Xiaodan watched in amusement as Katara and a young male Waterbender named Sangok face each other in a spar set up by Master Pakku, who was standing beside the white-haired Airbender.

Katara eyed her opponent with a determined expression, her lips quirked in a small smirk as Sangok looked at with a frightened expression on his face, shaking slightly.

Sangok quickly bended a sphere of water from one of the puddles at his feet and froze it, then he hurled it at Katara. The dark-haired girl caught the sphere of water between her hands, twirling with its momentum as she liquefied it then bended it into a large stream of water which she sent at Sangok. The stream crashed into Sangok, sending him into the air and Katara froze the water, trapping the boy in ice.

"Nice try, Pupil Sangok. A couple more years and you might be ready to fight a sea sponge." Pakku commented drily as he walked past a smirking Katara and unfroze the ice, causing the boy to the fall to the ground in daze, "Would anyone care for a rematch with Katara?"

Xiaodan giggled behind her hand as she looked at the tired and unamused boys sitting on the sidelines as several shook their heads.

"Katara," Pakku addressed the dark-haired girl as he walked forward until he was standing in front of her, "You've advanced for quickly than any student I've ever trained."

Katara smiled brightly up at the Waterbending master as Pakku continued his praise.

"You have proven that with fierce determination, passion, and hard work, you can accomplish anything. Raw talent alone is not enough." Pakku turned his head to look at Aang, who was playing with an airball with Momo, "Pupil Aang!"

The airball disappeared and Aang turned to look at Pakku as Momo landed on his head, "Yes, Master Pakku?"

"Care to step into the sparring circle?" Pakku asked rhetorically as he uncrossed his arms and gave Aang a stern look, "I figure since you've found time to play with house pets, you must have already mastered Waterbending."

"I wouldn't say mastered," Aang replied as he got to his feet, "But check this out."

Aang twisted his body around and bended some of the snow around him into a snowman of himself, which was promptly knocked down by Momo. Pakku and Katara looked at him with a flat expression, the Waterbending master shaking his head in disappointment and exasperation at the boy. Xiaodan clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and shook her own head at her brother's lackadaisical attitude.

"So they don't have palaces in the Southern Water Tribe?" Yue questioned interestedly as she walked across one of the bridges with Sokka walking along the railing next to her.

"Are you kidding? I grew up in a block of ice. " Sokka replied with a snort as he sat down on the ledge and rested his cheek on his fist, "It's not exactly a cultural hub."

Yue laughed and put her hand on Sokka's shoulder, causing the boy to smile up at her.

"Sokka," Yue said carefully as she removed her hand from her shoulder, "This is wrong."

"What's wrong? We're taking a walk!" Sokka protested as he spread his arms out slightly in exasperation.

"I'm engaged." Yue stated unsurely, "It just feels-"

"I know what you need." Sokka said brightly, cutting the princess off quickly, "You need to meet my good friend, Appa."

"Who?" Yue asked in confusion and Sokka grinned at her then lead her to the stables where Appa was eating a pile of seaweed.

"Appa and I go way back, don't we, boy?" Sokka asked the sky bison as he spread his arms out wide in enthusiasm only for Appa to jump on him and start to lick his face, much to Sokka's dismay, "Ah, ah, easy! Down boy! Agh! No, up!"

"Looks like you haven't been giving Appa enough attention!" Yue commented then giggled behind her hand as Sokka struggled to get out from under the ten-ton flying bison's paw.

After a few more minutes, Sokka finally managed to get Appa off of him then he helped Yue into the saddle. The young warrior grabbed Appa's reins then climbed into the saddle and sat down at the front beside the princess.

"So, how does this work?" Yue asked excitedly as she folded her legs beneath her and sat beside Sokka.

"You holding on tight?" Sokka questioned with a smirk then when Yue nodded, he said in a cool tone, "Yip…yip."

Appa growled as he took off into the sky, soaring towards the ocean.

"Oh…my…goodness…" Yue whispered, completely impressed as she peered over the saddle to look at the ocean below, "Wow, I can't believe you do this every day!"

Sokka smirked and stretched slightly, "Yeah, we pretty live up here."

"Is it always this cold in the sky?" Yue asked as she scooted closer to Sokka, who smiled.

"Not when you're with someone."

"It's beautiful up here." Yue commented as she blushed at Sokka's words.

"Yeah…" Sokka agreed and the two turned to look at each other, slowly leaning forward but Sokka's eyes went wide and he turned away at the last moment as he tried to act cool, "Woo, yeah! Ahhh, good times, good times."

Yue's blush grew brighter as the two looked away from each other and Sokka cleared his throat.

"Hey, look!" He said suddenly as he pointed forward as snow and black soot began to fall around them.

