"Naruto, don't look now, but someone is on to us."

Naruto fought the urge to stiffen as he and Zuko refilled their trays with cups of tea to serve the various customers seated around the restaurant. Turning slowly and taking a brief moment to scan the room. It was a Thursday, and by this point he had been embedded in Ba Sing Se for almost a full week. It had been hard to suppress some of his more militaristic tendencies (like waking up to practice fire bending forms at the crack of dawn), but overall his infiltration of Ba Sing Se had been rather seamless.

Gazing around the room, he saw no obvious threats. Turning back around and continuing to fill his tray, he gave Zuko a questioning look,"Who do you think it is?"

"The girl at the far end of the restaurant. She's been in here everyday this week."

Naruto had the suppress the urge to deadpan at his comrade by circumstance. Sure he wasn't always the smartest guy in the room, and sure he lacked empathy on some levels (he had gone from being an orphaned thief to being trained by an emotionally dead general to being in a kill or be killed military program, sue him), but even he could see what was going on here. "Apparently all the brains in the family went to Azula."

Zuko's face soured instantly, his temper sparked,"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Naruto sighed,"Keep your voice down, but she comes in here everyday around when you start working the floor, she only orders from you, and every time you aren't looking at her you're all she's watching."

Zuko just stared back blankly, causing Naruto to smack his own forehead and exhale a wisp of smoke, trying to keep himself calm and not blow his cover by sacking Zuko in the back of the head with a fire-coated hand. "She likes you dumbass!"

"Huh?!" Zuko jumped a little in shock, getting a questioning look from some of the customers closer in proximity to where they were.

"Thank you for the tea,"came a somewhat demure voice from behind them. The boys turned, and there was the girl, holding out some coins for her tea.

Zuko nodded, taking the coins and stowing them away in the chest under the counter.

"So what's your name?" Zuko turned back to the girl, who was giving him a small smile.

"My name is Lee, me, my uncle, and our friend,"referencing Naruto,"just recently moved here."

"Hi Lee, my name is Jin. Thank you, and well," the girl looked off to the side, and even Naruto had to admit she was cute,"I was wondering if you'd like to go out sometime?"

Zuko was caught off guard, and hesitated as he tried to find a way out of the situation, which gave Naruto the perfect opportunity to slip in behind him and throw an arm around his shoulders, a wide Cheshire cat grin on his face,"He'd love to!"

"Great! I'll meet you in front of the shop at sundown."

The girl turned and walked away with a bit of a sway in her hips, which hypnotized Zuko until she was out of the shop.

Zuko turned to Naruto, giving him a dirty look, to which the boy replied with a smirk. "Hey, Mushi!"

"Eh?" Iroh stuck his head out from the back room.

"Guess who has a date tonight?"

Iroh considered it for a moment, before looking at Zuko, searching for the answer in his face. Zuko turned away with a bit of a blush, giving Iroh all the answers he needed. He quickly pulled the boy into a hug,"My Lee, going on his first date? I'm so proud!"

"Uncle, cut it out! It isn't my first date!"

Naruto and Iroh both looked at the boy with a look of extreme doubt, which stoked Zuko's anger and embarrassment further,"Look, I may have gone on a few dates with Mai."

Naruto's eyes bugged out of his head as his jaw dropped. It made sense actually, with some of the more "girl talk"-esque conversations between Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee that he had had the displeasure of overhearing, Mai's old flame had come up a couple times in discussion.

"You're the angry idiot?"

Zuko turned to Naruto on a dime, grabbing the boy by his collar,"What?! Who called me that?!" He showed uncharacteristic strength, pulling Naruto off the ground and shaking him hard enough for Naruto's eyes to roll and foam to slosh from his mouth."Answer me damn it!"

"Um, Lee, I think you are starting to make a scene." Iroh pointed out. Zuko looked to his uncle confused, before looking around the rest of the tea shop, where the few customers who were in at the time were looking at him with wide eyes.

Zuko dropped Naruto and looked away, his entire face as red as his scar just from the sheer embarrassment of it all.

