Kai pulls her coat tighter around her shoulders, trying to block the bone-chilling wind whipping over the waters. It blasts the entire crew, making for a silent, miserable day. "I hate it here," she mumbles. "I feel like a polar dog."

Zuko glances at her out of the corner of his eyes, silently agreeing with her, but not daring to voice his opinions. He's been avoiding a trip to the South Pole for this reason, but he cannot avoid it forever. He has not searched for the Avatar here and plus, after the prank they pulled on Zhao, they had little choice but to run to where Zhao didn't care to follow. No Fire Nation native went to the cold unless they absolutely had to.

Iroh rubs his arms and laughs heartily. "It is bracing! Good for character building."

Kai mutters something under her breath and leans over the railing. "Think a fall from here to that ice berg would kill me?" she asks. "I heard you get warmer near the end when you freeze to death."

Zuko pushes her backwards. "Go below deck if you're so cold. I'm sick of your whining."

Instead of listening to him, she reaches out and grabs his unscarred ear. He closes his eyes and sucks in a deep, calming breath. "What. Are. You. Doing?"

"Don't want your other ear to get scarred from frostbite. I don't think matching scars would look good."

He smacks her hand away. "If you don't leave me alone now I'll throw you over the railing myself," he snaps. She puts both gloved hands on his neck. "Kai."

A beam of light splits the sky.

Zuko's eyes widen and Kai's jaw goes slack. No mistake, she knows exactly what that means. No shade of blinding blue-white has ever belonged to anyone else. Zuko whips around and orders, "Sail toward that light!"

The ship veers.

Iroh and Kai exchange glances. She slightly inclines her head. Understanding, Iroh presses his lips together and gazes at the sky. So the Avatar has returned. Hope has come back to the world. That hope resonates in Zuko's amber eyes. Even though he has no way to know for certain that the Avatar caused that light, he has to rely on his instincts and naiive hope, just like he's had to for the past three years at sea.

While powerful, hope can only gain its power from desperation. It both pains and excites Iroh to see that bright light reflect in his nephew's gaze. Iroh taps on Kai's shoulder. "I need to talk to your about taking care of your instrument," he lies. Zuko glances their way and rolls his eyes. Of course they would be more concerned about their instruments than something actually important like the Avatar, he thinks.

"I keep seeing green gunk below the strings," Iroh continues, "and I'm worried it will hurt that beautiful instrument."

Kai smiles sheepishly. "I don't know how to clean it."

She and Iroh walk toward the cabins. "I can show you. It's simple, and will help the instrument play for a long, long time."

"Be back up here before we land!" Zuko shouts after them.

Once below deck, Iroh faces Kai. "That is the Avatar, is it not?"

"It is," she informs him. "I know that light, I know that energy. It runs rampant in the Spirit World."

Iroh fiddles with his sleeves. "So, it is time. I believe this is where your mission truly begins, Kai. You've helped him reclaim a part of his childhood, but now I think he will commence the journey to become a man. Do you promise to stay beside my nephew, no matter what? No matter how hard it gets, do you promise to always prompt him to examine himself and what's important to the world?"

Kai bows her head. "I promise, General Iroh." She lifts her head and smiles. "It's less of a duty now than it was, I must admit. The prince knows how to have fun when someone prods him in the right direction."

Iroh chuckles and shakes his head. "I cannot believe what you did to Zhao's camp. I suspect that will come to haunt us later."

"Worth it."

Together, she and Zuko had lit the stink and paint bombs at strategic locations throughout Zhao's camp. No tent or ship remained unmarred by bright pink and green paint, and every last inch of that camp stunk to high heaven. So did Zuko and Kai, naturally. Kai didn't necessarily know how to throw bombs clear of their own vicinity, much to Zuko's chagrin.

Still, green looked good on the prince. Kind of. Well, maybe at a less, uh, neon degree it would look good.

But Iroh isn't done with his questioning, Kai realizes as she pulls her attention back to the present. He folds his hands together and his eyes take that far-off, grieving look that makes Kai flinch. The air grows hot, heavy, and stifling. She tugs at her collar and glances at the door to the deck. "You will not let my nephew do the same thing Lu Ten did, in the name of the Fire Nation?" Iroh asks.

Kai shoves her hands in her pockets, but says nothing. Fear lights Iroh's eyes, but before he can say anything, the ship jerks and nearly throws Kai and Iroh into the walls. "We landed already?" Kai asks.

