'"Aang!" Xiaodan screamed as the fierce storm tossed them around violently. She reached for him, grasping his hand and holding on tightly as Appa plummeted towards the frothing ocean. Aang's terrified eyes met her just before they were swallowed up the by ocean and ripped away from each other. Xiaodan's mouth opened in a muffled scream as his hand slipped from hers and the dark water pulled him away from her...'

"No..." Xiaodan rasped and fidgeted restlessly in her sleep, her brow furrowing. She grimaced and rolled over onto her other side as sweat beaded along her hairline, the night terror continuing.

'Xiaodan watched in horror, unable to move as blue-white lightning arched from Azula fingertips, streaking across the dark cavern until it slammed into Aang's back. His back arched, his mouth dropping open in a silent scream of agony as he writhed in the air as the lightning coursed through his body. His eyes and arrows stopped glowing as he plummeted to the ground...'

The dualbender sucked in a harsh breath and whimpered, tossing and turning on the sleeping pallet in the room she'd claimed as her own in the beach house. Unconciously her teeth clenched and she squeezed her eyes closed tighter, tears leaking from the corners.

'The Crystal Catacombs faded until Xiaodan was surrounded by darkness. She spun around, trying to see through the darkness, but it was all encompassing. It pressed down on her, surrounding her from all sides and closing in on her.

"Xia!" Aang's desperate, pain filled scream cut through the darkness and Xiaodan spun around, tryig to pinpoint the sound. "Help me! Xia!" Another wordless scream of agony wrenched the air and the dualbender turned around, searching frantically.

"Aang!" She cried out as she ran forward, her heart beating a furious tattoo against her ribs.

"Xia! I need you, Xia! Where are you?!"

Xiaodan stumbled, falling to her hands and knees as Zuko's voice called out for her from somewhere in the darkness. She pushed herself back up and whirled around, "Zuko? Aang?"

She took a step forward and recoiled with a cry of surprise and fear fire erupted in front of her. She raised her arms to shield her eyes, stumbling backwards and falling onto her backside. She lowered her arms and stared in horror at the flames, or more specifically the scene playing out across the flames.

"No..." She rasped, unable to tear her eyes away as she watched Aang and Zuko, both injured in several places, fought against the Fire Lord and Azula. "No, no, no, no!" The last word was a wail of despair as her brother and the boy she loved were struck down, "No! Aang! Zuko!"

"No!" Xiaodan sat up with a gasp, clutching at her chest as her heart threatened to jump out of her chest. She whimpered and covered her face with her hands, her shoulders heaving with the force of her sobs. It wasn't the first time she'd had dreamed about Aang and Zuko dying. The night terror had attacked her sleeping mind almost every night since she, her brother, and her friends had gone to see that stupid play.

The terror and hopelessness from the dream clung to her like a cloud, making her skin itch, and she dropped her hands from her face, flinging her thin blanket off her body as she got to her feet. She blindly stumbled out of the bedroom and hurried down the hall to the front door.

She shoved the front doors open with more force than was probably necessary, but Xiaodna didn't care, she just had to get out of the house. She couldn't breathein there. Panic and icy fear clawed at her throat and she doubled over just outside the doors, pressing her clenched fists against her knees and closing her eyes tightly, sucking in deep lungfuls of the night air.

Warm hands touched her shoulder and Xiaodan flinched, jerking away from the touch and whirling around with her arms raised defensively. Zuko took a step back and held his hands up in a non-threatening manner, his expression concerned and confused. Her eyes were wide and glassy and she was looking at him with unfamiliarity, as if she didn't know who he was or as if he wasn't there.

"It's just me, Xia." The former prince spoke quietly and he took a small step towards her, his brow furrowing when she tensed further, her breath quickening and her eyes widening further. "You just had a nightmare. I promise you're safe, Xia."

Xiaodan remained in a defensive position, her body coiled tightly in preparation to either defend herself or run away. Zuko swallowed thickly and lowered his voice further, speaking in a soft, soothing manner. "Xia, it's okay. Whatever you dreamed about, it wasn't real. I'm here and you're safe." He slowly put a hand on his chest, over his heart. "You know me. You know I'll keep you safe."

Her brow furrowed in confusion and Zuko watched with bated breath as recognition ignited in her eyes, taking away the glassiness in them. She relaxed slowly, confusion twisted her features as she looked around.

"Zuko?" She rasped, focusing on his face and staggering towards him, "I don't..."

"Shh..." Zuko murmured as he caught her, pulling her close and holding her tightly against him. He rubbed her back gently. "I've got you, Xia. You're safe."

"I'm scared." Xiaodan whispered as she trembled and clutched the back of his tunic in her hands until her knuckles turned white. "I keep dreaming about Aang, about losing him. And you..." She made a soft sound of distress and Zuko held her tighter, his heart heavy in his chest. It hurt him to see her like this, she was usually so strong and confident that he, and the others, often forgot that she had her own share of insecurities and fears. And the ending of that stupid play hadn't helped with them at all.

Pulling away slightly, Zuko caught her eyes and projected as much sincerity and reassurance into his voice as he could, "I'm fine. Aang is fine. We're allfine."

"I know, I know." Xiaodan mumbled, furiously rubbing the pesky tears that had started streaming down her cheeks away. "It's just...I can't-I can't get the image out of my head. Every time I close my eyes to sleep, all I see is you and Aang crying out for me, begging me for help. I didn't do anything. I just stood there!" She pulled away and turned her back on Zuko, hanging her head as she whispered. "I didn't protect you guys."

"Xia," Zuko sighed and he touched her shoulder, turning her towards him. He spoke gently, "Aang and I can take care of ourselves. It's not your job to protect us."

"Yes it is!" Xiaodan exploded as she whirled around to face him, her ember-colored eyes blazing. "Aang is my brother and you, well I don't know what you are to me, but you're monkey-feathering important and I care about you! And I always protect the people I care about!"

Zuko winced and raised his hands placatingly, "Okay, okay. I get it. That didn't come out right. I just mean that..." He exhaled in frustration and rubbed the back of his head, trying to think of a way to word his thoughts in away that wouldn't get him punched. Xiaodan was frighteningly protective of her loved ones and she took it upon herself to keep all of them safe, even if they didn't need her protection. Letting his hands drop to his sides, he sighed. "Look, Aang is the Avatar. How do you expect him to reach his full potential if you keep coddling him? You can't keep treating him like a child."

Xiaodan opened her mouth to make a harsh retort, her dream all but forgotten in favor of defending her protective ways, but she faltered and closed her mouth with a click as she really thought about Zuko's words. She hadn't given it much thought before, but was her overprotectiveness really holding Aang back? And did she really treat him like a child? Looking back, she realized that she had been treating her brother like a little kid, even after it had become clear to her that he was growing up. But she had always protected him, had sworn to always keep him safe only moments after meeting him when he was just a baby. Maybe that play hadn't be so far off...

Xiaodan sat down heavily on the steps and hung her head, speaking in a whisper. "I can't not protect him, Zuko. I swore I'd always be there to keep him safe, no matter what."

"You can still protect him." Zuko replied as he sat down beside her. "But not from everything. Some things he has to face on his own."

Xiaodan huffed and glanced over at him, "When did you get so good a giving advice? According to Sokka, all the advice you gave him didn't make any sense at all or just made him feel worse."

The former prince snorted, "Guess I've just finally become the leaf."

"You're not funny, Firebug." The dualbender grumbled without amusement, scowling at him in annoyance. Zuko smirked and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to him as he asked, "Feel better?"

"Yeah," Xiaodan breathed out as she looked at the night sky. "I guess I do." She looked over at him from under her lashes, "Thanks, Zuko."

"You're welcome." Zuko replied, shrugging slightly then looking down at her. Xiaodan bit her lip then closed her eyes and tilted her head up, pressing her lips against his in a soft kiss. Zuko stiffened in surprise, staring at her with wide eyes before closing them and kissing her back, bringing his hand up to cup her cheek gently.

Xiaodan sighed against him, warmth blooming in her chest and chasing away any lingering fear her nightmare had caused. It was, technically, their first real kiss since they'd managed to work things out between them and she was going to enjoy it.

Aang was sleeping peacefully in the room across from her's when Xiaodan peeked inside after she and Zuko had pulled away from each other and returned inside. The dualbender watched him sleep for a few moments before stepping back into the hall and closing the door quietly.

"Told you he was fine."

Xiaodan glanced over at Zuko, flushing slightly as she remembered what had happened earlier. Clearing her throat, she walked past him to check in on the others as she muttered. "Shut up."

Zuko rolled his eyes and shifted against the wall he was leaning against, watching her poke her head into Toph's room then Katara's, Suki's, and Sokka's. When she quietly closed the Water Tribe teen's door and turned towards him, he raised his brow at her, his sardonic expression telling her just how ridiculous he thought she was being.

Xiaodan growled at him, "I said shut up."

"I didn't say anything." The former prince smirked and straightened, his brow raising higher when she moved to stand in front of him and poked his chest reproachfully.

"You were thinking it."

Zuko caught her hand and tugged her closer, smiling slightly at the small squeak of surprise she emitted at the bold move. Her face flushed and she glowered at him. Xiaodan was starting to think that maybe kissing him had not been a good idea, it seemed to have made him overily cocky, almost cheeky. She was supposed to be the cheeky one and he was supposed grumpy one. The sudden role reversal was disgruntling for Xiaodan.

