Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Avatar the Last Airbender.

A/N: It's been a minute! I apologize! I hope you enjoy this chapter and it makes up for the wait. I'm going to take some time to write some chapters and update more over time. Please read and review and let me know what you think!

Opame walked out to the balcony, clutching the basket to her chest, peeking around. No one else was there yet besides Aapa. She supposed she was up a bit early; she was still getting used to the chill.

Gently, she approached the giant creature, who huffed out his nose at the sight of her. "Hello," she said, feeling slightly silly.

Setting down her basket, she moved closer to the Sky Bison, his giant brown eyes watching her. "We weren't – formally introduced, but I'm Opame."

Getting even closer, she nervously reached out her hand, holding out her palm. She didn't know much about sky bison except for what her mother had told her in stories. She thought they were meant to be friendly, but she was also a stranger. She didn't think she'd like the idea of getting bitten.

Just as she thought about withdrawing, soft, fur brushed against her hand, now resting on Appa's snout. He huffed again, scooting closer until Opame started running her hands through his fur, petting him. She smiled. "I suppose, in a way, the two of us are almost like family. I'm glad to see that you survived and that you were able to take care of Aang for so long."

Aapa growled in response and Opame giggled as his tongue ran up her cheek. "Well, thank you."

"Opame?" The girl turned, watching as Zuko came out of the temple, nearly dragging Aang. The Airbender yawned as he walked over to Aapa, flopping into his furry side. Zuko frowned at the younger boy before turning back to Opame. "You're up early."

"Old habits," she answered, wiping bison spit from her face. She walked over to pick up the basket, handing it to Zuko. "I wanted to see you off and I brought you both some food for your journey."

"Thanks Opame!" Aang said, suddenly wide awake. He took the basket and jetted himself up into Appa's saddle, grinning down at the pair of them. "Were you talking to Aapa? I bet you and he are going to be fast friends."

"I'd like to think so too," Opame agreed.

"Oh! While I'm gone, you and Ceba can do some training. Practice your forms and then, if you head past the Pia Sho chamber, you'll find Airbending gates! The goal is to get through the gates without touching them. Give it a try!"

"We will. You two look out for each other," she said, turning back to Zuko. She grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze. "Learn a lot and come back safe."

"Of course." Zuko hesitated a moment before he shook his head, climbing up Aapa's side and into the basket. He looked down at Opame again, as Aapa stood, moving for the edge of the balcony, this time giving her a small smirk. "We'll be back before you know it."

"Yip, yip!" Aang called and Aapa growled as whacked his tail, soaring into the sky.

Ceba was practically vibrating with excitement.

Opame peeked at him through a squinted eye. "Another minute or two."

Ceba sighed but kept his eyes closed, trying not to squirm where he sat. A smile came to her face and she closed her eyes, continuing their meditation. She had done as she promised Aang and led Ceba through their forms, but she thought they should do some meditating before they tried out the Airbending Gates.

It was killing her little brother to be patient.

"Okay, okay," Opame said, getting to her feet. Ceba shot up, grabbing her arm and running the few feet till the Airbending Gates.

Set on a circular platform, the intricately, decorated panels didn't look like much. Opame walked up to one, grabbing it gently. It turned with the slightest movement of her arm.

"So . . . we just – walk through it?" Ceba asked.

"Well, Aang said we had to get through without touching them," Opame answered. "Which means, they probably need to be moving."

Raising her arms in the air, Opame pushed outward, setting the panels in motion. She looked down at Ceba, who grinned at her, rushing forward. "Piece of – oof!"

Opame winced as the panels smacked her brother around a bit before he was spat back out, sliding along the ground. He sat up, frowning. "I'm going again."

"Maybe you should try –" Opame started, but Ceba was off and running, right into the first panel. He fell back again, growling.

"Again!"

Opame continued to blast the panels with air, making them move for her brother. By his fifth try, the others had gathered to watch what was going on. They were surprisingly quiet, considering; she supposed this was the first time they had ever really seen full-blown Airbending training.

Ceba yelled as he landed on his back again, pounding his fist into the ground. "What am I doing wrong?"

"I think you're going at this a little too headstrong," Teo spoke up. When the siblings looked at him, he shrugged, blushing a bit. "I'm not a born Airbender, but when we flew it was always about freedom, letting go a bit."

