Dawn came in streaks of bloody red. Katara stood near the bow, swallowing against the lump in her throat as the ship sailed for the horizon. That cursed lump wouldn't go away. It choked and burned and made her head ache and her eyes prickle. Even her heart seemed more like a stone weighing down her chest.

Four of her tribesmen were dead.

So many others had barely pulled through.

Zuko was gone.

She gripped the metal railing, gritting her teeth. Everything had gone so wrong on the island. Even when Atsuo had come to the clearing with Yuzo and the others, fulfilling a final order from Shen to heal Shizue, she had felt only anger. It curled through her like poisonous smoke, filling her lungs and seeping into her blood. Shen seemed to think that keeping his end of the bargain made everything all better; he seemed to think it meant he was allowed to keep Zuko and that no one was allowed to be upset or come after them.

But she wanted to go after them. She would have jumped on Appa right now and flown to Shen's boat to take Zuko back if she could, but Appa was too injured to fly. Shen had made sure of that.

"Katara."

She turned to see Sokka—still a bit wobbly on his feet but moving around at last. His eyes had the same strained look as hers, a brittle sort of shield to hold back everything threatening to spill out.

"We're gonna start preparing for the funeral rites," he said. "Dad wanted to know if you'd …"

"I'll do the cleansing." She glanced back at the sunrise. "Just give me a moment."

"Sure."

She inhaled a deep breath, once more tightening her grip on the railing. This really wasn't the time to let her emotions get the best of her. So much needed to be dealt with. A part of her still felt guilty for abandoning Aang. He'd just discovered there was another airbender out there, he'd almost lost Appa, he blamed himself for what had happened on the island, but trying to be his rock of strength when her own heart wanted to scream and cry had been all too much. It had only reminded her that, for some time now, Zuko had been the one at her side to share these burdens, to be that rock with her.

But he was gone.

Zuko was gone.

"Keep it together," she whispered.

Raised voices came from farther down the deck. Katara turned and met Sokka's gaze. Both their brows wrinkled in confusion before they went to investigate, steps swift. They found Yuzo and Suki standing protectively in front of Atsuo. He had fallen unconscious straight after healing Shizue in the spirit's clearing, but it seemed he had woken up at last. It also seemed that some of the warriors were not too happy to see him walking around.

"That boy killed our brothers!" Nanouk, one of the bigger warriors, shouted as he jabbed his finger at Atsuo. "He almost stabbed me with his sword!"

Atsuo cringed into himself like a mouse-snail seeking its shell. Even if he couldn't hear the words being said, the angry pointing and expressions must have told him enough.

"I told you that wasn't him!" Yuzo yelled. "He was being controlled by Shen and—"

"Nice excuse," another warrior spat. "How do you know he's not waiting to finish the job? He could be planning to stick us all in our sleep and—"

"Hey!" Suki cut in sharply. "That's enough!"

"Stay out of this, girl," Nanouk retorted.

"Girl?" Suki stepped towards him. "Listen here, you big—"

"Oh boy," Sokka muttered.

He rushed to diffuse the situation before any more tempers could be set off. Suki looked like she wanted to give Sokka an earful for interrupting, but she was also reasonable and understood the warriors were grieving, so she allowed the "girl" issue to slide. Too bad Nanouk wasn't quite as gracious.

"You'd best control your woman more," Nanouk said, throwing a dark look at Suki.

Sokka winced. This time he didn't bother to save the warrior from Suki's ire. Nanouk really had brought it on himself.

Once Suki had finished reducing Nanouk to a gaping statue, she rounded on the other warriors and told them that if they had a problem with Atsuo, they could take it up with her. "Just try and lay a hand on him," she challenged. "I dare you."

Behind her, Yuzo was doing some quick translating. Atsuo's frown deepened and then he tapped her on the shoulder. He signed something, and as his hands moved to shape words, Yuzo gave them voice.

"I don't blame anyone for not wanting me around," Yuzo said, though his mouth twisted as if he didn't like what he was translating. "I—"

Atsuo repeated the gestures again, staring pointedly at his boyfriend. Say it, his eyes insisted.

"—I did attack you and kill your friends. I'm sorry. I know it doesn't help, but I'm so sorry. I'd give my life right now if it meant I could return them to you."

Atsuo looked at the warriors solemnly. There was no guile, no attempt to defend himself. He accepted what he had done while under Shen's control and it was clear he loathed himself for it.