The door down the hall opened and Sokka stepped out, blearily rubbing his eye with a fist. He faltered and gawked when he saw Xiaodan and Zuko locked in some kind of stare down; the former prince looking rather smug while the dualbender looked irked.

"Uh..." Sokka's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped when Zuko ducked down and kissed Xiaodan, cradling her face gently in his hands. Slowly, he retreated back into his room and closed the door. He leaned against it for a moment then shook his head, stumbling back over to his bed. "Yeah, I don't need a drink of water that badly..."

Zuko brushed his lips across Xiaodan's one more time before pulling away, smiling as her eyes fluttered open. Xiaodan smiled back and brought her hands up to his face, her fingertips feather-light against his scar and he closed his eyes, resting his forehead against hers.

"We should go back to bed." Xiaodan murmured, unwilling to move.

"Yeah."

They didn't move for several minutes, not until Xiaodan stepped away with a reluctant sigh. She pressed a soft kiss to his scar and whispered a soft goodnight before walking towards her room and disappearing inside, but not before shooting one last smile in his direction.

Zuko shook his head and smiled to himself as he went back to his own room. He was pretty sure he was in love with that girl. Now he just needed to find the best way to tell her.

"You're not taking this seriously!" Zuko barked sternly at Xiaodan as he ducked under her fire-punch and swept her legs out from under her.

"Oof!" The air exploded from Xiaodan's lungs in a surprised gasp and she laid on the ground, staring up at the blue sky as she tried to catch her breath. That was the third time he'd knocked her on her butt since they had begun sparring two hours earlier and frankly, she was getting tired of it.

Gritting her teeth, the dualbender kicked herself up and lunged at Zuko, jumping and twisting in a flawless butterfly kick, fire streaming out of her heels in white arcs. The former prince sprung back in a backward handspring then punched a fireball at Xiaodan as soon as he was upright once more.

Xiaodan ducked under the fireball and swept her leg out in a sweeping arc, forcing Zuko to jump over the crescent of flames she sent at him. She shifted seamless from her crouch into a front roll, coming to her feet in front of Zuko. When he swung his right fist at her and she raised her own hand, using the back of her hand to push his arm away from her as she twisted around him. He spun around, fire arching from his fist and she danced away.

Zuko scowled at her as he turned to face her again, "This is firebending training, not airbending, Xia!"

"Have I airbended?" Xiaodan demanded as she took an airbending stance, extending her right hand slightly with the palm out while keeping her left hand just under her slightly bent right elbow. She figured if she couldn't beat him with traditional firebending moves, then she'd mix it up a little. She didn't give him a chance to respond, blasting him with several fireballs.

The former prince quickly dispersed the flames with a grunt then lunged at her, shooting fire from his fists and feet. Xiaodan cut through the blasts by making a circular motion with her arms and leapt back, spinning on the ball of her foot and running towards a nearby tree. She ran up the trunk and pushed off, backflipping over Zuko and smirking at him when he spun around and looked up at her.

Xiaodan twisted into an inside-turning kick in midair, kicking streams of fire at him as she moved. Zuko dodged to the side, barrel-rolling out of the way of the white flames. Xiaodan landed in a crouch a few feet from him.

The two eyed each other warily for several moments before both erupted into motion, lunging at each other. Xiaodan ducked under his punch and twisted around him, kicking her leg out in a back-kick. Zuko easily turned towards her and into the kick, catching her leg and locking it against his hip.

Xiaodan squeaked and hopped a little to keep her balance on her remaining leg, scowling at the former prince when he smirked at her.

"How are you going to run away now, pest?"

Xiaodan felt her jaw drop at what had once been an insult, but was now almost an endearment, then she laughed, upsetting her balance even further. She flailed as she began to fall backwards and Zuko quickly dropped her leg, grabbing her wrists and tugging her forward to keep her upright. Unfortunately, Xiaodan's feet tangled together when she tried to regain her balance and she ended up falling against Zuko with more force than anticipated, knocking them both over.

"Oomph!" Zuko grunted when he hit the ground and Xiaodan landed on top of him, their heads knocking together. Xiaodan jerked her head back with a pained yelp and Zuko grabbed his head with a groan.

"Bwahahahaha!" Xiaodan and Zuko turned to look at the front stairs of the beach house where, unbeknownst to them, the rest of the group had gathered to watch them spar. Sokka was the one guffawing boisterously, practically doubled over with laughter while the others snickered and grinned. The teen wiped the tears of mirth from his eye as he straightened and pointed at the two older teens sprawled out on the dirt, "That was the single most beautifully awkward thing I've ever seen in my life!"

Toph snorted and jerked her thumb towards Sokka, "And coming from Sokka, that's saying a lot."

"Oh shut up." Xiaodan snipped irritably, trying to ignore the way her face burned with embarrassment as she pushed herself off of Zuko got to her feet. She held her hand out to Zuko without looking at him and addressed her brother and friends, "What are you guys even doing out here? Usually you're all lazing about inside."

"Well, I was looking for Zuko." Aang replied, jumping down the stairs and walking over to his sister and firebending teacher, who was now on his feet and dusting off his clothes. "We're supposed to train today."

"Okay, I already knew that one." Xiaodan looked towards the others, "So what're your excuses?"

Sokka shrugged and grinned at her, "Well first we just wanted to watch Aang practice, but then we got to see you get your butt kicked for once. How could we pass that up?"

He grinned proudly at her then yelped when a blast of air knocked him off the stairs and into the bushes growing beside the stairs. Zuko snorted, Aang sniggered, Suki and Katara hid their giggles behind their hands, and Toph laughed outright. The blind girl tilted her head in Sokka's direction and snarked, "Should've seen that one coming, Snoozles."

Sokka grumbled under his breath as he climbed out of the bushes, glowering at the smug looking dualbender as she flounced past him and bounced up the stairs, sitting near the top with Katara. Shaking his head, Zuko addressed Aang, "Let's start."

Standing at attention, Aang nodded with determination. "Alright, Sifu Hotman."

Zuko's eye twitched and Xiaodan giggled at the irritated, but resigned look on his face. No matter how many times he demanded Aang not to call him that, the young Avatar still persisted, usually with Xiaodan's encouragement. Resisting the urge to rub this temples-his head was still throbbing from hitting Xiaodan's-he stepped to the side and ordered sternly, "Start with your basic forms."

Aang nodded again and began, moving through the basic firebending forms Zuko had first taught him. The former prince occasionally barked orders at him, verbally correcting his stances as he went through hiskatas. Aang sighed. He could already tell it was going to be a long day.

"More ferocious!" Zuko barked, crossing his arms and frowning sternly as he scrutinized Aang's forms after he'd moved onto the more advanced set of katas.

Aang furrowed his brow in concentration as he swung his arms, bending arcs of fire from his hands as he walked forward. Zuko narrowed his eyes as Aang walked past him, shooting small bursts of fire from his fists.

"Imagine striking through your opponent's heart!"

Aang firebending a large blast in front of him then whirled around to face Zuko, throwing his arms out in frustration as he snapped. "Ugh! I'm trying. I'm trying!"

Zuko ignored him and commanded, "Now let me hear you roar like a tiger-dillo!"

Aang growled and spun away from the former prince, stretching his arms out to the side and throwing his head back as he roared softly, weak streams of fire coming out of his palms and mouths. On the steps, Xiaodan began laughing loudly and Aang turned around, smiling sheepishly at his weak attempt.

"Stop laughing, Xia!" Zuko exclaimed in annoyance, uncrossing his arms and turning to point at a still cackling Xiaodan. When she continued to giggle, he rolled his eyes and looked over at Aang with a scowl, "That was pathetic! I said roar!"

Narrowing his eyes in determined concentration, Aang spun back around, flung his arms out to the side, and tossed his head back, letting out a ferocious roar. Fire spewed from his palms and mouth in a violently burst of power.

"Sheek!" Momo screeched and scurried towards Zuko, hiding behind his legs and pinning his ears back against his head.

Zuko recrossed his arms and smirked slightly, nodding approval when Aang turned towards him after he'd finished roaring.

"Who wants a nice, cool glass of watermelon juice?" Katara called out as she finished filling the last two hollowed out melons, holding them up with a sweet smile. She and Xiaodan had brought the juice out about half an hour ago when the late morning heat began to increase some.

"Ooh, ooh!" Aang turned around with an excited look on his face, "Me, me, me!"

"Hey!" Zuko barked in annoyance, grabbing the back of Aang's samghati when he tried to run towards Katara. "You're lesson's not over yet!" He held the younger boy up as he struggled to break free, scowling as he snapped, "Get back here."

"Lighten up, Firebug." Xiaodan quipped with an eye roll and she stood up, holding her own glass of watermelon juice. "You both could use a break."

"Yeah," Suki added with a shrug, "What's the big deal? It's just a short break."

"Fine." Zuko scowled. He released Aang and crossed his arms as the young boy dashed up the stairs, taking the melon Katara held out to him and drinking from it greedily. He waved Xiaodan away when she approached him, offering him the hollowed out melon she held. He addressed the group still sitting on the stairs sternly, "If you want to lounge around like a bunch of snail-sloths all day, then go ahead!"

He stormed away and Xiaodan rolled her eyes, sighing in exasperation. She debated following him, but she had a feeling that he wanted to be alone at the moment and she could respect that. Shaking her head at the former prince's attitude, she muttered under her breath as she walked back towards the stairs, "He's such a grump."

