Author's Note: I cannot tell you guys how much I appreciate your support and faith (however much left it is xD) in me. I promise to uphold this story and keep you guys updated and happy! Enjoy-we're coming towards the end here! (I also apologize it's a bit shorter than I wanted)
~th3rdhal3~

"Come on!" Zuko suddenly took off back up the way we came on the beaches, leaving the crystal-clear water behind. The gang and I followed, most of them looking confused and divided on what our next move should be. Once the scarred teen began readying Appa for departure, all the questions and comments poured out.

"We're leaving?" Suki asked.

Katara ceased her movement towards the Sky Bison. "We can't go anywhere." She gestured out towards the water. "What if Aang comes back?" That was a big if. I wanted to believe he would return that minute even, only it seemed things weren't that easy.

"What if he doesn't?" Zuko redirected the question., now seated on top of Appa's head with the reins in his hand. "I know it's a long shot, but I know someone who might be able to help us. Unless we can come up with a more solid plan, we don't have any other options." The water-bender looked as though she was going to argue until she was blue in the face. She then, at the last second, decided against it.

I climbed up Appa's shaggy side and swung myself into the saddle. "We gotta go now then," I beckoned my friends to join the prince and I on our animal friend. "Every minute we waste is a minute that's lost. And we cannot afford to lose anymore."

We spent all day airborne, and during that time, all I could think about was the bald monk. Had he really run away? I thought Toph's comment earlier was mean. Sure, the kid was scared but he was more capable now than ever to fight the Firelord. I hoped no one had taken him. Our only enemies were currently back in the Fire Nation. Who would do such a thing? The fact that I knew nothing bothered me, and for the rest of the trip, my mind wouldn't allow me to relax.

Finally, when darkness began to fall, Zuko landed us near a shady building alive with such a ruckus it could only be the house for gambling, thievery, and brawling. It appeared I wasn't the only skeptical one as we all slid off of Appa.

"Before you met us, you must have had some really sketchy friends." Sokka commented, scanning the locale.

"She's not a friend." Zuko bit back as he lead us into the tumultuous tavern. The gang and I filed in through the doors and then witnessed a spectacular sight.

A bar fight had taken place and it seemed as though just about every thug was involved in some way. They were targeting the girl with the maroon tattoo. Her dark hair, eyes and garments were a wonderful contrast to her ever so pale skin. The skeletal hair clip added to her dark and mysterious image. The woman was skilled in combat, fending off the bar knaves of every size without so much as a scratch. And all without spilling a drop from her cup; the glass was high priority.

"Well somebody likes her liquid confidence." Suki chuckled, gently elbowing me.

"Hey, I wouldn't blame her," I whispered back to the Kyoshi Warrior. "Especially if it's sake."

"June." Zuko pointed and approached the scary, yet quite attractive woman. She took a swig from her cup and lazily turned her head to face the scarred boy.

"Oh great, it's prince pouty." She groaned. It was definitely true when Zuko said she wasn't his friend. "Where's your creepy grandpa?" The question stumped even me. Creepy grandpa? Oh spirits! Uncle! The older man had quite the way with the ladies, and there was no doubt he tried to put the moves on this woman named June.

"He's my uncle," The prince scowled as he corrected her. "And he's not here right now."

Katara's brows furrowed. "Wait a minute!" The water-bender pointed an accusing finger. "She's that girl you hired to attack us!" I almost lost it. Zuzu had hired someone else to do his bidding? The boy would deny it until the hippo-cows came home but he was more like his sister than he realized.

"I see you've worked shit out with your girlfriend." June remarked casually before taking another sip from her beverage. It took a lot to restrain laughter. The opposing benders did a double take, both protesting that they were not each others' significant other. It made the situation all the more comical because their objections were in unison. June waved her hand at them, dismissing her previous comment. "Alright, alright. Only kidding. So what did you need?"

