Previously…
"Where is he?" Zuko demanded. "Where is my uncle?"
The shopkeeper raised his hands defensively and Zuko backed off, mind reeling.
"I'm sorry your Highness, I do not know. This message was spread far and wide to all of us, in efforts to reach you. The only thing I know is to give you one of these." His hand slowly fished into his pocket, pulling out a white lotus tile. With shaky hands, he offered it to the young prince, who took it without hesitation.
Memories of his time in the Jasmine Dragon flicked through his mind. His uncle had custom ordered Pai Sho tiles from an earth bender in the upper rings. He wanted special playing pieces for the tea shop.
This was one of those pieces.
Zuko handed the unique tile to Katara, face deadly serious.
"We have three days."
"Zuko," Katara flipped the Pai Sho tile over in her hand, eyes wide. "What do you mean we have three days?"
"You saw the war balloons Katara," he said seriously. "My father is more determined than ever to win this war, especially since he now knows that I've joined the Avatar's cause."
The girl froze in place, trembling. The engraved flower bit into her palm as she gripped onto it.
"We've got to tell Aang in the others." She was off the roof in a flash.
Without protest, Zuko rose and followed her.
After the group was caught up, any semblance of a relaxing beach day went out the window. Suki and Sokka looked worried, Aang terrified, and Toph uncharacteristically solemn.
"This is bad," Aang said, shaking his head. "Why wouldn't you tell me this sooner?"
Zuko shrugged. "I didn't think I had to. No one told me you all were planning on waiting until after the comet. Why else would I be training you so hard?"
"What are we going to do?" Aang continued.
"You won't be alone, Aang," Katara reminded.
Aang regarded her with a solemn look, gaze flicking to Zuko beside her.
Toph chimed in, as if she sensed the growing tension.
"Yeah, if we all fight him together, we stand a chance at actually taking him down!"
"All right!" Sokka grinned a bit maniacally, looking to each member of their group. "Vacation time is over. Team Avatar is back!"
Toph let out a whoop, cracking her knuckles loudly.
"Okay," Aang stood up, setting his jaw. "Fighting the Fire Lord is going to be one of the hardest things we've ever done…but as long as we're together, I wouldn't have it any other way."
Katara couldn't help the little smile that formed on her lips.
Now that was the Aang she was friends with.
"Oh, come here you guys!" Katara said, opening her arms.
With a multitude of chuckles and eye rolls, everyone spare Zuko began to make their way to the tanned girl.
"You too, Sparky," Toph commanded and Zuko sighed resignedly.
~0~
Despite any lingering feelings from Aang, the young Avatar was mature enough to know that he would need to train with Zuko further.
Katara and Momo sat beneath the pavilion, watching the two train, heart heavy with the knowledge this could be one of the last times.
While she was still relatively upset with Aang, she felt comfortable around him with Zuko as a sort of buffer.
This could end the war. She realized. If Aang defeats Ozai, the war will finally be over.
Our lives are going to change so much.
Again.
She allowed her mind to wander to wherever it took her, the two's movements in front of her surprisingly fluid.
Pulling herself from the reverie, she turned her attention to them, in attempt to figure out what exactly Zuko was teaching.
"So, have you ever redirected lightning before?" Aang asked.
Zuko's eyes flicked over to where Katara sat, clearly paying attention.
"Once," he rasped. "Against my father, right after the eclipse."
If he'd kept his gaze on Katara, he would have seen the look of shock on her face.
His own father shot lightning at him? She gasped inwardly.
"What'd it feel like?" Aang asked, eyes wide.
He'd seen lightning wielded by fire benders a handful of times. The powerful move was usually wielded by Azula, though he recalled Zuko's own uncle being powerful enough to harness the unstable energy.
Zuko's arms and fingers flowed through the redirection pathway, tracing the line of energy flow through the body.
"Exhilarating, but also terrifying." The encounter flashed brightly before his eyes like it was happening all over again. The rush of power, electrifying and tingly, echoed in his stomach. "The power that runs through your body is intense…if you make the wrong move, it's over in a second."
The youth's gaze only widened, nervousness creeping at the edges of his brain. "I mean, not over over, right? Nothing a little Katara healing session couldn't fix?"
Katara's mouth gaped open, somewhat like a fish. "Aang…I don't think I could heal anything like that…not without spirit water and we used all that up."
And it was true. Katara couldn't heal something as profound as that sort of wound. That sort of bending was fatal, more often then not.
It made the 'playing with fire' statement literal.
The realization seemed to echo off Aang and wash across Zuko and Katara, a mix of fear and uncertainty.
The balance of the world really did echo in Aang's hands.
"No pressure," Aang heh'd nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.
~0~
Zuko paced back and forth, flipping the Pai Sho over and over in his hand.
