Xiaodan quickly untied the supplies from Appa's saddle and passed one of the bedrolls to Aang, then he passed it down to Sokka, who was standing next to Appa on the ground.

"Hey! You guys picked a great campsite." Toph complimented with a smile as she wiggled her toes in the thick mat of fur covering the ground around Appa, "The grass is so soft."

"That's not grass." Xiaodan said with a laugh as she handed Aang another bag.

"Appa's shedding." Sokka explained, taking the bag from Aang and placing it on the ground by his feet.

"Oh, gross!" Katara said in displeasure as she lifted her foot warily from her spot standing beside Appa's head.

"That's not gross, it's just part of spring" Aang replied cheerfully as a bluebird perched on his head and a yellow butterfly fluttered past his head, Momo jumping up in an attempt to catch it.

"You know, rebirth, flowers blooming and Appa gets a new coat." Aang continued with a grin as he took another bedroll from Xiaodan and handed it down to Sokka.

"Ah, the beauty of spring." Katara drawled sarcastically from beside Appa as he licked his front leg.

The bison stopped grooming himself and scrunched up his nose slightly while his mouth opened wide, revealing his fur-covered tongue then he sneezed loudly, releasing a thick cloud of fur.

"Stop!" Katara yelped covered in fur as she waved her arms frantically at the bison when he began to shake himself, "Appa, stop! Ugh!"

"It's not that bad, Katara." Sokka commented, bent over with his back to his coughing sister, then he straightened and turned around, revealing a tall wig made of fur, "It makes great wig!"

"And a great beard!" Aang added as he jumped from the saddle and landed beside Sokka, stroking his bison fur beard.

Katara the two boys a deadpan-look when they pointed at each other and began to laugh, then she began brushing fur off her clothes.

"I'm just glad you finally have another girl in the group." Katara said as she continued brushing fur off her clothes, "Because you two are disgusting and Xia does nothing but encourage you two.

"Hey!" Xiaodan called out in protest from her spot still in Appa's saddle then she laughed and nodded at Katara, "Alright, you have a point there, Katara."

Toph suddenly walked up from behind Aang and Sokka, a cheeky grin on her face.

"Excuse me, does anyone have a razor?" She asked, her grin widening as she placed her hands on the back of her head, revealing that she had stuffed fur in her sleeves to make it look like armpit hair, "'Cause I've got some hairy pits!"

Xiaodan's jaw dropped as she, Aang, and Sokka stared at Toph in shock then the four began to laugh wildly, Xiaodan nearly falling out of Appa's saddle because she was laughing so hard. Aang suddenly sneeze, blowing the hair off of all of them as he flew backwards and slammed into Appa's side then he fell face first into the mat of bison fur on the ground. Sokka, Toph, Xiaodan, and Aang practically howled with laughter after that and Xiaodan actually did fall out of the saddle this time, her arms wrapped around her aching stomach.

Katara looked at the four with a perplexed expression as they continued to laugh joyfully then she began to giggle a moment later, placing her hand over her mouth to stifle her own laughter.

As night fell, Aang and Xiaodan began setting up the tent while Sokka threw down a pile of firewood he had collected and Katara used Waterbending to stir a pot of water. The dark-haired Waterbender stopped what she was doing when she noticed Toph slumped lazily against a rock, chewing on a piece of wheat and Katara got to her feet, approaching the younger girl.

"So Toph, usually when setting up camp, we try to divide up the work." Katara said as she stopped in front of the girl.

"Hey, don't worry about me." Toph stated with a casual shrug, "I'm good to go."

"Well, actually what I'm trying to say is, some of us might fetch water, while someone else might set up the fire pit, or set up the tent." Katara explained as she gestured around the camp where Sokka, Aang, and Xiaodan were busy setting up the camp just as Momo flew over to her and dropped several berries he had collected into her hands, "Even Momo does his fair share."

"Katara, I'm fine. I can carry my own weight. I don't need a fire," Toph said breezily, clearly not understanding what the other girl was trying to say as she patted her bag, "I've already collected my own food, and look..."

She quickly Earthbended a rock tent behind her, "My tent's all set up."

"Well, that's great for you, but we still need to finish-"

"I don't understand what's the problem here!" Toph cut Katara off angrily and the older girl waved her hand dismissively.

"Never mind." Katara muttered in annoyance as she walked away from Toph.

Toph gave a quiet huff and spat the wheat stalk out her mouth then she used Earthbending to push herself into her rock tent. Xiaodan quirked a curious brow after watching the whole thing then shrugged and went back to sorting to helping Aang with Appa's saddle.

Aang and Xiaodan stood on top of Appa's head and Airbended the saddle from his back, accidently causing it to land directly on top of Sokka, who had been standing on the ground beside the sky bison.

"Oops!" Xiaodan giggled apologetically as she leapt from Appa's head to help Sokka.

"Sorry!" Aang apologized quickly, jumping down after his sister in order to help the older boy.

Katara glanced over at the three as she walked past, a smile on forming on her face then she turned back around and placed the jug of water she had been carrying on the ground. The Waterbender glanced over at where Toph was sitting comfortably beneath her rock tent. Katara stared at the younger girl with a dull expression then she smiled slightly and approached Toph, who was busy eating something.

"Hey Toph, I wanted to apologize for earlier." Katara said humbly with her hands folded in front of her, "I think we're all just a little tired and getting on each other's nerves."

"Yeah, you do seem pretty tired." Toph commented casually then she took another bite of her food.

"I meant all of us." Katara snapped, growing annoyed and disgusted with the younger girl's attitude.

"Well, goodnight." Toph said in reply as she lazily tossed the rest of her food on the ground and turned around, laying her head down on the ground.

"Goodnight." Katara muttered, slightly irked as she turned and left.

Later that night, the five teens were slept peacefully in their camp. Katara and Sokka were asleep in the tent while Aang slept on the sleeping bison's front legs with Xiaodan and Momo sleeping on Appa's head, and Toph was on the other side of the camp, sleeping in her rock tent.

Toph jerked awake suddenly with a soft gasp and she quickly lifted herself to her hands and knees, pressing her hands firmly against the ground. She gasped quietly again when she felt the vibrations in the earth and she furrowed her brow as a faint noise reached her ears.

"There's something coming towards us!" Toph shouted as she leapt to her feet and ran out of her tent, heading over to where the other four were sleeping.

"What is it?" Aang asked quickly as he and Xiaodan sat up quickly while Sokka and Katara looked out from the tent flap, all of them looking at the young Earthbender curiously.

"It feels like an avalanche." Toph stated as she kneeled on the ground and pressed her hand to the ground as her new friends walked over to her, "But also not an avalanche."

"That doesn't make any sense." Xiaodan commented in confusion as she scratched her head idly.

"You're powers of perceptions are frightening." Sokka quipped sarcastically then yelped when Xiaodan punched him in the arm.

"Should we leave?" Katara asked, looking at Aang curiously and ignoring her brother and Xiaodan.

"Better safe than sorry." Aang replied with a shrug and the five quickly packed up camp then jumped on Appa.

Appa jumped into the air and flew above the forest, revealing cloud of smoke billowing towards them in a clearing in the distance.

"What is that thing?" Katara asked aloud as she and her friends looked at the smoke curiously.

"Whatever it is, it can't be good." Xiaodan muttered in reply, her molten orange eyes narrowing slightly as she stared at the cloud of smoke.

Appa grumbled tiredly as he flew across the sky, the moon partly obscured by clouds. Aang yawned sleepily as he held Appa's reins, dark circles beginning to form under his eyes. Sitting in the saddle behind him, Xiaodan leaned her head against Sokka's shoulder, who was leaning his own head against his hand. Both of them looked ready to fall asleep at any moment. Toph and Katara sat idly on opposite sides of the saddle, their eyes beginning to droop as Appa flew over a mountainous terrain decorated with a sparse trees. The sky bison grumbled again as he landed a on smooth, rocky surface amount the trees in the mountainous area.

