I do apologize for the tardiness of this chapter. Especially since it is a birthday present for Tsukikage1213! Feel free to bombard her with well-wishes! Anyway, read on! Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Fourteen

Gaya

"No one is leave until I get my Moon Crystal!" She then traced her index and middle finger threw the air in a circle before her. They saw the building charge following her motions and held their breaths. Lee's eyes darted between Hotaru and his pregnant wife. Without hesitation the samurai leapt forward and extended his open hand. Hotaru let loose a powerful bolt of lightening which Lee intercepted and shielded using all the strength his telekinesis could muster. Shandrey had to be held back by Katara, Elm, and even Nayia.

"Lee NO!"

"GET OUT OF HERE!" He shouted back. He turned a determined by strained face back up toward Hotaru. "I'll be right behind you!"

"I'M NOT GOING WITHOUT YOU!" screamed Shandrey.

"Elm!" sputtered Lee. His strength could only hold back Hotaru's continuous attack for so long. "Get them out of here!" The red head turned his head back toward the blocked entrance and found an opening through which he could see. Shandrey made up her mind and began to reach for her husband. Elm grabbed her and threw his arms around everyone else. He stole a glance back through the small hole and in an instant teleported away. Hotaru titled her head down at the straining samurai and moved closer. Still he managed to shield against her attack. With a pompous smirk she reared her hand back then shoved it forward; the momentum she brought upon him threw Lee hard against the wall and down beside Ring. Hotaru was enraged enough about loosing the Moon Crystal to Shandrey. Her mind began contemplating the many ways she would force this impudent swordsman to pay dearly for it.

--AA--

Drained as he was, Elm could not go far before his straining powers spontaneously pulled them back into normal space. All four of them rolled onto the snow covered tundra like barrels dumped off the back of truck. Shandrey momentarily had the feeling of being tipsy hence she stumbled on her feet. Her eyes then fell on Elm and her rage escaped her unbound.

"YOU!" With a simple arm movement she raised Elm up in a watery pillar and froze him in place. His face, a hand, and both his feet were all that remained uncovered. Both Katara and Nayia scrambled to subdue the waterbender but Shandrey had other plans. A dome suddenly swirled up and hardened around Shandrey and Elm. Nayia and Katara almost ran right into had they not already anticipated a move such as this. Nayia brushed a hand over the surface and traded apprehensive looks with Katara. Within the dome Shandrey's falling tears quickly turned to ice and she yanked them off her face with haste.

Elm's moveable hand tried to gesture sincerity. "Shandrey…..I'm sorry."

"Oh I'm so glad you're sorry," hissed Shandrey.

"I am-"

"You ACTUALLY LEFT HIM BEHIND!!" She shouted. Her voice reverberated and magnified within the dome's confines.

"It was his wish."

"His WISH?! His wish! Come on…….you really expect me to believe that he just told you to leave him behind." Elm let his eyes close and his hand open and closed.

"Yes."

"I didn't tell him about the baby because I knew-I KNEW HE WOULD DO THIS!" She stamped her foot and Elm felt the pillar holding him shake slightly. Her tears started anew. "I knew he would gladly lay down his life for me, why he thinks he needs to prove it is beyond me." Elm didn't respond. He kept scanning the conversation with a way to cool Shandrey's temper. "Take me back, now."

"I can't," said Elm quietly.

"Oh really?" snarled Shandrey.

"Ring drained me nearly bone dry, if I try to teleport we could end up anywhere. Plus I have to be able to see where I'm going. We're miles away from the Moon Tower."

"If I didn't know you better I would just assume you were making convenient excuses." Her voice shook slightly. Flashes of Lee's face just before they parted kept cropping up in her mind. Elm decided that now was as good a time as any to speak.

"He did it to save you," said Elm.

