Next Day:

I sitting on some steps watching Aang have his first practice with Zuko.

"I know you're nervous, but remember, firebending in it of itself is not something to fear." Zuko said

"Okay. Not something to fear." Aang said

"But if you don't respect it, it'll chew you up and spit you out like an angry komodo rhino." Zuko said

Aang yelps in fear.

"Now show me what you've got. Any amount of fire you can make." Zuko said

Aang inhales nervously and tries to firebend. A small cloud of smoke appears and dissipated in his hand.

"Maybe I need a little more instruction. Perhaps a demonstration?" Aang asked

"Good idea. You might wanna take a couple steps back." Zuko said

Aang walks back, Zuko inhales deeply. Zuko moves to and does a move and lets out a very small flame. Aang applauds and I laugh. Zuko takes a step back.

"What was that? That was the worst firebending I've ever seen." Zuko said

"I thought it was…nice." Aang said

Zuko lets a frustrated sigh and tries firebending again, with all the attempts resulting in a very small flames similar to the first. He looks down at his palms.

"Why is this happening?" Zuko asked

"Maybe it's the altitude." Aang said

"Yeah, could be." Zuko said

Aang moves over and sits down next to me. Zuko attempts firebending, which results in a similar small flame again. He grunts and delivers another small blast. Aang yawns and lies down the pillar.

"Just breathe, and…" Zuko trails off

He delivers another blast with no improvement.

"That one kind of felt hot." Aang said

"Don't patronize me. You know what it's supposed to look like." Zuko yelled

"Sorry, Sifu Hotman." Aang said

Zuko raises his arms to his head, and throws them back down, and shouts in frustration.

"And stop calling me that." Zuko said

Sokka walks towards us eating an apple. Sokka sits down next to me.

"Hey, jerks. Mind if I watch you two jerks do your jerkbending?" Sokka said

"Get out of here." Zuko yells

"Okay, take it easy. I was just kidden' around." Sokka said

He gets up and turns around, laughing as he adjusts his shirt.

"Jerkbending, still got it." Sokka said

Sokka walks away. Zuko drops his head, dejected and moans.

That Night:

We were all sitting around the fire eating. Zuko walks towards us.

"Listen everybody, I've got some pretty bad news. I've lost my stuff." Zuko said

Toph raises both hands into the air.

"Don't look at me, I didn't touch your stuff." Toph said

"I'm talking about my firebending. It's gone." Zuko said

Sokka, Haru, Teo, and The Duke all just look at him. Katara just bursts out laughing, we all turn and look at her. Zuko looks at her with an annoyed expression.

"I'm sorry. I'm just laughing at the irony. You know, how it would've been nice for us if you lost your firebending a long time ago." Katara said

"Well, it's not lost. It's just…weaker for some reason." Zuko said

"Maybe you're not as good as you think you are." Katara said

"Ouch." Toph said

"You lost your fuel." I said

They looked at me.

"For three years the thing that pushed you that fueled your inner fire was anger. Now you don't have that anger." I said

"I think Kida is right. You don't have enough anger to fuel your fire the way it used too." Aang said

"Sooo, all we need to do is make Zuko angry. Easy enough." Sokka said

Sokka pokes Zuko with his sword's hilt in the head and waist several times.

"Okay, cut it out. Look, even if you're right, I don't want to rely on hate and anger anymore. There has to be another way." Zuko said

"You're gonna need to learn to draw your firebending from a different source. I recommend the original source." Toph said

"How's he supposed to do that? By jumping into a volcano?" Sokka asked

"No. Zuko needs to go back to whatever the original source of firebending is." Toph said

"So, is it jumping into a volcano?" Sokka asked

"I don't know. For earthbending, the original benders were badgermoles. One day, when I was little, I ran away and hid in a cave. That's where I met them. They were blind, just like me. So we understood each other. I was able to learn earthbending, not as a martial art, but as an extension of my senses. For them, the original earthbenders, it wasn't just about fighting. I was their way of interacting with the world." Toph said

"That's amazing, Toph." Aang said

"I learned from the monks, but the original airbenders were the sky bison. Maybe you can give me a lesson sometime, buddy." Aang said

Appa growls from the shed.

