Disclaimer: Pardon me sir, but do you have any Grey Poupon? Pardon me sir, but do you know which way to Albuquerque? Pardon me sir, but did you know I don't know the rights to Avatar: the Last Airbender?

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

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Author: I'm sorry you all had to split up. At least you'll all some exciting adventures.

Aang: I have plenty of exciting adventures. When do I get to just hit the beach and relax for a year?

Author: After the story is over, probably.

Sokka: Mind if I join you Aang? I can use some vacation time.

Katara: You need a vacation from what? Complaining?

Sokka: Ha; very funny Katara. I work just as hard as the rest of you.

Toph: I agree with Sokka. He hardly works compared to the rest of us.

Sokka: Thank you Toph… Hey!

Toph: /giggle

Aang: Relax Sokka. You can come to the beach with me.

Zuko: We could always take a real vacation on Ember Island. The house is still there.

Mai: It sounds wonderful to me.

Sokka: I never thought anything sounded wonderful to you.

Mai: You never thought are the operative words in that remark.

Author: One point for Mai.

Sokka: I am getting the feeling I should shut my mouth now.

Katara: Wise decision brother.

Toph: You never have before. Why start now?

Author: One point for Toph.

Sokka: Alright fine. I can take a hint.

Katara: Since when?

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Chapter 24: Parting Ways

Appa soared through the air easily just like he always did. It had been a week since they had left the North Pole and days since they had left the ship with Zuko and Mai on board it behind. Appa could not travel too far with so many people on his back, and they constantly had to land and take rest stops. Eventually, Toph and Jet also took their leave, heading east towards Toph's home town and Ba Sing Se. The remaining five of them made better time and soon came to the southwestern coastlands making Kyoshi Island a hop, skip and a jump away.

The group made camp on the beach where they could rest for the night and make the oversea journey to Kyoshi Island the following morning. Once camp was made, everyone split off to do their own thing. Suki and Ty-Lee spent their time going over fighting forms and practicing their moves. Yue, though silent and keeping to herself within Suki's mind, learned while the girls trained and Suki gave her tips and tricks to teach her the warriors art while they went. Sokka relaxed as he watched them. They had no idea he was studying the art too.

Aang went down to the ocean a goodly distance away from the camp and began practicing his bending. He had been making a habit out of training each day whenever he had the chance. He knew he was nowhere near a true realized Avatar and he had only saved the world because of an accident. No one else knew about how he had been lucky enough to slam against a rock in just the way he needed to free his chakra and restore his avatar state to use. It was eating him up inside, but he couldn't tell them. He had given up Katara's possible love to learn to master the avatar state and had been shot down. He now had the power back, but he had grabbed onto Katara and knew he couldn't let go. Because of this, he was afraid he would never truly master the avatar state.

"How is the training going Aang?" Katara asked him quietly from behind him.

Aang almost blasted her with fire before realizing she wasn't a threat to be faced. He turned to face Katara and saw her beautiful face in the moon light. Her hair loopies were down and she had her hair free of its usual style. Her eyes reflected the moonlight and Aang couldn't help but smile shyly. When Aang didn't reply right away to her question, Katara waved her hand in front of his face.

"Aang, are you alright?" she asked him curiously.

"Oh, yeah." Aang replied sheepishly. "I was just working on my bending a bit. I still have a long way to go after all.

"Maybe you do, but you are already pretty amazing; you managed to end the war after all." Katara complimented him.

Aang blushed again and turned to face the ocean, his gaze focused out over the water. "I appreciate the faith Katara but I am not so sure your right about that." He told her.

"Right about what?" she asked him curiously.

"About me being amazing… I barely managed to defeat the Fire Lord in our fight. It was pure luck that even gave me the chance. I am supposed to be the Avatar, the most powerful bender, and a single firebender managed to give me the challenge of my life. Not only that, but with this spirit world business it's as if the war never ended." Aang spilled out his fears. He needed to tell someone about how he had not truly defeated Ozai on his own. Who better to tell than Katara?

"What do you mean luck helped you?" Katara asked confused. "Aang, luck is a part of life. Your skills and your heart defeated the Fire Lord. Besides, the guy is a monster. A normal firebender wouldn't be able to do what he does." Katara added.

