After the regal coronation of the new Earth King and Queen, the Fire Nation princesses went back to the Fire Nation. The Watertribe Royal Family also went back to the North Pole. Soo-Young and Yuri went back to their jobs as waitresses in Xiah Dragon Noodles Restaurant, and the Great Hyoyeon took Amber as her apprentice. Soon, the news of the discovery of the new Avatar quickly spread throughout all four nations. Ever since everyone found out that Taeyeon was the Avatar, she hasn’t had any peace and quiet at all. The fire sages kept bothering her with spiritual stuff, Sunny kept nagging her to improve on her bending, and high officials pressured her with questions about Fire Nation politics. At first she thought that being Avatar was great since everyone highly deferred her more than any other person in the world, but now all the unnecessary attention just annoyed her. With great power comes great responsibility, they said. In reality, she was still the same little girl who had no idea what to do with her life.

            Many months later, after a tiring morning of sparring with her good old fire bending master Sunny, Taeyeon sat out by the steps of their villa at the Fire Nation Royal Gardens. She looked so stressed and tired of just about everything. Everyone expects her to do amazing things, but she still can’t even beat Sunny at fire bending. Everyone expects her to have infinite wisdom and brilliant insights, but she is just too naïve about the world. She honestly just wants to go back to how it was back then: when Jaejoong and Yunho just played with her in their old sloppily built house. She may not always get to eat as much food or get pampered by handmaids, but she had no worries. Those were the simple days. She remembered how she wished that someday everyone would bow down to her, but now that her wish came true, she just wishes to turn back time. Maybe it really was important to be careful of what you wish for.

            Noticing that Taeyeon sat all alone giving off deep sighs from time to time, Fany sat beside her and comfortingly patted her back. They’ve been together for over a year now that Fany had become really good at sensing when Taeyeon needed her comfort and support. The cool autumn breeze began to blow in their direction right on time. That usually helps Taeyeon feel better.

            “It’s almost winter,” Fany spoke. “The air is constantly getting cooler. Today, it just feels really good.”

            Taeyeon just sighed. She doesn’t really feel like talking.

            “You want to know something?” Fany said, trying to catch Taeyeon’s attention.

            Taeyeon just looked at her.

            “You were sleep talking again.”

            “I was?” Taeyeon finally said something. “What was I saying? Did I talk to ‘Oppas’ again?”

            “No,” Fany replied. “You were talking to me.”

            Taeyeon stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

            “You were asking me about my mother. You said you miss your mother so much.”

            Taeyeon sighed. “I do miss my mother.”

            “When I was a little kid, my mom used to take me and Sunny out here in the Royal Gardens. We’d play all day until we fall asleep on her lap. Those were the good old days…,” Fany recalled with a nostalgic tone in her voice.

            “Fany,” Taeyeon’s voice broke. “Do you think that if I knew I was the Avatar at the night of the eruption…do you think that maybe I could have saved her and the entire village? If I only had become a powerful Avatar that night, she’d still be with me and I won’t be separated from my brothers like this. I feel like, everything is my fault for not being strong enough.”

            “Hey, don’t say that. I’m sure things happen for a reason. Do you regret meeting me and Sunny too?” Fany looked at her with pleading eyes.

            “No, I love you both and I wouldn’t exchange you for anything,” Taeyeon said with a smile. Finally, Fany was successful in bringing back smiley Taeng.

            “Now quit wallowing in your regrets. What’s done is done. Let’s go.” Fany began to tug on Taeyeon hand.

            “Where are we going?”

            “Let’s just wander around the city. I’m sure Daddy won’t mind if we go without an . You are the almighty Avatar after all!”

***

            With a quick skillful raise of the pan, Jaejoong flipped the golden omelet. He always had great talent in cooking and he was proud of that. If only he can have a restaurant of his own, he can use this talent to its full potential. He’d cook all day and forget about his endless worries. Anyway, the next best thing is working at a fancy restaurant in the Fire Nation Capital.

            His current life consists of secrecy nowadays. He had to lie and hide all his true information. Why? It’s about something that even he doesn’t want to think about. Let’s just say that deep down he is just scared to death. He doesn’t want to cause any trouble.

