As promised, here's the scheduled update for the next chapter. It feels good to be back into writing since I've definitely missed it. This chapter takes place during the Winter Solstice Part One: the Spirit World. Hope you guys enjoy it :).

Quite a Predicament

Now that Zuko had found the waterbenders necklace, he had grown more determined than ever to capture the Avatar. They had stopped at a nearby area close to the prison rig that the Avatar had helped liberate, and Zuko was hoping to find some reliable information to aid them in their search. As for Akane, she was making use of the remedies that she had been given by Uilani, which had definitely bene helpful since she started using them. Although they didn't stop her problems immediately, they still helped subdue them which was more than enough for Akane.

Unfortunately for Akane, Zuko had been pestering her about taking her medicine and while she appreciated his concern, it was certainly getting annoying with the way he went about with it. Akane knew that Zuko was just worried about her, which she knew he had every right to be given the fact that she was his friend. Then again, Akane never got this worried about Zuko. He was practically treating her like she was helpless, which irritated Akane to no end.

"For Agni's sake, Zuko stop it! I'm not invalid," Akane snapped after Zuko reminded her to take her medicine for the thirteenth time that day.

Zuko held up his hands in defence, "I never said you were."

"No, but you're certainly treating me like I am. I don't need you constantly reminding me to take my medicine, especially when I'm getting ready to take it right now," Akane snapped.

"I'm just doing my job as your friend to keep you safe. If you don't take your medicine –" Zuko started.

"I know, Zuko. You don't have to remind me," Akane interrupted him.

"If I don't, then I'm sure you'll have no problem with me standing here while I watch you take your medicine," Zuko said.

Akane rolled her eyes, "Be my guest."

Biting her tongue as she did so, Akane carefully mixed the ingredients together before she added them into a cup with the tea for her to drink. Iroh had taught her how to mix it perfectly, and it was supposed to help her with her breathing issue. She had already applied the ointment for her stomach problem, now all she had to do was drink her tea. Once the ingredients were properly mixed together, she took one big sip as she drank them in one go, releasing a sigh once she did so before turning to face Zuko.

"There, see? All gone," Akane stated as she showed him the empty cup.

"Good. Now, let's get out of here," Zuko ordered.

"Can't we have a snack before we go?" Akane asked.

"You just drank tea," Zuko pointed out.

"Yeah, but tea isn't really… fulfilling. I could go for some fire flakes," Akane grinned as she headed towards the cupboard that held her stomachs desires.

"Just don't take too long," Zuko called.

"I'm just getting some fire flakes," Akane muttered as she reached forward to grab the packet of fire flakes.

However, just as she took one of the leftover packets, her foot slipped off from the part of the cupboard that it was holding onto. Before she even realised what was happening, Akane fell tumbling onto the ground with the cupboard crashing down on top of her.

"Akane! Are you okay?" Zuko worriedly exclaimed as he ran over to his friend's side.

"Yes. Just get this cupboard off me," Akane groaned as she tried to squeeze out, but to no avail.

"I've got it," Zuko calmed her.

Sure enough, Zuko was able to lift the cupboard off Akane and put it back into its place before he went to his friend's aid. Akane couldn't help but admire Zuko for his strength, since there was no way that she would've been able to lift that up on her own. The cupboard wasn't the only thing that came tumbling down, since Akane spotted the bundle of fire flakes that had escaped form her grasp. Grinning, she bent down to pick it up before opening it up and taking a few for a bite.

Judging on the look on his face, Akane could tell that Zuko wasn't exactly pleased with her and that was only confirmed when he simply lifted his hand up and whacked the fire flakes out of her hand, causing them to rain everywhere.

"Hey!" Akane cried indignantly.

"Look at the mess you've made!" Zuko exclaimed.

"You certainly didn't help by whacking my fire flakes all over the place. What did they ever do to you?" Akane challenged.

Before Zuko could respond, the door opened and they turned to see Iroh standing there with a confused look on his face. His confusion soon morphed into one of understanding as he spotted Akane and Zuko standing in the middle of the room.

"I should've known that you two were behind this commotion," Iroh stated as he walked into the room.

"I just wanted some fire flakes. The cupboard fell on me," Akane defended herself.

"Sure, blame the cupboard," Zuko jested.

"You're right, I shouldn't blame the cupboard. I should blame gravity for not doing its job," Akane muttered.

"Alright, you two. How about we get someone to clean this mess up so you can go off and do whatever it is you need to do?" Iroh suggested.

"Whatever," Zuko conceded.

