Chapter 21: The Wilderness

Sitting by the fire, I stared into the cave where Zuko and Iroh were still sleeping away. They were exhausted from the previous day, and I decided it was best to let them sleep. The cave we found was much smaller than our first, so we were forced to pack together inside overnight. In the morning, when the sun rose, I was uncomfortable with the tight space and managed to ease my way out of the rocky shelter.

The morning consisted of me gathering wood, catching fish from a stream about a mile from the campsite, and returning to cook the fish over a fire. The fire took me a little effort, especially since I was used to already having fire starter stones back in the South Pole. I had to find some new dry stones that would create the proper friction to ignite the wood. When fire finally began to eat at the logs though, I smiled with delight. Sokka would be proud of my wilderness skills.

Of course, I knew I could've waited for one of the two firebenders to start the fire, but where was the challenge in that?

The fish was cooking well. I'd managed to catch three, and stabbed them through with a stick to hold them over the flames. They were beginning to turn a crisp tint by the time Iroh awoke from his long sleep. When he emerged from the cave, he was puzzled to see me turning the three fish over the fire.

"Crystal… You set all of this up?"

I looked over at his sleepy face with a small smile. "Yeah… I thought we all could use some breakfast after such a long day yesterday." Pulling the fish back, I placed them on the sheet of bark I had yanked off of a tree earlier. The fish steamed and looked done. I'd already taken the skin off the fish and threw it in the fire before I'd begun cooking, so the food was ready to be consumed.

"They're done… I know it's not Jiho's cooking, but hopefully it will fill you-"

He interrupted me. "It's fine, Crystal." He picked up a fish from off the bark and sat on the ground beside me. "Thank you for looking out for us."

I shrugged, reaching for my own fish. The meat was hot, but not burning to the touch. "I'm used to stuff like this. I mean, usually I have pots to use for cooking, but I know how to use a stick and a fire pretty well." I took a bite of my fish, glad it didn't taste too horrible. It was bland without seasoning, but it was edible. "I wish there was more I could do though…"

"You've done plenty already." He looked over at me with compassion. "Why don't you go wash up after you finish eating… I saw a waterfall over the hill yesterday."

Nodding, I decided not to argue with him. A nice wash up would be kind of great. When I finished eating my fish, I told Iroh I'd be back as soon as I was freshened up. Leaving the campsite, I made my way through the forest towards the direction Iroh had pointed out to me. As I walked, I looked down at my dress with a grimace. There was dirt, mud, and grass stains plastered all over my outfit. My rough housing with Azula the other night also caused a few tears in the fabric. My skin also had cuts and bruises from the violent collision with Zuko's crazy sister.

When I finally arrived at the waterfall Iroh spoke of, I saw the area had formed a good sized pool. Water fell from the top of a massive rock, and the water collecting in the pool streamed off into smaller creaks. Rocks jutted out of the water, and swan-geese waded out in the shaded areas. Taking off my shoes, I lightly placed my foot in the water testing the temperature. There was a chill, but I knew once I got in my body would adjust.

Taking off my dress, I immediately grimaced at the pain shooting through my muscles and back. Every part of me felt bruised, and I knew what the best remedy would be. In my white chest wrapping and shorts, I carefully waded out into the pool making sure I kept footing on the rocks beneath me. Once the water was at my shoulders, I shut my eyes concentrating on the cool element around me. The liquid danced against my skin and soaked inside as I allowed the particles to heal my cuts and bruises. The water turned warm as it sunk deeper into my muscles loosening the tightness and giving my aches relief. Opening my eyes, I saw a blue glow was around my lower body as the element eased the damage that Azula had inflicted on me. When the last of my pain faded, I sighed with relief and the glow dimmed away until it was no more.

I wonder what Katara would think if she saw my healing abilities…

At the thought, I crouched lower in the water letting the liquid go up to my neck. My hair floated around me as I thought back to the day Katara learned she was a waterbender.

"Sokka!" I whined, jumping up and down as I tried to grab the shell bracelet from his hand. My five year old form was no match for his five year old form. He was taller than me, even though we were twins. "Give it to me!"

He giggled, saying, "You have to try harder than that Crys!" He stood more on his tiptoes trying to avoid my reach. Our four year old sister Katara cried behind me, upset that we were fighting again.

"Sokka! I'm going to tell mom!" Katara jumped up and down and her cries only increased. "You're such a bully!"

Sokka jerked the bracelet behind his back then, saying, "Such a tattle-tale!"

Katara stomped her foot. "No I'm not."

I ran around Sokka to try and grab the bracelet, but he turned around causing me to miss his hand. He turned back to Katara. "Yes you are! You always go running to mommy!" He stepped back then, dangling the bracelet playfully and saying, "You want the bracelet back, then you come and get it. Stop sending Crys and be a big girl."

