Disclaimer: My friend said he owned Avatar: the Last Airbender. I think he's being sued. What an idiot. I state here and now I don't say what he said.

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Rated M: Mature Content. Blood. Guts. Sex. Drugs. All the good stuff.

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Hakoda: So, why do I get the feeling that Kita is hiding something from me?

Author: Um… because she is, genius; a couple of things in fact.

Kita: It isn't really hiding, since I barely know any of you.

Author: Good point.

Bato: Worst case Hakoda you can always seduce it out of her.

Hakoda: Is that your answer for everything? Sleep with someone?

Bato: HA! I never said sleep with, only seduce! Now whose mind is in the gutter?

Sokka: Point for Bato!

Author: Agreed.

Hakoda: /blush I don't have to take this from you guys. /leave

Bato: Think we went too far?

Sokka: Nah. Dad's just growing up. I haven't really met her yet, but Kita seems good for him.

Bato: I agree. Let's see what happens.

Author: Don't worry about Hakoda. I'm giving him freshly baked cookies. No one can stay mad or embarrassed when there are cookies!

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Chapter 16: The Blue Spirit

Aang woke up that afternoon feeling warm and much better than he had before. The sleep and warm care had done him good. He sat up in bed to find himself in a room within the Northern Water Tribe. Sitting next to him and asleep was a very pretty woman. He decided to let her sleep a little longer and snuck out of bed and over to Frost and Chill, who were lying by the fire. "Thanks for saving me, guys. You're the best." Aang told them. Chill tackled him and started licking his face with its serpentine tongue. Aang laughed out loud.

Kita startled into wakefulness in a cold sweat. Her nightmare again… she looked around and saw Aang up and about, playing with his new friends. "Hello, Avatar. How are you feeling?" Kita asked him.

"Great, thanks. What happened?" Aang returned.

Kita told him how his friends had brought him into the middle of the city and how he had been brought here.

Aang nodded and gave his friends a pat. "I'm Aang; honored to meet you." Aang said, bowing.

"I'm Kita, and I am honored to meet you as well, Avatar Aang." Kita said, returning the bow.

"Thanks for healing me, Kita. I owe you one." Aang said.

--

Hakoda awoke from his nap late in the afternoon and got out of bed. After putting his tunic back on, he went into the main room of Mina's home and noticed Hahn's door open so decided to check on the boy. Another healer was watching over Hahn. Hakoda greeted her and then satisfied Hahn was alright, chose to head back to the palace.

While he walked, he stretched his torso and tested his limits. He seemed to be fully healed and without even soreness to remind him of his injury. Kita really was incredible; and there it was again. Hakoda couldn't take his mind off of her. Her beauty crept into his thoughts and drove his body to respond. Her smile lit up his thoughts and forced him to smile as well. Something about her had captivated him in a way he had never experienced before. He had felt like this with his wife, but that had taken years to grow. He realized he felt for Kita the same as his wife, and yet he barely knew her. His decision made, Hakoda walked with purpose back to the palace. Tonight, he would meet with Kita and tell her how he felt. Tonight, he would tell her he was in love with her.

--

Katara awoke late in the afternoon well rested. She sat up in bed and took note of her surroundings. The previous night's events flooded back into her mind and she quickly roused herself and got dressed. She wanted to check on Aang. Heading out into the hall, she inquired with someone passing by and found her way to the room Aang was in. She knocked on the door, entering when she heard Aang say "Come in."

Katara entered the room to find Aang lying with the creatures from before and talking to a beautiful Water Tribe woman. She was shocked to see the smile on his face and suddenly decided she hated this woman that had Aang's attention. "Aang, are you alright?" Katara asked him.

"Yep; I'm great, thanks to Kita. Kita, this is Katara; one of the best waterbenders in the world." Aang said by way of introduction.

Katara bowed to Kita and said, "Nice to meet you."

Kita returned the bow and smiled at Katara. "So you're the prodigy I heard so much about. I never got to meet you on your last visit. I'm honored to meet you, Katara." Kita said.

Katara nodded to her and then said to Aang, "We captured Jet again last night. We need you to come tell us what happened and try to cure him again."