"Maybe Zuko's right." Sokka commented around the straw in his mouth, "Sitting around the house has made us pretty lazy. But I know just the thing to do." He set his watermelon aside and stood up slowly before abruptly removing his outer tunic which left him in his undershorts, "Beach party!"

He ran towards the beach and Aang gave an excited shout before running after the older boy, tossing his samghati aside as he went. Toph snorted while Suki, Katara, and Xiaodan exchanged bemused looks.

"Race you, guys!" Toph shouted as she ran down the path to the beach, discarding her outer-clothes as she went, "Last one to the beach is a rotten platypus-bear egg!"

Suki, Katara, and Xiaodan reached the beach just in time to see Sokka resurface from the water, a bundle of seaweed on his head. He blew a stream of water out of his mouth and grinned goofily at the girls before diving back under. Laughing as she and Suki laid out a couple of beach mats, Xiaodan watched as Katara ran towards the water, the young girl using waterbending to create a board made of ice and surfing across the water.

Suki, lying on the beach mat she'd laid out, watched with a bemused smile as Sokka scurried past her with an armful of seaweed before grabbing a pair of buckets and running back towards the water, rushing past her again once he'd filled them. She looked over at Xiaodan, who was sitting beside her on her own beach mat questioningly, but the older girl just shrugged and made an 'I don't even know' noise.

"Guys, check out my Appa sand sculpture!" Aang called out excitedly, raising his arms victoriously after placing two big pieces of wood onto the sculpture's head to mimic horns. He laughed when the real sky bison lumbered forward and growled at the sand sculpture, before walking away.

"Not bad, baldy." Toph commented. She smirked and interlocked her fingers, stretching her arms out and cracking her fingers. "But I've been working on my sandbending. You're gonna love this." She turned, took a few steps and brought her arms close to her body before flinging them downward, keeping her elbows bent close to her sides. A cloud of dust erupted in front of her as she bended the sand into a miniature replica of Ba Sing Se.

"Whoa." Aang rushed forward and dropped to his knees at the edge of the hole the sand replica was inside, leaning forward to peer at the little figures of Earth King Kuei and his bear. "Wow! You even made a little Earth King and Bosco!"

Xiaodan wandered over and eyed the replica then addressed Toph with amusement, "I think I'm more impressed that you made a replica of Ba Sing Se. Didn't you say you hated the city?"

"Meh." Toph shrugged then smirked, turning towards Sokka who was busily carving at a pile of sand. "Try and top that, Sokka."

Sokka glanced over his should then smiled smugly as he turned towards Aang, Toph, and Xiaodan. He flung his arms out, "Ta-da!"

Xiaodan snorted and covered her mouth with a hand, biting her lip to keep from laughing at the strange looking sculpture that had seaweed for hair, a starfish for a nose, and rocks and shells for its eyes and mouth.

"Uh..." Aang tilted his head and squinted his eyes, pointing at the blob of sand curiously. "Is that a blubbering blob monster?"

"No!" Sokka exclaimed defensively with an indignant frown, "It's Suki!"

Aang's jaw dropped in shock before he, Toph, and Xiaodan all burst into hysterical laughter, Xiaodan clutching onto Aang's shoulder as she doubled over. Turning her head towards Suki, Toph snarked playfully. "Suki, we'll all understand if you break up with him over this."

"I think it's sweet." Suki stated, smiling affectionately as Sokka ran over and slid on his knees across the sand, throwing his arms around her and kissing her cheek happily.

Aang scratched his head in confusion, looking at Xiaodan questioningly as he pointed at the sculpture in disbelief, "But it doesn't even look like-Aah!" He yelped when a burst of fire slammed into the sand blog, sending waves of sand flying everywhere, and he threw his arms up to shield himself.

"What the flying hog-monkeys?!" Xiaodan shrieked as she rolled to her feet after being knocked over from the fireball's impact. She looked up and gawked in shock alongside Aang as Zuko jumped off the cliff edge, shooting several small fireballs at Aang as he flew through the air.

Aang shouted in surprise, narrowly dodging the flames as he ran away. Zuko hit the ground and rolled to his feet, running past a stunned Xiaodan and Toph as he chased Aang.

Xiaodan snapped out of stupor when the former prince flung more blasts at her brother while chasing him and she screamed at the top of her lungs. "What are you doing, you idiot?!" She ran after her boyfriend and brother just as Zuko destroyed Toph's sand sculpture after Aang had leapt over it.

Aang landed on the other side of the sculpture and glanced over his shoulder briefly before flipping over his sand replica of Appa, peering fearfully around its head at Zuko. He parroted his sister's earlier demand, "What are you doing?!"

"Teaching you a lesson!" Zuko barked and he swung his fist, sending a stream of fire at the sand sculpture.

Aang yelped and leapt away from his sculpture as it was cut in half by the flames, destroying it. He looked over at Zuko when he landed a few yards away, his eyes widening fearfully as the former prince fired another blast at him, forcing him to airbend himself onto a nearby cliff. Zuko continued to firebend repeatedly at the cliff as Aang struggled to jump across the uneven surface, heading back towards the house.

"Knock it off!" Xiaodan snarled as she grabbed Zuko's arm after the last fire blast he fired at her brother shattered the top part of the cliff. Zuko quickly shook her off and ran towards the cliff, quickly scaling up rocky surface to the top. Xiaodan gave a frustrated scream and raced after him, determined to find out what exactly he thought he was doing.

"What happened?" Katara exclaimed as she surfed back to shore after hearing the commotion. She stared at the destruction in disbelief then looked over at her brother, who was busily trying to rebuild his sand sculpture, "What's going on?"

"Zuko's gone crazy!" Sokka cried out, desperately trying to fix his sand sculpture. "I made a sand sculpture of Suki and he destroyed it!" He paused in his work and added almost as an after thought. "Oh, and he's attacking Aang and I'm pretty sure Xia is going to kill him."

"Sokka!" Katara growled, running past her brother and back to the beach house with Toph right on her heels. Suki quickly grabbed her boyfriend by the arm and dragged him away from the mound of sand, pulling him along as she ran after the other two girls.

Zuko chased Aang across the cliff, ignoring Xiaodan's screaming as he focused chasing her brother down with grim determination. He knew the others thought he had gone crazy, but what he was doing was for Aang own good. Clenching his teeth, the former prince fired another blast at Aang, who leapt out of the just in time.

Panicked and confused, Aang glanced over his shoulder as he ran up the side of a huge rock, yelping quietly and jumping off the tip of the rock when Zuko shot more fireballs at him. The blasts missed him but struck the rock, shattering the top where he had just been standing. Aang flew the air and grunted as he latched onto the top of tall palm tree, clinging to it.

Zuko ran up the rock and flipped off it, hitting the ground in a front-roll and firebending as soon as he was upright once more. Aang yelped and dove off the tree as the blast struck the top, igniting the leaves. He hit the roof of the beach house and barrel-rolled to his feet, whirling around and taking a defensive stance as Zuko flipped onto the roof behind him after scaling the side.

"Get a grip before I blast you off this roof!" Aang snapped angrily.

"Go ahead and do it!" Zuko snarled in reply before thrusting his fist forward, bending a large jet of fire from his knuckles before jumping and kicking another blast at Aang, who twisted away and slid down the roof. Zuko was about to give chase again when Xiaodan suddenly leapt in front of him, knocking him back with an air blast to his chest. He grunted as his back hit the roof, skidding back a bit before he managed to use his momentum to somersault backwards onto his feet.

"What are you doing, you idiot?!" The dualbender demanded as he stood upright.

"Get out of the way, Xia." Zuko barked as he tried to move past her and to Aang, who had disappeared over the edge of the roof. "This doesn't concern you."

"Oh yes it does!"

Zuko growled and lunged around her, sidestepping her attempt to stop him. He quickly blasted a hole in the roof and jumped through it just in time to avoid getting blasted off the roof by his irate girlfriend as she screamed curses at him.

Aang panted softly as he hid behind a dresser after swinging into a dusty room through the window. He could hear his sister and Zuko arguing up on the roof just before a huge blast of fire shot through the roof and his sister started screaming angry curses.

Swallowing thickly, Aang peered cautiously around the dresser as Zuko landed among the broken pieces of wood from the room. He quickly ducked back behind hte dresser as the former prince took a fighting stance and looked around warily. Aang stood up slowly then whirled around, kicking the dresser towards Zuko and running out of the room.

Zuko quickly slammed his fist into the dresser, destroying it with a blast of fire then gave ran after Aang just as Xiaodan jumped into the room from the hole in roof. Zuko stopped just outside the door and began firebending huge whips and arcs of fire around himself, creating tunnel which he then launched at Aang, who was nearly at the end of the hall.

"No!" Xiaodan screamed as the flames flew down the hall towards her brother.

Aang glanced over his shoulder at his sister's scream, his eyes widening in horror as the fire tunnel surged down the hallway. He jumped as the fire surrounded him on all sides, turning towards Zuko as he twisted around and airebended a section of the flames, creating a safe space for him to land without getting burnt. Anger surged inside of him and he bared his teeth at Zuko.

"Enough!" He shouted furiously and airbended a tunnel of air at Zuko, which extinguished the flames.

