The group found Yun in a small Fire Tribe town called Katan Village. When they spotted him, they stood back, out of sight, watching him hand out provisions in fascination.

"It's been so long, Yun!" Children were crowding Yun's thin frame, vying for his attention.

Yun smiled gently. "I know. How have you all been?"

Their faces fell. "Hungry," they admitted.

"Okay, I'll make something warm right away," Yun told them with a wink.

Ezra watched in wonder as he greeted an old woman as if she were his own grandmother and talked with the other townspeople like they were all old friends. He must have done this quite often before he left to journey with Hak and Yona.

"I have provisions," Yun told them. "I'll pass them around."

"Thank you, Yun," one of the village elders said. Then his eyes slid to the group that stood behind him, staring at him intently. "By the way, are those your friends?"

"Hm?" Yun turned, his eyes going wide when he noticed them. "What the hell? Why are you guys here?" he spluttered.

"We heard what you were doing, so we came to help," Ezra said with a smile, twirling a shuriken between skilled fingers.

"You left so sneakily, I was worried about you," Yona told him.

"Zeno came with Shinah's fluff!" Zeno announced with a large grin from behind Shinah's back.

"Go back!" Yun ordered sternly.

"But I'm hungry," Hak said.

"Be a dear and make us some porridge, Yun?" Jaeha asked.

Yun's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Go back right now, you wild beasts."

Instead of heeding his orders, Hak and Jaeha flounced over to Shinah and joined Zeno in snuggling with the Seiryu's fur.

"This really is warm," Jaeha announced, rubbing his face against it.

"So snugly and fluffy!" Zeno cheered.

"Aren't you listening to me?" Yun exploded. "I said go back!"

"You're helping this village, aren't you?" Yona asked.

"We'll help you!" Ezra said with a grin.

"You can't! You'll attract too much attention!" Yun told them, frowning.

"We'll do our best not to," Yona assured him.

Ezra snorted while Yun stared at her in shock. "You're a red haired princess, a woman warrior, a former general, and four beasts! You attract attention just by being alive!" Yun snapped.

"No need to be so harsh, Yun," Ezra said with a wink, slipping her shuriken back up her sleeve.

"Besides..." Yun trailed off, his angry expression melting into something more serious. "This place has sick people. It's not safe for a princess."

Yona's eyes were sad. "Yun, it's because I am Kouka's princess, and especially King Il's daughter, that I should be here. I want to know how my father's actions affected these people."

Yun's mouth dropped open in shock at her earnest expression. His eyes moved over the others, taking in their serene expressions before he grit his teeth and nodded. "Fine, I get it. Now help me out."

He quickly set Ezra and Yona to washing dishes before ordering Hak and the dragons to help him carry supplies into the village.

Ten minutes later, Yona was shivering uncontrollably as she forced herself to lower her hands into the freezing water once more. She and Ezra scrubbed at the plates, working to get the grime and dirt off.

"It's cold, right?" Yun asked, picking up a basket of clean dishes. A challenging gleam entered his blue eyes. "You should go back if you don't like it."

Ezra glared at him wordlessly.

"I-I'm fine," Yona stuttered between chattering teeth. "I can handle the c-cold."

Yun rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Yona."

"Is this the village you were born in, Yun?" Ezra asked curiously. Her hands were going numb, but she shoved the uncomfortable sensation away.

"No," Yun answered, looking out fondly over the townspeople. "I've always traded with the people of this village, but lately they haven't had anything to trade to even make a living." His eyes were sad. "Now I give them medicine and food every once in a while. I worried about them while we were gone, but I'm glad that they're all safe."

Yona and Ezra smiled gently at the love they could hear in his voice.

"You said the villagers were burdened, but you've saved them by doing this, Yun," Yona told him softly.

Yun shook his head. "It's just a stopgap. The Fire Tribe is a land of poverty, so even if you help one village, another goes hungry. I can give them food today, but they'll have none tomorrow. There's no end."

Ezra's expression darkened at the reminder of the pitiful state of her homeland. She knew how helpless Yun was feeling; she'd felt it herself, millions of times over.

"It has to be changed starting from the bottom, and I know that, but..." Yun trailed off.

"There's nothing we can do," Ezra finished for him, looking at the ground in dejection.

Yun nodded before turning. He glanced up at the top of one of the buildings, where Hak and Jaeha were busy repairing the straw roof. "Hey, guys!" he called. "It'll be time to eat soon, so get down!"

"Oh," Hak said, turning his head. "I'm good. I caught some fish earlier and ate them, so I'm not hungry."

"What?" Yun snapped. "If you caught fish, you should have shared them!"

"My bad, my bad," Hak mumbled, going back to his work.

"Jeez," Yun muttered to himself as he walked away. He halted in his tracks. "Wait a second. There isn't a river around here."

Kija walked by carrying a heaping pile of firewood in his dragon arm, giving Yun a nod as he passed.

"Hey, Kija, food's ready," Yun told him.

"I also ate some fish. My stomach is full," Kija said. His stomach growled loudly, contradicting his words.

Yun narrowed his eyes. "Your stomach is growling."

"Th-th-this isn't my stomach!" Kija stammered in a panic. "There is thunder rumbling... somewhere!"

"It's coming from you, White Snake!" Hak snapped, throwing a rock at Kija's head.

"What are you doing?" Kija screeched as he dropped all the wood he'd been carrying.

"You haven't had enough training to stop the feeling of hunger!" Hak called flatly. Ezra had to suppress a snort as she and Yona shared an amused look.

"Stop the feeling of hunger?" Kija asked, amazed. "How do you do that?"

Zeno went to stand next to him. "You need to firmly focus all your strength around your belly button," the Ouryuu said, shifting so that he stood in a balanced stance with his hands clenched into fists.

"Like this?" Kija asked, copying his stance.

Their stomachs then let out a loud growl in perfect sync.

"It hasn't stopped growling!" Kija wailed. "And yours is growling too!"

Up on the roof, Jaeha burst into laughter. "You guys are so cute!" he chortled.

"Quit laughing!" Kija shouted, shaking his dragon claw at the Ryokuryu.

"Geez," Yun grumbled with an expression of pure and utter exasperation. "Nothing but idiots."

Ezra and Yona chuckled.

Yun turned towards them. "You guys will eat, right?"

"Oh, my stomach's..." Yona's stomach let out a loud growl. "Full."

Yun blinked.

"Could you hear that?" Yona asked sheepishly.

"Yep," Yun answered flatly.

They stared at each other for a moment before bursting into a fit of giggles.

"What about you, Ezra?" Yun asked, glancing her way with a twinkle in his eye.

Ezra winked at him. "Don't worry about me, Mother. I'm full."

He listened carefully, but her stomach didn't make a sound. No surprise there; she, too, was from the Fire Tribe, and had probably experienced her own fair share of famine and hunger.

And so they laughed, despite the hungriness that clawed at their bellies and the weakness they could feel creeping into their muscles. Sometimes, it was nice to laugh even in the face of difficulty and hardship.

"Excuse me," a voice said, interrupting their amusement. "May I bother you for a minute?"

Yun turned, eyes wide, to come face to face with a small troop of Fire Tribe soldiers led by a stern-faced officer in official robes.

Shit.