"Well, this doesn't help me. The original firebenders were the dragons, and they're extinct." Zuko said

"What do you mean? Roku had a dragon, and there were plenty of dragons when I was kid." Aang said

"Well, they aren't around anymore, okay?" Zuko asked

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry." Aang said

"But maybe there's another way. The first people to learn from the dragons were the ancient Sun Warriors." Zuko said

"Sun Warriors? Well, I know they weren't around when I was a kid." Aang said

"No, they died off thousands of years ago. But their civilization wasn't too far from where we are now. Maybe we can learn something by poking around their ruins." Zuko said

"It's like the monks used to tell me. Sometimes, the shadows of the past can be felt by present." Aang said

So, what? Maybe you'll pick up some super old Sun Warrior energy just be standing where they stood a thousand years ago?" Sokka asked

"More or less. Either I find a new way to firebend, or the Avatar has to find a new teacher." Zuko said

Aang looks concerned and worried at Zuko's statement.

"I want to come." I said

They looked at me.

"No." Katara said

"But I bend fire too. I want to know about the origin of fire." I said

"Kida your…" Sokka trails off

"That didn't stop you guys from letting me fight in the invasion." I said

"I'm confused. Why can't Kida come?" Zuko asked

We all just looked at each other.

"Because I have protective siblings. I will be going." I said

Next Day on Appa:

"We've been riding for hours. I don't know why, but I thought this thing would be a lot faster." Zuko said

Appa growls, I laugh.

"Appa's right, Zuko. In our group, typically we start our missions with a more upbeat attitude." Aang said

"I can't believe this." Zuko said

"Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it." Aang said

Zuko moved and sit next to me. I look at him.

"What can I do for you?" I asked

"I don't believe what you said about you having protective siblings. So what were they really talking about?" Zuko asked

"Later. Not now." I said

He nodded his head. We fly for a few more minutes, before we see an island with old buildings on it. Aang has Appa descend to land. We look around in awe.

"Wow." Zuko, Aang, and I said

We hope off Appa and starts walking through the village.

"Even though these buildings are ancient, there's something eerily familiar about the. I can tell the Fire Sages' temples are somehow descended from these." Zuko said

"Okay. We've learned something about architecture. Hopefully, we'll learn something about firebending too. The past can be a great teacher." Aang said

"I don't think that is what you're supposed to learn." I said

Aang takes a step and pulls on a tripwire. He trips and yelps, as a small portion of the path in from of him goes down and some spikes come up from holes. Aang nearly falls on the spikes but blows a blast of air from his mouth which thrusts hum up, and somersaults on to the other side, as he regains his balance.

"Zuko, I think the past is trying to kill me." Aang said

"Why is it Aang that you always seem to trigger the bobby traps?" I asked

"I don't know." Aang said

Zuko kneels down and looks at the spikes and the wire.

"I can't believe it. This booby trap must be centuries old and it still works." Zuko said

"Another thing the Fire Nation got from the Sun Warriors. How to make lasting booby traps." I said

"There's probably a lot more. Maybe this means we shouldn't be here." Aang said

Zuko takes two steps back and runs towards the wall adjoining the path. He runs on the wall before jumping on the other side of the spikes. I sue my ice to get across. Zuko dust some dirt off his shirt.

"Where's that up-beat attitude you were talkin' about? Besides, people don't make traps unless they've got something worth protecting." Zuko said

Zuko starts to walk away. Aang grabs my arm.

"Be careful." Aang said

"Of course." I said

We follow Zuko. We walk up a set of stairs.

"Look, this seems promising." Aang said

We see a carving of a person being surrounded by two dragons who are breathing fire at him.

"Though I'm of sure what this tells us about the original source of firebending." Aang said

"They look pretty angry to me." Zuko said

"They just look like dragons to me." I said

"I thought the dragons were friends with the Sun Warriors." Aang said

"Well, they had a funny way of showing it." Zuko said

"Maybe there is a story behind it." I said

"Zuko, something happened to the dragons in the last hundred years. Something you're not telling me." Aang said

Zuko closes his eyes takes a breath and opens his eyes.

