They came across a ramshackle shed on top of a plateau and decided to make camp. Night had fully fallen, and all three of them were tired after their encounter with the Rough Rhinos. Zuko made a fire in the small, crumbling hearth inside of the shack, and Katara prepared a little bit of rice for Iroh as he brewed tea.

"We're going to need to find a way to get more supplies again," Katara remarked as she sat down on the dusty floor. "We left some of our supplies behind back there."

"Damn it," Zuko growled in frustration. "Can't we just catch a break for once?"

"Watch your language in front of the lady, nephew!" Iroh scolded him as his eyes cut to Katara. "Where have your manners gone?"

"Her mouth is just as foul as mine!" Zuko protested, but Iroh shut him up with a pointed look.

Iroh looked at Katara. "I do not think we have properly met. I am Iroh, Zuko's uncle." He offered her a bow.

"It's nice to officially meet you," Katara told him with a warm smile. "Zuko has told me a lot about you."

"Has he, now?" Iroh glanced at Zuko, his eyes twinkling. "All good things, I hope."

Zuko felt his cheeks heat up as Katara said, "Oh, of course. And I just want to thank you for what you did, back at the North Pole. That was very brave of you."

"Sometimes, you must look beyond your own nation's desires to do what is best for the world," Iroh said wisely, his eyes still on Zuko. "No matter what it may cost you."

Iroh poured tea into three tin cups and handed one to each of them. Zuko and Katara drank it gratefully. Fighting off mercenaries was thirsty work. No one said anything for a while as Iroh ate his fill of the rice. Then he spoke.

"I'm quite surprised to see the two of you traveling together," Iroh remarked as he looked between the two of them. "How did this unlikely pairing come to be?"

"I got separated from my friends," Katara answered, picking at a loose thread on her sleeve. "Zuko found me and agreed to help me get to Gaoling to find them. It was a bit of a rough start, but...we've made our unlikely alliance work."

"I see," Iroh said thoughtfully. His gaze landed on Zuko. "That was very kind of you, nephew."

Zuko opted not to say anything, and instead he just shrugged. After a while, Katara announced that she was going to bed. Zuko watched as she settled down on the dirty floorboards, resting her head on her arm. Neither he nor Iroh said anything for a while. Then Zuko got up and laid the saddle blanket over her. At least that hadn't been left behind. When he turned around, he found his uncle watching him.

"A lot has changed, hasn't it, nephew?" Iroh asked him quietly.

Zuko glanced down at the sleeping waterbender. "Yeah, it has." Then he sat cross-legged near his uncle. "How long have you been tracking me?"

"Since we parted ways," Iroh admitted. "I kept my distance, but I followed you closely enough. I know you've been with her for several weeks now, Prince Zuko. What are your intentions?"

Zuko frowned. "My intentions?"

"Yes. Are you using her to get to the Avatar?" Iroh inquired bluntly.

Zuko blinked. He was supposed to be asking Iroh questions, not the other way around!

"No," Zuko answered honestly after a moment. He let out a sigh. "I don't really know what I'm doing. I'm just trying to help her get back to her friends."

Iroh nodded slowly as he digested that. "And what will you do when she is reunited with her friends, nephew?"

"I...don't know," Zuko muttered. "I haven't really thought about it."

Iroh set down his tea cup. "Then I suggest you start thinking about it, Prince Zuko. What do you want your future to be? Who do you want to be?"

"I want my throne. That hasn't changed," Zuko said bluntly.

"And do you think that capturing the Avatar will be enough to regain your father's favor?" Iroh asked. "He has sent Azula to arrest you. That means he might not be willing to allow you to come home."

"I know all of that, Uncle!" Zuko snapped, struggling to keep his voice down so that he didn't wake Katara. He pushed his fingers through his hair. "I don't know what I'm going to do, okay? I'm lost. I'm just...lost."

"You must find your way, nephew," Iroh told him sagely. "Or I fear you will be lost forever."

Iroh laid down then, turning his back towards him. Zuko stayed awake for a long time, troubled by his uncle's words, and his own confusing thoughts. What was he going to do?