A few hours later, Zuko stood before Iroh and Naruto after getting dressed up for his date, wearing an earthen green long sleeved high collar shirt with a black vest, black pants, and a green sash around his waist. He was currently staring at himself in the mirror, his hair being combed down to the sides. In his eyes, he looked ridiculous.

"So handsome! Now remember, be a gentleman and show that young lady a delightful evening!" Iroh chided as he straightened Zuko's collar.

"I look like a fool."

"Of course you do," Naruto stepped forward, reaching up and ruffling Zuko's hair.

"Hey, it took me/uncle ten minutes to do that!" Iroh and Zuko raged.

Naruto chuckled, sitting down at one of the chairs of the restaurant."Yeah yeah yeah, it's sundown, don't keep her waiting!"

If looks could kill Naruto it would be cold on the floor, but Zuko nonetheless went out the front door.

Naruto sighed, stepping into the backroom of the tea shop and pouring himself a cup of tea from the pot Iroh always brewed for the workers. He took the cup with his right hand, and put his left in his left pants pocket. He was surprised when his hand touched a sheet of paper. Pulling it out, he found the receipt from when he had bought his clothing.

The bottom of the receipt said "Swing by the shop any day around sunset, maybe we can hang out?"

Naruto thought about it. Zuko had a date, why shouldn't he? But the longer he thought about it, Naruto knew he would never go on that date, just like he would never turn his back on the Fire Nation. His loyalty to his homeland ran so deep in his blood that it seemed almost like he was having an affair to even consider seeing this woman, this civilian, in such a manner.

With that in mind, he willed a small fire into the palm of his hand, watching with some minor sense of conflict as the paper burned. He sighed, cleaning up his now empty tea cup and putting it away, bidding a goodnight to Iroh as he stepped out of the tea shop on the way back to his crappy apartment.

A few weeks later the tea shop was full, so all hands were on deck. While Naruto and Zuko both carried around trays of various teas, Iroh had taken time to come out from the back where he usually played the roll of brewmaster and serve a special client, a rather official looking business man with flowing golden robes, jewelry, and his own personal guard.

As Iroh turned to make his way back to the back room with his tea kettle, the man called out to him,"So you're the genius behind this incredible brew! The whole city is buzzing about you, I hope Pao pays you well."

Iroh chuckled nervously,"Good tea is its own reward.""

"Sure, but it doesn't have to be it's only reward,"the man began his proposition."How would you like your own tea shop?"

Iroh was almost slack jawed in shock,"My own tea shop? THis is a dream come true!"

It was at this point that the owner/manager of the shop, Pao, overheard the conversation,"What's going on here, are you trying to poach my tea maker?"

"Sorry Pao, but that's business for you, am I right?"

Pao turned to Iroh, desperation clear on his face,"Mushi, if you stay I'll make you assistant manager. No, wait, senior assistant manager!"

The business man smiled, knowing that his competitor was on the ropes in terms of Iroh's loyalty,"I'll provide you with a new apartment in the upper ring. The tea shop will be yours to do whatever you want with, complete creative freedom."

Iroh was getting drawn in and it was clear,"I even get to name the shop?"

"Of course!"

"Senior executive assistant manager?"Pao offered pathetically, a small bit of hope still etched onto his face.

Iroh's answer was handing him the tea pot. "Nephew, Lee! Did you hear? I'm getting my own tea shop!"

"That's right young men, your lives are about to change for the better!"

Naruto merely smiled, internally disgusted by the prospect of his life becoming further attached to the city he currently lived in.

Zuko walked towards the front door of the restaurant, sitting his tray on a nearby table,"I'll try to contain my joy."

Later that evening, a Dai Lee agent found himself chasing a man wearing a blue oni dressed in all black into an a corner, he saw the man standing still in the middle of the road. Bending his glove at the man, he was confused when his head came clean off, making it clear that he was a straw dummy of some kind.

The Dai Li agent looked rather confused, until he found the blade of dao sword held against his throat from behind.

"If you don't wanna end up like him,"the figure pressed his blade harder against the agent's throat,"you'll do exactly what I say."

A mere half hour later the Blue Spirit stepped into a closed underground room, closing the door behind him, and then turning to face the contents of the room. Standing across from him, chained to the ground and growling at him, was the Avatar's sky bison.

