Author's Note: Hi guys. Sorry for the huge delay. I've really got to stop setting deadlines just to miss them. This chapter was a long one. I needed to find somewhat logical reasons as to why a grandmother would let her two grandchildren travel the world constantly in danger. I'll edit for grammar at a later time just wanted to get it out there for now. Let me know what you think. Thanks so much!

Akane was not in a good mood today. For one thing, instead of the warm meal he was promised he got some cold slop. Something about the chef catching a cold and being too tired to cook. He's too tired? I haven't had any sleep for the past two days, Akane thought as he paced his quarters back and forth. But no, that wasn't what was really bothering him. Today he was going to die.

He wasn't afraid of death. He had been taught to accept the inevitable. But it was damn inconvenient. Three years ago Akane was singing praises to whatever god there might be for giving him the easiest mission. Everyone in his graduating class envied his good fortune. Sailing the world with the banished Crown Prince and the great General Iroh on a wild goose chase was too good to be true. For three years he had enjoyed the relative simplicity of life as a soldier at sea. Get up in the morning, complete the assigned chores for the day, follow the brat prince's orders, and then end the day in the company of friends. That and traveling the world made the assignment feel like a vacation.

That was until the Avatar decided to reveal himself. At first, he had hoped that the Avatar would escape. After all, with a hundred years worth of experience evading the Fire Nation, running away from a sixteen year old on a single cruiser shouldn't be too hard. But then the Avatar was captured and now Akane had no other choice.

The assassin stopped and looked to his bed or, more specifically, the box on his bed. In this small wooden box was a collection of all his "personal items". Things like his wife's hairbrush or his daughter's bracelet that he would use as a cover story. Underneath those items was a false bottom which he quickly removed. He inhaled sharply when he saw the machine of death.

It was beautiful in its simplicity and elegant in its design. Akane had practiced with the weapon throughout his childhood but this was the first time he would use it in an actual mission. His hand trembled as he felt the black revolver and loaded the bullets into the chamber. This isn't a dream; this is actually happening he reminded himself. Akane tucked the gun underneath his uniform and took a deep breath. Today he was going to make history.

"Katara you're insane," Sokka said.

"Look you can come with me or stay behind, but I'm going," Katara replied getting into a canoe, similar to the one they destroyed yesterday.

"What are you going to do? Go after him in a canoe?"

"No, don't be an idiot," Katara replied crossing her arms. "I'm going to Kino. They should have a ship there that can catch up to the cruiser quickly."

"It'll take you at least two hours to get to that village. The firebenders would be long gone by then," Sokka said, not mentioning that the firebenders already had an hour head start.

"It's better than doing nothing."

"Look Gran Gran—"

"I don't care what she said!" Katara yelled. "She gave up Aang, the world's last hope, to the firebenders. We can't afford to lose him."

"But she said that old man was her friend."

"Sokka," Katara glared at him, "that old man's Fire Nation. Do you think anyone can be friends with a firebender? She probably gave him up just to protect us."

"That seems like a good reason," Sokka added.

"No it isn't. We should have fought them and gotten Aang to safety. He could've easily run away."

"And we would've been slaughtered."

"And the world might have had hope," Katara added. "Look I'm going to Kino. Are you coming or not?"

"Can't we just ask Gran Gran to send a bird there? Tell them Aang's been kidnapped?" Sokka asked.

"No time. Apparently, the flock got scared off when the firebenders invaded. Gran Gran's still wasting time trying to get them," Katara said adding extra venom in the last sentence. "Besides do you really think they're going to send their best ship because of a piece of paper says the Avatar's been captured?"

"Ok look, I'll go with you to Kino. But I'm not sure we'll convince them even in person," Sokka sighed as Katara gave a small smirk. "What's with the camping bags?" He pointed to two small camping bags that he only saw once he got in the canoe.

"There's a bag for each of us. It should be enough to last us a month."

"Month?"

"We can't just rescue Aang and bring him back to the South Pole. They'll come after us. Instead we'll find him a place he can stay until they're not looking for him anymore."

"And you think the sailors of Kino will let a woman on their ship?"

"I'd like to see them stop me."

Sokka took one deep breath and sighed. Once his sister had made up her mind on something, she'd never let go of it. "Fine, but do you actually think we'll get to Kano on time in this canoe?"

"No, not really," Katara sighed. "But we got to tr—" A sudden realization hit her square in the face. She was such an idiot. The answer was right there the entire time. "I got it!" The waterbender jumped off the canoe and immediately started running towards a hill on the outskirts of the village.