Zuko gave a surprised yell and throwing his arms up as he was blasted down the corridor and through the balcony doors at the end of the hall. He grunted as he hit the large tree growing outside the house, groaning as he fell through the branches before hitting the ground on his stomach with a painful thud.

Inside the house, Xiaodan rushed towards Aang and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Aang replied grimly, gently brushing past his sister and heading towards the hole he'd made in the house. Scowling fiercely, Xiaodan followed him onto the balcony. She crossed her arms and glared down at Zuko as he was getting to his feet, rubbing his head with a grimace of pain.

"What's wrong with you?!" Katara yelled as she came careening around the house, skidding to a stop with the others in front of Zuko. She flung her hand towards Aang as he and Xiaodan jumped from the balcony and landed in front of the group, "You could have hurt Aang!"

"What's wrong with me?" Zuko shouted back angrily and he threw his hands out to the side as he demanded, "What's wrong with you! How can you sit around having beach parties when Sozin's Comet isless than a week away!"

Xiaodan's eyes widened with realization and her anger died down some as she stared at him in surprise. "You don't know?"

"What do you mean?" Zuko demanded in confusion and he scowled at the other teens as they looked at him with vaguely guilty expressions, "Why are you all looking at me like I'm crazy?"

"Uh..." Aang sighed and rubbed the back of his head as he stepped forward, "About Sozin's Comet...I was actually gonna wait to fight the Fire Lord until after it came."

"After?"

"I'm not ready." Aang explained self-consciously, looking at the ground with an unsure expression. "I need more time to master firebending."

"And frankly, your earthbending could still use some work too." Toph added apologetically with a small shrug and she crossed her arms.

Aang winced and looked away disappointedly, Xiaodan reaching out to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. Zuko looked at the others in confusion and disbelief before his gaze settled on Xiaodan.

"So...You all knew that Aang was going to wait?" Zuko asked slowly as looked at the others in confusion and disbelief before his gaze settled on Xiaodan, his expression almost hurt. "You knew?"

"I thought you knew." Xiaodan replied weakly, her anger at him for attacking Aang almost completely disappearing. She took a hesitant step towards him as she apologized, "I'm sorry."

"It's fine." The former prince muttered tightly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Honestly Zuko, if Aang tries to fight the Fire Lord right now, he's gonna lose." Sokka commented then looked over at Aang apologetically, "No offense."

Katara stepped forward before Aang could reply, "The whole point of fighting the Fire Lord before the Comet was to stop the Fire Nation from winning the War." She shrugged helpless and looked around at the others before her gaze settled on Zuko, "But they pretty much won the War when they took Ba Sing Se. Things can't get any worse."

"You're wrong." Zuko replied flatly. He closed his eyes and turned away from them. "It's about to get worse than you can even imagine."

Worry and dread filled Xiaodan's heart and she stepped up behind him, touching his shoulder as she asked quietly. "What do you mean?"

"The day before the eclipse, my father asked me to attend an important war meeting." Zuko explained, his mind drifting back to that day as he moved away from Xiaodan and sat down heavily on a nearby rock. "It was what I dreamed about and wanted for so many years. My father had finally accepted me back."

'Zuko walked down the hallway towards his father's war room, two servants slipping his chest and shoulder armor over his head as he walked. He stopped just outside the curtain and took a deep, steadying breath, trying not to remember what happened the last time he'd attended a war meeting. Steeling himself, he brushed the curtain aside and stepped into the dimly lit room.

"Welcome Prince Zuko." Fire Lord Ozai greeted his son as he walked past the table of generals towards his throne."We waited for you."

Zuko ignored the glances the generals sent his way as walked up the short steps to the dais where his father and sister already sat. Ozai gestured towards the seat on his right and Zuko bowed respectfully then took his seat, resting his hands in his laps.

Ozai stared at his son for several moments then looked towards his generals and called out calmly, "General Shinu, your report."

"Thank you, sir." General Shinu said as he inclined his head in acknowledgement then stood up, making his way to the end of the table as he spoke. "Ba Sing se is still under our control. However, Earthbender rebellions have prevented us from achieving total victory in the Earth Kingdom."

Ozai frowned, "What is your recommendation?"

"Our army is spread to thin." General Shinu explained, "But once the eclipse is over and the invasion defeated, we should transfer more domestic forces into the Earth Kingdom."

"Hmm..." Ozai hummed then turned his head towards Zuko. "Prince Zuko, you've been among the Earth Kingdom commoners. Do you think that adding more troops will stop these rebellions."

Zuko frowned and looked down at his lap, thinking carefully. Clearing his throat, he began to speak slowly, "The people of the Earth Kingdom are proud and strong. They can endure anything as long as they have hope."

"Yes...You're right." Ozai murmured, his eyes narrowing in thought before an evil, lethal look appeared on his face. "We need to destroy their hope."

Zuko's eyes widened and he looked at his father with some panic, "Well, that's not what I-"

"I think," Azula interrupted her brother loudly and fingered her fringe before brushing it aside, "We should take their precious hope and the rest of their land," She looked down at the map spread out on the table below scornfully then smirked, "And burn it all to the ground."

"Yes. Yes, you're right, Azula." Ozai nodded and smiled evilly as his daughter's suggestion took root in his mind. Azula smiled, pleased with her father's acknowledgment. Ozai stood up and walked towards the table slowly, "Sozin's Comet is almost upon us and on that day it will endow us with the strength and power of a hundred suns. No bender will stand a chance against us."

General Shinu stared the Fire Lord solemnly and asked, "What are you suggesting, sir?"

"When the comet last came, my grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin, used it to wipe out the Air Nomads. Now, I will use its power to end the Earth Kingdom." Ozai smiled, sharp and cruel. "Permanently."

Zuko stiffened and stared at his father's back in disbelief, shocked at his cruel revelation. Ozai turned stepped onto the table and began to walk across it.

"From our airships, we will rain fire over their lands. A fire that will destroy everything." He stopped in the middle of the table and held his hands out to the side in a grand gesture. "And out of the ashes, a new world will be born. A world in which all lands are Fire Nation and I am the supreme ruler of everything!"

The generals burst into applause while Ozai basked in their praise, Azula looking on with a pleased expression. Zuko closed his eyes and turned his head away...'

"I wanted to speak out against this horrifying plan." Zuko said quietly and he bowed his head in shame. "But I'm ashamed to say I didn't. My whole life I struggled to gain my father's love and acceptance. But once I had it, I realized I lost myself getting there. I'd forgotten who I was."

"This is..." Xiaodan shook her head, unable to even think of something to say that would even begin to describe how bad the situation was. She sat down heavily on the ground beside the rock Zuko sat on and put her face in her hands. "This is really, really not good."

Zuko put his hand on her shoulder, the only gesture of comfort he was able to give at the moment. She let her hands fall from her face, reaching up with one to grasp his and hold it tightly. Katara made a noise of distress and slowly sank to her knees, shaking her head slowly in despair.

"I can't believe this."

"I always knew that the Fire Lord was a bad guy," Sokka muttered as he wrapped his arm around Suki's shoulders, comforting himself as much as her with the gesture. "But his place is just pure evil."

Aang grabbed his head in distress, "What am I gonna do?"'

Zuko squeezed Xiaodan's hand then let it go as he stood up, walking over to her brother. "I know you're scared. And I know you're not ready to save the world." He stopped in front of the younger boy and stared down at him seriously, "But if you don't defeat the Fire Lord before the comet comes, there won't be a world to save anymore."

Aang blanched.

"Why didn't you tell me about your dad's crazy plan sooner?" Aang squawked after everyone had somewhat gotten over their shock and horror at the Fire Lord's plan to destroy the Earth Kingdom. He began pacing agitatedly in front of the group, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides.

"I didn't think I had to. I assumed that you were still going to fight him before the comet." Zuko replied defensively and he put a hand on his chest and flung the other out to the side, "No one told me you decided to wait!"

"Okay, that's enough." Xiaodan chided as she stepped around Zuko and in front of Aang, grasping his shoulders. "Clearly there's still some communication issues going on with our group, but what's done is done. We need to focus on figuring out what we're going to do now."

"This is bad." Aang muttered, apparently not hearing a word his sister said, and he turned away from her, putting his hands on his head in despair. He shook his head and groaned. "This is really, really bad."

"Aang," Katara said as she moved to stand beside Xiaodan behind Aang. She smiled at him encouragingly when he turned to look at them, his expression the very picture of worry and dismay. "You don't need to do this alone."

"Yeah," Toph chipped in with a smirk, walking up to stand on Katara's other side while Zuko stood next to Xiaodan. The blind girl crossed her arms and cocked out a hip as she stated confidently, "If we all fight the Fire Lord together, we got a shot at taking him down."

"Alright! Team Avatar is back!" Sokka cheered, throwing the arm that wasn't wrapped around Suki's shoulders in the air as he and his girlfriend walked up to the others. He pointed at Aang then Katara confidently, "Air! Water!" He turned to point at Xiaodan then Toph then Zuko. "Air and fire! Earth! And fire again!"

Xiaodan crossed her arms and shared a bemused look with the others as Sokka let go of Suki to pick up a palm leaf in the shape of a fan, which he then shoved into his girlfriend's hand before holding up another leaf blade in the air. "Fan and sword!"

