It had only taken two days and a lot of rest, but Ty Lee was finally starting to feel like her old self again. While Aang had been working with General Fong, she had been sleeping inside of the guest quarters. Everyone seemed to have an unspoken agreement not to disturb her, although this came back to bite them when they almost forgot to grab her when they were leaving General Fong's.

They had stopped at a river on their journey to Omashu. Aang still needed to practice his water bending with Katara, and Suki and Ty Lee were happy for a little swim break.

"Well, guess I'll just...live in soggy clothes now." Suki lifted her drenched arms after fully wading into the water.

"Oh, cheer up! The weather's turning, so you won't become a sukicicle." Katara yelped when Suki splashed her at the comment.

"Yeah, Suki! My aura hasn't been this pink in a long time!" Ty Lee added, her head bobbing just barely above the water.

Once Katara and Aang resumed their water bending practice, Suki doggy paddled her way over to Ty Lee, who was farther from the shore.

"How're you feeling?"

Ty Lee shrugged. "I'm okay I guess. Better than I was a week ago." She looked up and scanned the sky. "I still can't look at the moon without thinking about her face."

Suki smiled and put an arm around her shoulder, trying to comfort her friend. "It'll get better, Ty. You'll find someone else."

"It's not just that!" She protested. "I'm not just sad because I can't date her, I'm sad because, well...because the Northern Water Tribe lost a really, really great person. And princess."

"She was great, wasn't she?" Suki guided Ty Lee closer to shore. She was starting to get a bit cold. "Just know that she'll always be watching over you and the Northern Water Tribe. She loved you a lot."

"Thanks, Suki." Ty Lee suddenly perked up at the sound of music; it was far away, but growing closer by the minute.

"Don't fall in love with the traveling girl"

"She'll leave you broke and broken-hearted…"

Iroh was staring at a gorgeous red and white flower while Zuko struggled in the bushes. His hair was growing in nicely, thank spirits. However, he missed not having to live off of the land.

"Uncle, this is impossible! How am I supposed to be a fugitive when there's nothing to eat around here?" Zuko kicked the ground.

Sokka appeared, fish in hand. "What are you complaining about? There's a river down that way. Just catch some fish."

"Easy for you to say," Zuko shot back, "you have a weapon you can use."

"Boys, boys! Stop fighting and come look…!" Iroh was still staring at the flower in awe. "This is a rare dragon bush. Its leaves make a delicious tea that is out of this world!" He paused for a second. "Hm...it could also be the white jade bush, which is extremely poisonous."

"Uncle, we don't need tea. We need food." Sokka held his fish up smugly, causing Zuko to get even angrier. "I'm going fishing."

Once Zuko stormed off, Sokka sat down next to Iroh.

"So, this plant, huh? You really want to risk it for some tea?"

"Sokka, you have no idea how delicious a cup of dragon bush tea is. I do not even know how delicious it is! I've only heard about it in legends…"

"You could die, Iroh."

Iroh just hummed and began to pluck the flower petals.

"That is a risk I am willing to take."

The gang had gathered around Chong and his pals, listening to him tell stories of distant lands and ancient relics that he's seen. Lily had begun to braid Katara, and Suki's hair, as well as Appa's fur while Ty Lee and Aang sat next to Chong.

"Oh, oh! Have you heard about the tunnel to Omashu?"

Aang sat up. He had been half asleep; hearing the city's name had jolted him awake.

"That's where we need to go! Is it a shortcut?"

Chong nodded. "Yeah, sorta. It's a secret pass, little man. It goes right through the mountains."

"This is real, right? Not like the story about the giant, man-eating hog monkey?" Katara asked while Suki tried to suppress a snicker.

"Oh, it's as real as Mister Furry Foot, alright. There's a song about it, too…"

Katara sighed, and Suki tried to comfort her. "It's okay. This song can't be worse than the Furry Footed Ballad!"

"Two lovers, forbidden from one another,"

"A war divides their people,"

"And a mountain divides them apart,"

"Built a path to be together…"

"I uh, I forget the next couple lines," Chong smiled cheekily, "but then it goes…"

"SECRET TUNNEL...secret tunnel…through the mountains...secret, secret, secret, secret tunnel…! Yeah!"

The group's performance had earned a smattering of applause from Aang, Ty Lee, Suki, and Katara.

"Your song was great!" Aang exclaimed. "But I think we'll have to stick with flying. Appa doesn't like going underground. Besides, how bad could flying be?"

"I dunno little arrowhead," Chong cast a glance behind him, "this place is crawling with Fire Nation ships. I bet they'd try and take you if you decide to go airborne."

"Let me go investigate." Suki stood up and walked forward, through the woods, leaving the rest of the gang with the nomads.

"Wow…" Ty Lee stood up and waltzed over to Lily, "...your aura is a gorgeous shade of purple!"

