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"What are you waiting for?" Zuko beckons at him "Take him out Aang!"
Sokka walks towards the Melon Lord, brandishing his space sword "What's wrong with you? If this was the real deal, you'd be shot full of lightning right now"
Aang sighs, staring out towards the night sky, shifting slightly on the porch
"I know Ozai is a horrible person, and I know I should defeat him. But how can I kill him?" He mutters to himself
Momo flies in front of Aang. "Hey, Momo. I don't suppose you know what I should do."
He asks, stroking the lemurs fur. Momo squawks.
"I didn't think so".
"You'll have to take the Fire Lord's life before he takes yours"
"There has to be another way. I know there is"
Momo lays down to rest, and soon Aang falls asleep too.
"Okay, that's everything.' Sokka says, sitting on Appa's saddle, while Appa munches on some hay.
Toph frowns. "No, it's not. Where's Aang?"
Everybody runs around searching for him, Suki and Katara run to check one side of the beach house, Sokka, Zuko and Toph take the other side. They all meet up in the courtyard, shrugging and looking dejected.
"His glider isn't here" Zuko says, sitting down, frowning.
"Judging by the looks on your faces, I'm guessing you guys didn't find Aang, either?" Sokka asks, or states.
Toph stomps the ground angrily "Come on lazy bones, we've gotta go destroy the Loser Lord"
"Hey, wait a minute. Has anyone noticed that Momo is missing, too?"
Sokka yelps, and runs towards Appa. "Oh no! I knew it was only a matter of time! Appa ate Momo!" He says, pointing at Appa.
"Momo, I'm coming for you, buddy"
"Sokka, Appa didn't eat Momo. He's probably with Aang." Katara says, with an exasperated sigh.
"That's just what Appa wants you to think" He says, and dives into Appa's mouth comedically. Whether he actually believed it or was trying to lighten the mood, they didn't know. With Sokka, nobody could tell. But one thing they could tell was this – Zuko was loosing his patience.
"Get out of the bison's mouth, Sokka! We have have more important—"
"Look! It's Momo!" Suki points out, as Momo comes scurrying down from the roof, and perches upon Katara's shoulder"
"Momo, do you know where Aang is?"
Turns out, Aang was on the roof. Or at least, his body was. He was in the spirit world. They carried his body down.
"The comet is two days away, we don't have a plan yet" Zuko was muttering, pacing around the others, with Momo flying around his head for dramatic effect.
Sokka was trying to boink Aang's head with his glider, Katara trying to slap his hand away, and Suki trying to pull him away from Aang.
"I'm gonna sink you into the ground if you don't stop moving Zuko" Toph threatened him.
"Sokka, aren't you supposed to be the plan guy?" Katara cooed, trying to get Sokka to do something other than bothering Aang.
"I'm sorry guys, I've got nothing except sneaking up on this guy's dad and going Wham!Bam!Snap!Crack!"
"Helpful. Real helpful" Toph says, dripping with sarcasm.
"Wait. I have another idea"
Everybody turns to look at Zuko.
"There's only one other person in this world who can help us face the Fire Lord." He says with determination, pushing past Katara and Suki to pick Aang up. "We're going on a little trip"
"Roku!" Aang jumps in joy, seeing the old avatar. Maybe he will know what to do!
"I see you are lost in more ways than one right now"
"I am. I need to figure out what to do once I face the Fire Lord."
"Everyone expects me to take the Fire Lord's life, but I just don't know if I can do that."
"In my life, I tried to be disciplined and show restraint, but it backfired when Fire Lord Sozin took advantage of my restraint and mercy. If I had been more decisive and acted sooner, I could have stopped Sozin and stopped the war before it started. I offer you this wisdom, Aang: You must be decisive."
Aang looks down at his feet uneasily.
"All the past Avatars wisdom is available to you, if you look deep inside Aang"
Roku vanishes, leaving behind a slightly hopeful Aang.
So what if Roku thinks he should kill Ozai, he could ask the other. But where should he look?
He hears a serene voice behind him, "Hello Aang"
"Yue!" Aang smiles, happy to see an old friend.
She returns his smile, "I see you're looking for yourself"
Aang brings his hands behind neck, grinning sheepishly, "Do you happen to know anything Yue?"
She giggles, her sound filling the spirit world. "Hei Bai here will take you to Avatar Kyoshi. All the best" she says, waving at Aang, as he follows Hei Bai.
"Avatar Kyoshi. I need your wisdom." Aang says, bowing reverentially.
"In my day, Chin the Conqueror threatened to throw the world out of balance. I stopped him. And the world entered a great era of peace."
"You didn't really kill Chin. Technically, he fell to his own doom because he was too stubborn to get out of the way."
"Personally, I don't really see the difference, but I assure you, I would have done whatever it took to stop Chin. I offer you this wisdom, Aang: Only justice will bring peace. " Kyoshi advices, before vanishing.
Aang just stares at the spot his predecessor stood "I knew I shouldn't have asked Kyoshi."
"And the reason you've brought us to a seedy Earth Kingdom tavern is what now?"
Zuko points to a woman.
After a while, Aang just begins walking around aimlessly, kicking stones, (Spirit stones?) until he finds a faceless monkey.
He stumbles back, in fright. "Oh no! I've gotta get outta here before Koh sees me. Boy that'll be bad"
He turns around to flee, just to dash into a man dressed in blue parka.
"I am Avatar Kuruk" He says.