"Don't blame yourself, kid."

It was Amaruq who had spoken, one of the warriors closer to Katara's dad's age. He'd been there with Suki and the others when they'd found Atsuo and brought him back to the ship. Maybe that was why Amaruq had more sympathy than the others.

"I saw for myself that you didn't want to hurt anyone," Amaruq said. He frowned at his fellow warriors, including Nanouk. "And they know it as well. They just want to vent their anger on someone."

Atsuo shook his head, hands moving in a flurry.

"But it is my fault," Yuzo translated. "If I wasn't so weak, Shen wouldn't have been able to control me."

"What do you mean?" Katara asked.

Knowing the full extent of Shen's abilities had become crucial for her since Zuko had been taken. Her biggest nightmare was that the next time she saw Zuko—and she had to believe that she would—he would have become a murdering puppet just like Atsuo had while under Shen's thrall.

"He can't do anything if you don't let him in," Yuzo translated, watching Atsuo's hands carefully. "But his willpower is so strong. It's overwhelming. I couldn't keep him out no matter how much I tried. I'm sorry."

Atsuo's shoulders slumped and his hands stilled.

Yuzo signed something back to him, but Atsuo just shook his head.

"Did you know your half-brother had this kind of ability?" Sokka asked.

"I had no idea," Yuzo said, still frowning at Atsuo. "That's one of the forbidden skills the Unnamed One used. No one gets taught that technique in the tribe. Honestly, I didn't think anyone even knew how to perform it."

"Then Shen must have figured it out on his own somehow," Katara said.

That wasn't very comforting. Just how skilled and powerful was this guy?

Nanouk folded his arms across his broad chest. "I think the question we should really be asking is if we can even trust this kid. Maybe he didn't want to hurt anyone, but the fact is he did. Who's to say this Shen guy won't start controlling him again?"

"You don't have to worry," Yuzo said. "Shen severed his bond with Atsuo."

Katara's eyes widened. "I thought you said that wasn't possible."

"I didn't think it was, but it seems it all comes down to what kind of bond you actually have with a person."

"Huh?" Sokka's brow furrowed. "You mean there's more than one kind?"

"There are two kinds of bonds: the one created through giving up a large portion of your own chi to heal someone, or the one you create yourself through a fusion of energy."

Katara's hand found its way to her heart. "Like the difference between the bond I have with Zuko and the one Aang has."

"Right. The one you have with him, that's the kind that can be severed. It's not grounded through sacrifice and healing, it's just a connection of energy. My own bond with Atsuo was the same. Atsuo figured out how to severe it when Shen caught up with him in Ba Sing Se. That idiot didn't want me to come after him and get hurt again. Seemed to think it was his turn to protect me." Yuzo shot a fond but exasperated look at him.

Atsuo pulled a face and signed something that looked rather sassy. Perhaps he'd guessed what Yuzo had said.

"Why did Shen cut the bond?" Sokka mused. "Wouldn't it have made more sense to keep the link just in case?"

"To us maybe, but not to Shen."

Atsuo's expression turned grim as his hands weaved words. He explained that Shen had barely talked to him during their time together—just used him to boost his own bending and replenish chi most of the time. But Shen's goal had always been very clear: he'd been looking for a particular fire healer. That person, as they all now knew, was Prince Zuko.

"Shen let me go because I'm not worth anything to him now, and neither are any of you," Yuzo translated. "That monster has what he wanted. To him, he's already won."

Katara's nails dug into her palms. "No. I'm going to get Zuko back."

She didn't wait for a response and stomped for the hold, intending to demand that Azula locate Zuko right then and there. Katara would use waterbending to catch up to Shen's boat if she had to. There was no way she was going to allow Zuko to stay with that creep any longer.

"Katara!" Sokka tugged on her arm.

"Let go!"

"Not until you calm down!"

She opened her mouth to retort, only to blink. The ocean was lurching and roiling all around them, waves spraying against the deck. "Oh."

Sokka released her. "I know you're upset. I want Zuko back as well, but we have to be smart about this. You can't just go rushing off on some crazy rescue mission."

"But—"

"Sis." He gripped her shoulders, meeting her gaze. "You're exhausted. I heard what you did to that spirit and—"

She flinched, remembering the feel of blood and a pulsing heart bend to her touch.

"—you spent half the night healing the injured. You need to rest."

The burning prickle was back in her eyes. "How can you expect me to rest when Zuko needs us now?"

