Same two people, Wavebreeze and A711owner, reviewed the fic. This time, I'm going to do something different, as I decided to put two people into one chapter. It's mainly due to their similar histories, and the inspiration of this actually came from a few fics I read on the two characters.

So here you go, Haru the stay-at-the-ground earthbender, and Teo the high-flying paraplegic, will share the spotlight in this chapter. Let's see how you guys think about this chapter.

Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko own Avatar.

Teo's POV

"Go Teo! Show that bald kid how it's done!" I heard my friends shout from the stone steps of the large plaza-like opening before my home. My father, who I consider as the greatest inventor in the world, created machines that allowed us to take to the skies. In fact, we had been using these new gliders for quite some time now.

But the sudden presence of this boy dressed in an unusual orange and yellow tunic challenging my flight pattern with unabated ferocity only made me more determined. I was the first person to receive the ability of flight, with my father attaching a series of bars with fabric-like wings to my wheelchair. I lost my ability to walk since I was a toddler, so for me, mimicking air benders with flight wasn't just a hobby, it was freedom. When I was in the air, I felt like my disability disappeared, as I could move just as well as all my fellow fliers. So, to have this newcomer contest me, I couldn't possibly lose.

I tilted my head to see the bald boy flying near. Moistening my lips, I gripped the controls on the sides of the wheelchair. My dark open-fingered gloves shielded my hands from the chill of this high altitude as I steered my flyer forward. I could sense the glider behind me match my velocity, the winds picking up more as we sliced through the air.

Undeterred by the advancement, I flipped the flyer and did a perfect back flip. But to my surprise, the boy copied this as well. It's time to raise the bar, I thought to myself. I dipped down and dropped straight for the central structure of the Northern Air Temple. My father discovered this place some years after the flood, and it had been home for the displaced Earth Kingdom denizens and me ever since. We twisted and turned in the air, neither one of us wanting to back down. "I can do more than just fancy gliding!" the other boy shouted, a smidge of smugness in his tone as he whipped his glider at the wall.

My eyes trailed the boy through my goggles as he released his grip from the glider and jumped onto the wall. Despite being sideways from the ground, he did an amazing job maintaining balance as he sprinted on the stones. As he picked up enough speed, he created a ball of air and rode on it, throwing up dust from the wall. I couldn't see through the grey soot, but it became evident to me that he succeeded in the difficult move as he leapt back onto the glider hovering near him and took to the skies again.

"I don't think I can do that," I called excitedly as he returned to my altitude, "but here's a good one." With that, I yanked on a switch near the handlebars, letting out a line of grey smoke behind me. I wasn't even looking at where my friends or my challenger were, as all I did was focus on my flight path. I usually didn't say much in the air, in case something unpleasant flew into my mouth, like an insect. But this time, knowing the challenge, I wasn't going to go quietly. Whirling several times in midair, I made at least two round loops. The clouds and sun swung around me while the wind tore at my shirt, causing the fabric to flap uncontrollably. This was the move to settle the duel between us, as I was about to tell this bald guy not to show up my flying abilities. Get this, I thought.

As I returned to a level position, I could hear cheering from below. I signalled the boy to look at my carving in the sky. "What do you think?" I asked, admiring the piece.

I could see his expression neutralize, his cheeks easing as he knew I got the best of him. I chuckled as I took one last look at my art before the wind distorted it. It was a spitting image of our bald friend, with the same expression he currently wore: the face of defeat. I might be a paraplegic, but I wanted to show that I belonged with those who could still use their legs. There was no way a disability would make me inferior to others.

I aimed the wheelchair on the landing strip, touching down and braking with pinpoint accuracy. The wheelchair screeched to a halt, but maintaining perfect balance as my friends raced in to remove the wings. Lifting my goggles, I rolled to my challenger and finally caught a glimpse of him. He was a bit younger than me, and had a blue arrow on his forehead. "Hey, you're a real air bender," I stated, recalling the statues around the place, "you must be the Avatar!" I exclaimed, trying to contain my excitement.

After a quick introduction, I got to know each visitor a little better. The Avatar, Aang, was an air bender from the Southern Air Temple, and had visited this place some time before. His companions were Katara, a teenage girl from the Southern Water Tribe intent on finding Aang a water bending teacher, and Sokka, Katara's brother who was really amazed by the technology around here. "You think this is good, then wait until you see some of the other stuff my dad designs," I told him, taking them into the temple.

I took them through a dark tunnel, finally emerging to the central area. The hiss of air being released and pumped echoed through the chamber as tubes and mechanics came into view. "My dad is the mastermind behind this whole place," I explained as the three glanced around in silence and awe, "everything's powered by hot air. It's great, isn't it?"

Sokka wasn't even listening as he shot to the machines, touching each tube and examining each nut and bolt like a treasure. Aang, however, had a muted response. He strolled around, scanning through the jungle of pipes and at the wall underneath. There were fading sculptures of air bending monks, bison, and other aspects of air bender life, probably reminiscent of his life a century ago. I could see Aang march up to the centre statue, that of a Sky Bison overlooking a pond. The fountain bubbled for a minute before the bison let out a blast of steam, depressurizing the room and getting the Avatar in the face. Grunting in disgust, he whipped his head away in anger. As Aang left, Katara asked me, "Are there any parts of the temple that are still the same?"

I took them to the back, away from the main area. I didn't recall new construction here, so I thought Aang could get some peace here. But was I ever wrong as Aang was greeted by my father in the most direct way possible. As the Avatar stepped up to a monk statue, a huge wrecking stone came crashing through the wall, nearly toppling him. From behind the debris, five figures came into view. The one in the centre was a tall, lanky, and balding man with a large beard and wearing an apron over his green clothes. Upon seeing us, his eyes grew larger than the moon. Immediately, he demanded why we were here, considering the dangers of construction zones as he designed a new bathhouse.

Aang, however, was none too pleased by my father's actions. "You just destroyed something sacred, for a stupid bathhouse!" he ranted, gripping his staff in anger. Even as my father explained that people were "starting to stink," it still didn't make the Avatar feel any better. "This whole place stinks!" He yelled. With that, he slammed the staff to the ground, letting out an air cutter and sending the wrecking ball over the cliff.

After a quick clarification by me, I officially introduced the Avatar and his friends to my father, who then explained why everyone was living here. There was a flood at my village when I was an infant. It killed my mother and left me paralyzed waist-down. The other villagers, led by my dad, became refugees and wandered the world for years. It was not until we found the Northern Air Temple, located in a secluded mountain range near the North Pole that we decided to settle in and called it our home. "Build a new life for my son in the air, so everyone would be on equal ground, so to speak," my dad described, marching back to the hole created by the wrecking ball, "we're just in the process of improving what's already here. And after all, isn't that what nature does?" he asked.

