~ {0} ~

Fire benders and Earth benders colliding, that's all she saw, the endless fight between the two Nations. It was storming, the sky gray, the clouds unleashing huge amounts of water on the soil. Aang, Iris and Zuko stood on the hill watching the fight from above. Behind Aang there was Avatar Roku's spirit, behind Zuko, stood Ozai, and behind Iris, stood Gershwin. All disappointed from the sight before them.

"One moment, I know, deep in my heart, that I must defend my people. But the next doubt creeps in. Maybe I'm supposed to follow through the Harmony Restoration Movement," Zuko said.

"Prove yourself worthy of the throne, my son!" Ozai said from behind.

"Aang, Iris, how am I supposed to figure out what's right when his voice is all I hear?! You two could have silenced him forever... perhaps then I could have found peace. But you didn't, and now I can't," Zuko said.

"I'm sorry, Zuko," Iris said stepping between her brother and Zuko. Aang had a skeptical grin on his face.

"When he had a firm grasp of the good, your friend asked you for a promise," Roku said.

"The Fire Lord's will, determines what is right! Embrace the truth and you'll possess the peace that you desire!" Ozai said.

"I don't think I'll ever stop feeling lost," Zuko said.

Iris turned at Gershwin's spirit that stood behind her "You have to choose, Iris. Zuko's life, or yours? Balance is no longer a choice," Gershwin said warningly.

Iris turned at the two. Both Aang and Zuko facing each other.

"Now fulfill your promise and restore the world to harmony," Roku said.

"Go ahead, Aang! Do it!" Zuko said, waiting for his friend to kill him.

Aang closed his eyes and when he opened them, he was in the Avatar State. His eyes and his tattoos glowing, the Four Elements circling around him. Zuko saw a woman behind Roku's spirit. She was crying, and she felt familiar.

"Wait! Don't cry!" Zuko shouted pointing at her.

Before he could move, Aang attacked, sending a blast from all the elements towards him. But they never reached him as Iris fell between them shouting "No!" and enduring the blast instead of Zuko.

Zuko's eyes widened when Iris's wounded body fell down. He immediately knelt beside her taking her in his arms. Iris winced loudly, her hand on the bleeding wound. But her expression softened when she looked up at Zuko. Tears streaming out of his eyes and he held her against him.

"Don't cry," Iris said wincing and cupping his face. "If my brother has to kill you, he'll have to kill me first," she said with tears in her eyes. "I can't live in this world without you, Zuko," she said, her thump brushing over his watery cheek.

Her hand fell down, and her head sank back.

"No, no, no, no, no...." Zuko said endlessly and he pulled her dead body in a tight hug, letting her nose nuzzle in his neck. "You can't leave me... please... don't leave me again..." he said sobbing kissing her forehead.

He saw Aang, still in the Avatar State attacking him, hitting him this time...

~ {0} ~

The three of them, snapped off their sleep, cutting the dream in the middle, with cries of alarm and terror.

Aang turned around and he looked at Katara who was still thankfully sleeping on the other side of the saddle, despite the loud cry he made from the nightmare.

Thoughts of fear started filling his mind. What if Iris indeed falls between us? He didn't even want to think about what would happen.

Iris walked out of the school. After that nightmare it felt like some fresh air would do her some good. She couldn't help but remember Gershwin's words.

"You have to choose, Iris. Zuko's life, or yours? Balance is no longer a choice,"

What am I gonna do?! She exclaimed in her mind and she folded her hands against her torso, pacing around.

Iris walked back in her room, picking up her stuff, settling her weapons and leaving a letter behind. She had to return back to Yu Dao, Aang would probably need her. She walked out of the building opening her glider and she started flying towards the City.

She had, somehow, already made a decision...

~o~0~o~0~o~0~o~0~o~0~o~

Next Morning, Aang and Katara tried to warn the Fire Nation villagers to evacuate, but in the process the Yu Dao resistance attacked them. They finally caught them in an Ax Factory, where they surprisingly found Sneers.

"Sneers?!" Aang and Katara shouted surprised.

"Hi, Avatar Aang, hi Katara," Sneers said, rubbing nervously the back of his neck.

"I don't get it. WHY WOULD YOU-?!" Aang shouted walking towards him but a female voice cut him.

"Because you're trying to force us out of our homes, Avatar Aang! We're not leaving!"

They all looked at the entrance of the Factory only to see a woman coming walking towards them.

"Wait, I've seen you before-!" Katara said.

"I'm Kori Morishita, and we are the Yu Dao resistance," Kori said.

"You have to evacuate immediately, you have no idea what's coming!" Aang said turning at her.

"And, Sneers, weren't you helping lead the protests outside of the City just a few days ago?!" Katara asked pointing accusingly at him.

