"She what?!"

Katara winced and shifted uncomfortably under her brother's shocked and horrified gaze, her eyes flickering over to Xiaodan who was standing beside her with a blank expression. The group had met up with hers and Sokka's father at Chameleon Bay before the group managed to steal one of the Fire Nation ships, which they were currently using to travel across the Earth Kingdom undetected. In that time, Xiaodan had only said a handful of words and appeared to be in an almost catatonic state, even after Katara had repeatedly assured her that Aang was going to be okay since they'd placed him in one of the cabins in the command tower. After that, Katara had decided it would be a good idea to tell Sokka and Toph about Xiaodan sudden ability to Firebend, something her brother was not taking very well. Toph had yet to say anything on the matter, though her head was turned slightly towards Xiaodan's motionless form.

Katara glanced at the white-haired girl unsurely again then answered her brother, "Xia, kinda, uh, Firebended back in the Catacombs..."

Sokka whirled around and pointed accusingly at Xiaodan, "You what!?"

"Firebended."

"What H-How?" The Water Tribe boy stuttered after the white-haired girl's flat reply, his expression conveying just how hard it was for him to wrap his mind around the fact that Xiaodan, a Master Airbender, had Firebended.

Xiaodan's expression remained blank, her usually bright orange eyes blank as she stared unseeingly at her hands. Though her eyes and face was blank, her mind was rife with turmoil. Her thoughts raged and ravaged her mind and her ears suddenly began to ring, drowning out Sokka's voice as he ranted loudly.

"Katara..." The white-haired girl rasped as she lifted her hand to her forehead, her eyes blurring abruptly, "I don't-"

"Catch her!" Toph suddenly shouted just before Xiaodan eyes rolled into the back of her head and she pitched forward.

"Whoa!" Sokka gasped as he lunged forward, instinctively catching the female Airbender when she slumped towards the ground.

Her dead weight caused Sokka to sink to the metal floor of the upper deck and he looked up at his sister with a panicked expression.

"What's wrong with her?" Sokka demanded as Katara kneeled beside him, her hands already covered with water.

"She's exhausted." Katara said quietly as she bended the water back into her canteen after using her healing to examine the unconscious white-haired girl, "With everything that's happened, it's not surprising. She needs rest, we can put her in one of the cabins."

Sokka hesitated a moment then nodded, struggling to stand for a moment before Toph and Katara helped him to his feet. Katara slipped one of Xiaodan's arms over her shoulder while Sokka did the same with the other and together the two carefully carried the limp white-haired girl towards the command tower, Toph hurrying forward to open the metal door.

Xiaodan tossed and turned on the sleeping mat in the cabin Katara and Sokka had placed her in to rest, her brow furrowing deeply as she dreamt.

'"Monk Gyatso, I did it! I did it!" A six year old Xiaodan shouted gleefully as she ran towards her teacher and father-figure, a laughing two year old Aang toddling after her eagerly.

Monk Gyatso smiled as he turned away from the young man he was talking to, his gray eyes crinkling at the corners as he regarded his two charges as they came to a stop in front of him and the young man.

"Manners, young one." The gray-bearded monk chided good-naturedly, his gray eyes twinkling, "What do you say, Xiaodan?"

The little girl gave him a confused look then realization dawned on her when she saw the man standing beside her teacher.

"Oh!" She exclaimed and she quickly bowed to the man with a sheepish smile while Aang mimicked the action at her side with a giggle, "Please excuse me, sir."

Xiaodan straightened and watched the man curiously as he kneeled before her with a small smile on his face. She noticed that he was much younger than Monk Gyatso, but his trimmed beard was an almost identical shade of white as her own hair, something her six year old mind found curious, but a moment later her thoughts drifted to who the man was.

"Who are you?" She asked with innocent curiosity, her head tilted slightly to the side so her messy white bangs fell into her eyes.

The man smiled slowly at her then he reached out and gently brushed her bangs out of bright orange eyes.

