The trees shook in the light breeze that cascaded over the group. The wind whistled around them, calming them after the confrontation with General Fong. Everyone took off their regular clothes for ones to get wet and relax before they would continue on to Omashu. Ryoko, like the rest, discarded her clothes and appreciated the moment to unwind.

"You guys are gonna be done soon, right?" Sokka asks Katara and Aang as he lounges on a large leaf with Momo curled up on his stomach. Ryoko lay on her own leaf with her eyes closed, filled with peace. It was different than the nights spent sleeping on Appa or in camps they made for a night. At night she confronted memories and fears, now she was surrounded by her friends who were all awake and aware. Compared to those nights, she could feel for a moment that she could relax with her friends not worrying about the next step. She hadn't realized until this moment how tense everything was around them. "We've got a lot of ground to cover if we want to make it to Omashu today."

"What, like you're ready to go right now, naked guy?" Katara asks with a playful smirk, annoyed by her brother interrupting her practice with Aang.

"I could be ready in two minutes," Sokka replies moving his wet hair out of his eyes, "seriously. Whenever."

Ryoko sighs, moving her arms from behind her head where they previously laid. "Take your time guys, I can use a few minutes before we can go." Katara and Aang laugh at the firebender who then started warming the water after laying her hands in the blue waters. Her fingers glided through the water feeling the bubbles come up as it grew hotter.

"Not helping, Ryoko." Ryoko chuckles as the water starts to warm under Sokka making him sigh in delight.

"It's not like I'm teaching him firebending right now, which you still need to learn by the way, Aang. I'm sure I am not as good as my grandfather but I know some things." Without her open eyes, Ryoko could not see Aang and Katara give a look to each other. The silence makes Ryoko raise an eyebrow and open her eyes and turn her head to the pair. "What? What's wrong with you two?" Her eyes glance between the two of them who are passing water between each other.

Ryoko sat up in her little float of a leaf. The scar that covered her shoulder down to her elbow exposed itself to the open air unlike ever before. Without having her armor, she was just left with her scar and the memories, yet it was never brought up. Ryoko glances down to Sokka who also had his eyes closed. "What's up with them?"

Before Aang could say anything Sokka interceded without a care in the world. "Aang burned Katara when firebending and now he doesn't want to do it anymore cause he's afraid." Ryoko stares speechless at the non bender before her wide eyes stare incredulously at the Avatar.

"Y-you don't want to learn firebending anymore?" She blinks rapidly, in a state of disbelief.

Aang is interrupted once again, his mouth barely opening before Katara speaks up on his behalf. "Well Aang needs an earthbending teacher so once he learns earthbending from King Bumi and masters it, you can teach him when he's ready."

Ryoko inhales deeply and leans back onto the leaf. "Alright," she mumbles closing her eyes again resting in her comfortable spot once more. The feeling of the water around her hands was soothing. It surrounded her fingers and took her away from the heat boiling within her. Ryoko heats her hands once more to warm the water and lets out another sigh.

Not long ago Aang was begging her to teach him firebending when she wasn't ready, and now he was holding back from learning what he was meant to. Ryoko knew she would be a hypocrite if she judged him on his decision for now. She would admit that she had done the same thing countless times, trying to give up on firebending and holding back from her destiny. Each time though would end in her being led straight to it. They still had some time until he would face the firelord, so it was fine, right?

"So you were showing me the octopus form," Aang then tells Katara, drawing her attention away from Ryoko and Sokka.

The voices of Katara and Aang faded when Ryoko drifted off into her own thoughts while her body drifts in the water. It was all she needed, a moment of silence and clarity to take her away from the never ending thoughts. While her new friends were a comfort she never knew she could have, there were still moments when Ryoko thought back to what was wrong, of the terrible things that needed to remind her daily.

A distant tune and the humming of a man brought Ryoko out of the thoughts that attempted to pull her under, causing her to open her eyes and alert herself. Along with Sokka, Ryoko picks her head up. She raises an eyebrow and gets off of the large leaf to stand in case they were threatening, but there was nothing threatening as the three adults got closer to them.

"Don't fall in love with the traveling girl. She'll leave you broke and broken hearted," the man in the middle sang as he played his instrument. Their music stopped abruptly when they saw the sight of the four teens in the water, watching Sokka fall into the water instead of gracefully standing. "Hey, hey! River people." Ryoko walks through the water closer to Sokka and pulls him up from the shallow water and lets Momo jump onto her shoulder.