          Then there were other problems. Ever since he found out that Taeyeon was the new adopted daughter and eventually the Avatar, he was absolutely bothered that he cannot sleep at all. His beloved little sibling…why did it have to be her of all people? He worried about her day and night and couldn’t get her off of his mind no matter how hard he tried. Only cooking could suppress his worries, even for just a little while.

            He then poured the fried rice over the omelet. After wrapping the rice with the flat omelet, he poured ketchup over the dish to finish.

            “The omurice is ready!” he called out.

            Meanwhile, Taeyeon and Fany wandered around the city in search of things to do. Then, they stopped by this fancy looking restaurant. Both decided to eat lunch there. The place wasn’t as fancy as Xiah Dragon Noodles, but it was also pretty good. As citizens of the Fire Nation, the spicy cuisine suited their taste.

            When Taeyeon and Fany finally took a seat, Fany noticed someone familiar at the restaurant. Feeling totally ashamed, she quickly covered her face with the menu.

            “What’s wrong?” Taeyeon asked.

            “I need to hide. He might recognize me!” Fany whispered.

            “Who?” Taeyeon turned around to see a handsome young man accepting the spicy omurice that he ordered from the waiter. “Who’s that?”

            “No one, just an old friend of mine,” Fany whispered as she pretended to browse through the menu. From time to time, she peeked to catch a glimpse of the guy’s face.

            “Well if it’s just no one, why cover your face? Go say hi to him or something.”

            “No, I can’t…” Fany’s cheeks started to blush. “I haven’t seen him in a while. It’ll be too awkward and he probably won’t even recognize me so why bother…”

            Then a waiter came up to them. “Can I take your order, ladies?”

            “I’ll have kimchi soup, please,” Taeyeon ordered.

            “I’ll have spicy omurice,” Fany said.

            “Sure thing! I’ll be right back.” The waiter left.

            “So who is that guy anyway? Do you like him or something?” Taeyeon raised an eyebrow. “C’mon. Sisters tell each other secrets!”

            “Okay, okay…,” Fany finally gave in. “His name is Nichkhun. He’s the son of one of the Royal Ministers at the palace. He used to come and play with us back then but I guess he got busier with his swordsman training since he hasn’t visited since last year.”

            “So if you’re friends, why hide your face?” Taeyeon asked with an amused expression on her face. Deep inside she just wants to laugh out loud. Fany obviously likes this boy.

            “Well…,” Fany trailed off.

            Taeyeon started giggling uncontrollably. Fany has “I have a crush” written all over her embarrassed face. Taeyeon just found it amusing.

            “Why are you laughing?” Fany scrunched her eyebrows at Taeyeon.

            “Because it’s funny. Just keep in mind; you’re on a date with me right now so quit eyeing him from the corner of your eye if you’re not even going to greet him,” Taeyeon said with a snort.

            “I was not looking at him!” Fany whispered.

            “Oh yes you were.”

            After a while, Nichkhun left the restaurant without recognizing Fany at all. Fany was a little bit disappointed, but since she hid behind the menu the whole time, she can’t really complain. Taeyeon just snickered the entire time. Her gloominess has completely disappeared because of the way that Fany was acting. She had never seen that side of Fany before. Anyway, now she has Fany all to herself without any distractions.

***

            “So how is Taeyeon’s training going, Soonkyu?” asked Firelord Soon-Jae as he was taking his afternoon tea.

            “She’s worked really hard and has mastered pretty much most of the advanced stuff,” Sunny began. “I’ve taught her all that I know. There’s just one problem though…”

            “What is it?”

            “She lacks confidence for some reason. Her sleep talking is back too. One night, she said in her sleep that she feels like a totally useless Avatar. I want to help her out somehow, not as a teacher, but as her sister. I know for sure that if she just believed in herself, she would have beaten me ages ago.”

***

             Suddenly, a faint voice coming from the kitchen caught Taeyeon’s attention.

