The temperatures in the desert at night rivalled those high up in the mountains. It was freezing. Zuko was curled up to preserve what limited warmth there was under his flimsy blanket, staring blankly out into the sandscape in front of him. The Gaang hadn't bothered with creating a room this time, there was simply nowhere to go. However, as an afterthought, Sokka had still insisted on reinstating the shackles around his ankles.

Zuko didn't really mind, even though he wouldn't have done anything to oppose them. He had a conscience that told him very clearly that while the others believed otherwise, he truly had nowhere to go as a fugitive, and he might not survive being caught a second time.

Neither would he have ever taken Appa, despite what Sokka thought. He owed them, and without Appa as transport, it was very likely that they would not survive the desert wilderness either.

Still, the feeling of being outside, legs bound and feeling the first signs of thirst, left an unpleasant feeling in his guts. The helplessness of his situation: Why hadn't he made them check on the land more often; why had he risked this outcome? Sokka was mistrustful, but not evil; he knew that, at least in his mind. The other tried to protect the group, he didn't try to corner him or let his anger out, at least not anymore. Still, right now he felt trapped, in a different way than he had while being locked in his night prison.

The others were out cold. They didn't even appoint a guard, apparently never did. Of course, he doubted that anyone would find them here, right now, but it still made him queasy. Then again, in a way he was glad, it was as alone as he was going to get in his current position. Still, while he enjoyed the view of the clear, endless, night sky, it was very lonely.

The dunes had cooled down a lot before midnight had arrived and Zuko was reminded of the clear nights on his ship, the stars just as bright, just as countless as back then. It made him feel small, insignificant. The Water siblings lay huddled together, Aang right next to Sokka. Toph was a bit aside, having cocooned herself in the sand and looking half-buried, all asleep, while he lay awake, trying to steer his mind away from the worst of the memories.

00000

When morning finally came around, and the others arose well after sunrise, everyone saw how tired he was. Breakfast fell short and only reminded them of how little water they had at their disposal, so they sat in a circle to discuss a plan of action. Needless to say, Zuko felt out of place.

They eventually decided that flying back would probably not be the worst idea, and led Appa in that direction. They hadn't taken into account, however, that they'd flown without drinking much the whole day before and Appa had thick fur that had already been heating up all morning until they took off.

The desert just didn't seem to want to end. And when they finally saw some kind of landmark, Zuko carefully suggested that they could seek shelter from the sun and continue to travel at night. Though Sokka grumpily complained about Zuko's mixing in, they decided to check it out anyway. It turned out to be a giant rock with weird holes all over.

Warily they entered, relieved to be out of the sun, and upon Toph asking, Katara gave them each a slivered share of their remaining water. After this, all they would have left was Katara's bending water.

Zuko, who had sceptically observed the cave and the others, quickly grabbed Sokka's hand before he could stick it in his mouth, recognizing the stuff on his hand as the same that was stuck to the walls.

"Don't!" he said quietly, then ignored the others in favour of listening. He heard a faint humming. These were no normal caves, and Toph, who must have come to the same conclusion, warned them just in time to get out in the open again where they were quickly surrounded by buzzard wasps. Appa fended off a first round, but more and more came, and it became clear pretty quickly that this was not a place to stick around. They fled blindly into the sands.

After they felt they had safely lost the giant insects, they landed again. With Appa obviously exhausted, they slipped from the saddle.

Toph was less than pleased to be back in the mushy, undefined mess that the sand presented to her seismic sense. Furthermore, it was unbearably hot, and while her feet were used to a lot, this was uncomfortable and there was no escaping it.

"This is awful. The sun's so high, I can't tell which direction we need to go. I'm thirsty, and I'm not even hungry, it's so hot!" Sokka exclaimed loudly.

"We really should take a break and get out of the sun. All of us," Katara said, authority in her voice.

"We can use our blankets to create tents, but that won't work for Appa," Zuko quietly supplied.

"True. Toph, can't you do something?"

"I can try." She moved into a stance, parting the sand, creating a pit, then leading the sand above her head, trying to harden it. She tried to stick the parts together to give it stability, but she could feel it not quite working.

"Wow, Toph, this is amazing," Aang said, about to enter.

"Hold on, it will crash as soon as I stop bending; I can't harden it to a permanent structure."

"Oh."

Toph tried again, but it seemed that she couldn't get the sand to stick together by itself. She could hold it in place, no problem, but to make a solid dome…

"I don't think it's safe. I think it is possible, and I can get the hang of it if I practice, but as for now, this is not safe to enter. I'm sorry." she slumped, looking every bit the small twelve year old girl she was.

On another note, during their flight from the hornet monsters, no one had kept track of directions. And it being close to noon, the sun was high in the sky and it was quite impossible to say which direction they were supposed to be going.

"So, Zuko," Sokka approached, looming over the other. "If you happen to know a nice little trick to help us out, now might be a good time to mention it."

Zuko leaned back to evade the other. "I'm sorry, I don't. Not accurately at least." He looked away.

"Well, great!" he exclaimed, stomping off.

"We should still fly. The air higher up should be cooler, and it would probably do good to continue just to escape the heat until we can read the direction from the sun again," Zuko said, raising his voice just enough to be heard.