"We're not river people," Katara tells the man.

The man squinted his eyes and leaned back in confusion. "You're not? Well, then what kind of people are you?"

"Just people," Aang answers.

"Aren't we all, brother?" To Ryoko they seemed simple and non threatening, just as she liked it. Their introduction into their lives somehow was much smoother than their previous guides to Omashu. But Sokka did not seem to share Ryoko's judge of character for the group. Sokka trudges through the water towards the man while Ryoko rolls her eyes and goes to stand next to Katara.

"Who are you?" Sokka questions pointing at the man.

"I'm Chong, and this is my wife Lily. We're nomads. Happy to go wherever the wind takes us."
The man starts to sing gibberish as he foolishly strums his guitar.

"You're nomads? That's great! I'm a nomad!"

"Hey! Me too."

Aang furrows his brow at Chong as he then replies, "I know. You just said that."

"Oh." Chong turns his attention to Sokka and smiles, "nice underwear." Ryoko chuckles at the man and takes the time to examine them all. The way they carried themselves screamed relaxation and peaceful to her. When she had met General Fong, a part of her knew something was wrong but these people seemed kind. There certainly was not a threat from them

---

Zuko collapses onto the ground out of a bush, seeing his uncle crouch in front of a smaller bush with a flower sticking out. "I didn't find anything to eat. I can't live like this. I wasn't meant to be a fugitive. This is impossible!"

Iroh, ignoring his nephews complaints, smells the flower in front of him.

Zuko turns, the leaves from the bushes falling off of him in his shaking confusion. "Uncle, what are you doing?" He moves closer to see what had gotten his uncle so entranced as to not even turn in his direction.

"You're looking at the rare white dragon bush. Its leaves make a tea so delicious it's heartbreaking. That, or it's the white jade bush, which is poisonous." Zuko clenches his jaw and fists.

"We need food, not tea. I'm going fishing." Zuko leaves Iroh to be alone with the flower as he goes along by himself to fish. He grabs a large stick and sighs while he looks back at his uncle before heading off again.

No matter how much he didn't want to, his thoughts kept going back to how they got to this point and what he could have done differently. All the questions and possibilities struck him hard. Where did it go so wrong? Why couldn't Ryoko just help him capture the Avatar?

When he was so close to having the Avatar in his grasp, her failing loyalties caused the Avatar to slip through his grasp and back to his friends. If he had just told Ryoko that Zhao died because of his own selfish reasons at the hands of the spirit and not at Zuko's hands, then she would be there with him and his uncle. Sure, they would possibly still be fugitives and starving, but she would have been there. Her chuckles of amusement, her squinting eyes in happiness, her bursts of comments towards his uncle, the things that made her Ryoko. They were all gone.

Those thoughts kept repeating in his head. There were things that could have gone so much more differently and yet now he was trying to fish so he and his uncle wouldn't starve and he didn't know where Ryoko could be or if he would ever even see her again.

---

While Ryoko, Aang, Katara, and Sokka dried off and got dressed, the nomads played their music and told stories. Everyone except for Sokka soon began to relax around Appa and enjoy conversing. Hearing them sing, play and speak brought Ryoko back to the nights on the ship. The few music nights Iroh wanted, he got and some were not as bad as Ryoko thought they would be. These songs were decent as well to her, but she was not one for music. The times she convinced Zuko to not throw the instruments overboard put a smile to her face.

One of the women stares at Ryoko's hair as she braids Katara's hair, including beautiful flowers in it. Another woman sat on Appa's head with her own braiding and flowers to put in Appa's fur much to his displeasure. "You both have beautiful hair," Lily says with a small smile.

"Thank you," Katara eagerly replies.

Ryoko replies with hesitation. "Thanks." Ryoko hadn't thought about her hair since the invasion of the northern water tribe. Putting it up high meant something to her then along with putting on her striking armor. It had been so long already and when she had her hair up, she was that soldier again. She was ready to don the armor she so desperately thought she needed. Now she was only left with earth kingdom clothing, her loose hair, and the chance for her to find out how she truly belongs.

"I can do your hair next!" Ryoko turns her stare at Lily and smiles though it was more awkward with the stranger. The woman was so genuine, Ryoko couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"I'm okay."

"Hey, Sokka, you should hear some of these stories. These guys have been everywhere," Aang says from next to Ryoko.