Aang shook his head and smiled at his friend as his leaf 'sword' wilted then his expression became serious. He looked at his friends and sister solemnly, "Fighting the Fire Lord won't be easy, it's gonna be the hardest thing we've ever done together." He smiled at them, "But I wouldn't want to do it any other way."

"Not that we'd let you do it any other way." Xiaodan quipped with a laugh and she threw her arms around her brother in a hug.

"Yeah." Toph agreed with a snicker, stepping forward along with Katara to embrace the two Air Nomads.

Sokka and Suki followed, throwing their arms around the others as the Water Tribe teen added, "Alright!"

Zuko remained standing a bit a ways from the other teens, his arms crossed and a deadpan expression on his face as he eyed the hugging group. Katara glanced over at him and smiled, "Get over here, Zuko. Being part of the group also means being part of group hugs."

"So get your grumpy butt over here, Firebug." Xiaodan quipped with a smirk.

Zuko rolled his eyes, glancing to the side with a put-upon expression before sighing in resignation as he shuffled towards the others. Xiaodan beamed at him and grasped his wrist, pulling him into the group hug between her and Toph.

The group looked up in surprise when a low growl sounded from above them just before Appa tackled them all to the ground, growling lowly as he licked them much to the teens' chagrin. Momo, sitting atop Appa's head, chittered happily.

"There's one technique you need to know before facing my father. How to redirect lightning." Zuko stated seriously as he stood with Aang in the main courtyard of the beach house. Aang grinned in anticipation as Zuko stretched his left arm out diagonally to his body, pointing his index and middle finger outward. "If you let the energy in your own body flow," He touched the same fingers from his right hand to his left fingers then swiftly traced a path down his left arm and shoulder to his stomach then raised his right arm to mimic his left arm's diagonal position. "The lightning will follow it."

He moved his left hand to his right until they were parallel with each other then he looked over at Aang, "You turn you opponent's energy against them."

"That's like waterbending." Aang commented in amazement as Zuko repeated the motion to the left side of his body.

"Exactly." Zuko replied, nodding in approval when Aang began mimicking his movements. "My uncle invented this technique himself by studying Waterbenders."

"So..." Aang began hesitantly before blurting out curiously, "Have you ever redirected lightning before?"

Sitting under the pavilion with Katara and Momo, Xiaodan perked up and stopped playing with the lemur's ears, turning her attention to Zuko interestedly.

"Once." Zuko replied after a moment, his tone distant with remembrance. "Against my father."

"What did it feel like?"

Zuko stopped practicing the lightning redirection form, taking a deep breath as he brought his hands down in a cool-down motion. He took a moment to reply, thinking back on the day of the eclipse when he confronted his father in his bunker. Remembered the way the lightning had coursed through his body.

"It was exhilarating." Aang's eyes widened and he raised both arms to his chest eagerly. His excited expression fell a moment later when Zuko continued.

"But terrifying. You feel so powerful, holding that much energy in your body." Zuko said, crossing his arms over his chest and closing his eyes for a moment. "But you know that if you make the wrong move, it's all over."

Aang dropped his hands back to his sides and laughed nervously, "Heh, well not over over, right? I mean there's always Katara and a little spirit water action." He looked over at Katara hopefully, "Am I right?"

"Actually I used it all up after Azula shot you." Katara replied matter-of-factly with a small, apologetic shrug.

"Oh..."

Xiaodan's brows furrowed at her brother's tone and she placed Momo on the steps beside her and hopped to her feet, shuffling over to stand with the two boys. Zuko glanced over at her then addressed Aang, staring at him with grim seriousness.

"You'll need to take the Fire Lord's life before he takes yours."

"Yeah..." Aang replied weakly and he looked down at his feet, lifting his hand to rub his arm. "I'll just...I'll just do that." Zuko nodded and, after a quick glance at Xiaodan, walked back to the house. When he was gone, Aang lifted his head and met his sister's eyes, his uncertain and dismayed expression breaking her heart.

Stepping forward, she wrapped him in her arms and hugged him tightly. His arms curled around her waist and he held her tightly. She rubbed his back, "Don't worry, little brother. Everything will be alright, you'll see." Aang nodded against her and Xiaodan closed her eyes, desperately wishing and fervently praying that what she said would be true.

"Alright, gather around Team Avatar." Sokka instructed as he gestured for the others to surround him and the haphazardly put together scarecrow he was standing next to on a rocky cliff near the beach. He placed the head of the scarecrow, a melon that had a face carved into it, on top as the group sat in front of him. "Okay, in order to take out the Fire Lord, or in this case the Melon Lord, our timing has to be perfect."

He kneeled and picked up a stick, drawing a face in the sand to resemble the Melon Lord's head. "First, Suki and I will draw his fire." He drew a line curving towards the face then drew a straight line below the melon symbol, "Then Katara, Zuko, and Xiaodan charge in with some breezy, liquidy hot offence and while the Melon Lord is distracted, Aang swoops in and..." He drew a line curving to the right then slashed it through the melon symbol, "BAM! He delivers the final blow."

Aang grimaced, staring down at the drawing in slight disgust. He looked up and caught Xiaodan eying him with concern and he smiled weakly at her. She smiled back just as weakly then looked at Sokka's drawing again, her expression uneasy.

"Err..." Toph drawled and canted her head towards Zuko, "What about me?"

"For now, you're the Melon Lord's forces." Sokka replied with a shrug.

An eager grin spread across Toph's face, "So I get to chuck flaming rocks at all of you?"

"What makes the training feel more realistic."

"Sweetness."

Xiaodan eyed the younger girl and commented sardonically, "You're way to excited about that, missy."

The blind Earthbender just grinned at her. Xiaodan found the maniacal edge to that particular grin just a bit disconcerting. Shaking her head, the dualbender straightened from her crouch and clapped her hands together with forced enthusiasm.

"Let's do this."

"Muahahahahaha!" Toph laughed maniacally as she stood in front of the Melon Lord scarecrow with her arms outstretched on the cliff top surrounded by a ring of huge boulders covered in oil with several lit braziers sat just outside the ring of rocks.

Perched behind a cluster of rocks with Zuko and Katara, Xiaodan rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath. "She's having way to much fun with this..."

Zuko shushed her, even though he silently agreed and was even a little concerned about how much Toph seemed to enjoy playing the enemy in their little training exercise. Xiaodan made a face at him then looked to her left, spotting Aang as he peeked over the rock he was hiding behind with Momo. Her brother looked over at her briefly before looking over at Sokka and Suki, hiding a few yards from him in front of him.

Sokka, wearing his Water Tribe wolf armor, looked back at the others and signaled with his arm for them to start moving.

Xiaodan surged to her feet and nimbly darted up the small cliff she was standing next to, Zuko and Katara hot on her heels. The three raced along the rocky terrain towards Toph while Suki and Sokka took a more obvious approach down below.

As Suki and Sokka ran, the ground began to shake before several Fire Nation soldiers made of rock popped up from the ground and charged towards them. Sokka quickly unsheathed his sword and slashed the first rock soldier in half and Suki kicked down another one before they continued to run.

Suddenly a flaming boulder flew through the air and crashed into the ground in front of them. Suki jumped up and did a handspring over the rock, landing lithely on her feet on the other side and continuing to run.

Sokka, who had ended up falling down just inches away from the flaming boulder, leapt to his feet and shrieked indignantly, "Watch it, Toph!"

"I am not Toph!" The blind girl shouted back in a deep voice. "I am Melon Lord! Muahahahahaha!" Still cackling, she earthbended another boulder over one of the braziers, the oil immediately igniting, then she launched it towards Zuko, Katara, and Xiaodan.

Xiaodan quickly ran ahead of Katara and Zuko and jumped, twisting her body around in an airbending aerial kick that sent the flaming boulder careening into a nearby cliff side. As soon as her feet touched the ground again, she started running and easily caught up with Zuko and Katara. A ring of rock soldiers shot up from the ground and surrounded the three, forcing the trio to fight back to back with their individual elements. They quickly destroyed the rock soldiers and continued running.

Sokka, running rapidly towards Toph as flaming rocks soared over his head like a meteor shower, looked over his shoulder and called out loudly, "Now, Aang!"

Aang darted forward, running up the rock he'd been hiding behind and pushed off the tip, propelling himself towards Toph and the Melon Lord scarecrow. Grim-faced, he raised his staff over his head as he descended, preparing to strike. Aang stared down at the Melon Lord as he rapidly approached and his expression changed, his brow furrowing with uncertainty.

He landed and brought his staff down, but stopped just before it could connect with the Melon Lord. Aang stared at the scarecrow effigy before closing his eyes and pulling his staff back, his shoulders slouching. He couldn't do it, not when it felt so wrong.

"What are you waiting for?" Zuko demanded from where he was hiding behind a boulder with the others. "Take him out!"

Aang shook his head without turning to look at his friends. "I can't."

Sokka scowled and trudged up the slope to Aang, moving to stand between the younger boy and the scarecrow. He pointed at Aang accusingly as he demanded, "What's wrong with you? If this was the real deal, you'd be shot full of lightning right now!"

"Hey!" Xiaodan barked, stepping out from behind the boulder and stalking over to stand beside her brother supportively. Putting her hand on Aang's shoulder, she lifted her chin and glared at Sokka, "Leave him alone, Sokka."

"Leave him alone?!" Sokka flung his arm out towards the scarecrow behind him, "Are you kidding? We would all be dead because of him!"

