Author's Note: Hey everyone, the ongoing support for this story amazes me truly, and I know I keep repeating myself, but I can't help it. Also, reviews would be great. Anyway, please enjoy.

Ba Sing Se, Lower Ring, 100 AC

Mori was surprised when she entered the tea shop and found only Pao, the owner, there. "Uhm, Sir, where are Mushi and Lee?", she asked curiously as she approached the counter.

The older man was seemingly in tears. With a cracking voice he said, "That, that, ugh, that feisty shark Quon was here. He offered Mushi his own tea shop in the upper ring. Of course, he couldn't say no to that. So, I suppose he is at home, packing.", he sniffled, but the blue-eyed girl was already out the door.

Smiling broadly, she ran towards their apartment. Mori found her Sifu packing his clothes. He shot her a smile when she entered. She ran up towards him and hugged the old man tightly. Excited she said, "Sifu, I just heard the news from Pao! Are you really going to have your own shop?", he nodded, but before he could say anything she continued, "That's great, I'm so happy for you!", she stopped for a moment, looking around, "Where's Zuko?", Mori was a bit alarmed that the banished prince was not there.

Iroh sighed deeply, he pulled out a flyer, on it was a drawing of a sky bison. Mori took it out of her Sifu's hand and began reading, her expression falling apart as she did. Shocked she then stared at her Sifu. With a sad tone in his voice, the old man said, "He still thinks that capturing the Avatar is his destiny. You know, sometimes I feel hopeless. There are moments when I think, he's on the right path, like a few days ago when he went out to search for you, but then there are moments like this, when even I don't know what to say or do anymore.", Mori felt incredibly sad for Iroh. She knew how much Zuko meant to him and how worried he was that the banished prince would lose his way.

She straightened herself, "Where did he go?"

Iroh noticed the hint of steel in her voice, "I don't know. And I'm not sure if it is good if you're running after him.", as Mori opened her mouth to protest, he quickly shut her down, "No. You two just begun to lift your relationship to a new level. It wouldn't be good to start a big fight just yet. I know that you care a lot about him, but I'm not only your Sifu, but his also. This is my duty.", then he turned towards her and held her hands in his, "Mori, we'll find out where he went together, but then I want you to stay here. Pack your things, and his, and everything else. Organize our transfer to the upper ring. I know you can do that. Will you?"

Tears glistened in her eyes, but she wouldn't let them fall. She smiled sadly at her Sifu, nodded and then bowed, her hands still in his. With a slightly shaking voice she said, "Of course, Sifu. I'll wait for you with some Jasmine tea in our new apartment."

Iroh suddenly hugged her, stroking her back, "Brave little girl. By the way, what do you think of 'The Jasmine Dragon'?", Mori just smiled as an answer. Then she went over to Zuko's room, quickly searching it. The mask of the Blue Spirit was missing, along with some black clothes and the swords he had kept from the fight.

"Sifu!", she called over to Iroh, "The mask is missing along with the swords, I think he's acting as the Blue Spirit again.", Iroh nodded with a serious gaze. Mori continued, "So, he's searching for the Avatar's bison, where could that giant beast hide? I think, if he was somehow on street level, the Avatar would have found him by now, so he's hidden somewhere. And since there's this agency that apparently keeps a lot of secrets, maybe he'll start with interrogating a Dai Li agent."

Iroh seemed deep in thought, "When I was here as a general, our spies told of a structure under a lake that was only visible with earth bending. It was the headquarter of the Dai Li, and since we never managed to close it, it probably still is. I will start there.", with that he was out of the apartment, Mori gazing worriedly after him. Then she began to do as she was told and packed the rest of things. She stopped shortly when she entered Zuko's room again. She ran her hand across one of his shirts before she folded it and put it in their luggage, almost silently she whispered, "I hope you know what you're doing.", she fought down the thoughts of what danger he had possibly brought upon himself. He's a strong fighter, he'll make it, she thought. Still, it itched in her fingers to run after him and pull him out of whatever mess he was in. Taking a deep breath, she refocused on the task at hand. Trusting in her Sifu had always proven to be the right thing to do.