It surely meant something, he thought. Something more then just an indication on who the message was from…he would and could only logically assume that the message would be from his uncle, so what purpose would this particular piece serve?
He froze, head shooting towards the direction of the inside, Sokka's surprised shout echoing throughout the same time he reached his conclusion.
"Aang?"
"Ba Sing Se," he mused, barely registering Sokka's words. "The invasion force is going to wipe out Ba Sing Se. Maybe Uncle is there!"
It would make sense, he decided, for their armies to want to burn the last-standing kingdom to the ground.
It would make quite the statement.
"Aang?" Sokka's head popped through the archway, glancing rather concernedly into the courtyard where Zuko stood. "Zuko, have you seen him?"
"What?"
"Aang, he's missing." Sokka retorted before pivoting to yell in the house. "Not on this side!"
"Missing?" Zuko repeated, shoving the tile into his pocket. "What do you mean, missing?"
"He's not in the house and he left his staff," Sokka called over his shoulder.
The elder boy quickly followed after the Water Tribesman.
"Hey," Katara said to Zuko as the two men trotted up the stairs. "Has someone tried the beach?"
"No," Sokka said, rubbing his chin. "Good idea."
As Katara and Zuko followed him down the slope to the beach, Katara worriedly gnawed her lip.
"You don't think he ran away because of what I said to him, do you? Maybe I shouldn't have said anything so close to the comet…"
"What?" Zuko's feet sunk into the dry sand as the wood planking ended. "Did you finally talk to him?"
"Yeah, last night…" she frowned, grunting slightly as she attempted to keep up with their quick pace in the sand.
"I doubt it was you that made him run away, Katara — if that's what he did," Zuko reassured her. "He's likely got a lot of stress on him right now."
A little sigh escaped her as they came to a stop at the small patch of beach. Smaller indents, clearly footprints not yet washed away by the tide, lead into the water.
Aang.
The incident from the night before echoed in her mind's eye. They'd all set up a mock battle, making as realistic preparations for the impending battle.
As realistic as a 'Melon Lord' could be.
They'd all done their part well— Toph as the Fire Nation's enforcements, Suki and Sokka attacking from one side, Zuko and Katara attacking straight up the middle, leaving Aang to swoop in from the right to deliver the "final blow".
But he couldn't do it.
Aang, like Katara had expected, couldn't defeat — kill — Ozai.
Even as a carved melon head. He stopped short, staff inches away.
He had said it just didn't feel right, and Sokka had simply drawn his sword and lobbed off the melon-head.
The thunk it made when it fell to the ground practically made Aang turn green.
It didn't seem to effect the others, however.
Not even Zuko.
Aang's mood soured even further as the night progressed, though Katara was sure Toph's joke that her surprise was that her and Zuko had a 'secret thing' only made things worse.
The secret was an old illustration of a child playing in the sand with dark black hair and the cutest little smile.
"See?" She asked, hoisting the parchment up for the others to see. "Baby Zuko! Isn't he cute?"
Everyone, spare Zuko and Aang chuckled at the cute baby.
When Katara noticed that her friend wasn't laughing, she sent him a teasing grin.
"Relax Zuko, I'm only messing with you."
"That's not me," he rasped. "That's my father."
No one thought the picture was entertaining after that.
"Any luck?" Suki hollered as she trotted down the path, Toph in tow.
Katara pulled herself from the memory.
"No," Sokka crouched down to squint at the trail. "It just ends, like he waded out into the water."
"What, like a spirit world journey?" Suki suggested.
"No," Katara mused, glancing to the wide open sea. "His body would still be here."
The couple hummed in realization, none of them having any particularly good ideas as to where to look next.
"Should we check the island?" Toph asked. "It's not like he swam away…"
That was just as good of an idea as any the group supposed, so they all broke into different groups, dividing the island up into smaller chunks to search.
Nearly two hours had passed before they all met back up at the beach house, none of them in any better spirits than when they left.
"I'm guessing by that look, you guys didn't have any luck either?" Suki asked as Zuko, Toph and Sokka all walked into the courtyard.
Katara stood up, half hoping that Aang would stroll outside behind them, that sheepish look on his face he wore when he got caught doing something he shouldn't be.
"Nope," Sokka replied, popping the 'p'.
"Hey," Toph commented, squinting and wiggling her toes into the concrete. "Where's Momo?"
~0~
"So, remind me why we're in this seedy village again?" Suki queried, scrunching her nose. "Not that I don't trust your judgement."
They'd left Appa hidden in the forest, the group making the short trek into the — in Suki's words — "seedy" village on the far western outskirts of Ba Sing Se. This village, like the majority of villages that dotted the dusty landscape, was in admittedly horrid shape. Small run-down homes dotted the outer edge, the wealth of the nearby port doing little to improve the citizen's living conditions.
