((Aaaaaand we're back! Hope the break wasn't too long for you! Thank you for continuing to show interest in Jahn's journey; it's the home stretch now! Hope you stick with me!))

Lay to Rest:

President Asami Sato sighed. She looked up at the mirror, brushing her hair slowly as she prepared herself for the day. The sun was only just rising, yet she had plenty to arrange. The Firelord should be arrived today to collect the fallen members of his family and Asami had to look her best to receive him.

She pulled her clothes on slowly, wishing time would freeze and she could just compose herself. The Firelord wouldn't blame her, she knew, although Asami couldn't help but feel guilty. The team had disobeyed her but she'd kept them in the dark. If they'd have known about the Borderland, maybe…maybe they'd be alive.

She continued to stare at her reflection. She looked very formal, very well kept…yet she could see the guilt in her eyes. If she could see it, everyone else certainly would.

As she wandered through the camp a half hour later, President Sato began to calm down. She probably shouldn't go wandering without a bodyguard but she always had her potent stun weapon with her. Walking through a friendly environment always helped sooth her nerves.

"President Sato?"

A woman walked up to her from behind, dressed in a white robe. She bowed slightly but Asami beckoned her forward. "Yes?" she asked the doctor.

"It's Chief Beifong. We tried to keep her in but she…well, she discharged herself. She said you'd want to talk to her in private. I really don't think she should be discharged quite yet; should we get a team to bring her back to the hospital?" the doctor asked with a worried frown.

"Good luck getting Lin Beifong to do anything she doesn't want to," Asami said, rolling her eyes. "It's been a week, that's plenty of time in her eyes. Leave it be and focus on Sho-tahn. Has he woken up yet?"

The doctor shook her head, her short ponytail swinging slightly. "I'm afraid not. We can't figure out what's wrong but we'll keep an eye on him, don't you worry President Sato."

"Thank you. I believe I know where to find Lin," Asami said by way of farewell. In truth, Lin could be anywhere but Asami had a feeling she'd be making amends.

The northern edge of the camp was her least favourite place. Republic City lay to the west, the ruins of the once proud city and the spirit portal. The north, however, was their burial grounds for the fallen. Any of their own that fell in the war were buried here. It was a green place, full of plant-life like Republic City but far less wild. It was a hauntingly beautiful place but Asami hated it. The graveyard kept reminding her of how many people she'd let down.

Lin was sat on a nearby bank, her knees clasped to her chest and her arms wrapped round her legs. Her chin was resting on her knees as she stared down at all the makeshift tombstones that dotted the landscape. When Asami approached, she was concerned to see Lin as she really was; a slightly broken, unhappy woman who was suddenly feeling old for perhaps the first time ever. She'd always been an indomitable force just like her mother but this had hit her hard. First the betrayal, then the broken ceasefire.

"I'd heard you left the hospital," she said, standing by her side.

"Are you going to try and make me go back?" Lin said in a somewhat hostile tone.

Asami shook her head. "No. You're more than capable of making your own decisions. I only wish I'd have trusted you all with that earlier. It's my fault Zukoh and Akirai lost their lives."

Beifong shrugged. "I didn't get there in time. My successor went behind my back and it cost him two important allies. It's my fault."

The President sighed. "Lin, you did all you could. You forget, you're seventy five now. I don't mean to be insult," she said quickly, noticing Lin stiffening slightly, "but what you did was incredible. You went in and you got three of them out alive. Against those odds, I can't believe you did what you did."

"It wasn't me though. I went in, scolded them, ran when the fighting started. Akirai took the hit so we could escape. Kazon fought through his emotions to drag the great Firebending lump to safety," she said, referring to Sho-tahn. "You're right, Asami. I'm getting old. My mother went to the swamp for some peace and quiet and I'm overdue that, I think," Lin said softly.

Asami nodded as she sat down by Beifong. She stared out at the graveyard, trying to work out her own emotions. "I know the feeling. I think it might be time I stepped down. I'm not built for this, Lin. I used to fight people with Korra but I'm no general. I can't organise a war. All I do is send people to their deaths and that's not what I signed up for! I'm an inventor, not a leader!" she said in a rush, finally getting her thoughts out of her head.

Lin looked sideways at her through her grey hair. "You're our President, like it or not. I know it wasn't totally your idea to run in the elections but you've got to stay strong or our forces will collapse and our nation will turn to dust. We make mistakes; I'm far older than you and I still make them," she said wisely.

The President curled up in the same way Beifong had; she brought her knees up to her chin and hugged her legs tightly. "You have no idea the regret I feel, Lin. All of these…they're all my fault," she said, fighting back the tears.