00000

Toph wasn't overly excited to be on the bison again, but she was glad to be out of the worst of the heat. She and Zuko were the only ones not constantly peering over the saddle's edge. They hadn't been in the air long enough for the shadows to lengthen again, Zuko informed her when she asked.

She swallowed, trying to reduce the feeling of dryness and thick spit in her mouth. It was indeed cooler up here, but the wind also did a good job of drying out their lips. She knew hers would chap soon, the skin already taut and uncomfortable. She was reluctant to ask for water as she did not know how much they had left, she just knew they hadn't set out with a lot in the first place.

Time stretched on, and she played with her stone, bored, trying not to be worried. Even bothering Sparks got old after a while, but eventually, Sokka announced that they could land.

They were literally out in the middle of nowhere, and she could sense the fuzziness of sand for as far as her sensory range stretched. The sand was singeing hot around her feet. She was kinda used to it, always being barefoot, but she felt like this was close to burning. Then she remembered that she was not the only one. Zuko was also barefoot, she noted, but he didn't complain. In fact, he didn't say much of anything unless asked.

00000

Katara gave out food that evening, and some of her swamp bending water because they did not have anything else to drink. They were all tired after the long day travelling, and Katara got out the sleeping bags, looking over to Toph and Zuko. Toph didn't have a sleeping bag, but apparently, she found it most comfortable to burrow herself, with the exception of her head, and sleep like that. Zuko was sitting a bit away, staring into nothing. He had his blanket wrapped around him again, and Katara found that she had begun to associate the action with him.

He was shivering again, but he didn't move. Katara wondered if she should hand him out his second pair of clothes for the night. But right at that moment, Sokka said something about a cloud in the sky, and Katara's attention was drawn there.

It turned out there really was one, and in the end, Aang went up to gather the water it consisted of in a flask. It was a pitiful amount and then, when Katara was about to divide it to give a share to everyone, Momo jumped in, spilling everything. A panicked Sokka threw a fit.

Katara rolled her eyes and gathered the water with her bending, dividing it up and giving everyone a share. Zuko flinched back when there was suddenly a blob of water in front of him, but after a moment of hesitation, he swallowed his mouthful, turning around and nodding in thanks.

An exhausted Katara laid down and was asleep within minutes.

00000

Zuko still tasted the swampy bending water, muddled with the clouds' moisture, on his tongue. The temperature was quickly dropping, but as long as someone might be awake, he didn't dare bend to warm himself yet. After Katara had come over with the rescued cloud vapours, he lay down on his back and stared up at the stars. It reminded him once more of the countless, long, nights on the ship, but also of the more recent nights in the square. Thirst was setting in, his legs were bound, he was cold. The slight breeze was continually cooling the sand, and Zuko didn't want to sleep, even though he was tired.

This had been the time when the men would come. He had dreamt about it again, yesternight. The dirty taste on his already cracked lips didn't help, either. He felt alone, lost, in more than just a sense of direction. He felt trapped. A wide expanse of sky and sand, and he wanted nothing more than to walk away, but the stone shackles Sokka seemed to want to make mandatory, if Zuko wasn't in the stone prison, weighed heavily on his ankles, ever reminding him that he could not leave.

He wasn't really in pain now; his wrists were fine. He was able to lay down instead of being forced to stand or hang from his wrists. He had no open wounds and wore clothes on his back. He wasn't starved. He had no sunburns.

The weeks of regular food had really helped him regain some of his energy reserves, and he'd been bending the heat, the invisible fire, to prevent his skin from burning again.

He looked over to the others, but they seemed fast asleep. He turned to the other side, restless. He still had trouble with many firebending forms. He could conjure flames again, but they were pathetically small. It filled him with unease. Weariness had clung to him during his time in the market square and with it, his firebending had faded, and the feeling had settled in bone-deep, driving away any energy to fuel his inner fire. And the memories did not fade. He was broken.

He had lost his drive to fight. What did he really have to fight for? Did he even have a place here with this bunch of kids? Still, he clung to life, foolishly maybe, for he was tired of all this, wishing for a final rest he would not get. But, he reasoned with himself, he hadn't survived hell just to tap out now.

Sitting up, facing away from the rest of the group, so they wouldn't see, he took a deep breath, calling forth a breath of fire to warm himself. This trick, at least, he could do again without a problem, perhaps fuelled through some spark that still hoped for some kind of life. It helped a little.

Staring at the sky, he waited for time to pass. His thoughts started to drift off again, the slight night's breeze taking them back to the square. In the shine of the moon, he moved his stare to his wrists. The patches that Katara had healed were quite smooth. One could still see that it was scar tissue, but Zuko thought it might actually fade to near invisibility over time, it was that faint. And even if it didn't, it might not be very obvious from a distance, and he was glad about that.

He was shaking again. Reluctantly, he grabbed his blanket and wrapped it around his body again, hiding his hands. His feet still poked out from below it. If he adjusted the blanket right, it would barely cover them, but after the third attempt, he gave up. Maybe the shackles were to blame, but he was used to cold feet by now, so it was manageable. He'd gotten a thick layer of calluses on his feet, he realised upon looking at them more closely now.

