Y/n and the gang are now seen in a forest. With Y/n, Katara and Aang are on a raised, grassy plateau. A gentle stream is running out beneath it. Katara is folding one of their sleeping blankets. Aang is lying on the root of a tree, while Y/n was seen staring at the stream below. Momo screeches and lands on the plateau as Sokka approaches.

Aang: Great, you're back!

Aang leaps off the root with his airbending, landing beside the Water Tribe siblings as Sokka digs in his bag. 

Aang: What's for dinner?

Y/n walks over to the group.

Y/n: better be something good, Sokka.

Sokka smiles as he digs through his bag.

Sokka: We've got a few options. First; round nuts. And some kind of oval shaped nuts? And some rock-shaped nuts, that might just be rocks… dig in! 

Aang and Katara look at each other then back at Sokka. Y/n sighs and walks up to Sokka.

Y/n: Next time, I'm go hunting.

Katara: Seriously ... that's all you got?

Momo coos, and sniffs the rock-shaped nut, before taking it with one of his paws and slapping it against a stone twice. Attempting to break it, he takes it with both paws and slams it down on the big rock. The moment he does so, however, the entire earth quakes, making Momo shriek and his hair stand up on end.

Sokka:What was that?

Momo, believing he may have caused the quake, cautiously drops the rock to the ground. The quake returns, causing Momo to leap away. Y/n's hands ignite, believing it might be a large beast nearby.

Aang: It's coming from over there!

Aang and Katara run towards the sound as Y/n and Sokka reluctantly follow. 

Sokka: Shouldn't we run away from huge booms? Not toward them?

Y/n: For once I agree!

The four, as well as Momo, hide behind a fallen tree and spy on a young boy bending boulders into the air and punching them into the side of the ravine. Y/n's flames go out as he lets out a sigh of relief.

Katara:An earthbender!

Aang:Let's go meet him!

Sokka:He looks dangerous, so we better approach cautiously.

Y/n: Especially me…

Sokka: … Yeah you definitely should.

Aang: You're on our side so don't worry Y/n!

Y/n: I'll never not worry!

Suddenly Katara, a few feet in front of them, excitedly calls the earthbender.

Katara: Hello there! I'm Katara! What's your name?

The young boy gasps in surprise, dropping the boulder he was bending to the ground. He flees quickly, bringing down an avalanche of boulders with his bending to block his exit.

Aang: Nice to meet you!

Katara:I just wanted to say hi.

Y/n: You both are too much. Heh it's kinda funny.

Katara: Shush Y/n, I was just trying to be nice.

Y/n: More like overbearing.

Aang: Hey! That guy's gotta be running somewhere. Maybe we're near a village? And I bet that village has a market!

Katara: Which means no nuts for dinner!

Katara and Aang chase after Haru.

Sokka: Hey! I worked hard to get those nuts!

Y/n: Told you I should've been the one hunting.

Y/n goes ahead and follows the two excited children. Momo flies overhead, chasing the three. Sokka looked at the bag of nuts and shrugged, before finally catching up with them.

—

As they enter the village, Y/n steals a brown cloak from a clothing venue, and covers his Fire Nation clothing. Katara and Sokka stroll through the mining village's streets while Aang speaks with a shopkeeper under a terrace.

Aang: Great hat! *tries on the hat* I'll trade you some nuts for it.

Katara notices the boy enter a shop and speaks to herself in surprise.

Katara: Hey …

The boy enters into the dark, wooden building and approaches a woman.

Haru: Hi, Mom.

Haru's mother: Where have you been, Haru? You're late! Get started on your chores.

Katara enters the shop's front door, startling Haru.

Katara: Hey. You're that kid. Why did you run away before?

Haru: Uh, you must have me confused with some other kid.

The three boys then enter the shop.

Y/n: No, she doesn't. We saw you earthbending.

Haru and his mother gasps in horror at his secret being revealed and both the door and window to the small shop are promptly slammed shut. Haru's mother, who was standing by the window, looked at her son.

Haru's mother: They Saw you doing what?!

Haru: They're crazy, Mom! I mean, look at how they're dressed.

