Azara and Katara walked into the sanctuary together, side by side. Azara's eyes widened as the light from the hall revealed rows upon rows of statues. "Statues? That's it? Where's the meat?" Sokka whined as Azara bit back another sarcastic comment.

"Who are all these people?" Katara asked as she moved to stand next to Aang. Azara wandered around the states, her eyes landing on the last statue in the line. "I'm not sure. But I feel like I know them somehow. Look! That one's an airbender," Aang pointed out as Azara walked closer to the last statue.

"And this one's a waterbender. They're lined up in a pattern: air, water, earth, and fire."

"That's the Avatar Cycle!" Aang gasped as Katara started to walk down the line.

"Of course. They're Avatars. All these people are your past lives, Aang," Katara smiled as Azara stepped in front of the last statue in the cycle. Staring up at the Fire Nation figure, Azara's eyes focused on his face, feeling like his eyes were staring into her soul. Glancing up further, Azara stared at the pin in his hair, the symbol of the Fire Nation royal family.

"Past lives? Katara, you really believe in that stuff?" Sokka scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It's true. When the Avatar dies, he's reincarnated into the next nation in the cycle," Katara explained as Aang moved to stand next to Azara, staring up at the same statue. Katara walks over, shaking Aang out of his momentary daze. "Who is that?"

"That's Avatar Roku, the last Avatar before me," Aang said, staring up at the statue.

"Yeah . . ." Azara trailed off her voice sounding far off. "How the Fire Nation has fallen since his death," she muttered to herself as Sokka walked over.

"You were a firebender? No wonder I didn't trust you when we first met," Sokka commented, causing Azara to roll her eyes.

"There's no writing. How do you know his name?" Katara questioned, looking down for a plaque or anything to identify the statue.

"I'm not sure. I just know it somehow," Aang shrugged, as Azara turned to him.

"He's your most recent past life, Aang. If you have a strong connection to any other Avatar, it would be him," Azara spoke as a mystery noise echoed through the room. Scrambling, the group hid behind two statues, Katara and Aang on the left with Sokka and Azara on the right. Peaking around the statue, Azara noticed the shadow of the figure, raising an eyebrow at the odd shape.

"Firebender. On the count of three, we attack him," Sokka whispered to Aang and Katara, who nodded. Azara grabbed his shoulder and shook her head.

"That's not a firebender," Azara stated quietly, but Sokka shook off her hand and held up a finger over his lips, signaling for her to be quiet. Rolling her eyes, Azara crossed her arms over her chest as Sokka readied his club.

"That firebender won't know what hit him," Sokka nodded, jumping out from the statue, but lowering his club as he spotted the lemur. Azara, Katara, and Aang stepped out as well, the group staring in surprise at the animal.

"Lemur!" Aang shouted, a wide smile on his face.

"Dinner . . ." Sokka trailed off, causing Azara to roll her eyes again.

"Don't listen to him. You're going to be my new pet," Aang comforted the lemur, inching closer.

"Not if I get him first!" Sokka retorted as they both lunged for the lemur. Screeching, the lemur turned and ran back down the hall, Aang and Sokka on its tail. Azara and Katara shared a look, equally unimpressed looks on their faces.

"I'm sure they'll be back once the find it, or lose it," Azara shrugged, watching as the boys' shadows disappeared down the hall. Katara nodded, turning to look back at the statues. Azara walked in front of Avatar Roku's statue once more, studying the statue.

"What draws you to Avatar Roku?" Katara asked, walking over to stand next to Azara.

"I don't know. Maybe I just feel bad. Apparently, my great grandfather betrayed him to take over the world," Azara explained, crossing her arms over her chest. "He would be so disappointed to see how far the Fire Nation has fallen since his death."

"You speak like you feel responsible for it all," Katara commented as Azara sighed, looking at the floor.

"My family has single handedly wiped out an entire civilization, decimated the two other remaining civilizations, ruined countless lives, and for what?" Azara shook her head, looking back up at Avatar Roku. She turned to Katara, her expression softening. "I'm sure the Fire Nation some way ruined your life too with the way your brother hates me."

"He doesn't hate you," Katara replied quickly, before quieting. "It's complicated."

"It's okay, you don't have to talk about it. I understand that I'm not exactly everyone's favorite person." Azara turned back to the statue of Avatar Roku as Katara touched her mother's necklace.

"Years ago, the Fire Nation came to the Southern Water Tribe. They had heard rumors that there was a waterbender," Katara spoke, Azara's gaze snapping to her.

"You," Azara deduced quietly, her features softening.

"The Fire Nation soldiers invaded our village. My father and the warriors went to greet them. I ran to find my mother. There was a Fire Nation man in our tent. She told me to run, that she would handle it. I listened to her and ran to find my dad. When we got back . . ."

"I'm so sorry, Katara," Azara spoke softly as Katara wiped a stray tear from her face. "I was a mess after I lost my mom. I can't imagine what it would be like if I lost her like that." Katara looked at Azara in surprise, but the firebender's gaze was turned to the statue of Avatar Roku again.

"You lost your mother?" Katara questioned as Azara nodded. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Azara sighed, remembering the day. "All I know is that I went to bed one night and the next morning, my mother was gone, my grandfather was dead, and my father was going to be crowned Fire Lord despite my uncle's birth right."

