When Saph woke the next morning, she found Nani once again absent. However, the house wasn't empty. The wonderful smell of hotcakes and rice porridge was wafting in through the gap under the door and she followed her nose into the kitchen once she'd gotten dressed and relieved herself.

Koko was at the table eating, though her attention seemed to be focused on some papers spread out before her.

"Morning," Saph said, receiving only an absent grunt in return. She found a plate in the cupboard and helped herself to what was left on the counter. "Did you…uh…cook all this?" she asked skeptically as she poured a cup of what smelled like green tea.

"Nani did."

Yeah, that makes much more sense. She joined Koko at the table and tried to surreptitiously study the papers. From what she could see, it was a bunch of odd sketches with tiny words written all over the page. "What's that?"

Koko ignored her for a few seconds, then said, "Hm?" without even looking up.

"Those papers. What are they for?"

"They're…" She seemed totally distracted, barely even aware of Saph's presence. "Um. Schematics. Something Nik made…"

Saph hid a smile behind her hair as she bent down to take a bite of her food. She didn't know what 'schematics' were but it sounded like he'd gotten her a gift—one that she was clearly interested in. "Oh? He gave you something?"

"...But how could we even test it?" The question seemed to be one she was asking herself, eyebrows furrowed with intense thought. It couldn't be clearer that her mind was elsewhere. The rest of the meal was silent, and when her plate was empty, she stood up, gathered her papers, and started cleaning up the kitchen.

"Koko…"

"Hm?"

"Um… Can I still come with you to Republic City?"

"If you're sure that's what you want. We'll go as soon as Shylo's recovered."

Saph smiled, relieved. But also, even more nervous than before. She wondered if Nani had already talked to Koko about it. Certainly, there hadn't been any trace of surprise on her face.

The thought of launching off into the unknown made Saph's stomach roil uncomfortably. It wasn't enough to curb her voracious appetite, but she did try to distract herself with an intense study of the room. Nani's house was homey and comfortable. The kitchen walls were painted a pale blue and decorated with scenic paintings; a big window near the table looked out onto a modest little garden.

Koko's voice interrupted her reverie. "I'm gonna have a shower, then we'll go to the medical center to see Shylo. Ten minutes."

"Okay."

Once alone, Saph returned to her daydreams while she finished her breakfast. What would it be like to live here? A small voice in the back of her head said that she'd eventually grow bored in a place like this. Perhaps Jupa would be more interesting, surrounded by nature and home to Spirits, but living day after day without purpose seemed…

She searched her mind for the right words, the right way to describe that feeling.

It seems like a dream that has to end, whether I want it to or not.

The sound of Koko's footsteps brought her back to reality. Those ten minutes had passed so quickly.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah." Saph followed her out the door, wondering if she shouldn't have grabbed a snack for later. "Is Shylo going to be awake?"

"That's the plan, I've been told. But I'm no doctor, so we'll see."

"Well, you did a pretty good job bandaging him up when he got hurt."

Koko grunted. "Fat lot of good it did."

It suddenly occurred to Saph that maybe Koko blamed herself for what had happened, which was silly if it were true. "It wasn't your fault. You still saved him by bringing him here."

And that seemed to be the end of that conversation. The rest of their short journey was silent, which only served to highlight how many passersby stared at them. Or more accurately—stared at Koko, who was still boldly displaying her tattoo.

Saph knew better than to ask, but that didn't stop her from letting the various theories and questions play through her mind. Had Koko been captured by the blue sages? Or did she volunteer so that she could infiltrate them? Did she become a combustionbender on purpose or was she forced to do it? Did it have something to do with Korra's disappearance? As one of the elite, did Koko have a high rank in whatever organization led them? Was there even an organization, or did they just govern themselves?

Those unanswered questions chased each other around in circles until they arrived at the medical center, at which point they were taken to Shylo's room. Saph was delighted to find him blinking sleepily when they walked in.

"Shylo!" she exclaimed as she hurried over to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Um…confused?"

"They haven't told you what happened?"

He blinked a few more times like he was going to slide back into unconsciousness, then slapped his cheek. "...They did. Heh. I think I forgot. I feel…really weird."

Koko casually leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. "You're doped up. It'll wear off."

A silly grin broke out on his face. "This bed's really comfortable. Prob'ly the most comfortablest bed I've ever been on."

"Yeah, I've been sleeping in Nani's bed at her house and it's really soft, too," Saph said. "They sure do know how to live here. Wait 'til you get to try a shower! Oh! And you should see the big light up in the ceiling!"

"A big…huh?" He gave her an odd look, then glanced up. "That light?"

"No, no, outside!"

"You mean….the sun?"

Saph burst out laughing. "No, we're underground! In a big city!"