The Avatar seemingly calmed down after understanding the situation, but I could tell that he still wasn't happy. As my father took Sokka to view his other inventions, I brought Aang into the deepest part of the temple. "There is one part of the temple that hasn't changed at all," I explained, glancing at a still expressionless Aang. I brought the wheelchair to a halt before a large door, with an elaborate set of tubes at its centre.

Katara commented that she had seen a similar design on another air temple, and I agreed. "Only an air bender can open it, so inside it's completely untouched, just the way the monks left it," I told the Avatar, "I always wondered what it was like in there."

There was complete silence as we looked to Aang. I could see his cheek muscles tighten up, his eyes closing as he firmly replied, "This is the last part of the temple that's the same as it was. I want it to stay that way." With his head still bowed, most likely in disappointment that his culture had radically changed, he left the sacred entrance.

Haru's POV

Our three special guests followed me out of my small house and into the barn behind. Rarely did this quiet coal-mining town get visitors. And given that the Fire Nation had invaded this area for the resource and kept us under martial law for the last five years, meeting new people was that much more a treat. "My mom said you could sleep here tonight, but you should leave in the morning." I told them, pulling the doors of the old barn open and letting the light into the wooden chamber.

"Thanks," the youngest member, a boy wearing a large hat, replied cheerfully, "I'll make sure Appa doesn't eat all your hay." He pointed to the large Sky Bison situated on the far end of the barn. The large animal already had some of the yellow, dry material in its mouth, and was chewing patiently as we entered.

I smiled and nodded, gently closing the doors as they settled inside. It wasn't often to see someone as special as the Avatar and his friends around, and I was especially glad this young boy decided to come. The Fire Nation had harassed my town long enough and I felt it was time to fight back. When their troops attacked, they made sure to target all the earth bending inhabitants, imprisoning them and leaving only those who couldn't bend as to keep the town helpless. With limited fighting abilities, the Fire Nation troops acted like thugs, bullying us with high taxation and violence and milking our coal away.

But before I got very far, the teenage Water Tribe girl stepped back out. "Let's go for a walk together, shall we?" she suggested, tilting her head at the nearby woods.

I paused for a second, not knowing what to think. We didn't exactly hit it off very well, as they barged into my house claiming they saw me earlier. That got my mother very worried, as she was afraid that the Fire Nation troops might have captured me. After some careful explanation, they convinced my mom that they meant no harm and would not be telling the Fire Nation about what they saw. In exchange for that, Mom agreed to let them stay with us for the night. As we entered the forest, the girl, Katara, spoke. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't know about your father."

I couldn't help but smile at the mention of my father. "The way you were talking back at the store, it reminded me of him," I replied. For some reason, when Katara was with my mother earlier, ranting about how the villagers could stand a chance in a battle against the Fire Nation, I genuinely felt he was here. "My father was very courageous. When the Fire Nation invaded, he and the other earth benders were outnumbered ten to one, but they fought back anyway. After the attack, they rounded up my father and every other earth bender, and took them away. We haven't seen them since."

We stopped at the top of the hill. I crouched down, my hands feeling for the rocks and pebbles on the ground as I overlooked the valley. "The problem is, the only way I could feel close to my father now, is to practice my bending." I picked up some sand and twirled them with my fingers, clumping them into the two round objects, making them spin in midair and circling each other. "He taught me everything I know."

I released the sand, letting it blow into the wind. I turned to watch the dusty material disappear into the distance, reminding me of the time when my father was taken away and my mother and I could only stand outside our house and watch helplessly. Deep down, I really wished that I could do something to rectify this problem. But given that I was just one, and everyone else refused to act, my chances of succeeding were slim.

Katara then knelt down beside me and showed me her necklace. She told me that it was the last memento from her mother, before she was killed in a Fire Nation raid. She described her own experiences with Fire Nation attacks, stating that even with her water bending and the necklace, it still wasn't enough for Katara to cope with the loss. Seeing the shiny blue pendant hanging from her throat, I realized the similarities between us. Maybe, even without my father, it was a new method to deal with this issue. After all, it might be better to heal together rather than alone, right?

As evening progressed, and we descended the hills and back to the village, we passed by the same area where Katara and friends first found me. Yes, I was secretly earth bending here, hoping to do it away from the views of others who might have chosen to report me to the authorities. Also, there were enough open mines here, meaning earth was abundan, letting me use all sorts of new techniques that I had developed along the way. I was about to show Katara some of my favourite places to be when suddenly, a series of rocks caved in ahead of us, the boulders roared from the mouth of the mine and kicked up a huge dust cloud. "Argh, help!" a voice shouted from the mine.

Katara and I rushed in, all the while keeping our eyes on the bottom of the rocks. There was an elderly man trapped by the cave-on, pleading to us for help as the rocks from above threatened to flatten him. I raced in and held up the rocks with my arms and shoulders while Katara pulled at the man, hoping he would lodge free. I could feel the rocks thundering at my spine, the mine ready to collapse any minute. Through squinted eyes, I glanced at Katara, who made minimal progress on the man. The rocks had him clamped to the ground, and there was no way out for him.

Sensing the danger, Katara did the unthinkable. "There's no one around to see you, and it's the only way to free him." She begged, holding onto the old man, who seemed closer and closer to suffocation. Biting my lower lip, I had to expose my secret.

Stepping away from the entrance, I faced the menacing rocks hurtling their way down. Aiming with my left hand, I got into a crouch and took a deep breath. Spinning around, I gathered my momentum and shot my hands towards the cave. My motion made the first set of rocks wiggle free, before the entire collapsed section went hurtling into the darkness inside. The roar of the rocks being thrown about echoed ominously as I relaxed my stance, getting a good look at the injured man. Katara was all smiles as I approached them, helping her pick up the senior and taking him back to the town.

After taking him to a medic, we were on our way back to my house. I bid Katara good night as she returned to the barn. I understood that she had to leave early tomorrow morning, so hopefully I could be there to see her off. She really inspired me to pursue my bending, as it would be crucial to not only bonding with my father, but freeing him from the Fire Nation should the battle ever take place. Right now, for me, bending represented freedom, as for once I could feel that I was away from the clutches of the Fire Nation.

After a quick dinner, my mother decided to go to bed. I was hoping to stay at our family shop for a little longer, just to finish cleaning up. It was completely dark outside, so I guessed most people had already gone home. That's why I was somewhat surprised when there was knocking on the door. Cocking an eyebrow, I approached the front, the lights around me flickering in suspicion as I undid the lock and pulled it open.

The only thing I could see from that moment on were the lit torches held by each Fire Nation soldier as they grabbed onto me. "That's him, that's the earth bender!" I heard an elderly voice shout. Immediately, I turned to the source of the sound, and much to my dismay, it was the same man I rescued from the cave-in earlier today. Even though Katara believed nobody would see, we didn't expect the victim himself would turn me in.