"What did you get?" Sokka yelled, running behind her. He was slightly annoyed that he now had to carry two camping bags.

"We forgot about Appa!" Katara laughed. "Why sail when we can fly?

It was quite the spacious but empty room. Four oil lamps, one at each corner of the room, dyed the room a warm red. In fact almost everything in the room was red. The metal walls were a dull crimson, the seating mats were maroon, and even the table was a certain variation of red, though Aang couldn't quite place the color. Perhaps mahogany, he guessed.

It seemed to be some sort of a meeting room judging by the seating mats. There were twenty in total including the one in the center front. At most, Aang concluded, there were thirty souls on board the vessel..

The most striking feature in the room was of course the large red banner with a black flame at its center. Of course the flame is their symbol Aang sighed. Obviously, the people of the Fire Nation took great pride in their ability to firebend, enough so, to place it as the centerpiece of their flag. It made sense though. If there were a nation of super powered beings that all had the same superpower then it would follow that power would become their symbol. The problem, however, was how easily such an ethnostate could fall into the trap of nationalism.

He was about to move on but a glimmer of gold at the bottom of the banner caught his eye. There were eleven unfamiliar characters, similar to Chinese, written across the width of the cloth. And even though he had never seen them before he understood what it said. We are One. We are Fire.

Looks like the translation machine translates text as well. It was kind of scary if you thought about it. There was an omnipresent machine or entity that filtered how you perceived, heard, and understood the world. Solipsism be damned, now he couldn't even trust his brain. Any vulnerability in the machine was a vulnerability in his mind. If a malicious actor gained access to the machine the results would be horrifying. Even worse, and much more probable, the machine could malfunction or shut down. Would civilization then simply grind to a halt?

Focus! We've been captured by the enemy. We can leave the hypothesizing for later. What do we do right now? Simplicio said.

There's not much we can do right now besides gather intelligence Salviati replied. We're handcuffed in a steamship surrounded by guards in the middle of the Antarctic sea. Escape isn't really feasible here.

We can escape this room given enough time and if we're close enough to an iceberg or a cliffside we can jump to the edge and make our way back to the village.

So we're going to lead them to the village? Salviati asked. Even with the multiple variables that we're assuming will go our way, they'll just hold the village hostage once again.

Not if we get there first, get on Appa, and make sure they see us escaping. There would be no point in holding the village hostage if they can't relay that information.

You're just adding more variables! And you know the madness of men in war. Don't think for a minute they just won't take revenge anyway.

Well we can't leave Appa behind Simplicio stated adamantly. Besides escape will be much harder once we reach wherever we're going. If the Avatar is really as important as Katara says he is, then they'll have an army waiting for us.

Fine, escape it is, Salviati relented. But we're going to need a better plan. And that better plan will only come from gathering intelligence.

We know nothing about the Avatar Simplicio said, his turn to be pessimistic.

Yes but neither do they. It's been a hundred years after all. What could they prove before the actual Avatar?

The Fire Nation seems to be prominently Japanese, or, at the very least, East Asian, Simplicio observed. Do we know any East Asian myths or legends?

What?

If we're going to fake being the Avatar, then we might as well play on myths that might seem familiar to them.

Why do you keep assuming—Simplicio said before he was interrupted by a metallic sound.

The door to the room creaked open and in stepped the young teenager. He quickly closed the door but not before Aang saw there were at least three guards outside. Without a single word or pause Zuko sat on the opposite side of the table, taking out a small notebook and pencil. Immediately Zuko started writing notes, only looking up to study the airbender, making sure to note every detail.

Minutes passed as Zuko continued his pattern of glowering at the airbender and then quickly scribbling down notes, all without speaking a single word. Aang would have found it amusing if he weren't shackled on board a ship with no escape. As soon as the sixth minute passed, Aang realized this was a domination game. It was a trick interviewers and detectives would use where they would sit in complete silence waiting for their interviewee or suspect to grow uncomfortable enough to start talking and reveal secrets. It was a surprisingly effective strategy as most people weren't prepared for extensive periods of silence.

If I don't surrender would he read me as stubborn? Would it be better to pretend to lose so the youth would consider him weak and easily susceptible to commands and instructions? It would be easier to escape if he wasn't suspected of being able to do so. But would the boy expect this avenue of deception? What level was his opponent playing on? Questions started to fill Aang's mind as he tried to pick the best strategy to win.

A few more minutes passed before the silence was interrupted by metal creaking. The two turned to the door and saw the general step through. Iroh walked in carrying a tea set and three teacups on a tray. "Sorry for the delay but the water for the tea was taking a while to heat." Iroh said as the guards locked the door behind him.