"Oh." The answer didn't seem to make him any less confused, though. Actually, he looked a little worried now. "How… How long has it been?"

"Just a couple of days. They said you'll be better in a few more days, then we can go to Republic City!"

Shylo yawned big enough that his jaw cracked audibly. "All this 'cause I stepped on a stick, huh? Funny…" Then he sighed and closed his eyes.

"Shylo?"

"I think he passed out," Koko said. "It'll probably take a little longer for the drugs to completely wear off."

"I guess we shouldn't spar anymore, once he's better."

"You'll spar again. Just…in a nice, cleared area without deadly sticks."

Saph wasn't convinced. "I– I don't know… I don't want to hurt him."

"It was a freak accident. And you didn't hurt him beyond a couple of minor burns that are already gone." Her voice was gruff, as usual, but the words seemed meant to comfort. "But from now on, every lesson is going to include some time with hand-to-hand combat. No bending."

"Because of the chi plague," Saph guessed, though it wasn't really a question.

Koko nodded. "You still want to come?"

"Heh. Not really. But…I'm going to, anyway."

By evening, Shylo was fully awake and eager to get out of bed, though he was still hooked up to the machines. Saph spent most of the next five days keeping him entertained by demonstrating new moves Koko had taught her, reading ridiculous out-of-context excerpts from the provided books, and regaling him with her experiences in the city.

"I'm a little bummed, to be honest," he said with a sigh once the doctor deemed him fully recovered. "Now that I can finally get out of this bed, we've got to leave! I won't get to see much of anything. Or meet Nik. He sounds like a lot of fun."

"He's so weird! But I guess you'd probably like him." She hadn't shared her suspicions about Nik regarding Koko. Telling Nani had been one thing, but Shylo was different. Despite the fact that she considered him a good friend now, there was still a touch of hesitancy when it came to secrets like that.

Koko decided to walk into the room at that point, clearly having overheard their conversation. "And you'll get to find out. As Nani has no more space, Nik's offered you his own guest room for the night. We'll be leaving in the morning."

Saph had known all along that it was coming; it wasn't a surprise at all. And yet, she felt her stomach clench painfully at hearing those words. I'll have to say goodbye to Nani tomorrow.

The two of them had spent the last several nights staying up late, talking about everything and nothing while they lay next to each other in the dark—just as they had so many times when Saph was young. Nani was the perfect combination of mother, sister, and best friend. And their time together was drawing to a close.

A slightly uncomfortable topic had inevitably come up the previous night.

"Hey," Nani had said after a moment of silence. "I know we don't really talk about this because you always get so embarrassed–" She stopped and laughed softly when Saph groaned. "But you're getting to that age and I can't help but be curious. Has anyone ever…caught your eye?"

"Nope."

"Not even Shylo? You two seem like you've gotten pretty chummy."

"Oh, no!" Saph said sincerely, shaking her head. "I don't think of him like that at all. He's just my friend."

"Hm. Okay. If you say so."

"I'm serious! I can't even think about that stuff, Nani. That's for adults. I couldn't care less."

"Alright, alright. I was just teasing."

"What about you?" Saph had never asked that question before because she generally avoided the topic at all costs so it wouldn't be turned around on her. But it had been brought up now and she was curious. "You've been around for a long time. I guess you're probably too busy now, but what about before the comet?"

Nani chuckled. "Before the comet, I was a brand new midwife with two adolescents and a baby under my care. I had no time or energy for dating."

"Well, yeah, but before that."

"Hm…" That was all she said for several long seconds. "I was with this one guy for a little while when I was a few years older than you are now. It didn't last long, though. I realized I wasn't so interested in men, after all."

It took a second for Saph to fully digest her words. "Oh. I didn't know. Is it a secret or something? You've never said it before."

"You never asked." But she sighed softly. "I don't advertise it, though. My life is just…too complicated right now."

While Saph waited in the hallway for Shylo to get dressed, she thought about that conversation. It bothered her that she'd learned more about Nani in the past week than in her whole life before that. On the one hand, she felt even closer to her than ever—which would make their goodbye that much harder. On the other hand, it was depressing to consider that her childhood perceptions of Nani hadn't been very accurate. It was like she was a whole new person with a different life.

Saph brought up that sentiment the next morning and it reduced them both to tears, once again. "Spirits," she muttered, wiping her snotty nose. "I've never cried so much in my life as I have in the last month."

"You've been through a lot, baby girl. But…I guess I shouldn't call you that anymore, huh?"

"No, you can. I don't mind. It's your special name for me. Don't stop, okay? Even when I'm old and you're all shriveled up."

Nani laughed and hugged her. "I promise."

