Disclaimer: This is a story. Of a monk boy named Aang. Who travelled with a few various friends. All of them had skills and talents. Like no other. The youngest ones' a girl. I don't own them. I just use them. But this disclaimer gives me that right don't you see. To write an epic. A story you like. And so here I am for thee. *Brady Bunch Theme. Pathetic yes?*

Rated M for blatantly obvious reasons in past chapters. In other words, if you made it this far, you shouldn't need to ask.

Author: Another story time folks. Can't wait, can you?
Toph: Actually, we can. We have been waiting for ages.
Author: Well, until I start getting paid for this or get more reviews, I am doing what I can.
Toph: Excuses are a dime a dozen. I want results.
Sokka: Results work for me too. When do I get some glory?
Author: Glory? Didn't you get enough when you helped the Avatar defeat the Firelord?
Sokka: Not really. It's never enough when you think about it.
Toph: Sokka's ego is bigger than the entire earth Kingdom.
Katara: More like the whole world.
Toph: Okay, I will give you that one. One for your side.
Author: Nice.
Sokka: Hey! My ego is NOT that bad! When have I ever shown an ego?
Suki: Like when you thought just because you were a boy you were a better fighter than me?
Yue: How about when you got out of the boiling rock?
Zuko: Seriously, you're unbearable sometimes. It was all I could do to keep from torching you sometimes.
Author: Well before this turns into an all out fist fight... On with the show!
Mai: Don't you mean an all out fight? Most of us don't use our fists.
Author: Yeah, that. So anyway...
-

Chapter 35: Curatives and Conundrums

They had been at sea for a few days now, and everyone had fallen into a routine. Until they reached the Fire Nation, there was really nothing they could do to help Zuko and Mai with their predicament. Suki had remained within her own mind leaving Yue in charge. She was doing a pretty good job of remaining inconspicuous, though at times Katara and Aang got nervous when she nearly made a mistake. Aang had spent most of his days on spirit world journeys with the first Avatar. He was learning all sorts of things that would help him keep the peace and restore balance.

Meeting the first Avatar had done wonders for his self esteem. Now that he knew how to bend the ether within the spirit world and allow others to do so, he knew their journey through the Starfire Gate would be a lot safer. At the least, they would be able to defend themselves. He still wasn't sure who to bring with him, but he would figure it out in time; he was sure of that much at least.

At night, when he was finally able to sleep, Aang had strange dreams, similar to the ones he'd had when he was last in the fire nation. His dreams seemed to flitter across past events before his eyes. He was at the Southern Air Temple with Monk Giatzo playing Pai Sho; Monk Giatzo had distracted him and cheated. It was quite funny. He was in the Earth King's Palace, trying to explain that Appa had bit Long Feng. He was in the cave of two lovers about to kiss Katara...

Aang awoke in a cold sweat. Why was it that whenever your about to have a really good dream, you wake up? It was so unfair! He bent a bit of water from his cup on the side table into his mouth and let the chill water sooth his insides. He returned to sleep and the dreams continued. He was in the great divide lading two warring tribes to safety on the other side. He was so hungry; he could feel the pain in his gut sharply. He was in the great desert, worried about Appa and furious with his kidnappers; the scorching heat was searing away his skin bit by bit. Suddenly he was at the great feast Zuko had prepared when he had become Firelord. He was dancing with Katara and seemed as light as air on his feet. He had fulfilled his destiny and was dancing with the girl he loved; a sense of completeness overtook him and made him feel at peace with himself and the decisions he'd made in the past. He was in the crystal catacombs of ancient Ba Sing Se fighting against Princess Azula as Katara faced off against Prince Zuko... Wait; wasn't he Firelord now and Aang's firebending master and friend? Suddenly a stabbing pain that could have seared him in half split his consciousness; Azula's lightning strike, though he could not rationalize or understand anything more than the absolute pain of oncoming death.

As the darkness closed in about his consciousness, he heard voices calling to him; voices he somehow recognized. He heard his name faintly, and what he thought were the words "help us." Shadowy figures began to appear in his darkening vision. He could not tell if they were good or bad spirits, but he tried as hard as he could to focus on one that looked incredibly familiar...

