With this newly acquired dime, I shall rule the world! Ha!

A lot of you really liked my little outtake. I actually had that written down on paper when I was still back writing in chapter three. That's actually something that bothers me now about ATLA; the lack of violence. It's only ever implied violence and death. Psh! I'm glad I've achieved a good combination of sad and happy moments in my chapters; it actually means a lot to me.

*pats computer and notebook gently* Oh, my story, you've grown so much. It's going to be sad to let you go, but this must be done. You are strong and independent. AkumanoshippoNiamh, I give you permission to marry my fan fiction! You may kiss the (bride?)

College isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be; after all, it is rated top ten for community colleges in the country, as my colorful sociology instructor says.

Full Circle

All of Ed's injuries, minor and major, had finally healed completely. The only things that remained were faint burn marks and the traces of a black eye. He wished the doctors back home could use treatment like Katara did, then he would never have to be stuck in a disinfectant smelling hospital again.

He would be willing to go in a hospital if that meant seeing Al, however. He'd even drink a glass of cow secretion to see his little brother. He would do anything to return home and see Al, even if he had to admit he was short.

"Not short." Ed said reassuringly to himself. Quickly, Ed stood up and stretched. In the mornings, he usually sparred with Sokka and Zuko. It wasn't even close in comparison how Al fought, but it was better than nothing. Strangely, Ed was the first one awake. He usually slept in until someone woke him up.

The air was crisp and refreshing, but something felt off. Ed couldn't shrug off the feeling that something bad was going to happen today. There was a faint hum in the air, like a large engine was roaring in the distance. The whirring grew louder, but there wasn't anything in sight.

Ed shrugged his shoulders and went through Sokka's bag to grab some food. He ate several pieces of jerky, wishing for once they could eat at a fancy restaurant. Unfortunately, everyone here was wanted, so eating great food anytime soon was unlikely.

The noise was growing louder, and Ed could see a large red zeppelin coming toward the ruins. Maybe they were just sight seeing. Even in his head, that seemed ridiculous. The ominous flying object came closer, and the Fire Nation insignia on the sign screamed 'danger!'

Any minute, the threat would soon be upon them, so Ed clapped and transmuted a large wall to put a shield between his friends and the enemy. The cliffside groaned, and Ed knew the wall was going to collapse under its own weight. To confirm the instability of the wall, the ground started to crack.

Machines roared on the other side of the barrier, and chunks of rock fluttered down from the ceiling. The temple trembled, and the floor shook, which caused even more severe cracks.

"We're under attack!" Ed shouted and looked over in horror to his friends. They were still fast asleep, the only person who moved slightly was Aang. "Hey! Wake up!" Ed ran to Aang and shook him repeatedly like a rag doll. Something hit the wall and exploded, leaving a large hole in the rock. There was a loud crack, and the wall buckled over, along with half of the cliff, and fell into the gorge below.

Aang was suddenly alert and deflected an incoming bomb with an air stream. Everyone else looked around with sleepy eyes, unaware of the danger they were in. Ed couldn't believe these people stayed alive this long when they were so un-alert.

After a few more bombs struck the temple, the ceiling started to cave in. Thankfully, everyone was awake and prepared to flee. A large piece of debris fell and threatened to crush Katara, but Zuko rushed and pushed her out of the way.

"Stop making out and let's go!" Ed hollered. They needed to be swift and get out here before the whole place was destroyed. If Katara's looks could kill, Ed would've been dead on the spot. Katara pushed Zuko away and stormed off.

"Come on! We can get out through here!" Toph shouted and Ed turned around to see she had created a large tunnel to escape through. Everyone dashed to the exit, except for Zuko, who seemed to frozen on the spot looking at the airship.

"I don't know if you noticed, but they're trying to kill us. Let's go!" Ed went next to Zuko and tried to pull him out of danger. Zuko stayed in place and shook his head.

"I'll hold them off. I think this is a family visit." Ed understood, but he still thought whatever Zuko was planning was a terrible idea.

"Don't die." Ed turned away and ran to the escape tunnel, only to be stopped when Appa refused to go in. "I think the universe hates us all." He grumbled to himself.