"Argh, what are you doing?" I grimaced, trying to wrest free from the soldiers' grasps. I heard that the Fire Nation was intent on using metallic hand cuffs to ensure that earth benders couldn't escape, as no known earth bender could bend metal. I could feel myself getting free when a series of blows slammed into my body. Pain seared up and down my spine and my sides as my vision blurred. I could feel my arms being pulled back, the soldiers roughly yanking my shoulders as they slapped the cuffs onto me.

The sounds of the troops barking instructions to each other drowned out the voice of an older woman hollering from the shop. "Mom?" I muttered, trying to look up. I had blood and sweat dripping off my head after the Fire Nation took multiple shots at me, but I had to make sure my mother was safe. "Mom, get inside, it's not safe here!" I called out to her. I tried to edge forward and prevent the Fire Nation troops from attacking her. But before I took another step, I felt a dull thud on the back of my head. And suddenly, the already dark night just became darker as I blacked out on the street.

Teo's POV

A tall, silhouetted man stood at the entrance of the sacred chamber. Outside light cast a shadow over his face as four people gathered around him. "It was about a year after we moved here. Fire Nation soldiers found our settlement. They were going to destroy everything," my father stuttered, his eyes refusing to leave the floor. After hearing my intentions to share air bending with others as a way of expressing freedom, Aang decided to share his air bending heritage with me as well. As Katara experienced her first try at gliding, Aang told me he would open the sacred chamber and show me what was inside.

We returned to the area afterwards, and Aang shot two streams on air into the two tubes lining each side. But as the doors edged open, I couldn't believe my eyes. Dozens of weapons and other deadly devices lined the chamber, some of which decorated with the Fire Nation symbol. Before long, my father arrived, and we immediately demanded an explanation. "I begged them to spare us, and they asked what I had to offer. I offered my services," he concluded, hanging his head in shame, "I did this for you."

I turned my wheelchair away from him, refusing to look at my father. Tears spilled from my eyes as I couldn't bear to see the truth. My own father, the man who saved our village from the flood, led us away from the attacking Fire Nation, and helped us rebuild our lives in this temple, was assisting in genocide. I could hear his footsteps echoing down the hall, heading away from the sacred chamber and probably back into his own lab. Save for slight sobbing coming from me, the room was completely silent.

Suddenly, a surge shot through my body as I wheeled around, heading straight for my dad's lab. The voices calling from behind me were nothing but slurs as I hurried to my destination. My heart pounded on my sternum and my teardrops dissipating, blown away into the air as I headed to the final elevator that headed into the tower. When we first moved here, my father invented these elevators to allow me to get around this tall, multi-storied temple better. Using hot air, he was able to manipulate the amount required to send this skyward. But now, all these inventions meant nothing as I had to find out what he intended to do, and when the Fire Nation would come to pick those weapons up. Just as I was about to lift off, Aang joined in. "I'm coming with you," he stated.

We were in complete silence as the walls blurred past us, both of us with only one thing in mind. As we reached our destination, we burst through his lab, and demanded to know when the Fire Nation would arrive. A nearby candle popped once, indicating that it was an hour past noon. "They'll arrive soon," my dad replied, "very soon."

Undaunted, Aang approached my dad and told him not to give the Fire Nation any more weapons. Even as my dad told Aang that the Fire Nation would attack us should he refuse the deal, I wasn't about to let that slide. "How can I be proud of you when your inventions are being used for murder?" I retorted, half angry and half pleading. I stared into my father's eyes just as he knelt down to pick up another prototype. For once, we were on the same level, and I could see the pained creases lining across his face.

Suddenly, a small chime jiggled through the air, interrupting our thoughts. My father indicated that it was a Fire Nation representative, and told us to leave. When Aang and I refused, he merely pushed us to the side, placing us into a corner. With us away from the light, he opened a trapdoor located in the centre of the room. Within seconds, a grey-haired man with a long, thick beard came into view. It was just as we feared: the war minister of the Fire Nation himself came to see my dad's newest killing machines.

I could see hesitation in my dad's eyes as the war minister pressed him for the new inventions. The fire bender marched up to him, sticking his head right into my dad's face and glaring at him with threatening eyes. Sensing danger, Aang and I decided to take action. "The deal's off," Aang declared, kicking an air blast and slamming the lab door shut. Aang crouched near the door, guarding it with his life. "Get out of here, you're leaving empty-handed." Aang shouted, shooting an air blast at the middle-aged man.

The war minister glared at us one last time as he returned to the trapdoor, the light behind him swallowing him in darkness. "The destruction of this temple will be on your head." He spat, pointing at Aang before lowering himself back down to ground level.

As the minister left, Aang and I also took off, trying to get to Sokka and Katara to inform them of the news. We met on an open hallway bridging the lab to the rest of the temple, fretting continuously as we wondered what our next move should be. Even with the bleak odds, Aang refused to let our hopes drop. Insisting that we owned the skies, an aerial assault on the Fire Nation troops would be an option. And since the Fire Nation had no air force, there was no way they could hit back, meaning we had the advantage. But what surprised me the most was when my father emerged from the tower. He didn't say much, but that one line he uttered was the loudest he'd ever spoken, "I want to help."

I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear as my father approached us with his new ideas. The details were nothing but murmurs to me as I admired the bearded man. He stood tall and proud, his facial features more poised than ever as he finally decided to stand up for his beliefs. We had been chased out of our village after a disaster, and were harassed by the Fire Nation wherever we went. But today, the Northern Air Temple was about to tell the Fire Nation in one voice that we would not go quietly into the night. "Go tell everyone to come to my lab," he instructed, "I have some new methods to show you."

Before long, everybody gathered in my dad's laboratory as he explained the new aerial techniques we were about to employ. Thanks to Sokka, who worked very hard on remedying a few problems on the inventions, we were well on the way to defeating this invasion. But throughout the briefing, I had to say that my mind wasn't really on details. Rather, it was on my father, who was determined as ever to stop this disaster. It truly got me thinking as to what our relationship would be like afterwards, as I knew part of the reason for this resolve was to make up for what he did. And given that he asked me to take a huge roll in leading the aerial assault with the Avatar, it would probably mark a huge change in the way we relate to each other. No longer would I be Teo the unfortunate paraplegic, but Teo the able fighter, leading the way to repelling the Fire Nation.

Within an hour, we had our gliders lined up on the exterior of the temple. Each one would be armed with several types of bombs, all with a different purpose in our counteroffensive. One by one, we raced to the edge, throwing ourselves into the wind and diving through the clouds. By the time we emerged, we could see the Fire Nation troops marching up the mountain, the soldiers lined up in single file due to the narrow walking space on the rock ledges. With their full concentration on negotiating their way up, it was the perfect time to strike. Signalling to Aang, we tilted down and zoomed in on them.