He awoke for the second time in a cold sweat, only this time his back was hurting him terribly. Unable to move for a moment until he had mastered the pain a bit, he quickly got up and dressed. He opened his door as quietly as he could and moved as silently as the air inside the hallway to Katara's door. He knocked gently and received no response. Sighing to himself, he made his way over to Kita's door. Hopefully at least one healer would be awake. He knocked silently, and a gentle "Come in" greeting his ears.

Aang opened the door and found Kita and Hakoda sitting across a small table from each other. Apparently they had been up late talking. When he saw Aang, Hakoda nodded his way. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked calmly.

Aang nodded. "I need to speak to Kita if that's okay Chief Hakoda." Aang told the man. "I am sorry if I interrupted."

Hakoda smiled at him. "Not to worry, I was just about to head back to my cabin anyway. Just don't keep Kita up all night." Aang nodded and returned his smile before Hakoda kissed Kita chastely on the cheek and took his leave. As soon as the door closed, Aang all but collapsed.

"Aang, what's wrong?" Kita demanded, jumping up from her chair.

Aang, who was on his knees on the floor, mumbled his response, "Back..." He clambered on his hands and knees to Kita's bed and hoisted himself up onto it, stomach down. Kita quickly pulled his shirt away and saw the grotesque scar that Azula's lightning had left there.

"What caused this?" she asked him, immediately summoning some water from a nearby container and encasing her hands in the liquid. Aang began to explain, sighing in slight relief as the pain lessened slightly at the cool waters' touch. He told her about the lightning blast and how Katara had brought him back from permanent residence in the spirit world. "I see. Katara had mentioned once that you were gravely injured, but she had said you were healed and no longer bothered by it."

"Katara told you about my scar?" Aang mumbled, his face panted in the pillow.

"Yes, she did. While we were still at the North Pole in fact. As soon as she arrived, she had asked Chief Arnook for his greatest healer to consult. He had sent her to me. I was bundled up quite a bit; she may not have even realized that it was to me she spoke." Kita replied. "Now, what triggered this sudden pain?" she asked, careful not to aggravate the wound further. She believed she had determined what the problem was.

"I was dreaming," Aang began, "and I relived the lightning strike. That's when I felt the pain. I tried Katara, but she was sleeping."

Kita shifted uncomfortably. She had her own visions and wondered if it was not so much a dream but a vision that Aang had seen. A dream would not have caused the actual discomfort of physical pain outside of the dream state. Most likely, the pain would have simply awoken him without harm. "Do you recall the dream exactly? Were you in your body or out of it? Was anything different?" she asked curiously as she worked. There seemed to be a tight knot of energy focused within the scar.

Aang struggled for a moment. He remembered being in his body, then somehow out of it. He had seen the grin on Azula's face as she hurled her lightning bolt into his back. "Both," he replied. "I was in my body at first, but then I was suddenly outside it watching myself fight Azula. Then I saw Katara fighting Zuko and wo0ndering why friends would be fighting... But back then, they weren't friends, and they were fighting."

"Perhaps, but you noticed the change in reality. You sensed something was amiss. After the lightning bolt, did you wake up immediately?" Kita asked

Aang shook his head into the pillow. "I felt the world darkening. I was dying." he told her.

"And then?" she probed further.

"I... there was something... someone there... maybe multiple someone's. They seemed somehow familiar, but I didn't get a good look at them," he told her. "They were calling me for help."

Kita nodded. "I think I know what is causing you such pain. Sadly, I cannot heal it. The best I can do is heal the scar."

Aang rolled gently to his side so he could look at her. "You can heal my scar?" he asked incredulously.

Kita smiled. "Not by normal means of course, but I do like to be prepared. Many say I have a healing touch, and in some ways I do. However, in this instance I would resort to more... spiritual means." Kita gently stepped over to her things and drew out a large water skin. Aang had no idea what it was made from. "I wanted to make absolutely sure that I could handle whatever comes at the South Pole. I brought a few flasks of water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole. A little for something like this seems like a good use to me."

Aang shook his head. "When Katara saved me, she used spirit water to bring me back. It did nothing for my scar though."

