'Xiaodan smiled proudly as she stood before the Council of Elders after mastering the thirty-six levels of Airbending.

"Pupil Xiaodan."

The sixteen year old girl straightened and turned to look at Elders with a serious expression on her face.

"Step forward, child." Monk Gyatso said and Xiaodan took a few steps forward then kneeled in front of the five High Monks.

"Pupil Xiaodan, you have mastered the thirty-six levels of Airbending, an amazing accomplishment for one so young." Pasang praised lightly as he looked down at the young woman, "The Council of Elders are offering you a choice."

"A choice?" Xiaodan echoed, looking at the monks in confusion and slight worry, "I don't understand."

"You are a very special child, little one." Gyatso stated soothingly, "We are giving you the choice to abstain from receive the mastery tattoos."

"Why?"

"Because you are already marked, child." Monk Tashi explained and gestured towards the tattoos that already adorned the girl's face.

Xiaodan's hand instinctively touched her forehead where small, dark brown circle that had a slightly curved like coming from the top and two other slightly curved lines came from either side of the bottom arc of the circle. Her other hand touched her left cheek where two similar line curved up from her jaw to just under her eye. The same design was inked onto her other cheek as well and she knew there were similar tattoos on the rest of her body.

"You have had those marks since before you were brought to the Southern Air Temple by your birth father thirteen years ago." Monk Pasang stated calmly, "They are a part of you and should you choose to receive your mastery tattoos, many of them will be covered. That is why we are giving you the choice to either accept the arrow tattoos or not."

"Whatever your choice, you will still be recognized as a Master Airbender." Monk Gyatso added when he saw the slightly distressed look on his older charge's face, "Look deeply into yourself, Xiaodan and you will find the answer."

Xiaodan sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes, clearing her mind as she did as her guardian suggested. The Council of Elders waited patiently as the young girl meditated then her eyes opened slowly.

"I will keep my markings as they are, uncovered by the mastery tattoos." She said as she got to her feet and bowed to the monks respectfully, "Something is telling me they are important."

"Very well." Monk Pasang replied with a small bow of his head, "Pupil Xiaodan, despite the fact that you will not have the arrow mastery tattoos, you shall be recognized as a Master Airbender by all."

Xiaodan bowed to the Elders again and left the council room...'

Xiaodan's eyes flew open and sat up sharply with a gasp as she regained consciousness, her hand instantly going to her head the Spirit Oasis began to spin rapidly and she reclosed her eyes.

"Whoa, careful!"

Xiaodan groaned quietly and opened her eyes slightly, turning her head to glance at Katara who was sitting beside her and looking at her with a worried and dismayed expression.

"Zuko!" She snarled and lurched to her feet when she remembered what had happened, wobbling slightly before regaining her balance then she began to look around, "Where is that stupid, fire-breathing jerk!"

"Xia, calm down!" Katara urged as she grabbed the older girl by the shoulders, "Zuko's gone."

"Gone?" Xiaodan asked and her eyes widened then narrowed as she realized the implication in Katara's words, "He took Aang?"

Katara nodded and looked down, "I can't believe I lost him."

"You did everything you could." Sokka said as he put his hand on his sister's shoulder, "You and Xia both did and now we need to do everything we can to get him back."

Katara looked up at her brother with tears glistening in her eyes and Xiaodan stepped forward, wrapping the younger girl in a hug.

"It's okay, Katara," The older girl whispered gently, "I know you tried as hard as you could to keep him safe. If this is anyone's fault, it's mine. I shouldn't have let myself get knocked out."

Katara sniffled quietly and returned the white-haired girl's embrace then the two pulled away to look at Sokka when he started talking again.

"Zuko couldn't have gotten far. We'll find him." He stated confidently, "Aang's gonna be fine."

"Okay." Katara agreed, wiping at her eyes as she walked over to Appa and climbed into the saddle with Yue and her brother.

Xiaodan looked down at Momo, who had remained motionless on the ground and the white-haired girl crouched down, rubbing his head gently.

"You stay here, Momo, incase Aang comes back, okay?"

The lemur chittered quietly and licked her hand once then Xiaodan Airbended herself onto Appa's head, picking up the reins.

"Yip-yip!"

