AUTHOR'S NOTES—there are going to be times where the 4th wall gets broken or when future events get foreshadowed so blatantly that it's almost funny. Furthermore, there will be periodic Legend of Korra references throughout this series.

Also, don't think I've left out Azula and/or Zhao. I haven't. ;)

AVATAR: THE LAST FIREBENDER

BOOK 1: WATER

CHAPTER 3-2: THE SOUTHERN AIR TEMPLE, PART 2

chambers of the Southern Air Temple; midday

Toph led Zuko to a central sanctuary, where there was a door with an elaborate swirling-shaped pipelike device in front of them. When Zuko gave it a second glance, he noticed it looked like one variation of an Air Nomad Emblem. Toph noticed his curiosity.

"Apparently you used to have to use airbending to open it," she replied, kicking the in a lower corner and then opening it to reveal darkness in front of them, "but the Air Warriors abused it so much that I think it broke a while back. Then for some reason they stopped worrying about what was in here, and so a lot of refugees hid here for a while. I knew a few even."

Toph pushed the door open a little further, to let some light into the chamber. Once inside, she and Zuko were surrounded by numerous hosts—or so they thought. A second glance simply indicated that they were statues, motionless and dormant like the temple around them.

"It's an Avatar chamber," Zuko exclaimed, and he suddenly started looking for the end of the chain. Toph followed him, for she seemed to be looking for something similar. There was no end to the string of Avatars, but Toph stopped in front of one she recognized, which was next to an Air Nomad avatar that clearly was a statue of Aang.

"Avatar Roku of the Fire Nation," Toph nodded, closing her eyes. "I heard many good things about him. He was the avatar when the Air Warriors started attacking."

"So what started that war, exactly?" Zuko asked. The Water Tribes were the last nation to suffer attack, and their natural isolation from the majority of the rest of the world kept almost all but the diplomats unaware of the true status of the Fire Nation, or even the Air Nomads (though their information regarding the Air Warriors was kept well up-to-date, particularly through the many raids and assaults they pulled against the Tribes). News of things in the southern Earth Kingdom sometimes reached them, but apart from that, they knew little else other than that there was a group called the Air Warrior Confederation trying to take over their lands.

"I'm not sure either," Toph shrugged, "I was born 17 years ago, not 100. Either way, it's been a while since I've checked back with the Fire Nation. I wonder if there's anyone left."

"Are you from there?" Zuko asked her,

"In a way," Toph replied, and then changed the subject. She pointed to a statue of a Water Tribe avatar that stood next to the Aang statue.

"Hey, get this," she lightly punched Zuko's shoulder and showed him the statue, "Aang's gonna be a girl after he dies and comes back!"

Zuko looked at the statue next to Aang's. It was indeed a Water Tribe woman, and she looked not only tough, but also muscular. Zuko squeezed his own arm, as if he felt like this statue was a threat to his own manliness. Suddenly, however, they both stopped in their tracks, as a chirping noise was heard. Zuko froze, but Toph only remained still for a few seconds.

"Momo," she called out, and a lemurbat appeared from behind some of the statues.

"is that what's been following us," Zuko exclaimed, skeptical that that had been the producer of the noise he had heard a while back

"most likely," Toph shrugged.

"I've got half a mind to eat that thing," Zuko smirked, "life in the Water Tribe means you'll be eating a lot of meat—of several different kinds."

"Not Momo," Toph countered, but before they could get into an argument in that regard, something else happened that drove their minds off of the would-be argument completely.

The eyes of each and every statue all lit up, and soon the towering chamber was rank with glowing pairs of white lights. The Air Nomad avatars also had the arrows on their heads (and hands and feet, when applicable) light up. Zuko, recognizing the light as the same kind of light that emitted from Aang's eyes when he entered the Avatar State against Azula's ship, figured that it was the cause of it, and he raced out to find Aang. Toph, not wanting to be left behind, followed him.

He had calmed down by the time they found him. He had his head buried in his arms, and was kneeling in front of a skeleton of an Air Nomad. Neither one needed to ask whose it was, since they figured it was someone he had been very close in relationship to. Surrounding it were the skeletons of other Air Nomads. Some were male, and others female, and most of the female airbenders appeared decked out in warrior-like attire, though a few males were dressed similarly.

"This was your father, wasn't it?" Zuko took a wild guess at the skeleton Aang was kneeling in front of

"He was the closest thing I ever had to a father," Aang answered somberly, standing back up, "us being monks and all. I suppose I should have seen this coming, but it really hits home to know that they were killed by fellow Airbenders."

"While I can't say that I've had family and friends killed by my own people, I can at least say that you're not the only one that's lost something in this war. I'm no expert at comfort or anything, but you should at least know that the Southern Water Tribe is your ally."

"You're definitely not the only one who's lost something to this war," Toph added, "but Ike here is right—and frankly, as long as you're willing to put up with my cracks, consider me your ally as well."

These words comforted Aang enough for the time being, and soon the three of them, along with Momo, had decided to continue their journey northward, as they flew off into the night.

What they didn't know was that miles away, avatar statues in the temples of the Water, Tribe, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Temples had glowed in the same way that the ones in the Southern Air Temple had. When the Air Warriors of the Eastern and Western Air Temples noticed it, they sped off towards the leader of their operations with the news.