A/N: Hi, everyone! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up! After writing the first one, I soon discovered that school and writing fanfiction don't really mix. Anyway, school is now over, so you can expect some more stuff coming (hopefully). Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed! You will never know how much that meant to me :) Without further ado, enjoy the second chapter!

Zuko stepped off his metal ship and onto the icy ground of the Southern Water Tribe. He looked around at the village and remembered the first time he had visited the South Pole. His mission was still the same - find the Avatar. However, this time it was for a very different reason. He did not seek the Avatar to capture him but to ask for his help.

The Fire Lord gripped the bridge of his nose and sighed in frustration. He should have come here earlier. He should have at least told them that there was something wrong. There were a lot of things he should have done, and most likely, the others would remind him of all those things when he told them. Zuko dropped his hand and turned back to look at his ship. He could board the ship, return to the Fire Nation, and continue to try to handle this himself… No, that's what he had been doing this whole time, and it wasn't working. It was just making things worse… He needed help. Zuko needed to swallow his pride and face his friends. As he faced the village once more, he recalled one of his uncle's many sayings: "The past will never change. Do not let it change you." Zuko had struggled with his pride far too often in the past. Not this time. The young Fire Lord made a silent vow to himself that he would focus on the present, not the past. He took a deep breath of frigid air and stepped forward into the village.

"What?"

"Zuko's here?"

"Why didn't he tell us he was coming?"

A number of questions were circling the air in the tent after Bato's announcement. Most of them were flowing endlessly out of Sokka's mouth. The only people who were silent in the tent were Gran Gran, Bato, and Hakoda. Katara, Aang, and Sokka were all pelting Bato with their curiosity. After a few seconds of receiving no answers, the trio silenced themselves. Over the years, Bato had learned that it was easier to get a word in after they had calmed themselves. Now that it was a bit quieter, he began to answer their burning questions. "Yes, Fire Lord Zuko is here. I don't know why he didn't tell us he was coming or why he has made this visit." Bato's reply was followed by a heavy silence as everyone contemplated Zuko's strange behavior.

"Do you think something's wrong?" Katara posed her question to the entire company.

"Of course something's wrong!" Sokka exclaimed. "Since when does Zuko do surprise anything?"

"There's no need to shout! I was just hoping that maybe it was something else…" Katara answered.

"I think Sokka's right," said Aang quietly. "Zuko usually gives us plenty of notice before he visits. Plus, I don't think he would leave Mai right now unless it was urgent."

"What if something happened to Mai?" asked Katara, eyes wide. Another heavy silence fell across the group as that possibility entered their minds.

"Sitting here speculating won't help anyone," said Hakoda, breaking the silence. "We simply need to wait until he gets here and tells us what's happened."

"I'll go see where he is," Bato volunteered and left through the tent entrance.

Everyone else waited in painful silence for what felt like hours. After what was actually a few minutes, Bato emerged through the entrance. "Here he is." Bato stepped aside as Zuko finally joined his friends. All eyes were trained on the Fire Lord as they waited for his explanation. Zuko looked around at the anxious faces staring up at him, took a deep breath, and said "Hey there… how's everyone doing?" Well, this is off to a great start. Idiot.

"'How's everyone doing?'" Sokka echoed.

"Uh…"

"You just show up here, out of the blue, and that is all you have to say?" Katara asked, her anger rising. "Do you know how worried we've been?"

Aang gently placed his hand on Katara's arm and said, "Zuko, what is going on?"

Zuko's eyes darted around the tent. Come on. No more stalling. You can't do this on your own. You have to tell them sooner or later. He opened his mouth to tell them but no sound came out. Why was this so hard? They have been through so much together. They would understand, wouldn't they?

"Maybe I should go make some tea," Gran Gran said. She walked around Zuko, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder as she passed him.

The small gesture reminded Zuko of his uncle and gave him new resolve. "I need your help," he said firmly but quietly.

"What happened?" asked Hakoda.

Zuko took a deep breath to brace himself. Saying it out loud would mean that it was actually happening and that he couldn't handle it. "Someone is trying to kill me," he said with his eyes on the tent floor.

"What?" The company exclaimed in disbelief.

"Someone is trying to kill me," Zuko repeated more fiercely, this time looking up at his friends. His pride had been swallowed. They knew now. "I've been trying to handle it myself, but it's gotten out of hand."

"Wait, someone wants to kill you, and you try to handle it yourself?" Katara asked. "Are you out of your mind?!"

