hundred years ago?"

Tears slipped free of his eyelashes. "You think so?"

"We great spirits have been aware of you since your birth, young Aang, as have we followed the lives of every other Avatar. I do not think it a coincidence that you survived all those years in the iceberg. This world needs you, and not just because you can wield four elements or use the Avatar State. Your ways are not theirs. That makes you special."

Aang's eyes widened. "Then … then you don't think I have to ignore the monks' teachings to be a good Avatar?"

"So long as those teachings don't conflict with your duties, I don't see why you have to give up any of them."

More tears fell, but he didn't try to check them. He'd never felt so light, so at peace, not even after he'd unlocked all the seven chakras.

"Just remember," the spirit warned, "while it's good to be rooted firmly in your own values, you must also know when to bend, as does the tree to coastal winds. Be open to wisdom, be open to what the other nations can teach you, but never forget where you stand. Never forget that your purpose is to bring peace and balance to this world."

"I understand."

"Good." A lizardy smile of sharp teeth. "Then pick me up, Avatar Aang."

Aang reached down and picked the little spirit up with one hand. A frown crept onto his lips. "I'm glad I passed the test, but you actually were messing with me before, weren't you? I bet I would have never been able to do this until you allowed it."

"Wrong. You became stronger once you were spiritually grounded."

"Really?"

"Really, and don't you forget it. Change is a continuous process, remember? Humans will always have weaknesses, always be tempted into losing their way. That's why you can't forget your roots. They'll hold you firm when you need it most."

"I'll do my best."

The green dragon flashed another razor-sharp grin. "You'd better, otherwise I'll have to call you the Weakatar again."

I hope when you read "Alright then. Keep your secrets", you thought of the Frodo meme.