Aang's body was still tingling from where he had connected with the banyan grove tree to discover his missing friends' location. For a moment he had ceased to exist as a single entity; he had felt the life force of the whole swamp pulsing through his body as if he were not just made of human organs and limbs but also leaves and roots. It had been a strange and wonderful experience, yet there had also been something else. A shadow lurking amongst the rush of energy, like a shiver of the otherworldly caressing his soul. Like a part of him had stepped into the Spirit World.

"Everything is connected."

The words had echoed in his mind, but then he had seen the vision of Appa and Momo being captured by a group of men wielding nets, and whatever new epiphany he had been about to make had been replaced with fear and anger. Aang had not wasted another second.

After breaking his connection with the tree, he had told the others they had to hurry, and with that they had all raced off to save their missing companions. As it turned out, no rescue attempt was needed. The swampbenders were delighted to find that Katara was also a waterbender, even going so far as to call her "kin". Instead of having to do battle, Aang and the others were invited to come back to their village and have dinner.

"Even if we can't have leemo and that fella with the six legs, we got some good possum-chicken and grub that'll do just as well," the swampbender named Tho said with a grin.

"Sounds good to me," Sokka said with a shrug. "Aang, Katara?"

"Food would be nice," Katara agreed, clutching a hand to her rumbling stomach.

Aang nodded, if a little distractedly. There were two boats floating on the water—well, make that one, since he had pretty much destroyed the other—and while he had managed to free Appa and Momo, there was no sign of Lee. Not even a hint. He turned to Tho. "We're still missing one of our friends. You haven't seen him, have you? He wears a Blue Spirit mask and—"

"Oh, you mean that scarred boy?" Due interjected. "Found'em back yonder. Lifeless as a stuffed catgator, he was, and I said, 'Tho, I think this boy be dead' and then—"

"What?" Aang exclaimed.

"—we realised he was still breathin," Due continued, causing Aang to sigh with relief. "So we got Bo to take'em back to the village."

"So he's there now?" Aang demanded.

"Yes, but—"

"Then let's go!"

Due and Tho exchanged a glance, then just shrugged and told everyone to hop aboard that "big fella with the six legs" so they could follow, since there wasn't enough room on the boat. Once this arrangement was settled, the group took off down the river at a rapid pace. For Aang, it could not be fast enough. His stomach felt like it had twisted itself into one giant knot of worry, for he had not missed the fact that Due had described Lee as that "scarred boy". That meant Zuko was no longer wearing his mask. Aang didn't want to consider the implications of what that might mean. It was bad enough just knowing that Zuko had been found unconscious.

By the time they reached the village, Aang was practically bouncing on his feet in his desperation. He leapt from Appa, glancing about the settlement as if he expected Zuko to magically appear. Instead, a scattering of huts raised on wooden stilts greeted his vision like grassy domes that had sprouted up from the earth. There was a blackened patch of dirt in the centre of the village where he assumed a bonfire must usually burn, and around that stood a group of men and women dressed in various bits of green cloth and leaves. Aang would have dismissed the group entirely had he not seen one of the men slip a blue mask over his face and then strut a pose as if to demand of his fellow swamp folk what they thought of his new fashion statement.

"Hey," Sokka said, "isn't that—"

"The Blue Spirit's mask?" Katara finished for him.

Aang's cheeks flushed with anger. "What have you done to Lee?" he shouted, raising his staff in a threatening gesture.

"Lee?" the swampbender responded, raising the mask from his face and pursing his lips. "Oh, you must mean that scarred fella we found while huntin." He pointed to one of the huts. "He's in there just—"

But the swampbender never got to finish his sentence. One second Aang was standing there with his staff raised, the next he was a blur of orange that was rushing forward to snatch the mask before darting inside the hut, too fast for anyone to follow. Aang inhaled sharply as he glanced around the shadowed room, heart thudding against his ribs. He spotted Zuko asleep on a bed of leaves, and exhaled in relief.

"Lee," Aang said, kneeling beside him and giving him a gentle shake. "Lee, wake up."

Zuko's head lolled to the side, showing only the twisted, scarred part of his face. His eyes remained shut.

Aang's brow creased. "Come on, Lee. Don't do this to me again. You have to snap out of—"

"Everything okay?"

Aang froze. Heart thumping, he quickly slipped the mask over Lee's face and was just fastening the ties at the back to make sure the disguise would not fall off when Sokka and Katara strode fully into the hut.

Katara knelt beside Aang in an instant, already reaching out for Zuko. "What happened? Is he hurt?" She paused when she saw the grinning swirl of blue and white. "Oh, you put the mask back on him."

