So far, the train ride to Ba Sing Se had been nothing but awkward. There was nobody else in their car, which wasn't unusual at this point, since there weren't many people leaving Republic City because of the evacuation that had taken place during Kuvira's attack. This left Mako and Wu alone and after a few failed attempts on Wu's part at making conversation, the two had just sat in silence. Wu decided then to make one last attempt at speaking with Mako, as the silence was just too loud. He hoped that Mako would open up to him since there was nobody else around.

"Hey, Mako," he said, "what's bugging you?"

"Huh?" Mako asked. This was the first time that Wu had asked about Mako instead of making some silly comment or talking about himself. It had caught Mako off guard.

"You. Something's bothering you. What is it?"

Mako was silent for a long moment. Wu thought that he wasn't even going to reply and was about to give up and look away when Mako spoke. "I made a mistake. The night I found out Korra didn't feel for me the way I felt for her, I went out and saw a girl who looked like her and we… yeah."

Wu looked at Mako, surprised by the bluntness of his confession. "That's what's been bothering you this whole time? Why?"

"Because… it's just not me. It felt wrong then and feels even more wrong now. She's a minor and it was a one night stand and just… it wasn't right."

Wu nodded slowly, understanding. "You know, lots of girls try to sleep with me." Mako groaned and looked away, assuming Wu didn't understand how he was feeling, as Wu was always quite goofy and never took anything terribly seriously. But Wu continued anyway. "They try and sleep with me for my status." This got Mako's attention again, turning to look back at Wu's sincere expression. "See, the thing is, they always saw me as an object. Their way to fame. At first, I didn't mind it so much. It was kind of nice in a way to have girls constantly trying to get your attention. Saves you a lot of work. But after a while it gets… annoying. You just want to find someone who will actually love you, not just want you so that they can get a crown."

"That's… actually really sad," said Mako. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault some people just want power," said Wu. "Anyways, I've sworn off girls. Especially after that last one."

"What happened with the last one?" Mako asked.

"She tried to kidnap me," Wu said simply. "She came over one day and tried to seduce me which I, unfortunately, fell for. And then she took me out and knocked me down and tried to kidnap me. Thankfully, there was an elderly man who had seen the whole thing and he called the police."

"Geez," said Mako. "That's' rough." He was silent for another moment. "Don't swear off girls though. You'll find someone. Everyone does."

Wu looked at Mako, touched. Mako's typical annoyed demeanour had changed into one of affection, one that was friendly and caring. It was a side of Mako that he didn't usually get to see, but it reminded him why he wanted so badly to keep up his friendship with him. "Take your own advice," he replied to Mako. "Just because it didn't work with Korra or Asami doesn't mean that you'll be alone forever."

Mako nods. He looks out the window. "Thanks," he said. Wu just nods in reply and then chooses to leave Mako to his thoughts while he reflects on Mako's words. Mako just stares out the window, thinking about his last conversation with Korra. He had been harsh with her and then he had been awkward with Asami. He cared for them both, but he realized that if he cared for them, he would have to be happy for them so long as they were happy. If they were right for each other, than who was he to say that he would have to "get used to it"? It wasn't like he was the one in a same-sex relationship. There was nothing to get used to; it was just two of his closest friends dating. There was something about that thought that brought him peace regarding the situation. It felt as though a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He breathed in and out calmly and looked forward to his vacation in Ba Sing Se.

It was now evening on Air Temple Island. Ikki had been out walking with Otaku, energetically talking about their days and what they had accomplished. Tenzin had kept them on separate teams, so they only got to see each other at the end of the day when they returned to the island. In any case, it had been nice to see each other at the end of the day. Now, as evening turned to night, Ikki and Otaku felt like they should do more than just talk.

"You want to come to my room? Ikki asked.

"But your room is on the girls' side," Otaku pointed out. "I'm not allowed in there."

"I know a way to sneak in," said Ikki. At this, Otaku shrugged in agreement and followed Ikki to the side of the building. "Follow me," she said. She jumped up, using her airbending to push her higher into the air. She landed on the roof of the first floor. Otaku followed closely behind her. They jumped all the way up to the third floor, where Ikki's room was. They crawled across the roof to the outside of Ikki's window and then climbed into her room through the window.

"This seems risky," said Otaku, once they were inside.

"Don't worry, nobody was around," said Ikki.

"Yeah, that's exactly why I think it was risky. Nobody was around. Usually when nobody is around, something is happening."

Ikki just shrugged. She pulled out a game of Pai Sho from under her bed. "Wanna play?" she asked. "I play a different way though."

"Sure, just explain it."

Ikki launched into an animated explanation of how she played and how it was different from the typical game and how her version was easier because she always lost the regular version to Jinora. Otaku found this entertaining; in fact, Otaku found Ikki to be quite entertaining. And intriguing. And beautiful. And just about every other word her could put to the young girl. To him, she was his best friend, but he also recognized that she didn't see him as a best friend, just a close friend. He also knew that she most certainly didn't see him as any more than just a friend, which he supposed was for the best. She was too young for him at this point and he didn't want to take her innocence away before she was able to make that decision for herself.

Ikki and Otaku were so immersed in the explanation of Ikki's version of Pai Sho that they did not heard footsteps padding towards her room, nor did they hear the door slide open. It was only when Pema cleared her throat that the two looked up.

"Mom!" Ikki exclaimed, somewhere between surprised and scared. She hadn't intended to be found out and now she would probably be in quite a bit of trouble.

"Hi. What's Otaku doing in here?" Pema inquired, shooting a look at the young man.

"I was just showing him Pai Sho," Ikki said.

"Actually, I was just gonna go to bed," Otaku said. "Thanks for explaining to me Ikki!" With that, Otaku slipped past Pema in the doorway and quickly made his way down the hall, heading for the boys' side of the building. It was at this point that Pema stepped into Ikki's room and shut the door behind her. Ikki gulped. She knew she was in quite a bit of trouble now.

"So what was Otaku really doing in here?" Pema asked.

"Pai Sho," Ikki stated. "I was explaining to him how to play it my way."

Pema breathed out a sigh, mostly of relief. "You know the rules," she said seriously. "If you want to spend time together, you do it outside. Certainly not in your room with the door closed."

"Why not though?" Ikki asked.

"Because sometimes things happen behind closed doors," said Pema.

"Otaku wouldn't ever hurt me."

"I didn't say hurt. The thing is, when people get older they start to feel attracted to each other and sometimes things go too far. Are you attracted to Otaku, Ikki?" Pema looked at Ikki seriously, hoping her daughter would give an honest answer.

"He's my friend," said Ikki slowly.

"But is he more than that?" Pema asked.

Ikki debated her answer for a moment before replying with "I'm not sure."

"Okay," said Pema. "When you figure that out, you come and tell me. Until then, if you want to spend time with him, you do it outside. I do not want a repeat of this, understood?"

"Yes…"

"Good. Now, we can discuss this more later but there's something happening right now. Opal and Bolin just got back and they want to talk to all of us. That's why there's nobody here right now. So, how about we go over to where they are and see what they have to say?" Pema held out her hand and helped Ikki up from where she had been sitting by the Pai Sho board.

The two walked down the hall, Pema leading Ikki to a room. There was only a small group, consisting of Ikki's siblings and parents and herself. "What's going on?" she asked.

"We have some good news," said Bolin. "We're getting married."

Ikki squealed while Meelo made a noise of disgust and Rohan just looked confused. A moment later, Opal picked up where her fiancée left of.

"There's more," she said. "We're also having a baby."