The group closest to the top were our first victims as we hurled a series of slime bombs at them. The viscous liquid splattered all over the soldiers, creating green goo all over their armour and weapons. As the bottom troops prepared to reinforce, the gliders in the back of our formation wheeled in and dropped several smoke bombs, choking them and blurring their vision. With grey hue before them and dark green slime around them, the Avatar sought to add insult to injury as he dropped out of his glider and on the top ledge. Creating his air scooter, he shook loose the snow above them and let it smother the troops even more. With the Fire Nation on the run, it seemed like a sure win for us.

But the Fire Nation wasn't about to go quietly. Just as we pulled back out, leaving some room between the cliff and us, a series of hook shots blasted through the snow. The hooks grasped onto the ledges before an ominous clacking could be heard. I stared below and saw a series of tanks rolling their way up the mountainside. Soon, they were at the entrance to the temple, shooting their fire bombs at us and scattering our formation. Even as we pelted them with our bombs, while Aang got onto the ground and hoped to slow them down physically, it wasn't doing us any good. Given that we were just not doing enough damage to the tanks, my heart sank. Would this be it for the Northern Air Temple and its denizens? Remaining defiant, I decided that we should at least go down fighting.

I brought Katara, who was on Aang's bison supplying the gliders with bombs, onto the ground next to Aang. The two together formed an unstoppable bending team that kept the tanks at bay, a mixture of air slices and snow upheavals throwing the Fire Nation troops about. But there was only so much they could do, as I realized we had no bombs left, meaning there was no way we could assist them. Biting my lip, I could only wonder where my dad and Sokka were. "Come on, where's the great invention they made?"

Just then, a large war balloon with a red exterior floated out from the bottom of the temple. The large insignia might have been that of the Fire Nation, but it was evident who was on board. Carrying four large loads with a stench that could be detected even inside the temple, Dad and Sokka steered the balloon above the troops and let their stink bombs loose. Each large bundle exploded into the snow, throwing about another set of dark liquids and reeking up the entire mountain. Then, in a last ditch effort to finish them off, Sokka unhooked the balloon's fuel source and hurled it into the crevasse below. The boiler fell in slow motion as it clanked against the rocks. Once, twice, and then complete silence. Then, before anyone could inquire, a huge explosion rocked the temple, shaking its foundation and sending most of us grabbing onto the nearest thing for balance.

By the time the smoke cleared, I could see Aang swoop down on his glider toward the falling war balloon. My heart pounded nonstop as I worried if Aang could reach them in time. I never got a chance to tell Dad that I forgave him, and that we could work things out again. He couldn't possibly go down without knowing that, right? Luckily, the Avatar emerged from the clouds, bringing them both back to safety. There was nonstop cheering as they were brought back to the temple, our people crying victory over the Fire Nation.

But none of that mattered as I wheeled up to my father, his face noticeably lighter and more emotional. Feeling tears sneaking up on me as well, I immediately pulled him into a hug, not letting him go as I pressed my chin onto his shoulder. I could feel him do the same as we held this position for a while. I might have disapproved of his acts, but he was still my father, and I was proud of his actions today. And like what we did with our lives after the flood, we realized that it was possible to start anew. Together, we hoped to improve upon the inventions, hoping one day our world would no longer be ruled by fear and intimidation when we free everyone from the Fire Nation using these tools.

Haru's POV

"So you got yourself arrested just to find me? You've got guts, Katara, I'll give you that." I commented as I scanned the teenage Water Tribe girl standing before me. She had the brown prisoner uniform on top of her usual blue tunic, and seemed slightly worn out, but otherwise she looked like she was in good shape.

"There's someone I want you to meet," I brought Katara to a group of older earth benders. They were seated in a circle on the ground, most of them eating whatever little scraps offered for our meals. Pointing to a balding, grey-haired man with a thick beard, I made the appropriate introductions. "This is my father, Tyro. Dad, this is Katara."

Instantly, my dad offered Katara his food, thanking her for looking out for my family for the last couple of days. As Katara tried to gulp down the cold, disgusting and tasteless liquids, my father turned to the other earth benders and asked them to take care of the elderly and sick prisoners. I couldn't help but smile, as my father's passionate side was on display again. Even with his age, he refused to let others suffer more, insisting that they got the extra blankets instead. It was no wonder why I admired him so much.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's your escape plan?" Katara chimed in, "You know, the plan to get everyone off the rig?" The Fire Nation placed the prisoners on a metal rig in the middle of the ocean. There was no way earth benders could bend metal or water, so escape would be very difficult. While we stayed here, the guards forced us into hard labour, digging up more coal from the ocean and refining them for their navy's use.

"The plan is to survive, wait out this war," my father replied in a low tone. I could see the pain in his eyes, most likely reliving the failure of our town's defence. I couldn't bring myself to look on, turning away from the once-proud man now forced to live his life as a prisoner of war. How could my heart not ache seeing the freefall he experienced? "Katara, I admire your courage, and I envy your youth. But people's lives are at stake here. The warden is a ruthless man, and he won't stand for any rebellion. I'm sorry."

Undaunted, Katara shot up and marched to the other side of the open area. Even though it was evening, I could see her silhouette clearer than ever, as her confident pose let her stand straighter than anyone on this rig. Climbing onto an old dining table, she grabbed a pan and banged it with a spoon. "You don't know me, but I know of you," she announced, getting everyone's attention, "every child in my Water Tribe was rocked to sleep with stories of the brave Earth Kingdom and the courageous earth benders who guard its borders. Some of you may think that the Fire Nation has made you powerless."

I couldn't help but take my eyes off the ground and turn to the standing figure. Despite Katara's age and gender, her voice had much power and authority, almost like urging us to fight on. "Yes, they have taken away your ability to bend, but they can't take away your courage." Katara dropped her items and raised up a fist. "The time to fight back is now. I can tell you that the Avatar has returned! So remember your courage, earth benders! Let us fight for our freedom!" She exclaimed, her words echoing off the walls.

As she finished that speech, I almost wanted to jump to my own feet and applaud, but a hand on my shoulder prevented me from doing that. I looked around, and saw my dad shaking his head at me and warning me not to raise a fuss. I could feel my eyebrows creasing in frustration as the rig remained in silence. Except for some ill earth benders coughing, not a voice spoke. I turned to Katara, and her erect pose sagged. Her head dipped low, ashamed at the total rejection by these villagers, most of whom I knew well. My head sank too, pondering their reaction had I spoken out in favour of Katara.

Before long, a bell tolled, signalling that it was time to return to our cells. The prisoners trudged back into the rig's interior, again done in complete silence. I looked on guiltily as one of the guards grabbed Katara off the table and escorted her away as well. I was deeply embarrassed by the actions of these villagers, wondering what ever happened to the brave earth benders exemplified so well by this group. I was especially pained by my own father, who did a total about face here. Silently, I swore I would rectify the issue, and show everyone here, my father included, that bending was our way back to freedom.

