It's a grave, Saph realized.

Despite a sense of unease, something pulled her to the short line of stone slabs sticking out of the earth. There were four, and she stopped at each one to read the engravings—simple names and nothing else.

Kyori

Luca

Hunir

Zira

None of them meant anything to her. The ground before the stones was smooth and grassy; clearly, they'd been there for some years.

"What are you doing?"

Saph jumped and whipped around to see Koko emerging from the cave. "Oh… Um… Look. There are people buried here."

At first, Koko seemed only vaguely curious. She strode to the center with a blank expression that gradually began to tighten until her eyebrows were drawn down into a pained frown.

"What?" Saph asked. "Do you recognize the names?"

But she received no answer. Koko just crouched down to one knee to silently study the stones. It was so quiet in this place; there were no animals scurrying through the grass or birds chirping in the trees. As such, the soft sound of someone clearing their throat made them both look up suddenly.

A tall, stocky man with wild black hair and a long, unkempt beard was approaching with his hands up. "I mean no harm."

"Don't come any closer," Koko growled as she sprung to her feet to stand in front of Saph. Her whole body was tense and rigid—ready to fight at the first sign of a threat.

The man seemed to take her command seriously and stopped, eyes wide. "A blue sage protecting her cub. Not something you see every day. But you don't seem much like one, anyway. You're not– Wait–"

Saph could see his face over Koko's shoulder. A look of wonder and disbelief appeared in his gray eyes as his mouth worked silently for a second or two.

"Ki– Kiriko?!"

Koko slowly relaxed and Saph shifted around to look at her, no longer afraid of whoever this man was. Clearly, they knew each other. What she wasn't expecting was Koko's expression. It was the first time Saph could remember anything rendering her speechless—even if it was only momentary.

"Valen," Koko said simply. It wasn't a question.

"You remember me!" he said with a grin, his face lighting up. "I– I can't believe it's really you!"

And then he did something that made Saph gape in astonishment: He closed the distance between them and hugged Koko.

More shocking than that—she didn't immediately damage him, or even push him away. Instead, she went stiff as a board and a faint tinge of pink crept into her usually pale cheeks.

Saph couldn't help herself; an unrestrained snort escaped from her, though she did at least attempt to cover it up with her hand. All she got for her trouble was a truly poisonous glare from Koko and a curious, amused look from Valen—who had let go by that point—both of which only made her burst out laughing. The more she thought about it, the harder she laughed, now doubled over and gasping, her arms wrapped around her middle.

"What is the matter with you?" Koko asked harshly.

"Sorry," Saph managed, making a huge effort to calm down while she wiped tears from her eyes. There was no explaining herself, though.

"So, uh…" Valen began. "Is she yours?"

"In a manner of speaking…" Koko's voice was as sarcastic as it had ever been, which was saying something.

Saph erupted into laughter once again at the unexpected joke. Why was Koko acting so weird?

"I know the feeling," Valen replied, his tone equally dry.

He turned and motioned to the trees behind him. A small shadow crept out, resolving into a young girl of about ten. Her long black hair was just as wild as Valen's, falling freely to her waist. Green eyes looked around furtively and pierced everything they touched; their intensity served to sober Saph up in an instant.

"It's okay," Valen said to the girl as she made a beeline for him and clung to his side. He wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders. "This is Zenya."

Koko stared at her for a few long seconds. "She looks just like–"

"I know. Uncanny, huh? Strong genes, I guess."

It was true that there was something undeniably familiar about Zenya. Saph couldn't put her finger on it, though.

"Is she Zira's?" Koko asked.

"...Yeah." The hesitation was brief but noticeable.

The two adults locked eyes for a long moment, the glance full of mysterious significance, then Koko exhaled and looked back at Zenya. "Well. That's…interesting."

"It's one of the reasons I've been hiding in that volcano for more than a decade. I knew it was likely that others had survived, but I couldn't afford to search. Too risky."

Their cryptic conversation was seriously getting on Saph's nerves. It didn't help that Zenya was unabashedly staring at her, making her uneasy. "Is anyone going to tell me what's going on? Who is he, Koko?"