"Ah, land, sweet land!" Toph sighed in relief as she leapt off Appa and laid on the ground, then she jumped up and addressed the other four cheerfully, "See you guys in the morning!"

"Actually, can you help us unload?" Katara asked after hopping from Appa's saddle while Xiaodan, Aang, and Sokka prepared to unload the supplies.

"Really?" Toph asked sarcastically as she turned to look at Katara, "You need me to help unload Sokka's funky-smelling sleeping bag?"

Aang tiredly handed Sokka his sleeping bag, which the Water Tribe boy then proceeds to smell. Sokka quickly turned away as his disgusted face turned red and fell backwards, passing out. Xiaodan and Aang peered over the saddle to stare at the unconscious boy with curious and amused expressions on their faces.

"Well, yeah." Katara said matter-of-factly as she approached Toph, "That and everything else. You're a part of a team now, and-"

"Look! I didn't ask you to help unload my stuff!" Toph snapped in irritation, cutting Katara off as she pointed her finger at the other girl then she spun on her heel and began walking off, "I'm carrying my own weight."

"That's not the point." Katara retorted angrily then she stomped after Toph, "Ever since you joined us, you've been nothing but selfish and unhelpful!"

"What?" Toph demanded furiously as she spun around and pointed at Katara again, "Look here, sugar queen, I gave up everything I had so that I could teach Aang Earthbending."

Katara tensed her muscles in frustration as Toph spoke and lifted her hand in an attempt to speak but Toph continued to rant angrily.

"So don't you talk to me about being selfish!" Toph finished then she sat down on the ground and Earthbended a rock tent over her.

"Sugar queen!?" Katara snarled then recoiled when Toph Earthbended a door in front of the tent, "D-did you just slam the door in my face? How can you be so infuriating?"

Xiaodan, Aang, and Sokka all watched from several feet away as Katara began banging her fists against the door then she began kicking the walls of the tent.

"Should we do something?" Aang asked Sokka hesitantly.

"Hey, I'm just enjoying the show." Sokka replied in amusement, causing Xiaodan to snicker quietly as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Aang sighed at the utterly unhelpfulness of the two older teens then he walked towards Katara, who was still banging on the rock tent.

"Okay, okay, you both need to calm down."

"Both?" Katara all but screeched as she rabidly turned to face Aang, her expression crazed and her eyes bloodshot, "I'm completely calm!"

"Uh..." Aang stuttered awkwardly as he began to shuffle back over to where Xiaodan and Sokka were muffling their laughter, "I can see that..."

"That went fantastically, little brother." Xiaodan commented lightly when Aang approached her and Sokka while Katara went back to beating on Toph's rock tent.

"Shut up, Xia."

The white-haired girl merely giggled in amusement and shook her head then she turned around to start setting up the camp again.

Xiaodan, Aang, and Sokka were sleeping peacefully on the ground a few hours later but Katara was wide-awake, her arms crossed over her stomach as she glared over at Toph's rock tent.

"The stars sure are beautiful tonight." Katara said suddenly in a mocking tone, "Too bad you can't see them, Toph!"

Toph retorted by Earthbending a fissure that channeled underground and hit Katara, sending her flying into the air with a squeal that woke up both Aang and Xiaodan. Sokka yelped when his sister suddenly landed on him.

Xiaodan yawned and rubbed her eyes, "That was a low blow, Katara..."

"Hey, how's a guy supposed to sleep with all this yelling and earthquaking?" Sokka demanded in annoyance as he pushed to the side.

Toph suddenly reopened her tent, "That thing is back!"

"Well, how far away is it?" Sokka mumbled as he laid back down and pulled the covers of his sleeping bag over his eyes, his voice becoming muffled, "Maybe we can close our eyes for a few minutes."

Xiaodan glanced up and blinked when she saw the smoke billowing over the treetops.

"I don't think so, Sokka." Aang stated when he noticed the smoke as well and the five quickly packed up again then jumped onto an exhausted Appa.

"Seriously, what is the thing?" Katara asked again as Appa flew over the mountainous terrain, whatever was chasing them still there.

"And how does it keep finding us?" Toph asked in annoyance, Katara, Xiaodan, and her peering over the back of the saddle at the thing.

"I don't know." Aang replied as he leaned against the front of the saddle where Sokka was sprawled out, fast asleep, "But this time, I'm going to make sure we lose it."

Appa groaned as he flew between two mountain ridges then landed on his side on a flat-surfaced rock bed, throwing everyone onto the ground along with their belongings.

"Okay, forget about setting up camp." Sokka muttered after he had landed on the ground and he began crawling on the ground in his sleeping bag, "I'm finding the softest pile of dirt and going to sleep."

"That's good because Toph wasn't going to help anyway!" Katara growled as she tucked her own sleeping bag under her head like a pillow.

"Oh, I didn't realize the baby still needed someone to tuck her in bed." Toph retorted mockingly as she sprawled out on her bag.

"C'mon guys, there's something after us and we don't even know what," Aang said then paused to pull the top part of his shirt over his head and his voice became muffled, "Or who it is."

"It could be Zuko." Katara suggested then rolled over onto her other side, "We haven't seen him since the North Pole."

"Who's Zuko?" Toph asked curiously, none of them aware of the way Xiaodan seemed to tense in her spot curled up on the ground next to Aang.

"Oh, just some angry freak with a ponytail whose tracked us all over the world." Sokka explained nonchalantly as he put his head down, "He even held Xia prisoner for awhile."

"Don't remind me." Xiaodan grumbled into her arms after she had flipped onto her stomach and folded her arms under her head, her thoughts briefly lingering on her time as Zuko's prisoner.

"What's wrong with ponytails, Ponytail?" Katara quipped mockingly at her brother.

"This is a warrior's wolf tail." Sokka snapped back at his sister as he pointed at his ponytail.

"Well, it certainly tells the other warriors that you're fun and perky." Katara joked and Xiaodan snorted a laugh, her shoulders beginning to shake with her laughter.

Sokka lifted his head and gave his sister an unamused look, "Anyway, whoever's chasing us couldn't have followed us here, so, now would everyone just shh?"

Momo suddenly hopped onto Sokka's sleeping back and began to chitter excitedly, his large ears twitching back-and-forth.

"No, Momo, shh." Sokka chided the lemur as he held a finger to his lips then relaxed, "Sleepy time."

Momo chittered again then hopped off Sokka and over to the ledge of the rock, chittering loudly as his ears perked up with alertness. Xiaodan sighed tiredly then crawled over to the lemur to see what was causing him to freak out the way he was.

"Monkey-feathers!" Xiaodan muttered in distress and Aang, Katara, and Toph got to their feet while Sokka buried his face in hands.

"Oh, don't tell me..." Sokka groaned in dismay.

"That's impossible." Aang said in disbelief as he and the three girls, plus Momo, stared at the thing that had been chasing them, "There's no way they could have tracked us."

"I can feel it with my own two feet!" Toph stated vehemently.

Aang quickly ran over to edge of the cliff where Momo and Xiaodan were crouched and he noticed the smoke rising from the far end of the rocky pathway.

"Let's get out of here." Katara suggested nervously as she, Sokka, and Toph walked over to the edge.

"Maybe we should face them." Aang said calmly, "Find out who they are. Who knows, maybe they're friendly."

"Always the optimist." Sokka muttered hopelessly as his shoulders slumped.

"Shh!" Xiaodan hissed as she crouched down and held the edge of the ridge with one hand, leaning forward as far as she could without falling so that she could get a good look at whatever was chasing them.

The white-haired girl watched as the billowing cloud of smoke came stop and Xiaodan narrowed her eyes slightly at the strange tank-like train that she could see. The last compartment of the tank-train opened up, releasing a burst of steam and from the steam three mongoose-lizards stepped out.

