After a long climb to the blustery peak with the wind rippling and stretching the yellow fabric of his clothes, Aang paused to gaze at the wide expanse of the world around him. The aged stone architecture of the Eastern Air Temple was cut into the jagged teeth of the mountains, where the fading daylight cast long shadows into the rocks. Encircling them were long, rolling expanses of wild tundra. He inhaled deeply, letting the natural beauty calm his troubled spirit.

Then, something unexpected happened. For just an instant, the plains became a shadowed, barren wasteland; the grass was burned away, and the mountains were bare and cold. Gasping, the little monk blinked and rubbed his eyes. As quickly as it had come, the vision was gone.

"I have seen it too," the sinewy sage assured him. "This mountain is a sacred place. Here, one can see past the illusion of time, and even glimpse possible futures."

Aang whirled around to face the guru. "What happened? In my vision, everything was dark, and dead."

"Your vision was a future in which the Avatar failed to defeat the Fire Lord," Pathik revealed. "In that future, Fire Lord Ozai used the energy of the comet to scorch the land and dry up the rivers. Many people died; not as a result of fighting, but because of the terrible famine that followed such unrestrained destruction."

The Avatar shuddered with the thought. "You said the mountain shows 'possible futures,'" the boy echoed. "So, that means the future isn't decided yet. It can still be changed."

"Indeed. I have seen many possibilities for the final battle. In each one, you could only defeat Fire Lord Ozai if you had complete mastery of your Avatar state. That is why, if you wish to bring balance to the world, you must become a fully-realized Avatar."

The boy's jaw dropped with panic. "What? How am I supposed to do that? I don't have time to learn firebending before the comet arrives!"

"Learning the bending arts is not the same as becoming a fully-realized Avatar," Guru Pathik patiently explained. "The bending disciplines are merely a foundation, a stepping stone, to help us understand our relationship to nature and to one another. Remember, the greatest illusion of this world is the illusion of separation. Just as the four elements are truly one and the same, so you are one with all your past lives as the Avatar. Their wisdom lives in you."

"But how can I connect with them?" Aang wondered aloud. "Every time I've talked to Avatar Roku, I've been inside the spirit world. If my past lives are just a part of me, why has it been so hard to get in touch with them?"

"In order to learn the lessons of each new lifetime, our souls temporarily forget their true nature. The body and the mind take over, and over time, they come to believe that they are all that makes you who you are. That is when the illusion of separation is strongest. But when you release your fears and attachments, the illusion fades away, and you become one with your spirit once more."

Aang nodded. He remembered the monks saying that one had to abandon fear to be a bender. "So, the reason I can't contact my past lives directly is because of fear?"

"Exactly. All the power you need to face and defeat the Fire Lord is already there, inside you. But first, you must face and defeat the darkness within. You must overcome your deepest fears." The sage's sun-weathered face turned grim. "Clearing the chakras will be much more difficult this time. You will be tempted to run away and hide from the truth, but you must confront and embrace all the aspects of yourself. It is the only way you can attain oneness with your previous incarnations, and with your Avatar state."

"I'm not running away anymore." The Avatar's childlike face hardened with determination. He sat lotus-style and faced the guru. "Let's do this."

Pathik nodded, handing him a bowl of onion and banana juice. Aang drank it down without complaint, then pushed the bowl away. The guru studied him closely, noting the change in the young Avatar's grey eyes. They were gravely serious now, almost desperate. Maybe he is ready, the guru perceived.

Seating himself across from the boy, Guru Pathik began the laborious work of guiding him through his chakras once more. This time was far more challenging, as Aang's blocks had grown more complex and deeply rooted. He had new fears, new guilts, new shames, and new sorrows that all had to be worked through.

Day faded into night as the Avatar struggled to release all that held him back. The intensity of it was overwhelming. The last time they had done this, it had been slow and gentle. Then, they had divided the chakra clearings into different days and locations. But there was no time for that now. This was only happening because of Aang's refusal to finish before. He had to see it through, no matter what.