"Azula could. I bet Zuko's Uncle could." Aang replied.

Katara looked slightly frustrated but managed to calm herself. "I'll tell you what, Aang; you tell me everything you can remember about your fight with Ozai, and I will tell you if luck had anything to do with it. I wanted to hear all the details anyway, but no one wanted to make you live through it again." Katara told him.

Aang nodded and told her everything he could remember about the fight. He had been waiting there on the pillar and Ozai had come down from his blimp to face him. He told her how they traded blows but Ozai kept the upper hand. He told her how all seemed lost and Ozai threw him into a rock pillar which happened to open his chakra and unblock his energy flow triggering the Avatar state. When the story was done, Katara had the expression of one lost in thought.

"You know… maybe it wasn't luck. Maybe it was fates way of telling you that you were meant to save the world. After all, it was just a coincidence you were frozen in time as long as you were. It was also a coincidence that Sokka and I found you. Maybe everything that has happened is meant to happen." Katara suggested thoughtfully. She was thinking about her situation with Aang and how by her own words, maybe she was meant to be with him.

The thought of everything being the will of the universe made Aang feel a little bit better. Maybe the universe was trying to help him save the world and those he loved. "When you put it that way, it doesn't sound so bad." Aang smiled faintly.

Katara came over to him and gave him a big hug. While still hugging him she whispered in his ear, "Even if it was just pure luck, you saved the world. That is nothing to be ashamed of. You'll always be a hero to me." And she leaned out from her whisper and brought her lips to his in a soft kiss. Aang returned the kiss passionately, trying his best to show how he felt through the feel of his lips on hers. His desire for her was obvious to her through their clothing in the embrace. Katara didn't mind it so much.

The kiss lasted a few moments before Katara broke it off and backed away. She could feel the heat on her cheeks and other areas and knew that she had never felt like this about anyone else. Aang stood there looking at her; his heart was in his eyes as smiled at her. He was blushing as well.

"So… can you give me a hand with this move I have been working on?" Aang asked her to break the tension. Katara smiled and nodded.

"Sure, let's do it!" she replied.

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Sokka watched as Suki and Ty-Lee faced off. Suki was trying to teach Ty-Lee the moves necessary for her initiation into the Kyoshi warriors which was to happen while they searched for the medallion there. Ty-Lee was a quick study and had a similar fighting style to Suki which gave her an edge in the practice. Eventually they finished and Ty-Lee knew exactly what needed to be done. After that, they decided to spar and work on their fighting skills together, teach each other what they knew.

Sokka was amazed at how much the girls knew about fighting and the human body. Ty-Lee showed Suki how she was able to block off the chakra network and block bending, as well as muscle movement. Suki knew some of it herself but not at quite the same level and was fascinated to learn more. Suki taught Ty-Lee about the fan and sword as an extension of oneself, making it appear almost like a longer reaching hand to hand art. Ty-Lee was never much into weapons but by the time the sun went down she was pretty good.

Suki had even asked Sokka to join them, which he did. He regretted it in the first few minutes. Sokka was not what one would call a hand to hand expert, and Suki easily managed to block parry and evade his clumsy attacks and threw him against a tree upside down so he landed on his head. She was very sorry afterwards of course. Ty-Lee couldn't help but laugh though. Suki helped him to his feet.

"You know Sokka; if you actually trained a little more you might make a pretty good warrior." Ty-Lee told him as she laughed.

"Gee, thanks… I will keep that in mind." Sokka retorted. Then an idea came to him. "How about a one on one match, anything goes?" he asked Ty-Lee.

Ty-Lee shrugged. "Sure. I could use another laugh." She replied. She didn't mean to come off mean, but Sokka certainly took it that way. He had been observing the area as the girls fought and recognized a few queues that Ty-Lee had. He wanted to know if he could use them against her.

"Alright, let's go." Sokka said, picking up his scabbard and putting it on.

"What's the sword for?" Ty-Lee asked him curiously.

"Anything goes, remember?" Sokka replied glibly and drew his blade. The newly crafted blade made by his master was the best he had ever seen, even surpassing the one he had lost during the end of the war. The balance and strength was flawless.