Appa growled and leapt into the air, heading up towards the top of the waterfall that was flowing down into the oasis. Xiaodan's eyes narrowed slightly against the blizzard that was raging in the vast frozen tundra above the Spirit Oasis, her orange eyes looking for any sign of her brother and a certain prince.

Zuko trudged through the nearly knee-high snow as the blizzard raged around him. His face was partially covered with his mask and he had pulled his hood up to protect him from the cold as he walked, the unconscious Avatar slung across his back with his tattoos still glowing.

Zuko stopped walking and surveyed the land, searching for some kind of shelter.

Aang blinked in surprise as he sat in his meditating position on a small wooden platform in swamp-like area of the Spirit World. He watched as a large white bird flew over him and he got to his feet then began wandering around. Aang stopped wandering and looked around the area curiously.

"Ohm..."

Aang turned his head in the direction of the sound and noticed a figure sitting beneath a simple wooden entranceway a several yards away from him. Aang started walking towards the figure, only to blink in surprise when he saw it was a monkey in robe.

"Hello?" Aang said, overcoming his surprise quickly, "I'm sorry to disturb you. I just really need to find the Moon and the Ocean Spirits."

"Go. Away." The monkey stated then opened one eye, "You're still here?"

"Yes, I need-"

"Ohm!" The monkey said loudly in an attempt to block Aang out then a firefly flew past him and he pointed at it, "Perhaps that thing will help you. Chase it!"

Aang ran after the firefly and the monkey shook his head, sighing in relief, "Finally."

Aang chased the firefly throughout the swamp then up into a tree where he jumped and caught the glowing insect in his hands, a delighted expression appearing on his face. He landed on a tree branch which instantly shriveled up and disappeared entirely, causing Aang to fall with an alarmed gasp as he fell into the swamp water below.

Aang landed on his back and looked up at the firefly that had managed to escape his grasp. He rolled back to his feet and reached for the firefly but it flew away again.

"Come back!" Aang shouted as he started to give chase then paused when the water around him rippled then Roku suddenly appeared as a reflection in the water.

"Hello, Aang."

"Roku!" Aang said with happy surprise as he looked down at the reflection of his past life.

Zuko trekked through the snow, keeping his head bowed slightly against the fierce winds. He took a step forward then his eyes went wide in surprise as the ice beneath his feet began cracking. The started to splinter and cave in then Zuko started running forward, his senses on high-alert as the ice continued to break around him. He was suddenly thrown off-balance by the impact of the ice caving in behind him and he was thrown several feet away and landed roughly in the snow, losing his grip on Aang and kicking up a cloud of snow.

The cloud of snow dissipated and Zuko raised his head, observing the aftermath of the cave-in where the ground was brutally broken up. The prince looked around again and nearly sighed in relief when he spotted a cave in the distance.

"Shelter." He muttered in relief as he grabbed Aang by the collar and dragged him to the cave, then tied the younger boy's hands behind his back.

"Roku, the Water Tribe's under attack." Aang said urgently to his past life, "I need to find the Ocean and Moon Spirits."

Roku's reflection suddenly popped of the water and appeared in front of Aang, "The Ocean and the Moon are ancient spirits. They crossed over the Spirit World to the mortal world very near the beginning. There is only one spirit I know of who is old enough to remember."

"Who?" Aang asked eagerly.

"The spirit's name is Koh, but he is very dangerous. They call him the Face Stealer." Roku explained and Aang gave him a horrified look, "When you speak with him, you must be very careful to show no emotion at all. Not the slightly expression, or he will steal your face."

Aang looked at Roku with an even more horrified expression then took a deep breath and nodded calming, understanding the situation.

Sokka looked at the broken up ice critically, searching for any sign of Aang and Zuko but he didn't see either of them. He turned back to face Appa and the three girls with a shake of his head and Katara's head hung in disappointment and worry.

"They must be close, there's no way Zuko could have gotten any farther on foot in this weather!" Xiaodan shouted over the wind as Sokka climbed back into the saddle and she flicked the reins, "Appa, yip-yip!"

The sky bison rumbled and slapped his tail against the ground as he leapt into the air, following the trail of broken ice.

Zuko sat in the cave and rubbed his hands together, breathing fire into them to keep warm after tying Aang up completely.