"My great-grandfather Sozin happened." Zuko said

Zuko walks away, Aang and I followed after him. We walk across a bridge.

"He started the tradition of hunting dragons for glory. There were the ultimate firebenders. And if you could conquer one, your firebending talents would become legendary and you'd earn the honorary title, Dragon. The last great dragon was conquered long before I was born, by my uncle." Zuko said

Zuko places one of his palms on a statue of a dragon that was on a bottom of a set of stairs.

"But I thought your uncle was…I don't know, good?" Aang asked

"He had a complicated past. Family tradition, I guess. Let's just move on." Zuko said

Zuko starts walking away, Aang and I are trailing behind him. We walk up the stairs, and see a vertical column with a sunstone in the center. We see a wall with two gates. We stop walking, well Zuko and I do, Aang just walks into the gate.

"It's locked up." Aang said

Zuko rubs his head, and looks behind, before quickly going aside to show the sunstone from the column in front of the gates beaming light.

"Wait." Zuko said

Zuko steps back realizing something. The light from the sunstone beaming on a circular carving on the ground.

"It's a celestial calendar. Just like the Fire Sages have in their temples. I bet the sunstone opens the door, but only when sunlight hits at just the right angle. On the solstice." Zuko said

"Monkeyfeathers. The solstice again? We can't wait here that long." Aang said

"We don't have to we can fake it." I said

"Your right." Zuko said

He unsheathes one of his swords. We look at eh circle carved on the ground on which light from the sunstone is being beamed. He places his sword on it with an angle, causing it to reflect the light. The light being reflected by Zuko's sword moves to the other sunstone on top of the gates.

"Nothing's happening." Aang said

"Aren't you the one always talking about patience. So why don't you get some." I said

Zuko smirks but them becomes serious again. He is still kneeling down and reflecting the light.

"Come on…" Zuko said

The sunstone on the ground starts shaking. The gates open and the shaking stops. Aang picks up his staff, Zuko unsheathes his other sword. Zuko then pushes me behind him, so that he enters first, then Aang and last me.

"You know, Zuko, I don't' care what everyone else says about you. You're pretty smart." Aang said

I start laughing. Zuko smiles then realizes what Aang actually said. Which makes me laugh even more.

"Nice one Aang." I said

"Wait, what's so funny?" Aang asked

We continue to walk into the dark room, and look around. Zuko narrows his eyes. We see a statue of a man with an angry expression. Aang gasps.

"Relax, they're just statues." Zuko said

There are a lot of statues in the room, they are in a circle in the middle of the room. Aang walks over to the first statue and read something.

"It says this is something called the Dancing Dragon." Aang said

Aang hands me his staff. Aang stands in front of the statue. He mimics the statue, his foot presses a button on the ground. Aang comes out fo the posture and examines the button. He looks around at all the statues, runs towards Zuko, catches him by the hand, and pulls him.

"Zuko, get over here. I want you to dance with me." Aang said

I laugh from my position in the opening of the statues.

"What?" Zuko asked

"Just do it." Aang said

Aang puts him in front of the other statue.

"Let's follow the steps of the statues." Aang said

Aang and Zuko take the posture of the statue in front of them and move to their right and left, respectively, taking the postures of the statues in front of them, which pressed similar buttons lying on the ground in front of all the statues.

"Don't you see? These aren't dance moves. These statues are giving us a lesson. I think this is some kind of Sun Warrior firebending form." Aang said

"This better teach us some really good firebending." Zuko said

Aang does the same moves as Zuko. They do all the moves, and their last move is them bent at the waist towards each other with their fist touching. A column rises up from the middle of the circle, with a yellow looking gem on it.

"Hurray!" Aang yells

He puts his hands down, but rubs his head.

"Wait, what exactly is that?" Aang asked

"It's some kind of mystical gemstone." Zuko said

Zuko moves towards the stone.

"Zuko don't touch it." I said

Aang and I move and stand next to Zuko.

