Author's note: Okay, one more part after this one and the chapter will officially be over... then things will get much more interesting. If you could spare a review of how well I'm doing/ not doing so far, I'd appreciate it.

Kuzon had found a stick several hours ago, and since then he'd been making ripples across the water's surface. He looked up at the sunset, growing more agitated by the minute, not to mention hungry.

"Damn," he hissed, tossing his stick onto the platform. Several trains had already passed by. Some had stopped, but that had been because the conductor had thought they'd wanted to get on.

No one had come.

No one is coming.

He glanced at his sister. Save for the few times a train had gone by, she'd just been sitting there, back towards him, humming her mantra. Cautiously, he walked up behind her.

"Ari, no one's coming. It's getting dark. We need to start moving- find society, find food. If we don't, we'll never figure this out."

"Mom said to stay," she said in a monotone.

"It's been too long, Ari. Something must have happened; our 'help' was probably eaten by that fat dude. If we don't leave and find help-"

"Just a few more minutes, okay?"

"A few more minutes and it'll be too dark!"

"Few more minutes?"

"Ari-"

"Please?"

Kuzon groaned, and then stormed to the other side of the platform. "Fine, whatever! Let's just wait until we starve, if that's what you really want. If you still won't come in a few minutes, I'll…"

Ari glanced at him over her shoulder. "You'll what? Leave?"

Kuzon kicked his stick into the ocean with a plop. "…No. Mom said to stick together."

"Mom also said-"

"Besides," he pressed, "You can't defend yourself for shit without swords, at least not against me."

"Only when you're spoon bending…" she muttered. Before he could respond, she added, "Let's not fight, okay? Things are bad enough as is."

Kuzon grumbled a few profanities under his breath before agreeing, bending down at the edge of the platform and fishing his stick back out of the water.

As he reached down, his mother's cloak dipped into the water, the corner soaked by the time he stood up. He sighed, taking hold of the corner and wringing the water from it.

"Why red?" he asked the cloak. "Sure, I'm pretty moody for a teenager, but red? Why not blue? I'm not red…"

"I'm not surprised," his sister called.

Kuzon tossed his cloak down savagely. "I thought you didn't want to fight."

"Just stating the obvious," Arella replied, her monotone gone. She stood slowly, but didn't turn to face him.

"Yeah right- quit being such a brat," he snapped. "Why do you keep throwing bullshit like that at me, even now?"

Arella didn't respond, and he hardly noticed how low her head was drooping.

"What?" he demanded. "Can't think of a comeback?"

She ignored him again. He watched her lift her hand, seeming to wipe her face as she sniffled.

His anger disappeared instantly, and he suddenly felt sick for giving her attitude. "Ari… a-are you crying?"

She spun around to face him, and he saw the stream of tears on her cheeks. "Yes, I'm crying! Daddy's dead, Momma's probably being murdered or tortured right now, and all we get to do is sit around like defenseless little kids! I have a right to cry!"

She buried her face in her hands, shoulders shaking as she started to sob. Kuzon, however, had no sympathy for her, growing more agitated than before.

"You're wrong. We don't have to sit around; we could be at the island by now if you'd listen to me! And Dad's not dead." He said the last sentence in a hostile way.

Arella looked up. "Wh-what makes you think he isn't? Momma didn't even try to find him… a-and she said he w-was proud of you before w-we left…"

"I don't care what Mom said, Dad's too freaking stubborn to die!" he yelled. "Whatever it is that's happened, he's alive somewhere, like us. You of all people shouldn't give up on him."

Arella glared, eyes glimmering intensely as more tears poured down her chin. "That's a lot coming from someone who's giving up on his mom! Momma wouldn't tell us to stay for no reason. Who knows what the people on that island are like, or whose side they're on? Why can't you trust Momma's judgment and not your own stupid idea?"

"Because standing here waiting like we are defenseless kids is retarded," Kuzon said angrily. "I dunno about homunculi, but the Xiborgs will definitely be looking for us. The longer we wait, the closer they get to us. It's just as bad as giving up."

"No, it isn't. Haku will get here before they do."

