"Wake up," someone shook me. "Appa's here."

"Appa?" I mumbled. "Who's App-"

A loud roar rattled me awake. I threw myself out of the tent to see this giant creature with the same arrow tattoos as Aang. It looked like a giant bison. With six legs.

"Don't worry," Katara laughed, "he's friendly."

"Yeah," I got to my feet shakily, "not gonna take any chances."

Katara pulled me towards Appa. "Go ahead, touch him."

I slowly reached out. He blew out through his nose and I jumped back about a hundred feet.

"Come back," Katara was laughing, stroking his fur. "We ride him, see the saddle?"

"Yup." I followed her finger with my gaze as she pointed at his back. "Oh, and this is Momo."

A black and white lemur with almost bat-like wings soared down and perched on my shoulder.

"I think I'll stick to this guy!" I yelled, turning around and walking back to my tent. Momo made a squirrelly sound and jumped off of me, making his way towards Appa. Suddenly, I slammed into somebody and fell to the floor. "Ow..."

"Sorry." Sokka held out a hand. "Izuki."

"Can I ask you a question?" I asked as I grabbed his hand and he pulled me up.

"Yup."

"Who's Suki?"

"Oh." His face got sad. "I haven't seen her for ages, she's my-"

"Someone's coming!" I heard Aang shout. "Sokka, get to your boomerang or whatever. "Katara, you know what to do, and Toph, WAKE UP!"

Toph leaped out of her little earth tent and stared blindly at all of us. "Two people are coming from right there." She pointed at a spot in the forest.

I focused on the grass under me and drained it from its water, leaving it dry and dead. I heard a startled gasp behind me.

"Where did you learn that?" Katara asked.

"Uh-"

Zian burst out of the trees. "Calm down guys, it's me. I brought a friend."

Slowly, just slowly, the other guy came into view.

Zuko.

Katara acted first, slamming a wave of water into his chest. He fell back, and then Toph pounded him with rock.

"Stop!" I yelled. "Wait, stop it!"

Nobody listened. Aang blew air, pushing Zuko further into the forest and slamming him against a tree. Sokka's boomerang missed his throat by inches.

"Stop!" I screamed. "He's not even fighting back!"

Aang froze, watching me intently. Katara was holding Zuko up against the tree with this giant water bubble, and Toph was telling Sokka where his boomerang landed. I grabbed Aang's arm.

"Tell her to let him go."

He didn't move.

"Just hear me out!" I pleaded, and Aang nodded to Katara. She seperated the bubble and Zuko crashed to the floor. I ran to him, shaking his shoulders. "Zuko, stand up."

He slowly stood up, his fists clenched and on fire.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill them," he said through gritted teeth, chest rising and falling in pure anger.

"Me!" I said. "I've been looking for them forever. You have no right to hurt them because you helped me get to them. Then all your hard work goes to waste."

He took a deep breath and the flames disappeared. I looked behind me and everyone was waiting. Aang spoke.

"He helped you find me?"

"Yes." I answered. "Let me talk to him. Please."

"Okay." Aang said, waiting patiently. I turned back to Zuko, and before I could stop myself, ran towards the prince and threw my arms around his neck for a good minute.

He didn't protest, and I'm sure it was from the shock of the action.

"Are you staying?" I said pulling away, my fingers lingering on his arms.

"No." This no wasn't like his usual no's. This one was hesitant and unsure.

"But I thought you said-"

"I agreed to drop you here and then leave after without touching the Avatar." Zuko's eyes flickered to Aang like he was trying to keep himself under control.

"So this is . . . Goodbye?"

"I guess." He put his hands in his pocket, and wasn't able to make eye contact.

"You're not gonna say bye?"

"I don't feel the need to."

Ouch.

"Oh," I said quietly. "Well, bye."

As I turned to leave, feeling like the earth just crushed me whole, he grabbed my arm and spun me around to face him.

"I'm sorry."

I looked at his face. "What do you mean?"

"I need to ask you a question." He looked at his hand with still held my arm in a firm grip, and then reached up to touch his scar with his free hand.

"Ask me anything," I said under my breath, suddenly not wanting to leave.

"If I ever do anything in the future that you wouldn't like, anything that would make everyone hate me, turn against me . . . Would you forgive me?"

I blinked a couple of times. "Zuko, what are you saying?"

He held my other arm. "Can you promise me?"

"But Zuko-"

"Can you promise me?" he repeated, his voice like the first time I'd met him in his blue spirit costume. I couldn't answer him. His grip on my arms tightened.

"Please, Ayame. Promise."

"I . . . I promise." I felt my heart thumping madly. What had I just done?

And then Zuko did something I never knew he was capable of. He pulled me into a hug. I stood there, my arms limply hanging at my sides in shock, just as he was moments ago. I slowly hugged him back, and then he did something even crazier.

He kissed my cheek.

"Bye," he whispered quietly, still not making eye contact and turning around, walking away.

"Go with him," I told Zian.

"Wait!" Zian yelled. "I want to come with you."

"No you don't," Zuko replied. "I'm going alone."

"It's too dangerous," Zian said, catching up with him. "And were like best friends now, right?"

"No."

"I'm not taking no for an answer."

"Fine, but only until I reach Uncle Iroh. Then we separate."

"Okay. Take care of yourself, Ayame!" He waved at me. Crap.

"Ayame, huh?" Toph was the first to speak. I felt tears welling in my eyes. "It's a nice name."

I turned to face them. Sokka's jaw was hanging open and Katara looked as surprised as I felt. Aang looked surprised too.

"So what happened to the other gloomy girl?" Sokka asked. "Did she dump him?"

"Mai? I don't know."

"Are you guys like, you know-"

"No, we're not," I said tearfully, wiping my eyes.

"Then why did he just-"

"I don't know!" I repeated. "I have a complicated life, and the fact that my name is Ayame doesn't make it better."

"Why?"

"I don't know." I said again. "Stupid nicknames."

"Did he ever call you Mai?" Katara asked.

I glared at her. "Mei. It's spelled differently."

"So . . . Is Zuko the good guy now?" Aang asked, suddenly sounding like a curious little boy now.

"No. Something tells me he'll be back." I said, suddenly serious. "And he'll be a really bad guy."