"It's so heavy." Katara wiped her brow, helping haul the giant rock up. Aang and Toph eartbended the meteor.

"Just let 'em do it," I said, taking my hands off and accidently smearing dark dust onto my face. "Oops."

Katara grinned. "You have a duststache."

"Is that even a word?" Toph asked.

"Well, milkstache isn't a word either," Sokka pointed out.

"We're almost there," Aang said.

🔥🔥🔥

We rollled the meteor up to the giant doors. A guy opened the door and Sokka introduced us to him as Fat.

"So . . . we'll go now, I guess." Toph said.

"Yeah."

♋♋♋

"Look, Azula, I don't want to talk to you right now," Zuko said, turning away from her. "Get out of my room."

"Don't you want to hear from you precious Mei?" Azula smirked, crunching the paper behind her back. The letter was recent. It came in this morning, a reply to her statement about talking face to face.

Suddenly, Zuko turned his head towards her. "Ayame?"

Azula laughed coldly. "Should I have brought Mai in to see your reaction?"

"No . . . it's not like that."

"And what proof do you have? I have enough, if you want to know." Azula crumpled the paper, pulling it up from behind her back. "Do you want to come to meet her?"

Zuko snatched the paper out of her hand. "What are you talking about?" his eyes scanned the paper, and then it exploded into flames. "She said she wants to see you?"

"She agreed that I said we should talk."

"In person?"

"Did you even read the paper?" Azula rollled her eyes, knocking away his outstretched hand that contained the ashes. They flurried to the floor like dark snow.

"Oh look, you ruined it. It was her writing," Azula clucked in mock sympathy.

"Go alone. I'm not falling for your traps."

"What, afraid the other Mai is going to see you?" Azula laughed. "Good thinking, dear brother."

"Leave."

🔥🔥🔥

I actually said yes. I even gave her the date and the time. It would be dark so no one could know I was gone.

After sunset.

At the statue of an important firebender.

I'd seen it as we'd come on Appa, it wasn't too far.

I was actually freaking out.

"Why are you fidgeting?" Toph asked. "I can literally feel you all the way here."

"I'm not." I went defensive.

"Yes you are. And your heartbeat is crazy."

"No it's not."

"Are you calling me a liar?"

"I'm not."

"Guys!" Katara interrupted. "Not now. It's like midnight. You're waking everyone up."

"Am not," I huffed.

"Are too," Aang groaned from his tent. 

"Fine."

"Fine."

In the morning, something fell on my tent, making a thudding noise. I rubbed my eyes and yawned, stretching, and then walked out lazily to see another letter lying on the floor attached to a rock.

"Dang," I said, almost afraid to see what was inside. I slowly opened it and read carefully. 

Don't bring anyone with you. And wear the necklace.

-A

Fine, miss bossypants. She still thought Aang was dead. The whole world still thought Aang was dead. And that was good. She should feel guilty.

If she even knew how to feel that.

They were fighting. Piandao, the swordmaster, was fighting Sokka. I wanted to intervene. I needed to. But Sokka stopped me. Sokka stopped us.

I blew out through my lips, crossing my arms over my chest. 

Sokka told him that he was not Fire Nation but the complete opposite, that idiot. And Piando got mad. Sokka was doing good, dodging, ducking, swiping—I could tell he learned a lot in his few days here.

Now he was on the ground. Piandao's sword was at his throat.

I closed my eyes.

And then, Katara nudged me. My eyes opened.

Piandao took a step back and tossed aside the sword. My jaw dropped. He just let him go?

"The art of swordfighting is for all the nations," Piandao announced.

"You're . . . you're letting me—"

"I knew you were from the Water Tribe," Piandao smiled. "Your name gave it all away from the beginning."

I laughed. Nice going, Sokka.

"But you taught me anyway?"

"Like I said, teaching how to swordfight isn't limited to one nation." He reached out, pulling Sokka to his feet. "And by the way, I know you're the Avatar." he looked at Aang who's jaw dropped.

"Thank you, master." Sokka bowed.