I pouted. "Sokka! You're not being nice!"

Katara cried more. "Give it to me, Sokka! Daddy gave it to me, not you!"

Sokka took another step back. "Nah nah ne nah nah nah," he mocked. "Come and get it!"

Katara lost her temper then. She screamed and stomped her foot on the ground. Ice shot from her boot towards Sokka, and he shrieked as suddenly the snow around his feet hardened. He was immediately trapped in place by ice, and cried, "What happened?!"

Katara stopped crying, her eyes wide with amazement. I looked at the ice path that trailed from her foot to Sokka's feet. Katara beamed with delight at her new abilities. "I'm a waterbender! I'm a waterbender!" She jumped up and down with excitement, while both Sokka and I looked at her in bewilderment. She raced over to Sokka, grabbing the bracelet from his hand as he stood frozen in shock.

"That's mine," she said with a smile. Then she giggled and raced back to our family hut to tell mom and Gran-Gran. As she went, both Sokka and I watched her go with our jaws dropped.

I smiled at the memory, shutting my eyes and wishing I could relive it again. Those times were always so fun and wild. My siblings and I would fight all the time, but at the end of the day we loved each other.

Love… I loved them so much… Did they still love me, their traitor of a sister?

Were my brother and sister still at the North Pole? Were they traveling with the Avatar again? I hated not knowing where they were or how they were… Did they feel the same about me?

The thought made me frown. I looked down at the water and stared at my reflection as it rippled from the moving water. They probably hated me… I betrayed them…

The sound of a twig snapping caused me to come out of my reverie quickly. Turning around, I gasped at the intruder who was standing at the edge of the pond. He held up his hands quickly in defense, and I realized then I'd taken up some water to fling it at him. When I realized my intruder was just Zuko, I felt my pounding heart calm.

Dropping the water back in the pool, I exclaimed, "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

He stared at me with surprise, and then his face went red. "I- I didn't mean to scare you. Uncle said you'd wandered off this way. I thought I'd come and check on you… I… I didn't know you were…" His voice faded as he looked at my figure which was standing in waist deep water. My hair clung to my bare shoulders dripping wet, and I realized then just how much skin I was showing. I gasped and immediately backed back up into the deeper water to hide my body.

Iroh told him to come this way? Did the old man set us up or something?

Zuko brushed a hand on his very short hair, flustered, "You shouldn't be exposing yourself like that… Anyone could walk by!"

I blushed and backed up some more. "I wasn't exposing myself intentionally. I didn't know you would show up. I thought you were still asleep!"

He stepped closer to the water, but I could see he was trying to look anywhere but at me. "You're going to catch a cold."

Rolling my eyes, I crossed my arms in front of me. "If I didn't catch a cold back at the North Pole when I was walking around without shoes, I don't think a little pond is going to make me sick. You have nothing to worry about."

"Will you please come out and put your clothes back on."

His comment made me blush harder. "It's not like I'm naked! You walked around half dressed back on the ship all the time!"

"That's different!"

"How is that different?"

"I'm a guy! It's perfectly normal to walk around without a shirt!"

"And I'm a girl who is still covering what needs to be covered. I see no difference!"

"There is a difference!" He ran a hand over his face. "Please don't make me explain it to you."

"You're being ridiculous, Zuko. It's not like I have that much I need to hide anyway!"

My words only made Zuko look at me with surprise. He went to say something but his words didn't escape him in enough time. My foot suddenly hit a spot in the pond where the floor dropped off, and I shrieked as I lost my footing and fell back. My whole body went underwater then, and I realized I'd hit an area of the pool that was much deeper than the other parts. Being surrounded by water I quickly tried to get a hold of myself, and then flailed my arms drastically to try and get back to the surface. I didn't have to for long. A splash sounded from somewhere beside me, and I felt a warm arm wrap around my bare waist. Then I was jerked up back to the air above. When Zuko and I resurfaced, I coughed out the water I'd swallowed and quickly grasped for the nearest rock beside me. Then I hoisted my body up onto the flat stone that was surrounded by water. Zuko helped me get up on the rock, and then grabbed onto the moist surface as well hoisting his own body out of the pool. He breathed heavily beside me as he tried to calm his own racing heart.

When he finally caught his breath, he said, "You really need to learn how to swim."

I was on my knees, while he was sitting up with his legs dangling over the side of the rock. He'd taken off his shoes before he jumped in. His shirt and pants were dripping wet. My hair clung to my body again, and I shivered as the cold breeze hit my wet skin.

