Author's Note: We're back! It's been two years since I started writing this fic and about a year and a half since I finished posting it. It's one of my more popular fics so I'd wanted to continue it at some point and one day the plot for this continuation just pieced itself together and I resumed writing.

Since it's been so long, I recommend going back and reading the first eight chapters. If you don't want to do that, the last thing that happened was Yue's death and Zuko's decision to travel with Team Avatar. Remember, this fic is told from the perspective of spirits so they're not always fully aware of what's happening, they often do not know the names of characters, and they are almost always invisible to the characters, even when interacting with each other.

Also, this chapter is actually 2 in 1. "Oma's Concern" is a bit shorter than other chapters and I'd written a oneshot intended to post separately that supplemented this chapter so I just decided to post them as one chapter here. It is titled "Earth And Heaven."


Oma's Concern

It was the year 100 AG, not that the spirits cared, when Oma sensed a shift in the heavens. She didn't investigate it. With her lover Shu at her side, she felt safe. Whatever the great spirits were up to didn't affect her, no matter how much pain echoed through the world around her.

Her curiosity got the better of her when she sensed a disturbance near Omashu. Leaving Shu for a moment to investigate, Oma let her senses venture down to the world below and found herself looking over a fortress. Outside it, she saw about a dozen earthbenders fighting… a band of children? Oma did a double take, something she rarely did since she died, but her senses weren't deceiving her. They truly were children.

One of them, a bald boy with airbender tattoos, was tearing through the fortress like a storm through a village. He was the Avatar, no doubt. Oma hadn't realized he'd returned, though that would explain some of what she'd been sensing. A waterbending girl was trying to calm him down but Oma paid them no mind. Her attention drifted to a pair of nonbenders, two boys in Water Tribe garb. One was hurling a boomerang and swinging wildly with a bone club at any earthbender who dared target the Avatar. The other was looking increasingly panicked, edging away from the fight. Oma wasn't used to human emotions anymore but she could see the fear that seized him.

"Come on, Zuko," a voice encouraged, a voice too clear to come from the battlefield. "You're the best firebender around! I've seen you light up the sky. An Earth Kingdom soldier should be no problem for you. Just a little spark. That's all you need to get started. Zuko, please. You can do this. You need to."

It took Oma a moment to pinpoint the source of the voice. Focused on the material plane, she hadn't been focused on the spiritual one. Standing beside the scared boy was a young girl engulfed with brilliant white. Moonlight, Oma realized. The name Zuko, a firebender in Water Tribe clothes, a new spirit following a human, a girl that glowed like the moon, the recent disturbances… There were enough clues for Oma to figure out what was going on. This was Yue, the girl that La saved so long ago. She must've taken Tui's place as the moon spirit.

Oma felt a pang of grief for the loss of the great spirit. Tui had been kind, even if she didn't always watch over the Earth Kingdom as closely as Oma would've liked. But there was no sense in speaking ill of the dead or dwelling on the past. Oma was now more curious about this supposed firebender. He had to be Agni's Zuko. Squinting, Oma could see the Blue Spirit residing within him. His spirit didn't flicker with his inner flame like other firebenders did though. Was there something wrong with him? A firebender blessed by Agni himself should have no problem generating fire.

That was what was happening. The other boy, the Water Tribe one, barked for Zuko to throw a fireball but no matter how hard Zuko punched or kicked, he didn't even get an ember. The fire he should've been able to summon was gone, dead as Tui herself. Yue didn't seem to understand though and kept reaching out to Zuko, begging him to fight back. Eventually, Oma took pity on her.

Oma pulled her form together, trying to get as human-shaped as possible. She still liked her limbs, unlike some other spirits, but over the years a human-like appearance had gotten less and less important. Maybe it would be a comfort to Yue though. Putting a gentle hand on Yue's shoulder, Oma tried to pull her away.

"It's not a spirit's place to be in control," Oma reminded her softly. "Remember your human side. Even if you have the power, that does not give you the right to interfere with the humans' lives."

Yue tugged her shoulder away, whipping around to face Oma. "But it's Zuko! We're- we're us. The dragon and the sea serpent. I- There are no rules when it comes to him. He is mine and I am his. He can't bend and he's going to get hurt. I have to help him!"

"Zuko must learn to rely on others now," Oma told her, shifting so Yue could take in the scene that befell the humans around them. The Water Tribe boy, realizing Zuko was out of his depth, had taken a defensive position in front of him. "You must learn to accept that."