Not wanting to be held up by his uncle and friend any longer, Zuko stepped out of the room leaving Akane and Iroh to themselves. Even though Iroh didn't seem mad at her, Akane still felt bad since the mess was technically her fault.

"I swear, Iroh. I didn't mean to make all of… this," Akane trailed off as she glanced around the room.

"No worries, Akane. Have you got plans for the rest of the afternoon?" Iroh asked.

Akane raised her eyebrows, "No, why?"

"Because I was going to go relax in the nearby springs. It's certainly more relaxing and enjoyable when you're a firebender. You can come with me if you want," Iroh offered.

While Iroh's offer did sound tempting, Akane was hesitant about accepting it since that would mean showing off her scar. Then she figured that as long as she wore a long shirt, she shouldn't have any problem with exposing herself.

"That sounds like a great idea. Should we tell Zuko where we're going?" Akane checked.

Iroh brushed off Akane's concerns, "I mentioned to him before that I wanted to go examine the hot springs. Once he doesn't find you, he'll assume that you came with me."

"Well, alright," Akane shrugged.

Taking one quick glance around the room, Akane quickly grabbed another packet of fire flakes that was left on the ground, smiling in satisfaction as she felt them tingling her test buds. Now that she had her hunger satisfied, she could spend the afternoon relaxing in the hot springs which certainly sounded a lot better than watching Zuko do his orders.

~*•°•*~

Hours later, Akane found herself relaxing in the nice hot springs not too far from where their ship was docked. Surprisingly, there had been quite a few of them in the same area which meant that both herself and Iroh got their own spring, which Akane was thankful for. It wasn't that she didn't feel comfortable around Iroh, she just didn't feel comfortable being that close to him, especially considering he wasn't even dressed.

For the most part, the two just relaxed in their own separate springs. Of course, there was the occasional conversation that came about every few minutes. With Iroh, Akane felt like she could go to him for anything. Well, not everything since she'd certainly never tell him about her scar. But for the most part, Iroh had been her confident especially after Ursa had left all those years ago. Sighing, Akane glanced wistfully in the distance as she wondered where the woman was now. She hoped that Ursa was safe, but since she hadn't seen her since the night she disappeared, Akane wasn't so sure.

One thing that the hot springs were good for were for soaking away Akane's troubles, since she hadn't felt this relaxed in ages. How could she, when she was constantly chasing the Avatar and barely had any time to unwind? Admittedly, Akane wouldn't rather be anywhere else but she could safely say that the job got a bit tiring at times. Said job just so happened to be what interrupted Akane and Iroh from their relaxation, when Zuko came storming towards them.

"Uncle! Akane! It's time to leave! Where are you? Akane! Uncle Iroh!" Zuko shouted.

"Over here!" Iroh called out to his nephew as he relaxed in a hot spring.

"Uncle? Where's Akane?" Zuko demanded.

"To your right," Akane replied, giving Zuko a slight wave.

Assuming that Akane was in next to no clothes like his uncle was, Zuko shielded his eyes from his friend's direction, since he didn't want her to think he was some perve.

Akane chuckled, "It's okay, Zuko. You can look."

Zuko frustratingly shook his head, "We need to move on. We're closing in on the Avatar's trail and I don't want to lose him."

"You look tired, Prince Zuko," Iroh observed. "Why don't you join me in these hot springs and soak away your troubles?"

"It really works," Akane said.

"My troubles cannot be soaked away. It's time to go!" Zuko insisted.

"You should take your teacher's advice and relax a little. The temperature's just right. I heated it myself," Iroh said as he breathed steam through his nose, causing bubbles to form in the water.

"Enough!" Zuko yelled. "We need to leave now. Get out of the water!"

"Very well!" Iroh sighed as he got up, exposing himself in the process.

Zuko shielded his eyes, "On second thought, why don't you take another few minutes? But be back at the ship in a half-hour or I'm leaving without you! That goes for you too, Akane!"

With that, Zuko left his best friend and his uncle to themselves, and Akane couldn't help but shake her head at Iroh, knowing that he had just scarred his nephew for life (figuratively, of course) just to get rid of him.

"That image is probably permanently engraved in his mind forever," Akane commented.

"My nephew should know better than to disrupt relaxation. This is something that cannot be rushed," Iroh said.

Akane rolled her eyes, "Sure it is."

While Akane wanted to head back to the ship, she knew that if she left there was a very likelihood that Iroh would go ahead and miss their deadline, and Akane didn't want Zuko to be upset with them. Besides, the springs certainly were relaxing and another half hour would certainly do Akane some good.