"Yeah…" I finally said through a shaky breath. "I think I do…" Looking at the water below, I saw the bottom but it was probably eight or nine feet under. Dropping down on the rock in exhaustion, I rolled over and stared up at the clouds through the canopy of the trees above. Zuko and I continued to calm our racing hearts. "Thanks for saving the damsel in distress again… Bodies of water aren't this waterbenders friend."

He sighed heavily, looking down at the water below. "I would say I'm a prince and it's my job to save the drowning girl, but… I guess now I'm not really a prince."

I turned my head to look up at him from where I lied on the rock. "You are… You're just a prince without a home right now…"

He looked down at me with confliction. "What's a prince without a kingdom?"

I smiled weakly. "A handsome prince with a good heart."

He blushed at my compliment. Then his eyes shot down to my abdomen where the scar I easily kept hidden was exposed. My other scar that was always vivid on my face was also exposed to its full presence, trailing from my collarbone up towards my cheekbone. Self-consciously, I sat up and put my back to him. He shifted his body so he was closer to me. I could almost feel the heat from his body even though we weren't touching.

"That looks like it was painful… How did you get your scar?"

His question made my heart ache. Tracing my finger over the discolored area of flesh on my abdomen, I grimaced at the painful memory. Looking out towards the deep forest before my eyes, I answered softly, "Same way you got yours…" My eyes shot over to him. "A firebender."

He let out a heavy breath. "That's not what I meant…"

Hanging my head, I placed my whole hand on the scar on my abdomen. It was big enough to be the size of a man's hand. "I don't like to talk about it, Zuko… It's too painful to remember."

A warm body suddenly scoot behind me, and I was surprised when Zuko suddenly wrapped his arms around my waist. He pulled me to him, and my exposed body immediately burned against his soaking wet clothing. He placed his cheek beside my own, and I instantly sunk back against him. My head fell back on his chest, and I shut my eyes enjoying the heat from his touch.

"Please… I really want to know… you can tell me anything."

Shaking my head, I shut my eyes with despair. "Not today…"

He sighed heavily. "Was it really that painful…?" I gave a nod, and I knew he saw. "I hate the thought of anyone hurting you." His hand tightened into a fist as he continued to hug me. "When Azula was attacking you the other day, I lost it…" He hugged me closer. I felt so safe in his hold. "You were right to try and leave… The Fire Nation isn't safe for you…" He was finally coming to understand what his Uncle had been trying to tell him for weeks. "I finally realized that after what Azula did to you."

"I didn't want to leave you…" I admitted. "But I was scared… I feared the worst would happen if your father really did get a hold of me."

His hold on me loosened, and I felt him hang his head beside me. "I'm starting to fear that too…"

A few hours later, Iroh had put out the fire and we were making our way south again. I was wearing my tattered dress once more, but I felt better having been able to rinse off some and heal my injuries. Zuko told Uncle that I wasn't allowed to go into bodies of water alone anymore, since I almost drowned a second time. I told him it was his fault, which earned a chuckle from Iroh.

After a long day of travel through the Earth Kingdom, we decided when the sun began to lower in the sky to find a place to camp once again. We found another cave, this one much larger than the one we found the night before. Iroh told us he'd start a fire while Zuko and I went to catch some food. Zuko whined that he had no clue how to find food. Iroh gestured over to me telling him to learn from the expert. Zuko seemed like he wanted to argue, but he decided against it. I helped Zuko carve a spear with the dagger he kept in his boot, and then carved one for myself. Zuko watched with mesmerized eyes, amazed by my crafting skills. I'd learned how to carve spears at a young age, even from the bones of mammals.

Eventually Zuko and I set out to head to the stream a little way from us. Iroh was on his knees on the ground as we walked by. Zuko noticed and stopped, causing me to bump into him.

"Uncle… What are you doing?"

Iroh looked up at his nephew's puzzled expression, and then gestured to a plant in front of him. "You're looking at the rare white dragon bush." The plant he gestured towards did not look promising or safe. Iroh continued, "Its leaves make a tea so delicious it's heartbreaking! That, or it's the white jade bush, which is poisonous."

My eyes widened. "We probably shouldn't test that then, Iroh…"

Zuko agreed. "We need food, not tea! I'm going fishing." He grabbed my arm to tug me away from his uncle. "Don't touch that plant!"

As we headed down hill, I shot my eyes back at Iroh's distancing form. "Do you think he'll-"

"I sure hope not," Zuko muttered. "Last thing I need is my uncle dying from a poisonous plant."

We eventually arrived at the stream, which shimmered from the lowering sun. The water was clear so you could see the bright red salmon swimming under the streaming current.

"This one's mine," Zuko stated as he stared at a red fish wading below. He clutched his spear tightly, and I watched him with curiosity. Then he slammed the stick down in the water above the fish missing the creature completely. It was the first time he'd ever tried to catch his own food, and I knew it was wrong to laugh. However, the giggle escaped me.

