Author's Note: Just wanna clarify real quick that while I am asking for opinions the final decision won't be by the pairing that is asked for the most. I'm just trying to get a read what you guys like/want. I am going to keep a tally though because I find it interesting.

As of 7/8/2020 1:12am CDT (34 reviews on the story)

Toph-12

Katara-6

Aang-2

Sokka-1

Suki (wasn't a choice, but was mentioned enough to get a tally)-3

Zuko almost groaned as the Water Tribe men made their way towards them, expressions severe. As it was he closed his eyes for several moments to gather himself. There went his hopes of getting off this frozen rock before more threats came. He could fight again if he had to but really didn't want to. His whole body was throbbing, some areas worse than others. After a moment to gather himself, he opened his eyes again to glare at the oncoming men, but before he could really try and decide what to do next his view of them was blocked as Katara physically stepped between him and the members of the Northern Water Tribe. From his position on the ground, he could tell her back was ramrod stiff and her chin was raised slightly, defiant, proud. She was still holding The Avatar, but that did nothing to keep her from looking like some sort of protective guardian.

Zuko couldn't help but feel a bit lost and very vulnerable in his position so he moved to stand, leaning in a way that he was hoped was subtle on his uncle to do so when the older man put a hand on his arm to steady him. From his now standing position, he could see the expressions of the Northern Water Tribe again. One of the older men looked curious and almost amused while the other looked far more suspicious and wary. The fighters had a variety of expressions from closed off and severe to openly confused. Zuko took all this in in a matter of moments, gauging threats as he did so.

"Katara? What are you doing?" Sokka voicing the same question that Zuko wanted to be answered had to be a first, but Zuko fought to keep his own expression even in his surprise.

"They didn't do anything wrong and I'm not going to let them be treated like they did," Katara replied fiercely.

"Have you forgotten that they chased us around the world trying to capture Aang?" Sokka asked, flabbergasted.

"No," Katara huffed "But the ocean spirit seems to believe that they won't be doing that anymore. And even if that wasn't the case that has nothing to do with what's happening right now. They came here to warn us and tried to protect the moon spirit. They fought against their own people to do that. I won't let them arrested for that." It was...strange listening to the Water Tribe girl defend them, but from the almost defeated sigh that came from her brother Zuko could only guess that she was doing a pretty good job.

"Fine," Sokka groaned before, to Zuko's further surprise, moving to stand next to her, putting himself also between the two firebenders and the other Water Tribe men. "You owe me though Katara," Sokka grumbled. Zuko could only blink and stare in shock. He must have hit his head on that ice harder than he originally thought. That was the only way any of this made sense.

'What happened here?" The words came from the angrier looking old man and were more of an order to explain that a question. The tone made Zuko somewhat nervous, but he hid it behind his scowl, not wanting to show weakness.

"Aang wanted to speak with the spirits," Katara explained "So," she faltered for a moment and her shoulders drooped slightly before she continued "So Yue brought us here. She said it was the best place for Aang to meditate to reach the Spirit World." Yue. Was that the white-haired girl's name? For that matter where was the white-haired girl anyways? Zuko's mental questions stalled out as Katara continued. "Aang managed to get to the Spirit World and Yue and I were going to keep an eye on him, but that's when Zuko arrived." She gestured back at him slightly before hesitating again. When she continued she sounded slightly ashamed "I assumed he was there to fight or try and kidnap Aang so I attacked him and ended up freezing him to the wall." She tilted her head over at the ice that hadn't fully melted "He hit pretty hard and fell unconscious." She paused again and shifted slightly, seeming uncomfortable "It didn't really click until afterward that he'd been acting strangely. He didn't really make any aggressive moves, just blocking my attacks. And he said something about wanting to talk, but I didn't listen." She honestly sounded guilty and this time it didn't give Zuko the same thrill. She was defending him after all.

"Then what happened?" The calmer looking older man prompted when Katara was quiet for too long, causing her to shake herself slightly and straighten her posture before continuing her story.

"He woke up a little while later and melted himself free, but he still didn't attack me, even though my back was turned when he got free. Instead, he sat on the ice, trying to warm up I believe." Her head tilted towards her brother then, glancing at him. Seeming to take that as a signal the boy took over the storytelling.

