Xiaodan stood in the middle of a massive stone bridge that connected two mountain caves to one another, the sound of beating drums and chanting voices filling the air around her. Confused, she turned in a slow circle in search of the chanters and drummers, but there was no one to be seen on the bridge. She furrowed her brows and walked towards the edge of the bridge, peering down at the courtyard hundreds of feet below. The courtyard was completely empty. She was alone.

The stone beneath her feet began to quake and Xiaodan quickly backed away from the edge, her eyes widening in trepidation. Full, deep-throated growls echoed from the caves at either end of the bridge, easily overpowering the chanting and drumming, and the bridge trembled even more.

Xiaodan lost her footing and crashed onto her backside, a sharp gasp leaving her lips as a red blur flew out of the cave to her right and headed straight towards her. She screamed and scrambled backwards, her hands slipping out from under her and causing her to collapse on her back.

She closed her eyes and cringed back against the rough stone, turning her head to the side, preparing for the worst as something heavy landed on either side of her prone form. Hot air blew her hair from her face and something soft caressed her cheeks.

Tentatively, Xiaodan opened her eyes and turned her head, inhaling sharply at the piercing orange eyes that stared down at her. The red dragon reared back and tossed its head back, a thunderous roar bellowing from its open maw. A low rumble and a thump came from behind Xiaodan and she tilted her head back, staring in awe at the blue dragon perched on the bridge opposite to the red one. It turned gleaming yellow eyes on her and its long neck snaked forward until it's head was hovering over her own.

The blue dragon and Xiaodan stared into each other's eyes for what felt like an eternity before it let out a low growl and leaned closer, nudging at her shoulder with its snout. Hesitantly, Xiaodan sat upright, pulling her legs underneath her and getting to her feet as the two dragons loomed over her.

"Spirit of fire come to us

We will kindle the fire

Burning fire, burning bright

Pure vision come to us with the rising sun

Spirit of fire come to us

We will kindle the fire..."

Xiaodan spun towards the soft singing voice and jumped when she came face-to-face with the dark-haired woman from her swamp vision. The woman smiled at her slowly and touched Xiaodan's cheek with her fingertips, her orange eyes warm with affection.

Warmth bloomed in Xiaodan's chest at the contact and she unconsciously leaned into the woman's touch and closed her eyes. After a moment, she opened her eyes and stared at the woman incredulously, "Who are you?"

The woman merely smiled at her again and looked over her head at the rising sun. Xiaodan followed her gaze and watched as the sun crested the horizon, bathing the bridge in its golden light. On either side of her, the dragons reared their heads back and roared loudly, multi-colored flames spewing from their mouths and blending with the sunlight. Xiaodan raised her arm to shield her eyes from the bright light as a gentle voice sang quietly, the words enveloping her like a loving embrace.

"Guide our path this dawning day

With your strength and burning light

Spirit of fire come to us

We will kindle the fire...

We are one with the infinite sun

And to it we shall return with the new dawn..."

Xiaodan lowered her arm and turned to face the woman again, blinking when she saw that she had disappeared. She looked to her left then her right and found that the dragons had vanished as well, leaving her alone.

"Hello?" The dualbender called out and she turned in circle, searching for a sign of the woman or the dragons, "Come back!"

A warm breeze caressed her face and the woman's soft voice reached her ears, "I am always with you, Xiaodan."

Xiaodan jolted upright and looked around wildly, her breaths coming in heavy pants and her heart pounding against her rib cage. Pressing the heels of her palms against her eyes, she sucked in several deep breaths in order to calm her racing heart and even her breathing out. She focused intently on the soft sounds of her brother and friends sleeping around her, listening to them snore peacefully and letting the sounds ground her.

When she'd calmed herself, Xiaodan picked up her staff from beside her, got to her feet and stepped around her friends' sleeping forms, slipping out of the chamber they'd claimed as their sleeping area. Xiaodan mechanically twirled her staff around as she walked through the halls of the pagoda towards the ruined fountain courtyard, her gaze focused intently on the ground beneath her feet.

Soft footsteps woke Zuko from a light sleep and he lifted his head slightly, blinking the bleariness from his eyes and looking over at the open door of his room. He listened intently as the footsteps drew closer to his room, straining his eyes to see beyond the gloom and into the dark hallway.

He caught a brief flash of white hair as Xiaodan's lean form glided past the open door and down the hallway leading to the courtyard ruined by the assassin. She disappeared into the gloom of the hall and Zuko sat up, tossing the blankets from his body and slipping silently down the hall after the dualbender. When he reached the courtyard, he lingered in the shadows of a still standing pillar and watched Xiaodan sit at the edge of the fountain yard, her light hair practically glowing with the moonlight.

Stepping silently, Zuko moved to stand beside the ruined fountain in the middle of the platform, his gaze never wavering from the young woman sitting at the edge. He took a step forward without conscious thought and froze when his foot kicked a small piece of rubble, the pebble skittering across the ground towards Xiaodan.

Xiaodan tensed at the soft clattering and turned her head slightly to look over her shoulder, frowning slightly when she saw Zuko standing, frozen stiff, a few feet behind with a guilty expression on his face. She glanced down at the pebble that had landed beside her and, after placing her glider on the ground beside her, picked it up. She played with it, staring at with far more intensity than required as she asked flatly, "What do you want?"

Behind her, Zuko swallowed nervously before walking forward and sitting beside her. "I heard you get up. I was worried?" He winced slightly when it sounded like a question.

"Why?" Xiaodan glanced at him from the corner of her eye, a small frown marring the unusual blankness of her expression. She went back to playing with the small piece of rubble.

"Because I-I care about you."

"Right, you care about me." Xiaodan scoffed and looked over at him derisively. "You always seem to hurt the people you care about." Xiaodan almost cringed at her own harsh words. She had thought she'd gotten over everything that happened between them, but apparently she wasn't as over his betrayal as she had led herself to believe.

Zuko flinched slightly, the words cutting him sharper than a knife. He bowed his head shamefully and sighed, "I guess I deserved that." Zuko glanced at her from under his hair when she didn't say anything and saw her looking at him with an expression that clearly said how much she agreed with that statement. He winced and rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, Xia, I know you angry, but-"

"Angry?"

Zuko's eyes widened slightly in panic at the soft, almost dangerous tone her voice had taken. He looked up at her, opening his mouth in an effort to backtrack, but the expression on Xiaodan's face stopped him. Her brows were furrowed with anger and her lips were pressed into a hard, thin line, but it was her eyes that really silenced him. He could see the anger in them, but there was also pain and guilt threatened to swallow him whole.

"You think I'm angry?" She laughed scornfully and shook her head in disbelief. She stared at the pebble in her hand silent for a few seconds before lurching to her feet and hurling out into the mist with a wordless shout. Xiaodan whirled on her toes and pointed an accusing finger at Zuko's upturned face. "Angry doesn't even begin to cover how feel, Zuko! Try furious, enraged, livid! Any of those would be a perfect way to describe how I feel right now! So would hurt and betrayed and-and heartbroken!"

Her voice rose on the last word and Zuko could only stare up at her with wide eyes as she paced agitatedly away from him, along the edge of the courtyard. He hurriedly got to his feet when she spun around and stormed towards him, looking like she really wanted to hit him. If she really wanted to hurt him, Zuko would let her. He definitely like he'd deserve it after what he did.

Xiaodan shoved him and he stumbled back a step, but that didn't satisfy her, so she shoved him again. He let her, watching her with guilty eyes. That only made Xiaodan even angrier. He didn't get to feel guilty, not after what he'd done.

Xiaodan knew she was being irrational, she just didn't care. She was so tired of being rational. Tired of having to be the strong, level-headed big sister that her brother and friends seemed to always need. She was the one they looked to when they needed guidance or advice, for comforting words and support, but how was she supposed to keep that up when inside, she just wanted to pull her hair out and scream for someone to listen to her problems. She just wanted to throw her hands in the air, say 'forget it', and walk away.

Zuko was watching her, gold eyes wary and remorseful. Xiaodan bared her teeth slightly. He felt guilty about what he'd done? Well, Xiaodan was going to give him a real reason to be feel guilty.

"Do-do you have any idea what you did to me?" She asked, her voice low and harsh. Her ember eyes were hard, like two carnelian gemstones. "I gave you a chance. I believed your uncle when he said you were a good person deep down. That you were just misunderstood." Xiaodan shook her head with a humorless smile, "I never had any real friends of my own, did you know that? Aang's friends were always mine, but that's just it they were Aang's friends." She laughed bitterly, "You were the first friend I'd ever made that was just mine. Not Aang's, not Aang andXia's, just mine."

Zuko stepped towards her and hesitantly reached out, "Xia..."

"Don't call me that! You don't get to call me that anymore!" Xiaodan shoved him away with a shout. She glared him darkly, "Stop looking at me like that. I don't want your pity and I certain don't need it." She paced in front of him like an angry lion-tiger, gesturing wildly with her hands as she spoke, "You know what's really funny about the whole thing? I didn't like you, at all. You were obnoxious, rude, bratty, and always angry. You irritated me to death, but slowly that began to change and suddenly, your anger became cute and it was fun riling you up."

She stopped pacing and bowed her head, speaking to the ground softly, "I trusted you, Zuko. I trusted you with so much more than just my friendship. I thought...I thought that-I trusted you with my heart, Zuko." Xiaodan stared at him then, her expression almost hopeful and expectant. Zuko swallowed and opened his mouth to say something, to say that he was sorry, that she had his heart too, but no words came out.

She sighed then, her expression becoming defeated and her shoulders slumping tiredly. "You broke it. I gave my heart to you, despite everything that had happened before and you broke it without a second thought."

Zuko wanted to hold her. Wanted to wrap his arms around her and tell her that he'd made a mistake and that he'd regretted his decision ever since he'd returned home. Her next words stopped him from even thinking about attempting such an action though.

"What's worse is, you didn't just break my heart once. You broke it twice." Xiaodan lifted her head and took a shuddering breath, brushing away the tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes. She chuckled humorlessly when she saw the confused look on Zuko's face, "Azula told me about Mai, Zuko."

"Xiaodan." Zuko whispered, her full name heavy on his tongue, and he took a step towards her. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, but the look on her face broke his heart. She backed away from, shaking her head and clenching her fists at her sides.

"Don't. Just...don't, Zuko." Xiaodan whispered, brushing more tears away. "I thought I'd forgiving you for what had happened in Ba Sing Se, but after-after what Azula said, it just all fell about." She gave a watery laugh that was more of a choked sob. She shut her eyes and shook her head then looked up at him with a disparaging smile, the ember eyes glittering with tears. "I guess I should have been prepared, but having your heart broken a second time hurts way more than it does the first time."

"I'm sorry." It was inadequate, Zuko knew that, but it was the only thing he could say. He put as much feeling, as much sincerity into those two words as he could, but it still wasn't enough. He didn't know if anything would ever be enough.

Xiaodan's smile was strained and sad as she said, "I know."

Zuko could only watch helplessly as she turned and walked away from him, picking up her glider and snapping it open before taking off into the mist. He stayed, rooted to the spot, for what felt like hours, his mind whirling with everything that had just happened. As he stood there, the sky slowly began to lighten with the approaching dawn, the sun's rays tinting the mist a delicate medley of pinks, oranges, and yellows.

Zuko took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment before walking back to his room. The others would be up soon and he had to clear his mind before he started the Avatar's first firebending lesson.

Tears fell unbidden down Xiaodan's cheeks as she glided through the mist, the cool predawn air chilling the drops on her face. She tried not to sob as she flew, but it was hard. At that moment, she was at her wit's end; all the emotions she'd been working hard to either ignore or deal with had been dragged to the very forefront of her mind during her confrontation with Zuko.

She hadn't even wanted a confrontation. Xiaodan had been hoping to just ignore him while he taught her brother firebending. And then when the Fire Lord was defeated, she could go on her merry way and move on with her life, never to think about him again. Even if they had been able to reconcile, he didn't need or want her, because he had Mai after all.