He blushed and jerked his spear back, shooting me a look of embarrassment. "I almost had it!"

I smiled, stopping my laugh. "Sure you did, Zuko... Sorry…"

He turned away with a huff and went to try again. He slammed his stick down and once again it hit a spot beside the fish. He growled in frustration. He tried a third time, but once again the spear hit water. His fists tightened around the spear as his temper started to rise.

"Zuko… You may want to stop aiming directly at the fish, and move a little more over."

He was surprised by my words, and then looked at me puzzled. His temper faded and his fist relaxed. "What are you talking about?"

"The fish can feel the water current around it, so when it senses a change in the water its instincts kick in. You need to aim at where the fish is going to go, and not where it is."

He pulled his spear back and crossed his arms stubbornly. "Alright miss know-it-all… Let's see if you can do any better."

Rolling my eyes, I turned to the stream staring down at the school of fish below. "You do realize I've done this my whole life, right?"

He smirked. "Prove it to me then." He stepped back. "Let's see what a chief's daughter can do."

Rolling my eyes, I picked up my sharp stick. "Fine… If I catch one on the first go then you have to teach me how to swim."

He was surprised by my words. Then he smiled. "And if you don't… Then you have to tell me about your scars."

I was surprised. Then I grimaced realizing he had me stumped. He knew how much I didn't want to speak about the scars, and I knew how desperate he was to know the story behind them.

"Deal," I said softly. Then turning, I stared down at the water in deep concentration. However, it felt as if my heart was pounding hard in my chest. I'd never told anyone about that day. Not my dad, or my brother, or even my sister. Raising the spear higher, I tried to calm down and looked down at the fish I desired to aim for. Zuko fell silent behind me as he waited to see who would win the challenge.

With a harsh lunge, I slammed the spear into the stream. The spear hit above the fish and sliced through the creature. I smiled with both relief and satisfaction. I wasn't ready to tell that story quite yet. When I lifted the spear from the water, a large fish wiggled on the end. Turning to Zuko, I saw him staring at the end of the spear with disbelief. Then he crossed his arms with a frown. "I guess you are an expert."

I gestured to the water. "Want to give it another try?"

He shook his head. "No… I think I've embarrassed myself enough." He handed his spear over to me. "I'll leave the fishing up to you from now on."

After I managed to catch two more fish, Zuko and I made our way back towards camp. Zuko asked if I'd teach him my skills one day, and I told him only if he managed to teach me how to swim like he promised. We sealed the deal with a playful handshake. When we got back to camp a few minutes later, we were chatting about our journey tomorrow. However, once we stepped into the open, and saw Iroh hunched on the ground, we stopped talking at the sight.

"Iroh…" I stepped forward with worry. "Are you okay?"

"Ah… Crystal… Zuko… remember that plant that I thought might be tea?"

He stood with his back towards us. I felt horror fill inside me. Zuko looked terrified.

His nephew shouted with terror, "You didn't!"

Iroh turned towards us, and we both couldn't believe our eyes. He was covered in red rashes and his eyes were puffy and swollen. We both gasped in both shock and disbelief.

"I did… And it wasn't." He scratched at his cheek which was broken out the most. "When the rash spreads to my throat, I will stop breathing." He pulled something forward with excitement though, as if he wasn't dying and all was grand. "But look what I found! These are bacui berries, known to cure the poison of the white jade plant. That, or macahoni berries that cause blindness."

Zuko stomped over to his uncle and hit the berries from his hands. "We're not taking any more chances with these plants! We need to find you some help." He turned to me with a sudden plea. "Crystal, do you think you can heal him?"

Staring at Iroh's rash, I said with uncertainty, "I'm not sure… I can try…"

Stepping forward, I pulled some water up from a puddle nearby and went to touch Iroh with the water. As I placed the water over his skin, I let the cool liquid settle on a place where the rash was most prominent. The water began to glow, and I saw the rash start to fade. I wondered if perhaps my healing was working against the poison of the plant, but once my glowing stopped and I moved to another spot where red decorated his skin, the spot I already healed started to redden again. I pulled my hand back, dropping the water to the ground in surprise.

"Uh… I think we need to seek expert help…I haven't really learned how to heal people with internal issues…"

Zuko and Iroh agreed. Zuko thought out loud. "We need to find someone in the area who knows about poisonous plants."

"But where are we going to go?" Iroh pondered. "We're enemies of the Earth Kingdom, and fugitives from the Fire Nation."

Zuko seemed to think about our situation. "If the Earth Kingdom discovers us they'll have us killed…"

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

The three of us looked at one another with dread. Zuko nodded and dropped his stick with the fish on the ground. "Earth Kingdom it is."

