Several days later, one of the guards who I got along well with reported a disturbance at the entrance to the city, telling me that the Avatar had arrived. I was quickly on my feet, wincing when I moved my arm too suddenly then rushed to get there. It didn't take me too long to get there, only to find Zuko holding Katara's arms behind her back and head, making her struggle against him as he ordered her to stop attacking his men. "Let go Zuko, you're hurting me! Don't make me hurt you back!" Damn it Zuko, did you have to be so rough?

"I'm hurting you? What are you doing to my soldiers? My people?"

"Let go of her Zuko! She said you're hurting her!" Aang demanded as I came in range of them, sweeping my arm around as I turned to draw water from a large amphora that was near to me as Zuko and Aang argued.

"First she has to agree to stop attacking my people!"

"Your people attacked us first, now let her go!"

"I am the Fire Lord, I have a duty to protect my nation." Zuko had pretty much lost his mind at this point, becoming so obsessed with protecting his people and serving them as they expected, that I had no qualms with what I did next. My movements were a little awkward with my right arm still in a sling, but I was still able to form a water whip which smacked Zuko right in the head, causing him to rip backwards and release Katara as I stepped out into the open, placing a hand on my hip as I scowled.

"What are you blockheads doing? Who gave you permission to attack the Avatar?" I directed, turning my head to the right to look at the captain in charge of these soldiers, my look making him squeak fearfully at me as he remained encased in rock. "Was it you? Dummy. Did you really think you could take on the Avatar with just a few men? Looks like you need more training, and besides. Don't you know Katara is like my own sister? How dare you attack my kin?"

"We're sorry Lady Kayo! I didn't mean any disrespect, it's just that Fire Lord Zuko gave the order…"

"I know, it was a dumb order. Anyway just be quiet for now." Turning away from him, I then smiled with relief at Aang and Katara, more glad to see them than I ever had before. "Hey Aang, he Katara. It's good to see you."

"Kayo!" Katara ran to me with a smile before noticing my arm and instantly beginning to worry. "What happened to you? You're hurt!"

"Oh, my arm got broken. It's fine, but it's a little hard to heal myself so it's a slow process." Immediately pulling up some water, Katara began to heal my broken arm with much more speed and effectiveness than I was able, since it was difficult to read my own chi.

"You attacked me! Explain yourself!" Zuko finally yelled at me, having recovered from where my water whip had hit him as Aang just blinked nervously.

"Because you were being a dumbass. Why else? There was no need to be so rough with Katara, just asking her nicely to stop would be enough. Besides, if your soldiers can be taken out so easily by just one water bender, then I think you need to think about training them harder." Katara looked up at me in surprise, quickly registering the friction between us and recognising that something was wrong. Gritting his teeth at me, I pointedly turned my face away, signalling I wasn't talking to him any further.

"Let's all just calm down a second. Zuko, we need to talk." Aang informed Zuko firmly, pointing his staff at him so Zuko sighed.

"Fine. Follow me and let's talk, but first, let me show you something." Aang and Katara looked at each other before following after Zuko, Katara staying by my side as I flexed my arm as it already felt a million times better.

"What's going on with you and Zuko?"

"Oh, we've been having some disagreements recently, not exactly been seeing eye to eye on things." I sighed, utterly exhausted from stress and lack of sleep. "I'm guessing you're here because word got out that Zuko had pulled out of the Harmony Restoration Movement?"

"We were all pretty surprised. What happened? Everything was going so well until this."

"You'll see, just listen to him for a while." I suggested and Katara followed my advice. At least somebody still listens to me around here. Zuko began to lead us all through the city and began to talk about it.

"Did you know Yu Dao is the oldest of all the colonial cities? Many of the Fire Nation families immigrated here over a hundred years ago, when Yu Dao was just a tiny village at the bottom of a valley. Together with the Earth Kingdom people who were already here, they built all this. Yu Dao now makes the finest metalwork ever produced, using both Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation expertise. That's why it's one of the richest cities in the world." He explained as we walked along until Katara noticed an Earth Kingdom boy shining the shoes of a Fire Nation colonial.

"It doesn't seem like the Fire Nation citizens and Earth Kingdom citizens share equality in that wealth." She pointed out as Zuko continued walking.

"It's not perfect, Katara, but all the city's people, including the Earth Kingdom people, are better off now than they were a hundred years ago."

"The History lesson is great an all, but none of it matters. By betraying the Harmony Restoration Movement, you're going to start another war!" Aang said urgently, not really getting the point Zuko was trying to make. For the most part, I was actually in agreement with Zuko, but he had gone about it the wrong way, which was where we disagreed. I voted for negotiation, Zuko opted for absolute uncooperativeness.

"Look Aang, when I came here a week ago, I had planned to personally enforce the removal of Yu Dao from the Earth Kingdom, but then I learned that things were more complicated than that." He explained, Katara glancing my way so I shrugged. "The mayor's wife and daughter are earth benders, and his wife invited me to remain here for a while and see for myself the kind of life the people here led. So I stayed. I saw what my people created here. I saw what the Harmony Restoration Movement would destroy, so I changed my mind. Ever since my coronation, I've struggled to find peace. Now I think I've finally figured out why. I'd forgotten about my people." Turning around suddenly, Zuko looked at Aang fiercely. "I know you defeated the Fire Nation Aang, but my people still deserve respect!"

