PART ONE

xx

He wondered when they would stop coming.

For every one that went down, three more would appear from beyond the curtains. They came to the Southern Air Temple with a malicious purpose and Gyatso understood that there was a possibility that he would not be alive to see what it was.

Beads of perspiration poured from atop his head, a testament to not only his physical exertion but also to the exceedingly heated room that hosted the battle. His hardened eyes moved slowly across the room's corners before his focus returned. In every space that the lifeless body of a Fire Nation soldier did not occupy, orange flames breathed instead.

"Surround him," screamed an exasperated and desperate voice. But the monk's ability was too much for novice grunts to overcome, no matter their numbers. With a swift movement of his arm and a demeanor that betrayed his nature, three soldiers slammed into the stone walls behind them with a disconcerting thud. They did not get up again.

The airbender felt his heart beat uncontrollably in an effort to nourish his body with whatever fluids he still had inside him. But the sweat poured from him without resistance and he was beginning to feel lightheaded. His breaths became weaker and swallowed less oxygen than necessary. Minutes later, the sweating halted as his frail body fought to conserve the little water that it still retained. Consequently, he was boiling inside his own skin.

Even at his advanced age, the battle was not difficult in itself. A master bender such as Gyatso could repel countless inferior foes whether they were reinforced by Sozin's comet or not. But he was unable to overcome the physiological adversary that his body had become. Water and oxygen, two of the Earth's most abundant resources, had suddenly become scarce.

He would continue to erase fireballs and soldiers with heavy gusts of wind until he could not anymore. His muscles became sore and he fell to one knee. He pleaded to the spirits that the soldiers stop coming.

They did not stop coming.

Unable to hold his ground more than a minute longer, Gyatso succumbed to the dehydration. He fell onto his back and stared at the ceiling with half-closed eyelids, adding another body to the carcass farm the room had become. It reeked of ash and death. His muscles ached beneath his skin and his senses began to fade. He wished that his final breaths would not have been this painful.

"All of you will perish. The world will bow to Fire Lord Sozin," one soldier declared with a triumphant glee, eliciting raucous cheers from his peers. The words barely reached Gyatso's ears.

He closed his eyes and thought about Aang, the disciple that had run away from his newfound duties. A weak smile covered his now pale, blue face while he prepared for his death. He resolved in his head that he would leave his mortal body in this world and would take his spirit to the Spirit World. There he would reside for the rest of eternity, waiting for Aang.

xx

Aang found himself in the Southern Water Tribe alongside Katara, Sokka, and countless young admirers. They had only just arrived after dropping Suki and Ty Lee off at Kyoshi Island, but Aang felt an immediate change in the energy that radiated from the people. The ambience around the village had changed immensely over the last ten months. Where it was once divided and scared, it was now united and strong. It brought Aang boundless joy to see the happiness that came along with the men returning home.

He turned his head to see his friends delightedly sharing their tales with their grandmother and Master Pakku just outside their igloo. Hoping to avoid disturbing their reunion, Aang approached them slowly. He observed Gran-Gran, never having got the chance to do so during their brief encounter many moons ago. Aang felt a humble admiration for the older woman. She had raised the two siblings in the absence of their parents, had taught them every skill that she knew, had bestowed upon them all the wisdom she possessed, and loved them as if they were her own during the entire journey.

It's like Monk Gyatso was to me, Aang reminisces.

Sokka acknowledged the Avatar's presence after conceding the ending of the story he had begun to his sister. The warrior was not prepared for the distant and distraught look that he encountered. Just a minute ago, the airbender had been as happy as anyone in the village. When Aang caught sight of Sokka's confused glance aimed at him, he turned his gaze away.

"Hey, Aang," Sokka whispered, bringing his left hand up to cover his mouth. "What's got you all gloomy?"

Aang visibly tensed as he was unexpectedly brought to attention. Katara looked curiously at the boy and noticed his expression, which made no effort to mask the distress he was experiencing. Aang whispered back after a palpable silence, "I'm going for a walk. Don't mind me." With a suspicious quickness, he stepped away from the group.

Gran-Gran looked at the siblings, who looked at each other. They shrugged, wordlessly agreeing to leave the troubled boy alone. Pakku, undisturbed by the resurgence of his company's conversation, watched after him until he disappeared beyond the horizon and into the snow.

It was not until the sun had begun to set that Aang realized how long he'd been gone. He travelled into the cold with an absent conscious, failing to notice the trail of tears he'd left behind in the fresh snow. Not even the frosty temperatures of the arctic were registered in his mind. He stopped suddenly and noticed with glossy eyes that he'd arrived to a familiar sight: the iceberg he and Appa resided in for a century before their rebirth. Once afloat in the ocean, it had since drifted to the shore and became lodged with it.

Aang's heart was heavy with sadness. Though he had released his guilt and his grief by opening his water and air chakras with Guru Pathik's help, the pain of loss and loneliness had resurfaced within him. Seeing his friends return to their home forced him to realize how much he missed his own - all of the sky bison, all of the elders, and all of the young nomads he would play with. The painful memories from many months ago, the recognition that everything he had known and loved was gone, returned to haunt him. Despite the healing brought to the world by the conclusion of the war, his spirit was still wounded. Choking back more tears, Aang looked out into the vast, blue ocean beyond his iceberg.

Could things have been different?