"There's someone here that can help us find Aang," Zuko murmured, leading the way.
The trip into the Western Earth Kingdom had taken the majority of the day. Although everyone was uneasy at the thought of potentially leaving Aang behind on Ember Island, Katara had pointed out that they had checked everywhere.
And he was just gone.
They left a note that they were going to find someone that could find him, in case he returned while they were gone.
Although none of them were confident that he would…
Zuko didn't tell anyone, not even Katara, that he hoped to kill two birds with one stone during this trip. If June couldn't find Aang for whatever reason, perhaps she could find Iroh.
And he could be the next best thing.
Zuko tucked his hands into his robe pockets, gait and posture relaxed, as if he could overcompensate for the level of sheer discomfort radiating from the rest of the group.
"Relax," Katara hissed at her brother, who'd taken to gripping the hilt of his boomerang now hanging across the front of his chest. "You look paranoid."
"I am paranoid," he bit back, other arm snaking behind Suki as a group of men skulked by. "Zuko, this person better be able to find something."
"I'm sure he will," Toph drawled from beside Katara, the only one aside from Zuko that wasn't visibly unnerved. "Besides, it's not like we couldn't take any of these smucks."
Her knuckles popped loudly from beside her, a lopsided grin overtaking her face.
"Easy," Katara mused to her. "Let's not look too threatening."
The crooked grin only widened.
As the houses and shops situated between the sparse trees lessened, a massive two-story building grew closer.
"We're going in there?" Suki squeaked, realizing the building was a tavern.
For adults.
And they…well, they were clearly not adults — even with a fake mustache glued onto Sokka's upper lip — which he had been stopped from doing.
Lively music, jostling laughter and the scent of wheat — both in beer and bread form — leaked out from the building.
Zuko confidently shoved open the door, much like he'd done nearly a year earlier, and strode inside.
The rest filed in behind him, keeping themselves close together and trying to not appear as young and as intruder-y as they felt. The chatter and music only served to grow louder, Katara having to speak loudly to be heard over the ruckus.
"Is that—?" Katara asked, pointing discreetly to a dark haired woman leaning back on a chair, small goblet in her hand.
"June," Zuko stated.
The woman had hardly changed since they'd last encountered her. She still sported the same long dark hair, reddish lips and lined eyes. June was absolutely stunning, and her prowess as a fighter and bounty hunter made her even more impressive.
Toph scrunched her toes against the populated bar floor, trying to determine who this 'June' person could be.
A woman at a table, near the center of the room was lazily sipping at a hot cup of tea when another person began charging her at full speed.
At the last second, her legs whipped up, catching onto his neck and yanking him onto all fours. He cried out in shock, his friend lunging forward to his rescue.
"Oh yeah," Sokka exclaimed, watching the fight break out mere feet ahead of them. "That bounty hunter with that giant mole."
While June proceeded to expertly pirouette around the attack, Suki said,
"Mole? Her skin is flawless!"
Katara zoned her friends out as June battled on, kicking and dodging their attempts, her hot drink still in hand.
It hadn't spilled even a drop.
A dark red tattoo peaked out from above her arm sleeve, her now free-hand launching out to press him away.
At some point she'd knocked out one of her attackers, the man crashing into the wall and slumping to the dark wooden floor. The patrons at the adjacent table didn't even seem phased by it.
In fact, Katara noted, none of them seemed to be — like it was a daily occurrence for the slender woman to easily take out two grown men with little effort.
When the last man flew over the bounty hunter's body and slammed into the corner with a groan, Toph whispered, "I don't know who this June lady is, but I like her already!"
The entire tavern's noise level lessened as June sighed, brushed herself off and returned to her drink.
After Zuko decided that the two she'd batted away weren't going to return, he made his way over to her, the others in tow.
June didn't bother turning her torso fully to greet them, instead barely turning her head to study the teenagers.
"Oh great, it's Prince Pouty," she muttered, staring hard up at the scarred boy. "Where's your creepy grandpa?"
Katara couldn't help but to snicker at the Prince Pouty comment, making mental note to tease Zuko with the nickname if— when —they got out of this godforsaken war alive.
Zuko bristled at the jab, crossing his arms.
"He's my uncle," Zuko corrected haughtily. "And he's not here."
June's eyes flicked over to Katara, who stood beside him.
"I see you and your girlfriend worked things out," she observed, lips quirking up as the two immediately turned red.
"I'm not—"
"She's not my —"
June cocked an eyebrow, slowly bringing the tea to her lips and taking a drink.
"Alright, okay, sheesh. I was only teasing."
Smoke curled off the rim of the glass before disappearing into the air.