"I finally have you, but I can't get you home because of this blizzard." Zuko muttered as he stood and peered outside of the cave at the furious snow storm, "There's always something. Not that you would understand. You're like my sister. Everything always came easy to her. She's a Firebending prodigy, and everyone adores her. My father says she was born lucky. He says I was lucky to be born. I don't need luck, though. I don't want it. I've always had to struggle and fight and that's made me strong. It's made me who I am."

Zhao watched as his soldiers invaded the city after breaching the wall from the lead ship, the ice building starting to melt from the constant blasts of fire and Waterbenders futilely tried to keep the invading army out.

"I don't need to remind you we have a time limit." Iroh stated as he stood beside Zhao, "If we don't defeat the Water Tribe before the full moon rises, they will be undefeatable."

"I assure you I have everything under control." Zhao replied calmly with a small smirk, "I intend to remove the moon as a factor."

"Remove the moon?" Iroh questioned in shock, "How?"

Hahn suddenly appeared and pointed his spear at Zhao, "Admiral Choi! Prepare to meet your fate!"

The Water Tribe boy charged at Zhao, but the Admiral merely sidestepped and tossed the boy overboard. Iroh peered over the railing and shook his head in disappoint then looked at Zhao when the man began speaking again.

"As I was saying," Zhao continued in a completely unperturbed tone, "Years ago I stumbled upon a great and powerful secret; the identity of the Moon Spirit's mortal form."

Iroh's eyes became wide, "What?"

"I was a young lieutenant serving under General Shu in the Earth Kingdom." Zhao explained haughtily, "I discovered a hidden library. Underground, in fact. I tore through scroll after scroll. One of then contain a detailed illustration, and the words 'moon' and 'ocean.' I knew then that these spirits could be found and killed...And that it was my destiny to do so."

"Zhao, the spirits are not to be trifled with!" Iroh protested angrily as he looked at the Admiral as if he had lost his mind.

"Yes, yes..." Zhao responded dismissively with a slight sneer, "I know you fear the spirits, Iroh. I've heard the rumors about your journey into the Spirit World. But the Ocean and moon gave up their immortality to become part of our world. And now they will face the consequence."

Iroh shook his head and glared at Zhao coldly.

Aang jumped from pillar to pillar towards a massive, lifeless true. He paused on one of the pillars when a large wolf spirit walked behind the tree then he continued forward, seeing the entrance to the cave Avatar Roku said the spirit Koh could be found in. Aang stared at the cave entrance warily, taking small steps towards it when he heard creepy noises. He glanced to his left when he noticed the noises weren't coming from the cave, but from another monkey spirit with his back to Aang.

"You're just a curly tailed blue nose." Aang said with a sigh of relief only to yelp in shock when the monkey turned and revealed it had no face, "Aahh!"

Aang sucked in a deep breath, as he spoke the words Roku had told, "Show no fear. Show no emotion at all."

Aang walked into the dark cave with a completely blank face.

"Hello?" He called out as he looked around, "I-I'm looking for the spirit named 'Koh.'"

Suddenly a large centipede-like body circled around him until a white face with gray painted around the eyes and red lips appeared in front of Aang.

"Welcome!" Koh greeted Aang, his voice layered and creepy sounding.

"Thank you." Aang replied with a completely blank face then he bowed.

"My old friend, the Avatar." Koh said as he shifted so his was looking at the back of Aang's head "It's been a long time."

"You know me?"

"How could I forget you?" Koh asked rhetorically as his face suddenly switched to an angry man's with thick eyebrows, a long mustache and a beard and he spoke angrily as he leaned his new face close to Aang's, "One of your previous incarnations tried to slay me! Nearly eight or nine hundred years ago."

"I didn't know that." Aang replied in a slightly confused yet serious tone as he kept his face blank watching as Koh moved away from him, "What did he or I try to kill you?"

Koh switched to a sad-looking young woman's face with long dark hair, "Oh it was something about, stealing the face of some you loved."

Aang stared up at the woman's face, not even flinching when it suddenly became angry and was switched to a baboon's with a gaping mouth as Koh laughed evilly. Aang continued to stare in one direction with a straight face as Koh circled him.

