A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed! I even got a few pointers, which is always awesome. I'll try and work on everything, see if I can get my ADD characters to stop jumping in at random moments. Though it'll be kinda hard…

Chapter Two

"Are you ready?"

Zuko looked down at the girl by his side, a frown on his face. After a moment, he turned away, having said nothing. Instead, he simply moved off, wanting to begin with his hunt as quickly as possible. He wasn't a fool; he knew what Azula was planning. This was a test. And he didn't plan on falling.

With a dejected sigh, Ty Lee followed Zuko, her mind whirling around the thought that this mission would be very boring. Suddenly, Ty Lee perked up. At least she would be able to see that cute Water Tribe warrior. That might save her from complete boredom. Still, traveling with Azula's brother didn't seem such a great concept. She rather wished she could go off on her own. She stopped. Perhaps…

"Are you coming or not?"

The exasperated voice of Prince Zuko reached her ears and Ty Lee snapped out of her reverie. This was, unfortunately, not the time for daydreams. She was on a mission. She nodded and raced forward, only to find that Zuko had continued without so much as an acknowledgement to her. Ty Lee let out a puff of air. Boring indeed. Still, it wasn't all a loss.

Shaking his head, Zuko mounted his ostrich-horse and waited silently for Ty Lee to do the same. He was definitely not thrilled that she was coming. When she jumped onto her own ostrich-horse, the fallen prince sent one last look towards his sister and then urged his mount forward. He was growing weary of tests from his family. His father, now Azula…even Iroh had tested him, albeit in a roundabout and unobtrusive way. All he truly wanted was his honor back.

But what honor is there in betraying your Uncle…and those who might have helped you? asked a snide voice in his head.

There is honor in being accepted by my father and my people, he retorted.

Ah, but will he really accept you again? Ever? You're playing the fool if you think he still cares.

Zuko shook his head once more and looked to the west. There had been reports that the Avatar and his bison had headed in that direction. It also meant that he had his friends had a big head start. As the sun rose behind them, the sky deepened a bit, lightening but gaining a bluer quality. For a moment, Zuko was reminded of sapphire blue eyes. He started but the color was gone, as fleeting as a dream.

Her dreams were disturbing, full of fire and dark days. A familiar form haunted her thoughts but in her confused and exhausted mind, Katara couldn't identify the mysterious figure.

"Hello?"

They turned and moved closer but still Katara didn't know who it was. His face was cast in shadows, with only the molten-gold pools of his eyes visible.

"Hello?"

"I'm coming, Katara…"

Katara's eyes snapped open, her chest heaving. For a moment, she simply laid there, staring up at the dark ceiling. After a moment, she sighed and rose. Katara knew she wouldn't slip into sleep so easily now so she approached the mouth of the cave and sat down. The girl closed her eyes and began to bend the water in her water skin. They had been here for a whole day, resting, but still they were tired. Yet Katara was suddenly filled with an overwhelming well of liveliness.

Again she sighed, this time for an all-together different reason. Bending soothed her, filled her with a certain calming energy. Sightless, she let the energy move through her, flowing from her fluid arms.

Above her, in the night sky, she felt the moon's pull, wondering at the sweet beauty it filled her with. Katara always felt amazed that she knew the moon spirit, had spoken with her before she became as she was. Yue. We all miss you. Please, guide us through this.

She felt a warmth within and knew Yue had heard her. With a soft smile, Katara opened her eyes. And her heart stilled. Off in the distance, she saw fire. And, though it could have been from anything, Katara knew the fire didn't belong to anyone friendly. What was more, it was moving.

"Oh no." She turned on her heel as she stood, running to the back of the cave. How had they been found so quickly? "Everyone, wake up! Wake up now!"

Sokka groaned. "Uggh. Whassit, 'Tara?"

Katara watched as the others woke up and began to feel for their belongings. "I don't know," she replied grimly. "But we can't take any chances. We have to go."

When Zuko woke from yet another jumbled dream, Ty Lee was gone. But, in her place, there stood another familiar face. He groaned as his entire body seemed to be trapped in a blazing fire. His stomach began to flip and his head began to pound. He felt weak and helpless. He didn't like it.

"Hello, Prince Zuko."

For a moment, Zuko was speechless. How is this happening? And then he got his wits back. "Uncle? Why…How? How did you escape?" he asked weakly, quickly averting his eyes. "Does Azula know?"

Iroh was silent a moment as he saw the feverish look on Zuko's face. "I suspect she does," he said finally, his voice quiet. "Seeing as she was the one who allowed me to escape."

