Xiaodan breathed deeply as she meditated in her room on the commandeered Fire Navy ship, her eyes closed and her body relaxed. The middle of her back suddenly twinged with a phantom pain and she snapped her eyes open and she looked towards the metal door, her brows furrowing in confusion.

"Aang?" She mumbled as she stood and walked slowly towards the door so she could check on her younger brother.

Aang opened his eyes slowly and looked from side-to-side, groaning quietly as pain shot up his spine. Carefully, he pushed himself up and moved his legs so they were hanging off the side of the sleeping pallet he was on. He groaned again and braced his hands on his knees, hanging his head when his vision began to blur and swirl.

"What happened?" Aang muttered to himself as he put his hand on his bandaged side with another soft groan and he looked around.

His eyes widened and terror filled him when he saw the Fire Nation tapestries hanging on the metal walls of the room he was in and he twisted around to look at the wall behind him.

"Oh no!" Aang gasped when he saw the large tapestry with the Fire Nation insignia on it and he quickly scrambled to his feet, grabbing his staff as he limped towards the metal door of the cabin.

Aang carefully creaked the door open and peered out into the dim hall warily, looking for any Fire Nation soldiers. When he didn't see any, he shuffled out of the room, using his glider as a crutch. He grunted quietly and braced his hand against one of the hall walls when he stumbled, his body weak and fatigued.

Aang leaned heavily against the metal wall of the hallway as he prepared to turn a corner, only to gasp quietly and press his back against the wall when he saw two Fire Nation soldiers loitering in the adjacent hallway.

"You hear something?" One of the guards asked.

Aang furrowed his brow in determination and stepped out into the hallway, using his staff to bend a weak gust of air at the two soldiers then he ran down the hall.

"He's awake!" The guard that spoken before shouted as he and the smaller guard began chasing after Aang.

Aang panted as he struggled to run down the hallway, his hand pressed against the metal wall for support.

"Stop! Wait!"

Aang increased his limping run, glancing worriedly over his shoulder at the guards before he tried to hurry up the stairs that would lead to the upper deck of the ship, using his glider as a crutch. He grunted in pain when his toe caught on the top stair and he crashed forward, his glider falling from his hand and sliding across the deck.

"Momo?" Aang muttered in confusion as he looked from his glider to the lemur, who was being petted by another Fire Nation shoulder while two others stood beside him.

Momo chittered happily and ran towards Aang, jumping onto his shoulder just as the young Airbender managed to get to his feet and the lemur began licking his feet happily.

"Twinkle Toes! That's gotta be you!"

Aang stared in confusion as Katara and Toph, both wearing Fire Nation cloaks rushed over to him from where they had been standing by the ship's railing.

"Aang, you're awake!" Katara exclaimed excitedly as she and Toph came to a stop beside the three other Fire Nation soldiers, while the two that had chased him to the upper deck appeared a moment later.

"Are you sure?" Aang asked warily and he rubbed at his eyes then looked at the seven people standing in front of him, "I feel like I'm dreaming."

Katara embraced him abruptly, "You're not dreaming. You're finally awake."

"Aang!" One of the men dressed as a Fire Nation Firebending guard exclaimed as he stepped forward and hugged Aang, "Good to see you back with the living, buddy!"

"Sokka?" Aang asked in confusion when he heard his friend's voice and his vision began to blur as he swayed slightly.

"Uh-oh, somebody catch him, he's going to-" Toph started to say, cutting herself when Aang collapsed.

"Aang?" Xiaodan called out quietly as she stepped into the room her brother had been sleeping in, her brow furrowing with worry when she saw it was empty, "Oh dear."

The white-haired girl quickly made her way to the top deck where she could hear some kind of commotion. She quickly ran up the stairs when she saw her brother's bandaged back, her eyes widening when he began to sway slightly.

"Uh-oh, somebody catch him, he's going to-" Xiaodan heard Toph start to say just as Aang collapsed backwards.

Xiaodan caught her brother's limp body with a small grunt of surprise and she stumbled slightly under the sudden deadweight. Xiaodan carefully lowered herself and Aang to the metal floor of the upper deck, holding the unconscious boy in her arms gently.

"Pass out..." Toph finished lamely from where she was standing beside The Duke, Hakoda, Bato, and Pipsqueak.

"Oh my goodness!" Katara gasped and she rushed forward, kneeling beside the two Airbenders with worried eyes while the rest quickly surrounded them as Appa lumbered over to the group with a low rumble.

"Well...That was interesting..." Xiaodan commented wryly, causing Sokka and Toph to snicker quietly.

Zuko frowned slightly as he leaned against the ship railing and stared out at the moonlit ocean in front of him. He was finally going home after three long years, something he should be happy about, but a part of him rebelled against the emotion.

"Aren't you cold?"

The scarred prince turned his head slightly to glance at Mai as she walked over to him, stopping less than a foot away from him.

"I've got a lot on my mind." Zuko replied flatly as he looked back at the ocean, "It's been so long, over three years since I was home. I wonder what's changed. I wonder how I've changed.

Mai suddenly yawned and she looked at Zuko with a bored expression, "I just asked if you were cold, I didn't ask for your whole life story."

Zuko pursed his lips and turned away from her, his brow furrowing slightly in annoyance. For some reason, Xiaodan's teasing face flashed across his mind and he knew that if he told her what he'd just said to Mai, she would have offered some profound piece of Airbender wisdom then tease him mercilessly for hours. Zuko shook his head slightly to dispel thoughts of the white-haired girl just as Mai stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Stop worrying." The dark-haired girl said with a small smile as she cupped his cheek and turned his face towards her.

