Took longer than expected- had to work out some plot points. Rest assured, it might seem slow now, but very soon things will begin to come together review!

Chapter Twenty-Six

Into the Caves

After another moment, Aang leaned back and broke the intimacy between them. Katara blinked, then let out her breath, relieved that their sense of camreaderie was still intact after all this time. She shook her head and turned away slightly, ready to figure out the next step now that she knew Aang would support her. He rubbed his eyes with one hand, obviously tired, and she remembered something from earlier that hadn't yet been explained.

"So how did you find Lani, anyways?" she wondered aloud. Aang's eyes softened as he glanced down, and he smiled.

"That was On Ji. She had a friend from the Academy who went on to become a palace guard. See, we figured that you were either not in Caldera or in hiding, so if it was the second option, we knew we'd need someone who's familiar with the chain of command around here. We found out from him that there was a large task force devoted to reconnaissance, and that you were on the 'Watch' list. She got him to give her a list of the guards set to follow you. We've been trying to keep tabs on them, hoping they'd lead to you."

"That's smart," she said, a hint of shock coloring her tone. On Ji was nice and all, but she hadn't thought the younger woman wanted anything to do with Katara's troubles.

"Yeah. Earlier today we were following these two guys, and they saw you going into a salon. I was going to sneak in and find you, but before I could do that, we were discovered. We led them away from you and lost them in the Upper Ring, but by the time we went back to the salon, you weren't there. Some crazy old lady told me to check in at the library, so that's what we did… I saw Lani as soon as I stepped inside, but she didn't see me. I asked Takagaru- er, Tanakasagu- whatever her name is- to see her, and she went a little crazy."

"She didn't actually use the club, did she?" Katara asked, and the look on Aang's face was enough of an answer. "Sorry," she groaned. Aang chuckled lightly.

"No big deal. She caught me in the shins a couple times, but it wasn't like I was going to actually fight back, you know? I just tried to keep everyone calm. If me being in the closet was the way to do that, I had a civic duty to allow myself to be locked in a cellar." Katara laughed and nudged him so that he knew she recognized the joke. He grinned too. "It wasn't so bad," he finished, "gave me a little more time to catch up with On Ji and figure some things out."

"So, you and On Ji?" she asked with a wry smile, and he blinked, confused.

"What about us?" he asked. She stared at him for a second, not sure if he was joking or not, then shrugged and folded her arms across her chest.

"Oh, just that you-"

"No!" Katara froze as the ground rumbled, her blood screeching to a halt as Lani's scream filled the air. She bolted out of the room, Aang on her heels, and they stepped into chaos. Papers and scrolls fluttered through the air as the old librarian cowered near the front entrance.

"They're outside!" she screeched, and Katara launched herself at the woman, shoving her to the side just as the doors bulged inwards, being attacked from outside.

"Hide, now!" Katara ordered her, shoving her unceremoniously under the desk, then swiveling around, trying to see her daughter. The doors blew open and flames knocked her over, the heat hitting her with enough force to send her flying. She sat up, spitting rubble from her mouth and saw armored men clamoring at the entrance like cruel black bugs. Suddenly, On Ji ran past them towards the back of the library as men spilled in the main entrance. She had Lani in her arms, hunching to protect the small body she was fleeing with.

"Aang, come on!" she screamed as she passed them, and Katara tore after her, her fingers desperately searching for water. There was a bit left in her pack- not enough to cover their exit. Aang flanked her, and jets of fire singed their heels as they sprinted for the end row of books.

"Go on!" he bellowed, and stopped running. Katara's heart dropped and she looked over her shoulder, watching him swerve to the left and plant his feet widely. A moment later, an earsplitting crack shattered the air, and a rock wall shot up from the ground and pushed forward. He turned back around and lurched forward, once again running next to her. The gang flung themselves sideways, running down a row of scrolls as smoke filled the air. Lani stared over On Ji's shoulder into Katara's eyes, like two lights leading her forward, pushing her through. Her small face was bewildered, and she clutched On Ji's shirt tightly. The only light left in the building came from a small window through which the moon shone brightly. It was a beacon, a sign, and she trusted it immediately.

