Misty rain continued to blanket the city well into late afternoon as Zuko made his way to the ferry docks. Despite the miserable weather, he was in comparatively good spirits. The shopkeeper's instant recognition of the drawing and the distinctive pattern woven into the bracelet he'd bought gave him hope that his mother was still alive. Now all he had to do was take the morning boat to Kawa'Gin tomorrow and, with any luck, he would gain more information about how he might actually find her.

He was about to approach the ticket counter when the buzz of hushed conversation in a nearby crowd caught his attention. Curious, he went over to investigate, standing at the back of the assembly where he could listen without being seen. The people were gathered around a bulletin board, whispering animatedly about a recent posting.

"I always knew he was a worthless traitor!"

"…should have rid the nation of him years ago."

"Disgraceful!"

"…love to collect the purse on that one!"

Peering through the crowd to see the source of the people's gossip, Zuko was forced to stifle a gasp when he saw his own face staring back at him from the wall.

Suddenly on alert, his eyes darted around the area, noticing for the first time the guards stationed on either side of the ticket counter, at the end of the dock, and sporadically moving along the streets. Buying a ticket for the ferry was now completely out of the question; fake traveling papers or not, there was no way he'd manage it without being recognized.

Glancing back one last time at the announcements, the prince was relieved to note that Aang's poster, which was pinned alongside his own, still showed the air bender bald, his pale blue tattoo gleaming across his scalp. Zuko also noticed that while there was a warrant for Iroh as well, there still weren't any for Toph, Sokka, or Katara.

As Zuko furtively moved away from the crowd, one final snippet of conversation reached his ears.

"…and now he's traveling with the Avatar."

The prince clenched his jaw and muttered under his breath with embittered satisfaction.

"Not anymore."


By nightfall, the rain had stopped, and the first sliver of the waxing moon hung serenely in a night sky bejeweled with stars. Unseen by the guards and deckhands working by lamplight on the docks, a lone shadow crept noiselessly across the rooftop of a warehouse near the ferry.

Firelight barely touched the hooded blue and white visage as it peeked over the edge of the building, carefully assessing the situation and forming a plan. Hearing footsteps, the figure receded safely back into the darkness…and sprouted a second head atop its own, this new one black and white with emerald eyes and tall ears pricked forward attentively. When a low chittering trill purred in the lemur's throat, the Blue Spirit reached up and gently but firmly pushed the creature back down into the backpack.

"Shh," whispered Zuko admonishingly. "Stay in the bag, Momo. And keep quiet."

Momo let out a chirp that sounded like an affirmative response and then curled up in the bottom of the satchel. Zuko was never sure if the lemur understood him or not, but he had to admit that it certainly seemed that way sometimes, which was odd since the only other person Momo ever obeyed was Aang. Anyone else could give the creature command after command and receive nothing but a vacant stare in return.

Of course, Zuko's good fortune at the moment apparently only extended to his ability to communicate with his traveling companion, for the approaching guards had arrived and taken up post directly below the Blue Spirit's position. Casting about for another course of action, Zuko spotted a loose tile that became his salvation as he tossed it off the side of the building where it thudded loudly to the sodden planks below.

"Did you hear something?"

Both men stepped toward the sound of the noise, peering into the darkness, and the Blue Spirit dropped silently to the ground behind them, slipping past their turned backs and into the shadow of a stack of crates. Seeing nothing, they resumed their post.

"Probably just a wharf rat," one of them muttered.

Just as the Blue Spirit was about to move, a light flashed in the darkness, and he turned to see a dockworker heading his way, lantern in hand. With the two guards still on the other side of the shipping pallet, the disguised teen was unable to sneak all the way around to stay out of sight. So he settled for the side facing the water, halfway between the guards and the dockhand.

Zuko held his breath as the worker walked right up to the tall pile of crates he was hiding behind and began going around the pallet to remove the winches attached to it. A few deft pulls later, the man stepped toward the shadowed side of the load….and then finally came full circle back to where he started.

He never even looked up to see the shadowy figure crouched on the top crate.

Continuing on to the next stack, he tugged the chains along with him, and started attaching them to the pallet. Once finished, he walked over to the ferry and called out to the crane operator.

"Take it up, Shin! That's the last one."

Without waiting for a reply, the man headed off to his next duty. A lever was pulled in the operator's booth and the crane creaked into action, slowly pulling the cargo up into the air.

Seeing what might be his last opportunity to board, the Blue Spirit carefully plotted the course of the cargo and leapt ahead of it from one pyramid of boxes to the next, hugging the sides of top crates to stay out of the crane driver's line of sight until he reached the last stack nearest the boat. Muscles coiled and ready, he waited until the suspended cargo fully blocked the operator's view, and then sprung straight up, barely catching the lip of a crate before pulling himself onto the narrow edge of the pallet.

