Just want to thank 2write4life and catstop for reviewing the last chapter. So, as mentioned before, Aang tends to focus on fun and games too much, to the point where he forgets his duties. Here, you will start to see a change in Aang, where experiences he has in the current situation are starting to make him change his mind. I've also taken it upon myself to add in characters who we haven't heard from before, and have them express their POV's on Aang in this chapter. Let's see if this works out.

Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko own Avatar.

Aang's POV

My entire body froze up as this strange masked figure entered my cell. Originally, I went into the mountains to get some medicine for Katara and Sokka, who came down with an illness. I heard that the only way to save them was to have them suck on frozen frogs, hence my journey. I would have made it back safely had it not been some archers shooting their arrows at me. Before long, I was face-to-face with a guy calling himself Admiral Zhao, although if I had a choice, I would call him Admiral Oversized-Sideburns. What's with that facial hair?

But Zhao chained me by my arms and legs in spread formation, making it impossible for me to bend other than with my mouth. It didn't help that he tortured me further by reminding me of my status as the last air bender, making me want to blow him out of this place. But now, this strange fellow with a blue mask came into the room, whipping out dual swords and stalked up to me. Boy, Zhao sure knew how to mess with a guy's mind. As if his nasty words from earlier weren't enough, now he had to bring in this scary guy? The sooner I got out of here, the better!

Before I could even react, my hands dropped from their chained positions, and I could feel my feet getting looser too. I hesitantly tilted my eyes, and found the chains completely shattered. Whoever this masked figure was, he freed me from the binds. So whose side was he on? "Who are you? What's going on? Are you here to rescue me?" I called to the mystery man, gently rubbing my wrists while watching him stalk back to the door.

No response from the masked figure, who beckoned me to the door. I would take that as a yes, given this was the way out. I had no idea what happened out there, but seeing how guards were all tied up and disabled, I would say this guy was a pretty good fighter. Just as we turned to corner, I felt some squirming in my tunic. I took a look down and, to my horror, my frozen frogs were thawing out, some of them escaping as well. "Come back, and stop thawing out," I cried, frantically trying to pick up the now-moving creatures. But I couldn't get my hands on any of them at all, as the masked man returned and dragged me out by the collar. "My friends need to suck on those frogs!" I shouted, my voice echoing off the walls.

We navigated the sewers and through the courtyard, taking us to the main gate, where I was first brought in. It was only now that I realized how truly dangerous this was. All the fun and games that I expected were truly no longer around, as the Fire Nation had spies and scouts all over the place, leaving me with no place to hide. They were for real when Roku said they wanted to take over the world, stopping at nothing to make further advancements in the Earth Kingdom. Right now they had many rural areas under their control, but I doubted it would be long before they took over cities as well. I just hope Bumi in Omashu would by okay when they attacked.

"The Avatar has escaped! Close all the gates immediately!" Admiral Zhao was on the loose again, his voice booming from the towers while guards poured out in every direction. We were really busted this time, as the front door would be blocked off for sure. Looking around, we found a side door that was still ajar. If we hustled through that one before the guards got to it, maybe we could still escape? Not even taking time to think, we raced to that exit's direction.

But no such luck, as all the guards in that area now had their spears pointed at us. I managed to defeat a few in my spot with air bending, snatching one of their spears and using it in similar fashion as my staff, which I left with Katara and Sokka. But the masked man wasn't as lucky as me, as he had, at least to my observation, no bending. Figuring a way to help him, I stood before the mysterious figure, using a surrounding air blast to shoot the guards away before aiming him for the wall. Let's see how well a non-bender could be propelled up this thing.

I blasted up the wall after him, making sure him was alright before propelling us to the next wall. This fortress had a series of walls stacked one in front of another, and with guards all over the ground, the only way to navigate out was in the air. Even though there were no guards attacking from nearby, it didn't stop their attacks from below. Don't they know when to quit?

I focused on the guards climbing through the trapdoors at the next wall, blasting them away with air while my masked rescuer dealt with other people now attempting to climb up to us using ladders. I didn't want to hurt them, as that would be against Air Nomad philosophy, so I had to aim my blasts extra carefully. Once I was done with the guys at the trapdoors, I turned to the ones on the ladders, shooting them off the ladders while making sure they would not suffer life-threatening injuries. But seeing how high these ladders could reach gave me in idea. What if I used them as poles to vault us over the walls? Wouldn't that be faster than grabbing a broken spear and using it as a propeller? Figuring it was worth a shot, I quickly snatched two ladders.

I leaped onto a ladder located on the side of the wall that faced the outside, holding onto another ladder in my hands while handing a third one to the masked man. "Jump on my back," I hollered, hoping to use our combined weight to manoeuvre our way out. To my surprise, it was working quite well, as we actually managed to make our way across the courtyard. I used the one I held as the next crutch, pushing it closer to the next wall, before asking the mysterious man to give me the last one. Just a little more and we could make it...

Yikes, the ladder was on fire! I could feel the flames shooting up to my feet, the guards from below ready to ambush us when we fell. I lunged for the last wall, but to no avail, as the stone wall fell from my grasp. Had it not been a relatively low fall, I was willing to bet we would be smashed to bits now. Great, Katara and Sokka were sick to the point of delusional, and I had to nurse broken bones. How much better could this night get?

"The Avatar must be captured alive," Zhao's voice ordered. Apparently, Mr. Oversized-Sideburns decided to drag himself down here just to laugh at our misery further. But I barely had time to react as the masked figure put his blades to my neck, threatening to decapitate me as he inched back to the doors. I had no idea what was going on, but Zhao's face went from elated to furious, showing off that famous scowl we saw the last few times we fought each other. I saw his face before when I was in the Fire Nation temple, although he never saw me since I was fused with Avatar Roku. Apparently, his supposedly famous temper was on full force right now, with his plan to catch me thwarted. Either I went with my mysterious rescuer-turned-assassin, or I would be subject to Zhao's volcanic temper. I didn't know which was worse.

Zhao ordered his men to open the gates, and I felt the masked man slowly back out of the fortress with me, his hands never leaving my shoulders. I felt the darkness roll right over us, my body feeling the chills as we crossed the drawbridge. A bit further, and we would be into the woods. Well, at least I had something to work with in escaping, right? What if I used my air slice to snap off a few branches, disable the masked man, and made a run for it?

Yikes, what happened? Before I could even blink, an arrow slammed into the mask, knocking my kidnapper unconscious. I turned back to the fortress as saw Zhao's men rush out from the front gate. I didn't make it out of this place just to get dragged back in again, so I pulled up a fog screen to confuse the troops while I tried to make an escape. I pulled on the mysterious stranger, only to have the mask fall off to reveal a scarred face. My entire body froze up at the sight of the individual. How could my rescuer be Prince Zuko, son of the Fire Lord? What was his reasoning behind infiltrating that fort and pulling me out?

But no time to waste, as Zhao's men were too close for comfort. Keeping the fog up, I grabbed Zuko and raced into the woods, hoping to get away at least for the night. I didn't stop running until we were deep in the heart of the forest, placing Zuko down near a fallen log while I plopped down next to him. It was then that I managed to look at the banished prince, realizing that he wasn't that much different than most Fire Nation kids. Just like Kuzon, he was fearless enough to go across the world looking for me, he had determination to the point where he would tackle any obstacle just to accomplish his task, and he had the smarts to sneak in undercover while being resourceful enough to fight without bending. Had the war not been going on, he would be just like an older version of Kuzon. He didn't have to fight me, and I didn't have to run away all the time. We could have been great friends had everything just worked out.

