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Chapter Text

Akine was quite familiar with bodies --- dead ones to be precise. He should have known something was wrong with this one, but he and Shino were so eager to be rid of it, they did not notice that there was something very wrong with it.

They were carting it out from the back of the royal palace in the dead of night, when no one would be awake to spy on them. They carried it on a stretcher, Shino in the front, Akine in the back. Shino had his back to the body. Akine suspected that was because he did not want to look at its mangled form.

“Hurry up,” Shino hissed. “We’ll miss the Barge.” He picked up his pace.

Akine tripped over his own feet, jostling the body. A pale hand, burns marring the skin, flopped over the edge of the stretcher and hung limply to the side. Akine repressed a shudder of disgust.

He rarely saw work from the royal palace. He and Shino spent most of the time ferrying bodies from the city’s hospital out to the Barge, where people too poor to afford a proper funeral were taken. Taken to a ship to be burned with all the other impoverished souls, their bodies set aflame in the middle of the ocean, a bright beacon of death. Though their nation was the most prosperous of the world, their city the capital, there was still so much poverty. So many people who couldn’t afford proper medical care, afford a proper home, meal, or life.

That was not true for the royal palace. The people who lived in and around it could pay for proper cremations, proper and prestigious funerals with hundreds of people, wishing them well into the next life. It was too lowly for them to be taken out to the Barge.

But there was always that occasion. A servant who had gotten on the bad side of a particular general or duke or lord, who was burned so severely that the healers immediately knew they would not survive the night. Those poor souls were typically taken to the Barge in the middle of the night, much like the body Akine and Shino currently had. The royals could not have the citizens know that people were murdered in the royal palace; it simply was not good for their image.

Akine had become accustomed to seeing the burnt, mangled bodies. To smelling burnt flesh and the scent of fresh death. To feeling the weight of the stretcher in his hands. At first, he had not been able to do it with regurgitating the contents of his stomach every five minutes.

 Shino had ridiculed him for it. Such as the life of a man who tried to desert the army, he always said. Akine knew he had been right. Through his younger years, throughout his school years, he seemed as though he would be the perfect soldier. But, when it finally came to the battle, he… he simply couldn’t. He had run.

And for that, Akine had been dishonorably discharged and forced into the line of work he was in now.

The first few years had not been easy. But he grew numb to it. Better to simply carry the body then be the one to create it.

Shino stopped abruptly at the end of an alleyway. Akine slammed to a halt, once again jostling the body, smacking the stretcher against Shino’s back.

The man tripped forward. “Dammit, Akine. Pay attention.”

“Sorry, sir, I- “

“Shut up.”

Akine did so.

Shino glanced out, looking both ways at the street ahead. When he saw no one was coming, Shino motioned with his head, and they continued on, stepping out into the open street.

There were no lights on in any of the windows, all shutters pulled tightly shut. The crisp night air was eerily quiet. The whole city --- nay, the whole nation --- was in mourning. Akine glimpsed at a poster nailed to a shopkeeper’s door. It declared the whole nation was to be in mourning for the next three weeks. To be in mourning for their poor lost prince, who had succumbed to terrible burn wounds, ones that the healers were unable to treat. It said he fought valiantly against them for three days before they finally overtook him. The funeral was to be closed to the royal family only. No outsiders allowed.

Akine swallowed the rising bile in his throat, shifted the stretcher handles in his hands. His palms were getting sweaty.

Akine and Shino had been at a local bar when an Imperial guard had summoned them. There was something that needed to be moved, and they were the only ones that could do it, he had said. Both men knew what that meant: The royal palace had need for them. The guard had left them at the gate at the back of the wall. They waited for about a half an hour, joking about how the body had been resurrected, when the guard and a mortician had arrived, carrying the body on a stretcher.

Akine had been instantly unnerved. The body was so small, so thin. It was shirtless, only clothed in a loose pair of pants. Usually, the bodies they transported had more. The body’s black hair had been tied back into a phoenix tail. But it was the scarring that had caught Akine’s eyes.

It started at a nasty burn on the body’s left eye. Part of its hair had been burned away, but some of it had been shaved, possibly in an attempt to treat the wound better. The scarring --- red, bumpy, brutal, and ugly --- trailed down the left side of the body’s face, down the neck, shoulder, arm, all the way to its hand.

Akine had stopped short. He had seen bad burns, but not like this. Usually, the ones he saw, he could tell the perpetrator was trying to kill the victim. A burn on the chest near the heart, around the neck, even once a hole through the stomach. But whoever had caused this burn had obviously not intended for the victim to die.

Akine took another look at the body’s face. It was almost like that of a child. Its expression was peaceful. The child had obviously died in his sleep.

His muscles felt shaky. For a moment, it was not just a body anymore.

However, Shino did not seem phased. The Imperial guard had told him to follow the usual routine. Shino had only nodded, then made to grab the front of the stretcher.

Akine did not move. He could not.

Shino had hissed at him. Called him something rather rude.

That jolted Akine. He stumbled forward, grabbed the back, and they were off.

Akine glanced back at the body, the marred face, the sallow cheeks, the pale, lifeless skin. He swallowed and said, “Shino.”

“What did I tell you?"

“Shino, is it someone important?”

“Wouldn’t matter if it was,” Shino hissed back at him. “Now, hurry up. The Barge is leaving soon. I don’t want to leave this body on the bay.”

 Akine narrowed his eyes at the body. “He’s too well-groomed to be a servant.”

“He could be your mom for all you know. Why are you so interested in this one?”

Akine stopped. Shino kept moving, and his grip slipped from stretcher handles. The front end clattered to the ground, the body sliding forward with it.

 Akine dropped the back end in shock.

Shino spun around. He swore at Akine again. “What is wrong with you? It’s just another body!”

“This is a child!” Akine hissed. “There are no servants this age in the palace. Is it- is it… him?”

In a flash, Shino stepped around the stretcher and snatched the front of Akine’s shirt. “Listen. I don’t care who or what you think this body is. It is just another body. We just have to get it to the Barge and be done with it. If we don’t get there in time, we’ll just have to dump it on the bay. Bad things will happen if we just leave a body on the bay. You wouldn’t want to face his anger, would you?”

Akine blinked. No, he would not want to face his wrath. Anyone who had spent any time around the palace knew what that meant.

“So, it’s true then?” he asked, resisting the urge to glance back at the body. “It is him, isn’t it?”

Shino shoved him back. “You speak to no one about this.” He spun on his heel and took the front of the stretcher, shifting the body back to its original position.

Akine brushed off the front of his shirt. He took a deep breath, then took the back of the stretcher. And off they were again.

As they neared the edge of the city, Akine’s eyes kept flickering down to the body. It was him. Everyone in the city had heard the rumors about the duel. But now, Akine knew them to be true.

He gripped the stretcher handles tighter. His brain was flying at a million miles per hour.

He looked back down to the body. Its cheeks appeared to be a little fuller, but Akine took no notice of it. It was the light of the moon, shining full overhead. Akine had freaked out the first time he had seen it on a body, afraid they were carting some kind of zombie. Shino, however, had reassured him that it happened, that the bodies were not really coming back.

They had made it to the grassy shore at the edge of the city. It was near the back of it, where no one would have to witness the Barge’s departure. Few people even knew this part of the city existed.

There was only one dock, but there was no ship there. The Barge had already left.

Akine cursed himself. Shino was going to kill him.

“Set it down,” Shino commanded.

He did so. Akine could not help but note that Shino did not sound angry at all. In fact, he sounded… solemn?

Worry rose in Akine’s throat.

“The Barge is gone,” Akine said.

Shino snorted. “Well, thanks, Captain Obvious. The Barge had been gone for hours.”

Akine opened his mouth to say something else, but the words washed over him. The words died on his tongue, and silence fell between the two men.

"You knew the Barge would be gone, didn't you?"

No response

“You rushed me for nothing?” Akine finally said.

Shino shifted. He reached for something on his belt.

“Shino?”

The other man suddenly turned. Akine glimpsed at the knife in his hand. “I am truly sorry, Akine.”

He took a startled step back. “Shino, wha- what are you doing?”

"Trust me, Akine. It’s better if you don’t know.”

Akine took another step back. His muscles tensed, and he raised his fists, all his army training coming back to his mind. Shino thought him an annoyance and would have probably done anything to get him fired, but to try to kill him? Sure, he threatened to, but Akine never believed he would actually try.

They stood in silence for several agonizing moments. A breeze of salty sea air blew.

It was only then that Akine noticed it did not carry the scent of death.

He heard a small groan. Both men’s eyes were drawn in the direction of the body.

It moved.

Akine’s mouth instantly went dry. “What- what the hell?” he muttered.

The body moved again, its head turning over. It drew in a deep inhale. Exhaled.

“He’s- he’s not- “Shino dropped the knife and hurried forward, kneeling next to the body.

Akine, on the other hand, took several steps back. “Shino,” he warned, “that’s- “

The body’s eyes shot open. They were bright, bright navy blue.

Akine’s jaw hit the ground. “OH MY AGNI, IT’S A ZOM- “

The boy’s arms thrust outward, slamming into Shino’s chest. He let out a grunt as he flew --- literally flew --- backward through the air, crashing onto the ground near Akine’s feet.

Akine froze. Everything he had ever learned about fighting left his brain in an instant.

The boy drew in another deep, shaking breath. He rolled off the stretcher, rolled over his shoulder, onto his feet.

Akine finally unfroze and dove for Shino’s forgotten knife.

Still taking in quick, deep, shaky breaths, the boy drew himself up, shoulders squaring. Akine held the knife outward. His arms were shaking.

The boy glanced at it. His eyes were a brilliant navy blue, and Akine swore they were glowing. He did not look so skinny anymore. In fact, any muscle mass he may have had in life was retained. The expression on his face… it was that of someone who had seen several lifetimes over. But that couldn’t be right; the boy could not have been older than fourteen.  

The boy took a step forward. “Who are you?” he demanded with a voice of power, an air of command.

Akine had no choice but to obey. If he did not, bad things would happen. This boy would do bad things to him, he just knew it.

The knife felt from his hands. “A- Akine,” he stammered. “S- s- son of Hirostati.”

“Akine, son of Hirostati,” the boy said, “you and your companion will- “

He cut off with a gasp. The boy’s eyes widened. In a second, he seemed to shrink, back to the body Akine had been carrying.

The boy sunk to his knees, arms curling around his stomach. His head dropped down. He stayed in that position, shoulders heaving with heavy breaths.

“Akine.”

Akine glanced back. Shino had an arm around his stomach, holding a hand outward. Akine grabbed it and hauled the man to his feet.

They both looked to the boy, fear in their eyes. “What is he?” Akine asked.

Shino shook his head. “I- I don’t- “

The boy looked up at him. Akine could see tears in his gold eyes, tears running down his cheeks-

Wait, gold eyes?

He glanced between them, fear also in his eyes. Now, he just looked like a scared lost little kid. “Who- where am I?” His voice shook. He blinked several times. “F- Father, he- “

Shino took a step forward, holding his hands out in surrender. “You’re okay,” he said softly. “We were taking- “

The kid scrambled back, hands scrabbling on the grass. “I- I know you.” His bottom lip quivered. The kid curled into a protective position, arms around his waist, shoulders hunched. “You’re- you’re the- “

“Bodymen.” The other voice was back. Akine drew in a sharp breath. The kid turned back to them. His eyes flashed navy blue. “You’re bodymen, aren’t you?”

Shino took another step forward. Akine made a grab for his shoulder. “We may be, but we’re here to help you.”

“Help?” The boy’s right eyebrow --- the only one left --- quirked. “Help?” He let out a dark chuckle. “That seems likely.”

The boy turned his gaze away from them. He blinked. His eyes were gold once more. “Father really wanted me dead, didn’t he?” His voice was so small. Afraid. It sounded like Akine’s litter sister’s when he had told her their mother had died.

Shino inhaled sharply.

The kid’s eyes jerked back to them. His eyes flashed. Akine expected an expression of rage, but it was one of complete and utter calm. “Didn’t he?” The voices were overlapping.

Akine’s blood went cold.

Shino shook his head. “Look, son.” He took another step toward the kid. Placed a hand on his shoulder. “I am here to- “

Akine sensed it before it happened. He was too slow to do anything.

The kid snarled and grabbed Shino’s throat. The man’s shout was cut short.

“I don’t need your help,” he hissed, then threw Shino thirty feet to the side.

Shino let out a yell that trailed off. He hit the ground, then bounced off twice, rolling several times over before coming to a stop.

Akine snatched the knife off the ground and stabbed outward at the kid. He would kill this zombie, here and now.

The kid snatched his wrist, then pulled Akine’s arm tight, bracing Akine’s elbow against his forearm. He made eye contact with the kid for a split second. Up close, he could see a ring of navy blue around the edges of the kid’s irises.

The contact did not last long. He sharply twisted Akine’s wrist, and he let out a cry of pain as he was forced to drop the knife.

The kid spun, yanking Akine forward, and flipped him over his shoulder. Akine landed on the hard ground, the air whooshing out of him. His head slammed into it. Stars floated in his vision.

When his eyes cleared, the kid was standing over him. He tilted his head, eyes dismissive.

Akine gathered his wits and scrambled away. Shino had managed to drag himself over.

The kid turned his back to them and strode away toward the beach. He was chanting under his breath, slowly getting louder as he neared the waves. Akine did not understand what he was saying. He had never heard the language before.

“Have mercy!” Shino shouted. “Please!”

The boy said one last thing loudly, raising his arms to the ocean.

Akine and Shino simultaneously shut their eyes, bracing for the worst.

Nothing happened.

They opened their eyes.

The boy still had his arms raised to the sea. He dropped them to his sides, then slowly turned around. At the sight of the fear on their faces, he let out a maniacal laugh. “What? You thought I was going to kill you? I don’t do that anymore.” He started toward them.

Akine and Shino scrambled to get away from him. “No,” Akine begged, “no no no please no I beg you- “

“Stay,” the boy commanded.

Once again, Akine felt as though he had no choice. The boy, or whatever he was, would kill him if he didn’t. He could not move, would not move.

The boy lowered himself down to their height into a squat. “You delivered the body.”

Yes, Akine said to himself as he nodded. They delivered the body.

“It is out on the Barge, burning as we speak.”

Yes. The body was out on the Barge.

“You will forget about me.”

Yes. Yes, he could not wait to forget about the boy.

A sudden wave washed over him-

He blinked.

Shino was beside him. They were on the beach. They had successfully delivered the body. The burned body of a young servant.

“We better head back to the palace.” Shino got to his feet. “Wouldn’t want to keep the Fire Lord waiting.”

Chapter Text

The huge mass of scorched land tearing through the forest was the last thing Sokka had expected to see.

Appa landed in the middle of what he could only guess had once been a magnificent forest. Now, however, it was just scorched tree branches, dry gray soil.

“Listen,” he said as he, Katara, and Aang spread around open mass. “It’s so quiet. There’s no life anywhere.” The animals had to have been killed when the forest burned down.

“Aang,” Katara said gently. The Avatar stood several feet ahead of them, shoulders drooping, staring wistfully around at the decimation. It suddenly hit Sokka that Aang was really just a twelve-year-old boy. “Are you okay?”

Sokka squatted down to examine the footprints left in the dust gray dirt. “Fire Nation!” he exclaimed. “Those evil savages make me sick. They have no respect for- “

Katara shushed him.

Sokka put his hands on his hips and fixed his younger sister with a glare. “What? I’m not allowed to be angry?”

But Katara was paying him no mind. Her attention was still on Aang --- as it was most of the time --- as he sighed loudly and sank to his knees in the dirt.

He ran his hand over it. “Why would anyone do this? How could I let this happen?”

Sokka had two very sarcastic responses planned out, but Katara stepped forward first. In hindsight, it was probably the better option. “Aang,” she continued in that same gentle tone, “you didn’t let this happen. It has nothing to do with you.”

“Yes, it does,” he argued, a hint of a pout in his voice. “It’s the Avatar’s job to protect nature, but I don’t know how to do my job.”

Like there’s anyone that does, Sokka said to himself.

Katara gently explained that was why they had left home, why they were going to the North Pole. Aang needed a teacher.

“Yeah,” Aang argued, glancing over his shoulder, “a waterbending teacher. But there’s no one who can teach me how to be the Avatar. Monk Gyatso said that Avatar Roku would help me.”

“The Avatar before you?” Sokka piped up. “He died over a hundred years ago. How are you supposed to talk to him?”

Katara glared at him, but Aang did not seem fazed. He simply turned his gaze away from them. “I don’t know.”

To comfort, Momo let out a purr and leaped into Aang’s lap. Nothing like lemur cuddles to make one feel better.

Katara sighed, then stepped off through the burned trees. Sokka had half a mind to go after her but figured she would want him to stay with Aang instead. So, he plopped down in the dirt about two yards from Aang, who simply stared sadly at the destruction.

A few minutes later, Katara returned. She called for Aang’s attention.

“Are you ready to be cheered up?” she asked sweetly in a tone Sokka knew all-too well.

“No,” Aang responded with a pout.

Katara chucked a small projectile at his head.

“Ow! Hey, how is that cheering me up?!”

Sokka couldn’t help but laugh. “Cheered me up.”

That only earned him a projectile chucked roughly at his face.

“Ow!” he responded, rubbing the spot. “Yeah, I probably deserved that.” He glanced over at the projectile and saw that it was a small acorn.

Katara knelt by Aang, holding out a handful of them. “These acorns are everywhere, Aang,” she explained. “That means the forest will grow back.”

Behind them, Momo was busying himself digging up a storm and finding as many acorns as possible, stuffing them into his cheeks and arms. Sokka simply raised an eyebrow.

“Every one of these will be a tall oak tree someday,” Katara continued, “and all the birds and animals that lived here will come back.” She placed the acorn’s in Aang’s hand.

Sokka wasn’t willing to correct her in saying that all the birds and animals probably burned to crisps when the Fire Nation attacked, so he just settled for a single solemn nod.

Aang clenched his hand around the acorn. “Thanks, Katara,” he said with the slightly dreamy expression that set Sokka’s brother instincts off.

Suddenly, Katara gasped.

Sokka shot to his feet as an old man leaning on a cane came hobbling toward them. “Hey!” he demanded. “Who are you?” He clenched his fists, ready to defend his little sister if need be.

But the old man paid Sokka no mind. He strode past him as if he were nothing more than a pair of shoes left on the ground. “When I saw the flying bison,” he began, approaching Aang, “I thought it was impossible. But those markings… “His eyes raked over Aang’s blue arrow tattoos. “Are you the Avatar, child?” He pointed at him.

Aang glanced back at Katara for her permission.

She nodded.

Aang looked back to the old man and nodded.

Sokka scoffed and crossed his arms. “Thanks for your input, Sokka. No problem, guys,” he muttered under his breath.

“My name is Key-fon. My- my village,” the old man said. “We desperately need your help. I mean, already have some help, but- “the old man shook his head” -we just need some more.”

Aang immediately agreed to help. However, Sokka was a little bit more suspicious. They did not know this old man, did not know what to expect.

“What if he’s like that other man from Haru’s village?” Sokka argued. But it was what Aang wanted to do, and in Katara’s mind, that overrode any of Sokka’s choices. And arguing with Katara was scary, and Sokka simply did not have the energy for it right now.

Key-fon couldn’t stop babbling his thanks. While Aang and Katara both gave him “You’re welcome” ‘s and Katara even added that it was not a problem, Sokka only said, “Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Avatar business.”

Katara flicked another acorn at the back of his head.

They arrived at the village at sundown.

Sokka’s first impression was that of a ghost town. It was small, probably the size of the Southern Water Tribe. Every single building seemed deserted, the air around still and quiet. While there were a few untouched, most of them had taken damage. Some were even completely destroyed, the skeletons of the building being the only thing that remained.

Something big had caused that damage. Sokka was not keen on discovering exactly what that big thing was.

Key-fon led them to a large building in the center through a wide-open doorway. When the sound of chatter hit his ears, Sokka let out an involuntary sigh of relief. There were so few, but still. An entire town would not usually betray them to the Fire Nation.

Key-fon tapped his cane against the ground, gathering everyone’s attention. “This young person is the Avatar.” He stepped to the side and indicated Aang.
A man hurried forward from the crowd and approached their group. “So, the rumors of your return are true.”

And then, to Sokka’s shock, he fisted his right hand against his left palm and bowed. Actually bowed. “It is the greatest honor of a lifetime to be in your presence.”

“Nice to meet you, too.” Aang responded with a tilt of his head in respect. “So… is there something I can help you with?”

“Yes,” a new voice said, loud over the chatter of the other residents. “Is there?”

The room went silent. Sokka’s attention was drawn up to the balcony that ringed around inside of the building. For the first time, he noticed that someone was up there, sitting on the rail, back leaned up against a post. It was a teenage guy, clad in all black clothing. Shaggy black hair hung down in his face, obscuring Sokka’s view of him. However, he could tell the guy was pale. A sword sheath hung strapped to his back, and he was currently twirling a knife between his fingers like a drumstick.

It suddenly seemed as though the whole room was holding its breath, attention turned to him.

“Is there something you can do, Avatar?” the guy said again, tone ever-so disdainful. “Because I certainly have not been able to.”

Sokka crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. “I don’t like this guy,” he muttered.

“And how long did it take you to figure that out?” Katara muttered back.

The man who had bowed to Aang shook his head. “Please, forgive him, Avatar. He was who we originally hired to help us, but he has been struggling.”

The guy let out a dramatic sigh. “I have not been struggling, Chang.” He pushed himself off the post, placing the knife in a sheath on his thigh. “That thing out there- “he swung his legs over the edge of the railing” -is just stubborn.” He slid off the banner, landing without a sound on the floor. “I have dealt with far worse than it, and they were not even spirits.”

When the guy looked up, Sokka felt his eyes widened involuntarily, arms dropping to his sides. Katara clapped her hands over her mouth, and Aang let out an audible gasp.

A scar --- an ugly, red, lumpy scar --- marred the guy’s left eye, the eyeball itself a milky white. The scar trailed down the left half of his face, a piece branching out over his lips. It trailed down his neck and disappeared into his black shirt. Sokka did not want to think of where else it was.

The man who bowed to Aang --- Chang, Sokka assumed --- sighed. “This is Lee,” he introduced as the guy approached. “He arrived here about a week ago to help with whatever is out there.”

Sokka blinked, coming out of his stupor. “And he’s been a failure?”

Lee glared at him, crossing his arms. The look was almost like that of a falcon’s glare. If he had not immediately disliked Lee, Sokka might have asked him to teach it to him. “I have not been a failure. That thing just does not want to leave, and it is not responding to my… coaxing.”

“Right,” Sokka responded skeptically. “I think that means failure.”

Lee’s head tilted to the side, studying Sokka with a disdainful look. He began to speak again.

Key-fon stepped forward. “Our village is in crisis, Avatar. You may be our only hope.”

Aang still had his gaze fixated on Lee. Or rather, Lee’s massive scar. He did not appear to hear Key-fon.

Sokka none-too-gently nudged him. And by that, he practically punched him in the back.

Katara was going to scold him for that later.

“For the last few days at sunset,” Key-fon explained, “a spirit monster comes and attacks out village.”

“Hei Bei,” Lee added. “The Black and White Spirit.”

Resisting the urge to glare at him, Sokka instead asked, “Why is it attacking you?”

“We do not know.” Chang stepped past the group toward the open doorway, staring fearfully at the orange afternoon sun. “But each of the last three nights, he has abducted one of our own. We are especially fearful because the winter solstice draws near.”

Katara’s eyes lingered on Lee for a moment longer before she turned and asked, “What happens then?”

Lee came forward to the open doorway as well. “The solstices are the only time of year our world and the spirit world come close together. The only time of year when the line between them is almost blurred.”

“Hei Bei is already causing destruction and devastation,” Chang continued. “Once the solstice is here, there is no telling what will happen.”

“So,” Aang said slowly, “what do you want me to do exactly?”

“Who better to resolve a crisis between our world and the spirit world than the Avatar himself?” Key-fon said.

Behind Sokka, Lee gave a contemptuous scoff. Sokka simply rolled his eyes.

“You are the great bridge between man and spirits,” Key-fon continued.

“Rrriiight. That’s me?” Aang glanced outside, an eyebrow raised.

Katara tapped Aang on the shoulder. “Hey, Great Bridge Guy. Can I talk to you for a second?”

Aang and Katara stepped over to a nearby window. Sokka couldn’t help but note the suspicious was Lee’s eyes --- well, eye --- tracked them.

When Sokka stepped over, Aang was just complaining about how he didn’t know anything about the spirit world and how there was no one to teach him anything about it.

“So,” Katara asked, “can you help these people?”

“I have to try, don’t I? Maybe whatever I have to do will just come to me?”

Katara smiled sweetly at him. “I think you can do it, Aang.”

Sokka smiled as well, but it was more out of pain. “Yeah. We’re all gonna get eaten by a spirit monster.”

They waited until sunset. Aang excused himself to go to a corner of a room to “meditate”, but Sokka knew he was actually internally panicking. He was not one to judge, though; Sokka had employed a similar tactic a fair few times himself.

Once Aang had settled, the first thing Katara did was march over to Lee. She grabbed his shoulder and roughly spun him around. “What’s wrong with you?” she demanded.

“There’s a lot. You are going to have to be more specific.”

“She means what’s your deal with the spirit,” Sokka interjected. “Haribo or whatever.”

“Hei Bei,” Lee corrected in an annoyingly superior way that made Sokka want to hit him. “Spirits get angry when you say their name wrong.”

“I said ‘or whatever’!”

Katara huffed. “Look, you may not realize it, but he is the Avatar. The great bridge- “

“Between our world and the spirit world,” Lee finished.

Katara let out a harsh chuckle and placed her hands on her hips. “Oh, look. He actually was listening to Key-fon earlier.”

“What makes you think you’re more qualified to deal with him than the Avatar is?” Sokka queried.

Lee began indignantly, “I never said- “

“Oh, you never said?” Katara rolled her eyes. “Please. Everyone heard you earlier. The dismissive tone, the scoff, the whatever. I bet you’re just bitter that Aang has to deal with it. It’s taking a blow to your pride, isn’t it?” She scoffed disdainfully. “Guys.”

Sokka’s jaw dropped. “Hey!”

Lee blinked. “Aang?”

“Yes. Aang. Avatar Aang. Do you need your hearing checked?” Sokka snatched his boomerang from its sheath and waved it around Lee’s head. “Because I can knock the hearing right into- “

“Aang,” Lee repeated. His voice was much softer, much gentler than before. “Avatar Aang… “His gaze dropped downward, brow furrowing. “I always did wonder what his name was.” Then, Lee turned and walked off toward an open window, feet barely seeming to touch the ground. He seemed almost in a trance.

Sokka dropped his arm back to his side. “I don’t get it.”

Katara shook her head. “I don’t either.” She followed him over. Sokka had no choice but to follow her as well.

Lee had his forearms resting on the windowsill, staring wistfully outside just as Aang had done in the forest.

Katara came up to his left. “What do you mean you always wanted to know what his was? I’m sure we all did.”

“Yeah.” Sokka came up to his right. “We all heard the stories of the Avatar when we were kids. I’m sure we all wanted to know what his name was.”

Lee shook his head, not taking his eyes away from the village outside. “No. I mean, when I was a kid, I- “he cut off, eyes scrunching as if he were trying to remember something” -never mind.”

“Do you know something about this spirit?” Sokka persisted. “Something that could possibly help Aang?”

Lee sighed. “He’s angry. So many spirits are.”

“Do you know why he’s angry?” Katara asked.

Lee shook his head.

Sokka scoffed. “Well, that’s a fat load of help. Why are so many spirits angry? How do you know they are?”

Lee blinked, snapping out of his trance. He spun sharply, facing Sokka. “That’s none of your concern,” he snapped, then stalked off somewhere else in the building.

Sokka held his hands up in surrender. “Geesh, I was just asking a question.”

“There’s something up with him,” Katara said. “When this is all over, I want to know what it is.”
“Well, you might have a hard time figuring that out.”

“Thanks, Captain Obvious,” she snapped, then stalked over to talk to Aang.

Sokka let out a dramatic sigh, then leaned against the wall. “Oh well. There’s not much a man can do.”

Sunset came all too quickly. Sokka was still not used to seeing the sun rise and set more than twice a year. The orange ball slowly began to sink below the horizon, out of their view.

Just as the last rays of light died, Aang finally removed himself from his corner and stepped outside, his glider gripped tightly in his hands. Sokka had suggested earlier Aang take one of his weapons, but the boy had not seemed too sure about wielding his club or boomerang. He had not even responded to Sokka’s suggestion, just clutched his glider tighter to his chest.

Thanks for that, Sokka had thought bitterly, stuffing his boomerang back into its sheath.

The doors creaked shut behind Aang. He glanced mournfully at them one last time before taking the steps slowly and down into the dusty road.

Katara, Sokka, and Lee all observed from an open window as Aang took his first steps onto the road. He gripped his glider with both hands.

“Heelllooo? Spirit? Can you hear me?” Aang called. “This is the Avatar speaking. I’m here to… try to… help… stuff.”

Behind him, Sokka heard Lee facepalm. “That’s not… ugh.”

“I’d like to see you do better!” Sokka snapped. He gripped the edge of the windowsill. “This isn’t right. We can’t sit here and cower while Aang waits for some monster to show up.”

“If anyone can save us, he can.” Key-fon’s words, however, were not reassuring.

Sokka spun. “He still shouldn’t have to face this alone!” He threw a glare at Lee.

Lee took a step forward. Sokka swore he saw a glint of metal in his hand. “Look,” he snarled, “I tried to- “

Key-fon placed his hand on Lee’s shoulder and shushed him. He pointed outward with his cane. “The sun is gone.”

Their gazes turned back to the window. The sky had turned from orange to a deep bluish-purple.

“The sun is set!” Aang shouted, striding up to the entrance to the village. “Where are you, Hei Bei?”

No response.

“Well,” Aang said slowy, “Spirit, I- “he swung his hand dramatically outward, holding it up as if he were stopping something” -I hereby ask you to please leave this village in peace!” He spun his glider over his head, then slammed the butt into the ground, holding a grandiose pose with his chest puffed and shoulders squared.

Still no response.

Lee chuckled.

Sokka clenched his fists and growled. Katara snatched his wrist in a gesture of warning.

After several moments, Aang continued, “Oookay. Well, I guess that’s settled then.” He spun away from the entrance and started back for the building.

People behind them began to whisper suspiciously. Sokka and Katara exchanged a glance. Was it really that easy?

When he glanced back, he noticed a figure, a very, very large figure, emerge from the dark of the forest.

Sokka’s jaw dropped, absolute terror seizing him. He- he had never seen anything like it before. It was a creature made from his nightmares. It was black and white with huge square shoulders, two large muscular arms, and two smaller ones sprouting from the space between its neck and arms. Its head was long, shaped like that of a wolf, but it had no ears and no eyes. At least no eyes Sokka could see. Its mouth was also like that of a wolf’s, but the teeth… there were so many, and they were so sharp.

Hei Bei. The Black and White Spirit.

The decimation of the village made much more sense now.

He was paralyzed by fear. He could not move, could not call out. It felt like his soul had left his body. He was not here- this was not real-

Katara’s grip tightened on his wrist. He knew she was feeling the same way.

However, Aang did not seem to notice the giant spirit monster behind him. He was still casually striding back to the building.

Sokka only came back to himself when Lee shoved between them. “Avatar!”

Aang froze, eyes widening in terror.

Hei Bei took two more steps behind him. Sokka could here its breathing.

Aang slowly turned. “You- you must be the- the Hei Bei spirit.” His voice shook. “My- my name is- “

Hei Bei let out a shrieking roar, jaws opening wide, and spat a jet of blue-white spirit light onto Aang.

Katara shrieked Aang’s name. Out of the corner of his eye, Sokka saw Katara lunge for him. Lee grabbed her collar.

Hei Bei raised himself onto his hind legs. Stretching his arms wide, his palms --- his human palms --- raised upward, he let out another screech, spitting more spirit light into the sky, lighting up the whole village.

Sokka let out a curse than Gran-Gran would have made him wash his mouth out for.

Hei Bei landed back on his front legs, then began to stalk toward the building. He completely ignored Aang, who was yelling that he was the Avatar and that he would like to help.

“I don’t think he cares!” Sokka yelled.

Hei Bei stomped over to a half-destroyed building.

“Hey!” Aang shouted. “Wait up!”

Hei Bei slammed his head into the wood. What was left of the building crumbled, the bits and pieces tumbling to the ground.

Sokka blinked, and Hei Bei was on the other side of the road, decimating another building. A flash of light. He destroyed the water tower with a jet of spirit light. With every flash of light, he was somewhere new, destroying something else.

“Um,” Chang said from behind, “the Avatar’s methods are- “

Several pieces of debris flew toward them. Sokka, Katara, and Lee ducked out of the way. Poor Momo got hit head on and fell off the windowsill with a caterwaul.

“-unusual,” Chang finished.

“It doesn’t seem too interested in what he’s saying,” Sokka noted, turning to Chang. “Maybe we should go held him.”

“No!” Key-fon insisted. “Only the Avatar stands a chance against Hei Bei!”

“He’s going to get himself killed!” Lee argued. “At least let me- “

“You failed to get rid of him in the first place!” Chang interjected. “You’ll probably only get both of you killed!”

Sokka could sense Lee’s seething, see he was still bursting to say something.

“Aang will figure out the right thing to do, Sokka,” Katara said. Yet, she did not sound too sure.

“Please!” Aang begged, leaping up onto the roof of a building. “Will you just try to stop destroying things and listen? I’m just trying to do my job as a spirit bridge! Will you turn around, please?”

Hei Bei, on the other hand, seemed quite unconcerned with Aang’s pleadings, and busied himself with pulverizing another building.

“I command you to turn around now!” Aang demanded.

Lee drew in a sharp intake of breath.

Katara spun around. “What?”

“That- that never- “

Hei Bei spun to face Aang. Without warning, he smacked him through the air. Aang flew into the roof of another building, slamming roughly into the hard tile and sinking to the ground.

Sokka slammed his hand onto the windowsill. “That’s it! He needs help!” He ran for the door.

“Sokka, wait!” Katara shouted, but he had already made up his mind.

Sokka threw open the doors and burst outside, sprinting down the stairs.

“Don’t let him touch you!” Lee shouted, and Sokka glanced over his shoulder to see the other guy running after him.

Sokka ripped his boomerang from its sheath. “Hei Bei! Over here!” He chucked it.

Boomerang sailed end over end through the air, gracefully smacking the spirit in the rear. It did not get the spirit’s attention.

Sokka ran toward Aang.

The Avatar held his hands out, urging him to stop. “Sokka, go back!”

“We’ll fight him together!”

“I don’t- “

“It doesn’t matter how many people fight him!” Lee hurried up beside them, unsheathing his sword, then casually pulling them apart to form two swords, which was freaking awesome.

“I don’t want to fight him!” Aang argued. “Not unless I- “his gray eyes widened.

Sokka glanced over his shoulder. Hei Bei was not behind them anymore.

Lee spun back to Aang. “You don’t have a choice, Avatar!” he snarled. “Not all these spirits are kind- “

Sokka interrupted with a yell as he was sharply lifted off his feet, into the air. A hand, a large hand, was grasping his waist. Hei Bei had caught him.

“Sokka!” Aang shouted. He extended his glider and took off after them, Lee not far on his heels.

Hei Bei was dragging Sokka farther and farther into the woods, attempting to flee Aang. Sokka couldn’t help the terrified gasps and whimpers that escaped him. He might have played strong big brother for Katara (and maybe to save his pride a few times), but he didn’t think anyone could be brave when they were snatched up by a spirit of nightmares.

Though he could barely see him in the dark, Sokka glimpsed Aang gliding between the trees, pursuing them.

“Aang!” he shouted. “Over here!”

Hei Bei suddenly emerged from woods, into the destruction of the forest.

“Hang on, Sokka!” Aang held his hand out.

Sokka stretched his out as well, straining to grab Aang’s. He was almost there- almost- he could feel Aang’s fingers touching his-

*****

Aang gasped. Sokka and Hei Bei, they… they were gone. Sokka… Sokka was gone?! No, no, he couldn’t. He couldn’t have lost Sokka, couldn’t have lost Katara’s brother like that!

Oh, no. What would Katara say? She would hate him!

In his moment of distraction, he lost control of his glider. With a terrified shout unworthy of an Avatar, he plummeted headfirst toward the ground-

He shot awake. “Sokka!”

Aang glanced around frantically. He was still in the decimated area of the forest. It was still night. But neither Hei Bei nor Sokka were anywhere to be seen.

Dread rose in his chest. I’ve- I’ve failed. His shoulders slumped. His heart sunk, admitting defeat.

After several minutes of moping, Aang suspected he better make his way back to the village. He should at least tell them he failed to remove the spirit.

However, he was struggling about what he was going to say to Katara. How was he going to tell her that her brother was gone, that he failed? Would she be angry with him? Would she ridicule him, hate him for the rest of his life?

His stomach churned at the thought.

Slowly, he got to his feet and began the slow trek back to the village.

Morning was beginning to arrive. Aang arrived in time to hear Key-fon tell Katara, “Your brother is in good hands.” He was kneeling by her. She had his old cloak pulled around her shoulders, Sokka’s fallen boomerang clutched to her chest. “I would be shocked if the Avatar returned without him.”

Aang’s throat went dry. He couldn’t do this.

But his body seemed to act before his mind could process it. “Katara?” he croaked. “Katara, I lost him.”

However, she completely ignored him.

“The sun is rising,” Key-fon said. “Perhaps he will return soon.” They both turned in the direction of the rising sun. Away from Aang.

He jolted. “What? No! I’m right here!” He let out a grunt of frustration, waved his hand in front of Key-fon’s face. The old man gave no indication he saw him.

He heard the sound of branches breaking. Aang glanced behind and stepped out of the way as Lee tore through the forest toward Key-fon and Katara. There was a long bleeding scratch on his cheek, probably awarded to him by a stray branch. His shoulders heaved with heavy breaths as he sheathed his swords.

Katara glanced at him, hopeful.

Lee simply shook his head.

Aang raised an eyebrow, then glanced down at his hands. In the light of the sun, he was blue and… transparent?

He was in the spirit world.

Katara sat by the entrance to the village all day, vigilante and alert. However, Aang could see the bags under her eyes, see them droop every so often.

He sat next to her with his glider. Somehow, he had retained that in the spirit world. “I’ll figure this out, Katara. I promise.”

He heard footsteps. Lee was approaching Katara. The cut on his face had been cleaned, but not bandaged. “You should get some rest.”

Katara simply glared at him, then pulled Key-fon’s cloak tighter around herself. “I don’t need you to tell me what to do.”

Lee sighed, rolled his eyes, then knelt down next to Katara, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You’ve been up all night, and it’s obvious you need it.”

Katara muttered something and pulled tighter in on herself.

“What?” Lee asked.

“You could’ve helped them, couldn’t you?” she snapped. “But you didn’t, Mister I-know-all-about-the-spirits guy! Why?”

He recoiled, removing his hand. “I can’t.”

“What do you mean you can’t? You were very eager to last night!”

Lee’s shoulders heaved with a sigh, and he shifted to sit with his legs crossed. “I have tried to drive away Hei Bei for almost a week now. It was only last night I realized that I am not the one to do it.”

“And why’s that?”

“Hei Bei responded to him. The Avatar.”

“And, why’s that such a big deal?”

Aang felt himself lean forward. He was interested in the response as well.

“He never responded to me, not to anything I did. Whether I spoke, drew my dao, or even threw a knife at him, he acted as though I wasn’t there, as if I were nothing more than another building. He never even attempted to take me. Just reached for another one of the townspeople.”

“Aang is the Avatar,” Katara argued. “Just as Key-fon said, he’s the bridge.”

“Yes,” Lee responded thoughtfully. “The bridge between the worlds.”

“Why did you think you could get rid of him?”

Lee stiffened. “I- I just thought I could. Hei Bei has always been a stubborn spirit. I underestimated that.”

“How do you know so much about spirits?”

“That… is not a story I’m willing to tell.”

Katara looked as if she wanted to ask more, but Appa’s rumbling stopped her as he stomped on over.

“Appa!” Aang exclaimed. He jumped up and down, waving his arms. “I’m right here, buddy!”

Lee’s head shot up, spine going rigid.

Appa let out a puff of air and nuzzled his nose into Katara. She reached out and gave him a pet.

Aang let out a breath of dejection. “But I guess you can’t see me either.”

Lee abruptly got to his feet.

Katara turned to him, a question in her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” It was obviously a lie.

Katara’s response was only a sigh. “It’s okay, Appa. I’m sure they’re on their way back.” Katara got to her feet. “I’m sure they even got you a bunch of moon peaches for a treat.” They both strode into the village, leaving Lee and Aang in their wake.

Appa rumbled his approval.

Aang sighed. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Stop talking to yourself and be useful.”

Aang jolted, then spun around.

Lee was looking directly at him, not through him.

Aang gaped. “You- you can see me?”

“Obviously.”

He did a quick scan of the guy. He wasn’t blue and transparent like Aang was. In fact, he seemed quite solid, just like he had when Aang had first met him. “But- but how?”

“That’s not important.” Lee reached out to touch Aang’s shoulder. Aang expected his hand to pass right through, but it did not. “You are in the spirit world.”

“Yes, I know that!” Aang waved his hand off. “How can you see me when Katara can’t?”

“That’s not important,” Lee hissed. “You’re in the spirit world now. Have you made contact with Hei Bei? Have you found the missing villagers?”

“Made contact with Hei Bei? Found the villagers?” Aang let out a groan of frustration. “But I don’t even know how I got here! I don’t even know what I’m doing! No one’s taught me how to do any of this!”

“Have you spoken to Avatar Roku?”

Aang threw his arms out. “I don’t know how! You’re the one who can see me, why don’t you tell me!”

“I- “His eye suddenly looked to the forest behind Aang.

Aang turned. A small light glowed from the black of the forest, coming closer and closer. Aang squinted at it. “Sokka?”

“No,” Lee said.

The light was close enough now for him to discern the shape. It was that of a dragon.

Aang’s jaw dropped. “Come on!” He made to grab Lee’s hand so they could run back for the village together.

It fell out of his grip. Lee wasn’t moving, gaze fixated on the dragon.

“Come on, we- or at least you- have to go!”

Lee shook his head. “No. It’s not going to hurt us.”

Aang only gave him an unsure glance.

The dragon landed in front of them, raising its head up, glancing down at them.

Lee took a step toward the dragon, holding his hand outward.

Aang shoved Lee to the side, stepping in front of the dragon instead.

“What are you doing!” Lee demanded as Aang swung his staff at the dragon, blowing a gust of wind-

That never blew.

“What?” Aang dropped his staff. He turned away from Lee and the dragon and threw a punch, expecting a gust of air to come with it. It never came.

Aang held his palms upward, staring at his hands in shock. “I can’t airbend in the spirit world.”

“You can’t bend at all in the spirit world,” Lee snapped, drawing Aang’s gaze back to him. He stepped back toward the dragon and placed his hand on its long neck.

The dragon let out a low growl, then lowered his head so he was eye-level with Lee. They maintained eye contact for several long moments.

“What are you doing?” Aang questioned. “Should I be in this conversation as well?”

Neither answered.

Finally, the dragon dipped his head, breaking the eye contact, then raised it back up.

“His name is Fang,” Lee said. “Avatar Roku’s animal guide.”

“Like Appa is to me.” Aang gaped at him.

Lee stepped to the side and motioned to Fang. “Well, go on.” At Aang’s confused expression, he added, “Ask him anything. You were wanting a spirit guide, right?”

Oh. Aang swallowed. He looked Fang in the eye, in his bright yellow eyes. “I need to save my friend, and I don’t know how. Is there some way for me to talk to Avatar Roku?”

Fang dipped his head downward and curled around Aang and Lee. Aang glanced at him in confusion for a moment before realizing what he wanted. He hurried up near Fang’s head, grabbed onto one of his horns, and hoisted himself onto Fang’s neck.

Lee placed his hand on the space between Fang’s eyes and closed his own. He drew in a deep breath, and his eyes scrunched up. “Be back before sundown.” Lee opened his eyes. “Hei Bei will return, and I can’t fend him off.”

“I will,” Aang vowed. “Thank you.”

Lee gave him a single nod.

Aang looked back over his shoulder, at the village. “I’ll be back, Katara.”

And Fang took off into the air.

The dragon flew much faster than Appa ever had. Aang suspected that was because they were in the spirit world, and the laws of physics didn’t seem to apply here. They flew over forests, mountains, a small desert before they made it to the ocean. They were not flying for long over the ocean before Aang spotted a small island, covered in what looked like lava. As if the island itself was an active volcano.

There was only one building on the island. A towering temple, with several stories and red and yellow points that stuck outward.

Fang flew toward the temple, through the entrance, and up through the building. It was only when Aang realized how far they were ascending that he realized they were flying directly toward the ceiling.

“Wait!” he screamed. “What are you doing?”

But Fang did not stop. Aang screamed as they neared and neared it and-

Flew right through it.

They emerged in some kind of chamber. Fang landed, allowing Aang to dismount. At the far end of the room was a gold statue surrounded by a carving of flames. Aang could only guess the statue was Avatar Roku.

“I don’t understand,” he said to no one in particular. “This is just a statue of Roku.” Aang raised an eyebrow, then turned back to Fang.

The dragon raised a tendril hanging off his face, then reached out and touched Aang’s forehead.

His vision flashed. In his mind’s eye, he suddenly saw a bright burning fireball, plummeting toward something.

Then, it was gone. Fang had removed the tendril.

“Is that what Roku wants to talk to me about? A comet?”

Fang let out a growl of approval.

“When can I talk to him?”

Fang let out another growl, then dipped his head. A beam of purple light projected from a red gem in the wall high above. Fang’s tendril touched Aang’s head again, and he saw days and nights passing quickly. The sun ran across the sky times over.

Then, he saw the beam of light. It jumped across the wall, nearing the statue of Roku with every jump.

Fang removed the tendril again. Aang spun around. “It’s a calendar! And the light will reach Roku on the solstice!” He turned back to Fang. “So that’s when I’ll be able to speak with Roku?”

Another growl of approval.

“But I can’t wait that long! I need to save Sokka now!”

Fang dipped his head once again, and Aang climbed onto his back. They flew black to the village.

They arrived back in the decimated part of the forest. Aang did not understand what they were doing here until-

“Whoa!” he exclaimed. His body was sitting on top of a giant stone panda statue.

Fang was not slowing down. Aang let out another yell of terror, closed his eyes, shieled his face-

He opened his eyes, and his head shot up. He glanced around, observing the ground below. He was on top of the panda statue, where his body had been.

Aang leaped off the statue, slowly lowering himself to the ground with his airbending, pleased to find he could once more. He took a moment to stare at the panda statue, contemplating it.

Pandas were black and white. Hei Bei was the Black and White Spirit.

He had overheard Lee telling Sokka and Katara something last night. He’s angry. So many spirits are. And Hei Bei had been too stubborn to leave, even when Aang and Lee had coaxed him too.

Aang swung his glider over his head, extending it, then flew back for the village.

“You’re back!” Katara shouted as he landed, throwing her arms tightly around him. Aang felt a blush creeping into his cheeks, glad that Sokka was not here to see that. Lee was behind her.

“Where’s Sokka?” Katara dropped her arms and stepped back.

Aang sighed, tilting his head down so he wouldn’t have to look at her. “I’m not sure.”

Katara said nothing, only turned and trudged back into the building.

Aang finally looked up, watching her go.

Lee hurried forward when Katara was out of earshot. “Did you speak to Avatar Roku?”

Aang shook his head. “No, but- “

The last rays of sun disappeared.

“Excuse me,” he said, then turned and made for the entrance of the village.

Aang stood there for a while, listening to the wind blow, the chimes ringing. His muscles had gone cold and his joints stiff. He turned to leave the entrance, trudge back to the center building.

The building to his left exploded. Hei Bei reared from nowhere, spitting that stupid spirit light from his jaws.

Aang let out a yell of terror and shielded himself with an airball.

“Run!” Katara’s voice was distant.

Hei Bei roared again, spitting another jet of spirit light. He made quickly for the center building, his stomps rattling the ground.

Aang glanced between Hei Bei’s legs. Lee was standing on the porch of the building. But he did not have his weapons drawn.

Springing into action, Aang sprinted toward the spirit, then flipped up and over, twisting so he faced Hei Bei. As he sank to the ground, he placed his hand on Hei Bei’s forehead.

And he saw a panda.

Aang landed softly in front of him. “I get it. You’re the spirit of this forest.”

Hei Bei’s head tilted.

“Avatar?” Lee’s voice was raspy.

Aang waved him back. “You’re upset and angry because your home was burned down.” He swallowed. “When I saw the forest had burned, I was sad and upset, but my friend gave me hope that the forest would grow back.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out an acorn, holding it up for Hei Bei to see.

Aang placed it on the ground.

Hei Bei reached down and grabbed it. He stared at it for a moment. Then, there was a flash of light. The creature known as Hei Bei became a giant fluffy panda bear and tottered off into the forest. In his wake at the entrance, he left a wall of bamboo.

Then, people stepped through.

“Sokka!” Katara charged forward from nowhere, practically tackling her brother in an embrace.

“What happened?” Sokka asked blearily.

“You were trapped in the spirit world for twenty-four hours,” Katara explained. “How are you feeling?”

“Like a seriously need to use the bathroom.”

“Thank you, Avatar,” Chang said. “If only there were a way to repay you for what you’ve done.”

Sokka held up a finger. “You could give us some supplies and some money?” he suggested innocently.

Katara elbowed him.

“What?” Sokka asked, rubbing his ribcage. “We need stuff.”

Chang fisted his right hand against his left and bowed. “It would be an honor to help you prepare for your journey.” He and the other elders headed off to find supplies.

Katara gently touched Aang’s arm. “I’m so proud of you. You figured out what to do all on your own.”

Aang blushed. “Actually,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck, “I did have a little help.” He glanced over Sokka’s shoulder at Lee, who was currently attempting to keep a little girl and little boy from stealing the knives sheathed on his thighs.

Sokka and Katara followed his gaze. Sokka was the first to look back. “Him?” He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder.

Aang lowered his voice so that only Katara and Sokka could here. “Listen, I- I was in the spirit world today.”

“What?!” Katara demanded.

“And you didn’t come and get me then?!” Sokka squawked.

“Yes- “he pointed to Katara” -not the point- “he pointed to Sokka” -but anyway, when I was in the spirit world, no one could hear or see me. I tried to speak with Key-fon and you, Katara, but you didn't even know I was there.”

“Oh, Aang,” Katara said. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault!” he said quickly. Too quickly, as Sokka raised an eyebrow. “But no one, not even Appa, knew I was there. Except Lee. He- “Aang swallowed. He wasn’t sure if he should share this information. But it was Sokka and Katara. He could trust them. “He could see me, speak to me. He even touched me.”

“But how?” Sokka asked.

“Maybe you revealed yourself only to him?” Katara suggested.

“I don’t think so,” Aang said with a shake of his head. “If I knew how to do that, I would have revealed myself to you, Katara. He could also see Fang as well.”

“Fang?” Katara said. “Who’s that?”

“Avatar Roku’s animal guide. He’s a dragon,” Aang explained. He suddenly realized he had not said anything about Avatar Roku yet.

“Avatar Roku’s what?” Sokka asked.

“I’ll get there. Anyway, Lee could see Fang. He- he even touched him as well. And spoke to him. That was how I learned his name. He told me that Fang would give me the answers I needed.”

Sokka crossed his arms and furrowed his brows. “So, what’s your point?”

“I think we should take Lee with us.”

“Absolutely not.”

Aang let out a puff of frustration. “And why not?!”

“He’s a completely stranger!” Sokka argued.

“And so was I!”

“Yeah, but you’re the Avatar. That doesn’t count.”

“From what Aang has told us,” Katara said, “Lee knows a lot about spirits. Remember last night, how he said there were so many that were angry? He says that as if he’s met a lot of them. He also volunteered to help drive Hei Bei off, even if he wasn’t successful.”

Sokka raised an eyebrow. “And?”

“I already said it. He knows a lot about spirits. He could see and communicate with Aang in the spirit world and communicate with other spirits. And, since Aang needs help with spirity stuff, then- “

“Maybe Lee is that person?” Aang finished.

Katara shrugged. “Maybe.”

Sokka shook his head. “I still don’t like it. But obviously since my vote is not going to matter anyway, I suppose it doesn’t matter.”