Opame nodded. "I think we were at a bit of a disadvantage. As much as we practiced, we were still raised and trained to fight like Fire Nation. They are a bit more willful than I think we need to be for this."

"Why didn't you say something the first time?" Ceba grumbled.

She smiled at her little brother. "You were just so very determined."

"You give it a shot then." He set the panels in motion for her, crossing his arms smugly.

"I'll never get used to that," Sokka mumbled in the background.

Opame approached the Gate, noting the motion of the panels. Her mother had said once, a long time ago, that Airbending was following the path of the least resistance. Opame had done that her whole life up until this point.

Taking a deep breath, Opame rushed in, swiftly turning out of the way of a panel as it turned towards her. Switching directions, she moved out of the direction of another gate, sliding her feet along the ground. If she concentrated hard enough, she thought she could see the path out of the gates, as she danced through, twirling, sliding. 'You dance like the wind'.

When her feet touched the tile ground, she looked back at the gates, the panels slowing to a stop. The younger kids clapped cheerfully . Ceba looked shocked. Opame set the panels to spinning again, waving her brother through. "You got this."

Ceba frowned, looking uncertain. Smiling softly, Opame walked around the gates to her baby brother, holding out her hand. "Let's dance together, like we used to."

Ceba looked back at the others and Opame could tell he was debating. She thought he might not want to embarrass himself by getting her help. Finally, he sighed, placing his hand in hers. "Fine."

Together, the two siblings walked up to the gate. Opame squeezed his hand and nodded. Stepping through, she pulled her little brother in after her. Watching the gates and her brother, Opame danced the two of them part way through, twirling him close when he would stray, keeping a tight grasp on his hand. Purposefully, she stayed within the gates, continuing to move, watching as Ceba watched her feet, the way she moved.

A gate spun in their direction and Opame let go of Ceba's hand. He stumbled for a second before swaying out of the way of a gate. She smiled, catching glimpses of him as he gracefully adapted to the swing of the gates, making his way to the other side. When the two of them stepped out, he turned to her with a giant grin. She placed her hand on his head, ruffling his hair. "I got you, little brother."

"Opame! Ceba!" the Duke ran around the Gates, followed closely by Haru who was pushing Teo. "That was amazing! Maybe you can show us how to do that?"

The siblings looked at each other, a mischievous glint in Ceba's eyes. Opame shook her head, fondly. "Don't let Ceba show you on his own. He's already up to something."

"I would never!"

"I was thinking the two of you need some gliders," Teo said. "I know how to make them. We just need to collect some things, wood, cloth. What do you say?"

"I say let's do it!" Ceba responded. "Let's do it, Opame! Opame?"

"Oh, uh." Opame hesitated. She wasn't sure why, but at the mention of gliders, her heart had dropped and she felt herself freeze. Ceba was looking up at her, curiously. She gave him a slight smile. "Why don't you go ahead?"

Ceba leaped high into the air, whooping. When he came down, he took the handles of Teo's chair, running off, followed by the Duke. "Tell me where to go!"

Haru smiled at Opame. "I'll look after them."

"Thank you," Opama said, nodding.

He chased after the three younger boys. The smile fell from Opame's face when they were out of sight. She looked around and noticed that Katara, Toph and Sokka had wandered off as well.

Alone.

She walked away from the Airbending Gates, through the Pia Sho chamber and slowly, carefully towards the ledge of the cliff. She looked out of the vastness below her, the drop, the sheer unending sky above . . .

And she shuddered.

She hadn't felt like this in the air balloon but something about having such a tiny amount of wood and cloth between her and falling was terrifying. She was glad that Ceba seemed so excited about it but she wasn't sure if she would ever be able to fly.

Opame's hand jumped up, wiping away a stray tear. She frowned at the moisture on her hand, confused.

What was –?

"You alright?"

Opame jumped back from the ledge, startled, turning to face Toph. The younger girl was facing the open air, her hands folded behind her back. "Oh, um, yes, I am."

A small smile came to Toph's face. "I don't know if Zuko told you, but I can tell when someone is lying."