Aang gazes at his conical hat, shifting it about in confusion. Katara awkwardly grasps at her dress, looking with astonishment at herself. Sokka quirks an eyebrow and smooths out his sleeve. Y/n pulls down his hood revealing his jet black hair and his most noticeable feature, his orange eyes. 

Y/n: That's rude. 

Haru and his mothers widened as they then looked at him.

Haru: Y-You're from the fire nation!?

Haru's mother: You know how dangerous that was! And now they caught you earthbending!

Y/n: I'm not with the fire nation. So calm down.

Someone suddenly knocks on the door.

???: Open up!

Sokka peeks through the window's blinds

Sokka: Oh god, it's the real Fire Nation! Act natural!

Y/n: Crap.

Haru's mother opens the door, allowing the Fire Nation tax collector to walk inside. He stares awkwardly at the four children in front of him. Haru grasps his chin and stares toward Katara. Sokka eyeballs an apple. Katara hunches forward with her eyes wide open, having stuffed her mouth with berries. Aang has his hand atop a barrel, beaming an immense toothy smile. His pose is short-lived as the barrel's lid spins, dunking Aang's hand into the barrel of water and causes him to fall down. Y/n, having his hood up, just shook his head as he helps his old friend up. The tax collector stares sourly toward the four children

Haru's mother: What do you want? I've already paid you this week!

Tax collector: The tax just doubled. And we wouldn't want an accident, would we? Fire is sometimes so hard to control.

The man creates a ball of fire between his hands, making everyone slightly back away. Y/n stared at the man with anger… people like this, are the reason he hates his own nation. The nation he grew up loving, the one he called home, was poisoned for nearly a century, from people like him.

Haru's mother and the tax collector approach the store's counter, where she opens a small chest and passes a meager handful of Earth Kingdom currency to the tax collector. Haru leans against the counter, staring with contempt toward the Fire Nation man.

Tax collector: You can keep the copper ones. 

He walks away, dropping four copper pieces to the floor, before exiting the shop. Y/n shuts the door a few moments after the man left. 

Sokka: Nice guy. How long has the Fire Nation been here?

Y/n: Five years.

Everyone looks at Y/n, Haru's mother looked at the boy with hatred, but Y/n doesn't mind.

Y/n: Under that bastard Ozai's orders the town's coal mines to fuel his ships. 

Now Haru and his mother look at Y/n in shock at what he had just said. Someone from the fire nation, just bad mouth their leader. Haru snaps out of it and looked at the four kids in front of him. 

Haru: They're thugs. They steal from us. And everyone here's too much of a coward to do anything about it.

Haru's mother: Quiet, Haru! Don't talk like that.

Katara: But, Haru's an earthbender? He can help!

Haru's mother: Earthbending is forbidden. It's caused nothing but misery for this village! He must never use his abilities.

Katara: How can you say that? Haru has a gift! Asking him not to earthbend is like asking me not to waterbend. It's a part of who we are.

Haru's mother: You don't understand.

Katara: I understand that Haru can help you fight back. What can the Fire Nation do to you that they haven't done already?

Haru's mother: They could take Haru away! Like they took his father.

Katara's eyes widened as Haru rubbed his arm. 

—

later in the evening, Appa is seen walking into the barn. While inside, Sokka, Katara, Haru, Y/n and Aang standing inside the barn.

Haru: My mom said you can sleep here tonight. But you should leave in the morning.

Aang: Thanks. I'll make sure Appa doesn't eat all your hay.

Appa engulfs a mouthful of hay. Appa pauses, turning to stare dubiously toward Aang before continuing to chew hay. 

Later on, Katara, Y/n and Haru taking a walk into the woods outside under the setting sun.

Haru: I don't get why this fire guy has to come with us. 

Y/n, now seen with his cloak unbuttoned, walked in between Haru and Katara. 

Y/n: 1. You seem like a good guy, but I still don't want katara out alone without anyone from our group. 2. What if someone from the fire nation spot one of you two? I would be here to throw them off, and say I was watching you two.

Katara shook her head.

Katara: That's thoughtful of you Y/n, but I could handle myself.

Y/n: … I'm not saying I don't believe you, but someone from the other side could always out skill you, especially with the emount of soilders here. 

Katara sighs before changing the subject.