"We need you to help us track the avatar." Zuko told her. So this was the master plan; hiring a professional bounty hunter to find Aang for us. It wasn't a half bad thought but it was kind of insulting to think we couldn't find the monk on our own.

"Hmm. Doesn't sound like much fun." The woman sighed. She sounded bored. The prince was taken back by her statement. He resorted to using his outdoor voice...which often doubled as his inside voice as well.

"Does the end of the world sound like more fun?!" The scarred boy got up nice and close. He wanted her to know how serious his request was. Without Aang, we were at a huge disadvantage.

June gave up her banter for the time being and finally listened. She studied our group. Then, unforgiving chestnut eyes were soon burning holes into my skull. The bounty hunter set her cup down loudly against the table beside her and rose to her feet. "I remember you." Her words were cold, curt and cut through the atmosphere like sharpened blades. All I could do was return the gaze at a loss for words. I was sure I had never seen the woman before in my life. June towered over me at what I assumed was just under six feet. "You're the fire brat who burned down my hometown." My heart sunk in my chest. When would my past stop coming back to haunt me. How many people had I hurt back then? Far too many. And to make matters worse, I could not even begin to recall the village in which June spoke of. How many had it been? How many had I forsaken?

I was speechless still, and the bounty hunter could clearly see that. What could I have said to her? To simply apologize would be an insult if not worse. "Koma." She said the name. "I wouldn't expect you to remember. Or to care." I felt the sting of her venomous words. Despite her assumption, I did remember. The name triggered a flashback of visuals I had stored somewhere deep in my subconscious. The land was lush and beautiful. The trees were remarkable and grand. The air was sweet and fresh. It was a shame my troops and I had come to this place. It was a pity I had to do what I did. The town had resisted. I would not be walked over and defeated by commoners. By rebels. And I would not fail my ruler.

"You can go to hell." June narrowed her eyes at me and the turned around, leaving the conversation. It felt as though I had been slapped. Physically and figuratively. Like the time Azula had struck me at the Boiling Rock. It left a sour taste in my mouth and a slow burn to accompany it.

"I've already been there." I muttered, feeling mass amounts of guilt and as small as an ant. My eyes were glued to the wooden floorboards.

"What was that?" June turned her body back to face me. I glanced up immediately in response to her hostile tone. I had honest to Agni thought she hadn't heard me.

"I said," I cleared my throat. "'I've already been there.'" It had been spoken, might as well own up to the retort.

The tattooed rogue took steps towards me again. Her movement and aura made me backtrack, but only slightly. I couldn't let this woman intimidate me. I couldn't let her berate me and step on me. "Do me a favor and stop pretending you've had it as bad as the rest of us." It frustrated me that I had to look up at June as she talked down to me. "Life is so hard when you're a ranking official with minions doing your bidding. I've sure it's even harder when you're on the winning side of war."

I bit my lower lip from the inside. There were so many things I could have countered with. A Pandora's box I could have unlocked. No. I wouldn't retaliate. I would prove I could be the bigger person and let this go; but was it my right to do so? This altercation between the bounty hunter and I made me think of all the wrong and ill work I had done. I had hurt families, broken homes and destroyed habitats. All because I was following my own set of orders. Spirits, I was so blind! To never ask questions, to never think outside of the Fire Nation box I had been programed into. Maybe June was right. Maybe I deserved to be sent to the Underland.

But I had been wronged and stepped on too. Though a good portion of my life had been loving and nurturing, I knew a similar pain and emptiness. It was then that I realized a person does have control over how much or how little a compromising situation will reduce them. No matter what kind of hardships or suffering a person has endured, it givers them no right to inflict that same suffering upon others so the burden feels lighter. I vowed that once the war was over and won, I would find every village I had ever crossed and heal it.

"Are you going to help us or not?" Suki came to my defense. The girl was my rescuer as of late, and I appreciated her level-headedness. Her expression wasn't quite a glare, but it was evident she wasn't too fond of the rogue woman. The auburn haired girl placed her hands on her hips. "End of the world, remember?"

