"I can't believe I lost him," Katara said hopelessly, kneeling down next to the pool. Luna stood next to Appa and stroked his soft, white fur as she tried the keep her emotions at bay. The last thing they needed right now was for her to loose control and reveal her secret. "You did everything you could, Katara," Luna tried to sooth as she continued to run her fingers through Appa's hair. Katara continued to look down at the pool in despair. With a sigh, Luna stepped away from the bison and walked over to Katara, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I promise you that we will get Aang back. Zuko couldn't have gotten far, so we could catch up. Aang will be fine but we need your help." Katara looked up at her, her eyes glossed over with tears. "Okay," she said and stood up, walking over and climbing into the saddle on the bison's back. Luna looked over at the lemur who still sat beside the pool, letting out a soft, sorrowful chitter. "It's okay, Momo. You can stay here, in case Aang comes back," Luna said and gave a small pat on his head. She then turned and quickly jumped onto the saddle before Sokka yelled 'Yip! Yip!'. Appa launched himself off of the ground and flew out of the sanctuary, carrying the team on his back.
The wind whipped Luna's black locks back as they soared through the sky in silence, looking for any sign of their friend or the firebender. Luna's thoughts were racing as she scanned the three faces that sat with her on the saddle. Katara looked sorrowful and hopeless as she looked down at her hands. She looked on the verge of tears and Luna knew she was beating herself up for losing Aang. Yue looked concerned Sokka on the other hand, showed no emotion on his face but Luna could see through it. He was worried and sad but was trying to stay strong for them. Luna knew that she wouldn't be able to keep her secret from them for much longer. Her power would surface again and she wouldn't be able to control it. It was only a matter of time. Luna looked up at the stars that shone above her, then at the moon that hung just above the horizon. Flashes of the past came back in flashed. One in particular stuck in her mind and wouldn't pass. The whole scene played out in her head. It was the first time she had lost control in front of Osamu. It was only a week after Osamu had took her in. Only a week after her power had surfaced. Only a week after she had watched her mother being killed by a Fire Nation general. She had had a terrible nightmare about her mother's and father's death that night and her emotions were set in overdrive when Osamu had shook her awake. Even though she had awoken, she had still been in the nightmare. Instead of Osamu, she had seen the Fire Nation general looking down at her. She had lost it. She had attacked Osamu without mercy. When she had finally come out of her trance, the house was a mess and Osamu looked at her with bewildered eyes. Luckily, he understood and hadn't thrown me onto the streets. "Look! That's gotta be Aang! Yip, yip!" Katara's voice cut through Luna's thoughts. She looked up just in time to see a white streak of light shoot through the sky. Sokka flipped Appa's reigns, causing him to follow the streak of light. The light shot into a nearby cave and disappeared into darkness. Soon, Aang came flying out of the cave and tried his best to escape but his rope bounds made it nearly impossible. Before he could go any further, Zuko grabbed his collar and picked him up. Seeing this sent Luna over the edge. Her eyes turned silver as she jumped of Appa's back, even though they were still high up in the air. She heard someone call her name but she paid no attention. The wind whipped by her as she fell and just before she hit the snow, she made an air bubble between her and the ground. It cushioned her fall as she fell onto it, before she jumped off it and gracefully landed on the cold snow. Aang and Zuko's eyes widened in shock and the two of the three people on the bison were probably shocked as well. "Another airbender?" Zuko asked shocked. "Nope. Try again," Luna said as she walked closer to them, not paying attention to the bison who landed behind her. Her eyes turned red just as Zuko sent a blast of fire towards her. She placed her left foot in front of her, balancing her weight onto her right leg, and raised her left hand in front of her with her right arm held