The next morning...
Y/n POV
We all woke up and came out to start packing up Appa. After we finished packing, Sokka stood back with his hands on his hips.
"Okay, that's everything," he said.
"No it's not. Where's Aang?" Toph spoke up. We all paused, realizing we hadn't seen him since he stormed off last night. We ran into the beach house, searching all the rooms for him and coming up short.
We all met on the balcony of his room, seeing Aang's staff, but not Aang.
"Aang's not in the house, so let's check the beach," Zuko said and we went down the cliff to the shore. As soon as we got there, I pointed out somehting.
"Look! There's his footprints, but they just stop," I said as I followed the trail to the waterline.
"Maybe he was captured," Katara guessed. Sokka bent down to the footprints.
"I don't think so. There's no sign of a struggle," Sokka said. Toph knelt down next to him.
"I bet he ran away again," Toph bet. Sokka shook his head.
"Uh-uh, he left behind his glider and Appa," he pointed out.
"Then what do you think happened to him, oh sleuthy one?" Toph asked sarcastically.
"It's pretty obvious. Aang mysteriously disappears before an important battle? He's definitely on a spirit world journey," Sokka concluded.
"His body still be here though," I reminded him. Sokka deflated but I pat his back, perking him back up. "He's gotta still be on the island somewhere. Let's split up and find him."
"I'm going with Zuko!" Toph said excitedly, clinging to Zuko's arm. We all looked at her. "What? Everyone else went on a life changing field trip with Zuko. Now, it's my turn," she explained.
Sokka took Appa to look from the sky, while Katara and I went to look in the village. When we got there, there was a crowd of people chanting "Aang".
Upon closer inspection, it was just the Ember Island Players. We looked around all the secluded parts of village I could think of, and still found nothing.
We got back and met up with the others, and they had as much luck as us.
"Hey, wait a minute. Has anyone noticed that Momo is missing, too?" Toph said all of a sudden. Sokka freaked out at that.
"Oh no! I knew it was only a matter of time. Appa ate Momo!!" He shouted as he jumped over to pry open the bison's mouth and climb inside.
"Sokka, he's probably with Aang," I told him. Sokka turned around and pointed at Appa.
"That's just what Appa wants you to think," he said and he climbed deeper in Appa's mouth.
"Get out of the bison's mouth, Sokka! We have a real problem here. Aang is nowhere to be found and the comet is only two days away," Zuko reprimanded. Everyone looked to him.
"What should we do, Zuko?" Katara asked.
"I don't know. Why are you all looking at me?" he asked in return.
"Well, you are kind of the expert on tracking Aang," Katara reasoned.
"How'd you find them all those times before?" I prompted Zuko. He thought for a moment before instructing everyone to get on Appa.
I pulled Sokka into the saddle and stifled a laugh.
"Are you alright?" I said, gesturing to his disheveled appearance. He rolled his eyes.
"I just climbed into a sky bison's mouth and was spit back up. I am anything but alright," he said pouting and I couldn't help but laugh.
Zuko flew us away from Ember Island and towards the Earth Kingdom. We landed outside a tavern in an Earth Kingdom forest. The music and chattering patrons could be heard from outside, and even more when we opened the door.
"And the reason you brought us to a seedy Earth Kingdom tavern is what now?" Katara asked, looking around skeptically. Zuko pointed to a woman drinking men under the table. And throwing, punching, and kicking them there too.
"June," he said.
"Oh yeah, that weird bounty hunter with the giant mole," Sokka said. I looked at him confused.
"Mole? Her skin is flawless," I said and Sokka shook his head.
"No, she has this giant mole creature she rides around on," he explained.
"The Shirshu. It's the only animal that can track Aang's scent anywhere in the world. It's the one shot we have of finding him," Zuko explained.
We watched the woman continue to flawlessly fight all the men in the bar, all without spilling her drink.
"I don't know who this Jun lady is, but I like her," Toph said happily.
"Let's hope she likes us, otherwise we're gonna have to fight her to get her to help us," I thought aloud.
"She doesn't like us. She helped Zuko attack us," Sokka revealed. Zuko looked to the side embarrassed.
"Yep. Back in the good old days," he quipped sarcastically. He approached the woman and she wasn't happy to see Zuko either.
"Oh great, it's Prince Pouty. Where's your creepy grandpa?" she asked.
"He's my uncle, and he's not here," Zuko said. Jun smiled at Katara and Zuko.
"I see you worked things out with your girlfriend," she said smugly and both Katara and Zuko blushed hard while denying it. Alright there's a story behind all this that someone's gonna have to tell me.
"I need your help finding the Avatar," Zuko said, getting down to business.
"Hm, doesn't sound to fun," Jun replied. Zuko grumbled.
"Does the end of the world sound like more fun?" He yelled in her face.
"Sounds more fun than getting yelled at by a brooding teenage prince," she said glaring at him in the eye. I pulled Zuko back and spoke to Jun.
"Listen, my father's a high ranking general. If you help us and if we make it out of this war alive, I'll split my inheritance 60-40 with you," I lied. She smiled at me and got up, leading us out to her shirshu. Zuko leaned into me.