Aang bit his lip, lowering his gaze. "It's just—it's just better this way. He wouldn't want you to see his face."

"Because he's scarred?" Sokka asked, folding his arms and staring at Zuko with a thoughtful glint in his eyes. "That's what that swamp guy said, right?"

Aang swallowed. His heart felt like it was going to force itself out of his throat. "I don't know." He forced a shrug. "Maybe."

Katara trailed her fingers over the painted wood. "He can't think that we would care about that, can he?"

Beads of sweat started to form on Aang's forehead. Why did they have to keep asking him about this? He didn't want to lie, he really didn't. and—

There was a soft groan from the bed of leaves. All eyes fixed on Zuko, who made another pained noise and then raised a hand to his head, swaying slightly as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

"Easy there," Katara said, reaching out to steady him.

He shrugged off her touch with a sharp, jerky movement. Something about the reflex made Aang's stomach twist in unease; it whispered of a boy with a scar, so tense and defensive. Without realising it, Aang was standing and putting some distance between the two of them. Unfortunately, the motion only drew attention.

"You," Zuko growled, getting to his feet.

Aang's heart thudded against his ribs.

Zuko advanced in swift, purposeful strides, completely ignoring the Water Tribe siblings. "What aren't you telling me?" he hissed, grabbing Aang by his collar and shoving him against the wall.

Aang's eyes widened. "Lee, please—"

"Tell me the truth!"

A sickly fear was turning in Aang's gut, reminding him of all the lies he had been telling, all the truths he had been omitting. He didn't know how to respond. He didn't know if he even should respond, but then a hand clamped down on Zuko's shoulder, yanking him away.

"What's wrong with you?" Sokka demanded. "Have you gone insane?"

Zuko made a frustrated sound and pointed his finger at Aang. "Ask him if he hasn't been lying to me this whole time! Ask him if he doesn't know the truth about my past!"

Katara stepped forward, reaching out to him with a tentative hand. "Lee, you need to calm down. I know you're upset, but—"

"No," Aang said in a small voice. "He's right. I haven't been entirely honest with him."

A strained silence followed this admission. Aang risked a glance at Sokka and saw his surprise and disappointment. It was the map incident all over again and it made the writhing knot in Aang's stomach give a painful twist, but it was too late to take back his words now. Sucking in a deep breath, he turned to face Katara, though he was careful to avoid Zuko's gaze.

"I'm sorry, but could you guys give us a minute?" Aang asked softly. "I need to talk to Lee alone."

"But—"

"Please," Aang said, meeting her eyes.

Katara stared at him for a long moment. She was the only one who had known that he had been keeping information from Zuko, for it was she who had overheard him talking in the tent that day after the fight in Omashu. He knew that she had not approved of his decision then and it was clear by the downward tilt of her mouth that she was still unhappy. It was becoming more and more obvious that he was keeping secrets from all of them and that his request was simply another attempt to evade a confrontation. Aang wasn't proud of his behaviour, but just the thought of how his two friends might react if they knew Lee's identity had him grasping for any straw, any chance to keep the truth from them for a little longer. Just a little longer.

"Gran Gran always told me that keeping a secret from someone is like walking over thin ice: eventually it's going to crack."

The warning echoed in his mind as clearly as if Katara had spoken aloud, but he simply gave her a pleading look, begging her to give him more time. Just a little more time, and then he would tell her and Sokka everything.

Please, he silently urged.

Katara let out a small breath. "Fine," she said, turning away. "Come on, Sokka."

"What? But—"

"If Aang wants to talk to Lee alone, we'll let him talk to Lee alone."

Sokka opened his mouth to retort but then groaned in resignation and followed his sister out of the hut. Zuko did not move, but his shoulders were hunched in tension, and though Aang could not see his expression, he could feel the intensity of those golden eyes. Suddenly, it was very hard to look at the blue mask, let alone stand in the hut with Zuko.

"When were you going to tell me the truth?" Zuko asked in a low, bitter voice. "Or did you just hope that my memories wouldn't return so that you wouldn't have to deal with the issue?"

Aang winced and lowered his gaze. "I didn't mean for things to get this out of control. I was only trying to—"

"Trying to what? Why would you act like I was your friend when you knew I was your enemy?"

Aang squeezed his eyes shut. "Because I never wanted us to be enemies."

A sharp intake of breath. "What?"

"You saved my life. I couldn't just forget that and—"

"So you thought you'd pretend I was your ally?"

"No, no!" Aang exclaimed, moving his hands in a gesture of denial. "It wasn't like that at all. You actually did help me a few times and I thought we were coming to an understanding, but then …" He trailed off, remembering what had happened at the North Pole. Remembering how furious and unforgiving Zuko had been.

