Sokka looked out nervously at the rocky terrain as they neared Chameleon Bay on Appa. "You haven't seen your dad in over two years. You guys must be so excited!" Aang exclaimed, sharing a smile with Katara, who nodded back.

"It'll be so wonderful to see Dad again after all these years," Katara sighed wistfully as Sokka looked like he wanted to throw up behind her.

"I know I should be, but I just feel sick to my stomach," Sokka grumbled, holding his stomach in his hands as the small Water Tribe camp at the mouth of the bay became visible behind a cliff.

"Don't be nervous. He's going to be so happy to see you!" Aang replied, placing a hand on Sokka's shoulder, Katara doing the same on his other side. The three embraced for a moment before Sokka cleared his throat and broke out of the hug.

"So, what about you, Aang? Are you nervous to meet this guru?" Sokka asked Aang, who shook his head with a serious look on his face.

"Not at all. I'm ready to master the Avatar State. I'll do whatever it takes," Aang stated firmly as Katara smiled widely at his confidence.

"We know you can do it, Aang," she replied, placing a reassuring hand on Aang's shoulder, which caused Aang to nod, a light blush dusting his cheeks. They flew over the Water Tribe camp before Aang directed Appa to land on a small patch of sand next to the mouth of the bay. Sokka and Katara slid off of Appa as Aang prepared to take off again. "Good luck, Aang!" Katara called as Sokka stared at the Water Tribe camp with a nervous expression on his face.

"Thanks, Katara! See you in a week! Yip yip!" With a quick flick of the reins, Aang and Appa soared away, heading east Katara and Sokka waved goodbye to Aang before turning towards the Water Tribe camp, standing side by side.

"We got this," Sokka spoke quietly, and mostly to himself, as Katara squeezed his shoulder.

"We got this," she repeated, the two siblings sharing a smile, before walking into camp. As they passed by the tents, various Water Tribe men, people who they hadn't seen in years came out of their tents and away from their jobs, surrounding the two teenagers in the center of the camp. Sokka smiled up at a Water Tribe warrior in front of him, the two grabbing each other's forearms in greeting. "Sokka, Katara, it's good to see you," the Water Tribe warriors chorused as they smiled at the two siblings, who had grown tremendously since the last time they had seen them.

"Your dad's in there," one warrior pointed out, gesturing to the main tent behind him. Katara let Sokka lead the way to the tent, knowing how much this moment meant to him. Sokka paused outside of the tent for a moment, before taking a deep breath and pulling back the flap. He stepped inside the tent and sidestepped, allowing Katara to step in beside him. The two siblings stared across the table at their father, tears filling their eyes.

Bato smiled at the siblings before elbowing Hakoda in the side. Looking up from the map, Hakoda shot Bato a look before noticing his children standing at the entrance of the tent. Hakoda smiled widely at the sight of his children. "Sokka. Katara," he called, getting to his feet.

"Hey, Dad," they replied before rushing around the table into his arms, burying their faces in his chest, tears streaming down their cheeks as they finally reunited their family.

Back in Ba Sing Se, Azara studied the Earth Kingdom maneuvers as the generals explained their proposed plan to her. "General Fong's base will serve as the launching point for the attack. In exactly two months, the army and navy will invade the Fire Nation on the Day of Black Sun." As Momo crawled around her shoulders, Azara nodded, looking deep in thought.

"The plan seems sound, but I hope it proves flexible. I don't want to be running into a trap," Azara warned, rubbing her chin as her eyes darted around the map. "The path may seem clear, but it is layered with various obstacles that we should avoid if we want to make it into the Fire Nation capital without issue. I can make a list of adjustments to avoid those unnecessary conflicts." She placed her hands on her hips as How nodded in appreciation.

"We can go over tactics in the lead up to the invasion. In terms of the overall plan, all we need is the Earth King's seal in order to execute the plan. Without his approval, we can't start preparations." Azara nodded as General How sent the scroll across the table with his earthbending. Leaning down, Azara picked up the scrolls from the box before bowing to the generals around her.