"I'm sorry." Aang said quietly, keeping his eyes on the ground. "But it doesn't feel right. I didn't feel like myself."

Calmly, Sokka unsheathed his sword and swung it behind him, slashing the melon that served as the scarecrow's head in half.

"There." Sokka grunted as half the melon fell to the ground and Momo began slurping the melon juice from it, "That's how it's done."

Aang flinched and closed his eyes with a horrified grimace. Xiaodan just stared at Sokka stonily as he stalked past, her eyes flashing with fire.

That night, the group at dinner outside, under the main courtyard's pavillion. Xiaodan sat beside Zuko, picking disinterested at her food and casting worried glances towards Aang, who sat a little bit a ways from the rest with his back to them.

Katara rushed from the house, clutching a rolled up scroll. She grinned at the group as she came to a stop in front of them. "I have a surprise for everyone!"

"I knew it!" Toph exclaimed as she stopped eating her rice, "You did have a secret thing with Haru!"

Suki, Sokka, and Zuko gave the young girl flat looks while Xiaodan snorted. She began coughing a few seconds later when she accidently inhaled the piece of biscuit she'd just put in her mouth. Zuko patted her back gently then held her cup of tea out to her when she got her coughing fit under control.

"Uh...no..." Katara said, giving Toph a strangely look before waving the scroll she had around. "I was looking for cooking pots in the attic, and I found this!" She unraveled the scroll, revealing a painting of a happy, dark-haired baby playing at the beach. Katara cooed, "Look at baby Zuko! Isn't he cute?"

"Aw!" Suki gushed, leaning over to get a better look at the painting while Toph and Sokka laughed.

Xiaodan looked at the baby then at Zuko, who had closed his eyes and had a blank expression on his face. Katara glanced over at the older teen then rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh lighten up, I was just teasing."

Zuko opened his eyes and gave her a flat look, "That's not me. It's my father."

The others fell silent while Katara's eyes widened and she lowered the scroll, quickly rolling it up.

"But he looks so sweet and innocent." Suki murmured as she gestured towards the scroll and looked up at the former prince.

"Of course he does." Xiaodan stated drily, setting her dish aside and picking up her cup of tea. "He's a baby. They all look sweet and innocent."

"Yeha, well that sweet little kid grew up to be a monster." Zuko scoffed and put his own dish down, resting his arm on his bent knee, "And the worst father in the history of fathers."

"But he's still a human being."

Xiaodan, Zuko, Sokka, Katara, and Suki looked towards Aang while Toph tilted her head in his direction. Zuko stared at Aang's back incredulously and he asked sharply, "You're going to defend him?"

"Zuko..." Xiaodan stated warningly.

"No, it's okay, Xia." Aang said and he set his plate aside then stood up, turning to face his sister and friends. "I agree with you, Zuko. Fire Lord Ozai is a horrible person and the world will probably be better off without him. But there has to be another way."

Zuko scoffed, "Like what?"

"I don't know." Aang replied with a shrug. His expression brightened and he raised his hands up as if he was holding a bowl. "Maybe we can make some big pots of glue and then I can use gluebending to stick his arms and legs together so he can't bend anymore."

"Yeah." Zuko replied with sarcastic cheer, "Then you can show him all his baby pictures, and all those happy memories will make him good again."

Xiaodan slammed her teacup down on the step she was sitting on, sending scornful looks at Suki and Sokka when they began to giggle. The two teens shut up, staring at the dualbender with wide eyes.

"Do you really think that would work?" Aang asked hopefully, either oblivious to what had just happened or ignore it.

"No!"

Aang hung his head and sighed despondently. After a moment, he straightened and began pacing i front of group, "This goes against everything the monks taught me. I can't just go around wiping out people I don't like."

"Aang," Xiaodan said softly as she got to her feet and moved towards her brother as he stopped pacing, his back to everyone. "No one is expecting you to go against our beliefs. If you don't want to wipe out the people you don't like, you don't have to."

"What are you talking about? He could totally do that." Sokka stated flippantly, waving his hand dismissively when Xiaodan glowered at him over her shoulder. He looked over at Aang and said matter-of-factly, "You're the Avatar. If it's in the name of keeping balance, I'm sure pretty sure the Universe will forgive you."

"This isn't a joke, Sokka!" Aang raged as he whirled around to glare at the Water Tribe teen. "Only Xia can understand the rest of you don't understand the position that I'm in at all!"

"Aang, we do understand." Katara said soothingly, "It's just-"

"Just what, Katara?!" Aang demanded, rudely interrupting the Waterbender. "What?!"

Xiaodan stepped forward and raised her hands placatingly, "Okay, why don't we all just calm-"

"We're trying to help!" Katara spat, cutting Xiaodan off and raising her voice slightly in annoyance. The dualbender slapped her forehead with a groan then sat down on the step in front of Zuko, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Then when you," Aang snapped and pointed at Katara then brought his hands to his chest, "Figure out a way for me, to beat the Fire Lord without taking his life, I'd love to hear it!" He threw his hands in the air in frustration then stomped away.

"Don't walk away from this, Aang!" Katara warned and began to walk after him, but a hand touched her shoulder, stopping her. She turned and saw both Zuko and Xiaodan standing behind her, Zuko's hand on her shoulder.

"Let him go." Zuko advised and he let his hand fall from her shoulder, "He needs time to sort it out by himself."

Sighing, Xiaodan stepped forward and wrapped her arm around Katara's shoulder, leading her back to the pavillion, "C'mon, let's finish dinner then get some sleep. We've all had a long, stressful day."

Sitting on one of the many balconies that were placed around the beach house, Aang meditated in front of a low table decorated with four lit candles and a tray of offerings that consisted of bread, water and fruit.

Momo glided over the balcony railings and landed in front of hte young Avatar, chittering curiously before scurrying forward and touching his lap. Aang opened his eyes and smiled gently at the lemur.

"Hey, Momo." He patted Momo's head then sighed, "I don't suppose you know what I should do?" Momo chittered and Aang sighed again, "Yeah, I didn't think so."

Momo chittered again then laid on his side beside Aang, who smiled before returning to his meditation.

Xiaodan closed her eyes and rested her head against the door that led up to the baloncy on the upper floor Aang was using to meditate. The others were already preparing for bed, but she'd wanted to check on her brother before she did the same, but something kept her from opening the balcony doors.

A hand touching her shoulder caused her jump and she spun around, letting out a startled breath when she saw it was just Zuko. The former prince eyed her chidingly and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I thought we agreed to leave him alone."

"I wasn't going to bother him." Xiaodan countered defensively, crossing her own arms over her chest. She maintained the stubborn position for several seconds before huffing and letting her arms drop to her sides. "I just wanted to make sure he was okay."

Zuko slipped his arm around her shoulder and steered her down the hall to the stairs, "He's fine, Xia. He just needs some time figure things out. And he can't do that with you hovering over him like a mother playtpus-bear." He gave her a pointed look that had her sticking her nose in the air petulantly. "We talked about this last night, remember?"

Deciding that silence would be her best defence, Xiaodan huffed again and crossed her arms. Zuko rolled his eyes at her in exasperation, wondering with some amusement, how her attitude used to drive him annoy him. She still drove him crazy, but now at least he found her attitude somewhat endearing.

"If it'll make you feel better, I'll make you a cup of tea."

Xiaodan relaxed her stubborn posture, dropping her arms back to her sides and sighing wearily in agreement.

"Alright."

Back on the balcony, Aang slept with Momo sprawled out next to him, having falling asleep when the candles on the table had burned out a few hours ago. The moon was high in the sky, illuminating the ocean and the large island that had appeared.

Low chanting thrummed through the air and Aang's eyes suddenly snapped open and he sat up, his eyes glazed over with sleep. The chanting thrummed inside his mind and he got to his feet, stepping over the table and walking towards the balcony railing without even glancing at his staff.

Momo woke up just as Aang was climbing over the railing and the lemur raced forward just as the young Airbender dropped to the ground. Momo jumped onto the railing then took off, gliding after Aang as he walked briskly down the path to the ocean.

Aang stepped onto the beach, leaving footprints behind as he walked towards the shoreline. His eyes still glazed and half-lidded with sleep, he stepped into the water without pause. Behind him, Momo landed on the sand and watched Aang swim further out, heading towards the mysterious island. The lemur looked over his shoulder at the beach house then back at Aang, chittering quietly before he leapt into the air and flew after his human companion.

In her room, Xiaodan woke with a start. She sat up and looked around, frowning in confusion. She could have sworn she heard something that sounded suspiciously like chanting. She glanced towards the window then did a double take, squinting when she saw what looked like an island in the middle of the ocean. An island that hadn't been there before. Rubbing her eyes and still frowning, Xiaodan brushed it off as her imagination and laid back down. As crazy as it seemed to dream about strange chanting and mysterious islands, Xiaodan preferred it to her nightmare.

Closing her eyes, the dualbender drifted back to sleep with a soft sigh.

"Okay," Sokka grunted as he packed the last of their supplies in Appa's saddle while the sky bison happily munched on a pile of hay. He leaned against the saddle rim and looked over at the others, "That's everything."

"No, it's not." Everyone turned toward Toph and she frowned. "Where's Aang."

Xiaodan stiffened and whirled around, racing back towards the house before the others could even say anything, her glider clutched in her hand. She ran through the beach house then darted up the stairs that led to the top floor, calling out for her brother as she ran, "Aang! Aang?"