He swallowed, trying to get rid of the dryness in his throat. It wasn't bad yet, but he couldn't help but wonder if they would manage to get out of the desert alive. They probably had two days left. He also wondered if Appa could manage that long. He had no idea how much water an animal that big should be getting. What meagre amount they had remaining wouldn't last long, not even for them alone. He could only hope that they would find some edible plants soon.

00000

Aang woke up with a start, and it took him a moment to realise that it had just been a dream, a nightmare. It wasn't real. All was well. He sat up, feeling like he had swallowed a bunch of sand. He let his gaze wander over the landscape, knowing that he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep for some time. The moon had moved quite a bit since he'd gone to bed; it must be the middle of the night.

His eyes wandered over the still camp once more, pausing on the back of someone sitting, unmoving. He hadn't expected anyone to be awake at this hour. Slowly, Aang unwound his sleeping bag and walked over.

As he came closer, he realised that it was Zuko, who flinched when Aang stepped up next to him and harrumphed to gain his attention. Zuko looked up, wide-eyed, and Aang briefly remembered the reaction Zuko had had, the first time they'd met after Toph had rescued him. The panic attack the other had had back then came to mind, then the additional attacks later. Maybe this was a bad idea, but he didn't want to be awake alone. Also, if Zuko was awake… well, Aang had been longing to talk with him without the others trying to interfere. He knew now that Zuko wouldn't try anything, anyway. He strongly believed it.

Zuko had turned away again. "You shouldn't be here. The others don't want me near you," he said in his hoarse voice.

The words that had been on Aang's lips died away, but he didn't move. He was now determined to have a talk with Zuko, if only to distract himself from his nightmare.

"Cold night, huh?" Aang sat down about half a metre away.

Zuko shifted uncomfortably. "What do you want?" he asked carefully.

"Just to talk. The others don't let me talk with you and it's lonely at night. Why are you still awake, anyway?"

"I don't want to sleep, and no one is watching the camp."

"Why would you not want to sleep? And no one is out here; we're safe."

Zuko didn't reply. He just continued to stare out into the vast space, a tiredly pensive expression in his eyes.

"So…" Aang said slowly, not knowing what to say. Zuko turned his head slightly.

"Why are you awake?" he quietly asked, intending to steer the conversation away from himself.

"Uhm, I had a nightmare."

Zuko faintly nodded in understanding. "What about?"

"Well, the desert. And Sokka keeps fretting over some Avatar stuff, so I dreamt about that, as well," Aang reluctantly said, looking over at Zuko. "How long can we survive without water?"

"Hmm, under normal circumstances, I'd say about three days to a week. The weather here is very dry though, and we've been moving around. So maybe less," Zuko said in a low voice.

"Uh, that's not very long."

"If we can keep flying in one direction, then we should get out of the desert by tomorrow."

"If not?"

"Let's not think about that."

Zuko closed his eyes momentarily, then looked over. He really looked quite different, Aang noticed, with his hair growing out. In the moonlight, his usually golden eyes were a strangely light, flat colour, which stood out starkly against his dark hair. Zuko turned away again.

Did the Fire Lord look like Zuko? Or rather, did Zuko look like the Fire Lord? Were they alike? Somehow, Aang couldn't picture the Fire Lord to be as Zuko was now. The prince, still too thin, often had a hollow expression on his face nowadays. He was withdrawn and prefered to be left alone. He did not seem interested in participating in the war anymore since they had rescued him, no matter what Sokka said. The Zuko he remembered, however, had.

"Why don't you go back to sleep?" the older boy said quietly. Aang felt that it was another attempt to push him away verbally.

"Why do you want to be alone?"

"I don't think we should talk. Sokka was quite clear that I'm not supposed to be around you without supervision."

"The others are right here. And anyway, it's not like he's the boss."

"I just think it would be better if we stick to that. We're not exactly friends."

"We could be. I'd like to be your friend, and you saved me before, too."

"You realise I only did it so Zhao couldn't have you, don't you!? Had I been able to, I'd have brought you to my ship and straight back to the Fire Nation. And you helped get us out again just as much as I did."

"Wouldn't that mean we're even?"

"No. I did what I did for my own gain, not to help you. And anyway, I tried again later on, so that should tell you where I stood well enough."

"But you're not doing so now," Aang stated, and Zuko diverted his eyes.

"No, I'm not..."

Aang waited for him to continue, but he didn't. Instead, he fisted his blanket and pulled it closer, shivering.

Aang regarded him with concern. Zuko really was different, and not in a good way. Of course, Aang was glad that Zuko seemed to have given up on hunting him, but Zuko didn't seem to be himself anymore. Eyes, once fierce and determined, were now shallow and distant.

Katara and Toph had made it clear that things had been bad at that market square where they'd found him, but looking at Zuko and the lingering changes to his person, made him wonder what exactly had happened that they didn't know. The recurring panic attacks, the way he flinched back whenever he hadn't seen a movement coming, how he reacted to Sokka's voice...

He had looked pretty beaten up when Aang had first seen him. Katara had worked wonders in healing him, so the wounds had faded quickly, but the reactions hadn't.

"Uhm, do you…" Aang started.