The Blue Spirit stepped forward, slowly drawing his swords, causing Appa to try and step away. The Blue Spirit was about to rush the bison, only to hear the door open behind him.

Standing in the doorway was Iroh, a somewhat pensive look on his face.

"Uncle?"

Iroh stroked his beard,"The Blue Spirit, eh? I wonder who could be behind that mask."

The Blue Spirit sighed, pulling off his mask and hood to reveal Zuko."What are you doing here uncle?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing. What do you plan on doing now that you've found the Avatar's bison? Keep it locked in our new apartment? Should I go put on a pot of tea for him?"

Zuko turned back to Appa, who was now confused as to what exactly was going on,"First I need to get him out of here."

"And then what?"Iroh raised his hands, shouting,"You never think these things through. This is exactly what happened when you captured the Avatar at the North Pole. You had him, and then you had nowhere to go!"

"I would've figured something out,"Zuko tried to put up a defense.

"No! If his friends hadn't found you, you would have frozen to death!"

Turning back to Appa, Zuko looked to Iroh once again,"I know my destiny uncle."

"Do you? Is it your own destiny? Or is it a destiny someone else has forced on you?"

"Stop it uncle! I have to do this." Zuko turned to face Appa.

"I'm begging you, Prince Zuko! It's time for you to look inward and begin asking yourself the big questions. Who are you, and what do you want?"

Roaring in rage, Zuko threw down his mask and swords.

Mere minutes later, mourning the loss of Jet, Team Avatar rushed into the room that once held Appa, finding destroyed shackles as opposed to their friend.

"Long Feng must have beat us here," Aang assumed.

"If we keep moving, maybe we can catch up with them,"Sokka suggested.

Team Avatar rushed from underground, Toph forcing open a hatch that spit them out on the surface on the shore of Lake Laogai. Looking back, Aang noticed a rather large contingent of Dai Li agents racing after them.

"You think we can out run them?"Sokka asked Aang.

Looking ahead of them, Aang saw that Long Feng was already waiting for them with another group of Dai Li agents,"I don't think it matters."

Coming to a stop, Team Avatar soon found themselves trapped, with the Dai Li forming a wall in front of them and behind them, and more Dai Li agents waiting on the cliff face to their right.

Momo suddenly landed on Aang's shoulder, drawing his attention from their situation."What is it Momo?"

Momo flew off into the direction of the sun, before flying back, with multiple tons of angry sky bison trailing behind him.

"Appa!" Aang cried.

The pissed off bison flew clean through both of the Dai Li's rock walls, sending agents flying every where and knocking Long Feng to the ground. Appa quickly circled back, staring down the man who had been his captor for weeks.

"I can handle you by myself," declared Long Feng, charging Appa, only to be grabbed by the leg via bite by giant bison, and then swung towards the water, where he skipped like a stone for some distance before sinking.

Appa spat out the man's shoe in disgust moments later.

What followed was a tearful reunion between best friends as Aang ran forward, hugging Appa's forehead as tightly as possible as the rest of the team piled on,"I missed you buddy."

Team Avatar mounted Appa and flew off, completely oblivious to Zuko and Iroh pulling themselves from the Dai Li's bunker via the original entry point.

"You did the right thing nephew."

Zuko said nothing, instead pulling out his Blue Spirit mask, examining it.

"Leav it behind," said Iroh, placing a hand on his nephews shoulder.

Zuko dropped it, allowing it to sink. He and Iroh soon left the area, never noticing Naruto sitting above them on the edge of cliff face, an expression of anger clear on his face.

On a small Island deep in the middle of the body of water, Team Avatar began to lot their next move.

"Look, we escaped from the Dai Li, we got Appa back, I'm telling you we should go to the Earth King right now and tell him our plan. We're on a roll!"

Katara looked to her brother, her face sour,"One good hour after weeks of trouble isn't much of a roll."

"We can build on it. If we want to invade the Fire Nation when the eclipse happens, we need the Earth King's support."

