Author's Note: Hey everyone! Thank you so much for the continuing interest and support for this story. Reviews would be appreciated though. Today, we're going to make a little exception in case of Ming not being on-screen. It will be short though, and not providing us with a lot of information. Just so that we know a little bit more than Zuko and Iroh. And just a quick trigger warning, it's not going to be a beautiful scene, so if you're sensitive to depressing things or something like that, or maybe just sensitive in general, you might want to skip that part. Also, there's going to be a new character introduced and she has a very sad story to tell, it's about mourning and miscarriage and a child not finding her parents, so if you have trouble with that, you may want to skip to the next chapter (as soon as it's online).

Somewhere in an Earth Kingdom Forest, 100 AC

Zuko sat down near a river, a stick in hand, watching for any fish moving in the water. He grimaced as he saw nothing but his own reflection in the nearly clear water. It reminded him of their new status, fugitives. He hated it with every ounce of his body. The rough, green clothing, the camping out in the open, the need to gather food. And of course, his uncle being solely minded of making tea. If the plant he was eyeing earlier turned out to be the deadly poisonous one, half of Zuko's mind wanted to leave the old man behind and just move on.

He ran a hand through his now short black hair and sighed. Ming would never forgive him if he did, and he would not forgive himself as well. Even though the former general could be a nuisance, he was the only family member that still believed in him, and he was grateful for that, although, he wouldn't tell his uncle that. He wondered what his wife would say if she could see him right now. A few weeks ago, he had his ship, his armor, his ponytail. What a contrast to what he was now. He struggled to accept that. Accept that he was now almost helpless. Accept that there was hardly anything he could do regarding her. He and his uncle had to take care of their own survival first.

Hopelessness washed over him like a tsunami. The pendant Ming gave him years ago somehow wriggled itself out of his clothes as he slumped down, covering his face with both hands. Surprised he removed one hand and looked at it, taking the white jade in his hand and stroking it with his thumb. The banished prince smiled, he felt like it was a sign. A sign to keep going, because she would wait for him, no matter how long. He looked back at the streaming water in front of him and saw his young wife for a moment, pictured her in a red dress and with a growing stomach. He heard her laugh, before she whispered, "Don't give up, Zuko. I love you. I need you. We need you."

Zuko didn't know if he was hallucinating or if the wind reminded him of her voice, still, he closed his fist around the pendant and closed his eyes for a moment, whispering, "I know, I need you too.", before he stored the pendant securely under his clothing again. Her picture in the water disappeared, and suddenly he noticed a small movement, right where her face had been. Hastily he stabbed the small fish with his improvised spear. It wasn't much, but at least he got something. With his mood lifted a little, he stood up and headed back to where he left his uncle, he had a feeling that he wouldn't get any other fish.

The old man still sat exactly where he left him, and so he thought, Iroh was most likely still contemplating as to make tea or not. His uncle must've heard him coming, since he spoke to him, "Zuko, remember that plant I thought might be tea?"

The banished prince looked at the former general with wide, shocked eyes, almost whispering, "You didn't…"

His uncle turned around, his whole body was covered in red, swelling marks. The sight was enough to cause his nephew to stagger a few steps back and drop his fishing stick. "I did…", Iroh admitted, "and it wasn't. When the rash spreads to my throat, I will stop breathing. But look what I found.", ´the old man's mood suddenly turned bright, as he held out a branch with a few reddish berries towards his nephew, "These are bacui berries, known to cure the poison of the white jade. That, or maka'ole berries that cause blindness."

Furiously, Zuko grabbed the stick and threw it into the bushes, "We're not taking any more chances with these plants! We need to get help.", he grimaced. The banished prince knew that Ming was somehow familiar with herbs. If she only was there to help them.

His uncle was meanwhile scratching his rash, "But where are we going to go? We're enemies of the Earth Kingdom and fugitives from the Fire Nation."

Zuko thought about it for a moment, "If the Earth Kingdom discovers us, they'll have us killed."

"But if the Fire Nation discovers us, we'll be turned over to Azula.", his uncle added.

Both men then shared a knowing look, nodded and walked in the same direction, "Earth Kingdom it is."