“Great!” Aang said, practically bouncing on his toes. “Let’s go ask him!” He hurried over to
where Lee had finally managed to shoo the little kids off.

“Lee?” Aang asked.

He turned. “Did- “

“DoyouwannajoinusonourwaytotheNorthPole?!”

“I- I’m sorry?”

Behind him, Sokka sighed. “Oh lord.”

Aang shook himself. “Do you wanna join us on our way to the North Pole?”

“You’re going to the North Pole?”

“Yes,” Katara interjected. “To find Aang a waterbending teacher.”

Aang nodded eagerly.

“And what do you need me for?”

“Because- “Aang motioned to him with his staff” -you know spirits. And… I don’t know. I just feel like I need you.”

Lee crossed his arms and narrowing his eyes, studying them.

“I don’t know spirits,” Aang added. “I need someone who does.”

Lee’s head tilted. Aang swore his eyes flashed blue for a moment. “And what do you think of this?”

“I agree with Aang,” Katara said. “He needs someone who knows spirits.”

Sokka just made a “I-don’t-know” sound.

Lee sighed. “I no longer have business here now that Hei Bei won’t bother the villagers anymore.” He shrugged. “There’s nothing holding me back from not going with you.”

Aang bounced on his toes. “So… does that mean yes?”

Lee gave an endearing shake of his head. “Yes.”

Aang’s heart swelled, and he impulsively threw his arms around Lee’s waist.

The older boy froze. It was much later than it should have been that Aang realized that it may have not been the appropriate option.

He quickly dropped his arms and stepped back.

“So,” Sokka began, breaking the silence, “you’ve managed to make your way into the spirit world and drove away an angry spirit. Can we get back on track now?”

“No,” Aang said. “There’s something else.”

Chapter Text

Ummi’s village was beautiful. It was a shame he was not here to witness it as well.

She loved the river. It was so clean, so clear, so peaceful. She loved the sound it made as it burbled by, the way it reminded of a home she had left behind so many years ago.

She loved the buildings themselves. They sat directly on the water, a little lake town in the middle of the river. She loved to walk upon the docks and piers connecting the huts, walk upon the wooden planks at night.

Ummi loved the way the moon shone upon the village. On the nights when it was full, it would reflect off the surface of the river. Growing up, Ummi had always been familiar with the moon. She had adored its light, stayed up all night sometimes just to watch it slowly crawl its way across the sky. Her people had revered the moon, some even worshipped it. But she had always thought of it as a friend, a comforting light that was always there for her.

The water was a friend to the moon, too. Tui and La worked together to keep the balance, push and pull. The ocean and the moon.

Ummi had not always lived in this village. She was from far, far north, from a city much grander than the village she resided in now. But she had had to leave home far behind.

Ummi had been afraid to approach any village at first. Because of what she was, she knew she had no true place in the world. She should not have been there, and yet she was. She should have passed on, but she could not leave.

But then, Ummi had found him.

He was a wanderer, like her. However, unlike her, he had been given a choice to stay in the world. When the rest had retreated out of sight, he had not. He could still travel into the other world, but he preferred to stay here.

He had taken her in, cared for her. Gave her a place in this world. He had found Ummi her village, a village that had desperately needed her abilities.

“What do you want me to do?” she had asked him.

He had only shrugged. “Whatever you think is best.”

She had seen all the sick and injured people in the village. As beautiful as it was, it was not the safest place to live in. It was the only sign of civilization for miles around and was prone to constant raids and robberies. The raiders did not care for the people in the village, taking them hostage and hurting them when they were not given what they desired. The food they had was not always the healthiest, leaving the young and old sick.

Ummi had been shocked. She knew what she could do for this village.

When the last lantern had gone out, she stepped out onto the docks of the village. The ill and injured were kept in largest building in the village. She had gingerly stepped inside.

There had been so many inside. They huddled in sleeping bags, whimpering, moaning, practically piled on top of each other.

It was several minutes before she had finally taken it all in. Then, she set to work.

The village woke the next morning to find their people healed. They were grateful, wondering who could have possibly done it. She had wanted to reveal herself.

Her companion had warned her not to.

“It is not wise,” he had said. “They do not need to see people like us.”

The next night, when more people had been brought in, she returned. And the next, and the next, and the next.

Weeks later, her companion informed her that he had to leave. When she asked where he was going, he had simply said, “Places.”

“What kind of places?”

“Places.”

“How specific.”

“I know, right?”

She had flicked the side of his head.

“Would you like to come with me?”

Ummi had frozen at that.

Her companion had seen the look on her face. “I’m sure these people could fend for themselves for a while. But it’s your choice.”

“When are you leaving?”

“A few days from now.”

“Will you let me think it over?”

And he had, although Ummi suspected that he knew the answer she was going to give him.

A few days later, she told him no.

“I have found my place in the world,” she had said simply. “I do not want to leave this people.”

He had only given her a single nod. “I congratulate you. I have yet to do that.”

It was another fifty years before she saw him again. Every time he visited, it was only for a few weeks to a month, then he would disappear for twenty or thirty or even a century at one point. But she always saw him again. She always knew he was there.

Until… he wasn’t.

Every so often, there would be a night when she would not have anyone to heal. Conspicuously, those were the nights her companion visited.

They met on a cliffside overlooking the village. She had waited for him all night. Dawn was just beginning to creep over the horizon when she felt it.

It was an ache, deep in her chest. She shivered, drew her knees up to her chest, and pulled in on herself. It was a pain through her mind, sharp and anguishing. She felt tears spring into her eyes.

Her companion… he… he wasn’t there anymore.

Chapter Text

When Chang and the other elders had returned with their supplies, they had secured them as quickly as possible, thanked the village and received thanks from them, and had pretty much taken off directly from there. It had not taken Lee long to retrieve his things. He did not have much, Katara noted, as he hoisted himself into Appa’s saddle. The bag he had was relatively small compared to the things she and Sokka had brought with them.

Sokka had plopped down in the saddle not long after Lee got himself settled in a corner. “You ever flown before?”

Lee sighed and pulled his knees up to his chest. “Uh… I think so.”

Sokka raised an eyebrow. “On what? And how do you ‘think so?’”

“Uh- I- that’s- “he stopped abruptly.

“Well, have you ever flown on a sky bison before?”

“Is that what this is?”

“He’s not a ‘this,’” Katara said. “His name is Appa.”

“Appa,” Lee repeated. “The last sky bison… “His voice trailed off, vision straying over the side of the saddle. It was much like when they had told him Aang’s name, as if he were finally learning a critical piece of information he could not find for years.

Sokka and Katara exchanged a glance.

They heard a whoosh as Aang airbended himself up onto Appa’s head. “Alright, are we all ready?”

“Yep!” Sokka responded, an all-too cheerful grin on his face. “I’m totally ready to waltz right into the Fire Nation where death and capture are almost imminent!”

“Sokka!” Katara scolded.

“I’m being realistic!”

“Yeah, but- “

“It’s important that I speak to Avatar Roku!” Aang argued. “He can tell me some spirity stuff!”

“I thought that’s what we brought him along for!” Sokka pointed to Lee.

“We did! But Avatar Roku can tell me even more! He’s going to give me some important information, I can feel it!”

“Right.” Sokka sat back. “Of course, you can feel it. That’s an Avatar thing, isn’t it?”

“Who are you to judge if it’s an Avatar thing?”

“Guys!” Katara interjected. “You’re both being- “

They were all cut off when they heard Lee laughing. He was leaned against the back of the saddle, legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles, twirling a knife between his fingers like he had last night. “Oh, no, don’t stop on my account. But maybe we should take off before you continue.”

Katara glanced over the edge of the saddle to see the villagers staring at them. “Maybe you’re right.”

Even in the dark, she could see Aang blush. “Sorry!” he called out. “Appa, yip yip!”

With a growling noise unique to Appa himself, he took off into the air.

Katara crossed her arms and glared at her brother. Sure, she wasn’t too enthused about venturing into the Fire Nation, but it was what Aang needed. Sokka could complain all he wanted about Katara always taking Aang’s side, but Aang was the Avatar. He was destined to defeat the Fire Lord, to free the world from his clutches. They needed to take every opportunity to assist him that they could.

To her displeasure, he ignored her glowering. Sokka sat back in the saddle, eyes narrowed. “You had way too much fun watching that.”

Lee laughed again, in an almost maniacal way that slightly unnerved Katara. “Petty bickering. So much more fun to watch than it should be.” The wind blew his hair out of his face, and Katara finally got a good look at the extent of the scar damage, at least on his face. His left ear had been completely mangled, appearing much like the rest of his skin.

“Can you hear out of that ear?”

The words were out of her mouth before she realized it.

The knife stopped twirling between his fingers. She saw his hand clench. His joyful attitude disappeared in an instant. “Partially.”

“And your eye?” Sokka asked.

Lee’s gaze slid over to side-eye Sokka. “Partially,” he answered slowly.

Both Sokka and Katara got the memo and sat back.

Aang, however, did not. “How’d you get that scar?” he piped up from his spot on Appa’s head, shoulder turning to look at Lee.

Lee’s eye snapped to Aang. There was a flash of blue in his eyes. “That is none of your concern.”

The words were stern, commanding. They washed over Katara, sinking into her mind, every fiber of her being. Lee was right. He was new to the group. He did not have an obligation to tell that story if he wasn’t ready.

Lee sighed, shoulders relaxing, and leaned back. “Don’t you have a bison to be steering?”

Aang quirked an eyebrow, then exclaimed, “Oh!”, and proceeded to go back to steering Appa.

Lee went back to twirling the knife between his fingers. Katara wondered if it was an intimidation tactic or a habit. “So,” he began, motioning with his head to Katara and Sokka, “you said you were going to the Northern Water Tribe to find the Avatar a waterbending teacher, correct?”

Katara nodded.

“So, that means you hail from the Southern Tribe?”

Another nod.

“Hm.” He glanced off somewhere, a thoughtful expression on his face. “I don’t think anyone has left there in almost a hundred years, not since the war started. And, from what I know, Southern Water Tribers tend to stick close to home. What drove you out?”

“We came to help Aang find a waterbending teacher,” Sokka simply. “We already told you that.”

“That’s not it, is it though? Something or someone drove you from your home.”

Katara opened her mouth to tell him that she was a waterbender, that she needed a teacher too, but Sokka gave the barest shake of his head. “We are telling the truth,” Katara lied. “Aang needs a waterbending teacher, and we were the only ones willing to help him.”

Lee sheathed the knife, then rested his elbow on the edge of Appa’s saddle, resting the side of his head on his fist. “You know, I’ve been around a while. Met several people, talked to most of them. I can tell when someone is lying.”

Sokka gave a nervous chuckle. “Even if we were lying, we’re pretty good- wait, most of them?”

Lee waved him off. “Not the point. You’re lying to me. And lying to someone isn’t the best way to start off a relationship.”

Sokka motioned to Katara, and she scooted across Appa’s saddle close to him. He lowered his voice as he spoke. “Should we tell him the truth?”

“Which one?” Katara retorted. “The fact I’m a you-know-what or the truth about why we were practically driven from our home by that creep?”

Sokka narrowed his eyes, as if he were thinking hard. That must have taken a lot of effort from him. “Maybe just the creep part.”

Katara gave him a single nod. “Okay.” She started to move away from him, then turned back. “Are you sure?”

“You were the one that wanted to bring him with us!”

“That was Aang!”

“You did agree to it, Katara,” Lee called from across the saddle.

Sokka opened his mouth to say something else, then abruptly shut it. His eyes closed, a complete expression of defeat coming across his face. “Is he eavesdropping on us?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know how. I can barely hear you over this wind.”

“Oh yeah, and you might not want to call it a ‘you-know-what,’” Lee added. “That makes it sound like a… condition, to put it mildly.”

Katara and Sokka exchanged a glance. They really had no choice but to tell him now.

“Should we start from the beginning?” Katara asked, projecting her voice over the wind whooshing past. She thought she saw a miniscule wince from Lee.

“Probably,” Lee said. “That would make the most sense.”

Katara scooted across the saddle toward him. “Well, Sokka and I, we found Aang in an iceberg… “She recounted everything that had happened to them, with Sokka interjecting at various moments, from the iceberg, to the Western Air Temple, Kyoshi Island, Omashu, and Haru’s village.

When she finished, Lee did not say anything for a while.

“Did I miss anything?” Katara called up to Aang. “Because I think I missed something.”

“Nope. You got it all!”

She looked to Sokka.

He shrugged. “Sounds about right to me.”

Lee raised a hand. “The commander who captured Aang at the South Pole. Do you know his name?”

“Nope,” Sokka said as Katara shook her head.

“I think I heard it,” Aang called, “when I was captured. Zhen? No. Maybe it was Chao? Or Zen? Maybe Jan?”

“Zhao?” Lee said.

Aang gasped. “Yeah! That was it! Commander Zhao!” His back hunched, and his tone changed abruptly. “I didn’t like him.”

“Yeah.” Sokka shivered, and Katara suspected it wasn’t from the cold. “Gave me the creepies-jeepies.”

Lee raised an eyebrow. “Creepies-jeepies?” He shook his head. “You know what, never mind.”

“Do you know Zhao?” Katara asked.

Lee sighed. “I’ve… encountered him a few times. And yeah. He’s creepy as hell.”

Aang turned. “’Creepy as hell?’ What does that mean?”

Lee pursed his lips. “Uh- “

“Aang, we’re straying a little bit too far to the right!” Katara interrupted.

“What? Oh!” He corrected their course.

Lee chuckled. “An Avatar that’s not allowed to swear… was that something you two taught him, or did he just come out of the ice believing that?”

Sokka shrugged. “I don’t even know.”

“There was another guy on the ship as well,” Aang piped up again. “He was kind of an old guy, really- uh- round.”

Lee perked up. “A kind of old guy? Did you catch his name?”

“No. He didn’t seem like a bad person, not like Zhao was, in case you were wondering.”

“Would you have known him as well?”

Lee shrugged. “Maybe. What was Zhao doing near the Southern Water Tribe? From what information I have, he doesn’t have a station there.”

“It was a raid,” Sokka said bitterly.

“They’re still raiding the Southern Water Tribe?”

“They haven’t in years.” Katara wrapped her arms around herself, then touched her mother’s necklace. “There was this huge light that shot up from Aang’s iceberg. They came under the pretense of a raid, but they were really there to investigate the light.”

“Aaannndd, then they used that as an excuse to capture the Avatar,” Sokka finished. “Fun times.”

“Yeah.” Lee glanced at Katara’s necklace. “Fun times.”

She quickly pulled her hand away and averted her eyes from his.

“Well,” Sokka said loudly, “you guys can get some rest. I’ll take over for Aang.”

“What?” Aang turned around again. “But Sokka, I’m not- “

Sokka coughed and gave a none-too-subtle head nod toward Lee.

“Oh, yeah. Thanks, Sokka.”

“Alrighty.” He turned to Katara and Lee. “You guys can get some rest. Seriously.” He gave a knowing look to Katara.

She grabbed her sleeping bag from the pile and laid down on it, using it as a pillow. Katara was exhausted but fought to stay awake as she closed her eyes, feigning sleep.

A few minutes later, she felt someone nudge her shoulder. “C’mon,” Sokka whispered.

Katara peeled open her eyes. Sokka had scooted to the front of the saddle, near where Aang could hear them.

She glanced back at Lee. He had the back of his head resting on the edge of the saddle, face turned away from him.

That couldn’t be comfortable, she thought, rubbing the back of her own head.

“I don’t like him,” Sokka said when she joined their group.

Katara rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but we knew that.”

“Hey!”

“Guys,” Aang pleaded. “What’s your point, Sokka?”

“I can’t really describe it. There’s something weird about him. Like how he heard our conversation over the noise.”

“He can probably hear us talking now,” Aang pointed out.

“Yeah, but he’s asleep. If we keep our voices low, then he might not. Anyway, he knew who Zhao was. And, out of the thousand officers in the Fire Nation military, isn’t it weird that he knows the exact one that we encountered?”

“Maybe he’s a well-known commander?” Katara suggested.

“Maybe. But he knew exactly who he was.”

Aang shrugged. “He also knew when you were lying.”

“Are we that bad of liars?” Katara asked.

“I thought it was pretty good.”

“Of course, you did,” Sokka muttered acidly. “I just have an… not a ‘bad’ feeling, per se, but an ‘off’ one, if you get what I mean, about him. Some of the ways he talks about things, it’s like… it’s like he’s a lot older than he is. And he can’t be much older than me.”

“I see your point.” Katara glanced at him. “We just have to keep a close eye on him then.”

“But what if that’s not enough?” Sokka continued. “Whatever’s off about him, I bet you the story lies with that scar.”

Aang squirmed. “I don’t know, Sokka. That seems like a personal thing.”

“It was obviously given to him by a firebender.” Sokka acted as though he hadn’t heard Aang. “That means he might have some connection to the Fire Nation, which would explain how he knows so much about the commanders.”

“Sokka,” Katara reasoned, “We don’t actually know if he knows that much about them.”

He shushed her. “Now, the question of what that relationship might be is- eugh!”

Katara jumped back as water splashed him in the face.

Sokka sputtered, then wiped it out of his eyes. “Did you do that?”

“No!” At his disbelieving look, she snapped, “I’m telling the truth! Why don’t we wake Lee and ask him if you’re so skeptical?!”

“I- “Another splash of water in his face.

Sokka shot to his feet. “Alright, not funny!” he shouted at the clouds around.

Surprisingly, he got no response.

Sokka plopped down. “The universe hates me today.”

“I’m sure it does a lot of days,” Katara muttered, crawling back over to her sleeping bag. “I’m going to sleep. Sokka’s conspiracy theories are too much for this late.”

“My conspiracy theories- “he made quotes in the air” -might end up saving your life, Katara. And I- “

She waved a dismissive hand at him. “Yeah, yeah, shut up.” Katara glanced at Lee, who was still fast asleep. Or at least he seemed. Katara could have sworn she saw a smirk on his face, but just as soon as she saw it, it disappeared.

It must have been a trick of the moonlight. Or maybe even her imagination.

Katara only shook her head. Whatever, she thought as she collapsed on her pillow, sleep overtaking her in seconds.

Chapter Text

The sun rose bright and extra early the next day. The day of the solstice.

Sokka was greeted much earlier than he’d have liked to have been by a bright, burning light in his eyes. Grumbling, he turned over and tried to shield himself from it, but Appa turned directly in the toward the sun. When Sokka rolled over again, Appa turned again.

He sighed. The universe still hated him. He had hoped a little bit of the spite would ween out during the night, but obviously not.

So, Sokka peeled himself from his sleeping bag and rolled it up, then tossed it into the pile with their other stuff. Everyone else was already awake, peering over the edge of the saddle.

Katara glanced back over at the commotion. “Finally decided to get up, did you?”

He mumbled a response that wasn’t even coherent in his own mind. Sokka scooted over to where Katara was and glanced downward. They were over a large ocean.

“How close are we to the temple?” he called up to Aang.

Aang shrugged. “We’re a long way. I can tell that.” He flicked Appa’s reins. “Come on, boy! We’ve got a long way to go! Faster!”

Appa grunted, picking up only a little speed.

“Well,” Lee muttered from his spot on the other side of the saddle, “I guess that’s his response.”

“Aang!” Katara shouted. “We’ve got trouble!”

Sokka peeked around her, following her gaze. They were being followed by a familiar large Fire Navy ship. “Yeah, and it’s gaining fast!” He squinted down at the ship when he saw a bit of movement. Something big and smoking was sitting on the deck.

“Uh, guys?” he called. “I think they’re about to shoot something at us!”

Lee hurried around to the other side of the saddle and leaned around them, practically almost falling out of it. “Yeah, no shit.”

Sokka squinted harder. The smoking thing was suddenly lit aflame.

Then, the smoking thing was getting closer and closer and-

“Fireball!” Katara shouted.

Aang jerked Appa’s reins to the right, swerving to avoid the fireball as it arced up and over them. The three in the saddle were sharply thrown to the side, sliding across the surface of the saddle. The fireball plummeting down into the ocean, leaving a rather horrible stench it its wake.

“We have to get out of that ship’s range before he shoots something else at us!” Katara shouted to Aang.

“I never thought he would stoop that low,” Lee said. “Shooting stink bombs at us… “

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Katara snapped.

Lee rolled his eyes. “Like you would know!”

“Can’t you make Appa go any faster?!” Sokka added, ignoring them.

“Yeah, but there’s just one little problem.”

The bright midday sun was quickly overshadowed by a tower of gray steam. Sokka glanced around Aang. Hundreds of Fire Navy ships were lined up in two rows, moving parallel to each other in opposite directions.

Sokka let out a disbelieving laugh. “A blockade! Because why not!”

“Those ships are part of Zhao’s fleet!” Lee yelled. “They’ve all got catapults like that other one, only they shoot far worse things than stink bombs.”

“If we fly north,” Aang reasoned, “we can go around them! It’s the only way.”

“There’s no time!” Katara argued. “We’ve already lost enough time, and we can’t miss the solstice!”

“We can get through this, Aang.” Sokka looked to the line of ships ahead. “Let’s run this blockade!”

After a moment of hesitation, Aang spurned Appa forward.

And immediately, Sokka regretted his decision.

Lee wasn’t exaggerating when he said all the ships had catapults. Because, as hundreds of fireballs flew at their faces, Sokka felt as though literally every single one in the entire freaking fleet had thrown one, maybe two, maybe three at them.

Aang and Katara screamed. Sokka let out a panicked noise and closed his eyes, throwing his arms around Katara.

But somehow, Appa expertly maneuvered them through the fireballs, as if doing this was something he did regularly. He twisted, turned, and swerved, never once letting the fireballs get with twenty feet of them. It felt like an eternity, but eventually, they made it into the clear.

“Appa!” Aang said, bringing Sokka back to himself. “Are you okay?”

Appa let out a rumble of approval.

Sokka clutched Katara tighter. “Are we in the clear yet?”

“Yeah,” Katara said. “I think we are.” But her voice, her voice was… somewhere his right.

Sokka hesitantly opened his eyes. He had, in fact, not thrown his arms around Katara.

Lee was side eyeing him, looking particularly murderous.

Sokka scooted back from him. “Sorry,” he muttered, refusing to look at the other guy. Instead, he turned him gaze to the world around. They were now hovering above a thick layer of clouds. “We’re in the clear, at least, right?”

Then, more fireballs shot up from the clouds.

Appa once again did his best. Katara, Sokka, and Lee were thrown against each other repeatedly in the back of the saddle. Every time Sokka got a grip on the edge, he was thrust in the opposite direction, grip slipping from the edge. He had almost gotten used to the sensation when-

When the saddle suddenly wasn’t there anymore.

That was when Sokka let out a high-pitched screech.

He flew off the edge of the saddle. Katara reached out for him, but he was too far to reach. He plummeted through the layer of clouds, Appa getting farther and farther away. They were cold against his skin, the water soaking his clothes.

Sokka continued to scream as he tumbled through the air toward the ocean. All he could see was a big expanse of blue.

His death was going to hurt.

Then, a flash of white. He caught a glimpse of Appa, then Katara’s hand reaching out.

It took all of his effort to fight against the wind resistance, but he thrust his hand out and grabbed hers. She pulled him back onto the saddle, wrapping her arms around him.

The onslaught of fireballs didn’t stop. Appa picked up more speed as they neared the line of ships.

A fireball appeared directly in front of them-

With a yell, Aang threw himself off Appa’s head directly at it.

Katara inhaled sharply. “Aang!”
Sokka couldn’t see exactly what happened, but when Aang made contact with the fireball, it exploded into smithereens.

“Holy shit,” Lee muttered in amazement.

Aang scrabbled in the air, realizing that he no longer had any support. Appa flew directly underneath him as he fell onto the bison’s head.

They passed by the ships without any incident.

Aang let out a victorious whoop, pumping his fist into the air. “We made it!”

“We got into the Fire Nation,” Sokka deadpanned. “Great.”

Katara’s arms dropped from around him as she sat back in the saddle. “We made it,” she mumbled. “Barely.”

“That was too easy,” Lee said.

Sokka gave an incredulous scoff, wheeling on him. He was sitting with his legs crossed, back to the edge of the saddle, eyes were still trained on the blockade far behind them. “Too easy? I almost died! We all almost died!”

Lee turned to glare at him. Sokka was beginning to think that was just his normal facial expression. “Did you see how many fireballs they shot at us, or are you just blind?”

“I- “

“None of them hit us!”

“And?” Katara challenged.

Lee’s hands gripped his kneecaps, and he muttered something to low for Sokka to hear. “Probability. Don’t you get it?”

Momo chirruped and lifted his head up from where he was sitting in Lee’s lap.

“You can’t be so mysterious all the time!” Sokka pointed to the lemur. “And he’s never done that to me!”

“You tried to eat him, Sokka,” Katara said.

“Not the point!”

Lee huffed. “Probability. The more they shoot at us, the more likely they are to hit us. It’s simple.”

Sokka held up a finger. “I- you have a point. But how is that still ‘too easy?’ Unless you’re used to getting fireballs shot at you or something.”

“I’ll have you note that they didn’t shoot at us once we were on the other side. Or when we were passing over.”

Sokka raised an eyebrow. “So?”

“It takes a firebender to light up those fireballs. There had to be hundreds of firebenders within that fleet. And they didn’t take a shot at us.”

Sokka turned the words over in his mind. “So… what you’re saying is that they might have let us go?”

Lee placed his hand on Momo’s ears, running his thumb over the space between the lemur's ears. “Brilliant. You’ve finally caught on.”

Sokka wanted to snap something else at him, but he bit the retort back. He looked downward at the saddle, seething silently.

“Why would they have let us go?” Aang asked innocently.

“I don’t know, Aang,” Sokka answered, gaze snapping to Lee. He squared his shoulders and sized him up.

Katara must’ve sense what he was about to do. “Sokka,” she said warningly.

And yet, as Sokka did oh-so often, he didn’t listen to Katara. “Why don’t you ask Captain Genius over here?”

He blinked, and the point of a blade was level with his nose.

They all froze. Sokka was suddenly aware of the other’s panicked breaths, his own shaky ones. He lifted his eyes from the blade to meet Lee’s.

His arm was held out straight, unwavering. Where the knife had come from, Sokka couldn’t imagine. It had just appeared.

The other boy held his eyes for several moments. Sokka could see the exact color of them --- gold, with a ring of navy blue around the iris.

Gold? Wait-

The knife flipped back into his hand and disappeared. “When we get to the temple, it will be easier for them for corner the Avatar,” he said simply, then continued stroking Momo’s ears. And he said nothing for the rest of the flight.

“There it is!” Aang exclaimed, causing the other’s heads to shoot up. They had been flying all day, and the sun had begun to retreat underneath the horizon.

Sokka leaned over the edge of the saddle and glimpsed at the island. Crescent Island, if he remembered correctly. It was, in fact, shaped like a crescent. However, Aang had forgotten to mention the part where there was a giant volcano spewing freaking lava.

Of course, it was lava.

Appa took refuge in a hardened, cool crater. The four of them dismounted the bison. Sokka hopped onto the ground and began stretching out his sore muscles.

Aang hugged Appa’s head --- or at least, body-slammed into it as he couldn’t entirely wrap around the bison. “You did it, buddy. Nice flying.”

Appa let out a rumble and flopped over onto his back.

“Oh, you must be tired,” Katara cooed, rubbing his nose.

“No, I’m good!” Sokka crossed one arm in front of himself and pressed on it, stretching his shoulder. “Refreshed and ready to fight some firebenders.”

“I was talking to Appa.”

He froze, a blush spreading across his cheeks. “Well- well, I was talking to Momo.”

Momo, who was hanging upside down from a tree like a koala, turned his big eyes on them and chirruped.

Lee sighed and shook his head.

They trekked up a long walkway to the entrance of the temple. When they arrived, they hid behind a small wall, peering over.

Sokka narrowed his eyes. “I don’t see any guards.”

“The Fire Nation must have abandoned the temple when Avatar Roku died,” Katara guessed.

“It’s almost sundown.” Aang leaped over the wall. “We’d better hurry.”

The rest of them vaulted the wall, and they ran inside, Momo flying behind.

Aang led them through the temple, through several twists and turns, and Sokka desperately hoped he knew where he was leading them. They tiptoed through the large halls, but Lee just walked normally, eye scanning everything around. It was only then that Sokka noticed his footfalls made no sound at all.

Then, Sokka noticed there were more footsteps than there should have been.

Sokka froze. “Wait.”

The rest stopped.

“I think I heard something.”

“You did. “

They spun around at the sound of a new voice.

At the end of the hallway they had just come from, five men wearing red clothing and tall funny-looking hats stood. “We are the Fire Sages, Guardians of the Temple of the Avatar.”

Sokka heard words being drawn. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Lee, both swords drawn, split into two. Which was still freaking awesome, and if he wasn’t so pissed off by the guy, he might have asked to try them.

But that wasn’t the point right now.

“Great!” Aang hurried forward. “I am the Avatar!”

“Kid!” Lee hissed warningly.

The lead Fire Sage nodded. “We know.” He took in a deep breath, then punched a wave of flame at them.

Before any of them could react, Lee had shoved Aang to the side, slicing one of his swords at the fireball. It dissipated upon impact with the metal.

“I’ll hold them off!” he shouted. “Go!”

Sokka grabbed Katara’s hand and took off, Aang and Momo not far on their heels. He heard another whoosh of flame and risked a glance back.

The Fire Sages had been blown off their feet, and Sokka caught a glimpse of flame around the edge of the room. Lee had started running after them, seemingly unharmed.

Suspicion rose in the back of Sokka’s mind, but they had other concerns at the moment.

They booked it down a hallway. “Follow me!” Aang shouted, taking the lead.

“Do you know where you’re going?” Sokka called.

“Nope!” He turned a left down a hallway.

Oh great.

A second later, Aang reappeared. “Wrong way!” He booked it back down the hall.

Sokka and Katara exchanged a glance.

Another figure appeared from where Aang had just been. A Fire Sage.

The other three wasted no time in following Aang.

The Fire Sage yelled something at them, but Sokka was in too much of a panic to process it.

They took more twists and turns, eventually arriving at another dead end. There was a window on the wall, showing the orange outside world.

“Dead end!” Aang shouted.

“Really?” Lee shouted back.

They heard footsteps.

A pit of dread rose in Sokka’s stomach as he turned. The Fire Sage stood at the end of the hall.

The Sage extended a hand outward. “I don’t want to fight you. I am a friend.”

Sokka reached for his boomerang. “Firebenders aren’t our friends,” he declared.

The Sage took a step toward them.

Sokka only felt the air move beside him. Quicker than he could process, Lee had moved, snatching the Sage’s wrist and twisting his arm around behind his back.

The Sage clumsily rolled out of his grip, straightening to face Lee.

Lee planted a kick directly in the man’s chest that sent him flying back toward the wall. Aang, Katara, and Sokka barely managed to move.

The Sage slammed into the wall with an “oof”. “Please, listen!” he begged, holding up a hand.

A knife flew from nowhere. The blade pierced the Sage’s wristband, pinning him to the wall.

Sokka looked back to Lee. There was an almost manic look in his eye.

Sokka felt his jaw drop. “Whoa.” Katara and Aang had similar expressions on their faces.

The Sage shook himself. “Please! Listen to me! I am a friend! I want to help!”

Lee took a step toward the Fire Sage. Sokka heard a small click and saw the hilts of two knives fall into his hands. The sheaths must’ve been hidden on his forearms. Which was freaking awesome. “What do you want?”

“I already told you.” The Sage’s eyes turned to Aang. “I know why you’re here, Avatar. You wish to speak to Avatar Roku, correct?”

“Yeah.”

“I can take you to him.”

“Is he lying?” Katara demanded.

The Sage turned back to Lee, who held his gaze. “Not as far as I can tell. But Fire Sages are incredibly good liars.” Lee’s arm shot out, holding one of the knives level with the Sage’s nose just as he had done to Sokka earlier. The Sage’s eyes crossed as he attempted to look at it. “But people tend to squeal the truth much sooner when there’s a blade against their throat.”

Aang stepped up and placed a hand on Lee’s arm. The guy’s terrifying gaze shot to Aang, who, to Sokka’s great surprise, did not back down or even flinch. “Uh, maybe we shouldn’t get so stab-happy.” He gently pushed Lee’s arm down, lowering the knife from the Sage’s face. “How can you take us to Avatar Roku?”

“Through there.” The Sage pointed to the wall.

“Of course,” Sokka said skeptically. “We’ll just walk right through the walls, all fine and dandy.”

“Don’t knock it to you try it,” Lee responded.

Sokka began to speak again, then shook his head in defeat. He would find out what the guy was talking about someday.

“I can show you how you can reach Avatar Roku,” the Sage explained. “But first, can I please be unpinned from this wall?”

Aang gave Lee a pleading look that reminded Sokka of a polar bear dog. Unsurprisingly, the older boy gave, flipping the knives in his hands back around and sheathing them. "Fine."

“I don’t know,” Sokka said as Lee reached for the knife pinning the Sage to the wall, “can you?”

They all looked at him.

“Get it? Because ‘can’ and ‘may’ and- I’ll shut up now.”

“Excellent choice,” Katara said.

Lee jerked the knife from the wall, freeing the Sage’s hand. The Sage moved to a wall panel with a lantern hanging next to it. He pushed the lantern to the side. Sokka heard a clicking mechanism in the wall.

The Sage placed a hand on the panel. A rim of fire lit up and traced around the edges of the panel. It slid back, then moved aside to reveal a hidden cavern.

“Through here,” the Sage instructed, then stepped inside.

A voice echoed from somewhere else in the temple. “Find him!”

Katara glanced back at Sokka. “Zhao!”

“Hurry!” Sokka ushered.

Aang followed the Sage first, then Katara, who had Momo riding on her shoulder. Sokka stepped through, then Lee on the rear.

“You deserved to be stabbed for that,” Lee hissed in his ear as the door shut behind them. And for once, Sokka had no rebuttal. It really was a terrible joke.

They stepped into a hot stone cavern. Sokka’s face was nearly blasted off by a wave of the heat, and he thought he was going to die just after a few steps in. A river of lava flowed next to the rough stone walkway. Because why not.

“Avatar Roku once called this temple his home,” the Sage explained. “He formed these secret passages out of magma.”

"Magmabending. Would that count as earthbending or firebending?” Sokka asked.

“Yes,” Lee answered.

“Did you know Avatar Roku?” Aang piped up.

“No,” the Sage responded, “but my grandfather knew him. Many generations of Fire Sages guarded this temple long before me. We all have a strong spiritual connection to this place.”

“Is that how you knew I was coming?”

“A few weeks ago, an amazing thing occurred.” The Sage explained how the eyes of the Roku statue began to glow.

Katara interjected, saying how they experienced a similar thing at the Southern Air Temple.

“At that moment, we knew you had returned to the world,” the Sage continued with a nod.

“If this is the Avatar’s temple, why did the Sages attack me?” Aang continued.

“Things have changed. In the past, the Sages were loyal only to the Avatar. When Roku died, the Sages eagerly waited for the next Avatar to return. But he never came.”

“They were waiting for me?”

Sokka placed a hand on Aang’s shoulder. “Don’t feel bad. You’re only a hundred years late.”

Aang scowled at him.

“They lost hope that the Avatar would ever return,” the Sage said. “When Fire Lord Sozin began the war, my grandfather and the other Sages were forced to follow him. I never wanted to serve the Fire Lord. When I heard you were coming, I knew I would have to betray the other Sages.”

“Thank you,” Aang said, “for helping me.”

The Sage smiled, then motioned to the right. “We’ll follow these stairs to the sanctuary.” They started up the stairs. “Once you’re inside, wait for the light to hit Avatar Roku’s statue. Only then will you be able to speak with him.”

They hurried up the stairs, then through another huge spiral staircase that felt as though it would never end. Sokka’s breaths were already heaving, and they weren’t even halfway up.

After what felt like an eternity, they emerged from the stairway-of-hell in a large room with several stone columns, statues of dragons curled around each of them.

The Sage gasped and moved toward a huge set of doors directly in front of them. The symbol of the Fire Nation was on it, created from gold, with five fierce dragon heads, mouths open in cries of war, on the front of it.

“No!” the Sage said. “They’re closed.”

Aang glanced up and down the doors. “What’s wrong?”

“The sanctuary doors --- they’re closed.”

“Can’t you just open them with firebending?” Aang wiggled his fingers in a mock imitation of it. “Like you opened that other door?”

The Sage shook his head. “No. Only a fully-realized Avatar is powerful enough to open this door alone. Otherwise, the Sages must open the doors together with five simultaneous fire blasts.

Aang’s shoulders fell, and he placed a hand on the door, staring wistfully at it.

Sokka narrowed his eyes, examined the doors. “Five fire blasts, huh?” He snapped his fingers. “I think I can help you out.”

“This is a little trick I picked up from my father,” Sokka explained, holding up his invention. “I seal the lamp oil inside an animal skin casing- “

Momo let out a concern chirp.

“-Shyu- “(They had finally learned the Sage’s name)” -lights the oil-soaked twine, and TA DA!” He flourished it. “Fake firebending!”

“You’ve really outdone yourself this time, Sokka!” Katara said. Sokka filed that memory away for later use.

“This might actually work,” Shyu added.

Sokka glanced to Lee, expecting him to make some snooty remark.

The guy only shrugged. “That’s… actually pretty smart.”

Sokka also filed that away.

He placed each of the sacks inside each of the dragon’s mouths while Shyu explained, “The other Sages will hear the explosion. So, as soon as they go off, you rush in.”

Sokka secured the last sack, then hurried to duck behind a column with Katara. Momo was hanging off her chest, anxiously looking at the door. Katara said something to Aang, but Sokka plugged his ears and heard nothing.

Shyu stepped back, then shot a single fire blast that hit every one of the sacks. Hissss…. BOOM! Fire exploded out from the door, obscuring Sokka’s view with smoke. When it cleared, Aang rushed forward and grabbed one of the door handles. He yanked on it with a grunt. “They’re still locked.”

Sokka felt his shoulders slump. “It didn’t work.”

“Don’t fault yourself too much,” Lee said, suddenly appearing beside Sokka, who nearly leaped twelve feet in the air. “It was a good idea.”

When Sokka recovered from the shock, he placed that next to 'That’s… actually pretty smart.'

The sound of air moving quickly drew Sokka’s attention to Aang. “Why- won’t- it- open-!” he yelled, bending a slice of air at the doors between words.

Katara grabbed his arm. “Stop. There’s nothing else we can do.”

Aang sighed dramatically. “I’m sorry I put you through all this for nothing.”

Sokka stepped up to examine the door again. He ran a finger over one of the dragon’s mouths, which was now covered in soot. “I don’t get it. That blast looked as strong as any firebending I’ve seen.”

Momo scampered up the door and inserted himself into one of the dragon’s mouths.

“Sokka, you’re a genius!” Katara suddenly exclaimed.

“I am?” Wow, he had a lot to file away for today.

“Wait- “Aang held up a hand” -how is Sokka a genius? His plan didn’t even work.”

“Come on, Aang.” Sokka leaned his head against the door, mind trailing off somewhere else. “Let her dream… “

“That’s just it.” She pointed to the door. “Sokka’s plan didn’t work- “

“But it looks like it did,” Lee interjected, stepping forward.

Aang’s eyebrow quirked. “Did the definition of ‘genius’ change in the last hundred years?”

Sokka heard the telltale footsteps that said the other Fire Sages were coming. He ducked behind his pillar, out of sight, and made eye contact with Katara and Lee. They both gave him a single nod.

“Come quickly!” Shyu yelled. “The Avatar has entered the sanctuary!”

“How’d he get in?” the lead Fire Sage from earlier demanded gruffly.

“I don’t know. But look at the scorch marks.” Shyu pointed to the dragon’s mouths. “And down there.” A shadow crept underneath the door.

“He’s inside!” the lead Fire Sage said. “Open the doors immediately!”

The Sages fisted one hand against the other, stepped back, then threw a punch at the dragon’s mouths. Five jets of fire spurted from their hands.

The doors hissed. The dragon in the middle rotated upside-down, then the two beside it pulled downward, and the two beside those followed.

The doors hissed open ominously, the room behind a black void.

The Sages readied themselves to face the Avatar-

To reveal Momo. He chirruped and sneezed out a load of soot.

“It’s the Avatar’s lemur!” another Sage declared. “He must have crawled through the pipes! We’ve been tricked!”

Momo screeched, then threw himself at the lead Sage’s face.

Sokka, Lee, and Katara took this as their clue. They shoved the Sages’ hats down over their eyes.

Shyu dealt with the final one. “Now, Aang! Now’s your chance!”

But Aang did not emerge from behind his pillar.

“Aang!” Katara yelled.

They heard a grunt, then Aang did emerge from behind the pillar.

But he was not alone. Behind him, holding Aang’s hands behind his back, was Zhao.

Freaking Zhao.

“The Avatar will be coming with me!” Zhao announced. “It would do you all good to surrender yourselves!”

Sokka’s Sage quickly overpowered him, wrapping an arm around his neck and holding him tightly. Katara’s grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. Shyu’s slammed him against the wall.

Lee’s flipped him over his shoulder, but Lee landed on his feet. He spun, punched the Sage in the temple, knocking him unconscious, then spun back to face Zhao, hand poised over the hilt of his swords.

Zhao extended two fingers, creating a small flame, then held them to Aang’s throat. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Lee stared at him for a moment, then dropped his hand.

Zhao smirked and extinguished the flame. “Close the doors!”

Sokka heard a creak. He struggled against his Sage’s arm, but the man’s grip was firm.

Sokka caught a flash of movement from Lee, the glint of a blade sailing end over end, through the air. Zhao let out a grunt, hand flying to his shoulder, and stumbled back. Aang ripped his wrists from the commander’s grip then sprinted for Katara and Sokka.

“The door!” Katara shouted.

Aang’s course changed halfway through. A Sage moved to interrupt him, but Aang flipped over the man, planting a hand on his bald head, then dove between the doors.

The temple shook as the doors locked back.

A bright blue-white light, something like that of Hei Bei’s, shone from the door. Sokka squinted his eyes against it. Aang had made it inside.

Sokka couldn’t help the triumphant laugh that escaped him. “Suckers!”

The Sage sharply tightened his grip, choking off Sokka’s laugh.

Lee drew his swords, holding them in a defensive position. “You’re too late, Zhao.” There was a small smirk on his face.

Zhao sneered at him, hand still pressed to his shoulder. He ripped something out of it, and Sokka saw that something to be one of Lee’s knives. He pointed to Katara and Sokka. “Chain them up!”

They were both shoved against a pillar, a chain wrapped around them tightly. One of the dragon statues dug into Sokka’s spine painfully.

Zhao studied Lee for a moment. “Bring me that one.”

Sokka saw him tense, but a hand reached out from the shadows and grabbed one of Lee’s wrists. Another grabbed the other.

“It would be better for your friends if you came quietly,” Zhao said.

Lee snarled at him, but still dropped the swords.

A Fire Nation soldier --- where had he been this whole time? --- stepped out from the shadows and grabbed Lee’s swords. The hands holding him pulled Lee's hands behind his back, then urged him forward. They belonged to another soldier.

“Where have they been?” Katara whispered to him. Sokka only shrugged.

The soldier brought Lee in front of Zhao. The commander raised an eyebrow, studying Lee with a look that caused chills to race up Sokka’s spine. “You look familiar.”

Lee let out a harsh laugh. “Really? Tell me: How many people have you seen with half their faces burnt off?”

Zhao backhanded him.

Katara jerked against the chains.

Lee shook his head, blinking his eyes rapidly.

“I’ll give you one thing.” Zhao held the blade underneath Lee’s chin, lifted his eyes back to him. “You’re the first person to actually make me bleed in a long time.

Lee responded by calling Zhao something that made Sokka glad Aang wasn’t here to witness.

“I’m sorry?” Zhao asked.

Lee spat in his eye.

The commander winced, then wiped it out. “You little- “

“Commander Zhao,” a new voice said.

Lee’s head shot up, body going stiff.

Sokka’s attention was drawn to another man, an older, rounder man, another Fire Nation officer by the looks of him, leading about four other soldiers. “I have brought the soldiers you requested.”

Zhao spun, removing the blade from underneath Lee’s chin. “General Iroh,” he greeted.

“That’s him,” Sokka whispered to Katara. “That other man Aang was talking about. I remember seeing him on Zhao’s ship.”

“And it looks like Lee does know him,” she whispered back. "Or at least recognizes him."

Zhao waved Lee off. “Chain him up with the others.”

The soldier started to drag Lee off, and Lee hissed --- actually hissed, like a sabercat --- at the man. He was slammed into the pillar next to Sokka, another chain wrapped around them.

“How’ve you been?” Sokka asked.

“Pretty good. You?”

“Eh. Just been chained up here. My back hurts.”

“Same.”

***

The four soldiers Iroh had brought with him moved to take their places in front of the dragon’s mouths. The Fire Sages were too busy dealing with the one that had betrayed them.

“Why would you do it?” Zhao demanded. “Why would you betray the Fire Lord?”

The man simply looked at him, a sad expression reflected in his eyes. “It was once the Sages’ duty to help the Avatar. And it still is.”

Iroh thought that was reason enough --- he wasn’t wrong --- but Zhao just scoffed, then moved to fill the fifth position. “When the Avatar emerges from there, I want you to throw everything you have at him!”

Iroh stepped around the back, admiring the structure of the door, around to the three prisoners. They were all children, teenagers at the most. Two of them, a boy and girl he assumed were brother and sister, wore blue clothing and had the tan skin, blue eyes, and dark hair of people from the Water Tribe. The other kid had pale skin and black hair, but he had his gaze averted to the ground.

One of the soldiers guarding them was holding a pair of dao swords.

“Mind if I see those?” Iroh held his hand out.

“Uh- sure, sir.” The man handed them to him.

They were lighter than he expected, with a simple design carved into the hilt. Iroh had always been fond of the design of dao swords.

“Hey!” the other boy finally spoke. “Those are- “

Iroh glanced at him. He quickly dropped his gaze, hair falling down to obscure Iroh’s view of his face.

The Water Tribe boy narrowed his eyes at Iroh. “Have you seen that kind of sword before?”

Iroh nodded. “Yes. They are very prevalent weapons to use in the Fire Nation.”

The Water Tribe boy stiffened. “Did you say, ‘Fire Nation?’”

Iroh nodded.

The Water Tribe boy glanced at the other, but the black-haired boy refused to meet his eyes.

Iroh placed the sword halves together, then stepped around the column to get closer to the black-haired boy. “My nephew studied the dao for several years. His father found them to be unbecoming for someone of his status, though. I always found it a shame. He loved them.” Iroh glanced at the boy. “How did you come upon these swords?”

The boy said nothing to him. Iroh saw him muscles stiffen.

“Hm,” was all Iroh responded. “They are nice swords.”

Still no response.

“I saw you spit in the commander’s face,” Iroh said. Lowering his voice, he continued, “Believe me. I’ve wanted to do that for years.”

As if determined to ignore Iroh’s presence, the boy turned his head away.

Well, be like that then, Iroh thought.

A bright blue-white light radiated from the doors. Iroh shielded his eyes, and he heard the Fire Sages gasp. Smoke began to come from the crack underneath the door.

The doors opened, an even brighter white light radiating from inside.

“Ready!” Iroh heard Zhao command. Iroh opened his eyes just a sliver. The soldiers and Zhao had moved into defensive stances.

The light faded out. In the black void of the room, Iroh saw two glowing yellow eyes.

“No!” the Water Tribe girl shouted. “Aang!”

“Fire!”

The soldiers released five jets of flame at the Avatar.

The flame rotated around, creating a shield to protect someone. The fire peeled back to reveal an old man dressed in Fire Nation clothing.

“Avatar Roku!” one of the Sages shouted.

Iroh dropped the dao swords in surprise.

Roku thrust his hands outward, sending the flames back at Zhao and the soldiers. Iroh barely ducked behind a pillar in time as it blasted them back, disintegrated the chains holding the Avatar’s companions. It blasted a hole through the temple wall.

The Avatar’s glowing eyes turned upon the Sages.

They let out shrieks of terror and fled.

The temple beneath their feet began to rumble.

“Grab them!” Zhao ordered. “Get the Avatar’s companions!”

The soldiers began to converge upon the two Water Tribe children.

The black-haired boy dove in front of them. He swiped his arm out in an arc, producing a wave of fire.

The soldiers took a few steps back.

Iroh felt his heart stop for a moment. The boy was a firebender.

“Don’t even think about it,” the boy hissed. He produced a knife from nowhere, holding it outward. “Stay. Back.” His voice rang through the air. To Iroh’s surprise, the soldiers did so.

“What are you doing?” Zhao snapped. “Get them!”

The soldiers started to move forward, then stopped, retreating back another few steps.

“Lee?” Iroh heard the Water Tribe girl ask, voice small and quiet.

“Get out of the way,” the boy ordered.

The siblings did so.

Zhao snarled, then moved into a kata.

“Get any closer, and I’ll put a knife through your eye.” The boy’s thrust his arms out, sending a funnel of orange flame at the commander.

Iroh finally found his wits and sprang forward. He grabbed the boy’s arms and forced them to his sides, wrapping his own arms around the kid, holding him tightly.

The boy hissed. With an almost inhuman strength, he forced Iroh’s arms off him, then spun, holding his blade to Iroh’s throat.

Iroh started to move to stop him-

Then he saw the scar. The ugly, red, brutal scar marring half of the boy’s face. Turned his left eye milky-white. A face that, even though Iroh had not seen in almost three years, he knew all too well.

All sound went deaf on his ears.

The snarling expression on the boy’s fell. His eye widened, but the blade did not waver from Iroh’s throat.

Iroh looked directly into the boy’s eye. It was gold, but he saw a ring of navy blue around the iris. He thought back to the dao swords laying on the ground. Iroh now knew why the boy had refused to look at him.

He had not said the name in almost three years, not since he died. “Zu- “

“You don’t know me.” The boy’s eye flashed blue.

Of course, he didn’t know the boy. What was he thinking? His nephew was dead, had been dead for three years. The bodymen had seen his body themselves. Iroh had seen his body himself. His nephew was dead, nothing more than a memory.

'Avatar Roku is going to destroy the temple!' Iroh heard the voice, but it was distant. So distant. 'We must get out of here'

The boy’s menacing expression returned, and he wheeled, throwing the knife at Zhao’s other shoulder.

Iroh heard the commander’s anguished, frustrated scream. His eyes snapped to Zhao.

The black-haired boy sweep-kicked Iroh’s feet out from underneath him. Iroh landed on the ground with a grunt, the air knocked from his lungs.

Then, he saw a soldier standing over him, hand extending. “Here, sir.” Iroh grabbed it. The soldier pulled Iroh to his feet, and they fled from the crumbling temple.

***

“We must get out of here!” Shyu shouted.

“Not without Aang!” Sokka argued. He looked over his shoulder to see the spirit of Avatar Roku slam his fist into the ground. The floor of the temple split in two, a seam of magma splitting open, dividing the floor in half.

There was more rumbling. Sokka was finding it hard to stand-

“Take cover!” Lee shouted, sheathing his swords as he ran. The three of them ducked behind a pillar. Sokka felt a wave of intense heat behind him, a load roaring that he was sure had made him deaf.

Then, it was silent. Save for the rumbling of the building.

When they looked back out from the pillar, the spirit of Avatar Roku was gone. Only a weak, exhausted Aang remained.

Sokka and Katara rushed out in barely enough time to catch him. “We got you,” Katara said gently.

“Where’s Shyu?” Aang asked blearily.

“I don’t know,” Sokka answered. He and Katara each grabbed one of Aang’s arms and pulled him to his feet.

“Come on!” Lee shouted from the top of the stairway-of-hell.

Both Sokka and Katara stopped in their tracks. Aang, who had continued to walk, was yanked backward. “Guys?”

“Aang,” Katara said gently, “he’s a- “

“Is this really the place to have it out?” Lee interrupted. “There’s a bunch of freaking magma coming up from the earth itself, and unless you wanted to be little Fire Crisps within the next three minutes, I suggest you shut up and save it for later!”

Aang broke from their grip and ran for the stairs. After a moment, Sokka and Katara followed.

When they arrived, the stairs had already been covered in magma.

“Oh great,” Sokka muttered.

A column tipped over behind them. Katara barely dodged it.

They ran for the hole in the wall, but upon a glance down, they only saw a river of magma.

They were screwed.

Then, they heard a familiar rumbling.

Appa was jetting toward them, Momo in the lead, one of those stupid hats perched on his head.

The temple began to tilt.

