Ah, yes, the second part. Carefully note it now has a healthy spicing of Zutara. May make Kataangers ill.

Adversus solem ne loquitor.

Eleven The Day of Black Sun; Part Two

The caterpillar tanks had drawn into a tight defensive circle against the plaza wall and entrance.

The Fire Nation defenses were especially stubborn just ahead, and the earthbenders were hard pressed to hold back their counterattacks.

Sokka was standing with the mechanic and several other 'war leaders' studying a map of the area, trying to find an easily bypassed flank. He looked up as Katara helped their father through the entrance.

"Dad, you're on your feet again!"

Katara helped Hakoda sit on a bench, and Sokka ran up with Toph. "Thanks to your sister." Hakoda smiled at Katara, then turned back to Sokka. "I'm in no condition to fight, but maybe there is some way I can help."

"Everything's going smoothly." Sokka gestured at the sun, which was slowly approached by the black disk of the moon. "The eclipse hasn't even started yet."

"Let's hope our luck hold out." Hakoda noticed Katara's eyes fixed on the volcano where the inner city was. "Katara, you seem distracted. Is something wrong?"

Katara didn't want to admit she was wondering where Zuko was, and she was saved by a figure soaring towards them. "Is that Aang?" She asked, pointing.

"What?" Sokka watched as Aang landed down next to them. "Please tell me you're here because the Fire Lord turned out to be a total wimp and you didn't even need the eclipse to take him down."

Aang frowned. "The palace was empty. The whole city was abandoned. There was no one anywhere."

Sokka looked from his father to his sister, and at the sad look in her eyes, he groaned. "They knew."

Aang knelt before them. "It's over." He said. "Ozai is gone. He's probably far away on some remote island where he'll be safe."

Sokka looked away from his sister, and bowed his head, thinking. "No. My gut tells me he's still here. He'd have someplace to go so he could still govern the Fire Nation."

"A secret bunker?" Hakoda suggested.

Toph cracked her knuckles. "If it's an underground secret bunker we're lookin' for, I'm your girl, Snoozles."

Sokka pulled a round device from a pocket. "The Mechanist gave me this timing device. It looks like we still have about ten minutes until the full eclipse. Ten minutes to find the Fire Lord."

Aang looked hopeful. "We could still do it. We could still take down the Fire Lord."

Katara touched Sokka's arm. "They knew we were coming. There could be a trap. Maybe we should take the time to get our people out of here."

Sokka looked conflicted, but he watched his father as Hakoda spoke. "Everyone who's here today came prepared to risk everything for this mission. They know what's at stake. If there's still a chance and there's still hope, I think they would want Aang to go for it."

Sokka looked at Aang. "What do you think? You're the one who has to face the Fire Lord. "Whatever you decide, we're with you."

Aang stood, and turned around to look at the volcano. He took a deep breath. "I've got to try."

Appa grunted, and quickly landed on the side of the dormant volcano. Sokka jumped down, followed by Toph and Aang. "Is there anything down there?"

Toph knelt, touching the ground. "Yep. There are tunnels crisscrossing all throughout this mountain."

"Anything else?" Sokka asked.

Toph grinned tightly. "There's a big, dense structure down there made of metal."

"That sounds like a secret bunker to me." Aang spoke, relieved. Toph slammed her fists into the ground, and ripped a deep tunnel open. Aang looked at Momo and Appa. "Stay safe. We'll be back soon."

Toph led the way, stopping from time to time to get a better look. "This way! That other path is a dead end!"

"What would we do without you?" Sokka asked, following on her heels.

Toph ducked under a stone arch oozing with a lava stream. "Perish and burn in hot magma."

Sokka flinched away from the heat. "Pretty much."

They stopped at the entrance to a large cavern. Sokka eyed the floor, broiling with active vents. "We're going to have to fast and careful to get across."

He ran out onto the floor, and immediately, a vent erupted. Aang dove forward, bending the hot poisonous air away, and cooling down the lava. "How was that careful?" He demanded.

Sokka raised a finger. "I was wrong. We'll have to be fast, careful and lucky."

Aang led the way, quickly cooling the path enough for them all to get across, but at the end of the cavern, he stopped, staring at the river of lava that bubbled before them.

"There's no floor? Why is there no floor?" Sokka railed. "Why does this stuff always happen to me? Why Universe, why?"

Aang spread his glider open. "Grab on to me and don't let go." He leapt off the small cliff, and soared over the lava.