Once she had finished packing everything up, she rented a cart from a nearby merchant and loaded their belongings on it. She drove it to their new apartment in the upper ring without any problems, it was a clear night, and the streets of Ba Sing Se were quiet. Mori had a no trouble finding the apartment, as her Sifu had left her with a description of her way. It was bigger than she had anticipated. Everything looked neat and seemingly of a very good quality, the kitchen floor and the bathrooms were even made of a light green stone. For a moment she just walked through the empty apartment, enjoying the space. Then she remembered that her task was not yet finished.

As she unpacked every bag she cursed under her breath. There she was living with two men, and yet, when there was something to do, it ended up on her alone. Mori tried to make the apartment look even more beautiful than it had when she entered, but she had to admit, they just lacked things to fill the big apartment accordingly. Thus, it still looked pretty spacious. She walked through it, getting used to her new surroundings. She stopped and sat down on her new bed. At least, I have a bed now, and not just a bedroll, she thought. Smiling she stood up and began making tea.

Ba Sing Se, Below Lake Laogai, 100 AC

Zuko stood before the Avatar's sky bison. The chained animal growled at him when the door behind him opened, and his uncle stepped in. He turned his head slightly, "Uncle?"

Iroh raised his eyebrows, "So, the Blue Spirit. I wonder, who could be behind that mask…"

Annoyed Zuko took off the mask and sighed, he turned to his uncle, "What are you doing here? Is Mori also here?"

Iroh looked down, his face in a serious expression, "I was just about to ask you the same thing. What do you plan to do now that you've found the Avatar's bison? Keep him locked in our new apartment? Should I go put on a pot of tea for him? I'm sure Mori will be thrilled to have a new fluffy friend."

Zuko gritted his teeth, "First I have to get it out of here."

His uncle started yelling at him, "And then what!? You never think these things through! This is why Mori is always so worried about you, exactly like what happened on the North Pole! You had him, and then you had nowhere to go!

The banished prince stopped for a moment at the thought that Mori was worried about him, but then he snapped back into reality and yelled back at his uncle, "I would have figured something out!", turning away from his uncle.

The old man responded swiftly, "No! If his friends hadn't found you, you would have frozen to death!"

"I know my own destiny, Uncle!", Zuko shouted. He was not just annoyed anymore; he was really angry now.

His uncle didn't seem to mind, "Is it your destiny, or is it a destiny someone else has tried to force on you?"

Zuko knew who he meant, of course he knew. His father and his banishment were things he remembered daily when he looked at his own reflection. Angrily he shouted, "Stop it, Uncle! I have to do this!"

Iroh still tried to reason with his nephew, "I'm begging you, Prince Zuko! It's time for you to look inward and begin asking yourself the big questions. Who are you, and what do you want?"

A picture of Mori in his arms appeared before his eyes, he shook it out of his head and screamed loudly, throwing the mask and his swords away.

A little while later two figures climbed out of the Dai Li headquarters. For a moment Iroh and Zuko stood at the little bridge that led from the entrance to the shore of the lake. The banished prince stared at the blue mask in his hands. His uncle put a hand on his shoulder, "You did the right thing, nephew. Leave it behind.", quietly, Zuko looked over his shoulder at the old man, before he let the mask sink into the lake. His uncle took his hand and led him towards the city, "Come on, nephew. Our new apartment awaits us. I asked Mori to prepare some Jasmine tea for us."

Ba Sing Se, Upper Ring, 100 AC

At their new apartment, Iroh opened the door, "You did the right thing. Letting the Avatar's bison go free.", he smiled at his nephew.

The smell of jasmine tea filled the air and light steps approached them. In a second upon their arrival, Mori, who waited almost all night for their return, was on her feet to greet them. She smiled at her Sifu's happy expression, but her expression worried when she noticed Zuko. Something seemed not right with him, he looked even paler than he usually did.

She heard him mumble, "I don't feel right.", before he made a few thumbling steps and collapsed on the floor, breaking the yellow vase Iroh had bought on their arrival in the city. Mori's eyes widened in shock. She heard her Sifu call out for his nephew, but it was almost like she heard it through a wall.

Mori and Iroh both rushed towards the banished prince, the blue-eyed girl arriving first. Hastily she turned him on his side to look at his face. Tears ran down her face as she called his name over and over again, both hands around his head, shaking it softly. But he wouldn't wake up.