Iroh scratched a bump on his chin looking around at our surroundings. "If my bearings are correct, we should be only a few miles from a small earth kingdom colony. We should be able to find someone who can help us there."

"Let's get a move on then…" Zuko looked at the rash spreading on his uncle with worry. "We're wasting time."

We started off towards the Earth Kingdom town that Iroh spoke of. The three of us were eager to get Iroh the help he needed. As we walked on, Zuko scolded his uncle heavily for eating the plant after he told him not to. Then he stated to Iroh that they needed to come up with some good names to cover up their identity. He also said I would need a disguise name as well since the Fire Nation would probably be on the lookout for me too. Iroh agreed, stating, "No concerns, nephew. I have it all taken care of. I've even got a wonderful cover story."

As we headed with more haste through the woods, I asked Iroh how he knew so much about the Earth Kingdom. He went into a long tale about his journey through the Earth Kingdom under disguise so he could sneak to Ba Sing Se to join the fleet.

At the mention of Ba Sing Se, I realized I had heard Zhao mention it before but had never delved into what it was. When I asked Iroh what Ba Sing Se was, both of my companions looked at me with shock. Iroh explained to me quickly about the city, saying it was the center and stronghold of the Earth Kingdom. He stated that capturing Ba Sing Se would mean controlling the Earth Kingdom at last.

I cringed from his explanation. However, I finally understood why the Fire Nation was so eager to conquer the city. Ba Sing Se was the hope of the Earth Kingdom, and without it everything would start to crumble.

When we finally reached what appeared to be civilization, I could see the town was a small rural setting. There were perhaps twenty wooden homes, and each one of them was spread some distance from the other giving the family land for farming. The sun was gone at the point of our arrival, but there were still people out in their yards doing some last minute chores. We quickly questioned an older man who was pulling at some weeds near the dirt path we walked down. He gestured us to the end of the town, where a woman named Song worked in a large stone building as one of the healers. She was the town's best healer, and knew all about the herbs of the area.

When we got to the healers building, Song looked like she was just packing up for the night to head home. She looked up however when she saw us crowd in front of the entrance to the room she was working in. She was the last healer in the building, the rest having gone home to their families for the night. Her eyes widened at the sight of Iroh's puffy cheeks and swelling neck. As she quickly took Iroh under her care, forcing his shirt off so she could place cream on his rashes, Zuko and I sat behind her leaning against the wall of the building. Song was definitely young for a healer, and she was pretty too. She was taller than me, and her hair was much darker. She had hazel eyes that shined in the firelight from her lantern.

"You three must not be from around here," she said as she aided Iroh. "We know better than to touch the white jade, much less make it into tea and drink it."

Iroh smiled sheepishly. "Heh, heh, heh… Whoops…"

She looked at the three of us with burning curiosity. "So, where are you traveling from?"

Zuko grew anxious suddenly and stood up abruptly. "Yes! We're travelers!"

She was surprised by his response, but brushed it off. "Do you have names?"

Zuko's face turned red. I watched him with a puzzled expression. "Names…? Of course we have names. I'm... Lee. And this is my uncle, uh... Mushi." He gestured towards his uncle. Then he jerked his finger towards me. "That's Avani."

She looked at me with a puzzled expression. "Are you related?"

Crossing my arms self-consciously, I answered, "We're just friends. My parents were killed in a fire and Mushi took me in. He raised me along with Lee."

She seemed satisfied with my answer. "I'm so sorry for your loss… But at least you have people to look after you. I take from your names you all are from the Earth Kingdom then?"

Iroh nodded. "Yes. Born and raised." He smiled then. "My nephew was named after his father, who was a powerful Earth Kingdom general. We just call him Junior."

Zuko narrowed his eyes at Iroh, while I covered my mouth to hold in the laugh that wanted to escape.

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

The young lady, Song, looked at the three of us with kindness. Zuko bent and grabbed my hand pulling me up. He seemed eager to leave, probably scared Song would figure out his true identity. "Sorry, but we need to be moving."

She seemed to actually pout. "That's too bad. My mom always makes too much roast duck."

Iroh perked up at the sound of food. "Where do you live exactly?"

She giggled at Iroh's persistence. Zuko let out a heavy sigh of defeat. I stared at Zuko's hand holding tightly to my own with a blush. His hand on my own was starting to feel so natural and comfortable these days...

A few moments later we were in Song's home. Her mother seemed like a kind older lady who eagerly took us under her wing. Their home was a small wooden cabin, and there was a wooden building outback for their farm animals. When we first arrived, Song's mother quickly urged her daughter to get me a change of clothing. The clothes I wore were torn and covered in filth. Song quickly led me deeper into the small home, taking me into her room. She handed me a plain dark green dress that looked like it would flow just at my ankles.