"I defeated the Fire Nation?! You mean we defeated the Fire Lord." Aang corrected him but Zuko held his ground, ignoring Aan'g point.

"It would be disrespectful to take them from a life they've spent generations building, I won't let you do it."

"Harmony requires four separate nations to balance each other out! You can't have balance if one nation occupies the other!" Aang started to grow angry which made both Katara and I nervous, watching the guys whilst standing close to each other. Looking behind her, I turned when I noticed Katara looking elsewhere to see the mayor and his family, Kori dressed in both red and green whilst her parents wore their own respective colours, and slowly, Katara began to feel the same way I did.

"Maybe Yu Dao can be an exception." She suggested, making Aang turn at her with a yelp. "It's just a suggestion." She quickly assured him as Zuko built on Katara's proposition.

"Exceptions should be made for all the remaining colonies. Most of them are over a century old, they're even older than you, Aang." But Aang was still resistant against this idea, which dashed all my hopes that Aang would help us reach some kind of compromise with the Earth King.

"You have got to be joking, that would make peace impossible."

"Well, regardless, the Earth King needs to be a part of whatever happens next. If we arrange a meeting, will you be there Zuko?" Katara stepped up, acting as the voice of reason seeing as everyone else seems to have lost theirs. I am so done with all this, I'm getting out of here.

"I'll be there." Zuko agreed and Aang snippily mumbled that talking was a good alternative. We returned back to the main gates, Aang and Katara stepping together in order to fly over the wall when I pulled water from the well and created a large ice staircase, making them all look at me in surprise and confusion. "What are you doing?!"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going with Aang and Katara to see the Earth King." I answered him, finishing forming the stairs so that I could climb up over the wall.

"I forbid it, you can't leave." Zuko informed me, making Katara stare at him openly in shock as I continued to face my back at him.

"I'm leaving Zuko, whether you like it or not. You're not listening to my advice no matter what I say or do, so what's the point in hanging around? You're too wrapped up in your own head, thinking that you have to solve all this on your own so I'm not going to waste my breath."

"You're the Royal Advisor, it's your duty to stay and advise me whether I listen or not. Your place is wherever I go. So long as you wear that token, you don't have a choice." Angry that he was trying to force me to stay against my will, I ripped the gold token off my belt and turned, tossing it to Zuko who caught it with natural reflexes, his face dropping as I glared.

"Take it. I don't want it." I started to climb.

"Don't you dare Kayo. If you leave, you're never allowed back. I'll banish you from the Fire Nation!"

"It's not like I haven't been a fugitive before, so that's nothing new." I drawled tiredly as I placed my foot on the ice steps and began ascending, Aang and Katara looking back and forth between us at a complete loss. "You're on your own now Zuko."

"You can't leave. Stop! I order you to stop! I am your sovereign lord, Fire Lord of the Fire Nation, stop! I command that you stay here and carry out your duty." It hurt that Zuko sounded so desperate, making me tense and clench as tears began to stream down my face as I felt such bitter heartache not just in my chest, but all over my body.

"I've stayed by your side for almost two years now, Zuko. I've dedicated myself to trying to save you from both everything trying to hurt you both outside and within. Now that you're like this, I have to protect myself, because you're a danger to me and everyone else you're close to." Looking back at him one last time, there was nothing in my face that showed any shred of warmth or feeling, my decision having been made. "I think you never loved me the way I love you Zuko, so why should I stay and let myself be hurt like this? I have the right to protect myself from pain, as I value myself as being worth more than how you've treated me."

Everyone was utterly speechless, so I turned away and continued to climb the stairs, asking that Aang catch me on the other side. Quickly catching on to what I meant, Aang ascended into the air with Katara and landed on the other side as I reached the top of the wall. I bent the ice away back into water then let it drop as Zuko yelled my name with anger and rage. Ignoring him, I stepped off the wall and let myself fall, the quick rush of air causing my stomach to flip before Aang caught me with a whirl of air, the cyclone wrapping around me and making me turn lightly before I landed on my feet. I didn't open my eyes but I heard everyone demand to know what was going on, whether Aang killed Zuko like he promised he would if he ever started to slip, before people then began to ask why I was here.

I can't…I can't hold it anymore. Everything hurts so much, and my head was spinning like crazy. "Hey, how come Kayo's here? What about Zuko?"

"Hey Kayo, you don't feel so good. Your balance is all over the place." I heard Toph say to me before everything finally became all too much and it crushed against me like a rockslide, making me collapse and everyone yelled in alarm. Aang quickly sent a blast of air to catch me, lightening my fall to then set me gently on the ground as my friends all rushed to me, Katara feeling my head.

"You have a fever, you must be exhausted. Sokka, help me get her onto Appa, she needs rest and some healing."

"Right, I got it." That's all I remember before I blacked out entirely, Sokka picking me up and Katara holding my head as Aang and Toph nervously flittered around us. I was glad to finally fall asleep, because then I didn't feel anything at all, and it finally felt peaceful. More peaceful than I had felt in a very long time.