Yay! Another chapter is up! Please read and review! It's what keeps me going.

Me: Since Zuko is in this chapter, he will do the disclaimer!

Zuko: Avatar: the last airbender doesn't belong to Justice333...do we really have to do this every time?

Me: Yep, but don't worry! I have many other people that can do the disclaimer!

(Justice333 knocks down a crate full of cabbages.)

Cabbage Man: MY CABBAGES! You're gonna pay for this!

Me: Um, enjoy the story everyone!

(Justice333 runs away as the cabbage man chases after her. Zuko sighs.)

All in a Day's Work

~~~~Imperial Fire Nation Palace~~~~~

Aang woke up to the sound of birds chirping and pecking against his window sill. Aang yawned as he moved his head to stare at the ceiling. He really didn't want to wake up. But he had a job to do and he wasn't going to neglect his responsibilities.

Still, a couple more minutes would have been nice. Aang leaned into his bed and sighed longingly. If only I didn't have a meeting today...

Suddenly a bell started ringing within the palace causing Aang to jump and nearly crash into the ceiling. Oh, how he hated that bell. If only there was an easier way to wake up, Aang thought bitterly.

Hesitantly, Aang rose and stood up on his two aching feet. It was hard for him to believe that he could be this sore from one training lesson. Even harder to fathom was the fact that he had another one today as well. Aang groaned as he moved his way to the mirror to wash his face. What he saw in the mirror was a tired, disheveled young boy with unruly black locks that swept everywhere over his blank, deep grey eyes. Man, I must be exhausted. I almost don't recognize myself.

Aang attentively lifted his long hair up so he could see the dark blue arrow tattoo located at his forehead. He smiled sadly. There was no time to feel sorry for himself. Being the Avatar, He must do what's right for the world's sake. He had to pull himself together in time for the meeting.

Aang slowly started to put on his ceremonial robe. It had a creamy yellow color along with some earthy brown and red tones. These were the colors that were associated with the Air Nomad nation and their sacred art called airbending.

Aang took one last long look at the mirror. He smiled slowly. There was no reason to get worked up over this. He was going to attend the meeting and behave the way a fully-realized Avatar should. Aang puffed up his chest and walked out of his bedroom.

Aang's room was located at the top floor of the grand mansion. He requested the room because it provided an easy way for him to reach the roof, which was a perfect spot for meditating. Aang had been going into the spirit world a lot more lately. He had to get advice from his past lives, the previous avatars, so that he could do a better job reconstructing the post-war world (along with Fire Lord Zuko). Aang wanted to make sure he did everything perfectly. He may be young, but it was his job to keep balance and peace between all the nations.

Aang headed down the stairs into the living room of the castle. As he walked in he found Fire Lord Zuko sitting on the couch. Fire Lord Zuko was a very young man for his position. At age 17, he was the new ruler of the Fire Nation. He had dark brown hair and vibrant amber eyes that sometimes appeared to be brown depending on the light. His complexion was very fair and his body was well toned and lean. He was a very excellent firebender who was close to becoming a master.

Zuko looked up when he saw Aang enter the room. He smiled lightly. "Hey, you're up early. How are you feeling? You're not getting sick on me are you?".

Aang face relaxed a little more at the comment. "I'm fine. But, you don't need to worry about me. How are you feeling?"

Zuko shrugged. "Same as usual. I've got a really nasty headache going on right now, but it's nothing."

He chuckled despite himself. He always thought that Aang acted older then he should, especially now with all the war meetings. Jeez, he's nearly 13 now...Zuko recalled.

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling well, because we have an important meeting with General Shino of the Earth Kingdom. Apparently, there is some new hate group trying to force people to rebel against the new government."

Aang looked at Zuko blankly. There was nothing but confusion in his dark grey eyes.

"I don't understand. A new government?"

"Yes. We want to change the amount of power certain authorities have in our society like the wardens at Boiling Rock to name a few."

Aang felt a shiver go down his spine. The Boiling Rock was one of the Fire Nation's most brutal prisons. Only a truly evil and dangerous person was considered low enough to go there. Now that Zuko had become the ruler, most of the prisoners had been evacuated. There were only a few prisoners that were dangerous enough to be there: The former Fire lord, Ozai, and Zuko's sadistic sister, Azula.

"I see, but what does that have to do with seeing General Shino?"

Zuko sighed while holding up some parchments beside his seat. "It appears this group isn't only targeting the citizens of the fire nation. They have terrorized many people in some major Earth Kingdom cities as well. The group is trying to spread out and expand its resources all over the world. We may be dealing with another global conflict if we don't stop the uprising soon." Zuko shifted in his seat, becoming painfully aware of Aang's silence.

When Aang finally spoke his voice was almost unfamiliar to himself as it was to Zuko. "How long have you known about this?" Aang had meant to say it in a calm matter but his question came out sounding more cold than anything else.

"It's very recent news. The group really isn't as big as I make it sound. General Shino is just making a big deal out of it. He isn't really accepting of the fire nation or its citizens at the moment. I, of course, don't blame him for that. We have a long road ahead of us before the world becomes forgiving of the crimes the fire nation has committed." Zuko said this very quickly, hoping Aang would drop the subject.

"Zuko, I need to know!"

Zuko looked away as he mumbled, "About a month."

Zuko hated the fact that he waited so long to tell Aang, but Zuko knew it was for the best. He didn't want Aang to become too stressed, it would damage his health. After all, Aang was still a kid, even if he did beat the strongest firebender in the world.

Zuko nearly jumped as Aang got right in his face, shouting, "How could you do such a thing! You've known all this time and you wait until NOW TO TELL ME!"

Zuko looked at Aang warily. "Aang, I didn't want to burden you with it. This really isn't a problem that concerns you. I am the ruler of the Fire Nation! It's my job to deal with these issues. If General Shino hadn't requested your presence, then I wouldn't have told you about the meeting at all. You're just there to help keep the peace. It would make the General feel more comfortable, that's all."

Aang sat on the floor and crushed his hands on top of his head. It looked like he was going to pull his hair out. Zuko shook Aang repeatedly.

"Hey, don't do that! Aang! Aang listen to me! You don't need to get so worked up about it. I know it seems bad to you, but my forces have taken care of the uprising for the most part. We just need to explain it to the General so that he doesn't start a war!"

Aang glared at Zuko. "You don't get it. I'm the AVATAR. It's my duty to keep the four nations intact. How am I supposed to do that when you won't tell me about the rebellions?"

Zuko turned away from Aang and started looking back at his parchments. "Like I said, Aang, you don't need to worry about this. These groups are very small and I've already taken care of their areas for the most part. I just have to attend this meeting because General Shino is exaggerating the facts."

Aang slowly sat up and tried to calm himself, taking slow shallow breaths. After a few moments he started breathing regularly and sighed as he settled his body onto the couch.

"Zuko, promise me you will tell me next time."

Zuko looked into Aang's dark grey eyes and saw no compromise in them.

"Fine..."

Aang bowed his head, finally relaxing his body as a servant walked into the living room.

"The Avatar and the Fire Lord are requested in the meeting room," the servant said.