The group and I followed June out back behind the tavern. At first, it appeared as though her beast and Appa were going to duke it out. Oh great, not this. Then the Sky Bison surprised everyone by bathing Nyla with his tongue. I soon found out the animal was a Shirshu and could track down anything if a scent was available. I also learned that it's tongue could temporarily paralyze a person.

June held out her hand, gazing at all of us. We quickly looked among each other to see if anyone had something of Aang's. Katara climbed into Appa's saddle to retrieve the avatar's staff. June held it up to the Shirshu's nose. Nyla soon went to work, sniffing the ground and pacing around the dark environment. I knew something was wrong when after circling us multiple times, the brown and black creature lay on the ground with its paws covering its snout. Had something upset it?

"Um, what does that mean?" Zuko asked after crossing his arms.

June had begun consoling her animal companion. "Means your friend's gone." She stated the obvious while rubbing Nyla's fur.

"Yeah, we know." Toph responded, slightly agitated. "That's why we're trying to find him." This seemed like a no-brainer. The bounty hunter shook her head.

"No. I mean gone-gone. He doesn't exist." As if on cue, all twelve eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Doesn't exist? How?

"Does that mean he's..." I didn't want to say the words. "...dead?" My voice was hushed and shaky. How else could the monk "not exist?" I seemed to have taken the words right out of Sokka's mouth, for the Water Tribe boy gaped silently at the mysterious woman before pointing at me and declaring,

"What she said!"

June shook her head once more. "We could find him if he were dead...wow, it's a real head-scratcher." The subtle perkiness in her tone bothered me greatly; she seemed not to care. "See ya!" The woman climbed onto the saddle of her animal. Extremely helpful.

"Wait!" Zuko protested before the bounty hunter could ride off into...the moonlight I suppose. "There's only one other person who can help us defeat the Firelord. I'll be right back." the prince went to rummage through his belongings in the saddle.

"You saved Uncle's gross, sweaty sandal?" I stared at the scarred boy peculiarly. Everyone except Zuko recoiled, shuddered and even held their nose at the smell sample. I couldn't blame them. Flies were beginning to claim the shoes as their own. June's Shirshu instantly gravitated towards the sandal, taking in the scent of Iroh.

"Alright, let's go!" June exclaimed, Shirshu hot on the trail. The rest of us scrambled onto Appa in order to follow her. The hunt was on!

We had traveled until dusk of the next day. I was concerned about time, but we had no other real options. We followed the rogue woman up steep slopes, rocky mountain passes and dry desert stretches. All we could hope for as to find who were were looking for in a timely manner. If we could accomplish this, perhaps we could also find another way to win the war.

It was nightfall when we arrived at the cracked, ancient stone walls of the once impenetrable fortress. "We're going to Ba Sing Se?" Zuko's confusion most likely reflected what the gang was feeling on the inside. Nyla sniffed around some loose stones and scratched her claws at the larger rocks.

"Nyla's getting twitchy so it can't be too far. Your uncle is somewhere beyond the wall." June explained, grasping hold of her reins tighter. "Good luck. Hope you find him." For once, her tone sounded...genuine. At least for her. I figured the least I could do was show my gratitude.

"Thank you." I bowed my head to her, as she and her creature began to pass us. The woman in black then looked upon me and our gaze lasted several moments in silence. This time, her sharp eyes conveyed no anger or bitterness.

"Try not to burn anything else, okay Smokey?" I couldn't tell if there was true humor in her words or if I were going crazy. "I know the last of us prefer the world un-scorched." And with that, the bounty hunter snapped the ropes and she and her Shirhsu took off back down the path we came.

"Kind of grows on you, doesn't she?" Sokka looked on after the dust trail. I only shook my head and rubbed with eyes with the heals of my palm.

"After we kick the Firelord's butt, we should recruit her." Toph smiled from the other side of the saddle.