"Oh, well." Opame wasn't sure how to respond to that, nor was she entirely sure what she had been lying about. She glanced over the edge of the cliff again, clenching her fist. It felt silly to tell the Earthbender that she, an Airbender, was afraid to fly. "I suppose . . . I'm – worried about Aang and Zuko."

That part was the truth. She knew they shouldn't be expecting them back soon but she wondered what they were facing, what they had to encounter.

If Toph knew she was lying again, she didn't respond. Instead, she punched Opame in the arm, sending a jolt down the other girl's body. "They're both in good hands. They'll look after each other."

"Yes, I suppose they will," Opame agreed, rubbing her arm.

"You know, you don't have to spend time by yourself." Opame looked down at Toph, who had turned her gaze in the direction of Opame's collarbone. "When I first met up with Aang and everyone, I thought I was just here to teach Aang and it was tough, all of us getting to know each other and get on the same page. Now, all of them are my best friends. Just because Zuko and Aang aren't here, doesn't mean you have to stay to yourself. We can all be friends too."

Opame smiled lightly. She supposed, in a way, she had been rather distant. She wasn't used to making friends, nor did she really have time to make them. She could admit to herself that she was a bit nervous that they wouldn't like her. Still . . . . "Ceba has always been better at that, making friends and acting . . . normal. I suppose I've always just been too – afraid."

"How'd you become friends with Zuko? I'd think that would be hard, considering who he is."

Opame's smile widened, just a bit. "He wouldn't leave me alone."

"Okay, well, we won't leave you alone either. Come on," Toph said, walking in the direction of the main chambers. "Katara said she was going to get lunch started. You can tell us about yourself."

Opame nodded and then berated herself, following after her. "Yes, okay."

Maybe she could try her hand at making some friends.

Zuko and Aang came back a day and a half later. Aang was practically bouncing off the walls with what they had learned. He told them how they had actually met the Sun Warriors and danced with Dragons.

Opame looked to Zuko, eyes wide as he shook his head sheepishly. "We weren't supposed to tell anyone."

"It's our friends!" Aang argued. "They won't mind."

Aapa called all of them over to demonstrate what they worked on at the Sun Warrior Temples. They all watched Aang and Zuko move in sync, their firebending much stronger than before they had left.

"With this technique that the dragons showed us," Aang explained, "Zuko and I will be unstoppable."

They ended, leaning over, their fist touching. Everyone applauded at the demonstration. Sokka rubbed his chin, frowning lightly. "Yea, that's a great dance you two learned there."

"It's not a dance," Zuko defended, standing up straight. "It's a Firebending form."

Sokka smirked, clearly enjoying messing with the hotheaded Prince. "We'll just tap dance our way to victory over the Firelord."

"It's a sacred form that happens to be thousands of years old," Zuko said, marching forward.

"Oh yeah?" Katara started, snarkily. "What's your little form called?"

Zuko deflated slightly, his mouth twisting in his uncomfort. "The Dancing Dragon."

Everyone laughed, Opame covering her mouth to hide her smile when Zuko frowned in her direction. She wondered if Zuko was used to being teased by people.

"Aang!" Ceba yelled, suddenly, jetting to his feet. "While you were gone, Opame and I mastered the Air Gates. Can we show you?"

"Of course! I can't wait to see!"

The two boys ran off before Opame could even move. A hand appeared in her face and she looked up, meeting Zuko's gaze. He was still frowning, though the crease in his forehead had eased up. Opame placed her hand in his and let him help her to her feet. Nodding her thanks, she started after her brother and Aang, Zuko beside her.

"How was it here?" he asked her.

"Well, not bad," she said. "Toph encouraged me to spend some more time with them. Sokka asks a lot of questions, but he can be funny. The younger kids just want to see Airbending tricks. I don't think Katara likes me much," she added as an afterthought.

"Join the club."

"Who knows? We may become fast friends later on. How about you?" she asked. "How was it traveling with someone you thought would be your enemy?"

Zuko was quiet for a moment, contemplating. "Enlightening? Aang . . . he's a good kid."

Opame smiled. "Look at us. Branching out, making friends."

"But do they have to make fun of us so much?"

"I think it comes with the territory."

Zuko's frown relaxed and he smiled a bit, holding out his hand to her again. "Are you gonna show me what you can do with these Air Gates?"

She slipped her hand in his again, her smile widening as she pulled towards the gates.