Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

Author's Note: 605 reviews! Thanks everybody! I don't really have a note for the beginning of this, so I'll just give you all a point to ponder. Towards the end of Warriors of Kyoshi, when Aang was in the water waiting for the Unagi to show up, where was he keeping that marble?!? Yes, I'm odd.

Hello and Goodbye

The days crawled past, but the deadline finally drew near. The group decided to leave two days before the eclipse to allow them plenty of time to rest before the fated dawn broke.

On the day before they were to leave Ba Sing Se, Zuko decided to take a chance and visit his mother and brother.

"Hey, big brother," Kenzo greeted him good-naturedly as he opened the door for him. Fortunately, Ling and Han-Ga took this as a joke, a sort of running gag Zuko and Kenzo had developed. In a way, of course, it was, but it was only funny to them because of the secret truth they shared.

"Hey, kid," Zuko gave what had become his usual response, ruffling the little boy's hair. "You mind if I talk to your mom alone for a while?"

"No."

Zuko gave the other two members of the household a brief greeting and escorted his mother onto the street. They walked in silence until they reached a bench in a park and sat there in reasonable privacy.

"It's almost time," said Zuko perfunctorily. Ursa nodded.

"I thought it must be," she responded simply. "Song asked me to wish you well."

"She came to visit you?" Zuko was surprised that Song would come by herself to visit his mother.

"Yes, about two weeks ago."

At this, Zuko was even more surprised and confused. Song's plan was to go home with her mother long before that.

"She was supposed to be leaving with her mother over a month ago!" he blurted.

"I guess her plans changed," Ursa commented mildly, looking closely at her eldest son. Zuko didn't know what to think. This meant that he and Song had been in the city at the same time for several weeks, at least. He could have gone to see her after all, if he'd only known. Why hadn't she sought after him? Was it possible she wasn't aware he'd come back? He'd have thought the appearance of a giant flying bison in the skies above would have made that fairly obvious, but maybe she just hadn't been looking up at the time.

Zuko shook his head to clear it. Whatever the case, it didn't matter now. He had other things to think about, and he really should focus on his mother.

"Thank you for passing that on," he replied finally. "How have you and Kenzo been?"

"Pretty well, but things are getting a little tense. Even the common people are starting to sense that something big is coming."

"Well, it is," Zuko acknowledged. There was silence for a time.

"Do you have any idea what's going to happen?" Ursa asked at last. Zuko hesitated, trying to decide how much it was safe to tell her and also wondering exactly what she was asking. Of course, he didn't know precisely what would happen – no one could know that – but he did know the plan.

"You mean with Father?" he tried to get clarification.

"Yes, that…and you and your sister."

"I don't really know," he answered honestly. "I'm going to stay out of it as much as possible. I just know that Aang has to face Father. If Azula gets in the way, I'll fight her." He was trying to sound matter-of-fact, but he knew it wasn't going to be as simple as he was making it sound.

"I see," Ursa said quietly, her face unreadable. Watching her, the question he'd considered more than once seemed impossible to contain. At this point, what did he have to lose?

"Did you ever love him?" he said in a rush, before he could change his mind. Ursa looked taken aback but quickly shielded her expression.

"It was an arranged marriage," she answered evasively.

"That doesn't answer my question."

"I tried," Ursa told him, closing her eyes and sighing. "I loved that he gave me you kids, but…I'm afraid that's all." Zuko nodded to himself. It wasn't like he hadn't expected this kind of answer, and it was actually more calming to know for sure. Now that he thought about it, Uncle Iroh never really talked about his late wife, either, only his son. Zuko had never even met his aunt, since she had died in childbirth with Lu Ten.

Mother and son didn't talk much after that. They just enjoyed some quiet time together until Zuko walked Ursa back to her house. Remembering his brother, Zuko turned Kenzo upside down a few times, making the boy giggle madly. The laughter still followed Zuko as he took his leave and headed back to the house he shared with the Avatar's company.