"I'll get these scrolls to him right away. Thank you, General How. I'll return tomorrow and we can go over each phase of the assault together." The generals bowed back to her before she turned and left the building, heading back towards the Earth Kingdom Palace to get Kuei's approval.

It felt weird to be by herself after travelling with Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph for so long. Toph hadn't returned from visiting her mother, so Azara hoped that meant that their reunion was going well. Walking through the streets of the Upper Ring, Azara hummed to herself as Momo jumped up onto her head, chittering lightly.

"I could go for some snacks too, Momo. And maybe a cup of tea," Azara added, smiling up at the lemur before looking along her pathway for a tea shop. Stopping across from the Jasmine Dragon, Azara read the sign on the door. "Hmm, it's the grand opening. Maybe we should try it out. What do you think Momo?" Azara questioned the lemur, who jumped down onto her shoulder as he eyed the fruit decorations littered around the tea shop. "I'll take that as a yes," Azara chuckled, before walking up to one of the hostesses. "Table for two, please."

"It'll just be a moment," the hostess smiled, checking over the seating map in front of her. "We've been so busy today. Mushi's tea is very popular."

"Not a problem." The hostess walked off as Azara glanced around the Jasmine Dragon.

"Uncle! I need two jasmine, one green, and one lychee!" a familiar voice called out, causing Azara's eyes to widen. Spinning around, her gaze landed on Zuko and Iroh, who were talking loudly about tea. Zuko's hair had grown in more since she had last saw him, when they had both run into Azula in that abandoned Earth Kingdom town.

"Leave just like you did before!" he had yelled at her before Sokka had pulled her away from him. What the hell was he and Uncle doing in Ba Sing Se? While she was caught up in her thoughts, Zuko had turned around and found himself staring at his little sister, who stared back at him with the same flabbergasted expression on her face.

The two siblings locked eyes, neither willing to move, until the hostess stepped forwards. "Ma'am, your table is ready," the hostess called but Azara simply took a step back, her gaze never leaving her older brother's. "Ma'am? Is everything alright?" Without another word, Azara spun around and sprinted out of the tea shop.

Zuko placed his tray on the counter and ran to the edge of the store, watching Azara sprint away towards the palace. He thought he was just hallucinating again, but the lemur that flew alongside her reminded him that it wasn't a dream. He shouldn't have been surprised. After all, he knew that the Avatar was in the city. But still, he hadn't been expecting his sister to arrive at their tea shop, on their opening day no less.

Azara kept running despite her muscles crying out in pain. She didn't know what she was doing anymore, she was just focused on running away from that tea shop. Why was Zuko and Uncle in the city? Were they after Aang? Had they tracked them all the way to Ba Sing Se? Were they part of a greater plot against the Earth King? How did they even get into the city in the first place?

A million thoughts ran through her mind as she entered the throne room. Instead of finding Kuei, she spotted three Kyoshi Warriors kneeling in front of the throne, hidden by the shadows. Sighing in relief, Azara slowed her pace. "Suki! Something's wrong! My brother and uncle are in the city! I don't know what they're doing here but we have to . . ." Azara trailed off as a Kyoshi Warrior stepped into the light, a familiar smirk on her face. "Azula!" Azara gasped out, taking a step back.

"Oh, don't worry, Azara. I'll be sure to let the Earth King know," Azula smirked as Azara tucked the scroll into her belt. Dodging Ty Lee's first jab, Azara jumped back as Azula cut her off with a blue flame. Sliding under a blade thrown by Mai, Azara yelled out as Ty Lee hit her pressure points on her back. Gasping out, Azara fell to the ground, her entire body immobilized.

"So, Zuzu's in the city as well? How about a little family reunion, Azara?" Azula chuckled as the Dai Li approached to take her away, Momo escaping from the scene through an open window.

Meanwhile, in Chameleon Bay, Sokka, Katara, Hakoda, Bato, and a few other Southern Water Tribe warriors sat around a fire as they planned their next moves against the Fire Navy over dinner. "So, you're planning an invasion of the Fire Nation?" Hakoda asked Sokka, who smiled and nodded, swallowing his bite before speaking.