"What's happening?" Yue asked worriedly as Appa flew through the mixture of snow and soot.

"Oh no…" Sokka said in trepidation as he realized what the soot could mean and he quickly turned Appa around, heading back to the city.

Xiaodan laughed as she watched a laughing Aang roll in a circular pattern in the snow with Momo in the middle of the circle. Her laughter died down a moment later as she looked at the black snow that began to fall, not noticing the way Momo opened his mouth and caught a snowflake onto the bristle and spit it out a moment later.

"Aang, look." Xiaodan said, causing Aang to stop rolling in the snow and look up at the snowfall with a concerned face.

The two Airbenders exchanged worriedly looks then quickly got to their feet as Katara and the other students looked at the snow with wide eyes. The black snow continued to fall on the Northern Water Tribe's city, turning the water black.

"Soot."

"What?" Yue questioned, looking at Sokka as he kneeled on the ground after landing Appa on the outskirts of the city, near the shores of the North Pole seas.

"I've seen this before, right before my village was attacked." Sokka explained as he got to his feet, "It's soot mixed with snow."

"But why?"

"It's the Fire Nation." Sokka replied and Yue's expression turned concerned as she stared at his turned back, "They've closed in on the North Pole and from the looks of this stuff, I'd say there's a lot of them."

Sokka and Yue looked at the sheer amount of sooty-snow as it fell from the clouds, the princess's expression horrified.

"This will truly be one for the history books, General Iroh." Zhao commented as he stood at the top of his lead ship with Iroh at his side as the fleet sailed towards the Water Tribe, "Just think, centuries from now, people will study the great Admiral Zhao, who destroyed the last of the Water Tribe civilization. You're lucky you're here to see it."

"Be careful what you wish for, Admiral." Iroh replied tersely without looking at the condescending man, "History is not always kind to its subjects."

"I suppose you speak from experience, but rest assured." Zhao said coolly as he walked forward, "This will be nothing like your legendary failure at Ba Sing Se."

"I hope not," Iroh murmured sadly, "For your sake."

"Tell the captains to prepare for the first strike."

Iroh looked at Zhao's back for a moment then turned and walked away, back into the command tower of the lead ship as it began to break through the thick ice floes that floated in the water.

"We'll be landing soon." Iroh whispered to the still disguised Zuko as they stood in a dark hallway in the belly of lead ship, "Do you have a plan?"

"I'm working on it, Uncle." Zuko replied as he removed the mask from his helmet, the scratches and bruises from when Zhao blew up his ship still not quiet healed.

Iroh nodded and Zuko replaced the covering then the two went their separate ways again.

Sokka and Yue hurried up the steps of the palace as the citizens fled towards the town hall as two guards began beating a drum to signal the Fire Nation's approach. Yue stopped suddenly and Sokka turned to look at her in confusion.

"What's wrong? We have to go!"

"No, Sokka, wait, I can't see you anymore." Yue said sadly as she let Sokka's hand go, "Not at all."

"What?" Sokka protested as he turned fully to look at her, "We're just friends!"

"I wish we could be just friends, but I like you too much and it's too confusing to be around you." Yue responded as she looked off to the side then back at him, "I'm marrying someone else!"

"You don't love him, do you?" Sokka asked suddenly, "You don't even seem to life him."

"But I do love my people."

"You're not marrying them." Sokka objected, trying not to roll his eyes at the girl.

"You don't understand. I have duties to my father, to my tribe." Yue explained sadly, "I have to do this. Goodbye."

The white-haired princess quickly ran past Sokka and up the stairs, leaving him to stare after her in dismay.

"The day we have feared for so long had arrived. The Fire Nation is on our doorstep." Arnook addressed the people gathered in the palace, "It is with great sadness I call my family here before me, knowing well tha t some of these faces are about to vanish from our tribe, but they will never vanish from our hearts. Now, as we approach the battle for our existence, I call upon the great spirits. Spirit of the Ocean! Spirit of the Moon! Be with us!"

Arnook looked at the people sitting in front of him, "I'm going to need volunteers for a dangerous mission."

"Count me in!" Sokka called out as he stood, his expression determined.

"Sokka…" Katara said in protest as she, Aang, and Xiaodan looked up at him in confusion.

"Be warned, many of you will not return. Come forward and receive my mark, if you accept the task." Arnook said as several Water Tribe men rose and walked forward.

A young man stepped forward and Arnook painted three red lines on his forehead then he walked away, his expression slightly sorrowful. Sokka stepped forward next and the chief painted the three red lines on his forehead then Sokka walked away, glancing over his shoulder at Yue. The two stared at each other for few moments then Sokka continued walking. Yue looked away and closed her eyes, tears slipping silently down her cheeks.

