Okay, thanks again to those who reviewed! I love you guys! Not literally. But you make me feel as if my writing is appreciated. Thank you! Okay, okay, enough drama, on with the story!

2 MONTHS LATER

Aang was still resting. His leg looked awful, but he could use crutches to get around. The Fire Nation kept trying to breach the wall of Ba Sing Se, but the earthbenders had kept them back for this long.

As Aang limped to see Appa for the first time in 5 months, he thought of how he longed to hold Katara, and to see Sokka, Toph, and Zuko again. His friends were still waiting for him. He sighed as he turned around the corner to the barn, and Appa was standing there, munching hay. As soon as he caught Aang's scent, he dropped his hay and turned his head. His view caught Aang, and he lunged for him happily. Aang yelled as Appa knocked him off of his feet, and pain seared through the wounded flesh on his leg, but he didn't care. Appa kept licking Aang over and over, and Aang kept laughing. Tears filled his eyes as his only family, besides Momo, still was here for him and loved him. Aang hugged Appa's big head. "I missed you, buddy," he said. Appa closed his eyes and lay down in front of Aang. Aang stroked him. "Where's Momo, boy?" Appa groaned loudly, and Momo ran out to Aang from behind the bison. "Hey Momo!" Aang cried as Momo jumped onto Aang's shoulder and curled up in the crook of his neck, licking his friend's cheek. Aang stroked him as he airbended himself lightly onto Appa's head and fell asleep, feeling at peace.

Katara was practicing waterbending. She always felt at peace when she did. She hadn't practiced in a long time, and was a little rusty. She soon got over that, and she remembered that she would have never become as good a master as she was if she had never met Aang. She felt the push and pull through her body as she moved her hands around.

Suddenly she felt like she was being watched. She spun around, waiting for something or someone to attack. She let it go, and turned around. Suddenly, a person yelled and a wall of flame burst toward her. She spun again, bent a water wall in front of her, and then saw the figure. She pushed her breath and water towards the person, and swiftly froze its feet to the ground. She ran up, ready to attack. The person's head was covered by a hood, and was laying flat on its stomach in the snow. She had a water whip ready.

"Show yourself!" she yelled.

The figure laughed. She frowned. "Show yourself, or I'll attack!"

"Geez, I'm just testing you," the figure said. Katara dropped her water and her jaw. "Zuko?"

He looked up. "Hey," he smiled.

"That's not funny! I could have killed you! What do you think you're doing?"

"Testing you to see if you still got it. You are still warrior material."

"Thanks," she said, unfreezing his feet. "What are you doing out here?"

"Me? What are you doing out here? All alone?"

"Please, Zuko, I am a master. I can take care of myself."

"I know, I just wanted to play a joke on you."

"You know, I like you as a funny person, not that stern, unfeeling, 'I need to capture the Avatar to regain my honor' person. You are a really good guy, Zuko. I know! You should find a wife!"

"What?"

"You know, someone you are friends with who you feel completely comfortable around. You can look at the girls your age around here! Have you talked to anyone?"

"Katara? Are you crazy? I can't marry! I don't know anyone!"

"Then meet someone!"

"Let's just drop it and go back to the tribe. It's lunch time."

They walked back together, Katara's hands on her "growing" stomach. She was waiting any day now for the baby to start kicking inside of her. But nothing yet. She took Zuko's hand. "Do you think the Fire Nation will come here to attack?"

He sighed. "Yea. I've been thinking about that. And by the way my father and sister are insanely evil, they'll probably get here as fast as they can. But let's not worry about that now. We need to prepare."

That night, Toph was meditating in her tent when Sokka walked in. He sat down next to her and took her hand. He put it on his cheek. She opened her eyes. "You okay?" she asked, taking Sokka's free hand.

"I'm sorry for not asking for your hand yet."

"That's okay."

"But I love you."

"Well, then, what's holding you back?"

"Your parents. I want to be a gentleman and ask your parents. But they barely know who I am, not to mention that you left them over 6 years ago, with our group! I was part of that! So I'm trying to take the time for a trip for you to go home, so they can meet me and see us together. But also I'm worried that they'll try to keep you there."

"I'll refuse."

"They're still your parents. They can make you stay."

"No, they can't."

"They'll refuse my asking for you."

Silence.

"Toph?"

"I will tell them I love you and we'll be fine, because I do love you," she answered. "I am not afraid. You show them that you and I love each other. Don't worry."

She looked him in the eyes, even though she couldn't see him. She touched his face and he looked in her eyes. He knew she loved him. And he loved her. He leaned forward and brought his lips to hers. They kissed gently, for although they were both loud, brave, strong, and independent, when they kissed it was like they were trying not to break thin glass.

When they parted, he looked at her face, which was flushed with color. She leaned on his shoulder, closed her eyes, and listened to the crackling of the fire. He leaned back, with her head on his chest, his arm around her as he closed his eyes too. They fell asleep together as the snow started to fall again outside.

A few hundred miles to the Northwest, underneath the Fire Nation, hidden in a volcanic crater, Ozai and Azula planned their moves. "We need another power source," Ozai said, looking at a map of the world. "We need advanced energy to take over the world. The comet is gone, the sun's not enough, and our troops cannot overtake every city and town. The people know how to fight back."

"Father," the daughter's snake-like voice hissed back. "I have an idea on where to get our power, but first I need to find out more. Why don't we worry about capturing the world now, and just taking them out later? We can send our ships every direction, and take over the cities, and surround the people. Then, we strike!" she said, lightning shocking off of her fingertips. She got up, bowed, and left. Mai and Ty Lee were waiting.

"Girls, ready for a trip to the South Pole?"

"Why?" Mai asked. "It's nothing but boring snow."