"Well, not everywhere, little arrowhead, but where we haven't been, we've heard about through stories and songs." Ryoko chuckles at Sokka's expression, one filled with disdain for the nomads nonchalant attitudes.

With a crown of pink flowers around his head, Aang turns to Sokka, the widest of smiles. "They said they'll take us to see a giant nightcrawler."

"On the way, there's a waterfall that creates a never ending rainbow," one of the other men says as he lays on his back. Through her light eyes, Ryoko glances at Sokka as if asking him to put a stop to it. While she enjoyed a moment of relaxation, there were more pressing matters than that of nightcrawlers and waterfalls. Sokka nodded at the firebender with understanding.

"Look, I hate to be the wet blanket here, but since Katara is busy, I guess it's up to me." Ryoko laughs as Katara glares at her brother while her hair is almost finished being braided. Ryoko rakes her fingers through her own hair and turns away from Lily and back to Sokka.

"I'd love to be a wet blanket. We have to get to Omashu immediately, Aang." Ryoko stands up from her spot on Appa, her feet digging into the dirt until she stands next to Sokka.

"Ryoko's right! No sidetracks, no worms, and definitely no rainbows."

"Whoa. Seems like someone's got a case of destination fever."

"You gotta focus less on the where and more on the going," Lily goes off on her husband's words and tells Sokka and Ryoko, pulling Katara's hair.

"Oh... ma... shu."

Ryoko sighs and shakes her head, crossing her arms. "The nightcrawlers won't be the ones teaching you Aang. You have a teacher waiting for you." Katara looks down for a moment and nods lightly.

"Sokka and Ryoko are right. We need to find King Bumi so Aang can learn earthbending somewhere safe."

The man picks his head up as if finally realizing. "Well, sounds like you're headed to Omashu." Ryoko lets out another sigh while clenching her fists with steam coming from them, as Sokka smacks his forehead with all his strength.

"I can't," Ryoko mutters to Sokka.

"There's an old story about a secret pass, right through the mountains."

"So is this real or a legend?" Katara asks the man.

"Oh it's a real legend and it's as old as earthbending itself."

"So it's not real then, great," Ryoko mumbles, looking up into the sky. At the same time the man starts strumming his instrument and singing. The tune caused his group to start to play their instruments as Aang and Katara move their heads to the rhythm. "You have got to be kidding me."

"Two lovers forbidden from one another. A war divides their people and a mountain divides them apart." While the music was enticing, Ryoko did nothing but roll her eyes. Two of the members of the nomads start to dance, their bodies swaying like leaves in the wind. Ryoko didn't think about the words in the song or any importance. "Built a path to be together. Yeah I forget the next couple of lines but then it goes, secret tunnel! Secret tunnel! Through the mountain. Secret, secret, secret, secret tunnel."

Both Ryoko and Sokka cross their arms over their chest, neither impressed by the music of the nomads. The music on the ship not so long ago was only slightly endearing to Ryoko, but for these strangers she wouldn't be so inclined to drop her guard, no matter how kind or ignorant they were. It seemed to the firebender that they had no business with either side of the war that was happening. They were only focused on what was in front of them and the moment, it almost made Ryoko want to roll her eyes. There was more than just the moment, she learned that the hard way.

As everyone claps, Sokka speaks up. "I think we'll just stick with flying. We've dealt with the fire nation before." Sokka goes over to Aang and Katara, Ryoko slowly on his tail.

Aang jumps up, still as warm with kindness as ever. "Yeah, thanks for the help, but Appa hates going underground. And we need to do whatever makes Appa comfortable." Ryoko pets Appa's side, hearing the giant bison growl lightly.

What the four teens didn't expect was the abundance of fireballs that were launched at them from the fire nation. Their screams were heard throughout the forest, and that was all they needed to land again and go back to the nomads.

"Secret love cave. Let's go," Sokka tells the sitting nomads as the four of them covered in soot trudged on.

The nomads begun to lead the way for them, the only sound being their feet moving through the dirt. Their shuffling echoed near the cave.

"How far are we from the tunnel?" Sokka questions. They all moved as group, with Ryoko next to Sokka, Aang next to Katara, and the nomads spread out, and Appa trailing along in the back.

"Actually it's not just one tunnel. The lovers didn't want anyone to find out about their love, so they built a whole labyrinth."

Sokka stops in his tracks and turns to Chong. "Labyrinth?!"