Ty-Lee ran at him, arms at her sides. At the last second she rolled and came up poking at Sokka's midsection, only Sokka wasn't there anymore. He had determined her move half was through and had side stepped. He brought his sword down and Ty-Lee barely managed to move away in time.

"Not bad." Ty-Lee complimented him before she did a series of flips and came down where Sokka would have been if he hadn't seen it coming. Ty-Lee had intended to land on his shoulders and throw him but instead fell to the ground and landed hard on her legs. She rolled and got to her feet, but then fell again. "Ow! Why did you have to move!?" she complained as she stood again and rubbed her legs a moment.

"Not my fault you can't aim." Sokka teased her.

Ty-Lee came at him again and this time he didn't move. She came at him head on expecting him to move, but when he didn't she couldn't stop herself. Sokka moved forward, sword point forward and would have skewered her if he hadn't turned his sword away at the last second. Ty-Lee didn't stop as her surprise and momentum carried her into him and they toppled to the ground in a heap. Suki was smiling as she came to help them up.

"He may not be the best warrior, but he sure can beat the best." Suki laughed.

"I guess he can." Ty-Lee smiled at Sokka. "So how did you manage to avoid me? Most of the time I have no problem."

"It wasn't too hard. I was watching you to before and I noticed how you set yourself before each move. I am able to see what you're going to do right before you do it and counter." Sokka explained.

"Wow… that's kind of neat. How about you teach me to do that and I teach you how to block energy flow?" Ty-Lee offered.

Sokka nodded in agreement. He couldn't have planned it better if he'd tried. He was finally going to gain some of the skills he had been looking for.

Sokka trained with Ty-Lee and Suki for hours until night fell. Aang and Katara were off in the distance practicing their bending. All in all, it was a good evening.

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The five of them had a dinner consisting of fish Aang had caught with his bending and cooked over Katara's watchful eye. The fish kabobs were really quite tasty. Aang of course settled for soup and other staples, given his aversion to meat. As darkness settled in, they all said their goodnights and went to bed. They each had a bed roll and had decided not to bother with the tents because it was so nice out.

Aang awoke in the middle of the night to a loud noise off in the distance. He rolled out of bed and tried to wake Sokka, but it wasn't going to happen. He mumbled something about moose-lion cubs and turned over in his sleep. Aang slipped out of the tent and tried to make out where the noise was coming from. It was quite dark out still, but the moon and starlight gave him the impression of a ship a ways off shore. It seemed to be passing off shore a ways, but the noise was massive.

Aang struggled with whether he wanted to investigate or not and finally decided not to. It was none of his business. Once the ship faded out of earshot, Aang returned to his bed and fell into a troubled sleep.

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The following morning, they packed up camp and headed for Kyoshi Island. Aang was steering Appa and sitting on his head while Sokka and the ladies chatted about this and that. The weather was clear and the group made good time. Appa came into sight of the bay on Kyoshi Island and came down on the beach.

"Why didn't you land in the town?" Sokka asked Aang when he realized where they were.

"We need to get going and don't have the time for the formalities. You guys can get there on your feet just as easily." Aang told him.

"Fair enough." Sokka said. He packed up his things and hopped down, followed quickly after by Suki and Ty-Lee.

"We will be back to pick you up as soon as we can. In the mean time, enjoy your island vacation." Aang joked.

"Take care of him, Suki." Katara asked her.

"Of course." Suki replied.

"See you all soon!" Ty-Lee said as she waved.

"Yip-Yip!" Aang said to Appa, and he leaped back into the air. Aang pointed him relatively southward.

"Aang, where are we going?" Katara asked him.

"After the medallion that's in the middle of the ocean." Aang called back to her.

"What? Why?" Katara asked in surprise.

"Because I have an idea that it isn't at the bottom of the ocean. When I was first shown the location of that one, it was farther north. The next time, it was farther south. I checked this morning before we left, and it was south of where we were. In the middle of the night, a ship passed us off in the distance. It occurred to me that the medallion may be moving on the ocean, not lost under it." Aang explained.

"So you think it was on that ship?" Katara asked him.