"I am Tengfei. I was once Monk Gyatso student as well." He said quietly and Xiaodan tilted her head even more in curiosity at the soft, almost fatherly-tone in the man's voice and the man straightened, "What is it you wanted to show him, young one?"

"Oh, right!" Xiaodan exclaimed in remembrance and she looked up at Monk Gyatso, who now held Aang in his arms, with an eager smile, "I did it, Sifu, I did it!"

Monk Gyatso chuckled quietly, "Did what, young one?"

"Just watch!" Xiaodan said proudly then she hurriedly shifted into a bending stance.

The young white-haired girl took a deep breath then she moved her hands in a circular motion before pushing her hands outwards. Her excited expression fell a moment later when a ball of orange fire erupted from her hands instead of a ball of air.

"What?!" Xiaodan gasped then she stomped her foot in childish anger, her arms crossing over her chest and she pouted, "Monkey-feathers!"

"That was an impressive display, young one." Gyatso complimented with a small smile, ignoring the worried look that had appeared on his former student's face as he regarded the young white-haired girl.

"But it was supposed to be an airball!" Xiaodan whined, her lower lip trembling slightly as she turned to look up at her teacher with sad eyes, "I swear, Monk Gyatso, I really did do it before. Aang even saw me, right little brother?"

Aang giggled and clapped his hands, "Xia airball! Xia airball!"

Gyatso gently sat Aang back on his feet and nudged him towards Xiaodan with a soft smile, "I believe you, young one, why don't you go practice your forms with Aang?"

Xiaodan sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand then she nodded, "Alright, Sifu Gyatso."

Gyatso and Tengfei watched quietly as the young girl led the even younger boy a few yard away to practice her Airbending forms.

"I thought the Council decided that she wouldn't learn Firebending." Tengfei commented slowly, glancing at his old teacher from the corner of his eye.

Gyatso stroked his gray beard thoughtful, "We did. But air and fire are spiritual opposites, and fire comes more naturally to Xiaodan than air. She has yet to find a balance between the two, but she is still young and has time to learn."

"I hope you're right, Gyatso." Tengfei replied quietly as he watched a laughing Xiaodan correct Aang's stance with a gentle hand...'

Xiaodan sat up abruptly with a gasp, one hand clutching at her chest as it heaved with her heavy breathing. She swallowed thickly and closed her eyes then snapped them open a moment later, looking around the dimly lit metal room she was in. She could tell it one of the cabins in the command center of the commandeered Fire Nation ship.

The white-haired girl exhaled slowly and laid back down on the sleeping mat, closing her eyes to pull the dream back to the forefront of her mind. She knew it wasn't just a dream, but a memory, a distant memory that only a part of her, the part of her that was a Firebender, truly remembered. Fire and air, spiritual opposites, swirling and fighting for dominance inside her, she could practically feel the two warring inside her body and mind.

"What's happening to me?" Xiaodan whispered warily as she opened her eyes and lifted her hands up to stare at them in the dim light of the candles, "Oh, Gyatso, I wish you were here to explain...I don't understand..."

Xiaodan stared out at the frothing ocean as the Fire Navy ship she, her friends, and their allies had commandeered, her arms folded atop the ship's railing. The white-haired Airbender inhaled deeply then exhaled slowly, her eyes closing as her thoughts whirled through her mind like a tornado. Her thoughts flashed back to what happened in the Crystal Catacombs back in Ba Sing Se and she shut her eyes even tighter.

'Xiaodan stared in horror as Azula began to generate lighting at Aang as he floated in the air, his eyes and arrow tattoos glowing brightly from activating the Avatar State.

"NO!"The white-haired Airbender screamed as the bolt of lightning shot from the Fire Nation princess' fingertips, hitting Aang in the middle of his back, "AANG!"

A burning heat flared up inside Xiaodan she watched in numbed shock as Aang's eyes and tattoos stopped glowing and he fell towards the hard stone ground of the underground chamber, Katara careening towards him on a massive wave that knocks down the Dai Li agents, Zuko, and Azula when they began to close in on Aang.

