Whoo! Thanks for all the reviews as always!

Strix Moonwing: You - got out of - school- on MAY 17!?!?!?! I didn't get out of school till June 20. You're so lucky!

Note: Nothing interesting in this chapter except near the end.

Warnings: You probably know them by now so I'll just say the basic ones: violence and character death. The end.

Star: Hello, everyone. Today I'm bringing in someone that has nothing to do with the story.

Sokka: Who's that?

Pikachu: Pikachu!

Sokka: Pikachu?

Pikachu: Pikachu!

Sokka: Is that the only thing it knows?

Pikachu: Piiiiiiiiikkkkaaaa-Cccccccchhhuuuuuuu!!!!!

(Pikachu zaps Sokka till he is a crisp.)

Sokka: This thing's so cruel! Just like the story.

Pikachu: (Attacks Sokka)

I don't own Avatar or Eragon!

Love is a symbol of eternity. It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end.

- Author Unknown

Chapter 9

Back in Aberon

A few days later, Aang was considered healthy enough to go back to Aberon. They set off practically at once, since Orrin was concerned about Galbatorix making an attack on Surda. A week or two after that they were back in the Surdan capital with schedules going back to normal. (Or at least normal in Alagaësian terms.)

Sokka actually tried during training, which shocked everyone since they only knew him as the Rider who wouldn't do anything except whine and complain. Sometimes one of the Nine or an Alagaësian would supervise a lesson. The night lessons helped, and once Sokka disarmed Eragon of his white sword. The elf Rider beamed with pride at Sokka's accomplishment.

"Excellent work, Sokka," he said. "See what happens when you put your mind to it? When I told you what was going on in the Spirit Worlds, you went into action almost that second."

"Err, thanks?" Sokka replied when Eragon went to pick up his sword.

"Now take out your boomerang."

"What? But Eragon said -"

"- That Dragon Riders' preferred weapons are bows and swords - did you notice the stress on the word 'preferred'? They prefer them to another weapons; that doesn't mean you can't use your boomerang."

Sokka took out his boomerang. Eragon looked it over.

"It's made of metal? I never knew that they had metal in your world - no offense."

"None taken. I got it from my dad before he left to fight in the war."

"Oh. Actually, I don't think Galbatorix expects to be hit with a boomerang. This could be quite useful; you should keep it."

"Useful?"

"Throw it at me. Don't worry; I'll be fine."

Sokka hesitated at first, but he threw the boomerang anyone. It flew around the spirit city before smacking Eragon in the back of the head, making him fall facedown on the ground. Sokka thought that he had killed him, but Eragon stood up as though he had just slipped.

"Why won't Galbatorix expect me to use a boomerang?" Sokka asked once it had returned to him.

"Because boomerangs are an old weapon in our world, used before swords and arrows. You could call them 'outdated' if you like, but like I said earlier, the usurper will not expect you to use on in combat. Like a surprise. Did you know I like surprises? I love them!"

Sokka was stunned at Eragon's suddenly...playful mood. He had always thought that Eragon was always a serious person, no fun stuff. This was...weird.

"Okay."

"Did you know that I was actually happy when Bid'Daum's egg was found? I always wanted a dragon of my own." He sounded genually joyful.

Murtagh had waited this day since he had be told the news by Galbatorix. Everything was prepared: Thorn was saddled, Zar'roc was polished, and he had enough provisions for the duty. He was even given a small chest to put the hearts of Orrin and Nasuada in. Regicide, it was - the killing of a monarch. Something in the back of his mind irritated him about Nasuada. Maybe it was the fact that he was uncomfortable about killing a woman, or he was reminded of the fact that she had visited him during his imprisonment in Farthen Dûr. But then again, she was the leader of the Varden, and he must do this job.

He was in the courtyard in Urû'baen. It was fairly large, and decorated with several water fountains. Thorn was crouching down beside him, getting last minute tips from Shruikan. Servants were rushing everywhere, making sure that he had everything with him.

"Did you remember what I taught you?" asked Galbatorix.

Murtagh nodded, getting on Thorn.

"Everything? Including the Vault of Souls?"

Murtagh nodded.

"Do you have enough spirit particles in you?"

"Yes. I remember the last one. I'm strong enough."

"Good," replied Galbatorix. "It is a long way to Surda. Do you have enough of everything?"

"Yes; the servants have seen to that."

Galbatorix nodded. "Good, good. I shall escort you out of Urûbaen. After that, you are on your own."

There was a drawback to the late night training thought.

"Sokka!"

He fell out of his seat. They were sitting in the library where Sokka was supposed to be taking notes on the history of Alagaësia. He had gotten almost no sleep that night since Eragon the 1st kept pounding on him with no mercy in Doru Araeba. It was no wonder why he fell asleep.

"Are you even sleeping?" asked Eragon. "What are you doing after dark?"

Sokka opened his mouth for a stupid reply but Eragon interrupted. "Don't answer that! I don't want to know."

Sokka yawned and rubbed his eyes. He sat up straight and began taking notes on the giant book. If Eragon was going to make him do a study on sleep deprivation, he would definately qualify and pass with flying colors.

It was good, Yue noted, but the Spirit World wasn't everything.

First off, you were separated from the trouble of mortals. There wasn't anything to make you upset or angry. Then, the Spirit World was endless: thousands and thousands of miles of vast swamps, bamboo forests, clear rivers and seas, volcanoes, and high mountains. The stars of the night sky were the spirits of the dead, who floated through the realm aimlessly, content in paradise. Yue even met her mother there; she died during the great pox epidemic when Yue was little.

Yet, there was a certain lonliness that came with sacrificing your life on earth to live in eternity. She had learned to stay away from Koh, the Face Stealer, and those other ancient evil spirits. There was almost no one to talk to; that meditating monkey in the swamp never said a word to her, and Ookami, the Wolf Spirit who was always interested in a good conversation, kept traveling around the Spirit World finding estranged souls. Other spirits were too busy to talk, although Yue couldn't tell how they were busy (unless they were Koh stealing faces). She missed the Northern Water Tribe and its city, she missed her father, and worst of all she missed Sokka.

So she was just floating through the swamp when she spotted something black flying through the air. She was curious about what it was, but she knew that black was the color of death and shadows. It was unnatural for things in the Spirit World to be winged, except for dragons but this one seemed short lengthwise.

The black thing dived sharply and flew towards her. It was a black dragon, with a rider on its back...

I am evil.

Lots of explanantions for this. Sorry it's kind of short.

Eragon liking surprises:I'm tired of the whole serious-mentor thing. I decided to give Eragon a playful side to him.
Ookami:The Japanese word for 'wolf.' In many cultures the wolf is symbolic with being a pathfinder and thus Ookami is put with finding the souls of estranged spirits. Idea gotten from here: dvdscreenshots (dot) avatarspiritmedia (dot) net (slash) 120 (slash) 242 (dot) jpg. Look to the right of Koh's tree.
Stars being souls: Taken from the Narnia series. In Narnia the stars are people.

Sorry the chapter took SO long to write. At least I plowed through it.