Zuko looked at him from the corner of his eye.

"... What… Do you get bad nightmares, too?" That wasn't what he had wanted to say, to ask. He'd wanted to ask about his time at the square, but he didn't know how to ask without the other closing up immediately, so he had to rethink his words quickly.

"Yes," Zuko said.

"What about?" Aang asked, a tad too quickly. Zuko narrowed his eyes.

"Many things." The answer was grim, taciturn, reluctant.

"Katara says that talking sometimes helps."

"No, it doesn't. And I won't talk about these things to a kid like you." Aang's eyes widened in response. That was not the reaction he had hoped for.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to…"

"It's fine, I get it. You're concerned. You don't understand and the others don't tell you much about this, about what they know happened to me. Be glad; it's not a story you want to hear."

"That bad?" Aang asked in a small voice.

"Yes! Look, talking about it only brings back bad memories, so let it go. I really think you should go back to sleep."

"What about you?"

"I… I slept during the flight," Zuko replied in a way that made it obvious to Aang that the other was lying. He set out to say something when Zuko cut him off. "What was the Avatar stuff you dreamt about? Since you seem so sure that it helps to talk about it, maybe you'll leave me alone and go back to bed after you get it off your chest," he rushedly said.

"Uhm, I... It has to do with my duty as Avatar, so I'm not sure if you really want to—"

"... hear about what you're supposed to do? That you're going to try to kill the Fire Lord? My father?"

"Well, that's the thing… I don't want to kill him!" Aang exclaimed.

"Eh," Zuko chuckled darkly, "of course not. You're an Air Nomad." He moved, rearranging his legs and pulled his knees close once more, not looking at him.

"There has to be another way!" Aang's voice was desperate, but Zuko ignored it.

"You're right, I'm not the right person for you to discuss this with."

"I'm sorry."

Zuko just chuckled bitterly.

"I really don't want to go up against your family. I don't want to kill."

"You already did when you fused with the Ocean Spirit." Aang drew back, guilt setting in deep.

"I didn't want to. In the Avatar State, my connection to spirits is much stronger, and me being the link to this world, it took me over."

Zuko said nothing for a while. He was shivering harder now. The breeze had gotten stronger and Aang still had his sleeping bag draped over his shoulders to keep warm. Zuko only had his flimsy blanket.

"Do you need more clothes to keep warm? I think I know where your second pair of clothes is," he offered. Zuko dipped his head and took a breath, shaking his head.

"It's fine."

"But you're cold." Aang's concerned voice made Zuko look up.

"I don't want to bend and have someone misunderstand what I'm doing, so I'm not bending as long as you're around. I will warm up as soon as you've gone back to sleep."

"You can bend, it's fine with me. I know you won't attack me, and you're not doing any harm."

"Yeah, but if the Sokka sees, I'm in big trouble."

"Come on, we all know Sokka is a heavy sleeper. And I don't think Katara would mind, either."

"I don't want another fight right now."

Aang stared at the ground below, still not quite willing to go back to bed. They spent a few minutes in silence, then Zuko took a breath.

"I don't like the war; it's destroying my country from the inside out. And my—the Fire Lord doesn't see that he's destroying our nation, nor does he care. For him, there is only one way for the war to end…. And no, I can't just switch sides, so please don't try to convince me again."

Aang, who had indeed been about to suggest just that, bit his lip. They sat there quietly for another few minutes. Aang, not knowing what to say, just observed Zuko, who was continuously shaking. Maybe it really was time to go to bed.

"Are you planning on sleeping at all tonight?" he carefully asked, and Zuko just shook his head.

Aang sighed, but, knowing that he wouldn't be able to bring the other around, finally stood up and wished him a good night.

Looking over from his sleeping place, he saw Zuko, who sat with his back to him, take a deep breath. Upon breathing out, his hair illuminated slightly, and his shivering lessened and eventually subsided. Aang drifted off.

00000

When Sokka woke at his sister's call, it was to an uncomfortable dryness in his mouth. Katara had called that it was time to get up, and the sun had indeed already risen. He rubbed his eyes and then surveyed the camp, stopping at where Zuko had gone to bed the day before. He was still laying there, even though the sun had risen, whereas he, usually, was up and about. Or, at the very least, sitting somewhere in the sun rays.

He was just about to ask about it when Katara walked over and knelt next to the still sleeping boy. Sokka heard her call out to him in a gentle voice.

"Hey… Zuko... it's time to get up… Zuko… wake up… Zuko?" He shifted, then winced and quickly scrambled up. Sokka could see Zuko's wide-eyed trepidation in his expression. Katara backed away in order to give him some space.

Zuko looked around, disoriented. Katara kept talking to him, but more quietly now, so Sokka couldn't hear what was being said anymore. Eventually, both of them stood up, and Zuko folded his blanket and gave it to Katara to put away.

Soon, they all sat together and ate something. Not being able to cook anything due to lack of water led to dry and hard-to-chew food. It plain sucked, since they hadn't expected ending up here and hadn't bought food suitable for this environment. Instead, they had lost some of it to the heat, which had quickly spoiled their fresh items.