They all exchanged a glance, then leaped out of the temple.

Sokka landed harshly in Appa’s saddle, a jolt of pain stinging through his knees. When he recovered, he saw they were far, far away from the destruction of the temple. The island was smoking, lava pouring out of the volcano in big spews.

Sokka let out a breath and sank back into the saddle. They had been to the Fire Nation. Aang had spoken to Roku. They were alive.

But there was another matter that needed discussing.

Appa landed on the nearest island available. Well, Sokka wouldn’t exactly call it an island. It was more of a mile stretch of land in the middle of the ocean. An island wanna-be.

Lee leaped out of the saddle just as Appa’s feet touched the ground. Sokka followed him, drawing his club.

“Sokka?” Aang said.

Lee stumbled a few yards away from Appa, then sunk to his knees in the dirt.

Sokka tightened his grip on his club, then stalked up to Lee, holding it just behind his head. “I’m going to give you one chance to come quietly.”

“Sokka!” Aang hurried up to him. “What are you doing?!”

Katara grabbed Aang’s arm. “Aang, stay back!”

“Will someone please tell me what’s going on?!”

“Why don’t you ask Lee to explain?” Sokka snarled.

In a flash, Lee had grabbed Sokka’s arm and flipped him over to his back.

Sokka let out a surprised shriek that quickly cut off when he landed. Lee wrenched the club from his hand and tossed it a few feet away.

“How dare you!” Katara shouted. He heard the sound of rushing water.

Lee let out a laugh. “And what are you going to do? Waterbend at me? You don’t know a thing about it! Just like you don’t know a thing about me! You’re just willing to assume the worst!”

“Don’t you dare insult Katara like that!” Aang shouted.

Sokka got to his feet. Aang and Katara were standing one side closest to the water, Lee on the other. Sokka glanced at his hands. They were knife-free.

That meant the knives were still sheathed or he didn’t have them anymore, Sokka reasoned as he took Aang and Katara’s side. “How do we know you’re not like the rest of them? We just met you!”

Lee laughed again. “Oh, the prejudice. It never goes away, does it?”

“What do you mean?!” Aang threw in his arms out in frustration. “What prejudice?!”

“We’ll give you another chance to come quietly!” Sokka shouted. “We’re your only way off this island!”

“Sokka, you better tell me exactly what is going on, or I’m going Avatar Roku on this island!”

Sokka clenched his fists, then pointed at Lee. “He’s a firebender, Aang! He’s one of them!”

Chapter Text

Three years ago

Ummi sensed unrest in the village. Yet, for the life of her, she could not figure out why.

People would pass by, holding a piece of parchment, whispering to each other in groups. Before they would talk, they would glance over their shoulders, as if afraid someone was eavesdropping. Which Ummi was, but she would not harm her people. Ummi tried to glance at the parchment they were holding, but writing had changed much since she had read last. She did not understand a word inked into the parchment.

A few travelers came by during that time. She sensed unrest from them as well. They all carried the parchment too.

It went on like this for weeks. Ummi considered showing herself to the people of her village, demanding to know what the unrest was for, but she heard her companion’s voice in her head: “That would be a stupid idea. You’ll terrify them.”

The village revered her as the Painted Lady, appreciated what she did for them. But she was sure they would not react as kindly if she showed up one day and demanded information from them.

So, she decided against the idea. But it still nagged at her. Whatever they whispered about she would learn one day. Maybe she just had to be more patient.

Her companion had never been patient. His solution had always been to jump right on the problem immediately, and maybe stab it a few times. He did a lot of stabbing.

How he --- one so fond of sharp objects and stabbing --- came to find her --- a woman so averted to violence with healing abilities --- she would never know. How he had stayed around with her for so long, she would never know.

How he could have left her alone in the world… she would never know.

It was a full moon the night she found the boy. Sometimes, Ummi sat on the cliff she and her companion used to meet at, legs dangling over the edge, eyes trained wistfully on the moon, wondering what her companion might have said to her had he still been here.

He had loved to talk about his travels, about the people and other spirits he encountered. And she had loved to hear the stories, loved the blunt way he told them. Her favorite stories had been about Koh.

Her companion had many stories to tell regarding the Face Stealer. Koh had always been so angry that her companion had work a mask, that he could not steal his face. It gave Ummi great joy to hear that Koh was pissed off.

She shivered at the thought of him. Even when she was a child, when she was still alive, she always hated the idea of the spirit. Her older brothers used to tell her that Koh slept under her bed --- and just her bed --- and that if she didn’t stop bothering them, then Koh would rise in the night and eat her face. Her parents told her the story was complete nonsense. Little did they know…

Her most favorite story about Koh, however, had been the time he had stolen a child’s face. Her companion had been watching the child’s family for weeks, watched how the little girl’s parents had drank and drank and drank until he was sure there was no more alcohol left in the world. Watched how the little girl’s parents had hit her, screamed at her, shut her out. Her companion said he had wanted to do something about it, but he couldn’t. It wasn’t in his power.

One night, the little girl had run away from home. “She was never going back,” her companion said. “There were so many unknown variables that night, but that was the one thing she did know.”

She had strayed far, far from any familiar land, and had gotten lost. Koh, who had been following her for a long time, finally decided to attack.

“He scared a child, then was so shocked when she screamed.” Her companion made a noise of disgust. “Creepy little bastard.”

“How did you find her?” Ummi had asked.

“I had suspected that someone was following her, so I doubled back to check for tracks. When I heard the little girl’s scream, I knew that something was wrong. I- “his voice cut off with a choked.

Ummi placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“I saw her. Her back was to me, but Koh was in front of her. He looked up at me with that stupid, creepy face of his, then changed it to hers. Then, her body fell backward. She had no face.”

“Tui and La,” Ummi mumbled. “Is- is that what- “

Her companion nodded.

“Oh.” Ummi pulled her knees up to her chest. “That’s what they found of me, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Oh.” She pulled herself in tighter.

“Do you want me to continue? I don’t have to if- “

She shook her head. “No, no. Keep going.”

“Well, I wasn’t able to catch Koh then and there. So, I tracked him. It felt like years to me, but I knew it was only a few days. I had to move fast. That little girl wouldn’t survive long without her face. Koh wasn’t --- still isn’t --- good at evading me. I found him pretty easily.”

“What did you do?”

“Well, the little bastard was sleeping. I waltzed up to him, said, ‘Knock, knock, bitch. It’s me,’ then stabbed him.”

“You didn’t.”

“Yes. Stabbed him right in the eye.”

“I bet he wasn’t too happy about that.”

Her companion smirked. “No. It’s an image I’ll have engraved in my brain forever.”

Ummi laughed. “How did you convince him to give the little girl’s face back?”

“It was relatively simple. I had been studying Koh for years, and I noticed that he can only steal a face when he looked it directly in the eye. So, I stabbed both his eyes. He wailed about not being able to see, not being able to steal faces for a while. Is it sadistic of me to be glad he was in pain?”

“Yes, but it’s Koh.”

“Excellent.” He punched her in the shoulder. “You’re learning quickly, my young apprentice.”

Ummi punched him back. “You’re a bad influence.”

“A bad influence you chose to stick around.”

“Just finish the story.”

“Right. Anyway, I told him I could heal him only if he returned the little girl’s face. When Koh steals a face, it takes a little while for it to settle into his arsenal of faces.” Her companion made a disgusted noise. “I hope I never have to say that again. Anyway, he quickly agreed to give it back. Then, I healed him, and he’s hated me ever since.”

“And the little girl?”

Her companion sighed. “Her parents had come looking for her. Luckily, she had her face back when they found her. They took her back home, resolved to be better parents, and did just that. I never saw her again.”

“Oh.” Ummi leaned back on her hands. “Well, at least you told Koh, right?”

“Oh, yes. I still sometimes pull up and say that to him. Pisses him off to no end.”

Ummi let out another laugh. “Well, I’m glad someone got their face back.”

She heard him draw in a sharp breath. “Ummi… I tried. I tried for so long.”

She shook her head. “Don’t you feel guilty. You did your best.”

“I should’ve stabbed him in the eye again.”

“Well, next time you do, I want to be there.”

“You can count on it.”

She felt something sliding down her painted cheek. Ummi breathed a tear off her skin. It did not smudge the paint. The paint on her face was a part of her now.

Her companion had not been able to retrieve her face from Koh. So, instead, he had done it best to create her a new one.

“You need one,” he had said. “Besides, I’m tired of looking at just paint. It’s really freaking me out.”

Her new face wasn’t exactly like her old one. There were differences, such as her hair or the color of her eyes, and he was not able to remove the paint. But she had a new face, and that was all that mattered.

Ummi sighed, her gaze dropping down to the village. It had grown much since she had last seen him. She only wished he were here to see it now.

“Ummi?”

Her head jerked up. She shot to her feet, spinning around.

A boy stood several feet behind her. His clothes were torn, raggedy, and dirty, and he wore no shoes. His hair was short and messy. She guessed at one point it had been long, but haphazardly cut probably by the boy himself.

She saw a burn scar, red and ugly, marring the left half of his face. It traveled down his neck, disappeared into the torn short.

Ummi froze. “You- you can see me?”

The boy blinked. One of his eyes was milky-white, but the other was gold. “Of- of course, I can see you, Ummi.”

“How do you know my name?”

A look of hurt crossed his face. “You- you know me.”

She shook her head. “I don’t.”

The boy stepped toward her. “No, you do know me. You- you know me quite well, in fact. I- “His eyes rolled into the back of his head as his knees buckled.

Ummi rushed forward to catch him at the last second. He collapsed into her arms.

She first noticed how hot his skin felt. Even though she was spirit, she could still feel the heat radiating off him. It was more than normal, and Ummi was used to healing firebenders. Not even their skin was this hot.

She gathered the boy in her arms, then stepped to the edge of the cliff. Ummi held a hand outward, rolling her wrist around. From the river below, a funnel of water formed, rising up to the cliff. Ummi stepped off into the funnel, then lowered it down to the river. She leaned forward, then used the water to propel herself toward the docks.

Ummi stepped onto the wooden planks, lowering herself to the ground. She reached a hand outward to the water, beckoning a tendril out to cover her hand. She held her water-covered hand over the boy’s chest-

Something fell onto the dock.

Ummi’s head shot up.

A woman stood at the other end, mouth agape. A bag lay on the planks, medical supplies spilled out. It was the village doctor.

The woman began to speak: “It’s- it’s you. You’re- you’re real?”

No. They weren’t supposed to see her. At least not like this.

I will be back, she whispered to the boy, then gently placed him on the dock.

The doctor hurried forward. “Wait!” she said. “Please, I want to- “

But Ummi had already stepped back into the water and disappeared.

She watched over him the next day. The doctor had taken the boy to her own personal hut, placed him in his own private room. Ummi had watched the woman help him as much as she could.

When the doctor could do nothing more, she said, “The Painted Lady will have to help you now.”

And when night fell, Ummi did.

Ummi had healed the boy’s fever the best she could. He had several scratches and cuts along his arms and chest. There were other small burn scars on him, but they were nothing compared to the one on his face. That, Ummi could not heal. When she tried to, she felt as though something was blocking her.

The next day dawned, and Ummi still kept watch over the boy. She couldn’t fathom how he had known her name, how he had said he had known her. How he had seen her, for Tui and La’s sakes. She didn’t know this boy, did she?

While the doctor was busy with something else in the room, Ummi sat down on the edge of the cot he was laying on. She ran a hand lightly over his unscarred cheek, then placed her hand on his chest. Her companion had taught her how to do it years ago, how to contact someone’s mind. He had used it quite frequently, and not always for the person’s benefit.

But Ummi had never even used the ability. She wasn’t even sure it would work.

Hesitantly, she probed his consciousness with her mind.

A wall slammed in hers, and she flinched back.

Alright. Maybe outright jumping at him wasn’t the best option.

So, she tried a different approach. ‘I’m not going to hurt you.’

She saw one of the boy’s hands twitch. In his mind, she felt him strengthen the wall, but a bit of curiosity.

‘Please, I want you help you.’

‘That’s likely.’

Ummi bit back a retort. ‘Please, listen to me, I- ‘

Wait. She narrowed her eyes as someone else touched her mind. Ummi tried to block them out, but then she found her connection to the boy had been lost.

Ummi pulled her hand away from his chest. There were… there were two consciouses inside him? That couldn’t be right.

She placed her hand back on his chest. When she probed his mind again, she felt only one presence.

Hold on-

‘Long time, no see, eh?’

Ummi jolted. ‘Blue?’

The kid shot up, awake.

Chapter Text

Lee laughed again. “So glad you’ve caught on to that! Oh, you know that guy we brought along with us? The guy with black hair, pale skin, and gold eyes? Is it possible he could be a firebender? No, I never would’ve thought!”

“A firebender?” Aang gasped.

Katara sighed. She loved Aang and believed he could save the world, but the kid was slow.

Aang stepped toward Lee. “Guys, I think we- “

Sokka snatched his arm and dragged him back. “Stay away from him, Aang. He’s dangerous.”

“Dangerous?” Lee scoffed. “You don’t even know what that word means.”

“We don’t, do we?” Katara snapped. “Sokka said it earlier: Firebenders aren’t our friends.”

“You trusted Shyu.”

“We didn’t have a choice.” She waved an arm behind her, creating a wall of water. “But with you, we do. It was our choice to bring you with us. We can choose to kick you out.”

“Oh, I’m so glad I got to be inducted into your little cult. Tell me: When is initiation?”

"You said lying wasn't a good way to start a off a relationship!" Katara yelled. "Well, you lied to us about not being a firebender!"

"You never asked."

"I- "Sokka cut off" -I hate that you're right!"

“Katara- “Aang protested.

She waved him back. “This isn’t your concern.”

“I’m the Avatar. I- “

“This is your one chance!” she interrupted. “You can come quietly with us, or we leave you to die on this island!”

Lee let out a disgusted noise. “Leave me to die on this island? This is why I don’t get involved with people like you.”

Katara’s blood had already been boiling, but she felt it spike.

“People like us?!” Sokka ripped his boomerang from its sheath. “What’s that supposed to mean? Us Water Tribe savages?!”

“Oh, I know you’re not savages. I would tell you why, but you would never understand.”

“Clearly,” Katara responded acidly. “Because we’re savages. We're too stupid to understand anything, too stupid to understand the glorious cause of the Fire Nation. That’s what your taught about us in the Fire Nation, isn’t it?”

“Oh, would you look at that!” Lee threw his arms out in frustration. “You already think the worst when you know nothing about me! You don’t know where I’m from, what I was taught to believe!”

“The Fire Nation is evil!” Sokka argued, reeling his arm back. “That is the only thing I can say for sure.”

“You throw that boomerang at me, I’ll put a knife through your chest.”

“Guys!” Aang yelled. “Please- “

“How dare you threaten Sokka!” Katara moved to throw the wave of water at him.

“I’ve threatened enough people in my life, it doesn’t really faze me at this point.”

She let out a cry of anger, then chucked it full force at him. Unfortunately, she knew little to nothing about waterbending.

Lee sidestepped the wave. He drew his dao swords. “You can try that all you like, but you won’t hit me.”

Katara was already forming another wave. “Like you said. Probability.”

Lee moved into a defensive position.

Katara readied herself to throw the wave at him. “I don’t think you understand how the rest of the world sees people like you.”

Lee’s head tilted. “People like me?”

Sokka’s arm reeled back. “Firebenders! You may be used to getting all the glory, but you’re just ashmakers to everyone else!”

Lee tensed. “Don’t call me that.”

“Why?” Katara yelled. “It’s true. All you know how to do is destroy!”

“You don’t know that!”

“I know enough, ashmaker,” she spat.

There was a dangerous glint in Lee’s eyes. “You know nothing about me. Unless you want this to get messy, I suggest you drop it.”

“What will you do?” she snarled. “Burn me? Give me a scar like yours?”

Katara might have imagined it, but his eye flashed blue. “You- “

Momo swooped in and landed on one of Lee’s swords. He suddenly let out a cacophony of shrieks and screeching noises. Katara could only imagine he was cussing them out in Lemur.

“You’re defending him?!” Sokka said incredulously. “How could you?!”

“Because he’s right, Sokka.” Aang stepped into the no-man’s-land between Katara and Sokka’s side and Lee’s.

“Get away from the ashmaker, Aang!” she ordered. “This isn’t your concern.”

Aang wheeled on her. “Yes, it is, Katara! Lee is still here by my invitation, and I don’t plan on letting him leave! Put that water wave down before I make you!”

“Aang!” she snapped.

“No, Katara!” Her eyes snapped to him. She had never seen Aang angry. “Roku told me of an upcoming comet that will allow the Fire Nation to destroy the world! It’s coming in the summer, and if I don’t learn all four elements by then, then we might as well just give up now!”

Sokka’s boomerang fell out of his hand. “Destroy the world?”

“Yes, Sokka, a comet to help destroy the world! A comet that will give all the firebenders more strength!”

“Sozin’s Comet,” Lee breathed. “That’s how Sozin started the war in the first place.”

Aang turned to him. “Exactly!” He spun back to Katara. She noticed the dark circles under his eyes. “It was going to be hard enough to find a firebending teacher in the first place, and now there’s one who might just volunteer!”

“How do you know he would want to teach you?” Katara argued.

“He’s already agreed to help with the spirit stuff,” Sokka reasoned. “I don’t doubt the firebending would be anything different.” He looked to Lee. “Would it?”

Lee nodded. “Only if you had asked, Avatar.”

Aang made a ‘Well-what-do-you-know’ gesture. “See, Katara?”

“I can’t believe you’re defending him!” Katara shouted a Sokka, who seemed to shrink two feet as she did. “We don’t know anything about him, Aang!”

“Oh right!” Lee said brightly. “You don’t!”

Katara bared her teeth at him. It was an animalistic move, but she was feeling particularly feral at the moment.

“You don’t know my history with the Fire Nation!” Lee continued. “You don’t know whether I believed in their cause or not! If I cared so much for them, why would I agree to teach the Avatar about spirits? If I was allied with them, why wouldn’t I just slaughter you all in your sleep? You know it’s within my abilities, but I haven’t. Why haven’t I?”

“Because- because- “she struggled to find a reason but couldn’t.

“That’s what I thought.”

“Katara,” Aang urged, “put the wave down.”

She threw one last glare at Lee, then turned her attention to Aang. He was using those polar bear puppy eyes on her.

Finally, she relented, letting the water splash back into the ocean. “Fine. He can stay.”

Lee sheathed his swords. Momo hopped from the blade to his shoulder and blew a raspberry at them.

“Oh, that’s mature.” Katara began stalking over to Lee. “He can stay, but I want his weapons. All of- “

Appa let out a rumble and intercepted her path.

Katara placed her hands on her hips. “Excuse me?!”

Appa let out another rumble.

“Appa’s right.” Aang crossed his arms. “You’ve already screamed at him enough. The least you can do is let Lee keep his weapons.”

She let out a frustrated noise. “Fine!” Projecting her voice, she said, “But if one of you wakes up in the middle of the night with your throat slit, don’t come crying to me!” She stomped off to the opposite side of the island, shoving past Aang. She came to a stop just before the crashing waves and plopped down angrily in the sand.

Katara had been there a while, seething, when she heard someone sit next to her. “Are you alright?”

Katara clenched her fists. “How can you just switch sides that fast?” She struggled to keep her voice at normal level when she spoke to Sokka. “How can you just abandon me?”

He held his hands up in surrender. “I’m not abandoning you. I’m just… taking a step back to examine it.”

“What’s that mean?”

Sokka began fiddling with the sand. “I only started doing it when Aang intervened. Before that, I was ready to absolutely punt Lee. But then Aang started talking about the comet, and… well… it’s Aang, Katara. He wouldn’t do anything to put us in danger intentionally.”

She crossed her arms. “Aang is also a twelve-year-old boy.”

“Aang is also the Avatar. You always put complete and utter trust into him.”

Katara turned her head away from Sokka. “That’s because it was helping him better himself as the Avatar. I don’t think he made the right decision with Lee.”

“You supported it.”

“But that was before I knew he was an ash- “

“A firebender?”

She glared at him. “You know exactly what he is, Sokka. He’s an ashmaker.”

Sokka averted his gaze down to the sand. “Can I ask you something?”

“What?”

“Can you not call him that?”

“You called him it.”

“I know, and I’m kind of regretting it.”

“You? Regret something?” She laughed. “Oh, if only Gran-Gran were here to see this. Out of all the things in your life to regret, you regret that?”

“He never called us ‘savages.’”

“He sure implied it! You heard him. ‘People like us.’”

“Yeah, but I don’t think that’s what he meant.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure that’s exactly what he meant.”

“Katara.” Sokka laid a hand on her shoulder, and she jerked it away. “Remember what I said last night, about how he seems older than he probably is?”

“Yeah. What was your point with that?”

He shrugged. “There’s something off about him I can’t place. But what I’m trying to say is that’s maybe what he meant.”

“What? You think he’s some immortal being who doesn’t involve himself in the lives of us miniscule mortals?”

“It’s a possibility.”

Sokka and his imagination. “I just can’t believe you took his side.”

“Katara- “

“You remembered they killed Mom, right? Those ashmakers?”

“Katara!”

She froze. He was pulling out his “big brother” voice. “Sorry,” she muttered.

“I don’t want to hear that word again, understood?”

Katara snorted. “You’re not my mother. And we would have her with us today, but- “

“Look,” Sokka snapped, “I don’t care what you may think of firebenders, but Lee didn’t kill Mom. I want you to drop it. If I hear you call him an ashmaker again, I’ll- I’ll- “he snapped his fingers.

“You’ll what?”

“I don’t know! I’ll figure it out!”

Katara rolled her eyes. Sure, he would.

“Not the point, do you understand me, Katara?”

Begrudgingly, she answered, “Yes.”

“Great! Can’t believe that actually worked!” He skipped back over to Appa. Katara didn’t have the heart to tell him it really didn’t.

***

Aang waited in Appa’s saddle until Katara and Sokka dropped off into sleep to do anything. Katara had offered to take watch --- even though they never had watches before --- but Aang shut her down.

“If anyone’s going to take watch, it’s me,” he said.

“Aang, you’ve had a long day,” Katara had argued. “Please, let me- “

“No, Katara.”

She had given him a dirty look then slunk off to her sleeping bag. She and Sokka had taken refuge on one side of Appa, who hadn’t moved since Katara tried to forcibly take Lee’s weapons. Aang hadn’t seen Lee since and assumed he was taking refuge on the other side.

When Katara and Sokka’s breaths evened out, becoming slowly and steady, Aang peered over the edge of the saddle to where Lee was. The other boy was curled up on his side, back to Appa, one arm tucked under his head. His other hand laid on Momo’s back. The lemur had fallen asleep clutching the stolen Fire Sage hat.

Aang dismounted Appa, moving the air currents around him so he made little sound when he landed. He took a few light steps toward Lee, extended a hand.

“What do you want, Avatar?”

Aang froze. “I’m sorry. Did I wake you?”

“No. I don’t sleep.”

“Okay. Wait, what?” Aang sat down behind him. “Why don’t you sleep?”

Lee pushed himself off the ground to a sitting position, legs crossed. Momo opened his large eyes and chittered blearily in protest. “Don’t need to.”

“And how does that work?”

Lee shrugged. “I don’t get tired.”

“But last night- “

“My eyes were just closed.”

From behind, Momo stumbled around Lee then crawled into his lap. He let out a satisfied sigh and immediately fell back asleep, still curled around the hat.

“Sokka was right.” Aang pointed to Momo. “He’s never done that to us.”

“Does he like to be warm?”

“Yeah. He suns all the time. I think he does that more than anything else. Besides eat.”

“That explains it. Firebenders naturally run warmer than other people.”

“Really?” Aang reached out a hand. He hadn’t even made contact when he felt it was noticeably warm. “Really. That’s so cool!”

Lee shrugged. “It’s normal.”

“Animals seem to like you. I’m kind of surprised Appa stepped in. He's usually on Katara's side.”

“Yeah,” Lee responded quietly, eyes trailing down to Momo. “They do.” He ran his thumb over the space between his shoulders.

“I’m sorry.”

Lee looked up. Aang noticed a ring of navy blue around his iris. “For what?”

“For what Katara and Sokka said.”

Lee shook his head. “You don’t have to be.”

“Yes, I do. I’m the one that wanted to bring you along. I’m the reason they treated you so harshly. It’s my fault- “

Lee held out a hand to stop him. “No. You wanting to bring me along to teach about spirits doesn’t have anything to do with their actions. You are also not responsible for what they said or did.”

“Yeah, but I feel like I should have said something sooner.”

“You’re the Avatar. You’re not one of their parents. You can’t control them.”

“It’s the Avatar’s job to bring peace to the world.” Aang placed his elbow on his knee, then rested his chin on his fist. “I’m supposed to bring goodwill between the nations. When they said you were a firebender, I thought it could be a chance for me to try that.” He huffed. “But they ruined it.”

“They reacted the way all people do when they hear something they don’t like.”

“Violently?”

“I was going to say 'with anger,' but that works as well.”

“They shouldn’t have reacted the way they did.” He thought of Katara’s wall of water, Sokka threatening to hit Lee with his club.

Lee shrugged. “Can’t say I blame them. I know what the Fire Nation has done to the rest of the world. I understand why they hate them.” He sighed. “I just wish they wouldn’t assume that about everyone.”

“When you said you don’t get involved with people like us, what do you mean? Do you really believe the Water Tribe are savages?”

“No. No one is a savage.”

“Then… what did you mean?”

Lee sighed again, gaze dropping back down to Momo. “It’s a long story.”

“I’ve got time. I’ve been in ice for a hundred years. I’m sure it’ll seem like a breeze.”

Lee didn’t respond. It was obviously a story he didn’t want to tell, just like the story of his scar.

“How old are you?”

“Huh?”

“How old are you?” Aang repeated.

“Sixteen.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Why?”

“You just seem older than that. Like, way older.”

Lee chuckled. “Yeah. You could say that.”

Aang wanted to persist, but he didn’t. Instead, he asked, “When were you planning on telling us you were a firebender?”

“I wasn’t planning on telling you at all. If it came up, I guess I’d deal with it then.”

“Well, it came up.”

“Clearly.”

“Did you know there’s a ring of blue around your eye?”

Lee stiffened. “Yes.”

“I’ve only seen firebenders with pure gold eyes. Granted, I haven’t met many who weren’t trying to kill me, so I didn't get a good look at them, but still. Do you know why it’s there? Is there someone in your family with blue eyes?”

“Avatar- “Lee looked up” -you are straying into dangerous territory. There are parts of my past I’m not willing to share, and you are getting very close to those.”

“Oh.” Aang blushed. “Sorry.” As Lee looked back to Momo, he couldn’t stop his eyes from straying to his scar. Aang didn’t know much about firebenders, but he knew they didn’t burn easily.

Aang swallowed his discomfort. Someone must’ve really wanted to hurt him. He made to stand up. “I’m glad we brought you along, you know.”

“Thanks.”

Aang nodded. “So- “

Lee shifted. He was probably getting tired of Aang’s questions.

“When the time comes, will you teach me firebending?”

Lee gathered Momo into his arms and stood. The guy was taller than Aang was, and he had to look down to meet Aang’s eyes. “We don’t have to wait. I can teach you some basic katas that you might even be able to use with your airbending.”

“So, does that mean you will?”

Lee stepped forward and shifted Momo into one arm. He placed a hand on Aang’s shoulder-

Something flash in Aang’s mind. There was a man, an old man, who had his hand on Aang’s shoulder. “Look, son. I’m here to- “

Aang felt a surge of rage, of power. How dare this man touch him after bringing him here.

His hand shot out. Grabbed the man’s throat. “I don’t need your help”-

“Yes.”

Aang blinked. The old man was gone. Lee was still in front of him.

“I will teach you firebending.”

“Great! Thank you!” He felt an impulse to hug Lee again but shoved it down.

Lee’s hand slid off Aang’s shoulder, and he walked over to one of Appa’s legs. He then proceeded to flop down onto it. Aang didn’t hear from him again.

He studied Lee, thinking back to the vision. ‘I don’t need your help.’ That hadn’t sounded like his own voice. He wasn’t sure whose it had sounded like. And the old man, Aang didn’t recognize him.

It was too late to think about. Aang shook his head. “That was weird.” He shrugged, then went off to sleep.

Chapter Text

Aang was pacing on the back of Appa saddle, practically panting. It was really starting to get on Sokka’s nerves, but he wasn’t going to snap at him to harshly. The kid was on the verge of a panic attack. Yet, the pacing wasn’t making Sokka feel any better.

“Would you sit down?” Sokka turned his shoulders to look at Aang from his place on Appa’s head. “If we hit a bump, you’ll go flying off.”

“I can’t!” Aang exclaimed. “It’s what Avatar Roku said. I’m supposed to master all four elements before that comet arrives.”

“Well,” Sokka began logically, “let’s see. You pretty much mastered airbending, and that only took you a hundred and twelve years. I’m sure you can master three more elements by next summer.”

“But I haven’t even started waterbending, and we’re still weeks away from the North Pole! What am I gonna do?”

“Calm down,” Katara said, reaching for Aang’s hand. She pulled him down to sit with her. “It’s going to be okay. If you want, I can try and teach you some of the stuff I know?”

“You’d do that?”

“We’ll need to find a good source of water first.” They both peered over the edge of the saddle.

Sokka snorted. “Maybe we can find a puddle for you to splash in.”

Katara threw him a glare, then turned it to Lee. “Any snappy comment from you, or are we allowed to do this?”

Lee rolled his eyes. “Well, he’s gotta learn it at some point. And with all the pit stops you’re making, you’re likely to get to the North Pole by the time you’re sixty-five.”

Katara moved toward him, but Aang pulled her back. “Let it go.”

Sokka could tell she didn’t want to but relented anyway.

He turned his gaze over to Lee, who was sitting in the front of the saddle, back to Sokka. It had been about a week since the solstice, and tensions were still high. Katara had barely spoken to the guy, and when she did, it was always rude and snappish. Lee wasn’t much better, but at least he didn’t do it to try and provoke an argument. Sokka, on the other hand, hadn’t worked up to the courage to apologize to the guy. Aang had explained to him that Lee understood why they were so angry and why they had reacted the way they did, that he didn’t seem like other people from the Fire Nation. It hadn’t done much to ease Sokka’s anxieties about Lee. Yet, he still felt bad about calling him an “ashmaker.” He had meant it when he told Katara Lee had never called them “savages”, so why was it fair for them call him an “ashmaker?”

Every time Sokka would attempt to apologize, he would get about three feet from the other guy, then chicken out. He had to admit, dude terrified him.

“Look!” Katara pointed downward, jerking Sokka from his thoughts. “There’s a bunch of water over there!”

Sokka pulled Appa’s reins in the direction she was pointing. He steered them down into a large ravine, a river of water cutting through the middle. A waterfall on one end fed the river. Evergreen trees had grown up and around the whole area.

“Yeah,” Sokka muttered. “Nice puddle.”

But Aang and Katara looked as though their birthdays had come early.

Once them had dismounted Appa, he let out a pleased rumble, then proceed to belly-flop directly into the water. A tidal wave rose from around him and crashed down on poor Momo, who emerged looking like a wet, angry cat.

“Yeah!” At some point, Aang had stripped of his monk’s jumpsuit into just his underthings. “Don’t start without me, boy!”

“Remember why we’re here, Aang,” Katara said.

He stopped, cheeks turning red. “Oh, right.” He pulled the jumpsuit back up.

“Great.” Sokka crossed his arms. “And what am I supposed to do?”

“Uhh… “Aang picked up a random branch on the ground. “You could clean the gunk out of Appa’s toes?”

Sokka gave the branch a disgusted look. “So, while you guys are playing in the water, I’m supposed to be hard at work picking mud out of a giant bison’s feet?”

“Mud and bugs,” Aang said with a nod.

Sokka shrugged. “Okay.” Not like he had anything better to do. He strode past Lee on his way to Appa. “And what are you going to do?”

Lee shrugged. “Watch, I guess. It’s been years since I’ve seen any other waterbenders.”

“Okay.” Sokka stopped. “Wait, you’ve seen other waterbenders?”

“It’s a big world, Sokka.”

And that was all he gave him.

From his place on Appa’s stomach, he heard Katara begin. “This is a pretty basic move, but it still took me months to perfect.” She spread her feet out shoulder width apart, then moved her arounds around in a circular motion. “Don’t be frustrated if you don’t get it right away.”

Aang nodded, a dreamy look in his eyes.

“Just push and pull the water.” She stepped toward it. “Like this.” She moved her arms forward, and the water moved forward. She moved it back, and the water pulled back to her. “The key is getting the wrist movement right.”

Aang sprang to his feet. “Like this?” His movements were a little more exaggerated than Katara’s.

“That’s right,” Katara said. “I’m sure if you keep practicing, you’ll get it- “

“Hey!” The water began to move to Aang’s will. “I’m bending it already!”

“Uh, wow. I can’t believe you got that so quickly.” She turned to the water. “It took me two months to learn that move.”

“Well, you had to figure it out all on your own. I’m lucky enough to have a great teacher.”

She smiled at him. “Thanks.”

“So, what’s next?”

“This is a more difficult move. I call it ‘streaming the water.’” Katara raised both hands outward, and a stream of water rose from the river, then came toward her. “It’s harder than it looks, so don’t be disappointed if- “

She looked over to where Aang had already mastered it.

Her face fell, and the water dropped back into the river.

Aang let his go. “What’s next?”

“Well, I kind of know this one other move, but it’s pretty hard. I haven’t even totally figured it out yet.” She turned back to the water. “The idea is to create a big, powerful wave.” She swooped her arms down-

“Like you tried to throw at Lee?”

“Not the point, Aang!”

“Oh. Sorry.”

Katara redid the stanch. In the river, a mass of water began rising up. Sokka glanced back to see Katara’s arms shaking, her face screwed up in concentration.

After several moments, the water fell.

“So, like this?” Aang’s arm swooped downward, and a massive tidal wave emerged from the water. It began to curve downward, and Sokka realized a moment too late that it was going to splash him. And it did.

It knocked Sokka of Appa’s stomach, completely dunking him in the water. He reemerged somewhere far from Appa, disgruntled. He could hear Lee laughing somewhere else.

“What else you got?” Aang asked brightly.

“That’s enough practicing for today,” Katara responded stiffly.

“Yeah, I’ll say!” He glanced down to where several small items were floating away. “You just practiced all our stuff down the river.”

“Oh, sorry! Maybe we can find somewhere to replace all this stuff!”

Sokka muttered a curse under his breath. Lee hurried around to help haul him out of the river. “My life was hard enough when you were just an airbender.”

They found a small port town with several trading outposts. However, from what Sokka could tell, there were several… unsavory figures in the place. He glimpsed a man holding another by the collar in the air while the other begged for him to put him down. There was another man with armor over one shoulder, a metal eye patch covering his right eye. Another two with weapons strapped to their backs. One man stood on the counter of a stall, shaking a blue bag in his hand. “Who’s brave enough to look into this bag?!” he said with grandeur. A group of onlookers cringed away from it as the bag hissed. Sokka shared their sentiment.

Aang, on the other hand, looked excitedly at it. His footsteps started to trail toward it, but Lee grabbed his arm and steered him back to the group.

“We should split up to cover more ground,” Sokka said loudly, drawing the rest of the group’s attention to him. He dug his hand into the only bag they had managed to save, the money bag. “Aang, Katara, you head that way- “he pointed to the right, farther into the town, then listed the items they needed to try to find” -and we go the other way. Meet back here in about an hour.”

And so, they set off.

As Sokka and Lee set off toward the docks, Sokka searched for something to say to the other guy. They hadn’t exchanged many words since the incident, mainly just “yes” and “no” when something needed to be moved or packed or when they needed to land and find a place to camp. Well, they had never said much to each other before then. The memory of Lee drawing the knife of him was burned into Sokka’s brain. It instilled a sense of fear, but also wonder. It had happened so fast, and Sokka was still trying to figure out where the knife had come from.

He shook his head. That wasn’t the point. Maybe, if he worked up the balls to make amends with the guy, he could ask Lee to show him how he did it. Although, judging by how Sokka had been the one to out him as a firebender, he highly doubted those amends would ever actually happen.

He glanced at Lee, the words to apologize on the tip of his tongue. When he thought he looked back over at him, Sokka swallowed them quickly. He couldn’t do this. The guy was absolutely terrifying.

But Lee didn’t seem to upset or cool with him. At least not like he was with Katara. Which granted how Katara had treated him since the incident, he couldn’t blame Lee. Katara could be utterly ruthless, vicious, and petty with her arguments. He had gotten into an argument with her once, and she only spoke to him in passive-aggressive jabs and insults for at least three months. She had only stopped with Gran-Gran intervened, forced her to apologize to Sokka. He still heard the acidity in her tone.

Lee didn’t seem to hold hostility for him, even after Sokka had called him an ashmaker. The little exchange they had shared near at the temple… Sokka could almost believe they’d been friends for years. He wanted to be friends with him. Even though he was a firebender, he didn’t seem like a bad person. Lee had only drawn his weapons on them, only flipped Sokka over his shoulder so fast Sokka hadn’t registered it until he was on the ground, because they threatened him. When Zhao tried to grab him and Katara, Lee had protected them, for Tui and La’s sake.

And how had they repaid him? Threatening to leave him on an island to die.

Yet, he had still agreed to teach Aang firebending. Had even started with a few little forms, or “katas”, as he had called them. Even after what they had did. If Sokka had been in his position, he most certainly would not have done it.

He told himself over and over again that Lee was not angry with him. Although he didn’t truly believe, he still worked up the courage to say the most impactful word he had ever said.

“So.”

Lee glanced over. “So.”

“Nice little town.”

“Yeah,” Lee said slowly as they passed a woman jabbing at another guy with a dagger. “Lovely.”

Sokka swallowed. Yeah, maybe this wasn’t the best place to be for long. Luckily, he spotted a small shop.

“Hey.” Sokka pointed to it. “We need some stuff from there.”

When they approached and told the owner what they needed, she had haggled them, trying to raise the price to an absurd amount of money. They didn’t have much left of the money that King Bumi gave them, so they were going to have to use it wisely. And paying ten gold pieces of the item was definitely not that.

The shopkeeper, however, seemed to know their exact situation. She kept using tricks and loopholes in her words to try and get Sokka to turn over all their money. They had been there or an embarrassing amount of time before Lee finally stepped forward and said they were going to pay the original price for the item. It was that strange commanding tone Sokka had heard him use, the one he had used on them when they questioned too much about his past. The one he had used on the old general at the temple.

Which, speaking of…

The shopkeeper, slightly confused, handed over the item they needed and took the original price. Sokka stuffed it in his bag, and they headed off to find the next item.

Sokka sent up a prayer to whoever was listening before he asked the question: “Did you know that old guy?”

“Which one? There have been several.”

“The one at the temple. The general what’s-his-name.”

Lee stiffened. “Iroh. General Iroh.”

“So, you do know him?”

“Everyone knows him. General Iroh, Dragon of the West. Does that not ring a bell?”

Sokka shook his head. “Vaguely, but I’m not sure.”

“Six-hundred-day siege of Ba Sing Se? Surely, you’ve heard of that.”

Sokka racked his brain. “Yyyeesss,” he finally answered. “Yes! I have heard of that! I remember when my dad first got word of it. Katara and I begged him to tell us more, but he wouldn’t. It wasn’t until after he left that we finally learned more about it.”

“Your dad left? Where?”

“To fight in the war. Like everyone else. You didn’t answer my question. Do you know him?”

Lee shrugged. “Well, I know him. Not really, I know of him, but I do know him, but- “he shook his head. “It’s complicated.”

“How do you know him, but know of him?” It didn’t make any sense to Sokka, but he wanted answers.

“Well… I maybe sort of kind of broke onto his ship about a year-and-a-half ago.”

Sokka stopped abruptly. “You what?”

“Broke onto his ship. Did you not hear what I just said?”

“Yes,” Sokka said defensively. “Why would you do such a thing?”

Lee shrugged again. “There was something I wanted, and I could get it from a Fire Navy ship.”

“Are you sure you couldn’t have gotten it from anywhere else?”

“No. It was something only he had.” Lee crossed his arms. “If you want specifics, his quarters were the ones I broke into.”

Sokka held up a hand. “Look, the fact that you broke into a Fire Navy ship and didn’t die is awesome notwithstanding, why- “Sokka searched for the right words to say but couldn’t find them.

“Doesn’t matter why because Zhao caught me.” Lee sighed. “I never got what I wanted.”

Sokka shook his head. “Again, besides the fact that that is complete awesome, stealing is wrong.”

“They’re Fire Nation,” Lee responded. “They’ve stolen the world from everyone else.”

Sokka was about to bring up that Lee was a firebender as well, but he kept his mouth shut. Lee was unlike what Sokka expected someone from the Fire Nation to be.

Lee motioned with his head to marketplace. “Well, let’s get going. The hour’s wasting away, and we still have stuff to get. I don’t feel like getting yelled at again by Katara.”

An hour later, they met Katara and Aang, who were both waiting by an empty market stall. They had their stuff, but only a single copper piece remaining.

Sokka dug his money bag out of his pocket and peered inside. Two copper pieces “We’ve got exactly three copper pieces left,” he reported, glancing up. “We’ve really got to spend it wisely.”

“Uh,” Aang said sheepishly, clasping his hands behind his back, “make that two copper pieces Sokka. I couldn’t say no to this whistle.” He held up a whistle shaped like Appa and blew into it.

No sound came out by a hissing of air, but Momo pinned his ears back.

Sokka raised an eyebrow. “It doesn’t even work.”

Momo let out an agitated squeal and batted the back of Aang’s head, then flew over and landed on Lee’s shoulders, hissing at it.

“See?” Sokka motioned to the lemur. “Even Momo thinks it’s a piece of junk.”

Katara nodded. “No offense, Aang, but I’ll hold the money from now on.”

With a sigh, he pulled the two copper pieces from his pocket and relented them to her.

“Let’s try up by the docks,” Sokka suggested. “We might find something interesting there.”

When they arrived up by the docks, there were several ships. The one that grabbed Sokka’s attention though was the largest one, with huge red sails. A man stood at the end of the gangplank, shouting, “Earth Nation! Fire Nation! Water Nation! So long as bargains are your inclination, you’re welcome here!” His voice had the flair of a salesperson. “Don’t be shy! Come on by!”

Sokka had been intent on ignoring him, but the man called. “Oh, you there!” He ran up to them. Up close, Sokka could see the pink lipstick applied on. “I can see from your clothing that you’re world traveling types. Perhaps I can interest you in some exotic curios?” He winked.

Aang --- sweet, innocent, naïve, moronic Aang --- stopped. “Sure! What are curios?”

The man blinked, dumbfounded. “I’m not entirely sure, but we’ve got ‘em!” He wrapped an arm around Aang’s shoulder and directed them into the ship.

Both sides of the cargo back were filled with items, some of which Sokka had never seen in his life. They looked to be from all around the world, as the man suggested. Aang was currently interested in small circular item. Katara narrowed her eyes at a terrifying monkey statue that had red rubies for eyes and teeth.

“I don’t like this place,” Lee mumbled, coming up beside Sokka. He was just examining what looked like a stained-glass window.

“Yeah. Something’s not right.” He picked up a knife, one that looked as though it had been made in one of the Water Tribes. “We’re in the Earth Kingdom. Where would they have even gotten something like this?”

“I’ve never seen such a fine specimen of lemur,” a new voice, a man’s voice, said.

Sokka’s attention whipped around to a dark doorway. A man stepped out from it. He wore a wide-brimmed hat and carried a strange green parrot hybrid on his shoulder that reminded Sokka of a dinosaur. “That beast would make me a lot of money if you would be interested in bartering.”

The parrot-dinosaur let out a screech.

Momo let out a hiss, then ducked into Aang’s arms. The Avatar gripped him tightly. “Momo’s not for sale.”

“Aang!” Katara interrupted. “Look at this!”

Throwing the newcomer a suspicious look, Aang hurried over to Katara. She had a scroll pulled out. When Sokka glanced over her shoulder at the drawings, he saw they were waterbending forms. “It’s a waterbending scroll! Check out these crazy moves!”

“Where did you get a waterbending scroll?” Aang asked the man.

The hat man snatched the scroll from Katara’s hands and promptly rolled it back up. “Let’s just say I got it up north at a most reasonable price --- free.”

Sokka narrowed his eyes. Lee moved from beside him around behind the man. The hilt of a knife fell into his palm.

The man placed the scroll back into a box of other scrolls.

“Wait a minute,” Sokka said slowly, “sea-loving traders with suspiciously acquired merchandise and pet reptile birds… “He wheeled on lipstick man. “You guys are pirates!”

The lipstick man chuckled and threw an arm around Sokka’s shoulders. He did his best to hide his disgust. “We prefer to think of ourselves as high-risk traders.”

“Theft is theft,” Lee said. Sokka gave him a look, and the other guy only matched it. “No matter what it is.”

Sokka rolled his eyes, then ducked out from under the guy’s arm.

Katara glanced at two copper pieces in her hands. “So, how much for the ‘traded scroll?’”

The pirate --- the captain --- shook his head. “I’ve already got a buyer. A nobleman in the Earth Kingdom. Unless, of course, you kids have two hundred gold pieces on you right now.”

Aang straightened his shoulders. “I know how to deal with these guys, Katara. Pirates love to haggle.” He held his hand out.

Hesitantly, Katara handed him the money.

Aang stepped up to the captain’s table. He leaned back against it and looked at the other man over his shoulder. “What say ye to the price of… “Dramatically, he twirled the coin between his fingers, then tossed it into his other hand, holding it up to the pirate captain. “One copper piece?”

“Oh, great Agni,” Lee muttered.

The captain laughed. “The price is two hundred gold pieces. I don’t haggle on items this rare.”

“Okay.” Aang reeled his hand back, then opened it, revealing both. “Two copper pieces?”

“It’s not as amusing the second time, boy,” the captain snarled.

Katara grabbed Aang’s arm. “Let’s just get out of here. I feel like we’re getting weird looks.”

“Aye!” Aang said pirate-like. “We be casting off now!”

“What was that all about?” Sokka asked as they stepped down the gangplank. “I was just starting to brown through their boomerang collection.”

“Oh.” Lee scoffed. “Stealing is wrong, but buying stolen things isn’t?”

“What?” Aang asked.

Sokka ignored him. “This is different,” Sokka argued.

“Getting caught with stolen goods is not different than actually stealing them.”

“What is the likelihood I’m going to see that person?”

“Well- “

“Guys,” Katara said. “I just wanted to leave. I’ll feel a lot better once we get away from here.”

And at that moment, Sokka understood why.

“Hey you!” someone shouted from the ship. “Get back here!”

“Well, well.” Aang turned slowly, a smug expression on his face. “Look who’s finally come to their sense. I guess that haggling paid off.”

There was a cry of war, and several pirates leaped off the ship and onto the port, weapons out and ready.

“There they are!” one yelled.

“Get ‘em!” another sneered.

“You’re not going anywhere!” a third piped up.

A fourth laughed.

“When you’re done talking,” Lee said. He had two knives in his hands.

“I don’t think they’re here to trade with us,” Katara said.

“Really?” Lee turned to glare at her.

Realization came into Katara’s eyes, but Sokka thought he imagined it as they took off into the town.

“You little- “but they didn’t hear the pirate finish his sentence.

There was a group of them hot on their tail, but not as many that had jumped off the ship. Sokka didn’t wanted to think of where the rest of them went. They turned a corner, and Katara waved her arms upward. A stream of water rose, then hit the ground, turning into a puddle of ice. One of the pirates slipped it in, sliding into a pile of buckets, but the others leaped over.

They sprinted down the next street. A man stood in the center with a cart of cabbages. Sokka, Katara, and Lee narrowly dodged around it. Aang leaped straight through the cart, over the cabbages, then swung his staff backward, blowing a gust of wind that shot the cabbage cart backward and into the three pirates chasing them.

“My cabbages!” the vendor wailed in despair.

They turned another corner. The other pirates suddenly appeared in front of them, one of them giving a maniacal, “Aha!”

They skidded to a halt, then spun and ran the other way.

“I hope that lemur of yours has nine lives!” one of them called.

They turned another corner into a dead end.

Katara, Sokka, and Aang spun around. The other three pirates had them cornered.

And then Sokka realized Lee wasn’t there.

And that was just lovely.

The lipstick man stepped forward. Noting the panicked look on their faces, he laughed. “Now, who gets to taste the steel of my blades first?” He gave them a dramatic flourish.

“Uh… no thanks?” Aang responded.

The man laughed again, but it was cut short when someone threw themselves off a nearby building onto the back of lipstick man. He crumbled under the weight of the other person. The other two hesitated a moment before jumping into action.

One of them grabbed the person from the back, pinning his arms to his sides. He kicked the other pirate in the face, throwing the one holding his back. A sickening CRACK rang through the air. The other pirate screeched and dropped his weapons, hand clutching his nose as blood rushed out of it.

The one holding him stumbled, and he drove his head backward into his skull. The other pirate let out a grunt of pain that was quickly cut off as his attacker slammed an elbow back into his temple. He dropped limply to the ground.

The other pirate, still holding a hand to his broken and bleeding nose, made a grab for his weapon. The attacker slammed the hilt of a knife into his temple, and he too dropped unconscious.

Sokka gaped, eyes wide, then crossed his arms as the shock wore off. “You just had to drop in right now, didn’t you?”

Lee shrugged. “Rescues are just more fun this way.” He tossed his knife into the air, flourishing it. “You know?”

Sokka gave him a dismissive look, then shrugged. “Must be.”

Katara muttered something that sounded like “show-off” under her breath.

“You know,” Aang said when they made it back to camp, plopping down to the ground by a rock, “I kinda used to look up to pirates, but those guys are terrible.”

“I just don’t understand why they were chasing us.” Sokka dropped the bag of stuff off his shoulder. “It’s not like we didn’t take anything.”

Lee gave a meaningful look at Sokka, crossed his arms, then turned that look to Katara.

Sokka also turned to look at her. “It’s not like we didn’t take anything, right?”

Katara blushed. “Well, I- I- uh- maybe- “She thrust a very familiar waterbending scroll out from behind her back.

“No way!” Aang said, leaping to his feet.

“Isn’t it great?” Katara asked.

Lee scoffed. “Oh, yes. Getting chased down and nearly murdered by pirates is so great.”

“You stole their waterbending scroll?” Sokka’s voice cracked on the word “stole.”

Katara crossed her arms. “I prefer to think of it as ‘high-risk trading.’”

Aang laughed nervously.

“Sokka,” Katara began, “where do you think they got it? They stole it from a waterbender!”

Tui and La, she was doing that whiny little sister voice. “It doesn’t matter. You put all of our lives in danger just so you could learn some stupid, fancy splashes!”

“These are real waterbending forms!” She shook the scroll at him.

“And?” Lee stepped forward. “Is it really worth your life?”

“We aren’t dead!”

“Not yet! You don’t know pirates. They’re nothing like the Fire Nation. They’ll hunt you down all over the world.”

“Newsflash, we’re already being hunted!” Katara threw her arms out in frustration.

Lee let out a harsh laugh. “Yes. Logically, we should just add more hunters! Why the hell not!”

“Sokka, you know how crucial it is for Aang to learn waterbending!”

“Crucial for Aang?” Lee said skeptically.

The aforementioned Aang simply raised his hands in surrender.

Sokka sighed. “Whatever.” He spun and walked off. He was done dealing with her for now.

“I just want to try this one move first, and then it’s all yours.” Katara had spread the scroll out on a rock. She was pointing to the third one of the four. It was something called the Water Whip. “Here, hold it open for me.” She handed it to Aang.

Sokka sat on a rock, Lee standing beside him, arms crossed, a thoughtful expression on his face. Sokka had only reemerged to see what happened when Katara actually tried to waterbend properly.

He held it up, and she stepped back toward the water. She pulled a stream from the river, then turned, swinging her arms to the side, then made a flicking motion with her wrist. Instead of going outward as Sokka assumed it would, it came back around and smacked her in the head.

He couldn’t help but laugh.

“What’s so funny?” she snapped at him.

“I’m sorry, but you kind of deserved that,” he said. “You’ve been duped.” He turned to Aang. “She’s only interested in teaching herself.”

“Aang will get his turn once I figure out the Water Whip!” She redid the movements, only for it to go and smack poor Momo on the butt.

He let out an angry screech.

“Why can’t I get this stupid move?!” Katara stamped her foot.

“You’ll get it,” Aang said supportively, placing the scroll down. He moved away from her to try to the move himself. Katara watched him like a hawk.

