After Aang and Katara talked, Aang felt befuddled as to what he should choose. He knew that he would always choose Katara above anything else… but he didn't exactly know how to explain it to King Kuei. He needed to talk to Zuko. Privately.

The next morning, Aang woke up early to go see if he could find his friend. Zuko had always been an early riser. He said once that the sun wakes him up because of how strong his connection is. Aang figured that he would first look for him in his office. And right he was. If he didn't know any better, Zuko's insomnia would grant him nothing but extra time on his hands. Being the angsty man he was, he usually was found drowning in a pile of important mail and papers.

Aang walked right through his office door and found Zuko with bags under his eyes trying to concentrate on a letter.

"Morning Zuko."

Zuko looked up and his stare was screaming with fear, "A-Aang. Look at this letter."

Aang seemed confused at first but decided to look at it anyway. It couldn't be that bad, right? The letter started:

Dear Fire Lord,

I am feeling saddened to inform you but your irresponsible actions are making the situation of my country very unstable. The Earth Kingdom is infuriated with your decision to back away from the Harmony Restoration movement. And frankly, so am I. We decided and worked on that project together for months. That is Earth Kingdom property. My property. And your people need to exit out of it. It is greatly unappreciated and unacceptable hearing as you have failed to complete your part of our deal. So, because of that, I have come to the conclusion that if the Fire Nation will not leave our colonies by the use of kindness, we will have to now use violence. You will be hearing from me soon.

My sincerest apologies,

King Kuei

"Oh no. Zuko, do you know what this means?!" Aang exclaimed as the letter slipped out of his grasp and onto the table.

"If you couldn't tell already by my facial expressions, then yes. I do."

"Oh spirits. Not again. We just got out!"

"I don't think my nation can survive another one." Zuko whispered loudly.

"Your nation?! What about the other nations?! They are all still rebuilding. This is going to be the end of us."

"What are we gonna tell everyone?"

"I'm not sure… oh spirits. This is too much. When did Kuei send this?" Aang said as he paced back and forth.

"Three days ago. But, I just had the time to open it."

"Monkey feathers!" Aang slapped his forehead.

"Let's wake them up." He replied begrudgingly with his face in his hands.

After Zuko and Aang woke the rest of their friends up, they gathered them on the stairs of the temple's yard. The gang all just woke up so they were feeling exhausted and irritable.

"Why did you call us here so early again?" Toph said while yawning at the same time.

Zuko and Aang looked at each other, "Well… we sorta have bad news that you all need to hear." Aang spoke as he cautiously chose his words.

"Ok well, say it already." Suki exclaimed while lying her head on Katara's lap. Sokka seemed to be half awake and half asleep. Toph, on the other hand, was patiently and impatiently laying down on a rock she bent to form some sort of pillow. Mai wasn't even there.

There was a pause of awkward silence that you could hear the rooster-dogs crowing in the backyards of others.

"Zuko. Tell them." Aang whispered.

"No, you tell them." Zuko whispered back.

"The letter was sent to you."

"Yeah, but you have a better way with words than I do."

"How about we choose? Aang tell us already. I'm tired and so hungry." Sokka cried out.

Aang groaned, "Fine okay. So basically, I woke up confused as to what my decision would be with the Harmony Restoration Movement. The talk I had with Katara last night helped a lot but I still had no idea what I would say. I needed urgent advice so I went to go find Zuko. But I didn't know where he would be and-"

Zuko interrupted, "You know what? I'll say it. When Aang arrived, I showed him the letter. The short version would be that King Kuei decided that since the Fire Nation isn't backing out, that the Earth Kingdom would have to use violence to remove us. In one word…"

"War." Katara murmured as she came to realize where Zuko's sentence was going. Everyone else soon followed with wide eyes and gasps.

"Hell no! War?! But we just got out of one!" Toph yelled.

"What do they expect to accomplish? All they will be doing is causing more mayhem!" Suki yelled back.

"Ok, hold on one second! When did you get the letter Zuko?" Sokka asked, trying to remain as calm as possible alongside being hungry and sleepy.

"3 days ago." Zuko answered sheepishly.