"It's one of my older ones. You're a little shorter than me so it should fit. I grew out of it a while ago."

I grimaced when Song commented on how short I was. I knew I was small for my age. At the thought, I couldn't help but glance at Song and feel self-conscious about my own body. She had a more mature figure with curves and a bigger chest. She was so pretty… I felt so average.

As I began to pull the dress on, I heard Song converse with me. "Lee and Mushi seem like a handful," she said. "You mustn't get bored being with them."

Letting the dress fall against my ankles, I answered, "They're good company to be with. They take care of me."

She smiled. "That Lee's pretty handsome."

My eyes widened. I blushed and looked down. "Uh… Yeah. He is."

"I'd love to know the story behind his scar."

Her desire made me uneasy. I turned to head to her door. "Maybe you could ask him."

She seemed excited about my statement. "I will."

Her optimism made my stomach ache. I knew Song had taken an interest in Zuko, and that made me feel uncomfortable. Why though? She was just a girl who was being nice.

Looking at her pretty figure again, I felt the uneasy feelings only intensify. Song was pretty and a year older than me. She was more mature both physically and mentally.

Was I really comparing myself to this chick? I shook my head as I headed out into the hall. I needed to get a grip.

As we both returned to the dining area, we saw Iroh was already chowing down on the meal Song's mom prepared. Zuko shoved his food absentmindedly with a fork, probably thinking about everything that had transpired in the last few days. Song took the place beside Zuko, leaving me to sit beside her mom. Her action seemed to pass everyone's notice but my own. I couldn't help the feelings that suddenly surged through me. I wasn't thrilled with the attention Song was giving to Zuko.

As we ate, Song's mom broke into conversation. "My daughter tells me you're refugees. We were once refugees ourselves."

Song grimaced as she joined the conversation. "When I was a little girl, the Fire Nation raided our farming village. All the men were taken away. That was the last time I saw my father."

The feelings inside me dimmed as I suddenly felt sorry for Song. I knew what that was like… I hadn't seen my dad since he left to go to war with the other warriors. Of course I couldn't tell that to Song or her mom since I was thought to be an orphan.

Zuko hung his head at her words. "I haven't seen my father in many years."

Song took interest in Zuko more, which made the feelings come back again. I looked down at my food with unease. "Oh. Is he fighting in the war?"

A small pause fell through the room. Iroh frowned as he ate his food. I glanced at Zuko's conflicted face with worry. "Yeah," he said softly. He stood then. "I'm going to go get some air."

He left the room, leaving the rest of us to watch him go with worry. Once he was gone, I went to follow but was beat to the punch. Song stood and left the room, and I watched her go with a pang in my heart. This girl was taking way too much interest in Zuko…

Song's mother let out a heavy sigh. "That girl… She's always chasing after the first guy she sees." She looked over at me with a smile. "So Avani, right? What village do you come from?"

My eyes had been on the doorway as my heart pounded heavily. However, at her question I tried to knock myself out of it. Looking down at my half eaten plate of food, I said softly, "I don't know. I was too young to remember." I hated lying, but I knew it was better not to give away that I was Water Tribe. That would cause Song's mother to be too suspicious.

"That's so sad… I know what it's like to lose someone to the Fire Nation's cruelty. It seems we've all suffered by those monsters' hands."

Iroh let out a heavy sigh. "Yes… The Fire Nation has definitely caused much suffering."

I looked at Iroh with surprise. The older man seemed greatly conflicted as he thought about all the horrors he had seen in the past. I wondered how much suffering Iroh had caused others. I knew Iroh was a kind man with a compassionate heart, but I also was aware he had a past as a Fire Nation general. Had he killed anyone? Had he set fire to homes? Had he burned anyone before?

I shook the thoughts. I didn't want to think of Iroh in a negative light. He seemed like a good man.

Almost half an hour passed, and Zuko and Song finally returned. They took their places at the table and ate once more in silence. Zuko seemed even more conflicted than he originally was when he left, and I wondered what he and Song had been speaking about. Eventually, Zuko stood, and then looked down at Iroh. "We better be moving… We have a lot of ground to cover."

Iroh frowned at his nephew's persistence, and then stood with a heavy heart. He didn't want to leave the comfort and homeliness that Song and her mother were providing.

"Very well…" He turned towards Song's mother with a smile. "Thank you for the duck. It was excellent."

She nodded, standing as well. She picked up a cloth bag from the table and handed it over to Iroh. "You're welcome. It brings me joy to see someone eat my cooking with such... gusto."

Zuko sighed, and then glanced over at me. He gestured for me to follow, and I obediently stood from the table to leave as well.