Aang pulled a stream of water from the river. “You’ve just gotta shift your weight through the stances.” He shifted from his front foot, to his back, then his front, thrusting his arm out. The stream extended, cracking like a whip. “There, see? The key to bending is- “

Katara stormed up behind him. “Will you please shut your air hole?! Believe it or not, your infinite wisdom gets a little old sometimes! Why don’t we just throw the scroll away since you’re sooo naturally gifted?!”

Sokka and Lee both gave her questioning looks.

“What?” she snapped. When she turned back to Aang, the kid’s eyes were starting to tear, his bottom lip quivering.

Katara gasped. “Oh, Aang. I am so sorry. I don’t know what came over me, but it won’t happen again.” She took a step toward him.

And, to Sokka’s great shock, Aang stepped back.

A flash of hurt crossed Katara’s face. Instead of pursuing him, she turned back to the scroll and rolled it up. “Here, this is yours.” She held it out to him. “I don’t want to have anything to do with it anymore.”

Hesitantly, he took it. “It’s- it’s okay, Katara.”

Sokka scoffed. “What about Momo?” He motioned to the lemur. Momo was currently rubbing his backside. “He’s the real victim here.”

Katara knelt down and placed a gentle hand on Momo’s head. “I’m sorry, Momo.”

The lemur chittered in response.

“Aaannd, what about me?” Sokka pointed to himself. “There was that time you- “

“No more apologies!” Katara snapped. Sokka jumped, and Momo scampered off. She got to her feet, then stormed off somewhere in the woods.

Lee leaned closer to Sokka’s ear. “Is she always this bitchy?”

***

She waited until everyone was asleep. It wasn’t long before she heard the steady breaths of both Sokka and Aang. She couldn’t tell if Lee was really asleep, but he seemed to be dozing against the tree. He had stopped twirling the knife between his fingers --- a habit that was really starting to get on her nerves --- so she took that as a sign.

Katara slowly pulled herself out of her sleeping bag, then reached into Sokka’s bag. The waterbending scroll was just sitting there, begging her to use it.

Slowly, she peeled it out, then headed back for the river.

‘Crucial for Aang?’ Lee’s voice rang through her head. So what if she wanted to learn waterbending as well? She was a waterbender, after all, the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe. Katara had never had a proper teacher, only used techniques that she had made up herself or that Gran-Gran had remembered from the days when there were waterbenders. Katara’s techniques were not refined at all, and Gran-Gran had trouble describing to her what she remembered. Yes, it was crucial for Aang, but it was crucial for Katara as well. They needed another bender on the group-

She stopped herself. They did have another bender in the group. But after being out as a firebender, she hadn’t seen Lee use his firebender at all. He had taught Aang some basic firebending katas (which Katara strongly disapproved of, but what was she going to do about it?), but she had never actually seen him bend in the full power of a firebender. She wasn’t sure she wanted to.

It still stood they needed another bender who was willing to bend.

She opened the scroll, quickly read over the Water Whip forms. It wasn’t fair that Aang had picked up everything. She knew more about waterbending, having grown up knowing she was one. She should have mastered it first.

Katara was going to master it if it was the last thing she did.

And after every failed attempt, it might as well have been.

No matter what she did, the water refused to cooperate. It smacked her in the face several times, broke several rocks, hit a tree twenty feet away from her intended target, fell limply back into the river. And she was getting completely fed up with it.

It took everything in her not to scream.

“Come on, water!” she shouted. “Work with me here!” She stepped back, then tried something different. “Ok, what if I- ow!” It slapped her in the face.

She swore at it, then took a two-minute breather. “You just want to mock me, don’t you?” Katara shouted at the water, hands on her hips. “You’ve always done what I say, but then Aang comes along and ‘Oh, we like him instead!’ Well, guess what?! It’s not funny!”

“No, it’s not.”

Katara let out a shriek, heart leaping in her chest. She spun.

Lee was standing behind her, arms crossed, an amused expression on his face. “But it is really entertaining watch you scream at it.”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, ha ha. Watching me suffer must be a favorite past time of yours.”

He tilted his head. “Katara, what have I ever done to you?”

“You’re an ash- a firebender. Isn’t that enough?”

“Prejudice. It never goes away, does it?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Lee sighed. “There’s always someone being hated on, isn’t there. Sometimes it’s the Fire Nation, sometimes it’s the Water Tribe, sometimes the Earth Kingdom, sometimes benders or non-benders. Someone’s always done something wrong and deserves the hate.”

“I’m not prejudiced against you.” Katara turned away from him.

“Then what are you? Because that’s what it seems like to me.”

“I’m- I- “She let out a frustrated huff. “I don’t know! Just leave me alone! I’m busy.” She went to try it again, but the water splashed back into the river.

“Why can’t I do this!” she shouted.

“You know.” Lee stepped up beside her. “Aang was right. You’re not shifting your weight through the stances.”

“And what would you know about waterbending?” She turned to him. Up close, she noticed his gold eye had a ring of navy blue around the iris.

“I would happen to know a lot,” he responded.

She crossed her arms. “How?”

“Let’s just say I have a history with waterbending.” He moved to try the form on his own. “It’s just like fighting. Shifting your weight from foot to foot can be extremely helpful. It can help you learn to maintain balance.” He moved his arms up, mimicking the movement to draw a stream from the river. “Or it can help give you more power.” He turned, swinging his arms back. “Or it simply helps you improve your skills.” He flicked his arms forward. “Maybe you should just work on the stance first, then add the water.”

She crossed her arms and glared at him. At first, Katara didn’t want to accept his advice, but the more she thought about it, the better it seemed. “Fine.” She ran through the form.

“No, that’s the same way you’ve been doing it.” He stepped toward her. “If you keep doing it wrong, you’ll never get it.”

“Incredible observation, detective.” She moved into the stance.

“Look.” Lee gently grabbed her wrists.

Katara drove her back into him, shoving him off.

He held his hands up in surrender. “Do you want to learn this move or not?”

“You don’t have to get near me,” she growled.

“Look, you’re obviously not understanding how this move works. Unless you’d like to go right back to your sleeping bag like a whiny little bitch, I highly suggest you let me help you.”

She wheeled on him. “Don’t you dare call me that, you ash- “She cut off.

“You what?” It was a challenge. “Go on ahead. Finish the sentence, Katara. I’m a what?”

Katara glared at him. “Sokka asked me not to say it.”

“And you actually listened to him?” Lee scoffed in disbelief. “My sister never would have done that.”

“You have a sister?”

“I used to.”

“What happened to her?” Katara couldn’t help but be intrigued.

“Not the point. Do you want to learn this or not?”

Begrudgingly, she nodded.

Lee stepped up behind her and grabbed her wrists, his chest to her back. Katara couldn’t help the blush that spread over her cheeks. She had no attraction to him, but it was still the closest she had ever been to a guy that wasn’t Sokka. She noticed that his hands were warm against his wrists, much warmer than a normal person’s.

He lifted her arms up. “Shift your weight forward.” Lee leaned onto his front foot, and she followed. “Then back.” She twisted around. “Then forward again.” With the flicking motion, he shifted her weight forward again. “That make sense?”

She nodded.

Lee dropped her arms. Katara noticed her wrists were cold where his hands had been.

He stepped back. “Try it.”

And she did so.

He nodded. “I think you’ve got it. Are you good to continue on your own?”

“Yes.”

He nodded again, then turned back to the woods. She almost thanked him but couldn’t find the words to.

It wasn’t long after he left that she heard the brush moving.

Katara froze. “Hello?” she called. “Aang? Sokka? Is that you?” She peered through the brush where the noise had come from.

Behind, she saw all too-familiar Fire Navy ships.

Panic rose in her throat. She turned to run back to camp-

Only to be stopped a huge man. He grabbed her.

“Let me go!” she shrieked, thrashing against him. Katara swung a wave of water into his face. His hands slipped from her, and she sprinted away.

And yet, she was stopped again. She skidded to a halt, then stumbled back to prevent from crashing into someone.

When Katara glanced up, she saw it was the old general from the temple. General Iroh, if she recalled correctly.

She scrabbled on the ground to escape him.

General Iroh held his hands up in surrender. “Wait, young lady. I just want to ta- “

He was interrupted when someone grabbed Katara from behind, clapping a hand over her mouth.

“Tie her up!” a new voice said. Dread pooled in her stomach. It was the pirate captain. Whoever was holding her dragged her over to a small tree.

“No,” the general argued. “You will not do that. I just need to talk to her.”

“If we don’t tie her up, she’ll escape, old man,” the captain snarled. “That girl is a waterbender.”

The general’s eye widened. “Really?” He looked at her. “A waterbender?”

She glared him. Katara was shoved against a tree, her hands yanked around behind her back and tightly tied together.

The pirates stepped back, and the general stepped forward.

“What do you want from me?” she hissed at him.

“I just want to talk,” he said softly. “I want to know where the Avatar is.”

Katara laughed. “Oh, like I’ll just tell you where he is? So, what, you can turn him over to Zhao? That’s hilarious.”

General Iroh gave her a solemn look. He then motioned to the pirate captain. “Leave us.”

The captain shook his head. “Oh, I don’t think so, old man. You promised us the waterbending scroll!”

“Oh, this?” The general produced it from nowhere. Katara’s blood boiled at the thought of him holding it. “I’m afraid I can’t hand it over to you until I have the Avatar.”

The captain glared at Katara. “Then, we’ll just find him ourselves. Search the woods!”

The pirates dispersed into the woods.

“Wait!” the general demanded. Unsurprisingly, none of the pirates listened.

The captain stepped in front of the general. “Don’t even think about it.” He stormed off.

The general threw him a dirty look before turning back to Katara. “I am sorry. I didn’t know he would do this.”

Katara rolled her eyes. He was a pirate. Backstabbing was in his nature.

“Now that the captain is busy,” he continued, “could you tell me where the Avatar is?”

“The answer hasn’t changed,” she snapped. “No.”

“Please.” She caught a hint of desperation in the general’s voice. “If I find him, I do not intend on turning him over to Zhao. I- I need him.”

“For what?”

“I cannot explain it. I just need to find him.” He sounded sincere, but Katara was not going to take any chances.

Just as the sun began to rise, the other pirates returned with Aang and Sokka in tow. Lee was nowhere to be seen, but Katara wasn’t entirely surprised. He made no sound when he moved and had already proved to be a worthy opponent. There was probably some poor soul with a knife sticking out of his shoulder somewhere in the woods.

The pirates formed a wall behind Aang and Sokka. Sokka was struggling with the binds on his wrists. Aang had been bound around his wrist and arms to prevent him from bending. His eyes had been on Katara the whole time.

“Aang,” she called, “this is my fault.”

“No, Katara,” he insisted. “It isn’t.”

“Yeah, it kind of is,” the general said. Katara restrained a glare.

General Iroh stepped forward, holding the scroll out. “The Avatar.” He motioned with his head.

The pirates started to force Aang forward.

“Wait,” Sokka began, “you’re really going to turn over the Avatar for a piece of parchment?”

The pirates froze.

“Captain,” Iroh warned, “we had a deal.”

“I’ll bet the Avatar will fetch a lot more on the black market than that fancy scroll,” Sokka continued, a smug look on his face.

“Young man!” General Iroh held out a hand. “I suggest you stop.”

“Yeah, Sokka,” Aang urged. “Stop. Please.”

Sokka shrugged. “I’m just saying. It wouldn’t be an entirely fair trade. Just imagine how much the Fire Lord would pay for the Avatar.”

“He’s not wrong.”

Katara jumped again as Lee was suddenly beside her.

A few of the pirates moved toward him, but the captain held out a hand.

“Two hundred gold pieces for the scroll?” Lee stepped up by the tree and leaned his shoulder against it. “Imagine how many pieces the Fire Lord has.”

There was a hungry, greedy look in the pirates’ eyes. It was much like that of Sokka’s when he saw meet.

“You guys would be set for life,” Sokka reinforced.

It was a moment before the pirate captain responded. “Keep your scroll,” he said to the general.

But General Iroh was not paying attention to the captain. His eyes were turned on Lee, and Katara swore she saw a moment of recognition. But as soon as it was there, it was gone.

“We can get a hundred scrolls for the price of the kid,” the captain said. The pirates grabbed both Sokka and Aang, and oh no, that’s not how she expected the plan to go.

She felt a small pressure on the rope on her hands. Katara pulled her hands against it. “Don’t. Panic,” Lee whispered.

“Captain!” the general said. “You do not want to break a deal with me!”

The captain laughed. “And what will you do, O Great Dragon of the West?” The pirates all laughed.

Then, the world around them exploded into a cloud of dust.

The ropes around her hands were sliced, and she yanked her arms from around the tree.

The general wheeled, dropping the scroll.

Lee shoved a knife into her hands, then spun to face General Iroh.

Once again, the general looked at him as if he recognized him.

“Lee?” Katara asked.

He waved her off. “Free them before they hurt themselves.”

She took a few hesitant steps back. Katara had seen Lee deal with the general once before, but she hadn’t quite understood how he had gotten him to back off.

The general opened his mouth to say something.

“Go.” Lee said. The command rang through the air.

The general started backing away just as Lee did. Katara, frozen in place, did not move as he bumped into her.

“Go,” he said again.

And the general calmly turned and walked away.

Katara nearly dropped the knife in shock. “What did you do?”

“Not important.” He hurried toward the cloud of dust.

She still had questions in her mind, but Katara had no choice but to follow him.

They stopped at the edge of the dust cloud. There was the sounds of grunts and shouts, weapons clashing.

“If we go in there, we’re likely to get killed as well,” Katara said. “You have a plan?”

Lee shrugged. “Yell for them?”

It was a terrible plan, but the only one they had. So, they yelled for them.

“Aang!” Katara called. “Sokka!”

“Where are you, Katara?” Aang finally responded.

“The edge of the cloud! Just follow the sound of my voice!”

Eventually, both Aang and Sokka sprang out of the dust cloud. Their bonds had been cut.

They stepped away from the cloud. “There’s no way we’ll be able to make it to Appa in time,” Sokka said. “They’ll realize we’re gone.”

“Then I guess it’s time to put this to good use!” Aang pulled the bison whistle from his pocket, then blew. Once again, no sound came out.

They waited several moments, and nothing happened. By that time, the dust had cleared. The pirates had realized they were fighting themselves and turned to the four of them.

Lee had drawn his swords. Katara water from the river.

Aang blew the whistle again.

“Have you lost your mind?!” Sokka shrieked. “This is no time for flute practice!”

Aang blew several more times on the whistle in a panic.

The pirates were advancing-

Then, Appa’s familiar rumble sounded in the air. They all looked up as the sky bison soared through the air toward them.

Katara took advantage of the pirates’ distraction, then flung a water whip at them. It released a CRACK as it snapped taut. It slapped them all back.

“Well,” Sokka commented as they mounted Appa. “That worked.”

“I knew my bison whistle would come in handy.” Aang held it up for them all to see. “Thanks, Appa.”

“Yeah,” Sokka added, “we owe you one.”

Appa rumbled his response.

“Aang,” Katara interrupted, all eyes turning to her. “I still owe you an apology. You were just so good at waterbending without really trying. I got so competitive that I put us all in danger. I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay, Katara,” Aang responded brightly.

“Besides,” Katara said, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice, “who needs that stupid scroll anyway?”

“All that just happened, and that’s how you really feel about it?” Katara looked up to see Lee holding the scroll.

Her heart leaped. “You got it!” She reached for it-

Sokka scooted in between them. “First, what did you learn?”

“Stealing is wrong?”

Sokka nodded, then leaned back. Katara took the scroll from Lee’s hand.

“Unless it’s from pirates,” she finished.

Sokka gave her a skeptical look while Aang simply laughed.

Katara looked to Lee. She wanted to thank him, but once again, wasn’t sure if she could.

Instead, he simply responded, “You shifted your weight.”

And that was all she needed.

“So,” Aang began, “what was the debate about stealing you two were having earlier?”

A giddy look came over Sokka’s face, and he sprang into a rather interesting story about Lee, a Fire Nation ship, and a theft.

Chapter Text

Three Years Ago

The boy jolted awake.

Sokha had been busy reorganizing her supply table. No matter what she did, she was never happy with it and constantly moved things around, put supplies underneath, then on top, then to the side, and oh, who was she kidding, it was never going to be perfect. That didn’t stop her from trying to make it so.

It was the second day after she found the boy on the docks. She --- the Painted Lady, by the spirits, was real --- had brought him to her. She had wanted Sokha to care for him, or at least Sokha had assumed. She was the village doctor, after all.

Sokha had brought him to the back room of her hut, laid him on a cot pressed up against the wall with a window over it. She had seen several patients throughout the day --- someone in the village always, always had an ailment --- and had wanted to keep the kid more or less a secret. Jang Hui was a small, tight-knit village. Kids didn’t just randomly show up on the docks in the middle of the night. If the other townspeople were to find out about it, well… it wouldn’t end well. The village council would be all up in arms about a security threat or whatever (probably something that didn’t make sense, but they were the village council, so it made perfect sense to them), the old ladies of the village would gossip about it, and the kids would do their best to get a glimpse of him. Overall, it would just be a hinderance to Sokha’s work, and she didn’t want to put the stress onto the kid.

When she heard him jolt awake, Sokha dropped the bowl she was holding. She hadn’t expected him to wake so soon, especially considering the horrible fever that had plagued him. Since last night, when she assumed the Painted Lady had visited, it had retreated considerable, but his skin was still too warm. Whatever was causing that she couldn’t fix.

The kid was breathing hard, shoulders heaving with every big breath. Sokha shook herself and found her wits, moving over to the boy. She reached out to lay a hand on his unscarred shoulder.

He scrambled back from her, pushing back against the corner of the cot, the corner of the back room. “Don’t touch me!” He curled in on himself, face buried between his knees, hands over his ears.

Sokha froze. “It’s okay,” she said softly. “You’re okay.”

That had no effect. If anything, it only made it worse. He curled in on himself more, if that was even possible.

Sokha squatted next to the cot, as close as she dared to get to him. “You’ll be okay. I’m a doctor. I want to help you.”

His head rose just a bit. She could barely make out his eyes. “Where am I?”

“I- “

“Please. Just tell me where I am.”

“Jang Hui.”

Suspicion filled his eyes. “I’ve never heard of that place.”

“Well, I wouldn’t expect it. We’re just a small river village somewhere on the edge of the Fire Nation.”

He drew in a sharp breath. “Edge- edge of the Fire Nation?”

She nodded.

The kid began to unfurl. It was slow, almost agonizing, for her to watch. When she could finally see his face, she noted his left eye was milky-white. He probably couldn’t see out of it anymore. Although, judging by the scar trailing down the left half of him, that side of him probably didn’t even work properly. “And… you’re a doctor?”

Sokha nodded again. “I found you on the docks two nights ago. The Painted Lady brought you to me.”

“The… the Painted Lady?”

“She’s our village spirit.”

He didn’t respond, just dropped his eyes from her.

Sokha moved to sit on the cot. When she saw the boy flinch, she slowed, making sure he was able to see her every movement. “You had several injuries on you. I did what I could to heal most of them, but I have to give credit to the Painted Lady.” She motioned to the places on his arms where there had been cuts and scratches. “She completely removed the scars.”

He kept his eyes away from her but ran a hand over his right arm.

“Neither of us could heal them all, however.” There were still several little burns scars that littered his arms.

The boy sighed. “Those can’t be healed. They’ve been there for years.”

Sokha quickly surveyed the one on his face. “That one looks relatively new. When did you get it?”

“That’s none of your business.”

Sokha sighed. “Actually- “she scooted closer to him, and he pushed himself back into the way” -it is. Neither the Painted Lady nor I could do anything about it.”

“You won’t be able to.”

Well, thanks for the vote of confidence. “How long have you had it?”

He hesitated. “About a month.”

That had to be a lie. “It looks far too healed to only be a month old.”

“Well, I’m telling the truth,” he snapped. “What more do you want from me?”

Well. “What’s your name?”

The kid said nothing.

Sokha restrained an eye roll. “Unless you want me to call you rather rude things, then I highly suggest you tell me what your name is.”

“Go ahead. I’ve been called worse.”

She narrowed her eyes in concern. “By whom?”

“Does it matter?”

Ah, yes. Dodging the question. She had seen it with enough patients, mainly the young boys who would stay out late and do stupid things like try to free-climb the cliffs. But Sokha could work around it.

“You look very young to be out roaming the world on your own. Where are your parents?”

At that, he laughed.

“I don’t see what’s funny.”

“Oh, you wouldn’t get it.”

Sokha crossed her arms. “According to you, there’s a lot I’m not going to get. If I am the one helping you, there are some things I need to know.”

“Like what?”

“Oh, maybe all the questions I asked you.”

“How funny. You’re not getting those answers.”

He may have been her patient, but she was two seconds away from slapping him. She wondered if he backtalked to his parents like this. But neither of them was clearly willing to budge.

So, Sokha changed the subject. “I’m going to get you something to eat.”

“I never said I was hungry.”

“I never asked for your opinion.” She stood off the cot and headed for one of the other rooms in the hut. He had been awake for less than fifteen minutes and he already thought he could challenge her. Oh, he had a storm coming, to think that he could defy the will of a very persistent doctor. She had had stubborn patients in the past. He couldn’t be any different. He would have to tell her eventually.

She thought back to her medical supplies, all strown out over the table. He wouldn’t let her touch him, really even get near him. He probably wouldn’t let her check over him. She hated to wait that long, but she knew she would have to do it while he slept. He didn’t seem to be in any kind of pain or dying at the moment, so maybe it would be acceptable.

Sokha returned five minutes later with a bowl of soup. When she opened the door, the kid had not moved from his original position. However, his head was lifted completely, and he was staring blankly at the opposite corner of the wall.

She watched him for a moment. He didn’t move, barely seemed to be breathing. His eyes did not waver from the wall.

Sokha cleared her throat loudly.

The kid just blinked. “She’s not there anymore.”

Sokha looked to the wall. There was nothing out of the ordinary. “Who?”

“I- “He blinked and shook his head. “No one.”

Sokha just sighed, then sat down on the other end of the cot. She held the bowl out to him.

He gave it a suspicious look.

“I haven’t poisoned it.” She stretched her arm out farther, urging him to take it. And thankfully he did.

He moved from his curled position to sit cross-legged. His hand slowly reached out and took the bowl. He swirled it around with the utensil for a few minutes.

Then, he stopped. “Are you going to keep watching me until I eat this?”

“Oh, am I making you uncomfortable?”

“Very.”

“That’s too bad.” She snapped her fingers and pointed to it. “Eat it. I don’t care if you’re hungry or not. You need the nutrients.”

He said nothing, only continued to stir it around. So this was the game he was going to play. Oh well. She would just be here all day.

“What’s your name?”

“You already asked that, and my answer is the same.”

“You never answered me.”

“Exactly.”

She muttered under her breath. “Look, kid, I can just keep referring to you as ‘kid’ for the rest of the time you’re here, or you can tell me your name. I actually have a few other names in mind like Hiro, Kenji, Little Son of a Bitch, Gensu- “

He chuckled. “That’s what my dad used to call me.”

“Gensu?”

He shook his head. “Little Son of a Bitch, or something to that effect. Among other things.”

Sokha narrowed her eyes. He spoke about it as if it were something every kid experienced, yet Sokha’s father would have had a heart attack at the thought of saying that to her. “Well,” she began slowly, “I’m not really willing to call you that. I mean, unless that’s what you want me to.”

“No. I don’t really want you to.”

“Then, what’s your name?”

“My name is- “he cut off, then set the bowl of soup in front of him. His eyes were narrowed in concentration. “My- my name is- “his look shifted to confusion. “I’m- I’m… “

Alright. That wasn’t normal. She made to place a hand on his shoulder.

He jerked back so hard he knocked the soup cup over.

“Hey!” Sokha said on instinct. “You- “

Her voice died in her throat when she saw the kid’s look. His gold eyes were wide, and he was visibly shaking.

She quickly reeled her hand back. “I’m- I’m sorry. It was an accident, no harm done. It’s just- “Sokha motioned to the soup, then shook her head” -I’ll worry about that in a minute. Right now, I’m worried about you.”

“Why?” His voice was weak.

“Because you can’t seem to remember your own name.” She held up two fingers. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

“There’s- there’s nothing you need to check on.”

“Answer my question, Gensu.”

“Two, and that’s definitely not my name.”

“Well, it’s going to be.”

“There’s nothing wrong with me!” he snapped. “I- I- I’m just a little disoriented, that’s all.”

Sokha held up her hands in surrender. “I understand that you may be. Because of that, I need to make sure you’re alright, that there isn’t any damage I can’t physically see.”

“My head is fine!”

“Sokha?”

She froze. Motioning to the kid to get down, she pushed herself onto her knees, resting her forearms on the windowsill above.

An old man stood just outside. “Who’s that I hear inside?”

Sokha raised an eyebrow. “There’s no one in here but me, Shoe.”

“Shoe?” The old man shook his head. “I’m Dock.” He pointed to the hat on his head. “Can’t you tell me apart from my brother Shoe?”

She shook her head. “No, not really. You guys just look… so much alike.”

“I’m not sure if I should take that as a compliment.”

Sokha shrugged.

“Are you sure there isn’t anyone inside? Maybe like a ghost or a spirit or something?”

She shook her head again. “Nope. Nothing. Done all the usual ghost and spirit checks myself.”

He nodded. “If you ever need any help, just call me!”

“Right!” she responded with false enthusiasm as he tottered off. “I’ll be sure to do that!” Under her breath, she added, “If I ever need someone completely addled.” Five years, she had lived in Jang Hui, and that man --- whatever his real name may be --- completely and utterly befuddled her. Agni knew she couldn’t keep all his personalities straight. The villagers had asked her, but Sokha knew there was no fixing him.

She took in a deep breath, then slid down. “Kid, please let me- “

There was no soup stain on the bed. It was in the cup.

Sokha pointed to it. “What- how did you do that?”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“As far as I’m concerned, there’s no one in the hut. And unless Dock or Shoe or Vendor or whatever his next personality is has some kind of magic I didn’t know of, it had to be you.”

“I told you. I didn’t do anything.” She thought she saw a flash of blue in his eye, but it was gone once she had registered it.

“Right,” she responded skeptically, grabbing the soup cup. Sokha stood from the cot and headed to the doorway. “What happened to you?” She didn’t know what had come over her, but she felt the need to ask it.

The kid took several moments to respond. “I- I don’t know.”

Chapter Text

The redwood forest they were camping in was pretty, Sokka had to admit. After living for so long in a place without tree or anything green, it was truly something to else to finally see the rest of the world, to see the things he had always heard about in stories. There were so many colors to behold, they were practically burning his eyes out.

They had packed up everything, ready to set out for the North Pole again, when Sokka felt as though they were missing something. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“Wait,” Aang said. “Where’s Momo?”

In response, they heard several angry screeches echoing from somewhere else in the wood. It took them a minute to find him, but they did finally locate the lemur. He was trapped in a circular cage that hung from the red treetops. Upon further glance, Sokka could see several other creatures up there as well.

“Momo?” Aang called.

Momo screeched again.

“You know that saying about how curiosity killed the cat?” Sokka said.

“Yeah,” Lee answered.

“I think we should change ‘cat’ to ‘lemur.’” Considering all the trouble Momo had been getting into lately.

“That’s fair.”

“Hang on!” Aang shouted, airbending himself up into the treetops, far beyond Sokka’s vision. He saw one of the circular cages begin to lower down. Sokka and Katara both grabbed onto it, helping it to the ground. They pulled the wooden bars apart, and Momo leaped out, a red berry held tightly in his mouth.

Animals. All it took was a little bit of food.

They heard more angry chittering and screeching. The other animals wanted out as well.

“All right.” Aang bent his legs. “I guess you guys as well.” He leaped into the air, landing on a tree branch.

To speed up the process, Sokka pulled out his boomerang, then tossed it with a flick of his wrist. It flew up, sliced through the ropes holding the other cages, the flew back to his hand.

Aang, who had been crawling like a koala along the branch holding the cages, shrugged. “That works.”

Once the other animals had been free, Sokka inspected the handiwork of the traps. “These are Fire Nation-made,” he announced. “You can tell by the metalwork. We need to get moving.”

When they made it back to Appa, Katara and Aang were loading their stuff onto his saddle.

“No.” Sokka held out a hand. “This is no time for flying.”

“What?” Aang handed the sleeping bag he was holding to Sokka. “Why wouldn’t we fly?”

“Think about it,” Sokka reasoned. “Somehow, the Fire Nation keeps finding us. It’s because they spot Appa. He’s just too noticeable.”

“What?” Katara wheeled on him. She seemed to be doing that along late. “Appa’s not too noticeable!”

“He’s a gigantic fluffy monster with an arrow on his head!” Sokka pointed to the aforementioned arrow. “It’s kind of hard to miss him.”

Appa let out a growl.

Aang patted his head. “It’s okay,” he said to the bison. “Sokka’s just jealous because he doesn’t have an arrow.”

Sokka scoffed. As if. “I know you all want to fly, but my instincts tell me we should play it safe this time and walk.”

Katara placed her hands on her hips. “Who made you the boss?”

“I’m not the boss, I’m the leader!”

Katara laughed. “You’re the leader? But your voice still cracks.”

“i’M the oldest, and I’m a warrior! So- “he deepened his voice” -I’m the leader.”

Behind him, Lee snorted.

“Come on, man! You’re supposed to back me up!”

“But your voice does crack sometimes.”

“You love watching me suffer, don’t you?”

Lee shrugged.

“If anyone’s the leader,” Katara interrupted, “it’s Aang. I mean, he is the Avatar.”

Sokka scoffed. “Are you kidding? He’s just a goofy kid.”

Aang, who was hanging upside down from one of Appa’s horns, affirmed it. “He’s right.”

Katara rolled her eyes. “Why do boys always think someone has to be the leader? I bet you wouldn’t be so bossy if you kissed a girl.”

Sokka shouldered his pack. “i’Ve kissed a girl! You just… haven’t met her.”

“Who? Gran-Gran?” Katara challenged. “I’ve met Gran-Gran.”

“Besides Gran-Gran!” Sokka said indignantly. “Look, my instincts tell me we have a better chance of slipping through on foot, and a leader has to trust his instincts.”

“Okay.” Katara sighed. “We’ll try it your way, O Wise Leader.”

“Who knows?” Aang appeared beside her, pack already on his back. “Walking might be fun!”

“Walking is not fun,” Aang complained. “How do people go anywhere without a flying bison?”

“I don’t know Aang,” Katara responded. “Why don’t you ask Sokka’s instincts? They seem to know everything.”

Sokka just gritted his teeth, ignoring his aching back, feet, spine, muscles, legs, ears, everything. Yeah, it sucked, but it was better to be tired than captured by the Fire Nation. Katara and Aang had been complaining for about thirty minutes, but he hadn’t heard one word from Lee.

“I’m tired of carrying this pack,” Aang kept on.

“You know who you should ask to carry it for a while?” Katara said brightly. “Sokka’s instincts!”

“That’s a great idea! Hey, Sokka’s Instincts, would you mind- “

“I get it!” he snapped. “I’m tired too.” They were coming up on two large red bushes. “But the important thing is we’re safe from the Fire Natio…… “

They stepped through the bushes, only to reveal a Fire Nation encampment.

Ah, yes. Katara was never going to let this go.

“rUn!” Sokka shouted. The four of them dropped their packs and began to disperse but were quickly stopped when a fireball set the bushes alight. Sokka stumbled back from bushes in shock.

“Your shirt!” Aang said. His sleeve was on fire.

Sokka shrieked. Katara quickly put the fire out with a stream of water.

He spun. The soldiers were cornering them in, holding out pointy-looking spears.

“If you let us pass, we promise not to hurt you,” Sokka commanded.

“What are you doing?” Katara hissed.

“Bluffing?”

“You?” A soldier with an eye patch spoke up. “Promise not to hurt us?” A chorus of laughter rang out.

“yEaH!” Sokka responded. He nudged Lee with his foot. “Do your thing!”

“What?”

“Stab them!”

“I can’t just- “

The eye-patch soldier began to speak again, but his eyes widened, breath leaving him a gasp. His knees buckled, and he toppled forward.

“Nice work, Sokka!” Aang said. “How’d you do that?”  

“Uh… instinct?”

“Look!” Katara pointed up into the treetops.

Sokka’s attention was drawn to a figure standing on a thick branch. It unsheathed its swords, then swung down from the branch, landing on the backs of two soldiers who fell with grunts of surprise. The figure, which Sokka could now see was a teenaged guy, charged at two other soldiers, swords hooking around their ankles. He flipped them forward, and they landed on the eye-patch soldier.

“Down you go,” the new guy commented.

“Oh, great Agni,” Lee muttered. “He’s one of these guys.”

Sokka wanted to ask what that meant precisely, but his attention was drawn back to the scene ahead as another soldier charged at the guy. The guy’s swords --- they had hooks on the end, for Tui and La’s sake, which was pretty cool --- hooked around his wrists and threw him forward into another befuddled soldier.

“They’re in the trees!” one shouted, then a kid dropped onto his shoulders.

The soldiers around him raised their swords, but they were quickly disposed of them as arrows pinned them to the ground. An archer was perched on a branch, shooting swords out of others’ hands.

Sokka stared at the scene, at a loss for anything to do, when Katara and Aang leaped into action.

Someone punched him in the back. “Go,” Lee urged, then chucked at knife at one of the soldiers and made to tackle him.

Sokka unsheathed his boomerang.

A soldier charged at him.

He raised it, preparing to punt this guy, with a cry of war-

The hooked swords guy intervened, kicking the soldier out of the way.

“Hey!” Sokka complained. “He was mine!”

“Gotta be quicker next time!” the guy responded smugly.

Sokka rolled his eyes, then swapped his boomerang for his club. He found himself facing another soldier, but a sword flew from nowhere, hilt smacking the soldier unconscious.

“mAn!” Sokka said in despair.

There was only one soldier left know, facing off against the hooked swords guy. They exchanged a few blows, and the guy ran up the soldier’s spear, then kicked him in the face, launching himself off the soldier’s head.

The guy stumbled his landing, stumbling until he was in front of Katara. “Hey.”

“Hi.” Even from here, Sokka could see her cheeks reddening.

“Oh, hell no, not on my watch.” Sokka began to storm up to them.

“Wow,” Aang breathed, hurrying up as well. “You just took out a whole army single-handed!”

“aRmY?!” SOkka demanded. “There were only like twenty guys!”

“Hey!”

Sokka wheeled. There was another soldier behind them.

Something whizzed past Sokka’s ear. It was a knife, sailing end over end, pinning the soldier to a tree.

He wheeled back around. Lee crossed his arms. “Twenty-one.”

The soldier made to cry out, but a particularly buff guy smacked him on the back of the head, knocking him out.

The hooked swords guys took a step toward the encampment. “My name is Jet.” He turned around dramatically. “And these are my Freedom Fighters.”

Sokka heard Lee snort.

But it didn’t seem to faze Jet. He motioned to each of the ‘Freedom Fighters.’ “Sneers, Longshot, Smellerbee, The Duke, and Pipsqueak.”

Aang chuckled. “Pipsqueak.” He approached the smallest of the Fighters, the child who had landed on the soldier’s shoulders. “That’s a funny name.”

The big man leaned down to Aang’s height. “You think my name is funny?” he said in a disturbingly deep voice.

“It’s hilarious!” Aang exclaimed.

“Aang,” Katara muttered disappointedly.

To Sokka’s surprise, the man burst out laughing. He slapped Aang good-naturedly on the back, and the Avatar fell flat on his face on the ground.

As the Freedom Fighters set about scavenging the camp, Sokka did nothing but watch them, eyes narrowed in suspicion. There was something his instincts didn’t like about these people, he could feel it.

Jet approached Lee. “That was some sweet knife-throwing you did.”

Lee crossed his arms, a dismissive expression on his face. “Thanks.”

“You’ll have to teach me it.” Jet moved to stand dramatically in the shadow of a tree.

“Sure,” Lee said, then headed over to where Sokka was. “When hell freezes over.”

“You don’t like him?” Sokka asked.

“Haven’t decided yet, but probably. Freedom Fighters.” He scoffed. “An eight-year-old came up with that.”

Sokka spotted Katara nearing Jet, and alarm bells blared in his brain. “Excuse me,” he said to Lee, then hurried over.

“Um, thanks for saving us, Jet,” Katara said sheepishly. “We’re lucky you were there.”

“I should be thanking you,” Jet responded. Sokka couldn’t see his face in the shadow of the tree. “We were waiting to ambush those soldiers all morning. We just needed the right distraction.” He pulled the piece of hay out of his mouth. “And then you guys stumbled in.”

“We were relying on ‘instincts,’” Katara responded dryly.

Sokka was going to strangle her. With love, of course.

“You’ll get yourself killed doing that,” Jet said.

Sokka rolled his eyes, then walked off.

The kid, The Duke, then yelled to Jet that one of the barrels they had found was filled with blasting jelly. Pipsqueak added that a box was filled with jellied candy. They loaded the two onto a wagon. “We’ll take this stuff back to the hideout!” The Duke announced.

Aang’s jaw dropped. “You guys have a hideout?”

“You wanna see it?” Jet asked.

“Yes!” Katara responded eagerly. “We want to see it!”

“Ah, yes.” Lee shook his head. “Shout it louder so the whole forest can hear it!”

They trekked through the forest for a while before Jet said, “It’s right here.”

“There’s nothing here,” Sokka said.

Jet handed Sokka a rope he hadn’t spotted before. “Here, hold this.”

“Why?” Sokka glanced dismissively at it. “What’s this do?”

He was sharply pulled forward up into the trees, shoulder practically ripped from its socket. He let out a surprised yell as his face smacked into branches and leaves.

Two people grabbed his arms and hauled him onto a wooden scaffolding. Sokka pushed away from them, spiting out leaves, wiping branch pieces from his eyes. When he could see again, he found the hideout reminded him of a treehouse, with huts and scaffolding built around trees, wooden bridges and ziplines as transportation.

Moments later, he was joined by Lee, then Aang, and then --- oh Tui and La, forbid, Katara and Jet, no way in hell he was letting that happen.

Katara must’ve noticed Sokka’s hawk stare because she quickly stepped away from Jet. “It’s so beautiful up here!”

“It is,” Jet agreed. “And the best part is, the Fire Nation can’t find us.”

One of the other Freedom Fighters --- Smellerbee, Sokka thought --- dropped down to their scaffolding. “They would love to find you, wouldn’t they, Jet?”

Jet just laughed. “It’s not gonna happen, Smellerbee.” He motioned to one of the bridges, and they set off down it.

“Why does the Fire Nation want to find you?” Katara asked.

Jet laughed again. It was almost maniac, but not in the sense like Lee’s. Lee’s had been in pure desperation, but Jet’s seemed more out of… well… mania. “I guess I’ve caused them a little bit of trouble.”

“A little?” Lee said, sharing a look with Sokka.

“See,” Jet continued, “they took over a nearby Earth Kingdom town a few years back.”

“We’ve been ambushing their troops,” Pipsqueak rumbled, suddenly appearing behind them, “cutting off their supplies lines, and doing anything we can to mess with them.”

“One day,” Jet began passionately, “we’ll be able to drive the Fire Nation out of here for good and free that town.”

Katara blushed. “That’s so brave.”

Sokka stepped between them. “Yeah, nothing’s braver than a guy in a tree house.”

Katara elbowed him in the gut. Sokka winced. “Don’t pay any attention to my brother.”

He glared at her.

Jet just shrugged. “No problem. He probably had a rough day.”

Sokka wanted to retort that he did not but kept a cap on it.

“So,” Katara kept on, “you all live here?”

“That’s right.” Jet went on a long monologue about what happened to certain members of the Freedom Fighters, about how they had ended up in the company of someone like Jet.

“What about you?” Katara asked. Oh, she just wanted to get to the real questions.

Jet stopped walking. To add dramatics, of course. “The Fire Nation killed my parents. I was only eight years old. That day changed me forever.”

Oh, good grief.

But Katara completely bought his sappy story. “Sokka and I lost our mother to the Fire Nation.”

“I’m so sorry, Katara.”

Sokka just rolled his eyes.

“C’mon,” Jet said. “I’ll show you to where you’ll be staying.”

“I can do that!” Smellerbee interjected. “I mean- “she blushed” -I’ll do that. You go help organize the supplies.”

Sokka raised an eyebrow. He had expected Jet to do it, since there was obviously something between him and Katara that Sokka was going to put a stop to right this instant. But then he saw Smellerbee’s eyes trained on Lee, and… oh.

Oh, he was gonna make fun of the guy for it later.

Jet simply nodded, the headed off. Katara’s eyes trailed his retreating back.

Sokka planted a firm hand on her shoulder, then spun her around. “Come on.”

Katara jerked her shoulder away from him and glared but stomped on as Smellerbee led them to an un-refurbished tree hut. “Your sky bison can stay up in tree above. We’re having a big dinner tonight if you want to come.” He saw her gaze slide to Lee, but the guy didn’t return it. Either he was oblivious or had noticed.

Smellerbee ducked out of the tent.

“Oh, thank Agni,” Lee muttered. “She wouldn’t stop staring at me. It was weird.”

So, he had noticed.

“What is wrong with you?!” Katara demanded.

“I don’t like him!” Sokka retorted.

“He’s a guy near me! Of course, you don’t like him! But that’s not an excuse to keep me away from him!”

“Uh… what?” Aang asked.

“That’s not wHy I don’t like hIm!” Sokka yelled back. “There’s just something off! Lee noticed it!”

“Lee doesn’t like anyone!”

“She’s got a point,” Lee said.

Sokka groaned in frustration. “I don’t care! I don’t want you around him!”

“You’re not Dad, and you’re certainly not the leader!” She stomped out of the hut, probably to go find Jet.

Sokka groaned in frustration again, throwing his hands toward the sky. “Little sisters!”

“You could have handled that better,” Lee offered.

Sokka looked at Aang.

Aang just shrugged and smiled sheepishly. “Yeah. Maybe you could’ve.”

Wow. The universe hated him.

He didn’t see Katara that night until the dinner. He, Aang, and Lee had already sat at the table when Katara and Jet arrived. Katara sat on the other side of Lee, who was between her and Sokka.

Sokka made to say something snappish to her, but Lee held up a hand. “I don’t want to be in the middle of this.”

Sokka shut up and crossed his arms, glowering.

Jet stood on the end of the table --- on the table --- with a cup in his hand. “Today,” he began dramatically, and Sokka restrained the urge to roll his eyes, “we struck another blow against the Fire Nation swine.”

Cheers sounded from the trees all around. Lee stiffened.

“I got a special joy from the look on one soldier’s face,” Jet continued smugly, “when The Duke dropped down on his helmet and rode him like a wild hog-monkey.”

The Duke stood and pumped his fists in the air. More cheers.

“Now, the Fire Nation thinks they don’t have to worry about a couple of kids hiding in the trees.” His look turned devilish. “Maybe they’re right.”

The cheers turned to boos.

“Or maybe- “Jet grinned” -they’re dead wrong.”

Cheers.

Sokka and Lee exchanged another look.

“Hey, Jet,” Katara said, scooting over to make room or him, “nice speech.”

“Dead wrong,” Lee muttered dryly to Sokka. “Get it?”

Sokka gave him a deadpan look.

Lee shook his head. “Someone please put me out of my misery.”

Aang gave him a concerned glance.

“By the way- “Jet nodded to Katara and Aang” -I was really impressed with you and Aang. That was some great bending out there today.”

“Well, he’s great,” Katara said. “He’s the Avatar. I could use some more training.” She blushed.

“Me too,” Sokka muttered to Lee.

“Avatar, huh?” Jet smirked. “Very nice.”

“Thanks!” Aang piped up.

“I might know a way that you and Aang can help in our struggle,” Jet continued.

“Oh, yes.” Lee was swirling a cup of water around. “A struggle for one little village when there are men dying left and right on the sands of the desert.”

Jet turned to him, genuine confusion in his eyes. “Have I done something to you?”

“Ignore him,” Katara said quickly. “He thinks everyone’s done something to him. What do you need us to do?”

Sokka interjected, “It would be great, whatever it is.” Sokka stood and began to head off. “Unfortunately, we have to leave tonight.”

“Sokka.” Jet shook his head. “You’re kidding me. I needed you on an important mission tomorrow.”

Something spiked in the back of his mind, and he spun around. “What mission?”

Jet quickly explained it to him. “It would be great to have someone with fresh eyes.” He nodded to Sokka. “C’mon, man. I need you.”

Sokka thought it over. He didn’t want to help Jet, but it was… it was nice to feel needed. To feel wanted. So, he nodded.

Jet stood. “Great.”

Lee stood as well. “Then I’m coming.”

Jet shook his head. “I’m sorry. I only needed one other person for it.”

“Oh,” Lee said in a tone Sokka knew all too well, stepping around Katara, “just one other person?”

Jet nodded slowly.

“Well, then. Let me clarify.” Sokka made sure he didn’t blink as one of the knives on Lee’s forearm sheaths dropped into his hand and he held it against Jet’s throat.

Katara and Aang jolted. The Freedom Fighters on the other side of the table shot to their feet.

Jet held out a hand to stop them.

“Lee!” Katara hissed.

However, she should have known that Lee wasn’t going to listen to her. “One, I’m not letting you take Sokka off alone with you,” Lee said. “Two, I’ve seen your sorry-ass excuse for swords. They didn’t even cut through the wood of a spear. I don’t know how you’ve survived this long, but I have a feeling whatever luck you’re riding on is about to run out. So- “his head tilted. Bad things happened when he did that” -am I coming or are we going to have this out?”

Sokka swore he heard Jet audibly swallow. “Fine. You can come.”

Lee hummed. “Three- “he flipped the knife back into his palm” -don’t ever argue with me.” He spun and stalked toward Sokka. They went back to the hut together.

Katara and Aang arrived later. “What is it with you two?!” Katara snapped.

Lee snorted, crossing his arms. He was sitting with his back against the tree trunks, legs crossed at the ankles. “Oh, great. She’s angry with me again. I’m so shocked."

“You can’t just go around threatening people! Especially people who might be allies!”

Lee laughed, getting to his feet. “Allies? Jet is no ally.”

“He’s out to destroy the Fire Nation!”

“He’s a killer, Katara! Did you not hear him? Dead wrong, emphasis on the dead.”

“You can’t prove he’s a killer.”

Lee’s eyes flashed blue. Sokka’s heart jumped, and his hand strayed to his club. Who he was going to have to hit, he didn’t know. He was going to hit someone.

“I know what a killer looks like, Katara,” Lee snapped. “Believe it or not, I know a lot more about the world than you do.”

She huffed. “Guys! Someone always has to be superior!” She glared at both Sokka and Lee. “You just don’t like the idea of someone being better than you!”

“Maybe not,” Sokka said, “but Katara- “

“Forget it,” she snapped, then stormed out of the hut for the second time tonight.

Sokka glanced at Aang. “And what do you think of all this?”

Aang just shrugged.

They waited in the trees the next morning. When Sokka and Lee had met Jet and the others for the mission, only a few brisk words had been exchanged between Lee and Jet. Clearly, neither of them was willing to forget last night.  

They had been in the trees all morning. Jet had explained they were going to wait for something to happen, but he had never told Sokka directly what it was. Sokka had dozed half the morning, and Lee kept nudging him awake.

Suddenly, Jet made a bird call, breaking the silence that had blanketed the woods all morning.

There was a responding one from the other side of the trees.

Sokka shook himself awake, then drove his knife into the trunk of the tree he was standing on.

“What are you doing?” Jet said.

Sokka shushed him. He placed his ear to the hilt of his knife. “It amplifies vibrations.” He narrowed his eyes, blocking out the sounds of the forest. “Someone’s approaching!”

“How many?”

“I think there’s just one.”

Jet made another bird call. “Good work, Sokka. Ready your weapon.”

Sokka ripped his knife out of the tree. Beside him, Lee had two knives in his hands.

He saw a figure move through the trees. Sokka squinted at it. From here, it looked like an-

“False alarm!” Sokka hissed. “He’s just an old man!”

But Jet didn’t seem to hear him. He unsheathed his swords, then leaped down from the tree in front of the old man.

The old man jolted.

“What are you doing in our woods, you leech?” Jet demanded.

The old man held up his hands. “Please, sir. I’m just a traveler.”

Jet swiped the old man’s cane out from his hand, then pointed his sword at him. This wasn’t good.

The old man backed away, turning to flee, only to crash right into Pipsqueak and be knocked to the ground. Sokka winced.

The old man scrambled away from Pipsqueak. Pipsqueak planted a foot on his back, holding him down.

“Do you like destroying towns?!” Jet spat at the old man. “Do you like destroying families?!”

Sokka and Lee exchanged a look.

“Please,” the man begged. “Let me go. Have mercy.”

Sokka swooped down from the tree.

“Does the Fire Nation let people go?!” Jet’s voice was wild, erratic. “Does the Fire Nation have mercy?!” His foot swung back-

Sokka’s club swung outward, catching Jet’s foot. “He’s just an old man!”

Jet yanked his foot out from Sokka’s club. “He’s Fire Nation! Search him!”

The others moved to do so.

“He’s not hurting anyone!” Sokka argued.

Jet grabbed the front of Sokka’s shirt, shaking him. “Have you forgotten that the Fire Nation killed your mother?! Remember why you fight!”

“We got his stuff, Jet!” Smellerbee said.

“This doesn’t feel right!” Sokka continued.

Jet shook his again. “It’s what has to be done.” He shoved Sokka away from him. “Now, we have to get out of here.” The Freedom Fighters shoved past Sokka.

His gaze trailed back to the old man. He looked so pitiful, so helpless. Sokka’s stomach turned over at the thought of what Jet would have done to him.

He’s a killer, Katara!

“Come on, Sokka!”

Sokka just offered the man a solemn glance, then followed the rest of the group. He trailed up to the back, next to Lee. Sokka went to exchange a look at him --- it was kind of their unspoken code --- but Lee’s face was stiff.

Sokka sensed something was about to happen.

Lee’s pace quickened, and he shoved his way through the Freedom Fighters. “Jet!” he called.

Jet turned.

Lee’s arm reeled back, and he sliced his blade right across Jet’s cheek.

Jet stumbled, dropping one of his swords, hand flying to his cheek. Pipsqueak lunged forward, but Lee dodged him.

“What the hell!” Jet said. “What was that for!”

Lee grabbed the front of Jet’s shirt. “If you ever pull something like that with one of my friends again, the next place I’ll slice through with be your neck.” He shoved Jet back.

Blood dripped down Jet’s cheek. “How dare you challenge my authority!”

“Authority?” Lee laughed. “I’m not one of your Freedom Fighters. If you would like to keep leading them, then don’t test me.” He stormed off somewhere else in the woods.

The other Freedom Fighters gave Sokka confused looks, but he was just as befuddled.

Jet snatched his sword. “Come on. We have things to get back to the hideout.” The rest of the Freedom Fighters followed him, but Sokka hurried of into the woods to find Lee.

Lee had thrown several knives into a tree. A branch snapped as Sokka stepped through a bush.

Lee whirled, knife raised. “Oh, it’s- “

Sokka threw his arms around Lee, who froze at the contact. “You are the most aWesOme friend I’ve ever had! Not even Aang would beat up a guy who threatened me!”

“Please stop touching me.”

Sokka dropped his arms and stepped back. “Sorry. But still! Oh, Katara’s going to be so pissed!”

“Yeah.” Lee stepped over to the tree and began prying his knives out of it. “I didn’t quite think that through.”

“What do you mean?”

Lee studied the blade of one of his knives. “You don’t think she would… you know.” He wiggled his fingers in a mock imitation of firebending.

Oh. Sokka never would’ve thought of that either. “I- I don’t think so.” He shook his head. “No. You’re important to Aang, and she wouldn’t want to hurt Aang.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” But it was a lie.

Later that day, Sokka sat against a tree trunk, in deep contemplation. A hiss and a shriek from Momo grabbed his attention. The lemur hissed at Aang, then scuttled off.

“Hey, Sokka.” Katara dropped off a ladder. “Is Jet back?”

No, ‘Hey Sokka, how are you? How was the mission?’ Straight to Jet. Lee had a right to be concerned. The other guy had retreated up into the treetops to spend some time with Appa.

“Yeah,” Sokka said bitterly, “he’s back. But we’re leaving.”

“What?” Aang jolted.

Katara’s face fell. “But I made him this hat.” She pulled the ugliest had he’d ever seen, red with a flower on top, from behind her back. It strangely reminded Sokka of a ladybug.