They landed on the other side, and just beyond was a large metal door. Sokka gaped. "Now that's some door." He said approvingly.

Toph stepped up to it, pressed her ear against the metal, and knocked. She cracked her knuckles, and punched both hands into it, spreading the metal apart to make a toph-sized doorway.

She stepped through, and the boys ducked to follow her. Wordlessly, Toph smugly pointed in a new direction and ran.

"I am so glad we added you to the group!" Sokka told her, catching up.

The invasion force had run into another gauntlet of battle towers, flame falling down around the caterpillar tanks that guarded the advance of the main force.

A knot of earthbenders broke free, hefting heavy metal shields above their heads. The Boulder and Hippo hit the wall, causing a tremor that destroyed the foundation under the battle towers, ruining the entire structure, and the other earthbenders followed their lead.

High above them, a faint voice called out. "Fall back! Move to the secondary defensive position! Fall back!"

The defenders abandoned their posts as the moon slowly slipped over the sun, leaving the way almost clear.

The tanks pressed forward, and Bato jumped onto the back of one, shouting out to the warriors. "The eclipse is only minutes away. We should be able to make it up the hill by the time it starts and secure the entire palace by the time it's finished!"

He lifted his spear amidst the battle cries, and the warriors pushed on.

"We can wait here if you want." Katara told her father, letting him lean on her as they staggered after the army.

"No. I want to press forward with the others." Hakoda replied firmly. Katara nodded, and they followed the invasion force up the hill.

Toph led them past a fork in the path, but all three young invaders froze when they heard a gasp.

An old man was standing there, his face the perfect picture of shock. Aang and Sokka brandished their weapons, and Toph kicked a rock into the air.

The man pressed back against the wall, studying the intense looks aimed at him. He gestured down the hall. "The Fire Lord's chamber is that way…down the hall, to the left, and up the stairs! You can't miss it!"

After a moment, Aang grinned. "Thanks!" They ran off in the indicated direction. Behind them, the man nervously looked around. Satisfied no one had seen his cowardice, he went on his way, whistling.

As they ran down the tunnel, Sokka dug the timing device out. "Only thirty seconds until the total eclipse!"

They came to a stop before a massive door marked with the Fire Nation emblem. Aang took a deep breath, then focused on the door. "I'm ready. I'm ready to face the Fire Lord."

Aang swung his staff upward, bending the doors open, and they crashed on their hinges. The trio entered the Fire Lord's room, and found an unwelcome surprise waiting on the throne.

Azula lounged on the throne. "So, you are alive after all." She sat up. "I had a hunch that you survived, but it doesn't matter. I've known about the invasion for months."

Aang couldn't help it, he stared with openmouthed shock at the girl who had killed him.

Zuko stood in front of a set of large, heavy steel doors. He could feel his power waning, and when it finally cut off. "I'm ready to face you."

He pushed the doors open, and walked boldly into the chamber beyond. Ozai sat behind a line of heavily armed guards, frozen in the process of lifting a cup to his lips, his eyes widening with fury as he recognized his hated son.

"Zuko, what are you doing here?" He spat, tossing aside his tea. The exiled prince walked toward Ozai, the guards leveling their weapons at him.

The invasion force marched up the hill, facing no resistance, and the mechanic, walking with them, looked up. He dug in his tunic, producing a pair of goggles with narrow eyeslots. "The eclipse is starting!" He shouted. "Put on your eclipse glasses!"

The entire force paused as one, and removed the eye shields, placing them over their eyes and continuing on toward the mouth of the volcanic crater.

Towards the middle, Hakoda and Katara stopped to watch as the moon overtook the sun, shadow falling over the earth.

Zuko took a deep breath. He stopped in front of the guards, and faced his father. Ozai stared at him, eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Why are you here?" He repeated.

"I'm here to tell you a few truths." Zuko said calmly.

Ozai smiled suddenly. "A traitor telling the truth during the middle of an eclipse. This should be interesting." He waved his hand, and the guards left.

When they were alone, Zuko met his father's eyes unblinking. "First of all, the Avatar is not dead."

Ozai looked alarmed."What?"

"In fact, he is leading this invasion. He could be ready to burst into this room any moment now."

Ozai rose to his feet, gesturing furiously. "Get out! Get out of my sight right now, and I'll let you live!"

Zuko smiled thinly. "That's another thing. I'm not taking orders from you anymore. I would think that was obvious, since I joined him against Azula."

