"She hasn't moved. At all." Hei-Bai told Chi. Chi swore.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"What should I do?!"

"Go see her." Hei-Bai 'said'.

"What? Why?"

"Just go."

"Avery?" Chi asked, carefully approaching his daughter. She continued to stare blankly at the images that flashed in front of her. "Avery..."

"C'mon, you can't stay like this forever!" Chi said. Avery's ear twitched. "Please Avery."

"She's killing herself." Hei-Bai said, waddling forward.

"What?"

"She's alive, but she isn't living. She is killing herself. She would rather actually die than stay trapped here." Hei-Bai said.

"She isn't trapped." Chi said.

"You kidnapped her from her friends and then left her in a swamp. Her friends think she's dead. She can't see her loved ones."

"But... I'm her loved one..."

"You left her when she was two years old. Have you any idea what has happened to this poor child in those lonely 14 years?" Hei-Bai said. Chi was taken aback.

"But..."

"Let her go." Hei-Bai said. "She misses him."

"'him'?"

"Prince Zuko. She and him have bonded quite a lot. See, they love each other, but they're teenagers, so they won't admit it."

"No... I can't, I need to protect her."

"Then do so when she needs protecting!" Hei-Bai said. "This is unnecessary and wrong!"

"Fine." Chi said. He kneeled next to his daughter and waved a hand through the image she was looking at, ending it permanently. "Avery, honey... I'm going to send you back. Are you ready?"

Avery looked at him with wide eyes before nodding. Chi sighed and focused. Avery began glowing green again, and vanished back to the mortal world in a flash of light.

"You did the right thing." Hei-Bai said. Chi sighed again, covering his face with his hands.

"I hope you're right."

"Would you like some tea first? I'd love some. How about you, Kahchi? I make you as a jasmine man. Am I right?" I heard someone say. I recognized the voice as Iroh's. I ran forward through the brush and peered through the trees at them. Iroh and Zuko were in firebending stances, surrounded by a group of men. The Rough Rhino's. I felt anger grow in my veins seeing Zuko and Iroh threatened.

"Enough stalling! Round 'em up!" Mongke said. I leapt forward, into the circle, and shifted into my spirit form, enhanced by my time in the Spirit World. I let out a mighty roar, scaring the rhino's back. I summoned the power I had gained and let it out as a blast of green light, knocking the men off their rhino's, or scaring them away. By the time the smoke cleared, only one rhino was left, and he snorted at us. I shifted back and turned, looking at Zuko and Iroh, who were frozen in shock.

"Z-Zuko." I said, voice cracking with misuse. I took a single step forward, and I was suddenly grabbed forward into a hug from Zuko. I held him tightly and cried into his shoulder.

"Where have you been?" Zuko asked quietly.

"My father brought me to the Spirit World to keep myself."

"Why'd he send you back?"

"Hei-Bai convinced him to let me go." I said.

"I thought you were dead." Zuko said.

"I did too." I said. "I missed you."

"I missed you too."

"C'mon, we need to move on." Iroh said. I hugged him.

"I missed you too, Iroh."

"I did too. Let's go." We mounted the last rhino, Iroh, then Zuko, then me. I hugged his waist. He never let go of my hand.

"See, she's happier with him and his uncle." Hei-Bai said as they watched Chi's daughter ride off with Zuko and Iroh. Chi closed the image and sighed.

"I really thought it was the right thing to do." Chi said. Hei-Bai nudged Chi's knee with his nose.

"She isn't a little pup anymore. She can handle herself. And her friends for that matter. Quit worrying about it."

"Whatever you say, Hei-Bai."

Zuko, Iroh, and I sat at a table in the tavern at the Misty Palms Oasis. Zuko and I were still holding hands.

"No one here is going to help us. These people just look like filthy wanderers." Zuko said.

"So do we. Especially Avery." I glanced at myself. I was a mess. Iroh pointed at something behind us. "Ah, this is interesting. I think I found our friend."

Zuko and I turned around to see where Iroh was pointing at, and we saw an old man sitting at a Pai Sho table.

"You brought us here to gamble on Pai Sho?" Zuko asked.

"I don't think it's a gamble." I whispered.

We walked toward the Pai Sho table.

"May I have this game?" Iroh asked politely. He gestured Iroh to sit down.

"The guest has the first move." Iroh places the lotus tile in the center of the board. "I see you favor the white lotus gambit. Not many still cling to the ancient ways." He cups his hands toward Iroh.

"Those who do can always find a friend." Iroh said. He copied the gesture of the old man, also cupping his hands toward him.

"Then let us play." He said.

The old man placed a tile on the board, quickly followed by a tile placed by Iroh. Seemingly without even looking at what the other person is doing, the two men quickly placed their tiles on the board. Zuko and I sat down and watched intently as the two man placed one tile after the other. When they were done, their tiles formed the shape of a lotus flower. I smiled.

"Welcome, brother. The White Lotus opens wide to those who know her secrets."

"What are you old gasbags talking about?" Zuko asked. I nudged him.

"He did try to tell you that Pai Sho is more than just a game." I said. Iroh rolled a tile over his knuckles and clutched it with a wink.

"It's over! You two fugitives and your girlfriend are coming with me!" A man yelled. The Pai Sho man quickly placed himself before us, preventing the men who I recognized as Xin Fu and Yu from reaching us.

"I knew it! You two are wanted criminals with a giant bounty on your heads!" He yelled.

"I thought you said he would help!" Zuko hissed at Iroh. I grinned.