The Gaang's general morale was low, even though no one complained much. Everyone felt the underlying fear of not finding a way out of the desert in time. They didn't speak of it, the thought was too unpleasant to voice.

In an effort to avoid the high heats of the noon sun, they had all, even Sokka, risen earlier to move while the temperatures were still bearable and maybe, hopefully, escape the desert earlier, too.

Once they were set, they mounted Appa and they were off to continue their journey. The bison soon rose to a higher altitude. They enjoyed the breeze at first, but temperatures rose quickly and soon Sokka discarded his shirt, fastening it around his head in a way that would provide his neck with a bit of shade. Zuko agreed with the part of protecting the head from the sun, but he knew that exposing more skin to achieve it was counterproductive. Sokka had darker skin, so maybe he'd be fine, but Zuko most definitely had had enough sunburns not to risk it. He asked for his second shirt to wrap around his head and cover up his neck, and wrapped his blanket around himself to cover up the hands and feet, it should be enough as long as they were flying.

When Aang pulled off his shirt to follow Sokka's example, Zuko warned him of sunburns. He'd done so reluctantly, throwing a glance at Sokka as soon as the words had slipped from his mouth, but Sokka, for once, didn't feel like telling him off.

Instead, he focused on keeping the direction straight. How had they flown so far that first day without noticing?

Thirst was another grating matter. It got worse by the hour, and everyone was grateful when Toph finally voiced it in a tone of voice that was rather untypical for her: "Katara, can I have some water?" It had a defeated quality to it.

As the day went on, Aang switched with Sokka on Appa's head, and Sokka went back to the main group in the saddle. He decided to pass the time carving snow goggles from their meagre fire wood reserves. The sun glare wasn't quite as vicious with the sands yellow colour, as it was with the south pole's snowy white, but snow blindness sucked, and Sokka wasn't about to risk it now. So, he'd make goggles for himself, Katara and Aang, at the very least. Maybe Zuko too, if he asked for it. Toph probably didn't need any, he supposed. Soon it was close to noon-time, and they landed once more upon Zuko's suggestion, who argued that the hottest hours would be the early afternoon hours and that they'd want to be up in the air again by then.

Sokka couldn't help but worry about the group. Aang was taking it surprisingly well and Katara, as usual, was in mother-mode, but Toph really did not seem okay. She seemed tired and down, droopy, really. Her tongue wasn't as sharp as before, either. She barely spoke.

Weirdly enough, he noticed himself starting to worry about Zuko, too, and he did not like the thought of that.

The guy had displayed some useful knowledge lately. He was also starting to offer it more freely and Sokka found himself not as opposed to his mixing in. But he was still very careful about giving Zuko any knowledge as to where they were going. Funnily enough, it didn't seem as if Zuko had tried to find out; in fact, he didn't really seem to care. It was weird.

Sokka was determined not to fall for any underhanded tactics of the other whatsoever. And it seemed like the other did not have any more useful tricks right now. He was just trying to keep himself (and in turn, all of them) alive."

"Katara, you can filter water, right?"

Sokka turned to the voice that had spoken. Zuko stood next to Katara.

"Yes, more or less. It's not easy, but I suppose."

"I just thought that… I know it's nasty, but urine contains water. I know a technique to distil that water, but it takes a lot of time and some materials that we don't really have. If waterbending can do the same, then…"

So much for not having any more tricks. Why hadn't he thought of that?

It was a nasty image, that's probably why. Oh, well. If Zuko wanted to, he wouldn't stop him.

00000

Toph felt tired and sluggish. They had stopped to eat again, and as she had listened in on the conversation between Zuko and Katara, she had to admit that she was willing to try just about anything to soothe the dryness in her throat. Zuko urged Katara to try. Katara was unsure since she had never really tried before and it sounded difficult.

"You can also wait until it evaporates and gather the water then," she heard Zuko say now. "I could help speed up the process by heating it up some. You wouldn't have to filter, just gather, and then it wouldn't take such a long time."

"You will be the first to try drinking from it." Sokka now mixed in just as Katara was about to say something.

"Fine," Zuko simply said. Katara turned to Sokka, slightly peeved.

"Actually, this is a really good plan, Sokka. You wouldn't know, but evaporated water tends to be quite clean."

"Go ahead and try, then; I won't stop you." There was a brief silence, then Zuko spoke again.

"If we are going to do this, it would be easier if everyone, er... went in the same spot."

Eventually, with surprisingly little squabbling, the strange situation unfolded, and Zuko was soon tasting the result.

"It's fine."

"Just not a whole lot," Sokka flippantly said while Katara split it up.

Toph was just glad for the water. She felt a bit dizzy. Not sick, but not all that great, either.

On the flight that afternoon, Zuko claimed that he had spotted something green. Toph supposed that it must mean that he'd seen some plants, which was awesome, since they surely would contain liquids, right?

They landed close to whatever he'd seen, but it must have been less promising than it had seemed.

"No oasis," Aang said, a bit put out.

"But this spiky plant thing must have water in it," Sokka's voice said. A slashing sound, then slurping, together with Zuko's warning... "Hold on!"

Momo must have had some of it, too, since he and Sokka both started acting weird quite quickly.

"Can I have some, too?" Toph asked anyway. She really wanted something to drink.

