"So how come when I reach out my fingers, it seems like more than distance between us?"

- Rihanna

I was surprised and grateful when Sokka said he would be joining us on our journey to find Aang. He says that finding Aang is top priority right now. And he's right. But I suspect he also doesn't want to leave Toph and me alone with Zuko. He left Dante in charge of the fleet and they plan to deploy early tomorrow morning. Sokka thinks he'll be back in time, but I disagree. Zuko's plans never go very smoothly. For example, when he planned to cross that rock bridge but it collapsed and almost ended our lives. Or how about his plan to call off the Fire Nation attack that showed up anyway and landed Aang and me in prison. What about when he planned to hold Azula off and ended up free falling to what would have been a painful death. I bet there's a whole list somewhere of Zuko's "plans that did not go accordingly."

Though, I suppose my list is longer.

The four of us gathered our stuff, packed it on Appa's saddle, and took to the sky. I can tell that Zuko holding the reigns doesn't sit well with Sokka, but he's managed to keep quiet so far. All we know is that we're headed toward the Earth Kingdom. I doubt Aang is there, but I'm not going to argue with Zuko about it. Because I'm just not in the mood and we have no other plan. That and the fact that even looking at Zuko makes me flustered and nervous has kept my mouth shut.

It's a long and quiet trip. I suspect everyone is worrying. When Appa finally descends and lands, all that I can see are tall trees that do a good job of hiding the sunlight.

"Where are we?" Sokka asks.

Zuko nods to a building just through the clearing. It looks pretty old and run-down. The color is a faded green and some of the window shutters are hanging by only one hinge. Not the kind of place I would imagine a prince hanging out in. "Blue Boar's Barroom."

"That's a mouthful." Sokka comments. He turns to Toph, "Say that five times fast."

She smiles and does just that.

We leave Appa behind the trees with the reassurance that we'll be back in a few minutes. With his face in a berry bush, he doesn't seem to care.

We all follow Zuko into the decrepit barroom, past the lantern with the flickering light that hangs above the doorway.

"And the reason you've brought us to a seedy Earth Kingdom tavern is what now?" I say as we enter the place. Zuko stops in front of me and I nearly bump into his back. This close, it's impossible not to take in the spicy scent that is Zuko, the scent that was everywhere and all over me last night. I'm grateful that he can't see the look on my face as I reel back, trying hard not to breathe him in.

"June." Zuko points across the pub to a woman with black hair and pale skin. She's wearing dark lipstick and her outfit is all black. Despite the gloomy look, her features are striking.

She rises from her chair, tea cup in hand as a large man lunges toward her. We must have stumbled upon a bar fight. It seems wrong that such a big man would be going after such a small woman while the people around the room just stand and watch. I'm about to help her until I see her fight back.

Her limbs move rapidly; deflecting, blocking, and finally knocking the man backwards. It's obvious that this man doesn't stand a chance.

"Oh, you mean that bounty hunter with the giant mole?" Sokka asks. I wonder where he could have possibly encountered her.

I raise an eyebrow. "Her skin looks pretty flawless to me." I note, unable to look away as she ducks and dodges the drunken man's wild attempts to catch her, all the while keeping a smug smile on her face.

"No, she has this giant mole creature she rides around on." Sokka explains.

Another man has added himself to the fight now. His attempts at capturing June are even worse than the first man's. She tiptoes out of their reach, putting on quite the entertaining show for her onlookers.

"A shirshu." Zuko corrects. "It's the only animal that can track any scent anywhere in the world. It's our best shot at finding Aang."

We all watch as June tosses her tea cup into the air when the original drunk flings himself toward her again. He swings his big fist at her and she catches him by the elbow and uses his momentum to launch him into a nearby table. The structure collapses beneath his weight and he lands in a pile of broken wood. June holds out her hand, catches her tea cup easily in it and saunters back to her seat as though the incident never happened.