"For what?" Katara wondered.

"For the Bad Girls Club!" My cousin explained. I stifled a laugh. This was a side project the small girl had been working on ever since we had first visited the Earth Kingdom capital. "I'm afraid we can't accept your application, Sugar-Queen. You're a bit too goody-goody. No offense." Katara simply rolled her eyes and turned away from the earth-bender.

"We've had a long day," The scarred prince hopped down from the Sky Bison. "Let's camp and resume our search at dawn." As good of a suggestion as it was, more time was going to slip between our fingers. However, it wouldn't do us much good to search on low rest and high exhaustion. I remembered the last time we had been thrown into that type of situation...it was not good.

A ring of fire was what awoken the group and I only few hours later. We were trapped inside it and at first could not see our enemy. Toph and I were both ready to clean their clock, until we noticed some familiar figures atop a rock formation. Master Piando, Jeong-Jeong, and another man with long, silver hair. The older men wore robes of navy and white. Then, a crazy looking old guy with spiky, white hair sprouting from the sides of his head appeared.

"Well look who's here!" The old man snorted in a nasally voice. I assumed this was Aang's friend Bumi based on the description I was once given.

"We're surrounded by old people!" Toph rudely remarked. In hindsight, I don't think she had meant to offend our new company; she was clearly confused.

"These aren't any old people," Katara explained to the blind girl. "These are great masters and friends!" The water-bender respectfully bowed to the silver haired master named Pakku. I guessed he was her water-bending teacher from the North. Soon I was just out of the loop as Toph because the next moment, Katara and Sokka had a new grandfather.

"So how do you all know each other?" Suki asked once we had all greeted one another. King Bumi snorted in good humor at her inquiry.

"All old people know each other, don't you know that?" The ancient ruler burst into another fit of snorts and cackles.

"We're all part of the same ancient secret society." Master Piando informed us. "A group that transcends visions of the four nations." Such a group existed? This revelation made my head spin. This was exactly what the world needed; an organization that united all cultures and regions.

"The Order of the White Lotus." Zuko finished the statement. Clearly, the fire-bender knew more information than the rest of us. Perhaps he had experienced a run-in before. Jeong-Jeong then explained to us that the guild had always been about beauty, philosophy and truth. About a moon ago, they were summoned for something important.

"The call came from a Grand Lotus," Pakku looked directly at the prince. "Your Uncle Iroh of the Fire Nation." Uncle? A Grand Lotus? It all made sense. Iroh was a benevolent and wise man who pulled thoughts and ideas from around the world to form his creeds and well-rounded persona. He was able to find good in the other nation as well as teachings and lessons. The ex General also favored the White Lotus tile whenever playing Pai Sho. I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed it sooner.

"Well that's exactly who we're looking for!" Toph exclaimed, excited to visit the gentle and knowledgeable man again. The masters agreed to take us to him when all of a sudden, Bumi interjected.

"Wait," He shoved Jeong-Jeong and Piando out of the way. "Someone is missing from your group. Someone very important...where's momo?" The crazy king stared eye to eye with Sokka at an extreme closeness. I had almost forgotten that the little lemur was missing in action as well. He was a nuisance at times, but a loveable creature nonetheless.

"He's gone," Sokka responded, looking quite uncomfortable. "And so is Aang."

Bumi pulled back into his own personal bubble. "Oh, well as long as they have each other I'm sure we have nothing to worry about." He wasn't even in the least bit concerned? The man seemed to have an awful lot of faith in Aang. That made me consider that maybe the rest of us ought to as well.

As we trekked through the rocky terrain behind the wall, King Bumi relayed to us the thrilling tale of his escape. Apparently, the elder had been captive in his own kingdom for months. The older bender waited until the right time to strike; the solar eclipse. Bumi was able to defeat the powerless fire-benders and revert New Ozai back to Omashu once more. For an old guy, Bumi was incredible! I had not met someone at that age who possessed so much energy and power. I still partly questioned his sanity, but he proved to be an extraordinary warrior and monarch. I tried to imagine the city, the fighting and every detail of his legendary bending as the story was told.

