Yue leaves Zuko, trudging through the heavy snow. She descends into the spirit oasis. Tui and La are swimming around each other. Yue is swimming around La. She is standing on the shoreline. Her fingers curl into her palms, the divisiveness of her self after being fused with Tui has been difficult to adjust to. Seeing her "other self" makes it all the more obvious the changes that have taken place. Yue exhales. She is there to get food for Zuko and herself.

Yue is not ready to face her parents and her people yet. To face one was to face the other and she could not explain what had happened to her just yet. Mrs. Huemodo is just Mrs. Huemodo. No complications. Her purple garb obviously royal even if one ignored the colour, she shrugs it off and folds it. Her hair is also recognizable. Most people didn't have the time to do such elaborate hairdos — or the help. Yue removes her hair pieces, letting ivory tresses fall loosely around her shoulders. She can't truly conceal the colour and her scarf is currently being used by a certain prince. Her hair is braided and wrapped into a low bun. From afar she would just look like an elder. Hopefully.

Waterbenders rebuild the collapsed, war-torn structures. They are bloody and bruised. Fresh burn marks peak out from beneath bandages. One day they might look like Zuko's scar on his eye. Yue hasn't asked where his came from. How did a prince come by such a wound that persisted even after being treated, surely, by the finest healers in the land. Not like waterbenders healing powers, but even without waterbending there was plenty healers could do.

With everyone thus occupied, Yue manages to slip through the city to Mrs. Huemodo's kitchen, very much like she had when she was younger. A plate of blueberry bannock sits on the counter, steaming hot deliciousness. Yue reaches for one when Mrs. Huemodo, coming around a corner, snatches her wrist.
"Ha!" She exclaims. "Thinking you were going to steal my freshly baked bannock?"
Yue laughs and throws herself into Mrs. Huemodo's arms, squeezing her tight. "Hugging me? This is such strange behaviour for a thief," Mrs. Huemodo says as she wraps her arms tightly around Yue with surprising strength.
"I just came to say hello before I go to my parents."
"Everyone has been worried sick about you. I knew you would be okay."
"I'm glad someone did." Yue looks down. Mrs. Huemodo grabs a piece of bannock and waves it underneath Yue's nose. Yue smiles and reaching her neck out, quickly chomps down onto the piece of bannock. "Gotcha," she mumbles around the bannock she's now chewing happily on. Mrs. Huemodo puts the fresh plate of blueberry bannock into an old flour sack.
"For the road," she says. She pauses. "You are going to be fine, dear."
Yue cannot find the words to respond but smiles in response.

The visit was short, but if it was any longer Yue fears that she might have lost her nerve. She still worries she might as she walks up the steps of the palace to where her parents ought to be. The guards are gone from the entrance; the fire nation would not return for a time. Dorak is the first she comes across in the great hall. His eyes widen as he embraces her. Yue is shocked but returns the hug, squeezing her eyes shut.
"Yue." Her father, the chief, has entered the room. Dorak quickly pulls away, bowing quickly to Yue and her father.
"Nice to see you again, Princess," he says before leaving. Yue's father steps closer to Yue, as if hardly believing she was real.
"Yue, my daughter… I thought—"
"So did I."
A breath.
"I am so proud of you," the air is tense, "I'm sorry."
Yue's eyes well up with tears as she closes the space between them and throws herself into her fathers arms. Her mother enters the room a moment later, cries out and embraces her daughter. Descending into laughter and tears, the family collapses onto the floor.

A/N: I am NOT trying to introduce Dorak as a love interest! Dorak is just a person who is sort-of friends with Yue (technically he works for her but they're friendly and talk about books/scrolls). Also, I'm sorry that these reunion scenes are so short. I tried.

It physically hurts to have to pull away. It hurts even more to have to explain about fusing with Tui. About her sacrifice. It hurts to hear that Sokka thinks she's dead. Sokka… It hurts to be reminded that she is engaged, even if her fiancé believes her dead. It hurts to be reminded that her people have been mourning her. It is a mixed-up feeling when she has to tell her parents that she needs to leave again for a few days.

They let her go. There is a struggle in their eyes, but they let her go. Her mother sneaks some food from the kitchens to her in a cloth bag. She will have enough for a few days. Less than they might expect, since Zuko is also there, waiting for her. She is thankful for the excuse to stay in relative solitude. Time to think and just exist.