Aang perched on mound of snow outside of the palace, looking out at the city with Xiaodan standing beside him, both of them gripping their staffs tightly in their hands.

"The stillness before the battle is unbearable." Arnook commented as he approached the two Airbenders and stood on Aang's other side, "Such quiet dread."

"I wasn't there when the Fire Nation attacked our people." Aang said quietly as Katara joined them, standing beside Xiaodan as Aang's expression became determined, "I'm going to make a difference this time."

Aang stood and held his staff behind his back as he looked out at the ocean. Xiaodan pursed her lips and held her staff in front of her, gripping it tightly with both hands as she nodded in agreement, silently promising to the same.

Xiaodan stood with Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Appa along with the other warriors at the wall of the city. They all looked at the thing soaring towards them in the distance and Aang squinted his eyes just as Xiaodan realized what the thing was.

"Fireball!" The white-haired girl shouted just as the ball collided with the wall, sending herself, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and several warriors flying backwards.

The damaged part of the bridge began to fall apart as another fireball was launched, this time melting a bridge in the city. Aang and Xiaodan leapt onto Appa's head and Aang grabbed the reins.

"Yip-yip!"

Appa roared and jumped into the air, flying towards the fleet of Fire Nation ships as more fireballs were launched at the city. The warriors regained themselves began helping each other back to their feet.

"Katara!" Sokka shouted worriedly after yanking his arm free of a mound of snow and he started looking for his sister.

Katara grunted as she Waterbended a mound of snow of herself and began climbing out, Sokka rushing over to help her with a relieved grinned on his face. The two siblings look upward and their eyes widened when they saw two more fireballs fly overhead.

Appa grunted as Aang guided him towards over the ocean towards a single Fire Navy ship with a determined expression on his face while Xiaodan crouched next to him, her staff held at the read in her hands.

The ship launched two fireballs towards the city followed by a third one that was launched at Appa, Aang, and Xiaodan. The white-haired girl straightened and swung her glider, Airbending the fireball away from them and into an icy cliff near the city.

"We'll take it from here, boy." Aang said as he got to his feet and snapped his glider open then he and his sister flew onto the first ship, dodging fire blast as they descended.

Xiaodan snapped her glider closed and twirled it above her head as she and Aang landed on the deck of the ship where the Firebenders were waiting for them. Aang swung his staff around and knocked the soldiers back with a gust of wind while Xiaodan ran toward the catapults, knocking several of the operators away with a slice of air.

The white-haired girl leapt onto the trebuchet then ducked when a Fire Nation soldier swung a sword at her head. She swept the man's feet out from under him with her staff then straightened, glancing over at Aang who was standing at the top of another trebuchet surrounded by the operators wielding sledgehammers.

"Whoa!" Xiaodan yelped and flipped into the air to avoid the sledgehammer that nearly broke her foot, then she scowled at the man standing in front of her and kicked him backwards.

Aang dodged the sledgehammers as the operators tried to hit him then he jumped into the air and slammed his own staff down, completely collapsing the catapult with the use of Airbending. Aang grinned in triumph as he landed on the deck followed a moment later by Xiaodan after she had successfully collapsed another trebuchet.

The two Airbenders raced towards unoccupied catapult that was already loaded with a flaming boulder and Aang stuck a sledgehammer into the launcher's chain. One of the operators charged at the two Airbenders but Xiaodan knocked him backwards with a gust of air as she and Aang jumped away from the trebuchet. The gust of air also triggered the catapult which launched the fireball up and straight into the deck, leaving a large, smoking hole in its wake.

Xiaodan laughed loudly as she and Aang raced past two of the trebuchet operates, who quickly began chasing after them. The two paused at two trebuchets, one behind them and one in front of them and Xiaodan quickly tangled their chains together then she and Aang leapt onto the catapult in front of them when a group of operators approached them. Aang grinned and slammed his foot onto the pedal, activating the catapult which caused it to lurch forward and pull the second one into it, destroying them both.

"Whoo!" Xiaodan and Aang whooped as they grinned and leapt toward another machine.

Aang grabbed a discarded sledgehammer and prepared to strike the machine when he caught sight of burly looking man glaring at him. The younger Airbender yelped and grabbed Xiaodan, jumping onto the trebuchet as the large man attempted to hit them both with two hammers with chains attached to the end.

The two dodged another blow by ducking behind one of the metal beams that supported the trebuchet only for the man to pin them to the beam when he swung the hammers and the chains wrapped around them, the two struggling to break free. Appa suddenly appeared and grabbed the large man with his paw, snapping the chain.

"Appa!" Xiaodan said happily as she and Aang tossed the chain away from them, looking over the sky bison as he dropped the man over the side of the ship and into the water below.