"We found out from a Spirit Library that there's an upcoming solstice, which should leave the firebenders defenseless for a few minutes and give us an opening to finally end the war," Sokka explained, causing Hakoda and Bato to share surprised looks before turning back to the two teenagers.

"Spirit Library? You kids really have the oddest adventures," Bato commented as Sokka and Katara shared a look before shrugging.

"So, if you kids are here and Aang is at the Air Temple, then who's back in Ba Sing Se to plan the invasion?" Hakoda questioned, causing Katara to elbow Sokka in the ribs. Sokka grunted in pain, shooting his sister a look, who smirked in response before turning to Bato and Hakoda.

"Sokka's girlfriend," she teased, causing Sokka's cheeks to flush pink as Hakoda and Bato shared a look before smiling over at the younger boy.

"Well, congratulations, Sokka. Who's the lucky girl?"

"Her name's Azara," Sokka replied to his father, his cheeks still pink, before turning to Bato. "You met her when we stopped by the abbey, Bato."

"She seems like a lovely girl, Hakoda," Bato agreed, glancing over at his friend before turning back to Sokka. "Though when I met her, she was only a friend." Sokka smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"So do I ever get to meet this girl?" Hakoda joked, as Sokka looked up at his dad.

"Hopefully when we invade the Fire Nation. I think you'll really like her, Dad," Sokka smiled as the group continued to eat around the fire.

Meanwhile, at the top of a building at the Eastern Air Temple, Aang and Guru Pathik sat cross-legged across from each other under the night sky. "This is the last chakra, isn't it?" Aang asked as Pathik nodded his head thoughtfully.

"Yes. Once you open this chakra, you will be able to go in and out of the Avatar State at will and when you are in the Avatar State, you will have complete control and awareness of all your actions," Pathik explained as Aang smiled.

"Let's do this," he nodded, looking determined to finally master the Avatar State.

"The Thought Chakra is located at the crown of the head. It deals with pure cosmic energy and is blocked by earthly attachment. Meditate on what attaches you to this world." Aang's mind filled with images of Katara on their journey together. First, the time they spent together on Appa, bending the clouds to convince the villagers that Aunt Wu was wrong about the volcano. Then, after he gave her a new necklace to replace her mother's missing one. And finally, their almost kiss in the Cave of Two Lovers. "Now, let all of those attachments go. Let them flow down the river, forgotten."

Opening his eyes in surprise, Aang stared over at Pathik with a confused expression. "What? Why would I let go of Katara? I . . . I love her!" he exclaimed, looking worried.

"Learn to let her go, or you cannot let the pure cosmic energy flow in from the universe," Guru Pathik replied calmly as Aang shook his head.

"Why would I choose cosmic energy over Katara?" Aang huffed, throwing his hands up in the air. "How could it be a bad thing that I feel an attachment to her? Three chakras ago that was a good thing!"

"You must learn to let her go," Pathik repeated, calm despite the tone of finality in his statement.

Aang contemplated the suggestion for a moment before shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't let go of Katara."

"Aang, to master the Avatar State, you must open all the chakras. Surrender yourself," Pathik pushed again, causing Aang to sigh.

"Okay, I'll try," Aang replied before straightening up as Pathik nodded his head. Aang closed his eyes, focusing on the meditation as Pathik continued.

"Now think of your attachments and let them go. Let the pure cosmic energy flow," Pathik instructed, the wind lightly fluttering through his beard. An image of Katara appeared in front of Aang before growing farther away and disappearing, his gaze shifting up towards the sky. Aang suddenly found himself floating above the earth for a moment before a cosmic bridge appeared below him.

The airbender smiled for a moment before staring up at a larger, cosmic version of himself. Walking carefully along the cosmic bridge, his tattoos started to glow as he grew closer to the cosmic version of himself. As he walked forward, Aang spotted swirling orbs around the bridge, filled with images of his friends, of his attachments.