The entire tavern is silent as they take in what just occurred.

Toph is the first to speak. "I don't know who this June lady is, but I like her!"

The people around us quickly forget the fight and go back to their mugs and glasses. Zuko leads as we walk toward the table that June has occupied for herself. She has her feet propped up on an empty chair and the one she's currently in tilted back to accommodate her relaxed pose.

She senses our presence and without glancing up says, "Oh great, it's Prince Pouty."

I chuckle softly.

Zuko glowers.

June raises a perfect eyebrow, "Where's your creepy grandpa?"

"He's my uncle." Zuko tells her, his voice on edge with annoyance. I wonder what kind of rapport these two have. "And he's not here." Zuko's voice changes as he says this. It sounds as if there's a particular reason as to why General Iroh isn't around.

June takes a sip of her tea. Unpleased with Zuko's tone she says, "I see you worked things out with your girlfriend." Her eyes flicker toward me.

"I'm not his girlfriend!" I protest at the same time as Zuko barks, "She's not my girlfriend!"

We both came off a bit more strongly than was probably necessary. I feel my cheeks start to heat as Toph giggles to herself behind me. I'm glad that Sokka isn't great at picking up on these things.

"Okay, okay. Sheesh." June rolls her eyes. "I was only teasing. So what do you want?"

"I need your help." Zuko says. I swear, I have never heard those words leave his lips. I bet few people ever have. "I need your help finding the Avatar."

June snorts. "Hmph. Doesn't sound too fun." She takes another sip of her tea.

I feel Zuko tense up beside me.

June sighs as if she's encountered the lamest and most boring people in existence. She gives her polished nails a once over. "I take it you won't leave unless I agree, so I'll just make this easy for the both of us." She rises, leaving her cup on the table, and heads for the door.

We follow her outside and around the side of the tavern. "Nyla!" June coos.

Nyla, as it turns out, is June's giant mole. The creature is big and brown, with a black stripe along its head and back. He's squared off with Appa; the two must have happened upon eachother. Both animals are growling defensively, sizing the other up. Appa is the first to end this. His big tongue licks the shirshu's head and they both lean down in a way that suggests friendship, or allyship, or whatever it is that animals offer to eachother in these situations.

Their heads perk up upon hearing our approach. June immediately goes for Nyla and takes the creature's head in her hands affectionately. "Who's my little snuffly wuffly?"

That isn't the nickname that comes to mind when I see Nyla's razor sharp teeth and claws. I recall Sokka mentioning that June is a bounty hunter. She must use Nyla to find the people she's meant to. I bet Zuko's asked for her help in finding the Avatar before. Maybe that's how he tracked us into the Earth Kingdom just before I wound up in Pohuai Stronghold.

Nyla nudges June's neck as she asks, "Alright, who's got something with the Avatar's scent on it?"

"I've got Aang's staff." I offer, remembering how I packed the wooden thing myself. I climb aboard Appa's saddle to retrieve it.

June accepts it from me with a curt nod. The rest of us take a step back as she presents the staff to the shirshu. Nyla's brown nose runs all over the thing, committing Aang's scent to its memory. Nyla throws his head back and begins to sniff the air. I hadn't realized the creature's full stature. He's huge. Not Appa huge, but well on his way. I wonder how June found Nyla. Or how she trained him.

Nyla circles us, his big head in the air as he tries to catch Aang's scent. He circles us again and then a third time. After one final, furious attempt to locate Aang, he drops down in the dirt. His big paws cover his snout and he whimpers, almost as if he's ashamed of his inability to do the job.

"Well, what does that mean?" Zuko asks.

June is already comforting Nyla, whispering reassurances to the creature. "Means your friend's gone."

Toph crosses her arms over her chest. "We know he's gone, that's why we're trying to find him."

"No I mean, he's gone gone." June restates. She turns back to peer at us over her shoulder. "He doesn't exist."

