"Good luck."

"You too."

Katara waited until Aang was completely out of sight. Then she allowed her strength to break. Her hunched shoulders shuddered as she sobbed into her hands. "I did everything I could!" she whispered in a strained voice. "You were right. I should have just let her go. But instead I put her through so much pain!"

There were no words that Iroh could find to alleviate the sorrow of what had happened. And for what seemed like the millionth time, he pressed his fingers against Arlei's cold neck and waited. And waited. And waited.

Just like all the other times, he felt no pulse. He hovered a hand over her face and felt no breath. There was no denying it. Arlei was dead.

"Those screams," Katara said, lowering her hands and staring gloomily down at at Arlei's body. "Those were the most heartbreaking things I've ever heard. And to think I just ignored them."

"I've experienced something like this before," Iroh told her. "Soldiers in the medical bay would scream and beg for death. But they weren't in their right minds. Their experiences on the battlefield, coupled with blood loss and pain, caused them to revert into a very scared, primal state of thinking. After they recovered, they either had no recollection of being that way, or were glad that the doctors didn't give in to their demands." What he said wasn't entirely true, but he knew Katara needed to hear something like that right now.

"I just hope she's in a better place," Katara murmured.

Iroh hoped so too. And he knew that Arlei probably was. "She was a… troubled person. Her friends died in the war, and she was left alone with all those bitter memories. She told me once that she often wished she had died with them. I thought it was a selfish wish at first, but then again, I don't know what she's been through."

Katara looked out towards the horizon. The rain had gotten lighter. "I wonder what's happening to Zuko and Seiya," she said, changing the subject. "Everything that's been going on has just been so awful." She turned back to Iroh. "Seiya told me what happened to her every since she disappeared from the firelord's palace. I can't imagine what it must have been like to be… treated like that." With a sigh, Katara rose to her feet and walked out. "I'm going to watch for any sign of Aang or Appa."

After the sounds of Katara's light footsteps completely faded, Iroh found himself surrounded with complete silence. He picked up Arlei's hands and rested them on her stomach. As he did so, he noticed that her wound had completely healed. There was a hole ripped in her tunic where the stalagmite had gone through, but her unscathed stomach was underneath the torn cloth.

Iroh assumed that Katara must have closed the wound. Apparently her healing was powerful enough to regenerate flesh. Waterbending never ceased to amaze him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement. Sho crept under the stone roof and huddled next to Arlei. He stretched out his neck and offered something in his mouth to Iroh. It was a small, metal flower. Iroh took it, and, after a moment's consideration, reached down and tucked it into Arlei's hands. Sho watched, and then rested his head on Arlei's chest. The cheetah wolf gazed silently at his master's still face.

Iroh stroked Sho's head. "You must feel the loss greater than all of us," he remarked sadly. The cheetah wolf gave him a side-glance, and then looked back at Arlei's face. Iroh couldn't help but notice that the beast's eyes didn't seem sad at all. Instead, they looked like they were waiting.

There was a noise. It might have been a voice, but it was too muffled to tell. After a while, it came again. It was indeed a voice, and it was calling for her.

"Chief."

She picked up her head and reflexively looked as the voice addressed her. It had been a long time since anyone referred to her that way.

"Hey, Chief." The voice was casual, warm. Arlei couldn't see her at first. Everything was gray. Then, as though they had stepped through fog, they appeared. The faces she hadn't seen since Shudao. They were there, all three of them. The one that had spoke was Meili, Arlei's closest friend and a brilliant archer. Behind her were Kuai and Yan, two friends that had grown up as brothers. Together, they had all been a family.

"I don't believe it," she whispered. Her face broke into a teary smile. For so long, she had waited for this moment. She stepped forward. "I've missed you all so much!"

"Whoa, hold on," Meili warned, putting her hands up. "Chief, you have to keep your distance."

"Why?"

"Can't you feel it?" Yan asked. "You're not ready to cross over yet. This is as close as you can get right now."

"I'm on the edge, aren't I?" Arlei argued. "I could cross over if I wanted. They'd see me as succumbing to my wounds. I've waited too long for this."

"How could you say that?" Meili said sadly. "You'd put our efforts to waste."

"What do you mean?"

"When we were captured in that valley, you just happened to not be with us," Kuai explained. "Why? Because a certain rope holding a wooden plank happened to break and knock you out. And then a pile of snow happened to fall over and cover you." He gave her a sad smile. "We knew there was no way out. You were our leader, but you were also our friend. We were protecting you, making sure the Fire Nation didn't get their hands on you that day. But despite our efforts, it seems like you died in that valley along with us."

Arlei lowered her eyes. "I…"

"We are warriors," Meili said. "We knew what we got ourselves into. There are no regrets. Now please don't fill yourself with them. Live, Chief. That's what we wanted for you."