"But what? Tell me!"

Aang just shook his head. He didn't know how to explain. He didn't even want to explain, for he knew it would be the end of their tentative friendship. So many things had gone wrong at the North Pole. Just thinking about that day made fresh bruises swell on his heart, painful and throbbing. He didn't want to relive it, and he was just so worried. It was obvious that "Lee" hadn't regained all of his memories. What if Aang just made things worse by being honest? What if it wasn't even necessary? The ice was cracking all around him now, he could see that, but maybe there was a chance to salvage the mess. Maybe there was still a way to fix this problem without having everyone hate him.

Without Zuko hating him.

Zuko made a frustrated sound at Aang's silence and turned the other way. "Just tell me the truth, Avatar," he said flatly. "It can't be any worse than what my memories have already shown me."

Aang perked up at that. "What did they show you?"

Zuko's shoulders slumped as he gazed down at his hands. "I think I saw my home. It was in the Fire Nation and there was a woman there. My mother. She took care of me, but then ... then she was gone and there was this man who …" He struggled for a moment and a shudder went through his body, even as he reached up to touch the mask that covered his face directly where Aang knew the scar would be.

Frowning, Aang opened his mouth to ask if Zuko was okay.

"I was banished," Zuko said in a low voice, speaking quickly now. "I don't know why, but I had to leave. I travelled on a ship with my uncle and I was searching for something—you, I think—but then the ship got blown up and after that I guess I just ..." He gave a twitchy sort of shrug.

"Lost your memories," Aang finished for him.

Silence stretched between them, tense and almost tangible.

"What aren't you telling me, Avatar?" Zuko repeated in a hoarse voice. "I know there is more to this than what my memories have shown me."

Aang bit down on his lip and dropped his gaze to his feet. "I don't know what to say."

"How about the truth. You owe me that much."

"You don't understand. I was never trying to hurt you. I just wanted to—"

"Enough!" Zuko cried, slamming his fist against the wall. "I don't care what you were trying to do. Just stop skirting the issue for once in your life and tell me what you know about my past! Why was I searching for you? Do you know my real name? Do you know who I was before I became the Blue Spirit?" He stepped forward, grabbing Aang by the shoulders. "Tell me!"

Aang just shook his head and continued to stare at the ground, feeling a burning lump choke his throat. He could hear Lee's harsh breathing, feel the bruising fingers digging into his bones, but it was all a blur to his mind. He was just so confused, so trapped, so unbearably sad. All he had to do was tell the truth, but it was the truth that would destroy everything he had hoped to gain: understanding, trust, friendship.

Zuko straightened to his full height, letting his hands slip away from Aang's shoulders. "I don't believe this," he said with a bitter laugh. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"You don't know what you're asking of me," Aang whispered, still not raising his face. "You don't know what this would mean for you. For all of us."

"It's my life! You don't have the right to deny me that knowledge!"

With that, Zuko wrenched the mask away from his face and threw it on the ground. Aang's eyes widened as he saw the grinning mask clatter into view, disturbing some of the scattered leaves until it stopped at his feet.

"What are you doing?" Aang asked, looking up at the older boy—the scruffy-haired boy whose scar was now displayed for all to see.

"I've had enough," Zuko said grimly. "No more lies. No more pretend. If you won't tell me who I am, maybe someone else will."

"No, wait!" Aang cried, clutching his him. "You don't know what you're doing! You don't know the danger you'll be putting yourself in!"

"Then tell me!" Zuko retorted, wrenching his arm free.

Aang blinked away the sting of tears. "I can't."

"Then I'm going."

"No!" Aang lurched forward again, gripping one of Zuko's hands in both of his own. "Please, just wait. Just give me more time."

"More time for what? So you can come up with another lie?"

"That isn't—I'm not ..." Aang gave a despairing sigh and let go of him. "Look, pretty much everyone in the Earth Kingdom sees you as an enemy, and that includes Sokka and Katara. If you go out there, it might ... they might ..."

"Try to kill me?"

Aang swallowed. "Maybe, but they might not if I can talk to them first."

Zuko raised his eyebrow. "Right. I suppose I'm just supposed to be content and wait until you're ready to be honest with me while you try to smooth things over with your friends."

"Exactly!" Aang said, relieved that he was finally catching on.

"Don't be ridiculous."

"But—"

"I'm not an idiot, Avatar. I won't let you trick me into following you around again."

"I'm not trying to trick you! I'm just—" Aang groaned and clutched his hands to his head. "Look, I know I can make this work. Please, just trust me. Just give me more time and I promise I'll tell you everything I know. Just let me get us all out of the swamp first."

