This is my first Avatar The Last Airbender fanfiction this chapter was not Beta read and if any are interested in beta reading my work before it's post PM

I would like to thank all my patient readers and hope you enjoy this next chapter

Disclaimer I don't own anything related to ATLA

Zuko yawned as he woke up, his body aching as he rolled out of his sheets. He had barely gotten any sleep, and the morning sun didn't give him the same relief it usually did, even in the depths of the ship and shrouded in the dark of the metal hull. Even here, he should feel the sunrise, but he felt nothing.

Sighing, he went to the wardrobe to grab a change of clothes. He got dressed in a red tunic and strapped on his boots. As he did, he noticed a trunk off to the side, with his swords draped over the lid. After tying off his belt, he went over and opened up the chest after picking up his blades.

Inside the trunk were his belongings from the catacombs. He began to look through them and found his old robes, all tattered and burned. The fabric barely stayed together. He tossed them aside and went through the rest of the items. Luckily, his dagger was there, the gift from his Uncle. As he continued to look, to his relief, there was Suki's fan. The goldish steel still shone brilliantly even in the dim light of the room. He tucked both weapons inside his tunic, keeping them close and hidden.

Zuko was about to close up the chest, thinking that was everything, when something caught his eye. At the bottom of the trunk, facing down, was his mask. But as he pulled it out, his face dropped at the sight. The once smooth blue and white wood surface was charred and twisted.

If Zuko was being honest, it looked more terrifying than ever before. The toothy smile of the blue demon was replaced by a fiendish maw. Sharp and jagged teeth were now in their place. And all the paint was either completely faded or turned rough and charred black. It truly looked like the face of a demon, not just a poor facsimile.

Regardless of the hardship, he was glad to have his friend at his side. He held the Blue Spirit mask close, glad it would help him face everything that would come. Although when he did get a chance, he would give it a paint job. Until then, he put the demon mask in his tunic and put his katanas at his side. "Time to move forward," he said to himself, leaving the room.

Out on the deck of the ship, the gaang was packing Appa's saddle, making sure they had everything they needed. While Sokka was going down his list, he asked, "Sleeping bags?" Sokka asked as he looked over his long scroll.

"Check."

"Seal jerky?"

"Check."

"Tents?"

"We already checked them..."

"Oh okay got it... seal jerky?"

"Sokka, we have enough seal jerky."

"You can never have enough seal jerky," he scolded, making Katara roll her eyes. Even though it wasn't on Sokka's list, Katara made sure to pack as many vegetables and fruits as they could fit. Knowing both Aang's dietary preferences and knowing she would get sick of just dried meats, Katara even found a few bags of purple berries she managed to stow away. "I think that's everything," Katara said as Aang loaded the last bag, while Toph was lying back soaking in the morning sun.

"You know you don't have to leave today," Hakoda said as he stepped over to the group while they packed. "You could wait a day or two, and we can get closer to the Fire Nation before you have to depart," he said softly, as he did miss his children, and spending this time with them was something that he missed out on.

"As much as I want to, Dad, it is for the best we split up for now. We can't risk delaying you from gathering the rest of our forces," Sokka said as he rolled up his list and schedule. "I already had letters sent, and they will be expecting you. We can't make them wait."

Hearing him, Hakoda couldn't help but feel a sense of pride for the warrior and leader Sokka had become. "I'll make sure they are gathered up, then we will head straight for the rendezvous. This isn't a goodbye, son."

"I know, Dad," Sokka said as he and Hakoda took each other's arms in a warrior clasp before Hakoda pulled him into a hug. He embraced his son tightly, and as he did, Hakoda looked to Katara, who had finished tying up the last of the supplies. "Care to say farewell to your old man?" Hakoda asked her.

Katara twisted her lip as she heard him. A part of her wanted to snap at him. When he left her and Sokka at the South Pole, he didn't say goodbye to her. He just left. She had to wake up to find her father gone, and she was alone with her brother and Gran gran. She had to grow up so fast after losing her mother, with also losing her father. She knew he had his reasons for going to war, but it didn't make her feel safe. If anything, she felt even more scared. Shaking her head, she turned and went to climb on Appa. "Goodbye, Dad," she said, not looking at him.

Hakoda sighed as she walked away, and Sokka felt instantly awkward, rubbing his neck. "Ummmm yeah... see ya, Dad," he said as he pulled away to join the others.

While they were saying their goodbyes, Zuko arrived on the deck of the ship. The morning sun finally greeted him, pouring down on his exposed skin. But still, the same warmth he would usually be greeted with was absent. If anything, he felt even more empty. It felt worse than the dirty looks the Water Tribe crew gave him as he walked by. As the feeling grew, he gripped his chest, feeling his mask between his fingers, and pushed himself forward.

