Broken Separation

[Quillion9000]

Before you partake in this story, I'm going to attempt to get us on the same page in as it pertains to this story.
This is a world shared by the Four Nations and Shinobi Country. If you want to do a story where this means Benders are a lower-class form of people, be my guest. Given certain histories, Kumo, Danzo, and Orochimaru to name a few, certain groups would not hesitate to make use of these people as a resource. To me, I am subscribing to the Sage of Thick Calves, Youtube, way of putting it. He makes a good argument for Avatar and Naruto being relative in a way conducive to the story I want to tell. I will be doing power equalization.

Chi is equivalent to Chakra, Aatar characters have tenketsu points, and so on. This does not mean Avatar Characters, Bender of Non-Bender, are going to suddenly bust out Jutsu, or Naruto characters are going to Bend elements. Lastly, as this is a crossover, I will say I think it's important one understand how things progress. Essentially, this chapter can seem like too much canon given where I'm having Naruto be initially. He's not out of the gate going to be with the Gaang at Wolf's Cove.

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Water. Earth. Fire. Air.

My grandmother used to tell me stories about the old days, a time of peace when the Avatar kept balance between the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads. But, that all changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar mastered all four elements.

Only he could stop the ruthless Firebenders, but when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years have passed, and the Fire Nation is nearing victory. Two years ago, my father and the men of my tribe journeyed to the Earth Kingdom to help fight the Fire Nation.

My brother and I were left behind to look after our tribe. Some people believe the Avatar was never reborn into the Air Nomads, that the cycle was broken. But, I haven't lost hope. I still believe the Avatar will return to save the world.

South Pole
A canoe had been sailing through the cold waters of the South Pole for hours now, carrying the siblings Sokka and Katara.

"It's not getting away from me this time." Sokka declared, his eyes tracking a fish while he held a spear at the ready. "Watch and learn, Katara. This is how you catch a fish."

His younger sister responded by looking over the edge of the canoe herself and spotting a fish of her own. Katara took off her glove, followed by a deep breath before she began to move her hand. This caused a globe of water containing the fish to burst out the water.

An ecstatic look graced the Bender's face. "Sokka, look!"

"Shh. Katara, you're going to scare it away," Sokka whispered, practically drooling over the potential fish he was going to catch. "Mmmm…I can already smell it cookin'!"

"But, Sokka, I caught one." Katara called out as she moved the glob of water above her brother, only for him to raise his spear and burst the glob. "Hey!"

She could only watch as the fish landed back in the water.

"Ugh! Why is it every time you play with magic water I get soaked?" Sokka asked, exasperated.

"It's not magic, it's Waterbending." Katara corrected.

"Yeah, yeah, an ancient art unique to our culture, blah, blah, blah…" Sokka repeated, having heard Katara's speech multiple times. "Look, I'm just saying if I had weird powers, I'd keep my weirdness to myself."

"You're calling me weird?" Katara crossed her arms. "I'm not the one who makes muscles at myself every time I see my reflection in the water."

As if to prove her point, that's exactly what Sokka was doing in the moment. Suddenly, the boat bumped into ice as they'd floated into a packed area. Sokka grabbed a paddle, attempting to frantically maneuver the canoe between the ice while Katara shouted out which way to steer.

They weren't swift enough as the canoe was crushed by the ice, seeing the siblings sprawling atop it and prompting Katara to angrily say, "You call that left?"

"You don't like my steering." Sokka shot back. "Maybe you should have Waterbent us out of the ice."

"So, it's my fault?" Katara asked, frustrated.

"I knew I should have left you home." Sokka dismissed. "Leave it to a girl to screw things up."

"You are the most sexist, immature, nut-brained…Ugh!" Katara was fed up with her brother, seeing her unknowingly Waterbend with each movement of her arms. "I'm embarrassed to be related to you! Ever since Mom died I've been doing all the work around camp while you've been off playing soldier!"

It was the cracking of ice behind his sister that grabbed Sokka's attention. "Uh…Katara?"