I didn't sleep too much, not with these thoughts eating away at my brain. I had to find some way to not just end the war, but to make the nations friends again. Whatever worked out a century ago clearly wasn't working today, so I had to think of something new. Moreover, I still had to get frozen frogs for Katara and Sokka. By the time Zuko came to, it was already morning. Taking a look at him, I described my experience with the Fire Nation. "He was one of the best friends I ever had, and he was from the Fire Nation, just like you," I told Zuko about Kuzon, "if we knew each other back then, do you think we could have been friends too?"

Zuko's reaction was all that it took for me to get out of there quickly, as I leaped out of the way just as his fire fist came crashing to the forest floor. Jumping into the tree, I took my sign to get out of here, hoping a stream was nearby so I could collect my frozen frogs. It might be too big a stretch to get Zuko to befriend us right now, but whatever the case, I had to give it a shot. It would be crucial if we wanted the world to have peace again.

Aang's POV

A smoking leaf was thrust into my hands, its texture both frail but hard as the old man with wild hair cast a set of uncompromising eyes on me. "Concentrate on the fire," he ordered, "I want you to keep this flame from reaching the edges of the leaf for as long as you can." I really wondered what this man knew about fire bending at all.

Said man was Jeong Jeong, a deserter of the Fire Nation military, and supposedly the first to live to tell the tale. We ran across one of his men at a nearby town festival, where I ended up blowing my cover to protect Katara from being burned in a stunt gone wrong. The man who helped us, Chey, was also a Fire Nation military deserter, and told us about Jeong Jeong, who was a fire bending master. Since this was probably the only chance that I had to meet someone of the Fire Nation who was against the war, I decided to approach Jeong Jeong in hopes of learning some fire bending from him. But this bitter old man wasn't swayed, claiming I had no self-control and that I ought to go with the Avatar Cycle, learning water and earth before coming back to him. I didn't know what changed his mind, as I felt Avatar Roku's presence in the room when I first spoke to him, but he finally decided to go along with the plan.

"This is the worst fire bending instructor ever," I commented as Jeong Jeong ran off with one of his men, claiming there was trouble in the area. During my time with Jeong Jeong, I never even got a chance to see fire being created. All day long he talked about feeling the sun's rays and learning to breathe properly. Heck, he even put me into a horse stance at the most random times, almost like he was doing it for fun, just to torture me! Now I had to hold on to this stupid leaf when I should be creating fireworks? What kind of fun was this?

Suddenly, I felt the leaf between my fingers ignite rapidly, creating a huge fireball in my palms. "I did it, I made fire!" I exclaimed. Katara should be nearby practicing her water bending, right? Wouldn't it be great if she could come see this? "Katara, come here!" I hollered.

Indeed, my good friend was at the shore, watching me juggle the fireball while I teetered on this small piece of rock in the middle of the river. I tilted back and forth, testing my balance several times while making the fire become more dynamic. Even though Katara claimed I would hurt myself, I didn't see what the big worry was. Didn't I tell Katara before that bending was about letting go of fear? What better way to show her I had none by doing a couple of daredevil tricks? Juggling the fireball back and forth, around my body and over my head, I tried to perform the same trick that juggler from the festival did. Spinning around, I gathered the fire in my arms and blasted them sideways, creating a perfect circle of flames around me.

"Argh!" Katara's screams snapped me back to reality, as she crumpled to the ground, grabbing her hands in pain. Suddenly, whatever daredevil tricks I had in my mind faded as I saw Katara whimper uncontrollably, her arms convulsing uncontrollably as Sokka rushed to her.

I tried to get a good look at Katara's hands, realizing I burned her real good. But before I could even get close, Sokka leaped over Katara's body and pinned me to the ground. "I told you we shouldn't mess around with this, look what you did! You burned my sister!" he yelled, "This is all your fault!" With that, he ran after Katara, who now raced into the woods in tears. Before I knew it, I found myself isolated from the group, as the whole world crashed onto my head.

With nowhere left to go, I crawled into Jeong Jeong's hut and sat in the corner, with only his candles lighting my way. I never would have thought that my attempt to use a quicker way to learn another element would backfire so quickly. Everyone said I had to learn the elements as soon as possible, but now Jeong Jeong had to force me to stick to the order. But if the war kept going the way it did, would the Fire Nation still want to teach the Avatar fire bending? If I didn't get started on fire bending right now, opting to do water and earth first, there might not be any chances left. Why couldn't Jeong Jeong just see that?

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized this event was entirely my fault. I let my priority of having fun get ahead of safety and diligence, leading me to burn Katara's hands. Even when Jeong Jeong warned me about patience and self-discipline, to the point where he told me he was ashamed of a former student who lacked such, I ended up making the same mistake. I thought I could pull off some stunts, and ended up hurting those I loved. None of this would have happened had I not rushed in without thinking. With how destructive fire was, should I approach it again? I believed I should never touch this element again for the rest of my life.

"Aang, I'm healed," Katara's voice sliced into my moping. I whipped my head around to see her hands up against my face, with no signs of any burnt skin at all. I was flabbergasted at the lack of damage to her palms. How did she do it? "We have to get out of here," Katara continued, cutting short any chance for me to investigate, "Zhao and his soldiers are attacking."

Blasting from my seat, I realized Jeong Jeong might be in danger. I was the one who made him teach me this harmful element, meaning by association I made him guilty of the burns inflicted onto Katara. If there was anything I could do to help him, this would be it. Taking off into the forest, I hoped Jeong Jeong could stand his own against Zhao. While I didn't doubt his abilities, I was concerned he might be outnumbered. Besides, with that madman around, I was afraid Jeong Jeong would be subject to torture from Zhao.

By the time I arrived, it was too late. Zhao had his men surround Jeong Jeong while he turned his eyes to me. I could only watch in horror as the soldiers jabbed their spears in the fire bending master's direction, leaving him no room to manoeuvre. I was about to holler out, but Jeong Jeong was one step quicker. Surrounding himself with a fireball, he shot the blasts in every direction, knocking down the troops before leaping into the forests. I had no idea how he pulled off all those moves in less than a second, but it was truly an amazing sight.

But with the soldiers running into the woods after Jeong Jeong, it meant I was left to face Zhao alone. "Let's see what my former master taught you," he sneered. So Zhao was the former student that Jeong Jeong was ashamed of? Jeong Jeong said that individual had no self-control and only cared for destruction, and given how Zhao blasted anything that moved, I guessed it was somewhat accurate. Taking a deep breath, I prepared to face off against the admiral.

I face two huge blasts coming straight at me, forcing me to leap out of the way. Even though I suffered no hits, I couldn't say the same about the forest behind me. "I see he taught you how to run and duck like a coward," Zhao smugly pointed out, "but I doubt he showed you what a fire bender is truly capable of." With that, he blasted even bigger shots at me, causing me to flip, jump, and duck in almost impossible ways. When would this madness end?

But it was with those hits that I found out how much self-control Zhao lacked. Not only did he completely miss his target, he set half the coastline on fire. With this type of bending, it wouldn't be long before he hurt himself. So what if I turned the blasts against him? Taking a look around, I saw the three boats Zhao docked behind him, and that gave me an idea. Let's see how Zhao would react if he found out he just lit his own fleet on fire.

I raced along the waterfront and towards his boats, taunting him along the way. "Is that all you got?" I joked as he missed several shots again, "They'll make anyone an admiral these days." I could feel his anger rising as I jumped onto the nearest ship, his furious growl echoing off the hull as I dodged another blast. "I thought you'd be better than Zuko," I continued, using a fellow fire bender to taunt him. To an extent that was true, as I had never seen Zuko light an entire forest on fire. Hey, he got me out of Zhao's fortress without any bending at all, so that must count for something, right? By the way, did Zhao even know that masked man was Zuko?