"Thanks for the rescue, buddy!" Aang stated as he hugged Appa's face while Xiaodan scrambled onto his head.

Their eyes widened when the ship began to shake and they looked towards an undamaged trebuchet just as it collapsed when a large spike of ice pierced straight through the hull and deck of the ship.

"Oh yeah!" Xiaodan cheered, pumping her fist into the air when she saw the dozens of Water Tribe warriors sailing towards them on boats while the Waterbenders suspended the ship using Waterbending, the entire ship being uprooted a few moments later.

Appa stood on the now sloping deck as the ruined machinery slid past them then he took off into the sky with Xiaodan and Aang on his head. Aang and Xiaodan looked towards the horizon and their eyes became huge when they saw an entire fleet sailing towards the city, the sheer amount of ships filling them both with dread.

"You've got to be kidding me…" Aang muttered in shock as he looked at large quantity of ships.

"Okay, you take the hundreds on the left and I'll take the hundreds on the right." Xiaodan joked lightly in an attempt to keep the dread she was feeling at bay.

"Men, you will be infiltrating the Fire Nation Navy." Arnook stated as he stood in front of the men that had volunteered, "That means you'll all need one of these uniforms."

The chief motioned to the young man standing at his side, wearing Fire Nation uniform with large shoulder spikes and carrying a helmet under his arm. Sokka started laughing then quickly covered his mouth, causing the other men to look at him while the young man glared over at him.

"What's your problem?" Hahn demanded angrily as he glared over at Sokka.

"Fire Navy uniforms don't look like that." Sokka replied in amusement as he pointed at the uniform.

"Of course they do." Hans retorted in irritation, "These are real uniforms captured from actual Fire Navy soldiers."

"When, like, a hundred years ago?" Sokka asked sarcastically with a roll of his eyes.

"Eight-five." Arnook replied, understanding what Sokka was getting at.

Sokka walked over and flicked one of the shoulder spikes with a finger, "The Fire Nation doesn't wear shoulder spikes anymore. The newer uniforms are more streamlined."

"How do we know we can trust this guy?" Hahn demanded as he turned to growl at Sokka who shot him an angry look in return, "Such bold talk for a new recruit."

"Sokka is from our sister tribe, Hahn. He's a capable warrior and I value his input." Arnook stated and Sokka sent Hahn a smug look while the chief turned to the rest of the warriors, "Now, our first objective is to determine the identity of their commanding officer."

"His name is Zhao. Middle-aged," Sokka said as he traced imaginary sideburns on the side of his face with his fingers, "big sideburns, bigger temper…"

"Sokka, I want you tell everything you know to Hahn. Hahn, show Sokka your respect." Arnook instructed both boys then he began walking away, "I expect nothing less from my future son-in-law."

Sokka stared at Hahn, his mouth agape then he snapped it shut and narrowed his eyes, pointing at Hahn, "Princess Yue's marrying you?"

"Yeah, what of it?" Hahn sneered in irritation.

"Nothing." Sokka replied, turning away from the other boy, "Congratulations."

"Stop those fireballs!" Pakku ordered as he pointed at the sky as the massive Fire Navy fleet launched fireballs at the city as the sun began to set behind them.

Pakku and the other Waterbenders bended up a column of water and froze it, catching a fireball inside. The Waterbenders continued trying to stop the other incoming fireballs.

"It's almost twilight, Admiral. As your military consultant, I must advise you to halt your attack." Iroh advised as he walked closer to Zhao as the moon began to rise, "The Waterbenders draw their powers from the moon, and it is nearly full tonight. You should wait and resume the attack at daybreak."

Zhao glanced at Iroh over his shoulder then turned looked back out the window he was standing in front of, "Oh, I'm well aware of the moon problem and I am working on a solution. But for now, daybreak it is."

The lead ship dropped its anchor, the other ships doing the same a moment later as they ceased their attacks on the city.

"They've stopped firing." Yue stated as she looked over the horizon at the ship with Katara at her side.

"Aang! Xia!" Katara called out as she pointed towards Appa as the sky bison flew into the city and landed on the ground and the two girls ran towards the Air Nomads and flying bison.

Appa laid down on the ground and Aang slid off his head followed by Xiaodan.

"I can't do it…" Aang muttered, holding his head in his hands and sitting on the ground as Katara and Yue approached, "I can't do it…"

Xiaodan sat beside him and slipped her arm around his shoulder, leaning against him slightly. The white-haired Airbender only briefly glance up at Katara and Yue as they ran towards them.

"What happened?" Katara asked worriedly as she and the princess stopped in front Aang and Xiaodan.