It did not have the effect he was hoping for. Shandrey's face grew cross again. "So saving me is leaving his child fatherless? Even if he didn't get fried by a bolt of lightening what do you think Hotaru's going to do with him? Just let him walk away with 'oh darn you hindered my efforts for world domination, tsk, maybe next time'." She stepped closer to the trapped Argonaut. "If anything happens to him…"

"What?" asked Elm irreverently. "What are you going to do to me Shandrey? Are you going to kill me?" Shandrey folded her arms. Through the sheer power of her enraged thoughts she constricted the ice around Elm's body.

"I might."

"Oh come…ahh!..Come on Shandrey! It's not like you're the only one who has lost something. I may have just seen the last of my wife as I remember her. For all I know they also have my children. I'm sorry but you're not the type to just go crazy with accusations." He coughed and hacked his words. Small clouds escaped their mouths though in Elm's case it was coming out like chimney.

"You don't think I will?"

"I don't think you will!" shouted Elm. Shandrey's eyes appeared that they were fixing to prove him wrong when Katara suddenly made a 'Katara-sized' hole in the dome. Her wide eyes darted between the two and she rushed between them.

"Shandrey don't do it."

"I suppose I do have to wait until I find out if my husband is in fact dead before I take revenge," said Shandrey. She wanted to throw all of her hate and fury upon Elm. She wanted to bring all her wrath down upon the one responsible for causing them so much worry and woe. But as time went on and Katara continued to stare at her, Shandrey knew that that person wasn't Elm and it never was. It was Hotaru who desired so much power that they were thrust into hell in order to stop her. Her face was like a veil of tiny crystals; her tears were still falling and freezing as they went. Without looking at either of them Shandrey walked out of the dome. Katara's eyes followed their leader until she was no longer in sight then she looked up at Elm.

"You wanna get me down from here?" Katara slowly reduced the pillar around him until his feet were touching the ground and she could remove it entirely.

Outside the dome, Shandrey walked farther and farther away. Behind her, the dome she had created was first relegated to being regular water before it was dispersed into the air. Katara dried her hands using a piece of her own clothing and was soon approached by Nayia.

"Hi, I don't think we've been formally introduced. I'm Nayia."

Katara laughed a bit feebly before responding and shaking her hand. "Katara, I've heard a lot about you."

"Well," said Nayia with a shrug. "You shouldn't believe most of it." Katara's face painted confusion. Elm stepped up beside Katara, rubbing a sore arm and watching Nayia as she moved toward Shandrey. Shandrey stood at the edge of a snowy bluff. As Nayia came closer she hoped that Shandrey would not give in to the stealing temptation to take a fatal plunge. The young ninja turned chevalier stood beside Shandrey and let out a long breath.

"Well, that's quite a view." Shandrey said nothing. Nayia's eyes shifted to her left, giving her only a partial view of her life long friend. "Nice to see you again?" Shandrey finally did turn to her after a full minute. An unusual smile was on her face.

"Hi Nayia, I am…….so glad to see you again." Nayia offered her a lopsided grin.

"Good to see you too."

Shandrey's arms hugged around her person. "I miss him to death already." Nayia silently nodded. "I hope he's okay."

"I think we both know my brother better than he does," said Nayia looking straight ahead. "I haven't been forced to stay in Hotaru's company for long but I think I've come to know her as well." Shandrey looked upon Nayia expectantly. "I don't think anything will happen to him any time soon. She'll definitely want to keep him alive."

"Sorry, but that's not very reassuring."

"I can understand why," said Nayia. "Hotaru is likely to do to him what she did to me." Shandrey turned worrisome eyes upon her friend.

"What do you mean? What did she do?"

"I'm one of them," replied Nayia simply. "Hotaru made me into a chevalier; special lieutenants empowered by her with Firebending." Shandrey's mouth slacked open.

"You-You mean, you're a firebender now?" Nayia nodded solemnly. "So……what, granted the firebending is unnatural but that also means now you can do even more to fight her."

"No! You don't understand!" Exclaimed Nayia. "I am…..a slave, we are all her slaves. I never asked for this or bargained for my life. We are compelled to do her bidding and feel terrible until we do. I don't know how if she can reach this far but before now she could kill me with a single thought."