It was Beifong's turn to disagree. She frowned, pointing out at one small rocky tombstone nearby. "That one. Not your fault. That one," she said, pointing at another, "also not your fault. When I was Chief of Police, I lost a few officers to gang crime and far worse. I tried not to take it personally but it weighed on me every time I heard of another loss. If you give up the fight, their sacrifices are for nothing."

"I guess. At least neither of us are alone in this. I appreciate your support more than you know Lin," Asami said, placing a reassuring hand on Beifong's shoulder.

When Lin rolled her shoulder in a disgruntled manner, Asami knew she was already feeling less upset. "Yeah yeah, you too. Have you considered what you're going to tell Iroh?"

Asami sighed. "I've been trying to avoid thinking about it. He's lost a sister and a son and almost lost another. I doubt he'll be happy to be here."

"Of course he won't be. We'll just have to be upfront about it. No more secrets."

The President closed her eyes. "No more secrets," she agreed.

"Kai, can you pass me the stew please?"

"Sure. Here," her husband said, leaning over and pouring some of the food into her small wooden bowl.

"Thank you," Jinora replied quietly. The atmosphere was incredibly tense; she knew the reason but nobody had decided to address the problem. They'd travelled for a week, flying up towards Republic City at a steady pace but nobody had lost their temper or shouted at her like she'd expected. They hadn't forgiven her, however, so maybe that was still to come.

Even sat around the fire, Jinora could sense the division. Anik, Tilia and Kuan sat closer together, whilst she cuddled up to Kai and Auri, who had found them pretty quickly. Jahn sat off on his own, eating while he leant against Eyuta, the great reptilian-deer beast from the spirit world. Jinora had spotted one once when she'd meditated a few years ago but Eyuta was the first Luxiyi she'd ever seen properly. He was an incredibly intelligent and powerful animal, akin to a sky bison. He'd been a little skittish around Jinora, despite her affinity for spirits and other living animals. Perhaps he reflected Jahn's current attitude.

The catch-up with the group had been brief. Too much information could have disturbed the metaphorical sleeping sabretooth moose-lion. So it was that they travelled mostly in silence; Jinora and Kai flew ahead whilst Auri carried the others on her bison. Jahn travelled below on Eyuta, preferring the company of the quadrupedal beast to their frosty awkwardness.

"So. We'll reach Republic City in the morning. Are you going straight to see your family, Tilia?" Kai asked the Metalbender kindly.

She nodded in response. "It's been quite some time since I've seen them. I miss them more than I knew," the smaller girl admitted. "I was only seventeen the last time they saw me. It's weird to have spent a birthday without them."

"Oh, when was that? Happy belated birthday!" Kai responded brightly.

"Oh thanks; it was three months ago now. It wasn't the warmest birthday ever," Tilia replied.

Anik sniffed. "Hey, we tried our best. We even made a huge snow sculpture of you!"

Tilia smiled slightly. "Yeah alright, that was pretty cool," she admitted.

The conversation died again, leaving only the crackle of the flames and the occasional slurp of stew to break the silence. One of the bison rumbled slightly nearby, shifting closer to another in an attempt to become more comfortable.

Jinora eventually placed her small bowl down and looked around. "You're quite right Tilia. It does seem like everyone's grown up quite a bit. I forget how quickly people grow at your age," she said with a smile.

Tilia frowned instead. "Our age? Don't treat us like we're children please," she said in a miffed tone.

The Airbender looked surprised. "I didn't…sorry. I didn't mean to offend. Everyone just seems a lot more mature. I guess you've all been through quite a bit."

"You're not wrong," Anik muttered. "That's a good point actually. What have you three been doing in the east?"

Auri scratched her nose. "A lot of sitting around. We set up a refugee camp; we got a lot of people heading south from Ba Sing Se so we just tried to help them start their lives again."

"That's very good of you," Anik said with a genuine smile. "When everything dies down, I'm going home to help restore the Water Tribe to its former glory."

"I'll come with you, if you'll have me," Kuan said to his boyfriend, who wrapped an arm around his shoulders and gave him a squeeze in response.

"We're actually trying to retake the Eastern Air Temple now. Well, we're obviously not," Kai said with his hands flapping around, "but Tenzin, Opal, Bolin and the others are going to help secure it so we have somewhere to actually call home. The caves were a little depressing at times. After, we'll probably fly over the others and make sure they're alright."

"Exactly. Once we've done that, we can be anywhere around the globe to help anyone who needs it within minutes," Jinora said with a grin.

"To make up for running away and leaving everyone to die the first time round!?" Jahn called over from where he was at.