So he's good cop? Aang thought as the general poured tea for each of them.

"My name is Iroh, what's yours?" Iroh said after taking a sip from his teacup.

So he wasn't in on the game? Or maybe they realized the game was futile and this is a move to save face. Perhaps I should comply. They might treat me better in the future. "Greetings General Iroh. I am Aang, son of Air, friend to all, and enemy of none," the airbender said, drawing inspiration for his gravitas from C.S. Lewis. He made sure to bow his head a little and the general, in return, bowed as well. Aang turned his attention toward the teenager. "And who are you, son of Fire?"

Son of Fire? Was that how people talked a hundred years ago? Zuko looked to his uncle for direction but Iroh didn't notice. Instead he also seemed a little puzzled by the airbender's sudden exclamations. "I'm Sergeant Zuko."

"Sergeant? But you're so young," Aang said in shock. The firebender before him could have been no more than eighteen. Either the Fire Nation employed child soldiers, or his position was a result of shameless nepotism.

"Why did you lie before about who you were?" Zuko asked, completely ignoring the airbender's outburst.

Aang nodded, regaining his composure. "Would you tell an invading force who you were if they attacked three villages looking for you?"

"That's true," Iroh laughed taking another sip from the cup. "Aang have some tea. I promise you it's quite sweet."

"Thank you," Aang said politely. Even though they were all drinking the same tea, it wasn't proof it wasn't poisoned. The firebenders could have already taken the antidote or perhaps it was the teacup itself that was poisoned. Then again, they could have just killed him as soon as he was brought onto the ship.

"How is it?"

"It's actually quite delicious," Aang replied. He was surprised to find a hint of jasmine in the tea. It was a good feeling to find something so familiar in a world so foreign.

"That's good. I want you to know you're our guest here. If you need anything, please feel free to ask."

"Do you usually shackle all your guests?" the airbender asked motioning to his chained hands.

"No, and it is regretful that we have to do this, but we can't risk you airbending and getting hurt in the process. Think of it as a precaution."

"I've never heard of that perspective before. I'm sure all your prisoners are quite safe then," Aang gave a sardonic laugh. "Might I be so bold to ask when this precaution will come off?"

"When we reach our destination. Only there will you be protected completely."

"General, you should already know that no such place exists. May I ask where exactly this destination is?" While he was curious about who he needed protection from, the destination was far more important. After all, he couldn't exactly get back to Appa if he didn't know where he was.

"You don't need to know," Zuko interjected before his uncle could answer. "I have some questions of my own."

"How about we trade information? For each question I answer you answer a question of mine."

"Don't be ridiculous. This is an interrogation not a—"

"Deal!" Iroh exclaimed.

"Uncle! We can't—" Zuko said before he stopped himself, but it was too late. He could see a hint of a smirk on Aang's face

These two are uncle and nephew Aang thought. So it was the nepotism then… But why was a general on a naval cruiser? A general usually would have thousands of men under him and yet there were only twenty men here.

"My question first," Zuko growled. "Where have you been for the past century?"

"Century? What do you mean?" Aang asked pretending to be confused. From what little Katara had told him that Avatar had been missing for a hundred years. His age would obviously be an issue.

"Don't answer my question with a question." Zuko leaned across the table. "We've searched the world for a hundred years, but we couldn't find you. Where were you?"

"Has it really been a hundred years?" Aang said giving his best performance. He paused for a few seconds, scrunching his face in confusion, before he spoke his next line. "What year is it?"

"6538."

"6538? And your calendar is based on the sun correct?"

"That's correct," Iroh said, intrigued by his questions.

But didn't Sokka say the current year was 3716? Aang thought before he realized the two countries probably used different calendars. It wouldn't really make sense for the Water Tribe to use the Fire Nation's calendar.

"Where were you?" Zuko yelled tugging on Aang's shirt.

"Hmm," Aang murmured looking at Zuko's hand. "Son of Fire, while I do admire your courage, do you consider it wise to threaten me?" Aang looked the sergeant in the eye but he found no trace of hesitance. "I'll answer your question, but you must remove your hand."

Zuko, looked at Iroh, who nodded his head in admonishment, before releasing his shirt. Aang tried to smooth out his shirt but frowned at the creases left. "It seems my time spent traveling through the other realms has resulted in a time dilation."