"I even wash all the clothes!" Katara continued. "Have you ever smelled your dirty socks? Let me tell you, NOT PLEASANT!"

She cracked the ice further, seeing Sokka terrified. "Katara, settle down!"

"No." Katara retorted. "I'm done helping you! From now on, you're on your own!"

That last bit of Waterbending fully cracked apart the iceberg behind her, breaking it apart and seeing the chunks of ice falling into the water. This generated waves which pushed the ice the pair was on back.

"Okay, you've gone from weird to freakish, Katara." Sokka sassed.

"You mean I did that?" Katara asked, amazed.

"Yup. Congratulations." Sokka replied sarcastically.

A bright glow from under the water sent the siblings moving back. They watched as an even bigger iceberg made its way to the surface, now right in front of them. Katara took a few steps closer, confused by the rippled image of a small and large figure within the ice. Both gasped as the smaller figure's eyes and what looked to be arrow markings glowed white.

"He's alive!" Katara grabbed her brother's club off his back. "We have to help!"

"Katara!" Sokka called out in protest as she took one of his weapons, only she didn't head him and moved towards the iceberg. "Get back here!" He followed after her. "We don't know what that thing is!"

Katara ignored him as she reached the iceberg and began to whack the ice, trying to get the person out. It was only after a few good whacks that it cracked from top to bottom, exploding open. Katara was pushed back, seeing Sokka catch and shielded her.

Waves developed under the iceberg and gained momentum as a beam of light shone into the sky. One wave slapped the unconscious body of Naruto Uzumaki onto a floating ice sheet, which was pushed outward by subsequent waves.

Zuko's Ship: Miles Out…
Zuko stood atop the deck of his ship, his Uncle Iroh nearby having tea while playing his game.

The young prince saw the light beam in the distance, his gaze one of shock. "Finally." His expression then turned firm before he turned to Iroh. "Uncle, do you realize what this means?"

He had seen the beam, though seemed more enticed by what was before him. "I won't get to finish my game."

"It means my search is about to come to an end." Zuko corrected, seeing his uncle sighing. "That light came from an incredibly powerful source, so it must be him."

"Oh, it's just a celestial light." Iroh responded. "We've been down this road before, Prince Zuko. I don't want you to get too excited over nothing." He placed his tile down before gesturing to his nephew. "Please, sit. Why don't you enjoy a cup of calming jasmine tea?"

"I don't need any calming tea!" Zuko yelled. "I need to capture the Avatar." He looked up to one of his men. "Helmsman, set a course for the light!"

Iceberg
As the wind and light dissipated, the siblings watched as a bald boy walked out of the iceberg before fainting. Katara was the first to react, catching the boy before he hit the ground. Sokka proceeded to poke his head with the blunt end of the spear.

Katara quickly waved it away. "Stop it!"

The boy then groaned and opened his eyes to at Katara. "I need to ask you something?"

"What?" Katara asked. "What is it?"

"Will you go penguin sledding with me?" The boy asked, excited like nothing had happened.

"Um…sure. I guess." Katara responded, confused.

The boy quickly jumped up to his feet. "What's going on here?"

"You tell us!" Sokka commanded, brandishing his spear. "How'd you get in the ice, and why aren't you frozen?"

"I'm not sure." The boy admitted.

In this moment, Katara noted the different clothing the boy wore compared to them. His clothes were composed of orange and yellows, seemingly made of lighter materials compared to the blue heavy overcoats they wore. Not to mention the strange blue arrow tattoos the boy had.

A deep, low toned animal noise sounded from behind the broken iceberg which caused the younger boy to remember something as he ran towards the sound. "Appa!"

The sibling pair walked around to the other side of the iceberg, only to gasp in shock upon seeing the large, hairy monster in front of them. He licked the boy, who was happy and hugged him.

"What is that thing?" Sokka asked.

"This is Appa, my flying bison." The boy introduced.