Kita smiled gently at him. "Katara had very little of the water and was focused on saving your life, not on curing your body of its deformity. I believe that with this water, I can solve your dilemma." She motioned for Aang to roll back over and he did so gently. Kita opened the skin and drew forth the precious contents, replacing the water she had first used. She could feel the extra power this water possessed seep through her skin and into her own energy. She began work on the scar. Aang screamed out in agony as the tissue regrew from his existent reserves. It was over as quickly as it had begun, and Kita returned the precious water to its container. Aang felt the pain lessen but it was still there beneath the surface. "Your scar is gone." she told him.

Aang nodded. He gently touched the spot on his back and felt the new skin; seamless in its integration with the rest of his back. "Thank you Kita." he said gratefully. Then he frowned. "You said you knew what was causing the pain but you could not cure it. What is causing the pain?"

Kita sighed. "Spirits." she answered.

-

Sokka was bored. He was laying awake in his cabin, staring up at the ceiling counting screws and bolts. One could only count so many bolts and screws before getting a little screwy one's self. He yawned but sleep refused to take him. He knew he was tired; he had spent the bulk of the day helping the crew run the ship. He already had a little experience with Fire Nation ships from when they had first travelled to the Fire Nation by ship a few months before. He figured that learning about the ship might come in handy someday. Maybe he could create a modified version for the Water Tribes. Sokka was no engineer, but he knew the one living at the Northern Air Temple could give him a hand with that.

Suki had been distant with him since they had been on Kyoshi Island and he still had no idea why. Ever since he had found her in the pass, frozen inside and out... Whoever had done that to her would pay, he swore to himself. It wasn't that she was avoiding him so much as that she was keeping her distance. She was polite and passed him the salt and joined in on conversations when others were around, but she had stopped coming to see him in his cabin before bed and had refused him from her cabin. She was never alone with him and seemed to make sure that remained the case. Something just didn't add up.

Worrying about Suki brought Sokka's thoughts to the other love of his life; Yue. He missed her. He had not known hr for very long, but it had seemed like a lifetime in that small window. He was still unsure that Yue was okay with him being with Suki. He did not want to hurt either of the girls, and did not want to betray either of them. Whenever he had been alone with Suki, he had always stopped himself before anything serious had occurred. He just couldn't do that to Yue. He wondered what she was up to, there on the moon. Through the small porthole in his cabin, he gazed up at the mostly full celestial being that was his love. His eyes lingered there, imagining Yue's form within it.

With a sigh, he turned over and closed his eyes, once more attempting to sleep. This time, with Yue watching over him, he did.

Yue was still trying to get Suki to come out of her shell. She understood Suki's Dilemma all too well; she was a Water Tribe princess after all so understood the responsibility of leadership. She had also sacrificed her mortal existence for her people. Suki's issue was that her ancestor had left her a false legacy with false beliefs. She did not truly believe either gender superior or inferior to the other. That her ancestor had created an island specifically for women to be dominant was a tough thing to deal with. The responsibilities on her shoulder; her islands customs all needed to be changed to follow the rest of the world.

'But why?' Yue wondered aloud. Perhaps she was on to something here. 'Why should you even worry yourself about that little note. So what if your ancestor was a bit of a gender dominant control freak? You and your people aren't. There is nothing wrong with having the women defend the island, and that gives the men time to do the farming and fishing and construction. Just because the idea was built on bad concepts doesn't mean the product is bad.' Yue rationalized to herself, again out loud. Suki did not reply.

'Kyoshi Island is a surviving land; self sufficient and capable. She can defend itself and produces everything her people could want. Trade will continue now that the war is over. Nothing has changed but our perceptions of them. Perhaps those perceptions are what's wrong here, and not the reality.' Yue continued hoping she would take the bait.

She did. 'Maybe your right, but the shame is still upon me. I am not the rightful leader of my people. I must allow someone else the position.' Suki said sadly.

'I do not see why.' Yue replied. 'You are a very good leader and always put your people first. You may have inherited the position from your ancestor, but that is all she has given you. You have earned the respect of your people and the rest of the world. You helped defeat the Fire Nation and end the war. You have made allies of enemies and helped those in need. There is no shame as I see it. Your ancestor is revered by your people as their savior from the conqueror of that time. They do not even realize Kyoshi's plan. I would think that things as they stand are perfectly fine.'