"What?" Zuko asked, unaware that his words were starting to slur. The night before, his dreams had been filled with tear-filled eyes and fiery deaths. He had seen a girl, dark hair streaming behind her, fending off her attackers. He had been her attacker.

Voices had whispered to him. His, Iroh's, Azula's, his father's…and his mother's.

"Oh, Zuko. I didn't save you to betray those who love you. Please, don't throw such things away."

Iroh watched Zuko closely but continued. "I woke a few days ago to find that the guard outside my cell had fallen asleep. His keys had fallen into my cell. I escaped but, as I passed the guard, I noticed that he wasn't just asleep." The old firebender shook his head. "No. I didn't escape; I was released."

"How--"

"Did I find you?" He chuckled. "You leave quite the trail, Prince Zuko."

Zuko tried to nod as his vision began to blur but the world was soon enveloped in an inky black. Pain raced through him and he cried out, collapsing back to the ground.

As Zuko fell to the forest floor, Iroh sighed. "Oh, nephew. Will your mind ever agree with your heart?" He shook his head and lifted Zuko onto the ostrich-horse. They would continue to follow the Avatar for Iroh believed it was Zuko's only chance at becoming whole.

As they raced through the skies, Katara was uncertain of what she had seen a couple of nights ago. But she didn't regret her actions. On the contrary, she was quite happy with her decision, knowing that, if the situation was dire, they would need to be quick. Katara knew, from their experience beneath Ba Sing Se, that she and Aang couldn't always fight their way out of a grim situation.

She turned and looked at the others, all of whom were sleeping fitfully. Her shoulders slumped. It was her fault. Wait, no it wasn't. That glow could have come from anything.

Like firebenders? asked a voice in her head.

No! And certainly not a certain two-timing, double-crossing, loserific firebender…travelers, maybe.

Oh, come on! How many campfires have you seen move? Better safe than sorry, right?…Loserific? How lame is that? You're just angry because he sided with his sister.

Um…yeah. His sister is a demon! In case you didn't notice…And I'm pissed that he chose her side instead of Aang's.

You mean your side.

No. Aang's side. Besides, he's nothing to me, just another stupid firebender.

Ah, yes…and you weren't about to heal him…and you weren't standing a few teeny, tiny inches from him, close enough to--

Shut up!

Abruptly pulling away from those dangerous thoughts, Katara pulled out a map to try and figure out where they were. After a few moments, however, she decided it was pointless. She knew they were close to the Eastern Air Temple, but she wasn't certain of their exact position.

Well, it didn't matter. Just as long as they were able to keep away from Princess Azula and her gang of miscreants.

As she was putting the map away, Aang stirred, seeming shocked that he had fallen asleep. "Katara?" he whispered groggily.

"Yes, Aang?"

"Can we land somewhere? I know we've only been flying for a little while, but I'm awfully tired."

With a sigh, Katara nodded. "Of course, Aang. Of course."

See? Ha. Only traders. I'm sure of it.

Traders that could be firebenders who sneak up on you in the middle of the day…when they're most powerful.

Oh shut up.

The airbender smiled a sleepy smile and began to steer Appa back to the ground. The Bison seemed glad and eagerly headed down, aiming for a patch of clear ground in the middle of a dense forest. Katara let out a breath she didn't even know she had been holding. Maybe this time they could stay for a little while longer. Perhaps a couple of days.

Katara chuckled softly. And maybe they could get a decent meal. They hadn't dared stop in any of the villages they passed over, afraid they might be recognized. Now they were running low on supplies and, while the forest wouldn't hold much, she and Sokka could at least find a bit more food.

At that very moment, Katara heard Sokka's stomach rumble loudly, waking the sleeping warrior. He sat up, clutching his middle, and smiled with relief as Appa settled on the ground. "Food! Need food!" Katara laughed and then woke up Toph.

"Land? Land!" the girl squealed, taking Aang's proffered hand. "Finally. Appa's soft and all, but the earth and I get along much better, I think."

"To tell the truth," Katara admitted slowly, "we all could benefit from taking a very long break." The others sent up enthusiastic cheers. Katara smiled. They were finally safe.

A/N: Woohoo! Another chapter finished! I know it's short; I'm sorry. But! I'll have the next one up as soon as humanly possible, so…Watch out! It'll be longer. Oh, and don't worry; Ty Lee will return. Iroh didn't murder her or anything…it's not his style. She really just…well, if I told you that, I'd have to smack myself for revealing secrets…sorry!