"He is." I said. I stood, winked at Zuko, and yelled. "You never told me you were fugitives!"

"Just watch." Iroh added.

"You think you're going to capture them and collect all that gold?" The man said.

"Gold?" A stranger asked. Every person in the bar looked up when they heard the word 'gold'. Some of them stood up, pulling a knife, ready to attack.

"Uh... Maybe we shouldn't." Yu said.

Xin Fu grinned. As he moved towards Zuko and Iroh, two men jumped in front of him to block his path. With a reverse roundhouse kick, the earthbender bent a rock from the ground and easily pushed them out of his way.

"C'mon, let's go." I said. The Pai Sho stranger led us out through the mounting chaos.

We were in a small village at the edge of the desert, where we followed the Pai Sho player, Fung, into a flower shop.

"It is an honor to welcome such a high-ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus. Being a Grand Master, you must know so many secrets." Fung said.

"Now that you played Pai Sho, are you going to do some flower arranging, or is someone in this club going to offer some real help ?" Zuko snapped. I squeezed his hand and gave him a look.

"You must forgive my nephew. He is not an initiate and has little appreciation for the cryptic arts. Avery, though, has much appreciation. She is the daughter of Chi after all." Iroh said.

"Ah, it is an honor." Fung said, bowing to me. I was flustered at the attention.

"Uh, thanks?" I said to his retreating form. Fung led Iroh toward a door with a peephole in it. He knocked two times. A man slid open the small window in the door and peeked through.

"Who knocks at the guarded gate ?" The doorman asked.

"One who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries." Iroh replied.

Iroh smiled as the door opened to let him and the Pai Sho player through. When Zuko attempted to follow them, the door slammed shut in front of him. He looked at the door with a pout when Iroh opened the small window.

"I'm afraid it's members only. Wait out here." An annoyed Zuko and crosses his arms as he rests against a nearby table. He leaned over to sniff the plant on the table. I smirked. "Oh, Avery, you may join us if you wish."

"No, I'm staying back with Pouty." I said. Iroh smirked through the window and closed it. I rolled my eyes and settled on the ground. Zuko sat next to me and I leaned my head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around my waist.

"So..." Zuko said. I smiled a bit.

"What's bugging you?" I asked.

"Nothing." Zuko lied. I sighed.

"I know." I said.

"You know what?"

"What's bugging you. You're still bothered by my sudden disappearance." I said. I sat up a bit. "What made you think that hunting down lightning was a good idea?"

"How did you know?" Zuko asked.

"Hei-Bai showed me a way to watch over you two since I wasn't allowed to leave. And don't worry, I'm not a pervert. But really, what made you think-."

"I didn't." Zuko said. "I wasn't thinking. I was just so... angry that I wasn't able to protect you."

"Zuko, how could you have protected me in that situation?" I said. "I pulled a kamikaze instead of just pulling Iroh out of the way."

"Avery, I thought you died. Do you have any idea what that was like?" Zuko said. I was taken aback.

"No, I don't." I said. Zuko sighed, covering his face with his hands.

"It was horrible. I thought I had lost my only friend..." Zuko said. My heart ached. I reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and I smiled.

"But you didn't." I said. "I'm still here. And I promised that I'd be sticking by your side, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember." Zuko said with a slight smile. I snuggled into his side again.

"Then quit worrying." I said. He smirked, closing his eyes. I did too, and I drifted off.

Zuko and I were startled by the squeaking of the door. Iroh stepped through as Zuko took on a defensive stance.

"What's going on? Is the club meeting over ?" Zuko asked. I stood, rubbing my neck.

"Everything is taken care of. We're heading to Ba Sing Se." Iroh said. Iroh and Fung bowed to each other in respect.

"Ba Sing Se? Why would we go to the Earth Kingdom capital ?" Zuko asked.

"The city is filled with refugees. No one will notice two more." Fung said.

"We can hide in plain sight there. And it's the safest place in the world from the Fire Nation. Even I couldn't break through to the city." Iroh said, happily shrugging his shoulders. I smiled. A bell signaled that someone had entered the shop. A young man approached our group, holding up some papers.

"I have the passports for our guests, but there are two men out on the street looking for them." he said.

"Xin Fu and Yu." I said darkly. I saw Xin Fu and Yu through a small window in the door of the flower shop. They were holding up a wanted poster that depicted Iroh, Zuko, and I to man walking by. Wow, when'd I become wanted?

I spotted a large flower pot and smirked.

"I've got an idea."

"Why did there have to be only two pots." Zuko asked rhetorically in annoyance. I held a hand over his mouth and gave him a look that said 'shut up or we all die'.

"Hey you, where are these men ? I got a tip that they're in your shop." I heard Xin Fu say.

"As you can see, no one is here but us." The florist said.

"We know all about your secret back room.Xin Fu, kick it down." Yu said. I heard the pounding of footsteps and my eyes widened in panic. Zuko took my hand off his mouth and held it tightly. I cringed as a large crash sounded.

"Hey! That room is for flowers only!" The florist yelled.

"Some unlucky soul has an incomplete Pai Sho set." Yu said. I heard a slapping noise.

"Let's go back to finding the girl." Xin Fu said. I wondered who the girl was. We began moving. Zuko peered out the pot for a second before ducking back in. I squeezed his hand with a smirk.

"Ready for Ba Sing Se?" I asked. He smirked too.

"Ready."

Disclaimer : I don't own ATLA.

Yay! I gave Avery back!