"What do you want then?" She queried in that same bored tone. "Lose someone again?"
"I — we — need your help finding the Avatar."
Katara watched the bounty hunter mull over Zuko's request, wondering what the woman's price would be.
Surely she would name something!
Gold, and a lot of it, if Katara had to guess.
She had a feeling she would be the type to make things needlessly more difficult.
June scrunched up her nose and she swirled the contents of her cup.
Humming, she met Zuko's eyes rather defiantly.
"Eh, doesn't sound too fun."
Zuko's eyes bulged ever so slightly, fists clenching at his side.
"Does the end of the world sound like fun?" He growled, anger simmering beneath the surface.
June snorted. "Don't be so melodramatic."
"Melodramatic?" Katara echoed incredulously. "We're not being melodramatic — if we don't find the Avatar in time to stop Oz—"
Zuko held his hand up.
Realizing all the ears that could be potentially listening, she clamped her lips shut.
"Yes, princess," June drawled as a matter of factly. "You sound melodramatic. I just want to know…what's in it for me?"
"How about not having the entire continent burned to the ground, lady?" Sokka butted in, voice low as to keep the other customers from hearing.
Her visible eyebrow quirked up in surprise.
"Why don't we go somewhere…" she laid the cup on the table before standing up. "More private?"
Zuko and Katara backed off at that, following the shadowy woman out into the darkness of night.
~0~
The elder prince stared fiercely at the bounty hunter, as if daring her to decline to help them, despite the direness of their — the world included — situation.
Appa and Nyla sniffed one another noisily, though the interaction seemed to be more curious than anything.
Leave it to Appa to wander closer into town, Katara thought with a wry smile.
"Alright," June said finally, absentmindedly stroking her Shirshu. "I'll help. Do you have something of his?"
Sokka clambered up into Sokka's saddle in an instant, the only noise being his soft grunt as he landed back onto the solid ground. Aang's glider was gripped tightly in his hand, eyes pinned onto the woman.
"Here," Sokka passed her the staff, almost begrudgingly.
June took the wood piece and turned back to her shirshu, holding it out for her pet.
The shirhsu's nose twitched curiously at the glider, each highly trained receptor taking in the scent.
"Okay Nyla girl," June cooed. "Find the boy."
The shirshu's head whipped up, wafting the air for assumedly any hint of Aang's presence. She scampered forward, sniffling around the small clearing. After making a semi-circle, Nyla came to a stop back beside the bounty hunter. With a low whimper, she slumped to the ground, pawing her nose unhappily.
"What does that mean?" Katara asked, though she knew the answer.
They met eyes, one by one, nervously waiting for June's reply.
"It means your friend's gone," June said, squatting beside her pet and petting it's snout.
"Well, yeah," Toph replied dryly. "We know that. That's why we came to you!"
"No," June said in nearly the same tone. "Gone-gone. He doesn't exist, at least not to Nyla."
"Doesn't exist?" Zuko groaned.
"Does that mean he's dead?" Sokka asked.
Nyla got to her feet, seemingly waiting on her master's next move.
"Nope," June said. "Nyla can find dead. Hm, it's a real head scratcher." She tossed her lengthy dark hair over her shoulder, shooting Zuko and Katara a smirk. "See ya."
She had just settled herself atop Nyla's saddle when Zuko stopped her.
"Wait! I have another idea. There's only one other person I can think of that could help us defeat my father."
Wrenching his outer robe open, he rummaged around inside the inner pocket, fishing out a small tile.
"Is that the tile that your uncle sent you?" Katara asked, staring at the small playing piece in his hand.
"No. This is the one he gave me right after we left Ba Sing Se."
His uncle's shaky fingers pressing it into his palm, weeks ago, flashed through his mind, the sound of the tea pot shattering in the background.
Katara's eyes widened.
"Is that going to be enough? You've had that on you for weeks."
They looked to June, who seemed to be wondering the same thing. The shirshu, on the other hand, darted forward, nose snuffling loudly.
"Guess so." Toph muttered.
Zuko tensed at the creature's proximity, but allowed it to gather whatever scent it needed. He just hoped it would be enough.
When one of it's short fleshy tentacles scraped his palm, his face contorted in disgust.
"Alright," June tugged the animal back. "Let's do this."
The shirshu and rider disappeared into the forest in seconds.
~0~
Late night turned into early morning, then early morning eventually became dusk.
The gang took turns sleeping, whilst June and Nyla seemed to have no trouble running throughout the remainder of that night and into the next.
It was a miracle Appa was making it this far.
When night finally reached them, the shirshu darted through a hole in an all too familiar wall.
Ba Sing Se.
"He's in Ba Sing Se?" Zuko wondered aloud, leaning outwards to get a better look.