"What?" Zuko and Iroh said simultaneously.
If there was one lesson Aang had ever learned during his career as a physicist is that you can blind any layman with science. State any conclusion you want and all you had to do was come up with the science to prove it. It was a common con used over and over again throughout history. From the racist scientists who used skull size as an indicator that certain races were more intelligent than others to "moisture accelerators" throwing chemicals into the air hoping it would cause rain, they all used "science" in their lie.

And now, Aang too, would follow suit in the dishonorable tradition. The best lie, in this world, would be one that combined the mysticisms of magic, esoterisms of science, and hints of truth.

"A hundred years passed in this world when I was traveling through the heavens," Aang said. Technically, it wasn't a lie. He lived on Earth and the planet itself moved through space, so he was, in fact, traveling through the heavens. He even lived for a hundred years on Earth…and a hundred years passed here. How very convenient sang a small voice in his mind.

"What do you mean traveling through the heavens?" Zuko asked.

"There are other worlds out there. An infinite number of them, each as complex and intricate as this world, scattered throughout the cosmos."

"An infinite number of worlds? What are you talking about?" Zuko looked at Aang as if he had grown a second head.

Aang, clearing his throat, took on his role as a lecturer once again. "For every star you see in the sky above there are multiple worlds. And there are more stars in the heavens than there are grains of sand in all the beaches of the world."

Zuko blinked a couple of times staring at Aang as his words reverberated in his mind. He had spent the past hour before the interrogation trying to predict all the strategies the Avatar could use. But he never could have predicted the airbender would boldly lie about the most obvious of facts. There were so many things wrong with his statements that he didn't even know where to begin.

"What?" Zuko finally uttered. "There are only seven worlds and they all circle our sun. How could there be an infinite number of worlds? Are they all hiding?" Do they all circle our sun, never colliding with each other?"

A smile slowly crept on Aang's face. This is so precious he thought, marveling at Zuko's ignorance. It wasn't often Aang got the chance to explain the basics of the universe to an intelligent adult. I wonder how much of his reality I could destroy. From the questions the firebender asked, it looked like he, and by extension his countrymen, believed in an early form of heliocentrism. The world, the planets, and even the stars revolved around the sun. It made sense considering they had the sun on their flag that they'd easily adopt this model of the universe.

"You do know that every star in the sky is a sun?" Aang asked as Zuko's mouth opened a little in confusion. "And that the sun in also a star?"

"That's the stupidest thing I ever heard. How could the sun be a star? It's too large to be one. Next thing you'll be telling me is that the sky isn't blue."

"But the sky isn't blue," the Avatar said plainly.

"Wha—"

"The sky's more of a bluish violet," Aang continued ignoring the teenager's hanging jaw. "It's just the human eye can't see the violet because of insufficient evolutionary pressure to do so."

"While we found your theories interesting," Iroh said before his nephew could speak. "You said you visited other worlds. Was the spirit world one of them?"

"Yes," Aang let out a big sigh, quickly improvising. "I thought I was gone for only a year or two. Maybe ten at most but never a hundred. It felt too short to be a hundred years."

"Incredible. What did you do there?" the general asked, focusing all his attention on the boy.

"Explore mostly. Well first I was exploring then I became lost when I couldn't find my way out. Let me tell you," Aang said laughing as he pretended to reminisce. "The spirit world really lives up to its name. There were so many spirits and gods, all very strange. Some were humanoid in shape, but others defied imagination. To this day I still don't have the words to describe them."

"You met gods?"

"Of course! I saw the Monkey King, the Jade Emperor, and the prettiest of all, Amaterasu," Aang said, listing off as many East Asian deities as he could remember. Most likely, his listing of gods and goddesses wouldn't work considering thousands of years had already passed.

"Hmm." Iroh stroked his beard and tilted his head. "I guess we walk in different circles. I've never heard of them, but I would love to meet them."

"You've been to the spirit world?" A chill ran down Aang's spine. Because of course he visited the spirit world. God forbid anything ever work out in my favor. He should have been more careful, should have seen the obvious trap when he mentioned specifically the spirit world. Of course he would have known about it.

"I have traveled there sometimes but I've never met gods before. Have you met Koh? Or how about Kujiro?"

"No. I can't say I have." Aang saw a little frown on the general's face before disappearing. He's definitely testing me… Wait is "spirit world" even a thing?

"What about the Spirit Gate? It's a sight to behold isn't it?"

"I wouldn't know," Aang said quickly making sure to take another sip of tea. The name of the game was confidence and any hesitation could give the game away. "I just popped into middle of a forest when I first woke up."

"Yes the spirit world can be a very strange place," Iroh laughed. Whether it was fake or genuine, Aang couldn't tell.