She leaned into kiss him, but Zuko recoiled slightly as Xiaodan once again invaded his thoughts, only this time it was the betrayed expression on her face when she saw him standing at his sister's side in the Crystal Catacombs. Mai pulled back and frowned at him, her expression vaguely hurt and confused.

"Zuko?" Mai questioned in confusion, her brow furrowing slightly.

Zuko stared at her for a moment then leaned forward and kissed her. Mai sighed quietly against his lips and cupped his unscarred cheek gently as she kissed him back. She smiled faintly at him after she broke the kiss then she walked away. Zuko bowed his head and closed his eyes, trying to ignore the quilt that was assaulting his conscious and causing his heart to clench painfully inside his chest.

"Why are we on a Fire Nation ship?" Aang asked as he sat on the floor across from Katara and beside Xiaodan with Toph and Sokka standing behind Katara and a robe was draped over his shoulders, "Why is everyone dressed this way? And why am I the only completely out of it?"

Xiaodan glanced at Katara with a quirked brow before adjusting the robe around Aang's shoulders, pulling it more fully around him so he stayed warm.

"You need to take it easy, okay? You got hurt pretty bad." Katara chided gently as Sokka and Toph left the three alone then she smiled shyly at him, "I like your hair."

"I have hair!?" Aang gasped and he began patting his head then he looked at Xiaodan with wide eyes when he felt the hair on his normally bald head, "How long was I out?!"

"A few weeks." Katara replied softly as Aang clutched at the short brown hair on his head.

Xiaodan smiled and gently removed his hands from his head, "I would have shaved it, but I didn't want to move you around too much while you were healing."

"Everything okay?" Hakoda asked as he walked over to the three teens.

"We're fine, Dad." Katara replied in an annoyed tone as she looked off to the side.

Hakoda looked at his daughter for a moment then turned to Aang with his hand outstretched, "I'm Hakoda, Katara and Sokka's father."

Aang reached out to take the older man's hand, but Katara put her hands on his shoulders and stopped him.

"He knows who you are." Katara muttered drily, "I just called you 'Dad', didn't I?"

"I guess you're right." Hakoda said crestfallenly as he looked at his daughter.

Aang looked at Xiaodan with raised brows, but the white-haired girl merely shrugged one-shoulder. Aang carefully removed Katara hands from his shoulders and held his hand out to Hakoda again while Katara scowled and looked off to the side.

"It's nice to official meet you, Chief Hakoda." Aang said respectfully with a small smile.

"It's an honor to meet you." Hakoda replied with his own smile as he shook the young Airbender's hand firmly, but carefully, "Your sister has told me quite a bit about you."

Aang smiled and glanced over at Xiaodan, who gave him a cheeky smile in return, her molten orange eyes, though tired-looking, gleamed with their usual mischief.

"Great, great, so now you guys have finally met." Katara snapped abruptly before either Aang or Xiaodan could say anything else, "So would you mind giving us a little privacy?"

Hakoda sighed and nodded his head, "Of course."

Aang and Xiaodan watched Hakoda walk away for a moment then. Xiaodan shook her head slightly and pressed a kiss to Aang's cheek as she stood.

"I'm gonna get you something tea." Xiaodan said and Aang nodded, watching as she walked away then he looked over at Katara with a quirked brow.

"Are you mad at your dad or something?" He asked warily as he stared at the annoyed expression on Katara's face as she looked at her dad's back.

"What?" Katara asked in confusion as she looked back at Aang, "Not at all. Why would you say that?"

Aang shrugged and opened his mouth to reply, only to gasp and clutch at his side as pain shot through his body.

"Maybe we should go upstairs." Katara commented and she helped Aang to his feet, "You need a healing session."

Katara helped Aang shuffle back down the stairs and towards his room, helping him sit on the lower table that was in the middle of the room. Katara stood behind him and bending the water from the two bowls that were on the table, then she bended the water onto the ugly scar that Azula's lightning attack had left in the middle of Aang's back.

"Tell me where the pain feels most intense." Katara instructed.

Aang groaned quietly and winced when the water touched a particularly sore spot, "A little higher."

Katara moved her hands a little higher and Aang gasped, his eyes going wide.

'Aang rose slowly out of the crystal tent he had created around himself, his eyes and arrow tattoos glowing with the power of the Avatar State...'

"Wow..." Aang muttered as the memory faded from his mind, "You're definitely in the right area there."

"I can feel a lot of energy twisted up around there." Katara commented with a small frown then she began to slowly pull the water away from the scar as an idea came to her, "Let me just is if I can-"

Aang cut her off with a loud gasp of pain and his back arched as agony shot down his spine.

'Aang in the Avatar State continued to rise above the Dai Li agents, suddenly his mouth dropped open in a silent scream of pain as his back arched and he spasmed as lightning coursed through his body...

Katara and Xiaodan's face appeared above him, tears streaming down both of their faces as they looked down on him with a mix of hope and worry...'

"I went down! I didn't just get hurt, did I? It was worse than that. I was gone!" Aang exclaimed as he was abruptly brought back to reality and he put his hand on his forehead, "But you brought me back."

Katara shrugged slightly and looked to the side with a sad expression, "I just used the spirit water from the North Pole. I don't know what I did exactly."

Aang turned to look at her with a soft expression, "You saved me."

"You need to rest." Katara replied gently as she put a hand on the side of his face, "Xia will be down soon with your tea."

"Your Princess Azula, clever and beautiful, disguised herself as the enemy and entered the Earth Kingdom's Capital." Li addressed the soldiers below as she and her twin sister stood on the battle tower in the Royal Plaza in the Fire Nation Capital's harbor, "In Ba Sing Se, she found her brother Zuko, and together they faced the Avatar..."