A feral, pain-filled shriek echoed through the cavern and the white-haired Airbender lunged off the overhanging rock she was standing on after entering the chamber in the Crystal Catacombs. A burning haze of rage crept across Xiaodan's eyes as she landed in front of Katara, who was cradling Aang's limp body in her arms. A distant part of Xiaodan's mind faintly heard Katara's fearful and shocked gasp from behind her, but her fury was too great and the sound barely registered. She flung her arms out to the side and a wall of white flames appeared behind her, cutting Katara and Aang off from the Dai Li agents and the Fire Nation siblings.

The Dai Li agents shouted in surprised terror as a cyclone of wind and white-hot fire whipped around the pale-haired girl's body, her molten orange eyes reflecting the brilliant flames and they burned with a deep inner fire that was frightening. Her white hair whipped around her body wildly, the flames dancing across her skin like as if it was a living entity and she stood in an aggressively defensive positing in front of the firewall.

"Xia..." Zuko rasped as he stared at Xiaodan with wide eyes and an open mouth, his mind trying to comprehend something that should have been impossible.

Xiaodan looked at him and her heart clenched with pain as she stared at him with a betrayed expression.

Azula scowled and lunged forward, kicking a blast of fire at the distracted white-haired girl, but Xiaodan snapped her gaze away just in time to see the attack coming and she crossed her arms diagonally in front of her chest then she flung them down, creating two crisscrossed crescents of fire that slammed into Azula's fire blast. The two attacks collided and dispersed in a shower of orange sparks.

The pain and betrayal Xiaodan felt at seeing Zuko standing beside his sister, helping her attack Aang morphed into a burning rage and Xiaodan bared her teeth at the two Fire Nation siblings. She lunged, instinct and anger guided her movements as attacked them violently with a combination of fire and air. Her attacks were so erratic and violent that Azula and Zuko were forced onto the defensive, dodging and deflecting as many of the attacks while trying to get their own hits in.

"Xia! Please, Aang needs your help! Please!"

Katara sudden shout caused Xiaodan to freeze, her fists still burning with white fire she had been about to punch at Zuko and Azula, and she turned to look at Katara. The fire dancing around her fists began to die down when she saw the desperate and pleading look on the younger girl's face then she looked down at Aang's unresponsive form clutched in Katara's arms. Xiaodan stepped towards her friend and brother, turning her back on Azula and Aang.

"No!"

Xiaodan whirled around at Zuko's cry and her eyes widened when she saw the large fireball flying towards her. She swung her arms around in a hurried attempt to create an air shield to protect herself, even though she knew it would be too late.

Suddenly, a burst of orange fire flashed in front of Xiaodan, shielding her from Azula's fire blast. Katara, Xiaodan, Zuko, and Azula all turned to stare in surprise as Iroh leapt off a ledge on the chamber's wall, landing in front of the white-haired girl protectively.

"You've got to get out of here!" Iroh shouted at Xiaodan and he nodded towards Katara, who was struggling to carry Aang to the waterfall, "I'll hold them off as long as I can!"

Xiaodan hesitated a moment, her orange eyes flickering from Iroh to Zuko and Azula, "But, Iroh-"

"GO!"

Xiaodan backed away from him, her eyes meeting Zuko's and the pain that she had pushed aside flared up inside her again as she looked at them. She swallowed back the tears that gathered in her eyes then she spun around and raced towards Katara, scooping Aang easily into her arms when she reached the dark-haired girl. Iroh quickly began fending off the Dai Li, his nephew, and his niece while the three made their escape.

"Come on!" Xiaodan cried out as she ran towards the waterfall with Katara on her heels.

Xiaodan ran into the water and stood at the base of the waterfall where she crouched then leapt, propelling herself upward with a powerful gust of air as she held Aang tightly in her arms. Katara quickly bended the water around her body and lifted herself up its path, following Xiaodan up to the surface, leaving Iroh to hold off Azula, Zuko, and the Dai Li agents...'