“Your boyfriend Jet’s a thug.”

“What?! No, he’s not.”

“He’s messed up, Katara.”

“He’s not messed up!” Aang argued. “He’s just got a different way of life! A really fun way of life!”

Sokka shot to his feet. “He beat and robbed a harmless old man!”

Katara crossed her arms. “I want to hear Jet’s side of the story. And what did Lee think of this?”

Sokka laughed. Wow, he was spending too much time around Lee. “Of course! Let’s go straight to Jet!”

“Sokka, you told them what happened,” Jet said. They were in his own personal hut and were standing around him like he was some kind of old wise master. Lee had begrudgingly agreed to come, only to interject where needed.

Jet’s face had been cleaned, but not bandaged. That gave Sokka some satisfaction.

“But you didn’t mention the guy was Fire Nation?”

“No.” Katara glared at Sokka. “He conveniently left that part out.”

Sokka rolled his eyes. “Fine, but eve if he was Fire Nation, he was a harmless civilian!”

“He was an assassin, Sokka.” Jet raised a knife. “See?” He unscrewed the top of the hilt. “There’s a compartment for poison.” He pulled it off, revealing a red vial. “He was sent here to eliminate me. You helped save my life, Sokka.”

Katara sighed a breath of relief. “I knew there was an explanation.”

“I didn’t see any knife,” Sokka argued.

“Neither did I,” Lee added.

Jet shook his head. “I wouldn’t have expected you to. He was concealing it.”

“See, Sokka?” Katara gave an understanding smile. “I’m sure you didn’t just notice the knife.”

“There was no knife!” Sokka said desperately.

Lee shoved between Sokka and Katara. “How would you like a cut on the other cheek?” His arm reeled back. “Because I can arrange that!”

Sokka grabbed his arm. Katara blanched. “You did that?”

Lee rolled his eyes, jerked her arm from Sokka, and sheathed the knife. He threw one last glare at Jet, then stormed out of the hut.

Sokka followed. “I’m going to pack my things.”

As soon Sokka stepped out, he made a point to catch up with Lee. “Where are you going?”

“I don’t know. Some place where I won’t kill that son of a bitch.”

“We can’t leave now with the Fire Nation about to burn down a forest!”

Sokka tightened the strap on his sleeping bag. There weren’t even words to describe how angry he was with Katara. Keeping his anger in check, he stood. “I’m sorry, Katara. Jet’s very smooth, but we can’t trust him.”

“You know what I think? You’re jealous that he’s a better leader and a better warrior!”

“I’m not jealous of Jet! It’s just that my instincts- “

Katara wheeled on him. “Well, my instincts tell me we need to stay here longer and help Jet.” She wheeled. “Come on, Aang.”

The Avatar hesitated for a moment. “Sorry, Sokka.” He followed Katara out of the hut.

When they were far enough away, Sokka let out a string of the dirtiest curses he knew. Katara was his sister! She’d known Jet for a good two days before deciding that he was always right, that Jet was perfect, that Jet could do no wrong, that Jet-

Sokka let out a scream of frustration. If he was going to leave, he would do it on his own. Surely he could find a place in the world.

“Get your hands off me, you son of a- “

“Keep him quiet. We’re too near their hut.”

Sokka jolted awake. He could here movement outside, the sounds of a struggle.

“Tie him up. He’s too much of a danger.”

Someone hissed. Like actually hissed, like a sabercat. “Get that rope any closer to me, and we’ll see what happens.”

Sokka’s eyes widened. Lee. They were trying to get Lee.

Shit.

Sokka made as little noise as possible, stepping over Katara and Aang on his toes. He pushed back the drape of hut and peered outside.

Freedom Fighters were dropping down from the ropes to the ground. He couldn’t see Lee anymore, but he assumed that wherever the others were going, Lee might be there too. Sokka leaped up onto a tree branches, following the movement of people.

There was a huge cart, filled with barrels. Sokka remembered seeing the barrels, but he didn’t remember what was in them. Jet was walking in front of the cart, and Sokka glimpsed two of the bigger Freedom Fighters hauling Lee behind the cart.

Sokka narrowed his eyes, then followed them.

Jet came to a stop at a cliff overlooking a dam. “Now, listen- “he turned back to the Freedom Fighters” -you’re not to blow the dam until I give the signal. If the reservoir isn’t full, the Fire Nation troops could survive.”

Tui and La, this guy was a maniac.

“But what about the people in the town?” The Duke --- what was an eight-year-old doing here --- leaped off the cart. “Won’t they get wiped out too?”

Jet sighed, then placed a comforting hand on The Duke’s shoulder. “That’s the price of ridding this area of the Fire Nation.”

In the back, Lee let out one of his signature maniacal laughs.

Jet crossed his arms. “Oh, yes. I almost forgot about you.”

“You utter shitsack.”

“Bring him forward.” Jet pointed to the edge of the cliff.

The two enforcers dragged Lee, then tossed him forward. Sokka saw his hands had been bound.

“Face me,” Jet ordered.

Lee didn’t do it.

The two enforcers grabbed Lee’s arms, then forced him around to face Jet. “So,” Lee began casually, “what are you planning on doing with me?”

Jet spoke as if he hadn’t heard him. “You’re a threat to the Freedom Fighters and to everyone who fights against the Fire Nation. For that, you must pay.”

“Pay? I don’t have any money.”

Sokka heard Smellerbee chuckle.

Jet glared at her, and she cut off. “You have purposefully tried to sabotage our plans.”

“You’re trying to destroy a town!”

“You need to be eliminated.”

“Did you not hear what I just said?”

“It’s for the good of the world.”

“Oh, the greater good! I’ve heard that everywhere else. But, please, what are you planning on doing with me? Throwing me over the cliff? Slitting my throat and dumping my body somewhere in the woods where no one will ever find it? Drowning me in the reservoir?” Lee’s face brightened. “Oh no, I have an even better idea. Lighting me on fire and using me as kindling for your bomb?”

Jet backhanded him. “Don’t talk to me like that.”

Lee fixed him with the dirtiest look Sokka had ever seen. “Don’t. Touch. Me.” He spat at Jet’s feet.

Sokka was already drawing him boomerang when someone grabbed his hair and hauled him out from his hiding spot in the bushes.

“Where do you think you’re going, Ponytail?” Smellerbee hissed, a knife to Sokka’s throat.

Despite Sokka’s struggling, he wasn’t able to shove them off. Jet’s attention turned to them as Sokka was dragged over and shoved to the ground at his feet.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Lee begin to rise to his feet. The enforcers thrust him back down.

“Sokka,” Jet began, “I’m so glad you’ve decided to join us.”

“I heard your plan to destroy the Earth Kingdom town.” Sokka rubbed his shoulder where Pipsqueak had gripped it.

Jet shook his head. “Our plan is to rid the valley of the Fire Nation.”

“These are living people, Jet! Mothers and fathers and children!”

“We can’t win without making some sacrifices.”

The incredibly calm tone in which he spoke gritted against Sokka’s nerves. “You lied to Aang and Katara about the forest fire!”

“Because they don’t understand the demands of war. Not like you and I do.” He turned to Lee. “Not like him either. I see you both. You are survivors, like me.”

“If being a survivor is being like you, I’d rather die,” Lee snarled.

“I do understand!” Sokka continued. “I understand that there’s nothing you won’t do to get what you want.”

Jet sighed. “I was hoping you’d have an open mind, but I see you’ve made your choice.”

Pipsqueak and Smellerbee both moved to grab him. Sokka raised a fist.

Jet’s swords whooshed out of nowhere, snatching Sokka’s wrist. “I can’t let you warn Katara and Aang. Take them both… for a walk. A long walk.”

Sokka’s arms were forced behind his back. “You can’t do this.”

“Cheer up, Sokka. We’re going to win a great victory against the Fire Nation today.”

Sokka was dragged into the forest, Lee not far behind him. The guy managed to get one last insult in before Jet disappeared from sight. “Shitsack.”

***

Aang had awoken that morning to find Sokka nor Lee anywhere in sight. He asked Katara, who was already up, if she had seen them.

“Who cares?” she snapped. “They don’t want to help, then they don’t have to be here.”

Jet came to retrieve them not long after. They had to help him fill the reservoir to prevent the forest fire, he had told them. Katara believed the Freedom Fighters were doing good things, so Aang did too. And yet, he couldn’t help but think about Sokka. He felt bad about betraying Sokka, but Jet had shown them the knife.

And then there was Lee. Aang had wanted to find him. He knew Lee’s side of the story would probably be the same as Sokka’s, but he wanted a third perspective. Lee knew something more about the world than any of them, even Jet, did. But Aang had not seen him since they’d been in Jet’s hut.

“Jet,” Katara said as they trekked down to the reservoir, “I’m sorry for how those two have been acting.”

“No worries. Sokka’s already apologized.”

Aang raised an eyebrow. “Sokka apologized?”

“I was surprised too,” Jet said. “I got the sense that you talked to him or something.” He turned to Katara.

“I did,” she answered.

“I guess something you said got through to him.” Jet continued walking. “Anyhow, he went out on a scouting mission with Pipsqueak and Smellerbee.”

“I’m glad he cooled off,” Katara said. “He’s so stubborn sometimes.”

“What about Lee?” Aang said.

“What about him?” Jet responded.

“Did he say anything?”

Jet shrugged. “I haven’t seen him since last night. Maybe you want to ask some of the other Freedom Fighters. They might’ve seen him.”

Aang was about to say something else, but a hot burst of air sent him flying into the sky. Katara gasped, but Aang simply lowered himself back down to the ground.

“Alright.” Jet stepped up by Katara. “We’re here. Unground water’s trying to escape from these vents. I need you guys to help it along.”

“I’ve never used my bending on water I can’t see. I don’t know.”

Jet came up behind Katara, placing his hands on her shoulders. “You can do this.”

“What about me?” Aang asked.

“I know the Avatar can do this.”

When Jet turned his back to them, Aang stuck his tongue out.

So, they set to work on the geysers. With the first one done, Jet said, “Great! I’m going to check on things back at the reservoir. A few more of these, and we’ll be good to go.”

“We’ll meet you there when we’re done!” Katara offered.

“Actually, it would be better if you met me back at the hideout when we’re done.” And with that, he set off.

“I bet that’s enough,” Aang said. “And I’m not just saying that to be lazy.” They had dumped six geysers out.

“Let’s catch up with Jet at the reservoir,” Katara suggested.

“I thought we agreed to meet Jet back at the hideout.”

Katara shrugged. “We finished early. I’m sure he’ll be happy to see us.”

As she hurried off, Aang corrected, “Happy to see you.”

***

“Move along!” Smellerbee shoved Sokka forward.

“How can you stand by and do nothing while Jet wipes out an innocent town?” Sokka argued.

“Jet’s a great leader,” Pipsqueak rumbled. “We follow what he says- “

“Anyone can follow what someone says,” Lee snapped. “It doesn’t make them a great leader.”

Pipsqueak stopped. “Why didn’t we gag him?”

“Yeah,” Lee asked. “Why not? Because I like to talk. A lot.”

“Jet didn’t tell us to?” one of the enforcers said.

“Yeah?” the other added.

“Well, then gag him!”

“You put your hand anywhere near my mouth, it’ll be the last time you see your fingers!”

The enforcers both reeled their hands back.

Pipsqueak shook his head. “Whatever. Anyway, we do what Jet says, and things always turn out okay.”

Sokka spied piles of suspiciously-laid leaves to his left. “If that’s how Jet leads, then he’s got a lot to learn!” He darted to the left.

“Hey!” Smellerbee said. They stomped after him.

Sokka leaped over the piles of leaves, but Smellerbee and Pipsqueak ran right through them. The traps snapped them both up into the trees.

He glanced back at Lee and the two enforcers. The enforcers were both frozen, completely dumbfounded. By the time they remembered to move, Lee had already dropped downward, sweep-kicking their legs out from under them. As he came up, the other one swung at him. Lee ducked, then leaped up, kicking the other one in the face.

Lee shrugged, pulling his hands around from behind his back, the rope in his hands. “That was easy.”

“Yep!” Sokka held his up for Smellerbee and Pipsqueak to see. “While you two are up there, you might want to practice your knot work!”

“I’ll go the reservoir,” Lee said. “Get to the village.” He took off.

“Right!” Sokka took off in the other direction. Jet may have tried to stop them, but he sorely underestimated their abilities.

***

Katara and Aang sped up the cliff to get a good view of the reservoir. Aang squinted down to see-

“Those are the red barrels they got from the Fire Nation!” Aang exclaimed, pointing to them.

“Why would they need blasting jelly?”

Aang suddenly felt a sharp pain in his skull. He let out a cry and stumbled back, clutching his temple.

“Aang!”

You’re trying to destroy a town!

“Jet’s going to blow up the dam!” Aang’s eyes widened as realization came to him.  

“What? No, that would destroy the whole town! Jet wouldn’t do that!”

Aang felt another sharp pain. You’re a threat to the Freedom Fighters and to everyone who fights against the Fire Nation. For that, you must pay.

“No.” Aang shook his head. “No. He would.” Aang got to his feet, extending his glider.

“No.” Katara shook her head. “Jet wouldn’t do that.”

Aang took a few running steps, leaping into the air-

His glider was snatched from him. He scrabbled in the air for several moments before airbending his way back to the ground.

Jet had snatched his glider. “Yes, I would.”

“Jet, why?” Katara said.

“Katara, you would too, if you just stop to think. Think about what the Fire Nation did to your mother. We can’t let them do that to anyone ever again.”

“This isn’t the answer!” Katara responded indignantly.

Jet turned slowly. “I want you to understand me, Katara. I thought your brother would understand, but- “

Take him for a walk. A long walk.

You need to be eliminated.

Aang’s blood ran cold.

“Where’s Sokka?” Katara demanded.

Jet touched her cheek gently. “Katara- “

She threw him back with a jet of water.

Aang made a grab for his glider. “We need to get to the dam!”

The end of Jet’s sword slammed down in front of Aang’s hand. “You’re not going anywhere without this.” Jet had hooked the ends of his swords together. He swung Aang’s glider into his hand, then swung his swords at Aang.

Aang leaped backward, flipping up onto a tree branch. “I’m not gonna fight you, Jet!”

“You’ll have to if you want your glider back!” Jet charged. Aang leaped onto another tree branch just as Jet threw himself onto the one Aang had been on.

He leaped from branch to branch, trying to avoid Jet. He couldn’t see him anywhere.

Jet swung out of nowhere, one sword hooked over a branch, then swiped Aang. Jet dropped off the branch to face Aang. Aang threw an airball at him, but Jet dodged, swinging under the branch, then back up to it. He kicked out at Aang, who threw up a shield of air.

Aang threw another airball at him. It slammed Jet back into a tree trunk.

He let out an animalistic growl, then hooked his swords together. He swung them around, approaching Aang quickly.

Aang kicked out, sending a slice of air that barely seemed to knock Jet back.

The other guy looked up at him, a completely maniac look in his eye. He charged.

Aang once again flipped from tree branch to tree branch, and Jet somehow managed to follow him. It didn’t matter what Aang did, he persistently caught up to him.

As Aang plummeted toward a particular branch, Jet kicked it outward. It slammed into Aang’s back, and he went flying into another. His gut crashed into it, all air leaving him in a rush. He tumbled limply to the ground, unable to get up.

Jet landed somewhere near him and flourished his swords. He stepped toward Aang-

Then was knocked to the side.

Someone had thrown themselves at Jet. As they hit the ground, the other person rolled off, rolling to their feet.

Jet snarled, kicking up to his feet. “You bastard.”

Lee flourished a pair of knives, eyes flashing blue. “I know. My dad used to call me that,” he said, then threw himself at Jet.

It was a blur of punches, kicks, swords, and knives. Even without having the air knocked out of him, Aang doubted he would’ve been able to keep up. Lee didn’t have his swords but watching him fight with the just knives... Aang wasn’t sure he wanted to figure out what Lee could do with them.

Lee caught the one of the hooks with the blade of his knife, throwing it to the side. Jet snarled again, then charged like a bull-rhino at Lee, shoulder driving into his gut. Lee was slammed into a tree, head snapping back into it. His eyes glassed over for a second. The knives fell from his hand.

“Jet!” Katara had arrived at some point.

Jet’s hand wrapped around Lee’s throat, pinning him back to the tree. He held the edge of his remaining sword to Lee’s gut. Lee’s hands gripped Jet’s arm, attempting to pry it away. His eyes widened, and Aang heard the wheezing noises of his breath.

Aang heard the sound of rushing water. “Jet, let him go!”

“He was trying to sabotage us!” Jet argued. “I can’t let him go!”

Out of the corner of his eye, Aang saw Katara move.

“Get any closer, and I’ll kill him.”

“Y- you,” Lee managed to choke out. His eyes flashed blue. “You’re afraid.”

Jet’s eyes flashed blue, but it was only for a split second. “No. No, I’m NOT!”

A blue light radiated from beneath Lee’s hands, traveling down his arm. When it contacted his chest, he was blasted backward, grip slipping from Lee’s throat. Lee slumped to ground on his side, taking in deep, wheezing breaths.

Jet had been thrown flat on his back. He scrambled up. His hands were shaking, eyes wide, breaths erratic. But it wasn’t the mania he had just been in. It was… it was fear. Pure, powerful fear.

Jet stared at his shaking hands. “What did you do?!” he screamed. Lee had managed to pull himself onto one knee. He met Jet’s eyes.

“WHAT DID YOU DO?!” He lunged.

A wave of water blasted Jet back into a tree. Katara threw several more at him, keeping him pinned down. She let out a breath of visible cold air, freezing him to the trunk.

“Why would you do this?!” Katara yelled as Aang finally found his wits. He hurried over to Lee, ducking under one of his arms and supporting him as he stood. “I can’t believe I trusted you!”

When Aang looked back to Jet, the blue had disappeared from his eyes. It was back to that same old manic look.

“You’re sick!” Katara screamed. “You’re sick, and I trusted you!” 

A bird call sounded from over the reservoir.

Jet called back.

“What are you doing?” Katara demanded.

“You’re too late.”

Katara turned to the direction of the reservoir, a look of complete and utter horror on her face.

“Sokka’s still out there!” Aang said. “He can still warn them!”

A moment later, something flaming arced up over the dam, landing on the blasting jelly.

For a second, Aang could only hear the sound of his breath echoing all over the world.

Then, the dam exploded.

Water rushed out, a monsoon, down the reservoir, a roaring wave of death and destruction. It hit the town, demolishing everything that Aang could see. The wave grew and grew. It completely overtook the buildings.

Aang’s knees went weak. “All- all those people.”

Katara wheeled. “Jet, you monster!”

“This was a victory, Katara. Remember that.” Jet pulled against the ice. “The Fire Nation is gone, and this valley will be safe.”

“It’s will be safe, without you!”

From over the cliff, Appa emerged with a rumble, Sokka perched on his head.

Katara shouted her brother’s name.

“He did it,” Lee said with a grin, pushing himself off Aang. “He actually did it.”

“I warned the villagers of your plan.” Sokka glanced back at the monsoon. “Just in time.”

“What?!”

Sokka went on to explain how they didn’t believe him, but the old man --- the one Sokka had prevented Jet from hurting --- vouched for him. They had managed to get everyone would in time.

Aang’s knees went even weaker, but from relief. The villagers, they were all safe.

“We could have freed this valley!” Jet shouted.

“Who would be free?” Sokka demanded. “Everyone would be dead.”

“You traitor!”

“No, Jet. You became the traitor when you stopped helping innocent people.”

“Katara, please!” Jet begged. “Help.”

She said nothing, only moved to mount Appa.

Aang motioned for Lee to mount Appa. The older simply gave Jet one last look.

Jet snarled at him.

Lee’s eyes flashed blue.

The snarl cut off.

Katara reached a hand outward, hauling Lee up to the saddle. Aang airbended himself up.

“Yip yip,” Sokka said in the most dignified manner possible. And they flew off, leaving Jet frozen to the tree far behind.

“We thought you were going to the dam,” Aang said. “What made you go into the town instead?”

“Let me guess,” Katara said, “your instincts told you?”

Sokka shrugged. “Hey, sometimes, they’re right. And sometimes they’re named Lee. Which, by the way, dude- “he turned around” -what happened to you?”

Lee lightly touched the bruises on his throat. “What do you think?”

Sokka shrugged again.

“Um, Sokka?” Aang asked.

“Yeah?”

“You know we’re going the wrong way, right?”

Sokka jolted. “And sometimes they’re wrong.” He swung Appa’s reins to the left, steering them the right way.

Katara stayed at the front of the saddle to talk to Sokka. Lee had retreat to the back of the saddle to sharpen his knives. Aang turned over the events that just happened, then followed several moments later.

“It was you, wasn’t it?”  

Lee looked up. “What was?”

“The voice. I didn’t realize Jet was going to destroy the dam until I heard a voice in my head. It accused him of doing that exact thing. Then, when Katara didn’t believe he would do anything like that, I heard it again, but this time it was his voice. He ordered someone to be taken on a long walk, then said that another person needed to eliminated. You were trying to tell me, weren’t you?”

Lee sighed, then set his knife and whetstone aside. He crossed his arms, gaze dropping down. “Yes. It was me.”  

“And then there was that blue light. How did you do that?”

“I- I can’t explain it.” He shook his head. “It’s- it’s not something I’m sure you would understand.”

Aang puffed out a breath of frustration. “You keep saying that. What wouldn’t I understand?”

“I- I just don’t know how to explain it.”

“Will you ever tell us? Or at least me?”

Lee shrugged. “Maybe. When you’re older.”

“I’m already a hundred and twelve.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes?” Aang stuck out his bottom lip. “Is that not old enough?”

“Afraid not.”

Aang stuck his bottom lip out even more, crossed his arms, and hunched his shoulders.

“What are you doing?”

“Making you feel bad. Is it working?”

Lee leaned forward. “No.”

Chapter Text

Katara had been enjoying a rather peaceful sleep when something dropped onto her stomach. She shot up as Momo leaped from her over to Sokka, then soared up to take shelter on Appa’s saddle.

Sokka shot up a moment later, curved knife in one hand, boomerang in the other. “Wuzzgoinon? Did we get captured again?” He made to swing his knife.

Lee grabbed his wrist. “Uh, no.”

“Oh. Thasnice.” Sokka plopped back down in his sleeping bag.

“Sorry,” Aang said on Katara’s left. “I just had a bad dream.” Aang turned away from them and curled up on his side. “Just go back to sleep.”

Sokka muttered something blearily in agreement.

But Katara was not as unconcerned. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I’m okay.”

That definitely told her he was not okay. “You’re having a lot of nightmares lately. Do you want to tell me about them?”

“I just need some rest.”

“You guys wanna hear about my dream?” Sokka shot up.

Katara rolled her eyes.

“That’s fine. I didn’t really want to talk about it anyway.”

Katara kept her gaze trained on Aang’s back for a moment, then turned to Lee. The encounter with Jet had left Aang rather shaken, and the nightmares started just a bit after they fled the redwood forest. Katara had tried to be gentle with him, tried to get him to open up about it, but he had refused. She had also noticed he had stuck rather close to Lee since then. And she couldn’t blame him. Katara had been the one to so adamantly trust Jet, to practically betray her own brother because she thought the maniac was right. If Sokka hadn’t gotten to the village in time, they could have been responsible for the deaths of so many people. Jet had been the one to concoct the plan, but Katara and Aang had executed it. The blood would’ve been on their hands.

Aang had so blindly followed her, so blindly done something horrible. And she had urged him to. Katara couldn’t find it in herself to be mad at him for not responding.

Something had happened between Lee and Aang that Katara didn’t know about, suspected she would never know about. Whatever it was, it made him stick closer to the older guy. Lee had gotten pretty good at reading Aang’s emotions and telling Katara when he was and wasn’t okay.

Lee shook his head. Aang definitely wasn’t okay.

She looked back to Aang. There wasn’t much she could do right now, so she slid back into her sleeping bag.

“Look at those clear skies!” Aang pointed to a flock of birds. The morning had dawned, and they were preparing to head out. “Should be some smooth flying.”

Katara picked up the food bag. It fell limp in her hands. “Well, we better fly ourselves to a market. Because we’re out of food.”

“Wait!” Sokka held up his hands. “This was in my dream. We shouldn’t go to the market.”

Katara raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Food eats people!”

She just shook her head. Sokka and his imagination.

“Also, Momo could talk.” He pointed an accusatory finger at the lemur. “You said some very unkind things.”

Momo chittered in protest.

They found a small market town not far off. Katara found herself at a fruit stand selling watermelons. She picked one up, staring suspiciously at it.

“It’s good, it’s perfect!” the woman running the stand said gruffly. “I’m telling you the truth!”

Katara shook the watermelon. Something sloshed around on the inside. “I don’t know if I like the sound of that swishing.”

“Swishing means it’s ripe!” The vendor stomped around from the back. “It’s the ripe juices swishing around, huh?”

“I think it’s true,” Aang added. “Swishing means it’s ripe!”

“Actually,” Lee said, “it just sounds gross.”

And she had to agree. Katara placed the watermelon back on the stand. “I just realized we don’t have any money left,” she said sweetly.

The woman gave her a dirty look, then snatched the basket of fruit Sokka was holding.

“Out of food and out of money!” Sokka exclaimed when they had retreated from the vendor. “What are we supposed to do?”

“You could get a job, smart guy,” Katara suggested.

“We shouldn’t go out there!” an old woman’s voice said. “The fish can wait! There’s going to be a terrible storm!” Their attention was drawn to an old woman yelling at an equally old man that Katara assumed was her husband.

“You’re crazy!” the old man argued. “It’s a nice day. No clouds, no wind, no nothing!” He motioned to the sky. “Quit your nagging, woman.”

“My joints say there’s going to be a storm!”

“Well, it’s your joints against my brain.”

The woman crossed her arms. “Then I hope your brain can find someone else to haul that fish, ‘cause I ain’t comin’!”

“Then I’ll find a new fish hauler and pay him double!”

Sokka hurried forward. “Hey, couldn’t up but overhear, but do you need a- “

The old man pointed to him. “You’re hired.”

The rest of the group gave him a look.

Sokka shrugged. “You said get a job.”

As Sokka and the old man gathered supplies on a fishing boat, Katara saw dark clouds beginning to gather on the horizon.

Aang noticed it too. “Maybe this isn’t a good idea,” he suggested to Sokka. “Those clouds don’t look too friendly.”

“I said I was gonna do this job.” Sokka shifted the pack he was carrying. “I can’t back out just because of some bad weather.”

Aang glanced back at the sky.

“He has a point, Sokka,” Lee said. “Those clouds are purple. Purple clouds aren’t a good thing.”

Sokka just waved him off.

“The boy with the tattoos has some sense!” The old woman pointed to Aang. “You should listen to him!” She stormed off.

“Boy with tattoos?” The old man spun. “Airbending tattoos. Well, I’ll be a hog-monkeys uncle. You’re the Avatar, ain’tchye?”

“That’s right,” Katara said proudly.

“Well don’t be so smiley about it!”

Her face fell.

“The Avatar disappeared for a hundred years!” The old man grabbed Aang’s shoulder and shook him. “You turned your back on the world.”

“Don’t yell at him!” Katara intervened quickly as she saw Lee move. “Aang would never turn his back on anyone!”

“Oh, he wouldn’t, huh?” the old man responded thoughtfully. “Then I must’ve imagined the last hundred years of war and suffering.”

“Aang is the bravest person I know. He has done nothing but help people and save lives since I met him. It’s not his fault he disappeared, right Aang?” She turned.

Aang was already backing away, a terrified expression on his face.

“Aang?”

He swung his glider over his head and took off.

“That’s right!” The old man shook a fist at the sky. “Keep flying!”

“You’re a horrible old man!”

“Eh, whatever.”

Lee stepped forward sizing up the old man. “I know how to dispose of a body where no one will ever find it.”

The old man, however, was not fazed. “Kids today… “

“I’m gonna stab him,” Lee muttered.

“Don’t do that,” Katara said. “It’ll get messy.”

“I can cauterize the wound.”

She shook her head. “Come on.” And they both hopped on Appa to follow Aang.

By the time they found him, the storm clouds had rolled over. Rain poured and poured from the sky, creating a veil that Katara could not see through. She shielded a hand over her eyes, but it did nothing.

“There!” Lee pointed to the mountainside. “There’s a cave.”

Katara squinted and could make out the vague shape. She steered Appa toward it.

They found Aang inside. He was on his knees, shoulders hunched, back to them. “I’m sorry for running away.”

“It’s okay,” Katara said gently. “That fisherman was way out of line.”

“Actually, he wasn’t.”

“What do you mean?”

Aang hunched farther in on himself. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“It has to do with your dream, doesn’t it?”

No response.

She knelt down behind him. “Talk to me.”

Aang closed his eyes, turned his head away from her.

Lee came forward, kneeling down beside Aang, and placed a hand on his shoulders. “It’s not good to bottle your emotions up. You’re exhausted, Aang. We can all tell. What’s bothering you?”

The Avatar sighed. “Well, it’s kind of a long story.” He opened his mouth to continue.

Appa’s rumble interrupted them as he stomped in, nudged Aang’s back with his nose. Aang patted it. The cave was filled with the smell of wet bison.

Lee stood. “I’ll get a fire going.”

Katara stayed by Aang’s side as Lee gathered a few little sticks into a pile. He then formed a small flame in the palm of his hand, then placed it on the bundle of sticks.

The others moved closer to the fire. Momo leaped into Aang’s lap as he began his story. “I’ll never forget the day the monks told me I was the Avatar.”

And so, they heard the story. The story of how Aang was told when he was twelve, as opposed to the usual sixteen. How after the monks told him, the word quickly spread. How the other kids didn’t want to play with him anymore, as it wasn’t fair since he was the Avatar. How Monk Gyatso protected and cared for Aang, how he wanted Aang to have just a bit of childhood and fun while the other monks insisted he needed to be trained immediately.

Katara felt her horror grow when Aang told of how Gyatso wanted what was best for Aang, but the other monks insisted on what was better for the world. Gyatso had no choice but turn Aang over to the other monks, to let them send him away for training. How they had made the decision to split Aang and Gyatso apart since Gyatso was a bad influence on Aang.

“This Gyatso,” Lee spoke up, “he sounds almost like a father to you.”

Aang shrugged. “He was the closest thing I had to one.”

Lee nodded, then stared wistfully into the fire. There was a similar expression one his face to Aang’s. A sad, lonely one. She knew absolutely nothing about his past, and it made her wonder what or who he could possibly be thinking about.

Katara turned her attention back to Aang and went to place a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Aang.”

He jerked away from her, rising quickly to his feet. He stormed off away from the fire. “How could they do that to me? They wanted to take away everything I knew and everyone I loved!” A funnel of air whooshed up around him. The fire sparked. She saw the tattoos on his hands flash with light.

Hot cinders were thrown from the fire.

Lee leaned over. “Has he ever… glowed like that before?”

“Once.”

“Do you- “

“No. I don’t know what it is.” She gave him a suspicious look. “You glow too. Shouldn’t you know what it is?”

“That’s different.”

More cryptic sentences. He was going to have to tell her more about him one day, even if she had to pin him down and force it out.

Aang turned back to them. “I’m sorry.” He plopped back down in front of the fire.

“You have a right to be angry,” Katara said. “The monks shouldn’t have sent you away.”

Aang shook his head. “They didn’t.”

“What do you mean?”

“I- “he took in a deep breath” -I wasn’t sent away. I ran. I- I wasn’t sure what to do. Running, leaving it all behind, it seemed like the best choice. That’s when I was caught in a storm.” He pulled his knees up to his chest. “I never saw Gyatso again. All I remember is going down into the water and then… nothing. Then, you had pulled me out of the iceberg.”

“You- you ran away?” Katara said.

“I did. And then the Fire Nation attacked our temple. My people needed me, and I wasn’t there to help.”

The image of the carnage at the Southern Air Temple rose into Katara’s mind. She quickly forced it down. “You don’t know what would have- “

“The world needed me, and I wasn’t there to help!”

“Aang- “

“The fisherman was right. I did turn my back on the world.”

“You’re being too hard on yourself,” Katara said. “Even if you did run away, I think it was meant to be.”

“How’s that supposed to make me feel better?”

“The Fire Nation would’ve killed you if you had stayed,” Lee said.

“You don’t know that.”

“Aang,” he continued, “life is full of should-have’s. You can’t sit around and contemplate on them. You’ll never get anything done, never make any progress, never help anyone. You can only move forward if you put the past behind you.”

“The world needs you now,” Katara added. “You can give people hope.”

Aang looked up, and for the first time, she saw a smile on his face. Momo let out a happy chirrup and threw himself at Aang, purring loudly. “Thanks,” he said, then turned to Lee. “You said that as if you speak from experience. Like, a lot of experience.”

Lee shrugged. “There’s a lot of things I should have or shouldn’t have done.”

Katara rolled her eyes. “Are you ever going to tell us what your little sayings mean, or are we just gonna have to remain ignorant?”

“Are you guys gonna leave me alone about it?”

“Probably not.”

“Then suffer in ignorance.”

A crack of thunder sounded overhead as lightning illuminated the cave. A figure stood ominously at the entrance.

The three of them jumped. “Holy shit,” Lee muttered.

“Help!” It was the fisherman’s wife. “Please help!”

Katara got to her feet and rushed to assist the woman. “It’s okay. You’re safe.”

“By my fool of a husband isn’t!”

Katara’s heart stopped for a moment. “What do you mean? Where’s Sokka?”

“They haven’t returned! They should’ve been back long ago, and this storm’s turning into a typhoon. They’re caught out at sea!”

Aang got to his feet. “I’m going to find them.”

“I’m going with you,” Katara said.

“I’m staying here.” The old woman plopped down by the fire.

Not that they had asked her to come. Katara and Aang both looked to Lee.

“I’ll stay here with her. Go.”

They hopped onto Appa and took off into the storm.

***

As the storm worsened and the waves battered the boat around like a toy, Sokka realized that he had just made one of the biggest mistakes of his life. Lee was never going to let him live this down. If he lived that long.

“I’m tOo young tO die!” Sokka shrieked, clinging onto the mast.

“I’m not, but I still don’t wanna!” the fisherman responded.

And then, Sokka saw a great mass of white fur floating through the sky. He wasn’t going to die.

Aang leaped off Appa’s head, landing on the boat. Lighting cracked through the sky, and Sokka was thrown away from the mast just as it began to fall. He dodged the wood, then tossed a piece of loose rope to Sokka and the fisherman. “Hang on!” He leaped back onto Appa.

Sokka yelled as he was sharply thrown into the air, crashing onto Appa’s saddle. His relief to be on the bison didn’t last long as a wave, so large it shadowed them, rose behind.

Sokka had a moment of Well, shit before it crashed down, completely consuming them. Cold water slammed into him. He swallowed a good portion of it, wincing at the sour taste.

In the dark of the water, he couldn’t see anything. He couldn’t move. His limbs were completely numb.

He saw a glow. Or at least he thought he did.

All the water retreated from around him.

Sokka landed back on Appa’s saddle, hacking and coughing, trying to get all the water out of him. When he glanced around, they were surrounded by an air bubble. Appa sailed up and out of the water, soaring up through the sky, through the eye of the storm, and into the clear.

He wasn’t dead.

“You’re alive!” The old woman threw herself into her husband’s arms when they landed at the cave. “Oh, you’re alive.” The sweet reunion didn’t last long, however. “You owe this boy an apology!”

“He doesn’t have to apologize,” Aang said.

“What if instead of an apology, I give him a free fish instead?” the fisherman offered.

“I don’t eat meat.”

“I do,” Sokka piped up.

“Fish ain’t meat!” the old man argued.

Sokka stepped up to him. “You’re still going to pay me, right?” He held out his hand.

The response was a slimy fish slapped into his palm.

Sokka yelped.

“That’s karma.” Lee pointed to it.

“How is this- “

“I told you purple clouds are bad.”

Sokka opened his mouth, then closed it. “I guess you’re right.

Chapter Text

The doctor took excellent care of the boy. As much as he permitted to, of course. Which wasn’t much. 

Yet Ummi could still tell the woman --- Sokha --- took her job very seriously. She also didn’t take any of Blue’s bull. Despite his continuous insistances that he wasn’t hungry, Sokha absolutely reused to stop giving him food. Ummi had overheard her talking to herself, contemplating that if she did stop giving him food, then he might be hungry. Just to piss her off. And yet, she had not followed through with that plan. She still brought him things, even though Ummi had seen him dump it out the window above his bed quite often. And yet, his complete and utter assholery --- a quality of Blue Ummi had grown accustomed to --- did nothing to deter her. 

Blue. The more she watched the kid, the more she doubted she could call him that. Blue, her companion who had found her faceless and lost so many years ago, was there, but he wasn’t. It didn’t make any sense to her. She could hear his voice, occasionally feel a hint of his presence whenever she tried contacting the boy. But as soon as it was there, it was gone. She could sometimes see Blue’s mannerisms in the kid. How he sat with his knees drawn up to his chest, how he could never sit still or more than two seconds and was constantly fidgeting, how he spoke, or Tui and La’s sake. She could hear his snappish remarks, the dry tone in which he always spoke. In every way, the kid was Blue.

But he wasn’t. Whenever Sokha would get close to him, he would become a shell of himself, curling away from her like she was going to hurt him. Blue never would have done anything like that. In fact, his brashness was the reason he was a part of so many stories and myths around the world, mostly the reason why Koh hated his guts. But the kid was not brash, loud, or prideful. He was the opposite, scared and small. 

Sokha would come in every morning and talk to him. Sometimes, he would respond. Others, he simply stared out the window, acting as though she wasn’t there. 

This morning was one of those morning. It had been almost a week since Ummi had brought the kid in. She found it a miracle that Sokha had managed to keep him a secret from the rest of the village. Considering how many patients Sokha saw on the daily, and how many people Ummi healed at night, it was a wonder some lost kid hadn’t stumbled into the back room yet. It was also a wonder that the boy hadn’t escaped. 

But Ummi could tell he was getting restless. Most of the time, he sat on the cot, but Ummi sometimes observed him laying on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling, hanging with the top half of his body off the cot, doing headstands (which had to be so painful on the wood), and other random things. She had even caught him trying to vault over the windowsill, but Sokha had burst in before anything could happen. That didn’t stop him from trying it again, but Ummi always saw the hesitation in his eyes, like there was something tying him to this place. 

And that thing was her. It was selfish, but Ummi didn’t want him to leave again. If this child really was Blue --- or maybe it was the other way around --- she needed to know… she just needed to know . 

So, she had tried to contact him. Ummi would have outright spoken to the boy, but she had heard his conversation with Sokha. He didn’t know who he was or what had happened to him. If she could mentally communicate with him, she might be able to see those memories. Whatever had happened had obviously been traumatic enough for him to completely repress them. Ummi hated to have to pull them out, to have him see them again, but she had no choice. It was better not only for him, but for her as well. 

But every time, a wall threw her back. He didn’t want her anywhere near his mind.

She had no other option now but to speak directly to him. 

Ummi decided to do it in the middle of the day, when Sokha was busiest and most likely to leave the kid alone. He had been sitting on the cot, staring out the window, just the usual, when she sat down on the other end. She hadn’t had a plan for what she was going to say, and it probably wasn’t the best when she decided on: “Blue.” 

The kid jerked back and fell off the cot. He blinked rapidly, then turned his eyes to her. “You.”

“So you do know I exist.” 

“Of course, I know you exist. You’re- “he paused” -you’re- you’re- I know you.” 

“You know me quite well, Blue.” 

“Why are you calling me that?” 

“Blue?” 

“Unless there’s another name you’ve called me. That’s not my name.” 

Ummi sighed. “It is your name. Well, at least the one you prefer.” 

“I- I don’t- “ 

The door burst open. Sokha held up a hand. “Are you alright I heard a thud Why are you on the floor?” 

He blinked. “I’m fine.” 

“Did you fall?” 

“Yeah, but it wasn’t anything bad. I’m fine.” 

She looked as if she wanted to question more, but decided against it. “I’ll take your word for it.” She shut the door. 

Ummi lifted off the cot and knelt down on the floor by the kid. 

“You’re a spirit,” he said. “You’re the one that comes and heals everyone at night. The Painted Lady.”

“I am.” 

“But I know you from somewhere else. You’re- you’re- “he cut off. 

Ummi sighed again, watching as he struggled to remember her name. He couldn’t remember his own, remember that she called him Blue, couldn’t remember who this kid’s name was.

“Ummi.” 

She inhaled sharply. 

“That- that’s your name, isn’t it?” 

She swallowed. “Yes.” 

He nodded, then his eyes trailed off to the side. 

“What happened to you?” 

He shook his head. “I don’t know.” 

She held out a hand. “Do you trust me?” 

He hesitated for a moment, then took it. 

***

The kid didn’t sleep. And that threw a huge wrench in her plans. 

Sokha had planned to check over him while he was sleeping, and yet… he was just really trying to piss her off, she concluded. And he was doing a really good job. 

A week since the Painted Lady had brought him, and he didn’t sleep. Well, then Sokha wasn’t going to sleep either. 

That plan had lasted about two days before her delirium caught up to her work and she nearly gave a patient a bottle of opium rather than the healing tonic. So, she had resolved to sleep. If he had any underlying injuries, he was just going to have to deal with them. 

But he didn’t seem to have any. He didn’t even seem to be tired from a lack of sleep. If anything, he looked healthier every day. Which she could never begin to understand why. 

If he wasn’t willing to tell her anything, then oh well. 

That night, she had gone to wash out a bowl in the Jang Hui River. She hadn’t decided what to do with the kid yet. Sokha hated to admit she had gotten rather used to his presence. 

She squatted down, dipped the bowl into the water, when she felt someone behind her.  

Sokha waved them away. “Give me a second.” 

“I’m afraid it can’t.” A rope of water reached out and snatched the bowl from her hands. 

Sokha froze. The bowl sailed out into the river, then plopped into the dark water. 

She shot to her feet. “Jang Hui?” Had the river just talked to her? 

Wait, what was she saying? Rivers couldn’t talk. 

The voice chuckled. “No.” It was a woman’s voice, a voice she had never heard. “I must speak to you, Sokha.” 

“How do you- “ 

“Please.”

Slowly, Sokha turned. 

And behind her stood the Painted Lady.

Chapter Text

The coughing had started three days after the storm. Sokka had waved their concerns off. I’m fine, it’s just a little cough. But it slowly got worse and worse. And yet, he continued to ignore it and their concerns. Katara had said that if it killed him, at least her final words could be, “I told you so.” 

They were taking refuge in an abandoned, crumbling stone building. Sokka was curled up in his sleeping bag akin to a burrito, laying on one of Appa’s legs. 

Katara placed a cool cloth on his forehead. “This should help bring your fever down.” 

“You know,” Lee said from where he was sitting on the ground, “I think if he’s burning up, maybe he shouldn’t be holed up in a thick sleeping bag.”

Katara glared at him. She had been extra snappy with him lately. Aang had just assumed she was going through one of her moods. “I think I’d know how to- “ 

“You know what I love about Appa the most?” Sokka interrupted nasally. “His sense of humor.” 

“That’s nice,” Katara said. “I’ll tell him.” 

Appa rumbled a response. 

Sokka let out a weary laugh. “Classic Appa… “

Aang approached them. “I couldn’t find any ginger root for the tea, but I found a map.” He held up an old piece of paper he’d scavenged out of the dirt. “There’s a herbalist institute on the top of that mountain.” He pointed between the stone columns to the general area of the mountain range. “There’s probably a cure up there.” 

“Aang,” Katara said gently, “he’s in no condition to travel. Sokka just needs more rest.” 

To prove her point, Sokka took in a great, snotty sniff. 

Katara grimaced. “I’m sure he’ll be better by tomorr- “she broke down in a coughing fit.

“Not you, too,” Aang said disappointedly. 

“Relax. It’s just a little cough. I’m fi- “she broke into another hacking coughing fit. 

Aang threw an arm up, as if that could shield him from it. “That’s how Sokka started yesterday. Now look at him! He thinks he’s an earthbender!” 

Sokka, sitting up in his sleeping bag, punched outward. “Take that, you rrrock!” he slurred, swinging his arms around wildly. 

Lee grabbed his wrists. “I think the fighting can wait.” He gently pushed Sokka back down. 

Aang shook his head. “A few more hours, and you’ll be talking nonsense too, Katara!” He grabbed his glider. “I’m going to find some medicine.” 

“Are you sure it’s okay to go alone?” Katara said. “We don’t know this part of the world very well. Take Lee with you.” 

“Someone has to stay here with you,” Aang said. “I can fend for myself.” 

“Aang- “ 

“Don’t ask my opinion in this,” Lee muttered. “I’m just the family regift.” 

Katara fixed him with a glare, then sneezed. 

“Oh, right. You’re sick, so you’re opinion is invalid. I agree with Aang; I’ll stay here.” 

“How is my- “ 

Aang didn’t hear the rest as he swung his glider over his head, preparing to take off- 

Lighting lit up the sky, and thunder rumbled. 

Aang grimaced, then retracted his glider. “Maybe it’s safer to go on foot.” He rest his glider on one of the columns, then took off, using the wind to carry his feet faster. 

***

Katara got to her feet. “How is my opinion invalid?” 

Lee shrugged. “You’re sick, you’re judgement is askew, and people don’t tend to believe your drunken ramblings.” 

“I don’t have drunken ramblings.” 

“No, but- “ 

“Lemme tell y’all ‘bout my favori’ stories wen I’s a kid,” Sokka slurred. 

Lee motioned with his head. “He does. And you might soon.”

“You’re here to protect us, not to boss me around.” A headache panged at the base of her skull, but she ignored it. She had an even bigger headache to deal with right now. 

“You’re ill , and I’m trying to give you the best advice.” 

“How is invalidating my opinion advice?” 

He rolled his eyes. “Oh great Agni, I’m not doing this right now.”  

“No, I wanna hear it. I wanna- “she sneezed. When her eyes opened, her vision was blurred. “I’m perfectly fine.” 

“Oh really?” 

A small jet of water had hit her in the face by the time she registered it. 

Katara stumbled back, spluttering. She wiped her face with the sleeve of her heavy coat. “Hey! What was- “ 

“Katara?” Sokka croaked. 

“What, Sokka?” she snapped much harsher than she intended to. 

He cringed back into his sleeping back. “Can I’ve some water?” 

Oh, he had to be mocking her. It probably wasn’t, as Lee put, a drunken rambling, though. It was an actual request. “Sure, I’ll- “she broke down in a coughing fit. 

Lee placed a hand on her shoulder. “Come on. Lay down.” He guided her to one of Appa’s fluffy legs, something even better than a sleeping bag. 

She gratefully collapsed on it. All tension seeped out of her muscles and into Appa’s soft fur. “Can you at least give him- “she reached for her waist, where her- “ -wait, where’s my waterskin?” 

“Oh, you mean this?” Lee held up said waterskin. 

“Where did you- “ 

“Oh, Tui and La!” Sokka exclaimed, pointing at Lee. “It’s the ninja man! He’s so cOoL!” 

Oh, Tui and La. Katara shook her head. “I don’t know how you got that, but at least give him some. He asked for it.” 

Lee opened it, then turned it upside down. A single drop fell out. “There’s a creek down the hill. I’ll go refill it.” He unsheathed a knife from one of the thigh holsters and held it out to Katara. 

She stared suspiciously at it. “Is is safe for me to use that?” 

“Well, the only other options are Sokka and Momo. And I don’t think giving Momo something sharp is a good idea.” 

Momo’s eyes were bright like stars, mesmerized as he stared at the blade. 

Sokka held his hands out, making grabby hands like a little kid wanting candy. “Pointyyy… “

Katara pushed his hands back. “Maybe you’re right.” 

***

The stairs up to the herbalist’s were practically a hundred and eighty degrees, straight up. Aang’s breath was coming out in hard pants, burning his chest as he put on a extra burst of speed to climb to the talk. 

He came to stop at a circular archway. Aang took a moment to lean against it, gain his breathing back. When it came out evenly, he took off into the single-floored circular herbalist’s greenhouse. The smell of dozens of different plants hit Aang’s nose. A ladder went up to the domed ceiling, latching to a hole in the roof. Trees grew around the edges of the room. 

A fluffy gray cat screeched at Aang’s presence, then scurried off into the green. 

A old woman wearing light blue robes had her back to Aang, busily working away at a table. 

“Hello?” Aang called. “Sorry to barge in like this, but I need some medicine for my friends.” 

The old woman hummed, then continued grinding a gross-looking goop. 

“They have fevers,” Aang continued, “and they’ve been coughing and- “

“Settle down, young man,” the woman chastised. She turned away with her bowl of goop. “Your friends are going to be fine. I’ve been up here for over forty years, you know. Used to be others, but they all left years ago. Now it’s just me and Miyuki.” She patted the cat on the head, which had miraculously reappeared at some point. 

Aang raised an eyebrow. He didn’t want her life story. He had to help Katara and Sokka. “That’s nice, but- “

“Wounded Earth Kingdom troops still come by now and again,” the herbalist continued as if she hadn’t heard him. “Brave, brave boys. And thanks to my remedies, they always leave in better shape than when they arrived.” 

“That’s nice,” Aang said impatiently. He peered suspiciously at the goop. “Are you almost done?” 

The herbalist held up a hand. “Hold up. I just need one more ingredient.” She trailed off to another table. “Sandalwood. Oh yes- no that won’t do. Banana leaf? Eh, nope. Ginger root? Uh-uh… “she listed off several more ingredients. 

Aang let out an impatient sigh, crossed his arms, tapped his foot. Old people and taking their time. Technically, he was a hundred and twelve, but that didn’t count. 

After what felt like a million years, the herbalist picked out an orange plum blossom. She plucked it off the branch, then plopped it into the goop. 

“Finally!” Aang shot up and snatched for the bowl- 

The herbalist slapped his hands away. “What do you think you’re doing?!” 

Aang winced, rubbing his hand. “Taking the cure to my friends?” 

The herbalist laughed. “This isn’t a cure. It’s Miyuki’s dinner.” The cat padded over and sat down expectantly. “Plum blossom is her favorite.” 

Aang gave her a deadpan look. His brain ran through a list of Lee’s favorite curses, most of which we not appropriate to say, and settled on, “Oh great Agni. What about my friends?” 

“Well, all they need is some frozen wood frogs. There’s plenty of them down in the valley swamp.” 

Frogs? “What am I supposed to do with those?” 

“Why, suck on them, of course.” 

Aang choked. A horrible imagination of the slimy, warty skin contacting his mouth- “S- suck on them?” 

The herbalist explained that the frog skin excreted a substance that could cure Sokka and Katara’s sickness. However, the frogs had to be frozen. 

“So get plenty of them!” the herbalist advised. 

Aang struggled to swallow. “You’re insane, aren’t you?” 

“That’s right!” she singsonged. 

Aang rolled his eyes --- he hated to be disrespectful to his elders, but what?! He hurried out. 

The wind had picked up, rolling the grass blades like waves on the ocean. From nowhere, two areas whistled through the air, pinning Aang’s feet to the ground. His arms scrambled around, trying to keep his balance. 

He glanced to where the arrows had come from. Several more flew at him, and Aang threw a gust of air outward, scattering them. 

Aang pried one out of the ground. “Uh, I think you dropped this!” 

Now, he could see an archer in a tree taking at him. The farther he looked, the more there were. Arrows flew at him in all directions. Aang dodged, turned, then turned again, leaping off the cliff the herbalist’s was set upon. He floated downward, bending the wind around to parachute safely to the ground. He didn’t check to see if the archers had followed as he plummeted through trees and branches, leaves and sticks whipping him in the face. 

Aang managed to recover himself, dodging more arrows, and stumbling to a stop in a murky body of water. 

His hand touched something cold. 

Aang gripped it, then pulled it out. It was a frozen frog. 

It was shot from his hand by an arrow. 

Aang dodged arrows, searching vainly through the water to find more frogs. He shoved them into his monk’s jumpsuit. He lifted his arm up, then dove the other into the water- 

An arrow shot through the fabric of his jumpsuit, pinning him to a fallen tree trunk. It reminded Aang of the way Lee threw his knives, constantly pinning people back to things. Aang jerked against it, grabbed the arrow, but it held true. Several more arrows thunked next to it. 

Aang whipped around. Several archers stood in front of him, arrows nocked and aimed. 

He swung his arm upward, creating a wall of ice. 

One arrow. Crack. 

Another. Crack. 

A third. The ice shattered. 

Aang shut his eyes as ice shards flew at his face. More arrows pinned his other arm back. When he opened his eyes, a net flew at him. 