"Yep; I confirmed it this morning like I said. It coincided with the ship that passed. We are going to try and find that ship and see if I am right." Aang told her.

Katara was watching Aang from her seat in the saddle and couldn't help but note that there was still something about him that gnawed at the edge of her consciousness. Something about him made him appear almost kingly to her. Shrugging it off, she sat back in the saddle and let Appa fly.

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Lu-Ten was in the room he had been given by his Uncle. The room was large and ornately decorated with priceless antiques. He had been a prince in his life and was heir to the throne of Fire Lord. All this new information was just too much for him to take in. He knew his father was trying to tell him something and he just had to know what.

Lu-Ten decided to speak to his father. His Uncle had told him that he would have his title and position back, and he meant to use them. When he approached his father's cell, he noticed there were ten guards at the entrance to that prison wing. Ozai had said his father had escaped once before, so he assumed that was why.

"I would like to speak to my father." Lu-Ten told the lead guard.

"I'm sorry sir. Our orders are that no one is to see the general under any circumstances other than the Fire Lord himself." The guard told him. Lu-Ten had never had such an issue pass by his ears and the thought of his father barricaded from him began to gnaw at him.

"I am the prince of the Fire Nation and I command you to allow me to pass." Lu-Ten demanded.

I'm sorry sir. We were told no one passes, not even you." The guard replied.

"I see. Thank you, captain." Lu-Ten told him.

It looks like he would have to speak to his Uncle if he wanted access. He also realized his Uncle would likely say no. Lu-Ten used the small time during the conversation with the guard to steal a key off one of his men. Deciding on a course of action, Lu-Ten returned to his room.

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Night fell, and Lu-Ten was dressed in his black infiltrators clothes. He had not worn these since he had left the academy; they were a snug fit. He noted to himself to lose a few pounds.

Creeping out of his room via the back window, Lu-Ten began to stalk the night, avoiding all guards and personnel as he traversed the airways and rooftops on his way to his fathers' cell. To provide air, a ventilation system was placed in the secure prison his father was imprisoned in. That airway was his pass to get into the jail. Lu-Ten made it to the right roof and checked to make sure the coast was clear. Peeking down at the main entrance, he noted the same guards from earlier that day.

Lu-Ten made his way to the vent and pulled at it but it wouldn't budge. Using a small, concentrated flame like his father had taught him, Lu-Ten managed to melt away the hinges and open the vent. The shaft was dark, but a small flame in his palm provided light. It was dark and musty in the small tunnel. It would be a very tight fit, but he could make it in. Backing into the vent, he pulled the vent door back into place and then welded it in place. Backing into the vent a ways, it split off in a cross section and allowed him to change direction and face front as he continued to shimmy down the metal tunnel.

Eventually he came to a grate on the inside and opened it with similar ease. Before Lu-Ten could make good his descent into the prison area, a patrolling guard walked down the hallway underneath him. Lu-Ten barely managed to get fully out of sight and close the grate before the guard came in sight. Luckily, the guard passed by without a second glance and he managed to drop safely to the floor and close the grate.

Knowing his way like the back of his hand, Lu-Ten backtracked to where his father's cell was. He couldn't get into the cell, but he could get into the anteroom. That is where Lu-Ten made his way to. The main door opened easily with the key he had pilfered from the guards earlier that day.

"Dad, can you hear me?" Lu-Ten whispered through the barred door gate.

"Lu-Ten?" Iroh's voice came to him.

"Yes, father." Lu-Ten assured him.

"You should not be here! If Ozai finds you…" Iroh trailed.

"I had to see you father. I could hardly believe the things Uncle Ozai told me and I wanted to hear it straight from you. What has happened since I… passed on?" Lu-Ten asked Iroh.

Iroh spent the next few hours telling his son all that had passed in his absence; the death of Fire Lord Azulon, Iroh's disgraceful return home, Zuko's banishment and their adventures hunting the avatar. When he was done, Iroh explained how he came to be in the cell.

"So you're telling me that Uncle Ozai killed my grandfather, took your throne from you, banished his own son and now plans to continue the war you helped end?" Lu-Ten asked incredulously.