"You caught him? Alright!" Aang exclaimed, airbending himself upright. "Would you like to come too?" Aang asked Frost. Frost nodded and rose up. Chill moved out of the way as his father's bulk spread out a bit. "Oh, I almost forgot. Kita, Katara, I would like you to meet Frost and Chill. Frost, Chill, these are my friends Katara and Kita."

Frost came over to Katara and licked her hand in greeting. Chill did the same for Kita. "Pleased to meet you." Kita told Chill, giving him a pat. Katara did the same for Frost.

"Alright, let's go." Katara said.

--

Kenji was back at home sleeping that afternoon as well. He had been up all night the same as Katara and Chief Arnook had sent him home to get some rest. A knock on the door woke him. Kenji got up and still only half dressed went to answer it in a sleepy haze.

Standing at the door was Mina. She smiled at him when he let her in and closed the door behind her. "Hey, beautiful." Kenji said.

Mina blushed. "How did you sleep?" Mina asked him.

"Well enough. Last night was a bit hectic so Arnook gave me a few hours to rest a bit. I was just about to head back over to the palace." He yawned.

Mina stepped closer to him and put her arms around his neck. She leaned in and planted a gentle but firm kiss on his mouth. "What's your hurry?" She asked.

--

Everyone else was sitting in the meeting room where Jet was captured when Aang, Katara and Kita arrived. Arnook noticed them and bade them sit with them. Zuko and Mai had returned. Suki and Ty-Lee were there, as was Bato, Toph and Sokka. Even Momo was present. Everyone greeted Aang warmly and asked him what happened. Katara took a seat between Aang and Kita, refusing to let Kita anywhere near Aang again if she could help it. Aang told his story and how he'd come to meet Frost and Chill. Everyone was amazed to hear there were more of the creatures and so close to the city.

"I couldn't believe it, even when I first saw them." Kita said after Aang had finished. "Real Seihantai. Everyone thought they were a myth, or extinct."

Seihantai, eh?' Sokka mused. "I would have called them flufferkins." Sokka added.

Everyone looked at him like he was crazy. Sokka just shrugged his shoulders.

Frost came over to Kita and licked her palm again. He then went over to Jet's prison where he remained frozen and added another layer, for good measure. Chill tried to help, but did no more than add some slush to the coat of ice.

"What are Seihantai?" Aang asked Kita.

"I believe Chief Arnook would know better than I." Kita blushed. She turned away and saw Aang smiling at her, and she returned it. Katara looked almost ready to commit murder, but no one seemed to notice.

Just then, Kenji and another Water Tribe woman came in. "Are we late?" Kenji asked everyone. Kenji brought the woman with him. She was holding onto his arm. Katara stared and was totally floored. Who was this woman, hanging on to Kenji!? How dare she hold onto him like that!

"I would like you all to meet Mina, a very skilled healer and my fiancée." Kenji introduced Mina. Katara's jaw nearly hit the floor. He was engaged!? Everyone greeted Mina kindly. Katara did as well, more in shock than anything else.

Taking their seats, Kenji looked over to Katara and smiled in greeting. She did not return it. Kenji frowned, and then noticed Kita sitting there. "Hey sis; how you holding up?" Kenji asked her.

"Not bad, bro. Just a little tired. Being up all night isn't as much fun as it used to be." Kita replied.

Katara was totally at a loss. In less than a half an hour, she found out Aang liked someone else, Kenji had a fiancée, and the 'someone else' was his sister?! She looked between Kenji and Kita and noticed the resemblance. Other than the obvious differences between boys and girls, they were almost identical. They were twins. Katara sat back in her chair and sighed. She had lost.

While Arnook caught up Kenji and Mina on what was going on, Hakoda walked into the room. He appeared to be okay as he came over and took an empty seat by Bato. Katara noticed then that her father's eyes fell on Kita more than once. They also seemed interested in Frost and hill. What in the world was going on here!?

Arnook included Hakoda in the catch up session, and then they got back to business.

"To answer your question Aang, the Seihantai are to the waterbenders what the flying bison are to the Air Nomads, the dragons are to the Fire Nation, and the badger moles are to the Earth Kingdom. Legend says that the polar ice was created by the Seihantai and that they are the first icebenders. They are said to have crafted all we have around us. Serpentine face and tail, with a bearlike body; the fur keeps them warm and the head allows for incredible flexibility in their breathing. They were believed to be very intelligent and kind to those creatures that left them alone. They were thought to be gone forever, if they ever existed at all; and here we find the Avatar has discovered a whole family of them." Arnook explained.