Caldera, Fire Nation, 100 AC

Ming laid on her thin mattress. She was sure, she looked like a crying mess, and that was probably an accurate description of the state she was in. The room around her, the cage around her, everything was dark, as not a single candle would light up the night. Sobbing she pulled her blanket upwards, she was freezing in the cold night air that entered the room through the small window. Shivering she raised her hand until it went under the small roll that served her as a cushion. She closed it around the small package that she hid there. I love you too, Zuko. I wish you were here. A small smile crept on her face between the tear stains. It shattered when her hand moved over her stomach. Hopelessness, sadness, mourning, everything washed over her, over and over again. I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry, she thought as more and more sobs continued to shake her chest violently.

Ming's sobbing stopped abruptly as the door to her room was opened and a small light was carried inside. With wide eyes she remained in her laying position, facing the wall. She didn't want to see who was coming. The cold, icy voice of her captor filled the room even though it was calm and almost emotionless as always, "Have you settled in yet?", Ming didn't answer, though she was inwardly happy that the little package was well hidden. "At least turn around and face me, peasant!", the voice demanded, slightly angry.

"What do you want?", Ming asked, her voice almost as calm as her captor's, "If you came to kill me then do it already, I'm not going to beg for anything only for your amusement."

"I thought you would be more emotional, after all, you had little time to cope with everything.", her captor's voice dripped into her ears like poison, "From your words I take you don't want to suffer, do you?", Ming was silent, she closed her eyes, trying to keep that poison out of her head, "Listen, peasant, I'm going to leave the nation for some time, I've brought you a farewell present. It would be to both of our advantages if you'd use it."

Something was thrown into the cage, it landed softly. Ming didn't turn around as her captor left the room. Then she slowly sat up and looked what her so-called present was. In the moonlight she saw what it was and gasped, it was a white silk.

Somewhere in the Earth Kingdom, in a Village Hospital, 100 AC

Zuko sat on a bench, a conical hat throwing a shadow on the upper half of his scarred face. He had crossed his arms over his chest as he watched a nurse treat his uncle's rash. She must've been about his age, she had dark brown hair that was kept in a long braid and dark eyes, almost black. For a moment he saw black orbs in front of him, not Song's, but Ming's. Their brim was red from crying and a single tear fell; sorrow plastered all over them. The nurse's voice ripped him from the short daydream, "You two must not be from around here. We know better than to touch the White Jade, much less make it into tea and drink it.", she said calmly as she shooed Iroh's hand away as the old man tried to scratch his rash, "So, where are you traveling from?"

Still a bit distracted, the banished prince quickly retorted, "Yes, we're travelers."

"Do you have names?", the girl inquired.

"Names?", Zuko almost stuttered, "Of course we have names. I'm, uh … Lee and this is my uncle, uh … Mushi?"

His uncle shot him a disapproving glare at the made-up name. Smiling at the nurse, the former general added, "Yes, my nephew was named after his father, so we just call him Junior.", he grinned at his nephew who looked at him angrily, moving his hand across his throat in a cutting motion. Hastily he moved it behind his head when Song turned around.

"Mushi and Junior, huh. My name is Song. You two look like you could use a good meal. Why don't you stay for dinner?", she asked.

Zuko looked away, he had spent enough time here. He already felt like incredibly slowed down by the fact that they had to travel on foot, and the thought of Ming's pregnancy felt to him like a deadline he had to meet, "Sorry, but we need to move on.", he answered quickly, not wanting to go into detail with a stranger.

Song smiled innocently, "That's too bad. My mom always makes too much roast duck."

Zuko's eyes widened in shock. He knew what would happen before his uncle opened his mouth, "Where do you live exactly?", the old man asked excitingly.

Later that evening he and his uncle were indeed guests of Song and her mother. He wondered how his uncle could eat so much. It wasn't like he himself didn't eat anything, but the former general was at least on his third plate. Song's mother seemingly took great pleasure in that while her daughter was adamant about making small talk. He stayed largely quiet; he had other things on his mind and the fact that they sat here and wasted time small talking while the avatar a.k.a. the last hope he had of returning home was who knows where in this vast country and while who knows what was happening to his wife. He wondered where she was at the moment. If she was okay, how the child was, how she was coping with all of it. He closed his eyes for a moment and then excused himself. He needed some fresh air.