My eyes widen, my pulse quickens. Aang can't really… no, I would know. I would know. He couldn't just… whoever hurt him, I swear I will…

I'm on the verge of a panic attack when a horrified Sokka asks, "What do you mean Aang doesn't exist? Do you mean he's like, you know, dead?"

"Nope. We could find him if he were dead." June tells him. The flood of relief that washes over me leaves me dizzy. "Wow. That's a real head-scratcher. See ya!" June climbs onto Nyla's big back.

"Helpful. Real helpful." Toph mutters.

Unbelievable. Aang doesn't exist? That's just not possible. We have to find him. This is all my fault. If I hadn't been so stupid and drunk and preoccupied, this never would have happened. It's always my fault.

"Wait." Zuko calls to June. She lets out an exasperated sigh and purses her lips tightly in annoyance. Zuko takes a step toward her. "I have another idea. There's only one other person in this world who could help us face the Fire Lord. I'll be right back with a smell sample."

I bury my face in my hands. I don't want to find someone else. I want to find Aang. I need to find Aang.

Zuko reappears with a shoe in his hand. "This is my uncle's." He explains.

Sokka grimaces. "You saved your uncle's sweaty sandal?"

Zuko shrugs and holds the slipper out for Nyla to get a scent from. There's no circling this time, no shameful nose rubbing. Nyla leans back, puffs out his chest, and stands tall.

"Let's do this." June says determinedly, taking Nyla's reigns firmly in her grasp.

She gives a hard tug and the two of them bound into the forest, leaving the four of us to scramble aboard Appa and hurry to catch up.

It's almost a full day's journey of following June and Nyla. The comet will be here tomorrow. Tomorrow. We're one day away from either defeating the Fire Lord or half the world being burned to ash.

Sokka didn't make it back in time to deploy with his men, as I predicted. But that's nothing to worry over because Dante is a great leader. He would be chief if it weren't for Sokka's birthright.

Being in the air for so long has really started to take its toll on Toph. She's as green as her robes, so on the verge of being sick that the rest of us have kept a three foot distance from her. If Aang were here, he would be right beside her, patting her back or head and trying to console her. That's the Aang thing to do.

I've been bending and watching the clouds around us, trying not to look at Zuko or notice his presence, and worrying about Aang simultaneously. Even if I didn't need to keep Appa hidden behind the clouds, I'm too wired to sleep anyway. My eyelids feel heavy from being open for so long.

Appa's landing is abrupt. Or it seems that way to me because I haven't really been paying attention to my surroundings. Appa slows to a walk, matching Nyla's pace.

"Ba Sing Se?" Zuko asks.

I look up and see the giant stone wall that surrounds the city. There's a gaping hole in it, evidence of the Fire Nation's raid and capture of the place. Zuko glances at me and it's all I can do to not meet his gaze, because we both remember what happened the last time we were outside Ba Sing Se. How we kissed beneath one of the trees behind us, how he almost confessed who he really was, and the way he yelled for me just before I blacked out.

I don't dare think what might have happened if the events of that day had gone differently. It's never good to dwell on the things we can't change. Especially if we desperately want to.

"Your uncle's somewhere beyond the wall. Nyla's getting all twitchy so it can't be far. Good luck." June manages a polite smile before taking off. I wonder where she's going next.

We all stare up at the wall in front of us. This city is run by the Fire Nation. We can't just go traipsing through the place. Zuko and I would be walking around with giant bullseyes on our foreheads. Not to mention that the city is almost endlessly huge. And maybe June assured us that Iroh isn't far, but it would definitely not take long to get lost in there.

"Maybe we should regroup for a while." Zuko offers.

No one objects. I need a nap. Sokka, Zuko and I all need to change into something more subtle. I wonder if Zuko has his Blue Spirit mask with him. I wouldn't call that mask subtle, but atleast it would draw less attention than Zuko's actual face. Which I guess sounds kind of harsh.