Everyone looked to Aang. "It's true. When I went through the ice and found myself in the caves below the city, I must have gone the wrong way and went far into the countryside. That's where I found Frost and his friends." Aang told them.

"If you found them way out in the countryside underground, how did they get there from the glacier we met them on out in the waters south of the city?" Mai asked.

"I have no idea." Aang said. "But it's them. You know it is."

Zuko was busy trying to keep Chill from pelting him with snowballs. "Well, they are supposed to be smart, right? Why don't we ask them?" he said, ducking another slushy snowball. Chill seemed to be enjoying this new game. Frost came over to Zuko and nodded at him. He then raised himself up slightly, and then dove into the floor, straight through the ice. Everyone jumped up or stared as they lost all trace of him. A mere second or two later, Frost reappeared from the far wall on the other side of Zuko.

"They can pass through ice and water!" Katara exclaimed. Kenji looked interested as well.

"I wonder if they can teach waterbenders how to do that as well…" Kenji mused.

Frost returned to his spot on the ground and curled up. He was obviously listening but chose to be more comfortable.

"So, now that we know who Frost is, the question becomes what we do about it." Sokka said interestedly. "The Fire Nation and Air Nomads befriend and ride their totem creatures. Couldn't we do that?"

"They aren't pack mules, Sokka." Katara chided. "They deserve to be treated with respect."

"Besides, badger moles aren't like that at all. Not all creatures want people on their backs." Toph added.

"I believe that we will leave the Seihantai alone. We will live in peace with them and keep their existence a secret so no one will disturb them." Arnook said.

"Well spoken, chief Arnook." Aang told him. The rest of the group agreed. Chill lifted his snout to his maximum height and let out a little roar. "Now, about Jet…"

--

Iroh had been in this cell for over a month prior to breaking free. This time, he was chained to the wall by his hands and feet. Ozai stood before him, once again occupying the throne of the Fire Nation. Azula as always was at his side, and so was the Admiral, Kang.

"What exactly do you plan to do, Ozai? The comet it passed, and with it your hope of taking the world in your lifetime. Give up this madness and live in peace!" Iroh pleaded.

Ozai merely laughed. Admiral Kang stepped up to him and slapped his face, followed by a punch to his gut.

"I admit, you've been impressive, brother. You got yourself in shape and managed to break out of here once before. This time, it will be impossible. The only reason I don't kill you now is that I plan on using you to draw in the others that deserve my vengeance." Ozai taunted. "How does it feel, knowing your soul purpose left in life is to act as bait to destroy the ones you care about?

Iroh sighed and closed his eyes. He was obviously done talking. "Come; let us go back to the palace. I am in the mood for a little entertainment." Ozai told his followers. Even with his bending gone, never had there been a Fire Lord such as him. His mere presence had been all it took to restore him to his throne. His people cowered before his might. Yes… Ozai was going to have a good night.

--

"Jet escaped once, and he might do it again. We need to stop him as a threat now." Kenji stated.

"We can't. He isn't in control of himself." Sokka returned.

"Last time, Aang was able to free Jet of outside influence. Why can't he do that again?" Suki asked.

"I could try, but there's no guarantee it would work. Besides, he may just go zombie on us again." Aang replied.

The arguing had started almost immediately. Ty-Lee's ears were beginning to hurt. She had spent half the night talking to Mai, and she was certain she didn't want Jet to die.

"What if we free him from the ice and tie him up and keep him that way. We can try to have Aang cure him again but if he stays tied up; even if he reverts it won't matter." Bato suggested.

"What about a normal healing session? Maybe whatever it is possessed his body and can be fixed." Kita suggested. Mina nodded in agreement.

"Not a chance. We already know it's a spiritual possession. Leave it to the experts." Katara replied insultingly. Kita immediately stopped talking and sat back in her seat. Hakoda gave his daughter a very negative look.

Aang stood up and held up his hands. "Enough. We already know that I can cure Jet even if only for a little while. Why don't we do that and see if Jet can give us some more answers."

"It's too risky. We never should have let you do it the first time." Sokka said.

"Do we have any choice?" Katara asked bluntly. "Without some answers, we have nowhere to turn."