Everyone stopped talking for a few moments. "Damn it." Sokka looked like he was connecting a puzzle in his head.

"Sokka! Stop being ridiculous and tell us what you are thinking!" Katara called out.

Sokka rolled his eyes, "Rude but anyways. I have a question. How many days does it take to travel from Ba Sing Se to the colonies?"

"About 3 days? Why?" Aang asked, confused.

Zuko comprehended what Sokka was explaining, "No! It's already been three days since I received the letter. And it takes three days to get here. They should be arriving tod-"

"They're already here." Toph yelped.

Aang dug his foot into the ground, "I feel them too. They arrived."

"Then what are we doing here? Let's calm them down before they wreak chaos." Katara said, getting off the floor walking towards the guarded gates of the colony.

Shouting and yelling could be heard from both sides of the gates. Fire was being thrown around and protest signs were being held up high. It was complete chaos.

"How are we going to get onto the other side?" Yelled Sokka but his voice died out quickly with the louder voices of the people.

Aang and Toph looked at each other and quickly agreed as to what they would do. They got into an earthbending position and opened a whole in the ground with quick flicks of their wrists. It was a tunnel to the other side. Everyone ran inside. As they got out through the other side, Toph did some rapid movements and closed the tunnel back up. The otherside was worse than inside the city. Out here, people were holding stakes, weapons, torches, and protest signs. In the close distance you could see the Earth Kingdom army quickly gaining ground as they arrived at the town.

Aang used his airbending to jump onto the gate in order to have a clear view of all of the disruption. He cleared his voice and spoke very loudly, "My friends and I understand that you are all very upset. I assure you that we will get this matter fixed but you all need to calm down and go back to your homes. It's getting very dangerous and all of this ruckus won't do anyone any good. Not even to you all. So, will everybody please let us get this sorted? That's all we ask."

There was a quick moment of silence before everyone burst back into anger and shouting. Aang face palmed himself before jumping back down onto the ground.

"Well, that was effective." Sokka sarcastically said as both Katara and Suki slapped his back.

"Yeah, I know. I really thought they would listen… Zuko, what do we do?" Aang asked.

Zuko really didn't know what to do. With the Earth army a minute away, there was no way they would be able to calm down a roaring crowd in time. He laid out the options in his head clearly. Meet violence with violence. Or try to reason with them. Either way, he had to be ready to protect his people.

"I'm sorry guys. There really isn't a choice. But, I have to get my army. They need to protect my people no matter what. Even if we don't fight. However, if this turns into a battle, I hope that you all, my friends, can help us get out of it. Get the King here. Reason with him please." Zuko said with a sigh.

"No, Zuko. We just got out of a war not more than a year ago. We can't-" Katara exclaimed with exasperation.

"He's right Katara. I'll get you back into the city. Warn your people." Toph said with a sad look on her face.

Before they left though, Zuko pulled Aang aside privately. Zuko inhaled, "Are we friends?"

"Yes."

"Friends do each other favors, right?"

"I think so, yeah." Aang said quizzically not knowing where this was going.

"Okay well. Will you do me a huge favor?"

"Of course, anything. What is it?"

Zuko closed his eyes, "If I do anything bad...something bad that my father would have done, end me." Aang's eyes bulged open. "I don't care how or when you do it just… kill me. My biggest fear is becoming my father. And I know how much harm I can cause so please, don't let my fears come true. For the sake of the world, for the sake of our friends, for your sake, for Mai's sake, and for my father's sake. I don't want to prove that evil bastard right."

Aang stuttered trying to collect his words, "N-no. I wouldn't ever do that to y-you." He put his hands on Zuko's shoulders, "No. My answer is no."

Zuko looked sad but regained his determination, "Promise me Aang. Promise me. Friends do each other favors, remember. I'm your friend and I trust you."

"No!"

"Please! Do it for me." Zuko begged.