There was a knock on the bedroom door and Saph looked up to see Koko poke her head it.

"Ready to go?" she asked briskly.

"Just about," Nani answered.

"Nik and Shylo will meet us at the train station."

Then she vanished and Saph was left clutching Nani tightly.

"Come on," Nani said gently, letting go and picking up Saph's bag. "Time to go."

It was a somber walk back to where they had first entered the city. Saph looked around with a heaviness in the pit of her stomach and a burning in her nose. She tried to remember her first impressions of the place—how foreign and scary it had looked. Only a week had made it feel like…home.

Ahead of her, Koko pushed through a set of double doors and suddenly they were there: The metal monster awaited them, ready to swallow them up and take them away.

Nani stopped on the platform and pulled Saph into one more hug. "I'm going to miss you so much," she whispered. "You listen to Koko, alright? You promise me you'll listen to her and do as she says no matter what, okay?"

"I promise."

"I'm going to go to Dao-Shu and tell your parents how much you've grown up. And I'm going to take them to Jupa. When you've done whatever it is you have to do, you come find us, okay? We'll be waiting for you."

They stood like that for another few seconds until Nani pushed her back enough to look at her. They were eye to eye now, tall as Saph had grown in the last year.

"I love you so much, baby girl."

"I love you, too." Tears dripped down her face—again—but only a couple. There was a strength in her that hadn't been there before. "Tell them– Tell them I love them and miss them, and I'll see them soon."

"You got it." Nani kissed her forehead, wiped the tears from her cheeks, and took a deep breath. "Now go. Before I tie you up with a water rope and take you back Jupa myself."

Saph forced a laugh and nodded, then slowly dragged herself toward the train car where Koko and Shylo were waiting for her. She glanced up to see Nik standing off to the side behind Nani; he waved at her with a big smile and she waved back.

From inside the train, Saph kept her eyes on Nani, who stood there with her arms wrapped around her middle. A sudden lurch signaled the movement that began only a moment later, and she began to slide out of view. Saph waved and craned her neck, trying to see, until they disappeared into the dark tunnel and sped away.

"Alright, you two," Koko said as they left the small farming village of Oldtown. "We've got a lot of walking ahead of us, and no more soft beds or hot showers. I expect no complaining from either of you, as you're both joining me willingly. Got it?"

Great, she's in her 'strict parent' mood. Wonderful. Saph was still reeling from saying goodbye to Nani and chose to say nothing.

"Got it!" Shylo said cheerfully.

"That wasn't a rhetorical question, Saph."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

"Good."

When they stopped briefly at midday, Koko said that—if they made good time and no one punctured their feet on any more sticks—they would reach the ruins of Republic City in three weeks.

"We're here," she said with a map spread out on a stump. Her finger was right next to a depiction of a mountain that was labeled 'Oldtown', then traveled up the paper. "And we're going there."

"Why don't we just go down the river there and take a boat around the coast into the bay?" Shylo asked. "Wouldn't that be faster?"

"Pirates love to capture those boats. Sometimes those pirates are blue sages. It's better for us to stay under the radar."

"What's a radar?" Saph asked.

"It's… Never mind. It's just an old expression. My point is, we'll be safer if we avoid running into other people. We'll stay off the roads and stick to the backcountry. It'll take longer, yes, but I'm not in any particular hurry."

"Are we far enough away from civilization for me to try out my flight suit?" Shylo asked, voice brimming with excitement. He'd mentioned it to Saph earlier that morning—a gift from Nik, apparently.

"Alright. Just for a couple minutes."

Saph watched with interest as he adjusted the fine mechanism sewn into the special suit Nik had provided. To a casual observer, it just looked like regular clothes, but when Shylo was finished, a flexible frame extended from his shoulders out to his arms. Extra fabric attached at the hip and caught the air when he took a running leap.

It looked like so much fun and Saph couldn't help but stare up at him with envy. Firebending was destructive and little else; the other elements were much more versatile. Even Koko, who was probably the best firebender in the world, used her bending mostly for violence and basic survival.

But to be able to fly…! That was something amazing and special. And earthbending had so many different, useful subskills; Saph wasn't sure she could name them all if her life depended on it. Then there was Nani with her incredible healing abilities.

Saph loved being a firebender, and looked forward to learning more techniques—lightning, especially, which Koko had said she wasn't ready for—but right now she would've given almost anything to be able to join Shylo in the sky. Wild and free.

Shylo was the first to knock out that night, snoring open-mouthed as he was prone to doing when he was extra tired. Saph, on the other hand, couldn't sleep. Whenever she closed her eyes, all she saw was Nani standing on the train station platform with tears glistening in her eyes.

