A/N; Just one thing to say before we get into the end of book one - there's a reference to my favorite MCU movie in here. Spot it, you get a free cookie!

With that in mind, let's jump in - we're going fishing >:)

Sokka P.o.V.

"I can't believe I lost him. Both of them."

"You did everything you could," Sokka comforted. "And now, we need to do everything we can to get them back. Zuko can't have gotten far. We'll find him, and they'll both be fine."

Katara glanced back at him, tears in her eyes. She was, understandably, a wreck since she lost her duel with the firebender. Wiping her eyes, she nodded in response as she got up. Joining Yue and Sokka on Appa's back, she glanced back when Momo chirped sadly. "It's alright," Katara assured the lemur. "You stay here, Momo, in case either of them come back."

Sokka flicked Appa's reins, letting out the usual 'yip yip' command. Within seconds, they'd taken flight and headed out into the frozen tundra above the tribe.

Almost as soon as they'd climbed above the waterfall that led to the oasis, Sokka could tell why the northerners hadn't settled up here. The weather, unlike in the tribe, was absolutely miserable. As far as the eye could see, there was only clouds, snow, and ice. Paired with a battering wind that was chilling even in his parka, it was far more inhospitable than anywhere Sokka had been before.

Hang on, Azami, he thought to himself. Even if you don't care, I'm still coming.

Zuko P.o.V.

Out of the frying pan, and into the fire.

Despite dealing with heat instead of cold, the saying was remarkably apt for Zuko's current predicament. He thought the hard part would be getting into the Northern Water Tribe, and capturing both Azami and Aang. To his relief, while getting in had been hard, capturing them had been fairly easy.

It was almost enough to make him think he had someone on his side. Maybe the spirits were pitying him. If only, Zuko scoffed.

No, if anything, it seemed like the universe was mocking him at this point. The hard part was supposed to be over, but no - it had only begun. Lugging two people around was already going to be hard enough, but doing it while buried knee-deep in snow, his boots filled with the stuff? That was miserable.

But wait! It gets better! As a firebender, Zuko naturally used his bending to warm himself with his breath of fire. Something his uncle had taught him long ago - it was nice to see those lessons pay off. One side effect though? All that snow in his boots had long since melted, meaning that he was walking through snow while his feet were buried in a puddle. Oh, and he wanted to scratch his face off, the wind was irritating him so much.

It was enough to make him want to just give up.

You're almost there, his brain reminded him. You've worked towards this for three years, and now that you have him - both of them - in your grasp, you want to give up?

Taking a deep breath, Zuko carried onwards. He had no clue where he would go next, all he cared about was that he had the Avatar at last. For him, that was enough.

For the universe, though? Nah. It wasn't enough.

The ice beneath Zuko's feet, which had been stable for a long time, decided to suddenly crack, much to his surprise. Not sparing it a second glance, he immediately took it in stride, forcing himself to sprint as fast as he could. The weight of both bodies was heavily dragging him down, though, forcing him to use every ounce of his strength.

No matter how fast he went, the cracks kept up, slowly starting to outpace him. Just when he though he might make it, the ice beneath his feet shattered entirely, knocking him forwards and sending both bodies flying ahead of him. Thankfully, the cracking stopped there, though, and a quick glance back revealed the massive crater that just formed behind him.

Looking ahead, there was a dark spot on the ground, that even at a distance was clear enough to him. "Shelter," he breathed in awe. He hadn't actually expected to find a safe place to rest, but he was absolutely going to use it. Collecting both bodies again, he headed for the cave, finally pulling down his mask and hood as the wind faded.

He wasn't about to take chances, though. He may have bound the princess, but the Avatar was still completely free, even if he seemed stuck in his trance. Binding him in what little rope he had left, the young airbender shivered, showing no signs of waking. Zuko sighed as he leaned back, watching the storm. "Looks like we'll be here awhile," he muttered.

Aang P.o.V.

Another spirit world journey. Yippee.

This time, Aang was tasked with finding the fabled ocean and moon spirits in the hopes that they would have some ancient wisdom that would turn the tides in their favor. So far, his first visit to the spirit world on purpose had involved an irritably monkey, who seemed insistent on meditating until the end of time, falling in swamp water, and now an ancient spirit that stole people's faces.

Just what he always wanted. Note to self, Aang bitterly thought. Never come back here again.

He'd been walking a while now, climbing a giant tree root to where Roku had pointed out Koh's cave to be located. Unfortunately, since he didn't have his bending, it had taken him forever - he'd be willing to bet the battle was already over one way or another by the time he reached the top.