"So what about you guys?" Bumi asked the group once he was done telling his account. "Did you do anything exciting during the eclipse?" Behind the king, Zuko, Sokka, Katara and I exchanged glances before the boys said,

"Nah, not really."

"Here we are," Bumi collapsed a large earth wall blocking off part of a particular clearing. "Welcome to old people camp." Piando pointed Zuko in the direction of his uncle's tent. The scarred boy started off towards it, then sunk to the ground near the entrance. The Water Tribe girl and I were at his side in mere seconds.

"He hates me, I know it." Zuko whimpered. "He loved me and supported me in every way and I still turned against him. I took everything he had taught and done for me for granted. How can I even face him?" I understood his shame and concern, but Iroh was not like his brother. The older man was full of love, compassion and forgiveness.

"You're sorry for your actions, right?" Katara coaxed him and the distraught boy nodded.

"More sorry than I've been about anything in my entire life."

"Zukes," I put my hand on the boy's shoulder. "It's Uncle. The man doesn't even know the meaning of the word hate." This brought a tiny smile to the princes' lips. "He loves you so much, as if you were his own son." Ever since the death of Lu Ten, Iroh had taken Zuko under his wing and in my opinion was a far better father than Ozai could ever be. " And if you go to him now and tell him everything you you feel, how can he hate you for that?" It looked as though the boy's golden eyes were beginning to glaze over. I helped him to his feet. "He might have been disappointed at your choices, Zuko, but he will forgive you. Just go to him." The prince pulled back the clothed entrance and the rest of us retreated, allowing them their space.

Once the rest of us began to find sleeping arrangements, I tapped on the shoulder of the Water Tribe boy. "Hey, in the morning we should talk strategy. I have a few ideas...but I want to hear yours as well." The blue eyed boy grinned lightly and gave me a nod of approval.

"We will. First thing tomorrow morning. In fact, we're going to need everyone on board if we want a clean victory. Good night everyone, let's all get some rest." Sokka had come such a long way in our journey. It seemed to me he wasn't just the goofy boy fresh out of the South Pole. He was speaking like a great warrior and leader. His father would be so proud of him.

I tossed and turned in my cot. Despite the nice housing the tents provided, the night was not going well for me. My mind couldn't stop thinking about our air-bender friend. Where was he? Was he okay? Dammit Aang, where are you? You're scaring me. I sighed deeply and stared at the tarp covering above me. What would we do if we still couldn't find him? We couldn't keep hiding out and allow the world around us to burn one region at a time. Of course we'd still fight the Fire Nation. We'd never give up without a fight. But what would we be risking this time? We'd lose before we'd even begin. I twisted under my blankets once more and heaved another breath.

"Karuna, is everything alright?" Katara suddenly asked from a few feet to my right. I guess my restlessness had kept her up as well. I felt bad for prohibiting her rest. Just because I was on edge didn't mean I had to make sure everyone else felt the same way. There was so much in store for us tomorrow.

"You guys are awake too?" Suki's voice sounded from the other corner of the tent. The girl lay propped up on her elbow. I decided to sit up too. Now that the three of us had established our soberness, it seemed as though sleep was not going to come. Not just yet. I felt awful for keeping them awake, but then again, the girl's hadn't sound like they had been pulled from any sort of sleep in the first place. Maybe they were just as nervous as I was.

"I'm anticipating the morning." I revealed to them after sitting on the edge of the bed. "It seems so surreal-like this isn't actually happening. I don't know how to feel about...about anything." Tomorrow would be the day that we would stop Ozai. We would have to find a way to disable his forces. There was also a possibility we'd need warriors stationed in the heart of the Fire Nation. Our numbers were even smaller than before. The chances of failure seemed to outweigh the chances of success.