The scarred teen sat down on the front porch. A small noise told him that the door was opened again, "Can I join you?", Song asked quietly, "I know what you've been through. We've all been through it. The Fire Nation has hurt you.", she reached out to touch his scar, but he caught her wrist before she could reach it. That was only allowed to one person, and that person was in the Fire Nation for all he knew. He had a short flashback to one of their last shared nights. He laid on his back, Ming next to him. She gently put many small kisses on the scarred side of his face. As he turned to her and asked why, she would only laugh, at a joke she wouldn't tell him. He hadn't ask further, just let her do whatever made her happy. Maybe he should've asked. Anyway, no one was allowed to touch his scar. Especially not this almost stranger. "It's okay. They've hurt me too.", she pulled up her pants on one leg and showed him her own burn scars.

He stared at her, shocked. Then he looked to the side guiltily. Almost whispering he said, "I'm sorry. It's just, up until now, only one person was allowed to touch it. She means a lot to me, and I-I can't see her right now, probably never again.", his voice in a dark, sad tone.

"Your girlfriend or something? What happened? Where is she? Is she hurt?", Song inquired curiously, but not without empathy.

"Yeah, my … girlfriend. I just hope she's alright.", he said almost whispering. Song looked at him empathically, but he looked away. For a moment there was an awkward silence between them. Then the door opened, and his uncle's voice saved him from any more talking.

"Thank you for the duck. It was excellent.", he told Song's mother.

Flattered the middle-aged woman answered, "You're welcome. It brings me pleasure to see someone eat my cooking with such … gusto."

"Much practice.", Iroh laughed while patting his stomach. Meanwhile Zuko stood up and began to walk away. "Junior, where are your manners? You need to thank these nice people."

The banished prince sighed inwardly, then he turned around and bowed before Song and her mother, "Thank you."

The young nurse called after him, "I know you don't think there's any hope left in the world, but there is hope. The Avatar has returned."

Zuko did not turn around. Bitterly he said, "I know.". As the door was closed behind the two women he spotted an ostrich-horse and untied the animal. Maybe they could travel a little bit faster after all. He mounted it and steered it over to his uncle.

Suddenly he stopped for a moment, looking around him. He felt like he just heard the voice of a little girl. He couldn't put a face on it, still part of him felt like he knew the person, Ming? Then again it was not her voice, not even that she had as a child. There was no child nearby, he was pretty sure of that, but he heard someone or something say, "That's not very nice." , in a taunting, childish tone. The words were as clear as day not the wind and it scared him to the core. What was going on here? Then he shook his head. Maybe just the rest of a conscience he still had.

The voice of his uncle drew his attention away, "What are you doing?", the old man asked, "These people just showed you great kindness."

He replied roughly, "They're about to show us a little more kindness. It's not like I have no time pressure.", after he heard the bodiless voice, he wanted to leave this place even faster. Reluctantly, Iroh joined him on the animal, and they rode away.

A few weeks later they both sat on a straw mat in what felt like the hundredth village they passed, the stolen ostrich-horse laying next to them. Zuko felt utterly humiliated by the whole situation. Especially since they were begging the passerbys for spare money. For him, it was all a waste of time and his uncle turned once again out to be a complete embarrassment, even dancing and singing for a few coins, nothing was below his limit. The only thing interesting to him was a cart with masks, one of them being that of the Blue Spirit.

But for now, he only grew a headache, the more his uncle was singing. A part of it may also been caused by his increasing insomnia. He didn't sleep that much, and when he did, his sleep was often riddled by nightmares. His uncle had said it wasn't unheard of and that it might be due to their hardships traveling, the malnutrition, dehydration or just because the thought of becoming a father was wrecking his nerves, given the history he had with his own father. But he felt like there was more to it. Every now and then he heard the ominous laughter, but never did he see the child it belonged to. He heard it sometimes even when they were riding on one of the lonely dirt roads, where he was sure there was no one at all. He sighed, maybe he was just going mad and that was it.