"How do you know he will? How do you know we can trust him?"

"How do you know that we can't? Momma said stay!"

"Well, Dad said not to give up without a fight!"

"You don't know what he'd want us to do; he's dead!"

"Shut up! He's not dead!" He spun away, facing the open ocean, breathing deeply. He did his best to ignore Arella as she continued sobbing, but failed, and instead felt responsible for her misery.

He couldn't be dead. Once they found help, or when help found them, everything would be okay. They'd be able to come up with a plan to free their mother, and they'd find out how to save their father as well, if he even needed saving.

Dad is okay. He has to be. If he isn't okay… I… … He's just okay…

And that's when he saw it, gliding through the water like a motorboat. He turned to Arella and shouted, "Train!"

Arella looked up yet again, and rushed to his side, still wiping tears out of her eyes. "Alright," she said with an exhausted sigh, struggling to calm down, "if this isn't it… then I guess we'll go. Deal?"

Kuzon nodded, rather absently, still partly lost in thoughts.

The train slowly came to a stop next to the platform. While it was still moving, Arella glanced into the windows, and her eyebrow quirked.

"Wait a second- the last few trains had shadowy people in them… Why are there actual people this time?"

Kuzon, who hadn't noticed the shadows before, gave her an odd look. "The hell are you talking about?"

The doors slid open, and Kuzon saw what she meant; the conductor of the train wore the appropriate uniform, but had no face and had a dark blob for a body. He hadn't paid much attention to the conductors on the other trains, and guessed that the past ones had been full of creatures like these, as Arella claimed.

Arella stepped up near the train. "Umm, excuse me, but is there a H-Haku on this tra-"

"Hey, what did we stop for?"

A black-haired man walked up to the conductor, and then turned to the children, seeming to be bothered by the train's unexpected stop.

Arella gasped, eyeing the man's blue military uniform. She took a step back, looking frightened.

"What's wrong?" Kuzon asked earnestly.

Arella looked at him, her face growing paler. "I-I saw a homunculus who wore that same uniform…"

Once he'd processed the information, the teen jumped up in front of his sister, hands raised as he took a stance. Even without the ability to bend, he figured he could kick this man's ass if necessary. "What the hell are you and what do you want?"

The man put his hands up defensively. "Hey, I'm not here to hurt anyone, I just…" He paused, and then squinted at the boy. "Wait a second… purple hair…" He turned to the car of the train he came from and called, "Hey! These yours?"

Kuzon and Arella spared a quick glance, both confused by the man's words. When they looked back, however, they saw a cane clack across the doorway of the car, and then watched in awe as their father came into view.

All three froze, taking a minute to realize who they were staring at. Then Arella screamed with joy, pushing a mystified Kuzon aside and running into her father's arms.

"Daddy! You're alive! I… I thought you were…"

Kuzon joined them seconds afterward. "You're okay! I knew it! I told you, Ari! I told you he was okay…"

Zuko held his children tightly, the weight of his fears lifted. "Thank Agni you two are alright…"

The dark haired man smirked at this scene, and then turned to the conductor. "Can these two hitch a ride the rest of the way? They should have gotten on with us earlier. I'm sure Zeniba would allow it..."

The conductor seemed to consider this for a moment, before heartily giving them the thumbs up.

Kuzon pulled out of their group hug, though Arella still clung rather tightly to Zuko. "How did you get here?" Kuzon asked.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," his father admitted.

All three went into the train car, Mustang following silently. The car was almost overflowing with people, so instead of sitting, Zuko grabbed one of the free handles on the ceiling, keeping his weight off his bad leg. Arella still hadn't let go, and was spilling tears onto his torn shirt.

"Geeze, Dad, what happened to you?" Kuzon wondered aloud, standing beside his father and Mustang.

Zuko wobbled momentarily as the train started moving. He regained his balance and answered quietly, "I got captured by the Xiborgs, and was their prisoner for who knows how long."

"Ari says we were prisoners for a month before we escaped," Kuzon replied.

Zuko patted the girl's shoulders with his free hand as she continued sobbing. "How did you escape?"