They left fairly early the next morning. Everybody was pretty quiet, no doubt absorbed with thoughts and apprehensions they'd long been putting off. With the deadline just around the corner, they no longer had that luxury.

Sokka wanted to check with the Earth Kingdom forces first, so they stopped at the docks along the shore nearest Ba Sing Se. Zuko dismounted with the others to stretch his legs, but he felt a little out of place, so he just wandered down the yard, unconsciously assessing the capabilities of the ships he passed. He'd spent three years of his life at sea, and some naval knowledge had been bound to sink in. While he was standing at a dock, staring out at the ocean, a female voice spoke from behind him.

"Hello, Zuko."

"Song?" Zuko whirled around, stunned to see her in what seemed to him a completely inappropriate location. She was wearing nondescript clothing covered by a hooded cloak. "What are you doing here?"

"It's nice to see you," she said instead of answering directly.

"Well, yes, I mean, I'm happy to see you, too, but…you? Here? What?" Zuko fleetingly wondered if a hard slap across his mouth would somehow force coherent sentences out of it.

"An army can always use a healer," Song answered, chin lifted defiantly. "I've offered my services."

"You shouldn't be here! It's dangerous!" Of course, that was a ridiculous thing to say. She obviously knew she was going into battle, so she must know it was dangerous. Zuko cast about for something more convincing. "What about your mother?"

"She went home as planned." Song seemed incredibly calm. "I couldn't."

"Why not?"

"I'm tired of hiding. It's time for me to face my childhood fears. I don't want to run from the Fire Nation anymore; I want to face it." She looked as though she wanted to say something else, but she fell silent. Zuko still didn't know what to say, but he felt a tremendous surge of respect for this young woman. Right on the heels of that, however, came overwhelming fear for her safety.

"There has to be another way for you to do that," he argued. "Please, at least go back to the city, where you'll be safe." He couldn't stand the thought of anything happening to her, and he knew he had to make an effort to talk her out of getting directly involved, even though he sensed it was futile.

"No. They need me. I want to be a part of this." Song lowered her eyes and her voice as she spoke her next sentence. "I want to be with you."

"That's just the problem!" he retorted in a fierce whisper, taking her by the arm and drawing her gently away from anyone who might be listening. "I won't be here. I…I won't be able to protect you."

"I didn't ask for that." She paused before asking the obvious question. "Why won't you be here?" Zuko collected his thoughts. He decided it would be safest for her if she knew as little as possible.

"Aang and I have to be somewhere else," he told her vaguely, giving her as much of the truth as he dared. "Please…don't do this for me."

"I'm not," Song assured him, but she quickly amended the statement. "I mean, you're part of it, but the other reasons I gave you are true. Anyway, I can't back out now. Can you understand that?"

"Yes, I can," Zuko sighed, knowing that this argument was over. He put his arms around Song, belatedly wondering why it had taken him so long to do it. Once he had, he didn't ever want to let go. "Just take care of yourself. I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to you because of me. I love you." The last three words just slipped out, and as they did, Zuko knew they were true. Song turned her face up to him, eyes wide and curious.

"Really?"

"Yes, really." Despite the seriousness of the situation, he felt himself grinning idiotically. He was elated at this unexpected realization. After all of the agonizing he'd done over the past few weeks, wondering what it would feel like to be in love, he was amazed that it could be that simple. He just had to say it again, looking straight into her eyes as he did so. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she responded, smiling back at him. Then, almost before Zuko knew what was happening, they were kissing, and he didn't know how he'd managed to live so long without that expression of affection. The kiss steadily deepened, and by the time they separated, Zuko was feeling a little lightheaded, either from emotion or lack of oxygen.