Suddenly his gaze shot upwards, and his eyes widened, there it was again, the giggling voice. He looked around, but only adults were around them. He tried to calm himself down. You're in a village, there are probably plenty of children around. Then the voice began to sing what frightened him even more than the laughter, he knew the song, "Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall… Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall… Four Seasons, four loves… Four Seasons for love.", with this child-like voice. He shuddered. He remembered the last time he heard it, the night when Zhao took his crew. Music night, Ming in high spirits, laying down next to him, singing, two fingers dancing across his chest, her smile, her kiss… In this moment he felt all alone, even though he knew, his uncle sat next to him.

Shaking these thoughts from his mind he elbowed his uncle slightly, confused, the former general looked at him questioningly. He whispered, "Uncle, do you hear that?"

His uncle raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"This song, the song of the four seasons, the one you sang on our last music night on the ship. Can't you hear it? There's a child singing it.", he whispered.

Iroh shook his head, "I don't hear anyone singing, I'm sorry. And who should sing that here? It's a Fire Nation song. No one's singing that here.", worriedly he looked over to his nephew. Maybe his mind was playing him tricks? He wondered what that meant.

Later that night Zuko left their makeshift campsite in a cave and returned to the village. Quickly he found the cart with the masks and grabbed it without anybody noticing. Then he went to look for the man who made his uncle dance and sing earlier. He didn't have swords yet, but that would soon change.

A few days later he was about to return from one of his heists as the Blue Spirit. He walked through the forest, careful not to make a sound until he had hidden the mask. But just as he knelt down to store it away in a hollow trunk, there was something behind him. He felt it. A shadow, maybe on knee-height, rustling through the bushes. An animal, he thought, but then he heard the laughter again. He wanted to shout at the child, ask who's there, why it was mocking him, but he couldn't yell, not when his uncle was close, and he still had the mask on and the swords in his hands. So, he assumed a defensive stance, trying to scare the child away, wherever it was. But the giggle continued unimpressed. It seemed to come from his left, so he walked over, only to hear it from right behind him. His eyes widened and he turned towards it. Even more laughter. Then it came from his side again, "Booh!", he jumped as it came from behind the trunk all of sudden. This continued for a few moments, the child obviously found it very funny to mock him. At some point he had enough. He stored the mask and the swords away, ignoring the child, before he turned around viciously and raised his voice, "Enough! Who are you? Show yourself!"

The first thing he heard was giggling, but it sounded fading in the wind. His eyes widened a bit as he heard the voice again, but getting all but quiet quickly, "No… I … can't… Sorry…"

He wasn't sure, but that voice reminded him of his wife, his wife that should be in the Fire Nation. A single tear ran down his face as he whispered, "Ming? Is that you?", the answer was a short, "No…", before the voice disappeared and the small noises of the forest, that had disappeared for a while, came back. Zuko let himself fall to his knees, for a long moment he buried his face in his hands and let out a long sob. He wanted to scream, yell at the universe for being like it was, but he couldn't. Not when somebody could hear him, and he would've to explain himself. Then he took a few deep breaths before he took up the baskets of food that he had stolen up again and walked back to the cave where his uncle was waiting. He sat them down in front of the old man, who looked at him questioningly.

"Where did you get these?", the former general asked.

Zuko responded angrily, "What does it matter where they came from?"

As he began to eat the cupcakes that the scarred teen brought, Iroh asked, "What's bothering you, nephew?", earning himself an angry and confused look.

"Everything! Everything is bothering me! The Avatar is who knows where, I have no means to find him, and so, I have no means to ever return home to my father, my throne, my country, my wife, my child! We have to struggle every day to make it, doing humiliating things over and over again and on top of that I cannot get that stupid voice out of my head!", the banished prince ranted.

"What voice?", his uncle asked.

Zuko sighed, "That voice that sung the song of the four seasons. It's following me since we had to stop at that hospital. It's laughing at me, giggling, mocking me, comment on what I'm doing… I don't know why, I don't even know the voice, nor do I know any child around that age.", frustrated he let himself fall next to his uncle. "Uncle, am I losing my mind?"

The old man seemed worried, he thought about everything for a moment, then he said, "Maybe you've attracted a child spirit. These spirits often search for something and known for staying around people where they feel close to. Don't worry, it should go away after some time."

The prince shot his uncle a glare, "Maybe it was attracted to you."

Iroh chuckled, "Maybe, but I don't think so, since I didn't see or hear anything."