"I'm sure we'll figure it out." Ryoko scoffs and turns back as well as they keep on walking.

"It seems very complicated for two lovers. Why make that much effort to be together and no one to know?" Ryoko comments, the idea seeming frivolous. It was just a story she had to remind herself.

"All you need to do is trust in love, according to the curse," Lily mentions to them. Ryoko and Sokka stop once again, Ryoko sighing and looking up at the sky. It seemed like she was doing that a lot with these nomads, she thought.

"Curse?!" Ryoko grabs Sokka by the shoulders and guides him back to the front of the group.

"Let's go," Ryoko mutters.

The darkness of the tunnel's entrance was shown to them as they came up to it. "Hey, hey! We're here!"

"What exactly is this curse?" Sokka asks Chong.

"The curse says that only those that trust in love can make it through the caves. Otherwise you'll be trapped in them forever."

"And die," Lily adds on.

"Oh yeah, and die. Hey! I just remembered the rest of that song." Chong strums his guitar as he sings in a low pitched tone, "and die."

"I think we would have had better chances with the fireballs," Ryoko says with her arms crossed once again as she turns her head towards the two more optimistic ones in their small group.

Sokka, who was fed up at this point yells out, "that's it! There's no way we're going through some cursed hole."

"Hey!" The group all turn their heads towards one of the men, Moku, who pointed out behind them. "Someone's making a campfire!"

"That's no campfire, Moku," Katara says, her face hardening.

"It's fire nation. They're tracking us."

Aang turns to Chong. "So all you need is to trust in love to get through these caves?"

"That is correct Master Arrowhead."

Aang turns back, his eyes immediately landing on Katara. As the air blew through her hair, Aang knew without a doubt. "We can make it."

"Everyone into the hole," Sokka orders while waving to everyone. Ryoko slows down next to Aang as he smiles slightly while they tread into the darkness.

"Are you sure about this, Aang?" Aang stays silent at first but Ryoko knew where his eyes were moving to. Katara who stood further away from them next to Lily was minding her own business, oblivious to the strong emotions from the Avatar at the moment.

"I'm sure, Ryoko." Ryoko nods with a frown, knowing that Aang's optimism was strong, but her doubts were just as strong. Love broke her trust time and time again. How could she put her trust into it once more, even to get through a cave?

While Ryoko was filling herself with doubts, all of them were oblivious to the fire nation releasing chains into the mountain. The rocks start to fall down, crashing down until each one covers the entrance. There was no way out.

Appa was the first to the entrance, pawing at the rocks. "It's okay, Appa. We'll be fine. I hope," Katara says as she pats him. Ryoko pets his head and sighs looking up at the entrance. There was no choice but to keep going. There was no going back. Going back was never an option for her. She looks into Appa's eyes and tries to calm him while Sokka takes the lead in continuing.

"We will be fine. All we need is a plan. Chong, how long do those torches last?" While the nomads seemed easy going, telling them that Ryoko was a firebender and could easily light the way for them was not an option.

Chong looks up to one of the torches on his guitar. "Uh, about two hours each."

"And we have five torches so," Lily lights up all of the other torches in her hand, "that's ten hours."

Sokka rushes forward, ripping the torches from her hands and throwing them to the ground. "It doesn't work like that if they're all lit at the same time!" Sokka stomps on the flames, putting them out.

"Oh, right."

"Why doesn't she just use her hands? It'll be longer, won't it?" Chong asks pointing to Ryoko. None of them held a glare, but were simply staring. Ryoko's eyes widen slightly as she looks to her friends.

"Oh," Sokka states, glancing to Ryoko. Not everyone was an enemy. Not everyone held a grudge against a firebender when confronted by one. Ryoko lights up her hand, the small flame above her hand lighting up most of the cave. It was brighter than their torches, but they still kept them lit. "Okay, that settles it." He marches forward, climbing onto Appa to grab a piece of paper. "I'm gonna make a map to keep track of exactly where we've been. Then we should be able to solve it like a maze and get through."

Ryoko trails forward, standing next to Sokka so he could not only have more light but for the rest of them to see better with her in the front. Chong kept his torch on his guitar, standing in the middle with the decent lighting to get them through.

Every time they turned corners, walking long in the tunnels, they reached another dead end. Katara approaches her brother while he tries to examine his map. "Sokka this is the tenth dead end you've led us to."

"This doesn't make any sense, we already came through this way."