"Look, I didn't know it was that serious when it started!"

"When it started? How long has this been going on?" Sokka questioned.

Zuko blinked at Sokka, realizing his mistake. He hadn't meant to let them know exactly how long he had been facing this problem. He dropped his gaze to the ground again and muttered, "Six months."

"What was that?" asked Hakoda.

Zuko groaned and repeated himself once more, his frustration growing. "Six months! He's been after me for six months." His fists were now clenched at his sides, and his eyes held a new fire. Zuko let his rage course through his veins. He could not understand or bear the fact that the low-life rebel scum had been able to elude him for this long.

"Zuko, why didn't you come to us sooner?" Katara asked carefully, anger abated at seeing her friend's frustration.

Zuko looked at the faces around him. Faces that were once anxious and worried were now concerned and determined. Seeing the sudden change caused Zuko to become overwhelmed by a single emotion - shame. These were his friends, his allies, and he was foolish enough to avoid asking them for help. His pride and stubbornness had won yet again. He dropped to his knees and sat with the others in defeat. He didn't need to be "the Fire Lord" with these people. He was free to be vulnerable, to be himself. "I told you. I thought I could handle it. Turns out I was wrong. This is much bigger than I originally thought. And after they went after Mai…" Zuko's voice broke as he recalled the incident. He placed his head in his hands, refusing to let himself think of what could have happened. After a few seconds he lifted his head, his nerve renewed. "That's when I knew I was being stupid and decided to come here. A letter wasn't urgent enough."

"Is Mai alright?" Katara asked. She had gone into what Sokka liked to call "healer mode." "What about the baby? Did you bring her with you?"

"The royal healer says they're both fine. I got three more healers to check her out just in case," Zuko replied. His eyes were now trained on a bowl of sea prunes in the middle of the tent. He was focusing entirely on not thinking about the possibility of losing his wife and their unborn child. They had been married for only two years. He couldn't lose her now. He couldn't lose her if they had been married two hundred years. "I left her in the Fire Nation with the best security I could find. I figured if I'm the one that they're trying to kill, it would be best for her to be home. Just in case they try to sink my ship or something."

"That was probably a good idea," Aang assured him. Zuko looked up at Aang who returned his look with a reassuring smile.

"Do you think the killer could have followed you?" asked Hakoda.

"I don't know. I haven't exactly been successful in tracking him or his thought process," Zuko replied.

Hakoda and Bato exchanged looks as Bato said, "We better go inspect the village."

"And your ship if you don't mind," Hakoda added.

"No, go ahead."

The two older men left the tent as Gran Gran returned with tea. Zuko gazed into the steaming cup that she had just handed him as he recalled his uncle once again. He hadn't told him about the rebel scum either. Uncle Iroh was finally living the peaceful life of tea-making he had always wanted. Zuko wasn't about to ruin that.

Suddenly, a young girl burst into the tent. "Kana! Nori just went into labor. Come quickly!"

"Thank you, Akari," Gran Gran replied as she set down her tray and tea kettle. Katara began to rise so she could go help with the birth. "Katara, you stay here. You've helped me plenty this week, and it seems your friends need you more than Nori does."

"Are you sure, Gran Gran?"

"Yes, yes. Akari can help me today. She could use the experience." Gran Gran gave Katara a gentle pat on the cheek and promptly exited the tent with Akari as Katara seated herself again.

"So, what's your plan, Zuko?" Aang asked. "How are we supposed to handle your problem?"

"Well, I haven't really thought about that. All I know is that I definitely need help. Handling this myself is just making it worse. It's like he knows how I think - like he's one step ahead."

"Maybe you should start by telling us everything you know about him. You know, so we can get an idea of what this guy is like," Sokka suggested.

"Alright, but I don't know much," Zuko reluctantly answered.

"We've got to start somewhere," said Katara.

Zuko took a sip of his tea and brought what little information he had to the front of his mind just as he had every night for the past six months. "He's the head of a rebel organization called the Enenra. They're famous for disappearing after causing chaos. No one has been able to follow them, find their hideout, or discover their identities. I've hired the best of the best, and they've all been unsuccessful. The Enenra have caused minor disturbances since I've taken the throne. I always thought it was just angry Fire Nation citizens who still held allegiance to my father. As time went on, the incidents gradually got larger. People started getting hurt. My advisors and I soon discovered that they were slowly focusing on me. We started searching for any information we could find about the Enenra, but all we found was that they appear and disappear in smoke and that their leader goes by the name Rohan. I've been trying my best to find his real identity, to find out who any of them are, to find out how they get secure information, to find out anything. But, I've failed. Every time. Just when I thought I was getting close… He went after Mai."

