Following the aftermath of the storm, the group became more aware to the weather conditions that would surround them during their travels. The days were growing colder as the end of winter was nearing, in addition to them traveling northward away from the equator. The group began to bundle up in more layers to combat the freezing temperatures, something Meili was not used to.

Meili's outfit wasn't anything like the Water Tribe siblings, who had blue anoraks and trousers lined with fluffy, white fur. She, instead, had a red tunic lined in dark red. Dark blue, baggy pants stopped just above her calves that were wrapped in gray bandages. Most of the armor she donned, like her metal belt and armguards, came from her time in the Freedom Fighters. The colors, red and blue, were characteristic of her previous group, but her white cloak was the only thing that really made her stand out.

"Meili, you can borrow one of my coats, I really don't mind."

Said girl turned her head away from where Katara was looking at her. "It's not that, Princess. Look, I'll be fine with just my cloak."

"Who cares if you're ugly," Sokka spoke nonchalantly, leaning back against Appa's saddle. "I mean, Momo might not want to sit on your head anymore, but we won't care."

Meili felt her jaw clench. "Watch yourself, Ponytail, or I might just pull down my hood right now and blind you with my ugliness."

Sokka coughed lightly. "Don't get mad at me; you're the one that's going to freeze to death."

"Sokka's right, Meili. At least put something on over your cloak," Katara pleaded.

"Like I said, I'm fine," Meili spoke lowly, pulling her cowl down lower. "I'm not even cold at all."

Aang turned around from where he was steering Appa, looking at the three others occupying the saddle. He himself was wearing one of Sokka's old undershirts, a blue long-sleeved shirt lined on the inside with fur. "Guys, we really don't need anyone getting sick. Especially with Zuko after us. Resting too often makes it easier for him to know where we are."

Sokka coughed again. "Well, tell that to creepy-cloak-girl over here."

Aang looked pointedly at Meili.

She grumbled lowly underneath of her breath. "Fine, if you really don't believe me, have Ponytail feel my arm. I swear, I'm fine."

The Water Tribe boy looked over at the girl, his eyes squinting just slightly. What was it with girls and listening! He swore, no girl ever wanted to just do what they're told. He could even tell by the way Meili was sitting, with her cloak draped around her like a blanket falling just above her knees, that she wasn't going to put anything else on.

"Yeah, I'm not doing that. I might touch you and contract whatever ugly disease you might have."

"I'll just do it," Katara grumbled, moving to get up from her spot.

"No," Meili replied instantly, and Sokka was slightly irked that her tone had suddenly changed. Her voice was usually hard, unyielding. There was a low octave hidden behind her words that made her words seem absolute. Even when she had been sarcastic before in the past, her voice had never sounded … amused?

"If Ponytail comes over here and decides that I'm cold, then I'll put a jacket on in front of all of you guys." Meili paused for a moment. "But if he confirms that I'm fine, then you guys can never ask me to bundle up again."

"Be prepared to change then," Sokka grinned, suddenly eager to see what she looked like.

His head raked through all of the hilarious possibilities. Did she have a super large nose that she wanted to hide? Or maybe she was covered in warts from chin to forehead. Sokka grinned mischievously and held back his laughter. Maybe she had buck teeth.

He scooted to his right where the girl was sitting, and she didn't once move from her spot. It was this confidence she seemed to be excreting that suddenly made his grin falter. He grit his teeth as he looked down at her from his position, slightly annoyed that her hood's shadow fell past her bottom lip.

She moved then, bringing her hand out from underneath of her cloak and extending it out to the boy beside her lazily. Sokka mumbled something underneath of his breath before he moved to touch her wrist, eager to feel the coolness of her skin so that her face would finally be revealed.

Except, one realization made him pause before touching her.

He was looking at her hand.

This was the first time he had ever seen her skin.

Meili was covered from head to toe in what he considered bandit attire, and she constantly had her white cloak falling around her. Sure he had seen her fight before, or hunt with him, or carry items. But he never took the time to realize that her skin was always covered. He may have seen her hands before, but he never registered that he had.