With a tear running down his eye, Aang finally gave in, "I… promise." Zuko hugged Aang

After their banter, Zuko and Aang went their separate ways. Zuko went to warn his nation about the impending threat. Meanwhile, Aang went to warn the other nations. Katara, Sokka, Suki, and eventually Toph all tried to calm down the people. As soon as the Earth army arrived, the already chaotic crowd got into even more chaos. Shouting, screaming, yelling, protesting, and everything in between was not excluded. Nothing was. People were even fist fighting.

"We have to split up! Fighting fire with fire isn't working! We need to use strategy now." Sokka yelled as loud as he could through the loud booming voices of the people.

"Ok well… Sokka and Toph! Go retrieve the metal benders. We might need them! Suki and I will stay behind and find the Earth King! Katara should help us but also attend to the injured!" Aang yelled even louder. Everyone agreed with plan and went through with it.

King Kuei could not be found anywhere. Aang, Katara, and Suki had been looking for half an hour. Combat between the two nations was brewing and the situation seemed very unstable. To fix this mess, all they needed to do was find the king and reason with him. But they couldn't even get the first part done.

Katara finished healing the person she was working on and got up to go find Aang. She sat down next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. They enjoyed the comfortable silence together before Katara spoke softly, "Aang… what's going on with you? You seem a bit sad."

"Something, I guess you could say… happened. Zuko told me something and I don't know how I feel about it." Aang said while looking at the mountains. It was always so calm before battle.

"Well, what did he say?"

"He basically wants me to kill him if he ever starts to act like his father. No big deal." Aang responded with a sad smile.

"What!" Katara looked at him with surprised eyes, "Why would he say that? He knows how you feel about killing the living?"

"I guess he just wants to look out for the world. And I respect his decision but…"

"You don't wanna kill your best friend." Katara finished for him.

"Exactly." Aang said as he embraced his beautiful girlfriend.

"Aang… Zuko is a good person now. Who knows when it will be when he finally snaps? Think of it like this. Maybe you won't ever have to end his life because you'll be there for him. You can counsel him to see his errors and imperfections. Because that is what friends do."

Aang paused to think about what she said for a second before smiling, "Thank you, sweetie."

Katara smiled too, "Of course. Also, I came here to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Well… since we haven't seen Kuei anywhere, I was thinking of someplace he may be. We all know very well from experience that a Leader has to always be by their nation when they are needed most, right?"

"Yeah, that's right." Aang answered not knowing where this was going.

"Right now, the Earth King is needed most close to the army… to guide his people into battle. If he isn't with the division, then he isn't far behind. But he is also somewhere where he can't easily be spotted. Let's say… an airship or something that travels in the air?" Katara said with bright eyes.

Aang gasped and his face lit up as if he were a lightbulb, "Katara! You are a genius!" He kissed her fiercely on the lips. "I'm gonna go get Appa! I'll see you in a bit!" He kissed her twice more before gliding away, leaving Katara in a daze.

Zuko finally had assembled his division. He ordered more battalions to arrive but in the meanwhile, what he had would have to do. He himself got into his royal armor just in case something happened. He couldn't help but feel extra nervous. In the last war his ancestors had started, he knew it wasn't his fault. He knew what would happen in the end. They would either win or he and his friends would. But today, he didn't know what could happen. He just hoped that Aang could prevent this from escalating.

Mai was watching him think. She didn't know how to help him. She never had been too big on words or emotions. But she knew she had to step out of her comfort zone to help the love of her life. Mai could only help so much. She decided that she was going to join the rest of the gang to help fight off the protesters from burning down the town. First, though, she walked up quietly behind him and put her arms around his torso.

"It's going to be okay. Just trust Aang and your friends." She whispered into his ear and then planted a soft kiss on his jaw. "Tell me what really worries you, Zuko."

Zuko turned around to face her, "How did you know?"

"As someone who doesn't show emotions, I do know how to distinguish them, you know. You aren't scared or frightened, you're worried. But it's a different type of worry." She put her hands on his heart, "It's more personal."

"I'm worried that my father was right."

She scoffed, "Your dad has never been right."

"Maybe… but after the war, I did something that I haven't told anyone about." Zuko looked down at his feet ashamed.

"What did you do? Cheat on me?" She looked at him dead in the eyes with a small smirk.