"Nayia…."

"I know Lee would fight to death before he allowed himself to succumb to such a fate."

"But you're not without hope," said Shandrey. She grabbed Nayia's shoulders. Their mirroring roles of confidant were shining bright as ever. "Moira had me in a similar position and I found a way out." Nayia let her eyes wander downward. "We'll find you a way out too." She released the agile ninja's shoulders.

"So now what?" Shandrey felt a new strength running through her. Longtime friends can have that effect on a downed spirit.

"We head for the Earth Kingdom." The pair began returning to Katara and Elm's company. Nayia remained perplexed on the spot then skipped to catch up with Shandrey.

"The Earth Kingdom? But you do know that it hasn't technically existed for a couple thousand years, right?"

"Of course I do," said Shandrey. She and Nayia reached Elm and Katara. "We are going to where the Earth Kingdom would be was it sill in existence. Since I'm going to respect Hotaru's intelligence, I'll assume she's on the same track as us. We'll run into her again real soon."

"Just as well, there's a loose end I left-" Nayia's speech stopped within her throat. It took a moment for the others to notice that something was wrong. Nayia was soon on her hands and knees, one hand remained aloft and clutching her throat. Shandrey's eyes went wide and in a flash she was upon Nayia.

"We need to get out of here!"
"What's happening to her?" asked Katara.

"No time, we need to GO!" Elm was no more ready to teleport now than he was mere moments ago, thus the proverbial torch passed to Shandrey. Making a ring of water around their group with all the surrounding snow entailed no difficulty in the slightest. Her concentration was split what with Nayia slowly dying in her arms, hence Katara helped erect Shandrey's dome. Following a short wave which sprang from the base of dome, they were gone.

Lee sat across from Hotaru within the tent her familiars and chevalier had constructed for her. Had it not been for the constant gusts of wind blowing upon the tent walls, one might mistake it for one of the rooms within Hotaru's temple. The samurai sat as though meditating; silent and calm. Hotaru stared straight at him, a strange smile adorning her face. Simon stood close by as always; ready to deal several mortal blows upon Lee at the first sign of aggression. Ring soon entered holding an elaborate wooden tray, upon which was a very ornate tea set. Ring placed the tray down on the table before Hotaru and their 'guest'.

"Please, have some won't you," invited Hotaru. Lee's eyes slowly opened. "I know what an avid tea drinker you, I myself enjoy it immensely." Lee's hands didn't move a single inch toward his cup. Hotaru paused on way to bringing her own steaming cup to her mouth. "There's no need paranoia Lee, it hasn't been poisoned." Still he remained unmoving. "Oh come now, samurai. We mustn't forget our manners." Of course she would poke at him in one of his weak spots. Among many of qualities that defined him, a gentleman was in the midst of the top five. He picked up his cup and held it out before him. Hotaru toasted with him and the two drank. Hotaru noticed his expression was somewhat blank. "Not your….cup of tea?"

"It has a bitter aftertaste."

"Well, I haven't brewed my own tea in many thousands of years. Haven't quite had the energy. But this one…." She marveled at the endurance of her new host. "This woman bears my weight exceptionally well. And I'm sorry you don't favor my tea, I have many leaves to draw from as I have quite the garden. Hopefully you will see for yourself soon."

"I do not plan on remaining in your company for long."

"Ohhh, you know my feelings get hurt so easily. More often than not, the few who get on my nerves end up dead."

"Or become your servants?" said Lee. Hotaru recessed in mid reach for the tea pot. She finished the action with another smile.

"You know my chevalier."

"Nayia will have proven far too useful to you to leave her untouched," said Lee. "Is the fate that awaits me?"

Hotaru shrugged. "Perhaps, I already have a samurai at my beckon call." Lee arched an eyebrow. "I believe the two of you are already acquainted; Mifune Masa." Lee's face was quick to harden. "You know him then."

"He is a Ronin, a Ronin without honor."

