"You're hilarious" Azula remarked. She had brought Mika with her to work tonight because Sokka had a meeting but said he would stop by the bar and pick up Mika after, which he did but not before talking to Azula about something else first.

"Come on, give me one good reason as to why not?" He challenged when she pretty much laughed in his face after he asked her out.

"Sokka I could give you a hundred good reasons," she said

"Then please do," he challenged again, knowing he had her.

She gave it a moment of desperate thought, needing to come up with an answer. But the truth is she didn't have one, she didn't have a hundred good reasons to not go out with Sokka; she only had one. One, four-year-old, reason who didn't need to see the aftermath of a failed relationship. One reason who had just recently learned the truth about her biological father and didn't need to have any high hopes about the possibility of a new father figure only for them to be crushed when things didn't work out.

"Ok so I don't have a hundred good reasons, but I'm still not going out with you." She finally settled on, she was then saved by a customer at the other end of the bar calling out for a drink.

But of course Sokka wouldn't give up so easily; and waited patiently until Azula finally found herself back at his end of the bar.

"Please tell me you're not saying no because of Mika," he said as Azula dealt with the cash register.

"Look I'm sorry but she's still not one hundred percent, even if she says she is." Azula commented. It had been a little over a month since they nearly lost Mika to her heart. It was true she had stopped fainting, gotten back to solid foods and her life, but it was still clear that she was still being bothered. She never voiced it anymore, but Azula was sure that her stomach still bothered her.

The scary part was that she was staring to remind Azula of Hariko; he never fainted and he never complained but it was obvious that he was far from fine. She always thought he had been faking it but now that she knew the truth, that it was all real, she couldn't help but fear for Mika.

"That's not what I meant" Sokka insisted and Azula was about to retort when Zan, who had stepped behind the bar, came right up behind her.

"Azula the kid loves him, she never stops talking about him and neither do you, just go out with the guy already!" He exclaimed and Azula gritted her teeth, she should've expected this.

"Since when is my love life your business Zan?" She demanded, her voice almost slipping back into it's old, very cold, demeanor.

"Since Lao and I made a bet and I'm just a few days away from losing," he answered but Azula only smirked.

"And here I thought you actually cared," she mocked her friend.

"Fine, you want me to care? Your kid's been in her closet for almost two hours, I'll go check on her." He grumbled, taking his friends sarcasm way too seriously.

"See now you don't want Zan to lose his bet do you?" Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow at her in playfulness.

"Actually it would be pretty fun to watch him pout so yeah," she answered and she couldn't help but smirk when Sokka frowned.

"Azula come-" he began but he was cut off when Zan quickly approached the bar, grabbed Azula by the arm, and nearly yanked her over the counter. Before she could say anything to question her friend's actions he was whispering something in her ear, then she was gone.

Once Zan was done Azula pulled out of his grasp and was out from behind the bar at close to lightning speed. She walked quickly through the crowded bar, wishing desperately that she could run. But she made it to the supply closet as fast as she could and couldn't help it when she practically threw the door open. Zan had said he found Mika asleep on the floor, but when he tried to wake her she wouldn't stir. Now it appeared that she had woken up, as she was unsteadily sitting up and reaching out for something to hold onto to. It looked like she was reaching for the edge of a shelf but didn't realize her hand was nowhere near it, she was just grasping air.

She was hunched over in pain; her stomach was hurting again. But she couldn't tell mommy. If Mommy knew then she would get worried again, and she couldn't let mommy worry. But the she just couldn't take it anymore, so she straightened up to go out and tell mommy that she doesn't feel good, but that was when the world started spinning and the last thing she felt was her legs giving out.

"Come on kid get up! Ugh..." She heard an urgent whisper but when she eventually came to no one was there.

With her head spinning she tried to get up and soon managed to sit, she reached out for the edge of a shelf to help pull herself up but she couldn't grasp it. She didn't know why, she couldn't think to extend her hand farther. Absolutely nothing was computing in her brain. She didn't even hear the closet door open, but she did see her mother get down in front of her and take her hand.

"Mika, are you ok?" She asked, or Mika thought she asked, she was right here but her voice was so far away.

"I want to go home," she murmured, though even she could hear her words slurring together.

She couldn't tell if her mother was speaking out not, but she looked worried. Then she looked over her shoulder, there was a man getting down next to her. Mika knew the man, she recognized him immediately. But she didn't know what she was supposed to call him, she couldn't remember. He wasn't just mommy's friend was he? No that couldn't be right; Zan was mommy's friend, Mr. Lao was mommy's friend, and other people were mommy's friends. But this man was different than mommy's other friends. But what was her word for him? She knew she called him something other than his name; too bad she couldn't remember that was only in her head before she said it out loud.

Azula didn't know what to do. She got down in front of Mika and grabbed her hand, then thanked her lucky stars that it wasn't cold.

"Mika, are you ok?" She asked urgently

"I want… to go home," Mika slurred quietly before her head dipped again

"Mika, baby look at me" Azula ordered desperately and thankfully her daughter did as told, just then Azula became aware of the presence of someone else getting to their knees next to her and looked to see Sokka.

"Is she alright?" He asked in alarm, Azula was sure he could see the tears of worry in her eyes.

"I don't know" was all she managed to get out before Mika, her unfocused eyes seeming to lock onto Sokka, spoke up again.

"Go home, with daddy?" It sounded as more of a question than anything else, and it was clear that either there were some words Mika was either unaware she left out or the two adults just didn't hear them. But that last word was heard clearly as it was spoken, crystal.