At some point, she didn't notice if it was moments or minutes later, she felt her Sifu's hand at her shoulder. "We should get him to his room.", he said, his own voice almost cracking. Mori sniffled and nodded. Together they put him in his new bed. Iroh then shooed Mori out of the room before he changed his nephew's clothes. Then he examined him quickly. It seemed; he had a high fever all of sudden.

As he opened the door, Mori stood only inches away from it. He never saw her that worried. Her blue eyes looked questioningly at him while tears still ran down her cheeks and her lips quivered and twitched from time to time. Almost silently she asked, "Sifu, what is wrong with him? What happened to him?"

Iroh took her hand and led her into the living room, where he sat down. Then he told her everything that happened under Lake Laogai. Mori just sat there and listened with wide eyes. She only closed them for one long moment, thinking about the fact that Zuko really wanted to capture the Avatar's bison. What a foolish idea. Iroh ended his monologue quickly, "He seems to have an intense fever all of sudden. I wonder if this is caused by his actions tonight."

Mori raised an eyebrow, "You think he caught something while under that lake?"

Iroh chuckled slightly, "No, I think, his actions went so against what he had as an idea of himself that by now two parts of him are fighting each other inside.", Mori raised an eyebrow at this, "You must know Mori, that he is not only a descendant of Fire Lord Sozin, but also of Avatar Roku. I think it is these two inheritances that are fighting inside him, with no clear outcome yet.", he ended in a sigh.

It took Mori a moment to take it all in. Then she asked, "Sifu, is there anything we can do to help him?"

Iroh thought about it for a second. Then he shook his head slightly, "I don't think there is much we can do. Just do what you can think of to lower his temperature and help him get through this sickness."

Mori raised quickly. Straightening her clothes she said, "Alright, Sifu. There is a lot that still needs to be done for your tea shop's opening. Don't worry, I will tend to Zuko.", swiftly she walked into the kitchen. Iroh smiled at her, his nephew was in good hands, and he could focus on his tea shop a bit.

A while later Zuko woke up. The first thing he saw were two blue orbs looking down on him. Mori's curly black hair hang down towards him and framed her beautiful, but very worried looking face. As she noticed his eyes fluttering open, she smiled slightly. "Hey there,", she greeted him. He felt her cool hand on his forehead. "You're burning up. You have a very high fever. Here, this will help you cool down.", suddenly something cold and wet was where her hand had been.

He wanted to say something like, "Couldn't you just let your hand here?", or something of the effect, maybe something romantic, but all he could say was, "So thirsty."

He tried to sit up, but Mori laid her hand on his torso and softly pushed him back down. Then she put a hand behind his neck and slowly raised his head and shoulders a bit, before she took a cup from a tray on the nightstand and held it onto his lips. He drank the water greedily, then he reached over her to the bucket next to her and drank from that directly. Zuko fell back onto the mattress and Mori pulled the covers onto his sweating form. He heard her say, "There you go. Now rest a bit and sweat it out. I'll be right here by your side.", she ran a hand through his hair and brushed off some sweat from his forehead. Quickly he caught her hand in his and turned to lay on his side, pulling her behind. Mori was surprised and blushed for a moment, but then she cuddled against his back while he held her hand to his chest. She stayed like that until she was sure he was asleep, before she carefully sat up again, a small smile dancing around her lips.

When Zuko woke up again, the smell of tea filled the air. His uncle sat next to him, pouring the tea. Mori was nowhere to be seen. With a raspy, dry voice he said, "Uncle, where's Mori?"

Noticing that his nephew was awake, Iroh smiled at him, "She's sleeping now. Mori cares so much about your health that she forgets her own. She wouldn't leave your side, no matter what I said for the whole night and longer. So, I ushered her to take a rest before she collapses here as well.", he stopped for a moment before he continued, "You should know, that this is not a natural sickness, but that shouldn't stop you from enjoying tea.", he held the cup to Zuko's lips, so he could drink it.

Still confused, the banished prince asked, "What's happening?"

His uncle gave him another cup of tea, "Your critical decision. What you did beneath that lake. It was in such conflict with your image of yourself that you are now at war within your own mind and body."

Zuko coughed and lied back down, "What does that mean?"

As he fell back into sleep, he heard his uncle say, "You are going through a metamorphosis, my nephew. It will not be a pleasant experience, but when you come out of it, you will be the beautiful prince you were always meant to be.", before the old man wiped the sweat from the prince's head.