"Mifune has served my purposes well," said Hotaru. She took another careful sip of her tea. "Should he continue that flawless record I may yet grant his freedom."

"Why am I still alive?" asked Lee impatiently. Hotaru delicately spun the contents of her cup.

"You're actions as of late have…shall we say, struck me. You actually blocked my lightening, quite an impressive feat of the mind." Lee would have looked humbled if didn't already know the action was extraordinary. "You kept me from acquiring the Moon Crystal from Yue; this has only hindered my efforts."

"Shandrey is well ahead of you. You underestimate her abilities; her courage and determination are stronger than your thirst for power."

"A romantic illusion, she can explore the world all she likes and gain as lengthy a lead on me. In the end I will have what I want and she will give it to me." Lee drained the contents of his cup, ignoring the searing feeling of the hot liquid down his throat.

"That is unlikely." Hotaru cocked her head at him. His stone cold resolution toward her was unwavering. Hotaru then slowly broke into growing fits of laughter, until finally the whole tent was filled with her voice.

HO CHI MINH, Vietnam……………..

Especially in a hysterical state of desperation, Shandrey's landing was just as bumpy if not harder on her passengers. In fact, they're landing was so intense they were knocked unconscious. Fortunately, Shandrey had taken Nayia far enough away from Hotaru that her influence no longer had as measurable effect on the young ninja. Katara was first to come back to the waking world. She rolled over onto her back and reached out blindly for any form of a handhold. One thing she immediately noticed was that the air had gone from frigid and thin to humid and thick. She felt the touch of grass on her skin. After opening her eyes she saw they were under the trees of a forest. Using her arms she hoisted herself to a sitting position. The air reminded her the time she, Aang, and Sokka wandered into that swamp and ran up against the infamous 'swamp monster'. Hopefully this would not be the same case.

"Ow."

"Sorry." Katara twisted her head about until she saw Shandrey picking herself up. "I was a little more concerned with Nayia than I was with a soft landing."

"Where are we?"

"If my aim was true, what used to be the inner most province of the Earth Kingdom. Today it's called Vietnam. I know somebody here who might be able to help us." Her eyes roamed downward to Elm and Nayia, both still deeply knocked out for individual reasons. Shandrey reached across Nayia's neck and was happily relieved when she felt a steady pulse. "Guess Hotaru's reach does have a limit, she's returning to normal."

"Yeah, what was happening to her?" Shandrey draped one of Nayia's arms over her shoulder then hoisted her up.

"I suspect either Hotaru was willfully punishing her or being actually being separated like that for prolonged time has that effect."

"That's harsh," muttered Katara. The younger waterbender then heard the tired groan of Elm. He blindly got to his feet with Katara's help and she followed Shandrey on a walk out of the forest.

Contrary to what anyone would have believed at first sight, they were not lost within the dense jungles but only a scenic forest situated near the edge of Ho Chi Minh city. Through careful leading Shandrey was eventually able to help Nayia walk on her own. Elm finally had a chance to eat something and in turn regain some amount of strength. Lamentably though, he was still in no condition for a fight. Ho Chi Minh wasn't the biggest, brightest, or loudest city but it was still an odd feeling for the group to be back within civilization. At times Shandrey could hardly keep herself from frequently glancing at Katara.

The Watertribe teen was entranced the moment they entered the city, not unlike her first reaction to seeing the Eiffel Tower. The throngs of hustling crowds and constantly moving traffic perplexed her. How could people always be in such a rush and still feel happy? This thought among many swam through her head. After a short while her thoughts were relegated to nothing more than intelligible buzzing. They passed by a number of shady salesmen, some of them with wares that made the heroes sick to their stomachs.

They came to halt at a four way intersection. Shandrey squinted up at the street sign, trying to make out the lettering.

"Can you read it?" asked Nayia.

"Uhh, I'm trying. My Vietnamese is a bit rusty."