"Enough," Zuko said, a little annoyed he wasn't in the know when it came to the spirit world. A problem he would rectify as soon as this 'interrogation' was over. "Do you have any proof?"

"Proof of what?"

"Proof of anything you just said. You keep making up all these ridiculous claims. How do we know you're telling the truth?"

"Another question Zuko? I think it's my turn for one."

"Then ask yours."

"When I left this world a hundred years ago it was in relative peace," Aang said, remembering what Katara told him. "So you can imagine my surprise when I found the Fire Nation at war with the world. Why?"

"Why is any war ever waged? Resources, beliefs, nationalism, take your pick," Zuko said. "This war's older than my grandfather. I just serve in it."

"And why has this war lasted a hundred years? Is it the Fire Nation's incompetence or the Earth Kingdom's strength?"

"Elements of both."

"I see." Aang was surprised by the teenager's cynicism. Usually boys this young would have a streak of nationalism. He could sense some weariness from the firebender, as if he had already served too long in this war.

"Any other questions?"

"I'd really like to know where we're going."

"You already know the answer to that," Zuko smirked. "How about this? If you have any proof for what you said we'll answer what we can."

"That's not much of a deal." Aang had hoped that he had forgotten that question. How was he supposed to offer any proof? A minute passed in silence as he combed through his memories for anything that could help. "Give me your pencil and paper."

"What? Why?"

"Do you want proof or not?" Aang asked, reaching out his hand.

Zuko studied him, making sure to note that he hadn't escaped his shackles. He gave the pencil and a page he tore from his journal. "Here."

Aang took the pencil and wrote 'F'. Hopefully the machine works both ways. "Do you recognize this character?"

"No. Not really," Zuko said.

As suspected Aang too couldn't tell some of the characters apart when he read the sentence on the banner. "How about these characters?" Aang wrote 'I', 'R', and 'E' vertically down the page.

"I've never seen any of these scribbles," Zuko said. "Stop fooling around already."

"What about you general? Have you ever seen these characters before?"

"No. I can't say I have," Iroh said distantly. He needed to end this interview as quickly as possible. If he had known the conversation would head in this direction, he wouldn't have brought Zuko along.

"How about now?" Aang asked after writing 'FIRE" horizontally across the page. "Do you recognize this word now?"

"No. I don—" Zuko paused. He blinked several times looking at the page. He had never seen those characters before, but the word was as clear as day. "Does that mean fire?"

"Exactly! You got it," Aang said excitedly. "Behold the language of the gods. Anyone can learn and understand it, even if they have never seen it before."

"But how?" Zuko grabbed the page from Aang. He stared at the word in amazement, making sure to commit it to memory. "How does it work?"

"Who knows?" Aang shrugged. "The work of the gods is above us mere mortals. I just happened to discover, or more likely, rediscover it on my travels."

"Do you have any more words?" Zuko asked, almost dropping his bad cop act. This discovery was too important to ignore just for an interrogation.

"Of course," Aang took the page and wrote the other three elements. Each word increasing the sergeant's curiosity.

'Uncle, what do you think of this?" Zuko asked showing him the paper.

"It's very interesting," Iroh replied, wary of his nephew's excitement. "These words are foreign to me yet seem so familiar."

"Will you tell me now where we're going?"

"Sanctuary," Iroh said. "I'd tell you more, but secrets have a way of getting out when more than one person knows."

"So your nephew doesn't even know?" Aang looked at Zuko who simply scoffed. "Who wishes to harm me?"

"Those who want the war to continue. For the Avatar will bring balance to the world and they certainly can't have that."

"And you want the war to end?"

"This war has gone on for far too long," Iroh sighed. "The world is in desperate need of peace."

"I see," Aang nodded. "For someone who prefers peace to war you certainly didn't show it when you attacked those three villages."

"It is regretful, but we must keep up appearances. No one can know our true intentions."

"You certainly put on a convincing act," Aang laughed. "How do I know this isn't an act as well?"

"You don't. But we can convince you over the coming days." The general got up from his seat as did the young soldier. "As delicious as this tea is you must be famished. Someone will come by to serve lunch soon."

"Why don't you join me?" Aang offered, hoping he could gleam more information from the two.

"Perhaps later in the afternoon but right now we have some urgent business to attend to."

"That's unfortunate but before you leave, I just have one more question." Aang shuffled his body so he could face the two men.

"Of course. What is it?"

"With all the airbenders in the world how did you know I'd be in the South Pole?" Aang asked.