The archers, whoever they were, had captured him. 

***

“Y’guys never wan’ed to ‘ear ‘bout m’favori’ stories,” Sokka slurred. 

“Not right now,” Katara said, burrowing deeper into her sleeping bag. 

“Y’know, yur not very nice, Katara.” 

“Sokka- “

“Yur mean.” 

“Sokka, please- “ 

“I’ll tel’ Dad if y’don’t- “ 

“By all means, Sokka,” Lee said loudly. “Tell the story. I’d love to here it.” 

Katara rolled over and wrapped her arms around Lee’s right one, giving him a pleading look. Her headache was pounding through her skull, threatening to crack the bone. The soft sound of the wind was a comfort to her, but Sokka’s rambling, nasally voice was not. 

Lee shrugged. “He’ll shut up hopefully.” 

“No. No, he won’t.”

Sokka grinned slopily. “M’favori’ stories are abou’ this one guy. I can’ remember his name righ’ now, but I remember the stories. There’s so many ‘bout how he ‘elps people, and then he fights some spiris’, and then he- wait, I rememer ‘is name.” He sniffed in greatly. “I think ‘e was the Blue Spirit. Yeah, ‘e’s m’childhood ‘ero.” 

“That’s wonderful, Sokka,” Lee deadpanned. 

Katara sighed, then moved herself closer to Lee’s body. 

“Excuse me?” 

“You’re warm,” she muttered.

“Y’know, I ‘lways ‘oped to meet ‘im.” 

“That’s great, Sokka,” Lee said again.

“I dunno wha’ I’m gonna say to ‘im. You got any ideas, Ninja Man?” 

Lee sighed. “No, Sokka. I don’t.” 

“Yur not very ‘elpful. Yur- “ 

“Sokka, I beg you,” Katara said, “shut up.” 

“Mean.” He sniffed. 

***

They had blindfolded Aang when he’d been brought in, so he had no clue where he was. When the cloth had been pulled from his eyes, his arms and legs had been chained, pulled taut so he couldn’t bend. He was between two pillars, both of which had fires lit on top providing light for the room. 

Aang pulled against the chains, but nothing happened. 

“So,” a new voice said. 

Aang’s head jerked to the doorway. 

Commander Zhao --- freaking Zhao, was Sokka always called him --- stepped from the shadows. “It’s the great Avatar, the one who managed to evade me on Crescent Island.” He stalked around Aang in a circle. “You’re little game of hide and seek is over.” 

Aang’s skin crawled where the commander’s hands had restrained his arms behind his back. “I’ve never hidden from you,” he snapped, putting on the venom he had so-often heard in Lee’s voice. “Untie me, and I’ll fight you right now!” 

“No.” The commander turned. “Tell me, how does it feel to be the only airbender left?” 

The image of Gyatso’s skeleton rose to Aang’s mind. He swallowed down bile and dropped his gaze from Zhao. All his limbs went weak. 

The commander chuckled. “Oh, don’t worry. You won’t be killed like they were.” 

Aang growled at him, jerking against the chains. How- how dare this vermin- 

“If you die, you’ll just be reborn.” Aang’s blood boiled at the joy in the commander’s tone. “And the Fire Nation will just have to search for the Avatar all over again. So, I’ll keep you alive, but just barely.” He turned to leave. 

Aang drew in a deep breath, then puffed it out, blowing the general into the wall. 

He flew oh-so gracefully into it, tumbling over. 

“How’s your shoulder?!” Aang called. 

The general got quickly to his feet, then brushed his shoulders off. “Blow all the wind you want. There is no escaping this fortress. And no one in coming to rescue you.” 

The door opened, then slammed shut, shutting out all Aang’s hope.

He jerked against the chains, but the metal dug into his arms, tugged at the skin. He felt blood begin to slide from the broken parts. He tugged and jerked and blew air, but nothing happened. For a moment, he thought about calling out to Lee, like Lee had done to him. But Aang didn’t know how. There was no way he would know if Lee ever heard him. 

Zhao was right. No one would ever know he was here. 

***

She woke when she felt cold rushing to her side. Katara blearily opened her eyelids, which seemed a thousand times heavier than before. 

Her vision was blurry. She could make out a vague, black shape moving away from her. 

“Where’re you goin’?” Katara asked. 

The shape moved closer to her, and she could barely make out Lee. 

“You leavin’ us?” 

“It’s none of your concern. Just go back to sleep, Katara.” 

“I- “ 

“Go to sleep.” 

A wave of black overtook her vision, and she slumped back into her sleeping bag. 

***

He didn’t know how long he’d been there, but it felt like forever. 

There was something crawling on Aang’s shoulder. He heard a croak, then a brown frog threw itself from his jumpsuit. He felt more of them move, then follow the first’s example. 

“What? No!” He tugged on the chains. “My friends are sick and they need you! Please go back to being frozen!”

They crawled to the door and under the crack to freedom. 

Then, Aang heard several grunts and a thud. The door opened, and in stepped the most terrifying figure Aang had ever seen. 

It wore all black with a blue demon-like mask pulled over its face. The features, the horrifying fanged smile, painted in white. 

Against his better judgement, Aang screamed. 

The person pulled the mask up away from their face. “You’re a lot more trouble than your worth, you know that?” 

The scream cut off. Lee. “How did you find me?” 

Lee unsheathed the swords strapped to his back, pulling them apart into two. “Not important.” He ran forward with the swords. 

Aang screamed again. 

And sliced right through the chains. 

Oh. 

“And- “he sliced through the chains on his wrists” -would you please stop doing that?” 

“Oh.” He blushed. “Sorry.” 

Lee sliced through the chains on his ankles, then pulled the mask down over his face. “Come on.” 

“Where are we?” Aang asked as they left the room. 

“I’ll explain later. Just come on.”

Aang rounded a corner. A guard a laying on the ground, gagged, limbs tied tightly. He passed a hallway where one was hanging upside down from the ceiling by his ankle, unconscious. Or, at least Aang hoped he was unconscious.

They passed another room where half-frozen frogs were crawling their way along the floor. 

Aang stopped, then stooped down and snatched them. 

Lee grabbed the back of his jumpsuit and pulled him along. 

“Wait! They need to suck on those frogs!” 

Lee paused, but didn’t respond. 

They found their way to the sewer underneath the stronghold. As soldiers passed overhead, Lee threw himself up through the wide grates. Aang followed. They sprinted to the large wall were a rope was hanging down. 

Aang grabbed onto it, then took a few steps upward. 

Then, chimes began to ring. 

“Well, shit,” Lee muttered. 

“On the wall!” A soldier pointed to them. 

One on top of the way ripped his sword from its sheath, then sliced the rope. 

They plummeted toward the ground. Aang cushioned them with a ball of air. 

Lee pointed to the stronghold’s open gate, and they sprinted for it. 

“The Avatar’s escaped!” Zhao’s voice rang throughout the courtyard. “Close all gates immediately!” 

The mechanisms of the gate hissed and clanked. 

Aang sprinted ahead. “Stay close to me!” A line of soldiers blocked their way to the gate, holding their spears outward. Aang thrust his arms toward them, sending a gust of air that split the group. 

Aang picked up more speed, air rushing underneath him, carrying him toward the door. It took him a moment to realize that Lee was not behind him. 

He wheeled just as the gates slammed shut, shaking the ground. Several soldiers had gathered in a circle around Lee. He sliced the tips off their spears, kicked them backwards, but he was having trouble fighting them all at once. 

The air behind Aang moved, and he spun, hands wrapping around a spear. He kicked a gust of air at the soldier holding it, throwing him backward. Aang spun the spear over his head, then slammed it into the ground, snapping the tip off. It was something akin to his glider now. 

He charged at the ring of soldiers, then swung his glider, tossing them all back with a gust of air. He swung his glider again, throwing Lee in an arc to the stronghold wall. Then, he leaped himself. 

Lee landed with a roll, Aang not far behind him. More soldiers charged from both sides. With another gust of wind, they arced up and over to the next wall. 

Instead of landing gracefully, they both tumbled to the ground. Aang heard a yell. A soldier charged up behind him, but Lee grabbed the man and tossed him off the wall. 

The man’s scream faded out as he fell. 

Aang gasped. “What- “

Lee then shoved him off the wall. Aang screamed, but once again cushioned himself with air. Lee landed not soon afterward. 

They charged for the last gate, but it had already shut. 

He felt the temperature of the air rise behind him, and he shoved Lee back, blasting the firebenders’ flames back with a gust of wind. 

“Hold your fire!” 

It stopped. Zhao stood in the middle of the firebenders. 

“The Avatar must be captured alive.” 

Aang was jerked backward, and two sword blades were held at his throat. 

The firebenders tensed, but Zhao held a hand up. Several moments of agonizing silence passed before Zhao said, “Open the gate.” 

“Admiral?” one of the soldiers questioned. Oh, so it was A dmiral now. “Are you sure?” 

“Let them out.” 

The gates hissed and creaked. He felt a gust of wind from behind as they opened. 

Lee nudged his swords against Aang’s throat, and they slowly backed away from the stronghold. They were farther, farther, almost into a nearby forest- 

An arrow whizzed by Aang’s ear. He heard a small gasp of surprise, then the swords fell away from his throat. He whirled in enough time to see Lee stumble backwards and collapse onto his back. 

Aang gathered a ball of dust, then threw it outward, puffing up a bunch of dust around them. He gathered Lee’s sword, and then Lee. 

And when the soldiers arrived, they were gone. 

He hid them out in a small clearing, waiting for Lee to wake. Aang removed the creepy mask and tossed it away, ignoring the chills it gave it. 

Aang ran his hand over the side of Lee’s head, where Aang had assumed he had been it. He felt a large bump forming there, then quickly removed his hand. 

They needed to get moving before the frogs unfroze. Aang shook him away. “Lee?” he asked. “Lee? Please don’t be dead. I need a firebending teacher. Lee?” He shook him harder. 

The other boy jerked away, shoving Aang off. “Don’t- don’t- “

Aang held his hands up in surrender. “Don’t panic. It’s me.” 

Lee ran a hand through his hair, then winced and swore when he touched the bump. “Where- “ 

“Come on.” Aang grabbed his hand, attempting to haul him to him feet. “We have to get these frogs to Sokka and Katara.” 

“Frogs?” He blinked. 

“Yes! Frogs! Come on!” 

It took him a minute, but Lee finally gathered his things, and they hurried back to the stone buildings. 

Momo chirruped excitedly when Aang arrived back. It had taken most of the morning to travel, and his limbs, his muscles, and his brain were utterly exhausted. 

Sokka was sniffing in again when Aang pulled a frog out of his jumpsuit. “Suck on these,” he mutter, shoving it into Sokka’s mouth, then Katara’s. Katara had a crown on her head, and he didn’t even want to imagine where that came from. Then, he collapsed on Appa’s tail. 

“Aan’,” Sokka said through the frog, “‘ow wath your thrip?” 

Aang mumbled in response. 

“Thith ith thathty!” Sokka commented, but it quickly turned into a shriek of disgust. Katara shrieked as well. He heard croaks, then hacking and spitting noises. They probably just realized there was a frog in their mouths. 

“Aang, that was so gross!” Sokka said. “I’ll never- I’ll never- “he spat again. 

Katara stomped around from Appa’s side. “Frogs? Really?” 

Aang shrugged. 

“That was so- “ 

“We’re missing something,” Sokka said. 

Aang sighed. Of course they were. With a groan, he pulled himself off Appa’s tail, then checked around Appa’s side. 

“Wait,” he said, “he was right behind me… “ 

As if on cue, Lee stumbled up the stairs, a sword in each hand. His head was down, black bangs hanging forward. 

“Dude,” Sokka asked, “are you- “

Lee glanced up. His eyes were confused. They flashed blue, then gold, then blue again, then gold. “I- I don’t feel right.” 

The swords fell from his hands, and he fell like a puppet with its strings cut.

Chapter Text

In hindsight, Aang was lucky that Lee had collapsed. Otherwise, Katara would’ve completely and utterly chewed him out for stuffing a frog in her mouth. What she cured? Yeah. 

But there had been a frog in her mouth. 

Lee’s swords slipped from his grip, clanging as they hit the stone ground. His knees buckled, eyes rolled into the back of his head, and a second later, he was limp on the ground. 

Katara had rushed toward him. Her head still ached, albeit much much less than before. It had gone from a drill pouding through the bone to a small pang every few seconds. Her muscles, however, still felt like mush, bones and joints not quite responding to her brains signals. In her mind, she wad sprinted toward him. But, in reality, she knew it was more of a drunken stumble. 

She practically fell to her knees beside him, Sokka dropping down on the other side. “What happened?” Katara demanded. 

“He- he got hit with an arrow?” Aang said. 

“How is that a question?!” 

“I don’t know. I thought you might yell at me!” 

She raised her voice. “Well- “ 

“Katara,” Sokka said. “Don’t prove him right.” 

Katara bit back another retort. “Where did he get hit?” 

“On- on the head?” 

Oh great. Lee most likely had a concussion, and here he was --- passed out on the ground. This couldn’t be any worse. 

“Where were you guys anyway?” Katara motioned for Sokka to help her, and they rolled Lee over onto his back. 

Aang sat down. “Zhao. He caught me. Well, these freaky archer guys did first, but I think they were working for Zhao. They took me to a stronghold, and Lee found me. But- “ 

“Your escape didn’t go well?” Sokka assumed. 

“No. How’d you get that?” 

“Lucky guess.” Sokka turned his attention to Lee. “If Zhao’s here, we need to get moving.” 

“Absolutely not,” Katara said. 

“And wHy?” 

“Oh, I don’t know if you’d noticed, but- “she motioned to Lee. “Besides, we- “she motioned between herself and Sokka” -need a bit of time to recover.” 

Sokka sat back on his heels. “I don’t know about you, but I’m up and kicking. Ready to fight some Fire Nation goons.” He swung his fists, then lost balance and tumbled backward. 

“Right,” Katara said doubtfully. “Completely fine. Were did you say he’d been hit?” She turned to Aang. 

“It hit his head. Somewhere- “He pointed to a spot on his own head. 

Katara ran a hand lightly over Lee’s head, pausing when she felt a large bump. Well, that wasn’t good.

Sokka pulled himself off the ground. “Okay, but are we gonna talk about that weird thing happening with his eyes? What’s up with that?” 

“Not the time, Sokka.” 

“Come on, you don’t think it was a little weird?” 

“Yes, I did, Sokka, but we have other problems right now. He needs to wake up.” She nudged his shoulder gently. 

But he wasn’t finished. “Alright, first of all, you’re not in the least bit interested in what’s going on with this guy? Surely you’ve noticed the weird tricks he’s played and the weird things he’s said and the just the weird things that have happened since he’s gotten here. Don’t you wanna know?”

“Sokka,” She said warningly. 

“Second, you’re never going to wake him with a gentle tap like that. You gotta- “Sokka grabbed Lee’s arm and began to violently shake him. 

Aang reached an arm outward. “Sokka, I don’t think- “

“Stop.” Katara shoved Sokka’s arm off. “You’ll kill him if you keep that up.” 

“So? I’ve got questions for him.” 

“He’ll probably be confused, you dunce. Start asking him questions, and- “ 

“Yeah, but his guard will be down.” 

“Sokka, that’s not- “

“Wait.” Aang waved them off. “I think he’s waking up.” 

Sokka smirked. “See, Katara?” He placed a hand on Lee’s shoulder. “I told you that you would’ve never- “ 

Lee snatched Sokka’s arm, then swung a leg up. Sokka was flipped over onto his back. Katara blinked. Lee had one foot planted over Sokka’s wrist, pinning it to the ground. Lee had a hand pressing Sokka’s forearm down, a knee planted in his chest, knife to his throat. 

“Who the hell are you?” he hissed. 

“Lee!” Katara grabbed his arm, then yanked him off her brother. 

Lee drove his elbow back into Katara’s gut. She let out an “oof”, stumbling back as the air whooshed out of her. She landed hard on her side. 

“Lee!” When Katara recovered, Aang had thrown himself in the space between Katara and Sokka and Lee. “Lee, stop!” 

Lee held his knife outward. There was a wild, panicked look in his blue eye. 

Wait- 

“Who are you?” he demanded. 

Aang held his hands outward. “Lee, please put the knife down. You’re okay.” 

He didn’t move. 

“You- you just got hit on the head. Pretty hard.” Aang motioned to Katara and Sokka. “Help me out here.” 

“Dude just tried to kill me again ,” Sokka muttered. “I’m not sure I want to help.” 

Katara slowly got to her feet. “Don’t listen to him.” She placed a hand on her stomach, which she was pretty sure was now bruising, Tui and La, he could hit hard. “He’s being dumb. Lee, you’re- “ 

“Your eye isn’t blue,” Sokka interrupted. “Your eye’s gold. But it’s blue right now.” 

Lee’s head tilted, eyes narrowing. “Gold? But- “ 

He cut off with a gasp. The knife tumbled from his hand, and he stumbled backward. “But- “ 

He blinked. His eye was gold now. 

Wait- 

“Lee?” Aang asked. 

“I- I don’t- “He turned and ran down to the stairs, fleeing into the forest. 

They stood in silence for a moment before Sokka said, “Huh? What’s his deal?” 

“His eyes… “Katara glanced at the other two. “You’ve seen them do that before, haven’t you?” 

Aang nodded and Sokka responded, “That’s what i was trying to tell you, but nooo, no one ever listens to me.” 

Aang hurried down the stairs. “I’m going after him.”

“Wait,” Sokka said, “are you sure that’s a good idea?” 

Aang shrugged. “It’s the only one I have.” He ran off.

Sokka and Katara exchanged a look. They certainly weren’t going to let him go alone. And, as much as she loved Aang, Katara had to admit, he wasn’t the best at making decisions. After a moment of hesitation, they hurried after him. 

They found him standing by the creek he had told Katara he was getting water from earlier. His back to was to them. 

Aang had taken refuge behind a tree, occasionally peeping around the trunk at him. “He hasn’t moved since I got here.” He glanced back at Katara, a pleading look on his face. “I don’t know what to say.” 

Katara opening her mouth to give him advice. 

“I’ll solve your problem,” Lee called. “Leave. You don’t have to say anything.” 

“Yeah, he’s nuts,” Sokka said. 

Aang and Katara threw him a glare. 

“What? He’s cool and all, but- “he motioned to Lee” -am I the only one seeing this?”

Katara rolled her eyes, then stepped out from behind the tree. “Lee,” she began gently, “you were hit pretty hard in the head. You have a concussion. You’re just confused.” 

He shook his head. “No, I’m not confused. I’m- I’m just- I can’t explain it.” 

“Oh, look, there he goes again.” Sokka stepped up beside Katara. “Not telling us anything, pulling the ‘I can’t explain it’ card. Well, guess what. You’ll never be able to avoid your way out of this situation because I saw you. I saw that weird thing happen with your eye.” 

“Sokka- “ 

“And, look dude, I think you’re okay. You’re a great addition to the group, but you’d been even better if you could tell us whatever the hell is going on with you. I’ve seen the things you can do. You made that general forget you. You haggled that shopkeeper pretty easily. I don’t know if I’ve seen anything else, but they might have their own questions as well.” He motioned to Aang and Katara. “So please, dude, just tell us what’s going on. We promise not to judge.” 

Lee said nothing in response. 

“Lee?” Aang stepped in front of Katara and Sokka. “Please, we want to- “ 

“Lee.” He finally turned. His eye was solid gold --- without the ring of navy blue around it. “Why do you call me that?” 

Aang raised an eyebrow. “Because- because that’s your name?”

He shook his head. “My- my name’s not Lee. Why would I tell you- “ 

“Wait.” Now, when he spoke, it seemed like a different voice was speaking. The physical sound of his voice was still the same, but the tone was different. He blinked, and his eye was blue. “You don’t need to know my real name. That’s why I told you my name was Lee.” 

Sokka stepped closer to Katara. “Then… what is your real name?” 

“It’s Lee, as far as you’re concerned.” 

“That’s very helpful.” 

“But you said lying was a bad way to start off a relationship,” Aang said genuinely. “Does that just not apply to you?” 

Lee blinked, narrowed his eyes. “I- I don’t remember saying that.” 

“But you did.” 

Spot on defense, Aang. 

Lee shook his head. “I don’t- “His gaze diverted downward. 

Aang stepped toward him. Katara heard herself draw in a sharp breath as Aang went to place a hand on Lee’s arm. “Lee, we- “ 

He stumbled away from Aang and tripped, splashing down into the creek. “Don’t.” His eye flashed gold. “Just don’t. Please leave me alone.” His wide eyes, heavy breathing, shoulders heaving… Katara got the impression of a cornered animal. 

But Aang didn’t seem willing to give up. “It’s like Katara said. You’re just confused. We’re not going to hurt you.” 

“Avatar,” he said lowly, “please leave me alone.” 

“Aang.” Katara placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t test it.” 

“Come on.” Sokka came up on his other side. “I don’t usually agree with Katara, but this is one of those rare situations.” 

Katara couldn’t help but give him a suspicious glance. “Who are you, and what have you done with Sokka?” 

Sokka waved her off. “Not the point.” 

Aang was persistent, though. “Sokka’s right! I’ve seen the weird things you can do!” 

“You, and the rest of the world, Avatar. Now, if you want to live long enough to see it, I highly suggest you do as I say.” 

“I saw what you did to Jet! I know that you contacted me! Why can’t you- “ 

Something shot out of the creek at them. An ice dagger. 

And thank Tui and La for Sokka’s reflexes, as he grabbed Aang and threw him to the ground as Katara dodged to the side. 

She glanced around frantically. Where had that come from? 

Then, she noticed Lee had his arm extended. 

The stolen scroll leaped into her mind. Let’s just say I have a history with waterbending. 

“You.” Katara pointed an accusatory finger at him. “You did that.” 

Sokka jumped back up to his feet. “But- but you’re a firebender.” 

Lee got to his feet as well. “It’s- no, it’s not what it looks like. I’m not- well, not anymore, but- “ 

“What do you mean ‘not anymore?’” Sokka demanded. 

Lee shook his head. “I- I just- “ 

“You can’t be a waterbender and a firebender!” Katara shouted. 

“I’m not a waterbender! It’s just- “ 

“Well, that’s what it looked like to me!” Sokka fired back. 

“It’s not- look, I- “ 

“Guys,” Aang said. “Stop.” 

But neither of them were going to. “Who are you?” Katara persisted. 

He blinked. Blue eye. “I’m- “Gold” -I’m- “Blue. “I- I don’t know.” 

“How could you not know?” Sokka asked. “You were pretty insistent on it a few minutes ago.” 

“I- I don’t- “ 

“Guys.” Aang floated to his feet. “Stop. Seriously.” 

“Aang- “Katara protested. 

“He’s confused.” 

“I’m confused, but no one seems to care!” Sokka argued. 

Lee shook his head. He didn’t even seem to be aware that anyone else was there. “I- I don’t- I can’t- “He cut off with a gasp of pain, sinking to his knees, arms curled around his middle. After a moment, he slumped over in the creek. 

For several seconds, the other three were completely frozen. Finally, Sokka broke the silence: “What?” 

Aang stepped forward into the water. “Here, help me.” He grabbed one of Lee’s arms. 

“Aang, don’t!” Sokka lunged forward. “He might- “ 

“No, he won’t.” 

“Are you sure?” Katara asked. 

“Yes, I’m sure. Now, are you going to help me or not?” 

***

They dragged him out of the water and onto the creekside. 

Sokka had precariously prodded Lee’s side with the toe of his shoe. “Is- is he dead?” 

“No,” Aang answered. He pursed his lips. “I need to try something.” Aang held a hand on Lee’s shoulder. It was shaking violently. Aang liked Lee, would go even as far to say he trusted him. But, he wouldn’t deny, what had just happened had terrified him. Aang had never seen someone so lost, so confused, so scared in their own right. What he had been feeling was pure, raw, uncontrollable emotion. He wasn’t dead, just exhausted. 

Of course, after everything that had just happened, with Zhao and this, Aang was exhausted too. But there were other things that needed attending to. 

“What are you doing?” Katara asked.

“I’m testing something.” Aang went to put his hand on Lee’s shoulder. 

“That- “Aang paused at Sokka’s interruption” -sounds like a terrible idea.” 

“Do you want to figure out what’s going on, or do you want to just be- “ 

Sokka held his hands up. “Fine, fine. Just do your thing.” 

Aang restrained a retort --- wow, he’d never been this short with anyone. He needed sleep. Or at least something to eat. Still shaking, he placed his hand on Lee’s shoulder- 

Hundreds of images flooded his mind at once. No, not images. Memories. Aang didn’t understand any of them, didn’t know any of the people in them, had never seen the places nor witnessed the events. A woman with a hood pulled over her head, her cloaked form retreating away from him. A white-faced spider-like monster that jolted Aang down to his core. A small river-town. An empty beach. Two terrified men begging for their lives. A dark-haired woman with a wide-brimmed hat and painted face. A faceless little girl. A snowy-white city made from ice. A man standing over him. A searing hot pain scorching the side of his face. A demon-like blue mask, a pair of swords. A stern-looking woman inside a small hut. A little girl with an evil smirk threatening to burn him. A round, kind-faced man with a tall teenaged boy who resembled the round man. 

They appeared in no particular order. He understood nothing, flinching at some of the memories. But through it all, he did feel something --- a feeling of brokenness. 

No. That wasn’t quite the right word. Not necessarily brokenness, but more of… unfinishedness, if that could be counted as a feeling. Unwhole. Confused. Missing. Exhausted. Unaligned- 

Aang reeled his hand back with a gasp. 

“What?” Katara demanded. 

Aang blinked. “There’s- there’s two.” 

“What?” 

“Two,” he repeated. 

“Two what?” Sokka said. “Two- “he made a motion in the air as he searched for the word” -you know what, I don’t even know.” 

“Two- “Aang screwed up his eyes in concentration” -consciouses.” He nodded. “Yes. I think that’s the word I’m looking for.” 

“Well, thanks, Aang,” Sokka congratulated. “That clears up nothing.” 

Katara, on the other hand, seemed to be taking it much more seriously. She swatted his arm. “What do you mean two consciouses?” 

“Exactly what I said.” 

“So, does he have like two different… “

“Personalities?” Sokka finished. 

“Yeah, that.” 

Aang shook his head. “No. It’s not like two wholes, it’s more like two halves. Or, at least that’s what it feels like.” 

“So,” Sokka continued, “I’m hearing split-personalities.” 

“No, not split-personalities. It’s- “Aang shook his head again” -I can’t explain it.” 

“Oh, no, Katara. Aang’s been infected with ‘I-refuse-to-tell-you-anything’ disease. Call the doctor.” 

“Sokka, it’s just something he’s going to have to explain.” Aang glanced at Lee’s unconscious from. 

“He’ll have no choice now,” Katara added. Lee might could dodge the question about what he could do, but he certainly wasn’t going to be able to cover this up. 

“Well- “Sokka motioned to him” -wake him up.” 

“Can’t do that,” Aang said. 

“Aaannnddd… why not?” 

“Because he needs to do it on his own. He needs to… realign, if that makes any sense.” 

Sokka shook his head. “No. It doesn’t.” 

“It- it might. Just give him time.” 

And so, they hauled him back up to the stone building and laid him down on one of Appa’s fluffy legs. Momo watched them from his perch on Appa’s head, a curious expression in his eyes. 

“You guys go clean up,” Aang suggested. “You smell like sweat.” 

“Are you sure you’ll be able to handle him if he wakes up?” Katara gave him a nervous glance. 

“Katara, just trust me.” 

However, she seemed to not want to do that as she and Sokka slowly trekked down back to the creek. 

Aang plopped down on one of Appa’s other legs. He had been all-too curious to figure out what Lee’s deal was, all-too frustrated that he refused to tell them anything about himself. Aang had been caught up in the heat of the moment. Lee had asked them to leave them alone, and Aang knew he shouldn’t be too shocked the guy had lashed out. The three of them must have forgotten he was also the one to draw a knife of Jet completely unprovoked for no other reason than he hated the guy. 

It had been the ice dagger that had made Aang realized what they were doing. Katara was right in the sense that he was confused, but Aang suspected he was confused for a different reason other than typical concussion confusion. Their constant questions, the yelling, the accusations, it had all overwhelmed him. Hence, why he’d passed out again.

But it had been waterbending. Aang replayed the moment in his head. He had blinked, and an ice dagger had shot out at him. He reminded himself to thank Sokka later. Which, now that his mind was on the topic of Sokka, Aang thought back to the first night they had brought Lee along. Someone had flicked water at Sokka’s face while they were gossiping about Lee. Katara had denied all accusations, and she had been telling the truth. 

But, still. Lee was a firebender. Aang had seen it in action. It didn’t make sense that he could do that. Nay, it was impossible. 

He glanced over to Lee’s unconscious form. I don’t sleep. Did this count as sleeping? 

Aang shook his head, pressed the heels of his hands into his tired eyes. There was too much to process. But whatever the case may be, Katara was right. 

He wasn’t going to be able to worm his way out of this one. 

Chapter Text

Three Years Ago

The Painted Lady. 

She was real. Sokha knew that. 

But Agni’s everloving shit, she was standing right in front of her. 

So, naturally, Sokha did what any person would do when confronted with a literally spirit. 

She gracefully tripped over her own feet and tumbled back into the Jang Hui. 

The Painted Lady casually flicked her fingers. Just before Sokha hit the water, a tendril reached up and snatched her waist, prevented her from falling in. 

“Sokha,” the Painted Lady said again. “I must speak with you.” 

Sokha’s hands shot up, holding them in a universal sign of surrender. “I didn’t do it. Whatever you think I did, it wasn’t me.” 

The Painted Lady’s head tilted. “You didn’t do anything?” She sounded amused. “Well, then I guess taking care of the boy is nothing to you. You must see other patients with far worse temperaments.” 

Sokha opened her mouth to defend herself, but changed her mind. “Oh. That’s what you’re here about? Then I did a great job. At- at least I hope so.” 

The Painted Lady curled her fingers inward. The water tendril lightly dropped Sokha back onto the docks. 

Sokha gave the river a terrified look, then turned back to the Painted Lady. “Well, about the kid, he’s not really that bad. I mean, he refuses to talk to me half the time or even let me get near him, but other than that.” She shrugged. “He’s okay.” 

The Painted Lady chuckled. “He seems to have taken some of the boy’s mannerisms.” She turned, then motioned to Sokha. “Walk with me.” 

Sokha’s voice stuck in her throat. 

The Painted Lady turned back to her. “I am not going to hurt you. I just want to talk.” 

Sokha swallowed. “Right. Um, can I have my bowl back first?” 

She heard a swish, and it flew right back into her hands. 

“Oh. Uh, thanks.” She followed after the Painted Lady. 

“You have been the doctor here for five years, have you not?” the Painted Lady asked. 

Sokha nodded. She noted how the woman was translucent, and Sokha wondered if she tried to put a hand on her shoulder if it would go right through. She had started to lift it when she decided against the idea. The Painted Lady’s steps barely seemed to touch the ground as she walked. “Do- do you come every night?” 

“Every night there is someone you cannot heal.” 

“Oh.” Sokha blushed. “Sorry. I know I’m not great, but- “

 The Painted Lady shook her head. “Oh, do not feel bad. This is my village. I swore to protect it.” 

“Oh. Do you- did you live here?” she corrected. 

“Not when I was alive.” 

Was alive . The words echoed throughout Sokha’s mind. “Am I dead?” She halted. 

The Painted Lady stopped. “No. Why ever would you think that?” 

“Well, uh- because- uh- can’t you only see spirits if you’re dead? Or, at least that’s what my dad told.” 

The Painted Lady shrugged. “Depends. Spirits who stayed in this world can choose to unveil themselves at anytime. However, when we are veiled, no one can see us. Well- “she hesitated” -I’ll get there.” 

“Stayed in this world?” 

“Yes.” 

Sokha clutched her bowl. Her knees felt weak. “I- okay.” There were other worlds? 

“Are you alright?” 

“I- uh- I’m- no.” Sokha took in a deep breath. “What?” 

“I’m sorry?” 

“What’s going on? Are you here to talk to me about the boy?” Sokha shook her head. “Wait, you already said that. S- sorry. I’ve never talked to a spirit before.” 

“Apology accepted.” 

Oh, okay. However, the panic in Sokha’s chest did not dissipate. “Um, what do you want to know about him? He doesn’t sleep, nor does he really eat. He’s really active, but he rarely talks to me, but I already told you that, and what did you mean when you said he had taken some of the boy’s mannerisms? Who’s he? And- “ 

The Painted Lady held up her hands. “I suppose I should start from the beginning.” She turned, then stepped off the dock onto the water. She motioned for Sokha to follow. 

Sokha swallowed. “I can’t do that.” 

“Do what?” 

“That.” She pointed to the water. 

The Painted Lady held out a hand. “Trust me. I will help you.” 

Sokha looked at the river doubtfully. 

“Please, Sokha.” 

Sokha let out a shaky breath. Don’t let me down now, Jang Hui. She took the Painted Lady’s hand, then precariously stepped off the dock. As her foot hit the water, it solidified into ice. 

Sokha placed her other foot down. Below, a pad of ice formed. 

Oh. 

She took a step, then another, ice continued to form. 

“Won’t I slip?” Sokha asked. 

“Trust me,” was all she got in response as the Painted Lady continued over the water. 

Sokha swallowed. Alright . Slowly, she followed. The Painted Lady slowed her steps so Sokha could catch up. 

“I was born north. Far north, at the top of the world,” the Painted Lady began. 

“The- the North Pole?” 

“Yes. The North Pole.” 

“You were a waterbender?” Sokha had only heard stories of them, never truly seen one in action. Until the Painted Lady, that is. 

“In life, I was not. Now, I am.” 

“Uh- “ 

“But I am not going to get into the specifics of it. One day, a monster rose from the depths. His name is Koh, the Face-Stealer. And, he did just as his name implies; he stole my face.” 

“Um, with all due respect, m’am, you still have a face.” 

“Well, I got a new one.” 

Sokha bit back another question. She didn’t think faces were something you could just trade in, like going to switch a pair of shoes or a shirt. But, spirity stuff, she guessed. 

“The night Koh stole my face- “ 

“Did it hurt?” 

“Did what?”

“When he stole your face?” 

The Painted Lady tilted her head, a thoughtful expression. “I believe I was too busy dying to notice.”

“Ah.” 

“But, anyway, they night Koh stole my face, there were witnesses outside the corporeal world. Two of them were Tui and La, the Moon and Ocean Spirits. However, I was unaware there was a third spirit there that night. What he was doing there, I do not know, but that isn’t important.” 

“Wait,” Sokha interrupted. “Three spirits. Tui and La. Moon and Ocean. Koh that steals faces. The third. Do I have that all covered?” 

The Painted Lady nodded.

“Okay. Continue.” 

“The third spirit chased after Koh to try to get my face back, but I had already died by the time he found him. Even if I hadn’t died, he would not have been able to retrieve my face. However, La, the Ocean Spirit, took pity on me. La transformed me into a spirit. How, I do not know, yet it happened.” 

Sokha nodded. Bile rose in the back of her throat at the thought of stealing faces. Even though she was a doctor, Sokha still got queasy. And all this spirit talk… it was making her head hurt. 

“I had wandered the world aimlessly when the third spirit found me,” the Painted Lady continued. “He- he was the one to help give me a new face. It took him years, but he finally did it. And for that, I owed him a debt. He had chosen to find me and to give me a new face when he didn’t have to.

“From that day on, I became his companion. He helped me find this village, find people I could help with my newfound healing abilities. And ever since that day, I have resided here. He left to travel the world as he had done for so many thousands of years. But, from time to time, he returned.” 

“Ma’am, with all due respect, what does this have to do with the boy?” They were getting farther from Jang Hui. At some point, they’d have to turn back. 

“I am getting there.” 

“Sorry.” 

“You do not have to apologize. You are the first person I’ve spoken to in years.” 

“Oh.” Sokha cleared her throat. “Um, I’m honored?” 

“It is alright. During my time with him, we forged a special bond. I always knew he was there, somewhere deep in my mind. I could always feel his presence. Until, one day, about a month ago, I couldn’t feel him anymore. He was gone.” 

“Oh. I’m sorry.” 

“The village is unrest.” The Painted Lady raised an eyebrow. “I have heard the whispers and seen the posters. You wouldn’t happen to know what it is about, would you?” 

Sokha stopped. She remembered the day she got the news, the day Dock, or Shoe, or whoever placed the poster in her hands. It had been a declaration of mourning. 

“I- I would,” she began. Sokha wasn’t quite comfortable with telling a random spirit about Fire Nation events, but she truthfully didn’t have a choice. “It- it was about the Crown Prince.” 

“Crown Prince?” 

Sokha nodded. “The Fire Nation Crown Prince. He- he died.” And at only thirteen. Sokha could have cared less about the royal family, but the death of a child, especially in her line of work, was something to be noted. 

“Do you know what he died from?”

“Burns wounds.” Although she wasn’t sure how a firebender could burn. Sokha had grown up around them, but she had never seen them burn themselves with their flames. 

Then, she realized something. “Wait- “ 

“I found him,” the Painted Lady continued. “Just last week. My companion.” 

“You- you brought him to me, didn’t you?” 

She nodded. 

“So, that kid’s a thousand-year-old spirit?” 

The Painted Lady shook her head. “Yes and no. He is a spirit, but he is still very much that boy. He is… part-spirit, if you will.” 

“Oh. How does that work?” 

The Painted Lady shrugged. “Not even he knows that.” She continued to walk again. 

“Wait.” 

She stopped. 

“Your- your companion.” Sokha pursed her lips, trying to put the pieces together in her mind. “He saved that kid, didn’t he?” 

She nodded. 

Sokha pointed back to Jang Hui. “That- that kid is part spirit?” 

“Yes.” 

They had already gone over it, but Sokha did not believe the words until she said them aloud. “And- and his name?” 

“After merging, he was disoriented. He needed help sorting out his memories, experiences, abilities, and other things. I helped him do that.” 

“Oh.” Sokha pursed her lips. “What do you want me to do?” 

“Hm?” 

“What do you want me to do? I mean, that’s why you chose to approach me, isn’t it? You want me to do something?” 

“I want you to protect him.” 

“You- what?” 

“He needs protection. Until I can help him sort out everything and until he understands what has happened, he is going to need protection. He may not show it, but he had taken a great liking to you, Sokha. I believe you are the best person to keep him safe.” 

Sokha turned the bowl over in her hands. The kid… he was the Fire Nation Crown Prince. The one that should be dead. And yet, he had somehow stumbled upon Jang Hui. It was a place he would be safe. No one would ever think to look for him here. 

Which, speaking of- 

“What do I need to keep him safe from?” 

The Painted Lady sighed. “That is not something I can answer. It must be something he needs to tell. However, I can say there are people who would stop at nothing to find him should knowledge of his existence spread.” 

“I- I don’t know. The rest of Jang Hui doesn’t even know he exists yet. I don’t know how they’ll react when they find out.” 

“I can help you with that. I just ask you keep any real knowledge of him a secret.” 

Sokha shrugged. “I don’t know. How long will it be?” 

“A few weeks, months, a year at most.” 

It wouldn’t be that long, in the grand scheme of things. Besides, she did like the kid. He didn’t seem so bad, at least when he talked to her. 

“I’ll- I’ll see what I can do.” 

The Painted Lady offered her a smile. 

They trekked back to the village. The Painted Lady helped Sokha back up onto the docks. Just as she turned to leave, Sokha remembered something. 

“His name.” 

The Painted Lady turned back. 

“Did he tell you what his name was?” 

“Do you not know the names of your own country’s royal family?” the Painted Lady said with a laugh. 

Sokha shook her head. She’d grown up in the colonies. People there really didn’t care about the royal family. 

“Well, he has gone by many names over the years. However, he has chosen to go with the Crown Prince’s.” 

“Which is?” Sokha prompted. They had just been over this; she didn’t know the name.

“Zuko. His name is Zuko.”

Chapter Text

The first thing Zuko noticed was that his head felt like complete and utter shit. His skull twinged with pain, and he was pretty sure his brain was screeching bloody murder and curse words at him. The aching pain seemed to be in the rest of his body as well. His muscles were weak, like he couldn’t lift or move them it he wanted to. His bones and joints panged. And, to cap it all off, his back hurt. 

Wow, he sounded like an old man. Which, if you were counting the years, he technically was. 

Old man. He had the memories, the memories of both. He remembered Koh, Ummi, Avatar Aang, Uncle, and- 

He shot up. Panicking, he touched his chest, then his arms, then stared at his hands. He seemed solid enough. 

Zuko let out a breath. He wasn’t dead, thank Agni, he wasn’t dead. Zuko had lost consciousness three- no, four times, in the last twelve hours. Having not slept in three years, not since… having not slept in three years, the sensation of it was something he’d become unaccustomed to. He rather liked being conscious, being aware, all the time. Sleep left him vulnerable. 

Not that he needed it anyway. 

Zuko glanced down at his hands again. A tendril of blue-white energy circled down his arm, weaved between his fingers. 

He let out another breath of relief. He was back in alignment. 

The next thing he noticed was his surroundings. He was sitting on something soft and fluffy --- one of the sky bison’s legs. Agni, it had been such a long time since he’d seen one. He had wondered if they still existed when the Avatar swooped in on his lie. He was back in the stone building; they must’ve brought him here after his delirious episode. 

Zuko heard voices. He looked to the corner where the Avatar and his companions sat with their backs to them. They made no move toward him, so he assumed they didn’t know he was awake. His eyes lingered over the Avatar’s form for a moment, the blue-white energy encompassing him. 

Zuko shook his head, blinked. He couldn’t let the sight of spirit energy bother him now. He had learned how to block it out, only see it when he wanted to. But after what had happened, he would have to refocus his efforts to more or less turn off the ability. 

But that wasn’t his concern right now. Keeping his movements quiet as possible, he scaled up Appa’s leg to the saddle. 

The bison lifted his head, began to rumble to alert the Avatar and his companion. 

Panicked, he reached out with his mind. Touched the bison’s. Don’t. He let that command, let his own will, overtake Appa’s. 

The rumble never emerged. The bison gently put his head back down. Zuko hated having to force his own will onto animals. It was so simple, so easy, but they didn’t know how to combat him. They didn’t know how to force him out, how to resist it. It was an unfair fight. 

Luckily, his stuff was on the edge of the saddle. The bag didn’t have much in it --- just a few extra pairs of clothes, some whetstones and sheathed knives. He swung it over his shoulder, then slid down Appa’s leg to the ground. 

His footsteps made no noise as he back away. Growing up with his father, Zuko had become an expert on masking his footsteps or any noise he made. That ability only seemed to have amplified since… since the incident. Now, he couldn’t make noise even if he tried. 

His heel nudged something, and Zuko froze. Glancing down, he saw Momo curled up on the ground, sound asleep. He slowly slid his foot away from the lemur, then took two big steps over him so he was closer to his swords. The Avatar and his companions had left them where he had fallen. 

He slid his fingers underneath the hilts, then picked them up as straight as possible. He had to ensure the metal wouldn’t scrape against the stone. He stood, then backed away to the stairs. His heel dropped off. He shifted his foot back, placed it on the first step. Then the next, next, next, until the Avatar and his companions were out of sight. 

Zuko sighed in relief, then sheathed his swords when he reached the bottom of the stairs. He had nearly made it to the tree line of the forest that surrounded building when he heard a confused chirrup. 

He froze. Spun slowly on his heel.

Momo stood at the top of the steps. Locked eyes with him. 

Zuko shook his head, began to reach out with his mind- 

The lemur screeched, then pointed an accusatory finger at him. 

“Momo!” It was the Avatar’s voice. “What’s- he’s gone!” 

Zuko gritted his teeth. He’d already been reaching out to the lemur, so he placed a single message in his head: Bitch. Then took off into the forest. 

In hindsight, Momo probably didn’t know that meant. He probably didn’t even understand language at all. But at least he sensed the annoyance and displeasure. 

Zuko leaped over roots, dodged trunks, and ducked under outstretched branches. “I saw him go this way!” Sokka shouted, which caused Zuko to take a sharp left. He didn’t know where he was going, he had just run. But, hopefully, the Avatar and his companions didn’t know either. If he couldn’t outrun them, at least he could confuse them. 

Up ahead, he saw a tree with rather thick branches. Maybe they could support his weight. He picked up speed, then threw himself at it. It slammed into his chest, knocking all air from his lungs. His legs kicked outward in the air as he hauled himself up onto the tree branch onto his stomach. Zuko took in a deep breath, then threw himself at the next branch, up and up until he was covered by the green foliage. 

The three came to a stop near the base of the tree he was in. 

“I think I saw him somewhere near here,” the Avatar said. 

Behind him, Sokka trailed in, breathing heavy. “Well- that- that’s- just great,” he said between breaths. “Hang on, I- gimme a second.” He placed his hands on his knees. 

Katara crossed her arms. She wasn’t even winded. “How are you- “ 

“There is so much snot in my nose, you wouldn’t even believe. I can’t draw in a breath worth a squat.” 

“I’ll take your word for it.” 

“I’ll go on ahead, you guys check that way.” The Avatar pointed in the opposite direction as Zuko, then sped off forward through the woods. 

“Great.” Sokka sniffed and wiped his nose. “More running.” 

“Did the frog even do anything for you?” Katara demanded. Zuko took the opportunity to snap off a nearby tree branch, letting her voice disguise the sound. 

“I was sick longer than you were!” he said defensively. “So, I-” 

Zuko chucked the branch like a spear. It smacked into a tree on the other side of Katara and Sokka. 

That got their attention. “Over there!” Katara pointed, and they took off. 

Zuko felt tension release in his chest, and he turned- 

Momo had appeared behind him. He screeched. 

Zuko let out a shocked yell and pitched backward out of the tree. His back slammed into another branch, and he tipped over, landing on his side on the ground. Leaves and other small twigs fell around him. 

The breath once again left him. Zuko tried to draw in one, but it was just a wheeze. Pain rippled throughout his side, radiating from his hip bone. His hip hurt, Agni he sounded like an old man. 

Zuko swore internally --- he had something to add to his headache --- then pried himself off the ground, pressing a hand into the grass and pushing himself up. His side twinged, and he audibly swore. His pulled one foot up, coming to rest on one knee.

Another chirrup. He looked up to see Momo sitting on a tree stump looking all-too pleased with himself. 

“You love watching me suffer, don’t you?” 

Chirrup. 

Sokka and Katara burst through the foliage. 

Zuko got quickly --- well, as quickly as he could with his screaming ribcage --- to his feet, arm wrapped around middle. 

“Lee,” Katara said, hands held up, “we’re not going to hurt you.” 

“You know, people always say that,” he responded. Zuko spied Sokka moving to the left. His bad side. To accommodate, he stepped back. “Doesn’t always mean it’s true.” 

“Yeah, but we’re serious!” Sokka’s voice was incredibly nasally. He took a step toward Zuko. 

Zuko took another step back. “Don’t.” He felt panic rising in his throat. He had told them he didn’t like to associate people like them. He rather did like Katara and Sokka, but they weren’t like him. They- they wouldn’t understand. 

Zuko felt warmth travel down in his arm and concentrate in his palm. He turned it away from them, concealing it. 

“Lee,” Katara repeated, “or whatever your name is, please, we want to- “ 

Zuko swung his arm outward in an arc, releasing a wave of blue-white energy in an arc. Katara and Sokka leapt backward to dodge it, but poor Momo got hit head-on. It threw him back into a bush. 

They looked back to Momo, then back at him. Zuko immediately regretted the decision, feeling the instant drain on his energy. His knees weakened, and with his next step, it buckled. He stumbled back, then spun and sprinted away again. Maybe they’d think he was still crazy and delirious. Maybe it discourage them from following him. It was just a small wave fo spirit energy, but it took a lot out of him. It couldn’t hurt them, just blow them backward as it had done to Jet. However, Zuko had been unable to function properly for two days afterward. It was a miracle he was still running at all. 

For a moment, he wondered if he’d thrown fire at them, then that would encourage them to abandon pursuit. But he knew how they felt about fire and firebending. He couldn’t do that to them. 

He saw a break in the trees, the creek he had refilled Katara’s waterskin in. He picked up an extra burst of speed, determination renewed. 

“Lee!” A wave a water rose from the creek and solidified into ice. 

Well, shit . He skidded to a halt, forming a fireball between his hands. 

“Lee!”

He wheeled. The Avatar was perched in a tree behind. “Don’t run!” 

“Let me go!” he called back. “Forget you ever knew me, and you’ll be okay!” 

The Avatar leaped from the tree, softening his landing with a gust of air. “I just want to talk to you.” 

Zuko’s hands were beginning to shake. After conjuring the spirit energy, even something as simple as firebending was exhausting. He felt the fireball begin to waver. “Please,” he repeated more sternly. “Let. Me. Go.” 

Sokka and Katara emerged from the trees behind the Avatar. Zuko’s throat was closing up. They were boxing him in, trapping him like he was some kind of wild animal. 

“Lee, please,” Katara said. 

He glanced between the three of them. Three minds at once. It wasn’t hard --- he’d done it before, and done it to them --- but then again, he was taxed. Still, if it was what he had to do to get away- 

“You haven’t taught me firebending!” the Avatar said. “Or anything about the spirit world! We just want to know what happened to you!” 

Zuko drew in a breath. “You- you don’t want me gone?” 

“No.” 

The fireball dissipated. 

“Believe me,” Sokka said, “after the knives, the ice daggers, and just the weird things that have been happening, I’ve thought about it, but- “ 

“Ignore him, Lee,” Katara interrupted. “That’s not your real name, is it?” 

His fingers hovering over the triggers that would release the knives in his wrist sheaths. That was something he hadn’t meant to let slip. They didn’t need to know his real name. However, in his split-minded delirium, it had come out before he could process. 

“I’ll take your silence as ‘no?’” Sokka said. 

He sighed. “No. It’s not.” 

“Well. I guess we’ll have to add that to the list of things you need to explain.” He gave Zuko an accusatory look. “Because you’re not dodging your way out of this one. I- we,” he corrected, “saw everything that happened. We’re not going to kick you out, although you already seem to be on your way to do that.” 

“I am not.” 

“You’re running away.” 

“I thought you wouldn’t want me to stay.” 

“We never told you that we wanted you to leave,” Katara added. “That’s why we had Momo watching you. In case you decided to pull something exactly like this.” 

“Oh, that’s smart. Let the lemur watch the guy with split-personalities delusions.” 

“So,” Sokka piped up, “you do have split personalities?” 

“No.” 

“That’s what a guy with split personalities would say.” 

Oh great Agni.

Momo swooped out from the trees and landed on Aang’s shoulder. 

Zuko glared at him. "Snitch."  

Momo blew a raspberry at him. 

“Lee, or whatever your name is,” Katara said. “Just tell us what’s going on with you. What was that blue-white stuff you shot at me and Sokka?” 

“It’s- it’s- “Zuko’s eyes trailed to Aang. He glimpsed a bit of blue-white energy twist around the Avatar’s arm” -it’s energy.” 

Sokka scoffed. “There are lots of kinds of energy. Is it like kinetic, potential, you gotta give us more, man.” 

Zuko swallowed, hesitating. How stupid would he sound if he just said it out loud? 

“Spirit energy.” 

He drew in a sharp breath. 

“It’s spirit energy,” the Avatar continued. “That’s what you used to blast Jet back. I remember now. It was that light Hei Bei shot at me. Does it come in different colors?” 

He swallowed again. “U- usually blue or blue-white.” 

“Wait.” Sokka held up a finger. “Spirit energy? You’re a waterbender, firebender, and you can use spirit energy? What are you?” 

“I’m not a waterbender.” 

“That’s what that ice dagger looked like to me.” 

Zuko shook his head. “No, it’s just- I- I can’t really explain it.” 

“Then do the best you can,” Katara suggested.  

Well, it would make even less sense then. He could at least give them the abridged version. 

Well… the abridged abridged version. 

“Alright, well, long story short, I died, merged with a spirit, and here I am. End of story. Goodbye.” He turned to leave, but they exploded into questions. 

“Wait, what?” Aang yelled, scaring Momo off his shoulder. 

“You’re merged with a what?” Katara demanded. 

“You’re a zOmBiE?!” Sokka shrieked. “And you were just going to leAve us without context?” 

Zuko sighed. This was the exact reason he never told people about him. “No, spirit, listen more often.” He pointed to Sokka, Katara, and Aang respectively. 

“You’re a spirit?” Sokka slid up to him, then poked Zuko in the shoulder. “You feel fleshy enough.” 