Everyone froze. Jinora's smile faded quickly to be replaced with a look of genuine bemusement. "What?" she asked quietly.

The Avatar shifted, standing up and walked towards the fire slowly. "You heard. You turn up, pretending like nobody can feel this tension, acting like you've been having a vacation while everything burns. I saved Tenzin instead of stopping this war and you repay me by fleeing into some corner of the world and looking after yourselves. The Air Nation is supposed to protect people, not abandon them!"

Jinora jumped to her feet quickly, her eyes starting to well up with tears. "We did! You don't know how many airbenders we lost in those first few days! We had to run to survive! You don't know what that's like!"

Tilia winced slightly as she knew Jinora had said the wrong thing. True enough, Jahn's look went from angry to downright furious.

"Don't I!? Oh no, living in the spirit world, getting attacked by EVERYTHING, nah, that was a breeze!" he yelled sarcastically. "It wasn't like I had to keep moving, constantly fighting, just to stay alive! You had one job, Jinora! One job! Make sure people are alright and keep the peace as best you can! Nobody said it would be easy but spirits damn you, did you even TRY!?" Jahn shouted in a voice laden with emotion. "I come back after the longest year and a half and the world's gone to shit because nobody actually cared enough to try and help! Now everyone expects ME to fix it all! How the hell am I supposed to do that when four whole nations working together couldn't? Don't you DARE try and say that we'll do it as a team because we're certainly not anymore. A team would actually try and find the other members! Not ONCE did you bother looking for me!"

Jinora gasped, totally shocked. Tears were rolling down her face as Jahn stood them, arms wide, demanding a response. That was the crux of it; not choosing family over duty. Jinora chose to disassociate herself with them all, Tilia realised, rather than find Jahn and be called back out to help.

Kai had stood up, trying to block his wife from Jahn's glare. "Avatar Jahn, if you ever speak to my wife like that again, spirits won't be your only problem. I won't bother using bending; I'll just kick you until you're down. Do you understand me?" he said with a stony glare.

Jinora pulled herself away from Kai; she shielded her face as though nobody could see the tears and ran from the camp, crying hard. Kai shot Jahn one more look before chasing after his wife. Auri sighed and followed, giving them all a bit of a reluctant smile as she too left.

"Erm…this might be a good time to get some water. Anik?" Kuan said awkwardly.

The Waterbender was frowning. "No. You take Tilia. I need a word with the Avatar," he said in his serious voice. His boyfriend nodded; he and Tilia made for the nearby stream, leaving Anik and Jahn alone in the light of the fire.

"You were out of order," Anik scolded. When Jahn shot him a filthy look, he stared straight back. "Sit down Jahn. We need a talk."

Jahn rolled his eyes but sat down nonetheless. He often forgot Anik was older than him and sometimes it showed; when he wasn't being an idiot, the Waterbender often surprised them all with his hidden maturity.

"So you're mad with Jinora because she didn't check in on you, right?"

Jahn nodded in response, keeping his eyes locked on the dancing flames between them.

"And you're annoyed with Tilia because she didn't come running into your arms, right?"

Jahn pulled a face and started to make a disagreeing sound before Anik shrugged.

"Well, close enough," Anik admitted. "Did you ever actually try and get back through the portal and see us? Or meditate through and visit us just once?"

The Avatar frowned. "That's not how it works. You can't meditate back from the spirit world," he claimed.

"Of course you can. I used to do it to see my family when I was travelling. It's obviously not the same as Jinora's astral magic thing, although it's still something. So did you even try?" Anik asked, cocking his head to one side in curiosity.

Jahn squirmed slightly where he sat. "Well…no. I was a little busy with other things…" he said awkwardly.

His friend laughed quietly. "You think we weren't? We know how tough it was for you Jahn and we all have your back, but you need to realise that things here have been tough as well. We've all lost a lot of people; we're not you, Jahn. We haven't been able to save so many and that's on us," Anik said, his voice somber.

Jahn was still for a few moments before he lowered his head and sighed, running one hand through his hair. "Ah…I know. You're right. This isn't on you though. It's all my fault; the Avatar should have protected the world but I failed."

"The Avatar would have protected the world, yes. Though Jahn chose his friend's happiness and repaid a debt he owed to an old friend. In the end, I think you did the right thing," Anik said with a faint smile. "So isn't it time you forgave them? If we keep on fighting then there's no Team left to help fix this mess. You're not alone Jahn, as long as you stop pushing people away."

The Avatar sighed once more and stretched back, groaning as he felt his muscles stretch. "Urgh, when did you get so wise?" he asked with a slight grin. "I guess we can work on rebuilding the trust," Jahn finished with a nod.