By then, at least one of his ships was on fire, and now I just had to goad him into lighting the other two on fire as well. "Sloppy, very sloppy," I commented, marching onto boat number two. Zhao was really losing it as his blasts got harder and fiercer, the flames shooting through all the openings of this boat. By the time I got onto the last boat, all I had to do was wait for him.

Indeed, he leaped onto the third boat with me, claiming I had nowhere to run. I took a gander at the other two boats, and indeed they were on fire. Now, as Zhao prepared to send a fist into my face, I made the final move. Getting into a squat, I let the fire blast go above my head, before soaring into the air and somersaulting over him. Landing on his other side, I point out, "You lost this battle." Even though I didn't throw a single blow, Zhao did the rest, as his own blind pursuit of me turned into a rampage, lighting his whole fleet on fire.

"Jeong Jeong said you had no restraint," I continued, jumping off the now crumbling ship and back onto dry land. I could see Zhao's shoulders heave up and down, the hot-headed admiral hyperventilating in anger. "Have a nice walk home," I added, before racing back into the woods.

I quickly boarded Appa and took off, realizing that today, I had been taught a harsh lesson. There was a different between letting go of fear and being negligent, and that having fun didn't mean I had to be reckless. I vowed never to bend fire again, opting to focus on learning the other elements properly first. For now, I was intent on reconciling with my friends, especially Katara, who somehow found out this new healing technique. With her new-found ability, I could tell things were looking up for us in the future.

Teo's POV

"When are they coming?" Aang demanded, glaring at my father. I got the surprise of a lifetime a few days back when the Avatar himself visited the Northern Air Temple. I had been living here along with most people from my former village after it was flooded. Monks used to live here a hundred years ago, and even though they no longer existed, remnants of their former culture still littered the area. Dad was able to take advantage of that and gave us, a former Earth Kingdom village, a new lifestyle mimicking that of the Air Nomads. So it was quite a surprise to all of us when Aang arrived, knowing he was the real deal.

But a bigger surprise to us was the fact that my father was secretly working for the Fire Nation. Aang was very upset that the villagers, led by my dad, decided to renovate the entire temple. Aang claimed his culture was being destroyed, and while I didn't blame him, he held a grudge against my dad for doing so. Eventually, he calmed down and offered to open the last untouched place in the temple, the sanctuary, for me to see. I was wondering what sacred Air Nomad items would be inside, but we were all shocked to see deadly weapons all over the place. When my dad showed up, he told us the truth: he made them for the Fire Nation after we were supposedly discovered, as an extortion deal to urge the Fire Nation not to attack us.

"How can I be proud of you when your inventions are being used for murder?" I asked, just as Dad told us to hide. The Fire Nation was about to arrive, and that meant more weapons would be given to them. I knew Aang and I both had one thing in mind: there was no way we could give the Fire Nation more killing machines.

Just as a bell rang, my father pushed Aang and me aside, even though I insisted we weren't leaving. A trapdoor opened, revealing an older man with grey hair and dark red robes. Seeing the way he stalked up to my father demanding the weapons, I knew he was probably a high-ranking military official from the Fire Nation. Boy, if I wasn't stuck in a wheelchair, I would nail that guy for sure. The flood that wiped out my village took two precious things from me: my mother and the use of my legs. But I would say even without my legs, I had to take a stand here. No way should the Fire Nation come around bullying people like that.

But Aang was just a bit faster than I was, as he shot out from our corner and blew the door shut with air. Turning to the Fire Nation official, Aang stated in a stern voice, "The deal's off." Even when the official threatened to burn us down, Aang refused to budge, sending a blast of air at the older man's face. "You're leaving empty-handed."

The official stormed out, claiming the destruction of the temple would be on Aang's head. I realized I didn't feel so safe anymore, as the temple wasn't really suitable for defending an entire army battalion. Signalling to Aang, we hurried out of the room, hoping to find Katara and Sokka, Aang's two water tribe friends. We had to figure out something before the troops stormed up the mountainside and killed us all.

But Aang wasn't worried at all. "We have something they don't, and that's air power," he emphasized, pointing at the sky where some fellow villagers were returning to the temple from their gliders, "we control the sky, and that's something the Fire Nation can't do. We can win!"

It was here that my admiration for Aang just skyrocketed. When I first met him, we were both in the air. Aang apparently wasn't impressed with my fellow villagers' flying, and wanted to show us the "true spirit" of an air bender. I took on the challenge, and ended up wiping the smirk off his face real quick. Even so, I didn't feel Aang truly got along with my people, as he felt we were destroying his culture somehow. But knowing that our survival relied on us working as a team, he didn't even hesitate in taking on the challenge. It was time to put aside differences and stood together, and I had never seen someone rally us that well. And considering that he was only twelve years old, even younger than me, what did that say about his abilities?

But the most pleasant surprise was when my father approached us, offering to help as well. Asking me to gather all the able flyers in his office, he instructed us on what our plan of attack would be. Apparently, Sokka and Dad were working on a war balloon, originally to be sent to the Fire Nation. But right now, it seemed like the best solution was to use it against them, using our aerial prowess to drop different types of bombs on their troops. And to top it all off, my father asked me to lead the aerial assault with the Avatar, leading our team to victory. To fly with the best flyer in the whole world, that would be a great honour.

Our gliders lined up on the runway, ready to take flight as Aang stepped up next to me. I hadn't heard too many stories about what the Avatar did outside of the Northern Air Temple, as my villagers didn't really get much of a chance to go too far from here. Even when we were to go to nearby towns to get food or supplies, we didn't really go en mass, given one could only carry so much on a glider before it became too heavy to fly. But the few people who did return told me he defeated Fire Nation troops in various parts of the Earth Kingdom before, and each time he did so using unorthodox methods. Whatever those skills were, I was eager to find out. If we made it through this attack, there was no doubt that the world would be in good hands.

Our team took to the air, with Aang and me leading the way. Diving through the clouds, we could see the Fire Nation troops trudging up the hillside, the snow and terrain slowing them down considerably. It was the perfect place to launch our assault, as our gliders swooped in and bombarded them with fire, smoke, and slime bombs. They couldn't fire any shots at us, given how we were always in motion. After a few more round of bombs, they were on the retreat.

But just as we took out the infantry, the tanks shot through the clouds. The metallic hooks blasted in from below and attached themselves to the bedrock as each tank slowly pulled itself up the mountain. Those mechanical beasts were giving us more than we could handle, as their tough exterior meant they were almost immune to our bombs. Even as Aang took the fight to them, using his air bending to whip the tanks back, the machines merely corrected their positions and soldiered onward. With the supply of bombs now limited, it wasn't long before they reached us.

By the time Aang, Katara, and the rest of the villagers returned to the temple, we saw a huge war balloon with the Fire Nation insignia float out from the temple. I didn't think they would make it out in time, but Dad and Sokka were ready for the Fire Nation. With four huge stink bombs hanging below the balloon's cab, they showed the Fire Nation the power of stink as the packages splattered into the troops below. But with still more tanks in the distance, Sokka unhooked the boiler from the balloon and tossed it overboard, hoping the finish them off. Before I could even prepare, the entire mountainside rocked violently. With the bedrock shaking and a black cloud of smoke rolling over us, I could only hold on for dear life.

But everything turned out to be alright, as Aang flew out in his glider and saved Sokka and my father. Our people cheered nonstop as the Fire Nation troops retreated, knowing we would live to fight another day. As we gathered everyone around, Aang announced to us that he had to leave soon. His destination was the Northern Water Tribe, which wasn't that far off from here, and his goal was to master water bending. It was his first element outside his native one, and I wished him nothing but the best as he began his quest to end the war.