The next set of walls loomed far ahead in the sky, no more then a streak on the mostly-dark horizon.
"It's been a long day," Katara called as she directed Appa down to the ground. "Maybe we're getting close."
The sky-bison landed with a happy groan, toes flexing on the solid ground.
"Nyla's awfully twitchy," June called out, skipping over any pleasantries. "Your uncle can't be far. Good luck."
She flicked her reigns with a grunt and the two were off as quickly as they'd started.
"Oh-kay," Sokka commented, watching the woman disappear down the dusty path.
"Let's camp for the night," Zuko slid off Appa, his own legs protesting at the sudden weight. "We can start looking again at first light."
Sokka pushed himself to the ground, kindly extending a hand to help Suki down. Toph and Katara were next, the latter grunting at the sensation of solid ground beneath wobbly knees.
"I'm exhausted," Katara groaned, plopping to the ground across from where Toph had already bent herself a rock-tent.
"You can say that again," Suki mumbled.
Bed rolls thudded to the ground in front of them.
With a glance, Katara saw Zuko's lean frame outlined in the moonlight as he tossed down the last bedroll from the top.
Sokka and Suki combined their blankets to snuggle discreetly together, fingers intertwined beneath the blanket, legs tangled.
Zuko rolled out his own beside Katara, leaving a gentlemanly amount of space between them. Appa had laid down as well, shielding them from whatever could wander in from the gap in the wall.
~0~
Katara shifted uncomfortably in her bedroll for what felt like the fourth time that minute, the small rocks and lumpy stone ground poking and prodding into her lower back no matter which way she situated herself.
"Can't sleep?" Zuko rasped, voice low enough she almost didn't catch it.
"Huh?" She hummed, moving slightly to face him.
He was barely visible in the night, the clouds that flanked them the remainder of the day having finally caught up.
"You keep moving."
"Sorry," she whispered. "This ground is so…"
"Bumpy?" He offered.
She bobbed her head, only to realize he probably couldn't see her in the dark.
"Uh-huh."
A gentle breeze whooshed overhead, doing little to offer the teens in the valley any coolness.
"I can't wait to see him," Zuko muttered huskily. "My uncle."
"I know. I hope he's able to help us." She paused. "He'll be so happy to see you, you know."
"I was so impatient with him, the last time we were together. So hot headed." Bitterness twinged his tone.
"You're not the same anymore, Zuko," Katara whispered, slightly pressing up onto her arm. "You aren't that angry person. You've grown."
"Have I?"
Although neither could see one another in the dark, Katara offered him a small smile, sticking out her arm blindly.
Once her fingers landed on something warm and alive, she gently squeezed.
"Yes."
A hand pressed into the top of hers and their fingers intertwined.
"You're here, aren't you?" She willed her voice to not wobble at the contact. "Helping the Avatar?"
"Katara," he said thickly, hand still clinging onto hers.
Whatever words he'd planned to say next never came, as a massive wall of fire erupted, surrounding them with a bright red blaze.
Katara gasped, quickly scrambling to her feet.
Earth rumbled from nearby and Toph was on her feet, her tent nowhere to be seen.
Figures loomed high on pillars around them, staring down into the fiery hole.
Sokka and Suki were up now, eyes wide.
Appa bellowed loudly from beside them, fidgeting at the heat from the ring of fire.
"Well, look who's here!"
A familiar voice exclaimed jovially.
The fire dimmed and each of them squinted past the licking flames.
Was that Bumi?
"Uncle!"
Zuko sprinted towards a figure, not caring about the wall of fire that separated them.
At that, the fire lessened, and Katara could now see clearly who had found them.
Bumi, Pakku, Piandao, Jeong Jeong and Iroh.
A rough laugh escaped Iroh, hopping down to the ground.
"Nephew," he rumbled, arms opening wide to catch the embrace.
He stumbled back on the impact.
"It is so good to see you."
"I have so many questions," tears pooled in his eyes. "How did you escape? What—"
"What's going on?" Toph's voice broke through the otherwise shocked silence. "We're surrounded by old people!"
Iroh held up a finger to silence his nephew, offering him a warm smile in reassurance.
"Not just any old people!" Katara said, walking towards Pakku, awestruck. "These are great masters and friends of ours!"
"Pakku," She greeted, bowing low to him.
"It is respectful to bow to an old master," Pakku agreed, but quickly straightened, eyes sparkling. "But how about a hug, for your new grandfather?"
Sokka gasped, hands flattening on his face.
Then, both siblings flung themselves at Pakku, wide grins on their face.
"I made her a new betrothal necklace and everything," Pakku said.
While Sokka and Pakku were talking about what kind of special grandfather-name he could call him, Katara looked to Zuko and Iroh.
"Iroh," she called, waving. "It's so good to see you again."