            “The kimchi soup is ready…”

            Taeyeon quickly turned around. There is no mistaking it. She knows that voice too well for her to just ignore. It is the same voice that sung lullabies to her before she fell asleep. It is the same voice that called her for dinner, the same voice that taught her to cook, and the same voice that comforted her. That voice could not come from anyone else but her brother, Jaejoong.

            Soon, the kimchi soup that she ordered was served by the waiter from before. When Taeyeon took a sip of the soup, her thoughts started to run wild. The warm, familiar flavor of the spicy comfort food gave her goose bumps all over her body. It gave her a strange tingly feeling all through her spine.

            “Hey, are you okay?” asked Fany, who noticed Taeyeon’s face turning unusually pale. “Is the kimchi soup good?”

            “Um…yeah. It’s absolutely great,” Taeyeon said so plainly that Fany thought she was being sarcastic.

            “Let me try.” Fany took a spoonful and sipped the delicious kimchi soup. “Wow, this is amazing!”

            Taeyeon suddenly stood up from her seat and stopped eating. Who else could have made that soup, but Jaejoong? He cooked this soup often and even taught her the “secret” recipe. There is no mistaking it. This soup is evidence. Jaejoong is here.

            “Hey where are you going?” Fany was startled. She had no idea why Taeyeon was suddenly acting like this.

            Taeyeon did not answer her. Instead, she walked up to the waiter who was cleaning Nichkhun’s table. She can’t possibly pass up another chance to see her brother again. She knows that he is alive. She can’t just ignore him.

            “Excuse me; is there anyone by the name of Kim Jaejoong who works here?” asked Taeyeon. Her curiosity was too aroused now. She needs to know where he is.

            “No… none that I know of,” the waiter replied.

            Then Taeyeon remembered the day of her coronation. Jaejoong served them a plate of fried shrimp. He just shook his head and left. She never saw him again. When she asked the head chef, he said there was no Kim Jaejoong. However, he said that there was another guy who looked just like him. What was the name again?

            “I don’t remember the exact name but is there anyone—like a chef or someone who cooks really well—that has ‘Jae’ in their name?” Taeyeon asked once more.

            “Oh, there is. He cooked the kimchi soup that you ordered. His name is Han Jaejun.”

            “Yes!” Taeyeon exclaimed. “Where is he? Can I meet him?”

            “Sure. Please take a seat and wait while I call him.”

            Taeyeon sat back at her seat, constantly taking glances at the kitchen to see if Jaejoong would show up. Fany continued eating with a worried expression on her face. She had a feeling that Taeyeon meeting her brother would not end well. What if her brother would take Taeyeon away from her? She and Sunny will be totally disappointed. What if Taeyeon’s brother won’t show up? Taeyeon will be totally disappointed. Now Fany just feels bad that she took Taeyeon here in this restaurant of all places. She knew that Taeyeon’s brother is one of the biggest factors for Taeyeon’s anxiety. Now it’s all going to get a lot worse.

            When the waiter swung the kitchen doors open, Jaejoong followed behind him. Taeyeon immediately turned around to see him. Fany didn’t even bother to look up. She’s just scared and worried right now. On that instant, Taeyeon’s and Jaejoong’s eyes met. Jaejoong stopped dead in his tracks. No. He cannot meet her like this. Not knowing what to do, he slowly backed away and ran into the kitchen.

            “Oppa!” Taeyeon called. She then stood up to chase him.

            “Taeyeon, wait! Where are you going?” Fany exclaimed. She was too late. Taeyeon already ran after him. Fany got up and followed too.

            Taeyeon ran into the kitchen and began to call out his name. From the corner of her eye, she saw a back door exit swing open with Jaejoong running out in a hurry. When she got out of the kitchen, all she saw was a wide empty street.

            “Jaejoong Oppa! Where are you?” Taeyeon called out as loud as she could until she run out of breath. She ran down the wide empty street. He was nowhere to be found.

            Then, on the ground she saw a piece of paper that says,

            “Tae-tae, please don’t look for me.”

            Taeyeon fell down on her knees as she stared at the piece of paper. With a soft whine, she breathed out. “Why?”