~~~~~~Meeting Room~~~~~

Zuko briefly explained to Aang about the rebellions as they walked over to the meeting room, which was located on the other side of the palace.

"So these groups are mainly located in the fire nation, but some are in Ba Sing Se?"

Zuko nodded. "Yeah, most of the groups are just angry fire nation citizens who want Ozai to be back in power. But some seem to be a part of an organized resistance. It's very hard to decide whether they are working together or not. Most seem to be doing their own thing."

"So the groups mainly consist of angry trouble makers then?"

"If you mean a bunch of lunatics who want to turn the nation over to one of the most cruel and sadistic leaders on earth, then yeah. You can simplify it as such."

As Aang and Zuko entered the meeting room they noticed that General Shino was already there waiting for them.

"It is a pleasure to meet the new Fire Lord and the Avatar in the same setting. I thank you gentlemen for following up on my request. I know you probably have more pressing matters at the moment, so I won't waste your time."

"Oh no, it's nothing. We are pleased to assist you, General. After all, we wouldn't want the world to receive false information on the matter now would we?"

Zuko said this very politely, but Aang noticed the mocking edge underneath the calm demeanor. The General didn't seem to notice.

"And you, Avatar Aang, must have some good suggestions on the issue. What do you think we can do to solve the conflicts?"

"Well, I think we first need to find out why they are fighting. If we can find out in more detail why they want Ozai back in power, we can try to persuade them back on our side. If we are going to settle this, we should do it in a very non-violent manner. The world doesn't need to see another war." Aang tried to say this in a deeper voice, hoping it would make him sound more mature.

"Well, yes that is what we all hope for Avatar Aang, but your method will probably not help in our case. The best thing we can do is build a strong army force that will crush the rebellion in one final straw. That way is much more effective and is what our case calls for."

The General smiled at his own brilliance as Aang frowned since his idea was shot down. Zuko then pulled out a black piece of paper and placed it on the table that was in the center of the room. The picture showed a golden bird which seemed to rise out of the grey ashes that were surrounding its feet.

"My sources tell me that the main group is called LL Phoenix. We don't know how many members there are, but we do know that they are very determined to bring Ozai back to the throne."

Aang's brow tightened as the General got up and began pacing around the room.

"So far we have only seen a group of ten people who are a part of this organization. Apparently, these people dress in birdlike armor and outfits that resemble a phoenix or some other type of bird. But we have only seen two sightings of this group, they don't seem very large in number or influence amongst the other rebels, but they have caused quite a racquet for being established in small fire nation cities."