Katara shot herself forward, focusing on the window at the end of the corridor. It was too small to get through without considerable time, of which they had none. She'd have to use force. "Follow me, straight line!" she shouted, and brought a wall of ice up in front of them, thin enough to look through, hardy enough to sustain what was about to happen. She leaped up and threw her arms forward with a yell, smashing the ice through the window and following through it into the humid night air. She couldn't hear anything yet, so she looked back. On Ji was just pulling herself through the window, and Lani was running full tilt towards Katara. The waterbender scooped her up roughly, not wanting to lose momentum, and started running again, dodging down the street with the girl bouncing on her hip.

They were being followed. She could hear the extra footsteps, and Aang once again turned to fight, giving them time to escape. Katara hesitated briefly- run straight so he could catch up in a moment, or disappear inside the city? A bolt of fire lashed at her, making Lani scream, and she made up her mind, veering into an alley and pulling old gutter water out of the street to lift her feet up and push her onto a rooftop. She set Lani down and reached down for On Ji, who'd lost a bit of momentum at the turn. The girl launched herself into the air, catching Katara's hand just long enough to plant her feet against the wall in a surprising move and push off, swinging up next to Katara as she hauled them both safely onto the roof.

"Thanks," On Ji gasped, and then they were back up and running, Lani now on Katara's back, On Ji protecting the rear. The roof tiles were slippery and sideways, but she couldn't afford to slip, not with Lani there. Katara ran doggedly, heaving, her sides stitched. One more rooftop. Two more. Down onto the street, back into the alley when guards jogged past. Lani didn't make one sound the entire time, and Katara gazed around for a path of action.

"Cave… outside of Caldera. If you can get me to the border, I can get us out and safe," On Ji wheezed, and Katara nodded, then readjusted her grip on Lani and led the way. The women stuck to the shadows, speaking with their eyes and fingers, pointing, halting, urging. Aang still hadn't returned, and On Ji looked over her shoulder every few moments, her eyes concerned. In five long minutes, they were at the outskirts of the Upper Ring, right along the border, running parallel to the wall.

She couldn't believe that just hours earlier, she'd been on her way to a ball within those gates. Within that world that would never be hers again. She was no longer an ambassador, a Water Tribe princess, a friend and consultant of the Fire Lord. She was a selfish woman who was unwilling to let go and it was going to stay that way until she was vindicated.

They reached the border wall in a few more minutes, both of the women faltering in their steps by then. "Just up here," Katara rasped. On Ji nodded and wiped her hair out of her face, then vaulted onto the crumbling wall in another acrobatic move like she'd pulled on the roof. Katara set Lani down and knelt next to her. On Ji reached down, and Katara grabbed Lani by the shoulders, forcing the child to look at her.

"Trust me?" she asked. Lani nodded without hesitation. Katara put her hands down, Lani stuck her small foot in the grasp and clutched Katara's shoulders. Katara glanced up and saw determination in every line of On Ji's face, and a knowing silence passed between them. On Ji could be trusted for this, without a doubt.

Katara burst up and pitched Lani into the air, the girl pushing off her grasp just in time, reaching wildly above her. On Ji caught her by the sleeve, and used both hands to haul her up safely as Katara sprang up and caught the edge of the wall. She could feel her shoulders screaming in protest, but they were so close, so near to freedom. They'd almost made it- she could slow down, stop, sleep for hours on end once this was over. But then, On Ji's face snapped up, and her eyes widened in horror. "Come on, Katara!" she urged, and Lani screamed her name as Katara looked over her shoulder, hanging from the wall.

Four guards careened towards them, shouting, waving their arms. They were already too close to the border to be followed anymore. There wasn't even a choice, only a course of action. Her throat closed for a minute, and she looked back to where On Ji and Lani knelt, looking into her face. On Ji grabbed Katara's arm and started pulling her up, but she resisted.

"No, On Ji, let go! Lani- listen to me- Lani, I love you. Go with On Ji, I swear I'll come after," she said hurriedly, and dropped from the wall, releasing her grip and pulling her arms up, water rising from the ground and the trees to answer her call.

"No! Mama, no, no!" Lani's scream cut through her, but she didn't have time to think, to hope On Ji would take the hint and keep going. They were coming at her quickly, already winding up, collecting themselves. She couldn't let them hit first- Lani was too close.