Just as he was about to take off, he approached me. "I'm glad you guys live here," he gently told me, "you found this empty shell of a place and made it your home. And now you protect each other." Earlier Aang saw a hermit crab, and Katara used it as an analogy to show Aang that it was okay to accept different people living in the temple. I recalled him still quite bitter about it, but now it seemed like he figured things through.

"That means a lot, coming from you," I responded. It was with this experience that I realized the Avatar was human, and just like the rest of us, he had to go through changes as well. Aang was an amazing individual, and I had nothing but respect for him. For him to not just overcome the changes that he wasn't used to, but also to adapt and accepted differences, that was what saving the world was about. I was very happy to have met Aang and called him my friend, and I would love to see the day when he could truly save the world. And if he ever required my help on anything, all he had to do was come here and I would be there to help.

Aang's POV

Grass never felt so good as I marvelled at the oasis before me. There was a small temple of sorts almost on top of the small pond, while a tall waterfall rushed down in a surprisingly peaceful way in the back. And unlike the ice city that was outside, this place was warm, almost like it was spring already. "It's the centre of all spiritual energy in our land," Yue, the princess at the Northern Water Tribe, described. I definitely feel a lot more tranquil here than I did outside.

By outside, I meant the raging war. Apparently, Admiral Zhao decided to lay siege to the North Pole, with his armada parked outside the walls of this ice fortress and hurling fireball after fireball at us. I managed to find a water bending teacher in Master Pakku, this elderly bending instructor who was close to the royal court. Katara nearly didn't get invited to join us, as Master Poop-Head decided he wouldn't train girls, asking her to learn water healing instead. I tried to teach Katara behind everyone's backs, but Pakku caught me, throwing me out of his class in the process. Katara then challenged him to a water bending duel, in which the master won, but then softened his tone when he picked up Katara's necklace. He was supposed to be in an arranged marriage with Katara's grandmother, who didn't love him back and ran away to the South Pole. After a quick understanding, Pakku changed his ways and offered to teach Katara.

I sat down before the lake, feeling the energy around me as I prepared to meditate. Some of the great monks in the Southern Air Temple could meditate without losing concentration for four days, and while I never did anything remotely that intense, I did my fair share of meditation as well when I had to get my tattoos. Moreover, I was also able to meditate without having two people standing right behind me speaking loudly, courtesy of Katara and Yue discussing what I had to do to cross into the Spirit World. "Come on, guys," I shouted, turning around and glaring at them, "I can hear every word you're saying!"

But soon enough, I found my source to concentrate on. In the pond were two fish, one white and the other dark, swimming together in a circle. My eyes focused on them as I slowly felt my body relax, my every muscle loosening and my eyelids closing. Taking a deep breath, I let my body meld into the energy, and sent myself to the Spirit World.

The Spirit World seemed different than I was here last time, almost like it was darker and gloomier. I glanced around and saw a swampy forest with huge trees and strange birds. In the distance, there was a meditation area of some sort, and a white-furred monkey was on there doing exactly that. Figuring I could get advice from him, I approached. "Hello? I'm sorry to disturb you, but I really need to find the Ocean and the Moon Spirits." I requested.

But the spirit didn't respond kindly to that, instead asking me to go away. Well, how rude! And to think I had to save the world from destruction. Didn't he know that if spirits in the real world were killed, the Spirit World might be affected too? At least, that's what I believed would happen. "Perhaps that thing might help," the spirit replied, cutting short another one of my attempts to engage him. Pointing at a firefly of sorts, he asked me to chase it.

I rushed through marshes and leaped through trees just to find the firefly, hoping I could catch up to it. I didn't exactly take my water bending lessons with Pakku seriously, with Katara now overtaking me in skill level, as pointed out by Pakku. I was having too much fun playing with snow and creating a snowman on my body, and now I was seriously paying the price. With only air bending around, there was no way I could take on all those ships. Now, with the entire Northern Water Tribe in trouble, the only way I could save them was to use the original water benders, the Ocean and Moon Spirits, to help. Talk about a long journey dedicated to learning!

I finally caught the firefly while balancing on a tree, only to have the tree branch give way and send me straight down. As I struggled to get up, a familiar face appeared in the place of my reflection in the water. "Roku," I greeted as he shot up from the water and materialized in front of me, "the water tribe's under attack. Please help me find the Ocean and Moon Spirits."

Roku then explained to me that these spirits left the Spirit World a long time ago, opting to sacrifice their immortality to live in the mortal world. Unfortunately, there was only one spirit old enough to remember them, and it was a dangerous one. That spirit was called Koh, the face stealer, and I must approach him with no emotion, otherwise he would steal my face. I suddenly felt a lot more sobered as Roku disappeared, leaving me on my trek again. Who knew there was a spirit that eerie before? From now on, I would never underestimate the spirits ever again.

I climbed into the mountainous regions, which seemed oddly short of life. Not a creature was around as a cave beckoned ominously to me. My heart raced, my stomach flipped, and my skin clammy and sweaty as blood rushed in and out of my face. Earlier, on my way here, I did see one little critter, which made me feel a bit easier, until it turned around and showed me it had its face missing. Okay, no emotion, calm thoughts, and no sudden gestures. Taking one last deep breath, I plucked up all my courage, and climbed into the cave.

The stone steps were slightly wet and slippery as I slowly moved down the cave, calling Koh's name the entire way. My voice echoed off the walls, giving me an eerie feedback of noise as I couldn't help but feel someone was watching me the whole way. Just as I got to the bottom of the steps, a large, pale face dropped down from the ceiling. "My old friend the Avatar, it's been a long time," Koh hissed. It was then I got a good look at what he was: a huge centipede-like being hanging on the stalactites while presenting a strange human face in the front. Even though I tried to show no fear, I was actually shaking uncontrollably.

Koh continued his mad rant, claiming one of my past lives tried to slay him. I had no idea what he was talking about, but I had to play along, just in case he did anything crazy. I didn't want him to use that as an excuse to steal my face. I could feel the sharp tips on Koh's head jab at my skin, the spirit clearly trying to goad an expression out of me. Taking another deep breath to calm my nerves, I proceeded to asking him my question. "I need to find the Ocean and Moon Spirits," I requested as Koh circled his body around me, "please, help me find them."

"Someone is trying to kill them!" Koh yelled, shooting his head straight into my vision. This time, the face was that of a monkey, most likely from the faceless one that I saw outside. "They have always circled each other in an eternal dance," Koh continued, snaking his body up again, "they balance each other, push and pull, life and death..." Please, not another riddle!

Suddenly, I figured it out. Two opposites circling each other, representing totally different things but must rely on each other to survive. I already met them: they were the two koi swimming in the pond at the oasis! "The koi fish," I exclaimed.

Koh shot back at me, forcing me to wipe away my excitement once more. I was that close to blowing it, and I didn't want to be hear any further. "I must be going now," I told the sadistic monster, slowly backing out of the cave. Luckily, Koh didn't follow me, and I was more than thankful for that. As I edged back outside, I now knew exactly what I had to do.

Luckily, Hei Bai was there to give me a lift, beckoning me to hop onto his back as he rumbled down the mountains and through the swamps. For such a large, bulky character, Hei Bai was quite speedy, as I was back to the pedestal I came in from in minutes. As I disembarked from Hei Bai's back, the panda bear shot a strange beam from his mouth. It went right through my body, making me feel like I was disintegrating. As I flowed through the same sequence I did when I got here, I was back into the real world again.