A sleepless night for me only became more restless as the guards pulled us into the open area at daybreak. They stated a headcount of the prisoners was needed due to an intruder. But soon, the invaders were located, pressed up against a vent and surrounded by guards. We raced forward and instantly I recognized the troublemakers: Katara and her brother Sokka. Trying to diffuse the situation, my dad told the siblings to surrender, as it was a battle that couldn't be won. Even though I understood the danger, I couldn't help but grimace at the words. How could he tell those trying to save us to just give up?

"Listen to him well, child," a threatening voice echoed above us. I glanced to Katara again and saw the warden approach. His emotionless face, mirroring his own cold tactics, increased my pulse and breathing rate at least tenfold. But before anyone could move, a stream of coal shot through the vent and scattered everyone, Katara and Sokka included. Confused, I stared around, not knowing what to make of this phenomenon.

Then, from the same vent the coal shot through, the Avatar leapt into sight. His face and tunic were covered with black soot, but it didn't matter as Katara took centre stage again. "Here's your chance, earth benders!" She grabbed a piece of coal and waved it before us, boldly declaring, "Take it! Your fate is in your own hands!"

Seeing the courageous pose, I truly wanted to dart forward and show these Fire Nation guards the power of earth bending. But guess who was stopping me again? That's right, my father, who lifted an arm and blocked my path. Looking around, I could see that no one else made a move. Most of them were either too scared to act, or didn't want to make this fuss even bigger. I could feel blood rushing in and out of my head, my brain spinning uncontrollably as I struggled in deciding what to do next. As that happened, the warden laughed at Katara's attempt to inspire us, belittling her every word. He stated that none of us had hope left, claiming that all hope was crushed when we were brought here.

His mockery struck a nerve in me, as any control inside my body snapped. It was like my body was moving on its own as I charged in, much to the horror of my father and those earth benders around me. Lifting up some coal, I twirled them with my fingers, and hurled them at the warden. The stones made their mark, smacking the warden in the back of the head. The warden whipped around, glaring angrily at me for my defiance, only to be matched by my own stare. I wasn't about to let up, especially to this arrogant man who taunted my entire village. We weren't about to let the Fire Nation run roughshod over us. Twirling a couple more pieces of coal, I prepared to let them loose as well. If it weren't for freedom, then at least I must fight for my honour.

The cruel old man shot in two blasts of flame, the heat sizzling through the air towards me. The clacking of coal echoed around me just as the flame arrived. I glanced up just in time to see my father blocked the shot with a wall of black. It only enraged the warden even more as a few other earth benders lined up around us, forming a horizontal line. My father, directly to my right, glanced over with a smile. Nodding to everyone around, this was the time to fight back. "For the Earth Kingdom, attack!" He shouted.

There was sheer pandemonium as everyone was earth bending the coal. My father and I moved in unison, almost like we were one as we pulled up a large amount of coal. Using our bending, we pressed the coal together, forming a large, hard ball. Then, in one smooth motion, we kicked the ball at the wall, rocking its foundation and forming a hole. Estimating its size, we figured it would be a perfect escape route once we beat the guards. "Get to the ship, we'll hold them off!" Dad called to the others, pointing at the opening.

The warden, in a last ditch effort, tried to fire bend at the escapees, only to be stopped by the Avatar. Aang, in an ingenious move, created a funnel of air while Katara and Sokka loaded it with coal. Using the funnel as a slingshot, he fired a series of coal pieces at high velocity, hindering the warden's progress. Sensing our chances, Dad and I moved a large amount of coal under the cruel man, lifting him into the air and moving the coal over the sea. "Don't worry, I hear cowards float." I heard my father told the warden mockingly. Together, we relaxed our stances, dropping coal and warden into the water.

We finally boarded the vessels and headed for home. Even as Katara and friends had to move on, I was forever grateful for their actions, which inspired me to use my bending to take back our homes as well. Perhaps, one day, my bending might be put to use in a real battle. But for now, I was happy to play my small role and leave the rest to the Avatar. As my father and I waved farewell to the Sky Bison, I realized there was one more reason, other than parental bonding, for me to bend: I bend to obtain my freedom.

Teo's POV

The sounds of battle raged as I glanced through the small crack before me. For the last few months, my dad and I had been refining inventions for the invasion of the Fire Nation. Ever since Aang and the others found out there would be a solar eclipse on this day, they had been planning for an invasion of the Fire Nation capital city. Sokka got my father and I involved by reviewing some of Dad's old invention plans. With some fine-tuning, we created several new devices that would become useful in our invasion today.

And this machine I was currently in, a long metallic but flexible tank, was such an invention. Operating the lead tank, we had to disable Fire Nation sentry stations along the way. Taking aim at the station in front of me, I pulled some levers, moving the tank on top of it and wrapping it from above. Then, with hydraulics and the assistance of earth benders manipulating the earth making up the stone structure, we clamped down on the sentry station and crushed it into rubble. Not bad for my first land battle.

As we continued our march forward, we were taking heavy fire from the Fire Nation troops. The metallic interior heated up dramatically as we took blast after blast of flames. Perspiration dripping from my forehead, I manoeuvred around several of our own troops, supplying them with whatever defence needed. Wiping the front of my goggles, I glanced around and saw sentries and other bunkers still present. But they were not the biggest threat, as a cavalry of Komodo Rhinos charged out and aimed at our foot soldiers. "This is total mayhem," I called to the earth benders in my tank, "let's provide cover."

We twisted around and pulled near the walls, trying to block the Komodo Rhinos from cutting off our foot soldiers. My dad, who drove around a supply truck dropping off large boulders for our earth benders to use, was under heavy fire as well. Even though a fair amount of boulders had been left on the ground, they weren't in convenient areas for our earth benders to launch their attacks. "This is bad," I murmured, "really bad."

Things continued to stay disorganized until a large Sky Bison landed before us. The rider stood up and called to all of us, insisting that it was time to take out the central tower and make our way to the capital city. "It's Sokka, guys," I told those inside my tank, "He wants us in wedge formation and covering the foot soldiers. Let's move this thing around and provide cover. We're going to make the final push right now."

There wasn't any doubt in our minds what we would have once this succeeded. Our sudden change in tactics caught the Fire Nation off-guard, as most of their troops had to scramble just to catch up to us. One of the Water Tribe warriors had a truck loaded with explosives heading straight for the wall. Jumping off at the last second, the truck bomb slammed into the stones, creating a huge explosion that rocked the foundation of the tower. With Fire Nation troops on the run, we were about to close in. "We're going to cross the gate, and then it's a straight line to the top of the mountain." I announced.