She formed needles. Her hands became claws, and a vision of a scarred old oak tree falling to the ground filled her thoughts. She raked her hands in front of her, and the needles whistled forward, thunking as they hit. The men cried in pain and rage, two still coming, and she stepped forward, punching through the air to send a blast of water to douse the fire. They sent more flames her way and she rolled, scraping her hands on the loose gravel, then springing up in a crouch. She let a feral snarl rip from her lips and launched herself forward, colliding with one guard with a clank of metal and a hiss of steam.

She wrapped her arms around his forehead and his jaw, using his weight against him, and rolled beneath him, his back to her front. The other guard shouted and stepped forward- too late. She wrenched with a growl, felt the crunch and snap of breaking bones, and the man stopped struggling in her grip. She flashed up and flung herself to the side as fire singed the hem of her dress.

She felt the water respond beneath her hand, and she sucked it from the moss and the grass, forming it into a long, lethal needle and flinging it at the last guard. He ducked, avoiding the weapon, and fell onto her, his knee crushing her left wrist as she let out a cry of pain. He grasped wildly for her right arm, and she bucked at him, struggling wildly.

"Gotcha!" he grunted triumphantly, his grubby fingers wrapping around her. He leered down at her, panting with exertion. "Didn't expect that, did you?" he asked. Katara glared up at him, hate emanating from every bone in her body. He seemed to realize what she was going to do before she did it. Katara's arm flexed, and his breath caught. Then, she flicked her finger, and the man's eyes bulged.

"Gotcha," she breathed up at him. His fingers slackened, and trembling, went to his throat, where the needle had pierced him from behind at her command. Something she'd learned from Toph; keeping hold over a weapon that wasn't thought to be dangerous anymore. It had fooled her during sparring practice more times that she'd cared to admit, but the technique had its uses. The man made an awful gurgling sound, tasting blood on the back of his own tongue, and she shoved him off of her, standing above him, checking for survivors before kneeling back down by him.

"Didn't expect that, did you?" she asked him quietly. His eyes widened even more, and he coughed, blood spattering her cheek. Katara straightened up as soon as the light left his eyes, surveying the area around her. Then, she sighed and walked to the wall, pulling herself up and over, searching for her group in the darkness.

Her feet sunk in the muck on the hillside, and she fell forward, grasping at the weeds to stay balanced and to keep herself from rolling down the hill. She craned her neck, looking for any glimmer of light before her, but saw nothing except darkness. She didn't dare yell, knowing she was still too close to the borders. She hunched over and ran like that, wiping her dirty hands on her dress and wishing for a moment that the thing could've stayed beautiful and delicate. It was a gorgeous dress, and it was completely unsuitable for fleeing.

"Katara!" She shouted in surprise and fell back as Aang landed right in front of her, the rock platform he'd been hovering with crumbling beneath his feet. He helped her up, looking her over with a worried expression, and she smiled at him, as much of a reaction as she could handle.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I had to stay behind too, and On Ji went ahead with Lani. Are you okay?" she asked, noticing how he clutched one shoulder.

"Fine," he replied, and sighed, glancing around them. "Look," he said, pointing over her shoulder. Katara turned, seeing an orange glow among the smattering of lights that was Caldera. "Once I got rid of those guys, I went back to the library. The librarian is fine, by the way- she's going to go stay with her sisters, apparently. They've burned the entire thing to the ground. None of the townspeople know why, but they're really angry. Honestly, this was their catalyst." Katara raised her eyebrows, and he went on.

"The common people never wanted Azula as a leader. They're scared, so they're doing what they need to survive, but tonight, I heard more Azula-bashing than we ever got around to in the old days. They're fed up, and finally everyone's showing it."

Katara didn't answer, not knowing what to say. She sighed and leaned against her best friend, who wrapped one comforting arm around her. They watched the skies for a while, neither one speaking or looking at the blazing building in the distance. Then, she looked up at him. He'd aged so much, but it was nice to know some things never changed- his wonder for the world, the pain he felt in others' suffering.

"Come on," she said, "let's get your arm all healed. Lead the way to the cave, Mr. Avatar."

"Hold on," he said, squinting at her. He cocked his head to one side. "Is that blood?" he asked, gazing at her cheek. She touched her face and felt small spots of dried, cracking blood. Didn't expect that, did you? She shuddered at the memory of her own voice, then wiped her face as well as she could, wishing she could forget the milky, hollow eyes of those dead men.