The older fire bender still had his arm around his nephew, though it appeared Zuko wasn't the only one with misty eyes.
"Hello, Master Katara," he replied. "Thank you for taking such good care of my nephew."
He shot her a wink and she merely beamed in response.
"This is Aang's first fire bending teacher," she said suddenly, having forgotten herself for a moment.
Zuko pulled away from Iroh to stroll over, bowing low in greeting to Jeong Jeong.
"Hello, Sokka," Piandao said, tanned face crinkling with bemusement.
"Master Piandao!" Sokka exclaimed.
"Zuko," Piandao greeted.
Zuko had turned to Piandao to bow, when Suki piped up.
"Wait! How do you all know each other?"
She gestured between the elders. She'd heard stories about all of them, but never heard one from them together.
"All old people know each other," Bumi quipped, breaking out in his infamous snorty-laughter. "Didn't you know?"
Katara and Zuko shared a thoughtful glance.
All of them wore the same white chest piece.
"The Order of the White Lotus," Zuko rasped.
Iroh chuckled and the group shared a knowing glance.
"You finally figured it out," Piandao said.
"The White Lotus has always been about philosophy, beauty and truth." Jeong Jeong explained.
"A little over a month ago," Iroh went on, tucking his hands in his sleeves. "I sent out a message that we needed to reunite the group."
"When the Grand Lotus says we are needed, we come together," Piandao mused.
"We were looking for you, Iroh!" Toph exclaimed. "But I guess it's lucky we found all of you — or well, you found us!"
"Wait," Bumi, always a few screws loose, bounded forward, staring suspiciously amongst the teens. "Someone's missing. Where's Momo?"
Katara and Sokka shared a glance.
The old man's sense of humor had always been…strange.
"He's missing. So is Aang." Sokka muttered.
Whilst the other elders seemed to understand the severity of the situation, Bumi, did not.
"Oh well," he snorted. "As long as they have each other."
Bumi bent a massive earth pillar beneath him, shooting himself up and over the edge of the cliff.
His, "Let's go!" Barely reached the group.
Toph cocked an eyebrow, a 'dude's nuts' expression on her face.
Despite everyone's exhaustion, the White Lotus' camp sounded promising. The thought of real beds - or even cots - again made them more happy then they'd like to admit. The Fire Lord's Ember Island home had spoiled them.
"Uncle," Zuko finally started, nearly halfway to their destination. "How did you escape?"
Starlight twinkled in Iroh's eyes. The man withdrew one of his hands from his sleeve to stroke his beard.
"The impending eclipse, paired with the idea I was no more then a weak, crazy old man does more for one then you might think." He chuckled, the laugh making even Zuko smile. "They did not stand a chance."
Katara, who walked slightly ahead of the two with Pakku and her brother, slowed to walk alongside Iroh.
"You and Zuko sure do have a lot to catch up on," she commented.
"Ah, yes," Iroh agreed. "I would very much like to hear what transpired after my….unfortunate departure."
The non-existent dirt path wove around the mountain, finally reaching the peak.
"Would it be safe to assume that you two did indeed travel together?" He queried.
"Yes," Katara confirmed, smiling. "We had quite the adventure, to say the least."
"That's putting it lightly," Zuko rasped to Iroh, though his amber eyes were on Katara.
Iroh hummed in agreement, giving the two a knowing smile.
~0~
Everyone had been assigned their own tents upon arrival and promptly went right to sleep, the long day of travel having worn each of them out.
Everyone but Zuko, of course.
He'd lingered with his uncle the longest, following him silently into his tent, thankful for the invitation inside.
"Uncle," Zuko started, eyes wide and earnest. "I am so sorry for how I treated you that evening. And for when you were hurt. I—"
Iroh held up his hand, eventually placing it on the young man's shoulder.
"You had to find your own way, Prince Zuko. Find your own path to here and now." Iroh pulled him into his arms, hugging Zuko tightly. "I am so happy that you did. It is good to accept help along the way."
The knot that had woven itself into Zuko's chest lessened, the nervous anticipation dissipating further as Iroh held him at arm's length and studied him.
"I am sure it helps it was such pretty help, too," Iroh winked.
This comment had Zuko blushing a bright red, though he had the sense to not protest the observation.
He had just finished telling him about their adventure, after all. And although Zuko had embarrassedly left out their cuddling and almost-kiss, he knew protesting any sort of comment such as that only made the teasing greater.
"It helps that you smell so strongly, so June was able to find you," Zuko said teasingly, a crooked smile on his face.
~0~
The next morning, Katara pushed her cloth door aside, stepping out into the sunlight. Warm morning light shone down on the camp and Katara marveled at the size of their encampment.