Valen cocked an eyebrow. The corner of his mouth twitched in amusement. "'Koko'? I thought you hated that nickname?"

The comment seemed to catch her off guard because she blinked a couple of times before responding. "I can't believe you remember that."

"Koko–" Saph started, tired of being ignored.

"Alright, alright. This is Valen. He, uh… He married my cousin."

"Wow," he said with a stony expression. "You haven't changed a bit."

For someone who was usually confident and well-spoken—if often short—Koko seemed borderline flustered. She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Fine. He was San's…protege? I guess that's the right word. San taught him lavabending."

Valen furrowed his brows in confusion. "San?"

"San is a lavabender?" Saph asked, trying to remember if anyone had mentioned that before.

"Hey, what are you guys– Oh!" Shylo exclaimed as he emerged from the cave. "Who are you?"

"Another one?" Valen asked Koko with a raised eyebrow. "What've you been up to?"

Koko began massaging her temples, a look of weariness and frustration in her eyes. Saph understood: Too many questions. Too many people talking.

Apparently, Zenya felt the same way. For the first time since coming out of her hiding place, she made a soft noise—a faint whine—and buried her face in Valen's shoulder.

"Why don't we go inside?" Valen suggested. "She's not used to being around other people and it's upsetting her. And we all have a lot to talk about, I think. Better to do it over a cup of tea."

The five of them left the glade via the narrow cave, which Valen closed up behind them, and returned to the campsite.

"Who is this guy?" Shylo whispered while they gathered their belongings. A little ways away, Koko and Valen were speaking quietly.

"I'm not sure," Saph said absently as she watched them, wondering what they were talking about. Neither seemed to care that Zenya—who still clung to Valen—was listening. "But he and Koko definitely know each other from when they were younger."

"He and that girl look feral."

Saph snorted but didn't deny it. Valen and Zenya were an odd pair, that was for sure.

Once everything was packed up, he led them a little ways away and earthbent a hole to reveal a tunnel that pointed toward the looming volcano. Within seconds, they were enclosed in complete darkness, though Koko was quick to produce a dancing flame on her upturned palm.

"How did you tunnel out here without a lantern or something?" Saph asked Valen.

"We can see with earthbending. It's a Beifong technique that Suyin taught me. Truth be told, I'm not that great at it. Zenya's a natural, though. Unsurprisingly."

Gran taught him… She realized with a pang that it had been a while since she'd thought of her. Not since Oldtown. There was just so much going on. Her mind traveled back to Jupa, to the pictures of her. Seems like everyone knew her.

Another image popped into her head—an ancient black-and-white photo of the original Toph Beifong, from the very advent of photography when she was young—and Saph knew then why Zenya looked so familiar.

"Oh! She's a Beifong!" Though she didn't really expect an answer, she turned to Zenya and tried, anyway. "Are you? Are you a Beifong?"

"She is, but you won't get anything out of her, I'm afraid," Valen said. "She doesn't speak."

And she didn't. But she did stare at Saph for about ten minutes straight.

The rest of the long walk was silent and Saph decided to amuse herself by coming up with her own theories about their new friends. Was Zenya his daughter? She didn't think so, based on what he'd said. Maybe his niece or something. He'd married Koko's cousin, after all, who was probably a Beifong. It stood to reason that there was some familial connection between him and Zenya.

But why was Koko acting so weird around Valen? Blushing ? It was absurd. Maybe he was her ex-boyfriend or something. It was bizarre to think of her actually dating anyone, though. She was such a loner. So unaffectionate, even with her own family in Jupa.

Then again, she had let Valen hug her… Sort of.

Maybe she was in love with him but he married her cousin instead. And that's why she's so sad and lonely now. Or maybe he was in love with her but she rejected him and it got really awkward between them.

Saph shook her head. Nothing she could come up with seemed quite right. And it was unlikely that Koko would ever tell her. Hopefully, Valen would be more chatty and give some hints.

Besides all of that, the conversation inside the glade had given her other things to think about. San was a lavabender… It hadn't come up during her trip to Jupa, but now that she was thinking about it, she vaguely remembered hearing a story about 'Bolin' having that skill. So many stories of amazing, talented benders. It was hard to keep them all straight.