~*•°•*~

Time seemed to get away from them, since it wasn't long before Akane realised that their deadline had passed and they were still in the hot springs. It would be safe to say that Akane didn't fulfil her job of making sure that Iroh made it back to the ship in time. Especially since Iroh still remained asleep in his hot spring after dozing off some time ago. But she figured that it'd be better to be late than to not show up at all.

"Iroh, we have to leave," Akane stated, only to get no response but a few snores from the old man. "Come on, Iroh. We don't want to have to deal with a ticked off Zuko because we missed our deadline."

Akane's words seemed to have no affect on the sleeping man as he made no movement whatsoever. Not even the slightest stir. This wouldn't be the first time that Iroh's sleeping was an issue.

"Iroh. Wake up," Akane yelled, only to get no response yet again.

Out of the corner of her eye, Akane caught the sight of a meadow vole scurrying across her hot spring. An idea quickly formed in her mind and stopped the creature in its tracks.

"Hey, do you reckon you could wake him up for me?" Akane asked the tiny creature, only for it to give her a confused glance before hopping away and into the bushes.

That seemed to do the trick though, since it wasn't long before Akane heard loud rustling noises coming from the nearby bushes. The rustling increased before Iroh finally started to awaken from his sleep.

"Who's there?" Iroh asked as he leaned forward.

"Relax, it's nothing," Akane replied as she pointed at the creature sitting on Iroh's spring.

"That is not just nothing, Akane. It's a meadow vole! I should have known," Iroh commented as he took the creature into the palm of his hand. "You startled me, little one."

"Well, you wouldn't wake up so I had to get you up somehow," Akane said.

Iroh sighed, "It seems I dozed off and missed my nephew's deadline, but it was a very sweet nap."

"That isn't going to save us from the lecture that we're sure to get from Zuko," Akane commented.

Suddenly, the meadow vole leapt up and down. That was followed by shaking and the ground moving towards Akane and Iroh, causing Akane to glance worriedly around. The rock at the bottom of their springs jumped up, capturing them booth. Three Earth Kingdom soldiers surrounded them.

"He's a Fire Nation soldier," one of the soldiers stated.

"He's no ordinary soldier. This is the Fire Lord's brother, the Dragon of the West. The once-great General Iroh, but now, he's our prisoner," their captain declared, earning a stern look form Iroh.

"But who's the girl?" the second soldier questioned.

"She's nobody important. You won't get anything with her, so just let her go," Iroh answered.

"Don't try and lie for her sake, old man. While I don't know her name, I know exactly who she is and what importance she has to the Fire Lord. Both of you are coming with us," the captain proclaimed.

It wasn't long before Akane and Iroh were made prisoners thanks to the three earthbenders and it was clear that they had their own plans for the two Fire Nation nobles. All Akane could do was hope that they didn't find out what their plan was, and that Zuko came to their rescue.

~*•°•*~

Night soon fell, where Akane and Iroh where still imprisoned by the three earthbending soldiers who had attacked them. They were riding ostrich horses across a long path, with one of the soldiers carrying a light to guide them.

"Where are you taking me?" Iroh asked.

"We're taking you to face justice," the earthbending captain replied.

"Right, but where, specifically?" Iroh clarified.

"Yeah, could you be more clear?" Akane added.

"While you wouldn't know of it, girl, it's a place the old man is quite familiar with, actually. You once laid siege to it for 600 days, but it would not yield to you," the earthbender captain answered.

"Ah, the great city of Ba Sing Se," Iroh drawled.

"It was greater than you were, apparently," the earthbender captain commented, earning a glare from Akane.

"I acknowledge my defeat at Ba Sing Se. After 600 days away from home, my men were tired, and I was tired," Iroh yawned. "And I'm still tired."

With that, Iroh fell off one of the horses before he was quickly picked back up. Akane glanced at Iroh in confusion when she noticed that he was fully awake and smiling cleverly. That was before Akane spotted one of his sandals lying behind and she resisted the urge to grin smugly.

Iroh, you are a genius. Let's just hope that Zuko can follow our trail… Akane thought nervously, since if they got to Ba Sing Se before Zuko found them, they'd be in a world of trouble.

~*•°•*~

After spending a long, sleepless night cramped on the back of an ostrich horse, morning greeted Akane and Iroh as they remained with the earthbenders who captured them. There was still no sign of Zuko finding them, and Akane was beginning to worry if he would find them at all. Iroh didn't seem to be as nervous as she was, since he just sat comfortably on the back of his ostrich horse. That was, until, he suddenly glanced at the sky and gasped in wonder.

"What's the problem?" the earthbender captain asked.

"Nothing," Iroh replied before speaking again. "Actually, there is a bit of a problem. My old joints are sore and aching, and these shackles are too loose."