A hand suddenly touched Xiaodan's shoulder and she flinched, her eyes snapping open as the memory faded. She whirled around and held her hands up defensively, fire dancing around her fingertips as it answered her subconscious call.

"Whoa!" Sokka squeaked slightly and he took a step back with his hands raised submissively, "Calm down, Xia, it's just me."

The fire that had instinctively came to her disappeared as Xiaodan let her hands drop to her sides and she looked away from Sokka with an ashamed expression.

"Sorry," The pale-haired duel-bender whispered sincerely without meeting his eyes, "I was miles away."

"No worries. I didn't mean to startle you, I forget how jumpy you are right now." Sokka replied easily as he moved to stand beside his friend, placing a hand on her shoulder again, "You want to talk about it?"

Xiaodan offered him a weak smile, "I'm fine, but thank you, Sokka."

"You sure?" The young Water Tribe warrior asked skeptically then he looked at her knowingly, "You were thinking about the angry jerk again weren't you? What exactly happened with you two anyway?"

The duel-bender flinched and crossed her arms defensively over her chest, her orange eyes focused intently on the churning ocean as the metal Fire Nation ship cut through the water. Sokka winced slightly and rubbed the back of his head when he realized that his blunt words might have caused his white-haired friend distress.

"Okay, that was insensitive, wasn't it?"

"Little bit."

The two teens stood in a not-quite comfortable silence for several moments, Xiaodan staring blankly at the water while Sokka tried to think of something comforting to say to his hurting friend. He knew it was a tough time for her right now, since not only was Aang in a coma recovering from the lightning bolt Azula had shot at him, but she had also discovered she could bend fire, something the monks had kept hidden from her. Unfortunately, he didn't understand just how much Xiaodan had actually cared about Zuko, since the white-haired Airbender had neglected to tell either him, Katara, or Toph about the relationship she had started with the banished prince.

"I thought..." Xiaodan faltered then sighed, her arms crossing over her chest, "I thought he was my friend...And he did change, at least for a short time."

Sokka blinked and looked at Xiaodan in disbelief, but the white-haired girl had tilted her head back and was staring at the night sky.

"I'm sorry." He replied unsurely and she looked over at him with a small, humorless smile, her orange eyes undeniably sad.

"Don't be. I guess it doesn't really matter now, huh?" Xiaodan asked rhetorically then she sighed and started to walk towards the cabins below deck, pressing a kiss to Sokka's cheek as she passed him, "I'm going to check on Aang."

Sokka watched her disappear into the belly of the ship, a small frown on his face. He really wished there was something he could do to make things easier on his friend, but he was at a complete loss as to what to do. Comforting and mothering people was Katara's thing, not his.

Xiaodan slipped quietly into the room where Aang had been sleeping ever since they had stolen the ship. She kneeled beside the sleeping mat her was laying on, her hands folded in her lap and her head bowed slightly. Sitting beside her brother's bedside and speaking to him had become almost a ritual for her in the time the group had been on the Fire Nation ship. She doubted he could actually hear what she said, but it made her feel better to talk to him and to get things that had been worrying her off her chest, even if it was a one sided conversation.

"This is all my fault." Xiaodan murmured as she stared down at her clasped hands, "I promise Gyatso that I would protect you and I failed him, I failed you. It's all my fault you got hurt, I should have never left your side and I should have never trusted him."

She scoffed and looked off to the side, her brows furrowing in irritation, "I trusted Zuko. Zuko of all people. After everything he's done to you, everything his family has done, I still trusted him and thought he had changed. I cared about him! And I thought he cared about me, but I was wrong, so, so wrong. I was so stupid."

The scent of smoke reached her nose and Xiaodan glanced down at her hands, which she had unconsciously clenched into fists and were smoking faintly. The pale-haired girl inhaled deeply then exhaled, slowly unclenching her fists as the smoke dispersed and she calmed down.