Lily giggled, "you're telling me! I've been working for years to maintain my aura. This type of brilliance requires hard work and dedication."

While Ty Lee plopped herself in front of Lily, prepared for an in-depth discussion, Katara decided to practice water bending with Aang.

"Guys, Chong's right. There are Fire Nation ships in every direction." Suki had climbed onto a rock near the ocean shore and found dozens upon dozens of ships. When she looked in the direction they had come, she could see dark outlines of ships on the horizon.

"Well, then I guess there's no choice but to take the love tunnel." Katara waded out from the lake and slung an arm around Suki.

Ty Lee, whose hair had been tied into small braids adorned with pink flowers, let out a squeal. "An adventure straight from a legend! This is so exciting!"

Zuko trudged back to camp, bearing only a large stick and a tiny fish. It was hardly enough for a single mouthful; there was no way it could feed three people.

"Zuko! Thank agni you're here." Sokka leapt up from where he had been sitting next to Iroh. "Something's wrong with Iroh."

"What? He didn't..."

"I...may have encouraged him to…" Zuko punched Sokka in the arm. "Ow-hey! I just wanted some tasty tea, alright?"

"Zuko, don't worry. I'm fine." Iroh had taken to scratching his back with a stick. He was completely covered in a red rash, and his face had swelled immensely. "Although, I may not be if the rash spreads to my throat…"

"But hey, on the bright side, he managed to find the cure!" Sokka grabbed the branch from out of Iroh's hand. "These berries are guaranteed to cure the white jade poison, right?"

Iroh had pushed himself up against a tree and was rubbing his back against it vigorously. "Not exactly. Those berries might not help stop the poison at all, and instead may cause blindness."

"Enough with the berries! We need to get you help."

"But Zuko, we can't just stroll into the Earth Kingdom." Sokka sighed and threw the berries to the side. "They'll have us killed. We're part of the Fire Nation, remember?"

"Well, we are technically fugitives." Iroh bent over and began scratching his legs frantically. "If we go to the Earth Kingdom, we may die. But if we go to the Fire Nation, we'll be turned over to Azula."

They all winced at each other and nodded, each coming to the same understanding.

"Earth Kingdom it is."

"The curse says that only those who trust in love can make it out alive."

While Aang and Ty Lee exchanged nervous glances, Katara just grabbed Suki's hand determinedly.

"We'll be fine, then."

"We better get going," Aang couldn't help but stare in the distance, where smoke was beginning to rise. "It looks like the Fire Nation's onto us!"

Fire Nation tanks rolled up to the entrance and stared the gang down while they traipsed further into the cave. The soldiers eventually agreed to simply close off the cave entrance; they figured there was no way they could make it out of the caves alive.

While Aang, Katara, and Ty Lee couldn't help but stare at the collapsed entrance in fear, Suki was focused on moving forward.

"C'mon, if we're going to make it out of here, we need to start moving. I'm going to try and make a map. Everybody, stay by my side." Suki was determined to make it out of here in one piece.

Katara hurried to catch up with Suki and placed a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder.

"Do you really think we'll be okay?"

Suki nodded. "Of course, Kat. when have we ever not been?"

After finding some locals, Iroh was able to receive treatment for his worsening rash. The woman who helped Iroh, Song, was curious to know where the three of them were from.

"Oh..! W-Well, I'm Lee, and this is my Uncle...Mushi! And my friend, uh…" Zuko's eyes drifted over to the rocky walls. "Grey...Grey Stohne."

Sokka facepalmed. Could Zuko have done any worse with the names?

Iroh didn't look too happy either. "Yes, my nephew's name is Lee, but everyone just calls him Junior. He was named after his father, you know."

Song hummed to herself. "Lee, Grey, and Mushi…you three look like you could use a nice meal. Can you stay for dinner?"
"Yes!" Sokka couldn't help the words from tumbling out. "I mean, uh, yes...please…"

"Sorry, but I'm afraid Grey is wrong. We need to get moving."

"Well, it wouldn't be fair to turn down such a generous offer, now would it, Junior?" Iroh elbowed Zuko as he stood up.

"Suki, hon, I don't think the map is working...it's another dead en-"

"I know it's a dead-end!" Suki snapped, crumpling up her map. She then put her fingers on the bridge of her nose, "It just-none of this makes sense. How is this a dead end? I thought we already came through here!"

"Aw c'mon, you don't need a map! All you need is love! C'mon you funky lesbians, let your love lead the way!"

Aang turned towards Chong. "I actually wouldn't mind a map." Ty Lee nodded in agreement.

"When I was little, the Fire Nation raided our farming village...all the men were taken...I haven't seen my father since then." Song dipped her head in sadness.

Sokka, who had been stuffing himself with roast duck, decided to chime in.