Yue watched as the Avatar left the Avatar State, falling into the Water Tribe girl's arms. The earthbenders were all knocked down or had elected to cease their attacks. The panic had left Zuko's face and he was now whispering urgently with the Water Tribe boy. The fight, or whatever it'd been, was over and Zuko was unscathed. Oma watched as the realization dawned on Yue's face and, without fanfare, the new moon spirit retreated, vanishing from sight.

Oma sighed. The disturbance had stopped but she knew it wasn't over. Whatever conflict Zuko had gotten caught up in, whatever conflict had taken Tui and Yue's lives, was still raging on. Maybe she'd keep a closer eye on Agni's boy. She was sure she'd see Yue again if she did.

And she was right. It wasn't long after that Oma sensed something tap the spiritual plane. Further investigation led her to the Foggy Swamp where she once again found the new moon spirit trying to talk to Agni's boy.

"The borders between the spiritual and physical world are weakest here. I know we can reach each other if we try, Zuko," Yue was muttering, floating after the boy. "Please, Zuko, reach for me."

Oma prepared herself to come forward and break the news to the girl when the unexpected happened. "Yue?"

Both Oma and Yue froze when the name left Zuko's mouth but the boy wasn't looking at the girl beside him. Catching a glimpse of something in the distance, Zuko took off in the opposite direction, calling her name all the while. Yue reached out in protest before the hope died within her and she collapsed in a heap of tears. Taking pity, Oma drifted to her side, wrapping an arm around her.

"I saw another serpent," Yue told her so quietly that Oma knew she wouldn't have been able to hear if she had physical ears. "It was brown, not white. This- I've heard this swamp can show you your past or future. If there was a serpent that wasn't me, does that mean Zuko will find someone else?"

Oma kept her lips tight. She knew Yue would not want to hear the answer to her question. The truth would hurt her too much right now. Besides, Zuko's words were what she needed to hear. "Yue, please. If that's you, come back. I- I can't do this without you. It hurts so much that I can't even firebend anymore. Please. I know you can reach me here. Please, come back to me."

Oma's heart panged for the two. Their wishes were so close to each other yet not even their desperation could penetrate the barrier between the material and spiritual worlds. Perhaps with time, they one day could but neither was ready for that yet. The fog would not allow it. Yue didn't know that though. Rushing forward, she tried to grab onto her friend, only to pass right through him and break into a distressed sob.

"Why can't you see me?" she cried, reaching out to him again only to fail once more. "I'm right here! Please, Zuko. Look at me."

Oma's heart broke even more. Yue would keep doing this, hurting herself again and again, if she didn't intervene. "Yue, you're dead."

Yue's whole body flinched. It was a human response, not one of the spirits.

"I know it hurts to hear right now," Oma told her, coming close. Nearby, Zuko was looking around wildly, trying to get another look at the image she saw in the fog. If not for Yue's presence, Oma might've asked the fog to send Zuko a clearer image, a sign to show him where he needed to go to heal the pain that was enveloping him right now, but Yue was more important. Zuko would find his way on his own. Yue would not.

"It hurts so bad," Yue sobbed, burying herself in Oma's side. It caught Oma by surprise. Sure, she'd tried comforting the girl before but they were essentially strangers. She doubted Yue knew who she was, being of the Water Tribe and residing on a higher plane than Oma. She didn't mind it though. It'd been a long time since she connected with a spirit other than Shu. "He's right there and I feel so close but I just can't touch him."

"I know," Oma soothed.

"No you don't."

Oma couldn't help but feel a flash of amusement. "Do you know who I am?"

Yue looked up at her, face streaked with tears. Oma thought about wishing them away but perhaps it was best to treat Yue like a human, at least for now. "No. I- sorry. I really don't."

"It's okay," Oma promised. "Have you heard of Omashu?"

Yue nodded. "It's one of the greatest cities in the Earth Kingdom."

Oma felt a swell of pride at that but momentarily ignored it, setting it aside to tell Shu later. "Do you know how it got its name?"

Yue paused before nodding again. She hummed a few notes softly before singing, "Two lovers, forbidden from one another, a war divides their people, and a mountain divides their people, built a path to be together…"

"That's a beautiful song," Oma told her. She'd have to look more into it later. Shu would love to know that was how their love was remembered.

Yue smiled a bit bashfully, the pain on her face fading. "Zuko and the others ran into a nomadic band. They sang it while passing through the mountain. Are you… sorry, I can't remember who is who. Are you Oma? Or Shu?"

"I'm Oma," Oma told her. A few feet away, Zuko was wandering off again, following the voices of his friends. Yue didn't notice and Oma elected not to tell her. "Shu and I were allowed to ascend into the spirit world because of how strong our love is. It left a mark on the world, afterall. We were allowed a place in the lower heavens to watch over our old home."

"You were able to reach him though."