Appa collapses on the ground, exhausted from his travel. I think we sometimes underestimate how much Appa does for us. I remember how upset he was the last time we were Aang-less.

"Hey, big guy." I whisper to him, stroking his thick fur. He lets out a grumble of approval and closes his eyes as he leans on his side. I take this as an invitation to join him and climb up on his soft side, more than ready to pass out. I can hear Sokka snoring from Appa's saddle. Not even all the thumping around managed to wake him.

Toph bends herself a rock fort and crawls inside. I don't know how sleeping on the hard ground night after night doesn't hurt her back, but she seems to really enjoy it.

But that means the only possible person who could be situating themself beside me on Appa's side is Zuko. When he quiets, I peer over my shoulder. He's curled up and facing the opposite way. It's strange because he's only a foot away, but it feels like there's more distance between us than there ever has been.

I hadn't realized I dozed off until being awoken when Appa leapt up and I went tumbling to my knees on the ground in front of me.

Toph is already in action, on her feet and crouched in a defensive stance. Sokka jumps down from Appa's saddle, landing at my side. He quickly helps me up.

A ring of fire has encircled our sleep site. It's atleast six feet high on all sides, trapping all of us inside. Already the heat is making me sweat. I call up the water in my sling, just as Zuko prepares to rid us of our prison.

Then I hear a strange sound and my head jerks up. Standing on the large rock debris are four men, all dressed in dark blue cloaks with white collars. The strange sound is coming from the man furthest on the left. He's laughing.

"Well, look what we have here." He giggles as if this is the funniest thing anyone has ever said.

My eyes land on the man closest to him and my face lights up in a grin. "Master Pakku!"

He smiles down at me and the fire surrounding us dissipates. This is not at all what I was expecting after waking up to a fire attack. The men leap down to meet us.

"Hello, Toph." A man with thick white hair greets her. I've never seen him before.

Toph eases. "Oh hey, Jeong Jeong." Why does that name sound familiar? "Zuko, meet Aang's first firebending teacher."

Oh, that's right. Now I remember.

Zuko bows in greeting.

"Master Piandao." Sokka greets a tall man with black hair. I recognize the name. I remember Sokka telling me all about Master Piandao, the man who taught him how to sword fight when he and his men were in the Fire Nation. But it appears that he trained Zuko as well because Zuko offers the man a similar greeting. I guess now I know where the Blue Spirit learned how to wield those dao swords.

"And I'm Bumi! King of Omashu." The man with the strange laugh says cheerily. He gives off a weird vibe, but it's friendly. He catches my stare and gives me a crazy smile. "I knew Aang when we were kids."

I sometimes forget just how old Aang is. That he was born so many years ago. It's amazing to think about all of the people he could have known back then.

"But what's going on? What are you all doing here?" I ask.

Piandao says, "We're all part of the same ancient secret society. A group that transcends the divisions of the four nations."

Zuko smiles. "The Order of the White Lotus." He says knowingly.

I smile to myself, recalling the Pai Sho piece that Iroh gave to me on his ship and the flower that he signed his letters to me with. Now I understand what he was trying to tell me. That he's on our side.

"That's the one!" Bumi cackles.

Jeong Jeong nods. "The White Lotus has always been about philosophy and beauty and truth. About a month ago, the call went out that we were needed for something important." His demeanor is much more serious than Bumi's.

"It came from a Grand Lotus." Pakku finishes. He nods to Zuko. "Your uncle. General Iroh of the Fire Nation."

Toph cheers, "Well that's who we're looking for!"

Hmm. A Zuko plan that went through without a flaw. And it even has a bonus. Maybe there is hope for our plan-making abilities.

"Then we'll take you to him." Piandao smiles warmly.

Bumi cackles again, throwing his head back with delight. "Let's go!" He pushes off of the ground and launches himself into the air with a pillar of rock. He's quite the impressive Earth Bender.