"Come on, lazy bones!" Toph shouted as she and the others reached the balcony.

Zuko looked at Xiaodan and asked, "Aang?"

The dualbender shook her head, her expression uneasy. Wordlessly, the group split up; Toph, Zuko, and Xiaodan heading to the left while Suki, Sokka, and Katara headed right. Xiaodan flung open one of the doors and peered inside, frowning when she was greeted with nothing but darkness and dust.

She closed the door and turned around, meeting up with Toph and Zuko after they had finished checking the other rooms. Toph shrugged to show to that she hadn't found anything and Zuko shook his head, causing the dualbender to clutch at her glider tightly. Together the trio headed back to the main room.

On the opposite side of the top floor, Sokka stepped out onto the balcony, scratching his head. His caught sight of Aang's glider leaning against the railing and blinked in surprise, hurrying over to it as Suki and Katara stepped through the door.

"He left his staff. That's so strange." Sokka commented in confusion as he picked up the staff, showing it to Suki and Katara when they walked over to him. The three looked towards the door when Zuko and Toph walked onto the balcony.

"Aang's not in the house." The former prince stated then he nodded towards the beach, "Let's head to the beach, Xia's already there."

Xiaodan looked up from where she was crouching beside a set of footprints, waving her friends over to her side as she stood up and pointed at the footprints. "I found his footprints. Looks like he walked towards the shore."

Sokka took the lead, following the footprints all the way to the shore before they ended right at the ocean. "The trail ends here."

"So..." Suki frowned in puzzlement. "He went for a midnight swim and never came back?"

"Maybe he was captured?" Katara suggested, biting her lip worriedly at the thought.

"I don't think so." Sokka replied as he examined the footprints. "There's no sigh of a struggle."

Toph crouched down beside Sokka and touched the sand, "I bet he ran away again."

Xiaodan, who had remained quiet since she'd shown them the footsprints, suddenly spoke up. "He didn't run away..." She frowned, tilting her head as she stared out at the clear ocean, her mind flashing to the island from her dream. She continued in a distance voice, her gaze still riveted to the ocean. "And he wasn't captured."

"How do you know?" Suki asked the older girl curiously.

"Well, for one, she's still here." Sokka pointed out matter-of-factly before Xiaodan could reply. "If he was going to run away, he wouldn't leave Xia behind. Or Appa. Or his glider."

Unconsciously, Xiaodan stepped around Sokka and Toph, moving closer to the shoreline until the water lapped at her feet. Zuko frowned at her back and walked towards her, touching her shoulder. "Xia? Are you alright?"

"Fine." The dualbender replied distractedly, "It's just...I could have sworn there was..." She trailed off and shook her head, pursing her lips in a bemused smirk. "Nevermind...It was probably just my imagination."

Toph tilted her head towards the older teens as they walked back from the shoreline before placing her elbow on her thigh and resting her cheek on her raised fist as she addressed Sokka drily, "Then what do youthink happened, Oh Sleuthy One?"

"It's pretty obvious." Sokka answered Toph's question as he stood up, throwing his arms out to the side before crossing them. "Aang mysteriously disappears before an important battle? He's definitely on a Spirit World journey!"

"But if he was, wouldn't his body still be here?" Zuko asked.

"Oh...yeah." Sokka muttered and he slumped in, his expression crestfallen. "I forgot about that."

"Then he's gotta be somewhere on Ember Island." Katara said confidently, "Let's split up and look for him."

Toph jumped to her feet and rushed towards Zuko, latching onto his arm tightly as she exclaimed, "I'm going with Zuko!" Zuko blushed and Xiaodan quirked a brow, eying the young girl she thought of as a sister while the others stared at her curiously. Feeling their stares on her, Toph frowned at them defensively, "What? Everyon else went on a life changing fieldtrip with Zuko. Now it's my turn."

Zuko's blush intensified when she hugged his arm tighter and he looked over at Xiaodan pleadingly. The dualbender simply smirked and pecked his cheek and chirped brightly, "Have fun!"

The former prince scowled fiercely at her as Toph tugged on his arm, pulling him down the beach. Xiaodan waved cheerfully before snapping her glider open and taking to the air while Sokka went back to get Appa and Suki and Katara headed towards the town.

While Sokka searched the shores on Appa and Xiaodan flew around the cliffs on her glider, Suki and Katara walked around town.

"Aang! Aang! Aang! Aang! Aang! Aang!" Chanting caught the two girls attention and they exchanged surprised and excited looks, hurrying towards the large crowd chanting their friend's name. They shoved a couple of people aside to get the middle of the circle, hope brimming in their hearts.

Their hopes plummeted when instead of Aang, they saw the actress who played him in the play standing in the center of the crowd.

"Avatar State!" The actress exclaimed, posing in a flying position as the actor that played Toph picked her up, "Yip-yip!"

Suki and Katara's faces twisted with frustration and they both stormed away from the crowd to continue their search.

"And then when I was nine, I ran away again." Toph said, trailing behind Zuko as they walked along the beach.

"Uh-huh..."

"I know I shouldn't complain. My parents gave me everything I ever asked for, but they never gave me the one think I really wanted. Their love." She lifted her head and turned her sightless eyes on Zuko's back, "You know what I mean?"

"Look," Zuko sighed as he stopped walking and turned to look at the young girl, "I know you had a really rough childhood, but we should really focus on finding Aang."

The former prince continued walking and Toph muttered with a disappointed frown, "This is the worst field trip ever."

She sucked in a deep breath and blew her fringe out of her face in irritation then stomped after Zuko.

Xiaodan landed on what she was sure was the tallest cliff on the island and snapped her glider shut. Frowning, she put her hands on her hips and stared out at the island sprawled out before her. If her luck so far was any indication, she doubted any of her friends had found her brother. And if she was honest with herself, Xiaodan wasn't all that surprised. Something told her that Aang hadn't been on Ember Island for several hours.

"Where are you, little brother?" The dualbender muttered, blowing a stray hair out of her face in frustration. Xiaodan took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, releasing her frustration along with it. She sat down cross-legged on the cliff edge, and, after placing her glider on the ground beside her, she pressed her fists together.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, releasing it slowly as she worked to clear her mind. If she couldn't find her brother by flying around then she might as well try something different. Something that had worked once before. Xiaodan settled into her meditation, breathing deeply and slowly until her mind was completely clear and there was nothing but darkness.

Slowly, a familiar cord of energy appeared from the darkness. The gold thread steadily gained brilliance until it was all encompassing and then suddenly a sharp pain shot through her skull.

The dualbender cried out and clutched at her head, curling her legs up to her chest and pressing her forehead against them. She breathed heavily, her heart pounding furiously against her ribs. Xiaodan rubbed her temples and slowly lifted her head, grimacing slightly. Seeing as how that hadn't happened the last time she'd tried to find Aang using their spiritual connection, she figured either the Universe or the Spirits themselves didn't agree with her prying.

"Well, alrighty then." Xiaodan muttered as she picked up her glider and stood on wobbly legs. "I can take a hint, no need to get mean about it. Yeesh." She rubbed her head with her free hand and sighed, "At least I know he's okay even if I don't know where he is."

Shaking her head, Xiaodan snapped her glider open and took off, being careful to remain unseen as she glided back to the beach house.

Sokka frowned as he landed Appa in front of the beach house, taking in the despondent looks on his friends and sister's faces as they sat on the front steps. He hopped off Appa's head and walked toward's them, "Judging by the looks on your faces, I'm guessing you guys didn't find Aang either."

"No." Zuko replied with a grimace, "It's like he just...disappeared."

Sokka rubbed his nose then crossed his arms, "Well, Xia's not back yet. Maybe she found-"

"I wouldn't count on it." Toph cut him off and she pointed to the left just as Xiaodan slipped out of the bushes.

Katara stood up and met teh older girl, her brow furrowed worriedly. "No luck?"

"That depends." Xiaodan replied with a small shrug. At her friends' confused looks, she elaborated. "I know for a fact that Aang is not on the island. But where ever he is, he's okay."

"How do you-" Sokka started to ask then frowned in disgruntlement. "You did that weird spirit connection thingy, didn't you?"

"Mmm-hmm."

"Wait. Spirit connection thingy?" Zuko questioned and he looked between Sokka and Xiaodan in confusion, Suki's expression mirroring his.

"Xia and Aang have a really strong spiritual bond." Katara explained, "It sometimes allows them to find each other if they meditate long enough."

"That's how I was able to find him in the Crystal Catacombs back in Ba Sing Se." Xiaodan added helpfully, sitting down heavily on the step below Zuko. She rested her arms on her thighs and hung her head, which was still somewhat sore. "Didn't really work this time though. Not sure if it was the Universe or the Spirits themselves, but I got a nasty little headache for trying. All I know is that he's okay."

"Hey," Toph suddenly sat up and turned her head from side-to-side, "Has anyone noticed that Momo's missing too?"

Sokka's eyes widened in horror and he dropped to his knees, "Oh no! I knew it was only a matter time!" He leapt down the stairs and landed in front of Appa, shoving the sky bison's mouth open as he exclaimed, "Appa ate Momo!"

"Ugh." Xiaodan grunted and rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her head and shaking it slowly as Sokka peered into Appa's mouth.

"Momo, I'm coming for ya buddy!" Sokka shouted as he climbed onto Appa's tongue, trying to crawl his way into the sky bison's mouth.