"We need to split up." Sokka said when Appa struggled violently. "Take the tunnel and get to the stolen airship."

"No!" Katara was seething with anger. "The Fire Nation can't separate our family again!"

"It'll be okay. It's not forever." Ed's eyes widened when he heard Katara's dad say those words, and they sounded sincere. Katara and Sokka hugged Hakoda and climbed on Appa. Just as Hakoda was leading the others to the tunnel, Ed walked over to him and blocked the way.

"Ed, you should go with the others." Ed looked at the man before him and raised his arm like he was about to give a handshake.

"You're a good father. Make sure you keep your promise." Hakoda accepted Ed's arm and smiled.

"I will." They parted ways and Ed quickly joined up with the others. They maneuvered in the air around fireballs, which made Ed's stomach feel queasy. He was never going to get used to a large animal flying, and the jerking evasive maneuvers weren't helping.

"Hey," Ed realized something looked wrong. "Where's Zuko?" Everyone looked up and they saw a dark figure falling down. "Do you people have death wishes?" Katara grabbed Zuko from his plummet and pulled him into the safety of the saddle. "Because I think you do." Zuko looked at Ed like he was crazy.

They flew far away from the decimated ruins of the temple and landed in a clearing. A small fire was crackling and was successful at keeping everyone warm.

"Wow, camping." Aang said lazily. Ed forgot these kids traveled around the world and had to sleep in tents. Ed didn't say in one spot too long, either, but he usually stayed in a room. Now that he thought of it, he had never really gone camping, unless the month on the island counted as 'camping'. "It really seems like old times again, doesn't it?"

"If you really want it to feel like old times, I could, uh…chase you around a while and try to capture you." Ed wondered exactly what Zuko and the others were doing before he had shown up. Something about stalking and catching…

Zuko didn't seem like the type of guy who was easy to make friends with, but it was obvious he was trying his best to be friendly with everyone in the group. The reason Ed and Zuko had gotten along right away after their fight was they didn't really know how else to act towards each other. They both traveled around the world, not having time to make friends with people their own age.

The group cheered and Ed snapped back into attention. He had been spacing out frequently lately, indulged in his thoughts of home.

"I'm touched, I don't deserve this." Zuko said after his friends cheered for him.

"Yeah, no kidding." Katara walked away, taking heavier then necessary steps.

"What's with her?" Sokka asked like a good concerned brother.

"I wish I knew." Zuko stood up and followed Katara.

"What's with him?" There was no answer, and they decided to sit in silence as the fire lit the area up. After an hour, the group decided to go to bed, except for Ed, who went over to Sokka's tent. He barged in without knocking, and immediately regretted doing so.

Sokka's hair was down, and he was in the process of lighting candles with a flint. Ed tried to back out of the tent, but Sokka saw him out of the corner of his eye.

"Suki, you're a little ear- oh! Ed!" Sokka sounded defensive and bashful. "What are you doing here? I thought everyone went to bed." The scene reminded Ed of what he imagined Mustang would look like while preparing for a date.

"Um, do you want me to come back later? Like tomorrow?" Ed didn't want to intrude on whatever Sokka and Suki were doing.

"No! Have a seat." Ed sat down on a pillow and brushed the rose petals aside. "What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering why Katara resents Zuko so much. It's not healthy. What did he do to her?"

"He used to track and capture us to get to Aang. Honestly, I don't know why she hates him more than we did."

"Zuko said he betrayed you. Something about nasing se?"

"What?" Sokka was confused.

"I don't know. A city? You mentioned honey…"

"Oh! Ba Sing Se! All I know is Katara and Zuko were trapped in prison together, and by the end of the day, Aang was dead. She didn't really talk about it much."

"Okay. I'll get going then." Ed stood up and walked towards his tent and he could see both Zuko and Suki heading in the direction of Sokka's tent. It didn't take him too long to fall asleep.

Ed woke up because his joints were starting to ache; rain must've been coming. He poked his head out of the tent and saw everyone else was up and talking in a circle, so, he decided to see what was up.