"Monkey-feathers!" Xiaodan gasped when she saw the three girls from Omashu sitting on the backs of the three mongoose lizards.

Katara and Aang stared down in shock while the leader of the group looked up at the five with a determined expression then the three girls began racing towards them.

"It's those three girls from Omashu!" Katara said in alarm.

"And they are definitely not friendly!" Xiaodan quipped drily as she straightened and took a fighting stance alongside her four friends.

"We can take 'em." Toph said determined, "Four on three."

"Actually, Toph, there's five of us." Sokka corrected her with a quirked brow.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't count you." Toph replied sheepishly and shrugged her shoulders slightly, "You know, no bending and all."

Sokka turned towards the younger girl, his face distorted with rage, "I can still fight!"

"Okay, four on three plus Sokka." Toph said smugly and Xiaodan snickered while Sokka's eyebrow began twitching.

"Errrgh!" Sokka growled angrily, his face beginning to turn red.

Toph smirked and quickly Earthbended columns of rock in front of the approaching Fire Nation girls, but the mongoose-lizards merely crawled right over them and continued up the path towards the five friends.

"Well, we wanted to find out who they were and we found out." Sokka stated as he put his boomerang way then turned to run after Aang, Katara, and Xiaodan, "Now let's get out of here."

Toph quickly Earthbended a large rock wall in front of the three Fire Nation girls then turned, but the girl in the middle began making circular motions with her arms then she fired a bolt of lightning at the rock wall, leaving a huge gap in the middle which the mongoose-lizards had no trouble clambering through.

Toph's jaw dropped in shock and Xiaodan glanced over her shoulder at the younger girl just in time to see the girl with the hair buns launch a flurry of stilettos at Toph.

"Toph!" Xiaodan shouted worriedly then sighed in relief when the young Earthbender used an earth pillar to launch herself into the air.

Toph landed in Appa's saddle and Xiaodan grabbed the back of her tunic when she stumbled slightly and nearly fell out of the saddle.

"Appa, yip-yip!" Aang exclaimed urgently and Appa leapt in the air just in time to avoid a stream of blue fire.

Azula lowered her arm and her eyes narrowed as she watched the sky bison fly away, her lips pursing in irritation.

"I can't believe those girls followed us all the way from Omashu." Katara stated in complete shock as Appa flew tiredly through night sky.

"I still think we could have taken them." Toph grumbled angrily, her brows furrowed with vexation and exhaustion.

"Are you kidding me?" Katara demanded in exasperation as she gestured around with her hand, "The crazy blue Firebending and the flying daggers are bad enough, but the last time we saw them, one of those girls did something that took my bending away. That's scary."

"Besides," Xiaodan groaned tiredly from her curled up position in the middle of the saddle, "We're all exhausted and they, most likely, we not. Yes, we outnumbered them, but it would have been very unlikely we'd have gotten away without a scratch..."

Toph grumbled irately under her breath but didn't both to respond to either of the older girls' comments. The five sat in comparative silence as Appa soared over a prairie, flying towards the mountains in the distance while the sun began peeking over the horizon.

"Oh no, the sun is rising." Sokka whined from the front of the saddle as he held his arm out towards the rising sun "We've been up all night."

"You're powers of perception are frightening, Sokka." Xiaodan mocked, using the Water Tribe boy's words against him, exhaustion making her grumpy but Sokka ignored her since he was too busy freaking out.

"Sokka, we'll be okay." Aang assured the older boy from his slouched position on Appa's neck, the reins held loosely in his hands.

"Are you sure? I've never not slept before! What if I fall asleep now and something happens?" Sokka all but wailed as he held his hands up to his head in distress, his eyes almost bulging out as he continued to freak out, "And something always happens!"

Katara sighed, "Every time we land, those girls are these. So we'll just have to keep flying."

"We can't fly forever." Xiaodan muttered into her arms as the sun continued to rise and Appa continued to fly.

Zuko stared down at the fast moving ground, his gold eyes riveted to the tracks slashing through the grassy field as his stolen ostrich-horse ran after the Fire Nation tank-train. The banished prince's eyes narrowed and he raised his head to stare at the billowing cloud of smoke several miles ahead of him. His expression became determined and he urged his ostrich-horse to go faster.

Aang yawned widely and slouched further against Appa's neck then he addressed his four friends.

"So what's our plan?"

"Don't know..." Toph mumbled tiredly, blind eyes closed slightly as she slumped against the side of the saddle, "Too tired to think."

Xiaodan groaned sleepily in agreement to the Earthbender's words, too exhausted to even think of speaking, let alone actually use her voice.

"I'm sure we'll come up with something after a short nap." Katara said sleepily without opening her eyes as she shifted to a more comfortable position leaning against the supplies secured at the back of Appa's saddle and crossed her arms over her chest, her lips twitching into a small smile at the idea of resting.

"Yes..." Sokka sighed in relief, his head buried in his arms which where resting against the bundle of supplies as he sat next to his dozing sister, "Sleep..."

Sokka and Katara were just beginning to nod off when they began to slowly rise into the air, the wind blowing through their clothing as Appa began losing altitude, the siblings unaware of what was happening. Xiaodan's eyes snapped open when she felt her body leave the saddle and she gave an undignified yelp when she saw Toph handing onto the saddle with Momo clinging to her ankle while Katara and Sokka floated above the saddle. The white-haired girl quickly twisted her body around and grabbed the edge of the saddle while Sokka held onto the supplies and Katara held onto him.

"What's going on?!" Toph shouted frantically as she clung to saddle, her blind eyes wide with fright and confusion.

"Appa fell asleep!" Aang n yelled in reply, clinging to the reins tightly as Appa fell to through a cloud towards the ground, his eyes closed and his legs sprawled out.

The five teens began screaming loudly as they continued to free fall towards the fast approaching ground. Aang quickly used the reins to pull himself back onto Appa's head then he crawled over the bison's head, clinging upside down to Appa's face.

"Wake up, buddy!" Aang shouted urgently at the bison, his voice cracking slightly with panic as the ground continued to get closer.

Appa groaned and his eyes began to crack open slowly before they widened in realization as he continued to fall towards the ground. With a loud growl, the bison stopped his free fall, causing Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Xiaodan to grunt as their bodies slammed back into the saddle, all of them still gripping the saddle tightly. Appa resumed his normal flight and soared just above the treetops for a moment then began to tilt downward into the trees. The bison groaned as he flew between two trees, colliding with and snapping several branches while the five teens braced themselves against the impact, their eyes squeezed shut. Appa hit the ground a moment later and skidded across the grass, leaving a semi-deep trench in the ground before he came to a stop several feet away from a river, already fast asleep once again.

Aang slid off the bison's head and onto the ground, stumbling a few steps forward with his shoulders slumped. Xiaodan groaned quietly and jumped to the ground, falling to her knees as soon as her feet touched the dirt. Sokka, Katara, and Toph followed her a moment later, each of them carrying their belongings.

"Appa's exhausted." Aang stated tiredly as the bison's snoring caused his shawl and shirt to flutter slightly.

"Okay, we've put a lot of distance between us and them." Sokka said tiredly as he trudged across the grass with his sleeping bag clutched to his chest, Katara trailing after him, "The plan right now is to follow Appa's lead and get some sleep."

"Here-here." Xiaodan mumbled as she flopped forward onto her belly and cushioned her head on her arms, prepared to sleep for a million years.

"Of course, we could've gotten some sleep earlier, if Toph didn't have such issues." Katara snarked in irritation as paused to glare at Toph, who was sprawled out on the ground a foot or so away from Xiaodan.

"What?!" Toph shrieked furiously as she lifted herself up slightly and slammed her hands into the ground, causing it to crack around her fingers.

