Avatar: The Last Airbender & The Legend of is owned by Nickelodeon & Viacom and created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

Written by Hyenaprince ,AW, and R-Taco

Fire.

Air.

Water.

Earth.

The elders used to tell us stories of the Avatar, master of all four elements, who kept the world in balance, and the nations at peace. But one day, the Avatar disappeared, and that balance was lost. That was nearly fifty years ago, and now the world has come to the brink of war. Split down the middle and at each others' throats, the nations look to the new Avatar to restore order in their own favor. It's my duty as his brother to try and make sure that he doesn't lose his way.

Book One

Duty

Chapter Three

Brothers & Sisters

The sun had just set on on the Stormbreaker village. The stars were out in full attendance, thousands of them cascading across the night sky. The village was finally settling down from the previous night's crisis. Fewer of the Sandbenders were out that night, choosing to stay close to their loved ones, save for the guards that the Shamans had posted all around the village's edges. It made Shen's sneaking around difficult. Keeping low as he could, he snuck past the slumbering huts, then stopped, placing his back to the wall of a hut. Shen kept as silent as he could, as two of the guards walked past and conversed amongst themselves. As soon as the cost was clear, Shen scurried towards the storage hut where the food was kept. Looking around quickly, Shen made a door with a stomp of his foot and entered. He set to filling the bag he had brought with the barest of essentials: Bread and water. Kimiko said they would stop in Taraz, but they would still need some supplies for the trip there. Taking this food from his people killed him, but he knew that he would make it up to them; if Kim kept her part of the bargain, they would never go hungry again. Shen exited the hut, heading towards where Kim and Poi where waiting. As Shen moved along, he made a mental note of everything he would need for the journey. He got the supplies, and had already placed his camping kit with Azusa. The only thing left was the only real possession he had (sans the clothes on his back). Making his way to his hut, Shen ducked inside quickly. Moving his bed roll, Shen fell to his knees and started digging. Moving sand out of the way to a pile by his side, Shen reached into the small hole and took out a small pouch. Untying the simple string that held it together, Shen peered in at the black sand. Shen smiled, thinking back to when he his father had come back from trading. He called it "a treasure from a distant land". There was nothing special about it, outside a feeling of warmth when he tried to bend it; it was comforting at the very least. Tying the string back on and hiding it away in his shirt, Shen placed his mat back where it was before and headed towards the door. Stepping through the open frame, Shen walked right into Bayar.

"Where are you going?" Bayar said with a raise of his eyebrow. Shen looked down realizing the bag with the supplies was out in the open. Putting it behind his back a little, Shen fumbled for a reply.

"Going to see the Wetlanders. Gonna...give them supplies for their journey home tomorrow," he said, trying to sound as smooth as possible. Bayar blinked staring just a little, as Shen held his breath.

"Alright, don't take to long. The sooner those Wetlanders leave, the better." Bayar shrugged a little, seemingly buying it as he moved out of Shen's way. Shen nodded and walked along, a spring in his step, bursting into a jog as soon as he was out of Bayar's sight. Shen had considered writing a note for his family and the shamans, but he knew they wouldn't understand even if he did explain himself. He could only hope that when they got the supplies they would understand. Shen exited the village, stopping to look around before he went over a dune to where the girls where waiting. Coming up on them, Shen saw Poi nuzzling Azusa affectionately, while Kim stood arms crossed wanting to be as far away from the giant bug as she could. They both looked up as Shen approached.

"She's so beautiful, Shen, and she's sweet to boot," Poi said, as she scratched Azusa behind he horn, causing the insect lay on her side and click her mandibles in approval. Poi giggled happily as she looked over to Kim, who gave a muted look of disgust. Shen smiled a little as he slid down the dune, bag slung over his shoulder.

"How did it go?" Kim asked, looking towards the young Avatar as he joined them.

"Did any one see you?"

"Bayar, but he didn't suspect a thing."

"No surprise there," Kim said with a snort, causing Shen to frown. Seeing this Kim stepped forward.

"I want to thank you again, Shen, for agreeing to come. You won't regret this, I promise you," Kim said, putting her hand on his shoulder. Shen looked over at Poi, who sat on her knees and continued to pet Azusa. She gave him a small smile and a nod that told him she shared the sentiment. Shen sighed, and steeled him self.

"I Just hope Bayar will understand."

"I'm not sure I do, Shen." Shen turned sharply to see Bayar standing at the top of the dune with his arms crossed, looking down at Shen with a disapproving scowl.

"Bayar! How did you..."

"You've always been a rubbish liar," he said, causing his younger brother to visibly deflate.

"The Avatar has made his decision. He's coming with us to train," Kim said, stepping forward, brow furrowed as she looked Bayar in the eye.

"My brother doesn't need you to speak for him, Wetlander," Bayar said with a growl, meeting her gaze.

"Bayar, it's true. I'm leaving," Shen said stepping forward, rubbing his hands nervously as his brother turned his gaze back on him.

"The Shamans already forbid it, Shen. This Isn't like Khan giving us the go-ahead behind their backs to go raiding-This is flat-out defiance. You could face exile for this, and for what? These Wetlanders honeyed words? Is their promise of power worth forsaking your people?" Bayar's accusation stung Shen, making anger surge in his chest, but he buried it down, his eyes looking away.

"The Fire Nation will send supplies to the village," Poi said gently, trying to disarm him with a smile. Bayar looked at her, and his scowl softened just a bit before turning back to Shen.

"So we are to beg now? Sell you to the Wetlanders? Throw away our pride for their pity? Just like-"

"Is a thief's pride worth more then a beggars, Bayar?" Shen asked, cutting his brother off pointedly.

"Shen, I told you..." Bayar began again.