'They may not know of it, but I do.' Suki replied bitterly.

'Would you rather not have known and lived a lie?' Yue demanded. 'At least now you can change the course she set and lead your people the right way.'

'I guess not.' Suki replied with a sigh. 'It just hurts to know I came from... from...'

'A tyrant?' Yue asked sympathetically. 'In case you have forgotten, Firelord Zuko also came from a tyrant. I think he has turned out okay. So have you. He did not let his ancestry stop him from doing the right thing, and neither will you.'

Suki perked up a bit. 'I guess you're right. Zuko did turn out okay didn't he?'

'Yes, and he is a good leader to his people. You and he have that in common.'

-

Toph was trying hard not to, but couldn't help but overhear multiple things all over the ship. It was keeping her awake. Now that she could metalbend, she was in tune with the bulk of the ship and felt the vibrations or voices and steps. Even the roar of the engine played within her senses. The only way to silence the world was to wrap herself entirely in her blanket and be truly blind. She preferred it. Finally cut off from the rest of the ship, she managed to drift off to sleep.

-

The ship moved quickly and soon they were passing the once former Fire Nation navy blockade. They were not questioned as they were dressed as Fire Nation troops and on a Fire Nation vessel. Originally Aang had wanted to fly ahead on Appa, but was shot down by Sokka who pointed out that they would fire on sight again. As they had done the first time they had travelled to the Fire Nation, they used their disguise to enter Fire Nation waters without a battle.

"We need to land on the southern coast; a place known as the glass coast." Sokka told them as they poured over a map Sokka had produced from an atlas he had purchased on their earlier adventures. "Zuko said he will meet us there with what resistance he has managed to gather."

"That might be difficult." Bato chimed in. "There are some pretty serious reefs in that area. We won't be able to get very close."

"We will have to ferry across the water on Appa." Sokka told them. "He will fly under the water like he did during the invasion with Katara or Aang making a bubble for him. We can leave the crew on the ship and send just those that will be striking the palace."

"Not a bad plan." Hakoda said, stroking his goatee with one hand and patting Sokka on the shoulder with the other.

"It's not a great plan either." Toph spoke out.

Sokka gave her an angry glare. "What is wrong with my plan?" Sokka demanded in that upset way he had.

"We ferry some of us across to the shore then we need to get to the city. Then we need to get to the palace. We needed an entire army and a solar eclipse last time to manage all that. Now you want us to try and do it with a handful of people?" Toph pointed out. "Bad plan."

Sokka continued to glare at Toph.

"Maybe it can still work." Katara suggested. "Last time we didn't have a fully realized Avatar on our side, nor did we have plans to the inner city. It may take some time, but if we go underground in the wilderness outside the city walls, we can tunnel all the way to the palace and come up from underneath like you said the Dai Li tried to do in Ba Sing Se. If we can come up in an empty room and get our bearings, we can take the throne room and lock most of the guards outside."

Sokka quickly stepped over to Katara and gave her a crushing hug. She winced. "You are the best sister ever!" he gushed.

"I know, but you told me that before." Katara said modestly. Aang grinned at her.

"We will still want to talk with Zuko before we finalize anything, but it seems like a workable plan. All we need to work out now is who is going." Hakoda stated.

"Well I am obviously going." Aang said easily.

"You're going to need some serious earthbending. I'm in." Toph told them.

"I want to help." Jet offered. "It's about time I put myself in the field in a helpful manner."

"That, and he wants to show off what I taught him." Toph said. "We could use the extra earthbending though."

"Sound reasoning." Sokka admitted. "I am definitely going. I'm the map and plan guy."

"If you're going, I am going." Suki stated. Everyone turned to her in surprise since she had been so quiet lately. She returned all their gazes evenly. "I am not about to let you get yourself killed. Besides, Ty-Lee told me a bit about Rose. She will need my help to defeat her."

"Yes. As bad as Azula and the imposter are, Rose puts them both to shame. She's a master of multiple martial arts and weapons and has firebending also." Ty-Lee told them. Her usual carefree demeanor was gone. It was a little disconcerting to see her so serious.

"Surely she isn't all that bad?" Sokka asked her scoffingly.