"Of course that's all behind us. Why should I hold a grudge against you for something in a past life. After all, you're a different person now." Koh stated then leaned close to whisper in Aang's ear, "You've come to me with a new face."

Aang took a deep breath as the words were whispered in his ear, but he maintained expressionless.

Zuko's eyes narrowed slightly when he saw Aang suddenly take a deep breath then he looked out at the still roaring blizzard.

"Guess, we'll be here a while..."

"Don't worry," Yue said as she tried to comfort Katara while Xiaodan directed Appa further into the blizzard, "It's like Xia said, Prince Zuko can't be getting too far in this weather."

"I'm not worried they'll get away in the blizzard." Katara replied distantly as she stared at the rapidly falling snow, "I'm worried that they won't."

"They're not going to die in this blizzard." Sokka stated with a shake of his head, "If we know anything, it's that Zuko never gives up. They'll survive, and we'll find them."

"And I'll kick Prince Firebug's butt all the way back to the Fire Nation." Xiaodan quipped, sounding only somewhat serious as she flicked Appa's reins slightly.

"It's been a long time since I've added a child's face to my collection." Koh commented off-handedly as he circled Aang again, this time with an owl's face, "So...How may I help you?"

"I need to find the moon and the ocean."

"Their spirit names are Tui and La, push and pull." Koh stated idly as he stopped circling Aang to look at his face briefly before continuing to circle, "And that had been the nature of their relationship for all time."

"Please. Help me find them." Aang said, still staring in one direction with a blank face, "An entire culture could be destroyed if I don't get their help."

"Oh, you think you need their help." Koh commented in amusement as he looked down at Aang, "Actually it's quite the other way around. Someone's going to kill them."

"What do mean?" Aang asked, looking at the demonic-like face centimeters from his own, "How can I find them and protect them?"

"You've already met them, actually." Koh replied as he switched back to his original face and moved away, "Tui and La, your moon and ocean, have always been circling each other in an eternal dance. They balance each other, push and pull, life and death, good and evil, yin and yang."

"The koi fish!" Aang said excitedly as he remembered the black and white koi fish constantly circling each other in the Spirit Oasis pool.

Koh reeled around to stare the now expressionless face of the young Avatar.

"I must be going now." Aang said with a slight bow and Koh receded in the shadows.

"We'll meet again."

Aang left the cave at a calm pace then hurried away once he was out of the tree. He looked down at the water, where Roku's reflection was looking back up at him.

"The spirits are in trouble, I need to get back to the physical world." Aang said urgently to his previous life.

"A friend is here to guide you back." Roku replied as his reflection was replaced by a familiar panda.

"Hei Bai!" Aang said happily as he turned to look at the giant panda, who nuzzled him affectionately.

The forest spirit rumbled as Aang jumped onto his back then the panda set off.

The Water Tribe members fled with cries of terror as a tank destroyed a totem pole. At another part of the city, two Waterbenders attempted to stop one of the tanks. They looked up at the horizon where the numerous Fire Nation ships were nearly blocking the view of the rising full moon. The Waterbenders began attacking the invading Fire Nation forcefully as the moon strengthened them and they began to try to take back their city.

"We'll be following this map to a very special location." Zhao said with a smirk, completely unperturbed by the tank that had just flown past him, "And when we get there, we're going fishing."

Hei Bai ran through the swamp with Aang on his back, stopping in front of the wooden platform Aang had been sitting on when he first arrived in the Spirit World.

"This is where I came in." Aang said in confusion as he jumped off Hei Bai's back and onto the platform, looking at the gate curiously, "But how do I get back?"

Aang turned to look at Hei Bai as the panda stood on his hind legs and blew a beam of energy at Aang, who disappeared.

"Good riddance." The odd monkey spirit said as he opened his eyes.

Hei Bai assumed his monstrous six armed form and shot and intense beam of energy from his mouth at the odd spirit, sending him flying away. Hei Bai then reverted to his original form, smiling in bear-like way.

"Momo!" Aang said excitedly when he reappeared at the Spirit Oasis and he walked toward the sleeping lemur then realizing his body was gone, "Momo..."

Aang looked at his hand then gasped when he saw they were blue, "Oh no, where's my body?"

He was suddenly surrounded by energy and he shot in the air, soaring over the icy tundra.