"I know the Wetlanders have more then they deserve, more then they need, but that doesn't mean we should reduce our selves to the same level as the Sand Serpents. We have a chance to make it so the village won't have to be hungry, so we wont have to steal to survive. Do you even remember what that's like? To not have to steal?" Shen's hands were clenched now as he looked at his brother. Bayar stared back, a faint grinding of his teeth could be heard as he looked to Shen then Kim and Poi.

"Fine," Bayar said with a sigh, as he stomped his foot. Over a dune, a bag was launched into the air, Bayar caught it out of the air as it approached. A simple bag, with some supplies and a long wood stringed instrument where poking out. A huge smile spread to Shen's face as he put it together.

"Let's get going before Mother finds out were missing," Bayar said, returning Shen's smile a little, holding out his fist. Shen eagerly bumped it hoisting his own bag up.

"Oh no. No no no," Kim said, beginning to protest, as Poi began to grin next to her, her fists moving up and down in excitement."

"Oh yes. Yes yes yes. You think I'm letting my brother follow you Wetlanders to sand-knows-where without me there to keep your hooks out of him? Sorry to break it to you, but that's not gonna happen," Bayar said with a cross of his arms. Kim sneered but sighed much like Bayar had before, taking a note out of his book, knowing the argument would be pointless. Poi slapped her hands together, giggling.

"Then it's all settled. The new Team Avatar is assembled and ready to go on our adventure," Poi proclaimed as she eagerly went over to Azusa attempting to climb on her back. Not quite knowing where to place her footing, she slipped off falling into the sand on her back side. Frowning with a slight blush as she got up to try again.

"Team Avatar?" Shen asked, looking towards Kim who merely shrugged in response.

He sat in his room, staring at the wall, listening to the ticks and tocks of the clock, every second. It was 7:35 in the morning. He would begin his work in twenty-five minutes, and he would work for eight hours. It was the only part of his day he had any structure, the only part of his day that made sense anymore. He didn't know when his life spiraled down past the point of no return, but it was a long time ago, and there was no turning back now.

7:43

He looked toward his television, and he played the thought of turning it on. This time of morning he might be able to catch the morning news from Ba Sing Se, if the signal was right. But it never was. Too much sand, too much dust. It played havoc with the television signals, or so he thought, He never did have a good grasp on electronics. His specialty was numbers, always had been, always would be. Once upon a time, he was a tax collector for the Earth Federation. But that was some time ago. A lifetime ago, it seemed to him now.

7:51

He was a patient man, he didn't fidget, he didn't tap his feet or drum his fingers. He stood perfectly still, like so much Earth, staring at his desk from his seat on the bed. He was a disheveled thing. Or at least he was now. He used to care about his appearance. A nice face for the masses. They were more content to give their hard-earned money when he was clean-cut, freshly showered, handsome. Now? he had no one to impress, no one to meet. He hadn't even seen a soul in 2 weeks. And that was just the boy who delivered his food and workload. His hair was too long, and dirty to boot. His stubble was dark and thick and itchy. He had circles under his eyes, deep dark craters sinking into his face, seeming to support his green eyes on a bed of dark. What had he done to deserve his post in the Si Wong Desert? Even the spirits shied away from this dust bowl, but that was a tale for another day, another time. It was 8:00 on the dot, and it was time to work. He climbed off his bed, and took the five steps to his desk. He turned his chair, sat down, and turned back with fluidity that came from repetition. He had done this before, hundreds of times in fact. He turned to his stack of papers. Bank statements, invoices, bills of sale and purchase. He was the personal accountant to half of the Earth Federation's ruling party. It was a tedious task, it was a time-consuming task, and it was a pointless task. He knew that now. He knew these numbers were fabricated, all lies to cover the corruption inherent in the government. They thought he didn't know, but he knew the inner working of the EF bureaucracy better than most, and certainly better than them. He was cooking the books, and there was no real reason to, as the general populace didn't have access to these kind of tax records. He was running a fool's errand, and it was the only thing he could do.

10:00

The phone rang, 10 am on the dot. The man stared at it. His phone never rang. He didn't even know it worked. He assumed like the rest of the token appliances, that it was broken. He stared at it, incredulously for the first two rings, before grabbing it and sticking it to his ear.

"Hello? This is agent 21-35ACC of Outpost 77-SWD. Who may I ask is calling me?" For a moment, just for a moment, he hoped his dreams were finally coming true. But the voice on the other side dashed that immediately. It was Agent Chang. The bane of his existence.

"Taxman! How's my favorite accountant doing this fine, fine morning?"

"Agent Chang. How good it is to hear from you." His voice was monotone, dead, but from Chang's voice in return, you think he would be filled with all the joy in the world.

"Well, old buddy o' mine. Believe it or not, we have need of you. How would you like a little break from the daily grind?" Of all the things he expected to hear from Chang, this was the last.

"Excuse me sir, I don't-"

"Of course you don't understand, Taxman ol buddy, ol pal. You've got that tunnel vision. Staring at those numbers all day in, day out, fried your brain. Not that you had much of an imagination to begin with Taxman."

"Agent Chang, I've asked you a hundred times to stop calling me that. My name, as you very well know is-"

"Anyway, champ-Mind if I call you 'champ', Taxman? Course you don't, you love my names for you! But anyway, we've heard intel that a Fire Nation noble was spotted with one of the Ghost Dog Sandbenders. And you weren't my first choice-No hard feelings, Taxy-The fact that you're the only operative we've got out there makes you the obvious choice for the job." He was stunned. This was unthinkable. Never before had he been given the opportunity to leave, and by the sound of it, Chang didn't want him to go. So of course he was excited.

"If you don't want to. We understand. You've got so much important work to be doing. I'll just tell the general-"

"No. Sir, Agent Chang, I accept. I will take this..." he paused, savoring the word on his tongue.