Instead of returning to the oasis, I felt myself sailing through the air, flying over tundra and into a small cave. As I awoke in my body, I found myself completely tied up. "Welcome back," the all-too familiar voice sneered. I couldn't believe it, Zuko was here again.

I blew a blast of air at Zuko, sending him deeper into the cave while propelling myself out. I could barely move with how tight he tied me up, and it wasn't long before he caught up to me again. Just before he could land another punch, my friends showed up on Appa. Katara took down Zuko in one shot, creating a huge snow tower and slamming him down. The white stuff was heavy enough to knock him unconscious while Sokka untied me. As the two hustled back onto Appa, I insisted we brought Zuko along. "If we leave him, he'll die," I maintained, hopping off of Appa and grabbing Zuko. The Avatar's job was to care for all life, including those from the Fire Nation. Even with Katara and Sokka objecting, I had to do my job right.

But as we took off on Appa (with Zuko), I saw a frightening scene. There was a shadow covering the moon, casting the land in darkness. Yue felt nauseous in the back, saying there was something happening to the Moon Spirit that was indirectly affecting her. And strangely enough, I felt it too, the pounding sensation in my head increasing by the second as Yue explained how she owed the Moon Spirit her life. She was born a sickly child, and her father was asked to place her in the Spirit Oasis where the Moon Spirit gave her some of its life force. Because of this, Yue had a permanent connection to the Moon Spirit, and anything affecting it also affected her.

But the story would have to wait, as Zhao was indeed at the oasis, holding a wet bag that had something squirming inside. As we raced off Appa, ready to take on his men, Zhao raised a fist and threatened us. Seeing that the Moon Spirit was taken hostage, we had to stand down. "Destroying the moon won't just hurt the water tribe," I tried to reason with him, "it'll hurt everyone, including you. Without the moon, everything will fall out of balance."

Then, to my surprise, the old man that Zuko always traveled with, his uncle Iroh, came in from the back and agreed with me. "Whatever you do to that spirit, I'll unleash on you tenfold. Let it go, now!" he warned Zhao. Well, at least someone from the Fire Nation made some sense. Now would Zhao come to his senses and just let that fish back into its pond?

I watched intently as Zhao placed the bag back down into the pond, his eyes softening as the koi slipped back into the water. For a moment, the moon regained its light, only to have it come crashing down as Zhao created a fire blade and slashed through the pond. I could only watch in horror, feeling unbelievably helpless as the Moon Spirit took a huge hit, which ended up making it unmoving and floating belly up. As Iroh attacked Zhao's men, I could only trudge into the pond, my heart sinking down to my knees as I wished the spirit was alright. "There's no hope now," Yue sobbed, clinging onto Sokka, "it's over now."

Suddenly, the Avatar State took over my body, and I found myself involuntarily moving to the middle of the pond. While Iroh picked up the dead Moon Spirit, he also waved everyone else off as I focused in on the Moon Spirit's companion, the Ocean Spirit. Before long, I felt our bodies fusing into one, forming this giant being that towered over the entire Northern Water Tribe. It was here that I truly saw the destruction brought upon by the Fire Nation, but I also felt I had all the power in the world. With the Ocean Spirit now controlling my every move, it was like I was nothing more than its humble guide, going through the water bending motions one by one as we pushed the Fire Nation troops out of the way. Before long, the Fire Nation troops were on the run, trying to get out of the city and back to their ships outside.

But even as the Fire Nation navy tried pulling out, there was no stopping the Ocean Spirit from pursuing them. Even though I had no access to the spirit's mind, I could tell that it was now attacking out of pure rage, seeking vengeance in the name of its companion. Throughout my time with the monks, I was always told to ease my emotions no matter what happened, as anger and rage would only cause more destruction to both myself and others. Yet right now, not only was I associated with rage, I had no way of stopping it. How would the monks feel if they saw me blast apart ship after ship, each one with hundreds of people inside?

Then, in the most frightening move by far, a huge tsunami was created, sending the ships sailing back and crumbling whatever boats that couldn't get out of the way. The only type of bending of this scale of power I had seen so far was fire, when Roku and I fused together in his temple. But never in my life had I imagined water being so strong as well. Pakku once told me that water was the element of change, and that by letting their emotions flow with the water, a water bender could better manipulate their strength. There was no doubt that the Ocean Spirit was emotional alright, and to see this emotion meld together with bending, this was power that was beyond reach. While part of me was excited that I finally had a solution to my problem of getting the Fire Nation away from the North Pole, part of me was also disgusted by the carnage being caused. When would this madness ever end?

Then, as suddenly as it began, it stopped. The moon was somehow relit, causing the Ocean Spirit to stop its rampage and returned to the Spirit Oasis. I was placed on a nearby ledge, groggy and wobbly, while the strange-coloured blob floated away. By the time the armada and Fire Nation troops picked up the pieces and left, it was already sunrise. During that period of time, I got a chance to truly think about all the events that happened. There was no doubt in my mind that being the Avatar was difficult, probably more so for me than any other Avatar in the past, given how much happened in the past hundred years. I had to let go of my past failures, my attachments to the Air Nomads, and had to face the fact that I had to return to facing my true responsibilities. I could tell that after today, the world would start accepting me as the Avatar, and would be counting on me to change their hearts.

At the same time, I also realized how much work we had to do after the war was finished, assuming I would have to face the Fire Lord in the future. The destruction caused here at the North Pole was phenomenal, and the Fire Nation navy also took quite a beating as well. People were tired of the war, and it was time things were renewed. I had faith that the resilient water benders, with their ability to adapt and change, could find ways to thrive in this new world. But there was still another huge area called the Earth Kingdom to consider, and I knew even though we freed several small towns near the Fire Nation border, there were still many other areas being harassed by the Fire Nation. Plus, I now had to start learning earth bending, and it was only right I went to the Earth Kingdom to find me a teacher. This time, it was no longer just fun and games, as the world went through too much destruction for me to only focus on what animal to ride next. The journey of seeking fun was over, and now the journey to truly save the world had begun.

Before long, Katara and Sokka came up to me, pulling me into a group hug. Katara told me that Pakku planned to go to the South Pole to help that village rebuild, and that we had to go to the Earth Kingdom on our own. Whatever the case, I was happy this group was with me all the way. I could tell no matter what the obstacles were, we would face them as a team and win.

Aang's POV

Earth benders surrounded me, some of them riding Ostrich Horses while others were on the ground, but it was evident that they were on the war path. "What are you doing?" I asked in total panic. My group just left the North Pole and returned to the Earth Kingdom when we came to this military base. The troops here apparently heard about our victory over the Fire Nation at the North Pole, and greeted us with the friendliest attitudes ever.

But no such friendliness here, as the general in charge of this place, General Fong, now ordered all his men to attack me. When I first discussed the victory at the North Pole with him, I had to emphasize that the only reason I won was because I was in the Avatar State. Fong became fascinated with it and used every method possible to trigger it again, claiming it could help end the war now. He even took me to the infirmary, where dozens of injured soldiers laid there, most of which suffering indescribably painful and traumatizing injuries. It was just another sobering reminder that my absence in this world caused that much pain to the people around me.

But even though I wanted to be practical and realistic, Katara was vehemently against this exercise, claiming I had to learn the elements the "right" way. It eerily reminded me of the time I tried to learn fire bending ahead of the other elements, and burned Katara's hands. While I was still intent on avoiding that element, I felt this case was different than that one. It could be seen that the Avatar State could be used effectively, and I didn't harm my friends in the process with it. All the people I attacked with the Avatar State were Fire Nation people, so it should be fine, right? Determined not to fail the world again, I chose to proceed, despite Katara's boycott.