"And the Avatar fell!" Li and Lo chorused together, "And the Earth Kingdom fell!"

"Azula's agents quickly overtook the city." Lo continued loudly, "They went to Ba Sing Se's great walls..."

"And brought them down!" The two women shouted.

"The armies of the Fire Nation surged through the walls and swarmed over Ba Sing Se, securing our victory." Li exclaimed.

'Several Dai Li agents stood at the top of the Outer Wall then they leapt down, sliding down the wall with their hands and feet pressed against it. When they landed on the ground they quickly lunged forward and slammed their fists against the wall, bringing down several sections and allowing hundreds of Fire Nation soldiers into the once impenetrable city of Ba Sing Se...'

"Now the heroes have returned home!" Li and Lo shouted together.

"Your princess, Azula..." Lo introduced and the crowd below cheered loudly as the young princess stepped forward, a smirk on her face.

"And after three long years," Li continued to speak, "Your prince has returned..."

"Zuko!" Li and Lo shouted together.

Zuko swallowed imperceptibly and walked forward with a vaguely worried expression on his face, his head slightly bowed. The crowd cheered loudly as he reached the edge of the balcony and he stared down at them for moment then lifted his chin, holding his head up proudly.

Xiaodan handed a bowl of noodles to Aang then she took a seat between him and Toph, her own bowl in her hand. Katara sat on Aang's other side while Sokka sat on a crate between Bato and Hakoda with Pipsqueak and The Duke standing by Toph, each with their own bowl in their hands.

"After what happened at Ba Sing Se, we had to get you to safety. We flew back to Chameleon Bay where we found my father and the other Water Tribe men." Sokka explained to Aang after taking a sip of his noodles, "The Earth King decided he wanted to travel the world in disguise, so he set off alone."

"Not completely alone." Xiaodan piped in with a faint smile, "Bosco went with him."

"Soon, the bay was overrun by Fire Nation ships. Rather than fight them all, we captured a single ship and made it our disguise." Sokka continued after nodding in Xiaodan's direction then he pointed at the map that was spread out on the floor in front of the group, "Since then we've been traveling west. We crossed through the Serpent's Pass a few days ago. We've seen a few Fire Nation ships, but none have bothered us."

Aang paused in his eating to look at Sokka with furrowed brows, "So what now?"

"We've been working on a modified version of the invasion plan." Hakoda replied, grinning slightly when Sokka and Aang turned to look at him.

"It's Sokka's invasion plan." Katara commented drily, her lips pulled into a small scowl as she glared down at her bowl of noodles.

"Yes, Sokka's plan." Hakoda agreed with a small frown as he regarded his daughter for a moment, "We won't be able to mount a massive invasion without the Earth King's armies, but the solar eclipse will still leave the Fire Nation vulnerable."

"So we're planning a smaller invasion. Just a ragtag team of our friends and allies from around the Earth Kingdom." Sokka said, taking over the explanation from his father and he nodded towards Pipsqueak and The Duke, "We already ran into Pipsqueak and The Duke."

"Good to see you again, Aang." Pipsqueak boomed as he ate his noodles and The Duke nodded in greeting from his spot sitting on the larger boy's shoulder.

Xiaodan smiled faintly at the pair then looked back at Sokka when he began talking again.

"And the best part is, the eclipse isn't even our biggest advantage! We have a secret..." Sokka said excitedly then he leaned forward to whisper to Aang, "You!"

"Me?" Aang asked in confusion and he looked between Sokka and the others.

Xiaodan quickly set her bowl of noodles on the floor and began waving her hands in a silencing motion, but Sokka either didn't notice or was ignoring her.

"Yep," The Water Tribe boy said eagerly, "The whole world thinks you're dead! Isn't that great?"

Xiaodan groaned and slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand, closing her eyes and shaking her head at how tactless Sokka was. Aang stared at Sokka in horrified shock, his eyes wide and his jaw slack.

"The world thinks I'm dead?" Aang demanded after he had moved over to the side of the boat to look out at the water then he whirled around to face his friends and allies, "How is that good news? That's terrible!"

"No, it's great!" Sokka refuted with a grin as he approached Aang, "It means the Fire Nation won't be hunting us anymore! And even better, they won't be expecting you on the Day of Black Sun!"

"No, no, no, no, no. You have no idea" Aang denied and he clutched at his head, his eyes closing tightly as he shook his head, "This is so messed up."

"Aang, calm down." Xiaodan said soothingly as he walked up to her brother and put her hand on his shoulders, "I kn-"

The sound of a horn blaring suddenly cut Xiaodan off mid-sentence and she, along with the rest of the group turned to look at the approaching Fire Nation ship.

"I'll handle this. The Avatar is back." Aang growled as he shrugged Xiaodan's hand off his shoulder and snapped his glider open, grunting in pain as he tried to shift in position.

"Aang, stop that right now." Xiaodan scolded him sharply as she grabbed his wrists to keep him from moving anymore, "You're going to make your injury worse!"

"Listen to Xia, Aang." Katara pleaded slightly as she approached the two Airbenders, "Remember, they don't know we're not Fire Nation."

Aang scowled at the two girls, sweat glistening on his brow from the pain and from exerting his weakened muscles, but after a moment he put his glider away. Xiaodan stepped forward and put her hands on his shoulders comfortingly, kissing the side of his in sisterly affection.

"Everyone just stay calm." Hakoda instructed as he and Bato put on their stolen Fire Nation helmets, "Bato and I will take care of this."

Pipsqueak and The Duke quickly covered Appa with a tarp as he rested in the large hole that had been opened for the sky bison.