"Mission."

"Excellent." But Chang sounded less than thrilled. Chang wanted him stuck doing pointless, repetitive tasks til he died of old age, or...an accident.

"Mission details are as follows. At 0800 tomorrow morning, a care package will be left on your doorstep. Inside you will find one camera with three tapes, three thousand boscos, and four sets of batteries. You are to obtain video documentation of this foreigner's activities in the motherland." Taxman was hardly listening, his hand was trembling with excitement.

"Success will result in a pay raise of five thousand boscos and," Chang's hesitant sigh was music to his ears.

"A relocation to the accounting firm in..." Taxman held his breath. He waited for the words he longed to hear. Ba Sing Se, say Ba Sing Se, he pleaded in his head, barely able to withhold his excitement,

"Gaoling." Taxman deflated somewhat at that, but quickly perked back up. Gaoling was just a step down from Ba Sing Se. Truth be told it was one Hell of a promotion. He was about beside himself with joy. So much so, that he almost dropped the phone in shock she he heard the next thing Chang had to say. His voice wasn't comical anymore. It was a voice of cruelty, and hatred.

"Failure will result in your immediate termination and exile from the Federation." Before Taxman could even reply, Agent Chang hung up the phone, leaving him holding the phone to his head, staring at the wall in disbelief.

The next morning, he showered. The water was always cold, somehow in this expanse of desert, but he didn't care. He shaved his beard, trimmed his shaggy head of hair, and found the best fitting clothes (he had lost a lot of weight since he'd been stationed here about a year ago) he could. When the clock rang 8 o' clock, he didn't retreat to his desk as he had so many hundreds of times before today, but rather to the door, where a package was waiting, already covered in a soft coating of sand. The messenger was nowhere to be seen, not that he looked very hard. He stared at the package, with eyes wide with excitement. For it was not just a package, it was his one promise to forge himself a better life, his first step in turning his life around. With a smile, he picked up the package, and closed the door behind him a moment later.

Breathing. Kimiko had said that was the key to Firebending. Proper breathing control meant proper oxygenation, which meant proper Firebending form. He sat in the middle of barren rock quarry, just breathing. They had camped there the night before much the chagrin of Kimiko. She didn't grasp the finer points of traveling through he desert, and Bayar's harsh way of explaining the process had done nothing to ease the tension among the newly formed group. If Poi hadn't played mediator it, Shen had expected sand and flames to start flying. He wondered if Kimiko's declaration that they would start his training at dawn was connected. Ether way he had gone to bed excited to finally learn, that excitement was squashed and hour in to his first session, after he realized his training was less about fireballs and just a lot of breathing. Kimiko watched him, silently, shaking her head every so often. It was getting on his nerves a bit, truth be told. She was sitting there, watching him, perched on a rock like she owned the place. It made him more than a little upset, and he wasn't quite sure why. Bayar had done this to him before, and he never seemed to mind it then. Kimiko sighed and stepped down from her rock, and walked over to Shen, her hand on her cheek as if she was trying to think of something.

"Shen, your stance is all wrong." She said and Shen exhaled nosily and let his arms slump.

"I've stood this way for half an hour and you just NOW tell me this?"

"Truth be told, I thought you'd fix it yourself. You have the knowledge of all those past Avatars, I'd figure you'd subconsciously straighten yourself up. I see now that was wishful thinking." She looked at him, eyes burrowed in deep concentration and thought.

"Legs wider" Shen did as he was bid, but with a bit of grumbling for good measure. Kimiko circled him, sizing him up.

"Back straight, arms at your sides, strong, but limber." Shen once more followed Kimiko's instructions.

"Now breathe through your nose, and out your mouth." One breath, 2 breath, 3 breath.

"Good. Very good." Shen wanted to tell her this was the EXACT same stance he had moments ago, but bit his tongue.

"Feel the heat of the sun on your face, on your chest, soak it in, let it wash through you like a gentle wind.

"No offense, wetlander, but we don't have any trouble feeling the sun. It's kind of our thing." Bayar strolled in, wearing naught but his pants and wrist wraps, carrying a pack in his left hand. Shen smiled, and greeted his brother with a nod of fraternity.

"What do you want Bayar, we're in the middle of a lesson."

"Oh no, please don't mind me. I'll just be watching, moral support or what have you." Bayar sat on the ground, a plume of dust rising as he did. He pulled a loaf of bread from his pack, and began to chew it loudly. Kimiko looked at him with anger and annoyance, her lips pressed into a line so thin, you could hardly make them out.

"Fine. Just don't interrupt us." Bayar raised his arms and hands, one of which still sporting the loaf of bread he was eating, in a gesture meant to say 'I wouldn't dream of it. I'll be a good boy.' Kimiko rolled her eyes and turned back to Shen.

"Now, back to what we were doing before we were so rudely interrupted..." Bayar belched loudly, causing Chen to chuckle a little, and Kim's face to flare with momentary anger once more.

"In through your nose, out through your mouth." Shen once more began to breathe, feeling a little better that Bayar was here with him.

"Good. Much better Shen."

"Hey I'm really good at breathing, been doing it all my life. Think I could be a Firebender too?" Kimiko turned toward him, Shen could feel the heat from her anger radiating off of her.

"I thought you said you weren't going to interrupt."

"Well I thought YOU said, you'd be teaching Shen some Firebending. Guess neither of us can keep a promise." Kimiko took a deep breath, calming herself before she spoke.

"To learn proper Firebending, you need to learn proper breathing, That's the key to Firebending. Proper breathing mean-"

"Shen was breathing just fine before you brought him out here. Maybe that pollution your cities spew out got you breathing all wrong, Princess." Bayar said pointedly as Kimiko began to clench her fists and grind her teeth in anger. Bayar took another bite of his bread, not bothering to swallow it before speaking again.