My group let out a cheer as we ploughed forward, following Sokka's lead through the main gate. We were met by another line of defence for the Fire Nation, who formed a blockade with their tanks and shot flames at us. As the heat rained down on our group, we decided to realign ourselves. "Let's form a line of our own," I told the earth benders, "we'll provide cover with the sides of our tanks, and we'll earth bend out from the side panels. I'm going to see if I can get Sokka to communicate with the others."

Luckily, Sokka disembarked from Appa, and saw me wave him over amidst the chaos. After a quick chat, he managed to get the others to realign with me as well. "Let's see how the Fire Nation handles boulders being shot from our sides," I tilted my head behind, getting a look at the earth benders lining up, "are you ready?"

Their nods of approval only excited me more as I pulled each lever controlling the side panels. Staring down the length of the tank, I had a perfect view of boulders flying out into the light and at the Fire Nation. Rumbles and tremors rocked the area as I pulled out the timer my father gave me, indicating the time of the eclipse. At this rate, we should be up the mountain before the eclipse began, and into the capital at its peak.

Suddenly, the outside became significantly darker. The moon's shadow slowly crept up to the sun, their exterior rims starting to cut into each other. My eyes alternated between the eclipse and the Fire Nation, their troops retreating as their attacks would soon be rendered irrelevant. "Guys, they're pulling back. This is our chance!" I shouted to the field leaders outside. In one swift move, we were ordered to pursue, whipping our tank around and heading straight for the mountain. Capital city, here we come.

Haru's POV

Our tanks rumbled down the mountainside, finally reaching the crater of the volcano. The eclipse was taking place as of we speak, as the Mechanist, our technology expert, told us to put on sunglasses. Our group of earth bending foot soldiers rushed down the hill behind the tanks, ready to take out any Fire Nation soldiers. Knowing that they would have no fire bending left at this time, the capital city should be easy picking.

My father led our group down the capital city streets flushing out their troops. It just so happened that we ran into one battalion patrolling the area at the next block. He signalled us into position, getting into fighter stances as he called to the soldiers. "Stop! Surrender peacefully and we won't harm you!" He stated with authority.

The group leader across from us refused to cooperate, waving his arms around and pushing a fist towards us. Usually, this action meant we should probably dodge away, or at least bend out some rocks to block the fire. But today was the Day of Black Sun, meaning all fire benders would have their abilities minimized. With only a puff of smoke exiting his hand, the Fire Nation battalion leader had no choice but to concede. My father pointed to the two earth benders on the outermost of our formation. "You two, take them prisoner for now. We'll deal with them later on." He ordered.

Throughout the eclipse, our group marched around the city, trying to find any enemy forces. But surprisingly, the place was quieter than the mines near my hometown. Not a soul was around as it seemed like the city was evacuated. "Do you think they knew about the invasion, and planned an escape to avoid losing the war?" I asked my dad.

"I'm not sure, Haru," he replied, hesitance in his tone. He led us back to the city centre, where our tanks were parked at the moment. The eclipse was nearly over, but still there was nothing from the Avatar. "This does seem kind of suspicious to me."

Suddenly, a series of ominous shadows arose from behind the palace. We all glanced up and saw several war balloons, each with the distinctive Fire Nation insignia, floating above our heads. But even scarier were the enormous mechanical airships lifting off behind them. They took to the skies, which had brightened considerably as the moon had officially lifted its veil over the sun. With fire bending back in full force, there was no doubt in our minds what was about to happen. "Let's get back to the subs!"

Panic suddenly took over as our invasion team hurried away from the city and back down the mountain. The Avatar had returned to us, stating that his attempt to face the Fire Lord resulted in a failure. They pretty much confirmed everyone's fears, as the Fire Nation knew of this invasion long ago, and made plans to prepare for it. Now, with our group on the run, the only hope we had was to get to the submarines and evacuate before the airships burned us to a crisp. "Aang and Katara are holding them off," my dad told our earth bending team, "let's hurry before the airships reach us!"

Bombs sizzled down from the skies, shaking the hills violently as soil and pebbles raining down from our rocky shields. We could see that the airships didn't consider us the main target, heading straight for the submarines, seeking to destroy our only source to escape. Sensing that there were few options left, Hakoda, the leader of the invasion, made a fateful decision. "You kids have to leave. You have to escape on Appa together."

It was decided that the youngest of the group would leave while the adults stayed behind as prisoners. "I've got some experience with the Fire Nation prisons," my father stated, approaching the Water Tribe warrior, "it's not going to be easy, but at least we'll all survive." With that, he brought me forward, insisting I got onto the Sky Bison.

I could hear our subs exploding in the distance as the parents said goodbye to all the children. The Mechanist went first, placing his paraplegic son onto Appa. "I'm really proud of you," Teo told his father, holding him in a hug. I was truly impressed by how this boy did all the tank operations while coping with this disability.

Seeing Teo's actions, I couldn't help but embrace my own father as well, telling him that I would be back for him. "If I don't escape the prison first," Dad retorted, slight defiance in his tone. We performed quite well at our first imprisonment, breaking out with ease and overthrew the Fire Nation battalion at our town. Maybe the second go would be more successful? But either way, we had to stay alive to fight another day.

As Appa took off, my eyes were peeled for the invasion team standing helplessly at the foot of the mountain. Anytime now, the Fire Nation troops would gather them all up. I felt a pang of sadness in me, as shortly after I regained my father, I ended up losing him again. Clenching a fist, I vowed to help the Avatar do whatever possible to defeat the Fire Nation so that one day, nobody had to be taken prisoner by these cruel troops again.

Teo's POV

"I told you! It's The Duke!" the young boy's voice echoed throughout the main chamber of the Western Air Temple as Haru and I went off to explore. Shortly after we left the Fire Nation capital, Aang decided that the Western Air Temple would be a great hiding ground for us, indicating its remote location and far distance from any main points of civilization as advantages. Given that I had never seen another Air Temple other than the Northern one before, I was naturally intrigued, and decided to investigate.

Haru helped my wheelchair up a flight of stairs before we took off for another ramp, leading away from the central plaza. Even at first glance, this place truly amazed me, as it was built into the side of a large canyon, with structures hanging down like large stalactites. There was a huge fountain in the middle, the water still moving and spraying twice as high as an adult's height. Looking back at the centre, I couldn't help but admire the scene. Amidst the sounds of the young boy correcting yet another one of my so-called butchered attempts at his name, insisting that there was a "The" in front of "Duke," we shot down the ramp and into a darker part of the temple.

I glanced around the dim area, trying to see past the two standing figures now situated on my either side. A sense of wonder descended upon us three as we saw the line of sculptures, each one depicting a different air bender, carved into the walls. There were air bender sculptures on the walls at my home, but never in this quantity or prestige. "It's so different compared to the Northern Air Temple." I stated in awe.

