Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Author's Note: Well, I appear to be more or less back on schedule. We're reshuffling the group and moving onto the next stage of the journey here.

Summons

Zuko, feeling like he'd just traveled a gigantic distance, made his leisurely way back to the group. He was just reaching them when there was a rustling from another direction, and The Duke burst out of the bamboo.

"What's a kid have to do to be alone around here?" the small boy complained.

"Why?" asked Teo. "What happened?"

"Kissing!" The Duke announced, wrinkling his nose in disgust. Sokka sat up suddenly, his drink sloshing over the side of his glass. Glancing around to register who was missing, Zuko surmised that Katara had returned and pulled Aang off with her. That would also explain Sokka's sudden, keen interest.

"Kissing?" Sokka repeated. "Was there anything else?"

"Isn't that enough?" The Duke returned. "I didn't stick around to see any more." Zuko coughed in order to avoid openly laughing. He remembered feeling that way about displays of affection at one time. It felt like a lifetime ago, although it had really been more like 5 years. Piandao and Uncle Iroh were looking amused in the wistful, placid manner that Zuko often found so irritating in his elders.

"Maybe I should –" Sokka began, setting his glass down and half rising from his seat. Uncle Iroh, however, stretched out an arm in a restraining gesture.

"Oh, let them be," the old man advised. "They are young and in love. With everything else they have to worry about, give them this." Sokka slowly took his seat again, but he looked over at Toph.

"Toph?" he asked hopefully.

"Don't ask me to do your spying for you," she retorted, folding her feet up beneath her to punctuate her point. Zuko was impressed by this display and wondered just how much she had reduced her sensitivity to what was going on around her. If she were truly blinding herself to respect her friends' privacy, that said a lot about their relationship.

"So, it appears things went well with you, Your Highness," Piandao changed the subject.

"It's just Zuko now, but yes," Zuko agreed. He found an empty patch of ground to sit on and relaxed for the first time in…years, possibly.

"What did you have to talk to Katara about?" Haru asked curiously.

"I needed to apologize for turning on her in Ba Sing Se," Zuko explained shortly. "She forgave me."

"She did?" More than one voice was involved with that, but it was Sokka's that stood out. Meeting the warrior's eyes, Zuko decided he should probably share the rest of what they'd discussed. Sokka had as much right as his sister to know why his mother had died.

"I was surprised, too," Zuko admitted. "Relieved, but surprised. It did take quite a bit of talking. In the process, we also figured out what happened to your mother." Sokka's jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?" he said, both caution and suspicion evident in his voice. "She was killed by the Fire Nation."

"Yes, but we think we know why." Zuko went on to tell everyone else what he and Katara had been able to piece together. When he finished, the only sounds were insects, birds, and the clinking of Uncle's teacup against its saucer.

"Thank you for telling me," Sokka finally broke the silence. "It doesn't really change anything, but it's nice to know the truth, I guess." Zuko considered mentioning that this knowledge had appeared to change Katara's outlook on life dramatically, but he decided against it. That felt like more of a personal thing, and if Katara wanted to share it with her brother, that was her business.

"The truth will set you free," Uncle Iroh remarked sagely, and that seemed to be the end of the topic.

***

On the second day of their stay with Piandao, the messenger arrived. Teo and the rest of the group that had become the Avatar's rather impressive entourage had joined Piandao and Iroh in a formal dining room for breakfast. While some of the guests were taking advantage of sleeping quarters in the house, Teo and Katara among them, many had preferred to stay in the garden. This was partly because a few – like Aang and Sokka – had grown used to camping out in the open, but it was also because Piandao's house simply didn't have room for them all. Therefore, breakfast was a time for them to gather together and prepare for their day.

There was a faint knock on the door, and when Haru opened it, Piandao's servant flashed a Pai Sho tile. Teo thought it was the same white lotus everybody had been making a fuss about earlier. Piandao and Iroh excused themselves, requesting pardon for the interruption while Aang, Katara, and Sokka exchanged meaningful glances. Teo couldn't tell what the glances meant, but he could tell they were meaningful. Teo didn't consider himself to be stupid by any measure, but he was aware that he didn't fully understand all the subtext of the events that went on around him.

Teo continued to watch the trio that had first shown up at his home several months ago, finding them fascinating. They had been through so much together, and Toph almost as much, that they worked as a team without appearing to put much effort into it.

Aang and Katara sat beside one another, almost but not quite touching, somehow conveying intimacy without doing anything overt. For all his protectiveness, Sokka appeared blissfully unaware of this, which led Teo to wonder how long Aang and Katara had acted this way before expressing their feelings for each other outright. Clearly, long enough for Sokka to ignore it as part of the background. Interesting.