Xiaodan gritted her teeth in annoyance and nearly began to bang her head against the ground, sick and tired of the insistent way Katara and Toph had been bickering since the night before.

"Alright, alright, everyone's exhausted!" Aang exclaimed as he walked forward and tried to diffuse the tension, "Let's just get some rest."

"No, I want to hear what Katara has to say." Toph snapped as she got to her feet and faced Katara, her young face twisted into a furious scowl, "You think I have issues?"

"I'm just saying, maybe if you had helped out earlier, we could have set up our camp faster and gotten some sleep." Katara said in irritation as her voice rose to a shout, "And then maybe we wouldn't be in this situation!"

Xiaodan sighed and pushed herself to her feet, blinking rapidly to clear her bleary vision as she walked over to stand beside Aang next to Appa, while Katara and Toph stood several feet apart, facing each other. Sokka merely continued to lie sleepily on his sleeping bag several yards away from the other four.

"You're blaming me for this?" Toph demanded in outrage as she stomped threateningly towards Katara, who threw her sleeping bag to the side and gestured challengingly for Toph to come closer.

"No!" Aang denied hurriedly as he jumped between the two girls and held up his hands pacifyingly, "No, she's not blaming you."

"No, I'm blaming her!" Katara snapped angrily from behind Aang as she glared at Toph over his shoulder, while Xiaodan continued to watch with her arms crossed and an unamused expression on her tanned and tattooed face.

"Hey, I never asked for your diddly-doo-dah." Toph growled at Aang as she shoved him to the side then pointed at herself with her thumb, "I carry my own weight. Besides, if there's anyone to blame, it's Sheddy over here!"

"What?" Aang asked in shock and annoyance as he sat on the sleeping bison's tail, "You're blaming Appa?"

"Yeah, you want to know how they keep finding us?" Toph asked with a sneer then she grabbed a handful of Appa's fur and let the sheddings blow away with the wind, "He's leaving a trail everywhere we go!"

Xiaodan's eyes flicked between the three younger members of the group restless, a scowl appearing on her face as she pinched the bridge of her nose, a headache beginning to throb behind her eyes. Her nerves were already spread too thin from lack of sleep and her temper was rapidly deteriorating and she was going to explode if Aang, Katara, and Toph continued to fight.

"How dare you blame Appa!" Aang shouted in outrage as he jumped off Appa's tail to face Toph, "He saved your life three times today! If there's anyone to blame, it's you! You're always talking about how you carry your own weight, but you're not! He is! Appa's carrying your weight. He never had a problem flying when it just-"

"ENOUGH!"

Aang, Toph, and Katara jumped and spun around to face Xiaodan, their eyes becoming almost comically wide as they stared at the seething older Airbender. Even Sokka had turned his head to stare at Xiaodan in surprise, her furious scream waking him up.

"You three are acting like five year olds with your incessant bickering!" Xiaodan yelled angrily as she stomped forward until she was standing in front of the all of them then she jabbed her finger towards Katara, "I get that you think Toph isn't pulling her own weight and acting as part of our team, but you don't have to constantly nag and whine about it! She was secluded nearly her whole life, it's absolutely stupid to expect her to understand the concept of teamwork! So stop being so bossy!"

Katara flinched slightly and looked to the side, knowing that the older girl's words, though harsh, rang true.

"And you!" Xiaodan snapped whirling around to face her brother, "You know good and well that Appa has been flying just as well as he was before Toph arrived! The only reason he had trouble flying today is because of how exhausted he is! It was rude and childish of you to blame Toph for something that isn't true!"

Aang hung his head sadly, already feeling guilty for what he had said. Xiaodan turned to face Toph and the two girls glared silently at each for a moment then the white-haired girl began to speak, her anger still obvious even as it began to fade.

"Toph, I get that your family kept you locked away from the world, but that is still no excuse for your completely dismissive and rude attitude towards us. We are your friends and friends held each other, even when it's just a simple thing like helping set up camp." Xiaodan said, no longer shouting as she stared down at Toph, "You're part of a team now and that means you don't just carry your own weight and take care of yourself. This team takes care of each and we each make a contribution and effort to make our lives easier, that's just way it is. The sooner you get that, the sooner Katara will stop nagging you about helping."

Xiaodan fell silent and waited for the younger girl to speak. After a moment she did and what she said came as a surprise to everyone, except the white-haired Airbender.

"I'm outta here." Toph growled as she walked towards her bag then she stomped on the ground and launched her bag into her arms.

The blind Earthbender slipped the strap over her shoulder then began walking away with a blank expression on her face.

"Wait!" Sokka exclaimed hurriedly as he moved in front of Toph with his arms outstretched in an attempt to stop her.

Without batting an eye, Toph kicked her foot to the left and Earthbended Sokka out of her way, leaving him standing there in surprise. Xiaodan, Aang, Katara, and Sokka watched her leave with different expressions on their faces.

The Fire Nation tank train sped across the terrain easily, the trail of white fur drifting in the wind leading Azula and her friends right to the Avatar.

"What did I just do?!" Aang wailed despondently at the sky then he slumped, "I can't believe I yelled at my Earthbending teacher. Now she's gone."

"I know. We're all just trying to get used to each other." Katara said regretfully as she fidgeted with her hands, "And I was so mean to her."

"Yeah," Sokka commented drily as he sat with Xiaodan a few feet away from Aang and Katara, drinking some water, "You two were pretty much jerks. Good thing Xia told you three off."

Xiaodan snorted and sipped her water, having calmed down completely in the few minutes Toph had been gone.

"Thanks, Sokka." Katara muttered sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

"No problem."

Katara ignored him and spoke to Aang, "We need to find Toph and apologize."

"Smart move." Xiaodan quipped as she got to her feet and walked over to the other two benders, "But there's just one problem."

"What?" Aang asked curiously as she looked up at his sister from his spot sitting on the ground, "What could possibly be more important than finding my Earthbending teacher and apologizing?"

"Figuring out what we're gonna go about the tank full of dangerous ladies chasing us seems pretty important to me." Sokka stated as he glanced over his shoulder at the other three then returned to his cup.

Aang frowned and got to his feet, grabbing a fistful of Appa's fur then watching it blow away in the wind.

"I have a plan."

Xiaodan laughed as she stood on Appa's back as the sky bison lounged in the river, a brush in hand which she was using to scrub Appa's back with, his shedding fur forming clumps in the river below. On either side of Xiaodan, Aang and Katara Waterbended two streams of water over both her and Appa, showering him on either side. The white-haired girl laughed again as one of the streams of water was bent her way, completely soaking her but she didn't stop scrubbing. Momo chittered from his spot on Appa's head, where he was using his own brush to scrub the excess fur from the bison but the lemur was forced to hastily take flight with a screech when a stream of water was bended his way. The stream of water passed over Appa's head and completely drenched Sokka, who was standing near the bison with his own brush in hand. The Water Tribe boy groaned and Xiaodan laughed loudly, her white hair plastered to her skull, shoulders and all the way down her back to her hips.

"Toph was right." Aang said after the four had finished giving Appa bath, the bison's fur still soaking wet while Xiaodan Airbended herself dry and Sokka wrung out his shirt near the riverbank, "The fur was leaving a trail right to us. But now that he's clean, no more trail."

"Are you sure he's okay to fly?" Katara asked anxiously and Aang nodded.

"He'll be fine as long as we leave his saddle and all our stuff here." Aang replied confidently then he kneeled down and began stuffing pieces of Appa's fur into his satchel, "I'm going to use Appa's fur to make a fake trail to lead the tank off-course."

Xiaodan quickly snatched up hers and Aang's glider from the pile of their things they had cleverly hidden around the trees.

"While you do that, I'm going to find Toph." She stated then passed Aang his glider, pressing a brief, sisterly kiss to the top of his head, "Be careful, little brother, the crazy girl with the blue fire is dangerous."

