The sun already risen. The clouds were red and orange because the light of it. It seemed so peaceful. Unlike his soul.

'Six months... Six damned month, and still nothing!' his fists are clenched. 'What on the earth took so long?' He missed her. Oh,spirits, he missed her so much!

'Zuko?' came a soft, calm voice behind from him. Mai's voice. The second most beloved person in his life. Because nobody can took his mother's place. Nobody.

'Are you all right, Zuko?'

'Of course, I am.'

'Liar.' she said. ' I know something is wrong. I know you the best. Well, almost the best. So don't try to lie me. Is it about your mother?'

'Yes ...'

'Well, don't worry then. They will find her, no matter what. You just need to be patient.'

'I am patient! But it was almost six nonths ago, when I started the search for her! So nobody can say that, I am not patient... What else can I be? I'm closed here, like a prisoner, but man, I am the Fire Lord!'

'I could understand you, if you would speak a lower voice too, Your Higness. Oh yeah, I almost forgot- we have guests.'

'Zuko! It's so good to see you!' pulled him into a hug Katara.

'Katara, you'll drown him, if you don't let him go now.' said Toph sarcastically. 'Anyway good to ''see'' you, Sparky.'

'Good to see you Toph, too. So? What are you doing here?'

'Oh, nothing,we just travelling around the world, because an insane, bald boy chasing us. And this is the only place, where he can't come after us.'

'Very funny, Sokka. And just for the truth, I wasn't totally bald.'

'You're rigth, you're right. You were an insane, angry jerk with a ponytail.'

'It's not the anserw for my question.'

'Okay... The truth is, Suki wants to destroy down the palace as a revege.'

'Yeah. You know, just because you put on fire my village.'

'I don't think so, the guards would be happy.'

'Who cares? The revenge is revenge.'

'This is enough. Anyway, where is Aang?'

'Under Appa. He got some kind of "I-love-you-too-much" thing. But I think he can hear you, no matter how much fur is there.'

'Then, welcome here, Aang.'

'Good to hear you,Zuko!' came a happy voice from under the bison.'Okay, buddy,I think it's time to get off me.'

Appa roared sadly, but he went away. Aang stood up and gave Zuko a hug with lots of bison fur- and saliva. Mai grumbled.

'Don't touch me, until you didn't wash your hands, and changed clothes. Got it?' The Fire Lord grinned evily. Mai started to back away.

'Zuko... Don't... Don't dare!' she screamed, but the young Lord already chased her with raised hands. The others burst out in laugh. (Hey,that's not an usual thing, when a royality chasing someone for fun, right?)

'Okay,Zuko, I think it's enough. Do you wanna make her break up with you again?' said stopped with a shocked expression on his face.

'Wha... How do you know about this?'

'You know, girls between each other... Yeah, and Iwould be interested, how are you looking with mud on your face'

'Mai!'

'Don't look at me, Ty Lee was the only one, who told her anything about this.'

'What? She will be banished.'

'Zuko, you know the best how terrible is being banished...'

'You didn't let me finsih my sentence. If she wants to get home,she needs to catch the Avatar, and him bring here alive.' Everyone sighed. Zuko has a strange kind of humor. But Aang just smiled.

'I think, I can solve this problem easely.'

'So, how is the searching for your mother going?' asked Katara later.

'It's going not at all.'

'What? You stopped the searching?'

'I did not. But they still didn't find anything.'

'Actually, it's not true anymore.' said Zuko's fiancée (Guess who.:) ) as she came in with a paper in her hand. 'They find her. In a small village in the Earth Kingdom.'

'Really?' stood up the Fire Lord.

'No,I am just lying, because I want to. Of course really!'

'I see...' he sat back on the sofa. He was happy, of course he was... But he didn't know what to do.

'So, what will you do?' asked Toph, like she could read in his mind.

'What do you think? I'm going for her.'

'Then, we'll go, too.' said Aang.

'What for?'

'We are friends.' said Katara.

'I know.'

'And friends help to each other. To learn bending, or to find a mother.'

'I know.'

'Then, what is your problem?'

'Well... Umm...?'

'If you haven't got any good reason to leave us here, then we are going too. Mai?'

'Certanly.'

'Guys,it's only...'

'Not another word, Sparky. We already decided this.'

'But...'

'I think,I said not another word. Are you deaf?'

'Of course not!'

'Then shut your mouth,and go with Mai and get your things ready. We are leaving today. Got it?'

'Yes.'

'Good boy...' grinned Toph.

'I can't belive it.. Those ministers just let you leave like this?' asked Katara later on Appa.

'Don't worry about this... They looked so happy because of it. At least I made a good day for them.'

'Do not talk in this way! You are the most important person in this world right after the Avatar!'

'Thanks, Katara, it really helped a lot. So I'm just the second most impotant person?'

'You know, I didn't mean it.'

'I know.' smiled Zuko. Suki looked up from a letter, what she got right before they departure.

'So, Mai,why did you came with us?'

'Do you have any problem with that?'

'Of course not! I'm just curious!'

'Well... I just... Umm...' she blushed, surprisingly. Almost everybody laughed except Zuko, Toph (Guess why. :D ) and Aang. He just shouted back, as he heard the others.

'Guys, leave her alone!'

'Got it, Captain!' said Sokka.

After five hours of flying, they landed on a little island.

'You know, I don't know why, but I thought this thing will be a lot faster. We' flied for hours, I'm totally covered with bison fur, and we're still in the Fire Nation.' said Mai. Aang chuckled.

'I think, I know why are you two love each other so much.'

'What?'

'Zuko said almost the same sentence once.'

'Oh.'

'If you finished talking, then you could come and help us.'

'Okay, we coming, Sokka.'

'Thanks. So, until Suki and Katara going for water, me and Zuko going on a hunt. Mai, you could go with Aang to find nuts.'

'I have two questons, Sokka. Number one: who said, you are the chief? Two where did you get that crazy idea, that's a good idea hunting in the middle of the night?'

'Zuko, Zuko, Zuko... Only these are your question? First: I was always the planner guy, so a kind of chief. Second: the sun is still shining.'

'Firebender. Feel the sun. It will goes down within fifteen minutes.'

'Okay, you won, but I'm still the chief, got it?'

'I thought, Aang is the chief. As you said, you always were the planner guy.'

'Sokka, it was enough!' said Katara warily.

'You too, Zuko.' added Mai.

'Okay.'

Guys, I'm very lazy. This story originally wanted to be an one-shot, but as I said, I'm lazy...