Sokka noticed first the paleness of her skin — it was light with yellow undertones that made the veins in her wrist green. Her hand was outstretched to him, palm up, fingers curled slightly. It was a sign that she was relaxed, contrary to her normal stiffness and rigid attitude. She was waiting for him to feel her wrist, but Sokka couldn't help but notice how small her hands were. These were the same hands that held daggers and knives— hands that he had seen punch.

Her hands were so small and delicate, it reminded him that she was a girl. He figured always hiding her appearance made him forget that she was a girl, especially with her unrelenting sarcasm and sharp tongue.

He remembered what was at stake and immediately propelled his own hand forward, wrapping his fingers around her wrist. There was a surprising heat that immediately met his fingers, one that almost made him pull away. Meili's skin was softer than he expected it to be, and her wrist seemed almost smaller when engulfed by his own tanned hand. There was a stark contrast between him and her: light and dark, hot and cold.

With that, Sokka concluded that Meili was, indeed, fine, and that she wasn't cold at all. But something was making him not want to let go. It was the weird sensation he was feeling in his chest, like his heart dropped into his stomach, that reminded him of when the Kiyoshi Warrior girl named Suki had kissed his cheek.

Immediately, he pulled back with a cough. "Yeah, she's fine."

She retracted her hand slowly, almost haughtily, as her amused tone continued in a low drawl. "Told you guys. It's not wise to question someone who knows how to kill a person thirty six ways."

Sokka felt himself blush slightly, despite her menacing words, as he scooted back over to where he had previously been sitting. He didn't know where that sudden feeling had come from — like seriously, he didn't even know what she looked like! As everyone returned to normal, he painted a picture in his mind of what she maybe did look like. Or really, what he wanted her to look like.

An ugly girl with moles, and warts, and bulging lips covering huge bucked teeth. She was hiding greasy hair and huge ears like an elephant rhino under her cloak. Yeah, that sounded good.

Meili was glad that the situation had been dealt with. She didn't want to have to show herself in front of the siblings; it was bad enough already that Aang had seen her scar. She paused though when she noticed Sokka staring at her hand resting on her lap, the one she had been holding out earlier. She thought his transfixion was strange — even for him.

He was brought out of his staring by a nasty cough that reverberated deep within his chest. He cleared his throat harshly, and lounged back once more in the saddle.

As the day progressed, both Meili and Katara noticed that Sokka's breathing had begun to grow harsher while his face appeared flushed. He ended up moving into his sleeping bag, falling asleep almost instantly.

The next morning, everyone woke up to Sokka coughing violently, shaking the whole saddle with his movements. Katara moved to his side immediately, bending off the sweat beginning to collect on his forehead and neck. Sokka was mumbling incoherently for the remainder of the morning, but began to say statements that had Meili convinced that something was terribly wrong with Sokka.

He was smiling at Meili with all of his teeth, and there was a bright blush on his face from the heat of his growing fever.

"Aang, something's wrong with Sokka."

"I think there's something wrong with you, Mrs. Water Lady."

"Ponytail is delusional."

Aang glanced back from his position on Appa's head to see Sokka snuggled up in his sleeping bag, coughing hoarsely. The water tribe boy then began calling Momo a tree, which made Aang conclude that something was seriously wrong with his friend.

"There should be some ruined buildings not far out from here," Katara stated, glancing nervously at her brother. "Anything would be better than keeping him out here."

Nodding his head, Aang quickly took route towards shelter. They flew over several old buildings that looked like previous earth kingdom palaces. A few minutes later, the group had taken refuge in a building that had probably once been a grand ballroom. Katara took no time in helping her brother out of Appa's saddle and into the bison's warmth while Meili took the liberty to start up a fire.

"You know, I always thought that Momo would drop big pinecones. But they're so small! Maybe he's a messed up tree.."

Meili rolled her eyes, "Ponytail, that's lemur poop."

"Aang, go look for some ginger root," Katara stated. "My Gran-Gran used to make this herbal tea that would cure my colds when I was younger."

The monk nodded his head before kicking open his glider and riding off into the distance.

"Have you seen my earthbending before?" Sokka stated as he turned towards Meili. "I can fling boulders! Watch this!"

He then struck out his arm in a floppy motion as if he had just flung a rock into the air.