"Its Paper Street intersecting Sugar Street," said Elm. The three girls regarded him curiously. "I've been here before." Shandrey said nothing. She only resumed contemplating which street they would take. "You're not going to hate me forever are you?" asked Elm. Shandrey swallowed and shook her head.

"Not forever."

--AA--

Shandrey led them down Sugar Street and to a series of unusually designed homes. Undoubtedly the notion of individuality was alive in the neighborhood. They stopped no more than fifty feet from a particular house with several palm trees in the front lawn.

"Alright," said Shandrey. "This guy helped Lee and me several times during our treasure hunting days. If it's gold, fabled, or rumored you can bet he knows about it. There's just one problem with him though." Elm was already dreading the reunion, having the met their contact once before. "He's not exactly what you'd call…..'social'."

Katara waved her hand dismissively. "How bad could he be?"

"Not really bad," whispered Nayia. "Obnoxious is more like it." Shandrey jerked her head toward the house and they slowly walked up the path. The ebony haired woman rapped lightly on the door and they waited. The darkened windows hadn't given them much to hope for. Soon however they heard locks being undone and the door opened. When the door opened they were met with a young man with dark hair which had flecks of grey scattered throughout. His face was gruff and his eyes seemed perpetually narrowed. They immediately focused on Shandrey and she smiled broadly.

"Arthur!" His happy response was to close the door and latch it shut. Shandrey let her arms fall to her sides. She blew a rebellious strand of hair out of her face. "Arthur Regan, everybody." She then bent down and retrieved a spare key out from under a mat which bore clear red letters saying "Home sweet MY HOUSE!" In no time flat Shandrey reopened the door and they entered. Needless to say the so named patron of the house was surprised and infuriated the at the sight of them

"Hey! No! Come on, Shan I closed the door for a reason." His method of speech was quick and slightly pompous.

"Yeah well, maybe some year you'll hide your spare key somewhere else." She tossed him the key and it landed in his folded arms. "You seem well Arthur." He shrugged.

"I do what I can. I'm a business man now. Funny thing, after decades of vampire occupation people are just going gaga over a free market."

"Really?" said Shannon as she took a seat.

"No joke, capitalism seems to be a returning fad." His eyes darted over Elm and Nayia. "Well it is very nice to see you people again. Let me guess you're going to get me mixed up in something that will earn me yet another destroyed house."

Nayia rolled her eyes. "If we had anywhere else to go you can be sure we'd be there."

"Charming Nayia, really. Look just because I'm not really in the game anymore doesn't mean my sources are any less reliable these days. You're in to something way in over your heads, and you guys are trailing a whole mess of collateral damage behind you." Katara and Shandrey exchanged looks. "And since you're also being hunted by assassins, I'd much appreciate it if you kindly made your way to the Ho Chi Minh Motel 6-"

"ENOUGH!" Shouted Katara. The foundations of Regan's house began to shake. The glass of cognac beside him shattered, leaving only the liquid it held. Regan's eyes sluggishly made their way to her. "I am a long long……lonnnnnnnnnnnng way from home. I don't belong in this world, and by the gods if it kills me you're going to help us." Elm's mouth chewed upon a coffee cake he found. He stared at Katara as he ate. Shandrey and Nayia also watched her curiously. Then all eyes turned to Regan, who at that moment in time felt glued to his chair.

"Well, since you asked so politely…"

--AA--

A moment later they were within Regan's study and he was looking over Shandrey's notes and research. Elm was still eating and still regaining strength. Regan wore a set of sleek glasses; they hugged his face rather well. While he read, Nayia sat down beside Shandrey and using a shoulder nudged her slightly.

"Hey, how you doing?"

Shandrey sighed. "Oh, I'm okay. At least……as okay as a widow can be."

"I'll slap you if you say something like that again," said Nayia with a grin. "We'll find the Earth crystal, we'll make ourselves a new Sun crystal, and then we'll kick Hotaru's hot tempered tail back to the Fire Nation." Shandrey let a chuckle escape her lips.

"Did you rehearse that last part?"

