Okay. The plot is going to be revealed as we go along (it's a little bit complicated). For the record, Azula is eleven, Zuko is sixteen to seventeen, and Lu Ten is supposed to be older than Zuko. How much older, I'm not sure. But he's crazy. I'm going to explain this shortly.

Chapter Two: A Minor Sparring Match, and a Journey Begun

Zuko was feeling the pushes on his mind more than ever now. He tried to shut them out by focusing his attention on Roku.

"No, Zuko," admonished the long-dead Avatar. "Don't fight the memories. Let them come."

Memories?

Zuko's single moment of confusion was enough. Suddenly, images were filling his head, memories of friends that he'd never had were returning. Sokka, Aang, Suki, Katara, Toph… Mai. How could he forget Mai?

On the one hand, many things were now explained. The feeling of "wrong-ness" he got around Lu Ten—Lu Ten was supposed to be dead. And Azula… Zuko didn't want to thing of the differences. It was just too painful.

More than anything, this explained the dreams.

On the other hand, that left new questions. What had happened? How had everything changed? Where was Aang?"

"What's going on?" he asked Roku, who, as he suddenly remembered, he was a descendent of.

Awkward.

Roku shook his head. "That will have to be explained in time," he replied. "In the meantime, you have a job to do. You must find Aang, and take him Crescent Island."

Zuko was about to ask why, when he remembered.

"Are you ready?" Roku asked. Zuko got the feeling he was talking about the situation he had left his family at.

"Not really," Zuko admitted.

His eyes opened, and he scrambled to his feet.

"Ah, he's awake," Zhao announced. "I was hoping we could bring you in without you hurting yourself." He glared at Zuko. "Oh well, my men might as well teach you a less—"

Zuko literally fired off a series of high speed punches and kicks, pressing the group of soldiers surrounding him back immediately. They turned toward Zhao for orders.

"What are you waiting for?" the admiral roared. "Get him!"

Up on deck, Iroh and Lu Ten watched as Zuko tore through the soldiers like Azula would go through handkerchiefs.

"I didn't know he could do that," Iroh noted.

"Is he dancing?" asked Lu Ten.

"It would—"

"'Cause dancing never looked so fun."

Zuko ran up the gangplank, dragging Ursa and Azula with him.

"Let's get out of here!" he shouted.

"What about the soldiers? And Zhao?" asked Lu Ten.

Zuko gave him a puzzled look.

"Yeesh, Okay."

The ship began moving.

"Will someone take care of the gangplank, please?"

"I'm on it!"

The ship swung out to face the huge warship bearing down on it. Zuko looked around, and wondered who was steering.

Oh, right.

Lu Ten.

Not good.

"Full speed!" shouted Lu Ten. The smaller ship shot forward. Whoever was in command of the warship was probably getting the shock of his life.

"What are you doing?" shrieked Ursa. Her nephew ignored her.

"Go faster!"

"What?" someone shouted up at him.

"Go faster!"

"How do we do that?"

"Throw the lever marked go faster! Do I need to explain this to you?"

There was a clunk, and the tiny ship accelerated insanely.

"STOP BEING CRAZY!" shouted Zuko.

"YIEEEEEEE!" screamed Azula.

"Hmm," noted Iroh.

"WOO-HOO!" whooped Lu Ten.

At the last possible second, Lu Ten whipped the ship into a harrowing near-miss turn. They shot past the warship and out to sea.

"You need to stop doing that," Ursa growled.

"Are you kidding? That was great!"

"We could have died!"

"Let's stop arguing," Iroh ordered calmly.

Azula made some noises that signaled she was going to be sick again.

Zuko looked at them all. This just seemed surreal, especially now that his memories had returned. How? It probably had something to do with the Spirit World.

He pushed it aside. Right now, he needed to find out what was going on. And for that, he needed to find Aang, and take him to Crescent Island, so he could go to the temple there, and talk to Roku. Where had he found the Avatar in the first place…?

"We need to go to the South Pole," he announced.

"…What?" asked Ursa.

"We need to go to the South Pole," Zuko repeated.

"That," Lu Ten exclaimed, "Is the stupid, most ridiculous, most unintelligent idea I have ever heard. Let's go."