"Mhm, that's nice," Meili acknowledged.

"You know what's nice? Appa's sense of humor."

Katara rose up an eyebrow, "Sokka, he can't even talk."

Appa grumbled lowly which made Sokka burst out in a hysteric fit of laughter.

Aang returned a few minutes later.

"I couldn't find any ginger root for the tea. But I did find a map, and it turns out that there's an herbalist institute on top of that mountain. We could probably find a cure for Sokka there."

"We can't travel with Ponytail like this," Meili grumbled, looking over to her right to see the Water Tribe boy, who was playing with her cloak. "He thinks I'm an Earth Kingdom Princess. Do you know how much of an insult that is? I don't wear dresses."

"Relax," Katara smiled slightly. "I'm sure Aang can go out on his own. Besides, we'll be here to take care of Sokka—"

A small cough erupted from Katara's lips.

"Not you too!" Aang whined.

Katara waved a hand of dismissal. "I'm fine! It was just a tiny cough—"

She coughed again, this time with greater force.

"That's how Ponytail sounded yesterday," Meili said stiffly. "And now look at him! He thinks he's protecting me from the Fire Lord."

Sokka jabbed out a fist, "Take that, you flaming-beard-man!"

"Meili's right," Aang spoke. "A few more hours and you'll be talking nonsense, too. I'm going to go find some medicine!"

The monk then said his goodbyes and ran off toward the mountain.

Meili turned around to look at the two Water Tribe siblings before groaning slightly. "Well, this should be fun."

The girl sat in between the two with a huff, crossing her arms over her chest. She moved her gaze between the boy and girl, her eyes never once settling on just one of them. Where Sokka was flushed with rosy cheeks and shimmering with forming sweat, Katara was shivering in her own sleeping bag, chattering her teeth loudly.

"Do you need me to get you an extra blanket?" Meili questioned softly. Katara nodded her head.

With a sigh, Meili got up and climbed up Appa's stomach, pulling herself into the saddle. Rummaging through the waterbender's bag, she pulled out a woolen blanket from inside. It seemed to be woven together with wool of some sort, though Meili didn't know any animals in the south that had wool. Was it imported?

Pushing away her thoughts, Meili returned to the sick girl, draping the blanket over her. Katara seemed weak, her eyes lidded and her mouth parted just barely. Meili was surprised that her own body was unaffected — if anything, she expected herself to be the most susceptible to the storm's affects. After all, she didn't live in the Southern Water Tribe where they were used to cold water.

Meili then, against her better judgment, moved over to Sokka's cot, moving her hand to place it on his forehead. He felt warm, even to her, and she sighed heavily, realizing that he was not looking too good.

"Soft… hands…" he whispered lowly, and Meili blinked suddenly as she looked down at the boy. His eyes were closed, and she assumed that he was dreaming. But he was talking about her hands on his forehead, which slightly unnerved her.

His breaths became smoother as he drifted off further into sleep, and Meili blushed slightly when she realized that her hand was still lingering on his forehead. She was embarrassed that she didn't notice sooner, and quickly pulled her hand away like she had been burned. Looking outside of the tall arches that framed the ballroom ruins, she silently prayed for Aang to come back soon. She didn't know how long she could be stuck handling the two ill siblings.

Katara woke up first a few hours later, coughing hoarsely.

"Is… is Aang back… yet?" she spoke weakly, like her throat was too raw to speak the words correctly.

Meili shook her head, her cowl moving with her as she did so. "No, he's not."

"Maybe the leader of the Hog Monkey's army took him," Sokka's voice piped up, and Meili almost internally groaned. "Dolphin leech, tell me… who is the leader that took Aang?"

"Shouldn't you be asleep? Or better yet, not able to talk?" Meili spoke sardonically, her gaze annoyed beneath her hood.

"Someone would only say that if they knew who the leader was," Sokka said skeptically, coughing as soon as the words left his mouth. "Tell us … who it is."

"For the last time — I don't know the leader of the Hog Monkey's army."

"Yes you do, you.. you, dolphin leech!"

"I'm pretty sure I would be dead right now if I was a dolphin leech.. seeing as how I'm not in water."