"What? No, of course not. You know I adlib everything, Shandrey." The two laughed heartily. Regan cleared his throat. Everyone mistook it for nothing more than a simple clearing of throat thus he did so again with a tinge of sarcasm.

"What?" asked an irritable Elm.

"I've got important stuff to tell you," said Regan. They all took seats around him. He removed his glasses and pushed the pile of books and scripts back to Shandrey. "Well, you're definitely on the right track. Where you would certainly go wrong is assuming that the Earth Crystal is in the hands of some higher being or ancient deity."

"And what does that mean?" asked Katara.

"It means that you're going to need to be careful where you start looking. There's a place not far from here where the hippies and environmentalists 'congregate'. They go to pay their respects to the Gaya or as they call it 'the spirit of the earth'." He could tell they were already scoffing it. "Yeah I know but it is what it is. Anyway, you suggest that 'Gaya' was more or less a mystic like Yue and Hotaru. I have to admit that makes sense; given there must've been mystics for all four nations. I guess I have no choice but to say that was pretty good insight."

"Arthur Regan paying me a compliment?" said Shandrey satirically. "Now there's a new one."

"Yeah well don't get used to a once-in-a-while gig sister, anyway……" He paused before continuing. "If you can arrange it where you can have some privacy, you may just find what you need to make your Earth Crystal."

"If there are so many tourists how are we supposed to make sure the area is clear?" asked Elm.

"I don't know; announce that some big corporation is killing lemons to make lemonade. It doesn't matter what insane thing you come up, they'll flock right to it."

"We really appreciate this Arthur," said Shandrey. He nodded, as though he was well aware of his 'genius'. "But I'm afraid I have another favor to ask you."

"Are you kidding me?!" he exclaimed. "What, just because I'm super curious now, what is it?"

"We need a place to stay for the night. Elm nearly got the life sucked out of him and more or less the same thing happened to Nayia. We need to rest and you're the only one we can trust at the moment." He raised his eyebrows.

"Me? Really?"

"Shocking, isn't it?" said Nayia. He stood up, shaking his head.

"I don't know fellas, I-uh-I…I just don't know."

"You know you owe at least me," said Elm. "For saving your life some years ago…."

With his back to Elm, Regan waved an index finger in the air. "Now see, I was under the impression that I paid back that debt…with interest." Without even looking back at the group behind him, he could tell they were watching him expectantly. He had slightly exaggerated the repercussions of helping Shandrey and Lee; only one of his past houses has been destroyed. He rolled his eyes at his own weakness and lowered his head. "Alright fine, you guys can room here one night." Shandrey let out a covert breath of relief.

"Thank you." She stood up and they began walking out of his study. She stopped abruptly however when something else that had been nagging at her came back with a vengeance. She swiftly turned in place. "Just one more thing Arthur…" The man threw his hands up and made his way to a tray of bourbon.

"Seriously! Just one? Do you promise?"

Shandrey folded her arms. "Do you what the Force of Balance is?" He almost stopped in mid-walk, but he continued and with a short snicker.

"You do know who you're talking to right?" Her slowly shaking narrow eyes telepathically told him she new a very number of names to call him. Still keeping a knowing a smile, he placed a few ice cubes into a glass and then poured his drink. "Let's be fair here…" He sat back down in his chair and gestured to her with his glass. "What do you think it is?" By now the others had rejoined Shandrey within Regan's study.

"I don't know….I know it must have something to do with all four element crystals working in unison. I'm afraid beyond that I don't really know."

"Really? That's it?" The waterbender placed her hands upon her hips.

"You'll excuse me if I'm not an expert on something I heard about not even a week ago."

"Okay okay okay," said Regan. "Here's what I know; once again you're on the right track with your thinking. It does involve all four elements but the crystals themselves act as merely focal points. Here, ask yourselves this…" He said, now speaking to everyone. "Who, in the entire history of the world, has always been charged with keeping it safe from everyone?"

"You're talking about Aang?!" exclaimed Katara suddenly.

