"So... should we talk to Zuko?" Aang asked when they were finished with their tea.

"No... It's my idea, so I'll deal with his reactions myself." She sighed, then grinned "Actually, I get kind of a kick provoking him." She winked at them.

"I like this girl!" Toph said "Pity you didn't join us any sooner."

"I know what you mean." Sokka said to Asahi "Making Zuko angry is so easy it's already funny. I once did this thing with my staff-"

"Alright, Sokka, we gotta leave, make some preparations." Katara dragged her brother by the neck.

"Katara! I'm not a little kid anymore!" He complained. "I'm eighteen years old."

"And you're a great man." Suki added, giving him a peck on the cheek. "But at times a great man has to listen to his little sister."

"Even you, Suki?" He pouted at his girlfriend.

"Man, such a long-distance relationship must suck." Aang commented, wrapping his arm around Katara and Asahi saw Toph grinning. She sure was one mischievous Earthbending master.

"I know what you mean." Katara agreed, resting her head against Aangs shoulder.

"Sure, go ahead and rub some more dirt into the wound. Go ahead." Sokka said sarcastically.

"Well, If Asahi's plan checks out, we'll have a lot of private time at our disposal." Suki said cheerfully.

They parted ways.

Later that day, Asahi headed to Zuko's chambers. She had already informed Iroh of her plans who had been delighted and agreed to take on Zuko's duties for as long as they travelled. With that settled, all that was left was for Zuko to get convinced he needed this, too.

She knocked on his door, entered and wasn't too surprised to see him cranky and glaring at her.

"So?" He asked in a mocking tone "Did you finish your important business with the Avatar and his friends."

"No need to be so upset." Asahi answered, closed the door and stepped towards him. "I had to talk to them alone."

"Why not tell me beforehand, then?" His voice was sharp. Asahi shrugged.

"I like teasing you." She admitted with a lopsided grin.

"Hmph." Zuko made and turned away.

"Zu-papa is really mad, you know. It's a powerful feeling." Pyro's voice was filled with reverie.

"No! No Pyro, it's not! Anger is a horrible, destructive feeling and you should not connect with it!"

Pyro hunched when she raised her voice to a shout and even Zuko turned to face her again.

"Whow, what's up?"

"Because I made you angry, Pyro thinks that you're strong when you're mad." She pressed through her teeth.

"What?" He stared at Pyro. "No, I'm not stronger because I'm mad. Listen to Asahi, anger's not a good thing!"

"Then why are you angry?" Pyro asked, wide-eyed. Of course, Zuko couldn't hear him, so Asahi translated.

"He asked why you're angry."

Zuko looked at her, then at Pyro, obviously searching for the right words to say.

"Sometimes... humans feel emotions they don't want to feel... they don't really have a choice. But with some emotions... you should try to keep them level." He concluded, then sighed and turned to Asahi again "I'm sorry I lashed out at you."

Asahi shook her head.

"I'm sorry for teasing you." She said, smiling kindly.

"You're all nice again?" Pyro asked.

"Yep, everything's fine." She agreed.

"So, what did you discuss with Aang and the others?" Zuko asked finally.

"Why don't we sit down?" She pointed at their usual seating area, and they both made themselves comfortable. Asahi was wondering just how exactly she could make Zuko understand her intentions.

"You see..." She started. "I think we should take our time and travel again."

...

Zuko blinked at his companion.

"Travel? As in go take a walk?" He asked, confused.

"No, travel as in go visit the Sun Warrior Temple. By foot." She added, when he opened his mouth.

"By foot?!" Did this girl have some loose screws in her head? "You know that would take weeks!" He couldn't believe it, what was she suggesting?

"Well, there's this ritual, that will take place in three weeks' time, when the summer solstice arrives..." She began.

"So? Why don't we just ask Aang to borrow Appa and fly there? Or go by Rhino? Or anything, really, that'll take less time than walking."

"But that's the whole point!" She exclaimed "I want us to walk. I want you to live the way you did when you were travelling with Aang."

Zuko was taken aback by her comment.

"...why?" He couldn't make any sense of her words.

"Because you're not happy." She answered in a tiny voice. He felt as if struck by lightning; and he knew just how that felt.

"Not happy? How could I not be happy; I'm the Firelord, the world's at peace. There's no reason for me not to be happy." He explained.

"Then why aren't you?" She asked him with the saddest of expressions.

"I... I'm..." He looked into her eyes and felt as if she could see right through him. "I don't know." He finally admitted.

"And that's not good." She said. "Pyro needs to grow up beside a strong and self-confident partner, and not a Firelord who constantly questions his own path."

Her words stung; mainly because they were all too true. He fell silent, not knowing what to answer. He had felt incomplete ever since he'd become Firelord. He was angry all the time, stressed out, tired and still unable to bend lightning. And whenever he realized he was feeling like that he would get mad at himself, feeling guilty for having all those negative emotions when he was the leader of an entire nation. A banished prince who had come home after restoring balance to the world hand in hand with the Avatar. A lost son who had found his mother again, forgiven her actions and returned. And yet he always had the creeping feeling that something wasn't right. That his life wasn't stable, somehow.

He clenched his fists, then looked up and said:

"What do you want me to do?"