"Don't worry, Xia," Aang replied with a reassuring smile, "I'll be fine."

The white-haired girl nodded once then waved quickly to Sokka and Katara, who were sitting on Appa's back then she took a running start and snapped her glider open, heading in the direction Toph had gone in earlier.

Aang watched his sister disappear over the treetops then he turned towards Appa. The sky bison groaned and took flight with Katara, Sokka, and Momo on his back, his body accidently brushing against the treetops and snapping the topmost limbs off, causing them to fall to the ground as he flew away. Aang waited until they had disappeared too then he took a running start like Xiaodan had then he snapped his glider open as he jumped into the air, flying away from the river, releasing patches of fur along to way to create the misleading trail.

Xiaodan tilted her head down and narrowed her eyes to see better as she stared down at the ground below in search of Toph. The white-haired girl used Airbending to put on a burst of speed, keen eyes shifting along the terrain below eagerly in search of her young friend.

Toph sighed quietly as she walked slowly along a small path that cut through the trees, her head bowed slightly as she let her thoughts drift aimlessly. She stopped when she suddenly sensed something then she shifted her left foot in the opposite direction and she jerked her head in that direction. Without batting an eyelash, Toph Earthbended a stream of dirt and rock towards the unknown source she had sensed.

The stream of earth shot across the ground towards a large rock and a dust cloud erupted into the air from the impact, a grunt of pain filling the air. Toph tilted her head slightly and jumped onto the rock, assuming a fighting stance.

"Ow..." Toph heard the old man she had hit with her Earthbending groan as he rubbed his backside, "That really hurt my tailbone."

Azula crouched on the riverbank and her eyes narrowed slightly as she reached out and grabbed two patches of wet fur from the water. The Fire Nation princess examined the patches of wet fur in her hand interestedly.

"Wads of wet fur." Mai drawled dryly as she stood slightly behind and to the side of the princess, "How delightful."

"Hmm...They're not wads, more like bundles, or bunches?" Ty Lee mused thoughtfully as she stood on Azula's other side then she scratched her head, "It's got an 'uh' sound."

"Clumps?" Mai suggested in an unamused tone.

"Clumps!" The exuberant girl exclaimed happily as she clasped her hands together, "They're clumps!"

Mai tensed slightly and barely refrained from rolling her eyes when Ty Lee suddenly hugged her while Azula walked past them. The emotionless girl looked over Ty Lee's shoulder and caught sight of a trail of fur leading in one direction.

"The trail goes that way." Mai stated to Azula as she pointed at the trail of fur.

Azula glanced over her shoulder at Mai from where she was kneeling and examining the fur then she stood and looked in the direction the fur trail was headed. The Fire Nation princess pursed her lips then turned around, the broken treetops catching her attention.

"The Avatar's trying to give us the slip." Azula stated coolly then she gestured towards the snapped tree limbs, "You two head in that direction and keep your eye out for the bison. I'll follow this trail."

Azula narrowed her eyes on the fur trail while Mai and Ty Lee rode in the other direction on their mongoose-lizards. As the two other girls disappeared into the trees, Azula mounted her own mongoose-lizard and spurred it onward, heading in the direction the trail of fur led.

Xiaodan resisted the urge to fly faster as her eyes continued to scan the ground below her, straining for any sign of Toph. The white-haired girl nearly slammed into the top of tree when she finally caught sight of who she was looking for and Xiaodan quickly descended to the ground, snapping her glider shut and running over to Toph, not even noticing that the young girl wasn't alone.

"Toph!" Xiaodan exclaimed excitedly and with relief as she practically slammed into the girl and embraced her tightly, her staff falling careless to the ground at her feet, "I was so worried I wouldn't be able to find you!"

"Xia?" Toph muttered confusedly into the older-and taller-girl's shoulder, "What are you doing here?"

Xiaodan pulled away abruptly and held Toph at arms' length by the shoulders, "I came to find you, silly!"

Toph opened her mouth to respond but before she could her companion suddenly spoke up, his tone of voice completely shocked.

"Xiaodan?"

The white-haired girl released Toph and turned towards her companion, her jaw dropping in stunned amazement when she saw a very familiar-and welcome-face.

"Iroh?"

Aang flew over another forested area, a river separating the new forest from a rocky area with a cluster of trees growing from a ledge that overlooked the rest of the landscape. He briefly noticed the mountains in the distance but paid them no attention as he continued flying, the fur falling from his satchel at the steady pace. After a few more minutes of flying, Aang exited the lush, green forest area and soared over a more arid and rugged desert area.

Tiredly, Aang peered down at his satchel to make sure it was still releasing the fur then he looked up again, his tired eyes catching sight of a decrepit-looking town that had clearly been abandoned a while ago. The exhausted young Airbender landed at what used to be the main street of the abandoned town, twirled his glider closed then he began walking down the street, casually dropping fur as he went. An old store's shutters creaked and a bell began tolling ominously in the wind, causing Aang to glance around sleepily as he took in the broken-down state of the town.

Finally, he stopped at the end of the street, several yards in front of a destroyed building and turned his satchel upside down, emptying the remaining fur onto the ground. Aang twirled his glider open and turned to face the direction he had just come from, preparing to leave the decrepit town but he hesitated. After a moment, he twirled his glider shut again and sat down on the ground cross-legged beside his empty satchel, waiting for the three girls from Omashu to appear.

"Toph couldn't have made it too far." Sokka commented as he surveyed the woods from Appa's back while the sky bison soared lazily through the air.

Momo suddenly began to chitter loudly as he reared up defensively and Sokka turned to look at the lemur curiously.

"What is it, Momo?" Sokka asked then turned to look in the same direction as Momo, his eyes widening, "Oooooh, no! Katara!"

Katara turned and gaped along with her brother when she saw two of the three girls following Appa on mongoose-lizards.

"How did they find us?" Katara questioned in shock as she snapped the reins and urged Appa to go faster.

Appa groaned tiredly as he tried to fly faster but he was too exhausted and he began to fly dangerously close to the tree line, progressively growing more and more tired.

"Appa, come on, we need to go faster!" Sokka said urgently as he sat on the sky bison's shoulders with Momo.

"He's too tired!" Katara exclaimed, panic beginning to bubble up in her chest as Appa drifted even lower.

"Not good, not good!" Sokka squawked glancing behind him and blanching when he saw the two girls still chasing them then he turned back around quickly, pointing towards the river he had just spotted, "We need to make it across that river!"

"Come on, Appa, just a little further..." Katara pleaded as the panic began to truly set in.

Appa groaned again as he continued his unwilling descent, snapping off several treetops in the process. He crashed into another treetop roughly and faltered slightly, but quickly gained his equilibrium and straightened his flight path.

Ty Lee and Mai continued to chase them from below and Mai swung her arm, firing a flurry of stilettoes at the bison. Sokka yelped and ducked down, pressing himself against Appa's back as he narrowly avoided the stilettoes.

Appa growled lowly as he skimmed the surface of the river twice with his feet before crashing into ground on the opposite riverbank.

"We made it! We're safe!" Sokka cheered happily as he hopped off Appa's head and onto the ground

"You did it Appa!" Katara praised the exhausted sky bison as she followed her brother and the two embraced with ecstatic expressions on their faces.

Katara opened her eyes and gasped loudly, Sokka pulling away and turning just in time to see the two mongoose-lizards dart towards the river, paddling the water rapidly which allowed them to run across the surface of the river with easy.

Katara quickly stepped forward and twisted around, bending a wave of water at Ty Lee's mongoose-lizard, but the girl managed to jump of the beast just in time. Ty Lee used the momentum from her leap to land on a tree trunk which she pushed off of a moment later, gracefully somersaulting through the air towards another tree trunk. Katara opened her water skin just as Ty Lee pushed off the second tree trunk.