"Sort of, I'm talking about the Avatar in general. As you well know, he's not your run of the mill bender. He's unique with a strange ability to go into a state of being where all elements just simply obey him. Where do you suppose all that power comes from?" Shandrey just stared at him strangely. "The Avatar is able to maintain balance in the world through use of the vigor behind his powers; The Force of Balance."

"So you're saying that this thing is basically the power of the Avatar State?" asked Shandrey.

"Sort of yes and sort of no, but I know what you're thinking. Yes, if someone or something like the sorceress Hotaru managed to get her hands on it-"

"Then she could enter the Avatar State at any whim," finished Elm grimly. Regan jabbed his index finger at him as though saying 'that's it, you nailed it'.

"You'll need to keep in mind that what you're ultimately searching for is not so much a tactile object or anything, but more an abstract personification of a state of being." Nayia moved her eyes and head about wildly. He noticed her and chuckled. "Yeah, wrap your head around that for a while."

--AA--

Oddly enough Shandrey was the first to nod off among the bunch. They were scattered about the living room, mostly due to the fact that Regan had forbade anyone take residence in his own room. Shandrey's dreams drifted between being calm and restless. There were times when she felt as though she were awake but completely unable to move, it was a frightening feeling to say the least. Her nightmares dealt mostly with the fact that Lee was now Hotaru's prisoner and Shandrey's imagination was alive with horrible possibilities. The latest was of Lee lying before her with his hand outstretched, as though he were reaching out to her. Just as she would kneel down to help him Hotaru's hand would appear out of nowhere and snatch him out of Shandrey's grasp. With streams of fire burning brightly from her eyes, Hotaru cackled quite maniacally and softly hissed; "Don't worry Yue; I'll take good care of him……"

Shandrey's eyes snapped open and she sat upright. Her breathing was ragged and without a sound pace. She placed a hand over her chest in an effort to steady herself. Nayia reemerged from the kitchen carrying a glass of water and saw Shandrey in her startled state.

"Shan? Bad dreams?" Shandrey nodded with closed eyes. She heard the sounds of Nayia settling back down on her sleeping bag. Just then, Shandrey's eyes slowly opened as epiphany dawned on her. An idea of simplistic yet dangerous terms had brewed and was now coming out in full bloom.

"Nayia…" The young ninja looked up at the Shandrey on the couch.

"Yes?"

"I have an idea."

Not long later they were in the kitchen and Shandrey had just finished informing Nayia of her new plan. Lee's sister stood against the counter, dumbstruck and baffled. Shandrey, who let her weight rest against the table, drummed her fingers against the tablecloth.

"I know it's a little hard to accept."

"Well I got the general insanity, but just in case I missed something could run this by me again?"

"Elm said the man they abducted from his house one of the original scientists involved with Elm's trial experiment. Hotaru can't keep body jumping forever; she needs a body of her own. You said that Hotaru's new body must be reborn and also in essence herself. She would start over as a young child and rapidly reach her intended age. I think if I can take her away from her chevalier I could possibly teach her."

"Teach her?"

"Yes! Do something before she ends up destroying the world."

Nayia paced about the kitchen. "Shandrey, you want to kidnap Hotaru."

"Yes."

"How? When?!"
"As a matter of fact I was hoping soon. She's going to need to perform the necessary ritual soon, and with Lee close to her now that should increase our chances from none to slim."

"Provided Hotaru doesn't see this stunt coming," said Nayia. "What about Elm and Katara? What do you think they would say to something like this? And remember, as soon as Hotaru reaches her target age all of her memories, thoughts, and desires are going to come flooding back to her." Shandrey looked away. "I mean….even if you do turn her while she's young, how do you know she won't go right back to the way she was when the time comes?"

"I have to hope she'll be able to make the right choice."

"She hasn't for thousands of years," pointed out Nayia. "Shandrey I'm sorry, but this is a bad idea." Shandrey moved her shoulders up and down.