Xiaodan was embarrassed and a little ashamed at the flare of jealous that burned in her chest at the thought of Zuko and that dour girl being together. She had genuinely thought he had cared about, had liked her as more than a friend. They had kissed for Spirits' sake! And the knowledge that Zuko had run to another girl so soon after betraying her, after breaking her heart...well it had broken Xiaodan's heart even more.

Xiaodan couldn't remember a time when she'd been so hurt by a boy. Sure, she had crushes on boys before she and Aang had been frozen. Had even kissed a few of those boys, but what she felt about Zuko had been completely different from what she'd felt for those boys. Xiaodan didn't think it was love, but she thought it was close, and she had thought he'd felt the same. She was wrong though, so very wrong, and she and her brother had paid the price for her foolishness.

Shaking her head brusquely, Xiaodan twisted her head and used her shoulder to wipe the tears from her eyes. She needed to stop thinking about Zuko and all the emotions that surged inside her when she thought about him. She needed to calm down before she returned, because there was no need to worry her friends or give Katara any more reason to be upset with her.

She pushed thoughts of Zuko aside as she continued to weave between the upside down pagodas of the Western Air Temple and, instead, focused on her dream. The sky began lightening with the new dawn around her and the mist became an array of yellows, pinks, and oranges around her. It made her think of the dragons' fire, the colors had been just as varied as the mist reflecting the light of the rising sun. Thinking of the dragons caused Xiaodan to think of the strange woman from her dream, the way her eyes her eyes had stared at her with such love and warmth. Deep in her heart, Xiaodan knew she recognized the woman, but she couldn't remember from where even if her life depended on it.

Xiaodan sighed and and banked upwards, using airbending to glide faster until she broke free of the mist and soared high above the two cliffs, heading towards the clouds above. She narrowed her eyes as she flew faster and faster towards the pink and orange sky. She broke through the dense layer of clouds and soared above them into the bright, golden glow of the rising sun. Xiaodan closed her eyes, snapped her glider shut and twisted around, using airbending to hover in the air for several precious moments, the sun's light and warmth caressing her, turning her skin and hair gold.

Opening her eyes slowly, Xiaodan caught a brief glimpse of the sun and then she allowed herself to fall back through the clouds, her white hair whipping around her like leaves in a storm. She flipped through the air into a dive and shut her eyes tightly, hugging her staff close to her body. With her heart beating a hard rhythm like the drums from her dream against her ribs, Xiaodan shut her mind off and let herself plummet back towards the earth.

In that moment, as she fell, Xiaodan felt free.

Zuko was gone by the time she returned to the ruined fountain courtyard, and Xiaodan ignored the small sting of hurt that caused, as she moved silently, like a wraith, through the temple towards the chamber where her brother and friends were still sleeping.

She had just stepped through the massive metal doors of the pagoda's inner sanctum when Aang sat up from his sleeping roll with a yawn, stretching tiredly as he rubbed one of his eyes with a fist. He looked over at her when he heard her soft footsteps and smiled sleepily.

"Morning." The young Avatar called out softly, careful not to wake his still sleeping friends. She gave him a weak smile in response and Aang's sleepy smile disappeared, being replaced with a look of concern. Aang got to his feet and carefully made his way over to his sister, his brow furrowing when he saw the slight redness to her eyes. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, little brother." Xiaodan replied softly, "It just took a quick fly around temple."

Aang scrutinized her intently for several more seconds, his brow still furrowed. There was something different about his sister. He could see the faint pain in her eyes, but at the same time, she looked lighter. As if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "Are you sure you're okay."

"Well," She hedged then smiled slyly, "Now that you mention it, I could use a hug."

Instantly Aang stepped towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his head on her shoulder. Xiaodan sighed as she wrapped her own arms around him, leaning her head against his as he eyes closed. The two embraced each other tightly for several minutes and for those few, precious minutes, it was as if they were back in time, back before the war, before they'd been frozen in the ice, before they had found out he was the Avatar. It was just Aang and Xiaodan, a brother and sister bound more tightly together by their spirits than any shared blood could ever make them.

They pulled away slowly and Aang stared up at her with a small smile as he asked, "Better?"

"Much." Xiaodan replied with a small smile and she kissed his forehead. They held each other for a few more seconds before Xiaodan stepped back with a frown, eying him critically. Aang watched her in confusion as she moved to stand beside him, touching the top of his head before moving her hand back towards herself. Xiaodan stepped in front of him and put her hands on her hips, staring at him accusingly, "When did you get so tall?"

"What?" Aang laughed slightly and joked, "Maybe you've just gotten short."

Xiaodan stomped her foot and pointed a finger at him warningly, "Watch it, buddy. You may have gotten taller, but I can still kick your butt, big sister style."

Aang just laughed at her, causing Xiaodan to roll her eyes and shove him playfully as the two walked towards the dim campfire to get a start on breakfast. Aang fetched the pot quickly while Xiaodan coaxed the fire back up with a handful of kindling.

"Are you excited for your first firebending lesson with your new teacher?" The dualbender asked as she set about preparing breakfast, smirking slightly because she just knew her brother had forgotten.

And just like she had expected, Aang's eyes widened and he paled slightly. He collapsed onto his back with a groan, "Monkey-feathers!"

Xiaodan laughed at him and continued cooking while the rest of their friends slowly began to wake up around them. Xiaodan knew then, that no matter how much she sometimes wanted to just give up and walk away from the all responsibility she'd taken as the group's pseudo-big sister/mother, she would never be able to. She would gladly listen to all their problems, sooth all their hurts, and give the best advice she could, just to see them happy, because their happiness was her happiness.

And Xiaodan wouldn't let anyone take that away from her, not even herself.

"I know you're nervous," Zuko said patiently as he stood in front of Aang on an upper balcony of the group's pagoda an hour after breakfast, "But remember, firebending in and of itself is not something to fear."

Aang sighed and bit his lip hesitantly, "Okay, not something fear."

"But if you don't respect it," Zuko crossed his arms and raised his voice slightly, "It'll chew you up and spit you out like an angry komodo-rhino!"

Aang squeaked nervously and leaned back, staring at the older boy with wide gray eyes. Nodding once, Zuko gestured for Aang to stand up with one hand, "Now show me what you've got. Any amount of fire you can make."

The young Avatar exhaled slowly and stood up. He took a nervous breath then twisted around, thrusting his hand out to the side. A small cloud of smoke erupted from his palm and dissipated a second later. Aang smiled sheepishly over at Zuko, "Maybe I need a little more instruction. Perhaps a demonstration?"

"Good idea. You might want to take a couple steps back."

Aang quickly backed up a few steps and watched as Zuko took a deep breath then lunged forward with a grunt, his fist thrust out in front of him. A small, rather pathetic burst of flame shot from his fist and dispersed a moment later. Aang bit his lip to keep from smiling and clapped slowly.

Zuko recoiled back in confusion, "What was that?! That was the worst firebending I've ever seen!"

"I thought it was..." Aang paused and shrugged slightly with a faint smile, "Nice."

Zuko grunted and attempted to firebend again, small flames erupting from his fists each time. He growled and glared at his hands in frustration.

"Why is this happening?!"

"Maybe it's the altitude." Aang suggested weakly with another small shrug.

"Yeah," Zuko muttered in agreement and he turned away from the younger boy, an unsure and lost expression appearing on his face, "Could be."

"Let's go to a lower balcony." Aang said lightly and he turned to head into the chamber attached to the balcony. Zuko hesitated a moment then followed him.

Xiaodan was lying on a broken pillar, her upper body hanging off it, and contentedly sunning herself when footsteps intruded on the peaceful atmosphere of the balcony she'd commandeered for some much need alone time. She loved her friends, but sometimes they drove her a little crazy.

She opened her eyes and watched lazily as Zuko and Aang's upside down figures stepped out onto her balcony. The former prince stiffened when he saw her just lying there and stared at her unsurely. She stared back at him blankly. Aang, blessedly oblivious to the tension between his new teacher and his sister, beamed at Xiaodan.

"Hey, Xia!" He exclaimed enthusiastically, practically skipping towards her and hopping up onto the stump of the stone pillar she was lying on.

Xiaodan let her head loll to the side, ending the staring contest between her and Zuko, and favored her brother with an affectionate, indulgent smile. "Hey, little brother." She glanced back at Zuko and greeted him with a curt, "Zuko."

His shoulders slumped and Zuko sighed, nodding his head in greeting, "Xiaodan. What are you doing down here?"

"I was taking a catnap before I was rudely interrupted." She sassed without looking at him as she sat up, her attention on Aang, who was glancing between the two with curiosity and slight suspicion. "What are you two doing down here? I thought you were supposed to be learning how to firebend?"

"I am." Aang replied and his brows furrowed when he caught Zuko waving his hands in a silencing motion behind his sister. "Er...the, um, altitude was becoming an issue."

Zuko instantly stopped waving his arms around, clasped his hands behind his back, and looked anywhere but at the two Airbenders, when Xiaodan glanced over her shoulder him. Xiaodan suspiciously eyed the former prince with narrowed eyes, not buying the innocent act he was putting up.

"Riiight." She drawled and she twisted around so she was facing Zuko, crossing her legs and resting her elbow on her thigh. She cupped her chin and smirked at him challengingly, "Guess that means you wouldn't mind me staying for a bit then?"

Zuko flushed and he scowled slightly, "I don't think that's a good idea. Aang doesn't need any distractions."

"I won't distract him. Besides I need a teacher too."

Zuko opened his mouth to retort, but nothing came out so he snapped it shut with soft click. He clenched his jaw and glared slightly while Xiaodan continued to smirk at him. Xiaodan knew she was being a pain in the neck, but this was her way of getting back at him for bringing up all her emotional baggage earlier that morning. Was it petty and childish? Most definitely. Did she particularly care at that moment? Nope, no a single bit.

The two older teens continued to glare at each other and Aang fidgeted uncomfortably on the broken pillar, glancing between the two older teens nervously. He could be a bit oblivious, but even he could tell something had happened between them, and, given what he knew of their history together, it obviously wasn't a very good thing.

"M-maybe Zuko's right, Xia." Aang said weakly, shuffling nervously when she looked at him with a quirked brow that clearly said she wasn't buying what he was trying to sell her. He pushed on before he lost his nerve and just said she could stay, "I mean, you've got pretty good control of your own firebending right now. After all, it has been a while since you accidentally lit any of Sokka's stuff on fire, so you don't really need a teacher. Not yet. Maybe some one-on-one instruction is the best thing for me right now."

Xiaodan eyed him skeptically through narrowed eyes then sighed in put-upon way. "Fine, fine. Traitor."

Aang made a face at her at her muttered quip and she made on back, sticking her tongue out at him. She jumped off the broken pillar and sauntered passed Zuko, heading towards the stairs with her chin held high. Zuko hesitated a moment then walked quickly after her, calling her name softly to get her to stop.

She did, turning around and staring at him with an unreadable expression, her arms crossed over her chest. Zuko came to a stop in front of her and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. Zuko had expected her to ignore him and keep walking, so when she did stop, he was unsure of what to do or say. He really hadn't thought this through.

"Look, it's not that I don't want you here. Or that I don't want to teach you." He finally said after an awkwardly tense moment of just staring at each other. He cleared his throat and looked off to the side, lowering his voice as he said, "And, you'd probably distract me more than him."

Xiaodan stared at him blankly for several seconds then she simply turned and walked away. Zuko watched her disappear up the stairs and he sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly in defeat. Shaking his head, he turned back around and walked over to stand a few feet in front of the broken pillar Aang was still sitting on, ignoring the way the young Airbender stared at him contemplatively. He just hoped Aang was smart enough not to mention anything or ask any questions. He wasn't sure he had the patience for that right not, or if he ever would.

Aang yawned and lied down on the broken pillar as Zuko growled in frustration and continued to firebend with no improvement. Maybe it was a good thing his sister wasn't here to see this. Aang didn't doubt for a second that his sister wouldn't have taken the opportunity to tease the former prince; sometimes her sense of humor bordered on brutal, especially when she was upset with someone.