"Right." Sokka returned sarcastically before pointing at his sibling. "This is Katara, my flying sister."

That earned him a glare from said sister.

"So, do you guys live around here?" The boy asked.

Katara was going to answer, only for Sokka to interrupt as he brandished his spear. "Don't answer that! Did you see that crazy bolt of light? He was probably trying to signal the Fire Navy."

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure he's a spy for the Fire Navy." Katara voiced sarcastically. "You can tell by that evil look in his eye." Sokka looked over at the mystery boy, receiving an innocent look. "The paranoid one is my brother, Sokka. You never told us your name."

The boy was about to answer when a sneeze came along, sending him into the air before he landed. "I'm Aang."

He answered like nothing happened.

"You just sneezed…and flew ten feet in the air." Sokka stated, dismayed.

"Really?" Aang looked up. "It felt higher than that."

Katara gasped. "You're an Airbender!"

She's only ever heard of them from Gran-Gran, leaving her unable to put the pieces together until this moment.

"Sure am." Aang confirmed.

"Giant light beams…flying bison…Airbenders…I think I've got Midnight Sun Madness." Sokka voiced, exasperated. "I'm going home, where stuff makes sense."

He then stopped at the edge of the iceberg upon not seeing their canoe and remembering what happened to it shortly after.

"Well, if you guys are stuck, Appa and I can give you a lift." Aang offered as he Airbent himself atop Appa's head.

"We'd love a ride!" Katara moved to climb into the saddle. "Thanks."

"Oh, no." Sokka protested. "I am not getting on that fluffy monster."

"Are you hoping some other kind of monster will come along and give you a ride home?" Katara sassed. "You know before you freeze to death?"

Sokka tried to argue, only to give up and get on Appa's back as well.

"Alright first time flyers, hold on tight!" Aang declared. "Appa, yip yip!"

Appa gave out a low rumble and launched himself, only to end up in the water where he swam.

Aang seemed a bit frustrated Appa hadn't flown. "Come on, Appa. Yip yip."

"Wow." Sokka had his arms crossed. "Truly amazing."

"Appa's just tired." Aang responded. "After a little rest, he'll soar through the sky. You'll see."

Zuko's Ship: Hours Later…
Iroh walked towards where his nephew was standing at the helm of his ship, staring into the distance. Evening was turning to night, meaning soon no one would see much out there.

"I'm going to bed." He yawned and stretched. "Yep, a man needs his rest." His nephew ignored him. "Prince Zuko, you need sleep. Even if you're right, and the Avatar is alive, you won't find him. Your father, your grandfather, and great-grandfather all tried and failed."

"Because their honor didn't hinge on the Avatar's capture." Prince Zuko retorted sharply. "Mine does. This coward's hundred years in hiding are over." With what light remained of this day, he spotted a strange hue of yellow in the distance. "Uncle, what is that?"

Whatever it was, this strange yellow hue hadn't been visible among the water prior. Zuko would know given he's been staring into the distance for hours now. What truly caught his attention was the fact this yellow hue was seemingly coming from where the light beam had been spotted.

"I am not sure, Prince Zuko." Iroh came to stand alongside his nephew, staring where he was. "It is still too far out to be certain."

"Whatever it is, I'm getting the men ready to intercept and bring it aboard." Zuko turned and moved to walk inside where he'd rouse his men.

Iroh watched him go before turning to look at the yellow hue, squinting in an attempt to make out what it was. "Is that a person atop an ice sheet?" If it was, yellow hair was a color not native to the Four Nations. "Could it be someone from Shinobi Country?"

Zuko woke his men, getting them to work on halting the ship and ensuring they'd bring whatever was tied to that yellow hue aboard. As it drew closer, they could determine it was a boy with oddly colored yellow hair. He was brought aboard, people crowding around to see.

Zuko took in this boy's details. His strange blond hair, three whisker like birthmarks on each cheek, and the way he dressed. All of it was unlike anything he's come across in the Four Nations, though to his knowledge that was all that existed.