Zuko narrowed his eyes. "Why should I trust you? You haven't exactly been honest with me so far."

"Maybe I shouldn't have pretended that I didn't know more about your identity, but I'm trying to make things right now. I just need more time." He picked up the blue mask from the floor and offered it to Zuko. "Just give me a chance. Please."

Zuko stared at him for a long moment, then just sighed and slipped the mask back over his face. He strode out of the hut without a further word. Aang tried to ignore the bitter taste that filled his mouth. He'd got what he wanted—he'd got more time—but he knew the ice under his feet had already cracked. The question now was whether he would simply drown in his lies or if he would manage to make it back to the surface.

Somehow, he already felt like he was sinking.

oOo

The bonfire flared brightly against the night sky, illuminating the group huddled around it with an orange glow. It should have been a cosy scene, a friendly scene, but a whisper of tension lingered between Aang and his travelling companions. It was impossible for any of them to truly relax. Zuko was the most reserved, sitting apart from the rest of them in the shadows. The white paint on his mask flickered oddly in the firelight, but he didn't say a word, nor did he bother to eat any of the food.

Aang frowned and stared at his own meal (roasted bug on a stick). He sighed and handed the "food" to Momo, who ate the crunchy insect happily. Apparently, swamp people didn't make meals that were vegetarian friendly. It was all possum-chicken and oversized bugs.

He repressed another sigh and rested his chin on his hands, watching the flames twist and dance. Dimly, he was aware of Katara and Sokka talking to the swamp folk about the South Pole and different styles of waterbending. He was about to tune the conversation out entirely when the siblings moved on to discussing whether anything strange had been happening in the swamp.

"What about our visions?" Katara asked.

"I told you," Sokka responded. "We were hungry." He held up his half-eaten insect. "I'm eating a giant bug!"

"But what about when the tree showed me where Appa and Momo were?" Aang asked, curious to know what the logic-driven boy would think.

Sokka waved his hand airily. "That's Avatar stuff. That doesn't count." He glanced at Huu. "The only thing I can't figure out is how you made that tornado that sucked us down."

Huu shook his head. "I can't do anythin' like that. I just bend the water in the plants."

"It was an airbender."

Everyone turned to look at Zuko, who had stood up from his spot in the shadows and was now walking towards them.

"That's not possible," Sokka said, casting a cautious look at Aang. "The airbenders were all wiped out. Aang is the last one."

Zuko folded his arms across his chest. "That tornado came out of nowhere and we all saw the way it moved. It followed us even though we sped up and flew away from its likely path. Only an airbender can do that."

Aang swallowed, conscious of the way his heart pounded like a frantic drum in his chest. "Do you think it's possible? Do you think there could be more airbenders?"

"It's the only logical explanation."

Huu rubbed his chin. "I don't know 'bout there bein' any airbenders in the swamp, but there is somethin' you might want to see."

Intrigued, the four, along with Momo, followed the swampbender back to the banyan grove tree's trunk. Instead of going up to the surface, like they had before, he took them down into a tunnel hidden beneath the bared roots. Aang gasped when he saw the stone door carved into the wood and surrounding dirt. Its surface was bare except for three tubes that connected to two horn-like shapes at the end. All it needed was the symbol of the Air Nomads and it would be identical to the doors he had seen in the Southern and Northern Air Temples.

"What is this?" Aang whispered.

Huu tapped a hand against the stone. "There are lots of stories about this here door. Some say that, about a hundred years ago, some people came to the swamp seekin' refuge and made a home for themselves beyond this wall. Others say this is the door to the Spirit World." He shrugged. "All I know is that this here is the heart of the banyan grove tree and there don't be anyone in our tribe who can make material like this." He tapped the stone again.

"Can you open it?" Katara asked Aang in a hushed voice.

Aang took a step forward. "There's only one way to find out."

Closing his eyes, he sucked in a deep breath and exhaled, pushing out with his hands to create two gusts of wind that shot into the horns. A loud humming sound echoed around them as the air rushed through the tubes, like the drone of a hundred voices, and it only got louder as the three locks were released from the pressure. Then the stone started to part, grating and groaning as it revealed a darkened room, and overwhelming them with the musty scent of the forgotten. Aang coughed and took another step forward, then hesitated. What if there was nothing in there? What if there was? He didn't know how to feel about either situation.