"Because running off without a plan isn't going to save him."

"Then you come up with a plan! You're supposed to be the Plan Guy, right?"

"Katara …"

"We'll talk to Azula. We'll get his location from her, and then we can—"

"Katara, stop."

She glared at him, chin quivering a little. "He needs us, Sokka. That creep could be trying to force Zuko under his control right now!"

"We'll get him back, I promise. But not like this. Look around you." He gestured at the people on the deck—the tired, the injured, the grieving. Aang was near the stern, still huddled with Momo and Appa. "You can't ask any more from them right now. Let them rest. Let yourself rest."

Tears that hadn't wanted to fall before now slipped easily down her cheeks. Wordlessly, he pulled her into his arms. Her body seemed to sink into the embrace, tension releasing bit by bit as she burrowed her face into his shoulder.

"I hate not knowing what's happening to him," she confessed into his tunic.

"Zuko is a tough guy. He'll be okay."

Katara closed her eyes. They stayed that way for a moment until she pulled back, wiping at her face to remove any trace of tears.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"Not really, but I can't stand here and cry forever either." She forced a smile. "Don't worry about me. I won't go off on any crazy rescue missions. Promise."

"Try not to capsize the boat either."

"Yeah, yeah."

He squeezed her shoulder, then cast a glance towards the stern. "Honestly, the one I'm really worried about is—Mai?"

Katara followed his gaze and, sure enough, Mai was now standing opposite Aang and appeared to be talking to him.

"I wonder if she'll have any luck getting him out of his depression funk," Sokka mused. "He's blaming himself for everything."

"I know …"

Katara's stomach gave a guilty little stab at just being reminded. She could have tried more to comfort Aang. She shouldn't have left him so soon. He'd looked so lost and small, so crushed.

She bit her lip. "Maybe I should—"

"Leave it. Mai might actually be good for him right now."

"She's not exactly the cuddly type."

"No, but she has her own way of helping."

Katara's eyebrow rose a little. There was a lot of warmth in Sokka's voice. Then again, he and Mai were close friends. They'd been through a lot together during the time everyone had got separated in Ba Sing Se.

"I guess I'll leave it then."

She had to help with the funeral rites anyway. It was normally a woman's job to wash the bodies of the dead and style their hair, a tradition that hadn't been upheld for the Southern Water Tribe warriors for a long time since all the fighting had been happening offshore. This would be the first since the raids. Katara needed to focus on those fallen men for now. She owed it to them.

She took one last glance at Aang and Mai before going to find her father. It was time to do her duty.

oOo

"And I just keep thinking if I hadn't lost my connection to my past lives, none of this would have happened. I could have gone into the Avatar State. I could have stopped that spirit way earlier. I could have—"

"Geez, baldy, I just asked if you were hungry."

Aang blinked.

Mai heaved a sigh and looked the other way. "Look, you can sit here and keep feeling sorry for yourself all you like, but at the end of the day, what is that going to achieve?"

"Um …"

"Nothing. You can't change what happened in the past, so let it go."

He frowned. Momo crawled up onto his shoulder and chirruped. Aang gave him an absent rub to the ears, then glanced behind him at Appa. The bison was sleeping, bandages now wrapped around his wounds. Aang's heart clenched again as he thought of how close he'd come to losing his oldest and dearest friend, of how he had lost Zuko. Albeit, Zuko was alive out there somewhere, but still …

How was he supposed to let it go? He had failed everyone. He had failed Zuko. Avatars were meant to help people and make everything better, not just keep failing over and over.

"Are you hungry or not?"

Aang blinked again and looked at Mai. Or at least her scarred profile; she was still keeping her face averted. Well, she'd always been a little standoffish and prickly. Half the time he couldn't tell if she was being mean to him or if it was just her weird humour. Then again, she'd come over here to give him some vegetarian friendly snacks. That was really, really thoughtful of her. (Most of the people on the ship tended to forget he was vegetarian.)

"I'm kind of—" His stomach gave a loud growl. "Huh. I guess I am hungry."

Mai wordlessly handed him the plate of ocean kumquat rice balls. He started munching on one, half expecting her to leave, but she just leaned against the railing and began twirling one of her thin blades round and round her fingers. It was kind of mesmerising. Before he knew it, he'd finished all the rice balls.

"Thanks," he said, placing the plate down. Momo jumped off his shoulder to pick at the little bits of rice left on the plate. "I actually feel kind of better now."