"No, never. It's just… I went to visit him in prison. My father. And, we talked. I just wanted to look for answers about my mother. But, I kept visiting him many times. This other time, I told him about the situation here in Yu Dao. He said that I have always been indecisive when it comes to the weak. He told me that my inability to decide is going to get me washed away and eventually killed. I don't know what to decide. Should I listen to him? I really don't know."

"It seems to me like your father has fed you misinformation."

"What?"

Mai sighed, "Think about it. Your dad can't have the throne and he knows that, so what is he going to do now? Turn you into his image. The way I see it, looking out for the weak isn't a bad thing. It's just showing compassion, which if you didn't know already, is a sign of a true leader. What I say is just follow your heart. Trust in those close to you. And avoid violence as much as possible. Just make sure to protect your people, because they are your people after all." Zuko realized what she was saying.

"You're right. I'm going to go now. Stay safe, Mai. Thank you." He kissed her on the lips and left in a hurry. He had to get there fast.

Aang and Appa had been searching through all the war balloons for the King Kuei. It had been half an hour searching absolutely everywhere until they saw the fanciest war balloon they had ever seen.

"Appa, buddy, let me go right there. I'm going to see if I can find our friend."

Aang took a hold of his glider and launched himself off of Appa using his airbending. He swiftly landed on the war balloon like a feather. He noticed that his intuitions were correct. The Earth King was here. He was curled up into a ball like a boar-coupine chanting something over and over again.

"I am doing the right thing. I am doing the right thing. I am doing the right thing…" He repeated like a mantra. Aang took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He knew this all depended on him and his persuasion.

"Your majesty, it's Aang." The Earth King looked up at the young Avatar and put an end to his mantra. His eyes looked anxious and worried. His lip was slightly quivering and his face was puffy. Aang immediately felt bad but he knew he had to correct the error of his ways. It was his mistake after all. He should have seen this coming earlier. "I am here to offer you some counsel, if you are willing to hear me out."

Kuei looked appreciative of his offer so he nodded, "Thank you, I really need it right now." He patted down a spot next to him signaling for the monk to sit down. Aang caught onto his gesture and sat down.

"So… what exactly is troubling you?"

Kuei took a deep breath and paused to think for a good moment, "Honestly, I don't know. And that's sort of the problem. I don't know what I am doing and I don't know if… it's the right thing."

"Yeah, pretty sure that's your consciousness." Aang chuckled before frowning, "I know how you feel. At the beginning of this movement, I was certain that this was the most perfect and ideal plan. . But now… I was told by a wise person that it wasn't truly a peaceful and wholesome way to move on."

Kuei looked befuddled, "What do you mean, Avatar?"

"Well, think of it this way. We have been working on this plan to keep balance between all the nations right?" The King nodded and so Aang continued, "Turns out that all we are doing is dividing each other even more. Even though the Fire Nation completely invaded the homes of these towns, over time, they became a community. They work together to make a new world of their own. That's our goal too. Separating these people from their home that they have grown to love for around 100 years isn't justice… It's cruel and not okay.

"This is why Fire Lord Zuko withdrew from our plan to restore a so-called balance. He eventually realized that it wasn't the correct thing to do. And that is why, I am withdrawing too."

Kuei gasped slightly but didn't look so surprised. He just looked exasperated and stressed. He sighed and shook his head with a chuckle, "Then I am withdrawing too. The only reason why I clung onto this so deeply was because I was afraid of what my people would think of me. The gossip they spread about me is… depressing and well, they think I'm weak for not taking a stand against the Fire Nation earlier. But, now this leads me to the question, how will we convince them to leave these colonies be?"

With a determined face, Aang responded, "By showing them exactly what our goal was meant to be in the first place."

"I'm not so sure about this."

Aang laughed childishly, "Appa isn't here. He's been helping defend the colony against the rioters. But don't you worry, I've grown experienced in carrying another person on my glider. Just hold on tightly and… enjoy the ride!" With that, Aang held on to Kuei and lifted off the war balloon. The King began to scream but it eventually died out as he realized what a beautiful experience it truly was. It was freeing and liberating. Almost as if the weight had vanished off their shoulders even for just one second.