"What makes you think we'll get it?"Questioned Toph from her position on the ground,"I don't know if you've noticed but things haven't exactly been going smoothly for our little gang."

"I know,"Sokka conceded,"but I've got a good feeling about this! This time'll be different."

"Sokka, Long Feng is in control of the city,"Katara remind the her older brother, hoping to talk some sense into him,"His conspiracy with the Dai Li is too powerful. I think we should just keep flying and leave this horrible place behind us."

"I'm with sweetness, I've seen enough of Ba Sing Se, and I can't even see!"

Aang jumped over, standing on the side of Sokka,"But now that we have Appa back, there's nothing stopping us from telling the Earth King the truth, about the conspiracy and the war!"

"See, Aang's with me!" Seeing Katara and Toph still weren't convinced, Sokka sighed,"It's the whole reason we came in the first place, we have to try."

"Well, I guess if the Earth King new the truth, things could change."Katara began to relent.

Toph stood up,"I don't trust the new positive Sokka. Long Feng brainwashed you too didn't he?!"

Sokka was about to retort when he noticed ships on the horizon,"That's probably the Dai Li searching for us. So?"

Katara gained a determined look,"Let's fly!"

And so, in a rather interesting battle, Team Avatar charged the Earth King's palace, laying waste to the multiple platoons of guards trying to deny them entry, all while also attempting to reassure the now incapacitated soldiers that they were all on the same side.

Finally reaching the thrown room, the found the Earth King and Long Feng waiting for them, along with the Dai Li.

"Earth King," Aang called as he and Team Avatar readied for a fight,"We need to talk to you."

"They're here to overthrow you,"Long Feng spoke to the Earth King.

"No, we're on your side. We're here to help!" Explained Sokka.

"You have to trust us," Katara yelled.

"You invade my palace, lay waste to all of my guards, break down my fancy door, and you expect me to trust you?" The Earth King questioned, incredulous.

"You know that is a good point," Toph pointed out.

"If you're really on my side, then drop your weapons and stand down." Team Avatar looked at each other, before disarming themselves. The Dai Li were quick to put the cuffs on them.

"Make sure the Avatar and his friends never see daylight again," ordered Long Feng.

The earth King's face quirked up,"The Avatar? You," he pointed at Sokka," are the Avatar?"

"Uh, no, him." Sokka nodded to Aang, who grinned, earth bending his cuffs off momentarily.

"What does it matter, they're enemies of the state." Long Feng reminded the man who had been his puppet unwittingly for so long.

"If he really is the Avatar, then I'll hear what he has to say."

And so Aang told him: about the war, about Appa, about the conspiracy of the Dai Li. The Earth King got more and more confused as Aang explained.

"Your majesty this is preposterous. How am I to kidnap a sky bison, I've never even seen a sky bison before."Long Feng lied to the king.

"Hmm… sorry kids, but without proof, I can't agree with your claims. Dai Li!" The Dai Li began to turn Team Avatar away and escort them out.

"Wait! I can prove he's lying,"Sokka muscled his way into turning around,"Long Feng said he's never seen a sky bison before, ask hi to lift his robe!"

"What?! I am not disrobing,"Long Feng refused. Sokka nodded to Aang, who blew a massive gust of air that raised Long Feng's rose, revealing a rather curious line of bruising diagonally across his leg.

"See there! Appa bit 'im!"

"Preposterous, it's just a strange birth mark." Long Feng tried to rationalize.

"Well, I guess there's no way to prove where those marks came from," the Earth King thought out loud.

"Of course there is," refuted Sokka.

Moments later, Appa was opening his mouth for the Earth King, proving that the markings on Long Feng's legs were consistent with the bruising pattern.

"Yep, that pretty much proves it," the Earth King relented, causing Team Avatar to cheer."But it still doesn't prove anything about this war of yours." Team Avatar groaned,"Though I suppose this does require more looking into." Team Avatar shrugged, taking what they could get.

Elsewhere, Zuko was just waking up, bleary eyed on a cot in the new apartment he, his uncle, and Naruto shared. While the businessman had been gracious enough to get them an upscale apartment, there was only one, and considering the deal had been for Iroh and Zuko as well as Naruto to work for the tea shop, Naruto had moved in with the duo, bringing his singular bag of items with him.

