I stare out the windows of the earthbenders' train as it moves along the tall track. On the other side, the outer rings of Ba Sing Se move by. To my right I see animals that look like deer-leopards, but without the spots and with longer horns. I grab Zuko's arm and point, laughing.

He leans over me, staring out the window with me. I can feel his breath against my ear, billowing my hair slightly. I resist the urge to lean back into him.

"What are they?"

He laughs softly. "I don't know."

"Oh." I smile and duck under his arm, leaning back against the seat. He pulls away from the window, but his eyes don't leave me. I smile at him- I've never felt this free. We're finally- finally!- in Ba Sing Se!

All our troubles are over at last.

We'll find Zuko's uncle and he'll make everything better. This is a fresh start- here no one knows who the Painted Lady is. Here I'm just another girl, and Zuko is just another boy.

We're just more refugees, and Ba Sing Se is the City of Hope. I sigh in contentment, surprised to find that I'm truly happy. And I'm not worrying about anything- well, maybe I'm a little worried about how Beak is doing with his new family, back on the other side of the lake.

We couldn't take him on the ferry.

And maybe I'm a little worried because I still haven't gotten all my strength back after my bought of food poisoning.

But compared to some of the other things I've had to worry about over these last few weeks, those are minor concerns.

I can finally relax and enjoy the ride- and Zuko's company.

I can still feel his eyes on me, slightly worried. Taiera told me how worried he was when I was I sick, how he never wanted to leave my bedside. I'm not sure what to think about that.

He's my friend, and my husband, and I can't deny that I'm attracted to him. But we're- we're polar opposites. And he is a prince. I can't understand why he would care what happens to me, why he's always cared.

I just know that he does, and that I've never been more happy for anything than I am for that.

Everything will be okay.

Everything will be okay.

The train stops, and Zuko and I follow everyone else off the platform. I stare out into a sea of triangular houses and shops. Trees are scattered here and there, and it's all boxed in by the wall. Well, one of the walls.

I take a deep breath, and Zuko looks at me funny. I glance at him. "What?"

"Nothing. Just wondering what you were doing."

I grin at him. "Taking my first breath of free air. You?" He laughs softly, and his hand finds mine. As always, my heartbeat speeds up, but I breathe through it. I'm used to it now, but I will never stop loving it.

The connection.

The feel of his hand linking me to him through my hand, and vice versa.

The knowledge that he doesn't want to let go any more than I do.

"Come on. We need to find a place to stay while we look for Uncle."

**__**

Zuko sat at a small table in the taproom of the Panda Lily, the inn where he and Kara were staying the night. Kara was upstairs, asleep, but Zuko couldn't get his mind to shut down, so he'd come downstairs for a drink.

Around him men, some drunk, some not, laughed and talked and gushed about what a great city Ba Sing Se was.

And it was beautiful... but something in Zuko wouldn't let him relax. No matter how much he wanted to make a new life here, the city still felt like a prison to him. Maybe it was all the walls, or the silent watchers that he'd seen around the city. But Zuko didn't feel right here.

Kara, on the other hand, loved it. She couldn't remember ever seeing anything other than the fairly boring landscape of Sen, and of course the terrain she and Zuko had traversed in their traveling.

To her, this city was amazing, majestic, and beautiful.

And in a way, it was. But it was also stifling, and fake. These people acted like there wasn't a war, when in reality in was raging just outside their doorstep.

Zuko couldn't help wondering how long it would be before the war spilled into Ba Sing Se. Not even this city could stand forever.

Nothing was that strong.

Suddenly, a voice drifted to Zuko from the haze of rejoicing going on in the taproom.

"Yeah, that's right, Mooshi. Best teamaker in the city, I'm telling you. That old man has a magic tea recipe."

Zuko's head whipped around, and before he knew it he was standing beside the man who'd spoken. "Where did you say this tea shop is? I love tea."

**__**

Jet leaned against a wall, watching the sun rise over Ba Sing Se. This fresh start thing wasn't working out so well. Lee had turned down his offer to become a Freedom Fighter back on the ferry. He'd chosen to be a refugee instead and had snuck off before Jet could even say goodbye. Smells and Longshot had ditched him for some tournament, and now he didn't know what to do with himself.

So he was wandering the streets, looking for trouble.

He was good at that, always had been.

Usually, he didn't even need to look. Trouble just found him. It had been that way ever since the Fire Nation killed his family.

He watched the early risers dart around, doing what they did. Across the street, an old man bought a cup of tea from a vendor, sniffing deeply. He walked several paces away, closer to where Jet stood in the shadows.

Jet didn't know what made him watch the old man. He was just another fat refugee, come to Ba Sing Se for a better life.

The old man took a sip of his tea and spit it out. Jet was close enough to hear him mutter 'I hate cold tea!'

He was also close enough to see the old man look around, take a deep breath, and then breathe it into his tea.

And Jet saw steam rise from the cup.

The old man smiled.

Jet didn't.

_____________

I know I said one more comment, but I have to leave sooner than planned so I'll update, you love me! You're welcome. :)

-Eon