Considerably cheered up, although he was still worried, Zuko walked along the shore hand in hand with Song until it was time for him to leave and for her to report to her ship. Zuko admonished the captain to look after her, not even thinking that it might not be his place to do so. Fortunately, the captain merely bowed and asserted that he would do his best; being the companion of the Avatar did have its advantages, as Sokka had pointed out more than once.

After one final kiss, Zuko and Song were separated again. Just a short time later, Appa landed once more at the bustling beach that served as the Water Tribe headquarters. Suki was reunited with her warriors, and a few Northern Water Tribe ships had joined their southern brothers, so Katara, Aang, and Sokka went to speak with them. This left Toph, Zuko, and Iroh pretty much to their own devices for the rest of the day, which suited Zuko just fine. He had a lot to think about, and a lot of practicing to do.

Aang spent most of the day before the eclipse in fasting and meditation. Iroh watched the young Avatar as he sat on a dune, the wind ruffling his clothing. He was communing with his primary element, and Iroh thoroughly approved. He rather wished he could get Zuko to show that kind of discipline more often. Unfortunately, Aang's behavior was worrying Katara, who was pacing the beach agitatedly.

"He has to eat," she fretted, pausing in her pattern to look up at him also.

"He will, when the time is right," Iroh assured her. "He is purifying himself. Don't worry; he knows what he is doing." Katara looked as though she wanted to believe him, but there was something in her that wanted to be in control of every aspect of life. Iroh reflected that it must be a family trait.

"I…suppose," she sighed doubtfully. Given her spiritual connection with Aang, Iroh was reasonably certain that Katara's current state of mind wasn't helping him to get ready for tomorrow. Maybe Iroh could help with that.

"Perhaps you would like to learn some meditation techniques?" he suggested gently, yet in a firm enough tone to indicate that it was not really a question. He couldn't actually say outright that she was probably unintentionally disrupting Aang's concentration, since that would likely only worry her more.

"It's never been part of my training, but maybe it would be a good thing to learn."

"Excellent. Sit down right there, near the line where the waves come up on the shore, and find a comfortable position."

Katara obeyed, sitting cross-legged. She closed her eyes without being asked, and Iroh smiled a little. She had clearly watched Aang in meditation before and had some idea of what was expected. These simple acts already seemed to relax her somewhat, which was a good first step.

"Focus on your element," Iroh continued, keeping his voice soft and even. "Listen to the ebb and flow of the ocean, the waves breaking onto the sand near you, feel the water moving beneath you to the sea. Let your breathing follow their rhythm. You are the ocean."

Apparently, Katara was a natural at this. It didn't take long for her breathing to slow and her body to visibly calm, almost seeming to merge with the sand underneath her.

"Very good," Iroh told her. "Now, stretch out your mind and see if you can feel the moon. Her back may be to you, but she is still there. Feel how she tugs at the ocean. Picture the moon and the ocean as their fish bodies at the North Pole. Imagine their eternal dance around each other, pushing and pulling, completely equal, two halves of one whole. Become one with them as the source of your strength." When he thought she'd done that long enough, Iroh decided to take one step further, something rather experimental. "Finally, find your link with Aang. Reach out to him. See if you can match your breathing with his and share your peace of mind with each other."

When Katara smiled placidly, Iroh deduced that his work here was done. Before walking away, he offered a few final words of encouragement and told her that she could continue as long as she wished. He sort of envied that special attachment Katara had with Aang. For some reason, it made him think of Lu Ten. Maybe he wished they could have had a spiritual connection that would work even through the barrier of death. Iroh had walked the Spirit World once, but Aang could do that almost whenever he wished. Was it wrong to feel a little jealous of that?

Iroh was just starting to think that he could benefit from some meditation as well when something else caught his attention. Zuko was standing on a grassy portion of a dune, facing north, and Iroh saw another opportunity to provide assistance.

"Is something troubling you, Nephew?" Iroh asked when he was close enough to be heard over the constant wind. To his surprise, he actually got a direct answer.