Sokka and Katara, meanwhile, continuously exuded an indefinable sibling dynamic that had clearly expanded at some point in their history to include Aang. Toph was a part of this core, too, but to a lesser extent. Watching the interplay between all four, Teo recognized how little he fit. What was he, after all, but a cripple with a light spirit and above average intelligence who'd happened to fall into their path? He wasn't a bender, wasn't even really a fighter. What did he have to offer?

Teo shifted his gaze to Haru and The Duke. He felt a certain kinship to the two boys because they were also on the outskirts of this group. He'd spent a fair amount of time with them while Aang and the others were busy solving the problems of the world. They were already on the way to becoming good friends, and it was odd for Teo to think about the fact that their origins were so far apart that he probably never would have met them if the Avatar had not entered his life.

There were other similarities, too. Teo's father and Haru's father were both now captives of the Fire Nation, and both were only children. The Duke never talked about his family, but it was at least clear that he was currently on his own. Haru was an earthbender, though not even close to as good as Toph. Under his father's tutelage, he still had a chance to be great, but for most of his life, earthbending had been forbidden to him.

The three "outsiders" had already come up with a plan to make themselves useful in a way that utilized their talents better than simply tagging along. They were just waiting for the right time to tell everybody and implement it.

As Piandao and Iroh returned to the room, Teo had the feeling that time had just arrived. The two men didn't look exactly somber, but there was an air about them that something important had just happened, or was going to happen.

"The message was from other Old Masters," Piandao explained as they resumed their seats. "Some of them are gathering at Ba Sing Se and want us to help take the city back."

"It even sounds like King Bumi has left Omashu and plans to meet everyone there," Iroh added. Aang suddenly sat up very straight.

"Bumi?" he repeated. "Is he okay?"

"It's hard to say from a brief message, but I believe so," Iroh replied.

"How did he escape?" Sokka asked.

"Apparently, he used the eclipse to slip away while none of the guards could firebend," Piandao answered.

"The right time," said Aang thoughtfully.

"Who's King Bumi?" Teo couldn't resist interjecting the question. He'd never been terribly involved in politics, being isolated at the Northern Air Temple for most of his life, but he was pretty sure that wasn't the Earth King's name. "Do you know him?" Aang shook himself as though he'd been lost in his own thoughts briefly.

"Oh, yeah," he responded. "He's an old friend of mine, from before…before…"

"Before Aang got trapped in an iceberg for 100 years," Katara supplied. Teo smiled faintly. They were even finishing each other's sentences now. Surely a wedding couldn't be too far away. Teo couldn't remember his own mother, but he'd had enough opportunities in his childhood to observe married couples that he more or less knew what they were like.

"When is this supposed to happen?" interrupted Zuko quietly. Teo turned his attention in that direction, having almost forgotten the prince was there.

"We believe we can all make it in four weeks," Piandao responded. "That also gives us some time before the comet arrives."

"No matter how powerful we are, we wouldn't want to attack a city full of firebenders at their full potential," Iroh agreed. "Perhaps I can find some other use to make of the comet, when it arrives."

"In the meantime, Uncle, will you come with us?" said Zuko earnestly. "I could use some help training Aang. Nobody knows the advanced techniques like you, and you're a much better teacher than I am."

Uncle and nephew locked gazes for a short time, and even Teo could sense that there was something more to Zuko's request than he was saying.

"I need to support my fellow Masters at Ba Sing Se," Iroh replied at last. He almost sounded like he was testing Zuko somehow.

"We could still get you there in time," insisted Zuko. "Right, Aang?"

"I'm sure we could," the Avatar agreed. "We've got some things to do near there, anyway."

"We'd like to help free the city, too," added Katara. "I still feel sort of responsible for its fall. You guys left me there to keep an eye on things—"

"It's not your fault, Katara," said Aang quickly, covering her hand briefly with his. "If anything, it's mine."

"Let's not waste time assigning blame," Iroh interrupted.

"I agree," said Sokka. "But there's still a problem. Our group is getting kind of big for Appa to handle."

This was it. Teo exchanged glances with Haru and The Duke, nodding slightly. Haru cleared his throat and spoke for them.

"Actually, we've been talking about that," he began, indicating Teo and The Duke. "We're going to stay here."

"Here?" Toph echoed, looking perplexed. "What do you mean, here?"

"In the Fire Nation," clarified The Duke matter-of-factly.

"Master Piandao's already agreed to let us stay here for a couple of days," Teo added. He felt a little badly about going behind the others' back on this, but the three of them had agreed it was necessary to come up with a plan on their own. They couldn't continue slowing Aang down, but they needed to come up with a viable alternative. "After that, we'll travel through the Fire Nation, like you did before the invasion."