Katara looked at the snow below as Xiaodan continued fly Appa when a flash of light caught her eye and she turned to look.

"Look!" The dark-haired girl shouted as she pointed at the light forward into the distance, "That's got to be Aang."

Xiaodan jerked Appa's reins in the direction Katara pointed, "Appa, yip-yip!"

The sky bison rumbled as he swerved to follow the light.

"Don't worry, little brother, we're coming." Xiaodan muttered under her breath as she stared at the light determinedly.

Aang's spirit entered the cave, filling it with light as he entered his body. His eyes snapped open and he gasped quietly, looking down at the rope keeping his retrained. Aang started to struggle against his binding then rolled into a sitting position, his eyes widening when he saw Zuko standing front of him.

"Welcome back." Zuko said drily.

"Good to be back." Aang responded as he scowled at the scarred prince then he sucked in a deep breath and exhaled sharply, Airbending Zuko into a wall and propelling himself backwards out of the cave.

Aang struggled to get away only to be caught by Zuko a moment later.

"That won't be enough to escape." Zuko commented as he pulled Aang up by his collar and glared down at him.

Aang's eyes widened and he grinned, "Appa!"

The sky bison flew overhead then landed a few feet away from Zuko and Aang. Zuko tossed Aang to the side as Katara and Xiaodan leapt from Appa.

"Here for a rematch?" The scarred prince asked with a sneer as he glared at the two girls and shifted into a bending stance.

"Trust me, Zuko, it's not gonna be much of a match." Katara retorted as she bending a water shield in front of her, dissipating the fireball Zuko had sent at her.

The dark-haired girl lifted her arms, using Waterbending to launch Zuko into the air with pillar of ice then she slammed him back down.

"Aang!" Xiaodan said happily as she raced towards her brother and kneeled beside him with Sokka right behind her, "Are you okay?"

Aang looked away from the unconscious and snow-covered banished prince to look at his sister as Sokka used his boomerang to cut the rope.

"I'm fine."

"Hey, this is some quality rope." Sokka commented as he held the rope in his hand.

"We need to get to the oasis! The spirits are in trouble!" Aang said suddenly as he leapt to his feet and rushed towards Appa, Airbending himself onto the bison's head with Xiaodan and Sokka right behind him.

Aang hesitated and looked back at Zuko, "Wait, we can't just leave him here."

"Sure we can." Sokka replied easily as he motioned for Aang to hurry, "Let's go."

"No, if we leave him, he'll die." Aang said and Xiaodan sighed.

"You're right, little brother." The white-haired girl sighed again and Airbended herself out of the saddle and over to Zuko's unconscious body then she hefted him upright, slinging one of his arms over her shoulder.

"Yeah, this makes a lot of sense." Sokka snarked sarcastically as Xiaodan Airbended herself and Zuko into the saddle, "Bring the guy who's constantly trying to kill us."

"If he wanted to kill us he would have done so by now, Sokka." Xiaodan responded as Appa leapt into the air and took off back towards the Spirit Oasis, "He wants Aang alive now hand me that 'quality' rope you stuffed into your pockets."

Zhao grinned vehemently as he stood in front of the pond at the back of the oasis and he grabbed the white koi fish, Tui, from the water and placed it in a sack, smirking as the moon turned red behind him.

Pakku gasped as lost his Waterbending and fell back to the ground, his eyes going wide as the sky turned red. The other Waterbenders all stared in shock and dismay as their bending too began to disappear. They all began to run away quickly as the Fire Nation soldiers took advantage of their new weakness and started to attack them again.

Yue groaned and grabbed her head as if in pain as Appa flew towards the city, the red moon behind them.

"Are you okay?" Sokka asked her worriedly as he looked at her in concern.

"I feel faint."

"I feel it too." Aang said as he held his head in one hand, "The Moon Spirit is in trouble."

"I owe the Moon Spirit my life." Yue said suddenly and the others looked at her curiously.

"What do you mean?" Sokka asked.

"When I was born I was very sick and very weak." Yue explained quietly, "Most babies cry when they're born, but I was born as if I was asleep, my eyes closed. Our healers did everything they could. They told my mother and father I was going to die, but my father pleaded with the spirits to save me. That night, beneath the full moon, he brought me to the oasis and placed me in the pond. My dark hair turned white, I opened my eyes and began to cry, and they knew I would live. That's why my mother named me Yue, for the moon."