"Why not?" Zuko asked

"Remember what happened out there with those spikes? I'm just very suspicious of giant glowing gems sitting on pedestals." Aang said

"That and Aang is good at setting booby traps off so him standing this close could mean bad news." I said

Aang looks at me.

"Not the time Kida." Aang said

Zuko ignores us and picks it up.

"It feels almost alive." Zuko said

Zuko goes to put the stone back but yells in surprise as a geyser of viscous slime erupts out from the pedestal and pushes Zuko towards the grates in the ceiling, sticking him there.

"Oh no, it's another trap." Aang said

"Why does no one ever listen to me." I said

More viscous slime comes from it, causing Aang and I to walk back. Zuko struggles to break free.

"Ugh, I can't pull free. It's like some kind of glue." Zuko said

Aang jumps across the slime and grabs his staff from me. We both climb onto a statue, well different statues. Aang sends a gust of wind towards Zuko, who gets flipped from his back to his front. So that he was looking out the grate. Aang and I are both still on a statue. Aang staff gets stuck in the slime and he is not successful in pulling out. He jumps up towards the grates. I go to follow but my feet are stuck.

"I'm stuck." I said

The slime keeps filling the room. It's ingulfing me.

"Guys I can't move. It's filling the room." I said

"Kida!" Zuko and Aang yell

I freeze the slime around me and break it. I jump up and also get stuck on the grate.

"I can't move. Zuko, do something." Aang said

"Me? I can't move ether!" Zuko said

"Nor can I." I sad

I can feel the slime on my back. But it stops.

"It stopped." Aang said

"At least we have air. Maybe if we stay calm, we can figure a way out of this." Zuko said

It is now night and we are still stuck on the grate.

"I'm hungry, and I have to pee." I said

"You had to pick up the glowing egg, didn't you?" Aang asked

"At least I made something happen. If it were up to you, we'd never have made it past the courtyard." Zuko said

"Help!" Aang yells

"Who are you yelling to? Nobody's lived here for centuries." Zuko said

"Well, what do you think we should do?" Aang asked

"Think about our place in the universe?" Zuko asked

I start to cool the air down around us. I wanted to freeze the bars of the grates. I can feel the bars getting colder, I go to brake them when I hear someone approaching. I see a sandal then a foot, I follow it up to a man.

"Who is down there? And why is it so cold?" the man asked

I stop the coldness. While we all look shocked to see a sun warrior.

Unknown Time Skip:

The slime is removed from us by aardvark sloths. We are surrounded by sun warriors.

"For trying to tale out sunstone, you must be severely punished." the sun warrior chief said

"We didn't come here to take your sunstone. We came here to find the ancient origin of all firebending." Zuko said

One of the warriors who is named ham Ghao steps forward.

"Yeah, right. They are obviously thieves..." Ghao said

Ghao is holding the sunstone close to his chest in a protective way.

"…here to steal Sun Warrior treasures." Ghao said

"Please, I don't normally play this card, but…I'm the Avatar. Just hear us out." Aang said

"My name Zuko, Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. O-Or at least I used to be. I know my people have distorted the ways of firebending, to be fuel by anger and rage. But now I want to learn the tur way, the original way. When we came here, I never imagined the Sun Warrior's civilization was secretly alive. I am truly humbled to be in your presence. Please, teach us." Zuko said

The warriors look to me.

"You don't look like a firebender." Ghao said

I opened my hand and there was my white fire.

"White fire. Of course you and your friends can learn." The chief said

The chief looks back over to Zuko and Aang.

"If you wish to learn the ways of the Sun, you must learn them from the masters, Ran and Shaw." the chief said

"Ran and Shaw? There are two of them?" Aang asked

"When you present yourself to them, they will examine you. They'll read your hearts, your soul, and your ancestry. If they deem you worthy, they'll teach you. If they don't, you'll be destroyed on the spot." the chief said

The chief walks away. Zuko, Aang, and I just look at each other.

Time Skip to Next Morning:

Zuko, Aang, and I are in a new building in front of the Eternal Flame.