"Apparently," Iroh mutters, eyes narrowing. "Kai, do not leave until we—"

She runs back above deck and bursts into the cool air. It tastes like freedom, like distant lives and endless, crisp, clear nights. Despite her earlier complaining, she actually hopes they stay for a while. But it would be strange for a Fire Nation girl to enjoy the weather, and the last thing she needs it Zuko or any of the crewmembers asking her about where she's from. She hasn't formed an airtight lie about all of that yet.

On deck, Zuko leans over the railing and spews fire at the water.

"The water won't burn, if that's what you're trying," Kai calls.

Zuko scowls at her. "We hit an iceberg. Get over here and help me melt it."

Kai grins and hurries over, draping herself across the railing and adding her own stream of fire to Zuko's own. The iceberg flags before the flames, gradually melting. "You know, this could potentially really harm the environment if firebenders came here and just kept doing this," Kai remarks.

"Why would firebenders come here just to do this?" he snaps.

"I mean, the same firebenders that decided to burn down the entire Sing Se forest for easier access to Ba Sing Se?"

"That was different."

"Why?"

"Can you just concentrate, please?"

The iceberg finally gives way and the ship powers forward. Zuko surveys the area ahead of him and prepares to blast another iceberg, but Kai halts him with a hand over his fist. "Let the men do the steering. Just sit tight, Princess."

He jerks his hand away but says nothing. Having learned from the last iceberg, the crew slowly steers the ship through the ice, coming fast upon the South Pole. A village sprawls at the foot of a snowy hill, dotted by penguins. Dark silhouettes run away from the shores, back into the huts and into hiding. "This tiny village has the Avatar?" Zuko murmurs. He remembers the story of this village, and he wonders if it was bigger back when it actually had waterbenders.

"We don't know if that was the Avatar, not yet," Kai points out.

"It has to be. What else could it possibly be?" Zuko says. The ship halts and the anchor drops. He turns to her. "Are you coming?"

"I'll sit this one out," Kai says. "Too damn cold."

Zuko shakes his head, but leaves with his men on the boats to the village. If Kai remembers anything about Avatar Kyoshi, then she knows that Zuko will never successfully catch the Avatar. Powerful and wily, Avatar Kyoshi could defeat even the cleverest and greediest of kings, and she had no problem defying social norms. After all, how often were women allowed to do such great things in history? Zuko may be determined, but the Avatar had a duty. Nothing would ever stop the Avatar from completing that duty.

So you can imagine Kai's shock when Zuko brings the twelve-year-old air nomad on board.

"That's the Avatar?" she asks, tilting her head.

"My name's Aang," the Avatar offers, smiling, somehow hopeful despite his bleak situation. "What's yours?"

"Uh…"

"Head for the Fire Nation capital!" Zuko orders before she can manage a legitimate response. "Kai, lock the Avatar up in the brig!"

She grabs Aang by both arms and hauls him below deck, keeping him lifted so his feet don't even graze the ground. "Wow, you're really strong," Aang comments. Kai just grunts in response, head still reeling. How is the Avatar this kid? All the same, if she can keep herself scarce, he'll never recognize her. "So are you from the Fire Nation, too?"

"You're talkative for a prisoner," she remarks, despite herself.

"I talk a lot when I get nervous."

"No kidding. Here's your cell." She shoves him into the room and slams the door shut. The lock clicks, and Kai backs away, relief coursing through her. He didn't recognize her. Wherever Kyoshi's spirit was in him, it apparently wasn't anywhere near the surface. Thanks the spirits for that.

When she arrives back on deck, Zuko looks all too pleased with himself. She supposes she can't blame him—he did just capture the Avatar. But she wonders how proud he should be. The boy doesn't look like he'd be very far in his Avatar…ness.

"Father will restore my honor now," he says as she draws up to stand next to him. "I can't believe it, after three years."

"Yeah. Me either. It'll be nice to see home again," she lies. The thought of returning to the stinking, stone trap they call a capital makes her stomach queasy and her skin crawl. "How long will it take to return?"

"About three weeks. We'll have to keep the Avatar subdued."

"We can throw ice water on him," Kai suggests.

"Don't talk to him," Zuko orders. "You're too friendly."

Kai shrugs. "So is that it for the day?"

"Go warm up."

Kai obediently returns to her quarters, but before she can push the door open and flop on her bed and ponder her future in the capital, Iroh appears. She closes her eyes. "Are we finishing that conversation?" she asks.

Iroh puts his hands together. "In a sense... I just want to say that it will be difficult to keep Zuko on the correct path in the capital."

"What will they do to the Avatar in the capital?" Kai asks.