"I see that you're troubled," spoke a serene and familiar voice from behind the boy, assisting the reticent sobs in breaking the silence. Aang nearly jumped but didn't turn around. He closed his eyes and brought a hand up to his face to wipe away the tears.

"Hey, Roku," came the reply. The boy failed to mask his somber mood. "It's just that…I really miss home." Roku was silent as he studied the young nomad. Aang's shoulders hung low, though he kept his head high. The elder could tell that Aang wanted to be strong, but the burden on his heart was too much to bear. "There's nothing left."

"Nothing I say to you can change that, Aang," the spirit's voice was stoic. "Find solace in your friends and in the peace brought to you and the world by the end of this war. And understand that the monks would have been very proud of you."

Aang was quiet for a long time, lost in the darkest depths of his memory.

xx

"Why did you disappear?"

"I didn't mean to."

Aang reaches out to Gyatso, but the elder's body disperses into gray ash that blows away until the monk is no more.

"We need you, Aang."

"We need you."

xx

The revolting memory still haunted Aang ever since he had dreamt it on the morning before the storm. His conscious became cloudy and he wondered whether he would rather be the one who had turned to ash and drifted away. An avalanche of such thoughts poured from his mind while he tried to focus on anything else. The peak of a small diamond shaped glacier many meters away caught his eye. It drifted about unimpeded, going along its way in alluring peace. Aang traced its path until he was able to forge a response.

"I hope they would be," the boy speaks in a timid and vulnerable voice. Roku did not immediately respond to him. Tranquility and fading sunlight filled the void as the two tried to find a type of comfort from their surroundings. The tension begged to be broken, yet the silence stretched a while longer. Time froze, or perhaps much of it passed furtively, and the Earth stood still. Following the uneventful duration, the discomfort became apparent and seeped into the two motionless figures, prompting them to acknowledge the other once more.

"I believe that there is a way I can help you," Roku finally said with a small smile that Aang never saw. The former Avatar knew that Aang was listening intently when he saw his successor's body stiffen. "Those that are spiritually aware and have a strong attachment to the spirits can choose to bring their spirit to the spirit world after they die. Once there, they live for the rest of time. I was pleased to learn that a very special person chose to make this decision."

Aang turned around slowly, looking intently at his predecessor with somewhat reddened eyes. He seldom saw Roku wearing a happy expression rather than his stern and serious one. It was with a hopeful curiosity that Aang asked, "Who?"

"Our friend Gyatso," Roku announced. He found it amusing how Aang's eyes lit up immediately given his disposition just seconds ago. The boy didn't know which one of his many emotions was the appropriate one to feel. It was a mixture ranging from shock to relief to joy. When Roku caught sight of Aang's expectant eyes and understood that he wasn't ready to speak, he continued. "I would have told you sooner but I intended to wait until you had placed the events of this summer behind you. It has been a most difficult time."

"I can't believe it," Aang managed to say with a smile that extended from one ear to the other. He was hardly able to resist the urge of expressing his excitement with a physical display. So much had suddenly felt surreal to him. "He's still out there."

"I think you would enjoy a reunion," Roku suggested. As quickly as it had come, the joy in Aang's heart began to escape while doubt climbed in to take its place. In his moment of bliss, he did not spend one second to consider whether his master could bear to look at him again. Aang knew that his actions were shameful and contributed to the turmoil that plagued the world for one hundred years. The forgettable dream told him as such. He wondered if Gyatso would mirror that sentiment or if he would pardon the dastardly actions with his forgiveness.

"Do you think he wants to see me?" Aang asked with hopeful eyes, hands clasped behind his back.

The former Avatar was again amused by the quick and complete change in Aang's behavior. Despite all of his wisdom and experience, the young monk was still just a child. Roku pitied the look on his face, as he knew that the boy had been betrayed by his own conscious. The spirit looked at Aang with a knowing smile and spoke, "Of course, I do."

Aang smiled wide again and looked at his friend with an eager appreciation before gracing him with a humbling bow. The spirit stood tall and his imperial robes looked sharp on his confident form. He returned the gesture with his own tender smile. "Thanks, Roku. I could always count on you."

"Anytime, Aang," were the last words the spirit would speak before vanishing.

Aang stood awhile at the edge of the icy shore before turning to face the ocean again, taking in the scenery with his now soft eyes. The ocean sparkled brightly in the setting sun's dimmed light, which smeared the skies with crimson colors. He was overcome by emotion again as he imagined meeting his mentor in the other world. Watching the tear drops become one with the ocean afforded him the time to relax his mind. Out of his eye's corner, he again caught sight of the small diamond shaped glacier and watched it flow along until it disappeared into the icy depths of the artic. It was with remarkable peace that it seemed to drift. Aang hoped that Gyatso's spirit had moved along just as freely.

For the first time that night, and regrettably so, Aang registers that he feels numb. He was still wearing his traditional nomad attire and was without a coat. Hoping to escape this newfound discomfort, he began to pace back to the village that would largely be asleep before he returned.

Softly walking past Appa's sleeping form, he hopped into the igloo he was to share with his friends. They were fast asleep as well, much to Aang's satisfaction. He crawled onto the layer of blankets that were laid out for him and pulled a thick one over himself. Turning his head away from the family, he was comforted by a single thought until he, too, fell asleep.

He's out there.

Home is out there.

xx

END PART ONE