"I think we should resume your training, Prince Zuko," Iroh remarked the next morning after their meager breakfast.

Katara glanced at Zuko, watching as he looked up at his uncle. He was clearly surprised, but so was Katara. Having Iroh around was strange. She almost felt like he was an interloper. And now that he was here, she wasn't sure what would change between her and Zuko.

"Are you sure, Uncle?" Zuko asked with uncertainty.

Iroh nodded. "I am. It's only a matter of time before we run into your sister again. I think you should know more advanced firebending if you want to stand a chance against her."

Zuko looked down at his lap for a moment as he considered it. Then he nodded before he met Iroh's gaze.

"Okay," he said. "Let's do it."

Twenty minutes later, Katara was sitting beneath a malnourished tree mending some tears in their clothing as Iroh and Zuko started their training. She was paying more attention to them than she was to her work, but she was intrigued. She'd rarely ever seen firebending when it wasn't being directed at her. She was curious.

"Lightning is a pure form of firebending, without aggression," Iroh said to Zuko. "It is not fueled by rage or emotion the way other firebending is. Some call lightning the cold-blooded fire. It is precise and deadly, like Azula. To perform the technique, it requires peace of mind."

Katara's eyes widened. Iroh had mentioned Azula, like Zuko had in his sleep before they saved Lee from the soldiers. Again, she wondered who Azula was. Was she his sister that he had mentioned before?

"There is energy all around us," Iroh remarked as he gestured. "The energy is both yin and yang. Positive energy, and negative energy." He held up both hands to elaborate before he went on. "Only a select few firebenders can separate these energies. This creates an imbalance. The energy wants to restore balance, and in a moment, the positive and negative energies come crashing back together. You provide release and guidance, creating lightning."

Iroh stepped away from Zuko before he began to move his arms, first one and then the other. Katara could feel the electrical charge, like the way the air felt before a lightning storm. She watched, enraptured, as lightning sparked at Iroh's fingertips, building momentum as he continued the form.

Then he pointed his fingers out towards the sky, over the canyon below them. Katara's jaw dropped as a huge bolt of lightning jolted through the air. She saw the awestruck look on Zuko's face as well.

"I'm ready to try it," Zuko said determinedly.

Iroh looked at him. "Remember, once you separate the energy, you do not command it. You are simply its humble guide."

Zuko stepped further away from his uncle. Katara watched as he took a deep breath. Then Zuko imitated the form Iroh had demonstrated. She noticed that lightning did not appear at his fingertips, and she tensed in anticipation. Zuko finished the form, but rather than conjuring lightning, he expelled a large, powerful blast that looked more like an explosion. It was so strong that it knocked him back onto the ground.

Black smoke rose in the air from the scorched ground. Katara watched as Iroh shook his head, although she didn't know if he was disappointed, or if he had expected Zuko to fail like she had.

With each failed attempt, Zuko's temper grew. He tried to reign it in, knowing that the more worked up he got, the less likely he was to be successful. But it was a nearly impossible task. By failing to generate lightning, it was just one more way that Azula was better than him. It was just one more reason that he was a failure.

And the fact that his uncle and Katara were there to see him struggle only made things worse. He could feel the weight of their gaze upon him, silently judging his failure. It only made him angrier.

Zuko attempted it again, only for it to blow up violently, the sound of the explosion ricocheting off of the canyon. He hit the dirt on his back hard enough to knock the air from his lungs. For a moment, he didn't move. He just tried to catch his breath, feeling his heart pounding against his ribs.

"Are you alright, nephew?" Iroh asked him as he stepped closer.

Zuko pushed himself up into a sitting position, feeling his emotions boil over. "Why can't I do it? Instead of lightning, it keeps exploding in my face." His voice cracked. "Like everything always does."

Iroh sighed as he held his hand out to Zuko. He took it and allowed his uncle to help him to his feet. Iroh's eyes were sad as he looked at Zuko.

"I was afraid this might happen," Iroh said slowly. "You will not be able to master lightning until you have dealt with the turmoil inside of you."