"Do you have that money?" he asked me. I shrugged.
"That's why I said 'if'," I told him. Katara gave Jun Aang's staff for a scent sample and the Shirshu got to work. It sniffed around, walking around in a circle before stopping and putting it's head down.
"Well, what does that mean?" Zuko asked Jun.
"It means your friend's gone gone. He doesn't exist," she clarified. We all looked at her highly confused.
"What do you mean he doesn't exist? Do you mean he's, you know, dead?" Sokka asked. Jun shook her head.
"Nope. We could find him if he were dead. Oh, it's a real headscratcher. See ya," she said nonchalantly.
"Helpful. Real helpful," Toph said sarcastically.
"Wait, I have another idea," Zuko started. "There's only one other person in this world who can help us face the Fire Lord. I'll be right back with a smell sample," he said and he ran back to Appa's saddle.
He came back with a foul smelling sandal, complete with flies. It was from his uncle, and it was enough for the shirshu to pick up his trail and lead us to him.
We hopped on Appa and followed Jun across the Earth Kingdom. The journey lasted into the morning and all of the next day, until we finally arrived at the Walls of Ba Sing Se.
"Your uncle is somewhere beyond the wall. Nyla's getting twitchy so it can't be too far. Good luck," she said and she turned to leave before turning back to look at me. "Oh and General's Girl, forget the inheritance, consider it a personal favor." And then she was gone.
Zuko watched her leave before turning to the rest of us.
"It's been a long day. Let's camp and start our search again at dawn," he decided and we all followed suit. After we set up camp, I went to find Zuko sitting away from the others.
"Hey, take your own advice and actually rest for a few hours," I told him. He looked at me and sighed.
"How can I when everyone seems to think I'm the best person to be in charge right now?" He said quietly, not wanting the others to here. I sat down next to him.
"Probably because you are. A. you're the oldest, B. I don't know what you thought, but Team Avatar is just a group of emotionally scarred kids. You're upbringing puts you leagues above us when it comes to war strategy. Now don't get me wrong: you're a kid too and none of us should be in this situation, but you're the wisest and most trust worthy person to get us through this," I told him. He turned his head back to the ground, but I saw the ghost of a smile.
"Thanks Y/n," he whispered. I pat his back and got up, going to join Sokka on our sleeping side of Appa.
"Pep talks are what I'm here for," I said with a smile. I laid down next to an already asleep Sokka, and he quickly turned over in his sleep to wrap his arms around me.
A few hours later...
Sokka POV
We were rudely awakened by a ring of fire and rock formations surrounding us. Y/n and I popped up quickly, and everyone braced themselves for an attack.
We looked around and on top of the rocks were several elder men in white robes. It took me a second, but I soon recognized them.
"Well, look who's here," King Bumi said laughing. Along with him were Master Pakku, Master Piandao, and Jeong Jeong. We all gathered around to speak with them.
"What's going on? We're surrounded by old people," Toph asked.
"Not just any old people. These are great masters and friends of ours," Katara explained to her. Master Pakku revealed that he and Gran Gran had gotten together in our absence.
Katara introduced Zuko and Y/n to Jeong Jeong, and he recognized them both immediately.
"Your highness, it is an honor to meet you. And Miss Yaika, you've truly grown into an extraordinary woman, as your father predicted," he said to them and they bowed in respect.
I went to bow to Master Piandao and then our hellos were complete.
"So wait, how do you all know each other?" Y/n asked.
"All old people know each other, don't you know that?" King Bumi said laughing.
"We're all a part of the same ancient secret society, a group that transcends the divisions of the four nations," Master Piandao further explained.
The others explained how their leader, who was apparently Zuko's uncle, called them together for something important. They promised to take us to him.
"Wait, someone's missing from your group. Someone very important. Where's Momo?" King Bumi asked, getting all up in my face.
"He's gone, and so is Aang," I replied.
"Oh, well, so long as they have each other, I'm sure we have nothing to worry about," he said nonchalantly. He catapulted himself with a rock inside the wall and we all followed after him.
Y/n appeared by my side and giggled, grabbing onto my arm.
"You've had some really wacky adventures, huh?" she said to me. I nodded and kissed her cheek.
"When this is all over, we're gonna sit around a campfire with s'mores and I'll tell you all about them," I promised her. She put her pinky in mine and we shook on it.
Man, I love her...
Y/n POV
We walked into a camp protected by mountains, and King Bumi welcomed us in.
"Well, here we are. Welcome to old people camp," he said. The other masters quickly pointed Zuko to his uncle's tent, and he hesitated to enter it. Instead, he sat outside of it. I walked up behind him.
"You good?" I asked. He shook his head.
"No, I'm not. My uncle hates me, I know it. He loved me and supported me in every way he could and I still turned against him. How can I even face him?" Zuko asked. I put my hand on his shoulder.
"Zuko, you know in your heart that you're sorry for what you did," I said to him and he nodded. "Then he'll forgive you, and you'll get your loving uncle back," I reassured him. He looked at me and nodded, getting up to enter the tent.
Good luck, Zuko. You can do it...
~|~
Thanks for reading 💙💙