Thankfully, he wasn't alone, as glancing around he quickly spotted something familiar. "You're just a curly tailed blue-nose," he sighed in relief at the sight of the monke. When it turned around, though, it had blank skin where its face should've been, and Aang jumped back in fright, screaming.

After a moment, he calmed himself, taking a deep breath. "Show no fear," he quoted, reminding himself of Roku's instructions. "Show no emotion at all." He reluctantly entered into the darkness of the cave before him.

"Hello?" he called out. "I'm looking for a spirit named Koh!"

As soon as he spoke, he heard a rustling sound behind- no, around him. He looked around, trying to find the spirit, but came up empty. Keeping his face calm, he proceeded onwards, only to have a white face attached to a gigantic centipede-like body appear directly in front of him. He fought hard against his instincts, remaining expressionless.

"Welcome," the spirit rasped.

Aang merely bowed in respect, his hands held together before him. "Thank you."

"My old friend the Avatar," Koh hissed, swirling around him. "It's been a long time."

Shivers ran down Aang's back as he felt the spirit mere inches away behind him, hanging from the ceiling. Stay. Calm. "You know me?" he asked in surprise, though keeping his tone as flat as possible.

Koh crawled past him, before pausing. "How could I forget you? One of your previous incarnations tried to slay me!" he yelled, getting close to Aang's face again, this time bearing the appearance of some random man. "Maybe eight or nine hundred years ago."

"I didn't know that," Aang responded truthfully. "Why did he, or I, try to kill you?"

The face he was looking at changed again, this time taking the form of a beautiful woman. For some reason, he felt a twinge of recognition flash through him, though he definitely couldn't place her. "Oh, it was something about stealing the face of someone you loved," Koh smirked, his face changing again to the blue-nosed monke.

"Of course, that's all behind us," he continued, circling Aang again. "Why should I hold a grudge against you for something in a past life? After all, you're a different person now. You've come to me with a new face."

Aang took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm. He watched as Koh's face shifted again, this time to an old man wearing the crown of a Firelord, his features somehow familiar yet unrecognizeable. "You know, it's been a long time since I've added a child's face to my collection," Koh muttered. "So, how may I help you?"

"I need to find the moon and the ocean," Aang asked in a steady tone. He was surprised with himself, actually - compared to how jumpy he could often be, he was actually maintaining his focus better than he thought he would. Nothing like the threat of being faceless to make you concentrate.

"Their spirit names are Tui and La," Koh immediately replied, continuing to twist his way around the room. "Push and pull. That has been the nature of their relationship for all time."

Aang continued to deadpan, refusing to even shift his gaze. "Please. Help me find them. An entire culture could be destroyed if I don't get their help."

"Oh, you think you need their help?" Koh scoffed. "Actually, it's quite the other way around." His face shifted into some blue mask, and he rushed into Aang's face again. "Someone is going to kill them!"

Nodding his head, Aang continued to remain calm. "What do you mean? How can I find them and protect them?"

Koh moved away, smirking as his face shifted back to the initial white. "You've already met them, actually. Tui and La, your moon and ocean, have always circled each other in an eternal dance. They balance each other, push and pull, life and death, good and evil, Yin and Yang."

Losing his focus, Aang's face split into a grin as he remembered the pond. "The koi fish!" he exclaimed happily, returning his face to a stone mask only just in time for Koh to rush at him. "I must be going now."

"We'll meet again," Koh muttered as he slowly moved back into the darkness. Aang walked out, and as soon as he thought he was safe, he rushed away from that place, trying to leave as fast as possible.

Sokka P.o.V.

"Don't worry, Prince Zuko can't be getting too far in this weather."

"I'm not worried they'll get away in the blizzard," Katara replied nervously. "I'm worried that they won't."

Not gonna happen, Sokka growled to himself. "They're not going to die in this blizzard," he assured her. "If we know anything, it's that Zuko never gives up. They'll survive, and we'll find them."

The blizzard had held its strength for hours now, the wind ripping at them. Truth be told, he shared the same concerns as Katara, but he refused to believe in them. He knew Azami - she wouldn't give up. It didn't matter to him if Zuko gave up or not - he knew she would be safe, and by extension she would protect Aang. All he had to do was find her.

Perhaps more concerning, at this point, was the land beneath them. Between the storm and the monotony of the ice and snow, he had no clue anymore where he was going, or how to get back. That was a bridge he would have to cross later on, though. For now, he needed to stay focused.

"Look!" Katara exclaimed, and Sokka glanced over in surprise to see a streak of light heading towards a small cave in the distance, where it glowed even brighter before fading. "That's gotta be Aang!"

Swinging Appa around, they raced as they could possibly go. We're coming. Hold on.

Azami P.o.V.