By the time Aang felt the release in his brow chakra, it was nearly morning, and the darkness was fading. Both he and the guru were exhausted.

"Have to keep going," Aang murmured, to himself as much as to Pathik. Still, his eyelids fluttered with sleep. After a quick breather and some onion and banana juice for sustenance, Aang forced his eyes open. "I have to finish this."

The guru nodded. "Meditate on your attachment to this world. See it clearly in front of you."

Aang closed his eyes and absorbed himself in the glowing purple apparition that unfolded from his subconscious mind.

"Now, make the choice to release it, fully and freely," Pathik's voice directed. "Feel each of the ties that bind you to that attachment coming undone like silken threads, slipping away, lost and forgotten..."

Fully entranced in the vision, Aang saw Katara in front of him, chained to the walls of his old room in the Southern Air Temple. She was wearing long, loose robes instead of her Water Tribe attire, and he could hear her weeping. Her head was turned away.

"Katara?" he asked, coming closer. "What's wrong?"

She turned and faced him with such despair in her eyes that Aang took a step backwards. So grief-stricken was her face that it took him a moment to notice that her hairline had been shaved back to reveal an arrow tattoo. In place of her mother's necklace, a string of wooden rosary beads with an airbending symbol hung down to her chest, folding in her shoulders like a dead weight.

"Why, Aang?" she accused softly. "Why have you done this to me?"

"I didn't do this! Katara, I love you. I would never hurt you!" Aang insisted.

"Then help me!" she cried, rattling her wrists in their shackles. "You have the key. It's there in your hands. Let me out of here!"

He opened his hand in the vision to find a key resting in his palm. He deliberated for a moment, then squinted his eyes shut and closed his fingers back around it. "But if I let you go, you'll leave me," he murmured, realizing his greatest fear. It wasn't fighting the Fire Lord. It was being alone.

"Trying to force someone to be all yours isn't love, Aang," she replied with feeling. "I know you've been lonely and scared, but this isn't the answer. Is this really what you want me to become?"

In the real world, Guru Pathik saw tears streaming down Aang's cheeks. He sensed the Avatar's pain, but he would not interfere. He had to overcome this on his own.

"No," Aang said with regret. "When I found out the Air Nomads were gone, I thought I was all alone in the world. Then you came along and made me part of your family. I was afraid of losing you, too, and I wanted to keep you all to myself. But you have the right to choose your own life."

Aang unlocked her shackles, catching her as she dropped like a limp doll with the weight of the airbender beads around her neck. "You're free, Katara," he murmured, lifting the rosary necklace away and throwing it aside. "I'm letting you go."

When Katara looked up, she was herself again, and the smile that broadened her cheeks was so heart-filling that even Aang had to be happy for her. As she stood, her clothes transformed back into her Water Tribe garments, her shackle-sores healed, the arrow faded and her hair grew back into place. "Thank you, Aang," she whispered, her form dissipating blissfully out the window and into the night sky.

Suddenly the stars seemed to shine brighter. Aang realized that he was being propelled upwards towards them, hurtling up into space. The luminescent form of the Avatar Spirit hovered above him in the cosmos, awaiting his return. Aang followed the silver cord towards it and stepped into the sphere of light in its vast, shimmering hands.

A great radiance spiraled out from the mountaintop. The tattoos on Aang's forehead, arms and feet began to glow. The guru stood and watched in reverence as the Avatar began to float off the ground, rising in a shaft of light.

ooo LL ooo

Just after sunrise, Toph set off along with Haru and his father. She couldn't see the green knolls undulating around the dirt path they walked, but she could feel them, and she could smell the wildflowers as they caught in a gentle breeze.

"We were all pretty tired last night," Haru began conversationally as Tyro strode ahead of them, "so we didn't get to know much about each other. Where are you from, Toph?"