Katara shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"It's a cactus known to cause hallucinations," Zuko said. "But you can feel the water it contains, right? You could try to draw it out. We could do the same thing as before."

"Alright."

Toph could only hear Katara move, a rustling of clothes, and then a ripping sound.

"It's really milky."

Sokka chose that moment to stumble into Zuko and demand more of the liquid, at which Zuko carefully peeled him off his person and held him steady. "No, you've had enough."

Sokka just laughed and made another crazy comment that went ignored. It was clear he wasn't all there, claiming that there were two Aangs and that Appa was purple.

"I'll try to filter the… impurities out." There was more noise, and Toph was annoyed that the sand messed with her perception. It sucked. Through the dust, she could faintly feel where the others stood when they were still and she was focusing on it, but she had kept walking into people ever since they had landed in the desert. She was truly sick of it. And thirsty. She really hoped they'd turn this whatever-juice into water soon.

"I don't think I can get all of it out; I'm not sure if it's possible. But, I guess it can always help to practice, in any case."

"We can still try my other suggestion, but you all should stand back while I try to heat it up. I don't know how this stuff is gonna react to intense heat. Please make sure that neither Sokka nor the animals get near."

00000

Katara looked around, checking if Sokka and Momo were safe. Aang was holding both of them and Toph was standing a bit off behind Zuko, so they should be okay.

"Alright, let's start. I'll hold the water there, sound good?" Katara bent the globe of milky liquid in front of her.

"We're not going to do it like last time?" Zuko asked.

"I thought it'd probably be easier if I just kept the water together, no?"

Zuko only nodded before going into a stance. The air before him started to ripple from heat and soon a thin stream of fire became visible to the eye. Zuko was increasing the temperature, as the fire snaked around the globe of cactus juice.

She felt for the water hidden inside. She'd been thinking about what Zuko had said, that he had assumed she could feel the water from those weird plants. Now that he had mentioned it, she had started to focus on what before had only felt like a slight tickling below her consciousness. Zuko was right. As a waterbender, she should be able to detect water wherever it was. Including plants.

Wasn't that much like what Toph usually did? Did that mean Zuko could do the same with fire? She observed Zuko as he stood there. The fire wasn't strong, not like she remembered from fighting him. He must be controlling it. Sweat was running down his forehead. He was focused on the task before him, obvious by the slight furrow of his one brow...

It was only after a while that Katara started to notice the change. She'd been so lost in thought that she hadn't focused on her bending all that much. But, as the water started resisting her control, pushing outwards, she quickly returned her attention to her own task.

It didn't become easier. In fact, she felt the water expand out more and more, and instead of just holding it, she started to compress it to keep it in liquid form. It grew more unstable by the minute. She'd never actually had trouble with this. What was happening?

She stared at the milky substance. It was swirling, and some of the white stuff had started to clot, but a lot was still in there. It was swirling a lot, and she could feel why. The water seemed to want to move.

"Heheheh... Zuko, why are you fighting that lovely ghost, isn't it pretty?" Sokka was saying, but Zuko didn't pay him any mind.

"Katara, I think for the stuff to get separated properly, you might need to let the water evaporate."

"The white stuff is starting to clot; I think it's fine."

"If you think so." The steady stream of fire continued and Katara kept compressing the water… until she could not.

"Zuko!" she screamed in warning as her control slipped. She could only stare in horror as the water mass expanded rapidly, followed by a loud bang! Zuko was thrown back from the blast but reacted with a fire shield, even as he flew. It was barely enough to protect him and Toph.

Aang had also sprung to action and curtailed the water quickly.

Katara hadn't realised she had slipped into a blocking position automatically, which probably was why she was still standing. Taking a deep breath, she unwound and rushed over to Zuko, who was laying on his back.

"Uhh, ghosty-ghost fought back," Sokka giggled.

When she reached him, Zuko had already turned to the side and was pushing himself up into a sitting position. He was still breathing hard, ignoring the burning sensation the sand must have been causing his palms.

"Zuko?" Aang now came rushing over, too.

"I'm fine; just get the water before it disperses," he choked out.

"Oh, right," Katara said, quickly getting up and pulling the water back together.

Sokka, meanwhile, was doing some kind of victory dance for the ghost he had now declared his hero and best friend, all while holding Momo by the tail. Appa just groaned at their antics.

In the end, she gave out a third of the water she had collected, giving Appa a larger portion before dividing up the rest.

00000

Zuko was still trying to calm himself down. That had been close. He had felt the heat on his face, had seen the explosion happen. He'd reacted, protected himself as best as he could. But the distant memory of the raw pain around his eye echoed in his mind, just like it had when his ship had exploded, bringing it all flooding back to the forefront of his mind.

Life hadn't been easy, true, but he'd pull through somehow. He always had; it was what he did. The sand was burning his palms, but he barely registered it. However, a blob of somewhat clear water in front of him finally called him back to the present.

Yeah, thirst was another one of those reminders of recent events. As he accepted the water, it reminded him of Toph and her stubborn attitude when he'd first met her, making sure he got enough to drink.