"Gyatso knew. Every time I go to sleep, I have these dreams, well, not dreams really. They're memories, memories that I think I might have suppressed when I was younger." Xiaodan muttered as she lifted up one of her hands and she narrowed her eyes in concentration, watching as a small white flame burst into life in the palm of her hand before sputtering out with a small hiss, "The other Elders knew too. Some of the dreams are strange, like they're someone else's memories. Visions, maybe. I don't even know how it's possible for me to be able to Firebend. I'm an Airbender, I mastered all thirty-six tiers of Airbending when I was sixteen for Spirits' sake! And yet, when I saw Azula strike you with that lightning bolt, something in me snapped and it was fire I was bending and not air."

"It's all so confusing and...and painful. It's really, really painful and it seems just be getting worse each day. I just don't know what to do anymore, Aang. I don't know what to do to help you heal. I don't know how to get rid of or even deal with these stupid feelings I still have for Zuko. I don't even know how to fix my own bending! It's like I can feel the two elements fighting each other, battling for control of my mind, my body, even my spirit. My body is always aches and I can feel this burning heat right under my skin that's just waiting to come bursting out then it's like my muscles and nerves are being buffeted by a tornado force wind. It just goes back and forth, a never ending cycle."

Xiaodan rubbed at her face then held her head in her hands as she continued to vent, her voice muffled by her hands, "My mind is in turmoil, it's always clouded, and my thoughts never stop racing even when I'm asleep. All this is taking its toll on my spirit and I think my spirit is actually being torn apart. I just...I just honestly don't know what to do anymore. I'm trying to remain strong, for you and for the others, but it's getting harder and harder."

"I'm tired, Aang, I'm just very tired." The pale-haired duel-bender sighed wearily as she closed her eyes for a moment, her shoulders slumped then she opened her eyes and leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to Aang's forehead, "I don't know how much more of this I can take, little brother, but I'll try to stay strong for you and our friends while you sleep and heal."

Xiaodan rubbed at her eyes with the heels of her palms then she chuckled tiredly, "It's funny, you've always been the source of my strength and I never realized how much I needed you until I almost lost you. I'm never going to let that happen again, I promise. I'll die before I let something like this happen to you every again."

She smiled tiredly and laid down beside her comatose brother, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest as he slept. She reached out and grasped his hand in hers, holding it gently as her eyes began to droop with the promise of a deep sleep.

"Just wake up soon, alright little brother? If not for me, then for Katara." Xiaodan murmured tiredly then her eyes slid shut completely and darkness claimed her mind, her dream-memories absent for the first time in weeks.

Molten orange eyes stared blankly at the metal door of the cabin Xiaodan had taken for her own on the commandeered Fire Nation ship, though she rarely actually slept in it, seeing as how sleep had been evading her lately. If she did manage to fall asleep, her forgotten memories and the visions often assaulted her mind, preventing her from actually getting a good night's rest. The only time she actually managed to have a nice, dreamless sleep was when she passed out beside Aang after sitting by his bedside for hours.

The white-haired Airbender was sitting in the middle of the dimly lit room in the lotus-position, the few candles she had lit flickering slightly in the small breeze that blew in from the open window. She had been trying to meditate for the past hour or so, but had been unable to clear her thoughts and had resorted to staring at the closed door as if it could give her the peace of mind she so desperately sought after.

When it became clear that the door was not in fact going to help her find mental peace, Xiaodan sighed, rolling her head slightly on her shoulders to loosen the tension that had tightened the muscles of her neck ever since the fall of Ba Sing Se.

"Alright...One more try..." She mumbled to herself and she closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths to try and center herself.

Sluggishly, her thoughts slowed their frantic rush through her mind before they disappeared completely, the darkness encompassing her mind. Her breathing slowed even more and her muscles relaxed as she finally found the mental peace she had desired and she sank deeper into her own mind. Unbeknownst to her, the candles suddenly flared up and the fire began coalesce into a ball in front of the meditating white-haired girl.