"I hate not being able to do anything..." Aang grumbled in annoyance as he hid out of sight beside Toph, Xiaodan, Katara, and Sokka on the stairs that led into the belly of the ship.

"Hopefully, you won't need to." Toph grunted in reply.

"Shhh..." Xiaodan shushed them both and the five teens crouched lower on the stairs as the other ship's captain and two soldiers boarded their ship.

"Commander, why are you off course?" The captain demanded as he came to a stop in front of the disguised Hakoda and Bato, "All Western Fleet ships are supposed to be moving towards Ba Sing Se to support the occupation!"

"Actually, we're from the Eastern Fleet." Hakoda quickly explained, "We have orders to deliver some cargo."

"Ahhh... The Eastern Fleet." The captain mused then he scowled slightly and continued in a vaguely sarcastic tone, "Well, nice of Admiral Chan to let us know he was sending one of his ships our way."

"I'm sure Admiral Chan meant no disrespect, sir." Bato replied calmly.

The other captain huffed in annoyance, "I mean, how hard is it to write a quick note and send a hawk our way?"

"Next time, we'll send two hawks to make sure you get the message." Hakoda replied as he and Bato glanced at each other then he bowed to the other captain and he and Bato walked away.

"Sir..." The guard to the captain's right said lowly, "Admiral Chan has been on leave for two months at Ember Island."

"What? Why doesn't anyone ever tell me anything? Something's not right, they should have known that. I think this is a captured" The captain grumbled and the three turned to walk back to their own ship and he lowered his voice to a whisper, "Just stay quiet until we're safely across the ramp. Then we'll sink this ship."

Toph's sightless eyes widened when she heard the captain and she lunged out of the stairs, pointing at the three Fire Nation men's backs.

"They know!" She shouted then she slammed her hands on the deck, Metalbending the ramp between the ships off and sending the three men into the water.

Katara leapt out of hiding and lifted her arms, Waterbending a large wave between the ships and pushing the enemy ship away while the group's commandeered ship quickly sailed away. Xiaodan leapt onto the top deck and raced forward to stand beside Toph while Sokka ushered Aang into the command tower, much to the younger boy's annoyance as the enemy ship chased after them.

Zuko sat cross-legged beside the small pond in the garden he and his mother used to sit by and he tossed small pieces of bread into the water, watching quietly as the turtle-ducks quaked happily as they ate the food.

"You seem so downcast. Has Mai gotten to you already?" Azula commented with false warmth as she approached her brother and she smiled slyly as she stood in front of him, "Though actually, Mai has been in strangely good mood lately."

Zuko ignored her goading and stared at the ground, "I haven't seen Dad yet. I haven't seen him in three years, since I was banished."

"So what?"

"So," Zuko growled in annoyance, "I didn't capture the Avatar."

"Who cares? The Avatar's dead..." Azula replied flippantly, though her eyes narrowed when she saw her brother look away, "Unless you think he somehow miraculously survived.

'"This is water from the spirit oasis at the North Pole." Katara explained as she held up a small vial on a leather string for him to see, "It has special properties so I've been saving it for something important."'

"No." Zuko growled lowly after the memory faded from his mind and he turned his head to glare at his sister, "There's no way he could have survived."

Azula's eyes narrowed and she glared down at her brother for a moment then she shrugged nonchalantly, "Well, then I'm sure you have nothing to worry about."

Zuko pursed his lips and watched as his sister walked away from then he looked back at the water, his thoughts drifting from his father to a pair of familiar molten orange eyes.

"Fireball!" Xiaodan shouted loudly after the enemy ship launched a fireball at their ship and she leapt forward, thrusting her hands forward and Airbending a funnel of wind at the fireball which knocked it off course.

Toph shifted into an Earthbending stance while The Duke moved to stand behind her and act as he guide.

"Load the Toph!" The blind girl barked and Pipsqueak gave a small roar as he picked up a boulder and dropped it in front of the petite girl.

Toph quickly Earthbended a large chunk of the boulder into a thick disc then she launched it at the other ship, taking out one of their catapults, but a second catapult had already launched another fireball. Toph quickly Earthbended another rock disc then The Duke directed her and she took out the fireball.

In the command tower, Sokka and Aang pressed against the metal walls on either side of the door that led into the tower. A fireball landed in the water just behind the ship and Aang growled, preparing to go and help but Sokka stopped him. Aang scowled and pressed his back against the wall again, banging his head against his staff in frustration.

"Harpoon!" Xiaodan called out when she noticed the other ship preparing to fire a harpoon then she yelped and back-flipped off the railing she had been precariously standing on when the harpoon struck the bottom part of the ship, causing her to briefly loose her balance.

Katara ran towards the white-haired just as the harpoon was violently ripped free of their ship, allowing water to flow into the commandeered ship. Katara moved her arms up then thrusted them downward, breathing a cloud of icy mist into the ocean water below then she quickly froze the water, plugging the hole up.

"I'm gonna give us some cover!" Katara shouted then she bended up a vapor from the ocean water below, creating a fog screen.

A fireball pierced through the fog and flew towards the ship, causing the disguised group to scatter. Xiaodan lunged forward when she saw where the fireball was going to land and she used a blast of air to tackle Pipsqueak out of the way just before the fireball destroyed the rocks he'd been moving for Toph.

"I can't stand by and do nothing!" Aang growled after the loud explosion and he ran out onto the deck with his staff at the ready.

"Aang, no!" Sokka protested as he ran after the younger boy and he grabbed Aang's staff, "You're still hurt, and you have to stay secret! Just let us handle this!"

"Fine." Aang snapped with a scowl and he snatched his staff back then he walked away.