Suki now sat cross-legged atop her bed. "I think I know what you mean. I'm feeling a little bit anxious myself." The auburn haired girl admitted. She pulled at her thumbnail, making a constant clicking sound that was somehow soothing.

"It's just like the eclipse." Katara observed. "Think about how we were all worrying ourselves over that battle. Remember how paranoid the thoughts made us?" I did as the water-bender suggested, recalling the attack only short months ago. While it had been a big and important day, we had caused ourselves to panic at different levels at the thoughts of what could or couldn't go wrong. Instead of keeping a calm and open mind, we let our heads create scenarios to further make us fret.

"But we lost." I reminded the water-bender. "We lost so much." Her father and his warriors. My brother. Our friends and allies. Katara tilted her head at me, frowning slightly.

"Yes, we did." She agreed. "But we'll lose so much more if we allow ourselves to fall tomorrow." Her words held utmost truth and weight. "That's why we have to win. Because we can't live in a world envisioned by the Firelord." The girl's undying hope was incredible. It's part of the reason I fell for her all those months ago. Her reasoning would have convinced me entirely right there and then had I not known what my former country was capable of. We were of the fire, and fire burns. "Try to empty your thoughts. It'll help you get through the night."

"There's no way I can go to sleep." I told them, shaking my head. "Not when Aang's still missing. Not when the fate of the universe will be determined as of tomorrow." I felt my hands begin to shake as I grasped the side of of my head. Katara squinted in the darkness and then her sapphire-blue eyes widened. In an instant, she was sitting beside me, holding my hands to prevent them from vibrating. Soon, Suki was kneeling in front of us.

"Hey, it's gonna be alright." The warrior girl grasped my hands and tried to reassure me. "We're gonna do this and we'll come out on top. We always do." I wanted to believe them, but anything was bound to happen the next day. I took a deep breath after taking several shallow ones. I didn't know what I was afraid of; the end of everything we held dear, an apocalypse, dying. I couldn't put my finger on my trigger.

"When that comet comes, the world will be set ablaze." My lips were trembling now. "We can't stop them. There's...too many." Somehow, my nostrils took in the scent of ash and smoke. Though nothing was on fire, the smell was strong and my breaths became short again. I blinked slowly, and then fiery woods appeared before me. I gasped and blinked again, seeing only Suki and Katara inside the dark tent. My heart rate sped up and my pulse beat intensely. My chest was slowly tightening and it felt as though not enough air was flowing into my lungs. I twitched once more when the image of the burning forest returned.

The Kyoshi Warrior looked up frantically at the water-bender. "Wh-what's happening? What's wrong with her?" Cerulean eyes gazed up at me. Her speech sounded fuzzy and foreign in my ears.

"It's...some kind of fit. I don't exactly know." The healer informed Suki. It wasn't often that Katara admitted to being clueless. "It's only happened one other time." The Water Tribe girl held my face in her cool hands, trying to steady me and cease my movements. "Please, Karuna. Stay with me." My shallow breaths continued, but now I was doing my best to focus on her voice and hers alone. "We're going to stick together through this. We're going to make it, you'll see. But you have to believe. We have to win because everyone needs us." Soon, I felt bending water message my temples. "We need each other." The back of my head hit the pillow below and my eyelids drooped. "We need you."

My slumber was peaceful and serene, as if I was sleeping on a cloud; as if I was in other realm entirely. My steady breathing was what eventually woke me from that state of consciousness. The sound seemed to echo in a rounded fashion. When my sensitive eyes opened, I found I was no longer in Ba Sing Se. This place was not of the Earth, and I had almost no recollections of it. I was outside of space and time; transcending.

The air and space around me seemed like the night sky, only brighter and more stars visible. There were bright swirls where colors of green, blue and red mixed. "Hello?" I shouted out into the void, hearing my voice continue on and on until it was just a faint reciprocation. The empty silence was deafening. "Can anyone help me?" I called out again, cupping my hands around my mouth. When I lowered my head from the atmosphere, the scene had changed. All around was a dark mist, and where I stood was a blinding, Celeste light which stretched out as far as the eye could see.