"I'm worried about Song," Zuko replied, still facing away. "I've been praying to Agni for her to be safe. Is that wrong?"

"I don't think any prayer for something good can be wrong," Iroh responded truthfully, although protection was not usually the fire god's area. At this point, Zuko did turn around, fixing his golden eyes steadily on his uncle's.

"Have you ever been in love, Uncle?"

"Yes. Once." Iroh turned his vision inward. Her name was Tashiri, and he hadn't thought about her in many years. He didn't even know if she was still alive. She had been spirited away when his family suspected that Iroh's affection for the girl was getting to be too much for his position. After all, he had an arranged marriage already planned for him, and they didn't want anything to get in the way of that. Among other complications, illegitimate children could pose a problem, especially if they were older than the ones his marriage might produce. Tashiri's family had probably also been willing participants in her disappearance, not wishing her to be "spoiled" before her own wedding could be planned. He sighed deeply. In the years since his wife had died, Iroh had taken advantage of his unattached status to engage in a handful of affairs, but there had never been another like Tashiri.

"You lost her." It was not a question, but Iroh nodded anyway. Zuko stared off into space for a while, thinking this over. He didn't seem to require any details to piece together what had happened, more or less.

"I don't think arranged marriages are a good thing," the prince declared finally.

"Oh, I don't know," Iroh tried to defend their traditions as best he could. "If your family loves you and wants to make the best match for you, they can often choose better for you than you would for yourself, especially when you are young and inexperienced. It is only when money and social position become the deciding factors that the system breaks down, leading to misery, loneliness, regrets..." Zuko looked directly at his uncle again, his undamaged eyebrow raised wryly.

"Has there ever been a system that hasn't ended up doing that?" he challenged. Iroh cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Well, no, not to my knowledge," he admitted.

"I don't want to lose her," Zuko decided. "Not to the war, not to my father, and not to my position. If we both survive this, I'm going to ask her to marry me. I don't even care if I have to give up my throne."

This came as a total shock to Iroh. He had seen the changes wrought in his nephew over the past few months, but even he couldn't have predicted this. Less than a year ago, all Zuko wanted was his position, and now he was willing to give it all up. He had finally learned the meaning of love and sacrifice.

"You really love her, don't you?" Iroh managed to ask, although Zuko's earlier questions and these more recent declarations had already indicated that.

"I do." Zuko took a deep breath. "For three years, all I cared about was finding the Avatar and restoring my honor and my place at Father's side. I just wanted to go home again, and I never really thought past that. But ever since meeting Song…she's given me a new reason to live. Now, I have hope for a life that goes far into the future, but I can only have it with her." He laughed dryly, gesturing out toward the vast expanse of water to the east. "Here I am, about to cross the sea to my father, home, and title, and I'm not even sure I want any of it anymore. What does that mean?"

"It means you're growing up." Iroh barely managed to choke the words out. He had rarely heard Zuko give a speech this long, and Iroh's eyes filled with tears as he considered Zuko's newfound maturity. "You're deciding for yourself what you want instead of letting someone else dictate it for you. I'm very proud of you, whatever happens."

"Thank you, Uncle."

"You're a man now," Iroh went on. "I just wish I felt like I had more to do with that. I didn't teach you about love the way I should have. I suppose I was afraid you wouldn't need it."

"You did more than you know," Zuko insisted. "It probably started with Mom, but you always loved me, even when I didn't deserve it and didn't understand. I'm sorry for all the times I didn't listen or got angry or impatient with you."

"That's all right," Iroh assured him. "That's all part of being family."

"Not our family."

"Well, it's up to you to break that cycle. I believe you can."

"I think it was watching Aang and Katara that really changed how I looked at things," Zuko remarked, looking across the beach to where Katara still sat quietly, the rising tide beginning to lap at her clothing. "Seeing everything that they had to face just to be in love with each other, I started to think it must be something very important. Then I spent time with Song and, well, she did the rest."