Questions. Oh, boy. Toph puffed air out of one cheek. "Shijou," she replied dully, not wanting to think about the grand estate where she'd been confined until she met the Avatar.

"That's a pretty big city. It's where they hold Earth Rumble, isn't it?" The long-haired young man smiled with interest.

"Yeah. That's the place, all right." Yet another place I can never go back. "Have you been there?"

"No. I always wanted to go, though," he admitted. "I'll bet the tournaments are really exciting. Have you ever been to them?"

"Once or twice," she demurred. Proud as she was of her reputation as the Blind Bandit, she couldn't bring herself to say too much about her past to this Haru kid - at least, not yet. "So, what about you? Where are you from?"

"Sekitan. It's a mining town in the southern Earth Kingdom. Have you heard of it?"

"I think so. That's where the Earth Kingdom gets most of its coal, right?"

"I'm impressed. Most people don't know much about the Earth Kingdom's natural resources," Haru complimented.

Toph smiled a little.

"Until a few months ago, it was occupied by the Fire Nation," he told her. "They took away all the earthbenders and forced them to work as slaves on a coal rig out in the sea. My dad was one of them. Near the end, they caught me too."

"You were a prisoner?" It didn't seem right that the Fire Nation would sentence him to hard labor. Haru was barely older than Sokka.

"Yeah." He clenched his fists at his sides. "They tried to take our bending away. They tried to make us hide who we really were. They did it to break our spirits. And it almost worked."

Toph drew in a sharp breath. Though she couldn't tell by his tone of voice or even his breathing, she could feel Haru's anger speeding up his heart. She knew exactly how that felt - to have to hide her earthbending and pretend she was helpless. The Fire Nation did to Haru the same thing my parents did to me, and he was in prison. The comparison was troubling. "How did you escape?"

"A girl I was friends with got herself arrested so she could find me. Then she started an insurrection. She inspired us to believe in ourselves again and fight for our freedom." Haru brightened at the memory. "It was incredible. We used the same coal the Fire Nation soldiers made us dig to fight them, and we won."

"Wow," Toph said, giving a low whistle. "That girl sounds pretty amazing."

"She is," Haru grinned, making her feel strangely envious. "I've never met anyone like her. She's strong and brave, but she's also kind."

"So… where is she now?" the blind girl couldn't help asking.

"I don't know," he replied honestly. "After we escaped the rig, my father and I asked her to come with us, but she couldn't. I know I'll probably never see her again, but I'll never forget what she did for me and my family."

Family. Just the word made Toph wince. Between Aang and her parents, the concept had come to mean something uncomfortable and even painful.

"So, tell me about your family," Haru implored, not seeing Toph bristle. "Why aren't they coming with you to fight the Fire Nation? Are they not earthbenders like you?"

"Well…" Toph began awkwardly. She didn't want to lie to Haru. He seemed like a really decent person; actually, the best she'd met, with the possible exception of Iroh. But she didn't want to talk about her family drama or her problems with Aang, either. "They're not earthbenders," she finally shrugged.

"My mom isn't an earthbender, either," her new friend revealed. "My dad taught me everything I know about bending. He started teaching me when I was still really little, so earthbending became a natural part of me, like walking or breathing." A warm chuckle escaped him. "Mom used to get really mad because I wouldn't wear shoes back then, even in the house. I tracked dirt all over her floor. It drove her crazy."

Toph gave a wistful smile. "You're really lucky. I used to wish at least one of my parents was an earthbender, so they could understand me better."

"Oh, do you and your parents not get along?" He gave her a sympathetic look, though it took him a moment to remember that she couldn't see it.

"Not exactly." Her chin drooped into her chest. They were catching up with Tyro, and she was thankful that Haru dropped the subject before they came up behind his father.

"So, who taught you how to earthbend?" he asked instead.