But he wasn't in the clear yet. Looking down at the deck of the ferry, a flood of light filled the area, and Zuko peeked cautiously around the wooden boxes to spot the first dockworker arriving to unhook the pallet when it landed. In the blink of an eye, the Blue Spirit was on the move once more, shimmying mutely up one of the chains, and diving for the rail around the ferry's bridge, just barely avoiding detection.

Pressed underneath the light spilling from the windows, he waited until the rattle of chains subsided and the booted footsteps faded into the distance. Then, silent as a breath of wind, he dashed along the side of the boat and scampered down a steam pipe, landing once more on the main deck near the loaded cargo.

He slid between the towers of crates, working his way inward until he found an area just large enough to stretch out. There, he slipped the pack from his shoulders and sat down with weary relief, letting Momo out of the bag as he removed his mask.

Thus, hidden deep within the maze of boxes, the prince and his diminutive companion at last settled down to rest for the night. Now all Zuko had to do was wait until morning when the passengers arrived, slip into the crowd, and then disembark with them once the ferry arrived in Kawa'Gin.

As he curled up in the small space with his head on his knapsack, Zuko pulled the silver bracelet from the folds of his tunic and stared at it in the wan starlight as his thumb moved across the texture of the intricate braid-work. And when the trilling purr of Momo snoring against his chest finally lulled the prince's tired mind into drowsiness, he wrapped his fingers around the trinket and was soon fast asleep.


The morning sky in Shinchou was heavy with gritty smoke, so much so that it was difficult to tell exactly what time of day it was.

"I will be so glad when we get out of this filthy town," grumbled Sokka as he and Aang loaded their bags into the wagon. "My whole mouth tastes like soot!"

"Yeah," agreed Aang. "When I first woke up this morning, I thought it was still night."

He glanced at the dark fog hanging in the air around them, wishing he could air bend, just a little, and clear it all away. But he knew better than to even consider it, and instead just went back in for the last of their baggage.

Inside, Katara was paying their bill and chatting with the boy who had waited on them the day before.

"Is it always so...sooty here?" she asked him.

"It didn't used to be," he replied, coughing slightly, "but a few weeks ago they stepped up production; something about needing more ammunition to win the war this summer."

As Aang headed back out the door, Sokka walked in.

"Everything's loaded," he announced. "We ready to go?"

"More than ready," muttered Toph, one hand on Iroh's arm in order to keep up the 'helpless blind girl' act that had gotten them into the town.

"Thanks for the rooms," Katara told the boy behind the counter politely as she took her change.

"Have a safe journey," he replied.

They piled into the cart a few moments later, and Iroh wasted no time getting them moving toward the gate. Everyone was nearly desperate to breathe some fresh air, and the sooner they got out of the city, the better.

"I still wish we could do something for these people," Katara lamented quietly.

"I know you do," consoled Aang. "But we'll be able to help them soon enough…just as soon as this war is over," he finished in an undertone.

"You're right," the water bender sighed.

Looking around, Katara noticed that the streets were eerily empty, even more so than when they had arrived. All the shops seemed to be closed, and the shutters on the houses were latched tightly shut. It was as though a death pall had settled over the town in the wake of the thick smog, and the rattling of the small wagon echoed hauntingly in the stillness.

"Where is everyone?" she wondered aloud.

"Maybe they all slept in," Sokka suggested unconcernedly. "They probably don't realize it's day time yet…kinda hard to tell after all."

"I guess…"

But no matter how hard she tried, Katara couldn't shake the feeling that something was dreadfully wrong.

By the time the cart clattered to town's exit, the group was more than ready to get out the dismal place. But when they approached the closed portcullis, a sense of dread settled over them as nearly a half a dozen armed guards moved into their path, blocking the way.

Aang fidgeted nervously in the cart, keeping his eyes fixed on the floorboards. Had he been discovered? Had they recognized Iroh despite his darkened beard and hair?

"Where do you think you're going?" demanded a burly guard.

"We're on our way to Port Shukumei," answered Iroh calmly.

"I don't think so," the man replied coldly.

"But we're expected-"

At the snap of a finger from the formidable guard, the other sentries stepped forward, spears ringing menacingly into position, pointed directly at the wagon and its occupants. The broad-shouldered man took another step toward them, his voice dangerously serious.

"You're not going anywhere."


Commercial Break

Author's note: I made a comment about 'shipping' to a reader the other day, and thought it might be worth mentioning to everyone.

I've left the relationships somewhat open in this story to allow readers the opportunity to come up with their own conclusions and interpretations of what the interactions between the various characters really mean. As a result, I am always anxious to hear people's theories and hopes for what will happen, and I get frustrated when the majority of readers don't speak up.

Since this fan-fiction is written FOR the FANS, reader reaction is a vital factor in my final decisions on shipping because I personally have no preference, and have laid clues and groundwork for nearly every major pairing.

Right now, anything can still happen. So who ends up with who really depends on which shippers are the most vocal. :-)

So please be sure to share your thoughts on where YOU foresee (or hope) things are going in THIS version of season three (not canon)! What hints and clues in this fan-fiction series have you noticed so far and what do you think about them?