Ringing. Why was there so much ringing in her ears? And why were her hands, arms and legs all tied up?

The memories soon came flooding back. The Fire Nation, Sokka, Hahn... leaving the palace... a shadow, and a flash of fire...

Oh. Right.

Her ears started to clear up, her hearing starting to come back to her. She was only able to make out a few things though - namely, the howling wind of a massive storm, and a voice. Zuko's.

"...you're like my sister," he ranted. "You both are. 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."

Azami opened her eyes from where she lay in some... cave? Nearby, she saw a small flame, along with Aang tied up and in the Avatar State. Or, at least that's what it looked like, with his tatoos glowing white. Shifting her gaze, she focused her attention on Zuko, who stood near the cave entrance as he continued his rant. "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."

After watching in amusement for a moment, Azami decided to break the moment. "Well, that's a beautiful monologue you've got there," she smirked as Zuko whipped around to face her. "Did you write that down first? Or was it off the top of your head?"

"You're awake," he growled.

She rolled her eyes. "No, I'm sleepwalking. Do you always talk to yourself while people lay unconscious around you?"

His face filled with anger as he glared at her. "You really are just like my sister," he muttered. At that moment, there was a bright flash of light around them, and Aang's tattoos returned to normal as he woke up. He strained at the ropes binding him, before sitting up to see Zuko standing next to Azami. "Welcome back," the prince snarled.

Aang's eyes narrowed. "Good to be back," he snapped before blowing a massive gust of air as he exhaled. The blast flung Zuko backwards while merely flipping Azami onto her front, causing her to get a face full of snow.

"Aang!" she complained before summoning fire to surround her hands, burning through the rope that bound her. A few moments later, she'd burned through the ropes on her arms and legs as well, and she sprinted outside to see Zuko unconscious and Sokka unbinding Aang's ropes. "Hey, what was that?" she demanded as the airbender looked at her sheepishly.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I saw Zuko and kinda panicked a little. How'd you get free?"

She just glanced down at Zuko in disappointment. "This idiot thought that binding a firebender in ropes would actually do something," she sighed before turning to Katara, missing Sokka's gaze entirely. "More importantly, how did you guys find us?"

"We saw a light and followed it, thinking that it was Aang's spirit," the waterbender explained before glancing over at the Avatar. "Were you able to find the ocean and moon spirits?"

Aang just shook his head. "No, but I know where they are. We need to get to the oasis immediately, the spirits are in trouble!"

With that, the gaang all loaded up onto Appa, save for Azami. She went to, but glanced back before getting on. Leaving Zuko here, unconscious... it would kill him. As much as she might hate it, he was still her family - she couldn't just leave him. Sighing, she headed over to grab the prince, dragging him by the legs over to Appa.

"What are you doing?" Sokka demanded. "Just leave him, let's go!"

Azami glared at him. "No. If we leave him, he'll die."

Sokka threw his hands in the air. "Yeah, this makes a lot of sense. Let's bring the guy who's constantly trying to kill us."

After dragging Zuko's body up onto Appa and they took off, Azami stared down Sokka hard until he squirmed uncomfortably, not meeting her gaze. "I don't care what he's done," she snapped. "He's still my family, I'm not just going to leave him for dead."

That left the gaang in a rather uncomfortable silence, and it took only a moment for Azami to realize how that sounded. Zuko wasn't her only blood family, and nowhere near the worst, either. Sometimes she forgot her family had hurt everyone here.

Sometimes. But sooner or later, she was always reminded of the fact.

Sokka P.o.V.

My family, she said.

It was still hard for Sokka to wrap his head around that. Azami was so different from every other firebender he had ever met, and everything she did was only to help others. Even at the cost of herself. The idea that she was related to everyone responsible for this war... it was something he tried his hardest to ignore.

Today, though, that was going to be a lot harder than normal. Out of nowhere, the dim pale blue light of the world around them turned blood red, and glancing up in shock he saw the moon had changed as well. Both Yue and Aang groaned in pain, grabbing there heads in pain. "Are you guys okay?" he asked, concerned for both of them.

Yue shook her head. "I feel faint."

"I feel it too," Aang gasped, looking up to the sky in concern. "The moon spirit is in trouble."

"I owe the moon spirit my life," Yue explained to all of them, and Sokka watched her in shock. "When I was born, I was very sick and very weak. Most babies cry when they're born, but I was born as if I were asleep, my eyes closed. Our healers did everything they could, but... they told my mother and father I was going to die. My father pleaded with the spirits to save me, and that night, beneath the full moon, they placed me in the oasis pond."

