Sorry for the delay! Things got a little busy there for a while. Two more chapters to go! Please enjoy/

Chapter Twelve

For a moment, there was only silence. As Katara's words sunk in, the mutual feelings of hopelessness, confusion, and anger became palpable. Wordlessly, they broke off and began searching for the lost avatar. Sokka and Suki went back to the town square. Katara, Zuko, and Toph searched every nook and cranny of the abandoned home and surrounding grounds. Moria walked the trails and played a summoning melody on her flute.

After hours of fruitless searching, they regrouped in the courtyard, defeated.

"Ember Island isn't that big. There aren't many places he could go," Sokka said, shoulders slumped.

"Unless he left the island," Zuko said, glancing out at the calm sea.

"Appa's still here," Katara reminded him. "How could he leave?"

"He must have left." Moria looked down at her flute, fingering the keys absently. "He would have followed the music if he were here. I walked all over."

"Unless he's tied up somewhere," Toph put in helpfully.

All eyes went to Toph for a moment and she shrugged.

"It's a possibility."

Suki crossed her arms and shook her head slowly. "What if he did leave the island? How do we find him then?"

Zuko stepped forward, a spark of an idea burning in his eyes. "I know someone who might be able to help." He nodded towards Appa. "Get your things and let's go. I have a feeling we won't be coming back."

For several hours, the group rode in the giant sky bison's saddle towards the Earth Kingdom. Katara tried to ask Zuko where they were going but eventually gave up. He was too focused on steering to bother.

As the sun began to set, he brought Appa down near an isolated, seedy-looking tavern. Yellow light washed out of the bare windows and cast a sickly glow on the dirt. The lively sounds of bar fights and upbeat conversations resonated from inside. Katara immediately wrinkled her nose as she slid down to the ground.

"What are we doing here?"

"There's only one person I know who can track down Aang quickly," Zuko explained as he walked briskly towards the tavern. With mutual shrugs, the others followed close behind.

Zuko threw open the rickety wooden door and the distraction paused the heated arguments and fistfights going on around the crowd. Zuko paid no attention to the hulking men glaring at their small group and made a beeline for a sultry black-haired woman engaged in an arm-wrestling match with a man three times her size.

"June," Zuko greeted in a low voice as he approached.

"Hey! That's the bounty hunter Zuko sent after us," Sokka whispered harshly.

Moria blinked. "What?"

Sokka waved his hand as if that sudden piece of information was not important. "I'll explain later."

The woman slammed her opponent's arm down effortlessly and stood, brushing invisible dirt from her dark dress. "You again?" Her eyes drifted over his shoulder to Katara. "I see you got your girlfriend back."

Zuko nearly choked as his face turned a dark red. Behind him, Katara's cheeks burned a bright pink. In unison, they loudly informed her that they were not a couple.

June simply shrugged. "Whatever. Don't tell me you've got another job for me."

Zuko let out a huffy breath in an attempt to regain his composure. "I do. And it's urgent."

The woman took a moment to consider, then gave a long sigh. "Oh, all right."

She turned and led the group outside, where Appa was happily sniffing a large, eyeless animal.

"What is that thing?" Moria whispered to Katara.

"It's a shirshu," Katara explained in a low voice. "It may be blind, but its sense of smell is like no other. Zuko once used June's services to track me down using only my necklace." She fingered the charm around her neck and shuddered at the memory.

Moria blinked. "You're going to have to fill me in later."

Katara gave her a small smirk and turned to Appa. She climbed up into the saddle and picked up Aang's glider. "Zuko, see if she can find Aang with this," she called as she tossed it expertly to the firebender.

Zuko caught it with one hand and handed it over to June. She held the glider out to the shirshu, Nyla, and the animal gave it a few noncommittal sniffs. She lifted her sensitive nose to the air and sniffed, rearing back on her hindlegs. Her head moved from side to side as she struggled to pluck the scent from the air and, after letting out a few frustrated grunts, dropped back on all fours and hung her head down.

Confused, Zuko quirked a brow. "What does that mean?"

"It means your friend doesn't exist," June said casually as she tossed the glider back to Katara.

Jaws dropped all around.

"You mean…" Sokka swallowed thickly, "he's…?"

"No," June shrugged. "If he were dead, Nyla would find him. Wouldn't you, you sweet little snuggly-wuggly…" she muttered sweet words into the shirshu's ear and stroked her chin. Nyla cooed happily in response. After a moment, June straightened. "It means your friend's gone. Completely vanished. Poof."

"That's not possible," Katara said, her brow wrinkled.

"What are we supposed to do now…?" Moria asked, although she knew no one had an answer. "If we can't find Aang…and the comet comes tomorrow…"

"I know someone who can help us," Zuko spoke up. Once more, all eyes were on him. He set his backpack on the ground and fished around inside it, then produced a single, stinking sandal. Those within close proximity immediately covered their noses. Zuko paid them no mind and held the shoe out to Nyla. "My uncle will know what to do."

"You just…keep that with you?" Sokka asked, his nose pinched tightly closed.

Ignoring him, Zuko allowed Nyla to get a good, hard sniff of the shoe. Excitedly, she reared back on her hindlegs and took off sprinting before June had a chance to properly get into the saddle.

Alarmed, Katara, still in Appa's saddle, held her hand out and started helping her friends up. "Hurry! We can't let them get away."

Appa was not nearly as fast as the shirshu, but he was able to keep her in his line of sight. They trailed behind until they reached a tattered section of massive wall. There, Nyla came to a halt and loudly snuffled around the barrier.

"What is this place?" Moria asked as Appa came down for a smooth landing.

"Ba Sing Se," Sokka said. "Remember the play?"