The White Lotus' camp was set up in a cove of sorts higher up in the mountains of rural western Ba Sing Se. The location couldn't have been better. The steep mountains that surrounded it would make it nearly impossible for anyone to stumble upon them, and the narrow entrance leading into it made it easily defendable.
A multitude of tall tents were situated in a horseshoe in the clearing, with the largest tent — presumably the Grand Lotus' — in the center.
Despite the early hour, men and women were already milling about, some gathering supplies, others loading chests or moving weaponry around.
Katara earned a smile or a nod in greeting from a few, though she didn't recognize their faces. Perhaps word just travels fast around here, she thought as she walked towards Iroh's tent.
Though she hadn't remembered or particularly paid attention to where her brother or Toph had been housed for the night, she had an inkling as to where Zuko would be, regardless as to whether or not the members of the White Lotus tried to put him elsewhere.
"Ah, Katara, good morning!" Iroh's voice drifted out of nowhere and she peered into the darker room, still a few paces away.
"Iroh?" She called uncertainly.
A few glances around outside proved that his tent must be the most reasonable location.
"We're in here," Sokka's voice came next and she cocked an eyebrow.
"Sokka?" Katara called.
Ducking beneath the rolled up doorway, she stepped into the tent, the scent of jasmine tea and warm noodles hitting her.
"I should have known you would be where the food is," Katara teased, seeing Sokka with a bowl of said noodles in hand.
He made a disgruntled sound, mouth full.
He and Iroh sat at a small table just inside, though he seemed to be the only one opting for food this early.
"Where's Suki and Toph?" She asked, before saying to Iroh, "And Zuko?"
Sokka waved his chopsticks dismissively.
"I think they're sleeping."
She yawned, half wishing she'd stayed in her own bed for even just a few more moments.
"I believe my nephew is…processing the night's events, still," Iroh explained, fingers tugging his long beard. He cast a long gaze to the rear door of the tent, indicating as to where he was.
"I'll…leave him to it."
Katara took a seat beside Sokka at the table, swiping his tea cup from in front of him.
"Hey!" He protested as she took a tentative sip.
After shooting him a challenging look, she returned the cup. "So, have you talked to Iroh yet about what our plan should be?"
Then, to Iroh, "The Fire Lord is going to try and burn Ba Sing Se, right?"
"We were planning on waiting until your friends awaken, Master Katara," Iroh replied smoothly, answering both her questions with that same smile.
"I see," she mused.
It was only thirty minutes later when all her friends joined them outside Iroh's massive tent, each cross legged on the massive brown and green woven mat.
"Uncle you are the only person, other than the Avatar, who can possibly defeat the Father Lord," Zuko said.
Katara's chopsticks froze, just outside her mouth. Had she heard that right?
"You mean the Fire Lord?" Sokka asked dubiously.
"That's what I said!" Zuko huffed, clearly already annoyed.
Iroh leaned back somewhat, hands going back into his sleeves. He hummed thoughtfully, though based on Zuko's anxious look, it wasn't going the way he wanted.
"We need you to come with us." Zuko pushed.
Iroh pressed his lips together, bowing his head.
"No, Zuko. It will not turn out well."
"But, you can beat him!" Zuko insisted. "And we'll be there to help."
Katara observed the pair silently from across the mat, eyes flicking from one to the other.
"Even if I did defeat my brother," Iroh said slowly, as if he was trying to chose the correct words. "And I am not sure that I could, it would be the wrong way to end the war. More senseless violence is not the peaceful end this war needs. The Avatar must defeat him."
"But Aang's not here," Katara murmured, partially for Zuko's sake, but partially because she thought it was a valid point.
Aang wasn't there.
They couldn't seem to find him.
What if he wouldn't or didn't come back from wherever it was he'd went in the first place?
"Our destinies are nearly upon us. Aang will return and he will face the Fire Lord." Iroh merely stated.
A sigh escape Zuko's and Katara's lips simultaneously.
"Would you come and take your rightful place on the throne then?" Zuko questioned.
There was the million gold piece question.
Would Zuko have to step in and take over the throne, right after the war was over?
He could feel the entire group's eyes shift over to him.
"No," Iroh rumbled. "Someone new must take the throne. An idealist with a pure heart and unquestionable honor. It must be you, Prince Zuko."
As guilt and feelings of unworthiness resurfaced, Zuko tore his eyes away.
"How could that be me? I've made so many mistakes." He muttered.
"You carved your own path, despite…many misgivings along the way. You restored your own honor and only you can restore that of the Fire Nation."
Zuko looked away again. The feelings of guilt did not resurface, though he still felt the impeding and seemingly inevitable coronation weigh heavily on him.
How could he, the once banished Prince of the Fire Nation, become the new Fire Lord?