There came a point during their walk when the air began to grow very warm. Up ahead, Saph could see a deep red glow. It grew hotter and hotter until she was sweating, though Valen and Zenya didn't seem bothered.

"Is that…lava?" Shylo asked, peering ahead.

"Magma," Valen corrected, though Saph didn't know what the difference was. "Our path takes us past some. Don't worry, it's perfectly safe as long you stay on the path. Our home is deeper in and a much more comfortable temperature."

"What if the volcano erupts?"

"I monitor it closely. We get the occasional rumble but nothing serious. I'll have a fair amount of warning if something major is about to happen."

They came upon the red-hot liquid rock not long after; Saph gazed at it in wonder and a little fear. What must it be like to control such a dangerous substance? She sensed intense heat—hotter than any flame—but it wasn't fire. The very thought of using her bending to draw the heat from it was terrifying. It would burn her up from the inside, she was sure.

But they passed through quickly, back into the darkness that was illuminated only by Koko's flame. Saph wanted to provide her own light but wasn't sure whether or not she was supposed to bend in front of Valen.

It didn't matter, though, because—only a minute or so later—they descended some stairs and he opened up a door in the rock wall before them, revealing a small living room lit with a few torches and braziers.

"Make yourselves at home. I know it's not much, but we have simple needs."

At that point, Zenya left his side and scampered off through a dark doorway. She didn't appear to care about the lack of light.

They'd like Oldtown, I bet, Saph mused, thinking about how they seemed at home underground, though she doubted Koko would be pleased if she told him about the city. Instead, she surveyed the room. There was a table with two stools, a raised surface against one wall with a kettle and a variety of ceramic things, a sofa with mismatched cushions on it, and a wide tea table that had a few books. Everything was made of the same solid stone as the floor.

Valen quickly earthbent a few more stools, gestured for everyone to sit, and busied himself at the kitchen counter. "I'll just make some tea. Do you like ginseng? It's all I've got at the moment. I'm due to make a trip into town but I just hate leaving Zenya here alone."

Saph sat next to Koko, staying silent, and noticed she seemed more uncomfortable than usual, lips pressed into a thin line and knuckles white.

"Kettle's on," Valen announced. He joined them at the table, laced his fingers together pensively, and peered at Saph with a curious intensity in his gray eyes. "So. I think I've figured out who you are. You're Sapphire, right?"

By this point, being recognized no longer surprised her. She looked to Koko for permission to confirm and received a terse nod. "It's Saph," she told Valen, who acknowledged with a dip of his head.

"You look like your mother."

"Yeah, I've been getting that a lot lately." It was impossible not to roll her eyes. "Apparently, everyone knows her."

Valen chuckled. "Well, aside from the fact that I lived in Zoafu at the time, you and your parents made the news." But his smile faded, replaced with a look of pity. He opened his mouth to continue, though first his eyes flicked over to Koko for a moment. "It was a sad situation they were in, young as they were, and orphaned. But I'm glad to see you thriving. How are they doing these days?"

"Alright, I guess. I haven't seen them in a few weeks." It seemed like a safe enough answer, though Saph was still wondering about that quick glance. What had happened between the two of them?

"And what about you?" Valen asked, now looking at Shylo, who had so far been sitting patiently in silence. "I don't have any theories."

"I'm Shylo. I'm just along for the ride, really."

"And what ride is that?"

"Oh, well…" he said, now looking uncomfortable under Valen's scrutiny. "Koko's doing some stuff—she keeps it to herself and we're not allowed to ask too many questions—and I came along to help."

Valen propped his head up on his fist and peered at them curiously. "You two seem awfully young for such a mission. Are you benders?"

"Enough with the third degree," Koko snapped, bristling. "Our business is our own."

He put his hands up placatingly. "I was just curious. I don't mean to pry. You have to understand, Zenya and I have been alone for a long time. I'm afraid I've forgotten the social niceties."

"So who are you, anyway?" Shylo finally asked. "I kinda missed everything earlier."