"Hmm.." Sokka mumbled. "Water.. that sounds nice.."

Meili grumbled incoherently, grabbing the water canteen laying on the stone ground of the ballroom before walking to the opening of the ruins.

"Katara, make sure you hold down the fort here, okay? I shouldn't be longer than ten minutes. Even though I desperately want to get away from your brother.."

"Okay, I'll," cough. "Make sure," cough. "Everything's alright.."

Meili sighed heavily and threw the canteen over her shoulder before setting out to find some drinkable water. The ruins were on the side of a mountain, and there were various paths leading all sorts of directions. Judging by that knowledge, Meili assumed that the ruins used to once be a very popular Earth Kingdom city. Possibly, because of the onslaught of war, it was targeted and destroyed, ruining the rich and elegant architecture with it.

Meili followed a small path headed just north of where they were staying. It was a thin, dirt pathway etched into the curve of the mountain, and she followed it down the sloping terrain. The sky was growing darker: nighttime was nearing, and a storm was also approaching. Meili didn't like the idea of another storm heading their way, especially with Aang traveling by himself.

But Meili was glad to be stepping outside for some fresh air. Sokka's onslaught of ridiculous questions and statements was starting to irritate her, and she was just happy to get herself away from the boy for just a few minutes.

Dark clouds rolled through the sky, blocking out most of the sun still visible behind the mountain pass. With no source of light, the girl grumbled slightly and resituated the pack on her back. She didn't like being out by herself at night.

She walked carefully, but swiftly, making sure that she was retrieving the water as fast as she could. As much as Meili knew that Katara could protect her brother, the waterbender wasn't exactly in the best state to do so. And with both Aang and Meili gone, the two siblings were susceptible to an attack.

The path twisted and turned as it weaved its way into a forest, finally taking a sharp right as it avoided the forward collision with a river bed. Meili grinned once she made it all the way down, walking off the path and toward the rushing water. It wasn't the cleanest, nor was it the coldest, but the water would have to do.

She pulled down her cowl and left herself be free for a few moments, enjoying the feeling of cool wind blowing through her hair. Inside of her cloak, she tended to get stuffy, so finally being able to take a deep breath of the refreshing outside air was calming to her. Meili cupped her hands and dipped them into the river water, lifting it up towards her lips and greedily taking in big gulps. She was tired and thirsty, no doubt the result from watching over the siblings all day.

After that, she cupped her hands once more and splashed the handful of water onto her face, gasping as the water collided onto her skin. She wiped away the water droplets clinging to her skin, feeling her hands rub against her eyes and cheeks. She briefly recalled Sokka's mumblings, his statement saying that her hands were soft. It was undeniably weird hearing a compliment from him, no matter how delusional he may have been. Maybe it was because he was always so gruff and temperamental, so much so that it drove her over the edge.

But a part of his statement also made her slightly sad, for he had no idea what her hands had done in the past. They were not soft. They were littered with bloodshed and tears. She shook her head as she slipped her hood back on over her hair, tucking her loose strands into the cloak. She reached over her shoulder and grabbed the canteen, pulling the container over her head.

As Meili was bending down to fill up the water, she heard rustling from behind her. In fear that someone was trying to attack, the girl immediately dropped the canteen and twisted around before dropping down in a fighting stance. The pouch collided with the ground, splashing all over the forest terrain.

Meili's gaze, however, merely landed on a small squirrel chipmunk that was staring at her with its beady eyes. Meili softened her stance, letting out a breath as she bent down to the ground. The black-haired girl held out her hand, watching as the squirrel chipmunk walk skittishly toward her. Meili thought that the behavior was strange; small creatures didn't like to roam around at night.

Usually, squirrel chipmunks would only wake if there was a disturbance, and they never approached humans unless they felt like they were in danger. Meili picked the small animal up and lifted her hands toward a tree branch, placing the rodent on the bark before watching it scurry higher into the pine.

Meili couldn't help but feel slightly worried at the animal's actions, putting her cowl back on over her head as she turned back around. She picked up the canteen from the ground, wiping off a few stray blades of grass from the lip of the pouch, and kneeling on the ground to capture the rushing water.