"She taught Azula. What's worse, she has never lost to Azula. She can probably beat Ozai if she puts in a little effort. She may be no avatar, but she's the closest thing anyone else can get to it." Ty-Lee told them with a shudder. "She can only bend one element, but when you're fighting with her, it feels like she's bending all the elements and then some."

"Alright, you two are in." Sokka agreed.

"I'm going too." Katara said suddenly. Immediately there was a small uproar.

"You're not going!" Sokka sputtered.

"It's too dangerous." Hakoda said.

"You're still recovering." Aang threw in.

"What you're all failing to realize," Toph interrupted before Katara could do so, "is that Katara was instrumental from the beginning in getting Twinkle Toes into fighting shape and getting the job done. Even injured, she isn't someone to mess with. If she wants to come, I am all for it."

"Thank you, Toph." Katara said.

"Don't mention it." Toph replied as she picked in her ear.

"Alright," Sokka summed it up, "we have Aang taking Ozai out, Toph and Jet keeping the palace guards clear, Suki and Ty-Lee with Mai to handle Rose and Zuko and Katara to face Azula. I will get them there."

"You forgot a couple of people." Bato reminded him.

"Really? Who?" Sokka asked curiously.

"Us." Hakoda told him firmly.

"Come again?" Sokka asked.

"You didn't honestly think you were going to leave us out of this did you?" Bato asked in mock indignation.

"But..." Sokka began.

"You may as well let them go. They will whether you like it or not. Besides, if they don't go, who will protect us?" Nami asked.

"Us?" Bato asked, startled.

"Of course." Nami said innocently. "You didn't honestly expect us to stay here and wait for you did you? I for one refuse to lose my investment." She gave Bato an almost smoldering look.

"She's right of course." Kita chimed in as she approached behind Nami.

"Out of the question." Hakoda said with finality.

"And why is that?" Kita asked calmly.

"It's far too dangerous for you two." Hakoda replied.

"Really?" Nami asked. She deftly spun about and a trail of water rose up from the side of the ship. With a casual flair she sent it at Hakoda, hurling him to the railing.

"Should I provide a similar demonstration?" Kita asked innocently. "Just because I am a healer does not mean I can't defend myself."

Hakoda got up from the puddle of water that pooled about him and rejoined the group. He approached Kita with a resolute look. Bato did the same for Nami. Suddenly both had weapons in their hands and they attacked the women. Before anyone could even call out in surprise, Nami had leapt back away from Bato's strike and Hakoda's blade had missed Kita by inches as she dove to the side. "You're not ready." Bato stated matter-of-factly.

Kita rose and glared defiantly. She took a stance and drew water up and around her. Katara recognized the move; she had used it herself in the crystal catacombs under Ba Sing Se. A multi-tentacled mass encompassed Kita. It was a pretty advanced combat technique. Katara wondered where she might have learned it.

Then Nami performed the same technique. The two became twin centers of writhing water tentacles. The men stared at the advanced technique, surprise etched on their faces. Before they could react, both were grasped and hanging upside down by numerous tentacles eight feet in the air. "Did we prove our point?" Kita asked as she continued to move in the manner required to keep the technique 'afloat'.

"Alright already!" Bato cried indignantly. The ladies smiled at each other and set their men down gently before filtering the water back overboard.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Hakoda asked Kita as he got to his feet.

Kita glanced at Nami. "I had to keep myself busy while you've been running a ship you know."

"Alright, so you're in. You four can back up whoever needs it. Now let's get moving." Sokka said impatiently.

-

Zuko and Mai were waiting with their escort of assassins in the woods on the edge of the glass coast. From their vantage point they would be able to see any approaching ship. Getting here had been easy with the assassins' help. A secret door in the city wall in a blind spot unseen by the patrols was their way out and would be their way back in.

"How long until they arrive?" Mai asked in boredom. She had been twiddling her knives between her fingers for hours.

"It shouldn't be much longer." Zuko replied, a wary eye on their escort. Zuko may have to work with the assassins but he did not have to trust them.