As soon as they entered the mouth of the cave, Lani was up and running to Katara. Katara smiled and swung the girl up in her arms, only able to hold her for a moment before her arms started shaking. Lani burrowed her tear-stained face in Katara's neck. "I was so scared," she whispered. "It hurt, Mama."

Knowing she was talking about the jolting run from the library, Katara squeezed her and kissed her cheek. "I know, honey. I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Lani was about to answer when On Ji stood up, her eyes wide, her chin trembling. As the waterbender set the child down and went to sit by the small fire, warming her muddy feet, she watched On Ji stride forward and throw herself into Aang's arms, her shoulders shaking. It struck Katara suddenly that some women weren't used to watching their men go off to do battle, that they couldn't bear the thought of separation, not knowing what was happening.

She'd spent so long in that state that she didn't even notice anymore. What kind of person did that make her?

"Shh, I'm okay, I'm okay," Aang said soothingly, stroking On Ji's hair. She clutched his chest and burrowed her face into his shoulder in the same way Lani did with Katara. He gazed over her head, solemn and tired, pressing his cheek into the top of her head, rubbing small circles between her shoulders.

On Ji drew back, traced his jaw. "I was so scared," she said, her tremulous voice carrying over to where they sat. Lani gasped quietly and looked up at Katara, something foreign and wise in her young eyes. Katara reached for her hand and smiled, trying to let her know everything would be okay. People would be missed, and their loved ones would wait. It was a natural pattern on life, one that rang true for everyone.

"I know. I'm sorry," Aang said softly.

Once they were all sitting by the fire, On Ji tucked safely up under Aang's arm, Katara told them about her journey to get Lani back, returning to find the invitation, and going to the party. Lani petted the dragon on her tattered dress and occasionally cocked her head to one side, confused by the conversation. Katara hesitated to talk about the poisoning of Lord Tenji and the ensuing disaster, but she had no choice. There wasn't time to waste.

"So she poisoned Lord Tenji and blamed it on you? Vicious brat," On Ji huffed. She leaned against Aang, who winced and gently moved away. On Ji looked at his shoulder, seeming to just notice the burn. "When did that happen?" she asked, surprised. He shrugged, but Katara was already wrinkling her nose at the shiny, blistered skin.

"Come here, Aang, I'll take care of it." He got up and walked over, and just then, she realized who was missing. "Wait- where's Appa? Did you bring him?" Aang sat down and she pulled water from a pot next to the fire.

"I flew him here, but then I sent him back. He's too noticeable, you know? Hard to hide." She chuckled, and he grinned innocently.

"Really? Appa doesn't blend in? I wouldn't have ever thought," she teased, and her hand began to glow blue. "Now stop making jokes and let me heal you." Lani watched in fascination as Katara brought her hand to his shoulder, running the cool water over his skin, lifting away the dead cells, encouraging the skin to grow and cover the burn. Once she was done, Lani scooted closer and poked the new pink skin.

"Wow," she breathed, then looked at Katara and smiled hopefully. "Me next, mama?" Katara halted, confused, and her breath caught as Lani pulled up the hem of her little dress to reveal a long, irritated burn on her left thigh. Aang and On Ji stilled, staring down at the mark. For a long moment, no one moved, no one spoke. No one breathed.

Someone had burned her baby. She'd let it happen.

"Katara?" On Ji put her hand on the waterbender's shoulder as she sagged forward and stared at the ground, waves of regret and horror pounding her into the dirt. Someone had burned her baby. She'd let it happen. That innocent little girl, caught in the middle of all this madness, hadn't said one word about it. She'd been crying the whole time, burning the whole time- "It hurts," she'd said. Why hadn't she listened?

"I'm sorry, baby," Katara crooned, sitting up and throwing her arms around Lani's small shoulders. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know. Oh, honey- I'll fix it. Come here, sit down." Aang and On Ji stepped back as Katara let Lani climb onto her lap, trying to ignore the ranting voices in her head. Her hands shook badly as she pulled water to her, and Lani gazed up at her with trust radiating from her small brown irises.

Someone had burned her baby. She'd let it happen.

Water glowed blue, and she poured all the love and strength in her world into the healing, stroking Lani's forehead until she stilled, until the little girl stopped grimacing. It didn't take long, and then she cradled her daughter, ignoring the numbness in her legs and rocking back and forth, the weight of Lani's body reassuring. She stayed there until the girl was asleep, murmuring comforting things and whispering into her hair, rocking herself into a sort of trance while she was at it. Memories faded, her body faded, and all that was left was this vivid blue light encasing the little family. She knew this is what she wanted, that Lani was enough. So why couldn't she just take the little girl and leave?