"Oh, of course." Moria looked up at the wall, wondering what could be hidden beyond.

June gave Nyla an affectionate pat on the head. "Your old man is just beyond the wall. This is as far as I go."

After a quick thank you from Zuko, June took off once more, likely heading back to get in another arm-wrestling match. Once the dust had cleared, Katara placed a gentle hand on Zuko's arm.

"Are you ready for this?"

He swallowed and looked up at the wall as if he were trying to see over the edge. He bit his lower lip and nodded before stepping forward, but before he could get very far, a group of elderly men dressed in deep blue robes emerged from the hole in the wall.

Katara blinked in surprise. "Master Pakku?"

"King Bumi!" Aang cried with joy.

Moria watched as her friends ran to greet the old men. She recognized the names that were called from the awful play and from when Katara filled her in on some of Team Avatar's adventures before her discovery. She stayed in the background, not wanting to interrupt such a seemingly happy reunion. After a few moments of catching up, the men explained that they were camped out there in an effort to liberate Ba Sing Se from the Fire Nation and they invited the small group to join them beyond the wall.

The Order of the White Lotus had set up a large encampment just inside the walls. Smoke rose from a tent dedicated solely to cooking and permeated the air with the delicious scent of cooking meat. Small campfires were scattered around the base where other old men gathered and shared stories in good humor. The place certainly did not have the heaviness of an impending battle surrounding it. In fact, it was quite peaceful.

"Your uncle is in there," Pakku told Zuko, pointing to a tent at the far end of the camp.

"Do you want us to come with you?" Katara asked, glancing at the dark tent.

Zuko quickly shook his head. "I need to do this on my own."

Pakku waited until the young firebender had disappeared into the tent before turning to the remaining group. "You all must be hungry. Let's get you something to eat."

For a while, they sat around one of the fires holding warm bowls filled with a hearty stew. For a while, they were able to pretend that the comet wasn't coming, and they could enjoy a worry-free night. But soon enough, a relieved Zuko emerged from the tent with his uncle trailing close behind. Zuko took a seat and accepted a bowl of stew that had been set aside for him.

"May I join you?" Uncle Iroh asked with a kind smile.

"Of course, Uncle," Zuko said as though it were obvious. As the old man settled in, he continued, "You should have a formal introduction. This is my Uncle Iroh. This is Katara, Sokka, Toph, Suki and Moria. They're my friends…"

Uncle Iroh's eyes shone as he scanned the group. "Ah, yes, I believe I've come across all of you at one time or another." His gaze fell on Moria and he paused. "Except for you, young lady. I believe you're new."

"I am." Moria lowered her eyes.

Zuko glanced around and found that no one else was listening in on their conversation, but he lowered his voice anyway. "You won't believe this, Uncle. But we discovered her on an uncharted island. The Fire Nation had attacked her people. She was the only one left. She's…a soundbender."

"A soundbender, you say?" Uncle Iroh broke into a wide grin. "Well, I never thought I'd see one person." Stunned silence followed and he chuckled. "The White Lotus serves as guardians of ancient knowledge. We know all about the soundbenders, though I'm sorry to hear what happened to your people. What a great tragedy to the world."

With a frown, Moria raised her head to meet the old man's eyes. "If your organization knew of us, why would you keep us such a secret? We could have rejoined the nations and-."

"I understand what you're thinking," Uncle Iroh cut in gently. "However, to do such a thing would have first required us to be able to find you. Even if we were able to do that, chances are high that the same kind of paranoia and false accusations would rise once again. Your people may have ended up right back on the lion turtle." He suddenly turned serious and reached out to take Moria's hands. "Can you bend?"

"I can, but I'm far from great. Aang has been learning soundbending much more easily than I ever have."

"You wield a great power," Uncle Iroh said, keeping his voice low. "Even if you are morally incapable of doing what your people were accused of all that time ago, the power is still within you. Moria, you must keep your ability a secret from the world."

Moria respectfully considered his words but ultimately shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that. My people and our history have been erased. I want the world to know of our existence. I want them to know what their actions led to. I have our entire history in my bag, and I intend to make copies and distribute it."

Uncle Iroh looked alarmed by this proclamation, but he shook his head and let go of her hands. "We can discuss this further later. For now, there is a more pressing matter at stake. Sozin's comet arrives tomorrow. The avatar is missing. According to my intelligence, Azula will be crowned the next Fire Lord and my brother will take on a new title as the Phoenix King." He scanned the small group, watching faces fall. "What is it that you intend to do?"

Zuko stood, fists clenched so hard at his sides that his knuckles were white. "I can't allow Azula to be crowned. I have to stop her."

Uncle Iroh nodded and looked to Sokka. "And you? You're quite the strategist from my understanding."

Sokka caught himself about to beam proudly and quickly cleared his throat. With his best serious act, he said, "I think the rest of us should go after the Fire Nation fleet. Try and take them down from the inside. If we can prevent them from reaching the Earth Kingdom before the comet passes, maybe we can manage to spare a lot of lives. Especially if Aang doesn't show up."

"That's as good a plan as any," Uncle Iroh agreed. "You will have to use quick wit and come up with your strategies on the fly. I am certain that you are capable."

Zuko clenched his jaw and began to pace. "Uncle, I need transportation. I'm going to the palace. Tonight."

Uncle Iroh shook his head and took Zuko's wrist. With a gentle tug, he urged his nephew to sit back down. "Tonight, you must rest. All of you. The White Lotus will have everything you'll need ready for you first thing in the morning."

"But-."

"Do not protest, Zuko. Trust your old uncle." The old man broke into a reassuring smile. "Tomorrow history will be made."