Katara slipped her hand in his, telling him in a wordless gesture that she would be right there with him. Bolstered, he inhaled another deep breath and, hand-in-hand, they walked into the cave. Sokka followed closely behind, carrying a flaming torch for light. Zuko, Momo and Huu trailed at the rear. No one said a word, conscious of the significance of what they were doing. This could be the last Air Nomad sanctuary in the world, perhaps their only chance to find another airbender, and it was—

"Empty," Aang said in flat voice, releasing Katara's hand and staring around the room. "There's no one here. Just abandoned beds and Air Nomad robes."

Katara pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry, Aang."

He barely returned the gesture. It was the Southern Air Temple all over again and it just made him feel dead inside.

Sokka swept the torch around, letting the light reach right into the corners. "Doesn't look like anyone has been here for a long—hey, a chest!"

Aang and Katara exchanged a hopeful glance and rushed after Sokka, who was now kneeling in front of the box with Momo chirruping at his side. Sokka thrust the torch at his sister, who took it from him, and then he tugged at the lid. And tugged. And then finally resorted to clamping it between his knees and pulling with all his might.

"Um, I think it's locked," Katara observed.

"I know that!" Sokka panted and slumped down on his backside. "I was just seeing if I could get it open!"

"Maybe there's a key around here somewhere," Aang muttered. He snatched the torch from Katara and began to search the cave.

Sokka rested his elbows on the box. "It'll be small. Most likely brass, like the lock."

Aang nodded and continued hunting; however, even after he had searched every nook and cranny, as well as every robe and bit of cloth, he couldn't find any sign of the key. "Monkey feathers!" he cursed, swinging back around to face the others. "What are we going to do?"

Katara pursed her lips in thought. "We could always try breaking it open."

"Right!" Sokka exclaimed, and raised the box to crack it against the ground.

Zuko stepped forward from where he had lingered beside Huu. "Wait, I think I have an idea."

Aang chewed on his lip as Zuko knelt and took the box from Sokka. For a wild moment, he wondered if Zuko was going to firebend—not that the thought bothered him so much just then if it meant opening the chest—but instead Zuko pulled a dagger out from his boot and slid the tip into the keyhole.

"Of course!" Sokka exclaimed, smacking his palm against his forehead. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Zuko said nothing and continued to wiggle the blade around until there was a small click. Aang held his breath as the lid was lifted and revealed rolled up pieces of rice paper.

"Scrolls," Katara said softly, peering over her brother's shoulder for a better look. "It's a box of scrolls."

"I was kind of hoping for treasure," Sokka mumbled, looking a bit disappointed.

Katara narrowed her eyes.

"What?" Sokka said with a shrug. "Don't deny that you weren't thinking it as well."

Aang didn't see Katara's reaction, as just then Zuko held the chest out to him, presenting it on bended knee as if it really were some grand offering to a king. Zuko didn't say anything, but then he didn't need to. Despite everything that had happened between them earlier that day, both recognised the sacredness of this moment.

Heart quickening, Aang handed the torch back to Katara and reached into the box to pull out the scrolls. They were thin and bound together with an orange ribbon, but being sealed away in the chest had stopped the rice paper from decaying and crumbling apart. Whatever was written on this legacy of the Air Nomads would still be legible. His hand trembled slightly as he undid the tie and unfurled one of the scrolls. "I need more light," he whispered.

Katara moved closer with the torch, as did everyone else. Even Huu and Momo seemed curious to know what the scrolls had to say, though, judging by the creases on each of their brows, it was unlikely that either could understand the characters that had been drawn onto the paper in graceful strokes of ink. Not that Aang paid much attention to the others. The moment he had started to read what turned out to be a personal record of an Air Nomad named Tenzin, it was as if the rest of the world had ceased to exist. He read about how Tenzin and a group of Air Nomads had heard rumours that the Fire Nation was going to attack on the day of the comet; how they fled with their young airbenders in training, knowing that they stood no chance against such a force.

"It was for the children," Tenzin wrote. "I couldn't just let them die, even though it pained me to abandon my brothers and sisters in the temples. In these little ones was our hope for the future. The hope of all Air Nomads. They had to survive."

Aang felt something prickle in his eyes, and the characters blurred in and out of focus. He wiped away his tears with an impatient rub of his hand and continued to read. He learned that Tenzin eventually took his group of refugees to the swamp where they thought the Fire Nation army wouldn't think to look for them. The swamp people welcomed them with open arms; however, just in case the firebenders should come searching, the Air Nomads built a home at the base of the banyan grove tree, hoping that the hallowed ground would give them further protection.

"But it was all for nothing," Tenzin wrote. "We are people of freedom and spirit. We were not meant to be like the badgermoles who burrow deep into the ground, content to be shut away and live in darkness."