Toph grins and takes off after him in a similar fashion. I'm sure those two will get along very well.

The White Lotus members lead us back to their camp. The place is surrounded and lined with rocks. Not a straight up wall like that which surrounds Ba Sing Se, but instead large boulders. To passersby, the area would look like a collection of rocks; nothing out of the ordinary.

Bumi bends the rocks before us, creating an entrance into the campsite. We're greeted with rows of large, white tents. People are scurrying about with supplies and ducking in and out of one another's tents. I'm curious as to how one becomes a member of the White Lotus. Or better yet, what Iroh's important mission is that's gathered all of these people here. But more curious than that, why does Zuko believe that Iroh is the only other person besides Aang who is capable of defeating the Fire Lord?

I doubt anyone will let me in on induction secrets, but I'll anxiously await answers to the last two questions.

"I'm sure you're all wanting to rest up for a while." Pakku notes. "Sokka, why don't you join me in Piandao's tent and we'll let the ladies have mine."

Toph and I follow Pakku to his tent. It's the second from the right, very near our entrance point. He lets all of us know that dinner will be served in two hours. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until he said it. I've been rather distracted. But a nap and a warm meal sounds unbelievably nice right now.

Maybe this is the best I can hope for given the circumstances.

Toph disappears inside our tent and I make to follow her until I hear Piandao say, "Your uncle's in there, Prince Zuko."

He's pointing at a tent a short ways ahead. I step under the awning above the entryway of Pakku's tent and watch as Zuko takes a deep breath before heading in Iroh's direction. He makes it all the way to the tent before he seems to have second thoughts. He pauses and sits on the ground right in front of the doorway, pressing his face into his hands.

It's none of my business.

But I go over there anyway.

"Are you okay?" I ask. There are so many other things that I want to ask him right now, but I figure this is my safest bet.

"No, I'm not okay." He tells me. And I can hear it in his voice.

I kneel beside him and bite at my lower lip. This is awkward. It shouldn't be, but it is.

After a long moment, Zuko sighs. "There was an incident here in Ba Sing Se a few weeks ago. To make a long story short, I did something that I wish I hadn't and I ended up turning against my uncle. He loved me and supported me in every way he could. And I still turned against him. I don't think I can face him."

"You didn't have to tell me that." Stupid, because I asked, didn't I?

"Well, I wanted to." Zuko turns to me. And that genuinely surprises me. We haven't been able to meet eachother's eyes all day. And now he's able to do it when he's just told me something personal. When he's vulnerable. I don't know what to make of that.

Instead, I consider what he's said. I think of Iroh and our conversations on his ship and the letters he wrote me. If there is one thing that a person can take away from Iroh after spending time with him, it's that he loves his nephew. I never really looked closely at Zuko and Iroh's relationship. Iroh was the person who looked after Zuko when his father banished him, the person who took care of him. For six years, it was just the two of them. Maybe Zuko is not a very emotional person, but that must have registered to him on a deep level. "If you're sorry for what you did-"

"I am."

"Then he'll forgive you." I say softly. Zuko still seems unconvinced. So I say it again. "He will."

A long moment passes with Zuko staring at the ground and me staring at his hands folded in his lap. I'm contemplating whether I should say something else or just get up and leave when he asks, "Can you?"

For a second I think that I've imagined this. Zuko's eyes are on mine again. I don't know if he actually expects an answer, but I'm too taken back to give him one. What does he want my forgiveness for? Lying to me? Handing me over to the Fire Nation? Almost killing us with his stupidity? For making me want every part of him so damn badly when I know that I'm not supposed to?

I must look like a fish out of water, gaping at him the way I am. I don't want to say something that I'll never be able to take back. Something stupid. Something weak. And I swear it's on the tip of my tongue to do so.

So instead, I run back to Pakku's tent.

Zuko can interpret that response in whatever way he sees fit.