"Hey, Zuko, you made it," Aang said happily as he jumped over and gently landed in front of him. "Want me to grab those for you?" Aang offered to help, but Zuko just shook his head.

"I got them, it's alright," he said simply as he climbed up on Appa, setting his things down, including the supplies he had raided from the storerooms below.

"So you changed your mind?" Sokka was the first to ask as he watched Zuko unload his things. "You gonna help us with the invasion?"

"I haven't made a decision," Zuko answered firmly. "All I know is I can't stay here..." Zuko glanced back at the ship. He knew that sooner or later, either he or someone else would end up dead. "Besides, I still need healing, and until I am fully recovered, it is for the best if I tag along. Would that be a problem?" Zuko asked with an arched brow.

"No, no, no, of course not. The more, the merrier," Sokka said, not wanting to upset the Fire Prince, especially after hearing about him beating the Water Tribe member yesterday.

After they finished gathering and packing what they needed and saying their goodbyes, Aang took Appa's reins and began to fly off. Zuko braced himself as he had never flown before. Katara told him how he'd get used to it, but Toph argued otherwise as she gripped the saddle tightly. It was a strange feeling launching up and gliding across the sky, but once they reached a steady height, the flying was rather enjoyable.

After several hours, Zuko didn't know what to expect traveling with the Avatar. As he listened to him and his friends talk and banter with each other, he was reminded that they were children, teens. Before, most of the time, he would just see them as targets; he wouldn't see them as people. He was reminded of his own cruelty. He was glad he was not that person anymore. At least he hoped he wasn't.

They soon landed on an island just on the edge of the Fire Nation, the gaang getting their first taste of the tropical climate they would be experiencing once they got further inland. For them, it was a new experience, but for Zuko, it was nostalgic. Everything just felt fresher in a way. He couldn't really explain it, not that he was willing to try. Soon, the group would make camp and get settled in for the evening.

"I've mapped out our entire course," Sokka explained proudly to everyone as they gathered around the campfire. "If we stick to this and maintain my schedule, we should make it just in time to the meetup point," he said as he drew with his finger, following the trail he had drawn out.

As Katara and Aang looked down at the map, they both blinked in confusion. Aang could barely keep track of where they were supposed to go. "Umm... Sokka, I may not be able to read maps as well as you do, but I'm pretty sure this doesn't look right," Aang said, scratching his head.

"Yeah, it honestly looks like you scribbled on the page," Katara said as she squinted her eyes, making even the smallest attempt to read it. "I mean, wouldn't it be easier to fly more directly instead of this zigzaggy pattern?" she questioned him.

"Hey, I put a lot of thought into this!" Sokka said defensively, yanking the map away. "I did hours of research, finding which islands had the most caves, which had the optimal cliffsides, and which places had the least amount of military presence. It was not easy," Sokka said as he showed his map, explaining his train of thought once more to everyone.

Aang and Katara still couldn't follow the path at all, while Toph just stared blankly, not that she could read the map anyway. Though her brow did curl curiously as she felt a twitch coming from Zuko. As Sokka was explaining, she could tell Zuko wanted to speak up but said nothing. Instead, Zuko just ate the stew Katara had prepared for dinner. "Hey Sokka, as great as your... plan is, I don't see how we can travel like that without getting late or lost," Katara said, trying to let her brother down easy.

Sokka, on the other hand, continued to argue his point, challenging Katara to see if she can come up with a better idea. As they did, Toph scooted over to where Zuko was silently eating and plopped herself down. "So you're just gonna sit there and eat, or are you gonna say something, Sparky?"

Zuko raised his brow, seeing the blind girl looking over at him with her vacant gaze. "What are you going on about?" he asked, not really paying attention at this point to what was going on.

"Don't play dumb, that's Snoozles' job," Toph said with a small smirk. "Come on, we both know ever since he pulled out that map, you wanted to say something. Why not speak up?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Zuko lied as he tried to go back to his dinner, but Toph wouldn't let him off the hook that easily. "Oh, really? You think Snoozles' plan sucks! Wait, do you even have a better plan?!" Toph was overly loud, making sure the entire camp heard her, perking their ears.

"He said what?!" Sokka asked as he pushed himself to his feet and stormed over.

Zuko groaned, narrowing his eyes at Toph, who gave him a mischievous grin in return. He shot her a quick glance before looking up at Sokka, who was standing over them. "So what's this plan of yours, if you don't mind sharing?" Sokka asked, arms folded, with the map sticking out between his fingers.

"I don't have a plan," Zuko retorted, sipping down the stew and avoiding eye contact. He assumed Sokka would leave him alone if he just didn't engage, but like Toph, he wouldn't let him off that easily. It was something he was seeing as a pattern with this group. "Come on, you can say it. We are all friends... I mean, not enemies here," Sokka corrected himself.