"Excuse me!" Xiaodan shouted as she suddenly ran past Sokka just as a fireball broke through the fog screen and barreled towards the ship.

Aang watched from inside the command tower's entrance as his sister suddenly leapt forward and thrusted her hands out, his jaw dropping in shock as white fire exploded from the palms of her hands and connected with the approaching fireball, the fireball exploded in a cloud of smoke and embers.

"How in the Spirits did she do that?!"

"Oh monkey-feathers! That wasn't supposed to happen!" Xiaodan shouted in exasperation as she ran over to stand by Toph and The Duke just as the fog cleared, revealing that the other ship was almost even with theirs.

Another fireball was launched at them and it struck the ship, causing a fire to flare up. Katara quickly extinguished the fire with some water she bended from the ocean and Xiaodan used a blast of air to clear away the remaining smoke.

Toph turned her head slightly in Sokka's direction, "How we doing?"

"Things couldn't get much worse." Sokka replied then he whirled around when a familiar green serpent burst out of the water behind him, "The universe just loves proving me wrong, doesn't it?"

"You make it too easy!" Toph shouted matter-of-factly as she shifted into a bending stance beside The Duke and Xiaodan.

Suddenly a fireball struck the serpent's face and it roared in anger before diving back into the water. The group watched as the serpent burst from the water again and wrapped around the other Fire Nation ship, attacking it viciously.

Sokka grinned and threw his hands in the air happily, "Thank you the universe!"

Xiaodan cheered and laughed loudly in relief and glee as she stood beside Sokka at the back of the ship. A hand suddenly wrapped around her arm and Xiaodan turned her head, staring at Aang's annoyed and disbelieving expression.

"Aang? What's wrong?" The white-haired girl asked worriedly as she turned to face her younger brother fully, her hands coming up to rest on his shoulders.

Aang knocked her hands away and glowered faintly at her, "You can Firebend?!"

Xiaodan winced and ducked her head, rubbing at the back of her neck sheepishly as she avoided looking into her younger brother's accusing eyes.

"Oops?" Xiaodan quipped with a nervous chuckle as she looked up at her brother with a weak smile that quickly fell when she saw the mutinous look on his young face and she sighed, "Aang, I can explain."

"You kissed Zuko?! More than once!?"

Xiaodan lunged at her brother and slapped her hand over his mouth, heat crawling up her neck to her cheeks.

"Shhh!" She hissed at him and she glanced warily at the closed door of his room on the commandeered ship, "Would you keep it down. I haven't exactly told the others about that..."

Aang pulled his sister's hand from his mouth and stared at her incredulous then he whispered furiously, "This is unbelievable! I was worried sick about you the whole time you were with that jerk and you werekissing him?! How did that even happen?"

Xiaodan sat back and fidgeted with the hem of her tunic, her face still burning in embarrassment as she avoided looking at her younger brother. After the attack, she and Aang had retreated to his room on the ship where she proceeded to explain everything that had happened, from the moment she left to help Iroh and Zuko in the abandoned town of Tu Zin to the moment he had woken up the previous day while the others steered the ship towards the nearest port to get supplies and make some repairs.

Suddenly she huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, a scowl forming on her face, "I just told you that I can not only Airbend but Firebend as well and that I have a dragon, a dragon for Spirits' sake as an animal spirit guide and the thing that shocks you the most is that I kissed Zuko? Seriously?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, your mother was some powerful Firebender descendent from an ancient people and your father was an Airbender and you were marked by some guys called 'The Masters' which you think is the reason you can bend both air and fire in the first place. And there's apparently a dragon spirit trapped inside your head, I got that part." Aang reiterated with dismissive wave of his hand then leaned forward and stared up at his sister with wide eyes, "But that doesn't explain why you were kissing Zuko!"

Xiaodan groaned and flopped back onto the sleeping pallet she and Aang were sitting and she threw her arm over her eyes.

"I don't know how it happened." She mumbled then she sat up abruptly and rubbed her face, "I don't even know when I started to care about him like that. It just..." She held her arms out to the side and shrugged, giving Aang a helpless look, "It just did... But it doesn't really matter anymore anyway. He an enemy now."

Aang stared at the dejected look on his sister's face quietly then he shuffled forward and carefully wrapped his arms around her. Xiaodan slipped her arms around his waist gently, minding his injury as she hugged him back.

"You really cared about him, huh?" Aang asked quietly as he rested his chin on her shoulder, her messy white-hair tickling his cheek slightly.

"I think...I think I loved him..." Xiaodan mumbled back and she pressed her face against Aang's neck, her eyes clenching shut against the tears that had gathered at the corner of her eyes.

Aang tightened his arms around her and pressed a brotherly kiss to the side of her head, soothingly running his hand through her hair when he felt her shoulders beginning to shake slightly. They embraced for some time, Aang comforting his sister just like she used to comfort him when they were younger. It was strange for him, being in the role of comforter when he was so used to Xiaodan being the strong one, but things had changed. He had changed and so had his sister, hopefully their changes were for the better.

Finally, Xiaodan's tears slowed and she pulled away from her brother, wiping the wetness from her cheeks with the back of her hands. Aang shifted so they were sitting side-by-side with their shoulders touching gently.

"When did become the strong one, huh? I thought that was my job." Xiaodan snarked playfully and she lightly nudged his shoulder with her own.

Aang chuckled as carefully wrapped his arm around her waist and rested his head against her shoulder, "I think it's a job we can share from now on, instead of just one of us always being strong."

Xiaodan laughed lightly and rested her head against his, "I'm not sure if I like how grown up you're becoming. I miss the goofy little boy that used to follow me around like a baby turtle-duck."