Sokka turns the other way, trying to find another route while Ryoko stares at the walls of rock. Her eyes darted around seeing everything blocked off. How could this be?

"We don't need a map. We just need love. The little guy knows it."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't mind a map also."

"There's something strange here. There's only one explanation: the tunnels are changing." The earth around them in the mountain begins to shake, the eruption interrupting Sokka's revelation.

"The tunnels, they're a changing. It must be the curse. I knew we shouldn't have come down here."

"Right. If only we listened to you."

"What happened to trusting in love?" Ryoko asks Chong, one hand lit up with fire and the other on her hip. She raises an eyebrow to the man who had no problem until now.

"Everyone be quiet." Katara picks her hand up, gesturing for the speaking to stop. The group quiets down as they all stand waiting. The fire illuminated the cave walls yet it didn't stop any of them from feeling the overwhelming feeling of the unknown. "Listen."

Under all the noise from the three of them was a wailing voice. Sokka who stood in the front with Momo peered deeper into the darkness. The wailing continues and only left them with the suspense in the air. The wailing grew louder causing Momo flying off of Sokka's shoulder.

Out of the darkness came the creature, snarling and baring its teeth. "A giant flying thing with teeth!" Chong cries. The wolf bat flew up to soar down and terrify the group below. Ryoko gasps, jumping back along with everyone, instantly going to defense. Her already lit up hand of fire throws a fireball at the creature, missing the target as it lands behind them and snarls once again.

"No! It's a wolf bat!"

The wolf bat leaps into the air, avoiding Ryoko and Sokka who stood in front of everyone, fire in front of them towards the predator. Ryoko holds her hand up high, trying to catch the fast flyer while Sokka waves his torch back and forth. The wolf bat snarls at Ryoko, swatting its paw before hitting into Sokka causing his torch to fall towards the ground. Yet, the torch hits Appa, who moves in a panic. Ryoko manages to get a hit onto the wolf bat that threatened them. The wolf bat cries out and flies away but Appa was still roaming around in his panicked state.

Appa runs forward while growling in fear. As he turns, Appa's long tail whips the rock wall between the two tunnels, rumbling following the hit. The group look up, while the dust starts falling Aang watches everyone stand below it. Ryoko looks back from the rock ceiling and back to Aang. "Aang!" Ryoko yells but before he could say anything else she feels the strong pulse of wind throw her back. Her back hits the ground and she groans, but the impact was better than being crushed by the boulders that began to fall where they once stood.

Ryoko groans, getting up and following after Sokka who crouched in front of the rocks. Sokka's screams were the only thing left in the chaos that erupted. "Sokka! You won't be able to get through!" Ryoko yells out as she lays a hand on his shoulder, trying to bring him back from the wall that was created between them and Aang and Katara.

"Yeah, it's no use. We're separated," Chong states from behind the two teenagers. "But at least you have us," he continues with a chuckle.

Sokka turns back with a horror filled face and starts to throw rocks back to get away. "Sokka, stop it! Stop!" Ryoko yells as she struggles with him to make him cease the rocks, only causing the two to fall into the rubble.

---

The noises of the night surrounded Zuko while he sat quietly on the porch of Song's home. Even as different as they could be, somehow the women were kind to him and his uncle. "Can I join you? I know what you've been through. We've all been through it." Zuko didn't acknowledge her as Song kept speaking and sat down next to him. He couldn't look her in her eyes. Eyes that could have been the bright golden ones that were always met with his and understood him. This girl who was only being genuine was being met with lies.

"The fire nation has hurt you." That was the truth in some way. The fire nation has hurt him in a way. His father burned him to punish him, Ryoko was burned by her own father when she was only eight. Zuko remembered the day he realized how hurt she was after her mom died.

Song starts to bring her hand up, delicately trying to place it on Zuko's scar. Without looking away from the outside, Zuko grabs her hand. Not so long ago, someone else was delicately placing her hand by his scar. Ryoko had shown him the light in the darkness of anger. And with her gone, the darkness was coming back, despite how much the innocent girl beside him felt he could relate to her.

"It's okay." She wasn't offended as she brings her hand down to her lap. "They've hurt me too." Without shame or fear, Song lifts her leg and the clothing to reveal the scar that covered her right leg.