Ozai stepped down, and stalked toward Zuko, fingers hooked into claws. "You traitorous, pathetic whelp! I'll kill…" He stopped when Zuko's swords flew into hands.

"Think again! I am going to speak my mind and you are going to listen!" Zuko commanded. Ozai frowned, but took his seat, eyes hard and angry.

Aang stepped closer to Azula, sensing Sokka and Toph falling into ready stances. "Where is he?" Aang demanded. "Where is the Fire Lord?"

Azula pouted. "Hm? You mean I'm not good enough for you?" She rose from the throne. "You're hurting my feelings."

Sokka lurched forward, gesturing with his blade. "Stop wasting time and give us the information. You're powerless right now, so you're in no position to refuse." He brought his sword up in a defensive pose.

Toph pointed at Azula. "And stick to the truth, I'll be able to tell if you're lying!"

Azula feigned coyness. "Are you sure? I'm a pretty good liar." Her face went completely impassive. "I am a 400 hundred foot tall purple platypus-bear with pink horns and silver wings."

Toph lowered her hand. "Okay, you're pretty good…I admit it." Toph bent quickly, a conical coffin surrounded Azula, leaving only her head exposed. "But you ought to consider telling the truth anyway."

Azula looked amused, and the stone around her crumbled. Azula casually brushed off her armor as Sokka stepped back, and even Toph's jaw dropped open in astonishment. "When I left Bas Sing se, I brought home a couple of souvenirs…Dai Li agents." Two Dai Li fell from the ceiling, landing with bent knee toward Azula.

Aang attacked, and the Dai Li spun upright, bending a wall between them and the Avatar's group.

Bato ran the last few yards to the mouth of the crater. He raised his spear, looking down on the Inner City. "Surround the periphery!" He shouted as the army passed him by. "We have to secure the palace by the time the eclipse is over, otherwise we'll be in for the fight of our lives!" He joined the headlong rush down the mountainside.

The invasion force split up as they channeled through the streets, and a group of earthbenders ran into several defending soldiers.

"Surrender peacefully and we will not harm you!" Tyro readied himself to attack, and faced the leader.

"We'll never surrender!" The commander said fiercely. He performed a complicated series of motions that would normally have led to a powerful blast, but when he attacked, nothing but a brief flicker of heat and smoke came.

The man paled, and he raised his hands. "Okay, we surrender."

"Look, there it is, the Fire Nation royal palace." Hakoda stopped to rest on top of the crater, watching at the army moved toward the palace. "We've come so far."

Katara sighed next to him. "It's not over yet."

Hakoda squeezed her shoulder. "Your friends will be fine, Katara." Leaning on each other once again, they moved down the crater, following in the wake of the invasion.

"For so long, all I wanted was you to love me, to accept me. I thought it was my honor that I wanted but really, I was just trying to please you. You, my father, who banished me just for talking out of turn." Zuko pointed a sword at Ozai. "My father, who challenged me; a 13-year-old boy to an Agni Kai. How can you possibly justify a duel with a child?"

Ozai frowned at being questioned. "It was to teach you respect."

Zuko shouted at him, rage filling his voice. "It was cruel! And it was wrong."

"Then you have learned nothing." Ozai commented. "As I should have known from your treasonous actions."

Zuko shook his head at his father's blind stupidity. "No, I've learnt everything! And I had to learn it on my own. Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilization in history and somehow, the war was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world." He scoffed. "What an amazing lie that was. The people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation! They don't see our greatness, they hate us! And we deserve it. We've created an era of fear in the world. And if we don't want the world to destroy itself, we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness."

Ozai laughed mockingly. "Your Uncle has gotten to you, hasn't he?"

Zuko closed his eyes for a moment, and then smiled despite his Father's disapproving, angry frown. "Yes. He has."

Aang, Sokka, and Toph rushed the wall, the two benders ripping it out of their way.

The Dai Li were waiting, and a massive stone structure cut towards them. Aang leapt high and bounced off of a pillar. He flipped down, and the Dai Li raised smooth, even squares and launched them toward Aang.

Aang shattered the stones, and Toph erupted from the wall, landing between the Dai Li and launching them into the air with two angles pillars of stone.

They spun, and latched onto the walls, at the same time throwing a beam of stone down at Toph. Toph raised two walls that stopped the beams dead, and tore the ground into a torrent of stone that surged toward Azula, who somehow managed to keep her footing and quickly flipped herself back to the throne, landing atop it.