"Oh," Azula grinned. "I have a feeling we'll need to take over that part ourselves." She smiled evilly. "The Avatar and his friends must be there, as that is the peasant boy and girl's home." She stopped and turned around. "We leave in a month, starting with overtaking small Earth Kingdom villages, and then we surround the South Pole. Dismissed."

As she walked away, the other two went outside. "Mai," Ty Lee started. "I don't think I want to do this anymore. I don't want to hurt any more innocent people. I know we're Fire Nation, I feel like we're on the wrong side. Do you feel the same?"

"No," Mai said (lying through her teeth).

"But, don't you miss Zuko?"

"Of course I do. But for him to leave was his own choice. And I've gotten past him."

"Don't you miss him as a friend?"

"Yea,"

"Don't you feel that Azula doesn't care about us? You and I watch out for each other, while she just needs us to fight, and doesn't care if we live or not. Mai, I am your best friend, right?"

"Other than your annoying, unending happiness, yeah."

"Well, I've been thinking. Please don't tell anyone. I'm going to join the Avatar and his friends once we see him. I want to be a good person, not bad. Please, don't tell Azula!"

"Oh, I won't tell,"

"Thank you Mai!"

"I won't tell, if you take me with. I am also through with Azula. I'm going to join the Avatar too. As soon as Azula attacks, I'm gone. Let's go pack."

Mai walked slowly down the corridor as Ty Lee did cartwheels. But they didn't notice the Dai Li agent that was above them, listening to their conversation.

Sokka handed Toph the last few belongings they needed onto Storm. They were leaving that afternoon to see Toph's parents for the first time in 6 years. He groaned as he lifted Toph's bag, and when he set the bag on Storm, the polar eagle screeched. "What the heck is in your bag, Toph?" he said.

"Rocks."

"Wha…why?"

"They mean a lot to me!"

"Rocks…" he said sarcastically.

"Yes," she answered. "Each one is from a different time period in my life. My birthdays, special people I met, etc."

"How do you tell the difference?"

"Hello, earthbender? Rocks? Mean anything at all?"

"Yea. But why bring the whole sack?"

"I never know if I'll find another—and they have to stay together."

"Okay, sure. You ready?"

"Yep," she said as she mounted Storm.

Katara came up to them. "Hope you guys get great news," she said. "Stay safe, and come home soon. Protect each other." She smiled at Toph, who smiled back. "Keep out of trouble, Sweetness," Toph said back. Katara then looked at her brother. "I'm so proud of you," she said, straightening his hair. "My brother's going to be a husband."

"Maybe."

"Don't give up hope." She hugged him and he laughed. "Geez! I can't even hug you anymore because of Sokka Jr!" he patted her stomach, which grew bigger by the day, and he smiled. "Just kidding. I promise we'll be back in time though. We won't miss it."

"Good luck!"

"You too!"

Sokka climbed onto Storm. "Yee-haw!!" he yelled. Toph held on tight, closed her eyes against Sokka's back, and yelled as the giant bird took off into the air. Katara went back inside to write a letter.

That night, Zuko came into the clan's meeting tent with a bagload of fresh fish and a polar leopard that he managed to kill on his own. He was so proud of himself because he managed to go hunting without Sokka's help for the first time. He left it all for the women to prepare it for dinner, and stomped proudly to Katara's tent. She was sitting in a corner, writing, as he sat down.

"Wow! I've never seen you that happy. Did little Zuko finally manage to go to da wittle boys' woom by yoself?" She tried not to giggle as he lost his proud look. "What?" he yelled. As she burst out laughing and fell on her back, he started to laugh, and soon they were both to tears from laughing so hard.

Katara stopped suddenly as she felt her stomach. Zuko stopped laughing as he got to his knees and looked at her. "You okay?"

Her face broke into a smile as she took his hand and placed it on her belly. He felt something kick, and he pulled away as if shocked. "What was THAT?" he cried.

"Zuko, the baby's kicking!" Katara said as she smiled. He smiled too as he felt it again. It reminded him of firebending, how firebending came from within, and within fire was life. He placed both hands on Katara's stomach.

He looked in her eyes, and she smiled. "So, why were you so proud?"

"Oh, yeah!" he said, as he remembered why he was here. "You're looking at a warrior who managed to hunt without Sokka's or anyone else's help!"

"Zuko, congratulations! I'm so proud of you!" she said, hugging him. "How does it feel?"

"Like I mean something. You have no idea how this feels, Katara, how, in a way, I've earned my own different kind of honor back, and it's far from capturing Aang. I feel—free!"

They talked for a little longer, because Zuko didn't want to trudge back to his tent to get some food, and it was warm in the tent. So he lay on his stomach and played with the fire while Katara finished the letter. She rolled it up and reached for her parka. "Wanna come?"

"Where?"

"I need to send this to Ba Sing Se University. I need answers."

"To what?"

"Airbending."

He thought about this as the snow fell slowly. As they got to the hawk house, she turned to face him. "I needed to know about airbending."

"Why?"

"I need to know how to tell if someone is an airbender, you know, the symptoms."

"Because—?"

"Because, Zuko, in a few months, Aang might not be the last airbender anymore."

"You think your child might be an airbender?"

"Why not?"

"It's possible."

They dropped off the letter. And as the two friends said goodnight and parted, both of them thought of the child possibly being an airbender.

Okay, so Sokka finally goes with Toph to Toph's parents to ask for her hand. What will they say? What does the bag of rocks mean for Sokka? Will Aang be okay? Zuko's a full Water Tribe Warrior? And the child might be an airbender? Stay tuned! All of these questions will be answered. Please read and review! And ask any questions! I might not be able to answer them until the answer is in a certain chapter, but I'll try! Thanks to all of you guys!