"That's . . . insane."

"No one would talk about her after that day. It was like she didn't even exist. I think my father threatened to banish any servant who brought her up."

"What do you think . . . you know?"

"We all had our different theories. Of course, only my father knew what actually happened to her. I thought . . . I convinced myself for a long time that it would be easier if she were gone. Completely. That she didn't willingly leave her children, that she just wasn't around anymore to protect us. It was an easier pill to swallow than the idea that she willingly left us with him." Katara placed a hand on Azara's shoulder.

"I'm sorry for your loss too, Azara," Katara nodded as the two girls shared a moment of understanding, small smiles on both of their faces.

Suddenly, the eyes of the Avatar statues began to glow. "Aang!" Katara and Azara yelled simultaneously, rushing out of the room, and barreling down the corridor. As they exited the temple, they turned to see an old hut burst open.

"That must be Aang," Azara stated as they struggled towards Sokka's location. Grabbing onto the rock, Azara groaned as she pulled herself forwards.

"What happened?" Katara asked, having to shout over the wind.

"He found out firebenders killed Gyatso!" Sokka supplied, as Katara moved around Azara.

"Oh no! It's his Avatar Spirit! He must have triggered it! I'm going to calm him down" Katara shouted, moving forward slowly. Sokka made a move to grab his sister, but Azara grabbed his hand and shook her head.

"If anyone can calm him down, it's her," Azara yelled, as the two of them struggled to not be blown off the side of the mountain.

"I hope you're right!" Sokka returned as Katara started to call out to Aang.

"Aang! I know you're upset, and I know how hard it is to lose the people you love. I went through the same thing when I lost my mom. Monk Gyatso and the other airbenders may be gone, but you still have a family. Sokka, Azara, and I! We're your family now!" Katara called up to Aang, causing Aang to descend, the wind alleviating.

Sokka, Azara, and Katara rushed over to Aang. His tattoos and eyes were still faintly glowing as they approached, standing on both sides of him. "We're not going to let anything happen to you. Promise," Sokka spoke softly as Katara grabbed Aang's hand. His tattoos and eyes faded as he collapsed from exhaustion into Katara's arms.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay, it wasn't your fault," Katara consoled him, hugging him tightly.

"But you were right. And if the firebenders found this temple, that means that they found the other ones, too. I really am the last airbender," Aang remarked, his voice pained. They moved to collect their belongings and prepare for the next leg of their journey. Aang wanted to return to the sanctuary before they left, Katara and Sokka offering to go along with him.

"What about you Azara?" Aang asked, turning to the firebender. Shaking her head, Azara smiled up at Aang.

"I'll just wait here with Appa," she assured him, causing the airbender to nod and lead the way back up to the temple. As they disappeared around the bend, the smile of Azara's face dropped. Standing up straighter, Azara reached up to her hair, pulling out the pin from her top knot. Grabbing the pendant crown from her hair, Azara stared down at the piece of metal.

Since her hair was long enough to hold the pendant, she had always worn the crown in her hair, as was royal custom. Running her finger lightly over the metal, Azara stared back up at the Southern Air Temple, her shoulders sagging as she thought about the destruction left here by her great grandfather's army nearly a hundred years ago.

As she looked back at the royal pendant in her hand, Azara thought over the continued suffering on the rest of the world by her grandfather and subsequently by her father. Her thoughts drifted to Katara's story about her mother, another person senselessly murdered by the Fire Nation. Another family torn apart by the violence, by the senseless war.

Glaring at the piece of metal, Azara clenched her other first. Turning around, Azara took a few steps forward and launched her crown into the gorge below, grunting loudly as she released the piece of metal from her hand. It whistled as it flew through the air, starting to dip below the clouds. Watching it disappear, Azara stood silently on the edge of the cliff.

"Azara?" a voice called from behind her, causing her to turn around in surprise. She hadn't even heard them return, too caught up in her inner turmoil. "What was that?" Aang asked, holding his staff as the lemur from before sat on his shoulder.

"Uh . . ." Azara trailed off, looking slightly embarrassed as the group stared at her.

"You're missing the pin in your hair," Katara pointed out, as Azara rubbed the back of her neck.

"I uh . . . I kind of . . . threw it into the gorge," Azara explained sheepishly, wishing that she had been faster.

"Why?" Sokka questioned, raising an eyebrow at her. Azara thought over her explanation for a moment, before looking up at the group.

"The symbol of the Fire Nation royal family, especially here, only represents pain, even to me. So, I uh . . . I thought it would be best if I got rid of it. And uh, the gorge was convenient," Azara shrugged, waiting for their reaction.

"Well, it was a great throw," Aang chuckled, walking over to Azara with a smile on his face. Azara laughed too, glancing back at the cliff for a moment.

"So, what's the lemur's name?" Azara asked, pointing at the lemur on Aang's shoulder. The creature jumped off Aang's shoulder, moving to steal the peace from Sokka's hand. The group, minus Sokka, laughed at the action as the lemur nibbled on the peach.

"Momo," Aang decided, petting his head affectionately. The group quickly packed up the rest of their supplies, before taking off. Azara sat at the front of the saddle, glancing back at the Southern Air Temple as it disappeared behind the cloud cover.