against her body. The fire that was sent her way split into two just before it passed her as she bended it, and disappeared. Zuko's eyes widened in realization. "You're the Elemental." A small smirk appeared on Luna's lips as her eyes turned ocean blue. Holding her arms out, palms facing down, she melted the snow and raised her hands, the water following her movements. In one movement, she leaped forward, shifting her weight and sent the water flying towards Zuko. She quickly raised the water into a tower and froze it in place, trappings Zuko at the top of the tower of ice. He looked down to her, his golden eyes sparked with anger. Just knowing he was a part of the nation who has caused so much pain in her life made her want to inflict the same pain that she went through on him. But as she looked into those golden eyes, behind all the anger, she saw pain and sorrow. The scar that ran across his left eye and the bruises across his face told her that he has endured much suffering on his own. She quickly brought her hands down, making the ice melt and the water to drag him down quickly, knocking him out. "Luna...H-How did you do that?" Katara asked from behind her but she couldn't focus. She could only stare at the unconscious firebender in front of her. He had captured Aang and hurt Katara. She should hate him. She shouldn't even be able to look at him without wanting to hurt him but she didn't. And she hated it. She felt all eyes on her but she didn't care. Her secret was out and she wasn't worried. All she could think about was the fact that she couldn't bring herself to hate this boy. Frustrated with her own thoughts, she turned without another word, walked over to Appa and jumped onto the saddle. Sokka cut Aang loose and said something about the rope but Luna didn't listen. She sat with her legs pulled up to her body and her arms folded around them. "Are you alright?" Yue asked as she came to sit next to Luna. "I'm fine," Luna lied, continuing to stare in front of her. "Don't lie to me. What's wrong," Yue pushed. Luna stayed silent. With a sigh, Yue wrapped her arms around Luna and pulled her into a hug. It was all that she really needed at the moment and Yue knew it. "We need to get to the oasis! The spirits are in trouble!" Aang said urgently. He hopped onto Appa at the reigns and Katara and Sokka quickly got on too. Just as they were about to take of, Luna glanced at the unconscious Zuko. "We can't just leave him here," she spoke up. "Sure we can. Let's go," Sokka stated but Aang also looked at Zuko. "Luna's right. If we leave him here he'll die." Aang jumped off of Appa, grabbed Zuko and jumped back, placing Zuko on the saddle. "Yeah, this makes a lot of sense. Let's bring the guy who's constantly trying to kill us!" Sokka exclaimed, irritation clear in his voice. Soon, Appa leaped off the ground and flew through the air. Luna sneaked a glance at Zuko before turning her head to look at the passing scenery. The scenery suddenly changed as everything turned a blood red colour. Her head snapped up to see the moon had turned red, sending an uneasy shiver down her spine. She clutched the necklace around her neck for comfort but the warm feeling she always felt when she did was missing. Yue clutched her head in pain. "Are you okay?" Sokka asked from beside Yue. "I feel faint," was her reply. "I feel it too," Aang said as he also clutched his head. "The Moon Spirit is in trouble." All other worries from before were out of Luna's head as she willed herself to focus on helping the important spirit. "I owe the Moon Spirit my life," Yue stated, all eyes turning to her. "What do you mean?" Luna asked, not knowing what her friend was talking about. "When I was born I was very sick and very weak. Most babies cry when they're born but I was born as if I were asleep. My eyes closed," she began. "Our healers did everything they could. They told my mother and father I was going to die. My father pleaded with the spirits to save me. That night, beneath the full moon, he brought me to the oasis and placed me in the pond. My dark hair turned white, I opened my eyes and began to cry - and they knew I would live. That's why my mother named me Yue, for the moon, "she finished, looking up at everyone. Luna never knew this. She had never told her and now she felt even closer to Yue, as if she should protect her as much as she could.