"She needs this, Aang. This is about getting closure and justice." Ed always seemed to walk into the wrong part of the conversation. Zuko's words reminded him of something Scar would say.

"I don't think so." Aang said calmly. "I think this is about getting revenge." Yes, Ed knew revenge was one of the most deadly poisons out there.

"Fine, maybe it is!" The burning anger in Katara's eyes shocked Ed; usually she was a kind and compassionate girl. Now she looked like she could tear a person's limbs off. "Maybe that's what I need! Maybe that's what he deserves!" Ed went rigid.

"This is the man…who killed…my mom and dad? It can't be…they were killed by a person they helped save?" Winry looked at Scar with wide eyes. "You killed…my mom and dad? Why?" She slowly went to her knees. "Give them back! Give me back my mom and dad." Winry was starting to cry, but then she reached over to an object. It was a gun!

"Wait, Winry…stop." Ed said calmly. "Don't. Don't do it, Winry!" She picked up the weapon and aimed it at the Ishbalan who was responsible for taking her parent's lives. "Don't shoot! Put down the gun!" Ed was starting to panic.

"So you're the daughter of those doctors." Scar spoke. "You have every right to shoot me."…

"Ed." … "But the moment you squeeze that trigger, I will consider you my enemy."

"Lay one finger on Winry and I swear I'll-" Ed yelled.

"You'll kill me!? Go ahead!"…

"Ed!" … "This cycle of hatred will not end until one of us is dead!"

"ED! Snap out of it!" Sokka was violently shaking Ed

"Huh…?"

"You've been standing there forever, staring at nothing. You weren't saying anything when we talked to you."

"Oh…Where's Katara?" Ed hoped she hadn't left.

"She going with Zuko. They're leaving any minute." It was too late. Appa had already taken off, and the vengeful Katara was already gone.

"Damn!" Ed looked over and saw Sokka slumping his head. He didn't look happy and carefree like he usually did. "Hey. Is something wrong?"

"My sister…she hates me!"

"What? No she doesn't, she's just-"

"She doesn't think I loved Mom." Ed frowned. He and Al had fought over many stupid things in the past, but never anything about who loved their mother more.

"She's irrational now. The only thing that matters is that you know you love your mom. Okay?" Sokka nodded his head unenthusiastically.

"I tried to stop her, but she didn't listen to me."

"There's nothing you can do about it now. Regardless of what happens, make sure you're there for her when she returns." Sokka nodded his head again. "You know, you're a great older brother."

"Thanks." Sokka smiled weakly, but still looked downcast.

"So," Ed spoke cunningly, "how was your date last night?" Sokka's whole face turned a dark shade of pink, then he smiled dreamily.

Katara and Zuko returned several hours later, and everyone else was informed on what had happened; Katara found her mother's killer, but didn't attack. Katara apologized to her brother and he brought her into a wide embrace.

Sokka returned to the tents, and Zuko was talking to Aang. Ed walked over to Katara cautiously.

"I couldn't do it. He was right there, and I couldn't do it. I don't know why…" "It was him, but…" Winry was shaking as tears fell down her cheeks. "He killed my mom and dad…why? He almost killed you and Al…why…why couldn't I…?"

"Winry, let me tell you something." Ed gently loosened Winry's grip on the gun. "When you helped deliver that baby in Rush Valley, you saved the mother and child. You also gave me an arm and a leg so that I could get back on my feet. Your hands weren't meant to take people's lives. They were meant to save them…"

"Katara, I want to tell you something. When I was on the verge of insanity, you brought me back. Whenever I came back injured, you healed me. You guys could have left me for dead on that island when I attacked you guys, but you opposed. You saved me. You aren't meant to take life; you save life." Katara looked at Ed, and then wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you." She whispered. Ed hesitated at first, not really being a physical contact sort of person, but he accepted the hug and did the same.

"You're welcome."

Ed was frantically drawing circles on a piece of parchment, ecstatic with the familiar sight of an array. The vacation house they were hiding in was a mess, but that mess contained a vast amount of parchment and writing brushes with ink. It was a little strange that they were hiding in the Fire Lord's summer palace, but Zuko had assured them it hadn't been used in years.