"Look, I grew up hating the Fire Nation. What those ash-makers did to my parents- That's why I became a Freedom Fighter. But when Jet and the other guys went to Ba Sing Se, I came to Yu Dai to live with my uncle..." Sneers said and he walked towards Kori taking her hands in his "...then without even meaning to, I fell in love with an ash-maker,"

Aang's and Katara's eyes widely opened. "Wait! You are going out with you?!" Aang exclaimed in disbelief pointing in both of them.

"Yeah, I hid it from our friends for a long time, but I'm done with that. My girlfriend is Fire Nation," Sneers answered.

"So are all my cousins on my mom's side,"

"And my favorite teacher,"

"My stepfather,"

"The guy who sells me Mochi every morning!"

"You joined the Yu Dai resistance to defend a guy who sells you Mochi?" Katara asked crossing her hands.

"It's a really good Mochi!"

Aang dragged Sneers a bit closer asking "So, I just want to make sure I'm getting this right. You are going out with her...?" Aang asked pointing at Sneers and Kori.

"Yeah, what're you getting at?" Sneers asked.

Aang pulled the grin of confusion away and he gave Sneers a thumps-up "Nothing! Wait to go Sneers!"

"Let Smellerbee and her protesters come! We can handle them!" Kori said.

"But the protesters aren't the only ones you have to worry about! Earth King Kuei is coming with his army! They could arrive at any moment!" Aang said.

"No way! An entire army-?!"

"THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN TRYING TO TELL YOU!" Aang shouted exasperatedly "You have to go! A handful of resistance can't possibly stand up to a whole army!"

"We can if the Avatar joins us," Sneers suggested.

"Sneers, no! I told the Earth King I'd see the Harmony Restoration Movement through the end," Aang said.

"Aang, maybe we should hear them out..." Katara tried to say placing her hand on Aang's shoulder.

"Well, if you won't help us, Avatar Aang, maybe one of those Avatars or the Defender will," Kori said pointing at the entrance.

Aang and Katara turned around only see Iris and a bunch of other fan club girls wearing Air Nomad clothes. Iris walked towards her brother and the two siblings pulled each other in a tight hug.

"I missed you, little brother," Iris said hugging him tightly.

"I missed you too," Aang said as he pulled back to let Katara hug her.

"How are you?" Katara asked pulling back.

"I'm fine, what is going on?" Iris asked.

Aang frowned "The Earth King's Army is heading our way to force the Fire Nation colonials out," he answered.

"Force Harmony' Like the Earth King said," Katara said snorting and crossing her arms.

Iris growled angrily "Those World Leaders are crazy! Ozai wanted to burn down the world, the Earth King wants to force harmony!" she said angrily. "Zuko won't stand and watch doing nothing,"

"How do you know?" Katara asked.

"Cause I know Zuko so well," Iris snarled fearing that her nightmare would come true.

"Greetings Avatar Aang and Defender Iris. The Yu Dao Chapter of Avatar Fan Club has eagerly anticipated your arrival. I'm Xin Ying, the Club President," One of the women wearing the Air Nomad clothes said.

Then another group came walking towards them, all wearing black clothes with daggers fitted everywhere on them. Another woman came out with a bow in her hand and she bowed in front of Aang and Iris.

"Greetings from the Defender Iris Fan Club of Assassins," She said "I'm Elin, the Club President,"

Iris raised an eyebrow. The last thing she needed was a Fan Club of idiots mimicking her and dressing alike. "Assassins?" she asked.

"Of course," Elin answered.

"I don't do that anymore," Iris said snorting and crossing her arms.

"That is true, but you still have the skills of one," Elin said keeping that smile frozen on her face.

Iris shrugged boringly.

"Are you all Presidents?" Aang asked pointing at the Club Presidents.

"Why would we all be Presidents?" Xin Ying asked confusedly.

"You're really different," Aang said excitedly.

When Aang and Iris figured out that the Air Bending Tattoos on the Fan Club girls were real, they both stormed off angrily. They got together to the Yu Dao gates as to try and buy some time for the Colonials with the Earth King's army.

The two air bending siblings sat on the gates of the City, looking at the far horizon from up there. Aang was silent for a long moment. A frown was on his face. He was getting really angry seeing other people treating the culture of his people like a costume... a game. Iris hated it too, but she was doing a better job in containing her anger.

"If there is anyone who deserves Air Bending Tattoos, is you," Aang said looking at his sister.

