DISCLAIMER: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender

CHAPTER 19

My tattoo of a phoenix was actually pretty nice. I had gotten it on my shoulder, and it's multicolored, flaming tail ran down my back. It wasn't huge, but it wasn't terribly small either. Manek sat with me the entire time, telling me how pointless this all was, and how I had nothing to prove to him. He was right, I didn't have anything to prove to him. I just wanted to do this for me and me alone.

"So, where do we start?" asked Manek as we sat in the small dining room of the doctor and his daughter. We ate our dinner alone, for the doctor said that he had much work to do, and didn't have the time to sit down and eat, and the daughter much rather keep to herself. They were an odd pair, but we didn't question them.

"I guess I can start asking around again, see if I can get any leads. One thing I know about my brother is, he always leaves a trail." Manek nodded and took a bite out of his dinner.

"Where do you think he's going? I mean, I'm no expert, but usually, if I'm heading somewhere, I have a pretty good idea of where I'm going."

"Ba Sing Sei. There's no better place to lose yourself. Hopefully we'll catch up to him before then."

We sat a moment more in silence, enjoying the pleasant dinner that had been laid out for us. I found myself lifting my hand to twirl a strand of me hair, but soon found it absent. The short hair would certainly take some getting use to. What would my mother say if she found out what I had done?

She'd probably shrug and say "I don't mind. It's your father you'd have to worry about." It's not that she didn't care, it's just that usually was the case. My father would probably panic a bit more. He always tried to act cool and calm when faced with the things I came up with throughout my years, but his unstable temper couldn't help expressing itself in some form or fashion.

"Daddy?" The young Fire Lord knew that voice anywhere, and didn't even bother looking up from his paper work to see the twelve year old Princess Cinrae standing in the doorway of his study.

"Yes, Cinrae?"

"Can I ask you something?" Zuko had grown accustomed to being asked a wide assortment of questions by his only daughter, and had actually invented some pretty stable answers. He knew he could probably come up with something.

"Of course, darling."

"Can we have a pet?" Zuko rose an eyebrow, but still didn't look up from his work.

"A pet? Why would you want a pet?"

"Well, everyone else has one."

"Who everyone else?"

"Well, everyone! Arra has Appa and Momo, and there's, um...well, I can't think of any other people right now, but they are out there." Zuko smiled at his daughter's stubbornness.

"What kind of pet were you thinking of?" He could hear her shuffle her feet.

"Something fussy and cute. Like a cat."

"So you want a cat?"

"Not a cat, exactly. Something bigger."

"Bigger than a cat?"

"Yes."

"A dog then?"

"No, it still has to be cat like." Zuko was rather busy, and he was growing tired of playing a stop-go guessing game with his daughter, so he looked up from his work and will never forgot what he saw in his doorway. Cinrae stood there, her short hair thrown about her face in a mixture of mud and sticks, and the hem of her dress lined with mud. Her eyes were large and pleading, yet there was a fiery determination in them far beyond her years. What was in her arms was even more surprising, though.

She held close to her chest a sleeping, black leopard cub. The cub was the size of a full grown pygmy panther, and Cinrae had to struggle to cradle the thing like a baby. It slept soundly in the crook of her chest, purring slightly. Zuko looked from the cub to his daughter, his mouth slightly ajar, and his mind racing.

"And I already asked Mom, and she said it was fine with her." Zuko grinned and pinched the bridge of his nose. Mai was out to kill him, secretly, wasn't she?

"Cinrae, I can't even begin to describe how absurd..."

"If I was Zuko or Iroh, you would let me keep her." Zuko opened his mouth to object, but closed it quickly. She had a point, but only because Zuko or Iroh would find a normal pet, like a puppy or a nice hamster. But Cinrae had to be special. She had to find a black leopard cub. Zuko condidered all the possible reasons he could list for why she couldn't have the cub, but when he stared into her large brown eyes, he knew that not only could he never say no, but she probably had a rebuttal for everything he came up with.

