Shouto hadn't talked to Zuko in over a week, because Zuko wasn't responding, even though he had been sending lots of messages to the other. He wondered if Zuko was alright, or if the magic notebook had lost it's power or something. Regardless, Shouto found that he worried despite himself. He knew the most probable reason for Zuko's absence was that he was busy or even just ignoring Shouto. But the second option didn't seem quite right, not when Zuko had been so quick to respond to insults on his or his nation's credibility and intelligence before. But he hadn't taken the bait, no matter how many times Shouto subtly slipped it into his questions.

Was this perhaps like the fear of having an online friend? Someone he cared about, but someone he couldn't see or ask if he was alright. It seemed plausible.

Shouto stared rather intensely at his shoes as he walked through the halls, but it was just his way of thinking. He knew it was perceived as odd by others because usually people stared at their shoes when they were embarrassed or didn't want to be seen.

Unfortunately, because his thinking stance was walking around while staring at his shoes he had the regrettable habit of bumping into people along the way.

As Shouto was walking, he saw other shoes in his peripheral vision and somewhere in his foggy, thinking mind, he registered he would bump into someone, but he wasn't fast enough in realizing this to actually stop it from happening.

A large smack echoed through his ears as the other person crashed to the ground. "What the—Shouto, you piece of crap, the hell you doin' walking around bumping into people!"

Shouto looked up to see he'd bumped into Katsuki. "Sorry Kacchan."

"What'd you call me you little shit!"

"Did I stutter."

"I hope you die, slow and painful!"

"I want to ask you something." Shouto figured he might as well tell someone, considering pacing the hallway didn't actually seem to be doing anything to help.

"What." He snapped. "I'm busy."

"I was wondering what you'd do if you had a friend who suddenly disappeared for a week but you don't know how to find them or where they live or anything? And you know their name and stuff, but they're like an online friend who's not responding to any of your messages. And say they were kind of strange and thought they were a prince from a foreign nation who is on a quest to regain his honor…"

Katsuki was silent and stared at him for a very long time, probably trying to discern whether Shouto was joking or not. "And they're sixteen."

"That was very specific…" he eventually said after several moments of pause.

"What can I say, I have very specific problems."

"Well, if you're serious about everything you just said…"

"Does this look like the face of someone who's kidding."

"Well, you never look like you're kidding, even when you are, so you'll have to forgive me for making sure." Katsuki rolled his eyes. "If you want my honest opinion he probably got carted off to a mental ward."

"But he's very sane."

"Really? Because the way you put it, it sounds like psychosis…"

"Maybe he was carted off… but a mental ward sounds extreme…"

Katsuki shrugged, "You get what you get. Be happy I helped your ass and quit complaining!"

Shouto watched Katsuki trudge off in the other direction and then turned back to staring at his feet. He actually hadn't been expecting such a sound answer, but considering Zuko was clearly suffering from some sort of disorder because he couldn't tell the difference between real and fake, the explanation Katsuki had come up with was sound.

Shouto sighed and went to his next class with the weight of his revelation resting on his shoulders. The answer hadn't been the one he was expecting, and it wasn't the answer he wanted either…

Later that day, after school, Shouto walked into his room and opened the notebook sitting on his desk. To his surprise, there was finally a response from Zuko. Maybe he'd finally broken through Zuko's defenses. But to his disappointment, the response was rushed, barely even a response at all.

Sorry, been busy, won't be able to talk for a while, busy.

Shouto frowned and thought about how Zuko was busy. He couldn't help but mentally picture Zuko being busy in a bad way. For the longest time, Shouto had tried to keep Zuko a figureless person in his mind, and yet almost as soon as he'd started to talk to him, he used what he knew to fill in the blanks for his appearance.

Judging from Zuko's personality, Shouto pictured him fairly tall, at least as tall as himself, maybe a little taller, with red hair spiked like Katsuki's with sharp, orangish eyes.

Shouto also pictured him in red robes, bred from rich cloth, and despite himself, he thought of the other with a crown on his head ordering people around, stomping around in search for the avatar.

He didn't know why, but he also saw Zuko wearing lots of rings. Not anything else like lots of bracelets and necklaces and earrings too, just the rings. Lots, like at least three on every finger. It was strange.

And somehow, he pictured Zuko being 'busy' as running away from a lot of figureless people in white coats. Though he did find it hard to see the powerful figure he had created in his mind, running away.

Okay, I understand if you're busy, I just wish I was there to help.

It had been nearly a day since Zuko had written his response to Todoroki's barrage of messages. It had been nearly a day since his crew had been taken and nearly two days since he'd almost been blown up by Zhao and his pirate lackies.

Now it had only been a few hours since he'd infiltrated Zhao's ship as a guard and only a few hours since his uncle had joined the mission and had been feeding Zuko information.

He knew he had to get to the avatar before Zhao. He needed the avatar much more than the other did. Zhao was an admiral with resources, power, position. And Zuko was a disgraced prince with nothing and his only shot at regaining his honor was on the line.

Zuko made rounds like all the other guards, playing the roll until the moment he could slip away and find the avatar by himself.

All he needed was the Fire Nation to stop attacking so he could infiltrate the Northern Water Tribe undisturbed, without any competition from the other soldiers. No point in fighting more people than he had to. He had no allies now, not in this.