A few days later Zuko awakened some time after sunrise. To his own surprise he felt good. He looked around and saw Mori sitting next to him, apparently asleep. She looked totally exhausted, she had bags under her eyes and her hair was falling openly onto her shoulders. He watched her a few moments, noticing her new robe. It was longer than the one she had worn before and of better quality, maybe even silk. It was of a light green color and adorned with the stitched pictures of birds and plants. A thought shot through his head, half of his mind thought it ridiculous, but on the other hand, why not? So, he sat up, carefully not to wake her up. As slow as he could he came closer and finally their lips touched. When he felt her stir, Zuko put a hand on her neck and began to deepen the kiss. He felt her eyelids flutter and a soft, surprised moan escaped between their kissing lips. Suddenly she came closer, putting one of her hands behind his head and one on his bare chest, while he hugged her waist with his remaining free arm. This caused them to lose balance and they fell backwards on the bed, Mori all of sudden atop of him. Neither of them broke the kiss though and their breathing became quicker, their hands starting to move on each other's body more and more hastily. As their hips buckled up against one another the banished prince felt his pants tighten. He hadn't planned that much, he just wanted to kiss her awake, but it somehow got out of control. Now her soft moans becoming quicker and quicker were music to his ears, as he began to answer them.

Suddenly Mori stiffened and pulled away, still sitting on him she straightened herself and ran a hand across her mouth. He laid beneath her, staring up into her blue eyes, both still breathing heavily. She grinned at him, "Good Morning", she laughed. Then she put a hand on his forehead, "I think your fever is gone.". Zuko was not going to give up just now and grabbed her hand. He started kissing her fingers, pulling her back down, until he was near enough to kiss her lips again, ignoring her laughter. Then he rolled around, causing her to let out a small, surprised yelp, as she was now laying beneath him. As their eyes locked again, she saw a playful glint in his eyes that she hadn't seen since his banishment. He grinned briefly at her, before he started to kiss her again, pushing her head into the cushion. On a whim his kisses wandered to her neck, he heard her gasp before she grabbed the back of his head, pressing him deeper into her neck. He smiled as it intensified her moans.

As he reached the rim of her dress she suddenly shivered. Mori grabbed his head on both sides and pulled him up to her eye-level, holding him a few inches apart. Out of breath she almost whispered, "Zuko, stop. Please stop.", this caused his smile to vanish.

Did he do something wrong? He searched in her eyes for an answer. His voice raspy and dry he asked, "Mori, what is it? I thought, I mean, when you said that you fell for me too, I thought…", he trailed off, unsure of what to say.

She still held his head firmly. She moved it down, so his ear was next to her lips. Mori hugged his shoulders, smiling, stroking the back of his head, "Shh, it's just, this is getting out of control, and as much as I enjoy it, your uncle is next door, and will probably hear everything if we continue now."

He thought for a moment about this. His first reflex was, so what? What did he care? Then again, how embarrassing it would end for both of them if the old man would walk in on them. With a defeated sigh he rolled to the side until he too laid on his back, next to Mori. Slowly they regained their breath. He heard cloth rustle as she stood up, then suddenly she bowed down to him and kissed him on the cheek, whispering in his ear, "Let's continue this when our Sifu is not at home.", causing him to grin at her as she straightened her clothing and left his room.

A few minutes later the banished prince walked into the kitchen, where his uncle prepared some food. Mori leaned against a small table. "What's that smell?", he asked his uncle.

A little bit startled Iroh answered, "It's jook. I'm sure you wouldn't like it."

Zuko walked over to the pot and smelled on it, "Actually, it smells delicious. I'd love a bowl, uncle.", shocking his uncle and Mori when he held up a bowl.

Raising an eyebrow at his nephew Iroh said, "Now that your fever is gone, you seem different somehow."

The banished prince seemed oblivious to his uncle's questioning undertone, with a previously unknown optimism he said, "It's a new day. We've got a new apartment, new furniture, and today's the grand opening of your new tea shop. Things are looking up, Uncle.", he sat down on the table and started drinking the jook.

"About that,", his uncle began, "I'll have to stay a bit longer at the shop after the opening. Mr. Quon wanted to invite me for dinner to celebrate, so this time, I will be home late.", Zuko's gaze wandered to Mori and met hers. They smiled briefly at each other.