"Sokka," Katara said patiently, calmly watching her brother make an idiot of himself. "Appa didn't eat Momo. He's probably with Aang."

"That's just what Appa wants you to think." Sokka retorted, glancing at his sister over his shoulder before climbing further into Appa's mouth. The sky bison rumbled and closed his mouth around Sokka's upper body, his flailing legs the only thing sticking out of Appa's mouth.

"Get out of the bison's mouth, Sokka." Zuko ordered, glaring at the other teen in displeasure. "We have a real problem here. Aang is nowhere to be found and the comet is only four days away."

"What should we do, Zuko?" Katara asked as she, Suki, Toph, and Xiaodan looked up at him.

"I don't know." The former prince replied as he stood up. He frowned when the girls, and Sokka now that he was out of Appa's mouth after the sky bison had spit him out, continued to stare at him. "Why are you all looking at me?"

"Well..." Katara shrugged, "You are kind of the expert on tracking Aang."

"Yeah," Toph agreed with a smirk. "If anyone's got experience hunting the Avatar, it's you."

"You did manage to track us all over the world after all." Xiaodan added, glancing over at Sokka when he stood up and tried to rub the bison spit off himself. Her brows shot up to her hairline when he took a step and slipped, hitting the ground with a loud thud. Shaking her head slightly, the dualbender looked up at her boyfriend, "So, what do we do?"

Zuko frowned thoughtfully then made his way down the stairs, heading towards Appa. "I have an idea."

Katara, Suki, Xiaodan, and Toph all exchanged glances before following the former prince to the sky bison. On her way past him, Xiaodan casually blasted Sokka with a gust of air, succeeding in drying the spit he was covered in and knocking him out of the puddle.

"Hey!"

Appa swiftly flew across the night sky and over the ocean, heading towards some dark, ominous clouds. Xiaodan rested against the front of the saddle, peering at the clouds warily as lightning flashed in their dark depths. The rest of her friends sat behind her while Zuko sat atop Appa's head, directing the sky bison towards the clouds.

"Hey, uh, Zuko, I don't want to tell you how to do your job-"

"Yeah right." Top interrupted Sokka with a snort.

"But," The older teen continued as if the blind girl hadn't spoken. "Why are we heading towards the Earth Kingdom? There's no way Aang's there."

Zuko glanced over his shoulder then looked forward with determination, "Just trust me."

Xiaodan flipped over the saddle onto Appa's neck then she crawled onto the sky bison's head to sit beside the former prince. Looping her arm through his, she rested her cheek on his shoulder. "We trust you."

Zuko slanted a look down at her then returned his attention to the horizon as Appa picked up the pace, growling as he soared into the dark clouds. His hands tightened on the reins.

Ozai sat regally in his palanquin, his gaze focused straight ahead as the bearers proceeded down the red carpet that had been laid out. Citizens standing on either side of the carpet dropped into low bows as his palanquin passed them, heading towards the port where a ship was docked. A thin smile curved the Fire Lord's lips. Soon his plans would come to fruition and he would be the supreme ruler of the world.

Unbeknownst to Ozai, a second palanquin, some distance behind him, was being carried down the carpet after him. Inside the palanquin, Azula sat with her legs crossed and her arms folded over her chest, an impatient scowl on her face. She couldn't believe her father had been about to leave without her and after everything she had told him too!

Gritting her teeth, she flung the gauzy veil surrounding the cage and barked at the bearers, "Come on slowpokes. Faster!"

The palanquin bearers blanched at her harsh tone and quickly picked up speed, but they were visibly struggling under the weight. Azula sat back with a soft huff, still very displeased with the palanquin bearers' progress. Her father's palanquin was already at the port.

Ozai stood lanquidly as a servant held the palanquin veil aside for him to step out carriage. His crown noticeable absent, he walked past a line of his most elite Firebenders then up the stairs that would lead to his ship. He paused when he heard footsteps behind him and he turned slightly, his brow furrowing ever so slightly in surprise when he saw his daughter run up the stairs behind him.

"Sorry I'm late, Father." Azula, slightly out of breath, apologized as she kneeled behind her father. She slanted her eyes back towards the palanquin bearers menacingly. "Good palanquin bearers are so hard to come by these days. So, is everything ready for our departure?"

"There has been a change in plans, Azula."

Azula looked back at her father, her eyes wide with shock. "What?"

"I've decided to lead the fleet of airships to Ba Sing Sealone." Ozai stated stoically without turning around. "You will remain here in the Fire Nation."

"But-but, I thought we were doing this together." Azula said petulantly, only a hint of a whine in her voice.

"My decision is final."

"You...You can't treat me like this!" Azula snapped unhappily, forgetting propriety and surging to her feet to stare at her father's back unhappily. She flung her arm out for emphasis, "You can't treat me like Zuko!"

"Azula!" Ozai stated harshly without raising his voice. "Silence yourself."

"But it was my idea," Azula whined, bringing her clenched fist to her chest, "To burn everything to the ground! I deserve to be by your side!"

"Azula!" Ozai rose his voice sharply in warning, turning his head to stare at her fiercely. Azula stiffened then closed her eyes, reigning in her temper and lowering her head in obedience. Satisfied, Ozai turned to face her fully. "Listen to me. I need you here to watch over the homeland and continuing searching for the Air Nomad girl you told me about. It's very important job that I can only entrust to you."

Azula opened her eyes and lifted her head to stare at her father in disbelief, "Really?"

"And for your loyalty, I've decided to declare you the new Fire Lord."

"Fire Lord Azula?" The young princess whispered. Her expression brightened and she turned her head to the side for a moment. "It does seem appropriate...But," She glanced back at her father in confusion, "What about you?"

"Fire Lord Ozai is no more." Ozai replied as the Fire Sages slipped the golden armor that had been waiting for him near the ship's gang plank over his head. "Just as the world will be reborn in fire, I shall be reborn as the supreme ruler of the world. From this moment on, I will be known as..." The sages placed a gold and red helmet shaped like a phoenix wings on his head and he held his arms out, "The Phoenix King!"

Behind him, a large maroon banner with a gold phoenix emblem on it rose up while the line of Firebenders raised up new banners with the same emblem on it. Standing on either side the platform behind Ozai, four Firebenders stood on either side of a giant urn and began firebending into the two openings on either side.

Fire shot up from the pillars the urns were connected too, shooting out of the valves at the top of the pillar. The flames framed Ozai's new banner like a pair of phoenix wings.

Azula stared up at her father in awe, the flames being reflected in her eyes. Ozai lowered his arms and turned away from his daughter once more, tossing over his shoulder coolly.

"And Azula? Do not fail me."

Azula bowed her head in submission. "Yes, Father."

Xiaodan frowned as she followed Zuko towards a vaguely familiar three-story building in the middle of a forest. Rowdy music blasted from the building, increasing in volume when the door was abruptly flung open and a dirty man flew out of it. Zuko stepped around the man and pushed the door back open, stepping side.

Xiaodan groaned as stepped inside after him, "Oh yeah, I remember this place..."

"And the reason you brought us to a seedy Earth Kingdom tavern is what now?" Katara asked warily, stepping into the tavern and standing to Zuko's right.

Zuko lifted his arm and pointed, "June."

"Oh yeah!" Sokka exclaimed when he caught sight of the dark-haired woman sitting casually at a lone table sipping on a cup of tea. "That weird bounty hunter with the giant mole."

A man suddenly lunged at June, but the woman easily stopped him with her leg, hooking it around the man's neck and shoving him down to his knees as he groaned in pain.

"Mole?" Suki muttered and she stared at the woman in confusion. "Her skin is flawless."

"Not that kind of mole." Xiaodan replied as she crossed her arms and grimacing as June quickly stood up and moved away from her seat as a man crashed into it, breaking it into pieces. "This one's a pet."

"Yeah. It's giant creature that she rides around on." Sokka clarified when his girlfriend gave him a confused look. In front of them, June deftly dodged and spun away from the man who'd broken her seat.

"Her shirshu." Zuko said as the fight between June and the man continued, with the bounty hunter clearly winning. "It's the only animal that can track Aang's scent anywhere in the world. It's the only shot we have of finding him."

The man June was fighting continuously tried to punch her, but the woman easily dodged his blows. Pursing her lips in annoyance when the thug almost knocked her drink from her hand, she threw her cup in the air and ducked down, throwing her opponent over her shoulder and into a table. She straightened and caught her cup without spilling a single drop, smirking as she took a sip.

Grinning widely, Toph stepped around Xiaodan. "I don't know who this June lady is, but I like her!"

"Yeah, she's great unless you're tied up on the back of her mole." Xiaodan deadpanned, glancing pointedly at Zuko who was the decent to look slightly embarrassed.

"Right." The former prince muttered. "Let's get this over with."

Sprawled out on the mossy ground in a heavily forested area, Aang slept peacefully. Perched on his back, Momo chittered and began licking at his cheek. Aang stirred and opened his eyes, blinking sleepily before sitting up with a tired groan.

"Hey Momo." He greeted the lemur as rubbed the sleep from his eyes with his fists. "I just had the strangest dream. Wait..." He trailed off after dropping his hands from his eyes, surveying his unfamiliar surroundings curiously. He turned his head towards the sound of lapping water and stared at the sprawling ocean in surprise. "Uh...where are we?"