Still don't own LoK or Anastasia.

Anastasia had been working the entire two months on nothing but learning many of the Fire Nation customs from Avatar Roku, and firebending with the help of General Iroh the first and second as the first one rambled on and gave them cryptic words of wisdom. She was skeptical at first, but once she learned that the Generals' methods usually worked, she began using them as well. She despised having to switch her way of dress, but she found that it was, indeed, easier to wear the traditional Fire Nation clothes instead of a dress.

She sent out a massive fireball, even though it still scared the crap out of her to do so. By some sort of miracle, she had become one with the flames that she was now able to create, even if only for a few short minutes in the beginning. But by now, she was able to create and control the flames for up to a full half of an hour.

She had even managed to become equally matched with General Iroh the second in a sparring match. At least, when he was going easy on her, but she noticed that gradually he would step it up just a tiny notch for her training purposes and needs. She wanted to learn how to use lightning like he had the first time she'd seen him bending, but he had simply looked at her emotionlessly before going back to firebending.

"It is time," Roku said calmly. "The way between your worlds is thin right now. You will have a surprise waiting for you when you see Avatar Korra again. But for now, the real test of whether or not you are ready to become a firebender."

"What is that?" Anastasia asked defiantly holding up her head.

"To be able to send your image and senses through the flames," Roku said gesturing to a swirling vortex of smoke and ash. "We will begin with a place that you are familiar with and with a reason for you to send yourself into."

"Paris?" she asked hopefully, and he nodded. "Yes! YES!"

Iroh the first went off a ways with Iroh the second to give her some room to maneuver, and she sent the flames through the smoke as best that she could. It took a little bit of help and expertise from Avatar Roku, but she managed to finally be able to project herself.

…

"It's been three whole months since Anastasia disappeared," Marie murmured gravely as though she were about to cry. "I only wish I could see her face one more time…"

"Demitri?"

"It's like I hear her now," Marie said wistfully, and the flames erupted from the fireplace.

"Grandmamma? Sophie? Demitri? Vlad?" a voice came from the flames, and the flames gradually began to take on a human shape.

"Anya?" Demitri and Vlad asked in shock.

"Anastasia?" Maria and Sophie asked as the boys asked.

"Yes! I did it!" the flames squealed in joy, and they began shifting quickly to take the form of the young duchess. "Oh, there's so much to tell you! Where do I start?"

"How about how you can do that!" Demitri stammered, and she looked at him sorrowfully.

"I'm so sorry, Demitri…" she said looking as though she were about to cry. "I can't go back to this world aside from this form here. I-I want to stay with you guys, I really do!"

"It is not your fault," a male voice came from behind her, and she looked over her shoulder and nodded to him. "Do not blame yourself, child. Merely focus on the messages that you wish to get across. You have limited time."

"Thank you, Avatar Roku," Anastasia said as she turned back to Demitri and the others. "He has been teaching me firebending, which is what I am using now."

"Firebending?" Demitri asked confused.

"Firebending, the art of controlling fire with your chi," Anastasia explained. "There are four elements to bend: fire, air, water and earth. You can only bend one element, and there are of course those people who are unable to bend. Then there are those other elements that go inside the bending of one of those four elements. Like bloodbending for a waterbender, or metalbending for an earthbender, or lightningbending for a firebender."

"Can you…?" Vlad asked curiously.

"No, General Iroh – first and second – won't let me," she huffed. "But that is not the point. How are you doing? What has been happening?"

"We miss you so," Sophie and Vlad whined as they stepped forwards.

"Don't touch me!" Anastasia said quickly, and all four backed off in pain and shock. "I'm sorry; it's just that I don't want you to get burned. This form is literally made out of nothing but flames that I'm firebending."

"Oh," Marie and Sophie said in shock as the boy's jaws dropped.

"Boys," Anastasia warned, and they closed their jaws. "Where is Pooka? What has happened while I was gone? How much time has passed for you?"

"Three months," Demitri explained with tears in his eyes. "Pooka's… he's been sulking. He-for some weird reason, he wants me now. As for what happened – Russia fell to ruin and your family…"

"Anya, we are so sorry," Vlad said bowing his head in shame.

"What are you talking about? They're here, with me," Anastasia said furrowing her brow. "They're airbenders, or they will be once they're not petrified anymore. I think Alexei is close to waking up, I can feel it somehow."

"Alexei? And-and the others?" Vlad asked excitedly.

"They're fine, but Olga… her tongue is more sharp now than it was ever before," Anastasia said stomping her foot angrily, setting the rug on fire. "Oops."

"Here," Vlad said pouring a bit of water on it but being careful not to disrupt Anastasia's flames.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "This is my first time with this. I've been working for two months almost literally nonstop to get this far. I'll have to rest for a while after this, probably."

"Anya," Demitri said with tears in his eyes. "Please… there must be a way for us to-to…"

"Demitri, as much as I loved you," Anastasia began warily. "I realized something in this world. I can't just keep wishing to go back to you all and not live my life here. I have to go on; I have to live my life so I don't regret anything."

"But Anya-!"

"And that means that I've moved on, Demitri," Anastasia said firmly, but the resolve behind the flames of her eyes flickered green. "I've moved on to someone else, another firebender like me. I'm sorry Demitri, but there's no way that we'll be together, not anymore."

"But if there were, what would you do?" he asked desperately, and she was silent for a few moments.

"I would stay beside my decision," she said tonelessly. "I found my firebender, and he is one of three royal lines in this world."

"But surely-! Anastasia, please tell me that if there were a way-!" Demitri began pleading, his eyes watering from the heat of her flames and the pain that was clearly ripping him apart because of Anastasia's words.

"I'm afraid there is not," a male said coming up beside her. "It is time to go, Anastasia. I am sorry, young man, but she cannot return to your world, and it will be years, if at all, for my fellow Avatars and me to gather enough energy to bring someone who is not in the right situation to our world."

Demitri rushed forwards and tried to grab Anastasia, as if to pull her out of the fires, as she began withdrawing. The last thing she saw was his arm on her fiery one and his yell of pain and alarm as he tried to grasp at her desperately.

"I'm so sorry," Anastasia sobbed as she withdrew all control from the fires in his rooms. "I loved you Demitri, but I think I now know just what General Iroh the first and Avatar Roku were trying to tell me this whole time."

"You must be a phoenix and rise from the ashes," Roku said nodding. "Do you understand now?"

"Yes," she said firmly, her eyes ringing with her conviction before wavering. "But I'm still not sure about Iroh…"

"Give him a chance," Roku said wisely. "I think you'll find that even the most adverse and beautiful of love blossoms in the most interesting of places."

Yes, Anastasia leaves Demitri and breaks his heart! It hurts her, but she has finally done it! I've been meaning to do that for a long time! WAHOO!

Please review and let me know what you think!