"I am...a legend, now!" Zhao shouted as he held the sack with the Tui inside it, "The Fire Nation will, for generations, tell stories about the great Zhao, who darkened the moon. They will call me, Zhao the Conqueror, Zhao the Moon Slayer, Zhao the Invincible!"

Momo suddenly jumped on the gloating man's head and he shouted as he tried to get the lemur off it his head.

"Ugh! Get it off, get it off!"

Momo jumped off Zhao's head and flew away, landing on Aang's arm then running up his shoulder with Xiaodan, Katara, and Sokka standing behind Aang. Zhao turned to glare at the Avatar and his friends as he and his men readied themselves for a fight. Aang, Xiaodan, Katara, and Sokka readied themselves as well, their eyes narrowed.

"Don't bother." Zhao stated as he held up the bag, his fist pointed at it.

"Zhao, don't!" Aang protested as he and his friends surrendered.

"It's my destiny to destroy the moon and the Water Tribe." Zhao responded, sounding almost manic.

"Destroying the moon won't hurt just the Water Tribe." Aang said as he looked at the sack where Tui was struggling faintly then towards Zhao, "It will hurt everyone, including you. Without the moon, everything would fall out of the balance. You have no idea what kind of chaos that would unleash on the world."

"He is right, Zhao."

"Iroh!" Xiaodan gasped quietly, feeling a small surge of happiness at seeing the old man.

"General Iroh," Zhao commented with an unsurprised look, "Why am I not surprised by your treachery?"

"I'm not traitor, Zhao, the Fire Nation needs to the moon, too We all depend on the balance." Iroh stated as he removed the hood of his cloak then shifted into a bending stance, his tone becoming dangerous, "Whatever you do to that spirit, I'll unleash on you ten-fold. Let it go now!"

Zhao looked between Iroh and the Avatar then he released the white koi back into the pond, where it began circling around the black one again as the moon returned to normal. Zhao straightened and hesitated then sent a blast of fire into the water, striking Tui. Iroh recoiled from the flames and Aang looked up at the moon as it went completely black.

Zhao looked up at the black moon until Iroh suddenly sent a fireball at him, then he was forced to the dodge the older man's attacks. Zhao dodged and countered Iroh's attacks as he retreated towards his Firebending soldiers, then he quickly escaped while Iroh was busy defeating them.

"Oh no..." Xiaodan whispered as she, Aang, Katara, and Sokka stared in disbelief then they began moving towards the water, where La was circling Tui's dead body.

Yue looked on in horror from Appa's saddle, oblivious to the fact that Zuko had escaped as she hurried towards the others.

Xiaodan stood between Iroh and Yue in front of the pond as Iroh carefully lifted the Moon Spirit's body from the water, looking down at with sadness and regret.

"There's no hope now," Yue said despondently as her eyes filled with tears, "It's over."

"No," Aang said suddenly, his eyes and arrows beginning to glow as he entered the Avatar State, "It's not over."

Aang walked into the Spirit Oasis pool, Iroh and Xiaodan reaching out to stop Katara when she stepped forward.

"No, Katara." The white-haired girl whispered quietly as she gripping the girl's arm and watched her brother carefully.

Aang stood in the middle of the pond in a meditative stand as La began to circle around him, their jaws dropping as La stopped in front of Aang and its eyes and the white spot on his head began to glow. Aang disappeared suddenly into the water and blue lightning-like energy began to expand from the oasis island into the surrounding water then the whole oasis began to light up in the same blue color as the water, the light spreading towards the whole city.

Xiaodan and the others watched in awe as energy infused water moved to the edge of the oasis with a splash and rose up to form a giant koi fish-like creature that was facing out towards the sea with Aang in the center, controlling it.

The Fire Nation soldiers gasped in shock and fear as they looked at the massive creature's sudden appearance. The Water Tribe members got on their hands and knees, pressing their foreheads against the ground as the creature moved past them while the Fire Nation soldiers prepared to attack, only to get knocked away by the creature.