"Katara, Kenji, let Jet out. Everyone be on your guard. Be prepared to fight if he attacks." Aang commanded.

Everyone stood and those unable to fight as well stayed to the back of the room. Kita, Mina and Toph stayed as far as they could from the icy prison, Bato, Hakoda and Arnook protecting them. The rest spread out all around the Blue Spirit.

"Ready?" Kenji asked Katara.

Katara didn't respond but began her form. Kenji quickly caught up and together they slashed all the supporting ice pillars and the cage fell to the ground and shattered. Jet sprang to life, quickly assaulting Aang. An air blast threw him back towards a waiting Kenji, and he quickly used water whips to retrain Jet. Katara assisted, and the rest all came to help hold him down.

Suddenly Jet ripped free and did a whirlwind spin kick, standing on his arms and then rolling away from his captors. He made for Aang again and would have succeeded in cutting him open if not for the combined fire blast from Zuko and knives from Mai. The fire made him falter and the knives pinned him to the ice. Once again everyone was on him, and this time they managed to get the chains they had acquired around their captive.

Once again Jet went still; neither fighting back nor trying to free himself. "Well, that's a good sign, right?" Toph asked no one in particular.

Aang sat down cross-legged and once again grabbed Jet's head and attempted to call on his Avatar power. His tattoos began to glow as did his eyes. Everyone stood there, once again wondering what was happening.

--

Aang found himself once more on the infinite white plain where he had spoken to Jet before in the Fire Nation. Before he could even get his bearings, the Blue Spirit attacked him, swords slashing. Aang just managed to dodge the blow and jump out of the way. Righting himself, he noticed a giant tree off a ways and ran for it to give him time to think. What Aang found at the tree nearly blew his mind. "Jet!" Aang shouted.

Jet was up against the base of the tree, wrapped from head to toe in metal chains. He was obviously unconscious; his head slumped down on his neck. "So, you were being possessed." Aang told himself. He quickly jumped over Jet and climbed up the tree, looking for anything that might give him an edge.

As the Spirit approached, Jet woke up. He looked up and saw Aang climbing the tree, the Spirit about to go up after him. "Aang, look out! He's coming for you!" Jet yelled. Aang jumped to a far branch and began getting too high to have the branches support his weight. The branches broke, and Aang started to fall the long way down to the ground. Jet saw his friend in trouble and suddenly a pool of water appeared where Aang fell. He landed with a splash and quickly swam to the opposite shore.

"Thanks Jet!" Aang shouted. "Are you alright?"

"Do I look alright?" Jet returned. "Look out!"

The Blue Spirit had jumped out of the tree and landed on the ground closer to Jet. He began to circle the pool, looking to close in on Aang. Aang circled the same way, keeping his distance. He suddenly wondered why this seemed so familiar, and then it came to him; Tui and La, the Ocean and Moon spirits.

--

Kita suddenly cried out as her hands throbbed unbearably and she collapsed. Hakoda just managed to catch her and bring her to the ground. "Kita!? Kita, are you alright?" Hakoda asked, shaking her. Kita had gone unconscious.

--

Aang continued to circle the pool, but he knew that sooner or later he would grow tired or would make a mistake. As he passed near Jet again, he ran to him and tried to get him free. "I need something to cut the chains with." Aang told him. Jet concentrated, and suddenly a whole mess of weapons and tools littered the ground at his feet. Aang grabbed an axe too big for him and nearly fell over. He righted himself, but the Blue Spirit was upon him and slashed with its swords. One scraped the front of Aang's chest, and he felt as it sliced him open. Aang cried out and fell backwards.

--

Katara was watching Aang closely. Suddenly he jerked back and his shirt ripped apart; a huge gash shown on his chest. Blood came pouring out. Katara immediately knelt down and began healing. The blood continued to flow. This was not good.

"What's happening to him?" Suki demanded.

"He must be fighting with Jet in the spirit world." Sokka told her.

"Mina! We need you, hurry!" Kenji called to her.

Mina rose up from where she had been checking on Kita and came over to help Katara. Mina knelt down to start healing as well, and suddenly everyone was thrown back. A light shockwave slammed into them emanating from Aang and threw them all across the room. No one was near Aang except Katara. She hadn't felt a thing, or even noticed that everyone was thrown. She continued to heal the Avatar, this boy she cared about so much. Nothing was going to get in her way.