"You must believe me, Lu-Ten. I did not want to see you under these conditions. I assumed when I passed on that I would see you again, but never did I expect you to be back with me here. Your Uncle is a dangerous man, and you must stay on your guard." Iroh insisted.

"Now that I know the truth, I will free you and we can take back the throne. We can still stop him!" Lu-Ten said excitedly.

"NO!" Iroh snapped. "The Fire Lord will know of your treachery almost immediately and will stop you. My cell has been rigged to sound an alarm if I should break free. You must seek help from your cousin Zuko and his friends. Only they can defeat Ozai and restore the world to peace. In the mean time, be on your best behavior and give my brother no reason to suspect you. Do not come to see me again; the risk is too great."

"Yes father, I understand. I will bide my time and will free you when we have defeated Ozai." Lu-Ten swore.

Just then, he began to hear walking in the hallway outside the door and immediately pressed himself against the wall behind the door. It opened once the lock was turned and the same guard from before entered. He hadn't noticed Lu-Ten as he continued on into his father's cell, a plate of horrible smelling food in his hands. Lu-Ten slipped out of the room and made his way back to the vent where he came in. He had a new mission now; a new purpose.

Lu-Ten would free his father, no matter what!

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Aang: So it's just me and Katara, eh?

Katara: Just what is that supposed to mean?

Author: Behave children. You have a job to do.

Aang: Just because we are treasure hunting doesn't mean there is no time for fun!

Katara: Aang!?

Aang: What, you don't want to try and ride the air ways outside the Southern temple? They're awesome!

Katara: Oh…

Author: Anyway… so you two are off on your merry way hunting ships in the sea. In the meantime we have Suki, Ty-Lee and Sokka on Kyoshi Island…

Sokka: Yeah, cause that's exciting.

Ty-Lee: It is! I get to finally be a part of a family!

Suki: And I get to see all my sisters and friends.

Sokka: Okay, so it will be fun for YOU…

Author: And then we have Zuko and Mai, headed over to the Fire Nation, where wonderful surprises await…

Zuko: Good surprises or bad surprises?

Mai: Who cares? It isn't as if we can't handle it whatever it is.

Author: Then we have Bato and Hakoda, sailing south to the Southern Tribe.

Hakoda: It will be good to be home again.

Bato: Better now than ever before, what with the ladies.

Kita and Nami: Oh really?

Bato: Um…

Author: And lastly we have Toph and Jet out in the Earth Kingdom wilderness, headed towards Ba Sing Se.

Toph: Easy enough trip.

Jet: Speak for yourself. You're a master earthbender. I'm still having trouble not falling off my land slide.

Author: And now that you're all up to date on what's going on with the gang, we look at the villains. We have Ozai on the throne. We have Azula plotting to kill Rose, and we have Rose and whatever her issues happen to be. We also have Admiral Kang lurking around somewhere. Iroh and Lu-Ten are trapped within their ranks. And of course we still have the Spirit King and his advisor lurking in the spirit world. Looks like a good time ahead, doesn't it?

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Author's Corner:

I am very sorry for the delay folks. I got a bad cold, the stomach flu, and my laptop got a very bad malware that locked me out and nearly ruined all my files. Still sick as a dog, but the computers back and running so I can continue to write and post. Sorry for the delay. Also, since I do most of my writing at work, I am going to be running into a bit of a snag. Work decided for no good reason to remove our laptops from the desk. It's horrible since my numbers are fine and there was no issue for the last two months. Any who, I will be slower to post new chaps due to lack of time, but will try my best!

Using the new idea Kira suggested, the story this time stayed pretty linear. We will see how people respond to it. So far it isn't so bad.

If you have any suggestions on scenes, or what you'd like to see happen, let me know. The main plot and many key points are locked in, but you'd be amazed what I can do with a stray thought. Rose was created solely from a simple talk between me and a reviewer after all.

Keep in mind that I love reviews and learn from them. Any and all reviews are appreciated. And thanks to my newest reviewer who actually went and reviewed every chapter! Wow!

In the future, you will be seeing new and old locations, characters and scenarios. Eventually you will even understand what is going on and who's behind it all. Suspense is fun, isn't it?

See you as soon as I can!