"Right. Sorry. I'll give you the quick and dirty version: My family moved to Zaofu when I was a child, after discovering that I was a lavabender. My parents had heard that a master lavabender lived there and could help me learn to control it. Years later, I settled down and got married. My wife's brother got married, as well, and his wife and mine became close friends. As such, the four of us were together—vacationing in the Fire Nation—when the comet came. But…it's just me and Zenya left, now. She's my late wife's niece, though I've raised her myself so I think of her as my own daughter."

His little speech created a heaviness in the room, though Saph didn't fully understand the explanation. Shylo looked sad, eyes downcast; Koko was just as tense as before. Really, she didn't have many expressions besides 'light scowl' and 'severe scowl'.

"Anyway," Valen continued. "It all happened a long time ago. They're not buried in that glade. It's just a memorial. You caught us off guard when you came in. I suppose it was my own fault, though, for leaving the tunnel open. The campsite you picked was an excellent choice. I use it as an entrance to the glade for the same reason you probably chose it. I didn't expect anyone to be nearby."

"I'm surprised you didn't attack first and ask questions later," Koko said.

"I admit, my curiosity got the better of me when I saw your interest in the names on the stones. For the record, I didn't see your tattoo until after I got your attention."

Saph could see the questions burning in his eyes but figured he'd wait until he could ask them privately—if Koko gave him the chance, which seemed doubtful. Despite the weird blushing incident, she really didn't seem to like this guy much.

When she had no response to his observation, he sighed and got up to finish making the tea. The rest of them exchanged silent glances, Koko shooting warnings from her eyes like daggers.

Saph really didn't get it. The 'trust no one' lesson was firmly imprinted, and she would take heed, but Valen didn't seem to have any reason to be their enemy. He was just a survivor like them, left with no family but a mute child. She felt bad for him. And he seemed to trust them unreservedly, bringing them into his home.

"I don't know what your plans are," he said from the kitchen counter, "and I won't pry, but you're welcome to stay here while you're in the area. It's no trouble for me to earthbend an extra room or two, though I'm afraid I don't have any spare mattresses."

"We have somewhere to be," Koko said tersely.

"Well, at least stay the night." He turned and looked at her. "I'd really appreciate someone being here with Zenya so I can make a supply run into town in the morning."

Saph glanced back and forth between them. The tension was almost unbearable. She looked at Shylo but he just shrugged.

"Fine," Koko said finally. "We'll sleep here tonight. Then I will go with you into town tomorrow." There was something akin to a faint threat in her voice. Or a warning, at least.

After a moment, Valen nodded in agreement. Then the kettle whistled, breaking the silence and the tension that held it.

"I'm sure this goes without saying," Koko said to Saph and Shylo the next morning as she prepared to leave, "but stay here."

"You don't have to do anything special with Zenya," Valen added. "She's pretty self-sufficient and will probably avoid you. Usually, she just spends her time in her bedroom or practicing in the training room. But don't get too close when she's bending. She's older than she looks, and a master in her own right, but she lives in her head sometimes."

"I've babysat before," Saph said dryly. "Loads of times. My little sister's an earthbender, too, and she's very destructive. I think I can manage."

"I'll rest easy, then. We'll be back soon."

Despite the fact that this arrangement had been his suggestion in the first place, she thought he had seemed distinctly on edge about it the night before. He'd brought Zenya out at one point and formally introduced everyone. It did seem to help a little, as she was content to eat dinner with the group, but Valen himself was fidgety and anxious. It wasn't until she brought Saph a 'gift' that he finally relaxed.

"I've never seen her do anything like that," Valen had said with raised eyebrows. "She must like you."

"Is it special in some way?" Saph asked, studying the smooth stone Zenya had handed her before scampering back into the darkness.

"I don't know. Maybe it is to her. She likes collecting rocks."

Now it was morning and the adults were gone; Saph and Shylo sat at the table alone, debating how they might pass the time. Zenya was nowhere to be seen.

"We could do some training," he suggested. "I mean, I don't see how her knowing that we're benders is going to make any difference. Who's she gonna tell?"

Saph thought that was some solid logic and they headed off to the training room, which was just a spacious earthbent cavern off the hallway that led to the bedrooms.