***

            First, there was darkness. In the midst of the black nothingness, a scene flashed like what could be seen in the cinema. There was Yunho with his smile full of charisma. Then, there was Jaejoong, laughing his head off over nothing. Taeyeon felt really warm and comfortable. However, everything started to feel and look hazy as if a fog loomed all around them. Still, everyone continued smiling. With another flash, everything turned red. There was fire everywhere. Rocks and debris were falling from the dark smoke clouds. Taeyeon saw her mother calling out for help, but somehow, the more she ran toward her, the distance grew wider until her mother finally disappeared in the smoke. Taeyeon screamed and called out to her but her voice won’t come out. She yelled and struggled some more but her efforts were futile. Then a huge beast appeared out of nowhere. Its mouth opened up wide toward her. Taeyeon trembled in fear. She was about to be eaten.

            Suddenly, she heard Fany’s voice calling her. “Taeyeon! Taeyeon! Wake up!”

            Taeyeon immediately opened her eyes. She saw Fany and Sunny staring right above her with their faces slightly lit by candle light. She felt the soft pillows and warm sheets beneath her. Jaejoong, Yunho, and her mother…it was all a dream.

            “Hey, Taengoo, are you okay?” Sunny’s voice was filled with concern.

            Taeyeon blankly stared at them and blinked some more. Her breath was heavy and her forehead was full of sweat. With a gentle wipe of Taeyeon’s wet, distressed head, Fany calmed her down in no time.

            “You were screaming in your sleep,” Sunny said as she gave Taeyeon a cool glass of water. “It was a nightmare, wasn’t it?”

            Taeyeon got up and drank the refreshing water. It felt like  all the fires burning deep inside her was extinguished. The nightmare was over. Now she just feels safe having the two sweetest sisters in the world to comfort her.

            “I don’t want to talk about it,” Taeyeon replied coldly and fell back on the sheets. Fany just laid her back to rest and tucked her in with the blankets.

            “No,” Sunny said firmly. “You have to talk about it.”

            “Sunny, don’t force her if doesn’t want to…,” Fany tried to rebuke her sister.

            “No. We’ve been considerate enough to keep it all from her but I don’t think that’s working. We know she has problems. We can’t just sit back and pretend like this sleep talking has not gotten worse.” Sunny slammed her fist on the bed. Fany became quiet.

            Then Sunny turned to Taeyeon. “You have been screaming and yelling in your sleep for a while. We decided not to tell you because we thought it would just add to your worries. But I think that keeping all your worries is just slowly weakening you deep down inside. Don’t hide it anymore. We’re here for you. I think it’s time you let it all out.”

            Taeyeon sighed. Both Sunny and Fany waited for her to speak. She then sat up and mustered all her courage to say everything she kept bottled up inside.

            “I…I have been dreaming of my mother. I always see her, and my brothers are there too,” Taeyeon began.

            “You have more than one brother?” Fany asked.

            “I have one brother: the same guy I chased earlier at the restaurant, and his childhood friend who we consider to be a part of the family,” Taeyeon explained. “Anyway, in my dreams I always see the night of the eruption, and I’m always just helplessly standing there. I always tried to forget about that horrible scene, but now it haunts me in my dreams.”

            “What exactly happened after that night?” Sunny inquired.

            “Yeah, you never really told us how you ended up in the temple,” Fany also pressed her. Although the twins had always been curious, they never asked Taeyeon until now.

            “Earlier in the day, I was looking for my brothers who went out of town. I walked as far as I could, and by sunset, as I was walking home, the volcano erupted.” Taeyeon’s throat turned very dry. She then swallowed the lump in as hard as she could.

            “When I got back, I saw my dead mother on the ground. But then, something really strange happened.” Taeyeon paused for a while. Out of all the events of that night, this part had always been a mystery to her.

            “What happened?” the twins asked in unison.

            “I don’t remember it clearly, but I do remember a strange beast—like a dragon—appearing out of nowhere. After that, all I remember is just waking up in front of an old abandoned temple in Ember Island. That’s where I met Fany.”

            “A dragon?” Sunny tilted her head and began to think. What could the dragon possibly even mean? One thing they know for sure is that Taeyeon is not an ordinary person.