Yue manages to slip away back to the wounded fire nation prince behind the spirit oasis. She felt no gaze on her back and heard no footsteps following hers. It is easier, this time, as she walks past Tui and La in the pond. No splitting headache or feeling like she was a bit too fishy for comfort. The sense of herself in the pond as Tui was beginning to settle in her mind like a comforting presence rather than an unwelcome intruder. She retrieves her thick overclothes from where she left them.

Zuko's eyes are on her when she enters the cabin. Yue closes the door and just stands there silently.
"You're back."
"I am." Yue opens the bag of food. "I brought food. Do you like blueberries?"
"Yes." Zuko finds it an odd question. Why should she care whether or not he actually loved blueberries?
"I have blueberry bannock. It's my favourite." It's an admission into her own preferences. Weakness. Zuko could now use that knowledge to subdue her and escape. Or perhaps not. After all, he also loved blueberries and they would probably make up for whatever disgusting water tribe thing "bannock" was. "I also have some more jerky and dried seaweed and some dried things for soup. Seaprunes as well." Yue walks through to the kitchen area, taking the food out of the bag and placing it on the counter. She folds the bag up neatly. She brings a piece of blueberry bannock to Zuko. "Here." She kneels next to him and offers it to him. Zuko lifts himself up and slouches against the headboard. He takes the piece of blueberry bannock, thoroughly determined to dislike it. Water tribe peasant filth. Biting into it, Zuko makes the horrible revelation that he actually loves it. Really loves it. He has to refrain from gobbling it down as fast as he possibly can.
"Well?" Yue asks, eyes hopeful.
Zuko smiles politely at her before he catches himself. He tries to cover it up with a cough. "It's — hyuck!— it's good." He re-assumes a neutral facial expression. Perhaps he shouldn't be rude to the princess. Still, he eyes the doorway, still worried that there might be guards busting in at any moment.

Yue is happy that Zuko liked the bannock. So long as he doesn't eat it all. He might, just out of spite. She wonders if she should even be trying to be friendly with him. Yue is putting the food away in the cabinets when the floor creaks. She spins around to see Zuko standing up.
"I can stand now," he says.
Yue raises an eyebrow. "I can see that."
"I was going to get water."
"I'll get it for you." Yue presses her lips together. "Can you walk?"
"Yes."
"That's good," Yue mutters as she grabs a new cup to fill with water. She draws water from the outside to fill the cup out. When it is full, she hands it to the prince. Their fingers brush and Yue gasps.
"You're hot!" Yue exclaims.
"— Thanks?" Zuko, the teenager with a bald head except for a ponytail, says.
"Not like that!" She shoves a hand across his head. "You feel too hot."
"I'm a firebender."
"As long as you feel okay. You feel alright?"
"I feel fine, princess."
Yue hums in response. He does look a lot better than he did. A bit pale perhaps. His largely bare scalp is beginning to grow back. There is the definite spread of stubble across his head, except for his ponytail that was beginning to get a bit greasy. Yue would have to get a razor for him to shave it again with. She almost thinks that he might wax it, after considering how shiny and smooth it had appeared when she first laid eyes on him. The fire nation certainly had odd fashions.

Zuko lays back down. Yue sits in the bunk across. She takes her hair out of its low braided bun and lets it run loose over her shoulders. She feels — free almost — not having it extensively coiffed. She also fells exposed, imperfect. Yue sighs and tips her head back against the wall. It was time to wait for night to fall.

Zuko rises with the sun. He decides that it is time to practice forms. No fire, seeing as he was in a wooden and stone building in the middle of a snowstorm. Yue's sleeping form is nestled under a blanket on her bunk. Zuko moves through a basic firebending form. Slowly, his muscles shift through the stances. His chi begins to wake up and he can feel the fire growing in his belly. Zuko begins to move faster and faster, furious. He can practically see the avatar smiling and laughing happily on his flying bison with his friends. Zuko snarls, his fists heating up. How could he be so useless as to have the avatar in his grasp, and then get defeated by a waterbender who had only had a master for nearly a week. Why did Zuko have to be surrounded by prodigies? He growls, feeling the rage —
"— Zuko." The princess is sitting up, watching him.
"What?"
Yue opens her mouth to speak but then thinks better of it. Zuko huffs and throws himself back on his bed. He knocks his head against the headboard by mistake. He barely manages to control his yelp. Rolling over, he faces the wall angrily.
Yue presses her lips together and picks at her nails nervously. He had not used fire, but the temperature in the room had definitely been raised a few degrees.