As the group flew up to the oasis, Luna froze. In front of the pond, there was a few Fire Nation soldiers standing behind a man who held up a small bag in his hand, which Luna assumed held the Moon Spirit. But that wasn't what mad her froze. The man she knew him. Flashes of that night came back to her. She looked into his cold, brown eyes as he held her mother in his grasp. 'You know, it's such a shame really. I wouldn't want to hurt such a precious gift but the Fire Lord didn't send us to capture you.' Words could not describe the anger she was feeling at that very moment. The very man who had murdered her parents stood tall and proud, not feeling any remorse for the girl's life that he had ruined. 'Control your anger. Channel it to your advantage,' she told herself in her head. She took a deep breath and fought the urge to rip him apart where he stood. Appa landed on the island and Luna was the first to jump off the bison. Momo flew up to the man and attacked his face, pulling on his hair and trying to stop him. "Get it off," the man yelled. Just as all the soldiers went to grab Momo, he flew away and landed on Aang's extended arm. The man finally noticed them, causing them to shift into their battle stances. All Luna wanted to do was attack. Make him feel the pain that he had caused but she held back. "Don't bother," he said and held up the bag, pointing his fist at it. The scene reminded Luna of that night and she was using every single fiber in her body to not attack then and there, in fear that the spirit will be harmed. All of them lowered their defenses. "Zhao! Don't!" Aang yelled as he dropped his staff and held his hands up in surrender. Zhao...So that was the name of her parents' murderer. "It's my destiny... to destroy the Moon... and the Water Tribe," Zhao declared. "Destroying the moon won't just hurt the Water Tribe. It will hurt everyone - including you. Without the moon, everything would fall out of balance. You have no idea what kind of chaos that would unleash on the world," Aang tried to reason. "He is right, Zhao," an unfamiliar voice said. All attention turned to an elderly man who stood on the bridge with his hands placed inside his sleeves. "General Iroh, why am I not surprised to discover your treachery?" Zhao asked with a bored and lecturing tone. "I'm no traitor, Zhao," Iroh said and lowered his hood. "The Fire Nation needs the moon too. We all depend on the balance," he stated. There was a pause as Zhao stared at Iroh, not looking phased. "Whatever you do to that spirit I'll unleash on you ten-fold!" Iroh threatened, shifting into a firebending stance. "LET IT GO, NOW!" There was another pause as Zhao held Iroh's gaze, before his glare softened and he closed his eyes in defeat. He knelled down next to the pool and placed the fish in the pool once more. Without warning, Zhao cried out in anger and sent a slice of fire towards the fish. Everyone looked in horror as the flames shot through the pond. The world fell into darkness as the moon disappeared from the sky. Luna couldn't keep her anger at bay anymore. She stepped towards Zhao, her red orbs shining through the darkness. He looked up at her with his cold, brown eyes, which widened when he saw her. "You..." he said under his breath. She unleash all her fury on him as she sent a large fireball his way, which he easily blocked. All at once his men came at her. She used a combination of her martial arts skills and firebending to knock them all to the ground but when she looked up, Zhao was nowhere in sight. She wanted to go after him but all her anger disappeared when she saw the dead koi fish floating on top of the water. Her eyes went back to normal as she stepped towards the pool with the others. Iroh bent over and picked up the dead fish in his hands. "There's no hope now. It's over," Yue said on the verge of tears as she leaned into Sokka's arms. Aang's arrow tattoos started to glow as he shut his eyes. "No. It's not over." He spoke with what sounded like hundreds of voices all at once. When he opened his eyes they were glowing just like his tattoos. He stepped into the pond where the other koi fish swam around aimlessly without his companion. Katara tried to go after him but Iroh stopped her. Aang stood still in the middle of the pool and the other koi soon started to circle him. The koi started to glow as well, causing the whole pool to light up. Aang suddenly disappeared into the water and soon after, the water around the pool itself started to glow blue, veined with white. The blue glow spread all over the city, lighting up the colourless scenery. The water in the oasis rose into a huge wave, as if a giant creature was moving under it, and raised up high at the end of the oasis, forming a enormous fish-like creature. At the center of the water-creature's chest was a bubble where Aang could be seen bending the creature to his will. It started to wipe out every Fire Nation soldiers as it made it's way through the city, leaving the others behind in awe. Luna was the first to speak up. "I have to help." Yue looked at her concerned. "You can't-" she began but before anything else was said, Luna ran out of the oasis and through the colourless city. She saw red and orange flashes going of in the distance, basically drawing her in. She quickly ran to the source, blood boiling when she saw the very man she was looking for. He was fighting with someone who evaded Luna's view but she didn't care. All she could