"I just… miss you."

"There'll come a day when we'll reunite," Meili assured. "But that will come in time. Until then, we'll wait."

"Okay." Arlei looked back at them. "I'll go back. For you."

"Oh, and one more thing," Yan added, crossing his arms. "That old guy with you… he was that fire prince, right? The one we faced in Shudao? Huh, small world."

"Too small," Arlei mumbled.

"There she is," Kuai pointed out. "Our snarky little Arlei. Take care, Chief." They began to fade.

Arlei watched them disappear. The grayness around her began to rush, like she was falling backwards. She closed her eyes and began to feel a tingling in her limbs as she returned to reality.

"Thanks, guys."

Arlei's eyes opened into slivers. Everything was so fuzzy that it was impossible to tell where she was. Then, her eyes began to sting. She closed them and concentrated on trying to feel what was around her. She was lying on something soft. There was a light pressure on her right hand. It felt warm.

She opened her eyes again and ignored the stinging as she waited for her vision to return to normal. After a while, Arlei realized she was staring up at a ceiling. There was a bed underneath her. Sunlight was pouring through a window next to her. Then she knew what the warm pressure on her hand was.

Closing her eyes, she muttered, "Stop holding my hand." With a yank, she pulled her hand free and turned slowly onto her side to face away from him. There was still a dull, throbbing pain deep in her abdomen. She pressed both arms against her stomach. Behind her, she heard shuffling and the trickle of water being poured into a cup

"I'm surprised you managed to pull through what happened to you," Iroh said.

"I'm pretty hard to kill," Arlei mumbled. "Or didn't you know?" To be honest, she was a little parched. The thought of some water enticed her enough to sit up. As she did, she finally got a good look at her surroundings. They appeared to be in some room in a residential building. Iroh handed her the cup. As she brought it up to her face, she realized that the water was tinted. She should have known. Oh well, it wasn't like it mattered anyhow. Arlei tilted her head back and emptied the cup in one swig.

"How long was I out?" she asked as she watched Iroh refill her cup.

"About ten days," Iroh answered. After a heavy pause, he added, "You were dead for two."

"Hmm." Arlei brought the cup to her lips and took a little sip. "Isn't that strange?"

"No pulse. No breath. Completely cold," Iroh stated. "We had all given up on you."

"And I assume if it wasn't for Sho, I would be waking up to a face full of dirt, wouldn't I?"

"I assume he already knew. Until you started breathing again, he wouldn't let anyone touch you."

"What a good boy," Arlei mused. She continued to stare at her lap, avoiding Iroh's eyes. "I suppose the secret's out, then?"

"Only the Water Tribe girl and myself were there. I don't know if she suspects anything, but I told her I must have been mistaken when looking for your pulse. I can't say that I understand, but I recall that during my stay in the southern valleys, there were certain legends that circulated around the tribes."

Arlei scoffed. "Don't tell me you believe in fairytales," she said.

"Then—."

"It's as you said," Arlei interrupted. "You were mistaken when taking my pulse. Now where's Sho?"

Iroh gestured towards the foot of the bed. Arlei saw the tip of Sho's tail peeking from the edge. "He hasn't left your side since we returned to Ba Sing Se."

"So we're in the city," Arlei remarked, looking out the window. "And it's been ten days since… The twins!" She whipped her head around, staring intensely at Iroh. "Where are they?"

"They're safe," Iroh assured her. But there was something in his eyes that worried her. Arlei's hands tightened on the covers.

"And… Seiya?" she asked slowly. Before he even said anything, the look on Iroh's face told her.

"She took the man down who had been imprisoning her and had tried to kill the twins. But she gave her life to do so."

A small frown found its way onto Arlei's face as she listened. She shook her head as if trying to deny Iroh's words away. "N… No…" she stammered. Deep, guttural rage began to bubble within her. She began to feel very, very cold. At the foot of the bed, Sho suddenly opened his eyes and perked his head up.

Turning her face away from Iroh, she growled, "Get away from me."

"It's okay to be—."

"I said get out!" Arlei snapped, ducking her head further away. There was something off about her voice. Sho appeared by Iroh and pulled urgently at his sleeve. When Iroh stood, the cheetah wolf practically dragged him out of the room.

Before Iroh could turn and look back into the room, Sho pushed the sliding door close with his muzzle, sealing himself and Arlei into the room. There were heavy steps as, Iroh assumed, Sho returned to Arlei's side. He heard a beast-like whimpering coming from behind the door.

Until the day you took away

The only thing that mattered in my life

Can't you see why I'm angry with you?

I'm hating you for all you put me through

And I don't know why inside this silence is deafening

You know I gave up everything for you

I followed you always, all along

God, don't let her be gone

I'm lost without you

"God in this Moment" by Gavin Mikhail