But it had been hours since Xiaodan had left them to their lesson and Aang had grown bored with just watching the older teen struggle to firebend. He'd been sorely tempted to ask Zuko what was up with him and his sister just to alleviate the boredom, but with the way the former prince's temper was steadily declining, he had decided to keep his questions to himself for the time being. It seemed like a safer idea.

"Just breathe, and..." Zuko inhaled and swung around, thrust his fist to the side. A small flame came out of his fist and he growled again.

Aang sat up and rested his hands in his lap, "That one kind of felt hot."

"Don't patronize me!" Zuko snapped angrily and he threw his hand out to the side, "You know what it's supposed to look like!"

"Sorry, Sifu Hotman."

"And stop calling me that!"

Aang cringed back and looked at his hands. He looked up when he heard someone walking towards them and he watched as Sokka, munching on an apple, approached.

"Hey jerks." Sokka greeted with a sardonic grin as he sat down and bit into his apple, "Mind if I watch you two jerks do your jerk bending?"

Zuko whirled around and swung his arm out to the side as he yelled, "Get out of here!"

"Okay, okay, take it easy." Sokka drawled in amusement and he waved his hand dismissively, tossing his apple core away as he stood up, "I was just kidding around." He turned away from the other two boys and adjusted his shirt with a smirk, "Jerk bending, still got it."

Zuko groaned and hung his head, his shoulders slumping forward while Aang stared at him sympathetically.

Xiaodan sighed happily and sank further into the natural hot spring located inside the mountain the temple was built under, closing her eyes and tilting her head back to further soak her long hair in the warm water. She had escaped to the hot spring after leaving the balcony, Zuko's words ringing in her head. Xiaodan scowled to herself, that had been several hours ago and she was still thinking about it.

"Distracting for him my butt." She griped and ducked under the water, resurfacing a few moments later and flipping her wet hair out of her face.

"So this is where you've been hiding all afternoon."

Xiaodan yelped and whirled around, her arms instinctively coming up to cover her chest. She let them drop and stomped her foot against the bottom of the hot spring when she saw Toph leaning nonchalantly against the wall next to the hot spring's entrance, a smirk on her face.

"Would it kill you to make a noise every once in awhile? You know before you scare me to death!"

"Sorry." The blind Earthbender said, not at all sounding apologetic, as she walked further into the large cavern. She sat at the edge of the hot spring and dipped her feet into the water, sighing happily. "That's the stuff." Her feet were still a little tender from being burned despite all of Katara's healing. She leaned back on her hands and turned her head in Xiaodan's direction, "No wonder you're hiding from Grumpy Pants in here."

"I'm not hiding from anyone." Xiaodan scoffed and crossed her arms, looking off to the side with a petulant pout as she mumbled. "Least of all Zuko."

"It's funny how you knew I was talking about Zuko." Toph commented casually with a smirk.

Xiaodan sputtered for a several seconds then scowled and sank up to her chin in the warm water, her face burning in embarrassment as Toph laughed at her. The dualbender grumbled and splashed some water at the younger girl, "Oh, shut up. Why were you even looking for me?"

Toph shrugged after her laughing fit has subside, "I was bored."

"Uh huh."

"Annnnd, Katara was nagging." Toph rolled her sightless eyes and raised her voice in a mock imitation of the Waterbender, "'Do you think Aang's okay? Oh, I knew we shouldn't have left him alone with Zuko! What if he tries to hurt him?' She was just going on and on and on. It was driving me crazy."

Xiaodan snorted, "I bet."

Toph made an irritated noise at the back of her throat and collapsed onto her back, tossing an arm over her eyes, "She's completely paranoid. It's insane."

"It's not like her distrust in completely unfounded though. He has caused us a lot of trouble." Xiaodan pointed out with a shrug. She ducked under the water and swam towards the edge, resurfacing beside Toph a few seconds later and folding her arms on the edge of the hot spring.

"I get that, but she's going a little overboard with the protective mama platypus-bear routine." Toph deadpanned with a small smirk, turning her head towards the older girl, "Why are you even defending her? I thought you were all 'Team Zuko'."

"I'm not 'Team Zuko'." The dualbender retorted drily as she brushed a stray strand of wet hair out of her eyes, "If anything, I'm 'Team Xia'."

"Suuure, you are."

Xiaodan flicked some water at the younger girl, laughing slightly when Toph wrinkled her nose and used her foot to splash her back. Still laughing quietly, Xiaodan rested her chin on her folded arms. Smiling slightly, Toph tucked her hands behind her head and 'stared' up at the ceiling, idly kicking her feet in the water.

The two sat in companionable silence for several moments before Toph finally asked something that had been bugging her for sometime.

"So what's up with you and Grumpy Pants anyway?"

Xiaodan sighed and turned her head, resting her cheek on her eyes, "Nothing's up with us."

"I'm blind not oblivious, Xia. Unlike the others, I can see something going on with you two." Toph stated matter-of-factly and she pulled one hand out from under her head, rapping her knuckles on the stone between them. "I can hear you heartbeats go crazy whenever you're within ten feet of each other. Frankly, it a little ridiculous, since he's only been with us for a few days."

"You and Sokka must share a brain or something." Xiaodan muttered under breath, snickering slightly when Toph kicked her in the shoulder halfheartedly.

"That's not funny. And stop avoiding the subject."

Xiaodan sighed again and closed her eyes, "It's complicated, Toph."

"So uncomplicate it." Toph replied simply with a shrug. She sat up, pulling her feet out of the water and resting her arms on her bent knees. "Xia, you listen to all of us complain and whine about everything, but you don't really do the same. So lay it on me, I'm all ears." When the older girl remained silent, Toph rolled her eyes and rapped her knuckles on her head, "C'mon, I'm offering to listen to you whine about a boy, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity here! I'll even get Sokka's fake beard and mustache, we'll turn it into a 'therapy' session."

Xiaodan swatted Toph's hand away from her head with a soft laugh, "Threatening people to get them to talk is not nice, Toph."

"I don't care, so start talking, Featherweight."

"It's a long story."

Toph made a 'continue' type of gesture with her hand before wrapping her arm around her legs again then resting her cheek on her knees, sightless eyes turned towards Xiaodan. The dualbender sighed softly and closed her eyes.

"I'll start at the beginning, it'll be easier that way. Before you joined our group, before we'd even met you, Zuko kidnapped me..."

"...and while we were in Ba Sing Se, we became close. Closer than we had been when we had been traveling, I mean. Actually, I kinda, sorta, um, started liking him. A lot."

"You had a crush on Grumpy Pants? Are you serious?"

"I don't know. I've had crushes before, Toph, but this was different. It felt like so much more."

"Wow..."

"Yeah, I know."

Katara clapped a hand over her mouth and stared at the wall in front of her with wide eyes. She had gone looking for Xiaodan to ask for her help with dinner, having wanted to make amends for their earlier argument about the former Fire Nation prince, but hadn't been able to find her. Teo had mentions seeing her head down to the hot spring chamber, so that's where Katara had headed as well. She never expected to hear Xiaodan having a conversation with Toph about how she had been crushing on Zuko of all people.

Anger bubbled up inside Katara and she lowered her hand to her side, her fists clenching tightly until her knuckles turned white.

'I can't believe her!' Katara thought furiously. 'The only reason she wanted Zuko to join our group was because she liked him! After all that time she spent saying that she didn't trust him or that she even liked him?! What a liar!'

Silently fuming, Katara hurried back down the hallway before either Xiaodan or Toph realized she was there. Unfortunately, in her rush, Katara missed a vital piece of information.

"When he helped Azula hurt Aang in the Catacombs, it felt like I'd been stabbed in the chest. I literally felt my heart break. And you remember what Azula said to me during the eclipse? About him and Mai?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"Well, it turns out that having your heart broken second time is more painful than the first. He'd moved on so quickly, like whatever we might have had was a lie. Honestly, I don't even know if it was real to begin with."

"Do you think you'll forgive him?"

Inside the hot spring, Xiaodan closed her eyes, a single tear slipping down her cheek. "I don't know."

After spending another hour in the hot spring, Toph and Xiaodan finally returned to the group's unofficial dining area. Xiaodan was surprised to see that dinner was almost finished. Usually Katara enlisted her help with preparing and serving the food at meal times. Frowning slightly, the dualbender wandered over to Katara with Toph at her side.

"Hey, Katara, why didn't you come get me to help with dinner? You didn't have to do it all by yourself."

Katara sniffed and continued stirring the noodles in the pot, "It's fine. You were busy apparently."

Xiaodan frowned in confusion at the younger girl's waspish tone. Still without looking at her, Katara picked up a bowl, filled it with noodles and dumplings and thrust it at the older girl, letting it go a second later. Xiaodan grunted in surprise and quickly caught the bowl before it could fall and spill all over the floor. She hissed when hot broth sloshed over the side of the bowl onto her tunic.

"Ugh, hey!" Xiaodan snapped in annoyance as the broth briefly burned her stomach before she pulled her tunic away from her skin, "You don't have to throw the bowl at me, jeez."

"I'm so sorry, Xia." Katara replied sarcastically as she filled another bowl and held it out to Toph, "I have to get everyone else food too. You're not the only one who's hungry, you know."

"Right, silly me." Xiaodan muttered drily and she walked towards her sleeping roll, holding the bowl in one hand while holding her tunic away from her stomach with the other. Toph hesitated a moment, 'looking' between the older girls for a moment before trailing after Xiaodan.

Xiaodan placed her bowl on the ground and sat down on her sleeping roll, Toph taking a seat on her own sleeping bag beside her.

"Is Katara mad at you or something?"

"I have no idea." Xiaodan replied as she slipped her samghati off her shoulder, letting it pool around her waist. She then pulled her orange tunic over her head, revealing her sarashi and the burn scar on her shoulder. Katara had finished doing what she could a few days earlier, but the scar would remain. "I haven't done anything to her that I know of."

"Maybe she's still mad about the argument from the other day." Toph suggested through a mouthful of noodles and dumplings.

"Maybe." The dualbender agreed distractedly as she inspected her tunic. She was going to have to wash it since the broth had already created a sizable wet spot on the fabric. And that meant she'd only have her sarashi and her samghati to wear since her last tunic had been irreparable thanks to Azula. She sighed and dropped the tunic in her lap. "Great, now I have to do laundry."

Aang suddenly dropped down on her other side, "Why do you have to do laundry?"

"I got broth on my shirt." Xiaodan responded as she picked up her bowl and picked up a dumpling with her fingers.

"Oh, in that case, can you wash something for me?" Aang asked, accepting the bowl Sokka handed him.

"You're doing laundry, Xia?" Sokka asked eagerly as he gave Aang a pair of chopsticks, "Could you wash my tunic too? It's starting to smell."

Xiaodan pulled a face then gave a put upon sigh, "Yeah, sure, whatever, I'll do it tomorrow. You guys are lucky I love you."

"Aw, we love you too, Xia! You're the best!" Sokka exclaimed and he moved to sit on Toph's other side after getting his own bowl of noodles and dumplings. Xiaodan rolled her eyes at him and ate another dumpling.

"Listen everybody," Zuko suddenly called out as he pushed off the pillar he'd been leaning against and walked over to the group as they all turned to look at him curiously. He sighed as he stopped near them, "I've got some bad news. I've lost my stuff."

He dropped his head dejectedly.

"Don't look at me." Toph commented loudly, waving her arms slightly before folding them over her chest petulantly, "I didn't touch your stuff."

Xiaodan gave her a perplexed look, "I don't think that's what he meant, little sister."

"I'm talking about my firebending." Zuko explained quietly and he closed his eyes, "It's gone."

Katara laughed loudly, drawing everyone's attention to her. "I'm sorry." She apologized insincerely with a smirk, "I'm just laughing at the irony... You know, how it would have been nice for us if you lost your firebending a long time ago?"

Xiaodan narrowed her eyes at the younger girl in annoyance and spoke chidingly, "That's uncalled for, Katara."

Katara scoffed and lifted her nose in the air haughtily, "Whatever, Xia."