            “Then at the Earth Kingdom coronation, I found out that I was the Avatar. And now that I'm sure my brother is still alive, he doesn’t even want me to look for him. He’s avoiding me and I don’t know why. I never did anything wrong to him,” Taeyeon continued. Tears began to fall from her eyes. “As you see, everything about me doesn’t make any sense. I’m confused and bothered by everything. I don’t know why I am really here…”

            The next day Sunny and Taeyeon went out for their fire bending training again. However, this time, Taeyeon’s energy seems a lot lower than usual. Sunny and Fany have tried everything they can to comfort her, but knowing about her strange past just puzzled them. Why exactly is the Avatar here? Is it fate that brought them all together, or is it just coincidence? For now, Sunny tried to push away those thoughts. Her main focus is to fuel Taeyeon’s drive. She needs to give her enough confidence to push Taeyeon’s potential to its limit.

            “Hey, get up,” Sunny commanded. “I don’t care if you’re the highly respected Avatar. To me, you’re nothing but a very unenthusiastic student.”

            “I’m sorry. I’m really just not in the mood for this,” Taeyeon turned from her and headed back into the villa.

            “Hey, who said you were done training for today? Come back out. I need to talk to you.”

            Taeyeon hesitantly obeyed her orders.

            “Here, wear this.” Sunny handed her a long red cloth.

            “What is this?”

            “It’s a blindfold. I want you to fight me while wearing that.”

            “What?” Taeyeon exclaimed. “Are you serious?”

            Sunny took the blindfold and tied it over Taeyeon’s head to cover her yes. Now she really can’t see anything.

            “How am I supposed to see while wearing this thing?” Taeyeon began flailing her arms in the air to feel her way around.

            “I think that’s not enough,” Sunny said thoughtfully. “Here, let me tie your arms behind your back too.”

            “What?”

            Sunny grabbed both of Taeyeon’s arms and tied it behind her back with a rope. Now she can’t even move.

            Feeling frustrated, Taeyeon yelled, “What the heck is this about?!”

            “Now, fight me,” Sunny commanded.

            “How am I even supposed to do that when I can’t see or move my arms?”

            Then, instead of a reply, Sunny shot small fireball directed near Taeyeon’s feet. Taeyeon felt it and jumped up in surprise.

            “Sunny! Stop it!” Taeyeon yelled.

            “This is your problem,” Sunny began to explain as she walked around Taeyeon who helplessly stood there trying to figure out where Sunny was going with this. “Do you think you can defeat me when you’re constricted like that?”

            “How do you even expect me to?” Taeyeon was getting more and more frustrated.

            “That’s the thing. I don’t expect you to.”

            Taeyeon stood still. What the heck is Sunny even talking about? Why is she suddenly doing this to her? Does she enjoy being a sadist?

            “You can’t do anything when you’re imprisoned by your own disappointments, frustrations, insecurities and what not, just like how you are blindfolded and tied up like that. Those negativities are keeping you from defeating me and being the strong Avatar that you should be. You are so much stronger than you think. The truth is you don’t need me as your teacher anymore. If there is one last thing that you need to learn from me, it’s this: you need to be confident. No matter how messed up your life has become, don’t let your past hinder you from becoming great in the future.”

             After that being said, Sunny untied Taeyeon’s arms and took off her blindfold. Sunny smiled and looked straight into her pretty brown eyes. “You better win this time, you understand me? You’re the Avatar for goodness sakes.”

             Taeyeon smiled and gave her a hug. Sunny was right. She can’t just wallow in her regrets and insecurities anymore—even if that meant forgetting about Jaejoong forever. Being the Avatar may be a big responsibility, but she can’t just allow that to overwhelm her either. She has amazing sisters who believe in her and love her with all her heart. With that in mind and all the bad things forgotten, she knew she can accomplish anything.

            On their last sparring training, Taeyeon and Sunny respectfully bowed to each other before the match. Both took their stances. Just because Sunny wanted Taeyeon to win, it still did not mean that she will go easy on her. In fact, Sunny even made up her mind to fight as if her life depends on it. Taeyeon on the other hand, with renewed strength and will, determined to beat Sunny at least this once. She needs to show her teacher how much she learned.