"Doing what?" inquired Sokka. His eyes had narrowed, and Teo could see he was considering the possibilities. That was a good sign.

"You know, looking around, getting a feel for the people," Haru shrugged. "Maybe even find some prisoners and enlist them to help us." Naturally, he was hoping to release his father along the way, but they had previously agreed not to let personal motivations creep into this conversation.

"I told you I wanted to be a spy," The Duke reminded everyone gleefully. "We can meet you in the capital when you get there."

"Maybe even with some help," Teo said. He might not be as enthusiastic about it as The Duke, but he had to admit he rather liked the idea of raising an underground army of freed prisoners to greet the Avatar when he came to conquer the Firelord once and for all. It didn't hurt to think that his father might be among them.

"That's actually a good idea," mused Sokka thoughtfully. "You don't even have to limit yourselves to prisoners of war. There are a lot of people in the Fire Nation who aren't happy."

"Really?" Teo hadn't even really considered that.

"Not happy? They're miserable," Katara confirmed, looking a little angry. "The Firelord is so busy conquering the world that he doesn't take care of his own people."

"Are you sure you three can pull it off?" Toph asked skeptically.

"Haru's an earthbender, and the rest of us have fought the Fire Nation before," The Duke answered with the confidence of the very young. "We'll get the job done."

"Actually, I was talking about blending in," Toph clarified.

"We're basically just ordinary people, compared to you," said Haru modestly. "If you could do it, we can."

"You're going to need money," announced Katara suddenly. "We'll give you most of ours."

"What?" Sokka was incredulous.

"We're not going to need much," Katara told him firmly. "We'll be trying to avoid people, remember? After all the trouble you three went through to get it, we might as well put it to good use."

"It would also lighten the load for Appa," offered Aang hesitantly. There was a pause while Sokka thought the whole thing over.

"Yeah," he said finally. "Yeah, you're right. It's weird, but…it's hard to let that money go now, even knowing I don't need it."

"I can't believe, after owning almost nothing your whole life, you're getting attached to some shiny pieces of metal," Katara accused exasperatedly.

"Well, of course it sounds stupid when you put it that way!" Sokka shot back.

"So it seems we are decided then?" Iroh inserted himself as the peacemaker, which caused Aang to look somewhat relieved. The siblings turned to look at him as though they'd forgotten he was there. "I will join you, and these three will remain here?"

"Yes, we're decided," said Aang, following Iroh's lead. He rose and bowed to the old firebender. "I will be honored to have you with me."

"The honor, young Avatar, is all mine."

The remainder of the day was passed largely in repacking Appa's saddle and making plans for the next leg of the Avatar's journey. Teo was a little sad to be separating from them, but he knew he was embarking on an adventure of his own, and he was looking forward to it.

--

Author's Note: Okay, yes, I'm getting rid of the minor characters, too, but I think it's a lot smoother and more logical than just ignoring them for several episodes and having them mysteriously disappear. I've also given them a part to play in the final battle, which I think ties their roles up nicely.

Review responses:

musiclover9419: My initial outline indicated 21 chapters, but it will probably be closer to 30. Part of this chapter was originally going to be in Chapter 8, to give you an idea of where I am right now. Glad you're liking it so far.

AirGirl Phantom: Thank you and welcome back! I think you mean everything that didn't happen to Toph in the third season. No boyfriend, no Zuko field trip, no major role in the final battle. I thought of re-writing the entire season, but this seemed like a reasonable place to start instead.

arizony: Once again, thank you for your kind words. I can hope that M. Night Shyamalan will feel free to borrow from fanfiction to round out his version, but I won't count on it. I'm glad that I've been able to inspire other amateur writers like you, at any rate.

my trancey inspiration: I liked that we actually got to see some of the other characters in TSR, but I agree. It was weird for Katara to have her resentment about her mother's murder wrapped up in her hate toward Zuko, but not the fresher pain of almost losing Aang, and I hated her brushing Aang aside.

Tetsu Dienonychus: Well, that's the way I felt. If I hadn't had the idea for the Kataang bit afterward, I probably wouldn't have had both parties forgiven at the same time, but it all seemed to flow so naturally in my head.

jngp: As I think I said to someone else, I considered having Katara hug Zuko there, but it didn't feel right. She'll do it eventually, but it was just too soon. Even in the show, it took about two weeks (from new moon to full moon), and it's only been some five days since Zuko joined them here.

BlackRose108: I think we were all waiting for some reference to Katara's feelings for Aang in TSR, but instead, it was all about her mother. The show set up all of these threads and then failed to tie them together. I'm trying to do that, and I'm happy some readers are noticing.

blue-kataang: Thanks! I'm trying to keep on a fairly regular schedule with my updates.