For the first time in their conversation, Iroh hesitated. It wasn't much but it was noticeable. "As Zuko said, we searched the world for you. That you happened to be in the South Pole when we were here was luck I suppose."

"I see. Well then men of Fire I bid you farewell," Aang said giving a bow. "Till we see each other again."

"And you as well," Iroh replied.

"Do not let anyone enter," Iroh said to the three guards as soon as the door was closed, "under any circumstances."

"Yes sir!" the soldiers shouted.

"Uncle, what about his lunch?" Zuko asked.

"Ah I forgot about that. Thank you Zuko. Itsumo go fetch him lunch. When you give it to him make sure the two of you guard the door. Assume he'll try anything to get out." Iroh turned to his nephew. "Come Zuko, we must talk."

The two made their way down the dark red twisted hallway guided only by the light from the lamps posted every five feet. Zuko would never admit out loud but he hated the color red. In the beginning of his service he was at most indifferent to the color. But the ubiquity of the color started to annoy and soon disgust him. Red walls, red lamps, red uniforms, red banners, red curtains, and so on and on. Would it kill anyone to have some other color scheme besides red and black? The first thing he was going to do when he became Fire Lord was was change the colors to blue and white just to spite tradition.

"Go in," Iroh whispered.

"What?" Zuko snapped to attention. They were standing at the door to his uncle's quarters. "Uncle, what are we doing here?"

"Go in," the general repeated, his face solemn. Zuko obliged, and as soon as he did, Iroh quickly locked the door behind him. Looking around Zuko was surprised how barren the room was. Given his uncle's love of books he had expected the room to be crammed full of ancient texts but there were only about seven books, five of which were on the desk beside the bed. "Show me the page the Avatar wrote on."

"Yeah, here," Zuko said, handing the page over. "Hey! What—"

It was too late. Iron had completely burned the paper without giving it so much a glance. "Zuko, hear me well," Iroh said in a voice of not his fun and jovial uncle but that of the Dragon of the West. "You will not repeat any mention of these characters outside this room. Do not speak it, do not write it, do not even think about it. If you see them anywhere ignore them. Do not demonstrate any knowledge that you know what these are. Do you understand me?"

The prince's eyes widened, and he quickly nodded. "Are they from the Forbidden Archives?" Zuko whispered.

There was no response, only a period of silence filling the room causing the tension to grow. "Your father told you about the room?"

"When I was still his son."

"That fool," Iroh hissed. "What did he tell you?"

"Well he told me it was a fairy tale of sorts. Supposed to teach me the dangers of snooping around." Zuko sat on the bed trying to remember what he could of the story. "There was a room deep within the palace grounds that held all the secrets of the world. Only those who were deemed worthy were allowed to enter. These scholars would go into the room and study the material there but weren't allowed to take any of the secrets from there."

"One day a scholar taught his son a secret but forbade him from telling anyone else. The son, of course, didn't listen and told his friends. His friends told their friends and so on until the entire village knew about it," Zuko said, looking at his uncle to see if he recognized the story, but Iroh showed no sign of acknowledgment. Instead he had chosen to sit in his desk chair and simply stare at him.

"Go on."

"Right. So one day the scholar stayed overnight in the palace. When dawn came and he went back home everyone was gone. All the men, all the women, all the children, all gone, never to be seen again. There weren't even signs of a struggle, like they were never there at all. In the end the scholar went mad with grief and killed himself."

"You've got most of the story correct," Iroh grumbled after a pause. Zuko wasn't sure if it was because of the light but his uncle seemed suddenly older, his tiredness plain to see. "It happened when I was about your age. Maybe three years older than you. The village's name was Bin Su and the only reason I'm telling you is so if you ever hear it mentioned you can feign ignorance. Do not investigate it and if you stumble across it show as much indifference as possible."

Zuko nodded. "Did Grandfather really order the village to be eliminated?"

"That's the scary part. He didn't get a chance to. When the inspector general was sent to investigate, they found the village abandoned."

"Was it spirits?"

"No. Much worse. Do you remember when I told you there are hidden forces at work in this world?"

"Yeah?"

"That was one of them. They call themselves the Red Lotus."

"Who—"

"And that's all I'll say about them for now. The same rules apply to the Red Lotus as for the other two, if not doubly so. If you speak that name, you'll probably be dead within the week. Nod if you understand."

Zuko quickly nodded as paranoia set in. They're powerful enough to kill the prince of the Fire Nation…

"Any other questions? If you have any now's the time to ask," Iroh said in a whisper that spread throughout the room.

"Just one more. What the Avatar was saying about other worlds and gods, was that true?"