Katara: *to Haru* I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't know about your father

Haru: That's okay. It's funny, the way you were talking back in the store? It reminded me of him.

Katara: *smiles slightly* Thanks.

The two approach the top of a steep cliff, gazing out to the setting sun beyond.

Haru: After the attack, they rounded up my father and every other earthbender, and took them away.  We haven't seen them since.

Katara: So that's why you hide your earthbending.

Haru: Yeah. Problem is…the only way I can feel close to my father now is when I practice my bending. He taught me everything I know.

Katara sits beside Haru, sets her fingertips on her necklace.

Katara: See this necklace? My mother gave it to me.

Haru: it's beautiful.

Katara: I lost my mother in a Fire Nation raid. This necklace is all I have left of her.

Y/n looks away in shame.

Haru: It's not enough, is it?

Katara: No. 

She hangs her head and turns away, she then notices Y/n silently looking away. She hates the fire nation for what they did to her… but, the look on Y/n's face… it reflected the pain she was feeling then. She can't hate him, even if she tried.

Katara: Y/n?

Y/n: Hm?

Katara: Have you ever lost someone?

Y/n: *chuckles half heartedly* Who haven't I lost? … My nation turned against me one night, as the current fire lord wanted me to be captured so I could be their biggest weapon. So the night I went into a deep slumber, my parents were burned alive. When I had awoken, almost a century went by, everyone I grew up with, and loved were either killed for helping me hide, or died from age… all except for Aang. He's all I have from back then… but of course, when I woke up, I was force to work for Ozai, being a babysitter for his kids. You know the son.

Katara: Zuko?

Y/n nods.

Y/n: I don't hate them… but Ozai? I'll happily turn him into ashes…

Katara hugs Y/n nearly startling him at the sudden touch.

Katara: I'm sorry Y/n… I'm sorry you lost everything…

Y/n gently places a hand on her head.

Y/n: I'm sorry too…

—

Later on the three continued their walk along the dirt trail. A loud boom sounds and rock and dust blasts from a distant mine entrance. An old man cries out.

Old man: Help, help!

Haru: The mine!

The three run quickly to the entrance, which has caved in and left a tremendous pile of rocks pinning the old man to the ground on his stomach. Sand continues to pour down, rocks intermittently falling.

Haru and Y/n braces their backs against the mine entrance.Katara pulls the old man.

Katara: Ugh! It's not working! We have to get help!

Y/n:There's no time, pull harder!

Katara: Haru. There's a way you can help him.

Haru: I can't. 

Katara: Please, there's no one around to see you. It's the only way!

Haru leaps away from the falling debris, spinning back to face it as he assumes an earthbending form. With a sudden and strong move, he blasts all the rocks down the tunnel, freeing the old man.

Katara: Haru! You did it! 

Katara and Haru take place beside the old man and aid him walking away from the mine. Y/n looks at the mine before following the other two.

—

At the barn, Katara is sitting up in her bedroll with a lamp in her lap. Sokka is lying on a square bale of hay with his blanket over him, Y/n sat against the wall with a blanket rolled up as a pillow for his neck. While Aang is sprawled out on Appa's head with Momo lying on his back. 

Katara: It was so brave of Haru to use his earthbending to help that old man.

Aang: You must have really inspired him.

Katara: I guess so.

Y/n: Just hope no one really saw us.

Sokka: Everyone should get some sleep, we're leaving at dawn.

Katara: Dawn?! Can't we sleep in for once?

Sokka: Absolutely not! This village is crawling with Fire Nation troops. If they discover you're here, Aang, Y/n, we'll be eating fireballs for breakfast. Goodnight.

Katara: *smirks* I'd rather eat fireballs than nuts.

Sokka: Goodnight!

Katara and Aang share a few playful chuckles with each other. She looks at Y/n who has a slight smile from her comment, before heading to bed. Katara smiles at him, before she blows out the lamplight to get some rest.

Fire Nation troops march on a mission through the dead of night. The man in the lead raps on a wooden door. Haru answers the door, suddenly gasping in shock as he sees the troops.

Old man: *Points accusingly* That's him! That's the earthbender!

The Fire Nation leader shoves the old man out of the way and approaches Haru. Haru screams as the man forces Haru into his grip and hauls him away.