The dualbender scowled and put her bowl down, irritated at the Waterbender's snobbish behavior, but before she could demand to know what Katara's problem was, Zuko spoke again.

"It's not lost. It's just weaker for some reason."

Katara lifted her bowl to her mouth and glared daggers over the rim at Zuko, "Maybe you're just not as good as you think you are."

"Ouch..." Toph drawled with a small, sarcastic smile.

"Enough, Katara!" Xiaodan commanded sharply, her tone of voice brooking no argument. She looked straight at the younger girl with a stern expression, "You didn't like it so much when you couldn't bend after Ty Lee chi-blocked you, so don't make light of this kind of situation. After all, you were the one that said bending is a part of who we are. Or did you forget?"

Katara opened her mouth to make a retort, but couldn't think of anything to say, so she shut her it again with a soft click and brought her bowl to her lips with a scowl.

Zuko stared at Xiaodan in surprise but she ignored him, calmly picking up her bowl and continuing to eat as if nothing had happened. Clearing his throat, he looked down at his hand and clenched it into a fist as an idea came to him.

"I bet it's because I changed sides."

"That's ridiculous." Katara muttered disapprovingly as she took a sip from her bowl, ignoring the warning look Xiaodan sent her way.

"I don't know. Maybe it isn't." Aang suggested as he placed his chopsticks in his bowl, "Maybe your firebending comes from rage and you just don't have enough anger to fuel it the way you used to."

"Huh, that makes sense." Xiaodan mused thoughtfully. She tapped her finger against her bottom lip lightly, "I mean you were always yelling at everyone back on your ship. Sometimes, I seriously thought your head would explode."

Zuko didn't bother to dignify her statement with a response, just rolled his eyes. Xiaodan stuck her tongue out him when he wasn't looking in retaliation, ignoring the amused look her brother gave her and the dirty one she received from Katara.

Sokka suddenly popped up beside Zuko and pointed his finger in the air with a maniacal grin on his face. "Sooo...All we need to do is make Zuko angry." He giggled slightly in excitement, "Easy enough." He started poking Zuko's head and waist with the hilt of his sword, giggling like a little kid all the while.

"Okay, cut it out!" Zuko bellowed in annoyance, turning to glare at Sokka angrily.

Sokka yelped and jumped back, tossing his sword up in the air and covering his face with his arm.

Xiaodan snorted and choked on a noodle when the space sword bounced off Sokka's head, coughing harshly as Toph began pounding her back with a fist. Clutching at her sore throat, Xiaodan quickly waved the younger girl away with her other hand, taking a moment to catch her breath.

Zuko rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Look, even if you're right, I don't want to rely on hate and anger anymore. There has to be another way."

"You're gonna need to learn to draw your firebending from a source." Toph stated nonchalantly as Sokka sat beside her, rubbing his head with a pout. She dipped her hand into her bowl and picked up a dumpling and popped it into her mouth, "I recommend the original source."

"How's he supposed to do that? By jumping into a volcano?" Sokka quipped with a snicker.

"No." Toph deadpanned, "Zuko needs to go back to whatever the original source of firebending is."

Sokka frowned, "So, is it jumping into a volcano?"

"Sokka," Xiaodan sighed with an exasperated eye roll, "Stop trying to be funny. You're only funny when you're not trying so hard."

Sokka huffed, crossed his arms and pouted. He muttered petulantly, "I thought it was funny."

"I don't know what the original source of firebending is." Toph stated patiently, placing her bowl down. She smiled fondly with memory, "For earthbending the original benders were badgermoles."

'A much younger Toph, wearing a pretty pale green and white gown, kneeled in a dark cavern, tears streaming down her plump cheeks as she sobbed.

"One day, when I was little, I ran away and hid in a cave."

A loud rumbling noise startled the little girl and she stopped crying, turning wide, unseeing eyes towards the sound just as part of the cave's wall shattered inward. The large badgermole that appeared through the hole and stepped towards the young Toph.

"That's where I met them."

Toph cringed back when the badgermole sniffed her. Furrowing her brow, she turned her head towards the badgermole and sniffed it back. The badgermole rumbled and licked her cheek, causing her to giggle happily. Reaching her pudgy hands up, Toph touched the badgermole's snout with both hands. Giggling, she licked the blind creature's nose.'

"They were blind, just like me. So we understood each other." Toph explained as she remembered crawling after the badgermole as it wandered further into the cave. "I was able to learn earthbending, not just as a martial art, but as an extension of my senses. For them, the original Earthbenders, it wasn't just about fighting. It was their way of interacting with the world."

"Aw!" Xiaodan cooed, dropping her empty bowl on the ground and grabbing the younger girl around the shoulders. She pulled Toph towards her and hugged her tightly, "You are so awesome, little sister!"

"Yeah, that's amazing, Toph!" Aang agreed enthusiastically. He grinned happily at the others, "Xia and I learned from the monks, but the original Airbenders were the sky bison." He chuckled and leaned back to look over at where Appa was happily munching on hay, "Maybe you can give me a lesson sometime, buddy."

The sky bison stopped eating for a moment to growl in apparent agreement before going back to his hay.

"Well, this doesn't help me." Zuko muttered and he turned away from the group, "The original Firebenders were the dragons, and they're extinct."

"What do you mean?" Aang asked in confusion, "Roku had a dragon, and there were plenty of dragons when I was a kid." He didn't bother mention his sister's spirit guide, since she was clearly a spirit.

Zuko whirled around and yelled defensively, "Well, they aren't around anymore, okay?!"

"Okay, okay." Aang quickly agreed passively, holding his hands up in an appeasing manner, "Sorry."

"Hey, don't yell at him again." Xiaodan snapped and she pointed at him, "Or I'll hit you with my staff." She glanced at the empty bowl beside her then back at him, "Or throw this bowl at you."

Zuko rolled his eyes and looked away from her, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. He stood silently and thought for several moments before saying, "Maybe there's another way." He walked over towards the broken fountain as he continued, "The first people to learn from the dragons were the ancient Sun Warriors."

Xiaodan jolted and stiffened, her eyes widening slightly as the name triggered the memory of her dream. She could almost hear the woman's ghostly voice singing in time with the chanting and drumming from her dream.

Aang glanced concernedly at his sister then got to his feet and walked over to Zuko, "The Sun Warriors? Well, I know they weren't around when I was a kid."

'I wouldn't be so sure of that... 'Xiaodan thought slightly hysterically. Her spirit dragon guide, Sonal, hadn't mentioned the Sun Warriors by name, but she did say her mother's people were an ancient civilization. It would make sense if that ancient civilization were the Sun Warriors.

"The Sun Warriors died off thousands of years ago." Zuko explained with a shrug, "But their civilization wasn't too far from where we are now. Maybe we can learn something by poking around their ruins."

Aang nodded and smiled faintly, "It's like the monks used to tell us. Sometimes, the shadows of the past can be felt by the present."

'If that's true then I'm definitely starting to feel the shadows of the past in my present.' The dualbender thought without humor and she fiddled with the dirty tunic in her lap. 'I don't know if going to those ruins is a good idea...'

Xiaodan decided to say as much, "I don't know you guys, what good could poking around a bunch of ruins do you?"

"Yeah," Sokka added skeptically, "Do you think you guys will pick up some super old Sun Warrior energy just by standing," He made a fluttering motion with his hand, "Where they they stood a thousand years ago or something?"

"More or less." Zuko answered with a shrug, "Either way we have to try, because if I don't find a new way to firebend, the Avatar will have to find a new teacher."

Running a hand through her hair, Xiaodan pushed the gnarled tangles back out of her face with a sigh. She dropped her arm back on her thigh and peered out at the night sky through the light mist that was perpetually swirling inside the canyon. It had been several hours since dinner, since Aang and Zuko had made the decision to visit the ruins of the first Firebenders. Her friends had long since gone to sleep, but unable to sleep and feeling restless, Xiaodan had slipped from her spot lying beside Aang and wandered through the pagoda until she'd found herself in the ruined fountain courtyard. It seemed that was the place she went to when she needed to think. And Xiaodan had a lot to think about this night.

Just like that morning, she'd taken a seat on the edge of the hanging courtyard with her legs hanging out over open air. This time though, she left her staff behind; she wasn't planning on gliding tonight. Instead she thought...and thought. Everything imaginable crossed her mind, from what she'd said to Zuko that morning, to why Katara could possibly be angry at her, to Aang and Zuko going to the Sun Warriors' ruins, to the dream she'd had the other night. She'd even thought about when she should do the laundry and whether she should go hunting for some herbs and roots in the small forest at the top of the cliff. Of course, between her more inane thoughts, she mused on the possibilities that her mother, who she didn't remember, was part of a civilization that was supposed to be extinct.

The one that that really kept circulating through her head the most though, was if she should or shouldn't go with Aang and Zuko to the Sun Warriors ruins tomorrow. She debated both options relentlessly. One hand, if she went, she could discover the parts of her past that she hadn't even been aware of. Or her assumption that her mother was indeed part of the Sun Warriors was wrong, and Sonal had meant some other ancient civilization that could firebend. On the other hand, if she didn't go to the ruins with her brother and Zuko, she might never know why or how she could bend two elements or discover anything about her mother, if she was part of the Sun Warriors.

As she continued to debate what to do, something that Monk Gyatso had told her when she was young floated through her mind.

"Some journeys must be taken by oneself and some must be taken with others. You will know which your journey is when you take it, my young pupil."

He had said that to her right before she'd left for the Eastern Air Temple for her training. She was eight years old and it was the first time she'd ever left the Southern temple without Aang or Gyatso. In that moment, she understood what her old teacher had been trying to tell her. Xiaodan tilted her head back and stared at the stars with a soft smile. "I know what I have to do. Thank you, Monk Gyatso."

Xiaodan closed her eyes, a tear slipping quietly down her cheek as the pain of loss suddenly gripped her heart tightly. A warm breeze swirled around her then, caressing her face and brushing the tear from her cheek, almost as if it was telling her not to cry. Xiaodan smiled, warmth blooming in her chest. He maybe gone, but Monk Gyatso would always be with her and Aang in their hearts and in their memories.

The soft scuffle of footsteps made her open her eyes and glance over her shoulder. When Xiaodan saw Zuko standing a bit behind her, she was unsurprised. He seemed to pop up whenever she going through some emotional discover.

"Are you stalking me now?" Xiaodan asked drily as she turned her gaze back to the starry sky.

She heard him move closer then sit beside her, a respectable distance between them. Xiaodan determinedly on the sky, refusing to look at him.

"No," Zuko replied, his tone just as dry as hers had been. He rested his arms on his thighs and leaned forward slightly, staring up at the sky like she was, "Couldn't sleep. And this is a good place to think."

Xiaodan had to agree with him on that. Despite having been redecorated by Combustion Man, the fountain courtyard was still extremely peaceful, which was good for thinking. Rough fingertips suddenly brushed along her right shoulder and she stiffened, turning her head to glare at Zuko darkly. His pulled his hand away slowly, but continued to stare at the burn marring her tanned skin. He'd noticed it during dinner, but hadn't said anything, not wanting to possibly cause a scene.

"During the invasion?"

Xiaodan grimaced and he took that as a yes, his hands clenching into fists. He asked tightly, "How?"

She answered reluctantly, looking anywhere but at him. "Azula."

Zuko's jaw locked and he glared at the sky. Azula, of course. He should have known it was his sister, because using his relationship with Mai to hurt her wasn't enough, she had to go and physically injure her too.

"Does it hurt?"

"Does yours?"

Zuko blinked and looked over at her with a thunderstruck expression. He couldn't remember if anyone had ever asked him that before, at least not so bluntly. Straight-faced, she stared back at him, one dark brow raised almost challengingly.

Looking away from her, he touched his scar with the tips of his fingers and decided to answer honestly as he let his hand fall back into his lap, "Just the memory hurts now."

Xiaodan faltered and tilted her head slightly in surprise, her expression unsure. She stared at him like that for several moments, but he didn't look at her, so she turned her gaze back to the stars. She spoke quietly after a second, "It doesn't hurt much anymore. Katara healed the real damage, but not before the scar became permanent."