--

Kita found herself in a barren white plain; nothing around in any direction. She began walking towards a strange feeling she had, and soon came into view of a humongous tree. She rushed to it to find a strange scene; the Blue Spirit was fighting Aang while another boy was chained to the tree. Aang looked seriously hurt and it was slowing him down.

"Aang! I'm here to help you!" Kita shouted.

Aang noticed her but tried not to let it distract him from what he was doing. "Kita, you need to free Jet. Use something to get him free!" Aang called to her.

Kita suddenly noticed all the weapons lying around her feet. She grabbed a hand axe with a wicked edge and swung as hard as she could on the chains. Her arms jolted with the contact and she nearly dropped the axe. A single chain had been cut free. It was going to be impossible at this rate. Then she noticed the water. "You're Jet?" Kita asked the boy in the chains.

"Yeah." He replied.

"You made all this?" she asked him.

"The weapons and the water, yeah." He replied.

Kita thought as fast as she could. She thought she had an idea. "If you can think this stuff up, why can't you think it away? Remove the chains!" she told him.

Jet looked shocked. "Why didn't I think of that?" and suddenly all the weapons, water and chains were gone. Only the tree remained. "Much better." Jet said as he rubbed his wrists. Then, suddenly appearing in his hand was a set of hook swords.

"Thanks!" he shouted behind him as he raced to the fight. The Blue Spirit saw him coming and stopped pressing against Aang. The two Jets' crashed together and began fighting. Kita raced over to Aang and he fell into her arms. She lowered him to the ground and then realized she had no water to heal him with. This was the spirit world, maybe she didn't need water.

She placed her hands on the wound and felt the healing energy flow. She felt the gentle touch; the smooth, clear power flowing into the wound from a healer's hands. She closed her eyes and realized what she felt. KATARA! She must be healing Aang in the real world.

"Katara, can you hear me?" Kita asked in the silence of her mind.

"Who is this?" Katara's voice came back.

"Katara, its Kita. Listen to me. Jet is fighting the Blue Spirit and Aang's been seriously hurt." Kita told her.

"I know. He was ripped open here too. I'm trying my best to keep him alive, but he is bleeding so much!" Katara almost whaled.

Kita was a healer first and foremost. She saw the wound in front of her. She knew there was hope. "Listen to me, Katara. Don't you dare give up on Aang. I know you care about him a great deal, and he loves you more than his own life. I am going to tell you what to do. Follow my instructions and we can save him." Kita told her.

--

Everyone rose up as their senses returned. No one dared get too close to Aang again, but everyone was in some sort of fighting stance, armed and ready in case of anything else happening.

"Katara!" Sokka called to his sister, but she didn't respond. She continued to kneel next to Aang, oblivious to everything else around her. "Dad, we have to help her!" Sokka called to his father.

Hakoda was well aware of what was going on, but he only had eyes for the unconscious woman in his arms. He held her to him and shielded her from the strange events going on in the room.

Everything was chaos. There was a maddening wind coming from Aang that blew them all to their knees. Sparks of some kind flitted throughout the room. Ice melted then froze again. It was as if the world was going to end.

--

"Now, flow the healing energy there, where the heart meats the artery. Good; you're doing great Katara." In the last few moments, Kita had managed to direct Katara in how to heal the wound. It had begun to close up, and by watching from here, Kita was able to guide Katara perfectly.

"Something is holing me back, Kita. This part appears to be torn." Katara told her.

"Yes, it is. You need to start at the base and slowly heal your way up, kind of like sewing up a pair of pants. Just be steady; make sure the seams match." Kita told her

Meanwhile, Jet and the Blue Spirit had been going at it in a big way. Jet would parry a thrust and counter with a leg sweep, only to be blocked by a sword shoved into the ground and then have to roll away from a retaliatory swing. Neither one seemed to have the upper hand.

"Katara, you're doing great; keep it up, you're almost done." Kita encouraged her.

Katara struggled with all her might to heal Aang. She came to a blockage that was overpowering. "Kita, I can't do this. There's too much damage and it's too complex! What do I do?"