Beyond those features, Zuko noted the way the boy shivered, his lips were blue, and the way his clothes were frozen to his body. Signs he'd been within the water before happenstance likely put him on this sheet of ice.

"I want doctors tending to this boy, with two guards keeping an eye on things." Zuko ordered, not willing to take chances given his sister had been a young prodigy. "The second this boy's condition is stable and warm, toss him in a cell with rotating guards on watch."

"Prince Zuko, those cells aren't conducive to keeping this boy warm and stable." Iroh reminded.

Zuko had to admit his uncle had a point, though he wouldn't say it. "As this boy is being tended to, others can move a proper bed into his intended cell." He turned from the unconscious blond. "That is all the grace I shall offer."

His men saluted. "Yes, Prince Zuko!"

They then moved to fulfill his orders, one of the intended guards grabbing the unconscious boy and taking him into the ship proper.

Aboard Appa
Katara moved over to the edge of the saddle, leaning over it to look at the Airbender. "Hey."

"Hey." Aang smiled slightly. "What are you thinking about?"

"I guess I was wondering, you being an Airbender and all, if you had any idea what happened to the Avatar?" Katara asked.

"Uh…" Aang moved his arms from behind his head and sat up slightly. "No. I didn't know him. I mean, I knew people that knew him, but I didn't." He smiled weakly. "Sorry."

"Okay. Just curious." Katara glanced down in disappointment before smiling. "Good night."

"Sleep tight." Aang replied uncomfortably as Katara moved back to the middle of the saddle.

He turned around and sat with his legs crossed, staring guiltily at his hands in his lap.

Aang's Dream
He dreamt of a storm which took Appa down, sending him and his buddy crashing into the water. They were drowning, losing consciousness. Then, Aang's eyes and tattoos glowed as he water bent them into the iceberg they were found within.

Southern Water Tribe: Wolf Cove, Morning…
"Aang. Aang, wake up." Katara voiced, seeing the Airbender wake with a start. "It's okay. We're in the village now." She stood. "Get ready because the villagers want to meet you."

The moment he was dressed, the Waterbender grabbed him by the arm and dragged the boy out. Sokka was sharpening his boomerang nearby while the rest of the village had gathered together. They consisted of woman, children, and the elderly.

"Aang, this is the entire village." Katara declared proudly. "Entire village, Aang."

Aang bowed respectfully, only for the villagers to take a collective step away from him.

"Uh..." Aang muttered uncomfortably before leaning over to the Waterbender. "Why are they all looking at me like that?" He looked at himself. "Did Appa sneeze on me?"

"Well, no one has seen an Airbender in a hundred years." b old woman voiced. "We thought they were extinct, until my granddaughter and grandson found you."

Aang's jaw dropped in disbelief "Extinct?"

"Aang, this is my grandmother." Katara introduced

Katara and Sokka's grandmother stared at him impassively. "Call me Gran-Gran."

Sokka walked up beside them and abruptly snatched Aang's staff. "What is this, a weapon?" He examined the staff. "You can't stab anything with this."

"That's because it's not for stabbing." Aang used a small current of air to pull his staff back. "It's for Airbending."

He snapped his staff open into a glider, revealing the orange wings and causing Sokka to gasp.

"Magic trick!" One of the little girls cheered, wide eyed. "Do it again!"

"Not magic." Aang corrected. "Airbending." He began moving his glider around to visually demonstrate. "It lets me control the air currents around my glider and fly."

Sokka scoffed in disbelief and crossed his arms. "Last time I checked, humans can't fly!"

Aang smiled smugly. "Check again!"

He grasped the leading spars of the lift wings before pushing himself off the ground and hooking his feet over the glider. With the help of his Airbending, Aang took to the air. The children of the village cheered as he began to make loops in the sky.

"He's flying!" One little girl called out.

"He's amazing!" Another squealed.

He ended up flying sideways with his eyes closed and a broad grin, seeing him straight into a watchtower made of snow which crumbled around him. Aang managed to free his head from where it had been stuck and tumbled to the snow below.