"That's about when I got here," Sokka started up, sounding both serious and somewhat somber for some reason "Yue came and got me, saying that Katara was fighting with a firebender. So we rushed on Appa to get here only to find Katara standing and looking at him as he just sat there." He shrugged "I was skeptical, but Katara wanted to know why he was here and I could see the logic in that. I kept my weapon on me of course, but we let him talk." He shook his head, shoulders stiffening slightly "He told us that he and his uncle had learned about a plan that Admiral Zhao had to attack the moon. He didn't have any specifics, but knew enough that he wanted to come and bring a warning." There was obvious skepticism on several of the faces in front of them and Sokka's tone shifted to one of wry agreement. "Yeah, that was about what I thought. It made no sense, but the reasoning he gave made some sense. After Aang woke up and asked him. Aang woke up right after he finished explaining why he was here. Apparently Aang had gotten the same warning from one of the spirits, or something like that. He just wanted to know why Jerkbender here came to warn us." He shrugged again "He said that harming the moon would cause harm to the Fire Nation too, plus piss off the other spirits. It made sense to me." He stiffened some and shook his head "But while we were talking to him none of us noticed Zhao and his men arriving until they were grabbing up the moon spirit in a bag. We tried to convince him to let it go, all of us." He gestured at the small group, including the two firebenders "General Iroh arrived not long after Zhao and threatened to pay Zhao back in kind if he hurt the moon." He paused before seeming to force himself to continue "So Zhao let the moon spirit out of the bag, but he attacked it moments later." He was clearly getting very upset and Katara quickly stepped in to take over the story.

"The moon was gone and General Iroh attacked the other firebenders, but Zhao ran off. Zuko chased him and we lost sight of them for a while." Her shoulders were tense too, but not angry as far as Zuko could tell. Sad perhaps. She looked down "We thought we were done, but Yue remembered that she had been given life by the moon spirit when she was very young so." She took a deep breath and visibly forced herself to continue "So she decided to give it back. The moon came back to the sky and Yue vanished. I think she became the moon spirit. Or merged with it." She clearly couldn't meet the gaze of the two older men and Zuko couldn't blame her. The angrier man's expression had been growing stiffer and stiffer, but at the explanation of what happened to Yue, Zuko caught sight of a flash of bone-deep grief. He was no expert, but Zuko would guess that it was sheer determination keeping the man on his feet and composed. There were several long moments of silence before the calmer of the two men spoke up.

"I will take the two firebenders into my care, Arnook," it was a simple statement, but it seemed to hold some amount of extra meaning. Zuko was surprised to feel his uncle relax slightly as the other man nodded his agreement. Katara stiffened some and seemed about to speak when the man cut her off by raising a hand "They will not be harmed Katara. They are, at least for now, allies." A slight smirk flickered across the man's face for a moment before it vanished "And besides. There are so few people who still play a good game of Pai Sho. It would be a shame to harm one of the few remaining decent players. Isn't that right General Iroh."

"Very much so Master Pakku," Iroh's voice was calm, but Zuko detected a slight flicker of amusement in it. Zuko almost groaned, but a larger part of him was relieved. One of his uncle's allies then. Good. They were less likely to be frozen or drowned that way. Katara seemed to hesitate before nodding slowly.

"Alright," she agreed, sounding rather confused, glancing back at the two firebenders with a question on her face. Zuko was too tired to try and figure out what that question was so he simply shook his head before looking at his uncle, who gave him a slight nod. Uncle did trust this man. That was good. He allowed himself to relax at that, finally fairly sure that they weren't about to die from one thing or another. And as he did so he suddenly became freshly aware of just how unhappy his body was with him. His chest felt like it was on fire, his body ached, and he'd never felt so cold in his life. The world seemed to sway in his vision and then he was somehow half laying against his uncle's chest and his legs weren't supporting him. He could hear his uncle calling his name, worried, but it was fuzzy, distant. He was so very tired. He was tired, Uncle was there, and they weren't about to die. He allowed his eyes to drift close and slipped into unconsciousness.

Iroh allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief and relax as Master Pakku spoke up. He could tell the other man intended to help them on their way. The defense from the Water Tribe siblings was an unexpected blessing. Zuko must have made quite the impression. He hoped that his relief and pride were visible to his nephew when Zuko looked at him in question and perhaps it was because Zuko seemed to relax at his reassurance. But then it became obvious that something was wrong. Zuko's gaze unfocused and he tipped forward. Iroh had to react quickly to keep the young man from hitting the ground.

"Zuko?!" he called with some alarm, carefully pulling the unsteady young man closer and trying to support his weight "Zuko what's wrong?" But Zuko didn't reply. He seemed to give a distant smile before his eyes slid closed. Iroh's heart caught in his chest for a moment, but it soon became obvious that Zuko was still breathing and his breathing didn't seem shallow. Slightly off and pained perhaps, but not of someone nearing death. He frowned to himself as he moved to try and shift his grip and pick the boy up, but was surprised when the water tribe boy stepped closer to help.

"Here, let me help," he offered. He was surprisingly gentle as he helped Iroh reposition Zuko so that Iroh could lift him up into his arms properly and carry him.

"Perhaps you should take them to Yugoda first," Cheif Arnook's voice was dry as he made his suggestion, but Master Pakku justed nodded.

"This way," Master Pakku instructed as he turned to start walking. Iroh followed easily, quickening his steps at the beginning to catch up behind the other older man, falling into step just beside and behind him. From behind him, Iroh could hear that the two Southern Water Tribe children have a quick discussion before there were quick, light feet that hurried after them. Not long later Katara caught up with them, still carrying The Avatar with her.

"I should probably have Yugoda make sure Aang is ok too," she said by way of explanation. Iroh nodded his understanding, noticing with some interest that Master Pakku looked at her with some amount of pride.