Aang grinned and squeezed her waist slightly and the two chatted contentedly as they sat side-by-side until Xiaodan forced him to get some rest a few hours later on the grounds that he was still healing and would need all the rest he could get.

Aang smiled and laid down on the sleeping pallet after his sister had left, tucking his hands behind his head as he let his mind wander were it pleased.

"How much longer until we get to port?" Xiaodan asked as she walked over to stand beside Sokka, who was sitting on the floor of the top deck.

"Not too much longer. We should get by early evening." Sokka replied idly as he looked at the map spread out in front of him then he glanced up at the white-haired girl curiously, "So how'd he take it?"

Xiaodan shrugged and crouched beside him with er elbows resting on her thighs, "Good. I mean he didn't freak out and have a spazz attack, like some people."

She smirked at him and quirked a brow teasingly after she implied the way he had almost had a mental breakdown after she had told him, Katara, and Toph about her dragon spirit guide, Sonal.

"Hey, my reaction was perfect logical and reasonable one!" Sokka retorted with a small huff as he crossed his arms over his chest and pouted, "Dragons, crazy Firebending Airbenders, my life was normal once, you know?"

"Please, Sokka, I doubt you were ever really normal." Xiaodan snorted and she playfully pushed his shoulder then she stood and walked away, laughing loudly as Sokka grumbled playful insults at her retreating back.

Xiaodan followed Katara, Toph, and Sokka to Aang's room after the ship had arrived at the small port near sunset.

"Hey, Aang!" Toph greeted the younger Airbender exuberantly after Sokka had opened the door, "We're going into town to find some dinner."

Aang sat up then clutched his bandaged stomach when it grumbled, "Well, I am pretty hungry. Maybe dinner's a good idea."

"Here," Sokka said as he stepped forward and held out a red bandana, "Tie this around your head. It will cover your arrow."

"I'm not going out if I can't wear my arrow proudly!" Aang snapped with a scowl and he laid back down with his back to the door.

"Aang, come on." Sokka stated firmly, "Be practical."

"That isn't helping, Sokka." Xiaodan retorted as she stepped around him and sat on edge of the sleeping pallet near Aang's legs.

Sokka opened his mouth to respond, but Katara put her hand on his shoulder and shook her head slightly when he turned to look at her.

"You guys go ahead without us. We'll catch up with you." Katara said calmly and she watched as Sokka and Toph left then she walked over to the bed and sat down beside Xiaodan, placing her hand on Aang's shoulder, "I think I understand why being a secret bothers you so much. You don't want people to think you failed."

"You're right, I don't." Aang muttered in reply and his fists clenched by his head, "But the problem is, I did fail!"

"Aang, that's not true." Katara denied comfortingly.

"You didn't fail, little brother." Xiaodan said soothingly as she put a hand on Aang's knee, "You did everything you could."

Aang sat up abruptly with his back to the two girls, "It is true and I did fail. I was in Ba Sing Se. I was there! But I lost. And now the Earth Kingdom has fallen for good."

"It's not for good." Katara stated in a gentle tone as she stood up too, "Remember, there's still a plan. The invasion!"

"And I hate the invasion plan too!" Aang shouted furiously and he ripped the Fire Nation flag off the wall angrily, "I don't want you or anyone else risking your lives to fix my mistakes. I've always known that I would have to face the Fire Lord. But now I know I need to do it alone."

Xiaodan watched quietly as Katara moved towards her brother with her hand held out comfortingly.

"Aang..."

"Katara please!" Aang snapped pleadingly, "Just go...please..."

Katara hesitated and glanced at Xiaodan, who merely shook her head slightly then she walked back to the door, pausing just before she shut it behind her.

"Is there anything you need?"

"I need to redeem myself." Aang said lowly with his head bowed, "I need my honor back."

Katara bit her lip and glanced at Xiaodan one more time, but the white-haired girl was focused intently on her brother, so the Waterbender quietly closed the door behind her.

"You don't need to redeem yourself."

Aang clenched his hands into fists and hunched his shoulders slightly, "Don't Xia..."

Xiaodan ignored him as she stood and moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around him carefully and resting her chin on the top of his shoulder.

"You're not alone in this Aang," She whispered gently in his ear, "Please don't ever think that you have to do this alone. Zuko made that mistake and I don't want you to make it either. Katara, Sokka, Toph, and I love you and we want to help you, but we can't do that if you don't let us."

Aang bowed his head further and closed his eyes tightly, unwavering in his thoughts. Xiaodan sighed quietly and kissed his temple gently then she let him go and walked to the door.

"We'll be back soon." She stated softly before she left Aang alone in his room, the door shutting quietly behind her.

Zuko walked through the extravagant hallways of the Royal Palace before coming to a stop in front of the large curtain with the Fire Nation insignia on that shrouded throne room. The scarred prince closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, opening his eyes as he exhaled then he pushed the curtain aside and stepped into the room.

"I brought you some food! Xia bought some herbs that are supposed to help with healing and she's making a tea from them." Katara said happily as she entered Aang's room only to freeze when she saw the room was empty, "Oh no..."

She dropped the tray and rushed out of the room, heading towards the upper deck.

Aang gritted his teeth as he flew through the dark sky, the ocean frothing and roiling below him.

Zuko walked towards the large raised dais where his father was sitting on the ornate covered throne, the constant wall of fire at the front burning brightly. Zuko stopped a few feet away from the dais and kneeled, bowing low to his father.

"You've been away for a long time. I see the weight of your travels has changed you." Fire Lord Ozai stated lowly as he stood and approached Zuko, "You have redeemed yourself, my son."