"No," Aang whispered as he reached the end of the account, bile rising in his throat.

"What?" Sokka asked. "What do the scrolls say?"

"They lost their bending," Aang answered in a hoarse voice, but to him it sounded like someone else was speaking. "Every one of them. Even the children. Their bending just vanished."

"But how?" Katara asked, taking the scrolls from Aang and scanning the lines. "How can someone just lose their bending? I know that girl in pink managed to stop mine for a while, but it still came back."

"Airbenders have built their lives upon the expression of freedom," Aang explained. "The design of the temples, the way we love the skies because it has no boundaries. Freedom is everything to us. It's who we are. It's what—"

"Fuels your bending," Zuko said softly.

Aang nodded. "So when the Air Nomads were forced into hiding and couldn't fly or bend like they used to, it crushed their spirits. It—"

"Made them lose their ability to bend," Sokka finished in a grim voice.

Katara wrapped her arms tightly around herself. "That's awful. To lose your bending would be like losing a part of yourself."

Aang stared around the small cave, wondering how it must have felt for the group of Air Nomads to be trapped within these four walls and slowly feel their bending get sucked away. He wondered if that was why they had ultimately decided to give up the Air Nomad way of life, choosing instead to become part of the Swamp Tribe or leaving to make a new life for themselves in other parts of the Earth Kingdom. They must have been desperate for any kind of freedom, but it still wouldn't have been enough. None of it would have been enough, because there were no sky bison to ride and no winds to carry them high above the clouds.

Something hot rolled down Aang's cheek. So he really was all alone. Even if there were other Air Nomads out there, or even just descendants of the surviving airbender children, they probably wouldn't be able to bend. They would no longer understand, because they had all lost their spirit. The Fire Nation had indeed destroyed the airbenders, whether through fire or the slow death of suffocation and repression.

"This is a tragic end indeed," Huu observed in his slow, calming voice. "I never knew."

"None of us knew," Aang responded hollowly. "I thought—I had hoped—"

"We know, Aang," Katara murmured, hugging him close. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Sokka wrapped his arm around both of them, completing the circle. Even Momo joined in, tucking himself around Aang's neck like a scarf.

"I don't understand," Zuko muttered, staring at the scrolls. "If there are no airbenders left, who made that tornado?"

Aang pulled away from his friends and wiped the tears from his cheeks. "I think I know. It's like Huu said." He gave a nod to the swampbender. "Everything is connected."

Sokka scratched his chin. "Come again?"

"Time and death are just illusions," Huu said with a placid smile. "We all share the same roots, just like how—"

"The swamp started from a single banyan tree," Sokka cut in. "Yeah, yeah, we've heard all this before. That still doesn't tell me what Aang meant." He narrowed his eyes. "And please don't tell me that the tree has learnt to airbend because of the Air Nomads who used to live here, because I think my brain just might implode even trying to comprehend how that works."

Aang couldn't help but laugh, despite the ache that continued to bruise his heart. "Not exactly, Sokka. What I meant was that even though we're all connected in some way, the connection goes even deeper with the banyan grove tree. I can't believe I didn't realise it sooner, because I got the same feeling when I stepped into the Spirit Oasis and looked into the water with the circling koi fish."

Zuko gave a twitch, but it was Katara who spoke.

"What about the Spirit Oasis?" she asked. "And what does that have to do with the swamp?"

"This isn't just a really big tree," Aang explained. "It's a portal to the Spirit World, perhaps the very first to be created. People feel closer to those who have died here because the spirits are closer."

Sokka rubbed the base of his neck. "So … does that mean the tree learnt to airbend?"

Huu stepped forward. "I think you'll find it was the spirits of the Air Nomads usin' what power they have left to summon your friend here to the banyan grove tree. I believe they wanted the Avatar to find this place, and to help him find an earthbendin' teacher."

"He's right, you know," a much older voice murmured in Aang's ear.

Aang turned, almost stumbling backwards as he saw the old man standing beside him, looking very blue and transparent. "Avatar Roku!" he exclaimed.

The others shot Aang a surprised glance.

"They can't see or hear me," Roku said, while Sokka and Katara proceeded to ask Aang what he was talking about. "The divide between the two worlds might be at its thinnest here, but I still cannot make myself physically known to anyone but the Avatar except on the day of a solstice."

"Oh."

Roku smiled, though the expression was tinged with sadness. "I know it has hurt you to see this place, Aang. You were hoping that you would find more airbenders here, weren't you?"

Aang's shoulders slumped. "Yes," he admitted, slipping into the silent form of his spirit self. "I saw what had happened at the Southern and Northern Air Temples. I knew that everyone was calling me the last airbender, but I still ... I just ..." His voice cracked a little. "The world is so big, Roku. I was so certain that some of them had to have escaped."