"Yeah, the Fire Nation took me too as a kid."

Zuko and Iroh turned and stared at Sokka. Was he trying to blow their cover? What was he thinking?

Sokka immediately realized what he'd said and began to cough. He needed to backpedal, and quickly. Before they started asking follow up questions.

"That is, uh, my tribe ended up rescuing me. They still ended up displacing me and a lot of members of my tribe though."

Zuko's mind had begun to race upon hearing Song's story. He couldn't help but think of Ozai.

"I haven't seen my father in many years."

"Is he fighting in the war?"

Zuko hesitated. He didn't want to lie, but what other choice did he have?

"Yeah."

"Hey, can you guys hear that?" Ty Lee stuck her hand up and stopped in her tracks. A loud wailing noise had begun in the distance, and it sounded like it was getting closer.

The other members of the group must have heard it too because they stopped and were listening intently. Out of the darkness of the tunnels, a wolf bat came swooping down on them, aiming towards Ty Lee's head.

"It's a weird, flying thing!" Chong exclaimed, huddling towards Lily. Ty Lee had begun to screech and wave her hands above her head, trying to scare the damn thing off. She ran straight into Appa, who reared up in response and began to sprint away from her and ricochet off the walls of the tunnel, slamming into one after the next. After Appa collided with a rocky pillar, the entire tunnel began to shake and collapse on top of them.

"Run!" Aang quickly air bended Ty Lee and the nomads out of the way of the collapse. Katara noticed that Suki was standing right under the pillar, so she dove into her and pushed her out of the way towards Appa.

Sadly, they ended up on the other side of the collapse, separated from Aang and the others.

Song was sitting outside with Zuko. After attempting and failing to touch his scar, she decided to open up to him and show her some scars of her own.

Zuko looked up in astonishment. Had the Fire Nation really done that? He just thought they were spreading the wealth and value of their nation to others, but...were they really destroying people's lives to this degree?
He couldn't handle hearing this. He stood up and went back inside, where Sokka was huddled against the door, waiting to go outside and greet Song.

"Hey…" Sokka gingerly approached her. How could he explain that he had been eavesdropping on their entire conversation? "I-I couldn't help hearing...I mean, uh, the Fire Nation-"

"I know," Song let a sad smile pass her lips, "they've hurt you too, haven't they?"

He sat down next to her.

"Not physically, but...yeah. I mean, I want to go find my mom and dad again, but...I don't know…" How could he talk about this without giving too much away?

Song reached up and caressed his hair. "Don't worry. People from the Water Tribes are very kind, and I'm sure they miss you very much."

Water tribe? How did she know?

He reached up to feel his hair. Of course.

He hadn't even realized he had cut it into a wolf tail. He used to sport the look all the time as a kid, he remembered his father cutting his hair and telling him stories about the war.

"I do miss my tribe." He meant it. He felt a pang of homesickness whenever he thought of his family. His real family, the one that was shaky in his memory but strong in his heart.

Chong was strumming an upbeat tune as they walked through the tunnels, and it did numbers to improve the mood. Ty Lee was dancing as she walked, and Aang couldn't help but smile at everyone else's joyous mood.

"So, Aang, can you believe you're moving on to earth bending already?" Ty Lee asked as she twirled in front of him.

"Not really, I mean, it's all happening so fast…" Truth be told, he was terrified to keep going on his journey. He didn't know if he had the power to stop the war at all: what if that fear was only solidified when he mastered all four elements? Would he still be as hopeless then?

"Don't worry...we've all got your back!" Ty Lee walked behind Aang, grabbed his arms and began moving them up and down in a dancing motion. This got Aang to laugh, and his fears seemed to melt away into the darkness.

"Kat, this is it! I know it is." Suki ran forwards towards a door-shaped piece of rock.

"Suki wait-! It's really dark…" Katara ran after her girlfriend.

By the time Katara caught up, Suki was already pushing on the door. However, even when Katara joined her, they found no luck in getting it to open. Appa charged into the door, giving the two very little time to scurry out of the way. This, thankfully, got it to finally slide open. The two jumped through the doorway and into the room, which turned out to be a tomb

Katara let out a gasp and had to struggle to hold onto her torch. What kind of twisted fate had led them into a tomb?

"Suki, this isn't the exit! This is probably the center of the mountain!"

"Well, I know that now, thanks!"

"Whatever." Katara's old feelings of anger towards Suki were resurfacing, and she didn't like it one bit. She couldn't help but think about all of the times they had argued in the past. What made Katara think they were compatible? They had gone what, two weeks without fighting? Could they maintain it?

Suki hopped down and walked deeper into the tomb, forcing Katara to follow her. They figured out that the tomb belonged to the two lovers, and read their story.

"Woah…" Katara couldn't believe that the lovers had created earth bending just to see each other and that they had managed to end a war using the power of grief and love.

