A few days later, an ostrich rider from Omashu arrived at the sanctuary. Relayed from King Bumi, the courier had been instructed to pass a message scroll along to Zuko.

It's probably Tai Lan, wondering why I haven't come back yet, Zuko reasoned guiltily as he took the message tube in his hands. He had stayed at the sanctuary too long. He knew he was being selfish, that he had work to do if he was going to end the war, but he hadn't been able to bring himself to leave. Zuko had hoped that if he stayed by his mother's side, he might finally get answers to the questions that had plagued his heart all these years. But though he'd recounted faithfully all that had happened along his misguided way, from the time of her disappearance to his fulfillment of Iroh's plan in Ba Sing Se, she had yet to disclose any of her own secrets. At least for the time being, Ursa seemed determined to keep the past hidden from him.

Now she was watching him closely, all but holding her breath as he took the message out of its cylindrical casing. Just a stone's throw away, Jee also waited to hear the news. Zuko read under his breath, his narrowed eyes quickly scanning the page. "It's from Tai Lan. The Dai Li made it back to Ba Sing Se. There was news of Azula's fleet when they got there. It was almost totally destroyed."

Jee glanced quickly at Ursa, who seemed almost afraid to ask. Zuko, however, already knew the question.

"Azula's dead, Mom." He paused as Ursa's face twisted with sorrow, and a tear slipped down her porcelain cheek. "Uncle Iroh was sighted during the attack. She fought him, and… he had to defend himself. I'm sorry."

The former Lady of the Fire Nation nodded with acceptance, though Zuko could tell that she was in agony over the news of her only daughter's death. He knelt and held her as she broke down and wept. "Uncle had no choice," he said, knowing that didn't make it any less painful, but still needing her to understand. "Azula tried to kill us both, more than once. If it wasn't for the Avatar and his friends, she probably would have."

Ursa kissed her son's brow. "You don't have to explain, Zuko. I knew my daughter. It's just… it's so hard to think that…" Her words faded, and a fresh onslaught of choked sobs wracked her body as Zuko held her, steadying her as best he could.

Jee's eyes met Zuko's, and an understanding passed between them. Zuko knew that seeing his mother in pain like this was hurting Jee as much as it was hurting him. This certainty was enhanced by the fact that Jee began pacing restlessly, his hands flexing and unflexing. It was as though his arms ached to hold and comfort Ursa alongside her son, yet he knew he dared not. He could only stay near, frustrated by his inability to help, and wait.

ooo LL ooo

"Just what do you think you're doing?"

Katara gasped. She whirled round, finding Iroh's corpulent frame blocking out the light in the doorway. In the shadows, the rucksack she was carrying slid to the floor. The letter of explanation she'd been about to leave drifted like a feather down to his pillow. "Iroh! I didn't think you'd be here."

"So I noticed," the old man murmured, folding his arms.

She hung her head guiltily. "Go ahead. Say it. I'm a horrible person. I shouldn't be leaving when my friends still need me."

"I wasn't going to say that," Iroh replied kindly. "But what are you running away from?"

The waterbender sank down onto the edge of the bed. "Sokka was right. I did put what Aang needed ahead of everything else. He was the world's last hope for peace, and I would have done anything to help him. But as much as he still needs me… I can't be there for him anymore."

"I see." Iroh came and sat beside her, putting an arm about her shoulders. "This is about my nephew, isn't it?"

Katara's shoulders heaved. "I don't want to believe he's dead. I can't."

"Azula was a consummate liar. It was difficult even for those of us in her family to know when she was telling the truth."

"But she said Mai was the one who told her that Zuko was dead. I can believe Azula would lie to us, but not that Mai would lie to her friend. I think Azula believed what Mai said was true."

Iroh pursed his lips thoughtfully. Mai had gone back to Ba Sing Se with Zuko on the ship. The gloomy, sighing girl had always had a crush on the prince of the Fire Nation, so Iroh could easily believe that she'd stayed near him, whether Zuko liked it or not. "It is troubling," he confessed quietly. "Mai is the one person who would be close enough to Zuko to know."

"I can't wait for the war to be over," Katara whispered. "As bad as I feel about leaving everyone behind… I have to know."

The old firebender nodded. "Then I suppose there's only one question left."

She tilted her head to one side. "What's that?"

"Do you mind if an old man tags along?"

"Iroh!" Katara whisked the lovable old firebender into a tight hug and kissed his cheek, at which he gave a warm, good-natured chuckle. "When do we leave?"

ooo LL ooo

"Is she asleep?" Jee asked as Zuko eased the door shut.