Kuzon's gaze fell away, rather abruptly. "…Mom helped us…"

"Really? Where is she?"

Kuzon shook his head. "I… we dunno…"

There was a moment of silence, but before Zuko had time to react he was tackled yet again by his son.

"You scared the hell out of us, you know that?" His voice was tight, strained.

Zuko removed his arm from Arella's shoulders and ruffled the boy's hair. "I know."

The rest of the train's journey only lasted a few minutes, and the trio took it in peace, holding each other with Arella still crying quietly. With no idea where these crazy events would lead, Kuzon was relieved to have a moment like this with his father while he could.

The train came to a halt, and its occupants scurried to grab their luggage and get off. Arella finally broke away from her father, sniffling and shivering violently. Zuko rubbed her shoulder again, before gripping his cane tightly and starting towards the line that had formed almost instantly.

"Let's get outside; we have a lot to talk about."

The train station was wide, cool and refreshing. There were many windows to let cold air in and watch the twilight stars appear. Many concrete benches stood spread out across the station; these seats were taken within seconds after Zuko exited the train. Most recruits were lucky to find a good spot to sit on the ground.

Zuko searched for a place to sit, his leg letting out a dull cry of pain from standing all day. He clenched his cane until his knuckles turned white, wondering how he'd last in this army if his leg gave out from everyday use.

"E-excuse me…"

Zuko turned to see a young woman sitting on one of the benches, looking nervous after she got his attention. She wore a big, dark red trench coat with long, bulky gloves to match. Her long, orange hair was put up in pigtails tied by lengthy, dark ribbons, long bangs falling into her dark green eyes.

She looked around, seeming anxious, and then stood up. "Here- you can take my seat. You need it more than I do."

Zuko smiled, giving a polite bow and thanking her for her act of kindness. She bowed back briefly, before turning and walking away.

Zuko sat down on the bench, Kuzon sitting down on the floor next to him along with Arella, while Mustang stood nearby. Kuzon looked up at his father, and asked, "What exactly are we doing here?"

"Waiting for an escort to the army's HQ," Mustang replied tiredly, tugging at his gloves.

Arella quirked her brow, Kuzon finding this expression almost repetitive. "What army?" she asked.

Zuko sighed heavily. "That's what we need to talk about… This isn't going to be easy to explain…"

It wasn't. It took over twenty minutes for Zuko to give full details on their situation, including the story of his encounter with Guy. Both of his children listened in complete silence, something they- or at least the older of the two- didn't do often. It wasn't until Zuko had finished that Kuzon spoke up.

"So, you're going to be recruited for this 'Jiyung na tushie' army?

Arella was tempted to face-palm. "It's Jiyuu No Toushi. Don't you know any Japanese?"

Kuzon hung his head sheepishly. "I can spell my name…"

Mustang smirked at this. "Ah, heritage," he sighed sarcastically, "who needs it?"

"Daad," Kuzon whined, "your friend's mocking me… and I'm not Japanese anyway; I'm Chinese."

"I'm surprised you could tell the difference," Arella muttered.

Kuzon glared at her, and then looked up at his father. "You see that? Even when we're in the middle of a crisis, all she gives me is-"

There was a loud clang!, followed by three others on beat, and the recruits turned to see a giant frog banging two pots together. He stood on two webbed feet and was dressed in white robes. He had pale-green skin, as well as some hair on his human-like face. A less human-like frog stood beside his ankle, this one the size of a child. He was lime-green in color and wore sky blue robes.

The first frog lowered his two pots and gave them all an abnormally cheesy grin. "Hello, stinky humans, and welcome to the infamous army, Jiyuu No Toushi. You will all be recruited shortly, but first we need you all to fill out these forms," the smaller frog hopped into the air on cue, waving the forms, "so we can figure out where you belong. Most of you will probably wind up as privates, but if you have any military background or special abilities, you may be better off than you realize!

"Also, I must ask that you all eat one of these." He tapped a barrel to his right overflowing with bread. "Just one bite will do. If you forget to, then you'll most likely disappear forever. I'd start passing them out, if I were you.