"I'm not your enemy! I won't fight you!" I shouted as earthen disks were sent my way. I barely dodged them in time, seriously regretting that I approached the general at all. Originally, I wanted to go through with Fong's exercise, but I kept having nightmares about how destructive I was, this time to my friends. The nightmares had gone on for a while now, but it was at its worst last night. I suddenly realized that, even though I disagreed with Katara earlier, that what she said was right yet again. Each time the Avatar State was triggered, I was in genuine danger, and trying to do it on purpose would only do more harm than good. With that in mind, I went to the general to call off the exercise, but it was apparent that Fong wanted to do this regardless.

Before long, I was taking hits from every soldier around the open area, flipping and spinning like there was no tomorrow as earthen disks, boulders, and lumps of rock were hurled at me almost simultaneously. Fong wasn't just stubborn, he was downright mad. Did he really take my words literally when I told him only genuine danger could trigger the Avatar State, causing him to go on the attack? Getting on my Air Scooter, I zipped around the enclosure, hoping to just outrun that lunatic and his men. "You can't fight forever!" I yelled, just as Fong encased me in an earthen disk and crushed it around me. Luckily, I was small enough to fit, or else I would be nursing bruises around my ribs right about now.

I raced back up the tower, hoping I could get back inside. At least the general wouldn't be crazy enough to earth bend indoors, where there were injured soldiers. But the second I got to the top, I realized what a big mistake I made. Somehow, Katara made her way down here, and Fong now had her trapped. Twisting the ground beneath her feet, Fong sank Katara up to her knees. "Don't hurt her," I called, leaping from the balcony and blasting Fong with air.

But Fong blocked my shot with a rock slab, further squeezing the ground, leaving Katara only visible from waist up. Even Sokka's appearance was fruitless, as Fong merely sent him flying into a disk, trapping him there while continuing to threaten Katara. "Stop this! You have to let her go!" I demanded, rushing up to Fong.

Oops, bad move, as Katara was now up to her shoulders in earth. "I don't see glowing," Fong stated, half-sneering and half-ordering. I was trying so hard to please everyone, but how come I could never win? I was merely telling Fong the truth when it wasn't a good idea to do the Avatar State this way, but now he had to go around hurting my friends? I wanted to beat the Fire Nation too, but not at the expense of having the one I loved the most sinking in quicksand. "You don't have to do this!" I screamed, dropping to my knees while tears burst out from my eyes.

"Apparently, I do," the general muttered, squeezing his hand one more time. And before I could even grab Katara, she disappeared from view. Now Fong had gone too far, as he crossed the line with me regarding the Avatar State. I had no problems with him confronting me, and I had no problems with him doing weird exercises with me just to trigger the Avatar State. But to hurt Katara, that was way too much. I wasn't just angry with him, but his entire battalion for doing something this immoral. I was mad at the entire group of soldiers stationed here for even thinking about condoning this, and refusing to speak up against this delusional general. Lastly, I was angry at myself for even accepting his offer in the first place, giving Fong a chance to hurt Katara. Angry, frustrated, and helpless with Katara buried, my body started glowing.

I turned to glare at Fong, who was cackling like a maniac, ecstatic that his plan worked. He wanted to see the power of the Avatar State, right? So let me demonstrate it to him, as I turned around and mustered the biggest air slice I could, sending Fong flying and slamming back-first against the wall. Before long, I created a huge sand tornado, blasting everyone around me, even as Fong got back up to release Katara. I didn't care about this base anymore, as I was so mad I just wanted to level everything. Troops, Ostrich Horses, supply houses, you name it, I just wanted to destroy. I was about to teach these morons a lesson they would never forget.

But before I could do more, I felt myself being pulled out of my body, watching the carnage from the skies as Roku's voice filled my ears. "It's time you learned," he stated, pulling me onto his dragon, "the Avatar State is a defence mechanism, designed to empower you with all the skills and knowledge of the past Avatars. In the Avatar State, you are at your most powerful, but you are also at your most vulnerable," he explained, sounding like a teacher unimpressed with his student. Wow, seriously, did I really fare that poorly with him?

Then Roku's warning to me really smacked me across the head. "If you are killed in the Avatar State, the reincarnation cycle would be broken," he described. Suddenly, we were off the dragon and lined up chronologically, based on the first Avatar all the way to the more recent ones, like Kyoshi, Roku, and me. Then, to my horror, each Avatar, who had their eyes glowing earlier, all started disappearing before me. By the time it got to Roku, he declared ominously, "the Avatar would cease to exist." As he disappeared from view as well, a chill shot up my spine.

Soon, I found myself back in my body, surveying all the damage I had done. It truly shocked me as to how powerful the Avatar State was, as I did everything except blasting down the base's walls. Katara soon came up to me, seeing how ashamed and pathetic I was. "I'm sorry, Katara," I whispered, "I hope you never have to see me like that ever again."

But that lunatic Fong was still around, mouthing off about how this experiment had the perfect result. He even went further by saying he wanted to train me on harnessing its potential and controlling its energy. I guessed Sokka did everyone a favour by creeping up behind that nutcase and knocking him unconscious, or else I would have done it myself. Seriously, I had done enough damage for one day, so don't make me use more force.

With that in mind, we decided to head off, going straight to Omashu. Earlier, we thought about asking Bumi to teach me earth bending, given how skilled he was when we first saw him. But for now, the Avatar State was another topic that I would put on the backburner, just like fire bending. Even though I was all for ending the war, I wasn't keen on placing my friends in the line of fire like that. Enough damage was done by my actions, and I had to be even more careful from now on. Play time was over, and the real work was about to begin.

Aang's POV

"It must be the two lovers from the legend," I exclaimed, "That's who's buried here." We were on our way to Omashu when we ran into a group of travelers offering to take us through an underground shortcut. Given that the Fire Nation would attack us if we were aboveground we chose to heed their advice. All did go well with the passage, until a torch was dropped on Appa's foot and caused him to rampage into a pillar. That ended up created a rockslide and separated Sokka and the travellers from Katara, Appa, and me. It didn't help that Appa hated caves to begin with, meaning he was very reluctant to enter in the first place. Now, with no map and only one torch, there wasn't too much we could do other than find our own way out of here.

Katara craned her neck at the bottom rock layer supporting the two coffins, pressing the torch up to the sculpting. "The lovers met on top of the mountain dividing their two villages," she began, going through each drawing in detail, "the villages were enemies, so they could not be together. But their love was strong, and they found a way. The two lovers learned earth bending from the Badger Moles, and became the first earth benders. They built an elaborate tunnel so they could meet secretly. Anyone who tried to follow them would be lost forever."

But Katara's words reflected so well on our present situation, as like the two lovers, we were all alone in this elaborate labyrinth. I had always admired Katara and liked her since she freed me from the iceberg, but recently I found myself liking her more than usual. Throughout our journey, I saw how she always put others ahead of herself, and always tried to inspire others. Even when things were looking down, she always told people to keep hope, and persevered to fight another day. So many people would be enslaved by the Fire Nation had it not been for her.

But it meant a lot more to me than anyone else, because of how she pulled me from my fun-loving self to become the Avatar. Every time I neglected my duties, she would be there to straighten me out. Every time I let my emotions get the best of me, Katara was the one to tame them again. And even in situations where I did something I regretted, like the Avatar State case at Fong's military base, she was the first to reassure me that everything would turn out for the better. Even though my experience with earth bending was nonexistent, I could tell that Katara was steady as a rock. And it was with this admiration that I found out my liking of her was starting to become something more. I wondered if she ever noticed that.