He looked over to where she was sitting in the sand. She looked tired. He'd seen it before, and compared to the others, she seemed most affected by the heat, the thirst, everything. She probably hadn't known what thirst or hunger was before she had met up with the Avatar's group. Zuko knew that Toph was tough and all, but this was not a fight against any physical opponent to be defeated. This was plain survival. And while she didn't complain, she didn't take it with the same ease as she took on her other battles.

He knew the feeling. While he had grown used to the less-than-royal accommodations on his old ship, he'd still actually lived quite a comfortable life, even if he hadn't recognised it at that time. It had taken a trip from the North Pole to the Earth Kingdom on a raft to know what real hunger and thirst was. At least he'd been prepared for it when fate had put him in the market square.

He knew his body's limits quite well now. This thirst was still bearable, and the water helped a lot to keep it that way; it would be a while until it got really bad. It was obvious that Toph did not know how to deal with it.

If he was honest, Zuko didn't want her to know how much worse it would get if they didn't find their way out of the desert soon.

They settled themselves on Appa once again. It was obvious he was tired also, and Zuko couldn't help but think Appa's flying had gotten slower over time.

Sokka was still giggling, and after the third attempt of him trying to fly by himself, Aang decided to land and go on foot for a while.

Zuko didn't mind, and Toph didn't either, at first. Katara was pulling her brother along and Appa trotted behind them. Aang was leading the group.

Zuko could see quickly how fatigued Toph was getting, though. He still felt his own weariness from the sleepless night, too, which only added to the feeling of the heat of the sun and sand. But again, while it sucked, it wasn't the first time he had felt this way. He knew he'd be able to pull through relatively easily for a while yet.

They had been walking for maybe half an hour when Toph suddenly slipped on a dune's ridge. She'd been walking in front of Zuko and was dragging her feet against the hot sand. Barefoot, just like him. Now, with her sidestep, her pant leg had ridden up and exposed the skin above the ankle guard to the scalding sand. She was biting her lip at the pain as she tried to keep from slipping any further. Zuko, in reflex, grabbed her arm and helped her regain her footing.

"Want a break?" he asked in a low voice. He did not want to watch this any longer. And if he could repay her even a little, she, who had essentially been the one to get him away from the square, then he'd gladly do so.

"Sure," she said slowly, not sure what he had in mind, but at the moment up for almost anything if it meant to somewhat catch a break.

Zuko steadied her, walked in front of her, and crunched down. "Hop on, I'll carry you for a while." He could feel her hesitate, but tiredness, at last, won out. When he could feel her against his back, he hoisted her up. Securing his hold on her, he began walking and could feel her lean her head against his neck.

He focused on his bending again. He'd figured out sometime yesterday how to block, maybe move, whatever heat he felt a little away from him. It was a mental exercise, mostly, if he was being honest with himself. It helped him keep cool enough so as not to sweat as much, and that was probably how he was still mostly managing in the blazing heat.

He knew he hadn't been able to do this on the square; he'd been too malnourished, too weak back then. But now he found that it came easier to him, using that new awareness he had gained for feeling the fire wherever and in whatever form it came.

Toph sighed, probably noticing the difference even though she most likely didn't realise that he was the one causing it.

More time went by in silence. Well, except for the still tripping Sokka, who had already made some stupid comment about them several times, one being that Zuko suddenly had a Toph-shaped hunchback. Momo was also still a bit off, but he was slowly getting calmer, and Zuko hoped that the cactus juice would soon wear off.

"How are your feet?" Toph asked, finally having regained some of her energy.

"I'm used to it. Firebender, remember?"

"Oh, right," she quietly said. Oh well, at least she was talking again, even though she wasn't back to her usual self quite yet.

Flying had given them more progress, but also more of the rather warm wind that dried out their lips. So, while it was still way too hot, walking for a change wasn't that bad. And Appa was still carrying most of their stuff, so there was that.

Then, when Sokka finally calmed down, he just sat, apparently too tired to move any more. It was understandable, with all the crazy things he'd been doing, but it led to them flying for another hour until Appa groaned out tiredly in the evening sun.

That night, after they had landed once more, Zuko quietly told Katara to give Toph his water this time. Katara was about to protest when he pointed at Toph's weary frame laying down in the sand. His lips were also dry and chapped, and he felt tired, but he felt like he could go this once without. He also decided to sleep and risk the nightmares. He'd need to be strong enough to face another day.

He was too tired for nightmares anyway... or so he hoped.

00000

The next morning came, and the reality that they were still very much deep inside the desert sank in even more after a good night's rest. Mostly anyway. The morning atmosphere was filled with unspoken dread.

Sokka had slept off the last remnants of whatever had been in the water and felt mostly alright, if a little dried out. He was determined to get them back up into the air and out of the desert, so any morning rituals were cut short.

Potty breaks were quickly used for gaining water, then they were on their way. Sokka was on the lookout for any change in scenery, as was everyone else who could actually see.

Just a little while after they had started out, Sokka spotted something. Not something like a change of landscape, as they hoped, but a little tower poking out of a dune.

A small surge of excitement arose within him. Maybe it was the library! He told his guess to the others, but Katara just rolled her eyes and told him to focus on what's important. Sokka decided to argue his point, anyway.