"What happened?" Katara asked.

"She was taking a carriage to visit her family. They were just passing through the merchant district when a vendor's cart exploded right next to her carriage. It toppled over and her guards were thrown from their ostrich-horses. Luckily, Mai just had a few bruises, and the baby is fine. The guards recovered quick enough to get her out of there and back to the palace. When they inspected the site, they couldn't find the vendor. Apparently, the cart had never been there before, and no one saw or remembered who left it there. The only important thing they found was a slip of paper that said, 'Get too close to the fire and risk getting burned.' After making sure Mai was okay I left to come here. I made sure she had proper security and wouldn't leave the palace."

"And how exactly do you think we can help? Sorry, but this seems kind of impossible," Sokka said.

"I don't know!" Zuko exclaimed, thrusting his hands into his hair. "I just need help. I've tried everything." He lowered his hands and looked at Aang. "I just thought that if you come with me, Aang, we might find something more. You might even intimidate him or throw him off. I mean, he's clever, but he wouldn't try to take on the Avatar, right? You've done what seemed to be impossible before. You took down my father during Sozin's Comet, when he was most powerful. You even managed to do that without killing him. You survived for over a hundred years. That all sounded impossible at the time. I really think if anyone can help me take down the Enenra, it's you."

"Ahem," Sokka cleared his throat. "Uh, you know Katara and I were there for all that stuff too. We did help."

"No offense, Sokka, but your boomerang isn't that intimidating," Zuko replied.

"I can do more than just use my boomerang! I can plan! I'm the idea guy! And it's plenty intimidating!"

"Bottom line is," interrupted Katara, "if Aang goes to the Fire Nation to take on Rohan and the Enenra, then we go too."

"Yeah, believe it or not we're actually helpful," Sokka said, still a little sore.

"You're right. I need all the help I can get. Aang was just the first person I thought of," said Zuko. "So will you help me?"

All eyes focused on the Avatar who had remained silent since Zuko's story. "Of course I'll help you, Zuko. It's just that I'm not sure what I can do. I'm also not sure that you can come along, Katara."

"What?" Katara asked in disbelief.

"It's not that I don't want you there," Aang said quickly. "It's just that, if you leave, who's going to teach the kids waterbending? It doesn't look like Master Pakku is going to be back anytime soon."

Katara's face fell as she realized the truth to his words. "Bu-but you can't go alone!" She said as her protective, motherly instinct kicked in.

Aang took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "I won't be alone."

"Yeah, don't forget that I'm going!" Sokka interjected. "Don't worry, Katara. I won't let anything happen to your boyfriend," he said as he put his arm around his sister.

"Ha. Great," Katara said half-heartedly. She looked at Aang who gave her his signature smile and felt a little comfort, though she still wished she was able to go to the Fire Nation with them.

"I hate to interrupt, but I'd rather leave as soon as possible. I know I said I left Mai with good security, but I would just like it better if I was there," Zuko said.

"Right, we'll leave in the morning," Aang replied.

"The morning? Why not now?" Zuko asked, panic beginning to rise in his chest.

"Zuko, you really look like you need some rest. I'm sure Mai is fine," Katara said.

"Besides, you can't leave right after you just got here," Sokka added as he stood up to stretch. "Your crew needs to rest too, and your ship needs refueled. You won't help anyone if you're stranded in the middle of the ocean."

"Well, what about Appa?" asked Zuko.

"Sorry, Zuko. Appa's sleeping. If you want to try to wake a bison from his nap, be my guest, but it won't end well," Aang said with a small smile.

Katara stood and walked over to place her hand on Zuko's shoulder. "I know it won't be easy, but you can't leave until tomorrow morning. We all need time to prepare. Everything will be just fine, trust me." Both Aang and Sokka knew the voice Katara was using. She used that voice when she was talking to women in labor, soldiers who had been injured, and brothers who had fishhooks in their thumbs.

Zuko looked up into Katara's blue eyes and felt soothed. "O-okay. We'll leave in the morning. First thing."

"Great. Now, let me show you where you'll stay for the night." Katara helped a very tired Zuko stand and walk out of the tent.

"How does she do that?" Sokka asked incredulously.

"I have no idea," Aang answered with a laugh and a proud grin.