Blue. Zuko. Aang, still trying to fix the world. And lastly, most importantly, Sokka.

"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry," she murmured again. She thought of her brother, the man he'd become. Would he be sitting awake, stolid and somber, thinking of his family and his duties? Or would he be defiant, rattling the bars of his cage and demanding to be set free? She didn't know. How could she, when she hadn't seen her brother in so long?

Katara was vaguely aware of leaning back and to the left, of Lani's weight rolling from her lap to her side. She lay down and her eyelids fluttered closed. What was the song that Lani had sung so long ago? Little flowers on the hill, always moving, never still… she couldn't remember the rest. Katara hummed it to herself, lulled by the warmth of the fire and the reassuring heaviness next to her.

That night, when she dreamed, she dreamt of the old days. It wasn't a memory, and the images carried no significance. But they were on a hill. Blades of grass whispered along her calves and little clouds disappeared into golden mist as they passed in front of a sun. And there they were- Sokka and her father, sitting on her right, gazing into the sea beyond their little perch. Hakoda was still in his prime, his blue eyes vibrant and cheerful. He looked over at her, held out his hand.

"Hi, Daddy," Katara whispered, reaching to him. His skin felt solid and dry against hers. He said nothing, but everything about him exuded pride and peace. He squeezed her fingers, and she knew that he was thinking of Kya. Katara looked to Sokka, who stared out at the shining sea. His jaw was still soft, not yet as defined as she knew it would become, and he sat with his arms hooked around his knees. The familiarity of it all made her throat close up.

"I love you, I love you, I love you," she told them. The wind picked up her words and whirled them around, seasoning them with a bitter eastern breeze. Still, her family stayed there, everlastingly tranquil. The wind picked up, tearing her hair from its braid, drowning out her words. She said it anyways, scared that they couldn't hear it, then screamed it, hearing nothing but the rustle of the hurricane around them.

Suddenly Hakoda stood, and Sokka stood with him, both men raising their arms. For a moment, they looked like twin warriors, two heroes of ancient tales arriving for the defining battle of their lives. They broke the wind, shattered it into bits which howled like wolves retreating into the trees. With just that one move, she fell silent, staring in awe at the two men who had shaped her as a child, shown her the meaning of loyalty and love.

Her father knelt by her, his leathery, tanned face breaking into a gentle smile. Katara gazed at him hungrily, needing his presence and his comfort. He searched her eyes for a long while as the sun warmed her face, then turned and sat next to her, groaning a bit as he situated himself. Sokka sat on her left, close enough so that his elbow grazed her arm. She didn't look at either of them after that- she didn't need to. Being close to them, silent and safe, was enough.

"Katara?" It was On Ji again, this time with a sympathetic smile. The cave was bathed in early morning sunlight and nearby, two sleeping mats lay abandoned, close but not touching. Katara met her eye and glanced down at Lani. The girl was sleeping, her heavy head cradled in the crook of Katara's arm, right against her heart.

"Yeah," she croaked back, clearing her throat as quietly as possible. She shifted and held Lani up, moving out from under her and laying her head down on a linen bag On Ji supplied helpfully. On Ji covered her back up with a nearby blanket and straightened up, standing next to Katara.

"She's a beautiful little girl," she offered, and Katara nodded. "And it isn't your fault that she got burned. I… I'm not used to being around children. I didn't even know- I thought she was crying because she missed you." Katara bit back a scathing retort- why do you voluntarily take the blame for other people's trials?- and mentally counted to three. On Ji was just a giving person.

"It's okay, On Ji," she said, and the girl nodded. "We have some things to discuss, though. This changed a lot for me, and I never really got a chance to process everything that happened yesterday. Where's Aang?" she asked then, not seeing him in the cave. On Ji rolled her eyes.

"He said he was going to gather breakfast for himself, because all we have left is salted jerky. Silly vegetarian." Katara laughed at that, surprised at how easy it was to joke around with her.

"I know, right? I once had to carry him back to camp because he ate a handful of mysterious berries, puked on himself, and then went numb and couldn't walk. It took about three days for all of it to get out of his system." On Ji was so shocked that her eyebrows disappeared under her bangs, and Katara nudged her gently. "No one else knows but Sokka, and he can't even make fun of him because of the cactus juice incident."