"Ah!" Sokka lamented as his sister ran towards the Airbender. "My watchtower!"

Katara reached towards Aang, helping him to his feet. "That was amazing!"

Sokka ran up and began patting his watchtower as if trying to fix it. Aang beamed at Katara happily as he twirled his glider around to retract the wings; meanwhile, a large pile of snow fell onto Sokka and knocked him down.

"Great." Sokka grumbled in annoyance as he struggled to get out of the snow. "You're an Airbender while Katara's a Waterbender. Together, you can just waste time all day long."

He finally managed to free himself from underneath the snow and stalked off.

"You're a Waterbender?" Aang asked

"Well, sort off." Katara returned nervously. "Not yet."

"Alright, no more playing." Gran-Gran declared. "Come on, Katara. You have chores."

"I told you he's the real thing, Gran-Gran." Katara whispered as they walked away. "I've finally found a Bender to teach me."

"Katara, try not to put all your hopes in this boy." Gran-Gran warned.

"But, he's special." Katara argued. "I can tell." She smiled. "I sense he's filled with wisdom."

Over with the children, the wisdom filled Airbender had managed to stick his tongue to his staff.

Zuko's Ship: Cell, Evening…
As Naruto came to, he could hear what sounded like waves splashing up against something metallic. He looked around, recognizing he was in what looked like a cell. The few times he'd been caught for his pranks back at the village, he'd sometimes be placed in one briefly.

"Where am I?" Naruto questioned himself.

Naruto knew what happened to him, from leaving the village to drowning until he met with Kurama officially. He could reason out how he was alive, along with why he was a touch out of it. His current state is what prevented him from freaking out in the moment.

"Before I tell you, keep a level head."

Naruto blinked in surprise upon hearing the familiar voice in his mind. "Kurama?"

"With our contract in place, I can communicate with you like this. Now, where are we? In a general sense, we're in the Four Nations. South Pole, from what I've overheard. More specifically, you're a prisoner aboard a Fire Nation ship."

"I'm a prisoner?" Naruto questioned.

He was stunned yet subdued as his mind worked hard to catch up with how awake the rest of him was. Naruto was still hearing what Kurama had to say and processing it, his current state was just keeping him calmer than he might otherwise be in this situation.

"I don't know how long we have, one of the two guards outside your door walked off the moment you began to stir, so you now need to listen. First, I'm going to give you your initial lesson with me as a Shinobi."

Kurama was no Shinobi. You couldn't mistake him as one, and he loathed them. They had controlled and contained him. If he wanted the death of Madara Uchiha and to one day earn his freedom under the contract, the best path would be to train Naruto as a Shinobi.

"What lesson is that?" Naruto asked.

"The time to strike is when an enemy sleeps and drops their guard. When their weapons lay forgotten in the stillness of the night. That is the moment when a Shinobi strikes. In other words, now is the time to exercise patience and await an opportune moment to escape."

"Probably for the best, given I don't know a thing about the Four Nations." Naruto recognized. "Didn't even know there was such a thing. Wait, if you know about them…"

"Haven't been in this part of the world for centuries, well before I was controlled or contained. All I can tell you is what has hopefully stayed constant, though don't rely too heavily on it. Additionally, keep what little wits you have about you going forward…"

"Stupid, Fox." Naruto thought, recognizing the slight insult.

Ship Deck
As Kurama spoke with Naruto, Iroh watched his nephew face two soldiers. "Again."

Zuko began by spreading his arms in the direction of the two Firebenders, shooting a jet of flame from each fist at them. The two soldiers blocked Zuko's attack, so he quickly shifted his weight forward to duck under a blast from the Firebender on his left.

The Firebender on the right leapt forward while aiming a blast at Zuko's feet, but he propelled himself out of the way. Zuko twisted in mid-air and directed another fire blast with his hand at the Firebender that retaliated first.