"Ed." Sokka called. "We're going to a play about us!"

"Do I have to go?" He mumbled and continued to draw.

"Yep! It'll be fun." Ed sighed and grabbed a stack of papers and a fresh canister of ink. They walked to the theater, and Sokka gave Ed a quick horrified glance.

"Hey," He hissed between his teeth. "I think you forgot something." Sokka pointed to his hair.

"Oh." Ed pulled his hood up, and Zuko decided to follow the example. They sat down, and Ed continued to draw arrays and runes. He had a sense he was almost right with his calculations, and he already knew he wasn't going to pay attention to the dumb play.

"GGAAAAAHHHHHH!" Ed nearly flung himself out of his seat and several of his papers scattered across the floor.

"What the hell was that?!" Ed inquired while his heart still thumped loudly. He looked at the stage and saw it was only Toph's Armstrong looking actor on the stage. He retrieved his papers and kept on calculating.

"Ed!" Sokka whispered and nudged Ed's shoulder. "You're on!" Ed looked down to see what Sokka was talking about. On stage, there was a very small actor, probably no older than seven, wearing a red coat and a bright yellow wig.

"Hi!" The actor's voice was very high and annoying, but not quite as bad as Aang's. "Feed me and I won't kill you!" The voice sounded innocent, so the statement made was bizarre. Ed's eye twitched.

"I don't threaten to kill people!" Ed said astoundingly, then added quietly, "…Usually…"

"Awww." Actor Katara crooned. "Look how cute and little he is. He just fills me with so much hope!" The actress spilled tears onto the stage. "Can we keep the little adorable spirit?"

"Why are they making me sound like a stray animal? And I'm not short!"

"Ed, keep your voice down." Sokka said quietly.

"Fine. I'm going to finish this outside." Ed compiled his papers and left the auditorium to draw in peace. Out of habit, Ed took his coat off and used it to sit on, forgetting he was supposed to hide his hair.

A small child gawked with awe at Ed.

"Hey, mister! That's a nice Golden Haired Spirit costume, but you're too tall."

Ed stood up delightfully.

"I'm tall?" The kid nodded his head. "I'm tall! I'M TALL!" Ed ran up and down the hallway, yelling about his height. Ed burst through the doors and got into his friends' faces, and shouted gleefully, "I'm tall!"

"What?" They all asked and looked at Ed like he was insane.

"That kid said I'm tall! Ha!"

"…Your actor is like, three feet tall…I don't think that was a compliment…" Sokka stated.

"You're just jealous 'cause I'm tall!"

"We are never taking you to a play again." Katara muttered.

"Sorry, I can't hear you over my tallness…"

Outtakes

(Not as good as the last one, but who cares?!)

Ed watched as Zuko plummeted from the airship and vanished into the low clouds.

"Did Zuko…just…die?" His voice wavered, and Sokka chuckled.

"He's a main character. They can't kill him off."

"But, plenty of anime main characters die. Like the guy in Co-" Sokka yelped and slapped his hand across Ed's face.

"No spoilers!"

"That's not the point! In my first series, I-" Ed was interrupted again by Sokka.

"We're in America! Cartoon characters don't die." Ed mumbled something incoherently about TV age ratings and something about Japan.

"I'm touched. I don't deserve this." Zuko said after being praised for being a hero.

"Yeah, no kidding." Katara retorted angrily, then stomped away.

"What's with her?"

"PMS?" Ed suggested. o.o

College isn't as grueling as I expected….yet. So that's good news for my updates. To be honest, I had a ton of writer's block for this chapter. I actually wrote the outtakes and the author's notes in the middle of typing. I even made a one shot! Speaking of one shot, It's published now. If you read it, you'll see what I'm capable of…so make sure you don't make me angry…you wouldn't like me when I'm angry…

I combined the two episodes so I would have one longer chapter rather than two measly ones. I know this one is shorter, but I'm combing the last four episodes into one chapter. Honestly, it might be my longest chapter yet, so I have no clue when I'll update.

This has been a fun adventure, and I'll see you for the last chapter. Thanks for sticking with me and giving me support!