"If you're going to see the master, you must bring them a piece of the Eternal Flame. This fire is the very first one. It was given to man by the dragons. We have kept it going for thousands of years." the chief said

"I don't believe it." Zuko said

"You will each take a piece of it to the masters, to show your commitment to the scared art of firebending." the chief said

I look over at Aang to see that he is very unsure.

"Umm, Mister Sun Chief Sir, yeah, I'm not a firebender yet. Couldn't my friend here carry my fire for me?" Aang asked

I face palm, at Aang's question.

"No." the chief said

The chief reaches into the fire and pulls out some of it.

"This ritual illustrates…"

He turns around in a circle and splits the fire on his palm into two parts.

"…the essence of Sun Warrior philosophy. You must maintain a constant heat. The flame will go out if you make it too small. Make it too big, and you might lose control." The chief said

Zuko stares at the flame and brings his arms forward to take the flame. He looks at Aang, the chief offers the other to Aang.

"I'm sorry, I'm just a little nervous." Aang said'

He takes the flame in his hand and his expression changes.

"It's like a little heartbeat." Aang said

"Fire is life, not just destruction. You will take your flame up there. The cave of the masters is beneath that rock." The chief said

He points towards the mountain.

"Are you coming with us, Kida?" Aang asked

"No I'll meet you at the top. I'm not carrying a flame so I'll go with the Sun Warriors." I said

They nodded and started their walk up the mountain.

Time Skip to Aang and Zuko reaching the Top:

I couldn't understand what was taking those two so long. It took us like five minutes to reach the top. It was almost mid-day before they reached the top. The warriors are in a circle with the chief, Ghao, and I in the middle. Behind us is a very tall stair case that goes to a platform that extends to either side of the mountain into a cave on either side. The chief looks at Zuko.

"Facing the judgment of the firebending masters will be very dangerous for you. Your ancestors are directly responsible for the dragons' disappearance. The masters might not be so happy to see you." the chief said

"I know I wouldn't be." Ghao said

"But once they find out I'm the Avatar…" Ang is cut off

"Have you forgotten that you vanished, allowing the Fire Nation to wreak havoc on the world? The decline of the dragons is your burden, too." the chief said

The chief takes two steps forward and takes a small portion of their flames and gives the flames to the both sun warriors who go to each side. The chief turns back and walks. The Sun Warriors are standing and sitting, alternately, as the two warriors standing create a circle made of fire.

"We could turn back now. We've already learned more about fire than we'd hoped." Aang said

"No, we're seeing this through to the end. We're gonna meet these masters and find out what's so great about them." Zuko said

"What if they judge us, and attack us?" Aang asked

"Well, we're the Fire Prince, the Avatar, and Kida. I think we could take these guys in a fight, whoever they are." Zuko said

"I don't think we could." I said

We look back at the warriors to see that they have all made their fire circles. The chief turns back to look at us.

"Bring 'em out." Zuko said

"Chanters." the chief said

The chanters play music, the warriors who are sitting down, beating their drums in a synchronized rhythm. Zuko and Aang start to make their way up the stairs. The warriors are alternatively rising and bowing. I see Aang look back, and I give a smile and a thumbs up, he nods. They reach the top and the sun starts to set one they are on the platform the chanting and music stops.

"Those who wish to meet the masters, Ran and Shaw, will now present their fire." a warrior says into a mega phone

Aang and Zuko turn toward the caves and bow down with their hands stretched towards the caves.

"Sound the call." the chief said

A warrior takes a deep breath and blows a horn. The sound from the horn sends a flock of birds scattering. The cave Aang is facing rumbles, you could see him tremble from all the way down here. He places his hands down, extinguishing his flame. He looks at Zuko, who turns his head towards Aang. Aang cringes and quickly returns back to his position, and realizes that his flame is gone. He turns towards Zuko again. Aang reaches for Zuko's flame and Zuko pushes him back. He reaches for it again, but Zuko pushes again. I just shake my head.

"I give the last hope for the world." I said

"Were doomed." the chief said

Aang reaches for it again, Zuko raises his hand high up into the air. Aang continues his attempt to get Zuko's flame but Zuko stretches his arm away. Aang pulls Zuko's arm down, extinguishing it. They both look at each other, then down at me. I just face palm, and shake my head. The caves rumble again, they look at each other. A moment passes before a red dragon comes out of one cave, and a blue one comes out of the other. The dragons circle the platform.

