Hey, guys! Here comes chapter 21! Awesome, right? I can't believe this story has made it so far. Well, here are my response for the last 2 chapters.

Jokermask: Yup! You think it's gonna go one way, but it goes in the complete opposite! I can't believe I actually managed to pull off that plot twist. :)

prettyshon10: "Poor everyone" is exactly right, especially with the compound visit. This is going to be depressing for everyone...oh well, let's hope everything turns out fine. It's not like I have the power to make everything happy and fun. The story does what it wants. I just guide it in the right direction. :)

Mz topsy turvy: "island of misfits" lol, nice one! Anyhow, yeah, a bunch of stuff is gonna happen there, but you'll see for yourself. Anyhow, imagine Feng how you want to, but what I meant was this. I originally came up with the name Feng without thinking at all about Long Feng. However, he IS technically in the show. He is the man who says, "There is no war between the walls." I took a character who only appeared for one scene, and I gave him a personality and depth. Hope that cleared things up!

KingKey980: Uh-oh indeed. What Aang sees won't be pretty, and who knows what he'll think. All I can say is that it'll be one rollercoaster of a story…I hope…

squeak squeak: "The worst part is that I love it" That's true for so many stories, and it's especially hard with fanfics, because you can only read a chapter at a time. Ugh! But for some reason, we all love it! As for the not seeing me update for four days, I hate it when that happens! Lol! Anyhow, did I mention how much I love your reviews? And you're very welcome for the belated b-day.

Avatarlover123: Yeah, it does feel like just yesterday, doesn't it? Strange how time flies. I can only hope that I do this story, and the Avatar fandom, justice.

Kira97: I'm grateful you're grateful I'm grate - oh, forget it! We should stop this before we go overboard, lol! Thanks for reviewing!

And done! THANKS FOR ALL THE AMAZING FEEDBACK!

Disclaimer: Still don't A: TLA, but we'll see….all I have to do is get in the Bryke will. :)

Katara found herself yet again standing right outside of Aang's door. At the moment, she couldn't bring herself to go in. She had thoughts about entering Aang's room, but her legs were frozen, incapable of movement. Why was she stuck?! She knew she had to go in, but something held her back.

Come on, go in. It's simple, just walk in and tell Aang about the trip. What are you waiting for? You always talk to Aang. It's not like anything bad is going to happen.

The waterbender sighed. Who was she kidding? Of course she knew what was wrong. She was afraid of talking to Aang after what happened. She almost didn't want to know what he would say to her, didn't want to risk trying to speak to him. If their conversation went south, would she be able to get it out of her head? Would she mess up things with Aang more than they already were? She wanted to play it safe, but she knew she couldn't. Going to Uchiwake was a a gamble she was willing to take, and she had to take this one too. She would have to face the airbender eventually, and now was as good a time as any.

Mustering up all her courage, she knocked.

"Aang?" She called through the door.

A small silence, and then an innocent, almost childish response, "Yes?"

Katara had expected a lot of responses from Aang, but none that sounded so vulnerable. It was strange, as if she were talking to the boy she'd first released from that iceberg, "Can I come in?"

Yet another pause. On the other side of the door, Aang was too busy scolding himself to answer at the moment. He'd sounded so childish. Why did he have to go and sound like a timid wreck? He might as well have whimpered like a rabbit-puppy. Showing weakness in front of these people was not a good idea. He had to sort out his thoughts first. He had to decide who to trust.

Aang then remembered that Katara was still standing outside of his room and finally answered her, being sure to remove that weakness from his voice, "Yeah, come on in."

Katara nodded, then remembered that Aang couldn't see her, and opened the door.

Aang was sitting on his bed, looking anywhere but at Katara.

"Um, Aang?"

"Yeah?" he said, still avoiding eye-contact.

"The Gaang and I were talking, and, well, we think it might be a good idea to...visit Uchiwake."

Aang was immediately alert. He finally looked Katara in the eye, shock radiating off him like a beacon, "Wh - what?! But Feng said…" Aang trailed off, looking at Katara in confusion.

Well, this isn't so bad, Katara thought before answering Aang, "He changed his mind. It might be a good idea. It could help. You never know."