"He was definitely lying about something. That much I could tell. What he was lying about? That I'm not sure," Iroh said before grinning. "By the way good job on 'spilling' the relation between us."

"Thanks." Zuko smiled a little. It was nice being able to apply some of the negotiation tactics he had learned. Giving the opponent information by 'mistake' would surely lower their guard. They had gained a lot of information from that little slip-up. "Wait," Zuko paused, "you didn't really answer my question."

"Yes," Iroh laughed heartily. His nephew was learning. "I suppose I didn't. There's time for that later." He made his way to the bed and softened up the pillow before lying down. "Right now I need some rest. Being up for a day can't be too good for my health. How about you?"

"What about me?"

"Did your firebending return yet?"

Zuko brought his palm forward and summoned a small fire in the center. He tried to make it grow larger but there was something preventing him. There was a tightness in his muscles that increased in proportion to his efforts. "I can't do it," Zuko said panting. "What did she do to me?"

"She blocked your chi from moving," Iroh sighed. "Give it a few hours or so and it should wear off."

"That's good," Zuko said with relief. He shook his arm around as he could feel a cramp coming on. "What do we do now?

"We'll visit Aang in two hours or so. Give him some time to think. You should study up on the Spirit World in the meantime. It wouldn't be wise to face the Avatar unprepared."

"Got it." Zuko nodded. He had already planned to use the brief reprieve to fact check what the Avatar was saying. Despite what his uncle had said, he couldn't help but be fascinated by the characters Aang had shown. What other secrets was he hiding? "Sleep well," Zuko said, but his uncle had already fallen into a deep sleep. The prince closed the door and left.

"Wow we're going so fast," Sokka said as he laid down twirling a staff he had found underneath Appa's saddle. From what he could tell it seemed ceremonial as he didn't think it was strong enough to serve as a regular staff. "I think our canoe is faster than him."

"Shut up," Katara glared at him before turning her attention back to Appa. She hated to admit it, but her brother was right. At this pace it'd be sunset before they entered the ocean. "Come on Appa, can you please fly? Aang's in trouble and he needs our help." But Appa gave no response and continued at his lackadaisical pace.

"Wasn't there a phrase that Aang said?" Sokka wondered out loud. "Was it 'Fly now'? 'Soar to the sky'? 'Elevate'? 'Yip yip'?"

"Can you be serious for once in your lifetime?" Katara yelled before she suddenly felt a new sensation. There was a rumbling underneath her as Appa picked up speed, going faster and faster, until there was a feeling of weightlessness. The sky bison had jumped into the sky his legs providing thrust as he gained elevation.

"Katara, we're flying, we're flying!" Sokka yelled as soon as they cleared a hundred feet. Never in his wildest dreams would he think he'd able to take off into the sky. "Look there's our village."

Katara turned to see a circular ice wall down below. It wouldn't take long until she was home again. They would help Aang get to safety and come back straight home. She even left a small letter for Gran Gran explaining everything in case they ran into trouble. She took in the scene one last time, squinting to see little tiny figures running around. "Alright let's go."

"What? Where are we going? Kino village is that way," Sokka yelled. He quickly found out that he'd have to amplify his own voice just to beat the wind.

"We're not going to Kino village," Katara said, also raising her voice. She slightly pulled on the ropes to change Appa's heading to the sea. "We don't need a ship to catch up to them."

"But we need more people if we're going to rescue Aang."

"There's no time. They already have an hour head start on us. We can't give them more time to escape," Katara replied. Hopefully Appa was faster than the cruiser or else they'd have no chance of catching up to him.

"Akane, what are you doing here?" Saburo asked.

"Bringing the Avatar lunch, what else?" Akane told the guardsman. In his right hand he carried a tray that had sushi rice and several dipping sauces and in his left a glass of water.

"What happened to Itsumo? He was supposed to bring it," Kosuke, the other guard asked. It was slight but Akane could tell he had taken a slight offensive stance toward him.

"General Iroh called him for something. I'm not sure what."

"I see," Saburo said eyeing Akane suspiciously. While he had never personally known the man, he knew Akane usually kept to himself. He wasn't so much a person at gatherings but a familiar presence. "Alright I'll hand the food to him. You guard the door along with Kosuke."

"Fine," Akane said handing the food to Saburo.

Kosuke knocked on the door three times before Saburo spoke. "Avatar, we have lunch for you. Step back against the wall." Kosuke immediately opened the door, turning the wheel mechanism and Saburo stepped through. Akane took position to the left of the other guardsmen.

