Author's Note: I have a much longer chapter for everyone. Enjoy!

It was a beautiful summer day at the palace and Kai and Zuko were playing out in the courtyard together, small sparks of fire coming from them as they chased each other around the turtle duck pond. A young man emerged from a doorway and paused at the edge of the yard, watching the two giggling together with a small smile on his lips. After a moment, Kai stopped in her pursuit of Zuko, noticing him.

"Lu Ten!" she said happily, running over to him. "Do you want to play with us?"

"I'm afraid I can't today. Father and I are about to leave for Ba Sing Se."

Kai crossed her arms, a pout forming on her lips. "I want to go too!"

Lu Ten chuckled, scooping her up into his arms. "Sorry, no little girls allowed. Prince Ozai and Princess Ursa will take good care of you while we're gone."

"Can I go?" Zuko asked. "I've never been to the Earth Kingdom before."

"You have to stay here and make sure this one stays out of trouble," Lu Ten said, indicating Kai.

"I'm not going to get in trouble," she protested.

"I know. Because Zuko's going to make sure you stay out of it. Now can I have a hug before I go?"

Kai grinned and wrapped her small arms around his neck. "How long are you going to be gone?"

"A while," he answered vaguely, setting her back on the ground.

"Will you bring me something back?" she asked.

"Maybe. You'll just have to wait and see when I return." He turned and looked down at his cousin, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Make sure she doesn't get into too much trouble."

Zuko nodded dutifully and looked up as Iroh walked over.

"Are you ready, Lu Ten?" the older man asked.

"Yes father. I was just saying good bye to these two."

Iroh nodded and looked down at the children, a warm smile on his lips as he crouched down in front of Kai. "I'll miss both of you while we're away, but I promise to write."

Kai smiled and hugged him, used to Iroh being gone for long periods of time. It was only strange to have Lu Ten leave since it was his first time going away. Iroh released her and got to his feet.

"We best be going now. The ship is ready in the harbor."

Lu Ten nodded and they both returned to the palace, leaving Kai and Zuko to return to their game.

Kai woke up with a heartache that she hadn't felt in a long time. She missed Lu Ten greatly and it always left her feeling lonely when she had a dream about him. He was like a brother to her and they had been close even though there was such a large age difference between them and she had been so young when he left. She sat up and slid her hand under her pillow, pulling out a small, red silk drawstring bag. She pulled it open and gently took out the silver comb from inside, running her fingers along the cold metal.

It was another beautiful day at the palace as Zuko and Kai, both a little older than when Iroh and Lu Ten had left, sat by the turtle duck pond, dipping their feet into the water.

"I'm bored," Zuko complained, falling back onto the lush grass with a soft thud.

"Well, what do you want to do?" Kai asked, looking down at him. He shrugged and opened his mouth to respond but was cut off as his mother approached, tears on her cheeks.

"Iroh has lost his son," she announced woefully. "Lu Ten did not survive the battle."

Silence fell over the two and Kai's blue eyes widened in shock. "W-what?"

Ursa knelt beside her and pulled her into a hug. "I'm so sorry darling."

A few weeks later, Iroh returned home to the palace. Kai greeted him at the front door and she fell into his open arms, tears streaming down her cheeks. He squeezed her comfortingly, his own tears welling in his sad brown eyes. After a long moment, he pulled back, looking down at her with a small smile.

"You've grown since I've been gone," he said. She nodded, but was too overwhelmed with grief to speak. Iroh knelt beside her and pulled out a small pouch. "He was going to give this to you when we returned." He folded the small gift into her hands and got to his feet, leaving her alone to open it. She pulled the leather flap back and pulled out the silver comb, fresh tears dripping down her cheeks. He had remembered even though it had been a few years. She tucked the precious gift back into the pouch and trudged back inside. It seemed like everyone she loved was leaving her. Ursa had gone missing and Lu Ten was dead. She had only had Zuko while Iroh was away. Prince Ozai…no, now Fire Lord Ozai didn't want anything to do with her and she and Azula had never gotten along. She sighed and held the pouch close to her, wishing she hadn't lost the man she considered her brother and that the only mother figure in her life would return.

She reached up to wipe a tear away at the memory. She put the gift back carefully and dried her eyes, leaving the cabin to clear her head on deck. Stepping out into the sunlight, the ocean breeze stirred her golden hair and she was glad they had left the freezing winds of the south. For days, Zuko had been tracking the Avatar and had been hot on the trail. Kai had been growing nervous as they neared the Fire Nation, wondering why the Avatar would want to go there when they were his enemy. Now, as she looked around, there seemed to be a lot of tension and excitement on deck.

"Zuko spotted the Avatar earlier this morning," Iroh said from behind her. She turned around, confusion in her blue eyes.

"How long was I asleep?" she asked.

He chuckled and looked up at the sky where the sun was high above them. "Later than usual."

Strange, she didn't usually sleep through the day. "How close are we?" she asked.

"We've been spotting him off and on all day. He's heading toward the Fire Nation and it's making me nervous," he admitted.

She nodded. "Is there something there that would give him reason to go?"

"I can only think of Avatar Roku's temple. But he isn't safe there. It's a foolish decision. And it's ridiculous that we are chasing him into danger when we are unwanted there."

"It's not ridiculous. We'll catch him once he lands," Zuko growled, walking up to them.

Kai tensed and looked away, unable to meet his eyes after the incident a couple nights before. Things hadn't gotten better between them and she found herself trying to stay out of his way the majority of the time. It was hard to feel so uncomfortable around him when she had known him her whole life, but she didn't know what he thought of her after she had tried to tell him about her conflicted feelings.

"Sailing into Fire Nation waters? Of all the foolish things you have done in your sixteen years, Prince Zuko, this is the most foolish."