"And so they did, but those who were meant to fly cannot thrive in a small cage."

"I know." Aang stared down at his feet. "I read Tenzin's scrolls. I know they lost their ability to bend while trying to hide from the Fire Nation."

"Then you understand why the spirits of the Air Nomads summoned you here and why they showed you a vision of the girl who will become your earthbending teacher."

Aang shook his head. He could only guess, but he wasn't certain.

"Balance, Aang," Roku gave him a much fuller smile. "That is the key. By defeating the Fire Lord, you will restore balance to the world. The spirits of the Air Nomads have been grieving all this time. They wait for when the skies will be a place of freedom again."

Aang's eyes glistened with hope. He had finally caught on to what Roku was saying, as well as what Tenzin and the other Air Nomads had tried to tell him by bringing him to their old sanctuary.

"If I defeat the Fire Lord," he said quietly, "new airbenders will be born, won't they?"

"I believe so. There may even be people in the world right now who have the ability hidden dormant inside them, but first you must restore balance to the world. You must master the elements and defeat the Fire Lord before the comet arrives. It is the only way."

Aang opened his eyes and joined his spirit with his body, letting the transparent form of his past life fade away. "I understand," he said aloud.

Sokka stared at him with his mouth hanging open. "Uh, what just happened? You said Avatar Roku's name and then you went all glowy."

"It's nothing." Aang's mouth curved into a faint smile. "I just finally got the message, that's all."

oOo

Saying goodbye to the swamp folk turned out to be harder than Aang expected. There were many, like Huu, who had grey eyes—people who could be descendants of the Air Nomads who had chosen to live in the swamp, even though their mannerisms and attire suggested otherwise. Yet even as Huu invited Aang and the others to stay for the night, Aang knew that they had to keep moving. For one thing, he was getting really hungry. For another, it just felt like the weight of the dead Air Nomads was pressing down on him the longer he stayed, urging him to leave and search for the girl he saw in his vision.

So he and his companions once more piled on top of Appa, and with a soft "yip, yip" they were taking off into the sky, leaving the swamp and its truths and illusions behind. Katara and Sokka quickly settled into their usual routine of light teasing and conversation, but Aang noticed that Zuko had once more become distant, retreating into his corner on the saddle and not saying a word to anyone. The sanctuary might have soothed some of Aang's troubles, even though it had also hurt to learn that he was truly alone, but it had not helped Zuko. There was only one thing that could help Zuko.

"It's my life! You don't have the right to deny me that knowledge!"

Aang hunched into himself, turning his back on Zuko as if by doing so he could somehow block out the voice that hissed in his mind. He would tell him the truth. Just not yet. So much had already happened, and he still hadn't figured out what he was going to say to Sokka and Katara. No, it was best just to wait. Maybe later he could talk to them. First he just needed to find a place for them to camp for the night—and some vegetarian friendly food.

I just need more time. Just a little more time.

He was still repeating the mantra to himself when he curled up in the tent beside Katara and drifted off to sleep.

oOo

Sokka was not known for being a light sleeper. Once his eyes had shut and the snores started, he was likely to stay that way until someone prodded him with a stick or yelled in his ear. As such, he was most disgruntled when his eyelashes gave a flutter and he found himself staring up at the darkened canvas of their tent and listening to his sister and Aang breathe. So much for getting a good night's rest away from the croaking noisiness of the swamp.

He sat up in his sleeping bag, wondering if Momo had jumped on his stomach or tried reaching into his mouth again. A quick survey of the tent revealed the lemur tucked up like a fuzzy ball with ears not far from Aang, which meant that it was something else that had woken Sokka. That was when he noticed that Lee's bag and blanket were gone.

Frowning, he got quietly to his feet and made his way out of the tent. He spotted Lee sitting by the smouldering embers of the campfire and examining something in his hand. A closer look showed the white shimmer of a blade glinting in the moonlight. It was the dagger Lee had used to open the chest.

"That's a nice dagger," Sokka observed.

"It was a gift from my uncle. It's the only thing I really have left from my past."

Sokka took a seat next to him. "Can I have a look?"

Lee handed it over without a word. He seemed content to just stare at the embers, lost in his own thoughts. A crease formed on Sokka's brow. He glanced at the dagger now resting on his palms. It was beautifully crafted with a black hilt that only emphasised the pearl-like colour of the blade. He ran his finger over the characters that had been etched on either side.

"Made in Earth Kingdom, huh?" Sokka said with a chuckle. "Someone's idea of a joke?"