Katara's words suddenly snapped me back to attention, as the love story took an unnerving twist. One day, the man didn't come, because he was killed in the war. The woman was so devastated that she unleashed her earth bending on the combatants. But instead of levelling both villages, she created a new one and offered both sides to live in peace. "The woman's name was Oma, and the man's name was Shu," Katara stated, "The new city was named Omashu as a monument for their love." Well, who knew that city had such a colourful background history? I wondered if Bumi ever knew anything about that.

After the inscriptions ended, we glanced upwards, seeing a huge statue of the two lovers kissing. Between them was a plaque with the slogan, "Love is brightest in the dark." I couldn't help but think about the story, the statue, and the slogan. Maybe there was a hint in there to show us how to get out of here. What if we started poking around the statue?

Katara beat me to the punch, as she was already moving around the statue, looking for more clues. Unfortunately, her reaction said it all when she returned to the front, her downcast eyes and her slouched pose well-illuminated in the light. "I have a crazy idea," she suggested, her eyes shifting in uneasiness. She explained how the curse was that travellers would be trapped in the cave unless they trusted in love, and the slogan on the statue was "Love is brightest in the dark" all the while showing the lovers kissing. "What if we kissed?" She offered.

My entire body shot up, almost like I had been jolted by lightning. "Us kissing?" I stuttered. I had never imagined being able to get close to Katara, let alone kissing her. It might be a crazy way to get out of here, but perhaps it was a good chance for me to tell her how I felt about her? Whatever the case, the situation that I had been thinking about more and more in the last little while was about to come true. "Us, kissing," I murmured dreamily.

Katara giggled, although more out of self-ridicule rather than accepting the idea. Well, I didn't want to push the issue either, if she wasn't ready for it. If she was going to poke fun at herself for suggesting the idea, why not play along? "I definitely wouldn't want to kiss you," I replied, spreading on that goofy grin Katara said I always had.

Oops! Big mistake, as that came out totally the wrong way. I wasn't meaning that, it was just a reflex to Katara's words, honest! But Katara, unfortunately, did take it the wrong way. "I didn't realize it was such a horrible option," she responded, marching away in an unimpressed fashion. Maybe I should clarify that by telling her it was a life-or-death situation?

Yikes! Instead of making it better, it only made things worse. Now Katara was on the warpath and didn't even want to discuss the issue. "I'm not sure which I would rather do, kissing you or dying!" She roared, slamming the torch in my hands. Seriously, what's wrong with me?

The next half an hour or so was complete awkward silence, with Katara stalking ahead of my while I trudged behind along with Appa. It really got me thinking about what I said to her earlier, about kissing and survival and whatever else. It was an unusual situation to say the least, with Katara suddenly breaking out that suggestion. Maybe I was caught off-guard, and didn't realize the implications of what kissing meant to her. Maybe it was the case that one, if not both, of us, wasn't ready for something like that. Or maybe it was me letting my emotions get in the way again, saying things I never meant and pushing Katara away from me instead of drawing her near. Whatever the case, I could tell things would never be the same again after this experience.

"We're going to run out of light any second now, aren't we?" I asked, looking at how little of the torch was left to burn, "what are we going to do?" It was a shocking reminder that we were still in a cave, and without any lighting, we would be trapped forever. I glanced longingly at Katara, hoping she had some idea to get us through this.

Without another word, Katara turned back to me. Grabbing my hand, she pulled me close to her. With the remaining dim light, I could see the look on her face. It wasn't angry or hurt, as in her reaction to my earlier comment. Instead, she was fully accepting that we were down to our last chance. It might be a crazy plan, and we might only be doing this for survival, but it was one moment I would never forget. Just before the light finally flickered out, our lips met each other. It might be completely dark in the cave, but that kiss lit me up a thousand times over.

Then, just as our lips parted ways, a line of crystals illuminated themselves. I wasn't sure what they were, but they certainly resembled the rock candy crystals Bumi had in Omashu. Maybe it was the way out to the city? Whatever the case, Katara was intent on checking it out. "That's how the two lovers found each other," she deduced, "they just put out the lights and followed the crystals." She turned to where the crystals led, and raced in that direction.

I didn't even get a chance to ask Katara about the situation; other than a simple odd-sounding stutter, there was nothing I could say. Hopefully, this was the beginning of something new between us, and that it was enough to at least let Katara know I truly cared about her, more so than anybody else in the entire world. As the tunnel's end got brighter and brighter, we knew it was the exit. Just like how Katara always told us to have hope, we persevered once again.

As Appa bathed in the sun, a loud rumbling could be heard from behind us. We whipped our heads around just to see Sokka burst through on a Badger Mole, with our traveler friends on another not far behind. While Katara and I let love lead the way, Sokka and company let large, ferocious beasts lead the way. Whatever the case, I was glad that everyone would be alright. Unfortunately, our friends weren't going to join us to Omashu, so we had to take off without them. But for me, the fact that Katara and I had our little moment in the cave was something I would never forget. Hopefully, we could get Bumi to teach me earth bending so I could still defeat the Fire Lord in time. I would love to spend my time with Katara for the rest of my life, living in the new peaceful world after we ended the war.

Bumi's POV

"Hi, everybody," I called from my metal coffin as they lowered me from this hideous looking statue. Apparently, the Fire Nation thought it was real funny to take over my city, and to make sure I couldn't resist, they shoved me in this metal box, all the while spoon-feeding me my meals just so I couldn't bend. Seriously, I was older than most of these soldiers combined. Did I really have to be treated like a baby? How ridiculous could these troops get?

The three Fire Nation girls faced off against three youngsters, who I recognized as Aang and his two water tribe friends. I hadn't seen him since his first visit to Omashu, now named the equally ridiculous New Ozai. I told him to think like a mad genius when he went through his Avatar training, so to see him at this state, I was really eager to hear out how well he applied that concept. Now, if only I could get out of this cramped cage.

Oops! The Fire Nation princess was speaking now, and apparently they wanted to trade me for a baby. Well, it looked like the Fire Nation did see me as a baby, assuming they traded based on equality. But hey, if the Fire Nation princess was going to put me at a higher value for whatever reason, I was willing to go along with it. At least I knew in their eyes I was a valuable person. "We're trading a two-year-old for a king," the princess described, adding how she knew of my earth bending abilities. Maybe I was being appreciated after all, as the princess even stated that the deal was unfair. Watching her raise her arm, I felt myself being pulled into the air again.

"See you all later!" I called once more, being hauled back above and around the statue again. The deal was off, and I was glad they realized how important I was to this place. Well, I was sure Aang wasn't about to let this off the hook, so what crazy move would he pull now?

Well, Aang really improvised this time. In one swift move, he blasted into the air, avoiding the Fire Nation princess's fire blast while flipping open his glider. "Where did you come from?" I asked as he landed on top of my coffin. I couldn't really see what Aang was doing, but a loud breezy sound indicated he was blowing onto the chains. Was he trying to break the chains with his breath? If that were the case, I would really want to see how he did it!

Wow! I didn't know how he did it, but whatever it was, it worked. There was a chill going down the chain and into the coffin, meaning Aang was creating ice. But that wasn't the main point right now, as I had to tell Aang about my plan. "Stop blowing for a minute," I interrupted, trying to get his attention. In reality, I actually never really put up a fight against the Fire Nation, opting to beat them with another strategy. While I was glad Aang did try to apply my theory, it wasn't the best time to do it. "Hold on just a...argh!"

We were in freefall as the chain somehow snapped free. I craned my neck just in time to see the Fire Nation princess jumping into the air after us. But with us hurtling from the sky, there wasn't much we could do. I had to be around earth in order to bend us to safety, and there wasn't any around me. This couldn't get any worse, could it?