Which was just as well. He didn't need anyone getting in his way. Zuko waited till nightfall before preparing to infiltrate as well as sneak past the rest of the Fire Nation ships.

Zuko glanced back behind himself, "Thank you, uncle… for everything."

"Of course, Zuko, now go, but be careful…"

Zuko nodded and dropped down off the ship, laying low as he paddled through the icy waters. Everyone already seemed to be asleep on the Fire Nation's ships and didn't think to peer down into the darkness, otherwise, someone might've seen him.

Avoiding the Northern Water Tribe was harder, as they had soldiers dutifully marching back and forth along the perimeter. Zuko soon realized that there was no way he was going to be able to go over the wall. He was going to have to find a way under, or even through, but he would be caught almost immediately if he went over.

He looked around and noticed a hole in the large sheet of ice he stood on. He tried to look down to see where it went, but everything was so dark, there was no way he could see down there, not even if he illuminated a fire, and he wasn't stupid enough to do that.

But he couldn't, for the life of him, see another entrance anywhere close to him, so he might as well take his chances and almost kill himself. Either there was a way out where he could get into the Water Tribe, or it was a dead end and he died, freezing to death. Sort of ironic he had told Todoroki to freeze to death and now he was the one in danger of doing so.

But if he did die, he wouldn't have wanted it to be any other way than in trying to regain his honor. So, with that in mind, he took a deep breath and dove down into the small opening.

Almost instantly, his limbs started to go numb as he swam through the darkness, seeing no light on the other side, but he went as fast as he could regardless, and eventually, after what seemed like hours, came to an opening where he could shoot up out of the water, and breathe.

He took deep breaths, completely frozen, it took effort just to sit up. And from what he could see, he had quite a ways to go still. So, after catching his breath for a few minutes, he continued his trek into the tribe in his search for the avatar. He could only hope he was easy to find once Zuko was actually inside.

If he wasn't easy to find and Zuko spent the entire night wandering around in search until daybreak he was screwed.

Finally he reached the surface where it was warm once he crawled out. Strange, he'd always thought the inside of the fortress would be just as icy as the outside. But there was grass under his feet and a warm breeze in the air.

He didn't have much time to think it was weird though, because as he scanned the area his eyes quickly landed on the avatar sitting on the ground in what appeared to be an unconscious state. Then, the girl standing next to him.

Zuko recognized her, but he couldn't put a name to her face, which didn't really matter. She was a waterbender, he knew, and he also knew she would be very powerful tonight because of the moon. He shouldn't fight her, his rational mind told him that, he would lose, he knew he would.

But the avatar was sitting right there, and Zuko was so close he could taste it. He couldn't let something like the fact waterbenders would be especially strong tonight stop him from capturing the avatar, taking him back to his father, and regaining his honor. He had to do this, rational thought be damned.

So, Zuko sparked flames in his hand and shot blasts of fire at the girl, hoping to take her down in one shot with the element of surprise. But she was quicker than he remembered, much quicker and she whirled around putting out his flames almost instantly with her water.

She did seem surprised to see him though. He didn't know why, she should be used to his surprise appearances by now. But this time wouldn't end like all the others. This time, he would prevail and come out on top. This time he would complete his quest.

Something that felt suspiciously like hope swelled in his chest. He couldn't give up, not now, not when he was so close. Not when he could already hear his father's voice in his head, welcoming him back home as a strong, successful son, ready to be the next firelord.

He could already imagine coming home with the avatar in hand and being celebrated as the one who captured the avatar and brought the Fire Nation to victory while bring the rest of the world to its knees.

"Zuko, what are you doing here, how'd you find us?" the girl sounded frustrated more than confused, as if she was annoyed by his persistence.

Zuko didn't allow himself to give her a response and instead, kept fighting with her. She threw attack after attack soaring square at his face but he managed to counter each one, even though he was being pushed back.

He couldn't lose, this time was different, it had to be.

This time he would win.

This time he would regain his honor.

This time, he would regain his father's approval.

This time he would regain his father's love.

He felt himself smashed against the wall encased in ice, numbing his entire body rather quickly. But he could already see daybreak, it was almost time. If he could use the power he was given by the sun to defeat the girl quickly, grab the avatar, and run, he could still make it. He could still win.

The ice began to melt with the rise of the sun and he fell to the ground, rolling to his feet.

Zuko stood and prepared to give her one final attack that would surely work, he was surprised when he was blinded by a light. Was it the girl, how did she make the light appear, he couldn't see!

The disorientation didn't last more than a few seconds but it was enough time for him to trip over his own feet and crash to the floor. Taking another few seconds to adapt to his surroundings he looked up to find the light had disappeared with the waterbender girl shielding her eyes too.

And in the middle of the two of them was a boy with half white hair and half red, one blue eye and one brown, a massive scar covering his left eye and wearing the most peculiar garb Zuko had ever seen.

A/N I know it's short, don't judge me. Here's what you want, what I have been planning! And it is midnight here and I have to get up early and I don't care right now but tomorrow I'm going to die. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, I sure enjoyed writing it and let me know what you think about all this, I'm very curious, lol. Reviews are love, see you next week!