"Too loose?" the captain repeated.

"That's right. The cuffs move and jangle around and bump my wrists. It would help me if you tighten them so they wouldn't shake around so much," Iroh explained.

Akane glanced at Iroh as if she thought he was crazy before she realised that he had to have something up his sleeve. While Iroh might have his random moments with words, now definitely wasn't the time for them but they might just be able to help them get out of this in one piece.

"Very well. Corporal tighten the prisoner's handcuffs," the captain ordered.

They all stopped on the trail that they were currently travelling across. The corporal dismounted form his ostrich horse and moved towards Iroh. As the corporal touched Iroh's handcuffs, he breathed deeply and heated them up before pushing the corpora's hands to the cuffs, causing him to scream in pain. Iroh used this opportunity to jump free and blast fire at the soldiers, causing them to jump out of the way. He then rolled down the hill as the soldiers tried to get control of their ostrich horses. That caused Akane to fall off her own horse before she firebended herself down the hill after Iroh, relieved that Iroh's plan had worked.

Unfortunately, Akane's relief was short-lived as they were suddenly hit with a rockslide, causing them to land in a heap at the bottom of the hill covered by rocks. All of the soldiers chased after them, reaching the pair at the bottom of the hill.

"They're too dangerous, Captain! We can't just carry them to the Capital! We have to do something now!" one of the soldiers exclaimed.

"I agree. They must be dealt with immediately and severely," the captain conceded as Iroh spit out a rock.

"W-what do you mean dealt with?" Akane asked nervously.

"You'll soon find out, ash maker. Corporal, keep her over there. We'll take care of him first," the captain stated.

Against her will, Akane was dragged over to the side as she watched the soldiers pull Iroh out from the pile of rocks that he'd landed in. When Akane saw the soldiers moving a giant boulder towards him, Akane knew that whatever was about to happen wasn't going to be good, for either of them.

Only once the soldiers were satisfied that Akane was properly restrained did they focus their attention back on Iroh, whose hands were spread apart across a rock. Akane desperately tried to get free of her restraints, but to no avail and was left with no choice but to hope that by some miracle that they made it out of this alright.

"These dangerous hands must be crushed," the captain proclaimed as he levitated a boulder and prepared to drop it on Iroh's hands.

"Crushed!?" Akane exclaimed in horror as she closed her eyes, not wanting to see what was about to happen. However, all she heard was the sound of a rock smashing on the ground and the sound of a chain being broken. When she opened her eyes, Akane was both stunned and relieved to see Iroh and Zuko standing there, unharmed.

"Excellent form, Prince Zuko," Iroh complimented him.

"You taught me well," Zuko responded, giving Akane a reassuring glance.

"Surrender yourselves. It's five against three. You're clearly outnumbered," the captain ordered.

Iroh smirked, "Yeah, that's true, but you are clearly outmatched."

The soldiers then fired rocks, but Iroh destroyed them with the chains. Zuko took out two soldiers with his firebending, but he fails to notice a rock being fired at him. However, Akane noticed this and immediately ran towards the action before jumping in the air and blasting fire at the rock, destroying it. The captain fired three rocks at Zuko, which he dodges and one of which Iroh uses to take out two other soldiers. The captain brought up a large mass of rock, however, Iroh threw his chains around the captain's ankles, knocking him over and causing the rocks to fall on top of him. The soldiers groaned underneath the rocks while Iroh and Zuko glanced around.

"Now would you please put on some clothes?" Zuko asked his uncle, earning a laugh from the man.

"Uh, a little help over here?" a voice called.

Iroh and Zuko glanced around to see Akane lying on the ground in a tangled heap, since she was still restricted by her chains. With the help of Iroh and Zuko, she was able to break free from her restraints before she stretched her arms and legs out in relief.

"Freedom!" Akane exclaimed before turning to Zuko, "Good timing you got there, Buster. For a moment I was starting to think that you weren't going to show up."

Zuko rolled his eyes, "You two should consider yourselves lucky that I came looking for you after you disobeyed my orders and missed your deadline."

"Would saying sorry cut it?" Akane asked sheepishly.

"There's no need. Now, let's get moving on," Zuko dismissed.

"All in a day's work for us, huh," Akane lazily commented as they followed Zuko away, ready to get back to their mission at hand.

So, not really an exciting chapter but you can't really blame me since there isn't really much revolving around Zuko in this episode a part from Iroh's capture. I debated on if whether or not Akane was going to get capture with Zuko, but I got lazy and I figured that it would be easier to write her with Iroh. Anyways, look out for the next update which I promise will be on time.