"Cin?" I looked up at Manek, shot out of my momentary flash back. He looked at me, a bit of noodle hanging out of the side of his mouth. I smiled, and motioned for him to wipe it away. He quickly did so, slightly embarrassed. and suddenly very occupied with his food.

"We'll have to do something about that woman who gave me this little scratch." he finally said, motioning to his side. He was right about that. It would only be more difficult to find Zuko with some freaky pale woman who threw knives chasing after us the entire time.

"If we just stay ahead of her, she won't be a problem. But if we do run into her again, I won't hold back." Manek shrank back slighty at my sudden feriocity. And Manek being Manek, he decided to milk it.

"You know what, I have seen you cause some damage, but I've never seen you really fight before." I shot my head up, slightly offended, but I tried to play it off.

"What do you mean?" I asked, picking at my food.

"I mean, I haven't seen you win a fight, you know, without my help." he smiled smugly as he looked down at his food.

"Well, maybe I'll just have to fight you then."

"Oh, yeah like that will be fair. An archer against a firebender? Come on now, Cin." I shrugged, and took a bite of my dinner.

"If you're a good fighter, than it shouldn't matter, but I understand your concern." Manek looked up at me quickly, his eyes wide. He opened his mouth as if to speak, and then the doctor, looking rather exhausted, walked into the dining room.

"Hello there. I'm sorry to keep you waiting. There seem to be more sick people coming up to my door than ten years ago." he said smiling, and sitting down at the head of the table. The quiet daughter appeared out of nowhere with a trey of food for her father, and as quickly as she was there, she was gone.

"So, how did you two enjoy your day in our little town?" he asked.

"We had a wonderful time. The town is very hospitable." I said smiling. The doctor smiled back, obviously pleased. While I had him on the hook, I decided to reel him in. "So, doctor, since so many have been coming up to your door lately, have you run into anyone you hadn't seen before in the last few weeks? A native to the town?"

"You mean like you two?" the doctor asked laughing. Manek and I glanced at each other, smiling, but still trying to keep the topic on track.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I can't think of anyone. My patients have all been local regulars." The doctor shrugged and continued to eat his food. I sighed, and Manek grasped my hand under the table. We sat a few moment s more in silence, but, suddenly, the doctor looked up, an inquisitive look on his face.

"Well, actually, now that I think about it, there was someone." My heart leaped.

"What did he look like?" asked Manek, being surprisingly cool and conversational.

"He was a young man, about your age, actually. He was strong built, with broad shoulders, and long black hair. My daughter was very taken by him, believe it or not."

"Oh I can believe it." I said, smiling on the inside.

"He also had these piercing golden eyes. He was obviously Fire Nation. He came in with a sprung ankle, and a bit of the flu, but he was out of here in a few hours. He said he was traveling fast, and couldn't afford to stop for long. A very pleasant boy, all and all."

I was now bubbling with excitement on the inside. Finally, a solid trail! If we could just catch up with him in time, maybe this entire "quest" would be over.

"Did he mention where he was headed?" I asked, trying not to jump out of my seat. The doctor picked at his food, and pondered the question for a moment.

"Not really. I could tell that he was pretty much following the trail laid before him, if you know what I mean. Probably stopped in every town he came to."

I slumped back where I sat, and sighed in relief. So, we were close. Behind, but close. The doctor yawned loudly, and stood while stretching his back.

"It's been a long day, children. I believe I'm going to head to bed. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Manek and I said in unison as we watched the doctor leave. Once he was gone, I burst at the seams.

"What the luck, hugh? We are so close, I can't believe it!" I said, filled with excitement. Manek wasn't as exuberant, though.

"Yeah, great." I frowned, and leaned closer to my friend.

"Manek, are you okay?" He looked up at me and smiled a small, almost insignificant smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Um, I'm kinda tired, so I'm going to hit the sack, as well." he said standing.

"Oh, okay." Manek nodded his goodnight, then quickly exited the dining hall. I was suddenly alone in a very thick, awkward air.

A/N: I know that this was a short, slightly pointless chapter, but I'm suffering from a serious case of writer's block, so my ideas are coming out in small, annoying burst. If any of you have any suggestions, please, be free to let me know. Thanks!