So sorry I didn't post any new chapters last week. I had to put my dog to sleep and I wasn't able to do much of anything last weekend. So, to make up for it, I'm posting SIX chapters today, instead of my normal three. (Chapters 16 - 21) Enjoy!

Zuko

Sam and I went to our bedroom after the celebration was over. It had been a long day and Azula's attack just added to the stress of it. I wanted to just lay down and rest and focus on tomorrow. Apparently, Sam had other plans.

"What did I do that fascinated you so much?" Sam asked me. I looked over at her as we changed into our night clothes and her eyes were dancing with intrigue.

"When we bend, we bend one element. Aang can bend all four, but only one at a time really. You bent air and then converted it to water…somehow," I was still unsure how she had done it, "can you do that with the other elements?" I couldn't help my curiosity.

"Well, yeah, I guess. I never thought it was unique though. I just…do what I do." she said with a shrug.

After subduing my sister and her friends, Aang and I talked briefly about it. "Aang is interested in what you can do. He is going to join us in the training yard tomorrow. We will be going there a bit later since he will probably spend some of the early morning with Katara." I looked at her again and she stopped moving and she was looking at me wide-eyed.

"You can't be serious, Zuko. I've never done that in front of anyone before tonight. I don't think I can do it for an audience." she said nervously.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine. I know you can do it."

"So, Azula." she said changing the subject.

"What about her?"

"She is quite interesting. I'm not sure that I ever wanted to meet her. Now that I have, I know I didn't." I thought she was trying to lift the mood a bit. I chuckled, despite myself but I said nothing. I wasn't ready to talk about Azula yet. I had to figure out what to do with her once all the guests left. Most of them would be gone by tomorrow afternoon, so I figured I would do it then. I still didn't know and I really didn't want to think about it right now. Sam must have picked up on my hesitation.

"That was incredible what you did with the lightning. How did you do that?" she asked me, climbing into bed. I climbed into the other side and we both settled into our favorite position.

"I redirected it. It's a technique Uncle taught me since I wasn't able to create lightning. I knew I would have to face Azula eventually and she is a better firebender than me. A prodigy."

"I didn't even know that was a thing for firebenders. Why can't you produce lightning?"

"Uncle says because I don't have an inner peace. He is probably right." I looked down at her and she looked up at me with sympathy. Not because I couldn't produce lightning, but because she can see the turmoil boiling inside me. Despite our short time together, she knew me on a level that no one else did. I wasn't sure that she knew that until now.

We talked some more about the evening, the guests and how it went overall but eventually we slipped into a deep sleep.

We woke up the next morning, later than usual. I thought since we couldn't start our training at our usual time, we may as well sleep. I knew she would enjoy it too. When we did wake, we both stirred and laid silently for a little bit - me stroking her free arm and her stroking my chest.

"Are you ready to get up?" I asked.

"Not in the slightest," she said. I could feel her cheek rising into a smile against my chest as she snuggled in closer to me. She laid her top leg over my leg and we laid intertwined.

Finally, we did get up. We dressed in our training clothes and headed for the training yard. The guards who practiced with me were not there. Then I realized, it was later than usual. They probably were already here and gone. But Aang was sitting in the center of the ring, meditating. When he heard us, he opened his eyes and smiled.

"I thought you two would never get up." he jabbed, jokingly.

"We waited to come out here so you could sleep in."

"I couldn't. I've been out here since dawn." he looked at Sam, "Now, show me what you got?"

Sam

I looked at Aang, nervous. "What do you want me to do?"

"Do what you did to Azula last night."

"Ok, I'll try. I'll be honest though, I've never had an audience." I took the same stance I made last night and swirled the air around me. I launched it at a statue in the yard, covering it with water. I looked over at Aang and his eyes were wide.

"That…was…incredible! I've never seen bending like that! Can you do it with the other elements?" Aang was intrigued. Excited even. It was a new feeling but I welcomed it.

I took a steady stance and brought some earth out of the ground in a small boulder. I broke it into smaller pieces and then blew them towards Aang. By the time they reached him, it was just air. His eyes were dancing with delight. I was breathing heavy and panting. "Sorry, this transference takes a lot of energy." I said. I demonstrated a few more transferences when he held up his hand. He was deliberating.

"Can you do it on a smaller scale for me? Like, take this cup of water and transform it? I want to see something." I did as he asked. He watched closely as I bent the water out of the cup, shot it down to the ground and turned it into fire. I stole a glance at Zuko and he was just as fascinated as Aang was. They were sitting next to each other as they watched me.

"Interesting." Aang said.

"What?"

"I think I know what you're doing. I actually heard about this when I learned how to take Ozai's bending away." Aang said. This surprised me. I was starting to think I actually was a freak. Aang created a small fireball in his hand, "Zuko. Go stand over there." Aang said, pointing to the other side of the small ring. Zuko obliged. "Now, Sam, I want you to take this ball of fire and shoot it into the ground at Zuko."

"What?!" Zuko shouted.

"Just trust me, Hotman." Aang said. Zuko grumbled at the nickname.

I took the fireball from Aang and shot it into the ground. It created a small trench and knocked Zuko off his feet and he fell to the ground, hard.

"Oh no! Zuko! Are you ok?! I'm so sorry! Aang, why did you want me to do that?!"

"Because, I wanted to see if you would be able to aim it. You're not bending the elements." Aang finally concluded. I looked at him while I helped Zuko to his feet and looked at the bump on his elbow that would surely bruise.

"What? What do you mean I'm not bending the elements?"

"When I learned about taking Ozai's bending away, I learned it from an Lion Turtle. They taught me that, before the age of the avatar, they bent the energy within themselves and then ultimately started bending the energy within the elements and not the elements themselves. I think that is what you're doing, Sam."

I was shocked. My mind was reeling. Not bending the elements but the energy within the elements? "But, how?"

"It looks like that's how you transform the element from one to another. You are changing the energy that is within the element and are just reallocating it." Ok. That was making sense. Science says that energy can't be created or destroyed, but it can be changed. Transformed. "I've never met anyone who could actually do that apart from the Lion Turtle. I can't even do what you do. Sam, you're an Energy Bender."

I was amazed. I didn't believe it. He was the avatar. The master of all the elements. I didn't think there was anything he couldn't do. I said as much.

He chuckled, "oh, trust me. There is plenty that I can't do. Can you demonstrate more for me? Let me send some elements to you and you transform them." I wasn't going to argue. This was a good way to practice. Zuko sat back and watched, closely and intently. I thought he was probably as astounded as Aang was.

We sparred for the rest of the morning and into the afternoon. We went to change out of our training clothes and into our informal wear to eat lunch with our friends. I sat down on the bed, exhausted. This really DID take a lot out of me and I never did it to this extent before. All of our other guests had gone, so we would be eating in our normal dining room. When we got there, Aang was already there, talking to the others. Telling them about what happened, I was sure.

We sat and talked and enjoyed each other's company. I noticed that as time went on, Zuko was starting to look more and more somber.

"Zuko? Are you ok?" I asked.

"No." He said. Everyone's conversations stopped and looked at him. "it's time I deal with Azula and her friends."