"Badgermoles." She thought she heard music in the distance. Weird. There were some people coming towards them, but they were moving slowly, swaying in an almost serpentine manner… dancing?

Haru laughed. "Badgermoles? You're kidding, right?" When she shook her head, his jaw dropped. "That's amazing! It's like something out of a story!"

"It is something out of a story - a very old story, in fact," Tyro said, turning his chin over his shoulder to address them as the group of travelers Toph had sensed came into view. "The story of the very first earthbenders, the lovers Oma and Shu."

"Hey, did somebody say Omashu?" a tinny male voice asked. "Isn't that where we're going? Ah, man, I can never remember." The voice belonged to a man with peculiar blue and yellow robes, a white lei hanging around his neck, and a sort of feathered crown resting above a very laid-back face. "Hey, fellow travelers!"

"Hello," Tyro greeted them. "Did you say you were on your way to Omashu? If so, you're headed in the wrong direction. Omashu is that way."

"Oh, thanks!" the strange man laughed. "Say, that was really helpful. What can we do you for in return, man?"

"Your thanks is enough," Tyro assured him, "we are in a hurry, and need to be on our way."

"Aw, surely you don't have to go just yet?" a corpulent, pink-faced man with an ever-present smile asked. "How about a song first? Chong?"

"Hey-hey, great idea, Moku!" said the first man, strumming a little on his guitar. "Why don't we sing that song about Omashu?"

"The Purple Pentapox Shuffle?" asked the somewhat dazed-looking woman with them.

"Nah, not that one, Lily. It's about the plague, man. Creepy stuff." Chong shivered. "No, how did that one go… oh, yeah, I got it!"

Haru and Toph made little faces of disbelief as Chong began to sing, and the others danced and played.

"Two lovers, forbidden from one another,

A war divides their people, and a mountain divides them apart.

Built a bridge to be together…

SECRET TUNNEL! SECRET TUNNEL! THROUGH THE MOUNTAIN!

Secret secret secret secret TUNNELLLLLLLLL! Yeah."

Chong looked up expectantly with a smile as he finished his long cadenza, but blinked a few times to see that he wasn't exactly getting thunderous applause. "Huh. I thought that was better than last time. Oh, well. Better get going. Take care, road-people!" He and his friends danced off towards Omashu, disappearing over the hill with the sounds of guitars and tambourines fading behind them.

"That guy," Toph declared unequivocally once they were out of earshot, "was weird."

Tyro raised an eyebrow. "Which one?" The three of them shared a laugh, and Toph was surprised to find that her smile didn't fade, even when the joke was over.

ooo LL ooo

It had been a long, silent day's ride as Katara, Zuko and Iroh moved northeast from Daopeng. They had passed over rolling green hills, between waving fields and fish-ponds, before settling onto a little knoll by a thin, winding brook. There, they could refill their flasks and the ostrich-horses could drink. The three dismounted and walked around to loosen their stiff joints.

Katara glanced at Iroh meaningfully. She still didn't understand the cause of the heavy, quiet tension that had fallen over him and his nephew. The old man looked sadly back at her, then turned to eye Zuko. He had wandered off on his own, his head hanging low.

The waterbender bit her lip. If she and Zuko had been alone, she wouldn't have hesitated to ask him what was wrong, but now wasn't the time or place. Leaving him be, she settled into the routine task of cooking. Iroh offered to help, but when Katara insisted she was used to making the food herself, he contented himself with starting a fire and making tea for them instead.

As the last bit of daylight was fading from the horizon, Zuko came back, still not quite himself. "I'll set up the tents," he suggested.

"You don't have to," Katara reassured him, "it's warm and the sky is clear. We can sleep in the open. Here, sit down. Dinner's just about done." She stirred the stew a few more times before pouring them each a bowl, and sitting back with them around the fire.

"This is really good," Zuko commented when they were nearly finished.