"What turmoil?" Zuko demanded to know, even as his eyes cut to where Katara sat beneath the tree, stitching up his extra shirt.

Iroh put his hand on his shoulder. "Zuko, you must let go of your feelings of shame if you want your anger to go away."

Zuko looked away. "But I don't feel any shame at all. I'm as proud as ever."

"Prince Zuko, pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source," Iroh said wisely. "True humility is the only antidote to shame."

Zuko stared out over the canyon, his jaw clenched. He knew deep down that Iroh was right. His pride had been detrimental to his well-being for a long time. Pride was why he had been scarred and banished. It was why he had been so dogged in his quest for the Avatar. And it was why, even now, he could not admit that he was ashamed of who he was and the things that he had done.

Iroh seemed to sense that Zuko wasn't going to respond to that, so instead he said, "I have another idea. I will teach you a firebending move that even Azula doesn't know, because I made it up myself."

Iroh offered him a smile, and Zuko found himself returning it. Then Iroh turned towards Katara and beckoned her forward.

"Come over here please, Master Katara," Iroh said. "I think you can learn something from this lesson as well."

Katara seemed eager to join them. She hastily put aside her sewing and joined them under the hot sun. Zuko knew that she had been watching him and his uncle all afternoon.

Iroh indicated for the two of them to sit down, so Zuko and Katara sat cross-legged on the dirt. Iroh found a long stick, and he stood in front of them. It reminded Zuko of his tutors at the palace.

"Fire is the element of power," Iroh said as he traced the firebending insignia in the dirt. "The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want. Earth is the element of substance." He drew the earthbending symbol beside the firebending insignia. "The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring. Air is the element of freedom." Zuko watched Iroh sketch the insignia into the dirt. "The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns and found peace and freedom. Also, they apparently had a pretty good sense of humor!"

Iroh smiled broadly and Katara giggled, but Zuko remained stoic. Iroh grew more serious again as he drew the symbol of the water tribes beside the airbending insignia.

"Water is the element of change," Iroh said. "The people of the Water Tribes are capable of adapting to many things. They have a deep sense of community that holds them together through anything."

Zuko's eyes cut to Katara. He could see the mistiness in her eyes as she looked down at Iroh's drawings. Her hand had found her necklace, the one Zuko had used against her. He had noticed that she touched it often, usually when she was upset or stressed. He had always meant to ask her why it was so important, but Zuko never felt like it was his place. Not after what he had done.

Zuko looked up at his uncle. "Why are you telling us these things?"

"It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If you take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale." Iroh boxed in all of the insignias into separate sections. "Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations will help you become whole."

Zuko watched as Iroh drew a circle around the symbols. He had always been raised to believe that each nation was separate, and that the Fire Nation was better than the others. But Zuko had seen enough over the last few weeks to know that his nation's greatness did not come from stolen lands and broken families.

"All of this four elements stuff is sounding like Avatar stuff," Zuko remarked.

"If there's one thing I've learned from watching Aang, it's that you only become stronger by opening yourself up to new ways and ideas," Katara said as she peered over at him.

"Master Kataa is right," Iroh nodded. "And that is part of what this firebending move is all about. Stand up, both of you."

The two of them obeyed. Iroh stood in front of them and began to move through a new form, his arms passing in front of his torso from left to right. Iroh looked at Katara, a small smile creasing his lips.

"Waterbenders deal with the flow of energy," Iroh said. "A waterbender lets their defense become their offense, using their opponents' energy against them. Isn't that right, Master Katara?"

She nodded. "Yeah, that's what most waterbending forms are based on. It's all about push and pull."

"That's right." Iroh smiled. "I learned a way to do this with lightning."

Zuko's eyebrow lifted. "You can teach me to redirect lightning?"

Iroh nodded. "If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will follow it. You must create a pathway from your fingertips, up your arm to your shoulder, then down into your stomach." He demonstrated the path as he walked them through it. "The stomach is the source of energy in your body. It is called the sea of chi. Only in my case, it is more like a vast ocean."