The Waterbender lashed out with her water-whip as soon as Ty Lee landed, but the other girl dodged easily, retaliating by lashing out with her fists. Katara grunted as she jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding Ty Lee's hits and she quickly fired several water discs at the other girl, but Ty Lee merely cartwheeled repeatedly to dodge the attacks.

Mai's mongoose-lizard landed on the other side of the riverbank and the blank-faced girl wasted no time in firing several small blades from the holsters in her sleeves. The small blades flew towards Katara, who was still fending off Ty Lee's attacks, her back to Mai. Sokka leapt in front of his sister and knocked the stilettos off course with his boomerang and machete, then he launched his boomerang at Mai.

Mai dodged the boomerang by leaping off her lizard then she spun around and fired more small blades at Sokka from the holster in her leg. Sokka scowled determinedly as he knocked the sharp projectiles away with his machete. Mai suddenly charged towards Katara, forcing the dark-haired Waterbender to run past her brother in an attempt to get away.

Ty Lee smirked slightly and ran forward, somersaulting then leaping into the air where she easily front-flipped and landed behind Sokka. The acrobatic girl lashed out quickly, landing several rapid blows to Sokka's right arm, causing him to drop his boomerang when she blocked his chi. Quick to retaliate, Sokka swung his left arm towards Ty Lee, but she merely incapacitated that arm as well and his machete dropped to the ground.

Sokka looked around himself nervously then kicked his leg out at the girl in order to fend her off, but again, Ty Lee rendered his leg useless by blocking his chi with quickly, firm blows to specific pressure points. Sokka swayed on his one good leg then brought his head forward in defense, causing Ty Lee to lash out and strike his skull, injuring her hand in the process. Ty Lee quickly backed away from Sokka and shook her hand in pain then she glared at him angrily.

"Good try, but no." Sokka quipped as he tried to keep his balance with one leg and useless arms.

Several feet away, Katara ran towards the riverbank as Mai continued to chase her. The Waterbender stopped in front of a tree and quickly began to bend water from the river so she could attack Mai with it, but the knife-thrower suddenly hurled two shuriken knives at her. Katara gasped in horror as the star-shaped knives pinned the bands wrapped around her wrists to the tree and she tried to pull herself loose to no avail. The water Katara had been trying to bend fell back into the river again with a small splash.

Sokka suddenly hobbled past Mai then fell to the ground between his sister and the knife-thrower, his cheek pressed to the ground as he looked up at Mai and Ty Lee, who had moved calmly to stand by her friend.

"How're you doing?" Sokka asked his sister with a nervous laugh.

"Well, you know..." Katara replied frantically as she glanced from Mai to Ty Lee nervously.

"I thought when Ty Lee and I finally caught you guys it would be more exciting." Mai stated drily as she crossed her arms and looked at the two siblings boredly, "Oh well, victory is boring."

Ty Lee and Mai screamed when they were suddenly swept of their feet by a powerful gust of air that had been conjured up when Appa had slammed his tail on the ground. The two Fire Nation girls flew through the air and landed head first into the river several yards away from Katara, Sokka, Appa, and Momo.

"Thanks Appa," Sokka praised the sky bison gratefully from his position on the ground, "I don't know what we'd do without you."

Appa plodded over to the paralyzed boy and swept his large tongue over Sokka's face, covering him in drool. Sokka's eyebrow began twitching in irritation as bison drool slid down his face.

Mai and Ty Lee pulled themselves onto the riverbank, completely drenched and the two collapsed on the ground.

"Was it just me, or was that guy kinda cute?" Ty Lee asked with a giggle as she wrung out her braid.

Mai gave her annoyed look and didn't respond.

Aang sat calmly in at the end of the main street of the abandoned village, his tired but calm gaze never waving from the horizon. He didn't even blink when the crazy blue-fire girl appeared at the opposite end of the street on her mongoose-lizard. The girl dismounted and walked forward, stopping when she was a few yards away from Aang.

"Alright, you've caught up with me." Aang barked after the girl had stopped walking towards him, "Now, who are you and what do you want?"

"You mean you haven't guessed? You don't see the family resemblance? Here's a hint." The girl said coolly then smirked as she covered her left eye and deepened her voice, "I must find the Avatar to restore my honor!"

Aang stared at her impassively then blinked slowly.

"It's okay, you can laugh." The girl said in her normal voice, her tone maliciously amused as she dropped her hand from her face, "It's funny."

"So what now?" Aang demanded instead, still refusing to stand up.

"Now? Now, it's over" The girl said coldly, "You're tired and you have no place to go. You can run, but I'll catch you."

Aang stood slowly and held his staff tightly, "I'm not running."

The girl smirked cruelly, the sun beginning to set behind her.

Iroh in front of a small fire with tea kettle heating over it on a rocky outcrop that overlooked a paddy field, Xiaodan sitting to his left while Toph crouched a foot or so away from them. Xiaodan watched as Iroh took the kettle from the fire and poured the tea into three tin cups.

"Here is your tea." The wise older man said calmly as he first handed a cup to Xiaodan then he held out the second cup to Toph, who merely continued to stare blankly at the ground in front of her.

"You seem a little young too be traveling alone..." Iroh commented idly, making this assumption based on the fact that the young, blind girl had been alone when she found him.

"You seem a little too old." Toph retorted without missing a beat as she took the tin cup from him.

Xiaodan snickered but quickly covered it up by taking a sip of her tea when Iroh turned to look at her.

"Perhaps I am." Iroh agreed with a laugh as he turned back to look at Toph, his amber eyes shining with amusement.

"I know what you're thinking..." Toph said casually as she held her teacup, "I look like I can't handle being by myself."

"I wasn't thinking that." Iroh replied just as easily, casting a questioning look in Xiaodan's direction but the white-haired girl shrugged, just as confused as he was by Toph's words.

"You wouldn't even let me pour my own cup of tea!"

Iroh quirked a brow at the young girl's outburst, but he spoke in an unfazed tone, "I poured you tea because I wanted to and for no other reason."

"People see me and think I'm weak." Toph explained bitterly and Xiaodan's expression became empathetic, "They want to take care of me, but I can take care of myself, by myself."

"You sound like my nephew," Iroh observed in an amused but sad down and Xiaodan nearly choked on her mouthful of tea, "Always thinking you need to do things on your own, without anyone's support. There is nothing wrong with letting people who love you help you. Not that I love you, I just met you."

Xiaodan snorted amusedly into her tin teacup and Toph laughed lightly.

"So where is your nephew?" The blind Earthbender asked after her laughter had died down and her tone became curious.

"I've been tracking him actually." Iroh responded easily and Xiaodan tilted her head curiously.

"Is he lost?" Toph asked then took a sip of her tea.

"Yes, a little bit." Iroh replied a little sadly as he looked away, "His life has recently changed and he's going through very difficult times. He's trying to figure out who he is and he went away."

"Iroh..." Xiaodan murmured gently then she reached out and placed a comforting hand on the older man's knee.

Iroh gave the white-haired girl a small, sad smile and patted her hand gently with his before Toph grabbed his attention again.

"So now you're following him." Toph stated matter-of-factly.

"I know he doesn't want me around him right now," Iroh explained lightly, "But if he needs me, I'll be there. Much like, I think, you're friends."

"You're nephew is very lucky, even if he doesn't know it." Toph stated then rose to her feet, "Thank you."

"My pleasure." Iroh replied sincerely, smiling a little sadly when Xiaodan got to her feet as well, "Sharing tea with a fascinating stranger is one of life's true delights, along with meeting up with old friends."

"No, thank you for what you said." Toph clarified happily, "It helped me."

"I'm glad."

Toph turned to leave then turned back around again, "Oh, and about your nephew, maybe you should tell him that you need him too."