An hour later, a large splash alerted them to something. Zuko quickly turned to the water and saw what appeared to be a large air bubble emerge from the water. "It's them!" he called to his comrades and left the shelter of the trees to met his friends. The bubble popped revealing Appa and his passengers. Katara dismounted with Sokka, Hakoda, Bato and their women. Aang remained seated on Appa's head. "I don't understand." Zuko admitted. "Why are they here?" he asked, pointing at the water tribe leader and his entourage.

"Now that's what I call a greeting." Bato said.

"Sorry." Zuko apologized.

"It's a long story." Sokka told him. "Aang, you better get going."

"Right. See you soon!" Aang replied. He yanked on the reins and said "Yip Yip!" As Appa took off he plunged into the water, Aang's newly created air bubble engulfed the air bison. While Aang ferried the remaining members of their group to the shore, Sokka explained their plan.

"We should be able to shorten our underground travels. We have a way into the city. We can simply use the cellar of where we have been hiding as a starting point and tunnel from there directly to the palace." Zuko offered.

"Sounds like a good amendment." Sokka agreed.

Appa reappeared with his remaining passengers. "Alright... so where do I start digging?" Toph asked as she stretched her arms out and cracked her knuckles.

"Not here. We are going to give you a head start. We will enter the city with Zuko first." Sokka told her.

"You behave yourself and stay hidden, alright buddy?" Aang asked Appa with a pat on the side.

"Nnnnngh." Appa agreed.

Aang quickly hid him in among the trees. "Alright, let's go." Aang said.

"You stay here too Momo." Katara said. Momo chattered and leapt onto Appa's back and curled up. "Who are your friends Zuko?" she asked him.

He did not look at her. "Just some mercenaries. I promised them a reward for helping me get my throne back."

"Oh okay. Nice to meet you." she told the one female among them.

"Pleasure," the girl returned.

Zuko led the way towards the city. He explained what happened as they went. Once he had finished, they recounted some of what they went through to him. Once everyone was caught up, they discussed their final plans.

"You don't honestly think that we can fight those three in the throne room do you?" he asked Sokka suddenly.

"Of course. It's the best chance we have at finding them all together." Sokka told him.

"It won't work." Mai chimed in, following Zuko's reasoning. "The throne room is too small and there will still be guards inside. There's no way we can all fight in there."

"I am inclined to agree." Suki added. "The last Time Aang fought Ozai, their battle took up an entire mountain pillar range."

"Well, what do you suggest then?" Sokka asked in exasperation.

"We will have to split up." Hakoda said. "We will need to tackle our opponents as individuals."

"That's a lot riskier..." Sokka began.

"It also makes the most sense." Zuko told him. "I have a pretty good grasp of everyone's fighting skills. When I am up against Azula, I am going to want a lot of room to move around."

"I think our best bet will be to speak to Lu-Ten and see if he can give us an idea of the best way to split them up and take them down." Mai suggested.

"Let's do it." Sokka agreed,

-

Zuko: Time to get my throne back.
Sokka: Seriously though, stop losing it. It's becoming a chore having to get it back over and over.
Toph: It's more of a chore listening to you complain all the time.
Sokka: I do NOT complain. I simply state the obvious as it negatively effects me.
Katara: That's the definition of whining.
Author: To snivel or complain in a peevish, self-pitying way is the definition of whining.
Aang: That's Sokka alright.
Sokka: That is NOT me! I do NOT complain!
Mai: Stop complaining about complaining. It's getting redundant.
Sokka: I am NOT redundant!
Zuko: You were just redundant by saying you're not redundant.
Sokka: I give up!
Zuko: Now that's a first. Sokka giving up.
Sokka: Enough already!
Katara: Now you're being repetitive.
Sokka: I am NOT being repetitive!
-
Author's Corner:

Hey, an update in a week! Huzzah for me! Sorry to keep you all waiting. On with the show and all that eh?

Thanks to those that messaged me about my eye. I am still having some trouble but it does appear to be healing. It's a bit hard to read though, so if I make any typos, I will fix them eventually. Sorry about that.

So I went back and took a look at my story and see that all my scene breaks have been edited out somehow and it all just flows together. I am really sorry about that. Not sure what caused it but I will try and fix it somehow.

Thanks for your continued interest. I am working to get this done. I see we have a few more favorite story readers out there. I hope your enjoying this.

Reviews as always are appreciated.