"Do you think Koko is acting strange?" she asked him while they did some stretches and warm-ups.

"Yeah, a little. I can't tell if she trusts Valen or not. I'm not sure she knows, herself."

"I wonder why she went with him. Seems like she doesn't like him much. I bet they've got some history between them, though."

Shylo shrugged; he seemed skeptical. "I dunno. But I just figured she went with him because she's paranoid and worried he'll bring blue sages back here or something."

"Hm. I guess, maybe."

Half an hour later, tired and sweating, Saph opted to take a quick break. "Maybe we should check on Zenya."

"I'm sure she's just sitting alone in the dark with her rocks, or whatever it is she does all day."

The perfectly smooth oval stone that Saph had received was currently in her pocket, and she reached in to run her fingers over it. "Maybe she's lonely. She doesn't have any friends."

The weird thing was that Zenya kind of reminded her a little of Yin. Both were silent yet emotive. A small part of her wondered if maybe there weren't some connection, considering how she'd felt pushed to come with Koko, and then they'd just randomly happened upon Valen and Zenya. But she didn't feel familiar like Yin did; in fact, there was an unsettling foreignness to her. She lived in her own world and didn't appear to understand most—if any—of what people said to her.

"I'll be honest," Shylo said with a sigh while they walked into the kitchen to get a drink of water from a basin that sat in one corner. "She makes me a little nervous. The way she stares. I dunno… It's weird. And we're here, in this cave, surrounded by stone. What if she gets violent? We wouldn't stand a chance."

"I don't think she'd hurt us…" And yet, Saph had to admit that he did have a point. They didn't know Zenya or what might trigger her to think she needed to defend herself. Or how they might calm her down if she got upset. "I'm sure Valen wouldn't have had us look after her if there was any danger of that." The thought was meant to comfort herself as much as convince him.

"Well, let's check on her if you want."

They headed for her room cautiously, Saph holding a flame on her upturned palm for light. "Zenya?" she said from the hallway. "Are you in there?"

"Where else would she be?" Shylo muttered.

Saph turned and looked at him with one eyebrow raised. "Literally anywhere. She's an earthbender in a cave."

"Oh, yeah… Heh…"

There weren't any doors separating the rooms from the hallway. She supposed they could bend their own doors if they really wanted to, but at the moment there was just a hole leading into the room. Saph peeked her head in and peered into the darkness. From inside the shadows, she could make out a stone bed with a mattress and blankets on top. All manner of rocks lay scattered around the floor, which had a thick layer of sand, but Zenya wasn't there.

Saph went further in, holding her hand aloft to light the corner of the room. It was empty. On the far side was a pitch-black hole in the wall. "Oh, no…"

"Should we go after her? What if she went outside?"

Saph turned to him with a worried frown. "Koko told us to stay here. She'll be furious if we're not here when she gets back."

"Yeah, but if we don't do anything, we'll be in trouble for not paying attention and letting her get away."

"She's probably just exploring the volcano. Right? For all we know, this is normal behavior for her."

Shylo nodded in agreement. "And it's not like we could've stopped her, anyway."

They were both quiet for a second, then Saph sighed in resignation. "If it's just a tunnel, then technically we're not leaving. Right?"

"Yeah, that's true. Let's go." Honestly, he sounded more excited than worried.

The path went left, right, up, and down—all different directions in a seemingly nonsensical way. Some parts were boiling hot while others were cool and damp, though they didn't see any magma. It went on and on and on until, finally, they saw sunlight up ahead.

"This is not good…" Saph muttered. "She could've gone anywhere."

They clambered up the ramp-like tunnel that opened onto a heavily forested area. The ground beneath their feet was littered with pine needles and choked with undergrowth. It was midmorning, she could tell, seeing the sun peeking through the trees.

She was just about to shout Zenya's name when Shylo held his hand up.

"I think I hear something," he murmured. "Be still for a second."

They both listened intently. He was right: There were voices nearby. People shouting and laughing. Shylo put his finger over his lips and jerked his head in that direction. Perhaps stealth was the best option, Saph concluded.