Aang, controlling the massive creature, headed towards the ocean, laying waste to any Fire Nation soldiers in his path.

Zhao dropped down as he fled from the oasis after the creature had merged with the main channel leading towards the river, only to stop in his tracks when a blast of fire hit the wall in front of him.

"You're alive?" Zhao asked in disbelief as he turned to look at the banished prince he thought he had killed.

"You tried to have me killed!" Zuko snarled then attacked Zhao violently.

Zhao rolled away from the attacks and shifted into his own bending stance as Zuko leapt in front of him.

"Yes, I did." Zhao sneered as Zuko approached him while the giant energy form made its way to the ocean behind Zhao, "You're the Blue Spirit, an enemy to the Fire Nation! You freed the Avatar!"

"I had no choice." Zuko stated as he sent multiple fireballs at Zhao.

"You should have chosen to accept your failure, your disgrace." Zhao replied harshly after dissipating each blast then he removed his singed cloak, "Then at least you could have lived!"

Zhao launched a powerful blast of fire Zuko who spun away and sent his own fireball at the man. Zhao ducked and swung his leg out, sending fire from the bottom of his foot at Zuko but the prince nimbly jumped over it and ran behind Zhao.

The older man turned to face the banished prince and began attacking only for Zuko to dodge each of his attacks. Zuko lithely leapt over Zhao and blocked his next fireball with his forearm, knocking the older man's arm off to the side then Zuko shot a blast into Zhao's side, knocking him off the wall and to the tier below. Zuko jumped down a moment later.

Xiaodan kneeled beside the pond as Iroh gently laid Tui's body back into the water.

"It's too late." Katara murmured sadly as she sat beside Xiaodan and bowed her head, "It's dead."

Iroh looked off the side and blinked in surprise when he noticed the other white-haired girl being comforted by the Water Tribe boy.

"You have been touched by the Moon Spirit." He stated as he looked at the princess, "Some of its life is in you."

"Yes, you're right." Yue agreed as she looked at Iroh in understanding and got to her feet, "It gave me life, maybe I can give it back."

"No!" Sokka protested instantly as he stood and grabbed her hand, "You don't have to do that."

"It's my duty, Sokka." Yue replied gently, her eyes closing sadly.

"I won't let you!" Sokka stated firmly as he held her hand tightly in his, "Your father told me to protect you!"

"I have to do this."

Yue pulled her hand out of Sokka's and walked over to Iroh, who had picked up Tui's body again. The white-haired princess reached out, placing her hands gently on the koi fish's body which began to glow as Yue closed her eyes. The koi fish stopped glowing and Yue fell back with a soft groan, Sokka catching her limp body before she hit the ground.

"No!" Sokka cried out as he held Yue's body and pressed his hand to the side of her face, "She's gone, she's gone..."

Xiaodan pressed her hands against her mouth, her eyes glistening with tears at the pained expression on Sokka's face, the princess's limp body in his arms.

The Fire Nation ships pulled away from the destroyed wall as the blue energy seeped into the ocean then rose up into the koi fish-like creature. Aang thrusted his arms forward and the creature sent the Fire Navy ships flying away. The ships began launching fireballs at the creature, but Aang merely lifted his arms and blocked them then he swiped an arm towards the ship, cutting the top of the command tower off.

Aang had the creature raise its arms up, creating a huge wave underneath the ships then he brought his own arms down forcefully, the wave sending the ships out of the cove the Northern Water Tribe's city was located in.

Sokka held Yue's body gently in his arms, his head bowed over her as Iroh held Tui's mortal body in his hands. Sokka's eyes snapped open and he stared in shock as Yue's body faded then disappeared entirely and the koi fish's body began to glow white again.

Iroh hurriedly placed the koi back into the water and it began to swim around while the entire pond began to glow white. The white energy coalesced in the middle of the pond then it rose up into the air, forming an image of Yue.

"Goodbye, Sokka. I'll always be with you." Yue's spirit said adoringly as she floated down slightly and cupped his face, pressing her lips to his in a gently kiss then she faded away.

Sokka stared up at the moon, watching as it reappeared in the sky and relighting the world with its ethereal light.