Aang rushed toward her, but the other Dai Li agent skimmed along the wall, and landed, forming a crater as he ripped a wall of stone in the Avatar's way.

Aang leapt through, tunneling out of the stone, and the Dai Li threw himself out of the crater with his bending, but Aang dragged a column of earth up under him, the man groaning as Aang's attack hit home.

Aang slashed through the throne with airbending, Azula dodging back toward a recess in the wall. Aang followed her slicing toward her with airbending, but the nimble princess jumped up along the wall, kicking herself over Aang, her confident smirk infuriating the boy.

Aang followed her, blindly attacking. Azula dodged his blows, and then slid down one of the earthbent columns, jumping along the leftovers from the bending battle as Aang followed.

Azula landed on the ground, running from Aang and Toph. She ran straight for Toph's burrow-hole, and one of her Dai Li appeared, bending a platform that threw her through the hole, passing over Sokka, who paled at the dangerous look in her eyes.

Sokka stayed where he was, because a Dai Li, Toph, and Aang passed over him, then he grumbled and began climbing back down.

Aang glanced at Toph as they ran. "I can't pin her down. She's too quick!" He told his friend. Toph veered out, and vanished into the wall.

Aang followed Azula's Dai Li, crashing through the wall of earth he bent in the way, and, intent on Azula, ran past the spot where Toph erupted from the wall, bending the Dai Li into a metal support beam. She bent his stone gloves into dust, and folded the metal over the Dai Li, trapping him in place.

At the shocked look she knew was on his face, Toph grinned, then followed Aang, Sokka running after her.

"Wait, Aang, Toph! Stop chasing her!" Aang, Toph, and Azula all stopped. "Can't you see what she's doing? She's playing with us…she's not even trying to win this fight!"

"Not true." Azula said. "I'm giving it my all."

Toph pointed at her. "You're trying to keep us here and waste all our time!"

Azula turned toward her. "Right…I think your friend just said that, genius." Azula rolled her eyes. "Oh, and since you're blind, I should tell you I'm rolling my eyes."

Toph snarled. "I'll roll your whole head!"

Sokka grabbed Toph's shoulder. "She's just baiting you again."

Aang looked uncomfortable. "Okay…so what do we do, just ignore her?"

Sokka looked at him. "We don't have a choice. We have to get out of here and find the Fire Lord on our own somehow." They turned to leave, but Azula tried again to distract them.

"It's a trap! Don't say I didn't warn you."

Sokka raised his arm, waving dismissively. "Ignore!"

Azula smiled coldly, and played her trump card. "So…Sokka's your name, right? My favorite prisoner used to mention your name all the time."

Sokka stiffened, and turned around. Azula's smile grew. She'd hooked him. "She was convinced you were going to come rescue her, but you never came, of course, and she gave up on you."

Sokka felt the tears fall down his face, and he closed his eyes, his features twisting with rage. With a roar, he shoved past Aang, and charged Azula.

Her smile faded, and a dagger slid into her palm. "Come and get it." She whispered.

Toph sensed Azula's stance change, and she attacked, a manacle made of rock locking Azula to the wall. Sokka shoved her back, the tip of his sword just under her chin.

So angry he could barely speak, Sokka rasped. "Where is Suki?"

"After I leave here today, I'm going to free Uncle Iroh from his prison and I'm going to beg for his forgiveness for all of my stupidity." Zuko informed his father simply. "He is the one who has been a real father to me."

Ozai chuckled sarcastically, and he mocked his son. "That's just beautiful. Maybe he can pass down to you the ways of tea and failure."

"But I've come to an even more important decision." Zuko paused, and took a deep breath. "I'm going to rejoin the Avatar. And I'm going to help him defeat you."

Ozai grinned slyly. "Really? Since you're a full-blown traitor now and you want me gone, why wait? I'm powerless, you've got your swords, why don't you just do it now?"

Zuko looked at his father, and calmly sheathed his swords. "Because I know my own destiny. Taking you down is the Avatar's destiny. Goodbye." Zuko turned his back on Ozai, and started to walk away.

Ozai rose to his feet behind Zuko. "Coward!" He roared. "You think you're brave enough to face me but you'll only do it during an eclipse. If you have any real courage, you'll stick around until the sun comes out." Ozai's voice turned cunning. "Don't you want to know what happened to your Mother?"

Zuko froze in front of the chamber doors, and slowly turned around to face his grinning father. "What happened that night?" Zuko asked softly.