Just then, Aang strolled into the cave, his shoulder bag sagging. "Happy hunting?" On Ji called, and he groaned.

"All I could find were these weird root things. I tasted one and it burned, so I spat it out and came back. Are you sure we don't have anything but jerky?" Katara chuckled as he started burrowing through their supplies, a line of bags neatly shoved up against the wall of the cave next to their sleeping mats.

"Pretty sure, unless you count that bean-curd stuff we've been using as to seal the canteens," she replied. Aang stilled, then shrugged and dug further into the bag. Once he was settled down with his bean curd, Katara took a deep breath, organizing herself.

"A lot happened yesterday. I'm honestly still tired, and I got a lot of bad news so I'm feeling… lost," she muttered, hating that she was saying the words out loud. But Aang gave her an encouraging smile, and On Ji seemed pretty compassionate. "I feel unable to protect the ones I love, and you know how much that means to me," she directed towards Aang. He acknowledged it with a nod. "I have to keep Lani safe, and to do that, she has to be far away from me, no ties whatsoever." Her claim was met with silence, and she felt her shoulders tense at On Ji's pitying expression.

"You want to send her away again?" Aang asked, his eyes roving over to the little girl's sleeping form. She'd turned to face them, her lips as red as rose petals, her cheeks slack as she explored a world of dreams. Katara's throat tightened, and she nodded, unable to speak. "Where would she be safe?" he asked.

"That's the thing, I don't know. I was thinking maybe of taking her to see Sokka and Suki- she said she wanted to meet them, before all this happened. But now…" her voice trailed off, momentarily lost in all the possibilities.

"Send her to Iroh again," Aang suggested, and Katara wrinkled her nose. He put his hands up, cautioning her to wait as his brow furrowed, an idea clearly forming behind his silvery eyes. "No, really… if you think Zuko is alive, you know he would want to know. And I'd like his advice on what to do in this situation… I'm the peacekeeper. I can't really go barging in on a world leader without just cause. So, get Iroh to come. We can send him a letter asking him to meet us here, and meanwhile we can look for ways to get into the palace unnoticed. I don't know if there's even a way, but-"

"There is," Katara interrupted suddenly, her eyes far away in a memory that felt so long ago. "Ursa told me so, she said that there was a tunnel leading into the palace, from underground I think."

"Like the secret passageways running through most Fire Nation monasteries?" On Ji asked. Katara nodded, remembering natural formations of cooled lava and dark, humid caverns. "Well, most of the times, the openings to secret tunnel systems are within the palace grounds, though hidden from sight. They were probably created as escape routes for the royal family back during the first civil wars."

Seeing Katara's surprised expression, Aang put his arm around On Ji's shoulders. "She's brilliant, Katara. She can navigate, she can sew, and she knows pretty much everything about Fire Nation history- the good parts," he added, "not taught in school." On Ji's cheeks were reddening quickly, and Katara bit back a smile.

"I just… I liked to read a lot when I was younger, because my eldest brother and younger brother were always firebending. They took me with them a bit when I was younger, but when they left for the war…" Katara felt herself nodding in understanding as the girl trailed off, becoming lost for a moment. Then, she gave her head a little shake, and smiled up and the waterbender. "Sorry. But anyways, I was always the smart one in my family. I'm the one who found you," she added with a faint smile.

"Yeah, Aang told me," Katara remembered. "So this contact you have at the palace- do you think he'd be able to sneak us in?" On Ji bit her lip, shaking her head. Katara's face fell, but she hadn't been counting on a yes anyways.

"He already took a huge risk in telling me anything," she explained, "I don't want to endanger him any more than I already have." Katara sighed, wondering how long it'd been since Sokka had seen daylight, thinking about all the places that Zuko could be. It really was too much to tackle on her own. She needed advice, and she needed it quickly.

"Alright," Katara said, looking out at the hillside, the sprawling city of Caldera, and the ocean shining beyond it like a brilliant jewel. "Let's see if Iroh is in the mood for a homecoming."

Hopefully this was long enough and good enough to satisfy a craving… but I know it's really Zutara that you're all here for. Rest assured, my faithful readers, that your wishes will soon be granted. Review! -Aleina