"Way I see it, you're just another outsider meddling in affairs she knows nothing about, and is in WAY. OVER. HER. HEAD." Bayar swallowed, and the two stared at each other. Kim looked at him with a seething rage, and he returned it full force with a quiet disdain. Kimiko took another deep breath, and began to walk away.

"WHERE YOU GOING? You were just starting to make some progress with that breathing. Even I could see it and I'm just a primitive Desert Dweller!" Kimiko didn't turn back and just kept walking, disappearing from sight a moment later. Shen looked at Bayar with eyes wide in disbelief, and Bayar simply shrugged.

"Don't look at me like that."

Poi bent up a little of the stew she was working on, tasting it. She frowned, and reached into her pack, rummaging around through the bottles, and pulled out the jar of Fire Root. A dash of that, and she began stirring her brew, even distributing the tasty herb. She tried it again, and smiled, much happier with her concoction. She placed the top back on the stew pot, and stood up, her knees popping as they unbent. She stretched, and sighed in joy. She palced her hands on her hips, and looked around the campsite.

There were 2 tents, one for the Sandbender brothers, and one for her and Kim. The campsite was situated between a small river, and the rock quarry that Kimiko and Shen had gone to train at. It was quiet, peaceful, and had plenty of water, and she thought she did a good job in making it tidy and cozy. She prided herself in that. Asuza was lounging a bit behind The boys' tent, and Poi, thinking of nothing better to do, went to bond with the giant beetle.

"Hi Asuza, how are you?" Asuza clicked her mandibles together, and Poi jumped a bit. reaching out her hand, Poi pet the front of her horn, and Asuza shook a bit. Poi giggled as she kept moving her hand slowly.

"Do you not like to be touched there, Asuza? What abou-"

"POI! Get away from that filthy thing." Poi jumped a bit, and turned around. Kim was walking back to the campsite, more steam coming out of her nose then the pot on the fire.

"Don't worry, Asuza, I don't think she meant it. I'll go talk to her, see if I can figure out what's wrong." Poi got up and walked toward her friend, and Asuza eyes narrowed, full of mistrust.

"Kimi, what's wrong?"

"Those boys are the most...Ugggh. Why did I ever agree to do this?" Kim said as she plopped down around the fire. As soon as she did, the flames grew in intensity.

"Calm down Kim, you'll burn the stew!" Kim glanced sideways at the fire, and took a succession of deep breaths. It quickly shrank and stabilized back down to its original height. Poi removed the top from the pot, and stirred the concoction a little, before tasting it again. She sighed in relief, replaced the lid, and sat down in front of Kimiko. She took both her hands in her own, and looked into her eyes.

"Now tell me what happened." Kim sighed, and recounted the Firebending session that Bayar had interrupted. Poi was silent for a moment.

"Well, sounds to me, Bayar was way out of line."

"I know! It's not my fault he can't understand the intricacies involved with Firebending." She took her hands away from Poi and crossed her arms, grumbling something under her breath.

"But. Don't you think you over-reacted a little bit?"

"How could you say that Poi? He's the one that came and messed everything up."

"Oh I know, and believe me, I'm as mad about it as you are, but you shouldn't have just stormed off. What's Shen going to think when you tell him to stay calm, when you got upset over a few rude words?"

"I...Well."

"You're better than that Kim, and you need to prove it to them. I know it, you know it, make them know it too." Kim was silent for a moment, and then sighed.

"You're right. I have to be better than that, better than them."

"That's right. Now. Why don't you go over to them, and calmly, tell them that lunch is ready? Prove to them you won't let your emotions get the better of you."

"Aright Poi, thank you. You always know what to say."

"And apologize to Asuza, I think you hurt her feelings." Kim rolled her eyes, but smiled at her best friend.

"You're always so nice, even to bugs." Poi giggled at that, and tasted the stew again.

Before Kim could go and fetch them, Shen and Bayar appeared in view. Poi looked over Kim's shoulder, and smiled her big, goofy, lovable smile. She stood up quick, and waved her arms over her head.

"Hey you two, time for lunch!" The two Sandbenders looked at each other, and ran toward the campsite, eager for more of Poi's food, which, had so far been some of the best they had ever had. Kim rolled her eyes, and deflated a bit, robbed of the chance to show how humble and forgiving she could be. She resented them for it. Poi quickly grabbed the bowls from her pack, and began filling them up with the stew she had worked on for the last three hours. They sat around the campfire, eating. No one said a word. Under normal circumstances Poi would have taken that as a good sign, the best meals stifle all conversation is what her mother always told her. But Poi thought it was deeper than that this time. She had always been good at reading people, she knew when they were upset, and she could see it now, clear as day. Kim's eyes drifted to Bayar, every so often, narrow, and full of judgment. Bayar stared into his stew, but she thought that was just to keep from giving Kim the satisfaction. Shen's eyes darted back and forth between the two, as if by watching he could stop whatever disaster he thought would happen. Poi swirled her stew in her mouth, pondering what she could do to help ease the tension of the situation. As it turns out, Asuza may have thought the same. She lumbered over to Shen, and with a plop, sat down beside him. Shen smiled, and scratched behind her horn. Poi thought it was sweet, but Kim had a different reaction.

"Will you please ask Asuza to leave while we're eating?"

"Nah," Shen replied, "She's just hungry, aren't you girl?" Shen fished a piece of meat from his stew and threw it to Asuza, who caught it in her mandibles, and began to chew noisily. Kim looked ready to vomit. Bayar noticed this, and smiled a little half-smile.

"Come now, Kim," he began, "I hear cities like yours have lots of bugs." Kim turned to him. Poi thought she was going to go off on him, but to Poi's surprise and delight, she didn't.