"You did well." Yep, there was pride in his voice too, and it clearly meant a great deal to the girl because she broke into a wide smile at his words. It didn't take long to reach what Iroh assumed was the healer's house and made their way inside. Along the way, they, or rather he, had been given many unfriendly looks, but it was clear that Master Pakku commanded some respect in the Tribe because no one tried to stop them or harass them. Iroh had noticed a couple who looked like they wanted to say something but cut themselves off when Pakku shot a look their way. Once inside the building, they were met by a friendly-looking woman who looked up from where she was treating an injured member of the tribe. She opened her mouth, clearly about to give some sort of instructions, but faltered as she caught sight of Iroh and the boy in his arms. Or, perhaps, their obvious fire nation clothing. She seemed bewildered for a moment and glanced at Master Pakku in question.

"General Iroh and his nephew did our tribe a great favor at risk of themselves," Master Pakku explained briefly "They are under my care until it is safe for them to leave. The boy is clearly injured. I believe Avatar Aang is merely exhausted from housing the spirit of the ocean, but it's probably best if you look him over as well." The woman, Yugoda, straightened and nodded sharply as she stood.

"Come this way," she instructed, turning to make her way past her current patients and what appeared to be her assistants treating them. The followed her to a back room that held a smaller number of pallets "Lay them down here and I'll look them both over," she instructed firmly. Katara and Iroh both obeyed without a word, laying the two unconscious boys on separate mats. Once Zuko was safely on the mat Iroh moved to sit by his head, leaning against the icy wall and stroking his boy's hair.

"How can I help?" Katara asked as she moved out of the way for the older woman to kneel and look over The Avatar. Yugoda just shook her head as Master Pakku settled down to sit on the floor near the door to the main room.

"Nothing right now dear. Just stay here until he wakes. He seems to just be worn out." The girl nodded at that, visibly relieved, and moved to sit on the floor not far from The Avatar, clearly worn out herself. Iroh watched as the healer shifted and moved over to kneel next to his nephew, giving him a friendly smile and nod in greeting as she did so. "General Iroh," she said in greeting as she coated her hands in glowing water "A pleasure to see you again."

"And you," Iroh replied simply "Though I would have preferred more pleasant circumstances." Yugoda nodded her understanding as she began to work, starting at the ex prince's head and working her way down. Iroh was silent as she worked, not wanting to interrupt or disrupt her work. She had to stop several times and he noted that she focused on his nephew's ribs as well as a couple of other locations along the way. More seriously injured areas he could only assume. Once she was done she sat back.

"He should be fine. I've healed his ribs as well as a concussion and several other injuries. Though I'm uncertain where he got most of these. They seem several days old." A dark look stole across Iroh's expression, but he forced his tone to remain light as he replied.

"I fear General Zhao took it upon himself to try and be rid of his competition for capturing the young Avatar and blew up my nephew's ship, with my nephew still on it." A quiet, horrified gasp drew his gaze over to Katara, who was staring at him in some sort of horrified shock, but Yugoda just nodded.

"That explains some of the burns and other injuries," she noted with calm ease "Either way he will likely sleep for the next several hours at least. You should rest as well." Iroh gave her a slightly worn smile in reply.

"Thank you," he replied simply "But I believe I'll wait until he wakes." He certainly didn't want Zuko waking up in a strange place without him being there to help calm him. Yugoda nodded her understanding and stood.

"Very well. The only other thing I'd suggest for him is that he would probably do better if he is kept warm. I imagine you can handle that yourself?" Iroh smiled and nodded.

"Of course," he agreed easily "And I will do my best not to melt anything while I'm at it." He is gratified by her amused huff before she makes her way back out into the main room. As she left Iroh glanced over at the young waterbender, who was watching him with something akin to uncertainty.

"Thank you," he told her simply, causing her to blink in surprised confusion "For speaking up for him." The clarification cleared up her confusion at least.

"It's the least I could do after...everything," she replied with a self-conscious shrug and he could see the guilt in her posture. It was obvious she was speaking about her reaction to Zuko bringing the message. She must have a gentle heart to feel guilt for one who had been her enemy for so long.

"Thank you all the same," he replied simply, not bothering to argue "It warms this old man's heart to see someone else stand up for him. I fear it does not happen as often as I wish it would." He got a quizzical look at that, but she didn't ask so Iroh moved around to lay next to his nephew and carefully pull him against his chest, sharing warmth. Zuko stirred, but settled again quickly enough. A testament to his exhaustion no doubt. Once they were settled Iroh closed his eyes and began focusing on his breathing. He carefully raised his own body temperature as well as the air just in front of him, around Zuko's head and core. He couldn't raise the external temperature by a large amount without risking melting things, but he did his best to help stave off the cold that was clearly getting to the boy that was shivering in his arms. Eyes closed and mind focused Iroh settled himself to wait until his nephew had recovered from this most recent bout that life had thrown their way.