The ball of fire shifted and swirled, changing from a deep reddish-orange to a transparent gold as it began to take the shape of a dragon. Molten orange eyes regarded the oblivious girl as it curled its large body around the curl a few times so its body fit more comfortably in the small cabin, its translucent wings folded tightly against its slender body.

The dragon lowered its large head until it was level with the still unaware Xiaodan's then it stretched one of its whiskers out and touched the center of the circular tattoo in the middle of the white-haired girl's forehead. Her body seemed to jolt and she gasped, her eyes snapping open, but they were glazed and unseeing as they connected with the transparent dragon's identical orbs.

'Xiaodan gasped and jolted upright, looking around her rapidly as her breaths came in short panicked pants. She leapt to her feet, not feeling brave enough to attempt Airbending herself up in case she accidently Firebended instead, and she looked around at the strangely familiar cavern she was in. Her brow furrowed and she turned a full circle, taking in the strange paintings she could see on one of the walls of cave that the gentle light that the dozens of candles placed systemically on the floor provided. The most prominent cave painting was off two dragons crouched on either side of a figure, flames shooting from the dragons mouths and engulfing the figure in the middle. The ground rumbled and shook slightly beneath her feet, causing Xiaodan's breathing and heart rate to increase as she spun around with her arms raised defensively.

"Calm yourself, child. You are safe here."

The white-haired girl whirled around again, yelping and stumbling backwards a moment later when she saw a pair of molten orange eyes staring back at her from a shadowed corner of the cave. Her heart was pounding so hard, it felt like it was about to leap straight out of her chest and she watched with wide eyes as a large head with a narrow, canine-esque snout appeared in the candlelight, followed by a large, slender serpentine body that had four muscular legs attached to it with large wings folded loosely against what was obviously a dragon's back.

Xiaodan watched in awe as the dragon from her swamp vision stepped fully out of the shadows, its golden scales catching and reflecting the candlelight, making it appear as if the dragon was on fire. Xiaodan turned warily in a slow circle, following the dragon's movements cautiously as it moved around the cave gracefully.

"Where am I?" The white-haired girl asked suspiciously, only lowering her arms the slightest bit, "Who are you?"

"Do not fret, young one, you are in the deepest part of your subconscious." The feminine voice of the dragon lilted gently through Xiaodan's mind, "I am Sonal."

The white-haired girl blinked in surprise and her brow furrowed in confusion, "My subconscious? I don't understand."

Xiaodan watched as the dragon coiled its massive body around her, its head appearing in front of her stunned face. Its orange eyes peered out at with an almost gentle expression, the slit pupils soft and kind.

"I am your animal spirit guide." The dragon, Sonal said soothingly, "You have created an imbalance within yourself, Xiaodan. Your spirit is divided and the two sides are at war with each other."

Xiaodan legs went weak and she fell onto her backside with small thump. She shook her head then rubbed at her face with her hands, keeping them on her face even as she spoke to the dragon again.

"What do you mean an 'at war with each other?'"

Sonal lowered her massive head until her snout was once again level with Xiaodan's covered face, "Fire and air are warring for dominance inside you instead of coexisting side-by-side. You need to find the balance between the two elements."

"I don't know how!" Xiaodan suddenly exploded as she dropped her hands from her face to glare into the dragon's orange eyes, "I don't even know how it's even possible for me to be able to bend both elements!"

"You were born into two highly spiritual people, young one." Sonal rumbled lowly in reply, "You're mother's people are ancient and like her, you were marked by the Masters. And you're father's people, the Air Nomads were an enlightened nation, you know this already."

Xiaodan straightened and dropped her hands in her lap, "You knew my mother and father?"

"Your mother, Kisa, was an old friend of mine." Sonal replied calmly, "She was a very talented Firebender, even among her people. She fell in love with an Air Nomad named Tengfei with whom she married."