Iroh bows his head. "I see two options. Either they will keep him locked up until he dies, or they will kill him as soon as they can."

"What's the point in that? He'll just be reborn." She flinches at her own words. Aang would still die—the next Avatar would be far different from the bright eyed, goofy kid in the brig. There's no reversing that.

"No. They will kill him in the Avatar State."

"Oh." Kai's hand leaves the doorknob. "That's… terrifying." Definitely can't reverse that.

Iroh nods. And leaves.

Frowning, Kai watches him go. Is that it, then? She faces the steel door and drums her fingers along its hinges, mulling over Iroh's words. His thoughts on what Kai should do is clear, but… This is a problem.


Aang hugs his knees to his chest. He wonders how Katara is doing. He wonders if the village is grateful that the Fire Nation ships are sailing away with him, the kid that tried to run away from being the Avatar, the kid that abandoned the world. A shiver passes through him and he hugs his knees tighter. The ship's cold metal doesn't serve as a very kind bed. Not that deserves any better.

The cell door creaks open. Aang looks up, confused and softly calls, "Who's there?"

No answer. Foot steps recede down the hall.

He creeps forward, squinting through the darkness, and gently pulls the door a little further. Empty. No guards, no Fire Prince, no one except for his staff propped up against the opposite wall. Well, best not spit this opportunity in the face, he thinks.


"The Avatar's escaped!" the lieutenant informs Zuko, eyes wide and gasping for breath. His armor is displaced, as if a giant gust of wind tried to rip it off his shoulders. Kai tilts her head, trying to place what animal the lieutenant looks like with his armor like this.

Zuko's hands ball into fists. "What?"

A giant beetle! That's it. The ones that crawl around the desert.

And the Avatar bursts onto the deck.

He and Zuko lock eyes.

Aang gasps and whips up a gust of wind, smacking all three of them and sending them tumbling to the floor. Zuko recovers first. With a grunt, he punches a fireball at Aang. The Avatar dodges.

Kai helps the lieutenant to his feet before joining the fray, trapping Aang between her and Zuko's flames. He glances between them with wide eyes as he dances, trying in vain to blow them away. Much to his surprise, Kai starts to move like Aang, jumping around and dodging his gusts. Zuko takes the opportunity to advance and close the circle.

Then Kai halts. She points at the sky. "Is that… an air bison?"

Zuko follows her gaze and his eyes widen. Yes. Yes it is.

"Appa!" the Avatar cries.

Kai jumps and kicks a giant flame at the bison. It roars and plummets, just barely avoiding the fire. Two water tribe peasants sit on its back, a boy and a girl. Kai lands on her back and jumps to her feet, ready to let loose another barrage, but the bison smacks her with its tail.

"Oof!" She crashes into the wall drops to the deck, where she lies for a few moments, trying to catch her breath and thoughts. Water splashes over her, scattering her thoughts and breath again. "Ugh—why would you do that?" she whines through chattering teeth, sitting up and glaring at the water tribe girl. "It's so cold!"

Before the water tribe girl can splash Kai again, Zuko kicks her.

"Katara!" Aang shouts, running toward her and Zuko. Kai pushes herself to her feet and runs at Aang, eyes only on him. So she doesn't see the water tribe boy throw his boomerang—not until it smacks her in the back of her ankle and spins her straight into Zuko. They both tumble to the ground.

"Get off!" Zuko snarls, shoving Kai. But as he stands, the Avatar and Katara climb onto the bison and it flies away with a great burst of air. The air cuts straight to Kai's wet body and she shivers, glaring after the three kids. Zuko pants and watches them leave. "We need to follow them," he mutters. Then he shakes himself out of his thoughts and orders, "Follow the Avatar!"

Kai gets to her feet.

Zuko whips around and points an accusatory finger at her. "You lost him!"

"What?" Kai yelps. "How the hell did I lose him?"

"I had the girl, and I would have had him if you hadn't run into me!"

"That wasn't my fault! That other kid threw his boomerang at me!"

"A toy threw you off balance?" Zuko scoffs.

Kai rips her coat off and throws it on the ground. Immediately, she feels warmer without the sopping wet article on her back. "I'm done with this!" she snaps, whipping around and storming below deck.

Insufferable, every last member of the Fire Nation royalty.

Iroh winces. "I think you better apologize," he tells the prince.

"Me? You didn't do a single thing, either! You're both useless!" Zuko snaps. He whips around and storms back to the ship's crest, glaring after the fleeing black dot in the sky.


Any feedback is welcome. Thanks for reading, and I hope you're enjoying it!