"Once you fill out the forms, you'll be asked to sign a contract, and then you'll be taken to your new quarters under the bathhouse. If you have any questions, just ask either of us and we'll be happy to help."

Zuko slowly rose to his feet, and started towards the two frogs. Mustang put out a hand to stop him. "No, I'll get them and pass one to-"

"It's alright Mustang," Zuko said with a weak smile, "I'm not going to keel over. Besides, I need to speak with the frogs about the kids, and how they'll get back to Zeniba."

Kuzon and Arella looked at each other worriedly. They only just got back together, and Dad was sending them away?

Zuko went up to the bigger frog. "Excuse me, but I'm afraid my children came here by mistake. When's the next train back?"

The frog's giant smile diminished, and he shared a quick glance with his co-worker. He then gave Zuko another grin. "I'm sorry, but no one is allowed to go back once they're recruited."

"My kids aren't being recruited," Zuko said flatly. "They've only been here for a few minutes, I don't see why-"

"I'm sorry," the large worker cut in, "but humans aren't usually allowed on the trains. You're lucky the ride here was available, let alone free. You might as well let your kids sign up, before things get messy."

Zuko clenched his cane tightly, growing agitated. "If you won't listen, then I'd like to have a word with whoever's in charge."

The frog's smile disappeared entirely. "Uh… No, you don't…"

"Why not?" Zuko snapped.

The worker flinched at Zuko's dark expression. "Ah… because, um… well, I guess, but she-"

"Thank you," Zuko replied quickly, grabbing two forms and walking away before the frog could object.

"Have a nice day!" the shorter frog called.

Zuko handed Mustang a form and sat down, just as Arella passed out four pieces of bread amongst them. As she gave a piece to her father, she asked, "Daddy, are we splitting up?"

Zuko shook his head. "Zeniba has no reason to keep you two away from each other; it's up to the both of you."

Kuzon finished his bread in one bite, swallowing just before he replied, "She wasn't talking about us, Dad; she was talking about you. You're staying, but we aren't."

Zuko looked down at them with concern, and then looked away. "Yes, I'm staying. I'm sorry, both of you, but this isn't like what happened on Tamaran: Guy is abusing the entire universe, including the spirit world. I have to do something…"

"We want to do something too," Kuzon began, "Is there some sort of kiddy-division we can-"

"No."

"But-"

"I've already decided," Zuko replied tiredly, jotting down information on his form. "You two can't join. You're too young, it's too dangerous."

Mustang spoke up. "Your point being?"

Zuko looked up at Mustang, appalled. "What?"

Mustang shrugged. "Two kids, younger than yours, once joined my army. I didn't hear much about them, just that they did very well, considering their age. The situation here is actually better than theirs was: This army is always recruiting teens and pre-teens, so it's set up for them to be able to manage at their level. Your kids seem capable enough to me. They got this far, didn't they?"

Zuko looked away, and continued filling out his form. "My kids are not becoming soldiers for any military whatsoever, and that's final."

Mustang shrugged again, finishing off his form. "Your choice, I suppose… Hey, what position do you think I'll get with a form that says 'Former Occupation: Führer'?"

"Führer?" Kuzon repeated. "Like Hi-"

"Hitler, yeah."

Once they finished their forms, describing their careers and abilities, Mustang and Zuko turned them in and got a contract in return. They signed these as well, and handed them back before waiting for the rest of the recruits to sign up. The children grew uneasy, finding no topic to really talk about but not wanting their last moments with their father to be dull.

Finally, Arella spoke. "Could you write to us?"

Kuzon rolled his eyes. "I doubt the spirit world has a postal service…"

"Well," Mustang chuckled, "I doubt you knew the spirit world had an army of refugees."

"But I want to be able to talk to Daddy…"

Zuko smiled, ruffling her hair. "Don't worry; we'll keep in touch somehow."

"Promise?" she asked, looking up at him.

Kuzon looked up as well, seeming hopeful.

Zuko nodded, though his smile faltered. "I promise."

End part four

Creditz: Zuko, Avatar: The Last Airbender; Roy Mustang, Fullmetal Alchemist; Conductor and Frogs, Spirited Away; Robin, Witch Hunter Robin