"Does it bother you?"

"Having a scar?" She saw him nod from the corner of her eye and continued, deciding to just ignore the fact that they were having a surprisingly civil conversation. "No, no more than these," She gestured towards the markings on her face with a slight smirk, "do. They're apart of what makes me who I am and so is this scar."

Zuko nodded slowly, his hand once again coming up to touch his own scar. "I see."

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and murmured softly, "Yeah, I think you do, Firebug."

Xiaodan winced slightly and closed her eyes, missing the look of utter surprise Zuko gave her. She hadn't meant to say that, it had just slipped out before she could stop it. Standing quickly, Xiaodan brushed her off her pants without making eye contact with the boy sitting next to her, missing the pleased look in his gold eyes. "It's late, we should get some sleep. You and Aang have a big day tomorrow and I have to do laundry."

"You're not going with us?" Zuko asked as he stood up slowly, his gaze never wavering from her.

"Uh, no." Xiaodan replied, feeling awkward as she edged away from him, backpedaling towards the broken but functional fountain the middle of the courtyard. She gestured lamely with her hand, "You and Aang are big boys, you don't need me to protect you." A surprised noise escaped her when her knees bumped into the fountain, her arms pinwheeling slightly to keep her balance.

Zuko, who had taken a few steps closer to her, smirked slightly. "I didn't think you would trust me to go anywhere alone with your brother."

"I don't trust you," Xiaodan retorted sharply after recovering from her embarrassment at almost fall into the fountain. She crossed her arms over her chest defensively and glowered at Zuko, "But some journeys you have to make yourself and some you have to make with others. This is a journey meant for you and Aang, not me. Besides, he could totally kick your butt without my help."

Zuko was still smirking slightly and it was beginning to irritate her. She scowled and spun on her toes, "Well, I'm going to bed. Night, Zuko."

"Night...Xia."

Zuko held his breath, watching as she paused at the entrance to the pagoda, her head turning towards him slightly, but she continued into the pagoda without saying anything. He smiled and turned around to face the open canyon again, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared up at the stars. Maybe he could fix things between them after all. Just maybe.

"You have your staff?" Xiaodan asked, fussing over Aang the next morning as he stood beside Appa after breakfast.

Aang smiled at her and showed her the staff he was holding in his hand, "Right here."

"And you got something from Katara to eat if you get hungry?"

"Yes, Xia."

"And you-"

"Xia..." Aang whined playfully at her fussing, "We're only going to be gone for a day. Two at the most. Stop fussing."

Xiaodan huffed and placed her hand on his head, rubbing it roughly, "I'm your older sister. It's my job to worry about you. And if you hadn't noticed, you get into a ton of trouble when I'm not around." She smirked at him, "Do I need to remind of you of the dragon egg incident with Kuzon?"

"No." Aang blushed and pushed her hand away from his head with a laugh. He quickly hugged her and kissed her cheek, "Don't worry. We'll be back before you know it."

"Just stay safe, yeah?" She kissed the top of his head then nudged him towards Appa, where Zuko was already waiting in the saddle. She looked up at him and, almost reluctantly, added, "Both of you."

Zuko inclined his head and smiled slightly. Xiaodan nodded curtly in response and stepped back, moving to stand between Toph and Sokka, her arms folding almost protectively over her stomach. Apparently she was having a serious case of separation anxiety when it came to her brother. Xiaodan decided to just blame her new mother-hen tendencies on how emotionally stressed she'd been the past few days. Or maybe she was just going crazy. At this point, Xiaodan was willing to bet it was combination of both.

Aang snapped the reins, "Yip-yip."

The group watched as the sky bison grumbled lowly then took off into the sky. Xiaodan walked to the edge of the courtyard and watched until Appa was no longer visible before turning towards her other friends with a sigh.

"So, who needed their stuff washed?"

Five hands shot into the air and Xiaodan whined, hanging her head in defeat. She hated laundry. And at the moment, she kinda hated her friends too.

"We've been riding for hours." Zuko groaned as Appa flew over a vast ocean towards the Sun Warriors' island, "I don't know why, but I thought this thing would be a lot faster."

Appa growled loudly and Aang glanced over his shoulder at the older teen cheerfully. "Appa's right, Zuko. In our group, typically we start our missions with a more upbeat attitude."

"I can't believe this." Zuko grumbled under his breath and he rested his head on the saddle rim with a sigh.

"Don't worry," Aang quipped with a grin as he guided Appa through the sky. "You'll get the hang of it."

Zuko rolled his eyes and remained silent, crossing his arms over his chest. He stared up at passing clouds overhead and contemplated the conversations he had with Xiaodan the other day. He knew that she was still angry with him and that she didn't trust him as far as she could throw him, which meant she wouldn't be forgiving him for a good long while most likely. But she had defended him against Katara and they had managed to have a civil conversation without yelling or insulting each other, too much at least. She had also called him Firebug. He wasn't going to delude himself though, just because she called him that once hated, but now treasured, nickname, didn't mean she was anywhere near ready to forgive him for everything he'd done. It did mean the potential was there though and, for now, that was enough for Zuko.

Appa suddenly growled loudly and Zuko sat up. The sky bison sped up and broke through a low hanging cloud. Zuko and Aang gasped in amazement.

"Whoa!"

Ruins littered the island the sky bison was flying towards, the architecture impressive even from the distance. Aang flicked the reins and directed Appa towards the edge of the ruins, the sky bison landing with a low grunt. The young Avatar retrieved his staff from the saddle as Zuko jumped to the ground, looking at the looming ruins with awe.

"Stay here, alright buddy?" Aang addressed Appa, patting his cheek affectionately. The sky bison grumbled and lumbered over towards a large bush, beginning to munch on it contentedly. Aang turned towards Zuko with a bright, excited smile, "Okay, lets go!"

The two boys began walking into the ruins. They walked between two large buildings, the walls covered in vines and other vegetation.

"Even though these buildings are ancient, there's something eerily familiar about them." Zuko commented as he looked around. "I can tell the Fire Sages' temples are somehow descended from these."

"Okay, we learned something about architecture." Aang quipped and he looked over his shoulder at the older boy, "Hopefully, we'll learn something about firebending. The past can be a great teacher." His foot suddenly got on something and he tripped forward with a surprised yelp. His yelp turned into a yell of fear when the ground in front of him disappeared, revealing a bed of black spikes. Aang quickly exhaled a huge gust of air, preventing himself from falling into the pit trap while propelling himself across it at the same time.

He landed shakily on the other side in a crouch, flailing his arms slightly to keep his balance. He panted in surprise and turned towards Zuko, his eyes wide. "Zuko, I think the past is trying to kill me!"

"I can't believe it." Zuko muttered in amazement as he kneeled down and inspected the trip wire. "This booby trap must be centuries old, and it still works."

"There's probably a lot more." Aang straightened and clutched his staff nervously, glancing around with wary eyes. "Maybe this means we shouldn't be here."

Zuko glanced at him briefly then took a several steps back. Taking a deep breath, he ran towards the wall, running across it to the other side of the trap. He landed beside Aang and brushed himself off casually, a smirk tugging at his lips as he looked over at the younger teen.

"Where's that upbeat attitude you were talking about?" He smiled at Aang disbelieving look then he looked towards the largest temple in the center of the ruins. "Besides, people don't make traps unless they've got something worth protecting."

Aang made an unsure face, but followed the former prince when he continued down the path.

Xiaodan furrowed her brows in concentration as she scrubbed Sokka's tunic against a flat rock. She'd gone up to the top of the cliff, where a stream that turned into a waterfall was located. Before the Air Nomads were all killed, the stream was wear the nuns, both young and old, of the Western Air Temple had done the washing. Although, if Xiaodan remembered right, laundry day at the Western Air Temple had invariably turned into let's have a water fight day.

Setting the tunic aside, Xiaodan chuckled when she remembered the time she'd had to spend a few months at the Western Air Temple when she was twelve. She'd been assigned laundry duty for that week, and during the inevitable water fight that ensued, Xiaodan had accidentally knocked Mother Superior Parvati into the stream.

'Twelve year old Xiaodan stared, wide-eyed, as Mother Superior Parvati stood in the middle of the stream, her robes completely soaked and sticking to her skin. The other young Airbenders and nuns had fallen silent, all watching and waiting to see what the head nun would do.

Anxiety crept up Xiaodan's spine and she fidgeted. She bit her lip and opened her mouth, an apology tumbling out in a rush, "I am so sorry, Mother Superior, it was an acc-" Xiaodan was cut off abruptly by a large wave of water crashing over her head, soaking her to the bone. She blinked rapidly and stared in dumbfounded shock at the older nun, who was staring at her in amusement.

"Revenge is not a philosophy that the Air Nomads proscribe to." Mother Superior said serenely as she calmly walked out of the stream, her hands tucked into the sleeves of her robes. She came to a stop in front of Xiaodan and touched her head, "But, in this case, playful retaliation is acceptable." Parvati winked at the young girl and patted her head, "Don't you think, young one?"'

The fond smile was abruptly wiped from her face when an armful of clothes was dropped beside her. She jumped and looked up, squinting against the sunlight to stare up at Sokka.

"Sorry." He apologized with a smug grin, "Didn't mean to startle you."

"Sure you didn't." Xiaodan replied drily, flicking some water up at him. She shook her head at him when he dropped down beside her with a groan, his hand rubbing his back.

"How do you Airbenders ever manage to climb up all those stairs while carrying laundry?" He whined.

"You climbed up the stairs with the laundry?" Xiaodan laughed at him, biting her lip when he glowered at her. "Sokka there's a basket attached to a pulley at the bottom of the stairs. You put the clothes in it and it'll take it to the top of the stairs."

"Oh man, really?!" Sokka exclaimed, letting his head fall back with another groan. "Why didn't anyone tell me that before? Toph was right there when I started climbing!"

"That's because I'm blind, Snoozles."

Xiaodan snorted when Sokka yelped and flailed about in surprise, grabbing the back of his shirt to keep him from fall into the stream. He gave her a grateful look then, clutching at his chest, twisted his upper body around to glare at Toph, who was standing behind them with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face.

"Why do you do that?!"

Toph shrugged as she took a seat on Xiaodan's other side, "Because hearing you scream like a little girl is hilarious."

Sokka huffed and crossed his arms, looking away from the two girls with a pout when they started laughing at him. "I don't scream like a little girl. My scream is very manly, thank you very much."

Toph smirked and stomped her foot, earthbending a small rock underneath Sokka. He screamed as he was catapulted face first into the middle of the river. Xiaodan and Toph cracked up, both nearly doubling over as he came up sputtering, his sopping wet hair hanging in his face after coming out of his ponytail.

"Alright, that's it!" Sokka said loudly, grabbing the cackling girls attention, as he swam towards them with a maniacal grin. "You both gonna get it."

"Sokka," Xiaodan said warningly, "Don't even think about it. I'm still doing the lau-Ahh!" She shrieked as the Water Tribe boy surged out of the water and grabbed her wrist, yanking her into stream. Xiaodan heard Toph's own surprised shout a second before she went under. Blinking her eyes rapidly, she pushed off the bottom and resurfaced, spitting out water and glaring at Sokka, who laughing loudly as Toph clung to him.

"I'm gonna beat you to a pulp, Sokka!" The blind girl shouted, still clinging to him as the water moved sluggishly around her.

"Aw, c'mon Toph, you gotta learn to swim at some point." He quipped with a grin and he wrapped an arm around her waist, carefully maneuvering both of them over to where Xiaodan was standing waist deep in the stream.

As soon as he was close enough, Xiaodan flicked him in the forehead. She smiled when he yelped, clutching the reddening spot with his free hand.

"What was that for?" He whined, pouting at her.

"Toph can't hit you yet, I felt obligated to do it for her." Xiaodan replied cheekily and she grabbed on of Toph's hand, leading her towards the bank with Sokka. The water only came up to hers and Sokka's waist, but it was up to Toph's shoulders since she was shorter than both of them. "C'mon, little sister, let's get you back to the bank."