She nodded and followed him, both stalking toward the voices as softly as they could, but neither was very good at it. For an airbender, Shylo wasn't especially light on his feet.

They walked for about thirty feet until Saph spotted a black smudge on a nearby tree. It didn't seem like part of the normal scenery and she squinted, creeping closer as she tried to figure out what it was.

A twig snapped under her foot and the black spot moved, revealing a face.

"Zenya!" Saph called in a loud whisper. She was looking at them now, her wild black hair the only thing that didn't blend into the trees. "What are you doing out here?"

But she ignored them and turned back to whatever she'd been looking at before.

"Spirits, I did not sign up for this," Saph grumbled, closing the distance between them with Shylo following closely. "Zenya, what are you–?" But then she saw, through a gap in a wall of bushes, the source of the voices.

Several children were swimming in a pond—laughing, splashing, playing games. Zenya gazed at them raptly. Her bright green eyes flashed with interest, sharp and intelligent, and Saph had to adjust her perception once again.

So much for her being scared of strangers… "We need to go back inside," she said aloud, though quietly, daring to put a hand on Zenya's shoulder. It was promptly shaken off. "C'mon. It's not safe out here. We don't know those people. And your–" Her what? Dad? Uncle? "And Valen will be worried if he comes back and we're not there."

"I'll bet she does this all the time," Shylo said behind them. "Every time he leaves her alone, probably. She obviously knew where she was going. He probably doesn't have a clue."

Saph knew there was no way they could force Zenya to come back with them. A master surrounded by her element. They didn't stand a chance. "We'll have to wait until she's ready to go."

Having made a decision, she sat cross-legged next to Zenya in the hopes that she'd come willingly with some patience. But only five minutes later, a faint whine brought Saph out of her daydreams and she looked over to see Zenya trembling and crying.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong? Are you sad that you can't–?" But Shylo's hand on her shoulder stopped her and she turned to see that all the blood had drained from his face.

A moment later, she finally felt it: A familiar weak, feverish sensation was creeping through her veins. It wasn't as debilitating as the first time but still felt terrible.

"No…" She looked around frantically but saw nothing. "Shh, shh. Don't move. Don't move. Be quiet."

Zenya was beginning to panic, scrabbling away on hands and knees. Futilely digging her fingers into the ground.

"Come back!" Saph hissed, hurrying after her while the sick, dizzy feeling grew stronger. "Zenya!"

But it was no use. She was on her feet now, running and stumbling with Saph and Shylo trying to keep up.

Suddenly a large man with a blue sage tattoo stepped out from behind a tree and snagged Zenya by her collar. "Not so fierce now, are you?"

A strangled scream escaped from Saph's throat before she clamped her hand over her mouth. It was too late; the man had seen her and Shylo. Despite the fact that she knew it wouldn't work, she tried to summon her chi.

Zenya ferociously screamed and kicked. She even tried to bite the man, but he fended her off easily, unfazed. What reserve of strength inside her must've run out because she suddenly stopped and slumped against her captor, hanging limply in his grip.

"Let her go!" Saph yelled, though her voice shook.

The man just laughed cruelly. "I don't think I will. But I've got my prize. You two younglings scamper off, now, and no harm will come to you."

Every part of her wanted to run. A glance at Shylo made her think he was considering the same thing, especially when one of his feet slid back a few inches.

I can't leave her all alone…

Saph was completely frozen in terror. No way out. Can't go forward, can't go back. None of this made any sense. Was the blue sage a plague carrier? What did he want with Zenya? Was her bending gone forever now that he'd touched her?

With one final, great effort, she fell into a stance with the intention of trying to snag just a trace of her bending ability. But there was nothing. No rush of power flooding into her. Just…emptiness.

"Benders, are you?" the man said. "Well, now... That's an entirely different story. Grab 'em, Ming."

A/N: In case anyone was wondering— Yes, Zenya is a lot like Toph (the first). Consider it an homage to my favorite character. The similarities are very much intentional. However, she's not Toph's reincarnation, who would actually be twenty-seven in this timeline.

The next chapter will feature some scenes from Koko's perspective! And you'll find out a little more about Valen :)