"Women are the best teachers," Iroh agreed sagely.

There seemed to be nothing more to say, so the pair stood for a long while in silence, watching the shadows lengthen as the afternoon wore on. In a way, it was their own form of meditation and communion, and Iroh wouldn't have traded it for anything.

--

Member of the Boomeraang Squad: charleegirl, Jesus.Lives, Liselle129, Strix Moonwing, Avatarwolf, MormonMaiden, libowiekitty, Snows of Yester-Year, La Vixen de Amor, chocolatecoveredbananacheese, Aangy, and honorary member SnakeEyes16

Author's Note: Yes, before anyone asks, I totally made up the stuff about Iroh's love from his youth and his wife dying in childbirth. It seems likely that something like this might have happened, though. I don't know if the Fire Nation really considers Agni a god or not, but it is the name of the Hindu fire god, so it seemed to work. The next chapter will focus on the two couples (George and Kataang) spending some last moments together before the day of battle dawns.

Review responses:

Thank you to ElicityFay, Giggleman, Billeh, blackfireprincess, reach 4 the stars, and chocolatecoveredbananacheese for reviewing Chapter 36.

Aangs fangirl1214: I totally made up the spiritual connection thing. It seemed to me that Aang and Katara were oddly connected from the moment they met, so I added Katara's idea from The Storm that everything was meant to be and the whole thing sort of spun out of that.

Lily Dragon: I was thinking the pieces might be a little too finely carved for her to pick up the images through the table and that she might actually have to use her fingers to feel the etching.

TTAvatarfan: As I think you can tell from this chapter, the end is drawing near. They'll be making final preparations next chapter and possibly even beginning their final, harrowing journey.

La Vixen de Amor: I will tell you this much – Aang will give her his gift near the end of the story. You might say he's waiting for the perfect moment.

Chocolatecoveredespressobean: Thanks. I'm glad you liked that little gag. I'd actually been trying to figure out a way to work that in for quite a long time.

Justcallmewolfy: I suppose Katara might be able to utilize some of the techniques she observed, but she lacks the power to bring it about as envisioned. Also, you need the Avatar Spirit to really understand everything.

SnakeEyes16: I'm always happy to be improving someone's vocabulary! There are a lot of words I use in casual conversation where people just look at me strangely. It's even more pronounced in my writing, when I have time to think about it. As for Aang's gift…I am rather fond of epic endings.:)

Snows Of Yester-Year: Pai Sho and tea. Don't forget tea. Anyway, I thought it was time I sort of expressed where I was coming from with the whole spiritual connection thing. I'd been hinting at it for a while but hadn't given a complete explanation.

libowiekitty: I tend to put Toph in the background for several chapters at a time, so I periodically like to bring her back to the forefront for a while.

kataangfan22: Yeah, I like to show Aang's humanity. I think that's something that really sets him apart. We haven't really seen much of the personal lives of the prior Avatars; it was like they were just the Avatar all the time.

LiveInThaskyE: I'm still working out the details of that final battle, although I know now how it will end. It's going to be tough to make it all impressive and suspenseful.

MyOtherName: I did find it quite funny that you started off with "I don't have much to say" and proceeded to go on for what looks like more than 100 words (I didn't count it). I imagine that would have been disturbing for Toph, but I think you could get over it. After all, peasants for many centuries lived in one-room houses, so their children must have been present for that activity sometimes.

redskin122004: Okay, well, good luck in college, anyway!

Sunkissed Guacamole: I have been known to type until my fingers are cramped, but that's about as far as I'll go for my art. Well, that and losing sleep. Thanks!

Lanugi: This show gives so much opportunity for spiritual and supernatural experiences. Glad you thought the discussion about children was funny. Things are going to get intense pretty soon, so I had to put some lightness in (and some possible foreshadowing).

kimfoo: Well, thank you. The next chapter will have a nice Kataang moment, but you might say I'm saving up for the really big stuff.