Naruto wasn't currently in the apartment, a fact in which Zuko took minor relief, but he was still confused as to his situation.

"You're burning up," explained Iroh as he ran a wet rag across Zuko's forehead."You have an intense fever."

"So thirsty,"Zuko exclaimed weakly, trying to sit up.

"Here,"Iroh pushed him back down before leaning him forward a bit, producing a ladle full of clean water. Zuko, upon feeling the refreshing liquid on his lips, took the ladle in his own hands, knocking it back quickly, before taking the entire bucket of clean water and chugging as much of it as possible, tossing the empty bucket across the room. He laid back down, allowing Iroh to pull the blanket back over his shoulder.

Later that evening, Naruto returned to the apartment with a look of extreme disdain on his face. He found Iroh sitting with a cup of tea in his hands, keeping vigilant watch over the sleeping and groaning Zuko.

"What happened to him?"

Iroh looked up, regarding the boy, before returning his attention to Zuko,"I believe that this is more a mental sickness than a physical one. I think that a crisis of conscience is tearing him apart." Iroh looked at Naruto again,"You're dye is running a bit, have you been wet?"

Naruto reached up and touched his head, and sure enough, his hand returned black. He shrugged, walking to the suites small bathroom,"I went swimming."

The next morning found Team Avatar standing with the Earth King looking over the destroyed remains of the Dai Li's bunker.

"Long Fend was right, this was a waste of my time." The Earth King and his guard turned, prepared to walk up the hill and away,"If you excuse me, I'll be returning to the palace."

"Wait!" Aang jumped in front of the man,"Come with us to the outer wall, we can prove the war is real!"

The Earth King stepped around the one hundred and twelve year old,"I don't have time for this nonsense."

"If you come with us, you can ride on Appa!" Sokka offered, with Appa groaning in the background at the thought of having to carry another person.

The deal was sweet enough for the Earth King to accept.

Moments later, the Earth King was screaming in terror as he soared towards the outer walls via sky bison.

"First time flying?" Questioned Toph.

"Yes! It's both exciting and terrifying!"

"Yeah, you'll get used to it."

"It's truly beautiful up here," the Earth King marveled as he took in the view of Ba Sing Se from above."You know, part of me hopes that what you're saying about this war isn't true."

Aang hung his head,"I wish it wasn't."

Zuko sat on the Fire Nation throne, his hair long from years of growing it out to befit his position, his scar strangely absent. A blue dragon descended from above him, coiling down one of the many pillars in the room, while a red dragon ascended parallel to it,"It's getting late my lord, aren't you going to retire soon?"

Noting how the blue dragon's female voice was vaguely familiar, Zuko replied,"I'm not tired."

Stopping its head over his right shoulder, the blue dragon continued to speak,"Just relax Fire Lord Zuko, let go. Give into it, shut your eyes for a while."

Zuko felt his eyes begin to become heavy, but then he heard another voice, this one definitely older and male. It was the red dragon,"No Fire Lord Zuko! Do not listen to the blue dragon, you should get out of here right now."

The red dragon stopped his head above Zuko's left shoulder,"Go! Now! Before It's too late!"

The blue dragon lowered it's tone, its voice soothing, it's sweetness hiding its sinister undertone,"Sleep now Fire Lord Zuko."

The world around Zuko went black, the pillars crumbling away and the guards falling to pieces. Zuko looked around in horror.

"Sleep," the voice of the blue dragon came from in front of him, before it came rushing into view, mouth open wide to bite him,"Just like mother!"

Zuko saw the image of his mother, begging for his help, but as he reached for her, he was suddenly sucked through the floor.

"It's still there!" Aang pointed out the remains of the Fire Nation's latest attempt to lay siege to Ba Sing Se.

"What is that," the Earth King stared at the massive machine in shock.

"It's a drill, a giant drill built by the Fire Nation in an attempt to breach your walls." Sokka explained to the man.

They landed on the wall, and the Earth King stared down, the crushing reality of over a hundred years of war pressing down upon his conscious,"I can't believe I never knew."

