"You never told me we were following Zuko," I say after the girl has left. We are packing up the wooden, hand carved tea set. I helped Iroh make it early on in the journey, when the fancy set Zuko bought was too unwieldy for intense travel.

"I wanted you to focus on yourself. Not on helping track down Zuko," he says, standing up and stretching. "You've had a lot on your mind."

"Also, didn't you say Zuko needs to find his own way?"

"I did, but that didn't mean he had to be alone. We've been near him, enough so that if he ever was injured, we weren't too far behind."

"Ever the nurturer. I hope Zuko understands how much you care about him."

"I'm going to make that more apparent to him. Just like the girl said. We both need to tell him that we need him."

There's a lump in my throat, but I nod. I begin following Iroh, who is likely following the path the girl left. After about a half hour of travel, we pass a house, mostly broken down. A tree stands tall against the backdrop of a ghost town below. Buildings are falling apart down below, dust is thick in the air, and there isn't a single person in view.

Well, until we hear the sounds of fighting. We see small bursts of fire, blue and red, and know - "Azula."

I drop our bags at the thought of her, clutching my bo tightly. I follow the height of the fire, the loudness of the fighting. Iroh is right behind me.

There, on the ground, lies Zuko. Looking just like we left him. In brown clothing, but a little more exhausted, a little more gaunt than before. Iroh and I kneel down to him. "Uncle," Zuko breathes, as if the air was pushed out of him.

"Get up!" Iroh says, helping Zuko to his feet. Iroh leads the way around a building, and I see Aang and his friends pushing Azula back ahead of us. They all look exhausted, just like that girl. That girl that's with them right now!

"Iroh!" I exclaim, pointing as we run around the building, trying to pincher Azula. "It's that girl from earlier!"

Zuko looks puzzled, and Iroh simply nods. I don't think he really understands that the girl we talked to earlier is in Aang's group. But we haven't seen hide nor hair of Aang or his friends since the North Pole.

We rush up behind Azula, Iroh using his grand belly to knock her off her feet. We have her cornered against the ruins of a building, pressing her against the shell of a former home. Aang and his three friends join us, at the ready. She seems trapped, but she always finds a way out of things.

"Well, look at this," Azula says. How can she be so smug when she's surrounded by benders? "Enemies and traitors all working together. I'm done. I know when I'm beaten." She puts her hands up, but I don't believe her. The deceit from the first time we met is fresh in my mind. "You got me. A princess surrenders with honor."

But Azula isn't like that. If she thinks Zuko has no honor after being banished, the only way Azula would go down is with a fight. Which is exactly what she does.

Iroh is at the end of the line, but he is looking at the girl we saw earlier. Azula seizes this and targets him, firing a bolt of fiery blue at him. He falls with a scream. Zuko also yells, and every bender in the line shoots something at her.

I turn to Iroh immediately. He is burned, and it is centered on his chest. I say something soothing, but I don't know what. Zuko joins me, and he is enraged. I hear footsteps behind me, and he turns, yelling, "Get away from us!"

I look up, and the waterbender girl says, "Zuko, I can help." I catch eyes with Aang, and all my hope of being remembered, of being a part of his group, of getting my bending back, has fallen away from me. Iroh is injured, and he has done so much more for me than Aang ever has.

Zuko lashes out at the group, shooting a blast of fire behind him.

In this moment, in the face that Iroh can die, the two of us realize what really matters. Each other.

I begin treatment on Iroh's burn immediately. It is blistered, reddened, and wet. Iroh has passed out from the pain, and I say, "Zuko. Listen to me. I know how to treat Iroh, but we need to get him out of this exposed area." It's far too dusty to properly clean and dress his wound. I know Zuko is angry, but - "I can't carry Iroh alone."

He nods, and we each shoulder an arm. We passed an abandoned home on a hill on the way over. I tell Zuko this, and we lug Iroh above the hill, stopping to grab our bags where we left them. I loop my bo in the bag straps.