"Love is brightest in the dark…" Suki's lips were lit up by Katara's torch, and she couldn't take her eyes off of them.

Love could be powerful, Katara knew that. And she knew what she felt in her heart at that moment.

Their troubles seemed so petty compared to the struggles that Oma and Shu had gone through to be with each other. She should just be grateful that she could be with Suki.

Katara pulled Suki into a deep, passionate kiss. As their lips connected, Katara could feel her legs melt.

Why had she ever been angry at Suki? It was normal for couples to fight, after all. Katara was so wrapped up in how happy she was in the darkness with Suki that she failed to recognize that she had dropped and stepped on her torch, snuffing it out.

"Okay, I thiiiiink we're officially lost." Ty Lee's group had come to yet another dead end and they were all beginning to lose hope. "Anyone have any ideas on how to get out? And, uh, not die?"

"Wait, wait, did you say ideas? I've had this one idea for, like, an hour." Aang nodded to Chong, encouraging him to go on. "Well, if love is the way to get out, what if we just play a love song?"

Aang shrugged. "I don't see why not."

Ty Lee nodded enthusiastically, "maybe that will show the tunnel spirits how devoted to love we are, and then they'll help us out of here!"

And so, Chong began to strum a tune while he led the way down another dark tunnel.

"Even if you're lost you can't,"

"Lose the love because it's in your heart..."

It had come time for Iroh, Sokka, and Zuko to leave. Iroh thanked Song's mom with a bow, who then returned the favor.

"Junior, Grey, thank these nice people!"

"Oh-yeah, thanks for the great meal!"

Zuko was a little more reluctant to offer his thanks.

"Thank you" was all he mumbled before he bowed and walked off.

Song rushed over and gave Sokka a hug.

"Good luck finding your tribe," she murmured to him. "And Lee, I know you don't think there's any hope left in the world...but there is! The avatar has returned!"

Zuko didn't bother to respond. He just opened the gate and left, while Iroh and Sokka closely followed.

He stopped when he saw the ostrich horse outside the gate. Nobody was watching them, and they needed a way to get around. Would they really care if it was gone?

"Zuko, what are you doing?" Iroh scolded, seeing that Zuko had already grabbed the reins of the animal. These people just showed you great kindness."

"Yeah, c'mon. Song and her mom are nice-don't steal their stuff!"

"Do you want the ride or not?" Iroh and Sokka exchanged a glance before hopping on the ostrich horse behind Zuko and riding away.

"Look, look!" Suki had pulled away and was pointing at the brightly lit crystals on the ceiling.

"Woah...maybe they'll lead the way out!"

"There's only one way to find out…" Suki laughed and grabbed Katara's hands, pulling her into a twirl as they ran in the direction that the crystals faced.

"What could those things have been trying to get away from?" Chong asked Ty Lee, who had just been assaulted by wolf bats. She suggested that the bats were running from something. "They're gross and scary, what would mess with them?"

As if on cue, two giant badger moles broke through the walls of the tunnel and towered over the group.

"Aw, cuuute! Hey big guy…" While the rest of the group cowered in fear, Ty Lee rushed over to one of the badger moles and began rubbing under its chin."You're just a big softie, aren't ya?"

The badger mole immediately flopped onto its back and stuck its arms in the air, as if begging for more scratches. Ty Lee leaned over its belly and pet it even more.

Aang rushed over to the other badger mole. He was terrified, but Ty Lee's trick had worked, so he figured he'd give it a shirt.

"Hey, uh, big guy…" He tentatively reached up past the razor-sharp claws and scratched beneath the animal's chin. The badger mole headbutted his hand, indicating that it, too, liked the affection.

"Hey, what if the badger moles like affection?" Chong exclaimed. He wasn't the smartest, but he was trying all the same.

"I think they do!" Aang laughed as the badger mole hoisted him onto its back. Ty Lee's did the same, and the nomads were able to climb on as well.

Suki and Katara ran into the lit-up hole that led out of the tunnel. They had made it!

"We're out!" Katara collapsed on the side of the mountain while Appa flew around, growling happily.

"That we are." Suki plopped down and began to stroke Katara's hair. "And it's all because you destroyed our torch."

Katara laughed and pushed Suki away. "Come on, I saved us and you know it!"

The exit to the tunnel suddenly collapsed, and out charged two badger moles; on them were Aang, Ty Lee, and the nomads.

"We made it! Thanks, Mai junior!" Ty Lee hugged her badger mole before hopping off. Aang rushed towards Appa and hugged him. He was worried about his bison's safety, especially since he wasn't there to calm him down or make sure he was okay.

Now that they had escaped the tunnels, it was time to charge on to Omashu. They bid farewell to their nomad friends and set on their way, unaware of the destruction and devastation that they'd soon find.