There still seemed to be so much in his way…
"So, if you're not going to help us defeat Ozai," Katara spoke up again, trying to not feel like she was invading in a private conversation. "Then what will you—" she gestured to the camp. "All of you, be doing?"
Iroh smiled. "When I was a boy, I had a dream that I would one day take Ba Sing Se for the Fire Nation. But now, I see my destiny is to take it back. The Earth Kingdom, the Water Tribes…they need to be free again."
"That's why you gathered the members of the White Lotus," Suki and Sokka said at the same time.
"Yes," Iroh looked to Katara, and then to Zuko. "Zuko, you must return to the Fire Nation. When the Fire Lord falls, you need to assume the throne and restore peace and order. But you must know, your sister will be there, waiting for you."
"I can handle Azula,"
"Not alone," Iroh rumbled, eyes back on Katara. "You'll need help.
Her eyes weren't on Iroh, however, they were on Zuko, her blue orbs shining fiercely.
"I'm going with you," she stated. "I'd love to help put Azula in her place."
Her lips quirked up in a defiant grin.
"What about us?" Sokka asked Iroh. "What is our destiny today?"
"You tell me," Iroh retorted sagely.
Sokka pinned his own determined look on his face, glancing sidelong to Toph.
"With or without Aang, we need to do anything we can to stop that airship fleet."
"Yeah," Toph slammed her fist into her palm. "That way when Aang does face the Fire Lord, we'll be right where he needs us!"
The morning flashed by Katara's eyes after their meeting. Iroh called upon some of the other members, and then the whole camp seemed to be moving, planning and preparing once again. But this time, it was for them.
Piandao led a massive eel hound over to their group. The animal stood nearly ten feet tall at it's back, the creature's body a deep green with a lighter underbelly.
Sokka's eyes about popped out of his head at the mere size of the creature.
"Nothing runs faster over land or swims quicker then her," Piandao explained, offering a hand to Suki to assist her in boarding the giant beast.
She took it and with a grunt, hoisted her leg over the animal's smooth back. Toph was up next, gripping onto the front of the saddle.
"The air ship base is on a small island just off the Earth Kingdom's shore," Piandao handed his pupil a map and case to protect it. "You should be able to intercept them within a day's journey."
Sokka took a long look at the map, trying to burn the imagine into his mind's eye.
"Thank you, Master."
Piandao offered him a small bow, which Sokka returned, a small uneasy smile on his lips.
Then, once they both had righted, he hugged the elder man.
Piandao patted him on the back. The youth had come a long way since the last time he'd seen him.
"Sokka!" Katara yelled from across the camp. "You better not leave without saying goodbye!"
Shoving Appa's lead into Zuko's hand, she crossed the short distance, slamming herself into her elder brother.
"So, if I'm going to be Fire Lord after the war is over," Zuko murmured to his uncle as Katara embraced her brother. "What are you going to do?"
"After I re-conquer Ba Sing Se, I will reconquer my tea shop and I will play Pai Sho every day,"
Despite Zuko's wish that he could have his uncle by his side as Fire Lord, he couldn't help but to grin at the reply. The Jasmine Dragon had made his uncle happier than he'd seen in many years.
Tea and Pai Sho. It was old people paradise, he thought.
Iroh flipped white lotus tile flipped in the air, the engraving shining in the sun.
"Be safe," Katara muttered into Sokka's shoulder. "Kick some Fire Lord ass."
Toph snickered from above, whilst her brother squeezed her torso one last time.
"Trust me, I will." As he pulled away, he sent one long look to the fire bender, willing him to keep his baby sister safe.
Though once he may have felt uneasy that she was traveling with him, he felt a sense of reassurance at the look on Zuko's face.
She would be fine. He would keep her safe.
"Goodbye guys," Katara took a step back towards Appa, waving. "See you once this is all over."
Sokka heaved himself on the eel hound and after another round of goodbyes and well wishes, they were off.
Although nerves swum to the surface at their impending mission, her brother leaving, Aang still being awol…something about the look on Zuko's face, and the warm presence of Iroh made it not seem so scary.
"Hey," she greeted, beaming up at Zuko. "We all loaded up and ready?"
Iroh bowed low.
"Indeed."
"Okay," she managed, bowing in return. "I'll let you two say goodbye."
Zuko watched silently as she turned and began climbing the sky-bison.
"Uncle," Zuko said, throat thick.
"Go," Iroh commanded.
Zuko stared hard at Iroh before nodding briskly.
After another hug, he too boarded Appa, staring down at his uncle below.
"Goodbye General Iroh," Katara called.
"Goodbye you two," Iroh waved, then added, mostly to himself. "Destiny is our friend today. I know it."
Zuko flicked Appa's reigns and with his usual command, they took off into the sky, wind whipping at their faces.