"Much practice," Iroh stated while patting his stomach. Then he noticed his nephew leaving and said, "Junior, where are your manners? You need to thank these nice people."

Zuko grimaced as he became the center of attention. He turned his head slightly, saying, "Thank you."

He started to head out, but Song stepped forward to stop him. "Wait Lee… I know you don't think there's any hope left in the world, but there is hope. The Avatar has returned!"

At her words, I noticed Zuko's fists tighten. I frowned knowing what he was thinking. He wanted to capture Aang more than ever now. He felt it was the only way to go home…

"I know," he said softly. He stepped out of the room then, heading into the dark air outside. Iroh bowed to Song and her mother with respect and followed.

Heading towards the entrance, I turned to them to give my own gratitude. "Thank you for everything."

Song seemed to recover from the disbelief she felt at Zuko's passiveness. She nodded over to me with a smile. "Anytime. Make sure Mushi stays away from anything that looks edible. He's too curious for his own good."

Song's mother stepped in. "Also, stay away from that white plant I mentioned earlier. A lot of it grows in this area. It's extremely fatal." She began to pick up the plates of food. "Come help me clean up the kitchen, Song." She turned and headed out of the room.

Before she followed, Song stepped over to me grabbing my hands. "You're so lucky to have someone who cares so much about you. Lee told me how much you mean to him. I wish I had a guy who felt that way about me." She left me then to rush into the kitchen. As she disappeared through the doorway, I stood in disbelief taking in what she said.

Zuko told her he cared about me?

"Avani! Come on," Iroh shouted behind me. His voice brought me out of my shock, and I turned quickly to head outside and follow my companions. When I caught up to Zuko and Iroh, I could tell they both were tired from our long day. We all looked like we could use some much needed sleep. An ostrich horse was tied to a post nearby, and I watched with shock as Zuko walked over to it. He seemed determined as he began to untie the creature from the post.

"What are you doing?" Iroh asked appalled. "These people just showed you great kindness."

Zuko hoisted himself onto the giant animal and then held his hand down to Iroh. "They're about to show us a little more kindness." Iroh stared at his waiting hand with disapproval. "Well?"

Iroh let out a heavy sigh, and took Zuko's hand. He climbed behind Zuko onto the beast. Zuko looked over at me as he held his hand to me as well.

"This doesn't feel right," I said, taking a step back in shock. "This is stealing, Zuko."

"No… This is surviving." He inched down so his hand was closer to me. "Get on before I make you."

I narrowed my eyes. "I hate it when you act like this." I crossed my arms. "I'll walk." Turning, I started to walk away from Song's home. I couldn't believe my eyes. I had been so thrilled a few moments ago that Zuko had told Song he cared about me. However, his sudden criminal actions made me irritated. Why was he suddenly becoming a thief? We were all better than this.

What was going on in that head of his?

The ostrich-horse suddenly stepped in my path making me stop. I looked up at Zuko with a scowl. "Zuko… I'm not getting on a stolen animal."

"You're not walking," he firmly said.

"Yes I am. I have two legs that work perfectly fine. Move!"

He ignored me. Dropping from the Ostrich-horse, he stepped over to me. Grabbing my arm, he jerked me to him. I gasped at the sudden action, and then smashed my hand against him. "Hey! Let me go!" He easily lifted my body and forced me onto the creature. I shrieked and quickly scrambled to get a hold and balance myself. I didn't have to scramble for long. Zuko quickly hoisted himself up behind me. He wrapped one arm around my waist, while his other hand grabbed the rein of the ostrich-horse. We were moving then through the dark, away from Song and her mother.

"Prince Zuko… I hope you know what you're doing," Iroh muttered. "A life of thievery isn't something one should proudly live up to."

Zuko let out a heavy breath in my ear. "I'm not proud of this."

Iroh was frustrated and seemed to be trying to understand his nephews latest action. "Then why are we taking this creature?"

There was a moment of silence as the ostrich-horse carried us out of the village. Finally, Zuko answered with a question of his own. "Do you want to walk all day long through the Earth Kingdom?"

Iroh seemed to fall quiet at Zuko's words, realizing he didn't mind having transportation. As the two men behind me fell quiet, I shifted to try and get more comfortable. There wasn't really anything I could say to change the situation, so I decided not to say anything at all.

It was past midnight by the time we returned to camp. The moon was very high in the sky, and we were all exhausted. Zuko made the ostrich-horse stop, and then Iroh slid off with a heavy yawn. "I'm going to get some shut eye. You kids probably should do the same."

He turned and headed into the cave, leaving both Zuko and I under the light of the moon. Zuko slid off the creature next, and then helped me off last. As soon as my feet hit the dirt, I ripped away from Zuko and headed towards the woods.