The spinning knife stilled. A pause, a small exhale. "When I was still with Azula …" She clamped her mouth shut, jaw tightening a fraction.

"What?"

"Forget it."

He sat up straighter. "Hey, you can tell me. We're friends, right?"

She let out another of those big sighs, like speaking to him was the biggest chore in the world. But he didn't take offence. His belly was full and comfortable now, and that was all thanks to her.

"When I was with Azula," she continued in that flat tone of hers, "sometimes things got too much. All the demands, Azula just being Azula. Ty Lee would get this crushed look on her face—a lot like how you've been looking." Mai finally met his gaze. "I used to give her custard buns."

Aang's mouth curved up at the corners, shy but pleased. "Was this your way of trying to cheer me up, Mai?"

"You just reminded me of Ty Lee." She went back to looking off in the other direction. "Don't dwell on it too much."

His smile widened, but then something heavy settled in his chest and his lips quickly drooped. "Um, did you know? That she's an airbender, I mean."

"We all thought she was a non-bender."

He sighed and hugged his knees to his chest. "Can I tell you something?"

"You've already blahed your whole 'I'm the Avatar and I'm such a failure' story at me. Telling me more won't make a difference."

"Um … right. Well, a while back we found this place in the big swamp with these Air Nomad records, and they said all the airbenders lost their bending over time. They just stopped being able to bend air. Even Roku confirmed that I was the last one left. He said there wouldn't be any new airbenders until I restored balance to the world." Aang shook his head. "But I haven't restored balance. I haven't done anything."

"What's your point? You saw Ty Lee bend air. I think it's pretty clear that you're not the only airbender around."

"Right, but that means Roku must have been wrong." Aang clutched his head. "And if he was wrong about this, what if he's wrong about everything else? What if I'm not really destined for anything? I mean, look at the mess I've made so far and—"

"Baldy."

He stilled, glancing at her.

"You're overthinking this."

"Am I?"

Mai muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously unflattering. Or maybe it was self-deprecating; he really couldn't tell when her tone and facial expressions were so hard to read. Still, she moved closer and bent a little to place her hand on his shoulder. "You're the Avatar. The Avatar's destiny never changes."

"But I'm—"

"Just shut up and listen."

He closed his mouth.

"You might feel like a failure now, but that doesn't mean you are one. So instead of thinking about what you've done wrong, start thinking about what you can do to make things right."

His eyes widened.

She released him and picked up the plate, then started to walk away.

"Hey," he called to her back.

Mai paused.

"Why do you think Ty Lee chose to go with Shen?"

She was silent for a long moment. "I'm not sure she did. Ty Lee siding with Azula is one thing, but Shen? I don't buy it."

"Then you think she's being controlled like Atsuo was?"

"Probably." She glanced back at him, and this time there was a glint of visible emotion in her eyes. "And you know what? I'm angry. I'm so angry and frustrated with that idiot. I warned her she would only get hurt if she stuck with Azula, and see what happened: first she got imprisoned and now she's probably being controlled by a guy who might even be more of a monster than Azula."

Aang got to his feet. "So we'll get her back. I mean I was worried before because I thought she might actually be bad like Shen, but if you think she's not, then I wanna rescue her too. I never dreamed I'd get to meet another airbender."

Already, his heart was beginning to feel lighter. He realised some of the weight and ill-feelings squirming inside him were from trying to reconcile having a new airbender around who just wanted to hang with cruel, horrible people. Now it felt like he could be happier about the discovery, like he could actually share his love of the skies and wind with someone who'd be right there at his side.

"We'll have to find them first," Mai pointed out. "There's no trace of their boat."

"Azula knows how to track Zuko through the bond."

Mai's mouth twisted a little.

"What?" he asked.

"I'm not exactly thrilled to have Azula around again."

Aang lowered his gaze to his hands. "She did try to help, you know. I think she actually wanted to protect Zuko." He twiddled his thumbs. "I feel bad that we're keeping her locked up in the hold."

"Azula only cares about herself. Don't make the mistake of thinking she's had a change of heart. You'll just end up regretting it."

His gaze darted to the left side of her face—the puckered, scarred side. The heavy thing in his chest sank a little, gathering like a weight in his belly. He didn't feel so good now.

Mai left him after that. Aang settled back against one of Appa's paws, petting the soft fur. Momo soon crawled onto his lap and curled up in a ball.