"If anything, it'll give me some practice for my own child." Nayia nodded but then her eyes grew wide and curious.

"Child?"

THE NEXT DAY…………………

They took Regan's advice and made their way to many a tree huggers made their pilgrimage. It wasn't necessarily hard to find, despite the normal visitors it was also quite the tourist attraction. Yet another bit of good fortune was the fact that Elm was once again his old self and full of strength. They noticed a stark difference in the color of his face from when he was still drastically drained. They found their destination lay at the bottom of a heavily wooded rock gorge. The way down to the 'Gaya' was easily marked and even bore wooden railings along the steep rock hills. As they approached the beginning of the path they saw it was blocked by a single chain with a sign hanging from it. Elm took a quick read and snickered.

"It says; 'Path closed due to landscaping'."

Shandrey gave a mere, "Mmm hm." She causally stepped over the chain as did the others. The air was now very humid and even the light breezes did little to relieve the sticky heat. Katara especially was not a big fan of this type of weather, having been raised in freezing temperatures her whole life. The path soon took on the image of one that never actually ended but only gave the illusion that it would end. Finally, however, they reached the bottom only to find to park rangers on break. The two men spotted the approaching group. They mouthed several Vietnamese words, all foreign to everyone but Elm; obviously they demanded the group turn back up the path and leave. Time was short, something that Shandrey was well aware of. She quickly approached them, muttered something under breath and as she passed by they fell to the ground unconscious. Katara, Elm, and Nayia walked over the sleeping rangers.

"That was a little scary," whispered Katara. Their path led directly into the mouth of a small cave. The roof of the cave was just barely big enough for them to stand upright in. To Katara's relief it was very much cooler within. A low tone of the moving wind resounded through the small tunnel. Many tiny lights had been placed along the walls, allowing visitors some illumination. Elm scrapped the end of his staff along the cave wall.

"This cave doesn't appear to have formed naturally."

"Maybe that mean's we're on the right tack," said Shandrey. "Hey, look." She stopped and they saw ahead of them a dead end. However the strange thing was that the wall before them was black as midnight and almost had a mirror shine to it, like volcanic glass.

Katara slowly shook her head. "I'm no Earthbender, but I don't think that belongs here." Shandrey edged closer to wall noticed indentations near the ceiling. She rubbed a thick layer of dirt away and found they were actually an ancient script.

"What is it?" asked Nayia. Shandrey was about to answer but a sudden flash caught her off guard. A vision washed over her eyes. She saw Yue's reflection in the wall and a bright beam coming from her hand. It shot up to the small area above the glass wall, neatly carving out the lettering. Her vision ended just as abruptly as it had come. The waterbender stood in place for a moment. None of them had noticed anything out of the ordinary about Shandrey, they continued examining the text.

"Yue was here."

"Is that what it says?" asked Nayia with a quirked brow. She received a light swat from Katara. Shandrey's full attention was on the script; script she could read as clearly as English.

"Here before thee waits Gaya, Arc Mage of the Earth." Like a long awaiting trigger, Shandrey's words broke the enchantment holding the wall upright. There was a loud crack and bright flash. The four of them took several startled steps backward. In awe, they watched as the glass wall slowly melted away, revealing the darkened outline of a person. Still in slack jawed paralysis, all of them saw the wall's occupant fall to ground and actually sputtered a painful yelp. Shandrey began to move forward to help but Elm held her back. Now they heard their discovery utter a tired groan. A hand moved out of the darkness and moved against the solid earth. Katara cleared her throat and spoke.

"A-Are you okay?" The now freed prisoner stood up suddenly, having recognized Katara's voice. In a frustrated huff they stepped into the light with folded arms.

"Well it's about time! What took you so long, sugar queen?" Katara's jaw hit the floor and stared in utter amazement.

"Toph…." Shandrey passed her eyes back to Toph. Indeed she was real and standing very impatiently before them.

Who among you saw that coming? I'll will only accept honest answers, and visa. I do accept visa. XD Laters everybody!