“Sokka!” Katara scolded. 

“Spirits can be solid,” Aang added. “Hei Bei felt pretty solid to me.” He rubbed his arm. 

Zuko stepped out of Sokka’s range. “I’m not a spirit. I’m merged with one.” 

“You say that like I’m supposed to know what it means,” Sokka continued. “I’ve heard stories about spirit-touched people. Is it like that?” 

“No.” His fingers dropped away from the triggers. They obviously weren’t going to go all pitchforks and flames on him, so he was safe for now. “Look, I don’t think you guys really want to know about it.” He started backing away. “It’s a really long and complex story, and it’ll take- “ 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Sokka grabbed his arm. “We’ve already established that we don’t want you gone, and I’m not letting you leave until we get some answers.”

“I- I don’t really want to talk about it,” Zuko argued after they bombarded him with questions. He hadn’t heard half of them as someone would start to speak only to be interrupted. They had forcefully brought him back to camp, then shoved him to the ground, back against Appa, and sat in a circle around him. To ensure he wouldn’t bolt again, Zuko assumed. 

“You can’t keep dancing around it,” Katara said. “Explain it to us the best you can.” 

“Um.” Zuko looked down at his hands, dropping his gaze from them. “I- I don’t really know where to start.” No one outside of Ummi and Sokha knew the truth about him. He had never told anyone. 

“What’s that blue-eyed mind control thingy you can do?” Sokka suggested. “I’ve seen you do it a lot.” 

Zuko bit the inside of his cheek. “I do it a lot more than I probably should.” 

“What is it?” 

“It’s not mind control,” he explained. “Not- not really. It’s compulsion.” 

“Which is?” 

Zuko shifted. “I can’t control a person’s mind. At least, not for long period of time. I can give them commands or tell them specific actions. They don’t think anything of it, never contemplate on it. It’s just another part of their lives.” 

“What about that general guy?” Sokka persisted. “You told him that he didn’t know you.” 

“I can mess with memories… to some degree. I told him he didn’t know me, didn’t recognize me. And he believed that.” 

“What about that thing you did to Jet?” Aang added. “Where you made him afraid.” 

Zuko shrugged. “He was afraid. I can sense emotions off people when they’re really strong. As much as he tried to mask it, I could still feel it.” 

“And those energy blasts?” Katara asked. 

“Just basic blasts. Kind like bending.” 

“Neeeaaat,” Sokka said. “Do one again!” 

Zuko shook his head. “I can’t. They’re hard to do.” He was literally pulling energy directly from the spirit world. Hei Bei could do it so easily because he was a complete spirit. Zuko… Zuko was merged with a spirit, but he was still very much human. 

“Still.” Sokka flopped backward. “So cool…”

“Do you share any of the spirit’s memories?” Aang said. 

“Most of them.” 

“Can you remember thousands of years back?” 

Zuko nodded. Sure, there were some things he didn’t remember. He could recall everything he had ever seen or done ever. But he remembered just as they would. 

Aang crossed his arms, stuck his bottom lip out. “I can’t remember anything from my past lives.”

“You’re different. You have the Avatar Spirit, but you’re still a new person. I’m- “he paused before his next words” -I’m more of… a mix.” 

“Two halves!” The pout had disappeared. Aang held up one hand. “There’s you.” He held up the other. “There’s the second spirit.” He brought clasping his hands, lacing his fingers together. “You’re meshed, molded together. Right?” 

He nodded. 

“Two halves!” He held his clasped hands up. “Two halves, I get it!” He shook them in Katara’s face. 

Katara smiled at him, then pushed his hands down. “Do you know what spirit merged with you?” 

He bit the inside of his cheek again. Zuko wasn’t going to admit it, but he hated how they referred to him as “the spirit.” When he said he was merged with a spirit, that meant both of them --- both spirits, that is --- were him. Both were a part of him. Neither could stand without the other.

“Tarihn,” he finally answered. “I- he was a waterbender.” 

“That how you can waterbend?” 

“It’s just a degree of control. Not like you. I can’t create big waves or things like that, and I still have more control over my firebending.” 

“How did you become merged with a spirit?” Aang asked. 

That… maybe he shouldn’t have told them that. He had never really come to terms with what had happened. “I- I died.” 

“What?” Katara snapped. 

“How did you die?” Aang persisted excitedly. 

Zuko blinked. “You- you seem way too excited about that fact.” 

“I’m not excited. I just haven’t processed it yet.” 

“Oh.” He exchanged a concerned look with Katara. 

“But how did you die?” 

“Oh, uh- “He swallowed, felt his throat closing up. He heard a distant crashing of waves, a burning sensation on the side of his body, the sound of terrified voices, the smell of sand. Agni, he hated sand. And saltwater. And beaches. And boats.  

“Tarihn,” Katara repeated, changing the subject. Zuko blinked. The sounds and the smells retreated. “Is that the spirit’s name?” 

He reminded himself to thank her later. “When- when he was alive- “he nearly said I - “ -it was. But… “ 

Yeah, ‘e’s m’childhood ‘ero. 

“He- he does have a more famous name.”

“Really?” Aang queried. “What?” 

Zuko pursed his lips. “I’m- uh, I’m- “ 

He heard the sound of unfamiliar voices. “Hang on.” Zuko stood off Appa’s leg, stepped over Katara and Sokka, and over to the top of the stairs. He stared out over the forest. 

“What?” Katara came up beside him. 

She couldn’t hear the voices. Damn his enhanced hearing. He had already overloaded their minds enough, he wasn’t going to explain anymore. 

“Zhao,” Zuko said. “He’s found us. We need to get moving.” 

“How- “ 

“Trust me.” 

Katara didn’t argue again as she turned away. 

Zuko squinted over the forest. He couldn’t see them, but he was sure they were close. His eyes trailed down to the creek. 

He had gone to refill Katara’s waterskin when he had learned Aang had been captured. Two watchmen had emerged from the forest around. 

“They’re so creepy, y’know?” one said to the other. “Dead silent, don’t speak, you don’t know where they are.” He shook. “Gives me the creeps.” 

“Yeah.” The other one caught sight of Zuko. “Did you see him?” 

Zuko capped the waterskin and stood, facing the two men. He saw them flinch and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “See who?” 

Neither answered. 

“See who?” he repeated louder. 

“The Avatar,” the first one answered. 

Zuko’s heart leaped, but he made no physical reaction. “The Avatar?”

“Yeah!” the second answered. “The damned Avatar himself. Blew right past our watchtower.” 

“There’s a wanted poster out for him.” The first one produced a scroll from nowhere and unfurled it, holding it out for Zuko to see. 

Zuko stepped forward and ripped it from his hand. The poster had a picture of Aang and listed everything they knew he could do. Zuko gripped the poster tighter. The search for the Avatar had been given top priority by order of- 

Admiral Zhao. 

Agni’s everloving shit, this wasn’t good. 

“We had to tell the demon archers about him so they could get him. Which they did,” the first watchman said. 

“Don’t say that too loudly!” The second one shivered. “They’ll hear you.” 

Demon archers? “The Yuyan?” 

“Well, if you want to get proper with it.” 

“Pohuai is near here?” 

The second watchman nodded. “I’ve always hated that place. It’s creepy. And they’re even creepier.” 

Zuko felt his breath leave him. Pohuai Stronghold, home to the legendary Yuyan Archers. 

Holy shit, this was worse than he thought. 

“The Yuyan have the Avatar?” Zuko asked. 

“Yes. Did you not hear us?” 

Zuko shoved the poster back into to the hands of the watchman, then sprinted back up the hill. Shit, shit, shit ran through his mind the whole time. He had always admired the Yuyan archers, watched them from their formation. If they had Aang… well, just shit. He would never get out of there on his own. Pohuai was one of the most well-guarded places in the world, probably only beat by the Fire Nation Royal Palace. 

He hated that he would have to leave Katara and Sokka all on their own. But as he rifled through his stuff, searching for the mask, he realized he had no choice. 

Zuko had left Momo in charge. It was a terrible decision, but he realized he also had no other choice. Momo was much smaller than Appa, and although Zuko trusted Appa more, the bison was tied up being a mattress. 

Zuko had found the mask when Katara woke. He had run his fingers over the moldings of the face, painted white to stand out against the blue. He had worn a mask similar to this for thousands of years. However, it was not something he could translate into the physical world. He had had to buy one after- 

That was when Katara had woken. Zuko had compelled her to go back to sleep. It would be much easier for him, herself, and Momo if she did. 

He had stood at the top of the stairs, a moment of slight hesitation keeping him from leaping off. 

He had looked back to Katara and Sokka. 

Oh, what the hell. He had slipped the mask over his face and taken off. 

“Hey!” 

Aang’s voice brought him back to the present. 

“We’ve got to go, L- you never told us what you’re name was!” 

He bit the inside of his cheek. It had been such a long time since he’d said his name aloud. "Lee" was a common name around the world, the one he told everyone. They couldn't easily track him down that way. Besides, his name belonged to the dead Fire Nation Crown Prince. 

There were only two people who knew his name. Only two he truly trusted enough to know. Yet, this was the Avatar, not some random person he found on the side of the street. He could trust him.  

“Zuko.” He turned. “My name is Zuko, the Blue Spirit.” 

As he hurried back over to Appa, climbing up into the saddle, Sokka shot up off the ground. 

“You’re who?!”

Chapter Text

Sokka was incredibly confused as to how Aang and Katara were just going along with it. Like, yeah, they hadn’t known Lee --- Zuko, that’s what he said his name was --- for very long and probably should have expected that he was hiding some deep dark secret (well, Sokka didn’t know if being merged with a spirit counted as “dark”, technically), but still. They had the audacity to go along with the whole thing as if it were normal. As if they met spirit-merged people every other day, as if it were a regular occurance. Yeah, it happens. No, it doesn’t! 

“Sokka, it’s really not that big of a deal,” Katara said when he finished his rant. 

“wHaT do you mean ‘it’s not that big of a deal?’ Katara, he- “ 

“I think you’re just in shock because of who he said he was.” 

“Am not.” Sokka crossed his arms. They were sitting around the remnants of last nights fire, early in the morning. Aang was still asleep, and Lee --- shit, Zuko --- well… Tui and La knew where he went. The guy never slept, from what Aang had told him.

“Are too. Don’t pretend like you don’t remember your little delirious ramblings. You talked about the Blue Spirit. A lot.” 

“Well, there’s not way to prove he’s telling the truth! He could be any spirit but just say the Blue Spirit to screw with me!” 

Katara sighed, annoyed. He had been ranting about it for at least an half an hour. “Then go ask Aang. He already confirmed it.” 

“What does Aang know about the Blue Spirit?” 

“A lot, actually. You know, the stories of him aren’t just concentrated to the Southern Water Tribe.” 

“Well- “Sokka huffed” -that’s where they originated!” 

“Yes, but there are stories all over the world. You remember the traders that stayed with us for a few days, right? It was right after Dad told you the stories, and you were so excited and loved them so much, you wanted to tell them to the traders.” 

“You did too.” He wasn’t going to take all the embarrassment. “I specifically remember- “ 

“This isn’t about me,” Katara interrupted. “The traders had some stories too. I remember you didn’t shut up about them for months afterward. Although, I do remember you were shocked that someone else knew those stories. You declared yourself the expert.” 

“Did not.” 

“Wait.” She smirked. “You afraid someone might know more about the Blue Sprit than you do?” 

“nO!!” 

But the smirk did not fall. “He obviously used to travel a lot. When he gets back, why don’t you ask him?” 

Sokka’s jaw dropped. “I can’t do that!” 

“And, why not?” 

“Because- because- because it’s just awkward! And you heard him before. He doesn’t want us to ask about his past!” 

“We kinda broke that rule when we pressured him into telling us anyway. I don’t know if he’ll care anymore.” 

“Oh, he’ll care.” 

“Are you sure about that?” she challenged. 

“Yes.” 

“Really?” a voice said from behind him. 

Sokka shrieked --- heart stopped for a moment --- then scrambled away from the person. When he recovered his breath and wits, he said, “Why do you insist on doing that?” 

Zuko shrugged, then plopped down by the fire. “Petty forms of entertainment.” 

“How is scaring me entertaining?” 

“That yell you do. It’s hilarious.” He looked to Katara. “Come on. You find it funny, don’t you?” 

“Well, I mean- “she smirked” -yeah, it is pretty funny.” 

“You’re my sister. You’re supposed to be on my side.” 

Sokka heard a chitter, and Momo emerged from the one tent that was still standing. Obviously drawn by the sounds of their voices, he stumbled over to Zuko, climbed over his knees, then plopped down in his lap with a satisfied sigh, arms wrapped around- 

“How does he still have that?” Sokka pointed to the Fire Sage hat. 

“Kids and their stuffed animals,” Zuko said with a shrug. Before the whole Hey-I’m-a-spirit ordeal, just as he had tried to run, Sokka had sensed some hostility between Zuko and the lemur. Zuko had called Momo a snitch for ratting him out to Sokka and the others, so he assumed it had something to do with that. Momo hadn’t been able to have his own words to Zuko until they had left the abandoned stone building, at which point he perched on the edge of the saddle and made various shrieks, hisses, and screeches that Sokka took as curse words in Lemurese. And, all the while, Zuko had sat there and kept eye contact with him. 

After forever, Momo stopped. 

“You done?” Zuko had asked. 

Momo had gave one final chittered, then stomped across the saddle and curled up next to him. And that had been the end of it. 

Seconds later, Aang emerged from the tent, rubbing his eyes. “I heard noises. ‘S ev’rything alright?” 

“Fine.” Sokka glared at Zuko. “Completely fine.” 

A splash sounded from the river next to camp. Sokka turned and saw a big green fish leaping up and down, flipping and twisting grandly. 

On one flip, it made eye contact with Sokka. He could practically see the smug expression. 

Well, screw you too. “It’s taunting us.” He got to his feet, then snatched his fishing pole. “Then, he’s just gonna have to be breakfast.” He reeled his arm back, then forward. 

Nothing happened. Sokka brought it back down. “Hey, where’s my fishing line?” 

“Oh.” Aang looked away sheepishly. “You needed that?” 

Oh great. “Kinda.” 

“Well, I couldn’t really sleep last night, so.” He held up the fishing line, which had once been so beautiful, straight, and untangled. It was now braided --- all twisted --- with a flower in the middle. “I didn’t think you would need it.” 

Sokka had the urge to yell --- well, not yell, precisely. More of a loud stern talking to, but he kept his voice in check. “No. How could I possibly ever need a fishing line for a fishing pole?” 

“Sorry,” Aang said again. Then, he turned to Katara. 

Oh no. 

“Actually, I made it for you, Katara.” He held it up with a genuine little smile so characteristic of Aang. 

Behind him, Zuko snorted. 

Katara glared at him. “It’s not bad.” 

He shook his head. “No. Actually, it’s pretty well-made. It’s just… nevermind. Maybe it’s not the same custom anymore… “ 

Katara rolled her eyes, then took it from Aang. “Thanks.” 

“That’s just wonderful,” Sokka interjected. “Maybe instead of saving the world, you can go into the jewelry-making business.” 

“I don’t see why I can’t do both.” Aang shrugged. 

Sokka restrained the urge to say anything sarcastic, then turned back to the river. The fish was still leaping in and out. 

He didn’t have a fishing line anymore. Sending up a “screw it,” Sokka chucked his fishing pole into the river. 

It missed the fish by two inches. 

“He’s taunting me!” Sokka pulled out his knife, then stomped into the water, searching for the fish. He dug through the water, slicing out at random places. Finally, he gripped the fish --- the big, slimy, wet fish --- and hauled himself out of the water. 

Katara had put the necklace off, having taken her other one off, and Aang was staring at her dreamily. 

“Smoochie smoochie,” Sokka mocked. “Someone’s in love… “ 

The fish slipped from his arms and tumbled back into the water, but not before smacking him the face. Sokka stumbled back into the water. 

“Stop teasing him, Sokka,” Katara scolded when he reemerged. “Aang’s just a friend. A sweet little guy, like Momo.” 

Aang’s face fell. “Oh. Thanks.” 

Sokka trudged out of the water, soaking wet and cold, dripping onto the ground. “Well, I’m so glad for you.” He went back over to sit by Zuko.

“Friend zone,” the other guy said. “Hurts the worse.” 

The sound of growling drew their attention. It was coming from somewhere in the forest. Aang sped off into the trees first, the others not far behind. 

Aang leaped up to a rock. “Someone’s being attacked by a platypus bear!” He pointed in the direction of it, and they ran off toward it. 

They found the scene near a rocky area of the river, overshadowed by a large crescent-shaped rock. A platypus bear roared, bearing the teeth within its bill, then reared up on two legs, stomping towards its victim. 

The victim was a man who just… calmly stood there? 

The platypus bear swiped his claws at him, but the man calmly dodged, as if it were something he did every day. 

“Well, hello there!” he greeted, stepped out of the creature’s reach. “Nice day, isn’t it?” A serene smile glossed his face.

“Make noise!” Aang suggested. “He’ll run off!” 

“No!” Sokka argued. “Play dead! He’ll lose interest!” 

The claws missed the man by bare inches. “Wow! Close one!” He chuckled as if this were something that occurred frequently.  

“What the hell?” Zuko muttered. 

“Run downhill, then climb a tree!” Katara shouted. 

“Punch him in the bill!” Sokka added. 

“Then run in zigzags!” Aang said. 

“Or do none of it,” Zuko said as the man did exactly what he said. 

“No need!” he called. “It’s going to be fine.” He ducked as the bear’s claws took a chunk out of a tree behind him. 

Aang flew through the air, landing in front of the platypus bear. He slammed his hand into the ground, creating a funnel around the bear. “Woah, there!” He held up a hand to stop him. 

The platypus bear growled, then reared up on his hind legs. 

Appa appeared behind him and roared. 

The platypus bear froze, an egg dropping from its behind, then scurried off into the water. 

“Or, that works too,” Zuko muttered. They hurried up to Aang. 

Sokka took the egg into his arms. It was still warm. “Lunch… “he said dreamily, sniffing it. “Lucky for you we came along.” He turned to the man. 

“Not to worry,” the man responded. “I had everything under control. Aunt Wu predicted I’d have a safe journey.” 

“Aunt who?” Aang asked. 

“No.” The man shook his head. “Aunt Wu. She’s the fortuneteller from my village.” He smiled. “Awful nice knowing your future.” 

“Wow, it must be,” Katara breathed. “That must be why you were so calm.” 

Zuko scoffed. 

“The fortuneteller was wrong,” Sokka said. “You didn’t have a safe journey, you were almost killed!” 

“But I wasn’t! Have a good one!” He strode off, as if that was the end of the argument. “Oh.” He turned back. “Aunt Wu said if I met any travelers, to give them this.” He handed Aang something he’d been carrying on his back, then left. 

“Maybe we should go see Aunt Wu and learn our fortunes.” Katara’s eyes trailed on the man’s retreating back. “It could be fun.” 

Zuko scoffed again. “Fortunetellers? Please, they’re just bull- “ 

“What do you know?” Aang interrupted, holding the contents of the parcel up. “An umbrella.” He held it up over his head. 

Thunder crackled, and rain began to pour down. 

“That proves it!” Katara huddled with Aang under the umbrella. 

“No, it doesn’t!” Sokk argued, holding the egg over his head. “You can’t really tell the future.”

“I guess you’re not really get wet, then,” she fired back. “And, wouldn’t you know if they’re real?” Katara turned to Zuko. 

He shook his head, sighed. “I really don’t want to get into this right now.” 

“Of course, she predicted it was going to rain.” Sokka’s foot sank into a puddle. He yanked it out, wincing at the squelching noise. “The sky’s been gray all day.” 

Katara scoffed. “Just admit you might be wrong, and come under the umbrella.” They were traveling to find the village, the supposed fortuneteller, and Sokka had refused to join them under it. Zuko was still in the pouring rain as well, but Sokka suspected that was because he didn’t like to be too close to people. 

Sokka rolled his eyes. Katara was really testing his breaking point lately. “Look, I’m gonna predict the future now. It’s going to keep drizzling,” he said mystically, waggling his fingers. 

And, miraculously, a second later, it still was.

“See?” 

And then, the sky cleared up as if it had not been raining at all. 

Aang shrugged. “Not everyone has the gift, Sokka.” 

Sokka crossed his arms, glared at the sky. “Screw you, too.” 

“Might not want to say that too loudly.” Zuko came up beside him. “The sky spirits get angry.” 

“There are sky spirits?” 

“Maybe.” 

The village was settled at the base of a mountain. As they strode in, two geese quacked angrily at the entrance. 

“Geese,” Zuko muttered. “I hate geese. Furry little demons with wings… “

A man wearing black robes greeted them, then showed them to a white stone building. “Aunt Wu is expecting you.” He stepped aside and motioned to the door. 

“Really?” Katara gave Sokka a sideways look, suggesting that it was fortune or some shit that Aunt Wu knew they were coming.  

He twirled his finger around the side of his head. 

They stepped inside. The room was lowlit, with candles laying all across little tables on the floor. Dividers separated the rooms from each other. 

A girl with black hair and pink robes stepped up to them. “My name is Meng.” She couldn’t have been older than twelve. Sokka noticed the gap between her front teeth. “I’m Aunt Wu’s assistant. May I get you some tea or some of Aunt Wu’s special bean curds puffs?” She motioned to four pillows for them to sit on. 

“I’ll try a curd puff,” Sokka said. 

Meng waved him off. “Just a second.” She knelt down in front of Aang. “So what’s you name?” 

“Aang.” 

The girl gasped. “That rhymes with Meng! And you’ve got some pretty big ears, don’t you?” 

“Uh… “Aang blushed. “I guess?” 

Sokka snorted. “Don’t be modest. They’re huge! Like an elephant- ” 

Aang clapped a hand over his ears and threw Sokka the dirtiest look ever. Sokka cut off. The kid must’ve been taking lessons from Zuko. 

Meng, however, remained unaware of their little scrabble. “Well, Aang, it’s very nice to meet you. Very nice.” She gave him a suggestive look as she stepped behind a divider. 

Zuko snorted. “Oh, great Agni… “ 

“I can’t believe we’re here,” Sokka said, staring around. “In the house of nonsense.” The room smelt heavily of incense, and it was weighing on his senses. 

“Try to keep an open mind,” Katara chided. “There are some things that just can’t be explained. Wouldn’t it be nice to have some insight into your future?” 

“It would be nice to have some bean curds puffs.” 

On cue, Meng reemerged, carrying a tray of them.

Another girl stepped out from between another pair of dividers that blocked them from viewing the other room. “Meng!” she called. “Aunt Wu says I’m going to meet my true love! He’s going to give me a rare panda lily!” 

“That’s sooo romantic! I wonder if my true love will give me a rare flower.” She glanced sideways at Aang. 

Zuko was right. This was an “Oh great Agni” kinda situation. 

The other girl whispered something that Meng blushed at. Meng then rushed over, tripping over her own feet. The tray fell into Aang’s hands. 

They exchanged a look for a moment before Meng pulled her hands away. “Enjoyyoursnack!” She rushed out. 

Zuko snorted again, but Sokka was too focused on the bean curd puffs to focus. He snatched the tray from Aang’s hands, preparing to shove a bean curd puff in his mouth. 

“Welcome, travelers!” An older woman wearing yellow robes appeared in front of them. “Who’s next? Don’t be shy.” 

Sokka’s mouth went dry. He wasn’t comfortable with this. This was stupid, what were they doing here? They were on a schedule.  

“I guess that’s me.” Katara practically raced into the other room. 

As they left, Sokka shoved the bean curds in his mouth. “Not bad, not bad.” He held them in front of Aang. “Want some?” 

He pushed them away. “I’m good on puffs.” 

Well, suit yourself, Sokka thought. More for him. 

Zuko let out a loud sigh and stood, shaking Sokka from his bean-curd-puff bliss. 

“Where you going?” Sokka asked through a full mouth. 

“Somewhere else. I’ve got some things to say, but they’re not very nice, so I’ll keep them to myself.” 

***

What. A. Hoax. 

Zuko considered the woman --- Aunt Wu --- as he strode out of the two red doors. Years and years and years ago, he had encountered another woman claiming to be a fortuneteller, just like her. Except this woman had radiated spirit energy, nearly as much as Aang did. And she had truly been a fortuneteller. He had watched her village and predictions for years, and they all came true. 

There was very little spirit energy off this woman. She had just a little more than Katara and Sokka. 

To see his future… oh good grief. He didn’t need to know what he was going to do tomorrow or next week or years from now. He just needed to worry about today and today only. Tomorrow could wait

Besides, the incense smell of the room was practically drowning him. He would probably smell that for the next three weeks. 

Zuko waited outside the red doors with Appa and Momo, rolling the Fire Sage hat across the ground for the lemur to catch and retrieve.He took to studying the mountain. It was odd, to say the least. It wasn’t pointed like most mountains were, and the top looked as tough it had been shaved off. And he swore he saw smoke puff out of it every so often.  

About thirty minutes later, the other three emerged from the building. 

“Well, now you got to see for yourselves,” Sokka said. “Fortunetelling is just a big stupid hoax.” 

Katara scoffed. “You’re just saying that because you’re gonna make yourself miserable for the rest of your life.”

“That woman is crazy! My life will be calm and happy and joyful!” He kicked a pebble, which went sailing into a sign, then smacked the side of his head. Sokka cried out, then sunk to his knees, arms wrapped around his head. “That doesn’t prove anything.” 

Katara smirked at him. “Well, I liked my predictions. Certain things are gonna turn out very well.” 

“They sure are!” Aang said. 

“Why?” Katara looked to him. “What did you tell you?” 

Aang blushed. “Oh, you’ll find out.” 

Katara shrugged. “Why did you leave?” She turned to Zuko. 

“I don’t need someone to tell me my fortune,” Zuko responded simply. 

“But… why wouldn’t you want to know?” 

“Simple. You learn your fortune, you have that expectation for the rest of your life, and you’re burdened down by it. You think, oh is this it? What about this? Or this?” Zuko sighed. “I just don’t want that.” 

“But you must at least know it’s real!” 

“What?” 

She sighed. “Fortunetelling!” 

“Some of it is, but that woman isn’t.” 

“Really?” Katara crossed her arms. “And how would you know?” 

Sokka responded. “Spirit magic.” He waggled his fingers. 

“But spirit magic- “ 

“Look,” Zuko interrupted, “just because I have it doesn’t mean I fully understand it. Reason, math, logic, science, that makes sense to me. Fortunetelling and spirit magic, not so much. The spirit world and spirit magic don't really follow the rules of logic.” 

“You just like to disagree with me.” 

“Partially. I disagree with everyone.” 

“That’s not something to be proud of.” 

It took everything in Zuko not to roll his eyes. He didn’t hate Katara --- he never had --- but Agni, did she push his limits a lot. How did Sokka put up with this? 

“Hey!” Aang said, drawing attention to himself. He pointed to the town square. “What’s up with that?” The people had gathered around a golden archway. 

They made their way over, where Zuko noticed the clouds gathering heavily over the mountain. That wasn’t normal. 

“What’s with the sky?” Aang said bluntly. 

“We’re waiting for Aunt Wu to come and read the clouds,” a villager explained. “To predict the ate of the whole village.” 

“That cloud kinda looks like a fluffy bunny.” Aang pointed to one. 

“You better hope that’s not a bunny!” the villagers snapped, jolting them. “The fluffy bunny cloud forecasts doom and destruction.” He said it with an air of grandeur. 

Zuko snorted. First fortunetelling, then fate predictions based on some as unpredictable as the weather. 

Another woman began to speak. “The cloud reading will tell us if Mount Makapu will remain dormant for another year or if it will erupt.” 

The man nodded and began to speak. 

“Wait,” Zuko interrupted. “Erupt?” 

The man nodded again. 

“You live near a freaking volcano?” 

Another nod. 

“Sokka, I don’t think it’s just the Fortuneteller.” 

“You’re telling me… “ 

“We used to have a tradition once a year of going up the mountain to check the volcano ourselves,” the man explained, “but ever since Aunt Wu arrived twenty years ago, we have a tradition of not doing that.” 

And, to Zuko, that just sounded like Once upon a time, we threw people into the volcano, and now we don't. Great story, now time for bed. 

Sokka blanched. “I can’t believe you would trust your lives to that crazy old woman’s superstition!” 

“Shh!” Katara said. “She’s coming.” 

Aunt Wu came forth through the crowd, the people parting for her as she walked up the the gold archway. People in the crowd --- including Aang and Katara, oh great Agni --- cheered for her. 

Aunt Wu stepped up with a deep breath. “Bending arrow cloud,” she said, looking at a list in her hand. “Good crops this year. Nice, big harvest.” 

“I don’t see it,” Sokka muttered. He was squinting so hard, his eyes were practically closed 

“Wavy moon-shaped cloud. Let’s see… gonna be a great year for twins! And a cumulous cloud with a twisty nub coming off the end of it… the village will not be destroyed by the volcano this year!” She threw her arms wide. 

Cheers erupted from the crowd. Zuko couldn’t help but roll his eyes. He agreed with Sokka --- he just saw puffy white clouds. 

“I can’t belive all these saps,” Sokka said as the crowd dispersed. Aang had come up behind them, a sad expression on his face, and Katara had disappeared to Agni-knows-where (although Zuko suspected he knew exactly where she was). “Someone really needs to scream some sense at them.”

Aang glanced around. “They seem happy,” he suggested innocently. 

Sokka scoffed. “Not for long.” 

Zuko, who sensed he was about to do something, reaching his hand out to pull him back, but Sokka had already taken off. 

“I’m gonna prove Aunt Wu’s predictions are nonsense.” Sokka wheeled, then grabbed a man wearing light blue robes. “Hey, you! I bet Aunt Wu told you to wear those red shoes, didn’t she?” He pointed down to where the man was wearing obnoxiously bright red shoes that could have blinded someone from a mile away. 

“Yes.” The man pulled back from Sokka’s grip. “She said I’d be wearing red shoes when I met my true love.” 

“Uh-huh… “Sokka held up a finger as if he had an idea. “And how many times how you worn those shoes since you got that fortune?” 

“Every day.” 

Sokka’s face fell, then- 

“THEN, OF COURSE IT’S GONNA COME TRUE!!” 

“Really?” the man asked. “You think so? I’m so excited!” He floated off away from them. 

Sokka kicked a nearby rock. Then, Zuko heard outraged squawking. Wings flapped, and goose flew at Sokka’s head, assaulting him. Sokka shrieked, batting it out of the way. 

Aang flashed Zuko a confused look. 

“Demon birds,” Zuko responded, drawing a knife. “Hold still.” 

“I can’t!” Sokka slapped the bird in the face. It responded by chomping down on his hand. 

He shouted, which was fair. Geese had teeth within their bills. “You mother- “

Zuko lightly jabbed at the bird with the tip of the knife. It squawked angrily once more, then flew away. He reached out a hand to help Sokka off the ground. 

The other guy waved it off, getting back to his feet. Scratches littered his face. “No, no. I’ve got this.”  

“I don’t care what Aunt Wu told you!” Sokka yelled at the next guy. “You have to take a bath some time!” 

The man in question, whose beard and hair had grown out all over the place with mud and twigs and leaves sticking out of it and smelled sharply of manure, just chuckled and walked off. 

“Maybe you should stop,” Zuko suggested. 

“Any why?” 

“You’re getting aggressive, and I’d rather not have to deal with assault charges if necessary.” 

Sokka opened his mouth to argue, then crossed his arms. “Maybe. But I’ll prove it someday.” 

“Hey, can I ask you something, Sokka?” Aang glanced sideways at Zuko. “Alone?” 

“Sure, Aang.” Sokka threw an arm over the Avatar’s shoulders. He looked at Zuko. “That means scoot.” 

“Can you go find Katara?” Aang added. “I don’t know where she is, but- “ 

“I have a sneaking suspicion.” Zuko was already walking off. And his sneaking suspicions tended to be right.

He saw her just as she was being shoved from the Fortuneteller’s building, rather aggressively by Aunt Wu. “And you’ll be fine as long as you’ve got a scarf,” the woman said exhaustedly. 

The two geese near the entrance honked in protest as Katara invaded their space. 

“Alright, goodbye now.” Aunt Wu stepped back between the doors. 

“Wait, wait!” Katara said. “One more thing!” 

Aunt Wu raised an eyebrow. “What?” 

“Should I eat a mango or a papaya for breakfast tomorrow?” 

“You- you want me to decide that?” Katara had obviously exhausted and annoyed the woman, probably by overloading her with fortunes and questions. Zuko had noticed in the short time he had been with the Avatar and his companions that Katara was much more likely to believe in the mystical, magical, and mysterious rather than the corporeal and feasible, what was right in front of her. It wasn’t a shock to him she was more or less obsessed with the idea of fortunetelling and the future. 

Katara nodded eagerly. 

The old woman may have been a hoax, but Zuko couldn’t help but feel her. 

“Katara,” he said loudly, coming up behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder. The geese honked at him, and he kicked out at them. They scrambled back. “I think you’ve overreached her fortunetelling abilities.” 

Katara didn’t even look at him at she slapped his hand away. 

Well, alright them. “Ma’am,” he addressed Aunt Wu as he grabbed Katara’s arm, preparing to drag her away, “I’m so sorry that we’ve- “ 

A light sparked in Aunt Wu’s eyes. In a flash, she reached out and snatched Zuko’s wrist --- his left one. His burned one. 

His whole left side --- face, neck, shoulder, and arm --- seared with heat. You will learn respect. 

“You.” She flipped his hand over, running a finger over the marred lines on his palm. “I sense- “

Zuko jerked back from her grip. In his other hand, his finger slipped over the trigger released, and the knife fell into his palm. He held it up level with and close to his chest, in a reverse grip, blade pointed out at Aunt Wu. “Don’t touch me!” 

Aunt Wu jolted, hands flying up in surrender. 

“Zuko!” Katara grabbed his arm and attempted to shove the knife down. “I’m so sorry, Aunt Wu. He’s just- “ 

“I could not see much from your future,” Aunt Wu interrupted, holding Zuko’s gaze. “But I did see your past.” 

“Oh really?” He fingers flexed on the knife hilt. Katara’s attempts were frivolous as he didn’t budge. “That doesn’t seem like fortunetelling to me.” 

“I saw a long, long past, an extensive history with this world and another.” 

“You could say that.” 

Aunt Wu only offered a sad look in return. She then turned to Katara. “Papaya.” The doors slammed shut. 

Katara huffed, crossing her arms. “Aw, I hate papaya.” 

“So?” Zuko sheathed then knife. “Eat a mango.” He stalked off. 

“You know,” Katara said, hurrying after him, “you don’t have to draw a knife on everyone we meet. It’s not a good greeting.” 

“She had no right to do what she did.” His hands felt clammy, and he was obsessively running his thumb on his palm, left hand clutched in his right. It was where the scar ended, the last vestiges of it. The top of his hand and his ring and pinky fingers had suffered the worst of the damage. Yet parts of it still branched out onto his palm. For months after the duel, he hadn’t been able to use to his left hand, even though the scar had more or less magically healed thanks to the Blue Spirit. The muscles had still been quite weak, and he had spent a while retraining and strengthening them. He had worn a glove over his left hand to prevent the Jang Hui kids from compulsively staring at it, mouths open. 

“She just wanted to read your fortune.” 

“I didn’t ask her to,” Zuko snapped defensively.  

Katara did not say anything for a moment. He caught her eyes trail over his hand. 

Instinctively, he covered it with his other. 

“I don’t mean this rude,” she began, “but I do wonder how far it goes. Like, the extent of the damage.” 

Zuko was honestly surprised they hadn’t asked that question before. The first time he had seen them, the scar marring his face at immediately caught their attention. Their eyes had done the double-take, the look of horror or disgust he was so used to seeing. Most people usually pried after a few days. How’d you get that, what happened, how far does it go? But they hadn’t.

Probably because he'd been so insistent they not ask about his past, but that wasn't the point.  

His throat was dry when he responded. “My face, neck, shoulder, arm, and hand.” 

“Is- is that what killed you?” 

“I- “his throat went even drier as the sound of jeering voices filled his ears, the smell of burnt flesh filling his nose” -yes.” Medically speaking. 

He heard her draw in a sharp intake of breath. “Oh. I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be. What happened happened. It’s in the past now. Why did you go see her again anyway?” The voices faded away, and the smell of burnt flesh retreating. 

“Oh, I just had some questions about my future husband?” 

“Future- wait, what?” 

“My future husband.” A dreamy look filled her eyes. “She told me during my first fortunetelling that the man I was going to marry was going to be a powerful bender. I wanted to know more about him.” 

“Don’t you know who your future husband is?” 

Katara shook her head. “No.” 

“Aren’t you betrothed?” 

She raised an eyebrow. “No. Why would you think that?” 

Zuko motioned to her necklace. She had replaced the one Aang made for her with the Water Tribe betrothal necklace he had first seen her wearing, the one she had touched when he asked if they were still raiding the Southern Water Tribe. 

Katara placed her hand on it, then realization dawned on her face. “Oh! Wait, how do you know about that?” 

“I was from the Water Tribe. Well, in a manner of speaking.” 

“Oh, right. Sorry. It’s just not everyday you meet a guy merged with a spirit and then proceed to travel with him. It was my mother’s. She- she was killed during a Fire Nation raid.” 

“Oh.” Well, this was awkward. “I’m so- “

“Oh, hey, Katara,” Aang interrupted. He was leaning against a building, one foot planted on the wall, hands resting on his belt, almost in a bad-boy-ish-wannabe way. A mannerism Zuko would have never have expected from such a sweet, genuine little kid. “I didn’t see you there.” 

She just waved at him and kept walking. 

“Oh, that’s okay!” Aang called. “I’m busy with my own stuff.” 

Zuko gave Aang a questioning look over his shoulder. The kid just shrugged. 

They made their way to a fruit stall where Katara begrudgingly asked for a papaya. 

“Why don’t you just get a mango?” Zuko asked as the seller turned away to dig for a papaya. 

“Because Aunt Wu said papaya.” 

“She just wanted you to go away, you know.” 

Katara shrugged. “I should still probably do what she says.” 

“Just get a mango. What’s the harm?” 

“I don’t know what will happen if I get a mango!” The seller handed her a papaya. "It could screw up everything!" 

“Katara, get the damn mango.” 

“So.” Aang had reappeared. He was standing with his arms loose by his side, back slightly arched, hips forward. 

What the hell? 

“Papaya,” he said nonchalantly. 

Katara nodded sadly. “Would you like some?” 

Aang sighed dramatically. “You know me.” He grabbed a bright red fruit. “I don’t really care what I eat.” He took a big bite of it. 

“Okay, then.” Katara turned away. “See you later.” 

When she was out of earshot, Aang spat the fruit out onto the ground with a noise of disgust. “Maybe aloof isn’t my style… “ 

“Hold up,” Zuko said. “What are you doing?” 

“Sokka gave me advice to try and impress Katara! She hasn’t noticed anything else I’ve done for her! Nothing I say nor give her- “ 

“You gave her the necklace to try and impress her?” 

“Yeah.” 

Zuko couldn’t help but smirk. “That has some implications that I’m not going to get into. Look, whatever Sokka told you isn’t- “ 

“Oh, a panda lily!” 

Their attention was drawn to the girl who had been in Aunt Wu’s building earlier. A man was offering her said flower. They embraced. 

Zuko just rolled his eyes, but Aang piped up, “Did you see that?” He scurried up to the couple. “Excuse me. Where can a guy find one of those things?” 

“I can’t believe you’re dragging me all the way up here for a stupid flower,” Sokka complained. They had spent the last thirty minutes scaling Mount Makapu, which was where the other guy had pointed them to to find the flowers. Aang had brought Sokka along at Zuko’s suggestion because he was uneasy about leaving the guy alone in a village full of loons. 

“It’s not just any flower.” Aang leaped from boulder to boulder while the other two were left to struggle on their own. Sokka had been complaining of a stitch in his side for the last thirty minutes. “A panda lily. I’ve seen it in action, and boy does it work.” 

“Flowers are fine once you’re married,” Sokka continued. “But, at this early stage, it’s critical that you maintain maximum aloofness.” 

Zuko wanted to question further, but didn’t. He had encountered some pretty weird people over the years, but the Avatar and his companions were by far the weirdest. That being said, he didn't hate them. It was almost... refreshing. 

“But my heart is telling me to get this flower.” Aang turned to the peak of the mountain. “And Aunt Wu said if I trusted me heart, I would be with the one I love.” 

“wHaT?! Don’t tell me you believe in that stuff too?” 

“Well, Aunt Wu hasn’t been wrong yet.” He continued leaping up. 

“Emphasis on the yet,” Zuko muttered as he hauled himself over a particularly spiky boulder. The rocks on the mountain felt strangely warm beneath his hands, and his blood thrummed the same way it had at Avatar Roku’s temple on Crescent Island. A sense of foreboding was rising in the back of his mind.

“Gee, I didn’t know he was so obsessed with her,” Sokka said. 

Zuko scoffed. “How’ve you not seen the googly eyes he gives her? And how come I was the only one who noticed the necklace?” 

Sokka stopped. “Wait, he gave Meng a necklace?” 

“I don’t know, did he? I’m talking about- oh, you are so behind.” Zuko continued over the boulders. 

“Wait.” Sokka was still putting the pieces together behind him. “He was talking about- “ 

“Yes. So glad you’ve joined the party.” 

He could sense Sokka was about to say something else, but Aang said, “There, on the rim!” He leaped up on the rim of the volcano, plucked a flower, and sniffed it. A moment later, he lurched back. 

“What?” Sokka shouted. 

“You guys need to get up here!” 

“That- “Sokka threw a leg over a rock” -is- “his arms wrapped around the top” -not- “he pulled himself up, legs scrabbling behind” -a- response.” 

Zuko grabbed his arms, then hauled him up. 

When they the rim, Zuko noticed a blast of hot air hit his face. Hot air, much hotter than it should have been for a dormant volcano. 

Which, upon glimpsing the boiling magma below, Zuko observed that it was, in fact, not a dormant volcano. 

Well, no wonder he was feeling a sense of foreboding.

“Aunt Wu was wrong,” Aang breathed. 

"No shit," Zuko muttered.

“Those people all think they’re safe.” Sokka squatted down next to the edge of the rim. “We’ve got to warm them.” 

And they sped down the mountain. 

They found Katara, once again, darkening Aunt Wu’s doorstep. 

Aang spoke first. “Katara- “ 

“Can you believe she won’t let me in?!” she exploded. “And after all the business I’ve given her!” 

“She doesn’t charge,” he pointed out. 

“I know, but… still.” 

“We have other things to worry about!” Sokka pointed to Mount Makapu. “Aunt Wu was wrong about that.” 

Katara rolled her eyes. “You tried to convince me she was wrong before. It’s gonna take an awful lot to change my- “ 

The ground rumbled. Ashy smoke spewed from the top of the volcano. 

“Oh no,” Katara said. 

"So glad you've decided to join the party," Zuko said.

She glared at him. 

They ran to the town square. Aang caught Katara up quickly, but noticeably left the part about what they were doing up there in the first place out. “That volcano is gonna blow any second!” Sokka yelled. “Aunt Wu was wrong!” 

The people glanced at each other, then laughed. “Yeah, yeah,” a woman spoke up. “We know you don’t believe in Aunt Wu, Mister Science and Reason Lover.” 

Sokka pointed a finger at her. “i’Ll have you know that- “ 

“If you won’t listen to him, maybe you’ll listen to me,” Katara interrupted. “I wanna believe Aunt Wu’s predictions as much as you do, but they saw the lava with their own eyes!”

“Well,” a man argued, stepping forward, “I heard Aunt Wu’s prediction with my own ears.” 

“Please listen to us!” Aang airbent himself up onto a nearby building. “You’re all in danger, and we have to get out of here! You can’t rely on Aunt Wu’s predictions! You have to take fate into your own hands!” 

The ground rumbled, and the volcano spewed again.

“Can your fortunetelling explain that?” Sokka pointed to it. 

The man with red shoes chuckled. “Can your science explain why it rains?” 

“ yEs! YES IT CAN! WATER PLUS AIR PLUS HEAT PLUS EVAPORATION EQUALS- " 

The villagers just laughed it off and dispersed. 

“They just won’t listen to reason,” Katara said as Aang landed next to them. 

“We could take one up there,” Zuko suggested. “And, y’know, just- “he made a shoving gesture. "That might prove something."  

“ Dude!” Sokka yelped. 

“But they will listen to Aunt Wu,” Aang said brightly. 

“I know,” Sokka said. “That’s the problem. Fortunetelling my- “ 

“Well, it’s about to become our solution! First I need to borrow Aunt Wu’s cloud reading book.”

Ten minutes later, Sokka and Katara stood guard outside Aunt Wu’s building while Aang snuck inside. A crowd had begun to gather outside the Fortuneteller’s, as it had most of the time. Zuko was being used a distraction, which was great for two reasons. One, Zuko didn’t have to be anywhere near that cursed building, as he would be leading the crowd away. Two, he got to break things, and he had been looking for an excuse to do just that for a while. 

He had retrieved the Blue Spirit mask from his stuff on Appa’s saddle, then waited on a building near Aunt Wu’s. He had a rock in his hand which he turned over several times, anticipating Sokka’s signal. 

He and Katara were waiting in an alley. Sokka nodded. 

Zuko pelted the rock at a fruit stand. 

It slammed into a pile of apples, knocking them off. They rolled across the street and bumped people’s feet. 

“My fruit!” a man exclaimed. “Who did that?” 

“It came from over there!” Sokka pointed in his general direction. “And look!” 

Zuko pelted another rock at them. 

“We should follow him!” Sokka suggested oh-so subtly. 

“I don’t know,” the fruit seller said. “Aunt Wu said to not follow someone’s suggestions today… “ 

The other people nodded in agreement. “You just don’t like Aunt Wu!” someone accused. 

Oh, great Agni. Zuko cast a tiny flame at the man’s robes. 

He shrieked as they caught fire. The people around him stumbled back. 

Zuko motioned, and the flame shrank, soaring back to his hand. 

“She said not to follow someone’s suggestions- “something dawned on the man’s face” -unless I am to be aflame! Let’s follow him!” They charged. 

Sokka threw Zuko a thumbs-up, then ran for the building. 

Considering how specific that fortune was, Zuko shrugged, then took off across the top of the buildings. 

He slid down the slanted roofs, then planted his foot on the ledge, taking off onto the next roof. He heard someone shout something, then dove off the roof with a front flip. If he was going to do this, might as well be dramatic about it. 

Zuko landed, then rolled. He swept a leg back, kicking over a nearby stack of crates. Displeased shouts sounded from behind. He turned a left, dodging around a small child standing petrified in the alleyway. 

“Over there!” 

He saw a behind in the alley. A bucket of water sat at the corner. As he passed, he kicked it over, freezing the puddle into ice. He heard shocked yells and the sound of people crashing into each other. 

Zuko glanced over his shoulder, seeing his handiwork done, then turned another corner- 

His head collided with someone, and they let out simultaneous shocked yells. Zuko stumbled back, landing hard on his side. 

“Ow!” Sokka rubbed the side of his head. “That mask hurts .” 

Zuko ignored the ache in his own head, then pulled the mask off. “Did you get the book?” 

“Yeah. They’re working on it right now.” Sokka pulled Zuko off the ground, then they sprinted for the town square. 

Aang had explained that clouds were made of both air and water. If Katara and Aang could bend the clouds to a particular shape, then it would warn Aunt Wu that the volcano was about to erupt. But they had to know what shape to make, hence why they needed her book. 

“So,” Sokka had said, “you’re using science?” 

“It’s not science.” 

“Air plus water equals cloud? Sounds sciencey to me.” 

They found Aunt Wu in the village square. “Aunt Wu!” Sokka called, pointing to the sky. “Look at what’s happening with the clouds!” 

Zuko followed his gaze, seeing them morph into different shapes much faster than clouds normally would. 

Aunt Wu attempted to wave him off. “Nothing should be- oh my!” 

And when she looked up, the clouds had formed a fluffy bunny shape. 

“We still have time to save the village!” Aang and Katara had mysteriously reappeared. “Sokka has a plan!” 

Sokka stood underneath the golden archway. He explained how the lava was going to flow down to the village and how they might be able to save it if they dug a trench around the village. If the trench was deep enough and took enough of the lava, they might be able to funnel it down to the river. 

Aang called for any earthbenders to come with him, and Sokka yelled for them to grab a shovel. The ground shook, urging them to go faster. 

Zuko stood on the side of the trench closest to the volcano. The sky had begun to darken as it filled with dark, ashy clouds. The thrumming in his blood was getting stronger. 

“You need to hurry up.” Zuko squatted down so Aang could hear better. The Avatar was directing a ground of earthbenders moving dirt. “That volcano’s about to blow.” 

“We’re working as fast as we can!” Aang turned away, then turned back. “Wait, how do you know? Can you feel the volcano? Does that count as earthbending or firebending?” 

“Does it matter? Just dig the- “ 

“Hey!” 

Zuko rolled his eyes, then turned. 

“You’re the kid that broke my fruit stall!” The fruit vendor pointed to the Blue Spirit mask, which was hanging off Zuko’s belt. “You- “ 

Zuko reached out to the man’s mind. “Keep working.” 

And the man turned and did just that. 

The ground rumbled. The thrum spiked, and Zuko got to his feet and spun as the volcano spewed hot magma and black, ashy smoke. 

“dIG faster!” he heard Sokka yell and saw him do that, albeit shovelling smaller amounts of dirt. 

The end of the trench burst into dirt and rock, and Zuko saw the river. 

“Everyone needs to evacuate!” Aang leaped over the trench. “We’ll come for you when it’s safe!” 

A minute later, the four of them and Momo stood at the edge of the trench, watching as the volcano spewed again. Volcanic ash like gray snow had begun to fall around them. 

Lava spilled over the edge, razing everything in its path. It burnt across trees, totems, and an archway that exited the village. Searing heat hit Zuko’s body as it pooled in the trench. 

But it didn’t seem to be stopping. 

“It’s too much!” Katara noted. “It’s gonna overflow!” 

The ground shook again, hard enough to knock them off their feet. A great plume of magma spurted up from the volcano, igniting the dark sky.

Sokka grabbed Zuko’s arm, pulling him away from the scene as he and Katara fled. Momo landed on Zuko’s shoulder, taking refuge. But when they looked back, Aang had remained on the trench. 

“What is he doing?!” Katara shrieked. 

Aang took two steps back, then sprinted forward. At the edge of the trench, he leaped into the air, gathering around around him. 

“Fighting a volcano?” Zuko suggested. 

“Obviously,” Sokka deadpanned. 

Aang landed back on the ground, circling his arms around him. The air around followed his movements, blowing the lava backwards into a spiked, fingered wall. With another gust of wind from Aang, the rock solidified, turning into a dark wall around the village. 

The volcano still spewed, and the sky was still dark. But the hot air around Zuko had dissipated. 

“Man… “Sokka breathed. “Sometimes I forget what a powerful bender that kid is.” 

“Wait,” Katara responded, “what did you just say?” 

“Nothing. Just that Aang is one powerful bender.” 

Zuko glanced over to Katara. She had her brows furrowed, eyes narrowed in concentration. “I suppose he is.” 

Eventually, the dark clouds dissipated. The sky was once again blue, the day brightening. The wall of volcanic rock around the village stood. 

A reminder that the Fortuneteller was not always right, Zuko thought to himself as he stood in front of it. 

“Hey!” Katara called. “We’ve got places to be! Mull over the rock later!” 

Zuko gave it one last look, then turned. 

The villagers had gathered in the square. Aang was standing in front of Aunt Wu, a sheepish expression on his face. “By the way, we kind of borrowed your book.” He held the cloud-shape book out. 

“So- “the woman ripped it from his hands” -messed with the clouds did you?” 

Red rushed to Aang’s cheeks. 

To Zuko’s surprise, the woman just laughed. “Very clever.” 

“No offense- “Sokka was standing under the archway” -but I hope that this has taught everyone a lesson about not relying too much on fortunetelling.” 

“But Aunt Wu predicted the village wouldn’t be destroyed, and it wasn’t!” a man piped up. 

Sokka appeared in front of the man. “I hate you.” 

Katara grabbed his shoulder. “It’s okay, Sokka.” She guided him away from the man. 

“Hey, you!” 

Zuko sighed. The fruit seller. He turned. 

“You destroyed my cart!” 

“I didn’t destroy it, per se.” 

“You threw a rock at it.” 