"We must have taken out a dozen Fire Navy ships each," Aang said as he looked up at the two girls, "but there's just too many of them. Xia and I can't fight them all."

"But, you have to." Yue said pleadingly, "You're the Avatar."

"Yeah, but he's only one kid." Xiaodan retorted, feeling grouchy and tired after spending most of the day sabotaging the Fire Nation's trebuchets.

Aang buried his face in his arms and Xiaodan tightened her arm around him, resting her chin on his shoulder as Katara kneeled down on his other side in an attempt to comfort him as well as the sun slipped beneath the horizon and night fell.

Iroh walked into the room deep in the belly of Zhao's ship, looking out the door briefly then closing it behind him as he turned to face his nephew. Zuko glanced over his shoulder at his uncle then continued to wind up the rope in his hand as he prepared a small boat.

"If you're fishing for an octopus my nephew, you need a tightly woven net," Iroh said as he looked at his nephew, who was no longer in the Fire Nation uniform, "Or he will squeeze through the tiniest hole and escape."

"I don't need your wisdom right now, Uncle."

"I'm sorry. I just nag you, because, well," Iroh voice broke slightly as he stepped closer to Zuko then looked to the side with his eyes closed. "Ever since I lost my son…"

"Uncle," Zuko stated quietly as he closed his own eyes tightly, "You don't have say it."

"I think of you as my own."

Zuko turned to his uncle and his expression softened.

"I know, Uncle. We'll meet again." Zuko said as he bowed slightly and Iroh hugged him tightly for a moment then Zuko pulled away and turned back to the small dingy, "After I have the Avatar."

Zuko climbed into the boat and started to lower it to the icy water below.

"Remember your breath of fire." Iroh reminded like a worried mother as he stepped closer, "It could save your life out there."

"I will." Zuko replied, sounding surprisingly patient as he continued to lower the boat.

"And put your hood up. Keep your ears warm!"

"I'll be fine!" Zuko called back in exasperation as he lowered the boat the rest of the way.

Iroh looked down at his nephew with a worried and sad expression on his lined face.

"Be careful, my nephew."

"Let me tell you Sokka," Hahn said smugly as he and Sokka sharpened their axes against grindstones inside the warriors' base, "I've courted a lot of girls, but Yue is the finest and she comes with the most perks."

"Perks?" Sokka demanded in annoyance as he glared over at the other boy, "What does that mean?"

I mean, Yue's nice and everything, but the points I'll gain with the chief aren't bad either."

Sokka's eye twitched and he glared even harder at Hahn, "Princess Yue is wasted on a self-absorbed weasel like you!"

"Whoa, hang on. Why do you care?" Hahn asked with a sneer as Sokka closed his eyes sadly, "You're just a simple rube from the Southern Tribe. What would you know of the political complexities of our life?"

Hahn smirked then added condescendingly, "No offense."

Sokka gave an angry shout as he tackled the other boy and the two began rolling around the floor in a struggle.

"You're just a jerk without a soul!" Sokka growled as the two wrestled, "No offense!"

The two continued to roll across the floor tangle of limbs, pulling at each other's ponytail in fury until they were suddenly separated by Arnook.

"That's enough!" The chief boomed angrily, then glared down at Sokka, "Sokka, you're off the mission."

Sokka stared at Arnook in stunned silence, some of his hair hanging loosely around his face then he crossed his arms over his chest in anger.

"Alright, fall in men!" Hahn ordered with a smirk, "Everybody listen to what I say an we'll take out this Admiral Chō in no time!"

"It's Admiral Zhao!" Sokka snapped, gesturing with his arms in irritation as the other warriors followed Hahn then Sokka re-crossed his arms over his chest with an angry scowl.

Zuko navigated the small canoe through the path of ice spikes in front of the city and lifted the paddle out of the water as he watched the top of the wall carefully, drifting behind an ice spike just as a guard glanced out at the water. Zuko quickly paddled over to an ice cap near the wall then he climbed up to an ice spike, peering around it cautiously to look at the patrol walking along the wall. He turned away and began to walk back to his kayak then paused when he heard the turtle-seals barking a little bit to his left. He watched as three of them dove into a hole in the ice and his good eye widened slightly.

Zuko glanced back at the wall where the patrol was then walked over the hole, peering down into it.

"Where are they going?" He muttered to himself as he looked at his reflection, "They're coming up for air somewhere…"

The banished prince pulled down the mask covering his mouth and nose then he inhaled deeply and plunged head first into the icy water.

"The legends say the moon was the first Waterbender." Yue stated as she looked up at the moon with Aang, Katara, and Xiaodan standing beside her on the balcony, "Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves."

"I've always noticed my Waterbending is stronger at night." Katara commented as she glanced over at Yue over Aang and Xiaodan's heads then back at the moon.