Then, using his foot, he fired another blast at the second Firebending soldier. Both soldiers jumped out of the way as Zuko landed on his feet a few feet away, his fists outstretched towards them in preparation for another attack.

Iroh let out a sigh and stood. "No! Power in Firebending comes from breath." He moved both his hands up from his lower abdomen to his chest. "Not the muscle." The older Firebender stretched his arm out as if he were firing a blast.

"The breath becomes energy in the body. The energy extends past your limbs and becomes fire!" He thrust his fist out, directing a weak fire blast at his nephew that evaporated before it could scorch him. "Get it right this time."

"Enough!" Zuko exclaimed impatiently as he stalked towards his uncle with barely suppressed anger. "I've been drilling this sequence all day. Teach me the next set. I'm more than ready."

"No, you are impatient." Iroh barked as he sat down in his chair. "You have yet to master your basics." He raised his voice to a stern yell. "Drill it again!"

Zuko clenched his teeth in anger before whirling around and kicking his foot out. He unleashed a powerful blast at one of the soldiers. Unable to stop it, the soldier was sent flying back while the second one watched on in surprise.

"The sages tell us the Avatar is the last Airbender." Zuko snapped as he stalked back over his uncle. "He's had a century to master the four elements. I'll need more than basic Firebending to defeat him." He leaned closer to his uncle. "You will teach me the advanced set!"

"Very well." Iroh conceded reluctantly in a dire tone, which changed abruptly to one of delight as he picked up a bowl from the ground. "First, I must finish my roast duck."

"Prince Zuko!" One of his men called out, stepping onto the dock.

A muscle in Zuko's cheek twitched as he turned his gaze sharply to the man. "What!?"

"Sir, the boy is waking." The guard relayed.

Zuko let out a breath, stalking away from his uncle who was now shoveling pieces of roast duck into his mouth. "Lead me to his cell as you return to your post."

He walked past his uncle, who only glanced at him as he left.

Naruto's Cell
The door to his cell opened, seeing Naruto toss the blanket to the side as he sat up. Kurama went quiet before Zuko entered, reminding him to keep a cool head in the face of his captor.

"You there." Zuko barked. "Where is the old man?"

Naruto initially assumed this guy was talking about Hiruzen, only to remember where he was. "What old man?"

"The Avatar." Zuko returned. "You floated into the path of my ship from the direction that blue beam was spotted. A display like that could have only come from him, which was followed hours later by the appearance of you."

"I haven't seen some old man." Naruto returned, a bit annoyed. "For your information, I was dropped into the sea days ago now until some strong wave smacked by body atop a sheet of ice. Probably the one you found me on, but I wouldn't know."

Zuko glared at the kid, critically. "You've been in this ocean for days now before just happening to smack onto a sheet of ice?"

"It's all I know, believe me or not." Naruto retorted.

The two of them then stared at one another critically, Zuko getting the feeling this kid was omitting something. At the same time, he had the reports from his ship's doctors who determined he was unconscious long before and after that light show.

"His appearance and clothes are unlike anything found here in the Four Nations." Zuko thought. "Not to mention no one should have been able to survive for days in these waters, let alone have survived freezing on a sheet of ice for hours after."

Even though he determined this boy had nothing on the Avatar through their brief conversation, something clearly wasn't adding up here. "Could he be what was contained within the iceberg? If he's not the Avatar, it doesn't really matter what this boy is."

"What are you going to do, Firecracker?" Naruto voiced.

"My name is Zuko, crowned prince of the Fire Nation." Zuko growled. "As for what I'm going to do, you can stay within this cell and rethink this attitude you've given me. Then, I'll tell you what happens with you."

He turned to the door, opening it.

"Well, Zuko." Naruto called out, standing and looking at him defiantly. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Remember it because there's not many who can claim to keep me captive for long. Believe it!"

Zuko scoffed and shook his head. "Some delusional, Earth Kingdom kid from old money it is."