Xiaodan flinched slightly and stared up at the dragon with wide eyes, her mind instantly flashing to the dream-memory she had a few nights ago of the man standing with Monk Gyatso when she was just a child.

"Tengfei? The man from my dream was my father?!" She demanded sharply, irritation curling inside her stomach at the fact that Gyatso or Tengfei had neglected to inform of her that, "Why didn't they tell me?"

"Yes, child. Tengfei, was your father. He and the other Elders thought it would be best if you were kept unaware of who he was. Gyatso was in favor of informing you of your parentage, but he was outvoted." Sonal rumbled lowly, "Tengfei remained with your mother and her people for two years, but his left shortly after his daughter was born, his fickle nature making it hard for him to remain in one place for too long. Tengfei did not to his wife's home until three years later when he received news that the mother of his child had passed on to the Spirit World just a year after he'd left. He returned to his wife's people and it was decided by their Chieftain and Tengfei that he would take his daughter to his home in the Southern Air Temple when it was discovered that she could not only Firebend, but Airbend as well."

Xiaodan stared silently at the dragon, her thoughts whirling at the new information she had just been given about her own history, something she didn't not even know about.

"I..." She stopped and cleared her throat, "I knew how to Firebend first? My dream-memory showed me that."

"Yes, child. It was not until the Council of Elders decided that it would better if you learned only how to Airbend. They believed it would keep you safe if your ability to bend two elements was kept a secret from the rest of the world. And as time went on, you learned to suppress that side of yourself, thus forgetting you even had the ability."

"If I suppressed my Firebending, why was I able to do it in the Crystal Catacombs?"

Sonal gently touched Xiaodan's forehead with her feeler again and Xiaodan saw herself lying unconscious in the middle of the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole, Katara leaning over her as she healed the cut on Xiaodan's head.

"Katara used water from the Spirit Oasis to heal your wound when the Fire Nation Prince knocked you unconscious. When she healed your wound, she also removed the mental block you had placed on yourself as a child, unlocking your ability to Firebend."

"Oh..." Xiaodan muttered and she scratched her head for a moment, "That makes sense. But why didn't I start Firebending sooner?"

"The fire inside you laid dormant and then it reacted to the anger you felt when you saw the Avatar fall. That was the moment you lost the small amount of inner balance you achieved when you suppressed your Firebending. Now both of your elements are warring inside you instead of coexisting with each other."

Xiaodan stared at her hands for a moment then she looked up at the dragon with a determined expression, "How can I find my inner balance then?"

Sonal swayed her head from side-to-side slowly and a deep, pleased rumble came from her chest.

"Air is the element of freedom, thus Airbending is the most passive and peaceful of the four bending art. Unlike Airbending, Firebending is about controlling the element rather than directing or moving with the element. Fire is wild and uncontrollable and if left to itself, it will consume everything in its path, but at the same time fire is life, comforting and creative."

The golden dragon paused and blinked slowly as she stared into Xiaodan's eyes, "Your inner fire is being fueled by the anger and hurt you feel at the young Fire Nation prince's betrayal. These emotions are causing your bending to conflict with each other. Air is trying to restore peace to your spirit by re-suppressing your fire, but it is fighting back by using the negative emotions to fuel it."

"You must address the source of your anger and hurt, then let the emotions go. Allow the emotions that fuel your Airbending to fuel your Firebending, only then can you find your true inner balance between the two elements."

Xiaodan pursed her lips and looked down at her hands, turning over the dragon's words in her mind carefully. Inhaling deeply, Xiaodan closed her eyes then she exhaled a few moments later, opening her eyes slowly as she did so. Her orange eyes meeting Sonal's identical orbs with a new understanding.

"I trusted Zuko. I cared about him and I thought he cared about me too." She said quietly and tears began to brim at the corner of her eyes, "But I was wrong. He betrayed me and he betrayed Iroh."