"Our strength comes from the spirit of the moon. Our life comes from the spirit of the ocean." Yue explained, glancing down at the dull expressions on the two Airbenders face briefly, "They work together to keep balance."

Aang's expression suddenly brightened as an idea hit him.

"The spirits!" He exclaimed eagerly, raising his head and startling Momo, "Maybe I can find them and get their help!"

"How can you do that?" Yue asked in confused curiosity.

"That Avatar is the bridge between our world and the Spirit World." Xiaodan explained, her own excitement creeping into her voice as she straightened and looked at the princess, "Aang can talk to them!"

Yue looked at Aang, "Maybe they'll give you the wisdom to win this battle!"

"Or maybe they'll unleash a crazy amazing spirit attack on the Fire Nation!" Aang replied as he waved his arms out excitedly, causing Katara and Yue to look at him oddly while Xiaodan giggled.

Aang looked at them then let his arms drop back to his sides, his expression sheepish, "Or wisdom. That's good, too."

"The only problem is, last time you got to the Spirit World by accident." Katara said, giving Aang a worried look, "How are you going to get there this time?"

"I have an idea." Yue said suddenly the gestured for the other three to follow her, "Follow me."

Xiaodan, Aang, and Katara looked at each other briefly then followed after the girl as she lead them through the palace and into a jug-lined courtyard, where a small wooden door was located in the middle of the wall at the end.

"So, is this the way into the Spirit World?" Aang asked as he approached the door and looked at it curiously.

"No. You'll have to get there on your own." Yue said with a laugh as she leaned against the wall beside the door, "But I can take you to the most spiritual place I the entire North Pole."

Katara, Aang, and Xiaodan watched interestedly as Yue opened the small door. Xiaodan nudged Aang forward slightly and the younger Airbender stepped inside. Aang gasped in amazement as he walked into a small verdant oasis with a waterfall flowing directly behind it. Aang rushed towards the back of the oasis and began rolling around on the grass.

"I never thought I'd miss grass this much!" Aang said happily as the three girls entered the oasis.

"It's so warm here!" Katara said in amazement as the three girls stepped onto the grass, "How is that possible?"

Xiaodan laughed happily and spread her arms out, twirling around a few times before falling back into the grass beside Aang with another ecstatic laugh.

"It's the center of all spiritual energy in our land." Yue explained then she and Katara removed their coats.

Momo crawled over to the small pond in the middle of the oasis and chittered when he saw the two fish swimming around. The lemur stuck his hand in the pong and tried to grab one of the fish then froze, pulling his hand out of the pond as he looked up at Katara and Yue, who were giving him rather irritated looks. Momo chittered again and jumped quickly away from the two Water Tribe girls and over to Xiaodan, who was now sitting cross-legged in the grass.

"You're right, Yue. I can feel…something. It's so tranquil." Aang said as he walked over to the spirit gate at the base of the pond then sat down, positioning himself to meditate.

Zuko gasped as he emerged from the icy water and climbed out of the hole in the ice, lying on his back as he panted and tried to catch his breath. The scarred prince rolled onto his side and curled up slightly as he began to shiver violently until he breathed fire to warm himself back up.

"Be quiet!" Zuko snarled at the barking turtle-seals as he got to his feet.

The turtle-seals quiet down instantly as they watched Zuko walk past, pushing aside the heads of two of them. The turtle-seals resume barking a moment later and Zuko scowled slightly as he walked further into the cave, where he saw another opening where water was pouring out. Zuko inhaled deeply again then dug his foot into the wall as he tried to steady himself and made his way through the channel, where he began to crawl through it slowly.

Sokka scowled as he crouched on the floor of the warriors' base and sharpened his boomerang.

"Is something wrong, Sokka?" Arnook asked as he approached the irate teen.

"Oh, no." Sokka replied sarcastically as he glanced at the chief, "Hahn's out there on a top-secret mission while I'm here sharpening my boomerang. Everything's fine."

"Listen to me. I took you off the mission for selfish reasons." Arnook said as he looked at the young boy, "I have a special task in mind for you.

"What, you want me to scrub the barracks?" Sokka snarked angrily as he turned to look at Arnook.

"I want you to guard my daughter, Princess Yue."

Sokka rose to his feet and tried to act cool as he looked at Arnook, "Oh, sure… That-that shouldn't be too hard."

Arnook nodded once then left the base and Sokka's face fell.

Zuko gritted his teeth in determination as he continued to climb up the channel of water, slipping once before he was able to pull himself out of the channel where he floated to the surface of the water. The scarred prince gasped for breath and inhaled deeply several times until he got his breath back then he ducked his head back under the water, surveying the area. His eyes narrowed when he spotted another channel and he quickly swam towards it then he swam upward. He tried to resurface, but the surface of the water had frozen over into a thick patch of ice. Zuko pursed his lips tightly and tried to break the ice with his fists, but the ice was too thick.