Aang still in the embodiment of La stood in front of the Water Tribe city then looked up at the sky when he felt the moonlight. The Ocean Spirit faded into the water and moved back to the city, gently placing Aang on top of the broken wall as he left the Avatar State. La then moved back into the city's canals.

Zuko ducked and spun to the side as he avoided the blasts Zhao launched at him. Zuko sent his own powerful blast, knocking Zhao backwards. The banished prince pressed his advantage and continued to launch fireballs at Zhao until the older man fell onto his back on the bridge they were fighting on.

Zhao looked up at Zuko then his eyes widened when he saw the moon hanging high in the sky behind the younger man.

"It can't be!" He shouted in disbelief as he looked at the moon.

Zuko stared in shock as blue energy-infused water appeared on either side of the bridge above him and Zhao. The banished prince rolled out of the way quickly and got to his feet, watching in shock as the energy wrapped around Zhao in the shape of a hand and it lifted the man up. Zuko gritted his teeth then raced forward and jumped onto the edge of the bridge, holding his hand out to Zhao.

"Take my hand!" Zuko ordered and stretched his arm out, looking at the Admiral pleadingly.

Zhao stared at Zuko for a moment, his own hand outstretched then his face turned stubborn and he retracted his hand. The banished prince stared in horrified shock as Zhao was pulled beneath the water and didn't come back up.

Pakku stood on the ledge outside the Chief's temple with Katara, Aang, Sokka, Xiaodan, and Arnook as they looked out at the partially destroyed city.

"I've decided to go to the South Pole." Pakku said suddenly and Katara looked at him in surprise as he turned to face her, "Some other benders and healers want to join me. It's time we helped rebuild our sister tribe."

"What about Aang?" Katara asked in confusion as the two Waterbenders glanced over to where Aang was standing with Xiaodan and Momo several feet away, "He still needs to learn Waterbending."

Pakku smirked slightly and glanced at the girl from the corner of his eye, "Well, then he better get used to calling you Master Katara."

Katara's eyes went wide and she stared at the older man in shock.

Arnook stood beside Sokka as they looked up at the moon still hanging in the sky.

"The spirits gave me vision when Yue was born. I saw a beautiful, brave, young woman become the Moon Spirit." Arnook stated then sighed sadly and closed his eyes, "I knew this day would come."

"You must be proud." Sokka commented, sounding as sad as the chief.

"So proud..." Arnook agreed quietly, "And sad."

"I'm surprised Prince Zuko," Iroh stated as he stood on the raft with his nephew as they floated away from the city, "Surprised that you are not at this moment trying to capture the Avatar."

Zuko stared out at the icebergs and broken Fire Navy ships in the water and he sighed quietly.

"I'm tired."

Iroh smiled and walked over the now sitting prince, placing his hand on his shoulder.

"Then you should rest." He advised fatherly, "A man needs his rest."

Iroh straightened and his nephew laid flat on his back on the raft, looking up at the sky before his eyes closed.

Aang looked out of the city with Xiaodan at his side as they stood side-by-side on the ledge. The younger Airbender turned his head slightly and blinked when he noticed Katara standing behind him with a concerned look on his face. Xiaodan glanced behind her when she saw Aang turn around at the corner of her eye and she smiled softly when she saw Katara standing there.

Xiaodan watched quietly as Katara and Aang simulanteously stepped forward and embraced each other tightly, her soft smile fading into a maternal expression. Momo chittered from beside her, causing Katara and Aang to separate and stand beside each other.

"You too, Momo." Katara stated, holding her hand out slightly the lemur.

"Come here." Aang added as he held his arm up and Momo jumped onto his shoulder then he looked at Xia and smiled at her, "You too, big sister."

The white-haired girl laughed and stepped forward to stand beside Katara, wrapped her arm around the both her and Aang, her grin widening when Sokka walked over and placed his hand on Aang's shoulder.

The four looked out at the ocean and the moon with soft smiles on their faces as Appa rose up beside the ledge. Xiaodan sighed contentedly and leaned her head slightly against Katara's as she stared up at the moon.

"Iroh is a traitor, and your brother is a failure." A man's deep voice stated, his face hidden behind a wall of fire as he stared down at the young dark-haired girl kneeling in front of him, "I have a task for you."

The girl lifted her head, her gold eyes glittering maliciously as a cold smile spread across her pretty face.