Zuko groaned, knowing they weren't gonna leave him alone. "You are making the plan too overly complicated," he said, wanting to get this over with just so he could be left alone. Zuko took the map from Sokka's hand and used the charcoal to draw a new path. He marked where he assumed they were and drew a path along the islands straight for the meetup point. "It would be easier to take a more direct route through the islands than straying off the path. Most of the countryside is fairly sparse, with only a few dense cities and towns, minus the main capital."

"Oh, really, and how would you suggest we go through without getting seen?" Sokka argued. "If you haven't noticed, we kinda stand out," he said, pointing to their attire. They were mostly wearing their normal clothes, which to any glancing eye would know who they are without question.

"Then don't stand out," Zuko retorted. "I made my way through the Earth Kingdom with everyone trying to hunt and kill me. You'd be surprised how far you can get with a change of clothes and a new name," he said, still kinda surprised at how far he had indeed traveled even with his scar and not being found out. "Just like how you thought having Aang grow out his hair would help keep him from being easily spotted. Just do the same with everyone," Zuko pointed out as he glanced over at the young monk.

"Yeah, blending in is better than hiding out," Aang quickly agreed. Even though he found the hair itchy and uncomfortable at times, he understood why he had to let it grow. "If we get Fire Nation disguises, we would be just as safe as we would be hiding in a cave."

"Plus, they have real food out there. Does anyone want to sit in the dirt and eat worms?" Toph asked, and without even looking, she plucked a worm from the dirt, which Momo easily snatched from her grasp and munched away on it without hesitation.

Sokka groaned, hearing them. "Fine, we will get some new clothes," he said a little bitterly, as he had everything planned out, and they were shooting it down.

"Clothes won't just do it. You need new names too," Zuko interjected. "If anyone hears you calling my name or even Aang's, we are dead," he said with a sigh, saddened by the fact that his name would be a death sentence in his own country.

"That's true," Sokka said, rubbing his chin as he thought carefully. "In that case, you can call me Wang. Wang Fire," Sokka said, doing his best impression of a man's voice, trying to deepen his tone. Even though the others giggled at his impression, Zuko was anything but amused.

"No one is named... Fire. Or are you trying your best to be offensive?" Zuko questioned, annoyed.

"Fine, fine... how about Li then? There are a million Lis," Sokka retorted, accidentally using Zuko's now-former alias.

Zuko wanted to retort about that being his name, but he figured Sokka would choose another, possibly more ridiculous name instead. So he allowed it. "Li is fine," he said, not wanting to make this go longer than it had to.

"If he's Li, then you can call me Kuzon," Aang said, as he smiled brightly.

"Nice to meet you, Kuzon," Katara giggled as they named themselves. But for her, it was a bit difficult; she didn't know what to call herself. She wasn't much with thinking on her feet, and she can't see herself as anything else but Katara. "Ummm... well, you can call me... um."

Seeing Katara struggling, Zuko thought for a moment what she could be called. Then he thought back to his own name. To who he could be called, and an idea formed from one of the plays he saw as a child. What better place to find a name and play a character than from a character? "Izumi. How about Izumi?" Zuko asked her.

"Izumi?" Katara said, testing the sound of her new name. Saying it once more, letting the name roll off her tongue. "I like it," she said with a smile. "You can call me Izumi."

"So, Li, Kuzon, and Izumi. What about you, Toph? What would you like to be called?" Aang asked, gesturing to the three of them before looking at the blind girl comfortably laying back on the ground.

"Hmmm, well when I was signing up for Earth Rumble three, the name I first used was Ishi," Toph said with a shrug. "If you want, you can call me that," she said, not really caring otherwise as she relaxed back on the makeshift stone pillow.

"Great, now that only leaves you, Zuko," Aang said, looking at the older boy. "What would you like us to call you when we are in public?" he asked as he tried to picture something suitable, but nothing immediately came to mind.

"Hanzo, you can call me Hanzo," Zuko uttered as his eyes glanced from the group down to the campfire between them. His hand rested over his chest, feeling his mask against his fingertips. The name of the demon from one of his favorite stories as a child. The Oni and the Princess. Being home, it would be fitting, even if a bit ironic, to choose that name as his own.

"Well, Hanzo, it'll be great to travel with you," Aang smiled up at him, but Zuko didn't return the gesture. Instead, he rose from his spot near the campfire and turned towards his tent.

"I'm going to bed," Zuko said as he dusted himself off. "I suggest you all do the same. We should leave before dawn, so we aren't seen flying into the Fire Nation," he said knowingly. He didn't even wait to hear their response; he was already walking off to his little corner of the campsite, slipping into his sleeping bag without another word. Tomorrow was a big day for him. Tomorrow he will be home.

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