He exhaled suddenly as his need for air increased and he closed his eyes for a moment then snapped them open. He pressed his upper back against the ice with his hands above his shoulders as he began heating his hands using Firebending, melting a hole in the ice. Zuko gasped as he lunged upward and into a small tunnel way in the city. The banished prince caught his breath then pulled himself from the hole and rested against the wall of the tunnel.

"Why is he sitting like that?" Yue asked quietly as she and Katara watched Aang try to meditate while Xiaodan sat in a similar position across the pond.

"He's meditating, trying to cross over into the Spirit World." Katara replied, not noticing the way Aang's face scrunched up in concentration, "It takes all his concentration."

"Is there any way we can help?" Yue questioned and Xiaodan felt her eyebrow twitch as he eyes opened slightly to look at the two chatty girls.

"How about some quiet?" Aang snapped angrily as he glared at Katara and Yue over his shoulder, "Come on, guys, I can hear every word you're saying!"

Xiaodan bit back a chuckle at the surprised and sheepish looks on the two girls face as Aang turned back to look at the pond. The white-haired Airbender cocked her head to the side as she watched her brother stare at the white and black koi fish circling each other in the water, seeming mesmerized.

Aang stared at the two fish, watching as they slowly seemed to morph into the symbols for yin and yang then his and tattoos began to glow blue-white.

"Is he okay?" Yue asked worried and Xiaodan got to her feet, leaping across the pond easily to land beside the other white-haired girl, leaning casually against one of the Spirit Gate's posts.

"He's fine." Xiaodan replied as she looked at her brother calmly, "He's crossing into the Spirit World. We just can't move his body."

"Why not?" Yue asked curiously.

"That's his way back to the physical world." Katara responded easily and Yue looked at Aang unsurely.

"Maybe we should get some help." She suggested as she began walking away.

"No, he's my friend." Katara said instantly as she smiled slightly, "I'm perfectly capable of protecting him."

"Well, aren't you a big girl now."

Xiaodan, Zuko, and Yue whirled around, Xiaodan and Katara's eyes widening when they saw Prince Zuko walking across one of the bridges.

"No…" Katara whispered in alarm and shock.

"Yes." Zuko said determined as he stopped at the edge of the bridge, "Hand him over and I won't hurt you."

Xiaodan walked out from behind the post she had been leaning against and stood beside Katara, shifting into a bending stance.

"Leave now and I won't hurt you, Firebug." Xiaodan snapped harshly as Yue hurried from the Spirit Oasis to get help.

Zuko's eyes narrowed as his gaze flickered away from Katara towards Xiaodan then he shifted into his own stance and began kicking and punching fire at both girls as he approached them. Xiaodan crossed her arms in an 'x' over her chest then slashed her arms outward, dissipating the first few fire blast with two air slices while Katara Waterbending the others away with water from the oasis pool. The two girls worked together to deflect the attacks then Xiaodan twisted her body around and swung her leg, hurling a crescent of air at the same time Katara drew water from the pond and sent the stream at Zuko while he was preparing another attack. The duel blasts of air and water pushed the scarred prince back several feet and knocked him to the ground.

"I see you've learned a new trick." Zuko addressed Katara as he got to his feet, his back to the two girls, "But I didn't come this far to lose to either of you."

He spun around and fired another blast at them, but Katara brought up a shield of water to deflect the attack while Xiaodan back-flipped away so she was standing protectively in front of Aang. The dark-haired girl then sent a powerful jet of water at Zuko, who was knocked further away when the jet collided with his body. Zuko tried to steady himself from the impact and small juts of ice formed around his feet while Katara glared at him with a determined look on her face. Water began to rise up around Zuko and encircled him as Katara began waving her arms around wildly, forming a ball of water around Zuko which she then froze.

Katara smiled triumphantly at the ice imprisoned prince and he glared at her.

"You little peasant." He snarled angrily, "You've found a master, haven't you?"

The sphere of ice began to glow orange with heat and the ground rumbled dangerously. Xiaodan and Katara watched with slightly wide eyes as the ice sphere heated up intensely then shattered. Zuko leapt forward and sent a blast of fire at Katara, but the dark-haired girl deflected the attack by encasing the fire in water. The banished prince continued sending fire blasts at her while dodging the streams of water Katara was sending back at him, drawing water from the oasis pool.