Yes, Aang wanted to go, but he didn't think that was reason enough to change Feng's mind. Surely the hypnotist would have taken more persuasion than that. Something didn't seem right here, and once again Aang slipped into the unease he'd been feeling ever since Katara had stepped into the room. He broke eye-contact once more, preferring instead to look at the beautifully-patterned carpet on the floor.

"A - Aang? Aren't you excited? This is what you wanted! You should be happy!" Katara tried to cheer the monk up, but to no avail.

"Yeah, I guess…" Aang muttered, still very unsure.

"Come on, what's the problem?" Katara asked.

Aang didn't really want to tell the problem herself what the problem was. Instead, he opted to stay silent.

"Aang, you know can tell me anything," Katara prompted gently.

"I thought I could tell you anything," Aang muttered, but Katara was able to hear. The sentence crushed her, made her feel as though each word was yet another link in this ball-and-chain that she was forced to drag around. Still, Katara was not about to give up.

"You can," Katara took a deep breath before continuing, "but you don't have to." Well, I did it, Katara thought, I've given Aang the option of completely avoiding me if he wants. Please don't, Aang…

The sudden, piercing look Aang gave her as soon as she had spoken shocked her. His head whipped in her direction, eyes locking immediately with her own. Katara felt like Aang was, at the moment, able to read and analyze her every single, fleeting thought. It was like all of her emotions had been highlighted, a bright, blazing light making them clearly visible against the depths of her mind.

I guess I have his attention, Katara thought, and she spoke, "What I mean is, er, I understand if you need your space. I'm not going to force you to do anything. Y - you probably have been forced to do a lot of things, and if I were you, I'd be sick and tired of that. Just don't think that I'm gonna boss you around. If you don't want to talk to me, that…that's completely understandable. I won't hold it against you, Aang."

Katara wouldn't have been surprised if a whole week had passed before Aang finally decided to respond, "That…means a lot. Really, it does. I - I'm not going to avoid you," Katara beamed but didn't interrupt the airbender, "but it'll be different, and yes, I know it already was different, but, I'm just warning you, I just took several steps back on the road to recovery, One step forward, two steps back."

Katara nodded, "I'm just glad you aren't giving me the silent treatment. Thank you, Aang. I hope one day we'll be able to be the…friends we once were."

Aang offered the Water Tribe girl a small smile, "Yeah, maybe."

Of course, Aang still had to figure out whether or not Katara really was once his friend, but, as the two of them said their goodbyes and she left, he couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, Katara was telling the truth. She'd offered him freedom of choice, something he hadn't had in a long time. She understood him, and that spoke volumes.

When Azula had busted out of the Rebel Base, along with the Avatar and the now-exposed other members of Team Avatar, Admiral Khon had realized that some serious revisions were needed for his Plan of Revival. He really should have constructed a Plan B, but he had been too confident. Of course, he had paid the price. He had been forced to reconfigure his whole Plan. Team Avatar could mess everything up with what they knew, and if they managed to "rescue" Aang from Azula, then he might tell them everything they didn't already know.

However, regrouping and reconfiguring hadn't been as hard as he'd originally believed. As soon as the Rebel forces had been relocated, another idea had started to form within his mind. It was definitely one of his best ideas yet. It was truly breath-taking, inspiring, and would change everything that Team Avatar had worked so hard to establish. The admiral knew for a fact that this was definitely his best plan yet. The Four Nations wouldn't know what hit them. A new word would arise when all was said and done, just as Phoenix King Ozai had envisioned. Only this time, Admiral Khon would be the one to rule.

So, as he watched people mill about from his high vantage point, he reflected on all the more personal things he wished to accomplish through his plan. He had large goals, yes, but of course, he had intentions of his own; there were scores he wished to settle, and points he wished to prove. He made a mental check-list to sort out all of his thoughts.

1. Lock Azula up in a cell somewhere and let her rot.

2. Get revenge on Team Avatar.

3. Get revenge on all of the Dai-Li agents who betrayed him.

4. Get Aang back on his side.

5. Have Aang be the one to complete goal number 2.

These were some of the main personal gains he desired. Of course, he knew there was a larger picture, such as gaining control of the Four Nations, but he figured he might as well have a little fun while he was at it. He especially enjoyed the thought of having Aang exact revenge u[on Team Avatar. The thought brought a wicked grin to the admiral's face. No matter what, he would find a way to make that happen.