---

After her many attempts to calm Sokka down, Ryoko settled with his frustrated expression and kept going. The nomads all behind the two frollicked and played instruments with an upbeat tune, not one good enough to comfort Sokka. "Don't let the cave in get you down. Don't let the falling rocks turn your smile into a frown. When the tunnel's as dark as that's when you need a clown!" The group all walk past the two as Ryoko just stares at them. The fact they could keep their mood up when they were pushed to the limits and go on with smiles and music baffled the firebender. Chong falls back as he continues singing to the teens. "Don't let the cave in get you down, Sokka and Ryoko." His song trails off as he sings her name and Ryoko lets out a chuckle but Sokka only groaned.

Ryoko couldn't help but gaze around at the dark cave they were in. It was a terrible idea to go into the cave to begin with, she knew that. Listening to the nomads who spoke of love and trust didn't know what they were talking about.

Sokka went to the front once again as he tells her to stay close. Ryoko keeps the fire in her hand lit while the only noise was the strumming of the guitar and the sound of their feet in the dirt covered ground.

Sokka kept his face in the map that he created and sadly brought them to dead end upon dead end. Sokka sighs and brings her attention away from the cave and to him. "Sokka?" He turns his head from the map and hums in response. "How do you think Aang and Katara are doing now?"

"I'm not sure." Ryoko knew that a part of him was worried sick for the two, but he wouldn't show it outright.

"Well we're gonna make it out of here. All of us," she turns to the nomads behind them who still remained nonchalant, "including them."

They turn the corner and once again they were blocked by a wall. "Oh great! Your plans have led us to another dead end," Moku says, his enthusiastic voice covering the disappointing news.

Ryoko rolls her eyes as she turns back to the nomads while Sokka still faced the dead end. "At least I'm thinking of ideas and trying to get us out of here, Moku."

"All you guys have been doing is singing and dancing," Ryoko adds on with a glare.

"Whoa, whoa. Wait a minute," Chong says, interrupting the bickering. "We're thinking of ideas? Cause I've had an idea for, like, an hour now." Ryoko groans while Sokka breaks.

"Yes! We're all thinking of ideas!"

"Well, then listen to this. If love is the key out of here, then all we need to do is play a love song." The strumming starts once again as Ryoko clenches her fist and closes her eyes, reminding herself to not do anything rash. Sokka hits his head again for what seemed like the one hundredth time since they went into the caves.

Ryoko lets out a breath from her nose with a clenched jaw as they continue to strum and move to their love songs. Ryoko feels her being pushed into Sokka as she keeps looking forward but her eyes glance over to the bright woman who had almost a knowing look in her eyes. Ryoko scrunches her eyebrows in confusion at the woman but turns to see Chong as well. Ryoko didn't know what Chong and Lily were doing but she only lit her hand brighter in the darkness of the cave. The two move on to the front with their group, still keeping their wide smiles and singing and dancing along.

The firebender only rolls her eyes, face turning red, and keeps going along, her irritation only growing.

"Even if you're lost, you can't lose the love because it's in your heart."

As they continued along, Ryoko stood at the back with Sokka with fire as Chong walked in the front with the torch they had, both being the light along the way. Was the legend to how the caves were for two lovers created just to make others feel better about the danger of the mountain? It seemed that all that came from love was danger.

Ryoko is ripped from her thoughts as light snarling comes from the shadows. "The wolf bat," she mutters before a swarm of wolf bats rush out of the darkness and fly away, missing the stream of fire from Ryoko who puts a hand over Sokka who was also swatting at them. The rest of them had gone, all the noise from the animals disappearing with them, leaving the group in the silence.

"Hey! You saved us, Ryoko," Chong says standing up. Ryoko looks back behind her, her face hardening.

"No," she says.

"They were trying to get away from something," Sokka continues, Momo jumping onto his shoulder from Ryoko's.

"From what?"

The group looks up, startled when a sudden rumbling shakes the caves. A boom shakes the cave, followed by another. Two badger moles appear from the dust, staring deeply into their eyes. Ryoko's hands both light up as she between the both of them. Their large paws pick up, hitting into the earth causing the ground beneath them to shake. Ryoko turns back to the nomads and before she can say anything, a crack forms between them, leaving each group with a badgermole. Ryoko huffs out and turns back to the badgermole that started to move closer to Sokka.

"Hey!" Ryoko runs up to Sokka, pulling him away from the large creature and behind her. The fire in her hands makes the badgermole turn its face away from her but it still continued on closer, swiping its paws until she feels its paw hit into her. She falls into the ground, taking a deep breath from the impact in pain. Sokka lands next to her, his hand hitting into the guitar that lay there.