Zuko's lips curled into a snarl as he reached forward, sending a ball of fire directly at Katara's face, but the blast passed harmlessly over her shoulder as she shifted to the side. Xiaodan gasped quietly as the blast flew past Katara and straight towards her and Aang instead. The white-haired girl quickly raised her hands, catching the fireball between her hands with her own ball of air and compressed the fire as fast as she could but it still caused a small explosion that sent her flying a few feet away from Aang, who was thankfully unharmed.

Zuko kicked another blast at Katara which she dodged then she sent a stream of water at him in retaliation. Zuko managed to slip away from the water blast ad headed towards Aang, reaching one hand out to grab the young Avatar. Just as his fingers grasp Aang's collar, a strong gust of air knocked him away and threw him into the wall. Xiaodan panted heavily as she kneeled behind Aang, her hands still outstretched from her attack as Katara whipped up a large wave and sent it at Zuko, the rush of water sending the prince up the side of the cliff. Katara froze the water, encasing Zuko in ice again and he hung there limply.

Pakku stood outside the Chief's temple with two other Waterbenders, watching as the sun began to rise over the horizon, signally the start of a new day and empowering the Firebenders.

Zhao stood at the top of his ship and looked at the city wall, his hands clasped behind his back with Iroh standing slightly behind him.

"It's daybreak at last." He stated quietly as he smirked darkly, "Let's write history."

The sun's rays light up the Spirit Oasis and Zuko sharply raised his head when he felt the heat. A determined look appeared on his face and he breathed steam from his nose, quickly melting the ice keeping him pinned to the cliff wall and he landed on the ground. Zuko charged forward a few steps then thrusted his fists forward, sending a powerful blast at Katara, who had turned her back on him a moment ago.

Xiaodan shouted a warning and lurched to her feet, shoving Katara out of the way then attempted to create an air shield. It was too late however and the blast sent the already weakened white-haired girl flying several feet away. She hit the ground roughly and her head slammed against the grass ground, knocking her out cold.

Zuko swung around and sent another blast at Katara who had just gotten to her feet and the girl attempted to conjure a water shield, but like Xiaodan, she was a too late and the fire blast caused her to slam into the gate to the Spirit World, unconscious.

The smoke from the impact cleared and Zuko stood over Katara's out cold form, holding Aang by the collar.

"You rise with the moon," Zuko stated as he looked down at the unconscious dark-haired girl, "I rise with the sun."

The banished prince hefted Aang onto his shoulder and started to walk away only to pause when he walked by the white-haired girl's still body lying in the grass. He hesitated a moment and looked down at Xiaodan's face, taking note of the small amount of blood staining the grass beneath her head. Zuko pursed his lips then turned away, heading back the way he had entered the Spirit Oasis as he ignored the small amount of shame he felt welling inside his chest at injuring the girl.

The Fire Navy ships surged forward, their pointed bows breaking through the wall of ice surrounding the city and allowing Fire Nation soldiers armed with spears to rush into the city through the holes.

"The Water Tribe can try to resist the inevitable, but their city will fall today." Zhao stated coldly from the top of his ship as he watched his soldiers invade the Northern Water Tribe city.

Iroh closed his eyes and looked away, his head bowed slightly.

Katara's eyelids flicked briefly then snapped open as she regained consciousness. She sat up quickly with a gasp and began looking around in despair when she realized Aang was gone.

"Aang!" She shouted desperately as she looked around for him then gasped in horror when she saw Xiaodan lying motionless in the grass a few feet away, "Xia! Oh no!"

The dark-haired girl rushed towards the unmoving form and kneeled down beside Xiaodan just as Appa landed on the grass with Sokka and Yue.

"What happened?" Sokka asked quickly as he jumped from Appa's saddle and hurried over to his sister with Yue following him, "Where's Zuko?"

"He took Aang. He too him right out from under me and Xia." Katara answered in dismay as she rolled Xiaodan on her back then gasped when she saw the gash near Xiaodan's temple and the dried, crusting blood on one side her tanned face.

"Oh my goodness!" Yue murmured in shock, her hand going up to cover her mouth.

"Oh man," Sokka muttered as he crouched down on Xiaodan's other side and looked at his sister, "Can you healer her?"

"I hope so." Katara responded as she drew some water from the Spirit Oasis and began healing the white-haired girl's head wound.

Momo stood at the edge of the pond, his ears drooping sorrowfully as he looked at the water.

"Where did they go…" Sokka wondered worriedly as he straightened, causing Momo's ears to perk up slightly as he looked at the four teens then his ears drooped again.

Zuko he walked through a blizzard with the Avatar on his back high above the Spirit Oasis. His jaw clenched tightly as he continued ignoring the little voice, that sounded a lot like his Uncle, in his head chiding him for leaving the wounded white-haired girl to possible bleed out as he continued to trudge through the snow