            “Avataengoo!” Sunny said with her taunting high pitched voice. “You think you can beat your super cute fire master?”

            Taeyeon took a deep breath and ignored Sunny’s distracting tactics. After concentrating and gathering enough air, she jumped high and shot fireballs at Sunny’s left. Sunny immediately moved to the right to avoid it, but it put her to a weak position where Taeyeon can strike. Realizing that Taeyeon is trying to trick her into being cornered, she forcefully released a great amount of fire straight at Taeyeon’s face, causing Taeyeon to back away while dispersing the Sunny’s fire away from her face with her hands.

            “Keep your distance, Taengoo! It just might save you!” Sunny said with a giggle.

            By this time, Fany came to watch them by the porch steps. She also silently hoped that Taeyeon would win this.

            More shots were fired after another. Both master and student are now equal in power. Taeyeon kept trying to get close to Sunny but Sunny just blows her off with strong attacks. When Taeyeon blasts fire at her, Sunny just avoids it or directs it away. Then Sunny blasted out fire with such a great force that Taeyeon fell off balance trying to protect herself. She lay there on the ground while Sunny was about to deliver the final blow. In desperation, Taeyeon grabbed Sunny’s clothes and dragged her down with her. Sunny tumbled and fell. Taeyeon immediately got up and slammed her body on top of Sunny to keep her from moving. This is looking more like a wrestling match now.

            “Ouch! You’re heavy!” Sunny screamed. Fany laughed so hard that she too fell down while clapping like an amused seal. Taeyeon held Sunny down on the ground for as long as she could. She needs to win this. Taeyeon even threw some sand at Sunny’s eyes to temporarily blind her.

            “Guys, what is this? You two look like boys playing in the mud!” Fany squealed in amusement.

            After a bit of a struggle, Taeyeon pinned Sunny down until she can’t move. Then she held a fire over Sunny’s face, showing dominion over her.

            “Ha!” Taeyeon exclaimed. “I won! I won against you for the first time!”

            Their lone audience applauded as the match ended. Fany’s eye-smile never failed to show itself when she’s really happy.

            “Woohoo! Congratulations!” Fany said as she ran to Taeyeon with her arms wide open for a hug.

            “Ow, my back…,” Sunny groaned. “Congratulations, my dear student. That was one unexpected slam attack. It wasn’t the most graceful move, but I commend you anyway.”

BONUS SCENE FROM AVATAENG'S TRAINING SESSIONS: The Fire Bug (Deleted scene) (I wrote it already so why not put it up right?)

One day as the three Fire Nation Princesses were taking a walk out in the Royal Gardens, a caterpillar fell right on Fany’s head from the trees. Of course, although it was quite a trivial thing, Fany caused such a chaotic scene.

            “Ah! Get it off! Get it off!” Fany screamed and trembled.

            “Stay still or you’ll hurt it!” Sunny yelled at her as she tried to grab the creature from Fany’s hair.

            “Oh, wait let me try,” Taeyeon offered. So then she took a few steps back, and with a flick of her hand, she shot an ember right on Fany’s head, setting the caterpillar and Fany’s hair in flames.

            “AHHHH!!!” Fany’s screams just turned to glass-breakingly defeaning.

            “Hey Avataeng, are you that stupid?!” Sunny turned to her student with a glare.

            “Whoops, sorry,” Taeyeon sheepishly smiled.

            Meanwhile, Fany panicked and started running around in circles. She took out her fan and tried to extinguish the flames with it, but it just made the fire worse.

            “Fany, don’t be an idiot!” Sunny yelled as she chased after her.

            Then Taeyeon remembered something. She can water bend. Maybe she wasn’t very good at it, but she could at least try. When Fany finally reached the fountain, Taeyeon made a powerful wave and splashed water everywhere, leaving the three sisters all soaked up. Good thing Fany’s hair did not get burned that badly.

            “Sorry, I really can’t control my water bending yet,” Taeyeon apologized again.