He could see Sokka chatting around a fire with the Water Tribe warriors, laughing and smiling widely. Glancing to his left, he saw Momo flying through the air. A small smile on his face, Aang turned to see images of Toph floating around him. "Let them go," Pathik's voice shone through again as Aang faced forward, his attachments floating beyond him as he let go. Walking past an image of Appa sleeping peacefully, Aang stared up at the cosmic version of himself.

His cosmic version lowered down towards the path, a ball of swirling cosmic energy held within its hands. Aang smiled, about to step into the cosmic energy when he stumbled at the sound of a loud shriek behind him. Spinning around, Aang spotted an orb behind him that was quickly filling with black. Azara appeared in the orb, screaming, tugging on chains wrapped around her arms. "Let me go!" she yelled out, trying to pull herself free.

At Aang's hesitation, the cosmic version of himself disappeared, the bridge below his feet sliding away from him soon after, causing Aang to plummet towards the Earth. Gasping, Aang opened his eyes and hurried to get up. "Azara's in danger! I have to go!" Aang explained, sliding down the roof as Pathik reached out for him.

"No, Aang! By choosing attachment, you have locked the chakra! If you leave now, you won't be able to go into the Avatar State at all!" Pathik warned, causing Aang to hesitate for a moment, before hopping onto Appa and taking off for Chameleon Bay.

Back at the mouth of Chameleon Bay, Sokka, Katara, and Hakoda were preparing to face a fleet of Fire Navy ships, the other Water Tribe warriors hurrying around them to load up the mines. "Ready to go knock some Fire Nation heads?" Hakoda smiled, turning to his children as they walked towards the boarding plank to their ship.

"Always," Katara nodded, a wide smile on her face as Sokka nodded from beside her.

"You don't know how much this means to me, Dad. I'll make you proud and I'll finally prove to you what a great warrior I am," Sokka replied to his dad as Hakoda placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Sokka, you don't have to prove anything to me. I'm already proud of you and I've always known you're a great warrior," Hakoda informed his son, whose eyes widened in surprise at the statement.

"Really?" Sokka questioned as Katara smiled over at her brother.

"Why do you think I trusted you to look after our tribe when I left?" Hakoda pointed out, causing Sokka to break out into a wide smile. The three shared a short embrace before moving to board the ship. However, Katara paused when she heard Appa's familiar groan, and spun around to see Aang and Appa land behind them. The concerned look on Aang's face caused Sokka's heart to drop into his stomach.

"This can't be good," Sokka sighed as Katara ran down to Aang, stopping beside Appa.

"Aang, what's wrong?" Katara asked, looking concerned as Aang turned to Sokka.

"Azara. She's in trouble," he stated, causing Sokka's stomach to immediately knot, his breath knocked out of him. Stepping forwards and off the gangplank, Sokka stared up at Aang.

"What do you mean she's in trouble!? She's supposed to be safe in Ba Sing Se!" Sokka almost argued as Aang gripped his reins tighter. Images of Azara back in the Spirit Oasis flashed into Sokka's mind, but he quickly pushed them back. "Aang, where is she? What happened? Is she hurt?" Sokka rambled as Katara looked over at her brother worriedly.

"I had a vision. She was chained up somewhere. I don't know what happened, but she looked like she was in trouble," Aang explained as Sokka walked closer, deciding not to tell him that Azara was screaming for help, as it would likely only send the Water Tribe boy over the edge.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Sokka spun to see Hakoda behind him. "Go. We'll catch up," Hakoda urged, causing Sokka to nod before sprinting over to Appa. Sokka and Katara hurried to climb onto Appa's back before Aang hurried to flick the reins. As they took off for Ba Sing Se, Sokka and Katara turned to look back at Hakoda, who turned around himself and smiled proudly at his children.

A.N. Just one big point of clarification about this chapter:

Aang is NOT in love with Azara! He's attached to her because she's his friend. He's attached to all his friends, she was just the one in trouble at the moment. He still didn't unlock the Avatar State because he couldn't give up Katara. The Aang/Azara joke in The Cave of Two Lovers episode was, as stated, just a joke!  

Just two chapters left (or one episode, The Crossroads of Destiny) in Book 2, so stay tuned! Should be out shortly!

Thanks for reading, commenting, and voting!