"Maybe they have a water supply there, some kind of well or something. Or at least a map on where we are and how to get out of the desert." And so, they decided to check it out.

After a shift of the sun, the group found themselves at the base of the tower. Sokka was a little disappointed at the size of it, as it was unlikely to contain a whole big library, but Toph mentioned that it felt huge; apparently, most of it was under the sands and thus under their feet. It was quickly concluded that if this was the library (and in any case, if it wasn't, it should be checked out since it was clearly constructed by humans), it was worth looking into anyway.

Sokka insisted on Zuko staying outside, and Toph offered herself up to stay with him since she couldn't read anyway, waving her hand in front of her face as she loudly proclaimed books didn't do anything for her. Assured Toph was, at least in some ways, back to her old self, the others climbed in, and entered the dark...


A/N: 18.01.2022

Hi once more, Ystävä here, with some thoughts on the Gaangs desert survival skills…
Let's just say, none of them were prepared for this situation, and it shows. We were juggling between keeping true to how the show portrayed their travels, as well as approaching survival strategies realistically, I feel that lots of the sensible survival strategies ended up only getting mentioned in passing, as the Gaang doesn't know any better and not even Zuko knows enough to be prepared for desert survival. So I'm gonna point out some things here on better survival tactics as well as why we decided to write it the way we did.

Travelling at night. Zuko did have the right idea, one should travel at night and seek shade and do nothing during the day, at least on foot, you can cross way-more distance at night, moving during the night also makes sure one doesn't cool out as desert nights get cold. During the day, one should build a shelter to provide shade and wait out the heat. My SAS Survival Guide tells me that carrying material to build a shelter is more important even than carrying water.

As you may recall, they tried to build a shelter for Appa, but failed. This was the reason they decided that it was better for him to be flying. They probably weren't entirely wrong. I imagine Sky Bison's ideal environmental conditions to be in high, colder altitudes, similar to that of yaks, from which I draw most of my experience from. Yaks can survive in what is called a 'cold desert', the Si Wong desert definitely doesn't fall under that category. Yaks can cope well enough with temperate climate, ours sunbathe at 900m above sea level in over 30°C. Desert heat? I doubt it, even if their summer coat is very thin on the back. So yeh, flying probably was the better option for everyone. if you rise high enough, the air would probably be a bit colder, the sun would however also be more direct and vicious.

Which brings me to Sokka's snow goggles. Those really were a thing in many of the nomad cultures, especially those that lived in snowy regions. I believe the desert nomadic tribes protected themselves with fabric headwear, which not only reduced the sun glare a bit, but also protected the airways from sand…

I believe Aang has at least been in the Misty Palm Oasis before, so, though he would know how desert people dress, I imagine him being too ignorant to realise the danger.

So that's it on my side, after revising this chapter, I do feel like I was able to fix some things that were bothering me in the previous version. Thank you so much for all your continued support. We'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter.

ML8991: Wowee, a lot has changed since we last were here, hoping all of you had a good holiday season and western new year. Thankfully now we are close to resolving our revisions for chapters, so soon AO3 and FF will be caught up together :).

But to the chapter. As Ystävä has said, it was definitely a challenge coming back to this chapter, and trying to balance that which we know from the show, and that which makes sense given the circumstances the characters are likely to have gone through. Zuko, and Sokka to a lesser extent, will have to know basic navigational skills, if simply to hunt in Sokka's case. But Zuko would have to know more. Although he wasn't raised in an environment that required consistent orienting, such as the environment of the South Pole, at least Sokka had consistent navigational aids.

Zuko has, before the show as we know, spent the past three years navigating around the world, likely relying somewhat on equipment, but also his, and those likely taught to him by Iroh, own skill. With this in mind, it is likely that Zuko can at the very least tell the time via the sun, and we think it could be possible for him to navigate by it also. However, given his previous position as captain of his ship, he may be less confident, especially in light of Zuko feeling as though he is bottom of the group in terms of those who should be listened to, in trying to present this to Sokka, the perceived group leader. On top of this, we must remember the group is getting more and more lost, and I believe it is fair to say that by now Zuko, at the very least, has hedged his bets with the Gaang, so would not want to risk them getting more lost, and thus more stuck in the desert.

Coming up, the inside of the library, and much to be learned about our favourite firebender.. Stay tuned ;) and see you in the next chapter :D.

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Old A/N: Hi, Ystävä here. Well, first of all, I'm very happy that you all keep supporting this story and that it is so well received. This chapter was a bit of an interlude to the next big part. Initially, I struggled a lot to get the atmosphere I wanted, but at some point it started to flow. I still feel like it's not the best of works, but maybe I'll go over it again later and figure out what exactly bothers me about it. For now, I hope you enjoyed reading, and please let us know your thoughts on it, too. :)

Hey guys, ML8991 here, must agree with Ystävä here, this was a challenge of a chapter, going through and trying to make what is otherwise just a filler transitions scene and making it interesting. Must admit though, really looking forward to getting to write the next chapter, got some fun antics that are to occur. As always, looking forward to any comments, and we welcome questions or otherwise curious peoples, it helps both us and you to understand the world in which we are making from the canon. toodles, and onwards, till then bai.