"This isn't so bad, but that would be nice. Thanks." Toph muttered, grimacing at the strange, shifty feeling standing on the bottom of the river gave her. She could see, but everything was sort of blurry, the pebbles and sand shifting too much for her to get a good picture. "I'm still gonna get you back for this, Sokka."

Sokka winced and looked over at Xiaodan hopefully. The dualbender smirked at him and shook her head, non-verbally telling him that he was on his own. He groaned.

"Aw man."

Xiaodan smiled at the two. It seemed that even though a hundred years had passed, laundry day at the Western Air temple still turned into water fight day.

"Look, this seems promising." Aang said, nodding at a large mural that had been carved into a wall at the top of the stairs they'd been walking up. He frowned slightly in confusion as Zuko came to a stop beside him, "Though, I'm not sure what this tells us about the original source of firebending."

The carving was of a man, his arms raised, surrounded by fire with two dragons on either side of him. Zuko quirked a brow at the mural and commented drily, "They look pretty angry to me."

"I thought the dragons were friend with the Sun Warriors..."

"Well, they had a funny way of showing it." Zuko stated flatly, looking down briefly before starting to walk alongside the wall.

Aang frowned slightly as he stared after the older boy then he called out to him, "Zuko?" He took a fortifying breath when the former prince stopped walking, "Something happened to the dragons in the last hundred years. Something you're not telling me."

Zuko closed his eyes for a moment and sighed, opening them slowly. "My great-grandfather, Sozin happened."

Aang faltered and looked off to the side quickly. When he looked back at Zuko, he noticed the older boy had started walking, so he hurried after.

"Sozin started the tradition of hunting dragons for glory. They were the ultimate Firebenders." Zuko explained when he heard Aang walking behind. He looked down at the bridge they were walking across and sighed. "And if you could conquer one, your firebending talents would become legendary and you'd earn the honorary title, Dragon." As they approached a staircase with two dragon statues on either side, he stopped and looked at them. "The last great dragon was conquered long before I was born." He touched one of the dragon statues and closed his eyes, "By my uncle."

"But I thought..." Aang shrugged unsurely and bit his lip, "I thought your uncle was...I don't know, good?"

"He had a complicated past." Zuko replied, glancing over his shoulder at the younger boy before looking back at the statue, "Family tradition, I guess." He turned and started walking up the stairs, "Let's just move on."

Aang hurried after the former prince, jogging to catch up with him. The two traversed the stairs in silence until they reached the top, walking past a column with a red gem in the center without much more than a wayward glance. Several yards directly in front of the column was a large structure with two gold doors. Aang's face brightened with excitement and he rushed towards the doors, dropping his staff before attempting to pull them open. He grunted and strained, but the doors remained tightly shut.

He stepped back, panting slightly and looked over at Zuko, "It's locked up!"

Zuko frowned thoughtfully, rubbing the side of his head. Out of the corner of his eye, something flashed and he looked behind him, the gem in the center of the column catching his eye. He looked between the gem and the door then stepped to the side, watching as the light that had been reflecting off the gem hit his shoulder.

"Wait." Zuko called over to Aang as took a step to the side, watching as the red light rested on a circle carved into the ground. He shook his head in realization, "It's a celestial calender. Just like the Fire Sages have in their temples." He looked up at the door and eyed the red gem embedded in the stone just above doors, "I bet that Sun Stone opens the door, but on when the sunlight hits it at just the right angle," He sighed and looked over at Aang, "On the solstice."

"Monkey-feathers!" Aang groaned in exasperation, hanging his head slightly, "The solstice again? Xia will kill us if we wait here that long..."

"Yeah," Zuko winced slightly at the thought, "We can't wait here that long." He between the Sunstone above the door and the one in the column then unsheathed his dao blades as an idea came to him. "But maybe we can speed time up. Let's see if we can outsmart the Sun Stone."

Zuko placed his sword in the red light's path, adjusting it carefully as he watched the beam of light being reflected off his sword move shakily across the doors before hitting the Sun Stone above them. The Sunstone glowed brightly and Aang glanced up at it hopefully.

He frowned and looked back at Zuko helplessly, "Nothing's happening."

"Come on..." Zuko muttered under his breath, watching the Sunstone with narrowed eyes while holding his sword in place.

Suddenly the ground began to tremble slightly and a deep rumbling shook the air around them. Aang spun around and watched with wide eyes as the gold doors creaked open slowly. Zuko smirked and stood up, moving over to stand beside the younger boy.

"You know, Zuko, I don't care what everyone else says about you," Aang commented gleefully as he picked up his staff and Zuko sheathed his sword. He nudged the older boy with a grin, "You're pretty smart."

Zuko smiled slightly then frowned as he realized what exactly the younger boy had said. He scowled and rolled his eyes, following Aang, who had already started walking, into the chamber. Aang squinted his eyes slightly in order to see anything in the shadowed room. He took another step forward then jumped back with a yelp of surprise, staring up at an angry-faced statue with wide eyes.

"Relax." Zuko drawled drily as he walked up to the Airbender, "They're just statues."

Aang sighed in relief and followed after the former prince as he walked into the middle of the ring of statues. Aang looked at the statues in awe, taking in the various fighting positions they were in; each position parallel to each other. He turned towards the first statue, the one that had startled him, and leaned down.

He scratched his head as he read the inscription at the foot of the statue, "It says this is something called The Dancing Dragon." Aang leaned his staff against the statue and took a step back, mimicking the crane-posture of the statue. A plate suddenly sank under his foot and he quickly stepped off of it, looking down in bewilderment as it rose back up. Experimentally, he stepped on the tile with his foot then removed it, watching as it first sank under the pressure then rose back up.

"Zuko," Aang exclaimed, running and grabbing the older boy by the elbow, "Get over here. I want you to dance with me."

Zuko yanked his arm back and stared at Aang in shock, "What?"

"Just do it!" Aang insisted, grabbing Zuko's arm and dragging him to the first two statues.

Zuko groaned as Aang positioned him in front of the statue on the left before he moved to stand behind the one on the right.

"Let's follow the steps of the statues." Aang suggested.

Zuko sighed, but stepped back and shifted into the crane position along with Aang. He looked down in surprise as the tile he stood on sank beneath his foot with a soft scraping sound. Aang grinned over him excitedly.

"Don't you see? These aren't dance moves." Aang said eagerly as he and Zuko moved in synchronization, mimicking the statues positions, the tiles sinking beneath their feet with soft rustles of stone on stone, "I think this is some kind of Sun Warrior firebending form."

Zuko shifted in a lunge with his fist thrust out in front of him, then moved into the next position, his arms spread in a low arc above his head. He muttered caustically, "This better teach us some really good firebending." He could practically hear Xiaodan laughing at him.

Aang just chuckled excitedly as he and Zuko shifted through the rest of the forms until they came to the last one. Aang kept his eyes closed as he bent his torso to the right, stretched his arms over his head, and held his fists out towards Zuko, who's position was mirror image of his own. The low sound of stone grinding against stone reached their ears and they straightened, turning towards the sound just in time to see a whole appear in the center of them. Zuko and Aang watched in surprise as a pedestal with a golden egg-like object rose up from the hole, the egg catching the faint light streaming inside the room from the open door.

"Hurray!" Aang cheered, throwing his arms in the air triumphantly. He paused and rubbed his head in confusion, "Wait, what exactly is that?"

"It's some kind of mystical gem stone." Zuko said, excitement bubbling inside his chest, and he ran towards the pedestal.

"Wait!" Aang protested when he saw Zuko reaching for egg and he rushed forward, "Don't touch it!"

Zuko stopped in his tracks and looked over at the younger boy curiously, "Why not?"

"Remember what happened out there with those spikes?" Aang replied as he raised his arms in an imitation of the spikes. He dropped his arms and glanced around warily before looking back at Zuko, "I'm just very suspicious of giant, glowing gems sitting on pedestals."

Zuko rolled his eyes and turned back towards the egg, picking it up off pedestal, while Aang smacked his forehead behind him. Zuko sucked in a quiet breath, the warmth of the gem surprising him. It almost seemed to pulse in his hands. He stared down at the golden gem in amazement as he whispered, "It feels almost alive."

Carefully, he went to put the gem back down on the pedestal but before he could, a jet of green goo spurted from the pedestal and launched him into the air, pressing him into the grating on the ceiling, pinning him there.

"Oh, no," Aang shouted in despair as the doors slammed shut, trapping them inside the chamber, "It's another trap!" More green goo flowed from the pedestal and Aang edged away from it cautiously, "Zuko! What do we do?"

Still stuck to the grate in the ceiling, Zuko grunted and strained against the green stuff, but it held him tight, the gem hanging by a sticky strand from his wrist. "Ugh," He grunted as he continued to struggle, "I can't pull free! It's like some kind of glue."

The goo continued to pour out of the pedestal, slowly covering the floor. Aang squeaked and jumped around it, heading for his staff. He grabbed his glider and jumped up onto the top of the first statue's head just as the goo completely covered the floor. Shifting his grip, Aang swung his staff towards Zuko, airbending a strong gust of wind at him in an attempt to free him, but the force of the wind only pushed Zuko from his back onto his front, his body still stuck to the grate.

"Oops." Aang muttered then began to panic when he noticed the goo had rapidly risen to where he was, trapping the end of his staff. He tried to pull it out, but it remained steadfastly stuck, so he let it go and jumped up towards the grate embedded in the ceiling, grabbing onto the bars as the goo quickly engulfed the room.

Aang grunted and yanked at the metal bars, trying to get them to budge and his hands stuck to the goo already on the bars. He struggled to pull them off, but they remained stuck. "I can't move. Zuko, do something!"

"Me?" Zuko squawked indignantly, "What do you expect me to do?! I can't move either!"

Aang glanced over his shoulder and his eyes widened when he saw the goo was nearing the ceiling. He turned back around and renewed his struggle to move the metals bars, but any attempt at trying to budge them was cut short when the goo finally reached them. Zuko and Aang both groaned in discomfort as the goo pressed them tightly against the grating until it suddenly stopped.

"It stopped." Aang muttered in relief.

Zuko sighed and stared up at the sky, "At least we have air. Maybe if we stay calm we can figure a way out of this."

If he had been able to, Aang would have nodded in agreement.

Xiaodan stood at the edge of the fountain courtyard, her arms crossed over her chest and her arms riveted to the sky. Night had already fallen and worry had begun to grow inside her when Aang and Zuko still hadn't returned. The logical part of her knew that they might be gone longer than a day, but the mother-hen part of her told her logic to shut up and continued to worry.

A soft tug on her samghati pulled her gaze away from the starry sky and she looked down, orange eyes meeting The Duke's brown orbs. She smiled weakly at him, "Hey, what's up, kiddo?"

"Can you tell us a story?" The Duke asked hopefully, wiping his nose on his sleeve, already used to the endearment she'd bestowed on him. He liked the dualbender, so he didn't mind too much. It was better than Teo always getting his name wrong.

Xiaodan smile strengthened. Despite having been a Freedom Fighter and participating in the invasion, The Duke was still a little kid. She scooped him up, holding him on her hip, "Sure thing, kiddo."

The Duke sighed in exasperation at being picked up like a child, but decided to let it go as he wrapped his arms around her neck. He knew she was worried about Aang and Zuko, and if it distracted her from that worry, he'd let her coddle him. And although he'd never admit, he secretly liked the way she mothered him, so he didn't protest too much.

Xiaodan walked over to the others already sitting around the campfire and took a seat between Toph and Teo, shifting The Duke from her hip to her lap. She slipped his helmet off, set it beside her, and started running her fingers through his messy brown hair. "How 'bout I tell you guys about the time Aang and our friend Kuzon saved a dragon egg from a group of poachers?"

Toph snorted from beside her, "This oughta be good."

Xiaodan smiled over at her then cleared her throat and began the tale, "It all started when Kuzon, who was also looking for adventure, bought a map of dragon nests..."

Aang stared up at the sky, which had long since grown dark, and sighed. He glanced over at Zuko from the corner of his eye, "You had to pick up the glowing egg, didn't you?"