Iris turned her head at him "It's okay, Aang-"

"No..." Aang snapped and then he stopped talking trying to find the correct words. He buried his face in his hands briefly and then he turned again at his sister "...Iris, you've always been a better Air-bending Master than I am. You never had the chance to earn yours-"

"Aang, it's okay," Iris said interrupting him, seeing the gleam of anger and exasperation in his eyes. "...let's just deal with this crisis and talk about that later. You need to calm down,"

Aang took a deep breath "You're right, it's just... last night I had this... crazy nightmare," he muttered.

Iris looked at him. She pressed the tips of her two fingers on the left side of her head and she tried to fumble a bit through his memories. It was indeed a great coincidence that they had shared the same nightmare.

"I know, I saw this nightmare too," Iris said bitterly looking away and getting out of his mind.

"After you fell..." Aang tried to say hesitantly "...I woke up, I couldn't stand to watch more, but I want to know, what happened next?" he asked looking sadly at her and curious.

Iris looked away from her brother hesitating "Y-you killed Zuko... we died together," she sadly.

Aang buried his face in his hands.

"Aang..." Iris said and placed her hand on her brother's shoulder "...you'd never do that. This was just a nightmare,"

"What if it happens? What if Zuko marches with his Army here, right now, and start a new war? I can't afford another war, Iris. What if I'd have to do it?" Aang asked looking seriously at her.

Iris let her gaze slip down "You mean your promise,"

"And you have to promise me that you won't get between us," Aang said taking her arm in his.

Iris looked up at him "You know I can't do that," she said.

"Iris, please, I can't lose you because of what I have to do-" Aang tried to say but Iris cut him.

"I can't let you kill him, Aang. If it ever gets to that, what we saw in that nightmare, is exactly what is going to happen..." Iris said.

Aang looked away from her, scowling, trying to figure out a solution to this.

Iris placed her hand on his shoulder "...what if I'd try to kill Katara, what would you do?" she asked.

Aang's expression on his face immediately softened, and he looked at her in full understanding. "I would stop you," he answered.

Iris smiled at her brother. Her smile fading away as she looked at the horizon in front of them. "You two are so lucky," she muttered, sadly looking away.

"I hate watching you being like this," Aang said giving his sister's hand a gentle squeeze.

Iris tried to change the subject and she woke up opening her glider "I'm gonna check the tip of the Earth Kingdom to see if my suspicions about Zuko are right," and then she took and she started flying away...

~o~0~o~0~o~0~o~0~o~0~o~

"...from the outside, it looks as if I'm acting just like him. Does it matter my reasons are different? You wanted a quiet life after the war and that's the one thing I can give you, to begin repaying for all you've done for me..."

Iris heard Zuko's voice down the hall. The guards had directed her to that room when she asked to see the Fire Lord. She opened the metallic door slowly, making sure she was enough quiet so he won't be able to notice her.

"...I know what you would say. I should stop worrying about repaying you and think about Iris. She's sacrificed her life so many times for me. I wish you two were here. I miss you, uncle, and I miss her... a lot,"

"I miss you too," A female, familiar voice heard from behind.

Zuko's eyes widened and he immediately turned around to see who it was. When he saw Iris, the frown on his face turned to a smile and he tried to wake up and walk towards her.

Iris walked towards him and wrapped his both hands in hers, kneeling in front of him shoving him back down. She found herself smiling. But that smile disappeared when she remembered what was really going on.

"What is going on, Zuko?" Iris asked softly.

Zuko heaved a sigh looking away from her for a brief moment and then he looked back at her answering "The Earth King's Army is heading right now to Yu Dao, I need to defend my people, Iris. Can you understand? I won't let the Earth King hurt any of them, those people were on these lands for more than a century. I know it looks like I'm doing exactly what my father would do but I-"

Iris schussed him, placing her one finger on his lips "I understand, but I'm afraid the others won't," She said, remembering of her brother and letting her finger slip away from his lips.

"Aang?" Zuko asked.

Iris nodded "Yeah," she said looking away from him.

When his hand slipped towards her cheek, cupping her face gently, she closed her eyes enjoying all of it. The warmth of his hand, the gentle touch when his fingers came in contact with her skin. She kissed his hand turning her face at it and supporting his hand with hers.

His arm slipped down to the back of her neck, caressing it gently. Zuko leaned closer, pressing their foreheads together for a long moment, eyes locking.

But that moment didn't last, when suddenly the door of the room opened. They both pulled away from each other and a soldier walked in with Zuko's Royal Helmet in his hands.

"Fire Lord Zuko! We've landed on the shores of the Earth Kingdom,"

Zuko took his helmet and they both woke up. He wore his helmet and then he looked at her "Are you coming?"

"From above,"

~o~0~o~0~o~0~o~0~o~0~o~

Here it is guys! Next two chapters will be updated today! (This was supposed to be one chapter but it turned out really big!)

Let me know if you liked it and if you did don't forget to Vote and Comment!