"I was." Oma nodded. "One day, you will be able to reach Zuko too. Not yet though."

"Why not?"

"You're a young spirit," Oma told her carefully. "You will understand one day."

"But Zuko's here now. Please, just tell me something. Anything. If we're meant to be together again, why can't I reach him?"

Oma felt something soften within her. "It hurts a lot now, doesn't it?"

"Yes. A lot."

"If you got the chance to speak with him, wouldn't it hurt even more to say goodbye again when you had to return to La and Agni?"

Yue remained silent but Oma knew she was pondering her words hard.

"Even seeing him makes it hurt more, doesn't it?"

"I can't stop seeing him though. It's Zuko. He's- He's- For a long time, he was all I had. My only friend. We had something no one else has." Yue's gaze flickered down. "We're meant to be together."

"So were Shu and I and yet, it took years. Every time we got the chance to see each other, it hurt more to be away from him. Building that path, as hard as it was, was worth it though because it meant we got to be together. You and Zuko will build your own path and one day, you will be together again."

"How do we build a path though?" Yue asked and Oma felt like she was talking to a child. She was, she supposed. The hope in Yue's gaze felt a bit like a child trusting a parent to have all the answers. "It's more than a mountain that divides us. I can't just start digging."

"Sure you can. Figuratively, of course," Oma responded. "Shu and I had to approach the mountain from different angles. Your journey to be with Zuko again must begin without him, just as his journey to reunite with you must begin without you."

"I… I don't understand."

"I imagine Zuko's beginning has something to do with regaining his firebending," Oma explained, "and finding that new serpent. He must heal from losing you, whatever that may look like for him."

Yue nodded slowly. "And I guess if that's his beginning, I can't help him with that. But what about me?"

"What about you?"

"Where's my beginning? Where can I start digging?"

"I don't know," Oma admitted, "but I suspect letting go of Zuko is one of the first steps."

"But-"

"He's Zuko, I know. He is your Shu. You have a spiritual bond. You feel a pull toward him. But if you cling to him, you remain a ghost of your old life. You are a great spirit now, Yue. You're the moon. You're powerful in every plane. But, you can't be what Tui was if you obsess over the human world."

Guilt crept up on Yue's features. "I suppose you're right. I have a duty now."

"You have a new life," Oma corrected, "and it will take time to learn the ways of the spirits. You can still watch Zuko but you must understand you cannot interact with him."

"I- Yes. You're right. Maybe- maybe I should spend more time with the great water spirits. I've been neglecting them. I can't spend all my time with Zuko."

"Go to them," Oma encouraged. "Perhaps they can give you some advice. They've been around much longer than you have. We've all gotten attached to humans before."

"I guess," Yue admitted and she looked a lot better now. "I'll go do that. Thank you, Oma."

"Of course," Oma told her with a dip of her head. Yue flashed a smile and ascended, flying back up toward the top of the heavens. Oma watched her go for a moment before turning her attention back to Zuko. Shifting out of her human shape, Oma let the fog grab her and momentarily took control of the imagery again. The fog had the right idea showing Zuko the earth snake but humans could be a bit dense sometimes. It'd take more than an illusion in a swamp for Zuko to find the girl Oma and Shu had blessed with the same gift and power as him and Yue.


Earth And Heaven

It was the year 88 AG, not that the spirits cared, when Oma and Shu sensed a spark flickering in the Earth Kingdom. It was strange that such a thing would call the attention of such great spirits but not unusual anymore. Afterall, they had sensed similar flickers in the Fire Islands and North Pole only a few years ago. Tui had sent her loyal Wolf with Agni's trusty Blue Spirit and La's cherished Tienhai to fill the gaps in the spirits in the prince and princess of either land. It was only a matter of time before they saw the Wolf run by to deliver this young one a new spirit.

Only, he never came. And Oma and Shu had to watch the dim light of life grow weaker and weaker.

"Why doesn't he come?" Oma murmured, watching the scene below with wide eyes. The parents of the child were wealthy, it seemed. Not like the parents of Zuko or Yue but wealthy nonetheless. The mother had a team of doctors at her side, a pair of nurses trying to rub life into the newborn girl to no avail. They were skilled but they were doctors of the body, not the spirit. Oma knew they could not save her without help.

"The Wolf doesn't make the decision," Shu reminded her, wrapping a spectral arm around his beloved. "It was Tui that asked Agni and La to send their subordinates down. But, you know there are no great spirits watching over the Earth Kingdom. There's no one here to help her."

"There's us," Oma replied without hesitation, surprising even herself.

"We watch over Omashu, not all of the Earth Kingdom."

"But could we still provide a spirit?"