"I'm glad you like it," she murmured, daring a smile. The boy with the scar tried feebly to return the gesture, but the corners of his mouth did little more than twitch.

A few more minutes passed in silence before Iroh stretched his arms and patted his round belly. "Katara, that was excellent. If I had known you could cook like that, we might not have eaten in those inns on the way here."

She grinned at the compliment. "Thank you, Iroh."

"And now, I think I'd better turn in for the night," he said with an exaggerated yawn. "I just can't… seem to stay awake…" The corpulent old man snuggled himself into his sleeping bag and promptly began to snore.

Zuko gave a well-meaning scoff. "Uncle can sleep through just about anything, but I've never seen him doze off that fast. Did you put chamomile in the stew?"

Katara shook her head. "I think he's trying to give us some privacy," she said in a low voice, so only Zuko could hear.

"Oh! Right," he agreed, embarrassed that he hadn't caught onto Uncle's trick.

She took his bowl and set it aside with hers, then came to sit beside him. To her surprise, Zuko looped an arm around her waist and drew her nearer. Katara rested her head on his shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?" she whispered.

"What?"

"Whatever's bothering you."

The young firebender sighed heavily. "Just family drama is all. Sometimes I think the Ember Island Players could do a whole series just based on my messed-up family."

"The Ember Island Players?"

"This acting troupe in the Fire Nation my mom used to make us go see. They were terrible." He sneered at the memory. "Anyway, I don't want to talk about them, or my family. Not tonight."

"Okay. So, what do you want to talk about?"

"There's something I need to tell you. Actually, it'd probably be easier just to show you." He stood and went to retrieve an object from his bag. "Close your eyes, Katara. And don't peek."

Puzzled, she draped her hands over her eyes. "All right, I'm not looking."

Zuko came to kneel in front of her. He took her hands in his and parted them from in front of her face, where her eyelids were still shut. "Okay. You can open them now."

Katara's eyes fluttered open, and she sucked in a sharp breath. The face staring back at her was not that of Prince Zuko, but of the man who had rescued her and the Kyoshi warriors on his ship. She was looking directly into the face of the Blue Spirit. "Zuko?"

The masked man nodded. "Yeah. It's me."

"Then it was you," she gasped, taken aback. "That night, on the ship. You saved us."

"I wanted to tell you," he replied grittily, "it just wasn't safe."

Katara glanced over at Iroh's huddled form, wondering if he was asleep or just faking it. "Does your uncle know?"

"Yeah. He's known for a long time now." He let go of Katara's hands so he could remove the mask, then stared into her curious blue eyes. "When we were in the cave together, I was ashamed of my face. Now, I've worn this mask so much that it almost feels like it's become my face. I'm not sure who I am anymore."

"I know who you are, Zuko," she assured him softly. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

His amber eyes shone. "I still can't believe you left the Avatar behind, just for me."

"It wasn't just for you. It was for me, too." She pursed her lips, gathering her thoughts. "For so long now, I've lived my life based on what other people needed. I was afraid that if I didn't help everyone else first, I was being selfish. I wouldn't have even gone to the North Pole to learn waterbending if Gran-Gran hadn't told me it was okay for us to go and help Aang."

"But you have a gift," he pointed out. "A gift your mom gave her life to protect."

"I know," the waterbender said guiltily. "I was just so busy taking care of everyone else that I never stopped to think about what I needed or wanted for myself. Until I realized how I felt about you."

Zuko exhaled softly. His heart felt lighter than it had in ages. "I guess I shouldn't be bitter that you beat me at the North Pole, then," he teased.

Grinning, she arched an eyebrow. "Oh, is that your way of asking for a rematch?"

"No. This is." Grabbing her waist, he yanked her towards him and pinned her beneath his chest, foisting a quick kiss on her lips. "Tag. You're it."

"Oh, you're getting it for that!" Katara laughed, getting up to chase him.

Tucked away in his sleeping bag, Iroh smiled.