"Thank you," Piandao said. "You have learned a great deal here. I am proud to have had you as my pupil."

As we left, Fat came out, running towards us.

"Master Piandao told me to give you this." He handed Sokka a bag.

Sokka opened it, emptying it out on his palm. Out fell a white lotus tile.

"I brought you something," Sokka said to Toph, tossing her a small black rock. "It's a piece of the meteor."

"Cool!" Toph said, changing it into different shapes. First a star, then a swirl, then a splat. "Thanks, Sokka."

I smiled at all of them. Tomorrow night, guys. Tomorrow my life will be changed.

"Ow!" I pushed Katara as she burst out laughing. "That's not funny."

"Yes it is."

"It hurt."

"It was funny." She giggled.

I fumed. She'd told me she was showing me a cool trick. And then she pinched me. How? God knows. But she used water.

"That wasn't a cool trick." I glared.

"It was a funny trick." Katara cracked.

"I'm amazed," Sokka said. "You actually got her to laugh."

"Get off me, Katara."

Katara continued laughing. "Oh come on, cheer up."

"I can't. I mean—" I corrected, "I don't feel like it." I couldn't. I mean, tonight I was going to meet the craziest most villianous villian on earth, and she was going to tell me my history and literally plan out my future.

Toph eyed me. If she was capable of that.

I could feel that she could feel something was up with me. She was literally waching my moves 24/7. Sokka was being his normal self, and Aang was laughing at Appa, being a boy, and airbending on his airball.

Sokka stopped and raised an eyebrow at me. "Did you two like switch bodies or something? Now she's the laughy one and you're the serious one."

I shrugged. "She's being silly."

Katara stopped. "Excuse me?"

"Silly. You heard me."

She grinned.

Sokka turned his back towards us, admiring his sword.

"Hey, I wanna show you a cool trick," I told Katara.

"What?"

I took her hand, and heated up my own just enough to make her jump.

"Ow!" she pushed me. "That's not funny!"

I snickered. "See how it feels."

"Yes. Yes I do," she scowled. 

"Cheer up," I punched her playfully. "Lemme see that smile . . . c'mon, lemme see it."

She grinned, looking away.

"Hah! Got you."

"Shut up." But it wasn't mean.

🔥🔥🔥

"Sokka, buddy . . . " I said, slyly, walking up to him and throwing my arm over his shoulder.

"What?"

"Can I see your sword?"

"Why?"

"Because I want to." 

"Why?"

"Because I just do."

"But why?"

"Okay, whatever Sokka." I walked away.

"Okay fine." he took out his sword. "Stay next to me though."

"Of course." I said with a serious face, taking it from him. As soon as it was in my hands, I grinned evilly. "Catch me if you can, fishboy!" I yelled, running away. I jumped over Appa and stood at the top. 

"Hey! Give it back!" Sokka fumed.

"Oh yeah, and who's gonna make me?" I laughed as he tried to climb over Appa, tripping and falling in the process. When he was finally up, I'd made my way down and back to where we started. "Here, boy."

I took the time to stand on my hands, walking on them, the sword at the top of my feet. "Cool trick, huh?"

Sokka lunged at me. I kicked the sword in the air, jumped back on my feet and twirled around him, grabbing the hilt before it hit the ground.

"Give. It. Back."

"Gosh, when did you get so serious?"

"Since now." He scowled.

"Okay, I'll give it to you," I said. He stopped.

"Wait, what?"

"Yup. But." I put the sword in the air as he reached for it. "Smile."

Sokka stared at me.

"Smile."

He smiled. 

"Now that's more like Sokka. If I give this back to you, buddy, will you keep on cracking your jokes?"

"Uh yeah," Sokka grinned. "That's what I do."

I patted his shoulder and handed him the sword. 

"You know, Ayame," Aang said, "You really lighten up everyone's moods."

"That's what I live for, your higness," I took a bow. 

"You're literally another Sokka." Katara stated with a grin, crossing her arms over her chest and shifting her weight to one foot.

"And another Katara," Toph put in.

"I do what I must."