With my training, my stamina has returned. We do not take breaks, moving as one up the hill. We carefully lay Iroh against a wall while I scramble in our bags, looking for the thick blanket we have. I lay this down, then we move Iroh onto it. It is mostly clear inside the home, despite one side of the building being gone. It will provide us shelter for the time being.

"Zuko, I am going to clean Iroh's wound. I need you to look for some plants for me, okay?" There are a few different climates here, since we're right next to the large Earth Kingdom desert. I describe aloe vera to Zuko, a type of cactus found in dry climates. "It is green and has long leaves. It's a type of cactus, so it can be sharp." Then there is "Calendula is found in forests and wooded areas. It can be yellow, or red, or a mix, and looks something like. . ." I make a puffy shape with my hands, finding it hard to describe words.

"Look for the aloe first. I think that's our best bet. If you can't find either of those, then we'll have to look for bees. But I don't want to deal with bees right now."

Zuko leaves in a hurry. I have a little fresh water from this morning, and I cut a section of bandages to use to help clean the burn. I set aside a roll to use to wrap it later. When Zuko returns, I will make him fill the teapot with water, so Iroh can at least have some tea when he wakes up.

I dampen the bandages and start pressing them lightly on the burn. Iroh grunts, but does not wake up. I wish I had something to dull the pain. Before meeting Zuko, I had always assumed firebenders were mostly immune to fire and burns. After seeing Zuko's burn, I learned that wasn't true.

Iroh is hotter than normal, and I use the water to help cool down the area. After a while, Zuko returns with a whole plant of aloe vera, roots and all. I stifle a laugh.

"You didn't need to bring the whole plant, but I didn't tell you to cut it or what I needed. But that's okay. Here." I hand him the teapot. "Please fill this with water and get it boiling as soon as possible. Iroh'll appreciate some nice tea when he wakes up."

I set a spare tunic on the ground to work with. It is mostly clean. I use a small knife to cut some of the leaves off the aloe vera and try not to laugh at the absurd image of Zuko grabbing a full plant out of the ground. I cut open a leaf, and the gooey gel of the aloe oozes out. I use my hands to smear some over the cleaned burn, careful not to pop any blisters.

Zuko returns later, and he sets to work bringing the pot to boil. Once I am finished with the aloe, I say, "I'll need help putting the bandage on. He's too big for me to wrap it fully around the chest."

Zuko nods. He's been unnecessarily quiet during this whole process, but I am thankful for his help. The burn takes up about half of Iroh's upper chest, reaching from the center of his chest to his left arm.

After the water has finished boiling, I describe to Zuko how I plan on wrapping the bandages around Iroh's chest. I then say, "Do you have a better healing ability when it comes to burns?" I try hard not to stare at his scar.

He shrugs. "I think so, but I cannot be certain. We have a resistance to burns. I don't burn myself when I bend, but some kids might accidentally burn themselves when they don't have control. We have some control over where the fire lands, if we're expecting it, so we can push it away from ourselves."

I nod. "Like your Agni Kai with Zhao. The aloe helps quicken the healing process. But we just need to take it easy for a few days. Wait for him to wake up. Here, let's bandage the wound, then get started on food. You look hungry."

That is my only comment about Zuko's absence. He does not comment about him being away, or what he witnessed. But he looks tired and hungry. After wrapping Iroh's chest, I let Zuko rest while I collect some food stuff. I still have some jerky leftover, so I let him eat them while I gather some berries. There's a small river nearby, so one of us can fish later.

When I return, Iroh is sitting up against one of the walls. There is an empty tea cup next to him. Zuko must have made the tea while I was away. They are talking, and I listen in, not wanting to interrupt. "I am going to need to know more advanced firebending if I want to stand a chance against her. I know what you're going to say: she's my sister and I should be trying to get along with her," Zuko says.

"No, she's crazy, and she needs to go down," Iroh says. I laugh, moving into the house now. Iroh is standing. "It's time to resume your training."