"At least I made something happen." Zuko retorted defensively, glaring as best he could at the younger boy, "If it were up to you, we'd never have made it past the courtyard."

Aang ignored him and, opening his mouth wide, shouted as loudly as he could, "Help!"

"Who are you yelling to?" Zuko demanded in exasperation, "Nobody's lived here for centuries."

"Well, what do you think we should do?"

Zuko looked off the side for a moment then muttered, "Think about our place in the universe?"

"Xia's gonna kill us..." Aang groaned and closed his eyes, Zuko sighing in agreement.

"Who is down there?"

Both boys would have jumped in surprise if they could have, as it was, they're eyes went wide as a man wearing warpaint on his face, a headdress, and a tribal outfit stepped into view.

"No way..." Aang muttered quietly as he stared up at the man.

After being freed from the grate by several men and women wearing face-paint and dressed similarly to the man in the headdress, Aang and Zuko sat in front of the chamber's closed door, still trapped in the sticky goo. Two aardvark-sloths sat on either side of them, happily licking the slime off of them while the men and women stood in a loose circle around them.

The man, who was obviously the chief, walked towards the two boys, "For trying to take our Sunstone, you must be severely punished!"

"We didn't come here to take your Sunstone." Zuko stated firmly, ignoring the aardvark-sloth licking his face, "We came here to find the ancient origin of all firebending."

"Yeah, right." A skinny man snapped as he stepped out of the loose circle and came to a stop beside the chief, cradling the golden gem in his arms, "They are obviously thieves, here to steal Sun Warrior treasures."

"Please," Aang begged, looking up at the chief with imploring eyes as he placed a newly freed hand on his chest, "I don't normally play this card, but...I'm the Avatar." The skinny man looked towards the chief with a puzzled expression. The chief just stared at Aang intently and, seeing his chance, Aang struggled to his feet and gave a weak smile, "Just hear us out."

Zuko, now also clean off the slime, stood up as well. "My name is Zuko, Crown Prince of the Fire Nation." He paused and looked down at the ground, "Or at least, I used to be." He sighed and looked up at the chief earnestly, "I know my people have distorted the ways of firebending to be fueled by rage and hate. But now I want to learn the true way," He paused and stared back at the ground remorsefully, "The original way. When we came here, I never imagined the Sun Warrior civilization was secretly alive."

"I am truly humbled to be in your presence. Please, teach us." Zuko said and he bowed respectfully along with Aang.

The Sun Warrior chief looked at them critically then spoke, "If you wish to learn the ways of the Sun, you must learn them from the masters Ran and Shao."

"Ran and Shao? There are two of them?" Aang questioned in surprise, the conversation he'd had with Xiaodan on the Fire Nation ship coming to the forefront of his mind. She said she'd been marked by people called The Masters. Maybe this Ran and Shao were those guys. Aang almost physically reacted when he realized that, if Ran and Shao were the Masters that had given his sister her tattoos, then her mother was a Sun Warrior.

Aang was yanked out of his thoughts when the Chief stepped in front of him and Zuko. The older man looked down at both of them sternly, "When you present yourselves to them, they will examine you. They'll read your hearts, your souls, and your ancestry." He took a step towards Zuko and towered over him, "If they deem you worthy, they will teach you. If they don't..." He paused and narrowed his eyes dangerously, "You'll be destroyed on the spot."

The chief stepped back and Zuko swallowed, exchanging a nervous glance with Aang.

The sun was beginning to rise when the Sun Warrior Chief and his people had led Zuko and Aang towards the main structure in the center of the ruins. The chief stood before a blazing fire, with Aang and Zuko before him, and the other Sun Warriors sitting in concentric semi-circles around them.

The chief turned towards the two boys, "If you're going to see the Masters, you must bring them a piece of the eternal flame." He gestured towards the fire blazing fiercely behind him, Zuko and Aang staring at it in awe. The chief raised his arms proudly and turned back to the boys, "This fire is the very first one. It was given to Man by the dragons. The Priestesses and Priests of our tribe have kept it going for thousands of years."

"I don't believe it." Zuko whispered in bewilderment and awe.

"You will each take a piece of it to the Masters, to show your commitment to the sacred art of firebending."

"Um..." Aang hesitated and looked at the chief unsurely, "Mister Sun Chief, sir? Yeah, I'm not a Firebender yet." He gestured towards Zuko weakly, "Couldn't my friend here carry my fire for me."

"No." The chief replied sternly then turned back to the fire, Aang watching uneasily as he reached into the flames and pulled some of the fire into his palm. "This ritual illustrates the essence of Sun Warrior philosophy." The Sun Warrior Chief turned in a full circle and split the fire equally in two, holding a flame in each hand. "You must maintain a constant heat. The flame will go out if you make it too small." He held the fire out to Aang. The chief turned towards Zuko and held one of the flames out to him, "Make it too big, and you might loose control."

Zuko stared at the flame coolly as he took it from the chief, cradling it carefully in his hands. He looked over at Aang, who was staring at the fire the chief was holding out to him warily.

"I'm sorry. I'm just a little nervous." Aang apologized with a wince. He took a deep breath and, closing his eyes, gathered the fire into his hands. The fire flared for a second then settled and Aang opened his eyes slowly. He stared at the flickering flame in his hand, his expression relieved and awed. "It's like a little heartbeat."

"Fire is life, not just destruction." The Sun Chief explained patiently, "You will take your flames up there." He pointed to a rocky mountain nearby, the boys turning to look in that direction. The Sun Chief continued, "The cave of the Masters is beneath that rock."

Aang and Zuko looked at each then turned and headed down the temple's stairs, beginning the trek towards the mountain.

Leaning against a broken pillar in the fountain courtyard, Xiaodan watched the clouds float across the clear, morning sky. Everyone had drifted off to sleep after her story the night before, but she'd woken up only a few hours later after having the same dream with the woman and the dragons. Unable to go to sleep after that, she'd quietly moved The Duke, who had fallen asleep on her arm, and slipped away to the courtyard, where she'd take vigil leaning against a broken pillar with her legs hanging over the edge.

As she sat there, watching the sky for Appa as the night passed, Xiaodan thought about her dream and how she was going to find out if her theory about her mother was true. When the sky lightened with the rising sun, it's rays falling over her, Xiaodan had a moment of utter clarity. If she wanted to learn anything about her past, she'd have to go find it herself. The universe wasn't just going to drop the answers in her lap. Xiaodan had decided then and there, with the sunlight surrounding her, that once Aang and Zuko returned, she slip away with Appa and get her answers. And hopefully be back before anyone even noticed she was gone. This was a journey she had to make on her own after all.

"Hurry up." Zuko called down to Aang as the two made their way up a steep grassy incline, the younger boy lagging behind quite a bit.

"I can't." Aang protested, placing one and on a rock and pulling himself up with some difficulty, "If I walk too fast, my flame will go out."

"Your flame's gonna go out because it's too small." Zuko stated drily as he waited with some impatience for the Airbender to reach him, "You're too timid. Give it more juice."

Aang pulled himself up onto another rock and looked at Zuko worriedly, "But what if I can't control it?"

"You can do it." Zuko replied with a small, encouraging smile, "I know you can. You're a talented kid."

Aang smiled back at him then climbed up the last rock and followed Zuko up the path to the mountain.

Dusk had fallen by the time the two boys, weary from the trek, made it the bottom of the mountain, where the Sun Warriors were already waiting for them, poised in an alternating standing and sitting position around the area. Aang looked at the bridge between the two mountain peaks in amazement while Zuko looked at the Sun Chief and two tribesmen approaching them.

"Facing the judgment of the firebending Masters will be very dangerous for you." The chief stated impassively as he regarded the two boys. He looked at Zuko sternly, "You're ancestors are directly responsible for the dragons' disappearances." The chief continued as Zuko looked to the side in shame. "The Masters might not be so happy to see you."

The skinny man from before put his hand on his hips and smirked at Zuko, "I know I wouldn't be."

"But," Aang protested quietly as he looked between Zuko and the Sun Chief, "Once they find out I'm the Avatar-"

"Have you forgotten that you vanished allowing the Fire Nation to wreak havoc on the world?" The Sun Chief demanded, interrupting the young Airbender. He stared Aang down, "The decline of the dragons is your burden too."

Aang bit his lip and looked away. The Sun Warrior Chief stared at the two boys stonily before driving his staff into the ground, the two tribesmen taking a bending stance on either side of it, mirroring each other. The Sun Chief then stepped forward, bending a section from each of the two boys' flames and placing them onto the waiting Sun Warriors' open palms.

The two tribesmen moved towards the other Sun Warriors waiting in a ring, while the chief removed his staff from the ground. In perfect synchronization, the two tribesmen carrying the flame passed it to another tribesman, who bended it into a circle a few times before the next Sun Warrior who is standing bends a small part of the fiery circle towards her and repeats the process.

Aang glanced around nervously then looked up at Zuko as the Sun Chief walked towards the staircase that led to the bridge, "We could turn back now. We've already learned more about fire than we hoped." He held up the little flame cupped in his hands and smiled weakly.

"No, we're seeing this through to the end." Zuko replied determinedly. "We're gonna meet these masters and find out what's so great about them."

"What if they judge us and attack us?"

"Well, we're the Fire Prince and the Avatar." Zuko stated, unsheathing his dao swords slightly for emphasis with a confident smile, "I think we can take these guys in a fight, whoever they are."

Aang bit his lip uneasily, but nodded in agreement. Zuko took a deep breath then turned and stepped forward confidently, "Bring 'em out."

The Sun Chief threw his arms out to the side and called out, "Chanters!"

Several Sun Warriors, who are sitting down, began beating the drums in their laps in synchronization, the Sun Warriors who are standing or are without drums, chanting easily in time with the beat.

Aang and Zuko turned simultaneously and made their way towards the staircase where the Sun Warrior Chief was waiting for them, they're steps in time with one another. When they reached the stairs, the chief and the two warriors on either side of him stepped aside, letting Aang and Zuko pass.

The two boys looked at each other quickly, each taking a deep breath before climbing up the stairs. Aang glanced back as he walked after Zuko, hesitating a moment before swallowing and pushing forward. At the bottom of the staircase, the Sun Warrior chief watched them with an unreadable expression.

The chanting and drumming stopped as soon as Zuko and Aang reached the top of the stairs and stepped out onto the bridge, the setting sun shining brightly before them. Both boys looked warily at the two caves on either side of the bridge.

"Those who wish th meet the masters, Ran and Shao, will now present their fire."

Aang and Zuko turned towards the caves simultaneously and bowed with their hands outstretched towards the caves, presenting their fire.

In the courtyard, the Sun Chief looked over at one of the tribesman, "Sound the call!"

The Sun Warrior took a deep breath and brought the horn he held in his hand to his lips, blowing hard; the sound sending a flock of birds roosting nearby scattering into the air.

Suddenly, the cave Aang was facing began to rumble, several rocks becoming dislodged, and he trembled fearfully, accidentally dropping his hands to his sides and extinguishing his fire. "What's happening?" He asked worriedly, turning to look over at Zuko's cave which remained unchanged.

Zuko turned slightly and gave him a puzzled look. Aang cringed, quickly returning to his bowed position, with his hands outstretched. A second later his eyes widened, gasping in dismay when he realized his flame was gone, and he quickly turned back towards Zuko.

"Zuko," Aang whispered desperately, "My fire went out."

"What do you want me to do?" Zuko whispered back sarcastically, glancing over his shoulder at the younger boy.

"Give me some of yours." Aang replied quickly, reaching over Zuko's shoulder for the fire.

"No," Zuko hissed as he gently pushed Aang aback, "Just make your own."

Aang reached for Zuko's fire again, "I can't!'

"Get some from one of those warriors. Hurry." Zuko snapped, losing patience as he kept Aang from taking some of his fire. His voice rose slightly in annoyance, "Stop cheating off me!"

Down at the bottom of the stairs, the Sun Warrior Chief exchanged bemused and exasperated glances with another warrior, the two boys' argument easily heard.