"She's confused" Sokka assured Azula before she could even try to set her daughter straight. "She doesn't know what she's saying right now, I know you can't leave but I'll take her back to my place and we'll sort this all out in the morning." Sokka said and Azula nodded, he knew that right now her brain was functioning about as well as her daughter's and so she needed him to make the plan; more importantly she was allowing it. She was allowing herself to be scared, she was letting him make the plan.

He gathered Mika into his arms carefully and as he left, he prayed to any spirits listening that she would be ok.

It wasn't a long walk back to his apartment from Lao's, and halfway through Mika woke up and insisted that she wanted to walk. Hesitantly Sokka put her down but she only managed a few uncoordinated steps before she nearly fell over again. Picking her back up Sokka continued their walk as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she finally murmured.

"Sorry? What are you sorry about?" He asked; she couldn't seriously be apologizing for fainting could she?

"For scaring you and mommy," she continued.

That was when it dawned on Sokka that she remembers. It had been a long time since he last fainted himself but he could never forget how clearly he remembered any and all disorientation. Now he knew that Mika remembers the panic on her mother's face, along with everything else that happened when she woke up.

"It's ok" he told, not daring to bring up the subject of what she had said in her dazed state; if that conversation ever came to light then it would only be if all three of them were present.

By the time they reached Sokka's apartment Mika was once again asleep. She normally slept on the couch when she stayed over but after tonight's events Sokka decided to put her in the bed with him. There was enough room and he figured that this way she wouldn't be alone if she were to wake suddenly.

He didn't mean to fall asleep, but upon waking up in a cold sweat it was evident to Sokka that he had. His first instinct was to check on Mika, and much to his relief she was still breathing as she slept curled up next to him. It was then that he noticed that his normally dark room had been lit by a faint glow by the window. He looked up and had to do a double take, it couldn't be. It was impossible. Yet here it was, here she was. Standing here in his bedroom was Yue.

"Yue" was all he managed to say as he stumbled out of bed. She looked exactly like she had the last time he saw her, her beautiful white hair flowing around her white dress and he was almost saddened by the reminder that he was unable to save her. "What, what are you doing here?" He finally managed to ask as he staggered closer to her, still in a state of awe.

She smiled and giggled the way she used to, "Your prayers were very loud" she answered, her face suddenly taking on sadness as she looked past him and laid her eyes on Mika.

Sokka glanced over his shoulder at the sleeping girl in his bed, and then looked back at Yue to find that her expression matched his, worry.

"Can you help her?" He asked but she shook her head, a tear in her eye.

"I wish I could, but any help I could offer would only condemn her." She responded and it took a moment for Sokka to understand, but when he did he truly felt awful. "But there is one spirit who may be able to help" Yue continued and suddenly Sokka was hopeful again.

"Who?" He asked eagerly

"She is a healing spirit who resides over the Jang Hui River" Yue began but she didn't need to say anymore.

"The Painted Lady" Sokka finished for her and she nodded

"Yes. Like all spirits she comes and goes from her home as she pleases, but she always returns. She may be able to help Mika" Yue said but Sokka's face was still an expression of despair.

"And if she can't?" He asked but Yue avoided his gaze as she frowned.

"Then Mika will die," she confirmed sadly, sounding as if she hated to be the one to finally confirm this fact aloud. "Be careful Sokka, acquiring the help of The Painted Lady is not an easy task." Yue warned but when Sokka finally met her gaze his face was hard and determined.

"I don't care. I'm not going to lose Mika and her mother, not like I lost you." He said and Yue smiled, but even Sokka could tell that a part of it was forced. He was ashamed of what he'd done, of what he hadn't been able to do. He kept his eyes on the floor and only looked up when he sensed Yue's ghostly hand on his shoulder.

"Then I will leave you with this advice. Should you reach The Painted Lady you will be tested, do not let your past blind you from your future."

Again Sokka woke up in a cold sweat, panting heavily as he looked around his dark bedroom, but Yue was gone and Mika still sleeping soundly next to him. The little girl rolled over, no doubt stirring due to the sudden motion from her mother's friend. But she remained asleep and left Sokka to ponder what he had just seen. Had it all been a dream? Or was Yue really here? He couldn't say for sure, but he knew one thing; he now had a plan.

Azula was at his apartment only an hour later, despite it still being dark out and only the very early hours of the morning.

"Sorry but I…" she trailed off as he let her in, she didn't really know what she could say to him that wouldn't result in her sounding weak.

"It's ok" Sokka assured her in understanding as he shut the door.

"How is she?" She asked, turning back around to look at Sokka who didn't look much better than her.

"Still sleeping" was all he said. Both of them looked worse for wear, Azula more than Sokka. They both had faint but still present circles under their eyes, evidence that they both had some sleeping troubles ever since this whole mess began. "We need to talk" Sokka finally continued but Azula only sighed in frustration and fatigue as she crossed her arms.

"Sokka now is not the time for what you asked me-" she started but she was cut off.

"No, not about that" he said, he then grabbed her hand and lead her over to the couch. They sat down and he thought about what he was about to tell her before he actually did, an action that is still very rare for him. "Ok I know this is going to sound crazy but someone came to see me tonight, a spirit." He told her but she didn't even look phased by it, somehow he had forgotten he was talking to a woman who spent roughly six months of her life camping out in a spirit forest. "She told me that there's a spirit who lives near the Jang Hui River, The Painted Lady, she can help Mika." He said; his voice laced with hope.

"Except the Jang Hui river is in the Fire Nation, Mika won't make a trip like that." Azula pointed out.

"What other choice do we have?" Sokka questioned and Azula weighed the options for a moment, it was no contest.

"We'll leave soon as she's up," she decided and Sokka nodded in agreement.