Zuko woke up before the sun had risen upon them. They both had fallen asleep on the shore, neither of them minding the coarse grains of the sand beneath them, nor the spray of the salty sea at their feet.
He stared at her as she slept, finding his breath taken away as he pondered how heartrendingly beautiful she looked at that moment, sleeping next to him. Lightly as to not wake her, he tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
"I'm never letting you go, Chiyo. Now that fate has brought us back together, I'll make up for all the time lost between us."
Her eyes fluttered open, unfocused at first; but once she saw the golden pools of his eyes staring into her, blood rushed to her cheeks and she looked away. "G-good m-m-morning, Prince Zuko."
"Good morning. Slept well?"
She sat up quickly and nodded. "Y-yes...We...we should h-head back—"
"Watch the sunrise with me." Zuko held her hand to stop her from getting up. "Please."
Chiyo couldn't find the will in herself to resist him as he looked up at her with those eyes. He sat up as well, wrapping an arm around her to keep her warm.
Only the sound of waves gently crashing against the shore could be heard through the early hours of light. After a couple of minutes the sun began to peek from the horizon where the sky met the sea.
"Every day for three years, I would look at the sun rise, but it has never been this beautiful." Zuko whispered as he breathed deeply.
"What changed?"
"A lot of things. I'm now fighting on the right side of this war. I'm stronger and freer than I've ever been in my entire life." He took her chin in his fingertips and lifted it lightly. He leaned in. "And now, you're right here by my side."
He gave her a chaste kiss on the lips, smirking when he saw her lean in for more. "Shouldn't we be heading back?"
Chiyo growled, frustrated and embarrassed. She got up on her feet, dusting off her pants. "Tease..." She muttered under her breath before heading back to the villa.
And like the love-sick fool he was, he followed her. "Hey, wait up! You promised you'd stay by my side!"
"Go hug and kiss a cactus!"
Zuko caught her arm and spun her back to him. "Why would I kiss a cactus when kissing you is a thousand times better?" His hand went to the back of her neck as he pulled her in and kissed her deeply. She wanted to fight it, but seconds later, she was kissing him back just as passionately.
She was lost in his spell, as he was in hers.
They were broken out of their bubble as they heard someone clearing their throat from behind them. "Uh, if you two love birds are done pecking and giving me the oogies, we're all getting ready to leave. So... uh... see ya?"
Chiyo literally had to restrain Zuko's hands to stop him from firebending and setting Sokka's behind on fire.
After securing the last of their luggage on board Appa, Sokka declared. "OK, that's everything!"
"No, it's not." Toph frowned as she sat by the dry fountain in the courtyard. "Where's Aang?"
Panicked, everyone went back inside the villa to check all the rooms, but he was nowhere to be seen. They found his staff, as well as an offering platter and some candles on the balcony.
"He's not in the house. Let's check the beach."
Aside from Zuko and Chiyo's footprints from earlier, there was another set that ended right at the shoreline.
"So... he went for a midnight swim and never came back?" Suki offered her conclusion.
Katara had a worried look in her eyes. "Maybe he was captured..."
Sokka crouched down to look at the footprints closely. "I don't think so. There's no sign of a struggle."
"I bet he ran away again." Toph sat next to him.
"Nope. He left behind his glider and Appa."
"Then what do you think happened to him, o' sleuthy one?"
He shrugged and stood up. "It's pretty obvious. Aang mysteriously disappears before an important battle. He's definitely on Spirit World journey!"
"But if he was, wouldn't his body still be here?"
"Oh, yeah, forgot about that."
"Then he's gotta be somewhere on Ember Island." Katara stepped forward and addressed everyone. "Let's split up and look for him."
Toph perked up and leapt forward, taking Zuko's arm. "I'm going with Zuko!" They were silent as they looked between the two, and Chiyo who merely raised an eyebrow. "What? Everyone else went on a life-changing field trip with Zuko. Now it's my turn!"
He looked to Chiyo pleadingly, to which she waved him off with a smile. "I'll stay here at the villa in case he comes back."
They spent the whole day looking for Aang, but he was nowhere to be found in Ember Island. Not anywhere on the beach, nor the town, or any other places they could think of.
"It's like he just... disappeared."
"This is all my fault." Chiyo looked down at her feet. "I shouldn't have lost my cool and shouted at him."
"We all are at fault, Chiyo." Katara comforted her, holding her hand. "We all want to end this war so bad, but we didn't consider him and his feelings. But knowing Aang, he isn't angry at anyone. If anything, he's angry at himself and the circumstances we are in."
Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed in frustration. "Aang is nowhere to be found, and the comet is only two days away!"
They all looked at him as he stood up. "What should we do, Zuko?"
"I don't know." He answered honestly. "Why are you all looking at me?"
Katara spoke for the rest of them. "Well, you're kind of the expert on tracking Aang. If anyone's got experience in hunting the Avatar, it's you."
He thought about everything carefully. They had nowhere to start with, and no leads at all.
"What would the old Zuko do?"
"Come on, slowpokes! FASTER!" Azula shouted at her palanquin bearers, urging them to catch up with the Fire Lord's royal palanquin.
This afternoon marks an essential facet in Fire Nation history. The First Phoenix King shall be crowned, along with the obliteration of the Earth Kingdom. An era of conquest and power indeed, and that era starts now.