"Quite being stingy!" Aang demanded irritably back on the bridge, continuing to reach for Zuko's flame, but was unable to reach it because of their height difference. Zuko grunted and lifted his arm higher so that the flame remained out of the younger boy's reach.

Aang growled slightly as he attempted to grab the fire by sticking close to Zuko's back, flailing his arms from under Zuko's armpits. The two continued to struggle for the flame for a few more minutes until Aang accidentally caused Zuko to drop his hands, extinguishing the flame. The two boys froze for a second then jumped apart, looking at each other unsurely.

The cave Zuko had been facing suddenly began to rumble, shaking the bridge, and the boys looked at it unsurely. The other cave began to rumble and shake the bridge and the two boys looked at each other with troubled expressions.

"Uh-oh." They muttered.

Suddenly, a pair of yellow eyes glowed in the darkness of the cave and a red dragon shot out of it with a thunderous roar. It circled around the bridge and the two boys, the overwhelmingly powerful winds caused by the dragon's wings causing them to stagger slightly.

Zuko lowered his arms, which he'd raised to protect his face, and stared in shock at the dragon, turning to follow it's path. He sucked in a sharp breath as a blue dragon erupted from the other cave, joining it's red counterpart in circling around each other, the bridge, and the boys.

"These are the Masters." Zuko whispered reverently, watching the dragons fly around each other in awe.

Aang leaned towards Zuko and whispered, "Still think we can take 'em?"

"Shh!" Zuko hissed and he looked at the dragons nervously, "I never said that!"

As the dragons continued circling, the Sun Warriors bowed down in the courtyard.

"Oh, here it comes." The skinny tribesman whispered eagerly as he looked up slightly at the boys with a grin, "Any moment now...dinner for the Masters."

The Sun Warrior Chief turned towards the other man and barked lowly, "Quiet, Ham Gao."

"What?" Ham Gao sulked, turning his head away, "Everyone's thinking it."

Up on the bridge, Aang studied the dragons, who were still flying in an elaborate formation of twists, turns, and curves. His eyes widening in realization, he whispered to Zuko without looking away from the dragons, "Zuko, I think we're supposed to do The Dragon Dance with them."

"What?" Zuko demanded in bewilderment, "What about this situation makes you think they want us to dance?"

"Well, I think they want us to do something." Aang explained and he looked at Zuko imploringly, "Let's just try it."

"Fine." Zuko grunted and, back to back, they shifted into the first position of The Dancing Dragon, the two dragons shooting upward at the same time, then they shifted into the next position and the dragons followed them.

Moving fluidly, Aang turned to the side and spread his arms out, the blue dragon flying beside him, following the shape of his arms as he shifted into each position. He then thrust his arms down and to the side, the dragon turning sharply at the same time.

Exactly parallel to Aang and the blue dragon, Zuko and the red dragon did the same, keeping in perfect sync with their counterparts. Zuko moved just as seamlessly as Aang, pushing one hand up while angling the other underneath that arm; the red dragon flying beside him angling upwards as well. Zuko ducked down into a crouch with one leg extended and the dragon dove down, following the movement of his outstretched leg.

Slowly, the boys moved in a circle, heading towards each other with each fluid movement, the dragons complimenting their movements effortlessly. Finally, Aang and Zuko shifted into the final form of The Dancing Dragon, their bodies bent to the side and their arms outstretched towards the other, fists touching. They held the position for several seconds before glancing at the two dragons, who had stopped circling and were now hovering on either side of the bridge.

"Judgement time." The Sun Warrior Chief whispered.

Trembling slightly, Aang stood with his back against Zuko's, his eyes riveted to the red dragon staring straight at him. The blue dragon, facing Zuko, snarled lowly and he stared at it, mouth agape. The two dragons held their position for a long moment then dropped down, anchoring their lower legs to the bottom of the stone staircase while gripping the top with their front legs.

The dragons opened their mouths simultaneously and fire spilled forth, heading straight towards the boys. Aang and Zuko yelled fearfully, covering their faces with their arms as they were engulfed in a rising spiral of multi-colored flame. When they didn't feel the burning heat of being roast alive, Zuko slowly lowered his arms and stared, completely shell-shocked by what he saw. He and Aang were standing in the eye of the fiery, swirling vortex, the flames an array of every color imaginable. Aang stared at the fire in wonder, the flames reflecting off his pupils, and he gasped in amazement.

"I understand." Zuko whispered in realization as he stared at the fire.

Slowly, the flames dissipate and the dragons curl their bodies tightly then spring up and circle each other one final time before retreating back to their caves. Aang and Zuko continued to stand on the bridge, marveling at what they had just witnessed before making their way back down the stairs. Below, one by one, the Sun Warriors holding a ring of fire moved their arms in a circular motion, extinguishing the flames and placing their hands atop on another, one fist clenched and the bottom of their other palm resting on top of it, like a flame.

"There fire was beautiful." Zuko said softly as he and Aang got closer to the bottom of the stairs. "I saw so many colors, colors I've never imagined."

"Like firebending harmony." Aang whispered in awe.

"Yes." The Sun Chief commented with a soft smile as the two boys reached the courtyard, "They judged you, and gave you visions of the meaning of firebending."

"I can't believe there are still living dragons." Zuko stated in disbelief, "My Uncle Iroh said he faced the last dragon and killed it."

Aang frowned slightly, "So your Uncle lied."

"Actually," The Sun Chief cut in with a smile, "It wasn't a total lie. Iroh was the last outsider to face the Masters. They deemed him worthy and passed the secret onto him as well."

Zuko's eyes widened in surprise and realization, "He must have lied to protect them, so no one else would hunt them."

"All this time, I thought firebending was destruction." Aang shook his head and looked down at the ground, "Ever since I hurt Katara, I've been too afraid and hesitant. But now I know what it really is...it's energy, and life." He smiled at the Sun Warrior Chief, who inclined his head.

"Yeah, it's like the sun, but inside of you." Zuko agreed and he curled his hand into a fist, staring at it a moment before looking at the chief and gesturing with his arms, "Do you guys realize this?"

"Well, our civilization is called the Sun Warriors..." The chief replied with an amusement shrug, "So yeah."

"That's why my firebending was so weak before." He turned towards Aang as he spoke, "Because for so many years, hunting you was my drive...it was my purpose. So when I joined you, I lost sight of my inner fire." Zuko narrowed his eyes in determination, "But now, I have a new drive. I have to help you defeat my father and restore balance to the world."

Zuko lunged forward and thrust his fist out, firebending a rather large sized flame before twisting around and doing it again. Aang grinned and mimicked the other boy, a large jet of flame shooting from his fist. The two boys straightened and walked back to each other, happy with their shared achievement.

Once they were standing in front of him again, the Sun Warrior chief addressed them happily, "Now that you have learned the secrets, and you know about our tribe's existence," His expression suddenly became deadly serious and he stared the two boys down, "We have no choice but to imprison you here forever."

Aang and Zuko gaped at him, mouths open in shock.

The chief snorted and grinned at them, "Just kidding. But seriously, don't tell anyone."

The two boys glanced at each other then nodded at the chief in agreement.

When Aang and Zuko returned to the Western Air Temple the morning after learning from the Sun Warriors, Aang had barely landed Appa in the ruined courtyard when he was tackled off the sky bison's head. He sputtered in shock, spitting out strands of his sister's hair that had somehow managed to get in his mouth.

"Xia!" Aang squeaked, groaning as she practically crushed him, "Can't breathe!"

"I'm so happy you're back!" Xiaodan exclaimed in happy relief, ignoring his protests as she crushed him even closer to her. She abruptly pushed him away a second later, pointing a stern finger at his face, "I hope you learned something usefully, because you are not allowed to go anywhere without me ever again." She clutched at her chest dramatically, "My heart can't take all the worrying."

"You're crazy, you know that." Aang sighed, smiling at his sister affectionately.

Xiaodan rapped her knuckles on his head, "That's because you make me crazy, little brother."

At that moment, Katara brushed Xiaodan aside, giving the older girl a dirty look, before embracing Aang tightly, "I'm so glad you're okay, Aang. I was so worried about you." She sent another dirty, pointed look at Xiaodan, confusion her.

The dualbender made a face and stepped back, crossing her arms over her chest as Sokka, Toph, Haru, Teo, and The Duke greeted Aang happily. From the corner of her eye, Xiaodan noticed Zuko lingering at the edge of the group, an almost wistful expression on his face as he watched them. She hesitated, glancing between her brother and her friends, all of whom were moving back towards the fire, and Zuko. Sighing softly and already cursing herself for what she was about to do, Xiaodan walked over to the former prince and grabbed his arm. She avoided looking at him as she dragged him towards the fire and the others, only saying a curt, "C'mon."

Zuko jumped slightly in surprise, staring at the back of her head in shock as she pulled him towards the fire. He almost said something, but decided against it at the last minute, simply allowing the dualbender to drag him along after her.

Without a word, Xiaodan pushed him down into a sitting position next to her bedroll and went to get them both lunch. As she was ladling some noodles into a bowl, she commented idly, "You guys timed your return perfectly, we were just about to have lunch."

"Great!" Aang exclaimed happily then he clutched at his stomach as it growled loudly, "I'm starving."

Xiaodan clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and handed him one of the bowls she was carrying then walked over to Zuko, shoving the other bowl into his hands brusquely without looking at him. He stared up at her in surprise, but she turned away and headed back to the pot before he could thank her. Still not looking at him, Xiaodan re-took her seat between Sokka and Toph, picking up the bowl she'd left behind when she'd heard Appa's approach.

"So," She asked after taking a bite of her lunch, "Did you guys learn anything?"

Aang's face instantly brightened and he set his bowl aside, "Yeah, we learned a lot!" He happily told his friends about what had happened in the ruins between bites. When he got to the part about how Zuko set of a booby trap by picking up the Sun Warriors Sun Stone, Xiaodan threw one of her chopsticks at him.

"Ow!" Zuko yelped and clutched at the spot on his forehead that the wooden stick at hit. He glared at her, 'What was that for?!"

"For being stupid and picking up a giant, glowing egg!"

"How was I supposed to know it was booby trapped?!"

"It should have been obvious, you moron."

"Don't call me a moron!"

"Then don't act like one all the time!"

Aang, Sokka, Teo, Haru, and The Duke looked back and forth between the teens as they continued to insult each other while Toph just grinned in amusement, easily sensing Zuko and Xiaodan's increased heartbeats. The only one unamused at the former prince and the dualbender's bickering was Katara, who was glaring at the two angrily.

"Give me a break." Zuko finally snapped, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms, "You would have picked it up too and you know it."

Xiaodan threw her other chopstick at him in response, smiling smugly when he yelped after it hit him in the exact same spot the first one had. Zuko scowled, clutching at his head, but before he could do anything in retaliation, Aang stood up and grabbed his arm, pulling on it insistently.

"Let's show them the firebending form we learned!"

Zuko groaned, but got to his feet reluctantly, shifting into position with Aang a little bit a ways from the group.

"With this technique the dragons showed us, Zuko and I would be unstoppable." Aang explained as they shifted through the stances fluidly, firebending with each step. When they reached the final stance, the group applauded.

"Yeah, that's a great dance you two learned." Sokka quipped with a grin.

"It's not a dance." Zuko snapped defensively as he straightened from the last stance and turned to glare at the other teen, "It's a firebending form."

Sokka nudged Xiaodan's side and wiggled his fingers in a dancing motion, "We'll just tap-dance our way to victory over the Fire Lord."

"Oh yeah?" Katara piped up with a sarcastic smirk, "What's your little form called?"

Zuko hesitated then sighed, hanging his head in embarrassment as he answered, "The Dancing Dragon."

Xiaodan cracked up, the others joining her a moment later. Zuko's eyebrow twitched and he closed his eyes, gritting his teeth in order to keep his temper in check. Xiaodan's laughter rose above the rest and Zuko sighed, shrugging his irritation off in favor of sitting back down and finishing his lunch.

Across from him, Xiaodan stared at her lap, thinking on what she had to do that night. If she wanted to find the answers to her past, she'd have to go get them and that was exactly what she was going to do