"It's only a matter of time he thought," and he filled the air with cruel, insane, villainous laughter.

He wasn't the only one laughing.

Tension and insecurity filled the air. The hijacked boat sailed through the waters, not a single crew member speaking when it wasn't necessary. The worry seemed to block them from speaking, almost suffocate them. The tension was so thick one could cut it with a knife.

The crew had a lot on their plates at the moment. An unstable, unpredictable Fire Nation princess was threatening to throw them overboard if they didn't do what she instructed as she instructed. They didn't doubt it for a second.

If only they'd never mentioned Uchiwake, and then she never would have the ability to toss them off a ship into waters that could turn violent at any second. Then again, she probably would've found another way to kill them all.

So now, they were stuck on this death trap with the princess, hoping that everything went as planned.

"You're mine, Avatar," said princess muttered, "you're all mine."

"Hey, Zuko, what do firebenders and airbenders have in common?"

"We both hate your lame jokes."

"No. You're both full of…wait for it...HOT AIR! Ha! Get it? Cause firebender and airbender. Hahaha! Whew! Still got it, still got it…"

It was the next day, and Team Avatar, along with Feng and, oddly enough, Momo, had started their journey to Uchiwake. Sokka had been trying to lighten the mood with comedy, but nobody seemed very interested. They were all lost in their own thoughts. Well, all except for Momo, who chattered with enthusiasm and flew circles around Sokka's head. Sokka assumed the flying lemur was just happy to be out and about again.

Unfortunately, the rest of the group was silent, none of them even cracking a smile. The somber mood was like a dull, gray cloud hanging over them, and Sokka hated it.

"Oh come on! That one was pure comedy gold! Hot air! Genius!"

"The only one full of hot air around here is you," Toph kindly pointed out.

"Not nice, Toph, not nice," As hard as he tried, Sokka couldn't get Toph to speak again after that.

Aang was sitting at the front, guiding Appa through the sky. The scenery, ironically, didn't match the mood. It was very peaceful. The sky was bright blue, the weather perfect. The water below them rose and fell as gently as the chest of one who was asleep. Aang enjoyed it, as it felt natural to be riding Appa, but that still wasn't enough to make him speak to the others. He just couldn't bring himself to.

However, sitting at the front, separated from everyone else, gave Aang time to sit and reflect before they arrived at their destination. He could almost pretend he was alone with his thoughts, able to think without being interrupted.

There was a lot for Aang to think about. For one thing, could he really trust the people behind him? How much he doubted everything was actually starting to annoy him a bit, but he couldn't help it. Aang still couldn't trust his own thoughts He didn't even know what kind of bender he was! He could be an airbender, or he could be a firebender, and some thoughts even led him to believe that he might be an earth or waterbender! He wasn't a stranger in his own body. He was a stranger in his own mind.

Aang also thought about what it would be like at Uchiwake. He knew he needed this, as strange as it may seem. These people were like his family, his brothers and sisters. They had all been bonded by the horrors of Dai-Li brainwashing. They were all connected in this way. So, Aang felt it was his duty to at least visit them. He could end up like them one day, after all.

Last but not least, Aang thought of something completely random, the Spirit World. He didn't know why, but he thought about it. He wondered if it was peaceful there, if everything was, for once, how it should be. He wondered if the weather was always perfect, if all the people and creatures were friendly. Aang was filled with innocent curiosity about the place. It seemed to be the only thing peaceful about life.

Hm, maybe I am an airbender, Aang thought, and with that, he rode on. He didn't know what to expect, but whatever it was, he'd pull through as always. He didn't come this far for nothing. He had to have a life somewhere. He had to have a place to belong, and a people to call family.

So, Aang continued to reflect peacefully. He was at ease in the sky. The sky was freedom. The fresh, open air made him feel alive. He could stay up here all day. He was perfectly calm.

Perhaps it was the calm before the storm.

What'd you think? What do you think Azula and Khon are up to? Hmmm….guess you'll just have to keep reading. :)