Ozai replied calmly, almost casually. "My father, Fire Lord Azulon, had commanded me to do the unthinkable to you, my own son. And I was going to do it. Your Mother had found out and swore she would protect you at any cost. She knew I wanted the throne and she proposed a plan. A plan in which I would become Fire Lord and your life would be spared."

"Where is Suki?" Sokka demanded again, glaring at the princess. "Answer me!" He shouted.

Aang grabbed Sokka's shoulder. "Sokka, she won't answer you."

Sokka turned away from Aang, his voice raising. "Where are you keeping her?"

Azula merely looked at Sokka, and smirked.

Ozai smiled venomously. "Your Mother did vicious, treasonous things that night. She knew the consequences and accepted them. For her treason, she was banished."

Zuko's eyes widened. "So she's alive!"

Ozai's smile faded. "Perhaps. Now I realize that banishment is far too merciful a penalty for treason. Your penalty will be far steeper." He closed his eyes.

Zuko felt the sun return at the same moment Ozai opened his eyes. Ozai stepped forward, his arms swinging out, and Zuko smelled the burnt ozone just before a massive bolt of lightning danced from Ozai's fingertips.

Zuko thrust a hand out, and the lightning struck his body, following the path of energy Zuko drew to his stomach. Zuko slid back across the carpet, but the lightning was his. He struck out with the other hand, and the lightning pulsed from his body, redirecting to Ozai.

Zuko was favored with a look of total surprise on Ozai's face just before the lightning exploded on the ground before him, sending the Fire Lord crashing back into the wall and the tapestry hanging there.

Ozai rose, his hair falling across his face. Peering past the fire dancing before him, he could see that Zuko was gone.

Azula looked off in the distance, and a genuine smile crossed her lips. "Oh, it sounds like the firebending is back on!"

She kicked out, Sokka jumping back from the flames with a shout. She kicked again, and Sokka tossed himself to the ground to escape the blast.

She rolled up, and planted her feet on the wall, breaking the manacles with firebending. She kicked off the wall, and Aang jumped away from her fiery drop kick.

Aang and his friends regrouped, and Azula smiled at them. "Dad's all the way down the hall and down a secret stairway to the left. I'm sure he would be happy to see you now."

She ran off and Sokka moaned. "I fell for it! I used up all of our time!"

Toph turned to him. "It's not your fault, Sokka. Azula was ready for us. She had every move planned out."

Sokka's tone was hopeless. "And now it's too late."

Aang looked down the hall. "Maybe its not too late. The eclipse is over but I can face the Fire Lord anyway."

Sokka shook his head. "No. I don't think that's a good idea."

"But I'm ready!" Aang protested. "I came here with a job to do, and everyone is counting on me to do it!"

Toph stepped in as the voice of reason. "The Fire Lord knew we were coming this time. We thought we had surprise on our side this time but we didn't. What we need to do now is help our friends."

Aang looked down, defeated. "I guess you guys are right."

Sokka grabbed Aang's arm in a warrior's shake. "You'll have another chance. I know you will."

Katara helped Hakoda lean against a tank. Bato came running up as the father and daughter removed their eclipse glasses. "What should we do, Hakoda? Shouldn't something have happened by now?"

Hakoda frowned. "I'm not sure. But I expect we'll see firebenders any minute now that the eclipse is over."

Katara crossed her arms, her frown mirroring her fathers. "Not the one I want to see." She muttered.

Bato stiffened, and looked up to the sky, his jaw gaping open. The entire force stared as balloons rose into the sky, bearing the Fire Nation symbol with some type of weapon fixed under them.

The Mechanist shook his head as though that would fix everything. "My own invention…this is terrible!"

Behind the balloons rose something even worse, a massive zeppelin lined with artillery turrets.

"Look, they're back!" Hakoda announced, tracing the shape of Appa as the bison came in for a landing. Those on the ground felt a chill at the uneasy look on the Avatar's face.

Sokka jumped down. "It was all a trap! Azula knew we were coming and she's plotted out every move!" He met his sister and Father. "We've got to get to the beach as quickly as possible. If we can make it to the submarines, we can escape."

Aang stood up from his spot on Appa's neck. "They've got air power, but so do I. I'm going to do what I can to slow them down."

He rode off on his glider, and Appa grunted as Katara climbed up. "Appa, you and I can help."

Appa rose into the air, following the Avatar. Sokka nodded. "Everyone, let's get back to the subs!" Reluctantly, the invaders retreated.