"I can explain this your majesty,"Long Feng's smooth baritone wafted over the group,"This is nothing more than a construction project."

"Really? Care to explain the Fire Nation insignia on your construction project?" Katara questioned, pointing out the giant flame emblem that stood out on the back of the drill. The Earth King narrowed his eyes at his once trusted advisor.

"Well, it's imported of course! You know you can't trust domestic machinery." Long Feng looked to the Earth King, only to receive a stony glare.

"Surely you don't believe these children instead of your most loyal attendant?"

After a moment of consideration, the Earth King ordered,"Dai Li, arrest Long Feng for crimes against the Earth Kingdom."

The agents flanking Long Feng shot each other a look, before quickly tossing the cuffs on their once boss turned traitor."What? You can't do this to me! You all need me more than you know!"

As they dragged him away, Sokka called,"Looks like Long Feng is long gone!" With a chuckle, he wiped a tear from his eye that had been caused by his own joke,"Man, I've been waiting to use that one."

No one else laughed.

Later that evening, in the Earth King's palace, the Earth King spoke with a somber tone," I want to thank you young heroes, for opening my eyes. All this time, what I thought was a great metropolis was merely a city of fools. And that makes me the king of fools." As his pet bear crooned, the king rested his forehead in his palm,"We're at war, with the Fire Nation!"

"That's why we came to Ba Sing Se your majesty,"Sokka explained,"Because we think you could help us end the war."

"We don;t have much time," Aang continued,"There's a commit coming this summer. It's energy will give the fire benders unbelievable strength. They'll be unstoppable."

"But there is hope," Sokka began his pitch,"Before the comet comes we have a window of opportunity. A solar eclipse is coming. The sun will be entirely blocked out by the moon, and the fire benders will be helpless."

"What are you suggesting Sokka?" Asked the Earth King, not entirely sure where this was going.

"That's the day we need to attack the Fire Nation. The day of black sun."

"I don't know,"the Earth King looked off to the side,"A full scale invasion would require moving troops out of Ba Sing Se. We'd be completely vulnerable!"

"Your='re already vulnerable,"pointed out Sokka."The Fire Nation won't stop until Ba Sing Se falls. You can either sit back and wait for that to happen, or take the offensive and give yourself a fighting chance."

The Earth King contemplated it for a moment, giving Team Avatar some pause, before smiling,"Very well. You have my support!"

Team Avatar broke into cheers, but were interrupted by a rather imposing gentleman with a goatee wearing full armor with a cape.

"Your majesty, pardon my interruption," he bowed low to the man on the throne.

"This is General How," The Earth King explained."He's the leader of the Council of Five, my highest ranking generals."

"We searched Long Deng's office, we think we found something for everybody."

In Long Feng's office was a locked chest (the lock on which had been busted). Inside was a note from a guru searching for Aang to help him master the avatar state, an intelligence report that suggested Sokka and Katara's father was nearby, and a note from Toph's mother, who was in the city and hoping to speak with her.

Things were looking up for everybody.

In the upper ring, in the apartment he shared with his uncle and Naruto, Zuko stirred from his slumber for a moment.

"You know, this isn't a natural sickness,"Iroh explained as he poured two cups of tea,"but it shouldn't stop you from enjoying tea."

"What's happening to me?" Zuko asked, obviously still weak, after taking a sip of tea.

"Your critical decision, what you did beneath that lake, it was in such conflict with your image of yourself that you are now at war within your own mind and body."

"What does that even mean?"

"You are going through a metamorphosis, my nephew. It will not be a pleasant experience. But when you come out of it, you will be the beautiful prince you were always meant to be,"Iroh explained, wiping some sweat from Zuko's forehead as he turned over and proceeded to go back to sleep.

It was decided between Sokka and Katara that while Katara stayed behind to help with invasion planning, Sokka would go off to meet up with their father. Aang would drop him off while on his way to seek out the guru at the Air Temple, and Toph would stay in Ba Sing Se to meet up with her mother.

As everyone began to disembark on their individual journeys, the Earth King spoke to them,"Aang and Sokka, I wish you a good journey. Ba Sing Se owes you it's thanks, and we look forward to your safe return."