"Crystal! Where are you going?"

I kept walking. "I don't associate with thieves." I knew I was being stubborn and a little overdramatic, but I needed to go be alone. Zuko frustrated me. One minute he was kind, caring, sensitive, and funny. The next minute he was a foolish and irrational hot headed Prince. He drove my head crazy with his constant mood swings.

Of course I understood why he was so conflicted: Zuko basically had nothing. He didn't even have a possession to his name at the moment. Everything he'd had was destroyed in the explosion. Although I was highly against him stealing Song's animal, I did feel kind of bad for him. He had no home, no property, and no title. He felt like nothing at the moment. Of course to me, he was Zuko.

I did wonder what he had spoke about with Song though to make him so eager to steal her animal?

"Crystal!" A hand grabbed my arm and twisted me around. I stumbled as I was forced to face Zuko. In the light of the moon, I could tell he was irritated I ignored his earlier calls. "It's just an animal."

Jerking from his hand, I snapped, "An animal you stole, Zuko! We're trying to keep a low profile! If you go around stealing animals, the whole Earth Kingdom will be out to get us."

Zuko was surprised by my statement, but he let it pass. "I did what was best for the three of us. Our journey will be much easier now that we don't have to walk."

"How do you think Song and her mom feel about this? We've betrayed them after so much kindness."

He released my arm and crossed his arms stubbornly. "I'm their enemy. What do I care?"

I let out an aggravated sigh and turned again. "You're ridiculous... No one said you have to be their enemy."

I started to walk again, but his next words made me stop.

"My father taught me everyone outside of the Fire Nation is my enemy," he argued.

I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. Turning towards him, I pointed a finger at myself. "I'm Water Tribe, Zuko! Am I your enemy?"

He fell quiet as he took in what I said. He then let out a heavy breath, his hand pressing to his face in disbelief. He was coming to his senses. "No… You're not my enemy…" He paused for a moment, ran his hand over his very short hair in frustration, and then dropped his arm to his side. "That's not my point though… If those people knew who I truly was, they would hate me. The bottom line is we're enemies. That girl made it pretty clear she'd never trust the real me."

Stepping over to Zuko, I had to ask. "What did you and Song talk about?"

He met my eyes with confliction, frowned, and looked down at the ground. "Song told me about how the Fire Nation hurt her… She showed me a scar on her leg from where one of the soldiers burned her." He grimaced. "She said she hated them for what they did to her. She told me if she ever met anyone from the Fire Nation she'd kill them."

I frowned. Looks like the Fire Nation had left their mark on many people. "That's why you turned so sour?"

He shook his head. "No…" His eyes shut tightly. "She asked about my scar, and then she wanted to know about yours… I told her I didn't know the story behind yours which seemed to amuse her." He crossed his arms and turned from me. "She said she was surprised you hadn't told me… something about thinking we were an item and how she expected we knew everything about each other…"

His words made me cringe and hang my head. Crossing my arms, I went to speak but stopped myself. I didn't know what to say.

There was a short moment of silence. Zuko spoke again though with a heavy tone. "Song made me realize that I'm frustrated you don't trust me enough to tell me about your scar."

I let out a heavy breath. So his mood was more because of me…?

A hand gently grabbed my chin and forced me to look up. "Why won't you tell me?" His eyes looked desperately into my own as he desired to know the one thing I had told no one. "You know about mine… Why can't I know about yours?"

"It's too painful, Zuko…" I shook my head. "I can't tell you…"

He looked hurt. "You should be able to tell me anything… I love you Crystal… you can trust me."

"This isn't about trust, Zuko…" I spoke softly. "This is about if I'm actually strong enough to tell my story. It's hard to remember that day… it causes me a lot of pain."

"Maybe it will be easier if you finally let go… talking about it may be what you need."

Grabbing his hand, I shut my eyes as the painful memories of the past tried to come back to me. Every part of me wanted to tell Zuko to forget about it and drop the topic. However, I knew Zuko was right. I knew his story… It was only fair I told him my own.

"Okay…" Opening my eyes, I met Zuko's surprised gaze. "You're right… It's only fair you know… But not here… I'll tell you everything tomorrow… I need time to get my thoughts straight."

He seemed like he wanted to argue, but he stopped. He could see the sincerity in my gaze. With defeat, he nodded and brushed his fingers against my cheekbone where the scar began. I shut my eyes, enjoying his warm skin against my own.

Zuko would be the first person I ever told my story to. Ever since that horrible day I buried the memories deep away. However, I knew telling Zuko was what I wanted to do. Him being the first to know about my scar felt right… I felt comfort knowing someone would be able to share the burden I'd kept hidden away for so long.

Telling my story would be a challenge in itself though. It wasn't a day I liked to remember.