"Do you think she's right, Momo?" he murmured. "Do you think we can't trust Azula at all?"

Momo blinked.

Aang sighed and looked up at the sky. Well, Mai was right about one thing: sitting here moping wasn't going to achieve anything. He knew what he had to do. It just sucked to think he'd have to follow Shen's advice to do it.

oOo

The funeral was held and the warriors' bodies weighed and allowed to sink into the ocean. It wasn't the tradition, but there were no snowy plains for a proper burial, so a water grave was better than nothing. At the end of the day, practicality called for getting rid of the bodies before stench and rot could take root.

Sokka detached himself from the group during the singing and sombre celebrations. He climbed up to the crow's nest, wanting to be as close to the sky as possible. There he found the moon—not as full tonight—but no less beautiful. "I heard you saved everyone," he said softly. "Thanks, Yue."

He liked to think she shone a little brighter then. A sad smile curved his lips and he relaxed against the metal barricade, resting his chin on his palm.

"This is some hiding spot."

Sokka jumped and spun around, hand going to his chest. "Geez, Suki. You almost gave me a heart attack."

She laughed and moved to stand at his side. "Sorry. I saw you go off on your own. I can leave if you want."

He almost said yes. Then his stomach wriggled into knots. What was wrong with him? Suki was beautiful and funny and kind. She kicked butt and knew how to put jerks in their place, and she actually liked him and wanted to be his girlfriend. She'd even come here to check up on him. That was a nice thing. That was a good girlfriend thing to do.

So why did his heart only feel heavier?

His gaze drifted back to the moon.

"You always do that," Suki observed after a moment.

"Huh?"

"Stare at the moon."

An ache, deep and piercing, worked its way into his chest. Words he'd never imagined saying snuck onto his tongue, threatening to escape.

Maybe we should break up.

Sokka closed his eyes, swallowing the words back down his throat. He was just being over emotional. It was because Yue had saved them last night, because sometimes he caught himself staring a little too much at Mai, because he was an idiot who couldn't seem to focus on the beautiful, amazing girlfriend he had right in front of him.

Her hand slipped into his and she smiled reassuringly at him. Sokka was already pulling away before he could stop himself.

Creases formed on her brow. "Are you okay?"

"I think … I think I just need to be alone right now."

"Sure." She leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek. "But if you do want to talk, you know where to find me."

He nodded and watched her climb back down the ladder. Then he just exhaled heavily and slumped against the barricade. "I'm such an idiot."

oOo

The hold was not as small and cramped as the one on Shen's boat, but it was a prison nonetheless. Even so, Azula knelt on the cushion as poised as if she were about to take part in a tea ceremony, her eyes fixed on her uncle. "When can I see my mother?"

"Ursa has not awoken yet."

Her chest tightened a little. "Why not?"

"She's been under a spirit's control for three years. Give her time."

Azula forced herself to breathe more steadily. "Fine. Then how long are you planning to keep me in these cuffs?" She raised the metal encasements the best she could with one functioning arm. "It's uncomfortable."

"I'm sure you understand, my niece, why we simply cannot take those cuffs off you."

It was like something jagged scraping against her skin. She didn't want to hear him call her his niece, not when the label felt cheap and hollow. He'd never cared about her. Oh, sure, when she was younger he'd thought her clever and praised her for her talents, but then one day he'd started giving her those looks that whispered "monster" just like everyone else.

Just like now.

She stiffened and averted her face. "Then stop wasting my time and leave me in peace. Maybe then I can actually get some sleep."

"You know why I can't do that either. You're the only one who knows how to track him."

The old cage rattled inside her, hinges busted and broken. Of course. Of course this was still about Zuko.

"I've told you that I haven't been able to make a connection. You think I haven't tried already?" Her mouth twisted. "Besides, that idiot chose to surrender …"

She'd warned him. She'd even fought for him to help buy time for an escape, and he'd just walked right into Shen's hands anyway. Stupid Zuko, so noble and self-sacrificing. So easy to manipulate. He was a hopeless case.

She would have never made the same mistake.

Iroh sighed and stood up from his chair. "I'll bring some food for you."

"Don't bother."

A pause, almost hesitant. Then his footsteps disappeared out the door and the lock clicked into place. Azula awkwardly shifted onto her side, wincing as the arm that still felt sensation protested in throbs and aches with every rub against her cuffs. Her eyes prickled a little, but no tears fell. She wasn't weak, after all. Or at least she wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her be.