They reached the harbour where the soldiers, the council, the war ministers, and the Fire Sages were in wait. They knelt as the Fire Lord ascended the dais, followed by his daughter.
Azula knelt and bowed her head. "I'm sorry I'm late, father. Good palanquin bearers are so hard to come by these days. So, is everything ready for our departure?"
"There has been a change of plans, Azula." He drawled as he turned his back on his daughter.
"What?!"
"I have decided to lead the fleet of airships to Ba Sing Se. Alone. You will remain here in the Fire Nation."
She was dumbfounded. All this time, she had been her father's right hand, his perfect daughter, and she had followed his every command. To join him in his conquest will have been her greatest honor, but now, he was leaving her behind.
"Just like they all did."
"B-but I thought we were going to do this together?"
"My decision is final."
"You—You can't treat me like this!" She seethed with anger, betrayal and hurt. "You can't treat me like Zuko!"
"Azula, silence yourself—"
"But it was my idea to burn everything to the ground! I deserve to be by your side!"
"AZULA!" Ozai snapped, then moved forward to where the Fire Sages. "Listen to me. I need you here to watch over the homeland. It's a very important job that I can only entrust to you."
She stared wide-eyed as her father explained. "R-really?"
"And for your loyalty, I've decided to declare you the new Fire Lord."
It was customary for a crown prince, a first-born son, to take over the throne in place of the Fire Lord. The princess never expected such, being a girl and the youngest. "Fire Lord... Azula? I-It does seem appropriate."
"But why do I feel this way? Why does it feel like something is amiss?"
"Fire Lord Ozai is no more." The Fire Sages fetched the armour raised on a pedestal and began dressing him. The golden metal fashioned into a chest and shoulder plate glowed lightly with the dimming afternoon sun, making him look all the more regal and powerful. The last item they placed was the war helmet, a stunning golden head piece that projected golden wings on either side. "Just as the world will be reborn in fire, I shall be reborn as the supreme ruler of the world! From this moment on, I will be known as the Phoenix King!"
Once his coronation was complete, new banners were raised; the image of the golden Phoenix on ashen fields, just as he intends to do.
A new era of conquest and power. And here he was at the helm of it all.
"If only you could see me now, Suiren."
Though confused, they followed Zuko's lead and they journeyed to the Earth Kingdom, reaching the nearest colony on the Eastern Coast before nightfall.
He led them inside a tavern filled with a rough crowd; thugs and travellers ordering drinks left and right, getting into fights, gambling. To say that Katara was doubtful was pretty accurate. "And the reason you brought us to a seedy Earth Kingdom tavern is what now?"
They stopped a few paces from a table where a woman sat cross-legged, a drink in hand. "June." Just as a thug was about to attack her, he stopped him with a booted foot and brought him down with a swift motion.
"Oh yeah, that weird bounty hunter with the giant mole!" Sokka gasped in recognition.
Another thug attacked her and she stood up, easily avoiding his punches and lunges.
Suki frowned as she inspected the woman's appearance. Her long dark hair that covered half her face was in beautiful contrast against her milky white complexion. Her half-lidded eyes showed her amusement as the thug tried to catch her. "Mole? Her skin is flawless!"
"No, she has this giant mole creature she rides around on."
"The shirshu." Zuko confirmed. "It's the only animal that can track Aang's scent anywhere in the world. It's the one shot we have of finding him."
After one close punch aimed at her face that she barely dodged, June tossed her drink in the air. She grabbed the thug by his arm and shoulder, using his own momentum to throw him over to a table in the corner. Smirking, she caught her drink once more and downed it in one go.
"I don't know who this June lady is, but I like her!" Toph grinned, eager to meet her acquaintance.
They approached her just as she sat back down and called for another round of drinks. "Oh great, it's prince pouty. Where's your creepy grandpa?"
"He's my uncle. And... he's not here."
June gave him a once over, noting how different he looked compared to the first time he had hired her. Something caught her attention, a new face, or rather one that looked all too familiar. "Chiyo?"
She blinked in shock, wondering how the woman knew her name. "You know me?"
The woman abandoned her drink and strode towards the apprentice. "You mean you don't recognize me, little one?" She raised a perfectly arched eyebrow that accented her dark-shadowed eyes. "Oh right... the accident... I heard. You poor little thing..."
No matter how much she searched her hazy memories, nothing came up except the vague feeling that she did know her. "I'm sorry."
"Maybe this will ring a bell." June piled her long hair in one hand and tied it in a high bun. From underneath her vest, she pulled out a long chain with a ring as a pendant. She slid it on her index finger and showed it off to Chiyo. "How about now?"
"Black lava daisy..."
"Where do you think you're going?!" Lady Vira shouted, livid with anger as she chased the woman. The latter had strapped her belongings strapped into a giant creature outside the troupe quarters.
"Isn't it obvious?! I'm leaving!"
"You can't just leave the troupe! You are tied to this lifestyle and occupation! Forever!" The lady spat back. "You can't walk away from your path!"
"Watch me!"
A young toddler chased after the woman, calling out her name between tears and gasps.
"A-auntie June?"
June smiled and enveloped the young woman in a tight hug. "There's my little Chiyo. Missed me? And why are you with them?"
"Long story, Auntie June. But we do need your help."
She looked between the young apprentice and the prince, sensing there was something, something big going on. "I'm listening."
"We need your help finding the Avatar."