Sokka was shocked by what he was hearing. He couldn't fathom the idea that she was going to die as an infant. "My dark hair turned white, I opened my eyes and began to cry," she continued. "Then, they knew I would live. That's why my mother named me Yue. For the moon."

Soon, they landed back in the oasis, and much to Sokka's surprise he saw Zhao standing next to the pond as Momo was pinching his face. The four soldiers with him tried to force the lemur off, but he'd already flown over to Aang's waiting arm before they could reach him. Both groups got into their stances, ready to attack. 

"Don't bother," Zhao smirked as he held up a small bag with something wriggling around inside. The moon spirit, Sokka realized in horror as the man raised his fist to burn the fish.

"Wait!" Aang cried as he and the two water tribe siblings both relaxed. "Zhao, don't!"

"It's my destiny," the admiral growled at them. "To destroy the moon and the Water Tribe!"

Aang placed his hands up in a placating gesture, trying to calm the man. "Destroying the moon won't hurt just the Water Tribe," he pleaded. "It will hurt everyone, including you. Without the moon, everything would fall out of balance. You have no idea what kind of chaos that would unleash on the world."

"He is right, Zhao," an old man's voice rang out. Sokka looked over in surprise to see the man Azami called Iroh standing near them, cloaked.

Zhao relaxed his stance, though keeping the moon spirit firmly in his grasp. "General Iroh. Why am I not surprised to discover your treachery?"

"I'm no traitor, Zhao," Iroh declared as he jabbed a finger towards the admiral. "The Fire Nation needs the moon too. We all depend on the balance. Whatever you do to that spirit, I'll unleash on you tenfold! Let it go, now!"

To Sokka's immense shock, Zhao relented after only a moment, returning the spirit to the pond before him. Only a few seconds passed, though before his expression started to twist, and Sokka heard a crackling sound beside him.

By the time he realized what was happening, the bolt of lightning was already trailing past him as Zhao had struck the moon spirit, killing it. A fraction of a second later, the lightning struck straight through his sternum, exploding as it hit the ice wall behind him, the sound deafening. It didn't matter, though - as Zhao's suddenly lifeless form collapsed, the moon above them vanished, the world around them consumed in darkness.

Sokka looked in horror at Azami as she and Iroh both launched themselves at the four remaining firebenders, who didn't stand a chance against the two. As blue and orange flame flew everywhere, he realized - she'd tried to stop Zhao, but had been far too late. Turning his gaze to the pond, he and the others all looked sadly at the dead white fish, it's black sibling circling it desperately, trying to get it to move.

As the gaang joined Azami and Iroh at the center of the Oasis, he glanced at the fire princess to see her wearing a defeated expression. All that effort she'd put in the day before, almost single-handedly defending the Tribe, and now even being prepared to take a life - none of it mattered in the end.

"There's no hope now," Yue wept as she saw Iroh gently lift the dead fish from the pond. "It's over."

The rest of the gaang seemed to share the sentiment, for they all knew it to be true - even dead, Zhao had won. The waterbenders were powerless now, and the Fire Nation would claim the Northern Tribe as their own.

As if in defiance, Aang's tatoos began to glow. "No," he declared in an echoed voice. "It's not over." Everyone watched in shock as the Avatar walked into the pond, stopping as he faced the ocean spirit. It too began to glow before they both dropped down, out of sight, the pond glowing a brilliant white.

Blue streaks started to spread out from the oasis, and they all watched in awe as the fused ocean spirit and Aang rose as one massive creature of water, towering over them before heading back out into the Tribe, presumably to fight the Fire Nation.

Once it was out of sight, Iroh returned the dead moon spirit to the pond, as if hoping it might heal, but it had no effect. "It's too late," Katara lamented. "It's dead."

Everyone just stood there in disbelief, unable to imagine a world without the moon. Azami seemed the most distraught, and understandably so - she'd just taken a life, for nothing.

"You have been touched by the moon spirit," Iroh gasped as he noticed Yue's white hair for the first time. "Some of its life is in you."

She glanced sadly at him, appearing both resigned and determined. "Yes, you're right," she replied softly. "It gave me life. Maybe I can give it back." She got up, heading over to the retired general.

Wait- NO! Sokka reached out desperately, grabbing her hand to stop her. "No!" he exclaimed. "I can't let you do that! Your father told me to protect you!"

Yue didn't glance back once, only bowing her head slightly. "It's my duty, Sokka," she insisted. "I have to do this."

Tugging her hand out of his grasp, she walked over to Iroh, the moon spirit in his hands. Sokka watched helplessly as she placed her hands on the fish, and it began to glow as the life left the princess. He only barely had enough time to catch her body as she collapsed backwards, and placing his hand gently on her neck, he could tell that her pulse had stopped completely. 