Zuko lifted his head and looked up at his father, warm golden eyes meeting hard amber.

"Welcome home."

Aang gritted his teeth as he struggled to fly, a soft gasp leaving him when the pain in his side suddenly flared up and he moved on hand away from his glider's spars and clutched at his side. The glider dipped to the side dangerously and Aang was barely able to correct himself before he crashed into the roiling ocean.

Tears streamed down Katara's face as she ran towards her father, who was standing near the back of the ship with Bato.

Bato glanced at Katara then Hakoda before starting to walk away, "I'll leave you two alone."

"What's wrong, Katara?" Hakoda asked after his friend had left and he turned to his distressed daughter with a worried expression.

"He left."

"What?"

"Aang." Katara clarified and she clenched her eyes against the tears streaming down her face, "He just took his glider and disappeared. He has this ridiculous notion that he has to save the world alone, that it's all his responsibility."

"Maybe that's his way of being brave." Hakoda commented gently and Katara glared up at him.

"It's not brave, it's selfish and stupid!" Katara shouted angrily, "We could be helping him and I know the world needs him, but doesn't he know how much we need him, too? How can he just leave us behind?!"

Hakoda furrowed his brow slightly before he looked at his daughter with an understanding expression, "You're talking about me too, aren't you?"

"How could you leave us, Dad?" Katara demanded and she attempted to wipe her tears away with the palm of her hand, "I mean, I know we had Gran-Gran and she loved us, but we were just so lost without you."

Katara covered her face and turned away, sobbing into her hands sadly. Hakoda frowned sadly and stepped towards his daughter, placing his hand gently on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Katara." He whispered sincerely.

Katara moved her hands from her face and turned around, hugging her father tightly around the waist and pressing her cheek against his chest.

"I understand why you left." Katara said sadly, "I really do, and I know that you had to go, so why do I still feel this way? I'm so sad and angry and hurt!"

"I love you more than anything." Hakoda whispered soothingly as he embraced Katara tightly, "You and your brother are my entire world. I thought about you every day when I was gone and every night when I went to sleep, I would like awake missing you so much it would ache."

Xiaodan pursed her lips and carefully set the tray of tea she had been carrying down on the floor of Aang's room. Her molten orange eyes burned with frustration as she looked around the empty room then she turned and walked back down the hall, her white hair swaying behind her with each furious step she took.

"When I get my hands on you, Aang, the Fire Lord is gonna be the least of your worries." Xiaodan growled under her breath.

"I am so proud of you, Prince Zuko. I am proud because you and your sister conquered Ba Sing Se." Fire Lord Ozai said with pride as he walked around still kneeling son, "I am proud because when you loyalty was tested by your treacherous uncle, you did the right thing and captured the traitor. I am proudest of all of your most legendary accomplishment. You slayed the Avatar."

Zuko's eyes widened in shock before he schooled his face into a neutral expression as he turned his head slightly to look at his father over his shoulder.

"What did you hear?"

"Azula told me everything." The Fire Lord explained lowly, "She said she was amazed and impressed at your power and ferocity at the moment of truth."

Zuko pursed his lips slightly and looked off to the side, his mind whirling with questions.

Aang clenched his jaw as he continued struggling to remain in the air, one wing of his glider briefly dipping into the ocean before he managed to level himself again. His eyes widened when he saw the two rows of ships sailing in opposite directions.

"The Blockade." He muttered under his breath before his expression became determined and he inhaled deeply, snapping his glider shut and diving into the water.

Aang propelled himself through water and under the Fire Nation blockade, gasping for breath when he broke the water's surface when he was far enough away. He panted heavily as he tried to get his breath back, using his glider to stay afloat in the water. He rested his chin on the slender wood of his glider before lifting his head up a moment later when he caught sight of a large piece of drift wood floating a few feet away from him.

Aang quickly swam towards the piece of drift wood, grunting quietly as he hung his arms off it. An idea suddenly came to him as he stared at the piece of wood and he smirked. Aang carefully pulled himself onto the piece of wood then he snapped open his glider and turned it onto his side, using the driftwoods and his glider to create a sail-surfer.

A storm raged around him as he sailed through the water and the ocean roiled and tossed him about on the makeshift sail-surfer while the pouring rain made it hard to see. Suddenly, a small, but powerful wave came up underneath him and knocked him off the driftwood, sending him and his glider crashing into the water.

Zuko threw open the door to Azula's room and narrowed his eyes, "Why'd you do it?"

"You're going to have to be a little more specific." Azula commented coolly without opening her eyes or moving from her bed.

"Why did you tell Father that I was the one who killed the Avatar?" Zuko demanded as he walked further into his sister's room, his hands clenched at his sides.

"Can't this wait until the morning?"

"It. Can't."

"Fine." Azula sighed and she opened her eyes as she sat up in her bed, "You seemed so worried about how Father would treat you because you hadn't captured the Avatar. I figured if I gave you the credit, you'd have nothing to worry about."

"But why?" Zuko asked in confusion.

"Call it a generous gesture." Azula asked smugly as she slipped out of her bed and walked towards her brother, "I wanted to thank you for your help and I was happy to share the glory."

Zuko's eyes narrowed as he regarded his sister, "You're lying."

"If you say so..." Azula replied as she walked past him.

"You have another motive for doing this, I just haven't figured out what it is." Zuko growled as he turned to glare at his sister.

"Please Zuko, what ulterior motive could I have? What could I possibly gain by letting you get all the glory for defeating the Avatar?" Azula asked mockingly as she turned around and approached him, putting her hand on his shoulder, "Unless, somehow, the Avatar was actually alive. All that glory would suddenly turn to shame and foolishness. But you said it yourself, that was impossible."