Kita saw the problem. It was quite a difficult issue to heal. Kita put her hands to the area and said, "Katara, I don't know if this will work, but I am going to try to guide you by my own movements. Channel everything you've got into this!" And Kita began to move, her hands healing even though the power did not flow from her. Katara's healing energy flowed into her and through her hands, allowing her the power she needed to heal Aang once and for all. The wound closed up without as much as a scar. Kita dropped back from the effort. Aang blinked and sprung up as if he was never hurt.

"Kita? I thought I felt Katara." Aang said, confused.

"It's a long story, Aang; but right now you need to help Jet." Kita pointed over to where the two fought. Aang saw the struggle going on and ran over to assist. Kita collapsed and lost consciousness.

--

Aang reached the dueling spirits and asked Jet for his staff. It suddenly appeared in his hand and he jumped in, pressing the advantage on the Blue Spirit. Jet and Aang fought together seamlessly, Jet proving mostly offense and Aang defense. The Blue Spirit was totally outmatched against both of them together. Jet managed to latch his swords onto his legs and flip him to the ground.

"Jet, imagine him imprisoned. Lock him up forever!" Aang told Jet fiercely.

Jet nodded and pulled away. The Blue Spirit quickly got to his feet and charged them, stopped by the sudden appearance of a steel cage. The Blue Spirit rattled the bars, and then attempted to slash through them. Jet concentrated again, and the bars were replaced with a solid steal barrier. "That ought to hold him. It's over a foot thick in every direction." Jet said, dusting off his hands. "Thanks Aang, I owe you another one." Jet said.

--

The room was suddenly quiet. All the wind and fire had stopped and Aang's tattoos had stopped glowing. He opened his eyes and found an unconscious Katara lying on top of him, her head on his chest. Aang held her head in his hands and hugged her to him. To his side, the Blue Spirit suddenly sat up and removed his mask.

"Jet!" Ty-Lee squealed and raced over to him, throwing her arms around him in a tight embrace.

"It's nice to see you again too, Ty-Lee." Jet replied, putting an arm around her and patting her on the back.

Aang sat up, still cradling the sleeping Katara in his lap. "Is everyone okay?" he asked the room.

"We're fine." Zuko said, and Mai nodded.

Suki was over by Mina helping her to her feet, and Kenji was doing the same for Toph. Bato was already walking over to him. Chief Hakoda was the only one still on the ground.

"Chief Hakoda?" Aang asked him. Hakoda stayed on the ground, still holding Kita in his arms.

Katara still in Aang's arms, he and Hakoda exchanged a look that only they understood. It's the look of a man holding the woman he loved in his arms; a woman he would give his life to protect; a look that told the world if only they could understand that they never had any intention of letting them go.

--

Hakoda: Mmmm… these are good cookies!

Author: See? I told you cookies win fights.

Aang: Can I have some cookies, Mr. Author, sir?

Author: I think you deserve a cookie. Sure, why not.

Sokka: And me?

Author: Well…

Toph: I hope you brought enough for the whole class, cause you're going to need a LOT of cookies.

Author: /cry

Bato: So all joking aside, Hakoda isn't dead. That makes me happy. On the other hand, Jet isn't dead. Not sure what that makes me.

Sokka: It makes you Bato.

Bato: Very funny.

Suki: Are Katara and Kita okay?

Author: Now Suki, you know better than to ask for spoilers.

--

Author's Corner:

I finally named my creatures; and all by my lonesome too! I took the name from the Japanese word for polar. It fits pretty well, don't you think? They are not the first waterbenders; that honor still goes to the spirits in the oasis. However, now the water tribe has an animal totem. Good deal? I think so.

Lots of action in this chapter, wasn't there? I hope everyone liked the nifty twin world healing going on. It all ties together eventually, believe me. So it seems the Blue Spirit is gone for now. Maybe our heroes will finally get some answers. Maybe the quest can even begin? We'll see.

Thanks again to those reviewing me. It's encouraging me to write pretty much daily for a long stretch at a time. I just wrote this whole chapter in under half a work day while taking calls, and I am starting the next one when I post this one. Its cool doing what you like, isn't it?

Come on folks, lay it on me. Am I not giving certain people enough screen time? Too much focus? Want more scenery? Maybe want some more emotion? People want more lemony goodness? I have already had a request for Ozai…. Never mind. Give me some feedback! You can't let Imotel, paintedbluerose and Kira73 do all the work!

P.S. Well, you can… but you should help!