The string erupts full of music, no matter how off tune it was. The badgermoles start to surround the two but Sokka grabs the guitar, strumming it randomly. "Hey, those things are music lovers!"

Out of tune, Sokka begins singing along with playing the guitar, much to Ryoko's amusement among the chaos. "Badgermoles coming towards me, come on guys, help me out," he sings while looking back to the nomads and Ryoko. Ryoko shakes her head.

"I don't sing or dance."

The nomads begin to dance and play their own instruments on them while Chong begins to sing. "The big bad badgermoles who opened the tunnels, hate the wolf bats but love the sounds."

Ryoko lets out a loud laugh as the badgermoles stay peaceful while listening to the music. Sokka nervously continues to strum the guitar with a playful glare on his face to the girl.

The light of day begins to get brighter as Appa, Katara, and Aang run out of the cave and onto the cliff. Appa flops onto the ground and lays on his back, happy to be out of the caves and underground. The satisfaction lasted about a minute when Aang turns to Katara.

"What about Sokka and Ryoko?" Doubt and worry filling themselves, the two turn towards the caves being met with only the emptiness of the cave exit.

The mountain behind them begins to rumble, without another moment to settle, the two badgermoles break through the earth, holding the nomads on one and Sokka and Ryoko with Momo on the other. Sokka waves frantically at his sister and Aang as Ryoko holds onto him, one hand waving as well.

"Sokka!"

"Ryoko!"

Sokka slides down, Ryoko following after him as the two run up to their friends. "How did you guys get out?!" Sokka asks them. Ryoko hugs Katara, letting out a sigh of relief.

"It was horrible," she mutters to her friend with a chuckle. Katara lets out a laugh of her own as Aang comes up next to the waterbender.

"Just like the legend says - we let love lead the way." Ryoko scrunches her eyebrows together as she glances between the two, Sokka being oblivious to whatever happened.

"Really? We let huge ferocious beasts lead our way." Sokka turns and the nomads and the two who had met with the two badgermoles all waved as the creatures growled and went back into the mountain they came from.

"They loved Sokka's singing," Ryoko jokes as Sokka pushes her shoulder.

"Why is your forehead all red?" Katara asks her brother after Aang runs off to speak to the other nomads. Chong approaches the three and leans over.

"Nobody react to what I'm about to tell you. I think that kid might be the Avatar." Sokka slaps his forehead once again and Ryoko smirks.

"Really? I hadn't noticed that at all, Chong."

As Chong begins to bid his own farewell he turns to Ryoko. "Ryoko, never lose trust in love, let it lead the way." She wasn't too sure about love leading the way, but she was sure of two large beasts guiding the way to the next step. Love had hurt Ryoko, that was also something she was sure of. Yet being surrounded by her friends in moments like this, it reminded her that not all love was bad.

The other nomads begin to walk off without a care in the world, and Chong places his necklace of flowers around Sokka's neck. "Sokka, I hope you learned a little something about not letting the plans get in the way of the journey." He pulls Sokka into a hug as Ryoko chuckles at his blushing.

"Just play your songs."

"Hey! Good plan!" Chong begins to strum his guitar to the tune that had started to grow on Ryoko.

"Even if you're lost you can't lose the love because it's in your heart."

Ryoko smiles at her friends, though only Sokka saw the look in her eyes. Though she had no reason to trust in love after all the hurt, being there with the three of them was enough for her.

"Come on, guys," she says as the four of them keep going on their journey to Omashu.

"The journey was long and annoying, but now you get to see what it's really about - the destination."

"Pretty sure that's the exact opposite of what Chong meant, Sokka," Ryoko tells him.

"Yeah, whatever, you're gonna love this Ryoko, you haven't seen the city. I present to you, the Earth kingdom city of O-" Sokka pauses the breath being taken out of him by the sight. "Oh no."

Ryoko's breath hitches seeing the symbol of flames. Once again Ryoko was faced with the burning colors and power of her nation, yet this time she wasn't on their side.

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A/N: So since no one commented on last chapter I'll just continue updating as usual with chapters when I can.

Not me throwing in bits of Zuko and Ryoko to keep everyone interested lol

I was non stop writing this chapter so I hope you guys like it I know its kind of a filler but I liked writing it.