Xiaodan wiped the tears off her cheeks with a small scowl on her face, "But even after all that, I still care about him and I'm just so angryat him for making me feel this way. But, what's even worse, is that I'm angrier at myself for even letting myself feel this way. If I had just left as soon as Iroh was better, I never would have developed feelings for that stupid, glowing jerk and Aang would have never gotten hurt!"

Sonal purred quietly and leaned forward, nuzzling her muzzle gently against the side of Xiaodan's face. The white-haired girl threw her arms around the dragon's neck and she sobbed weakly, crying and truly letting her emotions out for first time since Aang had gotten injured in Ba Sing Se.

"I understand you are hurt, young one, but if you had not stayed you would not have developed a kinship with Iroh. You would not have experienced what it was like to love and be loved like you did with Prince Zuko." Sonal hummed soothingly as she continued to gently nuzzle the sobbing white-haired girl, "Use those positive emotions to fuel your Firebending and your Airbending, allowing them to find a balance between each other."

Xiaodan sniffled and pulled away from the dragon, wiping her nose with the back of her hand as she looked at Sonal with a petulant expression on her tear-stained face.

"We didn't love each other, Sonal. I cared about him, but I doubt he cared about me. How could he have cared when he had been so willing to betray me?"

"He did care, child. You two formed a bond the moment you met, one that developed and strengthened over time, unbeknownst to either of you." Sonal replied wisely, "It may not have been love, but you both cared deeply for each other and over time, those feelings would have continued to grow stronger."

"It doesn't matter anyway." Xiaodan muttered with a sigh, "He's chosen his side and I've chosen mine."

"Do not be too sure, young one." Sonal rumbled vaguely as she looked at the white-haired girl in knowingly, "Now, you have let go enough of your pain and anger that your bending should be somewhat normal again, it is time for you to return. Remember to use positive emotions to fuel both aspects of your bending if you wish to keep your balance. Do not fight your feelings for the young prince, it will only cause dissonance in your spirit and turmoil in your mind."

Xiaodan bowed her head in understanding then she looked up at Sonal curiously, "Will I be able to talk to you again?"

"Of course, child. When you need me I will be there."Sonal responded with an almost maternal tone then she lifted one of her feelers and touched it to the tattoo in the middle of Xiaodan's forehead, "I will always be with you."'

Xiaodan gasped and doubled over, bracing her hands against the metal floor of the cabin. She panted heavily as sweat beaded at her brow and tears slipped down her cheeks, her eyes clenched shut.

"Why, Zuko?" She whispered and she slammed her fists against the metal floor, "I cared about you, so why did you leave?"

Her shoulders shook as she continued to sob quietly, letting out all the pain and anger she felt with her tears. Soon the tears slowed to a stop and Xiaodan lifted her head, carefully wiping the wetness from her cheeks without opening her eyes as she took a couple deep, calming breaths. Once her breathing was under control and her heart rate had returned to normal, Xiaodan opened her eyes and smiled slowly as the ache in her body seemed to disappear and her mind calmed. Her spirit settled, the air and fire inside her body no longer at war as they swirled around each other, molding together but never truly mixing.

Xiaodan sighed contentedly and laid down, tucking one hand under her head and closing her eyes, sleeping peacefully for what felt like the first time in years.

(((LINE)))

Zuko sat up with a gasp and he looked around him, his heart pounding in his chest as he looked around him. He wiped the sweat from his brow he saw that he was still inside his cabin in the ship that was taking him back home to the Fire Nation. Zuko tossed the blankets from his legs and stood, walking over to a shadowed corner of his cabin where he had left a familiar staff made from a dark, sturdy wood. He held the staff carefully, running his calloused hands over the nearly invisible slots that housed the blue wings of the glider. He had found the glider on the floor of the cavern in the Crystal Catacombs, easily recognizing it as Xiaodan's and he had taken it with him impulsively, a small part of him not wanting to lose the one reminder of the white-haired Airbender he had cared about. Suddenly, his heart clenched in an almost painful manner and he pressed his hand to chest, right above his heart.

"I'm sorry, Xia..."