Oma sensed a pulse of doubt coming from her partner. "I don't know. The lesser spirits of this land don't follow us. But it doesn't hurt to try, I suppose. I sense great potential in this child."

"An earthbender, no doubt," Oma agreed, fondness in her voice, "with a great life before her. It would be a shame if she lost her chance to see it."

"She still might. We mustn't get our hopes up," Shu told her. Seeing the disappointed look on her face, he continued, "If she doesn't make it, we can guide her spirit to its home. A good one."

Oma brightened. "I've always wanted a child."

That wasn't what Shu meant and they both knew that. But, it was a kind thought and it was the one that filled their souls as they called for Tui's Wolf. It wasn't something they'd ever done, being Earth spirits and quiet ones at that, but the Wolf, ever responsive, answered their beckons and soon graced the pair with his presence. Even being spirits themselves for so long, both Oma and Shu found his appearance awe-inspiring, humbling even. Moonlight decorated his pristine fur and something about his angular face demanded he be respected as the great spit he was. The Wolf was a beautiful creature.

The Wolf picked his way forward carefully, tipping his head in question. He rumbled, wordlessly asking why he was summoned. Oma took it upon herself to answer. "There's an Earth child with a weakened spirit. It feels just like the humans Agni and La took interest in. We- we were hoping you could aid us in saving her like you did with them. It is too soon for her to die."

The Wolf rumbled, conveying his thoughts without words. He was concerned about separating the two. They became spirits because of their love. Existing on different spiritual planes may put a strain on what kept them alive, or as alive as spirits could be. The Wolf didn't want to be responsible for separating them.

"We don't want to be separated either," Oma told him, reaching out to hold onto Shu. He accepted her hand like it was second nature. "We were hoping you could take a part of both of us? It's our bond that allowed us to become what we are. Maybe it will be enough to keep that little girl alive."

Wolf barked. It didn't work that way, he told them. Zuko and Yue both had full, conscious spirits in them.

"It's not an exact science, is it?" Shu asked and got a shake of the Wolf's head in response. "It wouldn't hurt to try, would it?"

The Wolf chuffed. It wouldn't hurt, he supposed. But it may hurt the child, he pointed out. Zuko and Yue had gained the power of transformation and the humans saw it as a curse, not a blessing. It would make the girl's life harder, ostracizing her from those around her, and that was assuming the transfer even worked. There was a real possibility that it wouldn't work at all, or the unwhole spirit within her would cause her distress. As old as the spirits were, this was unheard of. They were entering uncharted territory.

"It's worth the risk if she survives," Oma responded once the Wolf made his case. "Please, will you help us?"

Slowly, the Wolf, never one to argue, nodded and reached out to them. The next part, neither Oma nor Shu knew how to describe. They'd been spirits longer than they'd been humans but their minds still lacked the comprehensibility to always understand what their spiritual forms were perceiving. The Wolf reached deep within them, touching the center of their beings, and drew upon the soft power that danced around it, gathering it up in his maw. And once he was satisfied, he turned and ran, ran down toward the Earth.

Oma and Shu watched, clutching each other in suspense. Watching the Wolf run on the air was always beautiful but they were too tense to enjoy it at the moment. The Wolf descended upon the city the humans called Gaoling and landed outside the dwelling the human family had chosen to be the birthplace of their child. Ducking his head, the Wolf padded through the door.

Someone screamed and the people inside began parting, scrambling to get away. The Wolf paid them no mind and walked right up to the nurse holding the baby girl. She looked terrified, staring up at the Wolf with wide eyes and a slack jaw. The Wolf ignored her entirely, dipping his head down to touch his nose to the child's forehead. From the heavens above, Oma and Shu could see her stir at the contact. Was the Wolf's nose wet? They had to wonder. Even if he didn't have a physical form like canines living in the material world, he had to share some similarities. At the very least, they knew it was cold like the moon he served.

Oma and Shu watched as the Wolf parted his lips, letting out a long, gentle breath. He was breathing the spirit into her, breathing the life back in. After a few seconds, tiny arms craned upward and a baby's cry carried through the room. The girl was alive. She would live, just as Oma and Shu hoped. Satisfied, the Wolf stepped back and padded out of the room, ducking back through the entryway, and breaking into a run to return to the awaiting observers above. He'd left just as quickly as he'd arrived.

The Wolf looked elegant as ever when he returned, his fur not even windswept. He looked at Oma and Shu expectantly and got a grateful embrace in return. "Thank you, thank you. We will remember this."