Haru tilted his head at me, one eyebrow slightly cocked. "Didn't you say you were from an Earth Kingdom town?" he inquired, intrigued by my comment.

"Oh," I stuttered, realizing that I hadn't fully told him my past. I rolled the wheelchair along the hall, letting Haru and The Duke slowly follow me. "My original hometown was destroyed by a flood, and for the first few years of my life I lived as a nomad of sorts. It wasn't until my father found the abandoned Northern Air Temple and made it into a home for my villagers and me that I had a permanent residence."

"I see," Haru responded, his tone slightly sombre, "and is that why you have to use a wheelchair? You lost use of your legs in that flood, right?"

I could feel my face freeze up slightly as the question arrived. The only sounds around us were footsteps echoing down the empty hallway. "Yeah, I've been a paraplegic since I could barely walk, and I've been confined to a wheelchair all this time," I replied, feeling the stone gazes of the air benders, "it was with this, and my father's own interest in machinery that inspired me to be involved in designing new pieces of technology." I didn't want to tell them about my father's involvement with the Fire Nation. Even though I forgave him, and he did more than his fair share of making up for the mistake, it was an issue that still touched a nerve, and I tried my best to avoid it.

But Haru had a story of his own as well. Just as we turned the corner, away from this hall and going deeper into the temple, he referred to his town's experience with the Fire Nation. "Just like you, my town had its fair share of disasters during my younger years. Because we were a resource-based area, with an abundance of coal, the Fire Nation had always wanted our land to supply fuel to their navy. My dad was among those who fought back, and unfortunately he was captured." Haru explained, closing a fist.

My eyes tilted to the tall figure at my right, and I could feel The Duke turning his eyes the same way as well. This teenage, goateed earth bender was no longer standing so brave and proud, as a pronounced slouch curved his back. "It was Katara who inspired me to fight back against the Fire Nation. She even got herself arrested just to break us out of jail," Haru described. His tone grew quieter, so much so that the soft wind blowing in from the openings behind us nearly overtook his voice, "Dad and I, along with the other villagers, just took back our town from the Fire Nation. Our family just got reunited when Hakoda went around the Earth kingdom recruiting people for the invasion. Naturally, my dad and I took part, but then that happened." Haru tilted his head in the direction of the exterior, signalling the failure that saw the Fire Nation take all the adults prisoners.

I sighed, turning my eyes to the ground. The cobbled stones went under my wheelchair one by one, our pace slowing down dramatically as I mulled over what was just said. I might have only known Haru for a few days, but suddenly I realized all the similarities we had. Our pasts were both marred by tragedy that involved the absence of one parent, and we both had to cope with the Fire Nation in our own way. And, perhaps in a strange twist of fate, we managed to cooperate with each other in this invasion. "At least you know you're not alone in getting through this," I told Haru, staring up at the tall figure, "I'm in the same boat as you, and we'll get through this together."

I could see Haru turn back to me, the sunlight illuminating half his face, but still enough to show a smile crawling up his face. "Thanks, Teo," he responded, placing a hand on the back of my wheelchair, "to be honest, I should be impressed by you, because you managed your way through life without the ability to walk, hence without the ability to bend. It takes a lot of courage to do that, I'll say." He commented.

"No, actually," I replied, pointing back at Haru, "I'm really impressed by you. You never had a chance to freely practice bending, since you said the Fire Nation pretty much put your town under martial law. So for you to not just be proficient at earth bending, but to do it under dangerous circumstances, I say that's an achievement."

"Guys, come look at this!" The Duke shouted, waving us over to a darker area in the corner. While we had been talking, somehow we lost track of The Duke, who went ahead in exploring on his own. Now, it seemed like he discovered something unusual in this little nook, and wanted us to check it out. "I think this leads somewhere."

Haru and I looked on as The Duke tried to dislodge one of the stones covering the front. When I first arrived, I wondered if there would be secret chambers and passages, the same things that were so common at the Northern Air Temple. But now, it seemed like the Western Air Temple was the same, and we were in for a big surprise. "So Duke, are you going in first?" I asked, my eyes widening involuntarily.

"The Duke, not Duke!" the youngster snapped, glaring daggers into my face, "And since I'm the smallest one, I guess I can go first." He and Haru cleared out a few more blocks and glanced into the darkness before slipping through opening. His cries of excitement echoed through the tunnel before being replaced by a dull thud.

"Hey, are you alright down there?" Haru called, kneeling down to the same level as the opening. We could here his muffled voice sounding like he was describing the area below. It sounded something like rocks, statues, and other holy objects being found. "I think I'm going to follow," Haru stated, climbing into the hole as well.

Seeing my two friends disappear into the darkness, I decided to follow as well. Being in a wheelchair, I had to move more carefully as to avoid being stuck. Luckily, the tunnel was wide enough, and before long I could hear the wheels rolling down below. I could see silhouettes of humans standing in line, their stony gazes guarding this chamber as I rumbled towards them. Sensing that I was about to reach the bottom, I reached for my brakes. But this time, I could tell something was different, as the sounds and my deceleration weren't up to par. "Look out!" I yelled, hoping those underneath could get away in time as I tried to manually stop myself from crashing and turning into oblivion.

Haru's POV

"How many days has it been since Sokka and Zuko took off on us?" Teo asked as we edged towards the tunnel leading to the underground hall of statues again. Much to the whole group's surprise, Prince Zuko, heir to the Fire Nation throne and our supposed sworn enemy showed up at our temple and offered to join our group. He stated that Aang still didn't master fire bending, and that he would be a good candidate as Aang's teacher. Naturally, there was some mistrust hearing that, knowing his history, but he proved to be surprisingly friendly, bonding well with most of us and even gaining our respect. To us, this former Fire Nation enemy definitely redeemed himself, that's for sure.

"It's been at least two now. Three, if you count the fact that it's night time." I replied, pushing the rocks out of the way. Zuko's been here for less than a week, and he spent most of his time with the Avatar, demonstrating different fire bending techniques. It didn't work very well at first, as Zuko temporarily lost ability to fire bend. But after a trip to an ancient city from a thought-to-be-extinct tribe called the Sun Warriors, Zuko and Aang seemed to have found inspiration to fire bend again. This time though, Zuko went with Sokka, supposedly on a fishing trip, and wouldn't be back for a while.

As usual, The Duke slid in first, followed by me. But I made sure to provide some type of contingency measures to ensure Teo's wheelchair didn't spin out of control again. The first time we came down here, Teo's brakes choked up, causing my good friend to tumble to the ground, scraping up his head in the process. He managed to fix the brakes now, but just to be safe, I stood at the mouth of the tunnel, waiting patiently for him to come down. "If need be, I'll bend some pebbles up just to slow you down." I called.