But Aang pulled through again, this time using his air bending to soften to landing and directed us onto one of the chutes. It was like what we did a century ago all over again as we sailed downed the slides, dodging shots from the Fire Nation princess, who got onto a box and followed us closely. While I enjoyed the moment of nostalgia, there were more important issues at hand. "Let me talk to you!" I yelled over the wind and sand whipping past me. Even though I was in a coffin, my face was still sticking out slightly, but low enough to get the dust and debris over me. While I usually didn't mind the grime, this was no time to get messy.

But Aang either didn't hear me or didn't have time to react, as the fire bending princess kept up her pursuit, shooting deadly blast after deadly blast at us. There was no denying what she was doing: she was shooting to kill. Even so, I had a strategy all along, and I couldn't just let this event knock me off the path. Besides, even though Aang did a good job with the mad genius thing so far, it was time he learned something even more sophisticated than that.

Oh dear! I didn't realize the fire bender was getting that close to me already. Now she had a spinning disk of blue flame slicing up the path and shooting straight at us. Desperate times called for desperate measure, right? Squeezing my face hard, I rolled my neck a couple of times, creating just enough earth to intercept the flame disk. As it dissipated into nothing but smoke and debris, Aang could only stare at me incredulously. What? They didn't cover my face, so using my face to earth bend was fair game, at least in terms of trying to escape alive.

Well, looked like Aang wasn't too pleased about it, as he proceeded to chewing me out the second we halted. He jumped off the coffin while I straightened it out, just in time to see his steaming face. "Why didn't you free yourself? Why did you surrender when Omashu was invaded? What's the matter with you, Bumi?" He spat, sending saliva all over my face.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to explain my idea to him. "There are options in fighting called jing, which is a choice in how you direct your energy," I lectured, "this is neutral jing, when you do nothing. This is the key to earth bending, which involves listening and waiting for the right moment to strike. This is why I can't leave now." I knew Aang was most likely to ask me to teach him earth bending, but with an entire city on the line, I couldn't possibly leave the place to the Fire Nation. Unfortunately, my friend would have to turn to someone else.

"Your teacher will be someone who has mastered neutral jing," I continued just as Aang turned away in disappointment, "you have to find someone who waits and listens before striking. Goodbye, Aang. I'll see you when the time is right." Even though I too was sad to see my friend go, I had faith in him in carrying his mission through. He had been through so much just to get to this stage, and I had seen him incorporate the mad genius techniques like never before. Aang went through much growth in the last little while, and I was sure he would turn out to be a perfectly competent and capable Avatar, ready to take on any challenge in this world.

But for now, I had to take my old spot, back on the crane behind the ugly looking statue. Sending a huge rock at the bottom of my coffin, I pushed myself back up the chute. I would love to do something to that statue just to make it look better. Why were people in the Fire Nation so darn serious all the time? When were they going to learn to smile?

Katara's POV

"You know this block is having is only temporary, right?" I suggested to Aang as we circled the blob of water around us. We finally found someone to teach Aang earth bending, and she was an earth bender from a rich family named Toph. We met her at an earth bending tournament and were amazed at how she won all those matches despite being blind and barely half the size of all the other wrestlers. And even when Aang was captured by those earth benders later on, claiming they wanted to hand Aang to the Fire Nation as a bounty, Toph was the one to save Aang. We thought for sure she would be the one, right?

Apparently, it was tougher than originally anticipated, as Toph's parents were extremely restrictive, and basically grounded Toph for the rest of her life after that incident. Toph only joined us after she ran away from home, and even then our first few days were anything but enjoyable. While I tried to keep the group together, the two idiotic boys thought it was real fun trying to trash my every effort with Toph. It eventually led to Toph separating from us, only to rejoin us after the Fire Nation sent a metallic machine after us. We were pretty much pursued day and night, and it's only now that we managed to get some rest. With things somewhat settled down for the moment, we thought it was the right time to set Aang on earth bending.

"I don't want to talk about it," Aang muttered, continuing to focus on the water sphere. Toph trained Aang hard and fast, shooting through the basics while I observed nearby. While Toph was impressed at how fast Aang managed to master the basics, it was the more advanced stuff that got to him. Toph tried to have Aang stop a boulder while blindfolded, and Aang, in his air bending nature to avoid, leaped over the rock, not even touching it at all. It led to Toph blowing up at Aang, calling him every name under the sky and making Aang feel quite shocked. To calm him down, I suggested trying some water bending drills with him.

Bu things weren't getting any better with Aang, as he would withdraw into his shell every time I discussed earth bending with him. While I didn't deny that learning a new element would be difficult, I also believed he had to deal with it no matter what. "You do realize that's the problem, don't you? If you face this issue rather than avoiding it..." I began, gently probing him.

"I know! I get it, alright?" Aang snapped at me, stopping his motion and causing the water to splash harmlessly into the marsh at his feet. Apparently, he thought I was talking about the earth bending experience, and claimed he knew he had to face the rock head-on. But when it came time to do it, he failed to do so, and even right now he had no explanation why. While I was trying to remain civil with him, hoping to understand his needs, I somehow felt Aang wasn't really getting the message here. It's not just earth bending where he had to take a stance against another object, but with his entire outlook on the Avatar duties.

Using a different analogy, I tried to push Aang along the right path. "If fire and water are opposites, then what's the opposite of air?" I asked, "You're working with your natural opposite. You'll figure it out, I know you will." I always tried to give Aang positive encouragement as a way of inspiring him. I knew he had to come a long way just to get to where he was today, as shown by his efforts in the North Pole, the Northern Air Temple, and even in Crescent Island with Avatar Roku. Time and again, Aang showed great ingenuity and adaptability in dealing with the situation, almost like a water bender trying to adapt to the elements on the fly. If I said so myself, I felt Aang had the water bending mindset and was well on his way to mastering it.

But if Aang was to get to the next level, he had to get away from his comfort zone. I recalled we originally went to Omashu to ask Bumi to teach Aang, but Bumi refused by saying that he had to deal with the city under siege, and insisted Aang tried looking for someone who could attack after listening and observing. Aang believed he found the right person in Toph, but now realized she employed a teaching method that was way contrary to his expectations, to the point where he couldn't even face her again after she berated him. If he couldn't even take this challenge, how could he deal with the next ones, like learning fire bending and finally facing the Fire Lord? Even though Sokka and I forgave Aang for burning me back when he was training with Jeong Jeong, did Aang really believe he never had to learn fire bending again?

Since Aang was working with his natural opposite right now, I decided it would be the best time to make him deal with this problem. The sooner he could get over this hump, the better it would be for him in the future when he had to face further challenges. As I ended this session with him, I tried for a sneak attack, hurling a sharp reed blade at him. And to my expectation, Aang was ready for it, sending a blast of water up and slicing the reed vertically in half. There was no doubt about it, Aang had the reflexes of a master water bender.

We took a quick bow before I let Aang on his way again. He still had a lot of stuff to figure out before things would get better for him. But for now, I had faith in him seeing this through to the end, and I was intent on offering him as much support as possible. He was the Avatar, and he was my friend, and nothing in the world could ever change that fact.

I'm going to take another opportunity to raise my opposition to Zutara here again, in continuation with the point I raised a few chapters back. Most Zutara fans tend to go straight into pairing Aang with Toph, almost like they consider this their "ally" pairing. My response to that will be: "You're absolutely ridiculous." Toph and Aang showed even less romantic feelings for each other than Zuko and Katara did, so what makes you think it'll work out? Besides, a good pairing is one that can stand on its own, without another pairing backing it up. So just like how I won't include romantic Zutara moments, I won't include any romantic Taang moments either. Any requests made on this issue, I will ask you to kindly stick them up your rear ends. Thank you for reading and hope to see you next time.