"Thank you," Aang said. Even though he was a prisoner on the ship he couldn't help but be thankful for the meal they provided. It looked delicious. Hmm. Is this what Stockholm Syndrome's like?

"You're welcome. Don't move from the wall until I lock the door."

The airbender nodded in affirmation when he suddenly heard a thunderous sound from the doorway. Saburo turned around just in time to receive a bullet in the face. In less than two seconds the two guardsmen were dead. Akane aimed his gun into the room to fire for a third and final time but the airbender transformed into a blur.

The assassin felt a huge burst of air push him against the wall with enough force to take his breath away. Aang ran down the hallway as Akane got up. He fired two more shots one which he knew hit the Avatar but probably only grazed him.

Akane ran after the Avatar barely catching up with his ridiculous speed. I should have shot him first then the other two, he lamented. If his master saw him now, he'd probably bash his skull in. Unfortunately for Akane his instinct to live got the better of him and he chose his survival over the death of the target, an amateur mistake considering how important this mission was.

He didn't see the Avatar anymore, but he still heard his footsteps as light as they were. That and the fact that each hallway Aang ran down left a gust of air in its wake Akane knew where he was headed. Ten seconds later Akane joined the Avatar on the deck of the ship, his gun squarely aimed at him.

Just as Akane was about to fire he hesitated. There was a small shadow between him and Aang that was growing larger and larger by the second. He looked up and saw the impossible. A giant beast, third the size of the ship, was floating twenty feet above him.

"Aang! Get on quick," Katara yelled.

"What- Katara, Sokka, what are you doing here?"

"What do you think? Come one we have to go!" Sokka said.

Akane fired another bullet, shaking off his shock, but Aang was already in motion jumping to his left. "Don't come down! It's too dangerous," Aang yelled, slightly relieved to see Appa safe and sound. Then again, he wasn't really sure how safe it was being here. Aang began channeling his chi towards his leg.

"Akane!' Iroh bellowed as he and two other soldiers behind him summoned fireballs. Iroh slightly gave pause to acknowledge Appa but was too angry to entertain that curiosity further. "How dare you? Put that gun down or I'll burn you to ashes."

But the threat was too late. Aang had taken the opportunity of Iroh's sudden entrance to jump toward Appa but Akane fired his last bullet hitting his victim in the right leg. The chi that provided the propulsion dissipated resulting in Aang plunging into the icy waters.

It was done Akane smiled. He had accomplished the impossible. With the shackles around the airbender's hands and bullet wound in his leg, swimming was futile. Nothing could take away from the fact that he had succeeded in killing the Avatar. Not even the fact that he was currently on fire, courtesy of Iroh staying true to his word.

But he would not scream or beg for mercy. He would not tarnish his legacy like that. For he was Akane, the assassin who bested the Avatar, and his tale would be told throughout the world. At least that's what would have happened if he had succeeded.

It started off as a rumble barely noticeable to the most experienced of sailors. But then the ship began to rock back and forth rapidly. Katara, who at this point had been fighting with Sokka to rush after Aang, stopped her protests when she felt the familiar energy.

A large twisting tower of water erupted from the sea pushing Aang sixty feet into the sky. And that's when Akane knew it was over. He could feel the indescribable rage in the Avatar's silver-white eyes as they locked onto him. The last thing the assassin saw was ice, a great deal of ice as Aang sent a storm of ice spears in his direction.

As soon as the assassin had died a force took sudden control of the ship. Iroh felt the ship lurch forward toward Aang as he bended the water around it. And like a spring being coiled Aang released a tidal wave pushing the ship in the opposite direction before freezing the deck of the ship in place.

With that Aang fell unconscious, heading straight toward Appa. "Got him!" Sokka exclaimed as he caught the airbender before he fell off. "I can't believe he could do all this," Sokka remarked as he looked at the damage that just one person could cause.

"Let's go," Katara reminded her brother. Just before leaving Katara glared at Iroh in contempt.

Iroh sighed as he watched the Avatar and his friends leave on the sky bison. This day had been a complete wash. On the one hand he gained a lot of useful information. But on the other the Avatar probably wouldn't trust him again. Not to mention that his crew that he personally handpicked had still been infiltrated by the Red Lotus. Focus Iroh told himself. One problem at a time. The first thing he needed to do was get rid of all the ice.

Kanna angrily crushed the letter in her right hand. She should have known better than to trust her granddaughter would be patient. After all, she took after her grandmother. She stormed off to her tent making sure she wasn't followed. In the corner was a chest that contained her past. A past she had sworn she would never visit again. But her family was in danger and as such there was no time for promises.