Having settled on where he thought this brat was from, Zuko took his leave. Not even seconds later, Naruto heard the door being looked and could see two guards moving into place on either side through the window in the door.

"Guess all I need to do know is wait for a more opportune moment." Naruto thought.

Naruto didn't understand why this prince wanted the Avatar, even from what little Kurama was able to tell him. All he did know was the guy seemed pretty serious about what just happened.

"Given we have time, I might as well continue telling you what I know."

Naruto laid back down, putting his arms behind his head. "Might as well understand where I am, at least as much as you can tell me."

Anyone Naruto may have trusted prior wasn't where he could easily reach them now. Even though Kurama didn't like him, any humans for that matter, he was the reason the blond had survived. While that might be down to their contract, it still afforded trust in the Naruto's eyes.

Wolf's Cove
"Now, men, it's important you show no fear when faced with a Firebender." Sokka pulled out his club. "In the Water Tribe, we fight till the last man's standing. For without courage, how can we call ourselves men?"

As it turned out, the 'men' he was talking to were a group of six boy. One of them didn't look all that interested as the others didn't know what to say.

Finally, one of the boys raised his hand. "I gotta pee!"

"Listen!" Sokka demanded. "Until your fathers return from the war, they're counting on you to be the men of this tribe, and that means no potty breaks!"

"But, I really gotta go!" The boy retorted.

Sokka sighed. "Okay, who else has to go?"

All five of the other boys raised their hands, seeing Sokka groan as he facepalmed.

"Have you seen Aang?" Katara came up to him. "Gran-Gran said he disappeared an hour ago."

"Wow!" Said Airbender was just emerging from a bathroom like igloo, laughing. "Everything freezes in there."

All the children started to laugh.

"Katara, get him out of here." Sokka demanded. "This lesson is for warriors only."

Just as he was about to walk away, a child yelled, "Whee!"

The siblings turned to see Aang had Appa's tail suspended over a sawhorse made from a few sticks and Sokka's spear. The kids started to slide down the tail and flew in the air before landing in a pile of snow. Katara giggled upon seeing it.

"Stop!" Sokka wasn't in the mood as he ran over. "Stop it right now!" He angrily looked at Aang. "What's wrong with you? We don't have time for fun and games with the war going on."

"What war?" Aang lept down. "What are you talking about?"

"You're kidding, right?" Sokka asked in disbelief.

Before Aang could say anything more, he saw something in the distance that brought a huge grin to his face. "Penguin!"

There was a penguin which suddenly became scared and waddled away. Not wasting another second, Aang took off after it.

"He's kidding, right?" Sokka asked.

Katara could only give him an unsure look.

Outside Wolf's Cove
Katara followed Aang, who in turn followed the penguin to a whole flock of them.

The Airbender laughed as he wasn't having any luck trying to catch a penguin, clearly having fun with it. "Come on, little guy." He turned to another one. "Want to go sledding?" As he chased the waddling creature, he tripped and chuckles as Katara joined him. "I have a way with animals."

He righted himself and started to waddle while making squawking noises.

Katara laughed at his silliness before saying, "Aang, I'll help you catch a penguin if you teach me Waterbending."

Aang managed to grab a penguin by the tail and was being dragged when he let it go. "You got a deal!" He looked off to the side. "Just one problem. I'm an Airbender, not a Waterbender." He stood. "Isn't there someone in your tribe who can help you?"

"No." Katara's face turned downcast. "You're looking at the only Waterbender in the whole South Pole."

"This isn't right." Aang noted. "A Waterbender should be able to master water if they want." A thought came to him. "What about the North Pole? There's another Water Tribe up there, right?"

"Maybe." Katara wasn't so sure about that. "We haven't had contact with our sister tribe in a long time. It's not exactly turn right at the second glacier. It's on the other side of the world."

"You forget, I have a flying bison." Aang pointed at himself. "Appa and I can personally fly you to the North Pole. Katara, we're going to find you a master!"

"I don't know." Katara wasn't sure. "I've never left home before."