"Yes, many of the larger cities of the Fire Nation DO have a bug problem. We don't make a habit of making them our dinner guests, however."

"Maybe you should," Shen retorted.

"Asuza's the pinnacle of high-class, aren't you girl?" He scratched her again behind the horn, and Poi could almost swear she heard her purring.

"Well, from what I've seen of Sandbender manners, that seems true." Kim smiled, and spooned another helping of stew into her mouth. Bayar, stopped his spoon halfway to his face, and bit his upper lip. Poi did not like the direction this was heading.

"Hey, everyone," she began.

"Let's take a step back. I'm sensing a bit of hostility, and I-"

"Hostility, huh?" Bayar said, placing his bowl on the ground quickly, and with a considerable force.

"Where might the hostility be coming from, I wonder?" He looked at Kim, and Kim looked back.

"Maybe the Sandbender who interrupted a Firebending session?"

"Or maybe the conceded Wetlander who thinks everyone that isn't her is beneath her," Bayar spat as Kim stood up, her bowl dropping from her hands and spilling over the ground.

"Where do you get of talking to me like that? What do you know about who I am and what my society is?" Kim sneered, raising her chin a little as she spoke, causing Bayar stand up as well. He smiled, but there was no humor behind it.

"A hell of a lot more than you would ever bother to learn about me and mine. You Wetlanders are all alike, you know. Judgmental children watching from up upon your ivory towers."

"AT LEAST I CAN SEE EVERYTHING FROM THAT TOWER, INSTEAD OF BEING CONTENT TO ROLL AROUND IN THE MUD!" The campfire began to dance and sway as Kim's anger rose. If she didn't do something soon, Poi was sure there would be an all-out fight between the two. They took a step toward one another, Kim's fists clenched, and Bayar's mouth twisted into a snarl. "You really are just a bunch of stupid barbarians, aren't you?" As soon as the words left Kim's mouth, she turned to see Shen glare back at her and head off with Asuza.

"Nice going, Princess," said Bayar.

The group needed to stop back in Taraz before they set out in earnest; Shen had only taken enough food to last them the day, and Kim insisted on trying to get her deposit back. The argument from earlier was still fresh in everyone's minds, and the ride was a tense, silent one. The sight of Taraz by itself was enough to ease some of that tension, putting their minds back on task. Azusa descended in the central square in the middle of town, her powerful wings kicking up sand and startling some nearby camelspiders tied to a post. Seeing the beasts caused Poi's eyes to go wide, as as she slid off the beetle to take a closer look. Shen noticed Kim eying the beasts with a grimace, but she made no move to comment. Bayar busied himself by petting Azusa, trying not to look or receive looks form his companions. Gradually the group made their way towards one of the stores that Kim had pointed out. A sign labeled "Māmā & Bābā's General" hung above it. Upon entering, Shen noticed the store was stocked full of imported Wetland goods; No surprise that Kim wanted them to shop there.

"Greetings! Is there anything I can help you with?" an old man said, coming from the back of the shop as the doorbell summoned him. His skin was leathery and worn, a clear sign of being a local. Shen strolled around the shop, frowning at the prices to keep himself busy, while Poi and Kim dealt with the purchases.

"Hello, we're going to be traveling. We need water, three-"

"Four," Bayar barked from across the store, as he leaned against the wall next to the door frame. Both Kim and Poi glared a little before Kim continued.

"...Four weeks' worth of rations, as well as a standard traveling kit and a bottle of Tahno styling mousse," Kim said, pulling an ever-lightening coin purse out of her jacket.

"Weren't you in here a few days ago?" Bābā asked with a raised eyebrow.

"We had some complications," Kim said before shooting a look at Shen, causing him to shrug. The old man chuckled, smiling a little, and set out to gather the requested supplies. The door opened, causing the bell above to ring again as three men walked in. They wore black leather and goggles, their clothing a mishmash of scraps and armor. Two of them carried long polearms, and walked as if carrying these made them bigger then they were. One shot a dirty look at Bayar as they passed by and walked up to the front desk, pushing past Kim and Poi. Their leader was a muscular man with a sharp-featured face. His gold eyes glinted as he grabbed a peach and bit into it sloppily.

"Excuse me, Sir. You need to pay for that first," Bābā said, as he began to fiddle with his hands nervously.

"I'm sure you can make an exception," the man said with a wicked grin as he put his hand to his mouth and blew, shooting chunks of half eaten peach all over the old man. Kim and Poi glared at the man as he winked at them before turning his attentions back on Bābā.

"My name is Zonghuo. I'm an insurance salesman, you see," he said with a chuckle as he walked around looking at the store. Bābā watched him, his face going a little pale as the man strut around his store like he was taking inventory.

"What sort of insurance?" the old man asked worriedly.

"Why, fire insurance of course," Zonghuo grinned as a fireball ignited in his hand. Shen grit his teeth, going to get involved, when he was stopped by a hand on his arm. Looking back he saw Kim holding onto it, shaking her head. Shen looked like he was just slapped as he was forced to watch this shakedown continue. Zonghuo's men laughed as they began knocking over racks and pocketing what they liked.

"It's like this, old man: You pay us a weekly stipend, and we will make sure your place of business doesn't burn to the ground. I mean, in such a hot climate, can you afford to not pay us?" he said, leaning over the frightened old man. Shen watched, his hands tightening, his anger boiling. Poi put her hand on his shoulder, and gave him a pleading look. Shen just turned away.