Aang smiles at him "Hi Kuruk! I'm so glad you found me. I'm hoping you will be able to tell me what to do?"
"When I young, I was always a go-with-the-flow kind of Avatar. People seemed to work out their own problems, and there was peace and good times in the world. But then, I lost the woman I love to Koh, the Face Stealer. It was my fault. If I had been more attentive and more active, I could've saver her. Aang, you must actively shape your own destiny and the destiny of the world"
Aang frowns slightly. "Is my destiny restoring balance to the world? Or is it Killing Ozai?"
"I can't tell you that Aang, your destiny is yours. Come, let me take you to Yangchen. She may be able to give you more answers than me" he says looking some-what sad.
"You're right, Maybe an Air nomad avatar will understand where I'm coming from" Aang says, looking up to smile again at Kuruk, which brings a small smile to the older avatar's face as well.
June's mocking laughter echoes throughout the tavern "So what do you want?"
"I need your help finding my Uncle"
She hums "Doesn't sound too fun" and causally sips her tea.
Zuko angry leans closer, clenching his fists "Does the end of the world sound like more fun?"
June stands up and starts walking towards Nyla and Appa, who were growling at each other, with Appa trying to lick Nyla. On the saddle, Katara was trying to hold, Aang in place.
June beckons the group behind her, as she exits the tavern with Nyla, throwing a piece of meat at her Shirshu, who catches it in her mouth.
"Who's my little Snuffly-Wuffly?" She says, petting Nyla.
The shirshu sticks her tongue out, and June barely dodges it "Whoa! Careful there."
"Okay. So who's got something with the Grandpa's scent on it?" She asks, turning around to look at the odd entourage behind her.
"I'll be right back with a smell sample" Zuko announces, climbing into Appa's saddle to get a foul smelling sandal.
The smell makes everyone scrunch up their noses, everyone except Zuko and Toph that is, and Zuko looks visibly embarrassed.
"Just go up that ledge, you'll find her there" Kuruk instructs Aang, and disappears.
Aang trudges on nervously. He was going to meet another Air Nomad after nearly a year.
But nothing could prepare him for the flood of emotions that overcame him when he saw her there, smiling at him, and holding her hands out invitingly. Aang stumbled forward, tears clouding his eyes, and embraced her, burying his face in the older Avatar's robes.
"You've been through a lot young Avatar, and experienced far more than what any of us have. And yet you remain strong, I'm proud of you" She says smiling, and he pulls back sniffling.
"It's so nice to see another Air Nomad, even if you're not from my time" He says weakly, wiping his tears dry.
Yangchen offers him a sympathetic smile, before adding with a serious tone "Tell me Aang, why did you seek me?"
"Avatar Yangchen, the monks always taught me that all life is sacred. Even the life of the tiniest spider-fly caught in its own web" he says, looking up at her expectantly
"Yes. All life is sacred." she agrees. She agrees! A huge smile tugs at his lips.
"I know, I'm even a vegetarian. I've always tried to solve my problems by being quick or clever. And I've only had to use violence for necessary defense. And I've certainly never used it to take a life."
"Avatar Aang, I know that you're a gentle spirit, and the monks have taught you well, but this isn't about you. This is about the world."
"But the monks taught me that I had to detach myself from the world so my spirit could be free."
"Many great and wise Air Nomads have detached themselves and achieved spiritual enlightenment, I myself have been an admirer of Guru Laghima's philosophy. But the Avatar can never do it. Because our sole duty is to the world. Here is my wisdom for you: Selfless duty calls you to sacrifice your own spiritual needs, and do whatever it takes to protect the world. I'm sorry Aang" And with that, her spirit vanishes, leaving behind a heartbroken Aang. Seeing no use in staying there any longer, he begins to descend the mountains.
The gaang follows Nyla and June on Appa, and eventually come across the outer walls of Ba Sing Se.
"We're going to Ba Sing Se?" Zuko asks, as Sokka groggily looks down from the saddle, pointedly annoyed by Nyla scratching and pawing at the wall.
"Your uncle's somewhere beyond the wall." Nyla stops digging and walks away. "Nyla's getting twitchy so he can't be too far, Good luck." And with that, June goes off with Nyla.
"It's been a long day. Let's camp and start our search again at dawn."
"Fire Lord Ozai is a horrible person, and the world would probably be better off without him, but there's got to be another way"
"Like what?" Zuko asks, incredulously.
"I don't know"
"Maybe we can make some big pots of glue, and then I can use glue bending to stick his arms and legs together so he can't bend anymore."
"Ugh! I wish there was someway to do this without taking somebody's life! Even if it's a horrible person's life"
"There might be a way, but it certainly doesn't involve glue bending" a voice chuckles behind him.
Aang turns back, holding his hands in a defensive stance, only to find a very formal looking fire nation official.
"I'm Avatar Szeto" He offers.
Aang's eyes widen. An avatar from Fire Nation, who thinks there is another way to end the war. He felt some hope returning.
"You know Aang, you're the Avatar, and you have a duty to this world. A duty to restore and maintain the balance of the world"
"I know" He mumbles dejectedly. "Everyone thinks I should kill the fire lord. But do I have to?"
"You see, while it is your destiny to end the war, it is also your choice. You get choose how to end it. You can do anything you seem fit."
"Really?"
"I spent my Avatar days doing office work, what do you think?"
"So you must know a lot about Fire nation politics then"
"Of course"