It was cool that night and the three of them were clustered around a dying fire. When Saph rolled over, still restless, she found Koko sitting across from her, staring into the flames like they held all the secrets of the world.

"Can't sleep?" Saph asked, sitting up.

"I don't sleep much."

The crackle of the fire nearly drowned out forest sounds. It was soothing to Saph; fire was a friend, a constant companion. The thought of losing it again, even temporarily, was chilling.

She shuddered and tried to focus on something else. Again, Nani's face swam into her mind. Was she on her way to Dao-Shu now? Was she safe?

"I know you don't like it when I ask questions," Saph said when a new thought occurred to her, "but this one's not about you. It's about Nani."

Koko peered at her curiously. Her eyes reflected the firelight with an ethereal, golden glow. "What?"

"When I met her mom, she said that Nani adopted my parents when they came to Zaofu. But why did she do it? Why did she care so much when she didn't even know them?"

"Why didn't you ask her?"

"I didn't think of it until just now."

Whatever response Koko was formulating took some time to come out. When it finally did, she spoke slowly and carefully. "Like Oldtown, the laws in Zoafu dictated that anyone under the age of seventeen couldn't make their own medical decisions. It was up to the parents or legal guardians. Since Mara was an orphan, that responsibility defaulted to the midwife assigned to her case. A senior midwife, not Nani.

"That woman meant to terminate the pregnancy because Mara was so young and malnourished. But Mara didn't want that, and Nani disagreed with the decision to take her choice away, so she intervened the only way she could—by becoming her legal guardian. That gave her the power to let Mara choose."

It was a lot to take in, and quite possibly the longest speech she'd ever heard Koko make. Sober, anyway. "So…if not for Nani, I never would've been born."

"Mm, well…" She paused for a second before continuing. "There are worse things than never being born."

It wasn't a response Saph had been expecting. "Do you think my mom made the wrong choice? That she would've had a better life if she hadn't been able to choose?"

Again, the answer didn't come immediately. Koko picked at her fingernail for a few seconds, her natural scowl deepening. Finally, she cleared her throat and said, "That's not for me to judge."

"I guess it doesn't matter now, does it?" Saph said with a sigh. She didn't understand Koko's mood at all but could tell that she was unlikely to get anything else out of her. "And it turned out alright in the end."

"Yeah," Koko whispered, staring off into the darkness.

Ten days passed with little to see but the slowly shifting scenery. Hills, forests, plains, rivers. It was beginning to grow cooler and they now needed a fire every night.

In all that time, Saph had only dreamed of Yin twice. Both times, her friend had been little more than a faint hint of a presence. It was hard not to worry. Am I going the right way? How will I even find her? Where do I look? Does she actually physically exist, or does 'finding her' just mean I'll be able to see her more clearly?

So far there'd been no indication that she was getting closer to whatever or wherever she was meant to be going, though of course she knew Republic City was their destination. Whether or not Yin knew that was anyone's best guess.

One morning, a lonely mountain came into view when the trees thinned.

"Mount Makapu," Koko said when Saph mentioned it. "It's a volcano."

"Uh…is that safe?" she asked with wide eyes.

"It's been dormant for fifty years."

Saph didn't think the response really answered her question, but that was just how Koko was and she was used to it by now.

"The real danger is the nearby town," Koko continued. "I haven't been in this area in a long time, but I've been told that Makapu is crawling with blue sages. The town is surrounded by farms and is a major food supplier and trade hub. We'll find somewhere nearby to camp so that I can trade some of these furs for things we need."

A few hours more of trekking through the hills—aided by Shylo flying low over the trees to spot the perfect campsite—brought them to a secluded area somewhat northeast of the volcano. A curved cliffside at the edge of a hollow provided a hidden place for them to spend the night.

"Nice choice," Koko said as she began prepping the overhang of a rocky outcrop for a temporary shelter.

"Hey, what's this?" Saph wasn't really asking anyone but herself as she wandered over to a small opening in the rock face. It was only visible from a certain angle. "A little cave…"

"Be careful."

As she took a few steps inside what was little more than a crack about the height and width of a man, Saph thought she could see a speck of light ahead of her. Koko's warning echoed in her mind and she rolled her eyes. What am I gonna do, trip over a rock?

The tunnel didn't branch at all, though it did bend a little. It soon became clear that there was sunlight on the far side. At that point, she slowed her steps in case there were people nearby.

It was dead quiet, without even a breath of wind—only the thumping of her own heart in her ears. Then the tunnel ended and she surveyed the area from the shadows. Before her was a small sunlit glade. Rock walls surrounded an almost perfectly circular grove, framed by the blue sky above. It was beautiful and serene.

And then her gaze settled on the very center and it suddenly seemed a little less peaceful.

It's a grave.