Lee just shrugged. "I don't think I ever really paid much attention to that inscription."

"No," Sokka mused, flipping the blade over. "You do seem more of the 'never give up without a fight' type."

Lee made a noncommittal sound. It was obvious that he was thinking about other things. Sokka stared at him for a moment, wondering if he should say something more. Then he just repressed a sigh and handed the dagger back before standing up and stretching his arms with a yawn. There was no point trying to have a conversation with someone who clearly didn't feel like talking, even if Sokka did have many questions that needed answers. It wasn't as if Aang had bothered to tell them anything after that little incident in the hut.

"I'm heading back to bed," Sokka said, smothering another yawn. "Wake one of us up when you get tired, okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

Sokka gave a forced smile and then walked back to the tent, glad to escape the awkward one-on-one. He'd definitely leave the mushy, emotional stuff to Katara. As he settled back in his sleeping bag, however, it occurred to him that he had forgotten to ask why Lee had packed up all of his belongings.

Oh well, Sokka thought, rolling onto his side and closing his eyes. Maybe he's just paranoid that Momo will steal his stuff or something.

With that dismissive thought, Sokka soon fell fast asleep. No one did get woken up to replace Lee for watch duty.

oOo

Aang was worried. There was no sign of Zuko. Katara said that she hadn't seen him all morning and a quick search of the tent revealed that his bag had gone missing. However, it was Sokka who delivered the final blow. He told them about the conversation he'd had with Lee the previous night and how he had thought it odd at the time that the other boy had packed up his things. He should have realised that Lee was planning on leaving.

Something cold and heavy settled in Aang's stomach, as if an invisible stone had been shoved down his throat. He understood now that Zuko had never planned on staying. Zuko had taken back the mask, but it wasn't because he had wanted to give Aang another chance. No, he had meant what he had said that day in the hut.

"No more lies. No more pretend. If you won't tell me who I am, maybe someone else will."

Aang let out a small breath. He had really outdone himself this time. He had evaded telling the truth for so long that now there was nothing to tell. Zuko was gone, and in his heart Aang knew that he would not be coming back.

"What should we do?" Katara asked. "Do you think we should look for him?"

"No," Aang said softly, and it broke his heart to say the words. "If Lee doesn't want to be found, he won't be found."

It was perhaps the most crushing realisation about this situation. Amnesia or not, Zuko knew Aang too well. He would make sure that they could not follow, and in that they had no choice but to keep moving forward. Katara's Gran Gran had been right. The ice had cracked and there could be no going back. All Aang could do now was hope that their paths would meet again and he would get that second chance he had wasted with his lies. Maybe it was a foolish hope after everything that had happened, but Aang refused to give up.

He would never give up on Zuko.

Keeping in mind this was written pre-LOK, what we have here is my theory for how that tornado came about and why the airbenders just seemed to vanish entirely. I found it difficult to believe that the Fire Nation managed to track down every single airbender considering the race is nomadic and wouldn't exactly be living in the temples all the time. I also just felt that it didn't make sense that no new airbenders were born in the last hundred years, whether bending is a genetic thing or not.

Then there's the fact Zuko's firebending was mega weakened in S3 when he lost all the rage that fuelled it (sure, he was able to find a new source, but firebending is more linked with willpower anyway). So that got me thinking about what might fuel airbending and what would happen if you somehow removed that source. Hence, the concept of "spirit" that Aang talks about in the NAT episode. He says when he first spots the kids gliding, "They're not airbending. Those people have no spirit." Which is kind of a dick thing to say, really, but whatever. Aang was in a mood.

Point is, he specifically links airbending to "spirit", which correlates (at least to me) with an expression of freedom. Crush that freedom and spirit and it seems pretty likely the airbenders would be weakened. Crush that on a prolonged basis (especially when the airbenders who did survive the genocide are still being hunted) and I can see how that bending ability would get weak enough that you wouldn't be able to tell if they were airbenders or not.

Finally, just consider evolution itself. If something is going to get a species killed because of its genetic makeup, nature finds a way to fix that through mutation (at least from what I remember from high school science … it's been a while).
Anyway, put that in a spiritual perspective and what looks like a spiritual defect (not being able to airbend) is also what's protecting new airbenders from being rounded up or just plain having their spirits crushed all over again. Since airbenders are supposed to be super spiritual as well, I can see how a hundred years of grief, suppression and mass genocide could create this spiritual block/defect to stop new airbenders from manifesting. As in they do exist, but their powers are dormant until the spiritual wounds caused by the war are healed and balance is restored.

Or, you know, something like that …