This is where I butt in. "I don't think that's a good idea for you, Iroh. At least, not for another day or two. You need to rest to give your burn time to heal." Zuko looks angry at me. I hold up a hand. "But that doesn't mean you don't have to train, Zuko. I'll train with you, and I won't go easy on you anymore."

After getting Iroh situated back into a sitting position, I grab my bo and meet Zuko outside. He is somewhat angry at me for pulling the healing card, but I won't let Iroh do any rigorous activity for a few days.

"Fighting with my bo is going to be a lot like fighting Aang with his glider. But closer range and without all the airbending. Because that's not happening again it seems," I say, circling Zuko with both hands on the bo, one end pointed slightly at him.

He nods. I don't think he's in the mood to talk, which makes sense, considering how angry he is at Iroh getting hurt and his sister and everything. I know this isn't the healthiest way of dealing with his emotions, but it is all he is open to right now. Later, maybe, I will tell him how much they both mean to me. But, for now, I move forward to strike at Zuko's legs.

He moves out of the way, stabbing down with a burst of fire. I didn't say no bending, and I think it would be hard for him not to. His fire feeds on emotions, and his emotions are high right now. I just need to be careful.

We fall into a dance, Zuko striking high, me dodging low and trying to swipe at his feet. I dance around him, and he incorporates some of what I've taught him into his replies to my kicks. I can feel the anger in his fire. I get a few good hits to his sides, but he is quick to punch me back, once, hard, in the chest. It pushes me back, out of breath but aware of the danger I am in.

I know Zuko doesn't mean me any harm, but he is looking for an outlet. He dances around me, using his fists to hit me hard in the back. I don't expect it, and I fall down, bo clattering behind me. One fist is out toward me, and he smiles, claiming the victory. I expect him to shoot next to my head like he did with Zhao at the Agni Kai, but he holds his hand out instead.

I accept it, and he heaves me up. I nod, smiling at him. He has done well. "Good job," I say, clapping him on the back. "You've improved a lot."

He smiles, which feels uncharacteristic for him. I wonder, briefly, if he remembers our last conversation and the kiss we shared. Zuko looks down at my chest, at the dove necklace he gave me. He reddens, but says, "I didn't think you would wear it."

"Oh," I say, picking up my bo. "It was bought with stolen money, but it's still the only gift you've given me."

"That's not true. I gave you back that orange cloth, the one you used as a belt. From your monk robes."

I laugh. "I don't think that counts. Plus, it had some blood on it." But I carry it in my pocket, a reminder of Zuko. I toyed with it a lot when I couldn't sleep, a reminder of my past and my growing future.

He frowns, and starts to head back to Iroh. I reach out and grab his hand. It's now or never. "I uh. Wanted to tell you something before you went back inside," I say, my hand tight around his wrist. My anxiety shoots through the roof. I don't even know what to say to him. "We met one of Aang's friends on the road. She gave Iroh and I some advice. Which I took to heart.

"I just wanted to let you know that I really care about you. That's why I said those things back in the forest. I think stealing is immoral, wrong, and could lead to some nasty things. I had hoped you would see it the same way, but Iroh told me your choices are yours alone. We can only be here to guide you. And I want you to know that I want to guide you. To be friends with you. To be someone you care about, too, eventually."

Because I was once your captive. Something to use as bait for Aang. I was a means to an end, and now I can't stop thinking about you, and your kiss, and the pain you've gone through. And I want to help. I want to take your pain away from you.

But I don't say any of this last part. Instead, I look at Zuko, and his eyes are pouring deep into mine. His are golden, reflecting the setting sun, a small fire within himself. I think he's going to kiss me again, but he removes his wrist from my grip and says, "I care about you too." Zuko turns and walks away, and I am left with my own thoughts.

I pull the cloth out of my pocket, winding it around my wrist, up and up until it eventually runs out. It is a spot of color against the browns and greens of the Earth Kingdom. I unwind it, trying to sort through my thoughts and Zuko's quiet admission.

My heart flutters, and I don't feel so alone anymore. Not with my present company. Not anymore.