"Well, think about it." Aang said, letting her come to the decision. "In the meantime, can you teach me to catch one of these penguins?"

"Okay, listen closely my young pupil." With a smile, Katara started to reach into her pocket. "Catching penguins is an ancient and sacred art." She then revealed a tiny fish from her pocket. "Observe."

Katara threw the fish to him, causing all of the penguins nearby to start squawking as they waddled over to get it. Aang giggled as they start to pile up on him.

Later…
Aang and Katara were on the backs of penguins, both shouted happily as they flew off a cliff. They then landed on a slope, continuing to ride on through a strip with high walls. Aang moved to what looked like a ramp and slid off it, laughing as he landed in front of Katara.

As they come together on their 'sleds', Katara yelled, "I haven't done this since I was a kid!"

"You are still a kid!" Aang shouted back.

They slid towards a mound of ice that had many tunnels in it. Katara took the lead in one of the tunnels as Aang followed her. In the circular tunnel, they started to weave where they could. Using his Airbending, Aang shot ahead of Katara.

Soon, they came out of the tunnel as the penguins slowed. As they came to a stop, Aang and Katara got off the backs of the penguins. As the penguins waddled away, their attention was grabbed by something nearby.

"Whoa!" Aang voiced, as they looked at a giant metal ship suspended by ice. "What is that?"

"A Fire Navy ship." Katara didn't sound happy. "It's a very bad memory for my people." After a moment of looking at it, Aang started towards it. "Aang, stop! We're not allowed to go near it."

Aang turned to her. "If you want to be a Bender, you must let go of fear."

Katara was still hesitant but followed. Climbing up the ice that kept the ship aground, they made their way through a hole in the hull.

Abandoned Fire Naby Ship
The pair passed by many doors as they walked through the dark hallways of the ship. They eventually entered a room with weapons.

As they looked around, Katara said, "This ship has haunted my tribe since Gran-Gran was a little girl. It was part of the Fire Nation's first attacks."

"Okay, back up." Aang moved through the room. "I have friends all over the world, even in the Fire Nation." He picked up a spear. "I've never seen any war."

"Aang, how long were you in that iceberg?" Katara asked.

"I don't know." Aang put the spear away, "A few days, maybe."

"I think it was more like a hundred years." Katara voiced, the realization hitting her.

"What? That's impossible." Aang looked back at her in disbelief. "Do I look like a hundred and twelve-year-old man to you?"

"Think about it." Katara returned. "The war is a century old. You don't know about it because, somehow, you were in there the whole time." Aang's face becomes one of shock as he realized she was right. "It's the only explanation."

Now distraught, Aang put a hand to his head as he backed up to the wall and slid into a sitting position. "A hundred years!" Katara came and knelt by his side. "I can't believe it."

"I'm sorry, Aang." Katara put a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe there's a bright side to all this."

Aang's frown turned into a smile. "I did get to meet you."

Katara returned the smile before standing and helping him up. "Come on, let's get out of here."

They left the room to continue exploring and even managed to reach near the top of the ship.

It was at this point Katara felt they had been here long enough. "Aang, let's head back. This place is creepy."

Never the less, they still walked into the room. As he went in further, Aang felt something on his foot. Looking down, he saw it was a sting which caused a door to fall over the doorway.

"Oh, this isn't good." Aang voiced.

More sounds could be heard from inside the room as steam came out of pipes. The pair looked out the window to see a signal flare fly high into the sky where it could be seen by all. Looking up to the ceiling, Aang saw a hole.

"Hold on tight." Aang voiced, scooping Katara up.

Using Airbending, Aang jumped out of the ship.

Zuko's Ship
As he viewed the flare from the telescope, Zuko looked to see what caused it.

"The last Airbender." He then saw the pair as Aang jumped down the ship. "Quite agile for his old age." He turned to one of his soldiers. "Wake my uncle. Tell him I found the Avatar…" He looked through the telescope again and saw where he was going. "… as well as his hiding place."