Aang swerved out of the way of the fireblasts, and collapsing his glider, tearing through the first balloon.

Behind him Katara passed by another, slicing through it with waterbent blades. The top half of the balloon fell neatly off, and it crashed into the city below.

Together, they tried to attack one of the zeppelins, but the intense barrage was too much.

Katara bent water into a shield, rolling it to catch the fire. "We can't hold them back forever!" She called.

Aang swerved around. "Let's go back to the others!"

Zuko raced up the tower steps, barely breathing from nervousness. He passed an injured guard, but paid him no heed. Ahead, Zuko saw the door leading to the topmost cell in the tower, and ran toward it. "Uncle!"

He rushed into the room, and stopped, surprised. There was a huge hole in the cage, and the surrounding bars were bent outward. Warden Pyun lay on the floor, dazed. Zuko ran in and grabbed him by the collar. "Where is my Uncle?"

Pyun shook his head dizzily. "He's gone. He busted himself out. I… I've never seen anything like it! He was like a one-man army!"

Zuko scowled, and dropped the man, running out of the room.

Sokka heard Appa grunt, and knew the bison had landed nearby, but he was too intent on trying to outrun the balloons. He glanced up, and saw hatches open on the zepellins.

He slid to a stop, shouting. "Everyone find cover! They're about to hit us with bombs!"

His group huddled together, and Toph bent a massive shelf of rock over them in time to stop the wave of explosions that covered the countryside.

The shelf began to split, and Toph moved quickly, two more support pillars holding the shelf up.

The zeppelins moved over them, and the invaders waited for them to turn, but they didn't.

"Why aren't they turning around to attack us again?" Katara wondered.

Sokka fell to his knees. "Oh, no." He knew exactly why, and all he could do was watch as the zeppelins hovered over the submarines, destroying them with a powerful wash of bombs.

"How are we all going to escape?" Aang asked in a small voice.

"We aren't." Hakoda replied calmly.

"Then our only choice is to stand and fight." Sokka said. "With the Avatar, we could still win."

"That's right. With the Avatar, we could win…on another day." Hakoda told him. "You kids have to leave. You have to escape on Appa, together."

"That's insane!" Katara exclaimed. "We can't leave you behind." She swallowed. "We can't leave anyone behind!"

"You are our best chance in the long run." Hakoda hugged her. "You and Sokka have to escape with Aang on Appa, it's the only way to keep hope alive."

"The youngest of our group should go with you." Bato added. "The adults will stay behind and surrender. We'll be prisoners but we'll all survive this battle."

Tyro stepped forward. "I've got some experience with the Fire Nation prisons. It's not going to be easy but we'll get by."

Appa knelt as the children slowly said goodbye. The Mechanist, rising on an earthbent pillar, set Teo in the saddle. "Bye, son."

Teo sniffed. "Bye Dad. I'm really proud of you."

Pipsqueak helped the Duke climb up onto Appa's head. The boy blinked, trying unsuccessfully not to cry. "I'll miss you, Pipsqueak."

"Stay safe…The Duke." Pipsqueak said, hugging his young friend.

Haru met his father's look. "I'll be back for you, Dad."

"If we don't escape on our own, first." Tyro replied, hugging his son.

Hakoda hugged Katara, and after a moment, Sokka joined them. "Dad, I promise we won't be apart so long this time."

"We lost today but we've never been this close. We tasted victory and that counts for something." Proud tears shone in his eyes.

Aang wiped his tears away, and stood on Appa's back. "Thank you all for being so strong and so brave. I promise I will make it up to you."

Once everyone was in place, Aang took Appa's reigns. "Yip, yip!" He said, his voice breaking.

"Should we follow them, Princess?" A soldier asked.

Azula looked out the viewport, watching the bison vanish. A gloting look set smugly on her face. "No, they're too fast. But it doesn't matter. They'll be back."

"I know just the place for us to go where we'll be safe for a while." Aang called after taking a last look back. "The Western Air Temple."

Appa grunted, and flew faster.

Behind them, a single war balloon followed. Zuko held onto the ropes, and leaned forward, wishing he were close enough to see Katara. He smiled slightly. I'm coming.

Next Time: The Western Air Temple.

So, what'd you think? Did I do it justice? I should say that the next episodes are going to diverge from straight canon more often and in some cases, far more diversely. (I'm going to have some real fun with "The Ember Island Players" and the end of "The Boiling Rock.")

Adversus solem ne loquitor.