A few days later Iroh returned to their hideout in the cave to find that his nephew had already returned. Several new possessions stood on the sandy ground, including a golden tea set. He inspected it closer, "Looks like you did some serious shopping. But where did you get the money?"

Zuko replied roughly, "Do you like your new teapot?"

His uncle frowned slightly, "To be honest with you, the best tea tastes delicious whether it comes in a porcelain pot or a tin cup. I know we've had some difficult times lately. We've had to struggle just to get by. But it's nothing to be ashamed of. There is a simple honor in poverty."

The scarred teen looked downwards for a long moment, then he raised his gaze, "There is no honor for me without the Avatar."

"Zuko…", Iroh sighed, "Even if you did capture the Avatar, I'm not so sure it would solve your problems. Not now."

The banished prince grimaced, "Then there is no hope at all.", he wanted to stand up, but was held back by his uncle's hand on his shoulder.

"No, Zuko! You must never give in to despair. Allow yourself to slip down that road and you surrender to your lowest instincts. In the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength.", Iroh said wisely, but with a slightly raised voice. Zuko turned and looked at him sadly.

"But Ming…", he started, "I promised her to come back. And the child…"

Iroh's expression softened, "I'm not saying you shouldn't be worried. There are a lot of things that can happen to both of them, but in our situation, there is no way we can change any of it. I would like to run into the capital and get her out too, but it would only prove a suicide mission, and just think of the despair this would turn her in. No, we have to wait for an opening and meanwhile survive ourselves. Hopefully, she will be alright. Ming is stronger than you give her credit for, you will see each other again, I'm sure.", Zuko closed his eyes, then he ripped himself free from his uncle's hand and headed into the forest.

He wandered the woods aimlessly, thinking about what his uncle said. Of course, he was right. If he stormed headfirst into the Fire Nation, even if just for a few days to free Ming, it would most likely end in a reinstated death penalty. He couldn't think of any way that would lead to her freedom and them being both healthy and safe from his father. That was another problem. Where should they go? Even if he managed to free her somehow. He didn't even have a place to stay, not to mention a regular income or a safe food source. This life was not good at all for regular people, not to mention a pregnant woman. No, it would probably harm her and the child. Maybe if he could find a safe place to stay and all of the other things, and then somehow rescue her and bring her there. But he would need to find a place where the Fire Nation would not find them by any chance. Impossible. He let his head drop, he had been right earlier, there was no hope. All of sudden he felt something tug on his clothing. It felt like a small hand, a child wanting his attention. He looked down to where the child should be, but saw nothing, just the fabric being clenched together and tugged on. His eyes went wide. This was definitely not in his mind. He blinked a few times, before he remembered how his tongue worked, he spoke in a whispering tone, almost choking on the words, "Uhm, hi… "

He heard the familiar giggling, "Hi! Why are you sad?", the voice was stronger than before, no fading at all. Like there really was a child, just invisible. He was taken aback by that and by her question. Then he thought about what he should do now, what would Ming do? After a long moment of thinking he sat down, so he would be on one level with the little spirit, hopefully. It was difficult to say in regard to someone you didn't see at all.

"I've got a lot of reasons. But I'm not telling everybody about it, it's more of a private nature.", he said, thinking that most of his problems were too much for a child.

"Hmhm…", he heard, "I've got problems too. Problems of private nature.", she said tauntingly.

"What makes you think that I care? I don't even know who you are.", he tried to shoo the little spirit away.

"You see, that's my first problem, I don't know, who I am.", she said in a childish serious tone. Zuko stared at the air in front of him in disbelief.

"How do you not know who you are?", he asked.

"Well,", the little voice continued, "I was never given a name, and I was not acknowledged. I mean, on my grave, the inscription where my name and those of my parents should be, it's empty.", the voice now went sadder and sadder. Zuko felt empathy rise within him, he felt the need to hug this child, but that would be hard, concerning it was a spirit. "I don't know what happened or who they are. There is only so much I remember, my mother's voice, another voice that maybe was my father, then again, maybe not. And then there was pain, my mother screaming and then I was in the spirit world. There was a big spirit, it told me that I died before I was born and that I should take the form of a child, so I could walk. And then I began my search, because If you don't know who you are, you cannot enter the part of the spirit world where dead people normally go. Without knowing who you are, your soul is lost and must wander around forever. At least until you find out who you are. But how should I find out who I am if I don't even know who my parents are?", he heard the small voice sob and moments later the spirit was crying. Zuko felt his heart break. He knew the feeling of being rejected by a parent.