Lips pressed firmly together, Zuko nodded. He bobbed his head to the side, indicating that he wanted to walk before speaking. Jee instantly understood. Whatever Zuko had to say, he didn't want his mother to inadvertently overhear, just in case she was the least bit awake. They made their way out through the cloisters and into the garden, where a newly waxing moon hung like a silver-white thumbnail. There, Zuko finally spoke.

"I don't want to leave her like this," Zuko began, his voice more solemn than it had ever been, even during the lowest depression he'd experienced during his banishment. "After ten years, I finally found my mom, just in time to tell her that she'll never see her daughter again. That she died trying to kill a member of her own family."

"Better that she learn the truth from you than someone else," Jee offered, putting an arm around Zuko's shoulders as Iroh would have if he'd been there. "Besides, she's seen the way you turned out. And no parent who was worth anything could be ashamed to call you their son."

Zuko shook, fighting back tears. "Thank you. You don't know what it means to me, to hear you say that."

But Jee did know. He remembered Iroh's account of the Fire Lord's cruelty. Jee had never had a wife or children of his own, but he couldn't imagine mutilating his own son, let alone casting him away forever. The former officer firmed his grip about the young firebender's shoulders. "She'll understand why you have to go. The Earth Kingdom needs you. The whole world needs you."

"Maybe. But I don't want to leave her here alone." Zuko looked over at Jee, eyeing him closely. "I've seen the way you look at my mom."

Jee stiffened, and pulled away. "I can explain -"

"You don't have to," Zuko halted him. "My mom hasn't had much joy in her life. She deserves better than what she got from my father." The banished prince sighed, as though he were infinitely tired. "You're a good man, Jee. Will you stay with her? Will you make her happy?"

The former lieutenant drew in a ragged breath. "Do you really think I could?"

Zuko gave Jee a weary smile. "Yeah. I really think you could." It pleased him that Jee's face positively glowed when he said that. He knew he was doing the right thing, for all of them. "Come on. We have some business to take care of before I go."

ooo LL ooo

Aang sat on an ice-block in the snow, his pet lemur flying to catch the bits of dried fruit the Avatar threw him. When they were all gone, and Momo settled onto his lap to sleep, Aang sighed. "You're the only one who hasn't ditched me."

"I know that feeling. Feels pretty bad, doesn't it?"

Aang looked up to see Toph standing nearby, hands on hips. Sokka and Suki had been walking with her, but at the sight of the bald monk, the Water Tribe warrior and his wife hesitated.

"Are you coming, Toph?" Sokka spoke up.

"I'm okay," she told them. "Aang will lead me back later. Right, Aang?"

The Avatar nodded, and Suki led a reluctant Sokka away.

Toph took a few steps forward, trying to judge somewhere close to where she'd last heard Aang's voice. "We need to talk."

"I thought you were still mad at me," he murmured, confused.

Toph's face was like her element - hard, firm, giving nothing of her emotions away. "I never said I wasn't. But we still have some things to work out."

"I know." Aang lowered his gaze. "I've been thinking a lot about what I said before, and I finally understood why everyone was so mad. I was blaming you for something that wasn't your fault, and I did it because I didn't want to see that I should really be blaming myself."

Toph nodded blankly, as though he was telling her something she already knew. "Go on."

The Avatar blushed, knowing she couldn't see his ears and cheeks turn red, and thankful that there was no earth between them that would allow her to feel the sharp uptick in his pulse. "Did you know I had feelings for Katara? As more than friends?"

Toph scoffed so hard she almost snorted. "Old news, Twinkletoes. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"It has to do with the way I treated you." Aang exhaled heavily. "I wanted Katara to like me more than anything. And when I finally figured out she didn't, I was angry and hurt. I thought if I focused my attention on someone else, I could change my feelings, so…"

"So, you tried to like me. To get over Katara."

"Yeah. It didn't work, though. And then when Katara got hurt, I realized my feelings for her hadn't really gone away. I was angry for denying them in the first place, and… I took it out on you, when I should have been angry with myself for not saying something to her sooner and resolving it. I'm sorry, Toph."

"Good."

"Good? Is that all you're going to say?" Aang asked incredulously.

"What do you want me to say?"

"How about 'thanks for apologizing, Aang?' That'd be nice."

"I shouldn't have to thank you for doing the right thing," Toph pointed out. "Besides, I'm not the only one you have to convince. You need to apologize to everyone else, too."

"Yeah. That's what Katara said, too."

"Well, she was right."

Aang tried to smile. "Thanks for listening, Toph. And… thanks for caring."

"Well, y'know..." She made her way to him by the sound of his voice, and grinned as she gave his arm a nice, hard punch, wishing she could see him wince. "That's what friends are for. Just don't do it again. Otherwise, I might have to crush you in a rockalanche."