Iroh laughed, and Katara chuckled right along with him. Zuko only shook his head and rolled his eyes at the two of them. Did she really think his uncle was funny, or was she just being polite?

Iroh moved on. "From your stomach, you direct it up again, and out the other arm. The stomach detour is critical. You must not let the lightning pass through your heart, or the damage could be deadly."

Here Iroh paused, his gaze heavy as he looked at him. Zuko swallowed as he understood the seriousness of what his uncle was saying.

"You may wish to try the form, like this, to get a feel for the pathways' flow." Iroh showed him the movement again, and Zuko imitated him as Katara watched. "Now, are you focusing your energy? Can you feel your own chi flowing in, down, up, and out?"

Zuko's brow furrowed. "I think so."

Katara observed them for a moment before she tried the form herself. After a moment, her expression lit up. "I can feel my chi paths. I'm more attuned to chi now that I'm a healer, but I've never really tried it on myself." Her gaze landed on Zuko. "Except for when I broke my arm."

"Excellent! You've got it, Master Katara," Iroh said proudly. He looked at Zuko. "And it looks like you do as well."

Zuko dropped the form. "Great. I'm ready to try it with real lightning."

Iroh's eyes bulged in their sockets. "Are you crazy? Lightning is very dangerous!"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Katara agreed hesitantly.

Zuko gritted his teeth. "I thought that was the point! You teaching me to protect myself from it!"

"I'm not going to shoot lightning at you!" Iroh retorted incredulously. He shook his head. "If you're lucky, you will never have to use this technique at all."

"Zuko, that sounds really dangerous," Katara added as she rested her hand on his forearm.

Zuko shrugged her off before he stomped over towards Dusty. "Fine! If you won't help me, I'll find my own lightning."

He pulled himself into Dusty's saddle and rode away, leaving Katara and Iroh staring after him.

Katara kept her eyes on the sky as she followed after Zuko. Dark clouds had rolled in as twilight had come on, promising an inevitable storm. She could feel the moisture gathering in the air, and she knew that it was going to be a nasty tempest.

Zuko had gone down into the canyon. Katara had been following Dusty's trail, but she didn't know how much of a head start he had gotten. She hoped she would find him soon.

Iroh had told her that it may be best to leave him alone for a while, but Katara was worried about Zuko. If there was one thing that she knew about the banished prince, it was that he was prone to bouts of melancholy and self-loathing. He hated feeling like a failure. And she knew that after everything that had happened that day, he had to be feeling that way.

The rain began to fall, fat, warm drops that pelted her skin and made dark spots on her clothes. Thunder rumbled loudly nearby, and after a few minutes, she saw the first bolt of lightning arc through the sky. She looked up, and she thought she saw a figure standing on top of a plateau not too far away.

Katara picked up her pace as the rain began to fall faster and harder. Soon she was soaked to the skin. At last, she reached the bottom of the plateau Zuko was standing on. She found Dusty at the bottom, drenched and looking miserable. She stopped to pet the ostrich horse for a moment, offering soothing words, before she began to scale the plateau after Zuko.

She reached the top as a bright white bolt of lightning knifed through the sky, illuminating Zuko perfectly. He was on his knees with his hands buried in his hair. Then he lifted his head towards the sky.

"You've always thrown everything you could at me! Well, I can take it, and now I can give it back!" Zuko shouted, his voice hoarse with emotion. "Come on, strike me! You've never held back before!"

But the lightning didn't come, and he buried his head in his hands. Katara slowly walked towards him, feeling her heart pull painfully in her chest for him. She made sure to approach him from the right side before she placed her hand on his shoulder.

Zuko looked up at her, his eyes burning. Katara couldn't tell if the wetness on his cheeks was tears or raindrops, but she suspected that it was both. She knelt down beside him and pulled him to her. Zuko pressed his face against her collarbone, his fingers digging into her back as if he was afraid to let go.

Katara held him, as he had held her twice before now, offering him comfort and peace. Hoping that if she just held onto him tight enough, he might not fall apart.