“I just knocked some fruit off,” Zuko argued. “In hindsight, the whole village could’ve been destroyed, and you’d just be nothing more than a crispy skeleton on the ground. I think it’s rather petty to worry about it. Although with magma, there probably wouldn’t even be anything left.” 

The man said nothing in response, but the color drained from his face. 

Zuko smirked, then turned to leave. 

“Excuse me.” He stopped as Aunt Wu approached him. “I would like to apologize for what I did.” 

Oh. Oh yeah. In the rush of the volcano, he had kind of forgotten about it. “No,” he said, “I’m sorry. I- I shouldn’t have drawn a knife on you. It’s kind of… a habit.” 

Aunt Wu raised an eyebrow. “A habit? As a part of your long history?” 

He tensed. “How much do you know about that?” 

She simply gave him another sad look. “All I know is that you have had a long history, a long history with two worlds.” 

Oh. He knew that as well. 

“And, in your little excursion, you didn’t see anything in my future?” 

“Not much. But I did see one thing.” 

“And that was?” 

She lifted a hand, went to place it on his shoulder, then stopped. “Will you draw another knife on me if I- “ 

“No.” He was at least prepared for it this time. And it was his right shoulder. 

Her hand rested on his shoulder. “There are good things ahead, and there are bad things.” 

“But… that’s just how life is. You can’t predict and control every aspect of it.” 

Aunt Wu sighed. “I know that. As much as I try to predict, I know I cannot see it all. But I do sense something from you: I sense a future. A very long, fulfilling future with many challenges, but also many triumphs.” She stepped back. 

Zuko pursed his lips. “Uh… thanks?” 

She nodded. “I wish you well.” 

“Thanks? And, uh, you too?” He backed away from her, hurrying over to Appa. 

The other three said their goodbyes to the village from Appa and they took off into the air. 

“So, Sokka,” Katara called from Appa’s head, “do you still not believe in fortunetelling?” 

“No! And nothing is going to convince me otherwise.” 

“I mean, your life has seemed pretty fine to me,” Aang suggested. 

“Exactly! And it has- dugh!” Bird poop landed on his shoulder. They looked up to see the geese. 

“You little- “Sokka got to his feet and swiped at him with his club. They ducked out of his reach, and he tipped forward out of the saddle. 

Zuko snatched the back of his shirt, then dragged him back on. “Just because you don’t believe in it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be careful.” 

Sokka sighed, dropping his club. “Maybe you’re right.” He flopped back into the saddle. 

Chapter Text

Three Years Ago 

The morning after she spoke with the Painted Lady, Sokha got all her thoughts together, planned out exactly what she was going to say, what she was going to do, so the whole thing would go off without a hitch. Would the tight-knit community of Jang Hui be overly offended that the doctor had been harboring some strange kid without their knowledge or consent? Probably. But they’d get over it; people usually did. Would the kid be comfortable with his existence being outed? Probably not, but he could deal with it. 

She contemplated what the Painted Lady had told her last night while she mushed together a blend of herbs. The kid sitting in her back room --- Zuko, the damned Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, what the hell --- just so happened to be part-spirit too. And the spirit that was a part of him was a companion of the Painted Lady. 

She stopped mashing for a moment. Life was weird. How could she, of all people, have ended up in this situation? Sokha’s parents always told her stories about spirits, but she had never really believed in them until she moved the Jang Hui. Sokha had been young, ready to face the world with her new medical training. Jang Hui was some sad sob of a village that had been without a doctor for years, only relying on the mysterious spirit they called the Painted Lady to come help and heal their people. 

Sokha had thought the story was the most ridiculous thing in the world. So, she chose to take up residence on the lake town. 

Jang Hui had been skeptical of her at first. They had ridiculed her, saying she was a disgrace to the work of the Painted Lady, that she was going to run off the only blessing the town had ever seen. Sokha had dismissed these complaints and insults. There were people who needed her, and she was not going to back down regardless of what they said.

It had taken them almost six months, but they eventually warmed up to her. Parents started bringing their children with minor illnesses, the likes of colds and sniffles. They allowed her to mend broken bones and sew up gashes and cuts. On occasion, she would hear of people being healed when she hadn’t done anything to help them, but Sokha had once again dismissed the stories. It was probably just someone who still held dissent for her. 

She didn’t even begin to hold just the smallest ounce of belief in the Painted Lady until the Sickness. 

Sokha hadn’t known what the Sickness was; she had never been able to properly diagnose or label the illness. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. The first patient to come to her had been a young boy, barely a teenager. At first, he had just complained for a fever, and she had given him what he needed for that. 

Two nights later, he returned, this time coughing up blood. 

So, she gave him something for that. 

But, it only worsened. Over the next three days, her hut filled up, filled to the brim with people complaining of fever and coughing up blood. She had been covered in it for several days, and a nearby traveler had nearly passed out at the sight of her bloodied clothes. They had cleared out the biggest hut in the town, where the meetings and gatherings were always held. They started moving patients into there. Sokha had worked round the clock, didn’t sleep for almost three days. 

It was then that the people began to curse her again. They claimed she had run the Painted Lady off, that the Painted Lady no longer felt welcome because they finally had a proper doctor. They said the word with such scorn. 

Sokha had been to busy with her patients to notice. She was doing what she could, but it was obviously not enough. 

The Sickness lasted for almost a month. She lost five patients. 

They had tried to run her out of the village. But Sokha kept her ground. She was the best they were going to get without their “Painted Lady,” she had argued. Begrudgingly, they had let her stay, but only to the end of the next month. If the Sickness was not eradicated, then she would have to leave. 

And that night, some unexplainable happened. 

Sokha had been mixing up remedies at her counter when she had fallen asleep, simply flopped over on the desk. She didn’t remember falling asleep, didn’t recall being tired. Her body passed an invisible limit, said “screw it,” and gave up. 

Sokha had woken in a panic, knocking two bowls off the counter and breaking them. But that hadn’t mattered to her. She had left her patients all alone. 

They were never going to let her stay in Jang Hui now. 

Sokha had thrown open the door to her hut and sprinted to the community building. When she had thrown open the doors there, her jaws dropped, heart stopping. 

All the people inside were up and walking. And they were all fine. 

She checked each and every one of them. None complained of a fever, none coughed up blood. In fact, they had cleaned up the building, scrubbed the floor of rust-colored stains. They said they had never felt better in their lives, that last night, something miraculous had happened. One of the kids asked if it was something Sokha had given them. 

“No,” one of the elders, Namiko, had responded. “This could only be the work of the Painted Lady.” 

And for the next month, when someone came down with the Sickness, they were miraculously healed the next day. 

It was then Sokha began to believe in the Painted Lady. And it wasn’t long ago that she got her confirmation that she truly did exist. 

“What’re you doing?” 

She was sharply thrown into the present as she shrieked, dropping the bowl. It shattered upon impact with the wooden floorboards. 

“Shit!” Sokha swore, wheeling around. Zuko stood at the doorway to the back room. “Could you announce your presence next time? I hate people sneaking up on me.” 

“Oh. I’m- I’m sorry.” 

“Well, apology accepted.” She squatted down and began gathering the piece of the bowl. The contents would have to wait until they hardened so she could scrape it off. When she rose back up, Zuko was staring blankly at a corner. 

“What?” Sokha looked over her shoulder. There was nothing there.

“Ummi,” he said simply. “She wants to talk to you.” 

Sokha blinked. “Ummi? I don’t know who that is.” 

“The Painted Lady.” He motioned to the corner. “She’s right there.” 

Sokha looked back over. “I don’t see her.” 

“You can’t. It’s daytime.” 

“Can I not see spirits when it’s day?” 

“No. Not really. It’s harder for them to unveil.” 

Unveil. There was that word again. Sokha would learn what it meant one day. “Then how come you can- oh, right.” She dumped the bowl shards on the counter and waved her hands grandly. “Spirit shit.” 

“She spoke to you last night? Told you something about me?” 

Sokha turned, leaning back against the counter. “She did.” 

His eye --- gold with a ring of navy blue --- looked to the corner, then back at her. She assumed the coloring had something to do with whatever spirit was inside him. “You can’t do that.” 

“Can’t do what?” 

“Tell these people about me.” 

Sokha shrugged. She had heard people telling her what she could and couldn’t do for most of her life. She was mostly desensitized to it at this point. “I’ve already made up my mind. And there’s no arguing with a doctor, y’know. That’s a great way to get killed.” 

“They- they can’t know I exist.” 

“I’m not going to tell them who you really are,” she explained. “I was actually waiting for you to wake up so we could come up with some sob story together. I know they’ll be desperate for the story of that- “she motioned to the left side of her face. “It’s better if we create the tale together so we’ll both have it straight.” 

“They saw the posters,” Zuko persisted. “If someone with burn wounds shows up around the same time the posters did, people will be suspicious.” 

Sokha sighed. “That… is a good point. But lots of kids get burned. I’ve seen enough of it from villages all over the world. We can just say I found you lost after your village got caught in the crossfire between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom. See? That’s a common-enough story.” She turned back to the table. 

Zuko was silent for several moments. “I- I don’t want anyone to know I’m alive.” He stepped up beside her. “They- they can’t know. If anyone does, he might come for me.” 

“Who’s he?” 

He turned away from her. That was obviously an answer she wasn’t going to get yet. 

Sokha sighed, then pushed the shards of the bowl aside. “Would you mind telling me something else?” 

“What?” 

“What spirit is it? The Painted Lady told me she had a companion and that he was now a part of you. Do you know which spirit it is?” 

Zuko’s gaze turned to her. “I do.” 

Well, that was helpful, she thought with a snort. “Then which one?” 

No response. 

“I’m not going to sell you out, y’know. I’m also not going to judge if the spirit was like the god of sex or something.” 

He scoffed. “Well, I’m certainly not that.” 

“What?” 

“The god of sex. Far from it, actually.” 

“You said ‘I.”” 

“I did.” 

“Why?” 

“What do you mean?” 

Sokha gestured with her hands, searching for the best way to respond. “Are you like… one person? Does that make any sense?”

He looked down at his hands. He had his left one cradled in his right, running a thumb over his scarred palm. “I- I think I’m one person. I can’t think of myself as two different people. I am Zuko, but I’m also- “he cut off. 

“The spirit?” she finished. “Whoever he may be?”

She could hear the hesitation in the air. “The… the Blue Spirit. That’s also who I am.” 

Sokha nodded. “Ah. Him. My mom loved telling me stories about him. She knew several. My great-grandmother was from the Northern Water Tribe.” 

“Cool.” 

“Yeah. People from different countries intermarrying. You’d never see it nowadays, would you?” 

“I- I guess not.” 

Sokha grabbed another bowl and a few more herbs. She dropped the herbs into the bowl and set about mashing them up again. “Do you remember what the Blue Spirit remembered? Do you remember a time before the war?” 

“I- I do.” 

“Do remember all the times you fought the Face-Stealer or that time you told the Badgermole King to go screw himself?” 

He nodded. 

She blinked. “Huh.” It was weird to imagine that the wondrous Blue Spirit was now the small kid next to her. 

Then again, life was weird. 

“I have to tell them,” she persisted. “They have a right to know.” 

Zuko shook his head. “Please. You can’t.” 

“Look, kid, you’re in Jang Hui now. No one’s ever going to find you here. Besides, the Painted Lady said she would help me.” 

Zuko looked over Sokha’s shoulder. 

“Is she agreeing with me?” 

“Yes, the traitor.” 

Sokha shrugged. “The doctor’s always right. I don’t know why you ran from the Fire Nation palace or why you’re afraid to be caught, but- “ 

“I didn’t run.” 

“Then what happened?” 

“It’s… complicated.” 

The Painted Lady had not told her much about Zuko and why he was here. It was his story to tell, as she had said. At the rate they were going, Sokha highly doubted she would ever learn what events had transpired. “Whatever happen aside, the Painted Lady asked me to protect you, and that is what I’m going to do. However, I can only protect you if I have help. As the sole doctor here, I can’t divide my time between keeping you hidden and helping people. Sooner or later, someone is going to find out, and I’d rather place the groundwork for the lie than have to make one up on the spot. I’m a terrible liar, so it wouldn’t end well.” 

“I’m used to lies,” he responded. “I can tell when someone is.” 

“Is that a spirit power?” 

“No. Just good perception. And a lot of being lied to.” 

She wasn’t going to question further, as she wasn’t going to get an answer. “Look, the point is, they’re going to be told at some point or another. Would you rather have control of what they know or not?” 

“That sounds manipulative.” 

“It may be, but if you’re so desperate to protect yourself, sometimes you have to rely on manipulation.” 

He said nothing back. 

“If it makes you feel any better,” Sokha persisted, “the Painted Lady offered to help.” 

Zuko was silently for several moments. Then, she heard him mutter something in response. 

“What was that?” Sokha already knew what it was, but she wanted to hear it out loud. 

“Fine.” 

There. Agni, she loved being right. 

“Excellent.” She held the bowl out to him. “Take that to the back room. We’ll come up with the story there.” 

“Oh.” He took it, and she turned away. 

At the sound of a hiss of pain and shattering, she wheeled back. 

The second bowl lay shattered on the ground. Zuko had stepped back from it, clutching his left hand in his right. “I’m- I’m sorry,” he stammered. “It- it just slipped.” 

She held her hand out. “Let me see it.” 

He pulled back farther from her. 

“I’m not going to hurt you. I just need to assess the damage.” 

His eyes were still trained suspiciously on her, but he slowly offered her his hand. 

When she made contact with it, he flinched. Sokha kept her touch light, running her fingers over the scars on the top and palm. The scar had healed as though it had been there for years, even though it could not have been more than a month or two old. 

She glossed over his ring finger, and he hissed again and attempted to jerk his hand back from her. 

“Did that hurt?” 

“Clearly.” 

“Here, let me see it again.” Reluctantly, he did. “Can you bend them?” 

She felt them twitch against her palm, but that was all. “N- no.” His arm tensed as he tried to bend them. His three other fingers did so, but his ring and pinky fingers remained still. “I can’t.” His breaths were picking up. 

“Don’t panic,” Sokha said. “The scar might have healed, but there’s still damage to the muscles. I can do something about that.”

“Oh. I’m sorry about breaking your bowl.”

“Don’t worry.” She directed him to the back room. “I’ve made it twice, and neither got to their destination. It’s just not meant to be.”

Chapter Text

“Hey, look!” Aang hurried forward and yanked an object out of the ground. “A sword made out of a whale’s tooth!” 

Beside her, Sokka perked up. “Let me see that.” He rushed over and snatched it from Aang’s hands. The Avatar gave him a displeased look. Sokka peered at it, holding the blade an inch away from his eyes, leveling it with the sun. “Katara!” He wheeled. “This is a Water Tribe weapon!” 

She took it from him. It was indeed of Water Tribe-make. She had seen the whale-tooth swords before. 

“See if you can find anything else,” Sokka said. And off they searched. Sokka uncovered the end of an arrow covered in ash. 

“Hey.” Zuko pointed to a tree with scratch and ash marks marring the trunks. Patches of grass below were also burned. 

“Water Tribe warriors must’ve ambushed a group of firebenders.” Sokka inspected the tree closer. “The firebenders fought back, but the warriors… “he motioned to the end of the hill. “The warriors drove them this way.” He sprinted down the hill, and they followed over a wall of rocks to an open beach. 

“Then what happened?” Aang prompted. 

“I don’t know.” Sokka stared out over the ocean. “The trail ends here.” 

Katara followed his gaze. At the other end of the beach, she spied a shipwreck. “It’s one of our boats.” She and Sokka ran for it ahead. Aang follow, but Zuko trailed behind unsure. 

“Is this Dad’s boat?” Katara asked. She tried to remember which ship he had been on two years ago when he left, but it was all a blur in her mind. The day he and the other men left had been one of the most traumatic in her life. The whole thing was remembered through a lens of tears. 

“No,” Sokka responded, “but it’s from his fleet.” He turned to her, eyes alight. “Dad was here.” 

“He might still be around here!” Katara said. The world seemed brighter at the prospect of seeing Dad again. “We should make camp here.” 

Once they had done so, Aang and Sokka set about the task of exploring the shipwreck. Katara and Zuko stayed on the outside with their things. 

Zuko paced the whole time. Katara could sense he was tense. “Are you okay?” she asked. 

He stopped. “I’m fine.” It was more of a question than an answer. “I- I just don’t really like boats. Or sand. Or beaches. But don’t let me get in the way of the possibility you might see your dad again.”

“Oh. Why don’t you like beaches?” 

“I- “he stared out over the ocean” -I’m not sure. Like, I think I know, but I’ve more or less repressed the memories of why. ‘Cause, y’know, repressing trauma is always the way to go.” 

“Yeah,” she responded slowly. They had already gone over the fact that he had died and that it was the scar that had killed him. How exactly he died… she wasn’t sure of yet. 

Aang and Sokka reemerged a few minutes later with some wood from the ship to build a fire with. As night approached and the sun sank below the horizon, Sokka offered to take watch while the others slept. 

Katara felt as though she had barely fallen asleep when she was awoken by Aang saying blearily, “Whothewhatnow?” 

She pushed her sleeping bag off herself, then glimpsed a new figure standing in the firelight. Her heart leaped; she knew exactly who it was. 

“Bato!” She sprinted from her sleeping bag, falling in line with Sokka, as they crushed him in a hug. She hadn't seen Bato in years, as he had left with her dad. She had never expected to encounter him out here.

“It’s good to see you two,” Bato said. “You’ve grown so much.” 

Aang offered his name from behind, but Sokka and Katara already had too many questions, speaking over his voice.  

“Where’s Dad?” Sokka demanded. 

“Is he here?” Katara added. 

Bato shook his head. “No. He and the other warriors should be in the eastern Earth Kingdom by now.” 

“Oh,” was all Katara could say in response, heart falling slightly. It was great to see Bato again, but she still wished Dad could have been here as well. 

It was then she noticed Bato’s whole left arm and chest were wrapped in thick bandages. “What happened?” she asked. 

A cold gust of air suddenly blew, and the three of them shivered. 

“This is no place for a reunion,” Bato said. “Let’s get inside.” He motioned for Aang, Zuko, and Appa to follow. 

Bato led them to a small abbey. “After I was wounded, your father carried me to this abbey. The sisters have cared for me ever since.” The darkened streets were filled with nuns wearing white and brown robes, their hair covered. “Superior,” Bato said, approaching an older woman, “these are Koda’s children. They’ve been traveling with the Avatar.” 

The Superior bowed to Aang. “Avatar, it gives me great joy to be in your presence. Welcome to our abbey.” 

“Thank you.” Aang bowed back. “It’s truly an honor to be here. If there’s anything I can- “ 

“What smells so good?” Sokka asked as a perfume scent wafted scent wafted into Katara’s nose. 

“The sisters craft oils and perfumes.” Bato motioned to a conglomerate of jars and jugs. 

“Perfume?” Sokka pointed backward. “Maybe we could pour some on Appa. Because he stinks so much. Amiright?” 

Silence. A frog croaked. 

“You have your father’s wit,” Bato responded dryly. 

He then led them to a building and slid open the door. Katara felt her heart swell again at the decorations on the walls, the pelts on the floor, the low-lit fire in the center of the room. “It looks like home.” 

“Everything’s here,” Sokka said, flopping down on one of the pelts. 

“Yeah,” Aang said slowly. “Nothing’s cozier than dead animal skins.” 

Momo snuck up to one of the pelts that had belonged to a bear. Its mouth was open in a cry of war. Momo waved his hand in front of it, then shrieked, and scurried up to Zuko’s shoulders. 

Katara’s attention was then drawn to the pot roasting over the fire. She removed the lid, and the smell of stewed sea prunes filled the air. 

“Help yourself.” Bato lowered himself onto a pelt near the pot. 

“Dad could eat a whole barrel of these things,” Sokka commented as Katara poured some into a bowl. The smell created an aching for home in her heart. She hadn’t been able to make Water Tribe food since they ran out of rations from there. 

She handed the first bowl to Aang, then offered the next one to Zuko. 

He shook his head. “No thanks. I don’t… really… need to eat.” 

“How does that- “she shook her head. “Never mind.” 

“Is it true you and Dad lassoed an arctic hippo?” Sokka asked, taking the bowl from Katara.

“It was your father’s idea,” Bato explained. “He just dragged me along. Well, the hippo did most of the dragging.” 

“Hey!” Aang piped up. “I ride animals too! One time there was this giant eel and I- “ 

“So, who was it that came up with the Great Blubber Fiasco?” Sokka interrupted. 

“You knew about that?” Bato chuckled. 

How could they not have? Mom had loved to bring it up as blackmail. “Everyone does.” 

“What’s that story?” Aang asked. 

Sokka waved him off. “It’s a long one, Aang.” He turned back to Bato. “Was it you or Dad that put an octopus on your head and convinced Gran-Gran you were a water spirit?” 

“It was your father that wore the octopus, but I did the spooky voice. Since when did you two learn about all these?” 

“Gran-Gran told us,” Katara explained. “She talked about all the stupid stuff you two did after you left.” 

“Ah. Of course she would.” His eyes glanced over Katara’s shoulder. “Now, you’re the Avatar, Aang.” 

Aang was laying against the back wall. “Yeah.” 

Bato nodded. “But I didn’t happen to catch your name.” 

Katara turned her shoulders. Zuko blinked. “Oh, uh, I’m… Lee.” 

“What?” Sokka said. “N- “ 

“I’m just someone they picked up along the way,” Zuko interrupted, giving Sokka a meaningful glare. 

Sokka raised an eyebrow mirroring Katara’s feelings, but he said nothing else about it. Instead, he said, “He’s here to teach Aang about spirits. Helped save my butt from a pretty nasty one a few weeks back.” 

“He wasn’t ‘nasty,’ per se,” Zuko interjected. “He was just pissed.” 

“You’d be surprised how nasty things can turn when they’re pissed.” 

“Well- “Zuko stopped, shaking his head. “No. I’ll keep that to myself.” 

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Bato interrupted, “how did you get that scar?” 

Zuko visibly stiffened. “With all due respect, sir, how do you think?”

“Fight with an ashmaker go wrong?” 

He flinched. “Uh… yeah. Sort of.” Zuko’s eyes dropped down to the floor. 

Bato nodded. “Same here. They ambushed us about three months ago. I’ve been recuperating ever since.” 

“Is that why Dad left you?” Katara asked.  

“He had no choice. I could barely move, and they had to get away from here. Which reminds me, your father said he would send a message soon.” 

“Really?” Both Sokka and Katara perked up. 

Bato nodded. “He said when they found the rendezvous point, he’d let me know. If you wait here until the message arrives, you can come with me and see your father again.” 

See your father again. The words echoed through her mind. Katara hadn’t even spoken to Dad before he left. She swore that when she saw him again, she would work to make up for lost time. 

“That would so awesome!” Sokka exclaimed. “We haven’t seen him in over two years.” 

“I do really miss him,” Katara admitted. “It would be great to see Dad… “ 

“It’s been far too long,” Bato added. “I’m not sure when word will arrive, but when it does, I’m sure it will make up for the separation.”

“It would be great,” Sokka said, a solemn expression on his face, “but we can’t. We have to take Aang to the North Pole first.” 

“Even if we had time to wait for the message,” Katara added, “who knows how far we’d have to travel? We don’t have time for a long detour.” 

“I’m sure your father would understand and be proud that his children are helping the Avatar.” 

Katara straightened her spine, squared her shoulders. Yes. Dad would be proud that they were. She could at least take solace in that. 

“So,” Bato said, addressing Zuko, “you’re teaching the Avatar about spirits.” 

She saw him stiffen again. “Yes.” 

“I assume you know a lot about them?” 

“I do. I travel a lot. Or, I used to.” 

“Did I tell you he saved me from a spirit?” Sokka piped up. “Or, at least he helped? That’s why we have him here in the first place. It was actually Aang who convinced us to bring him along.” 

“You did,” Bato responded. “I would love to hear the full story.” 

Sokka launched into it quite enthused, starting from the burnt forest and how they’d first encountered him. He went into a detailed description of Hei Bei and the chase through the forest. 

“What was it like?” Katara asked. “In the spirit world? You never said much about it.” 

Sokka shrugged. “I don’t really remember. All I can recall that Hei Bei had me, and Aang was reaching out, and the next thing I knew, I was walking through a wall of bamboo in the village and I really had to pee.” 

“That’s a little more than I wanted to know.” 

“They don’t have bathrooms in the spirit world!” 

“Because spirits don’t need to eat?” Zuko suggested. “Therefore, they don’t digest and… well, you can finish the process for yourself.” 

“I guess.” Sokka shrugged again. “You’re the expert, man. I mean, if they ate anything, wouldn’t it just fall right through them? Y’know, ‘cause they’re ghosts?” 

“They’re not ghosts.” 

“Hold on,” Katara interrupted. She motioned to the bowl of sea prunes. “Is that why you- “ 

“Yes.” 

“Is that why he what?” She had almost forgotten Bato was there. He was looking between the three of them, a very confused expression on his face. 

Oh. Maybe they’d overstepped their boundaries. 

“It’s- it’s why… “Sokka said slowly, but his voice grew louder” -he can see spirits! Yes, that’s why!” 

Bato raised an eyebrow. “Because he ate a bowl of sea prunes?” 

“Yes.” Sokka nodded. “Hallucinogenic sea prunes.” 

“Oh my… “Zuko buried his face in his hands. 

Sokka winced --- he obviously realized his mistake --- but continued with the story. “He was able to help Aang find Avatar Roku, which somehow also helped him find a way to rescue me and the other villagers, and, long story short, here he is.” He slapped Zuko on the back. “Spirit Guy Supreme.”

“Sokka.” Zuko looked up from his hands, a murderous expression in his eyes. “If you ever- “ 

“Hey guys!” The door flew open. Aang stepped inside. “Sorry I was gone so long.” 

“Oh,” Katara said. “I didn’t even notice you left.” 

“Yep, but now I’m back!” Aang flourished his hands, then plopped down on the floor. “Sure could go for some delicious sea prunes!” He grabbed a random bowl, then stuffed several spoonfuls in him mouth. He made noises of content, then spat out some, then attempted to cover it with a smile. 

Bato invited them down to the beach the next morning to show them the ship. He told them how it was sentimental to him, that it was built by his father and the boat he took him ice dodging in. “It’s got the scar to prove it.” He pointed to a long scrape in the wood. 

“Ice dodging,” Zuko said next to her. “Is that still a thing?” 

She nodded. “Did they do it when Tarihn lived in the Water Tribe?” 

“Yeah. I remember it.” He reached out to touch the boat, but hesitated, drawing his hand back in at the last second. 

“You must have some pretty crazy stories about it, Sokka,” Bato said. 

“He hasn’t gone yet,” Katara responded. “Dad left before he was old enough.” 

“What’s ice dodging?” Aang asked. 

“A right of passage for young Water Tribe members,” Bato explained. “When you turn fourteen, your dad takes- you know what.” He placed a hand on Sokka’s shoulder. “Why don’t you find out?” 

Sokka’s face brightened. It was the happiest Katara had seen him in a long time, and she smiled herself. “You- you would take me?” 

Bato nodded. “You can come along too.” He motioned to the other three. 

“Sweet!” Aang airbent himself up onto the boat. Katara made to follow him. She had always heard stories about ice dodging, but it wasn’t typically something girls did. When they got back home, she could tell Gran-Gran and the other little girls all about it. 

“Um, I’ll respectfully pass.” Zuko backed away from the ship. “I- I don’t think you want me on your boat.” 

Bato looked as if he wanted to question further, but Sokka --- who was watching Zuko carefully --- interrupted, “Let’s get going!” 

As they made to push the boat out into the water, Sokka approached Katara. “What was that about?” 

“He doesn’t like boats.” 

“Why?” 

“Your guess is as good as mine. 

***

The boat took off into the ocean minutes later. They were in a relatively warm part of the world, and Zuko didn’t see how ice dodging would work here. But, if it made Sokka and Katara happy, then it was fine. They had left everything behind at the Southern Water Tribe. They deserved some semblance of it here. 

Ice dodging. The ceremonial test of wisdom, bravery, and trust that was essentially a coming-of-age trial for young Water Tribe warriors. He was surprised it was still around. Ice dodging was already an old tradition when he lived in the Southern Water Tribe. He was surprised most of the things were still around, especially when he entered where Bato stayed. The pelts, the weapons, the decorations, the food, all of it reminded him of… 

“Home” wasn’t the right word for it, he thought as he walked back to the abbey. The Southern Water Tribe had not been his home for almost two thousands years. While many of the decorations were quite familiar, there were also many he didn’t recognize. Sure, he had visited the Tribe over the years, just to see what it was like now, how it had changed since he had lived there. But the aching, longing feeling of wanting to be home had long disappeared. Whenever he thought of the Southern Water Tribe, he remembered it fondly, but Zuko found he had no real desire to stay there. Visits were nice, but that was all. 

He never felt that way about the Fire Nation. Zuko did miss the people --- despite living in Caldera City, the residents were always so kind --- the smells, the warmth, the food --- Agni, he just missed having the need to eat. After merging with the spirit, he no longer felt the need to eat, only did it for the taste when he was really desperate. But he had left Fire Nation food long behind. Zuko had chosen to leave any semblance of the Fire Nation and who he was when he departed from Jang Hui. He had no desire to return, not after what his departure had done. 

Home to him… home was… 

Zuko stopped walked for a moment. He didn’t really have an answer for that. 

The sisters greeted him when he entered the abbey. The one thing he noticed was their eyes didn’t linger on his face. Maybe they had seen too many burn scars to care. 

Zuko made his way over to Appa, who was chowing down on a pile of hay three times Zuko’s height. He let out a sigh and flopped down on one of Appa’s legs, closing his eyes. It was so nice to be back in a warmer part of the world. 

Appa rumbled. 

“Oh, that’s what you think about it?” Zuko opened his eyes. 

Appa rumbled again, then resumed eating. The bison was almost always eating. 

Zuko sighed and closed his eyes. He was then interrupted by Momo leaping onto his stomach and screeching. 

He tried to shove him off. "Go away." 

But Momo persisted. When Zuko opened his eyes, the lemur was clapping his hands together, then stuffing his fist up his armpit. 

"Is this a game of charades?" Zuko asked. 

Momo continued to shriek.

Zuko just rolled his eyes, then closed them. Whatever Momo wanted could wait. 

“Young Lee?” 

The voice was near Zuko, but he didn’t respond. It belonged to one of the sisters. Whoever Lee was better- 

“Lee?” Someone nudged his foot. 

Oh right. He had told them his name was Lee. He had gotten so used to being called Zuko again. 

Zuko opened his eyes and sat up. “Yes?” 

“Did you happen to receive a message?” 

Message? He remembered the discussion last night. Zuko shook his head. “No.” 

“Oh.” The sister’s face fell. “We were told that it would come either last night or today. I hope the poor messenger is not too badly delayed.” She walked off. 

Zuko shrugged, then flopped back down. He had told Bato that his name was Lee rather than Zuko because Zuko was just a too recognizable name. He couldn’t run the risk that Bato knew who Prince Zuko was. He hadn’t told Aang, Sokka, and Katara about that yet, about who he used to be. They didn’t need to know; it didn’t concern them. So why turn over that piece of his backstory? No. He was much safer if they just believed he was some rando. 

Ashmaker . The word echoed in the back of Zuko’s mind. Bato had been burned by a group of firebenders. He had no idea that Zuko was a firebender, and Zuko was oh-so grateful neither Katara nor Sokka let that piece of information slip. He heard the word enough. It should not have bothered him as much as it did. 

The first time he had heard it come from either Sokka’s or Katara’s mouth had hurt the worst. He had only spent a day with them, but he had already become rather fond of them. They were from the Water Tribe, as he had once been. To hear that slur come from them… he had been hurt as both a former Water Tribesman and a firebender. 

As per when Bato said it, it had also hurt. Zuko despised his father, hated him with every fiber of his being, but he wouldn’t go as far as to call him that. 

“I can’t believe he would do something like that!” 

Sokka’s angry tones jostled Zuko from his thoughts. He jolted up off Appa’s leg, eyes flying open. He had never heard that tone come from Sokka before. 

Granted, he’d only known them for about a month, but Sokka didn’t seem like an angry person. 

Sokka stalked around Appa into Zuko’s few, Katara following behind. “Sokka, he didn’t- “ 

“He tried to hide it from us!” Sokka wheeled on his sister. “What kind of friend does that!” 

Appa’s head lifted at the noise. Zuko got to his feet. 

“Sokka, he didn’t mean any harm!” Katara argued. 

“You said you were coming with me!” 

“I am! But I don’t want to leave Aang with him thinking we hate him!” 

“Wait,” Zuko interrupted, holding his hands up, “you’re leaving Aang?” 

Sokka threw his hands up in frustration. “Join the party, Zuko!” he shouted, then stormed off. 

Katara only offered him an apologetic look before joining him. 

Zuko watched their retreating backs, having absolutely no clue as to what just transpired, slightly pissed off that Sokka had yelled at him, when he heard sniffling from behind him. 

Zuko turned and saw Aang, eyes red and puffy, wiping them off with the back of his hand. 

“Hey.” Zuko put his hand on Aang’s shoulder. “What happened?” 

“I’m a terrible person! A terrible, selfish, horrible person! That’s what happened!” And the Avatar stormed off.   

Zuko started to call after him, but shook his head. “Bato!” he yelled instead as the man passed. He pointed in the direction of Katara and Sokka, then Aang. “Wh- what- “ 

“The message came,” Bato said simply. “Aang attempted to hide it from Katara and Sokka. Needless to say, they weren’t too happy when they found out. They’re going to leave him and go find Hakoda.” 

“They’re- they’re leaving him?” 

He nodded. 

“But… they wouldn’t.” 

Bato sighed. “I never thought they would abandon someone they cared about. But one’s selfish needs can get in the way.” 

“You’re leaving him?” Zuko demanded when he stepped into Bato’s room. 

“Yes,” Sokka snapped without looking back. He was gathering several items into a pack. 

“After everything you’ve left for him, you’re just going you up and go? Have fun, fend for yourself! Hope the Fire Nation doesn’t get you!” 

Sokka wheeled on Zuko. “You don’t understand what he did! He knows how much seeing Dad means to us! And yet, he tried to hide it! He didn’t want us to be happy!”  

“Sokka, he’s twelve! Twelve-year-olds do shitty things!” 

“Of course, of course!” Sokka threw his hands into the air and spun around. “Everyone take Aang’s side because I don’t matter!” 

“That’s not what I’m saying.” Sokka squatted down next to the pack, and Zuko knelt next to him. “Sokka, it’s Aang. He didn’t mean any harm.” 

Sokka said nothing, just continued shoving things into the pack. 

Zuko resisted the urge to flick him upside the head. “I understand why you’re angry, but- “ 

“Zuko,” Katara interrupted, “Aang had no right to do what he did. He lied to us, tried to hide things from us.” 

Zuko stood back up. “So did I. I didn’t even tell you my real name. I never told you what I was.” 

“Even so, you weren’t trying to hurt us.” 

“Neither was Aang.” 

“The things you told us,” Sokka said, “wouldn’t have even hurt us. Sure, you didn’t tell us you were merged with a spirit. You lied to us about your name. You didn’t tell us you were an ash- a fireben- “ 

“No, Sokka,” Zuko interjected. “Finish it.” 

Sokka huffed. “No. I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at Aang.” He stood, shouldering the pack. “I’m going to see my dad if it’s the last thing I do.” He stomped out of the room. 

“I’m sorry,” Katara said once Sokka was out of range. “Dad means a lot to him. He- we were both really hurt when he left.” 

Zuko sighed. “I can’t really blame him for being a jackass. I never had that kind of relationship with my father. He was a real shitsack.” 

Katara shouldered her own pack. “Keep him safe, will you?” 

“I’ll do what I can.” 

She only offered a nod in return. 

He found Aang buried in Appa’s fur. From the sounds of it, he’d been crying again. 

“Aang?” 

The crying stopped. “What do you want?” Aang’s head emerged from behind one of Appa’s legs. 

Zuko knelt down next to him. “Are you okay?” 

“No!” 

Zuko jumped. 

“I’m a horrible, terrible, awful, selfish person!” 

“That’s too many negative adjectives in one sentence.” 

“Well? It’s true!” He buried his face in his knees. 

Zuko bit the inside of his cheek. How did he deal with a crying kid? Kids liked him, but he’d never been good with them. “I know what you did.” Shit, that was the worst thing to say. 

“Then you know why I’m a horrible- “ 

“Stop.”

Aang muttered something in response, but it was muffled. Zuko wanted to press further, but he didn’t. “Why did you do it?” 

Aang looked up. “I- I don’t know. I didn’t want them to leave me. They’re my friends, the first people who haven’t cared that I was the Avatar since Gyatso. I- I couldn’t lose them.” He sniffed. “I’m so selfish.” 

“There’s nothing wrong with feeling that way.” 

“But it’s what I did! It was so selfish! The monks always taught me that being selfish was wrong, and I- I- I’m just a terrible person! I wanted to prevent them from ever seeing their father again.” He buried his face in his knees again. “I’m the only one left of my people. They- they have a home to go back to. They have families. They’ll have someone to care for them when this is all over. But me, I- I don’t have anyone. My home is gone. I’m so selfish.” 

“Have you ever told them you felt this way?”

“No,” he hiccuped. “I’m the Avatar. It’s my duty to protect th- the world. And yet I can’t even bear the burden of letting my friends go.” 

He was the Avatar, yes. But he was also only twelve-years-old. Being told the fate of the world lies in your hands couldn’t be healthy for his mental state. 

“Aang,” he began, choosing his words carefully, “what you did is wrong, yes. You shouldn’t have prevented them from going to see their father.” 

“Came to give me any helpful advice?” Aang’s head snapped up as he snarled. 

“I’m not done. There’s nothing wrong with feeling the way you do. There’s nothing wrong with having emotions. I can’t imagine what it’s like to lose my whole culture, and I don’t believe they could either. If you told them, would it change their minds? Probably not. But you’re allowed to have your own grief, to have your own way to feel and opinion about things.” 

“But- but it was so selfish!” 

“You’ll meet them again, someday. And, I promise, it will be on much better terms.” 

Aang sniffed and wiped his nose with his sleeve. “Do- do you really believe that?” 

“I’ve been around a while. That’s usually how it plays out.” 

“But- but what about the North Pole and my waterbending teacher? And my earthbending teacher?” 

“I’ll still go with you. Besides, even if we can’t find a waterbending teacher, I know a lot about it myself. Not as much as firebending, but still.” 

“Really? Even after- you’ll stay?” 

“That’s what I just said.” 

“I- I- “ 

Zuko placed a hand on Aang’s shoulder. “You don’t have to- “ 

The Avatar threw his arms around Zuko’s neck. Zuko stiffened, startled by the contact. After the duel, he had never liked being touched. Sokha was the only person who could even get close to him without getting shanked. 

“Thank you,” Aang whispered. 

Awkwardly, Zuko wrapped his arms around the Avatar. He wasn’t used to hugs, but they were kind of… nice. 

Sokka, Bato, and Katara departed just two hours later. Sokka had approached Zuko before taking off. 

“I’m- I’m- “ 

“No hard feelings.” Zuko waved him off. He’d been around long enough to learn who to and who to not hold a grudge against. Sokka was one of those he wasn’t going it.  

“I- oh. Apologizing is hard. I- “he glanced at Aang, then back at Zuko. “Take care.” 

Zuko only offered a nod in response. 

Katara and Aang exchanged a response, and they set off. 

Zuko sat on Appa’s saddle, watching their retreating backs. It was nice knowing you. 

Aang’s gaze lingered over it for a moment before he steered Appa off into the forest. They hadn’t gotten far before Aang jerked Appa to a halt. 

“What?” Zuko asked. 

“I don’t know where I’m going!” 

“You don’t- oh great Agni, forget it.” He rifled around in the bags for the map. As they sat there studying, Zuko heard footsteps. 

“Someone’s coming.” 

“Avatar!” It was the Superior sister. “You must leave quickly!” 

“Okay, I get it!” Aang snapped. “Everyone wants me gone- “ 

“Two people came to the abbey looking for you,” the Superior interrupted. 

“Who?”

“A fierce-looking woman with a horrible monster and a rather old Fire Nation general.” 

“General Iroh?” Zuko asked. He was still following them?  

The Superior shrugged. “I guess. The beast was using the scent off a piece of blue clothing to follow you!” 

“Blue clothing?” Aang’s eyes narrowed. “SOKKA AND KATARA!” he shouted. Aang swung his glider over his head, then took off. 

Zuko sighed, rolled his eyes. “Well, don’t mind me.” He held a hand to the Superior. “Come on.”

She climbed onto the saddle, and they took off to the abbey.

They caught up to them just in time. Aang was standing, staff held out defensively, in front of- 

Holy shit, was that a shirshu? 

Appa let out a war cry and slammed straight into the brown beast. Zuko and the Superior were both thrown into the back of the saddle. 

The shirshu crashed into the side of a building, taking down part of the wall with it. Appa landed and puff out a great breath of air, scraping his foot on the ground like an angry bull. 

“Hey!” Zuko’s attention was drawn to where Sokka and Katara were both laying on the ground. “Can you help us? I can’t move!” 

“They’ve been hit with shirshu darts,” the Superior said. “They cause temporary paralysis.” 

Well, shit. “Just one bad thing after another.”

A whip cracked. The shirshu got back to its feet, and a black-haired woman Zuko hadn’t noticed leaped onto the creature’s saddle. 

Great. He had heard of the shirshu-riding bounty hunter, but he hadn’t actually believed someone would be crazy enough to actually do it. 

“Come on.” Zuko dismounted Appa, and the Superior quickly followed. “Get to safety.” 

“R- right.” The Superior hurried off. 

“Avatar!” a voice called. Zuko drew in a sharp breath, then spun. 

Uncle --- no, General Iroh --- stood at the other end of the abbey, hands held up in surrender. “Please, I just want to talk. I never agreed to any of this!” 

“Yeah!” Sokka snorted. “Tell that to my limbs that I can’t feel!” 

Aang swung his staff around. “What do you want?” 

“I need to speak with you!” 

“About what?” 

Appa rumbled angrily. The shirshu snarled. 

“About- “ 

The air behind Zuko moved, and he shouted, “AANG!” 

The Avatar turned just as Appa threw himself at the shirshu again. The shirshu frantically kicked out, and its wayward leg smacked Aang in the back. Aang shouted as he was thrown into the air, crashing onto the roof of a building. 

“Oh,” the General commented. “That’s not good… “ 

“Hey!” Sokka called again. “Zu- “ 

“Don’t!” Zuko held a hand out to stop him. He looked back over just as the General turned. 

Zuko tensed, moved into a defensive stance. He highly doubted that the General would attack him, but it had been three years. Zuko didn’t know what the three years had done to him. 

General Iroh stared at him, eyes narrowed. Even from here, Zuko saw the flash of blue. The General blinked, any possible realization disappearing. He had been forced to use a stronger version of compulsion back at Avatar Roku’s temple. Rather than just telling the General what to do, Zuko had been completely rewritten the way his brain thought. At least, when he saw Zuko. Zuko had known that when spun around and made eye contact with General Iroh that the man would instantly recognize him. Even being sixteen and marred, he remembered what Zuko looked like. 

He had forced him to remember the body. Zuko’s body. You saw the body, he had said to him. You know he’s dead. There’s no way he could be alive. 

And he sowed that doubt deep, deep, deep into the General’s mind. 

Zuko had never attempted to General Iroh after the incident. He was too close to the Fire Lord --- he couldn’t risk Father finding out he was still alive. And if he thought of him as General Iroh rather than Uncle… well, it made the idea of not going back, not contacting him seem much easier.

“Please, son!” the General called in an achingly familiar voice. “I don’t want to fight you! I just need to talk!” 

“Sending a shirshu riding bounty hunter after us?” Zuko called back. “Hiring pirates to kidnap us? All this, just for a little chat? You could’ve just sent a nice note, asking to talk over tea.” 

“I do rather love tea.” 

He had always loved tea. 

Zuko’s hands heated, sparks dancing around his fingers. “I don’t care if you want to talk.” The words were painful to force out, but necessary. “Back off.” 

“Son, please, I- “ 

“Back off.” He could always compel him again. But the more times he compelled someone, the more resistant they became to it. 

“You are not- “ 

Well. There was only to get him to go now. 

So Zuko threw fire at him. 

He dropped down, sweep-kicked out an arc of flame at the General. It dissipated with a wave of the older man’s hand. “Son!” he warned. 

Yet Zuko had never been good at listening to warnings. In fact, he was the one doing most of the warning and threatening. With a few running steps, he leaped into the air, throwing both arms out to the side and releasing another volley of fire. General Iroh sliced both his downward. The flame hissed into nothing. “I’m not going to fight you!” 

“I’m not going to give much of an option.” He punched out twice, two fireballs shot out. The General deflected them. 

Zuko moved into another stance. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement. The shirshu was charging for him. 

A slicing gust of air hit the shirshu, knocking it from above and back down to the ground. 

“I’ve got this!” Aang had recovered. He threw himself off the roof at the shirshu. 

“It is considered very rude where I come from to throw fire at someone unprovoked,” the General said. He had his hands held up. 

“That’s funny. Considering I come from the same country, and I really just don’t care.” He circled his hands, creating a ring of fire, then shoved it outward. The General caught the ring, splitting it between his hands into two large fireballs. He reeled them back, then forward, throwing the flames forward. 

Zuko pushed off the ground, flipping back through the air over the flame. His legs split as he landed, and he swung one foot through, kicking out another arc of flame with a roundhouse. The General deflected both. 

“If I have to go through you to get to the Avatar, I will,” he threatened. 

Zuko heard two big stomps behind him, then a loud puff of breath. Appa. 

He laughed. “Alright. Have fun with that.” 

Appa suddenly let out an anguished roar. Zuko wheeled to see the shirshu flick its barbed tongue at the bison again. 

“No, stop!” the General begged. “Don’t hurt him!” 

The woman on the shirshu glared at him. “You offered to pay me if I captured the Avatar. Well, I think I’m doing a pretty good job.” 

The barbed tongue flicked out, catching in Appa’s fur. He let out another pained roar, then collapsed, shaking the ground. 

“APPA!” Aang screamed, and, needless to say, Zuko knew the bounty hunter and the shirshu were screwed then. 

Zuko sprinted, then threw himself at the bounty hunter, boosted by the spirit energy flowing through him. He saw her eyes widen as he tackled her off the saddle. The shirshu was thrown somewhere to the side by a blast of Aang’s wind. 

Zuko rolled off the bounty hunter to hit feet, fingers sliding over the triggers, knives falling into his hands. 

“You bastard, ” the bounty hunter snarled, then cracked her whip. 

“Funny. That’s the second time I’ve been called that in like the past three weeks. I think I was standing in this same situation as well.” 

He heard a loud rushing of water. Both Zuko and the bounty hunter looked up to see a wave of a rather fragrant liquid roaring above. 

Then it dropped. 

Zuko shielded it away from himself, but the bounty hunter got hit head on. It collapsed onto the shirshu as well. 

When it was all on the ground, Zuko noticed it smelled like the perfume Bato told them the sisters made. The shirshu let out a confused and pained wail, then swung its head wildly, barbed tongue lashing out randomly. Zuko ducked, and he heard a surprised cry from the General behind him. The tongue also lashed the bounty hunter, and she too fell. The shirshu wailed again, then took off into the forest. 

Zuko couldn’t help but feel bad for the creature. Yes, this one was technically working against them, but they were ridiculously cool. 

“Hey!” Sokka was waving to him. 

Zuko sprinted over, clearing a path in the perfume puddle. “Using the smell to confuse the shirshu? That’s smart.” 

“I know right?! See, Katara, I’m smart.” 

Katara waved him off. “Yeah, yeah, stroke your ego later. We have to go now.” 

“But,” Aang protested, “I don’t know if Appa- “ 

As if on cue, the bison stomped over and rumbled blearily. Thank Agni for him, as he was constantly saving their asses. 

“Avatar.” The Superior sister approached them. 

“Ma’am,” Aang said, “I’m sorry for destroying your abbey.” 

The Superior shook her head. “That is not your concern. Right now, you need to leave. And leave fast.” 

“I- “

“Thank you!” Sokka said quickly, then scrambled up onto Appa’s saddle. The others quickly followed, and he took off into the sunset sky. 

“So,” Aang prompted once they were in the air, “where do we go?” 

“We’re taking you to the North Pole,” Katara said. 

“Yeah,” Sokka added. “We’ve lost too much time as it is.” 

“But- “Aang spun” -what about your dad? Don’t you want to see him?” 

“Of course, we do,” Sokka said. “But you’re our family too. And right now, you need us.” 

“And we need you,” Katara said. 

And Aang --- sweet little Aang --- practically melted on the spot. “Thanks guys.” 

“Aw,” Zuko muttered. “How sweet.” 

Sokka punched him in the side. “You’re an ass, you know that?” 

“Born and raised. Oh, and if you ever tell anyone I’m eating hallucinogenic sea prunes again, I will stab you.” 

“You wouldn’t do that. I’m too lovable to be stabbed.” 

Katara snorted. “That’s debatable.”

Chapter Text

“Like this?” Aang shifted his form for what felt like the millionth time. 

Zuko shook his head. “No, not quite.” 

Aang puffed out and dropped his arms. “Well, I’m obviously- “ 

“I didn’t say you drop it.” 

Aang puffed out again. “Fine.” He raised his arms back into the kata. His muscles were burning, screaming at him they were tired. His throat was dry, and he really just wanted to go pass out somewhere on the ground. They been at it since noon, as Aang had gotten lazy with his firebending kata practice after getting caught up with Aunt Wu and then Bato. And Zuko seemed to be wanting to make up for that lost time, having not let Aang have a break since they started.

They had been working on one move. Just a single move. Aang was exhausted. He had wanted to snap at Zuko for at least an hour now that just because he was spirit-merged, that didn’t meant Aang didn’t get tired. But he’d kept his tongue, as he would rather not risk snapping at Zuko.  

“Lower your arm.” 

Aang did so. 

“Not that much.” 

He raised it. 

“Too much.” 

“Then what do you- “ 

“Don’t get so worked up.” Zuko stepped forward, then pushed Aang’s arm down a little. For his other arm, Zuko pushed his elbow closer to his side. “You feel that position?” 

“Yeah.” 

Zuko stepped back. “Try that again.” 

Aang did so. Just the movement, however. There was no flame involved. “Like that?” 

Zuko nodded. 

“Great! Can I try it with fire now?” 

Zuko held up his hands. “Uh, maybe not yet.” 

“Why not?” 

“You’re not ready yet.” 

Not ready yet? “But I’m the Avatar.” 

“You can’t just keep pulling that card, y’know.” 

“You always threaten someone with a knife.” 

“That’s different.” 

“How is- “ 

“Oh my- GUYS!” Sokka was yelling for them. 

Zuko sighed. “Oh, what now?” They hurried back to camp. 

Sokka and Katara were both giving the pile of bags a wide berth. Sokka was holding his boomerang up in one hand, his club out in another. Katara, on the other hand, had a rather large stick. 

The pile of bags rustled, then shrieked. 

Aang leaped into a defensive stance. “What- what is that? Did our stuff become sentient?” 

Zuko sighed. “No.” He stalked over to their stuff, then kicked the bags off until the food bag was all that remained. He nudged it with his foot. 

The bag screeched. 

“Tui and La, it’s muuutant foood,” Sokka said mysteriously. 

“Or- “Zuko reached into the food bag, grabbed something, then pulled nothing out. Yet, Aang could still hearing angry hissing and spitting. 

“I don’t get it,” he said. 

Zuko shook his fist. With a loud CRACK, a small fox-like figure suddenly appeared into existence. 

The other three jumped back. “What is tHaT?!” Sokka shouted. 

The fox-like creature suddenly stopped hissing and spitting long enough to make eye contact with Zuko. It then resumed its previous activity. 

Zuko’s eyes flashed blue for a moment, then he chucked the fox at a tree. 

Terror gripped Aang. “Wait, DON’T- “ 

The fox vanished upon impact with the tree with a POP and a puff of blue smoke. 

“What did you do?” Aang demanded. He'd just attacked and killed an innocent creature. 

“What was that?” Katara shrieked. 

“It ate all the fOoD!” Sokka screeched. 

“It’s a kitsune,” Zuko explained. “Or, at least some version of it. They’re mischief spirits at best and little bastards at worst. That one was in the latter category.” 

“But- but you killed it!” Aang said. 

“No. I just expelled it back into the spirit world. They can cross the boundary pretty easily.” 

“Oh Tui and La, he’s an exorcist ,” Sokka breathed.