"What do they want to talk about?" Mika asked Toph.

I answered for Toph, standing up. "They want to discuss the plan — whatever that'll be. We'll be right out, Toph."

The little blind girl shrugged. "Not my problem. My job was just to deliver the message." She turned on her heel and stepped out. I looked at Mika again, refraining from laughing again. "You need to know something about me and Sokka," I said, causing her to blush and fidget nervously. This sweet girl genuinely thought that I was with Sokka. Well, either she or Suki was in store for a heartbreak.

"Mika," I said. "Sokka is like an older brother to me. More than that, actually. He is my older brother. You have nothing to worry about." She gave a small smile of relief, and lunged forward to pull me into an embrace.

"Can I tell you something?" She whispered in my ear. "I really thought you hated me. I mean, I replaced you in the group and —"

I laughed again, this one more light-hearted. "Oh, sweetheart," I said. "You could never replace me." She tensed, and I realized how awful that had sounded. "Let me try that again. You can't replace me because you're your own person, Mika, and so am I." I pulled back from the hug and smiled at her. "Now, let's go. Everyone is waiting for us."

She nodded with a grin and followed me.

I stopped before exiting my tent, glancing over my shoulder. "Oh, Mika?"

"Yes?"

I gave a half smirk. "I don't recommend assuming things about me," I said. "People are hardly ever right."

"Unquestionable honor?" Zuko echoed his uncle, wide eyed — or, as wide as his scarred eye could get. We were all seated in a circle. I sat between Zuko and Mika. "But I've made mistakes!"

"You've got that right," I mumbled, looking at him from the corner of my eye. Sokka glared at me and Zuko for a short moment, quickly looking back down at a sword that I had only just noticed. Katara looked at us quizzically, unsure of what to make of the silent argument Sokka and I were exchanging.

"Yes, you have," Iroh nodded. "You struggled, you've suffered; but you have always followed your own path. You have restored your own honor, and only you can restore the honor of the Fire Nation."

I looked at Zuko — shocked expression and all — and squeezed his hand, which he quickly returned. "I'll try, Uncle," he says.

"Well, what if Aang doesn't come back?" Toph asked.

I looked around at the faces of the group. "What does she mean?" I asked. "Aang is alive?" I was answered with solemn expressions and a long pause. I tried again, looking directly at Katara. "Where is Aang?"

"We don't know," she replied. "He disappeared, and he hasn't come back yet."

Iroh spoke again. "Sozin's Comet is arriving, and our destiny is upon us. Aang will face the Fire Lord." He took a breath. "When I was a boy, I had a vision that I would take Ba Sing Se. Only now do I see that my destiny was to take it back from the Fire Nation, so the Earth Kingdom can be free again."

Suki smiled. "That's why you gathered members of the Order of the White Lotus."

Iroh nodded in response, then looks at his nephew. "Zuko, you must return to the Fire Nation so that, when the Fire Lord falls, you can restore peace and order."

"But," I added, squeezing his hand again tightly, "Azula will be there. She'll be waiting for you."

"I can handle Azula," he looks at me with a smile.

"No!" Iroh blurted. "Not alone! You will need help."

"I won't be alone, Uncle," he said, then looked at me with a smile and a determined look in his eyes that I hadn't seen in so long. "I'll have you there by my side."

I shook my head, which morphed his smile into a disappointed and saddened frown. "Zuko, I'm in no shape for a showdown with Azula." I gestured towards my bandaged side with our interlocked hands. "Your best bet is to have Katara there with you. If there's one person that I know will fight just as hard as me by your side, it's her. Besides," I smiled weakly, "she's the only person I can trust to make sure you get out of there alive."

Zuko smiled back, as did Katara, and he looked at her. "Katara, how would you like to help me put Azula in her place?"

She gave a smirk. "It would be my pleasure."

Sokka looked at Iroh. "What about us?" He pointed towards me, Toph, Suki, and himself. "What's our destiny today?"

Iroh asked, "What do you think it is?"

Sokka thought for a moment. "I think that, even though we don't know where Aang is, we need to do everything we can to stop the aircraft fleet."

"And that means, when Aang does face the Fire Lord, we'll be right there when he needs us."

"I'm the girl for the job," I said with an affirmative nod. After receiving concerned looks, I added, "I may not be in good enough shape to face a sociopath like Azula, but I can handle some soldiers. And you find anyone else that knows more about the aircrafts than I do." Now the looks were a mixture of confusion and worry. I simply shrugged. "What? I did a lot of reading on the ship while Zuko was tracking you guys..."

"Saki, I really need to talk to you," Zuko said. He'd pulled me aside after our talk with Iroh, saying that it was important. He hadn't let go of my hand since then, either.

"Of course," I nodded. "What's the matter, Zuko?"

He looked away. I gently placed a hand on his cheek and touched his scar, causing him to take in a sharp breath. "I haven't been completely honest with you," he finally said. "Ever since you came with me on my search for honor — I've been hiding something."

Confused, I couldn't think of anything he hadn't told me that I hadn't already figured out on my own. I waited in silence for an explanation. He sighed and leaned into my touch. "I just... I want to tell you, before we go into this fight... That... That I..." He was visibly struggling to find the right words, whatever they were. He leaned forward, his lips brushing mine as he pressed forward.

I froze. What was I supposed to do? I suddenly remembered Jin. I remembered how she'd tried to kiss Zuko by the fountain, only for him to pull away and state that things were "complicated". I turned my head away slightly, separating our lips. Zuko's warm breath fell on my ear when he whispered my name, sending a shiver down my spine.

"Zuko," I spoke quietly. "I love you... but I'm not in love with you. We've lied to each other a lot. I don't... I don't think this would be a good idea."

I looked up at him again and was met with teary eyes, rather than the fiery golden eyes I'd known all my life. "Besides," I softened my voice, trying to lighten the mood with a joke, "we don't need any more reason for Mai to try and skewer us." When he didn't mirror my smile, I kissed his cheek and said, "I still love you, Zuko, more than anyone in the world. You're my best friend, and I'm always going to be here with you."

"I love you too," he whispered, pulling me closer and wrapping his arms around me.

The sound of someone clearing their throat caught my attention. Zuko and I looked to see Katara, who was blushing lightly at the sight. "I'm glad I found you two," she said. "Sokka has our plan all figured out. It's time to get to work."