Anik looked up at the night sky and then back down at the fire. "I can help with that. Providing you can keep a secret? I've never told anyone this, not even my ex-fiancée."

When Jahn nodded in reply, Anik scratched the back of his head and swept his white hair forward. "This. My hair was kissed by the Moon Spirit when I was a baby, though only my parents and I know why she did it."

Jahn frowned and leant forward despite himself. Jinora had once told him, long ago, that Anik had dodged the topic when she had first met him. The fact he was telling him now showed a great deal of faith.

"I was weak and frail when I was born. My parents were desperate for a child, so they went to the Chiefs, begging them for some medicine which might help save my life. Eska and Desna tried but nothing they could procure could help," Anik said, staring at the fire intently. "When human assistance failed, my parents turned to the spirits. They had no medicines, as spirits don't grow sick the same way we do. The best they could manage was to beg the strongest of their kind to help. Naturally, Tui and La were their choice. The Moon and Ocean spirits."

"I heard of Yue from Jinora. She's the Moon Spirit since Tui was killed in the Hundred Year War," Jahn stated.

"True. Yue and Tui are one and the same now though. I don't think she'd mind either way now," Anik said with a sad smile. "My parents were hopeful that what had worked for Yue might work for me. They begged the spirits to help, promising them I would grow up to be a friend to the spirits. Yue answered their pleas; my strength returned and my hair turned white."

"Whoa," Jahn said in awe despite himself.

Anik frowned. "Yes. The Moon Spirit saved my life. There was a downside, however. A price to pay. A life for a life. Yue had promised her power to another infant, one who needed it as much as I did. The infant wasn't of the Tribe though, so Yue gave my parents a choice. If they could live with stealing the other child's future, I could have mine."

Jahn leant back, understanding of Anik's sudden emotional story. He wasn't the only one full of guilt for being who he was. "They accepted," he stated.

Anik nodded. "All my life, I've grown up knowing that because I survived, because the Moon Spirit blessed me with this," he said, pointing to his hair, "someone else had to die. You're not the only one that has a death weighing on his conscience. What my parents did, they did out of love. When I was old enough, I understood and I forgave them. That's what you do when you love someone. Forgive them."

The Avatar closed his eyes. "Ok."

Jinora sighed as Kai released her. "Are you alright now? Do you want to go back?" he asked in a concerned yet kind way.

His wife shrugged. "It's not going to be easy. I guess there are a lot of pent up emotions. I knew this would happen," she said in a quivery voice as she wiped away the last of her tears. She was aware of Tilia sat close, having approached earlier and was now watching her with a sympathetic expression, whilst Auri kept watch nearby.

"Yeah well, we're all a lot different to how we used to be," Kai said with a sheepish grin.

Tilia nodded in agreement. "It's alright Jinora. We know what everyone's been through. If we all start turning on each other, we'll have no chance of stopping the war," she said.

"Why does it always seem to fall to Team Avatar and friends to stop a huge, world-ending threat?" Kai asked with a grin, making his wife chuckle between sniffs.

The Metalbender shrugged. "We're just good like that, I guess. Although there's no team without the Avatar…"

"And there's no Avatar without his team," Jahn said from behind her, walking up to them all with hands raised slightly, as if to inform them all that he came in peace. "I'm not here to argue. I'm actually here to apologise, if you'll let me," he said to Auri, who was keeping a very close eye in case he attacked.

Jinora wiped her eyes and ran her hands down her face. She eventually looked up at Jahn and nodded. Here was the talk she'd dreaded. It was time to explain why she'd run from them all.

"I don't care why you didn't try and find us," Jahn said, surprising her. "I know you probably had your reasons, even if they were a bit flawed. I'm hardly the person that should be lecturing anyone about any of this. I know you've all been through a lot of pain and just because I went through the same doesn't diminish what you've endured. I'm very sorry for acting like my feelings were more important than your own," he said directly to Jinora and Kai. He turned to Tilia, who looked apprehensive. "Tilia, you know I have feelings for you. I've never really been good with any of this, so I'm sorry if I've done everything wrong," he said honestly, earning a small smile from the smaller girl. "If you need space, I understand, but I'd hate for this tension to continue between us. Between any of us. If you can forgive me, I'd love to reach Republic City with my team, my friends, once again."

Jinora and Kai looked at each other, whilst Tilia nodded. The Airbenders looked back at him and nodded also, looking impressed. "Whatever you need of us, Avatar, we'll get it done," Kai said with a mock salute.

Jahn smiled back, slightly embarrassed. "Anyway, I meant every word," he promised. "If we're all good, maybe we can go back to camp? We should probably get some sleep; we'll arrive at Republic City tomorrow," he said, gesturing behind him to where Anik and Kuan waited.