Zuko scowled at his sister as she laid back on her bed and he turned his back on her, preparing to leave the room, "And why did you tell Father about X-" He faltered slightly then continued, "About the girl that protected him and the Water Tribe girl?"

Azula smiled slyly, "You mean the white-haired Airbender girl who Firebended? The girl that looked at you with such a betrayed and hurt expression when she saw you standing at my side, the one you called out to so desperately when I almost struck her down? You mean that girl?"

Zuko clenched his hands into fists at his sides as he stopped in the doorway, his back to his sister.

"I guess it must have slipped my mind to mention her." Azula continued with a wicked smile as she closed her eyes, "Sleep well, Zuzu."

Zuko swallowed thickly and closed the door behind him, his eyes closing in anguish.

Aang clutched the piece of driftwood and stretched his arm out, desperately trying to reach his glider as the storm continued to rage around him.

"Ahhh!" Aang screamed as a large wave suddenly crashed over him and the driftwood, sending them both under the water.

He gasped loudly as he resurfaced and he grabbed the driftwood again, leaning his face against the wet surface as rain streamed down his face.

"I'm not gonna make it. I failed." Aang whispered to himself and closed his eyes, snapping them open a moment later when lightning struck the water in front of him, Roku's spirit appearing in the lightning strike, "Roku?"

"You haven't failed, Aang." The spirit of Roku said calmly as he floated above the water in front of Aang.

"But everyone thinks I'm dead again." Aang retorted weakly, "They think I've abandoned them and I'm losing this war. I'm letting the whole world down."

"If anyone is to blame for the state of the world, it is me." Roku commented quietly, "I should have seen this war coming and prevented it. You inherited my problems, and my mistakes. But I believe you are destined to redeem me and save the world."

Aang looked off to the side with an unsure expression, "I don't know."

Moonlight suddenly began shining on Aang and he lifted his head slightly, staring in surprise as Yue' spirit appeared above him.

"You already saved the world." Yue's spirit said softly, "And you'll save the world again, but you can't give up."

The storm that had been raging around him slowed to a complete stop and Roku's spirit disappeared alone with it. Aang watched quietly as Yue's spirit descended towards him until she was floating right above him.

"You're right." Aang agreed with new determination and he looked in the direction he'd been going, "I won't give up."

Aang took a deep breath then lifted on hand, bringing it down a moment later as he Waterbended a wave, using the driftwood as surfboard. Yue lifted her arms up, increasing the size and strength of the wave to help Aang power himself forward then she smiled and ascended back to the moon. After what felt like hours, Aang finally washed up at the base of a volcano on the Crescent Island where Roku's temple once stood. The young boy sprawled out on his back, not bothering to pull himself fully out of the water as he fell asleep.

Aang woke up slowly when he felt something wet sliding across his face and he blinked in surprise when he saw Momo sitting on his chest. The lemur hopped off him and Aang groaned quietly as he pushed himself into a sitting position just in time to be knocked back down by a horribly worried older sister.

"Oh thank the Spirits!" Xiaodan exclaimed as she pulled away from Aang and held him by the shoulders, her relieved expression becoming furious in seconds, "What were you thinking, Aang!? You could have gotten hurt! Or killed!"

Aang opened his mouth to reply, but Katara suddenly fell to her knees beside him and hugged him tightly.

"You're okay!" The dark-haired Waterbender said happily as she embraced Aang then she looked at Xiaodan with a bright smile, "He's okay, Xia!"

Xiaodan annoyed expression disappeared and was replaced by a relief one and she leaned forward, wrapping her arms around both Aang and Katara.

"He is okay." She muttered, more to reassure herself than anyone else.

Soon Toph and Sokka dropped down beside the other three and hugged them, Momo and Appa happily joining in a moment later. Aang smiled faintly before he remembered what he had to do and he pulled back slightly, prompting the others to do the same.

"I have so much to do."

"I know," Katara replied with a small smile, "But you'll have our help."

"You didn't think you could get out of training just by coming to the Fire Nation, did you?" Toph quipped with a smirk.

"Yeah," Xiaodan agreed with her own smirk as she put her hand gently on her younger brother's head, "And don't think I won't find a way to get you back for scaring the life out of me, again."

Aang smiled at the two then he looked at Sokka with a confusion expression, "What about the invasion?"

"We'll join up with my dad and the invasion force the day of the eclipse." Sokka explained with a slight smile as he put his hand on Aang shoulder, "Don't worry."

"Hey! What's...Oh," Toph started when she felt something wash ashore then she turned her head towards Aang with a sheepish expression as she held out his ruined glider, "It's your glider."

"It's okay." Aang said quietly as he took his ruined glider and stood, "If someone saw it, it would give away my identity. It's better for now that no one knows I'm alive."

Xiaodan watched with her friends as Aang leapt to the top of a molten rock before he twirled the staff above his head and impaled it in one of the lava trails in the rock, the glider catching fire as the group left the island on Appa.

Zuko stood beside his bed and stared at the staff in his hands quietly before he narrowed his eyes. He shifted his hands and held Xiaodan's glider horizontally then he brought his knee up and preparing to break the glider in half. His arms froze when the staff was only inches from his raised knee and he shut his eyes tightly, his jaw clenching and unclenching as his thoughts raged inside his head.

Finally, his shoulders slumped and he lowered his foot back to the ground, holding the staff loosely in one hand.

"Why can't I let you go?" Zuko whispered to himself as he stared at the staff then he sighed and carefully placed it under his bed, hiding it from view.

Zuko then climbed into his bed, his dreams centering around the time he spent with Xiaodan and his uncle and the look on both of their faces when he betrayed them.