Later that day Mori was helping out the waiters at the Jasmine Dragon while Zuko and Iroh stood at the back of the shop, observing the happenings. Happily, Iroh turned to his nephew, "Who thought when we came to this city as refugees, that I'd end up owning my own tea shop? Follow your passion, Zuko, and life will reward you."

Zuko's gaze wandered briefly to Mori as she made her way between the tables. Then he looked back at his uncle, "Congratulations, Uncle.", he said, smiling at the old man.

"I am very thankful.", Iroh replied.

"You deserve it. The Jasmine Dragon will be the best tea shop in the city.", the banished prince said.

"No. I'm thankful because you decided to share this special day with me. It means more than you know.", his uncle answered, hugging him.

Mori smiled at the sight as Zuko broke away from the hug and said in an energetic manner, "Now let's make these people some tea!"

After a short moment of shock, Iroh agreed, "Yes, let's make some tea!", not minding Mori giggling at him.

A few hours later Iroh closed the tea shop with a content sigh, Mori and Zuko standing a few steps behind him. He couldn't help but notice that both teenagers suddenly seemed in a hurry. Chuckling he approached them and pulled both in a hug, "Thank you, both of you, for sharing this special day with me.", and after he let them go, he added, "I'll go and meet Mr. Quon now. Have a nice evening, you two."

Both teens smiled at each other, then at the old man, before they walked to their apartment. Their pace fastened and fastened until they were basically running the last bit, hastily opening the door before Zuko pushed Mori against the next wall, kissing her while his hands ran down her body. Mori pulled him closer and raised one leg, putting her calf behind his back. Suddenly he pulled away, both breathing heavily. He smiled at her, "Close your eyes.", and when she looked at him questioningly, he added, "Trust me, just for a moment, ok?", with a look between annoyance and amusement Mori did as she was told. She heard him walk away, a door open and some cloth rustling. Then he came back and led her towards his room, her eyes still closed. He hugged her from behind and put his head on her shoulder, "Now you can open them.", he whispered in her ear.

Mori opened her eyes and was stunned for a moment. The whole room was lit in a golden light by several candles. She now understood that the clothing she heard rustling was him firebending to light up those candles. Mori smiled and turned her head, so she could face him, "It looks wonderful, Zuko.", she whispered before she kissed him passionately. Without breaking the kiss, he turned her body around to face him, hugging her tightly. Careful not to run against one of the candles they made their way to the bed. Mori broke the kiss for a moment to let herself fall upon it, undoing her hair when she landed. Grinning up at him she watched as the banished prince began to undress.

Outside of Ba Sing Se, at a Water Tribe camp, 100 AC

The two warriors watched over the bay at night. They had talked for a long time about basically everything that happened in the last two years for either of them. Now they sat for a moment in comfortable silence.

Hakoda turned his head to look at his son. The boy he left two years ago at the South Pole was more and more turning into a man. "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you.", he started when a thought shot through his brain, "Your sister was here a little more than a week ago."

This caught Sokka's attention, Katara hadn't known about the location of the camp before he did, so it must've been… "Mori was here?", he asked, almost whispering. They hadn't heard anything of his elder sister in eleven years and concerning that she was abandoned at the age of five, he honestly had thought that she most likely was already dead.

His father nodded, "She ran into Bato in the lower ring of the city. He was there to buy some supplies and she apparently worked for that merchant. Sadly, she couldn't stay with us. She lives with two guys in and apartment somewhere and she needs to do her part so they can afford the rent. You know her, she wouldn't let them down."

Sokka raised an eyebrow at this, "She's living with two guys, and you just accept that? Aren't you worried that she might run into trouble?"

Hakoda smiled at his son, "Actually not so much as I'm worried that you and your sister run into trouble. She explained that she lives with them for years, if they had bad intentions she would know by now and would've told me."

Sokka acknowledged that. He and Katara travelling with the Avatar made them far more of a target than Mori leading a quiet life in Ba Sing Se. "How is she? Do you think, I could visit her?"

Hakoda looked over the bay, "I think she's good. She was a bit lovesick when she was here, but I think she has managed that in the meantime. I don't have her address, but if you can spare the time, you should be able to find her. The merchant she worked for is a man called Gao, his shop is in the south-western area of the lower ring. Maybe you could start there. I'm sure she will be thrilled to see you."

Sokka smiled as he looked up to the moon over the bay. He missed his sister terribly sometimes.