Xiaodan smiled fondly at the younger girl as she began to walk away then she turned towards Iroh, who was sipping his tea silently.

"It was good to see you again, Iroh." The white-haired girl said sincerely then she leaned forward and embraced him, "A wise person who gives advice should always heed the advice of others."

Iroh chuckled lightly and nodded his head slightly, watching with only slight sadness as Xiaodan ran to catch up with Toph, who had gotten a bit ahead of her.

"Toph," Xiaodan said gently as she walked alongside the younger girl and Toph turned her head slightly in her direction to show that she was listening, "I just want to let you know that you are a part of our family. We may not have known each other long, but I do care about you. You're like the little sister I've always wanted."

"Thank you, Xia." Toph stated, looking up at the girl with a genuine smile on her face, "You're kinda like the older sister I always wanted too."

The white-haired girl grinned happily and placed her hands behind her head, trusting Toph to lead them both to the others.

"Do you really want to fight me?" Azula asked amusedly, a smug smile on her face as she stared at Aang standing across from her.

Suddenly someone appeared from an alley and leapt of the ostrich-horse they had be riding, creating a cloud of dust around their feet.

"Yes, I really do." Zuko growled as he threw his straw hat off to the side and glared at his sister.

"Zuko!" Aang gasped in alarm as he stared at the scarred teen.

"I was wondering when you'd show up, Zuzu." The girl commented calmly as she crossed her arms over her chest, her lips quirked in amusement.

"Zuzu?" Aang muttered, covering his mouth to suppress his laughter at the nickname.

"Back off, Azula!" Zuko barked determinedly as he shifted into a bending stance that would allow him to attack both his sister and Aang, "He's mine!"

Azula's amused expression disappeared and her eyes narrowed as she assumed her own fighting stance.

"I'm not going anywhere."

Azula smirked darkly at her brother while Zuko shifted his gaze from his sister to the Aang, who hurriedly took a fighting stance and pointed his glider at Zuko with a frightened expression on his face. Zuko shifted his fingers slightly, looking between Azula and Aang warily. Aang swallowed nervously, glancing from Azula to Zuko then back again. Azula smirked vaguely and Zuko's eyes narrowed slightly at her then he looked back at Aang. Azula's smirk broadened and Zuko's eyes flashed back to her, his unscarred eye widening when he saw his sister move her arm forward. Azula fired a blast of blue fire at him and Zuko just barely managed to bend a shield of fire in front of him to deflect the blast, which knocked him off his feet and onto a front porch.

Aang's eyes went wide with horror and he spun around, attempt to flee the abandoned town on his glider, quickly flying towards the back end of the town. Azula's eyes narrowed and lifted one arm straight into the air then took a single step forward and brought the same arm down, sending a powerful stream of blue fire at Aang, who shouted in surprise as he turned around and snapped his glider closed, twirling it to deflect the flames. Aang grunted when he hit the ground, still twirling his glider to finish dispersing the now orange flames that had been above him.

Aang stopped twirling his glider and gasped in fear when he saw Azula running along the beam of rooftop, preparing to strike him again. The young Airbender quickly rolled onto his stomach and snatched his glider from the ground just as Azula landed nimbly on the ground in crouch where she swept her leg out, sending a stream of fire at Aang again. Aang jumped out of the way and twisted up and around Azula, his staff held defensively in his hands.

Azula straightened and turned around, her eyes narrowing slightly when she saw her brother standing several feet in front of her. Aang landed between the two, just managing to side-step the fireball Zuko had launched at him then he twisted and dodged the next two fire blasts Azula fired at him, using Airbending to twirl past her.

Azula scowled and turned around, throwing another fireball at Aang, who ducked then countered her attack by launching a blade of air at her. Azula deflected the air blade with her hands then sent another fireball at Aang, who ducked out of the way again as he ran towards her. Then Azula had to duck herself when her brother fired his own fire blast her.

Aang jumped, twisted, ducked, and dodged the blue and red fireballs being launched at him while Azula and Zuko dodged each other's blasts at the same time. Zuko growled as he leapt over Azula, fire shooting up from his feet as he landed in a crouch but Azula threw up her own fire shield to deflect his attack, the two different colored walls of fire pressing together. Azula twisted around and fired a blast at Zuko, who ducked then attempted to knock her off her feet by sending a blast at her. Azula avoid her brother's attack deftly then swung her arm around, sending a stream of fire at him, Zuko quickly leaping into the air to avoid the blue flames. Azula then spun around and fired a stream of blue flames at Aang.

Aang jumped backwards to avoid the Fire Nation princess's attack, landing on an upper outdoor level of a nearby building. Aang yelped and dove into the open doorway when he saw Azula running up the stairwell leading to the upper level he was on. Azula ran through the doorway after the Avatar, her confident expression turning to one of alarm as she gasped and began to pinwheel her arms to keep from falling into the debris littered lower floor of the building.

Aang smiled gleefully and waved at her from his perch atop an airball in the middle of the nonexistent second story floor. Azula leapt slightly and managed to catch herself on two perpendicular floor panels that were still attached to the wall then she jumped again, managing to prop herself against the wall and regain her balance.

Zuko suddenly came charging through the doorway with a yell, only to realize to late that there wasn't an upper level floor and he fell roughly onto the first level floor with a shout, sending up a cloud of dirt and dust when he landed.

Aang's eyes went wide as the airball he was sitting on began to shrink beneath and Azula smirked, nimbly jumping and twisting mid-air so that she was back in the doorway then she shot a blast of blue fire at Aang. Aang managed to leap out of the way of the flames just as the airball completely dissipated and he used Airbending to run along the thin floor panel still stuck to the wall over to where Azula was standing, then he knocked Azula onto the first floor. The Fire Nation princess landed lithely on the first floor near Zuko, who was still recovering from his unfortunate fall.

Aang jumped out of the door, narrowly avoiding another stream of blue fire that Azula had launched at him. He landed on the street just as the Azula burst through the wall of the building with a powerful blast, knocking Zuko through the wall first. Aang gaped as the banished prince landed on the dirt street on his back, clearly unconscious then Aang quickly turned to look at Azula, yelping when he saw her heading straight towards him. He ducked and jumped out of the way just in time to avoid another of Azula's blue fire blasts and Aang began alternately jumping between two buildings while Azula fire more blue blasts at each spot he had previously landed on.

Aang finally reached the roof top of the left building and he quickly scrambled to prop himself up. His eyes went wide when Azula sent blade of blue fire up at him, slicing the corner of the roof her was standing on right off. Aang yelped and jumped off the crumbling portion onto another spot on the roof, but Azula sent another blade of fire and sliced that part of the roof as well.

Aang scrambled to prop himself up but the ceiling caved in and he fell into the building with a terrified yell. He grunted slightly when he hit the floor inside the building, wooden planks from the ceiling fall on top of him and trapping him beneath them. Aang lifted his head and stared fearfully at Azula as she stood in the door of the room he was trapped in. Azula smirked at him and held her arms out slightly from her sides, sending two streams of fire along the sides of the walls with her fists, the blue fire spread around the perimeter of the room and turned an orange hue moments later.

Aang stared up at her in horror and attempted to free himself from the wooden planks keeping him trapped. Azula's smirk widened as she took a few more steps into the room then she held up one hand with two of her fingers pointed outward, preparing to generate lighting.

Katara suddenly appeared in the doorway and lashed out at Azula with her water-whip, wrapping it around her wrist and yanking her hand off course. Azula gasped in shock as her arm was yanked back at an awkward angle, but the dark-haired Waterbender ignored the princess in favor of bending the stream of water around then using it to slice the wooden planks pining Aang.

"Katara!" Aang gasped, completely thrilled at seeing his friend only to gasp when Azula turned swiftly and sent a blast of fire at Katara, who dodged the fire blast by racing out of the building and along the porch.