The Wolf nodded once and withdrew. Pulling away from the embrace, he turned and ran to return to Tui and all his friends among the greater spirits. Shu watched him leave but Oma was already focused back on the baby girl that now held part of her spirit, part of her love. Their daughter, in some sense. It was an exciting prospect.

The humans named her Toph. Toph Beifong. The first month or so of her life was quite wonderful. The Beifong parents adored her and had the wealth to show her just how much. Her room was filled with the finest things a baby could hope for and they spent every waking moment showering her with affection, or at least as much as they could. They still had to work quite a bit. The Beifongs were powerful in the Earth Kingdom, Oma and Shu learned. They'd been away for a long time so they didn't exactly understand what it was that they did but it was a comfort to know their baby girl would be safe.

Then the full moon came. They'd almost forgotten about that.

Zuko had become a dragon, a firebreather worthy of being called Agni's child, and Yue had become a water serpent, a creature that reflected the striking might of Tui. It made sense Toph would become an earth reptile of some sort, only with an Earth Kingdom touch. In their day, Oma and Shu called them dilong, or Earth dragons: dragon-like snakes that burrowed alongside the badgermoles so closely they began to resemble the moles themselves. The spirits before them had called them the World Serpents, creating fine tales of snakes that wrapped around the earth so tightly that they became the earth. But modern humans, now that the only remaining creatures of their kind had retreated so far underground, had no name for them. The only one the Beifongs had been able to find was earthworm.

Earthworm didn't feel quite accurate but that first time Toph transformed, that little scaly creature writhing in the crib did look a bit like an earthworm, even if a good portion of her body spilled over the railing. Oma and Shu found it rather cute but the Beifongs and their servants certainly didn't. The spirits supposed they had the advantage of knowing this would happen. The humans didn't. This must've come as a mighty shock to them.

It was a servant who found her, screaming in terror at the sight of the snake in the crib, and called for a guard. They believed the snake had snuck into the house and eaten baby Toph. As the servant ran to tell the Beifong parents, a pair of guards tried to wrestle her out of the crib. Toph, the poor girl, became confused by the sudden aggression from the figures that had always been so friendly and resisted adamantly, wildly swinging and snapping until morning came and she reverted to her human state before their very eyes.

Tuckered out, Toph slept through the hurried whispers between Lao, Poppy, and the house staff. Some claimed that she was a monster, some cursed the Wolf for forcing such a thing upon an innocent baby. Only a couple mentioned that spirits don't know the ways of humans, that this was probably all just an accident. Even if that wasn't exactly true, Oma and Shu decided they liked those humans the most. Still, it was upsetting to hear the humans they expected to care for their daughter say such horrible things about her.

So upsetting that they didn't notice a guard sneaking into the baby's room until it was too late.

One of the humans noticed and another guard managed to throw him out of the Beifong residency, Lao firing him on the spot. The damage had been done though. Specifically, to Toph's eyes. Oma and Shu didn't understand the words the human doctors used to explain what happened but they did understand the most important part. The guard had blinded Toph Beifong. She'd never see again. So young too. She'd miss out on the beauty of the world she'd get to see later in life.

A snake didn't need eyesight, they knew. Blindness was better than death. It still hurt though, especially since Oma and Shu were partially responsible for the fate that befell Toph. They hadn't been the one to inflict the damage but they'd created the situation that prompted that guard to do it. Toph was alive because of them but she'd also never see the world because of them.

Oma and Shu withdrew after that, the sight of Toph struggling so much too painful to watch. They still had to watch over Omashu, afterall. They made the time to keep an eye on Toph but it was nothing like that wonderful first month.

Still, Toph was strong. More than strong. She was tough and determined. She didn't let anything stop her, not her blindness nor her parents' newfound protectiveness over her. Full moons were her nights of freedom, occasionally managing to outmaneuver the guards and escape from the property to explore the land around her home. There, she found the badgermoles.

It was rather ironic, considering creatures like Toph often ate badgermoles, but the underground dragons had been gone so long that the badgermoles didn't even register Toph as a threat. She was blind and skilled with manipulating the dirt around her, just like them. She fit right in.

Oma and Shu missed most of her journey discovering her seismic sense but they were prouder than parents when Toph began to walk without clinging to a wall or a guide's arm. The badgermoles gave her a gift Oma and Shu could not: they gave her independence. And Toph used that newfound freedom well. Even if she couldn't be herself at home, she could now escape relatively easily, even when it wasn't the full moon.

It was on one of those nights that Toph met Zuko and the path that Oma and Shu had sensed ahead of her began to unfold.


Author's Note: For clarification, Toph transforms into a big snake similar to Yue, except an earth one instead of a sea serpent. I don't have a specific image in mind for her but I imagine her having some badger mole-like qualities when she gets older.