It was his own fault. It was own fault he was (by his estimates) five minutes and thirty-four seconds away from dying of dehydration. He had been so eager, so excited at the prospects of improving his lot in life, that he had not packed enough water to for his trip. He had not accounted for his near-ancient Satojeep's engine exploding in the middle of the desert. Nor had he seen the need to pack any means of protection against the predators that roamed the wastes. He was fortunate that his minor rations had been deemed tastier than himself by the viperhounds. Let it never be said that the Taxman was one to let simple miscalculations stop him. It had been a long, grueling march, but he had finally made it to Taraz. Delirium was a small thing to deal with, he just needed to keep a cool head and find some water. He stumbled through the town until he finally found a building he recognized as a shop. The Taxman practically ran to the door, his mouth parched, his hands shaking as he reached to open the door. His salvation was delayed, however as the big wooden door swung open, smashing him in the face and slamming him into the wall on the other side of the door frame.

"We'll swing by tomorrow morning, old man. Make the smart choice. Come on, boys. We got three more shops to hit," a voice said, accompanied by laughter. The door shut, freeing Taxman from where he was wedged. Taxman slid to the ground, his head swimming from the dehydration and what he now expected was a mild-concussion. Just as he managed to right himself, the door swung open again smashing into his face again.

"I can't believe we just stood there watching that!" An angry voice spat. A young man, or a kid, by the sound of it.

"It wasn't our concern," a woman's voice said, following his. "More importantly, we can't risk these kinds of confrontations. You have no idea of what kind of consequences could follow if someone else found out that you're the...You know."

"Are you saying I shouldn't have interrupted that yi shi's meal?" said the young man.

"If she is, then me and the princess might finally agree on something," a rougher voice spat.

"Stop calling me that," the woman's voice spat back.

"What, you're telling me you aren't even a princess? There are people from the Fire Nation even snobbier than you?"

That got Taxman's attention. His eyes narrowed as he began to asses the situation through his heat exhaustion. He found her, he was sure of it. Sooner then he had calculated-that annoyed him a bit, to be honest-but he had to persevere. He had work to do.

"I can't believe how short-sighted you are, Shen! Just yesterday a man you helped betrayed you and led an attack on your village. How many times do you have to make the same mistake before it gets through to you?"

Kim's words made Shen's anger swell. "Bayar's right," Shen said, "You think everybody's beneath you." Bayar felt surge of vitality at these words. With a newfound smugness, he joined in with his brother.

"Didn't you want Shen to fulfill his Avatar duties by helping people?" Bayar said, crossing his arms. "Or just YOUR people?"

Kim stepped in close, her finger pointed directly at Bayar.

"Don't you two gang up on me! I'm the only one looking at the bigger picture here! Can't you people see past your own noses?!" Kim said, shouting, bringing all eyes around them on their group. Bayar and Shen stepped back, surprised by her outburst. After a moment, Bayar shouted back the only thing he could think to say.

"What do you mean 'you people'?!"

"Hey!" Poi said with artificial cheer, getting in-between Kim and the Sandbenders. "I bet everyone's just in a bad mood 'cause they're hungry! Why don't we all go get a bite to eat?" Kim immediately cooled down, but Bayar did not.

"Shut up and stay out of this! Nobody asked what you think, and nobody cares!" Bayar may as well have Poi down with his fist. At first, she just froze, staring like a deer-lynx in headlights. Then she bolted.

Suddenly, the group became aware that they had become a spectacle for the passing pedestrians. The three remaining looked at each other awkwardly, a creeping sense of shame on all of their faces.

"Shen, go try to calm her down, I think me and your brother need to talk," Kim said looking over at Bayar, who was suddenly very interested in the sand beneath his feet. Shen nodded, rubbing the back of his head before heading off after Poi, leaving Kim and Bayar to stare at each other, waiting for the other to begin.

The Taxman sat watching the Sandbender and the Fire Nation spy sit down and begin talking from his table on the far side of the inn. He didn't know what sort of deal the pair were scheming, but he was sure it was something nefarious. Maybe the Fire Nation was recruiting a tribe of savages for an invasion of the capital. Maybe the Fire Nation was using them to disrupt the trade routes. Maybe the Sandbenders were selling some sort of spirit super weapon to those golden-eyed devils. He had heard tales of how the wall between the spirit world and the physical world was weak here in the Si Wong. One said a giant owl plopped a giant magical library in the middle of it; Taxman shook his head at the ridiculousness of the thought. Whatever it may be that brought a spy all the way out here, it had to be important. The Taxman got up and walked to a table closer to the pair, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible, but the straight way he moved his legs and the way he bumped into the table as he sat down only drew weird looks from the patrons of the inn. Taking out his ledger, the Taxman leaned back in his chair, trying to listen in on the two. The Firebender suddenly storming past him, out of the building, caused him to rock back too far and slam into the ground, rolling out of his chair. As he was about to climb back up, a loud crash game through the front door and a group of leather-clad thugs waltzed in.

"If there's anybody here that don't wanna burn..." the leader of the men yelled as he shot a fireball into a nearby table, causing its occupants to scream and scatter.

"Leave." He shot another ball of fire into the air as people ran past him, and the Taxman took shelter underneath his table. As the other thugs began flipping over tables, and smashing any thing worth smashing, their leader marched to where the innkeeper stood, his back pressed against the wall. The scared old woman cowered, trying to visibly shrink.

"Please, I'm sorry I was late! I just need more time," she said, screaming as he grabbed her.

"Your all out of time, Grandma."

Poi was sitting with Azsua, tearing the petals off of the wild flowers that were growing in patches near the trough of water. When she heard footsteps approaching, she spoke.

"Go away, Kim." She turned around and was surprised to find Shen walking toward her, not Kimiko. All the same she turned away from him, frowning still.

"I'm sorry. I thought you were Kim."

"Bayar does say I look like a girl sometimes," he said with a small smile, but his joke went unacknowledged.

"Mind if I sit with you?"