Azula scowled darkly as she chased after the other girl only to stop in her tracks when Sokka appeared from another doorway and swung his machete her way. Azula ducked and moved off the porch, backing away slowly when Aang, Katara, and Sokka began closing in on her from three different sides.

Zuko groaned quietly and his eyes fluttered slightly as he began to regain consciousness.

"Uncle..." He muttered in confusion as he stared up at his uncle's blurry form standing over him.

"Get up!" Iroh ordered then helped his still slightly dazed nephew to his feet.

The two look over to where Azula was surrounded by Aang, Katara, and Sokka. Aang ran straight towards the princess then jumped up and out of the way just as Azula fired a blast at him. Azula then spun around swiftly, using Firebending to block the water-whip Katara had sent at her. She then turned and fired a blast at Sokka, who ran out of the way just in time and Azula quickly swung her arm, sending a stream of fire at both Sokka and Katara. The two Water Tribe siblings dodged the blast just as Aang came up behind Azula then he jumped out of the way again when she turned around and nearly managed strike him with another blast.

Azula swung her arm and sent an arched fire blast at the three as they slowly began pushing her back towards an alley, cornering her. The princess stood poised for an attack, a confident smirk on her face that quickly disappeared when the ground beneath her shifted which caused her to stumble to the side before she tripped over her own feet and fell onto her side.

Toph and Xiaodan appeared from the alley behind Azula, the Earthbender having shifted the ground beneath Azula's feet while the white-haired girl had sent a small tornado at her legs, causing her to trip.

"Thought you guys could use a little help." Toph said with a smirk as she and Xiaodan both shifted into bending stances.

"Thanks." Katara said gratefully, a smile forming on her lips at the sight of Toph and Xiaodan.

Azula snarled and pushed herself to her feet then began backing away from the five friends, shooting fire blasts at them to keep them back. Suddenly she spotted another alley and she quickly ran down it, leaping over the crates at the end. Azula's escape was halted when Iroh suddenly appeared and used his rotund belly to knock her of her feet while she was too busy looking behind her. Zuko quickly ran up beside his uncle and they, along with Katara, Aang, Sokka, Toph, and Xiaodan began stalking towards Azula, cornering her against the ruins of a stone wall.

"Well, look at this. Enemies and traitors, all working together. I'm done." Azula stated coolly as her back hit the stone wall and she looked at the seven people surrounding her then she raised her arms, "I know when I'm beaten. You got me. A princess surrenders with honor."

Iroh stared at his niece for a moment then glanced at the others, who all remained on high alert. His gaze landed briefly on Toph then Xiaodan before shifting towards Aang, Katara, and Sokka, all of them still in their fighting stances then back to Toph again.

Azula glanced at the blind girl then smirked and took a step forward, spinning around into a crouch then firing a fire blast at her distracted uncle. The blast hit and Iroh screamed in pain, falling to the ground.

"Iroh!" Xiaodan cried out in horrified shock at the same time Zuko yelled out in horror, both watching his uncle fall before they simulanteously turned to face Azula.

Zuko, Xiaodan, Toph, Aang, and Katara each bended their respective elements at Azula while Sokka threw his boomerang at her. The impact of the elements created a small explosion that send up a thick cloud of smoke everywhere, burning embers falling all around the flaming town. Xiaodan snarled angrily and thrusted her arms outward, clearing the smoke with a powerful gust of air while Aang, Katara, Toph, and Sokka stared in dumbfounded shock when the cleared smoke revealed that Azula had vanished.

Xiaodan spun around her hands flying to her mouth when she saw Zuko kneeling beside his uncle, his head bowed and his expression dismayed.

"Ugggh!" Zuko growled angrily as he threw his fists up then pressed them to his eyes.

Xiaodan swallowed thickly, walking closer to Iroh and Zuko along with her friends, her molten orange eyes never leaving Iroh's prone form.

"Get away from us!" Zuko barked furiously as he twisted around slightly to glare at the five.

Toph shifted her foot and her sightless eyes glittered with tears of relief when she felt the vibrations of Iroh's shallow breathing using her seismic sense. Xiaodan nearly collapsed with her own relief when she heard the foolish, tea-loving old man breath a quiet groan.

"Zuko, I can help!" Katara said urgently as she approached the banished prince, her hand outstretched.

Zuko swung his arm around, blasting an arc of fire over the five teens' heads as they ducked.

"Leave!"

The five turned and ran away, leaving Zuko kneeling over his uncle's unconscious body in the middle of the burning town.

Xiaodan hesitated just outside the town, turning around to stare at the Zuko's faint figure while Toph, Aang, Katara, and Sokka ran towards where the siblings had left Appa just outside the town.

"Xia, let's go!" Katara shouted urgently as she climbed into the saddle after her brother and Toph while Aang jumped onto Appa's head.

Xiaodan ran towards Appa, stopping once she reached his head then she reached up and touched Aang's leg, her orange eyes meeting his gray ones. The two stared at each other for silently for a few moments, Xiaodan's eyes conflicted and desperate while Aang's were full confusion before realization and understanding filled them.

"I can't leave him." She said quietly, "He needs my help. They both do."

Aang hesitated then grabbed the hand that was still resting on his leg and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"I understand." He said, his voice just as quiet, "We'll find each other again."

"We always do." Xiaodan finished with a tearful laugh then she let go of his hand and jumped into the saddle, grabbing her bag from where it was tied down with the rest of the group's supplies.

"What are you doing?" Sokka demanded in confusion as he and Katara watched Xiaodan jump out of the saddle, her bag and staff in hand, "We have togo, Xia!"

"I can't, Sokka." The white-haired girl said with a small shake of her head, "Iroh needs my help. I owe him that much."

"You don't owe him anything!" Sokka protested in outrage, "Did you forget that he's related to the crazy guy that kidnapped you?!"

"He's not like the rest of the Fire Nation, Sokka! He helped me and didn't treat me like a prisoner! He is my friend!"

Sokka's jaw dropped and he stared at the white-haired girl in disbelief, but Aang suddenly spoke up before Sokka could articulate a response.

"Be careful, big sister."

"You too, little brother." Xia replied, a watery smile appearing on her face as she looked up at her brother then she turned her gaze to Toph, who had remained silent during the whole conversation, "And you be careful too, little sister. I love you both."

"We love you too!" Aang called out to Xiaodan as she began running back towards the abandoned town, "Appa, yip-yip!"

"Appa, yip-yip!"

Xiaodan bit her lip and kept running even when she heard Appa groan as he leapt into the air after Aang's words. She knew this was the right thing to do, she didn't know how she knew, but she did.

She slowed to a walk then came to a complete stop when she was only a few feet away from Zuko, who was still kneeling over his uncle. Xiaodan took a deep breath then walked around him and kneeled on Iroh's other side, setting her staff and bag down beside her.

"I told you to leave."

The low snarl that came with Zuko's words would have been frightening if not for the pain and guilt she could hear in his voice.

"Since when have I ever listened to you, Firebug?" Xiaodan retorted drily as she began looking Iroh over.

"Why are you here?" Zuko demanded, lifting his head up to glare darkly at the white-haired girl, but she didn't look up at him, merely continued her examination.

"Your uncle is my friend." She replied nonchalantly then she suddenly lifted her head, molten orange eyes clashing with intense gold, "I always held my friends. Always."

The banished prince narrowed his eyes at her but Xiaodan went back to looking down at Iroh, her gaze critically.

"I need to clean and bandage his wound." Xiaodan stated matter-of-factly then she glanced around at the burning town distastefully, "We need to move him. Preferably somewhere we won't be fried..."

Zuko's eyebrow twitched slightly, he had almost forgotten how annoying her cheeky comments were. If she was going to be traveling with him and his uncle from now on, he could tell it was going to be a long journey. Zuko briefly wondered if his sanity would be intact by the end of it.