"How did this happen?" Firelord Iroh asked, his heart clearly breaking as he gazed down on the covered bodies of his family members.

Asami gritted her teeth to keep herself calm. "They…uh…went out through the portal, despite my warnings not to. I couldn't order them to stay but I really wish I'd tried. I'm so, so sorry for your loss Iroh," she said sincerely. She'd known the Firelord since the Equalist Insurrection. He'd even come to Korra's funeral and paid his respects. Now it was her turn to show some sympathy.

The Firelord gazed down intently, his lip trembling ever so slightly. He had no facial hair; a trait he probably picked up through his time in the United Forces. His hair was grey, yet he still looked more youthful than his years. "I know," he whispered. "I've lost people before but…my son. My sister," he said, blinking tears from his eyes.

Asami bit her lip and closed her eyes. "I'll give you some time to yourself. Tell someone when you need me and I'll come straight away," she promised, leaving the Firelord to grieve.

The President sighed as she left the small earthen building. Most of the forces used tents for convenience, though Asami had ensured some Earthbenders had created a small, private building for the Firelord's use. Zukoh and Akirai had deserved much more than that, though Asami couldn't really help them now. It brought back the memory of losing her father all over again.

The only silver lining to this whole ordeal was that Iroh did not seem to blame her. In fact, he seemed slightly resigned to this, though it did not dull his pain at all. When he arrived, the small elite force that protected him, the Phoenix Talons, all seemed subdued. The whole nation felt the shock of the loss of their Prince Zukoh and Princess Akirai. Despite her abhorrence for the title, Akirai was still very much a vital part of the Fire Nation Royal Family. Asami had never expected them to carry out what they'd done and she still felt her own emotions twisted up inside her. Regardless of her personal feelings, she needed to focus on the bigger picture. The ceasefire was broken. The spirits might attack at any time. Defences were needed. Though she'd been up all night; perhaps sleep was the priority right now. The sun was already rising over the horizon and it was well past time she put her head down.

She made her way to her own quarters, her impressive tent now reinforced with circular earth walls and various rooms inside. Lin had decided that Asami's security was paramount now the ceasefire was broken and had personally spent half an hour Earthbending the quarters into a confusing earthy maze. Before she could reach the entrance, someone moved to her right.

Prince Kazon's eyes were raw and red from his crying, yet he seemed to have regained some of his formality. He stood straight, looking down at her slightly as he struggled with what to say.

"Just say it, Kazon. Forget the formalities," she said, not unkindly.

"I…don't know what to say. What is there to say after this?" he said in a voice which made her heart break. "I just…Beifong told me what Akirai said. About my daughter. I suppose you know as well," he said. It was not a statement.

When Asami nodded, he seemed to loosen up slightly. "I need you to help me find her. There's no-one else now and I…my father is too…it would be unfair to ask him when he's…" Kazon said, trying his hardest to regain control of his emotions by looking anywhere but at her.

"Of course," Asami replied quickly. "Anything. But I'm sorry; for now, we need to focus on arranging transportation for Zukoh and Akirai and…well, thinking about our next battle with the spirits. It's coming, Kazon. Nothing can stop it now and if we're not prepared, we're all going to die," she said quietly.

Kazon looked down and locked eyes with her at last. His expression changed from distraught to angry; his eyebrows turned in and his eyes went stony. "Then we take out the wolf. This is all that animal's fault. If we kill it, my family will be avenged and then I'm free to find my daughter."

"Kazon, I don't think-" Asami began to say, until a child ran up and stood by their side, her feet stepping quickly as though she had to pee.

"I'm sorry President Sato, but I was told to find you!" the girl said squeakily.

Asami shook her head. "Not now please. I'm speaking with Prince Kazon-" she continued to say but the girl continued to jog in place, though she now waved her hands frantically.

"Please Miss President!" she pleaded. "They're trying to find you so I wanted to help! All the grown-ups need you at the bottom camp," the girl said, referring to the Southern edge of the Encampment.

"Why?" Asami asked in an exasperated tone.

"The Avatar, Miss President Ma'am! With Airbenders and Water Tribe people!"

Asami glanced back up at Kazon quickly, her eyes wide. She saw her own expression reflected in Kazon's own face. "Tell whoever it is that I'm on my way. The Avatar picked a hell of a time to come back to us…"

((Hey all! Just a quick note: all character revelations are obviously both important and are usually tied into stuff from past Books! It might be worth refreshing your memories or feel free to give me a quick message for any clarification! And again, thanks for reading!))