"I guess," she said, back still turned as Shen sat down next to her. Shen smiled as Azusa came over and bumped his hand, wanting attention that Shen was more than happy to give. As he scratched her behind the horn, she purred and squirmed closer to Shen. Poi's anger was briefly forgotten as she witnessed the cute display of affection.

"That was a little heavy back there, huh?" Shen said gingerly and Poi sighed.

"Kim's a good person," Poi said, looking at him with a sad frown. "Sometimes she forgets to show it, but she really does want to help people. She wouldn't have stopped from helping that guy if she didn't think it meant helping way more people later."

"I've just," Shen said, "I've gotten used to people like her not caring about people like us."

"You mean Sandbenders?" said Poi.

"I mean everybody who has to live this way. Scraping by, not wanted by the rest of the world. The people that spoiled Wetlanders think of as garbage."

"Am I a spoiled Wetlander?" As Poi said this, Shen felt a bit of shame creep into his stomach.

"What? No!" Shen said, stumbling over his words, "I mean, you don't seem like it. You seem nice. I like you."

"Your brother doesn't," Poi said, as she broke eye contact and began scribbling in the sand. "Don't take anything Bayar says too personally," Shen said, "I think he's just a little too-"

"Short-sighted?" Poi said, with a faint smile. Shen began to feel like an idiot, and began to blush a little. "Yeah," Shen chuckled awkwardly, "Guess we're brothers, all right."

"Nice to see your not as obstinant as Kim and Bayar," she said, almost proud. Shen looked at her in mild confusion. Poi didn't understand why, at first, then she did.

"Oh. Stubborn. it means stubborn."

"Oh, well that's Bayar all right. Everyone called him 'the rock' back home 'cause you could never move him once he thought he was right," he said, causing Poi to giggle a bit.

"Really, he gets it from our Mom, although if you tell Bayar I said that, I'll deny it and sic Asuza on you." Poi smiled and rolled her eyes, a little.

"Yeah, Kim's always been like that too."

"I'm surprised it took you this long to show any emotion other than 'happy'. Even when we stole your truck, I never saw you get upset," Shen said with a impressed tone.

"I'm not one to upset people, never have been. I try not to feed conflict, since Kim already does enough of that for both of us" she said with laugh, and Shen nodded.

"That's a good way to go about it, I think. You're something else, Poi." The compliment caused Poi to blush a little and turn her head, returning her attention to the flowers she saw growing. Beautiful light blue flowers that some how grew right out of the desert sands.

"How are these alive?"

"Those? They're called Huidan, they're just weeds, no real use for any thing, but they can survive for months on just one drop of water. If you see them growing near your water supply you need to ether move all the water or dig till you completely rip out the roots, cause they will drink greedily till it's all gone."

"That's...amazing," Poi said, eyes practically sparkling.

"That such a tough flower could live out here, just like the people," Poi said with a smile as she plucked one flower up and placed it neatly in her hair. Shen smiled, looking over at her in silent agreement.

"Uh..." Bayar's voice came from behind, noticably more sheepish than usual.

As Shen and Poi turned to see him coming down the hill, he quickly turned his head to avoid eye contact. After a moment, he slowly looked back at them.

"Poi, I...I was kind of a jerk back there. So I guess I wanted to, you know..." Bayar said, starting to blush, "...Sorry." Bayar was caught by surprise by a powerful hug from Poi, which sent his blush into overdrive. Sensing his brother's unease, Shen quickly interrupted.

"So, did you and Kim make up?" Shen said.

Bayar's flushed face suddenly went pale. "Huh?" he said, "Wait, you mean she's not over here?" Shen and Poi both shook their heads, now very confused. Bayar realized that they were not at all on the same page, and explained:

"She and I didn't exactly work it out. She said some stuff I don't remember, I said she's an out-of-touch brat who only cares about herself, she got even more mad, and then she stormed off. I thought she was headed to see you guys."

"Well, we haven't seen her," Shen said, as he began to ponder where she went. It didn't take him long, however, before he heard the sound of crashing and fire from a nearby inn.

Shen, Bayar and Poi ran in through the inn's door to find a warzone, with smashed tables, chairs and bottles scattered about. In the middle of the room they Zonghuo and his men, singed and circled around the person the person who they had expected but noit hoped to see.

"You just made the biggest mistake of your life," Zonghuo snarled at Kim, as he punched a fist forward, causing a torrent of flame to spray towards her. Shen stepped forward, swinging his arm in an uppercut and raising up a stone shield to defend her. Kim looked at Shen in shock, but didn't bother to say anything.

"Someone get the innkeeper!" Shen said as he launched the slab with a punch. Zonghuo spun, electricity sparkling around him as he fired a bolt of lighting from his finger tips, blowing the rock apart easily. Poi ran straight for the old woman, ducking a swung staff from one of Zonghuo's goons. He swung again, making her sidestep, causing him to hit a table wildly. Poi grabbed a glass of water and considered for a split second trying to bend it, but instead opted for the most direct method. Poi smashed the glass across the goons face, making him stumble back. Grabbing his staff, she swung it hard, breaking it across his head and causing him to crumple. Dropping the remnants of the staff, Poi went to the old womanand helped her up. She looked up just in time to duck a fireball and see Zonghuo aiming a bolt of lighting right at her. Kim slid in front of them, catching the lightning, grunting hard as she redirected it making it pass safely through her stomach. Kim pointed her two fingers upwards, blowing a hole clear through the ceiling and causing debris to fall onto the second thug. Poi looked at her friend worriedly as she fell to one knee. Bayar looked over at them, and-seeing something wrong-he slammed his foot, causing the ground beneath the three to rise up like a platform. With a slide of his foot, the platform went flying across the ground, moving them towards the door. Bayar turned to see Zonghuo take aim at him and unleash a ball of fire. He tried raising a stone to defend himself, but was too slow and was knocked down by a fireball to the chest.