But there was no need, as the wheelchair hurtled down the chute, making a perfect landing and screeching to a halt. Teo's brakes worked perfectly as he grinned at me. "No need to bend, everything's fine. Now, let's go back to that bending practice chamber!"

The Duke was the first to race off while Teo and I followed closely behind. There were several areas in the back rooms that had loose boulders and other rock pieces, which made it ideal for earth bending. I developed a few new tricks on my journeys there, and I was intent on showing Teo and The Duke just what they were about. "Speaking of which, Teo," I turned to my paraplegic friend, "are there any benders in your group?"

Teo chuckled. "That depends on your definition of bending," he responded coyly, "if bending to you means what you do, actually manipulating the elements in sequence with your body, then no. But if bending to you means taking certain aspects of a certain type of bending, mimicking it and enhancing it, then I'm proud to say we're air benders."

My eyes grew wide as we entered the room of interest. Teo might have lived in the Northern Air Temple for years, but never had I imagined him having the ability to do air bending techniques. "What do you mean?" I inquired, "What can you guys do?"

Not even the most traumatizing events could wipe the smile off Teo's face as explained how his father, The Mechanist, modified air bender gliders for non benders to use. "For me, things were a bit different, because I had to be on a wheelchair. But in the end, it's all the same, as I had to manipulate the air currents around me in order to gain flight," Teo described, shrugging as he thought about his experiences, "to me, flying is a sense of freedom. For a little while, it allowed me to forget that I was bound to this set of wheels. All in all, bending is my liberator, and I'm going to use it to liberate the world."

Hearing that, I couldn't help but nod, a grin stretching across my face as well. "You sound so much like me, you know that?" I commented, giving him a pat on the shoulder, "For me, I bend for pretty much the same reason."

Teo looked on as I approached the stone wall. Placing a hand next to the largest pieces, I made some of the settled dust levitate towards me. Squeezing the dust together, I formed a few small earthen balls, twirling them in the air with my fingers as I told Teo about what bending meant to me. "You know I told you that my father was captured by the Fire Nation before for fighting back, right? It just so happens that before he left, he taught me all the basics of earth bending, and that's how I knew the techniques even though he was absent all this time." I recalled, my eyes glued to the rotating balls.

"So when Katara came in and inspired you guys to break out, that's when you got to show your dad the earth bending progress you made?" Teo asked, rolling up to me and placing his head closer to the earthen balls, "And that's why you felt bending represented freedom to you. Because it got you and your father out of jail, correct?"

I squeezed my hand into a fist, the balls stopping their spinning and clumped into an even larger sphere. "Not only that, but earth bending managed to get us our town back, at least after we got out," I continued, thinking of the first battles our villagers fought in regaining our town, "I got a chance to fight along side the most skilled earth benders of our town, and it was truly an eye-opener. I was still a relative novice in terms of bending, but to get my dad and the other elders' approvals, that truly meant something. And it also inspired me to help them liberate other towns, and later on help Aang save the world."

With that, I pushed my arm out, sending the earthen sphere into the wall, melding it into the rocks and making a conglomerate of sorts. "You know, if we do get through this ordeal, and the Fire Nation is defeated by Aang and the others, I would like to invite you to my town," I offered to Teo, "I think most of the villagers would be thrilled to meet you, considering your unique history. Would you like to come, if that happens?"

Teo beamed in delight, accepting the offer without hesitation. "But that means you have to come visit my group afterwards, in the Northern Air Temple," he countered, "I would love to strap a glider onto you and see how well you handle flight."

I chuckled, imagining the crazy things Teo's friends would attempt in the air. For me, flying was almost never an option. As an earth bender, my comfort zone was on the ground, close to the earth and such. I needed to feel the soil around me to be secure, and to be that far up in the air was something I dreaded. But then I met Teo, and it made me realize that in this world, nothing was impossible. Besides, should the Avatar set a new order for the world, perhaps it was only fitting that people of different elements should interact more with each other. And if it meant putting high-flying Teo on the ground, and strapping a glider onto my soil-covered back, then so be it. The world was ready for a change, and Teo and I were intent to play our parts. After a bit more earth bending, Teo and I decided to go back up. Taking The Duke with us, we spent the rest of the night wondering what would happen to our future, and what new challenges it might hold.

We awoke to the sounds of a huge mechanical airship, piloted by none other than Zuko and Sokka. The doors opened to reveal two people; one was a teenage girl who Sokka identified as Suki, the leader of the Kyoshi warriors, but the other was a familiar face we had been dying to see: Hakoda. Despite Toph's complaints that Zuko and Sokka didn't bring back any meat, we were overjoyed to be reunited with our invasion leader. Zuko brought Aang aside, demanding what progress the Avatar made on fire bending, while Sokka and Katara spent time with their father and Suki. But for me, this signalled that things were looking up. Although Hakoda insisted another Fire Nation invasion was not on his mind at the moment, I had a feeling that, somehow, this war was near its end.

POV's of Haru and Teo together. Italics are thought processes.

The crowds erupted into cheers as the final head piece was placed onto Zuko's head, signifying his official coronation as the new Fire Lord. From the crowd, we hugged our respective fathers, exhilarated and relieved that the war was finally over. It wasn't easy, as the Fire Nation managed to track us at the Western Air Temple, launching a new attack on us and forcing some of us to flee. While we left with Hakoda, The Duke, and Chit Sang, a prisoner who escaped prison with Hakoda, Aang and the rest of his group decided to fight on, biding for time until the final battle with Fire Lord Ozai.

And what a battle it was. We heard that Aang and the Fire Lord actually had a one-on-one battle, but Aang couldn't bring himself to kill the Fire Lord. Instead, he told us of a new technique that allowed him to strip Ozai of his bending. With the tyrant no longer posing a threat, it was relatively easy for Zuko to ascend the throne, promising us a new era of "love, peace, and hope." We glanced around to see members of all different nationalities gathering here. To us, even before taking the first step, Zuko had already made progress, as no Fire Lord before permitted this large variety of people to attend. As we gathered around, realizing how much the world had changed and how we changed along with it, there was one common thought going through both our minds.

My name is Haru…

My name is Teo…

That was my story. Those were my rites of passage.

As usual, many thanks to Legend of Zelda 4 Life and Wavebreeze, my two editors. I'm glad you two enjoyed this chapter, as it really wasn't easy to juggle between the two peolpe's viewpoints while maintaining the goal of comparing the two personalities. Haru and Teo are similar characters, and I personally do anticipate them becoming even better friends after the war ended.

I especially want to dedicate this chapter to Wavebreeze, who went through a string of hardships recently. I thank you for all the support you've given me, even in the midst of all your troubles. I appreciate everything you've done, and hope you can have a speedy recovery from the ordeal. As for everyone once, thank you for reading and hope to see you next time!