They landed near the city gates. Reality hit them as they heard the screams, the yelling, and the weapons clashing against each other. If utter and complete violence had a sound, this would be it. Kuei began to shake and sweat. He felt nervous but none more nervous than Aang. They both had no clue whether or not their plan would work out. The Avatar and King proceeded to walk past the crowd making their way to the center of it all. There you find an angry Fire Lord, an agitated General of the Earth Kingdom army, and three girls trying to keep them from destroying one another.

Katara, Suki, and Mai. Aang's heart managed to calm down seeing his friends and his warrior girlfriend.

Zuko, on the other hand, felt his chest begin to thump louder and louder inside his chest at the sight of the young Avatar. "He's going to kill me now isn't he?" He thought.

"Guys! Stop! The Earth King and I have come to an agreement but we need to be heard. So stop fighting like children and help the others follow suit."

Katara ran up to her boyfriend, frantically hugging him, "Aang! You managed to convince him?"

Aang hugged her back, "Yes, I did. And we have a plan but we need to be heard. Do you have any ideas?"

Katara looked around for a moment and back to her boyfriend, "Well, you could enter the avatar state to capture their attention. Doesn't your voice become louder because of the 10,000 voices thing?"

Aang's eyes blew open, "You're right! And I can control it now so that I don't hurt people." Aang looked at his surroundings, "Everyone! STEP BACK!"

Everyone who managed to hear him follows along to what he said, mildly confused. Aang then took a deep breath and opened his white glowing eyes of power. He floated off into mid-air using all the elements as his support.

"EVERYONE NEEDS TO STOP FIGHTING! THE EARTH KING AND I HAVE COME TO AN AGREEMENT. PUT AN END TO THIS VIOLENCE SO THAT YOU MAY ALL HEAR TO IT."

The crowds of people all halted as they heard the booming distorted voice of the Avatar. They all nodded and waited. You could see Sokka and a Toph in the distance frozen in battle with the Fire Benders. The metal benders were also frozen, holding a giant war machine in mid-air.

Aang, still being in the Avatar state, went back down to his friends and the King and propelled them up using airbending, onto the city's defensive wall.

He finally exited the Avatar state, feeling as all the energy he used left him weak and vulnerable. Katara helped him stay up until he regained his posture.

The young airbender looked to his friend, Zuko, who was more afraid than ever. He then looked to the Earth King who looked determined as can be.

"People of the Earth Kingdom! I request for all of you to back down for a second and listen to your king! The Avatar and I have come to realize the error of our ways. We made a mistake trying to force the Fire Nation to evacuate the colonies."

Everyone gasped and angrily yelled back to their monarch. Zuko looked back at them, confused. The king frowned, "This is not a choice for all of you to make! I am solely looking for your support. The reason for this decision is because the entire movement was built on bringing peace and harmony to all nations. But by pulling these people out of the homes they have grown to care and function with, we are only dividing our nation's even more. I despise what the Fire Nation has done in the last 100 years but they are trying to change. Why don't we begin to try to?!"

Noticing that the crowd began to think about it, he continued, "Take a look at them down there!" He pointed to a couple of both Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom. "Or maybe look over there!" He pointed to a family, this time, made up of both nations. "Or maybe look back up here. The Avatar and his love. Air Nation and Water tribe. Who would have thought that love so great would make the borders of our nation's customs disappear like that! This is what we mean! Fire Nation can be friends with Earth Kingdom! Water Tribe can be friends with Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom! We shouldn't live separately. It's a new world, and we have to relearn how to live in it!"

There was a moment of quick silence before the once violent crowds began to cheer and clap like ever before. Even the Fire Nation army was on the verge of tears of joy. Aang looked back at Kuei and smiled. He then grabbed the Fire Lord's still tense shoulder and gave him a bear hug, "Did you really think I would kill my best friend?"

Zuko began to slightly whimper, "I sort of did, yes. But thank you for defending my nation even after everything they have done to you and your people."

"It's no problem." He held onto Katara's hand, "This is what they would have wanted."