Helplessly he stared at the air in front of him, wondering what he should do. Then he said, "Hey, little one, it's going to be okay.", but the crying wouldn't stop. Unsure of how to provide her some solace, he asked, "Do you want a hug?", at least that helped when Ming cried, he thought. The crying subsided to a sniffle for a moment, then something cold crashed into his tunic, clenching it with small hands. This is completely crazy, he thought as he carefully placed a hand on where he assumed the child's head would be. To his surprise he could feel cold locks of hair beyond his fingers. He stroked them softly. After a while, the little spirit let go of his tunic and apparently seated herself in his lap, at least he assumed so, judging from the unnatural cold and the feeling of her little body sitting on his thigh.

"So, you're searching for your parents?", he asked.

"Yes, of course. I want to know who I am; I want to know if they love me, and if not, then why. I want to tell my mother it's alright. And most of all, I want my dad to care and give me a name.", the little voice answered.

A small smile crept around Zuko's lips, "I guess, I have an idea how you feel. I also don't want my father to think I'm worthless.", they stayed quiet for a while, then he asked, "So, that's why you're here? I mean, with me? Because we share that feeling?"

"I don't know exactly.", the little spirit said, "You just felt like, like I know you, somehow. Like I could trust you. Although the first thing I saw from you was bad, you've proven that you're not evil, at least to me. Rather, like a small bird that must learn how to fly. Like you just need someone to shove you a bit. And I thought, maybe that bird would pick me up and show me what I'm searching for too."

"That song you sang earlier, of the four seasons, why did you sing it? How do you even know it?", Zuko asked, not wanting to dive too much into the metaphor the little spirit just used. He didn't want a four-years-old uncle Iroh to talk to.

The voice of the child got sadder again, "It is one of the few things I remember from when I was alive, inside of my mother. Normally, children forget about the most of things that happen until they're like almost three years old, but since I became a spirit so early, I do remember. I remember my mother's voice, singing it. And then there was a warm hand above me, it didn't feel like my mother, maybe it was my dad. It makes me feel closer to them. Why are you crying?", she asked abruptly changing to a curious tone.

He blinked a few times; he hadn't noticed the tears himself. "I-I… The thing is, there's someone very close to me, I remember her singing the same song."

"But isn't that good? Can I meet her? Maybe she knows something about my parents.", the little spirit said excitedly.

The banished prince shook his head and wiped the tears away, "I guess you could meet her, but I don't know where she is."

"You love her.", it was not a question, rather a statement. The little spirit was good at observing.

"Yes,", he admitted, "I love her very much, and I'm worried about her, more than I can't tell.", he chuckled lightly, "You know, when we parted, I didn't know at the time, but, well, we're going to have a child soon, and if I don't make it in time, bad people will take it from her."

"So, you have to hurry up and save her!", the child spirit said demandingly.

"I'm afraid, that's not so easy.", Zuko almost whispered.

"Oh, sorry.", the child apologized, "I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay, you didn't know.", he tried to calm her down, again, stroking the invisible, cold locks of hair beyond his hand.

"Maybe I can help? I could go looking for her! What's her name? How does she look?", the spirit offered in an energetic voice.

Surprised the banished prince stared at the air in front of him. "You would? I mean, that'd be great. But please don't scare her, okay?"

"Okay, I'll try my best not to scare her.", the child sounded happier again.

"Her name is Ming, she's the daughter of the late admiral Zhao. She has light skin, black eyes and curly, black hair, and the most beautiful smile…", he started to describe her, but was interrupted by the spirit, "That's enough. I should be able to find her with that. If you can help me, find out who I am, maybe I could become a guardian angel for your child! Would you like that?"

He smiled, "I would like that very much, thank you."

Then he felt the weight on his thigh subside, "Okay, bye Zuko."

He smiled for a moment, whispering, "Bye, little one.", before he stood up and wiped his tears away. What did she say? A little bird that needs to learn how to fly? Maybe he should continue his journey alone, he felt like the weight of his uncle literally held him down.