"She's gone," he sniffed, holding her body close to him. Despite their rocky start, she'd become a close friend to him in the weeks they'd been here - losing her felt like he'd lost a part of himself.

Soon after, her body disappeared entirely, leaving a gap in his arms where she'd been. He watched as the moon spirit glowed again, its burn gone, and Iroh placed it gently into the pond, where it began to swim in a circle once more. The pond slowly began to glow white, and a spectral form of Yue appeared before them, dressed in a white gown.

"Thank you, Sokka," she smiled softly before turning her gaze to Azami, who now had tear lines trailing down both cheeks.

"I'm sorry," the firebender croaked out, her voice shaky. "I tried to stop him."

Yue's smile faded slightly, and a sorrow look filled her eyes. "I know. Don't blame yourself, this had to happen." Returning her gaze to Sokka, he watched in shock as she lowered herself to give him a hug - even more to his surprise, he could feel it. She pulled back quickly, her eyes shining. "Goodbye, Sokka."

The spirit of Yue faded, and the gaang all looked up to see the moon return to the sky.

Azami P.o.V.

Watching the others honor their victory, Azami wished nothing more than to join them. Seeing Katara praised for her mastery of waterbending, Sokka and Arnook comforting one another, and then the two water tribe siblings encouraging Aang - it really drove the knife in even further.

There was no denying it - she'd failed them. And Yue.

Don't blame yourself. Right. As if she even had a choice.

Despite using a bending technique she'd been terrified to use again, despite even going so far as to take a life, it hadn't done anything. She'd let herself be captured by Zuko, she couldn't stop Zhao, and Yue had paid the price. No matter how many times she wanted to make a difference, to actually try and make up for her failure, she just couldn't.

She wasn't going to spoil the victory for the others, though. They'd beaten the Fire Nation, and deserved to celebrate with each other. Leaving them, she headed back to the house they'd been staying at, only to see more than half of it demolished. Several side walls had collapsed, exposing the interior. Much of the Northern Tribe looked like this, now - the Fire Nation was beaten, but they'd been sure to leave a mark before they left.

Heading to her room, which was somehow still intact, she simply stood at the entrance, unsure of what she wanted. So many conflicting emotions were running through her, but overriding them all was a simple message - she'd failed everyone. Again.

She was struck by a flood of memories rushing through her - the two air temples, the solstice, the girl on Kyoshi, Aang burning her arms, Hahn shoving her isolation in her face, actively choosing to kill someone, and now Yue, becoming the moon... it all came crashing down on her at once. Glancing up at the ceiling above her, she shut her eyes as she screamed in pain, collapsing to her knees as she held her head in her hands. I can't do this anymore, she cried.

She found herself hoping someone, anyone, would come comfort her. Tell her that things would work out, that there was a light at the end of this tunnel she was walking down, but there was no one. Of course there's no one, you left them all behind, she scolded herself. Besides, these are your problems. Remember what happened last time you let someone in?

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself back up, wiping her eyes. Self-pity wouldn't get her anywhere, and she still owed it to so many people to make things right. If that meant she had to suffer in the process, so be it.

A knock at the door behind her jolted her from her reverie, and Sokka's voice rang in her ears. "Hey, we're getting set to leave. You ready?"

"Yeah, nothing to pack anyways," she replied. It wasn't like she had any belongings, just a few clothes. When she turned around, she kept her gaze low, refusing to meet Sokka's.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a concerned tone.

He can't know. None of them can. Your problems are yours, and yours alone. She looked up, putting on a fake smile. "Of course. Let's get out of here."

Azula P.o.V.

"Iroh is a traitor, and your brother Zuko is a failure. I have a task for you."

Azula smirked as she looked up at her father. "Name it, Father."

"Bring them to me, alive," the firelord commanded. "They shall both be punished as I see fit." He seemed to ponder for a moment, before the orange flames before him rose. "As for the exiled Princess Azami, she may now be a threat. End her before she can become one."

Bowing once more, Azula steeled herself for the task ahead. "Consider it done."

A/N; And there it is - one book down... jeez, still kinda hard to wrap my head around it. To everyone that's stuck with the story this far - thank you so much, it's genuinely incredible how large this has gotten.

Going to upload a much larger A/N seperately after this to discuss plans for book 2 and onwards, so for now, I guess there's not really much for me to say here. I really hope you all have enjoyed the book so far, I really can't wait to get into book 2 and 3.

That's all folks :)

(also no I have no clue why I decided to upload at 7 in the morning. FYI, that's not getting up early, that's staying up late. Lmfao what even is a sleep schedule xD)