"Well that makes sense. I guess that is what you can expect from a fire nation citizen these days." The General said this logically, as if he were explaining why it rains or why the sun is yellow. Zuko looked at the General with what appeared to be genuine interest, but Aang could tell he was offended by the comment.

"Excuse me general, but what do you mean by that?"

"I'm saying once a fire nation criminal always a fire nation criminal!"

"Not all fire nation citizens are like that."

"They might as well be. Not to be rude, but do you really think you can change anything? It doesn't matter that you are the new Fire Lord. The fire nation will always remain a nation of evil unless we use force to guide it back to its rightful place in this world."

Zuko growled. "I am doing the best I can to govern this nation! No, I don't expect a miracle in three months but I at least need your support in telling the world that the fire nation is not your enemy anymore. Your feelings of prejudice will only show the world that we haven't changed and that is the opposite of what I am going for!"

"You dare call me prejudiced after what your people have done to this world! Nearly wiping out the Southern Water tribe while trying to lead a massacre of all benders except for all that was in your nation! You sir are no more than a blind, foolish hypocrite!" The General was speaking so loudly that Aang thought his ears were going to pop.

Zuko glared at the General as he positioned himself into a fighting stance, his hands outstretched, palms pointed at the General. The General also positioned himself into a stance, crouching as his arms were facing upward and downwards while his elbows remained bent. Before either of them could throw the first blow, Aang stepped in between them.

"I will not allow this! What chance does the world have if you two can't cooperate? The war would have been for nothing if you guys fight so freely!"

Zuko and the General remained tense for awhile, staring each other down. Finally, they relaxed and settled into standing positions. Zuko held his hand out and the General met his hand with some reluctance.

"Perhaps we should continue this talk later. I think I need some time too...cool off I guess." Zuko said this with a smile, but Aang could tell it was totally fake.

"Yes, we shall continue this discussion some other time. It was nice to meet you, Avatar Aang." The General replied. Then he was escorted out by some servants that had entered the room.

Zuko and Aang then walked back towards the living room of the palace, Zuko grumbling the entire time.

"That was bull!" Zuko said, snarling now that the General wasn't there.

"Come on Zuko, we have to stay focused. We should be thinking of ways to stop the growth of the LL Phoenix group and prevent them from terrorizing the Earth Kingdom cities."

Zuko huffed lightly as they entered the living room. He then groaned as he sat on the couch.

The young Avatar remained standing as he rubbed his forehead. He grimaced. Aang hated getting headaches, but he especially hated getting them when feeling exhausted. The shouting match at the meeting didn't really help.

"I'm going upstairs to meditate." Aang replied dully.

"Don't think this changes anything! We still have to train in an hour!" was Zuko's only reply.

Aang scowled briefly. He knew Zuko was trying to help, but his training sessions were extremely intense. Aang also could tell that it would be much worse this time due to Zuko's foul mood. Aang rubbed his legs as the soreness from yesterday's workout started to resurface.

"Fine," Aang replied as he headed up the stairs.

Aang walked into his bedroom and immediately headed for the window that was barred shut with metal. The metal was positioned in a way so that only a bender could open and close the window, a metal bender that is. Luckily for Aang, he was able to pick up some techniques from his friend, Toph. Despite being blind, she was an amazing earth bender and metal bender. Aang would almost have called her a master except for the fact that, technically, she was too young to have the title.

Aang took off his ceremonial robes quickly, leaving his chest bare, as he climbed up the window and stared out on top of the roof. The palace had an amazing view of the surrounding city. Almost all the shops and homes could be recognized and identified. In some ways Aang thought this view helped him remember the responsibilities he had to these people and others around the world. It was a good spot to meditate, and Aang was going to meditate right now. He knew he would need more advice on how he was supposed to deal with the new rebel groups on the rise.

Aang slowly sat down into a lotus position and pressed his knuckles against each other, waiting patiently. Aang's tattoos began to glow a bright white color replacing the light blues as his eyes started to glow. The airbender's pulse sped up slightly as his muscles tightened and his strength increased.

Aang was almost in the Avatar state when a red dragon came by flying out of control. It appeared to be mad as it streaked through the sky shooting nearly as fast as lightning as it zipped back and forth closer and closer to the palace roof. Aang couldn't hear the dragon though, since he was almost completely in the avatar state and was about to descend into the spirit world. Aang was almost detached from his physical body when the red dragon hit him with such splitting force that Aang was brought back into his body. Bright red lights and golden sparks began to form all over Aang's body as the red dragon went inside Aang's form. Aang's body continued to turn into reds and yellows until the dragon's magnificent body was completely absorbed.

Throughout all this, Aang was still in the Avatar State, but once the dragon finished shifting into him, Aang dropped out of his powerful trance and fainted. His body rolled over and fell of the roof and onto the ground with a loud thud.

Sorry if this chapter seemed really late, but the computer was messing up for some random reason. MY WORK GOT DELETED TWICE! Anyway, please read and review!

Last Edit: June 29 2012