think about was the man who was the source of all her misery. She jumped down onto the bridge behind Zhao, her stance ready. The fight ceased when the two acknowledged her presence. Luna could now see that it was Zuko he was fighting and she took note that he had escaped from his binds that Sokka had put on him, which didn't surprise her since he was a firebender. "Come back for more, little girl," Zhao mocked when he turned a little to face her but still be able to defend himself if Zuko attacked. "You killed them! YOU KILLED MY PARENTS!" Luna yelled. "I was just doing my job. But can you blame me? They were annoying me by not telling me where you were," he said with a evil smile. Luna clenched her fist, letting the anger take over. Her eyes turned a familiar red before she let out a cry of rage, sending countless fire blasts his way. Zuko soon joined in, sending his own fire blasts at Zhao. Not being able to block both their attacks, he fell to the ground. Luna looked up at the sky when a new light source shone from the sky and saw that the moon had returned to its place in the sky. "It can't be!" Zhao cried out in horror as he looked up at the moon. Luna looked down at the man, then hr eyes met Zuko's. All her anger melted away when she realized that what she was doing was not going to bring her parents back. Zhao was just a heartless, pathetic man who didn't even deserve her time. Her eyes went back to their baby blue colour as she continued to stare into Zuko's eyes. For some reason she couldn't look away. Their golden colour seemed to draw her in and even though her head was screaming at her that he was the enemy, she couldn't bring herself to believe it when she looked into his eyes. She could only see the pain they held and she, of all people, knew of pain. She tore her eyes away when the saw blue glow appeared above her. The creature's hands reached up out of the water and Luna dove out of the way just in time, as the hands grabbed for Zhao. Zuko tried to help but Zhao couldn't swallow his pride enough to accept his help, so he was dragged into the water. Zuko looked at the doorway just in time to see Luna run into the building and disappear from his sight. Something about her intrigued him. He had read about Elementals, because he was forced to hunt one, but what he had seen with his own eyes had no comparison to what he had read. She had way more power than anticipated and to see how her eyes changed like that was just...breathtaking. He shook his head clear of those thoughts. She was beautiful, he would admit that, but he will never allow those type of thoughts again. He is suppose to capture her in order to be accepted back into the Fire Nation and that's all. With one final glance to where she had disappeared, he turned around to make his way out of the city.
Luna stood next to Aang as they looked over the damaged ice city. It wouldn't take that long to fix with so many waterbenders but it was still awful to see such a beautiful city destroyed. "Luna. We never really talked about your ability," Aang said, breaking the silence. Luna let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, we were so busy that we never really discussed it," she said. "Why didn't you tell us," he asked, turning to fully face her. "I didn't want you to treat me any different, I guess." She paused and took a deep breath. "Zuko said that you were the Elemental. What does that mean?" Aang asked. "It means that I can bend all four elements," she let out a bitter chuckle. "Actually, it's more like they bend me." Aang raised a questioning brow at her statement. "Elementals are more cursed than gifted. One is born every 300 years. Our emotions set their powers off. As we get older, the power gets harder to control, to the point where it controls us. They begin to overwhelm us and if we don't learn how to bend all for elements in the order of the Avatar chicle by our 16th birthday..." she stopped and squeezed her eyes shut. Retelling everything made the reality set in once more. "What happens?" Aang asked, his voice urgent but scared. "Then the power overwhelms us and we die," she finished. "A-And when is your 16th birthday?" he asked, sounding if he was to frightened to know the answer. "At the end of summer." Aang's eyes widened in horror. "What?! Luna, why didn't you tell us?! Your life is on the line and we could help!" he yelled. "How?" she asked, her voice soft. He stayed silent as he had no answer. "You could come with us," another voice said from behind them. Luna turned around to see Katara standing behind them. "Katara, I can't-" "Yes, you can. Aang needs to learn the elements too. You could train together," she suggested. A tear ran down Luna's face that she had been holding in for so long. There was a chance that she could actually make it through this. Without a word, Katara went up to Luna and pulled her into a hug, Aang soon joining. The three pulled apart when they heard Momo at their feet. "You too, Momo," Aang said. The lemur immediately jumped onto Aang's extended arm. Sokka came up to them and placed a comforting hand on Luna's shoulder, letting her know that he was there for her too. The bison also felt the need to be close to them, so he flew up and hovered just next to where the group was standing. Knowing that these people actually cared enough to help her get through this made her heart warm up. They just stood there and stared at the beautiful sunrise that shone over the city.