I like to offer a HUGE apology to everyone who was reading this back when it was started - 2 years ago. I know that's been an awfully long time, and I would like to extend my gratitude for anyone who's stuck around for this long. (-:

Much as I'd like to say that I have a good reason for leaving it this long, I'm of the opinion that none of the events in my life over the past 2 years really justify neglecting the story for such an extended length of time, so instead I'll just apologise again...

Disclaimer: Avatar - The Last Airbender still does not belong to me, despite my various attempts to remedy the situation over the last two years.

Fortunately for Zuko's sanity, Uncle Iroh returned shortly after the sparring match. Sokka had spent the entire afternoon sulking that he'd lost - doubtlessly not helped by the fact that Katara still burst into laughter every time she saw him - and Zuko was relieved to see a friendly face.

"I need to speak to you Uncle," he said quietly, catching the General on his way into the camp, his arms filled with strange plants and berries. Eyeing them suspiciously, Zuko was felt glad for the first time since he'd died that he no longer needed to eat or drink. Besides, given his recent experience with the fountain, he doubted that drinking tea would be as beneficial for his health as his uncle seemed to believe.

Toph had looked suspicious, but didn't complain when Uncle Iroh asked her to take the ingredients back to the camp. Zuko rather strongly suspected that she intended to eavesdrop anyway, but there wasn't a lot he could do about it, short of borrowing the Avatar's bison for a while. Given his dislike of heights, he figured that the earthbender was the lesser evil.

"What's the problem?" his uncle asked him calmly once Zuko had judged them to be a sufficient distance from the camp. Wordlessly, Zuko handed him the tile. His uncle took it with a frown, taking in the white lotus painted delicately on one side.

"Where did you come by this?" his uncle asked urgently.

"Lu Ten gave it to me," Zuko told him gravely, noting with alarm the way his uncle's face paled at the mention of his deceased son. "He said to tell you that it's time and that he loves you and is thinking of you."

Uncle Iroh nodded, studying the tile thoughtfully. "I wonder how he knew?"

"What does it mean?" Zuko asked him curiously.

His uncle sighed. "It means that I'm going to have to go away for a while. There are some people I have to get in contact with."

"You're leaving?" Zuko asked in dismay. He had so little time left, it seemed the height of cruelty that he wouldn't be able to share it with his uncle.

"I fear I must," his uncle said sadly, watching his beloved nephew struggle to hide his emotions. "It won't be for long though. I'll be back before the three weeks are up, I promise. I may be able to find someone who can help us with your condition."

"Being dead isn't a condition, uncle," Zuko pointed out sternly. "It's not like I can take some medication for it and be alive again."

"You mustn't give up hope," Uncle Iroh told him firmly. "The spirits have given us a chance to make this right. We can't let this opportunity slip away."

"I'm not," Zuko said dismissively. "I'm here to train the Avatar and I'll make him a firebender even if I have to brainwash him to do it."

His uncle looked a little wary. "I'm sure there's no need to go to such an extreme," he noted.

Zuko shrugged. "No, but he has to learn and quickly. He's still far too timid."

Uncle Iroh gazed off into the distance thoughtfully. Recognising the look, Zuko sighed and hoped that this time it wouldn't lead to another search for pai sho tiles. "Perhaps he just needs the proper motivation?" his uncle suggested at last.

"I've already tried throwing fire balls at him," Zuko protested. "He just keeps using his other powers."

"He's the Avatar, so it's not a question of ability," his uncle pointed out. "If he's timid then maybe there's a reason for it?"

Zuko frowned, thinking back over his conversations with Aang. "He said that he once hurt the waterbender when he was trying to learn firebending," he remembered finally. A grin crept over his face as an idea came to him. "It's a good thing that the waterbender owes me a favour for trying to drown me," he noted.

"Don't do anything too drastic," his uncle cautioned, having spent enough time around the young prince to recognise when Zuko had an idea and to know that most of Zuko's ideas had a habit of ending badly.

Zuko just shrugged and turned to head back to the camp. "I'll see you at dinner," he told his uncle, various ways to make his scheme work darting through his mind. It felt good to have a specific goal to work on, training the Avatar was just as frustratingly vague as capturing the Avatar had been. Neither had done much good for his patience.

"You're planning something," a voice accused suddenly, causing Zuko to startle and instinctively drop into a firebending stance. While it was unlikely that his sister would even think to look for him, let alone try to kill him again, he still felt on edge most of the time. Being a fugitive hadn't done a lot of good for his peace of mind.

Much to his relief it was just the earthbender standing behind a nearby tree where she'd been shamelessly listening in on his conversation with his uncle. She stepped out into the open, her blind eyes glaring in somewhat the right direction.

"I don't know what you mean," Zuko told her innocently, thankful that she couldn't tell whether he was lying or not.

Unfortunately, it appeared that he didn't need a heartbeat for her not to believe him, if the uncomfortably large rock that she sent flying in his direction was any indication.

He yelped, ducking to one side. "Alright, alright. If you must know I have an idea to help train the Avatar. Satisfied?"

She tilted her head at him thoughtfully. "Nope," she concluded with a grin. "It sounds like fun. I want to help."