"I have no choice, Uncle."

"Have you completely forgotten that the Fire Lord banished you? What if you're caught?"

Kai was taken aback by how angry Iroh was at Zuko but the prince seemed unfazed. "I'm chasing the Avatar. My father will understand why I'm returning home," he replied with confidence.

"You give him too much credit. My brother is not the understanding type."

Zuko turned away and pulled out his telescope, searching the sky and ignoring Iroh. "There they are! Helmsman, full steam ahead!"

He turned and left them, disappearing below decks. Kai looked at Iroh and was surprised to see sympathy in his brown eyes. "What?"

"I wish you two would get along."

She glanced away, biting her cheek. "I-"

He held up a hand to cut her off. "Try to talk to him. Talk him out of this madness. It doesn't matter what you've done, he will always forgive you."

She looked back at him, holding his gaze for a moment before turning away and walking in the direction Zuko had gone. She found him ordering a handful of soldiers to bring the catapults on deck. She hesitated, unsure of whether she should approach him or not. He turned and saw her, quickly turning on his heels and starting off down the hall.

"Zuko, wait!" she called, starting after him. He paused, seeming to hesitate before turning to face her.

"What?" he said gruffly.

"I…" She paused, fishing for the right words. "I'm sorry," she finally said, unable to come up with anything more eloquent.

"Is that all?" he asked and she scowled at his pompous tone.

"Would you like me to grovel at your feet like an obedient servant?" she snapped.

"Being a servant requires loyalty."

"I never said I was disloyal to you!"

"You don't say a lot of things but you seem to think them."

"Do I really deserve this? I was trying to confide in you because you said you would listen. Why do I even have to be sorry about that? You're supposed to support me, not treat me like one of your maids."

"I was going to listen until you started speaking like a traitor."

"I barely said anything!"

"You were doubting our mission, our nation, my family! How am I supposed to listen to that? How can I hear you speak of treason and-"

"I said nothing about treason! You don't know what I was going to say."

"Then what were you going to say, Kai?"

"I was going to tell you we should give up on trying to get back home and just settle down somewhere else!" she lied. She knew she wasn't going to be able to tell him what she was truly feeling, but she was tired of this argument. They were just going in circles and it would stay that way unless somebody broke the cycle.

He opened his mouth to respond but it fell closed. He hadn't been expecting that. Suddenly, he stepped forward and pulled her to him, pressing his lips to hers in an unexpected kiss. She melted into him, resting her hands on his chest as he cupped her face. He broke away, breathing hard.

"I didn't know," he told her. She blinked and looked down, hiding the uncertainty in her eyes. She had lied to fix things and it had worked, but how long could she go on feeling so confused about everything? He gently tilted her chin up so she was looking at him once more. "I can't stop. Not when we're this close." He leaned down and pressed another short kiss to her lips before pulling away and returning to the upper deck.

She frowned, staring at the wall. He had been angry moments ago and suddenly everything was better after days of not talking. All because she had told him what he wanted to hear. Things were starting to grow steadily more complicated and she was beginning to think she wouldn't be able to fix it easily. She walked back up on deck to see that Zuko was readying to launch the catapult. Wait, already? She had been sent down to stop him from this suicide mission and had failed.

"Fire!"

The catapult launched the ball of flame at the flying creature. There was a silence over the ship as they watched the projectile, hoping for it to hit its target. At the last moment, the beast swerved out of the way and Zuko grunted in frustration. He stopped, though, when he looked off at the horizon. Kai followed his gaze and her eyes widened at the line of ships nearing.

"A blockade!" one of the men said.

"Technically you are still in Earth Kingdom waters. Turn back now and they cannot arrest you," Iroh suggested. Zuko glared at him and then shifted his eyes to the Avatar.

"He's not turning around."

"Please Prince Zuko," Iroh pleaded. "If the Fire Nation captures you, there is nothing I can do. Do not follow the Avatar."

"Zuko…" Kai said, stepping toward him, her blue eyes begging him to turn back. He turned away, bowing his head.

"I'm sorry." He looked to the helmsman. "Run the blockade!"

Kai frowned, anger replacing the pleading look in her eyes. "You've put everyone else on the ship at risk!"

"I have no choice! The Avatar is mine and I will capture him, whatever it takes."

"Sir, the blockade is launching an attack," a soldier said in disbelief.

"What?"

Zuko and Kai both turned to see a line of fire balls launched from the ships in the blockade. They disappeared into the clouds, but there trajectory was sure to send them toward their ship. Kai turned on Zuko, her anger growing. "You've doomed us all!"

"We'll be fine. If we keep going this speed, they'll miss us."

The flames reappeared from the cloud cover, this time much closer and heading straight for the ship. A couple hit the water around them, causing it to rock violently from the waves. Everyone clung onto the railing as the rest whizzed by. One struck the back of the ship, shaking the whole vessel. After the rain of fire ended, Zuko looked to Kai.

"See, we're fine."

"Sir, we need to stop and make repairs," an engineer said, coming up from below decks.

"Do not stop this ship! Follow the Avatar."

Kai glared at him. "The blockade is still there."

"We'll make it," Zuko said confidently, fixing his gaze on the blockade as they neared it.

The air grew tense as they drew closer and the crew was surprised when they were allowed passage. As they passed one of the ships, Kai spotted Zhao, a frown forming on her lips. "Why are they letting us pass?"

"He's going to follow us."

"Did you plan this with him?" one of the men asked.

"No, he wants to get the Avatar before I do. But he's sadly mistaken if he thinks he can."

A/N: Hopefully, that was some of the background you guys have been asking for. Don't worry, there are more flashbacks in the future.