Caldera, 100 AC, a few days later

Ming laid in the small room like she always did, facing the stone wall. Her mind seemed blank, as she stared at each brick, counting them for the thousandth time. It was one of the few distractions she had. Whenever a different thought crossed her mind, sobs would immediately start to shake her chest. It was deep in the night when suddenly a blue light appeared in front of her, between her and the wall. It slowly formed into a figure.

She stared at the little, blue girl in front of her. It had curly hair that reached past her chin, and she wore the clothing of a Fire Nation noble or princess. It was hard to tell the difference, since there was no color to her but the transparent blue of a spirit. The girl laid her face down in the hand, Ming had laid on her cushion. She seemed to cuddle right into it, smiling at the shocked teen in front of her.

"Hello!", she greeted her happily, "Please don't be scared."

Ming's lips slowly turned into a smile, a move they hadn't done for months, almost silently she said, "Hello little one. What a pleasant surprise."

Now the girl seemed to be shocked, "Wait, you, you can see me? Like actually see me?"

Ming's smile widened, "Yes, you didn't intend that?"

"It never happened to me before, only one person heard me, but no one so far has seen me.", the little spirit said, clearly perplexed.

"Well, there's always a first time. Don't worry, you're the cutest little girl I've seen.", Ming said. She didn't know if this was real, or if her mind was playing her tricks, but that was no reason to be mean to that child spirit, at least it could be real. "Now, why are you here, little one?"

A short giggle followed, and the child cuddled deeper into her palm, "He said you'd be nice. Your name is Ming, isn't it?"

Ming nodded, "Who said that?"

"The man who could hear me. I offered him to search for you and he said your name is Ming, daughter of admiral Zhao and that you have light skin, black eyes, curly, black hair and the most beautiful smile.", the little spirit repeated what Zuko had told her. "He loves you very much and he's very worried about you and your child. So, I offered to search for you, because he can't come himself to save you."

"What is his name?", Ming asked, she needed confirmation.

"Zuko, he's traveling with an old man called Iroh.", the spirit told her.

"How is he? I mean, is he well? How is his situation?", maybe this little spirit could provide her with a bit more information.

"Well, they're currently fugitives, no home, rarely any money. As far as I can tell, live is pretty hard at the time and there is some danger behind them. But I've not seen it yet. At night he puts on the mask of a dark spirit and steals supplies, so that he and the old man have enough to eat. He almost always seems angry at something; he feels utterly helpless because there's only so much, he can do about you and about the Avatar. But I guess he'll have to come to terms with that over time. Still, I think, he'd do anything to save you if he has the chance to.", the little spirit added the last sentence as she saw the woman in front of her starting to cry.

"I'm not crying because of myself, don't worry, little one.", Ming said as tears glistened in her eyes, "It's… I know he's struggling to find his path, and I cannot be with him. I just miss him so much and I'm terribly afraid that he might reject me, should we meet again."

A little blue hand moved to her cheek, attempting to brush the tears away, but failing to do so. "But I told you, he loves you very much. Why are you afraid he might reject you?"

The expression on Ming's face couldn't decide which way to go. She was touched by the little spirit's innocence, but also wanted to cry. She ended up smiling, but the smile deteriorated into a grimace, and she bit her lip not to cry out loud, "He told you, that we'd have a child, yes?", the little girl nodded, "Well,", she continued, "We're not going to.", the child raised an eyebrow, "I-I've lost it, I couldn't protect it. Our daughter died within me. I don't even know where her grave is."

The little spirit's mouth hung open, almost silently she asked, "When was that?"

Ming sobbed, the tears had finally won, and her expression showed nothing but pain, "A few weeks ago, maybe a little bit over a month. It's hard to track the time in here. Why?"

Gears were running wild in the little spirit's head, "What happened? How did it die?"