A figure garbed in olive wears, stood a few yards in front of me. "Kyoshi?" I blurted out without thinking. My last spiritual encounter had dealt with the warrior, it was only natural to believe she had returned to further give me council. The woman at first looked...offended? But then, she seemed to stifle a laugh.

"I am not Kyoshi."

How could I have mistaken the two? The lady before me was tan and wore no face paint or war colors of any kind. Her hair was long and brown, ending just around her waist. Grey eyes peered at me from across the distance between us. For a moment, it appeared as though I was staring directly into a mirror.

"Who are you?" I continued to study her. It was like seeing a ghost. The unknown visitor smiled at me, and the expression was filled with such genuineness that I forgot I was uneasy in the first place.

"I am Avatar Sango." My breath was stuck in my lungs for a moment. This woman, this spiritual being, was from two millennium ago. How had I even begun to make that sort of connection? How was I worthy enough for her to bestow her presence upon me? "I am here to help you in this difficult hour, Karuna."

There was so much I wanted to ask her-so much I wanted to tell her. The divine warrior had been my hero since I was a little girl. Her life and story moved me even from such a young age. I had always wanted to be as just, fierce and benevolent as she. I must have been so overwhelmed by this celestial visitor that I soon began trembling again. "Avatar Sango," I began, voice half stuck in the back of my throat. "What do I do?" It wasn't so much of a question as it was a cry or plea. "My friends and the rest of the world need me to rally with them against the Fire Nation. It's what's right- I know this. But I'm so terrified." Water began to well up in my tear ducts. "I'm afraid Aang won't come back, I'm afraid of what I'll do, and I'm afraid we won't succeed. I'm afraid I'll let so many people down."

The past avatar frowned slightly with a look of sympathy. The taller woman drew closer. "Love is a difficult thing, is it not?" Sango seemed to be reading my mind. Her expression seemed to say that she had felt similarly in her time. "It will sometimes seem not worth the effort. It will seem to be the cause of much headache and turmoil." You can say that again. " And some relationships are only short-lived. They have their time and then end their course. It is harmful to hold on longer than possible. Like much else in life, you must let these go. Not only for yourself, but for the others as well.

Avatar Aang shares your fears. And he will learn, as will you, to let them drift away." She explained. "As a fire-bender you must be fearless, Karuna. But as an earth-bender, you must also be strong. You have everything you need inside you to help do your part in this battle." The warm smile returned to her face. "I have my confidence in you, Karuna, but you need to have it in yourself. You are so much braver than you realize, stronger than you know and smarter than you believe. There is nothing I can give to further assist you. You already possess it." The woman pointed to my heart. "All I can do is shed light where you have only seen darkness. "

I lifted my head up at the woman. "Will I have to face her?" My body quivered again. "Will I have to fight her?" Again, Sango understood my concerns almost immediately.

"You will have to do many things." The response was at first vague and cryptic. "And you will have to do whatever it takes to stop the war." I nodded, heaving a heavy sigh. This was a fact I had known for a while now. "But that doesn't mean there is only one way. One answer." My ears perked up and grey eyes met grey once more. "Go forth young warrior, the time is now." Avatar Sango and the scene around me suddenly appeared more washed out. It seemed everything was fading yet I still had more questions.

"What about the White Dragon?" Would I ever be able to control it? Would I ever become the fully actualized warrior I was destined to be?

"Make it roar." Sango touched her palm to my forehead and I felt an energy flow through me like I had never felt before. It was passive, yet powerful, and it made me feel all the more alive. When my body recovered, I had bolted upright on my cot. My eyes scanned the material of the tent walls inside the refuge. Ba Sing Se. I came to terms with my location once more. I knew what was at stake and I knew what needed to be done.