"Bayar!" Poi yelled, causing Shen to stop and look at his brother smoking slightly, struggling to get up. Shen grit his teeth as he felt a surge of anger and turned towards Zonghuo. Kim's lesson on fire coming to the fore front of his mind as he took a measured breath, a ball of fire erupted from his hand. Zonghuo deflected it, eyes wide in confusion, as another fireball came flying at him. Shen followed that sloppy fireball up by launching a stone from the floor beneath him. The stone made contact with Zonghuo's shoulder, knocking him off-balance, and Shen capitalized on the opening by firing as big a ball of fire he could muster. The fireball was easily the size of Zonghuo himself, who put his arms up to defend in a futile defense. The projectile exploded against him and sent him flying against the wall, knocking him unconscious. Shen panted and looked down, amazed at what he had managed to just do. Looking back, he saw Kim helping up Bayar. Catching Shen's eye, she gave him an approving nod.

The damages to the inn where minor compared to what they could have been, nothing that couldn't be fixed. The apprehension of Zonghuo and his gang was well worth it, according to the inn keeper. More importantly, after coming to see the commotion, Bābā immediately offered the group a discount on the supplies they wanted. At Bayar's insistence, they loaded the supplies onto Azusa's harness quickly, aiming to get airborne soon as possible. They took off into the air, after waving goodbye to the small group of gathered spectators. As they took off into the air, Kim took a moment to speak before the awkward silence could set back in.

"Listen, Bayar," she began, before Bayar held up his hand to silence her. She she let him go first, expecting an apology.

"Don't even start, Kimiko. We both know neither of us are sorry for our behavior." Kim was surprised at his words, but kept quiet. He sighed shaking his head then continued.

"We may never get along, we may never see eye to eye, and that's fine." Kim continued staring at him, wondering where this was going.

"I don't like you, and you don't like me, but I understand that you're doing this to help people, in your own, stuypid way. I also understand that...I have been...difficult. But in the desert you learn to put what you want and what you think is right behind you for the sake of the village. No one can afford to be selfish, and this group can't afford to have us all at each other's throats. I can't say I'll ever trust you, let alone call you a comrade, but for the sake of what we're trying to do let's agree to keep the fighting separate from my brother and Poi." Bayar exhaled like he had just had to reset a bone, and honestly Kim was impressed. To hear this coming out of Bayar, well, he wasn't quite the knuckle-dragger she took him for. She bit back the urge to tell him this, of course.

"Yeah, I think that would be best," she said simply. Bayar nodded a little and continued.

"So, we're in agreement. We don't bring our feelings for each other, no matter how justified mine may be-"

"Or mine."

"...In-between us and those we love," Bayar said, before he spit into his palm and outstretched his hand. Kim hesitated for a moment before repeating the gesture, and shook it.

"This will probably be the only thing we agree on, Bayar," she said with a grimace on her face as she wiped her hand clean.

"Oh, more than likely," Bayar said as he downed some water from his canteen.

"I have something to say, too," Kim said, nodding as all eyes set on her.

"Poi, You know I'm not very good at apologies, but I'd like to tell you and Shen I'm sorry for how I have acted."

"Oh? Well I'm listening," Poi said placing her hands in her lap, as Kim looked at her, sternly, and continued.

"I acted like a real jerk, and I was way out of line. I'm sorry it got as bad as it did and it shouldn't have ever started."

"And?" Poi grinned, and Kim took a deep breath.

"AND, you mean a lot to me, and I hate making you upset, and I hope we can put this behind us and make up."

"Aaaaaaand?" Shen said, with a small smirk as he joined in on the fun.

"And Shen, I'm sorry if I tried to stop you from doing the right thing. I am your teacher, not your mother. I have to remember this."

"A-" Poi started, but Kim looked at her, red in the face with exasperation and embarrassment. She hated admitting she was wrong, and hated that Poi knew it. She held up her hand, palm flat and toward causing the younger girl to laughed.

"I accept your apology, Kim," Poi said her big smile returning to her face.

"Me too," Shen said, with a nod and Kim sighed in relief. Shen then turned to Bayar, with Poi looking over his shoulder as eyes were now on him.

"You were acting like a rock again. You know that, right?" Shen said, as if stating the sky was blue.

"Yup," Bayar said in a simple reply as he crossed his arms.

"You know you were out of line, right?"

"Yeah, probably."

"You gonna be less of a camel-donkey?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks. Love you, man."

"You too." With that, the brothers shared a fist bump, causing Poi and Kim to look completely dumbfounded at the exchange. Poi slowly began to giggle, and despite herself Kim found her self joining in. Shen looked at them wondering what was so funny as Bayar looked away hiding a blush. Shen looked over to Kim, as the laughing subsided.

"So, how would you rate my first real Firebending?" Shen said with a small smile.

"Sloppy, but at least you didn't light yourself on fire. So above average."

"Baby steps," Bayar said, grinning at Shen and then the rest of the group as Azusa flew forward across the sands.

As he watched the beetle disappear over the horizon, his heart fluttered. He had taken a chance after one of those hooligans had knocked him into a table. He had no way of knowing what giant boon would have been gained from hiding under a table and watching a brawl between benders. He had gone unnoticed, and nearly had his head taken off by a rock, as well as nearly being lit on fire when the table he hid under caught aflame. But that risk had payed off. He wasn't dealing with some mere Fire Nation reconnaissance. No, what he had in his lap was worth far more than a simple posting in Gaoling. What he had found would bring him right to the steps of the Ba Sing Sei capital. What he found would make Chang toss him self off a balcony with envy! What he found would change the world entirely. A simple Taxman had found the Avatar.