Someone was following her. Meili had no clear evidence, but she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her. And if they were watching her, they were probably looking for Aang.

Particularly restless, Meili returned with the water quicker than she thought she would. The black-haired girl helped Katara drink the liquid, and then she helped Sokka lift his head up to drink. Meili began to feel groggy and slightly warm herself, so she went back to her spot between the siblings.

Wrapping her cloak around her, she fought to keep her eyes open so that she could watch over the others. But she felt the tug of drowsiness take over her as her eyelids began to feel heavy. The shadows of night ricocheted around the ballroom walls like a haunting dance, and Meili couldn't help but close her eyes to the relaxing atmosphere.

She continued to battle her batting eyes until she suddenly felt sleep overtake her.

Meili woke up from her nap to see Aang striding into the ruins with an armful of frogs. He quietly slipped a frog into Katara and Sokka's mouth before falling limp onto Appa's tail.

"How was the trip, Aang?" Katara questioned with a mouth full of frog. "Make any new friends?"

"No," he sighed. "I don't think I did."

Meili walked slowly over to the boy and sat on Appa's tail as well. "What happened out there, Avatar? You were gone for a full night."

"You can't tell Katara and Sokka, they won't understand," Aang muttered, looking over his shoulder at the two siblings. His eyes seemed to be contemplating something, but he soon dropped his eyes down to his feet. ".. I was kidnapped by a group of Fire Nation archers.. called the Yuu Yan I think. They were under orders of the newly promoted Admiral Zhao to take me. I was in this room in chains, but.. I— I was saved by this masked man. And it turned out to be.. Prince Zuko."

"Wait.." Meili said, a hand moving in disbelief toward her mouth. "You mean the cranky Fire Nation prince, Prince Zuko?"

"Yeah.." Aang trailed off, biting his lip softly. "But, I just don't get why he would save me if he's trying to capture me."

Meili paused for a moment. "Maybe it was so that Zhao wouldn't keep you all to himself.. I mean, Prince Zuko wouldn't be able to capture you if you were already given to the Fire Lord."

"I know, it's just…" Aang trailed off before he sighed, ".. You're probably right."

"I've never met the prince, so I can't be too sure of what his intentions were," Meili spoke quietly, "but if he was saving you, then that means someone else was following me tonight."

"What do you mean someone was following you?"

"I don't know for certain, but when I went to go get water tonight, I just felt like someone was watching me," Meili muttered. "Maybe it was the Yu Yan looking for you… I don't know. But I think we should be more cautious."

"I think you're right," Aang agreed. "There's probably a lot more people than just Zuko and Zhao out there looking for me."

"Just… go ahead and get some rest. I'm sure you're tired," Meili spoke, standing up from her spot on the bison. "I can keep watch."

"Are you sure?" Aang questioned. "You've been sitting with them all night; I don't want you to get run down."

Meili nodded, walking up the bison's back to perch herself in the saddle, "I'm fine, Avatar. I can tell that you had a long night."

Aang didn't look convinced, but her mutely nodded his head as well. He took his spot on Appa's tail, snuggling against his glider as he curled up into the fur.

"Hey, Meili?" Aang spoke, making the girl turn around.

"Yeah?"

Aang looked down. "Thanks. For taking care of them.. and listening."

Meili nodded her head underneath of her cloak, "It's nothing."

And Aang barely caught the smile that he knew she was trying to hide underneath of her cloak as she sat in the saddle to take watch.

Meili sat in the saddle quietly as she listened to Aang fall asleep. His breathing evened out as he fell into a deep rest, and she could tell he was asleep once the tenseness left his shoulders.

She stared out past the open archways that led to the outside world, and she saw the rain from the approaching storm begin to fall down lightly. She used the rhythm of the rain to lull her into a false sense of comfort, hoping to rid her mind of the eerie feeling of someone following them.

Her head began to ache dully as the rain grew louder, and Meili pressed a head against her temple as if to relieve some of the pain. What a terrible time to get a headache, she thought agitatedly. The girl sighed, finding her headache to be far too strong for her to handle. Taking one look out into the storm, Meili knew that they would be safe.

And so she closed her eyes, just briefly, before she, too, fell asleep.