Ming took a deep breath before answering, "One day my captor came into my room, she was furious because she learned that I was expecting. I begged for her to leave it alone, I said, you can kill me as soon as it's born, I don't care, but don't hurt my child. But… But it didn't help. She threw me to the floor and started kicking me, here…", she raised her brown tunic a bit and the spirit could see that her body was partly bandaged, and that her stomach was flat and riddled with bruises in all colors, "She only stopped once I laid in my own blood, and it was clear to everyone that I'd miscarry. That my child was dead. She broke three of my ribs in the process, but at that moment I didn't feel that I just couldn't cope with my child being taken from me. You know, it was already fully formed, just too small to live, only as big as the palm of my hand. A doctor checked on me and I was transferred here the same day. A few weeks ago, she left me here with a white silk, so I'd hang myself with it. But I won't. I refuse to let her win."

Something clicked inside the little spirit's head, hesitantly she asked, "I died withing my mother, so I remember only a few things. But there's a song I do remember my mother singing, the song of the four seasons. Zuko told me you know it too; would you sing it to me?"

Ming's expression changed into a sad smile again, "Of course.", and she began to sing. It was not that long, but about halfway through the song, she noticed that tears began to stream down the spirit's face. So, she cupped the blue cheeks and stroke the tears away, or at least, attempted to do so, since skin to skin contact with a spirit was difficult.

After she ended, the spirit's bottom lip trembled, it was silent for a long moment, then the spirit threw itself at her, hugging her with its small arms, blue hands clenching into her brown tunic. She stroke through the little one's locks like she would do with a real child in an attempt to soothe it, then she heard it speak between sobs, "I knew your voice sounded familiar…", the child clenched even closer to her, "Mommy". Ming too understood and hugged the spirit tighter.

Both laid there for what felt like an eternity, before they let each other go. "So,", the little spirit asked curiously, "Zuko's actually my Dad?"

Ming nodded, "Yes, he is.", a smile spread on her face.

"So, all I have to do is ask him for my name?", the child inquired further.

Ming thought about it for a moment, "If you don't mind, I would ask you not to tell him right now. I know you want to know who you are, but I'm afraid, in his current situation, the thought of us gives him hope and drive. If we shatter that… That's not helping to say the least. Also, he cannot visit your grave to inscribe your name on it, at the moment. What I want to say is, if you see him again, don't tell him how bad our situation is. Tell him I'm not treated good, that will worry him enough, and don't tell him about your fate. I'm afraid it would break him to know the truth."

The child looked at her questioningly, "Why?"

Ming chuckled and sat up, immediately the spirit sat down in her lap and cuddled up to her. She reached under her cushion and took a small package out, "You said he loves me very much, and I hope that that's true, but he also loves you, maybe even more.", she slowly and carefully opened the package, it contained two reddish-brown baby boots with golden dragons stitched on them, "You see, when he was told about you, he went out of his way to send me these for you."

The little spirit stared at the boots, then she ran a small hand over them and giggled. Then she looked up into her mother's smiling face, "They're so cute and also soft.", and with tears in her eyes she added, "I wish I could've worn them."

"I wish so too.", Ming said, "So, you see, he loves you a lot, have a little mercy with him."

"I'll try.", the child said, making her mother chuckle. "Mommy?"

"Yes?", Ming said, stroking the spirit's blue hair.

"Earlier you said, you're afraid he might reject you. But you love each other, so, why would he do that?", the little spirit asked.

Her mother's smile turned sadder, and she closed her eyes, "It is not uncommon, especially amongst the nobles of our country that a miscarriage is seen as a bad omen, a stain on the family tree, especially if it is the first child, and thus, the woman is often divorced. Scorned and discarded for the rest of her life. Many then retreat to a convent or something. I know, Zuko probably wouldn't. He has a good heart, but even good-hearted people can be led to bad decisions, due to their circumstances. Let's say, it'd not be unheard of."

"I'm sure he wouldn't do that.", the child said passionately. "I'll think of what I'll tell him best and then visit him. Do you think it'd be okay if I visit you again, once in a while?"

"I would like that very much, little one.", Ming said, smiling at the spirit.

"Okay, thank you mommy.", and with that, the small spirit vanished, waving its little hand at her mother.

Ming leaned back against the bars of the cage, smiling while tears ran down her face. Then she got up, for the first time in weeks. For a moment she thought about what she should do. First, she picked up the white silk and folded it in an orderly fashion, placing it next to her mattress. Then she began to think of a simple training routine, so, if her husband came to save her, she would be ready.