"Oh, here it comes. Any moment now. Dinner for the masters." Ghao asked

"Quit, Ham Ghao." the chief said

"Everyone's thinking it." Ghao said

I flicked my arm and froze him.

The chief just looked at me. I raised my eyebrow at him. I look up at Aang and Zuko to see that they are in the first posture of the Dancing Dragon. They start it…they finish it. The Dragons have stopped moving and are hovering on either side of the platform.

"Judgment time." the chief said

The dragons both breathe fire, I go to move but the chief stops me. I see the dire it is breath taking. The fire dissipates and the dragons fly back into their caves. Aang and Zuko come down the stairs. I run over and throw my arms around Zuko. Then I remember I'm mad at him so I pull away and hug Aang.

"Their fire was beautiful. I saw so many colors, colors I've never imagined." Zuko said

"Like firebending harmony." Aang said

"Yes. They judged you, and gave you visions of the meaning of firebending." the chief said

"I can't believe there are still living dragons. My Uncle Iroh said he faces the last dragon and killed it." Zuko said

"So you Uncle lied." Aang said

"Actually, it wasn't a total lie. Iroh was the last outsider to face the masters. They deemed him worthy and passed the secret onto him as well." the chief said

"He must have lied to protect them, so one else would hunt them." Zuko said

"All this time, I thought firebending was destruction. Since I hurt Katara and Kida, I've been too afraid and hesitant. But now I know what it really is…it's energy, and life." Aang said

"Yeah. It's like the Sun, but inside of you. So you guys realize this?" Zuko asked

And for the third time today I face palmed.

"Well, our civilization is called the Sun Warriors…so yeah." the chief said

"That's why my firebending was so weak before. Because for so many years, hunting you was my drive…it was my purpose. So when I joined you, I lost sight of my inner fire. But now, I have a new drive. I have to help you defeat my father and restore balance to the world." Zuko said

Zuko delivers two fire blasts more powerful than early. Ang also bends a similar blast. Aang grins at his success. I pull Aang into a hug.

"I'm so proud of you." I said

The Chief moves towards us.

"Now that you have learned the secrets, and you know about our tribe's existence, we have no choice but to imprison you here forever… just kidding but seriously don't tell anyone." the chief said

With that we left and headed back to the Air Temple. We got back just in time for breakfast. Aang wanted him and Zuko to do the Dancing Dragon.

"With this technique the Dragon's showed us Zuko and I will be unstoppable." Aang said

When they finish the dance, we all clap.

"Yeah, that's a great dance you two learned." Sokka said

"It's not a dance. It's a firebending form." Zuko said

"We'll just tap-dance out way to victory over the Fire Lord." Sokka said

Zuko walks towards Sokka.

"It's a sacred form that happens to be thousands of years old." Zuko said

"Oh, yeah? What's you little form called?" Katara asked

"The Dancing Dragon." Zuko said

We all laugh.

"Hey, Kida want to go explore of the temple?" Haru asked

"Yes but no." I said

"Yes and no?" Teo asked

"I want to explore, but my feet hurt." I said

"I can fix that." Haru said

Next thing I know I'm Haru's back, and we are walking towards the temple entrance.

Zuko's Pov:

I watched the boy named Haru carry Kida enter the cave.

"Are you jealous?" Toph asked

"What why would I be?" I asked

"We know about you two." Katara said

"Who is he?" I asked

"His name is Haru. He is an earthbender. We helped him and his village get rid of the Fire Nation that had taken over their village." Sokka said

Katara walked over to the fire to start taking care of breakfasts. Sokka just glared at me.

"Leave her alone. She might have given you the okay to be here, but if you hurt my sister are doing anything to put her in danger. I will kill you." Sokka said

With that he left as well.

"Don't worry you have nothing to worry about." Toph said

Her and Aang then walked away, I just looked at the entrance. I thought about what Toph said.