The members of Team Avatar all bowed, small smiles on their face. Suddenly, a palace guard walked up to the group,"Your majesty, there are three female warriors here to see you. They come from the island of Kyoshi."

Sokka, who had been preparing to mount Appa, turned,"That's Sukki!" The sudden movement caused him to rather comically fall off of Appa.

"You know these warriors?"Questioned the Earth King.

"Oh yeah,"Sokka smiled as he stood up,"The Kyoshi warriors are a skilled group of fighters. Trustworthy, too. They're good friends of ours!"

The Earth King nodded,"Then we shall welcome them as honored guests."

Aang, turned ready to hop on Appa when Katara called out to him,"Wait, Aang!"

Turning, he caught the girl's hug, and was shocked when she kissed his cheek, causing him to blush and smile like an idiot.

"I'm really gonna miss you guys," said Toph, honestly believing that this might be the last time she saw them.

"Yeah.""Us too." Aang and Katara pulled her into a hug, while Sokka stood off to the side, ars crossed and looking away.

He looked up at the group, just for them to bring the hug to them."Great, okay okay, that's enough! Okay, we love each other… Seriously."

Appa was soon soaring into the distance bearing Aang and Sokka. Toph walked off into the city to find her mother. And Katara was shown her quarters in the palace.

Zuko stared at his hand as he woke up, clenching it and unclenching it. Walking past his uncle, who had fallen asleep sitting up, and ignoring Naruto who slept on his bed roll in the corner of the room, he walked into the bathroom, splashing water on his face from the basin.

He caught a glimpse of his own reflection, and was surprised and shocked beyond belief to find that he was missing his scar… and that he had a blue arrow tattoo on his bald head.

Zuko shot up in his bed roll with a scream. Iroh was sitting next to him, either fast asleep or deep in thought, and as Naruto gazed across the room he saw red eyes peak at him from the shadows.

Ignoring them, Zuko reached up and felt for his scar, taking solace in it still being there.

"You see Aang,"Sokka called from his position resting on Appa's bare back,"A little positive thinking works wonders. We got the king on our side, we got Long Feng arrested, and when we get back, Suki's waiting for me!"

"Yeah,"Aang agreed with a dreamy expression,"girls are waiting for us."

"Hey, who's waiting for you?"

"Uhh… hey which way is Chameleon Bay?"

"That way I thi-Hey! Don't change the subject!"

Toph knocked on the door to the house who's address was in the note, but to her surprise, it lerched open.

Stepping in, she called out,"Hey, mom? It's me, Toph. Mom?"

Suddenly, a steel dropped down from the ceiling, snatching her up, causing her to yell out and star banging on the metal. "What's going on here!"

"Oh nothing," out of the shadows came a very ripped man in an open vest and a more official looking gentleman with long flowing robes,"just a little brat being taken back home."

Long Feng sat in his cell, patiently awaiting his next meal. A tray was pushed through the door by a Dai Li agent, who spoke to him.

"The Council of Five and military remain loyal to the Earth King, but the Dai Li remain loyal to you, Long Feng sir."

Long Feng smirked and began to consume his meal.

The next day, the Earth King stood outside his palace on a raised pedestal, with an honor guard flanking either side of the walkway in front of him as three young woman walked forward, clad in the traditional garments and make up of the Kyoshi Warriors.

They approached and bowed down low, foreheads touching the ground as the Earth King announced,"In our hour of need, it is with the highest honor that I welcome our esteemed allies, the Kyoshi Warriors!"

The girls looked up, and the head of the formation spoke,"We are the Earth King's humble servants." Her amber orbs gleamed in the light.

Jeeeeeeez this was a long one, I wanted to crank it out as soon as possible though so here it is. There was a lot of stuff I skipped because it didn't differ from canon and it was really unnecessary to the development of the story, but what I did include (like Zuko's struggle and the stuff with Long Feng) will have direct bearing on Naruto, so I figured it needed to be included.

Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter, link in my bio to the discord server if you want to help talk ideas out or be my beta, because I really could bang these chapters out faster with an assist.

Kishi the goat,

Peace.