"How was it seeing your dad again?" Aang smiled walking with Zuko as they followed the trail as a group.

"My dad?" Zuko looked at him disgusted.

"Xai? Isn't your family a few higher ranks?" Aang rubbed his neck awkwardly from getting it wrong.

"Uh yea they are but Xai isn't my dad, he's been in charge of me since I was thirteen, he's my commander over all," Zuko shrugged with his hands in his pockets.

"Do you miss him?" Aang smiled again.

".. no, I don't try to get attached to people," he looked ahead following Sokka who took the lead.

"He misses him, he's lying," Toph teased.

"It's okay to miss people Zuko, we miss our dad who's in the war," Katara motioned to her and her brother.

"Is he just a solider?" Zuko raised his brow.

"No he's in charge of them, the chief of the southern water tribe," she smiled kindly.

"Your dads the chief?!" His jaw dropped shocked.

"Yep, left with all the men in the tribe to fight, sokkas the oldest male in our tribe," she giggled at his expressions.

"So your like prince and princess?" Zuko was baffled.

"I like to think so," Sokka grinned while flexing his arms.

"No, we're not, there's none of that in our little village," Katara pushed her brother to stop his childish flexing.

"Technically you kind of are royalty?" Aang blushed a little looking at her.

"Wow what a group of misfits we are," Toph held her hands behind her head as she walked.

"Hello there fellow refugees!" A new voice called to them.

Zuko and Sokka looked annoyed seeing three new people. That's just going to slow them down.

"Hi there," Aang waved.

"Are you guys going to ba sing se too?" He asked as they all stopped.

"Sure are, we're trying to get there before my wife Ying has her baby," the man held the woman's hand as she looked heavily pregnant.

"Great we can travel through serpents pass together," Katara offered. Sokka and Zuko groaned more annoyed together.

The group of three looked horrified by Kataras offer.

"Only the truly desperate travel thst deadly route," ying quaked.

"Deadly route? Great pick Sokka," Toph snorted shaking her head.

"Well we are desperate," Sokka didn't understand.

"You should come with us to full moon bay, ferries take refugees across the lake, it's the fastest way to ba sing se," the husband explained calmly as he eased his wife's worries.

"And it's hidden so the fire nation can't find it," yings sister said in a soft voice.

"Peaceful ferry ride or deadly pass?" Katara smirked sarcastically. Everyone started to travel again heading to the ferries as the avatar gang followed the new refugees from the back.

"I think I almost robbed these guys?" Zuko whispered to Toph.

—

Two earth benders lead the group through a tunnel and bended an exit into the cavern that had crowds of refugees that could've been in the hundreds, as well as boats that exited the cavern to the bay that would take them to ba sing si.

"I can't believe how many people's lives have been uprooted by the fire nation," Katara whispered sadly seeing the poor gathered in such a small area. Children, elders, mothers and father.

"We're all looking for a bit of life, safe behind the walls," the husband kept a hand on his wife's shoulder as they walked in. Aang had a guilty look on his face as he was next to Zuko.

"What's with your face?" Zuko frowned at him.

"What's with your face?" Aang replied anxiously.

"I asked first," Zuko glared down at him annoyed.

"... I'm suppose to help everyone here," Aang whispered finally and waited for zukos answer.

"I'm suppose to hurt everyone here," Zuko whispered just as guilty, unable to look any of them in the eyes. Aangs heart sunk a little, the tone of his voice told the monk that he truly didn't want too.

"Well your not under orders, you don't have to if you don't want too," Aang smiled back gently.

"Do you?" He asked a little quieter. Zuko looked at him and immediately shook his head.

"That's what ba sing si is about... you don't have to be someone you don't want to be in there, you don't have to be a solider, and with being with the avatar you'll have warm food and a roof over your head," he smiled more hopeful, that the other teen was one of them after all.

"I won't.. I won't be with the avatar in the walls," Zuko kept his eyes on the ground.

"What?" Aang, Sokka and Toph all heard him and stopped the fire bender.

"No you can't leave me with the goodie goodies, I'll loose my mind," Toph gripped her hair wide blond eyes.

"What are You going to do?" Sokka was baffled by the sudden abandonment.

"I don't want the attention you'll draw, I'm staying out of sight, I'm laying low," Zuko crossed his arms, keeping his scowl.

"We don't draw attention!" Sokka gasped.

"That's all we do," Katara rolled her eyes. 

"When?"

"every village we go too," she said flatly.

"Let's just get some tickets for the ferry's and talk about this rationally," Sokka waved them off and went to get in line with the other refugees.

"I already told you! No vegetables!" An older woman bellowed at the front of the line.

"One cabbage slug could destroy the entire ecosystem of ba sing si! Security!" She yelled and a platypus bear destroyed a cart full of cabbages.

"My cabbages!" The man screamed in horror.

"Next!" She stamped paper and slid it to the side.

"That's all You great avatar," Toph pushed the air bender forward in front of everyone.

"Uh five tickets for the ferry to ba sing se please," Aang stuttered walking to the woman.

"Passport?" She asked with a scowl.

"Uh no one told us we needed passports," he gulped.

"Don't You know who this is? He's the avatar," Sokka stepped in.

"Bah, I see 50 avatars a day, and by the way not a very impressive costume," the old woman pointed to the group of fake monks with fake tattoos to look like Aang on the side.

"Besides, no animals allowed, do I need to call security?" She glared down at Aang and momo. Aang looked at the platypus bear wide eyes.

"That won't be necessary," he put his hands up.

"I'll take it from here," Toph stepped in front of them all as momo jumped on her shoulders.

"My name is Toph beifong and I need five tickets," she set her passport on the high counter that was taller than her.

"Oh.. the golden seal of the flying boar," the old woman gasped in awe now, hostility fading away.

"It is my pleasure to help anyone of the beifong family," she bowed a little to the blind girl.

"It is your pleasure, as you can see I am blind, and these four imbeciles are my valets," Toph motioned back to the small group of them.

"By the animal-" "is my seeing eye lemur," toph didn't give her a chance.

"We'll normally it's only one ticket per passport, but this document is so official I guess is worth the extra five tickets," the woman hummed a little with a shrug before stamping five tickets in front of her.

"Thank you very much," Toph grabbed them all and they split off from the other refugees.

"Alright we scammed that lady good," Sokka punched the air once they were far from the ticket booth.

"Zuko," Toph called back to the tallest of the group.

"Here, your a free man," she gave him his ticket and Zuko took it.

"You were right, we are some group of misfits," he nodded to the blind bender.

"You should break off here, get the first boat and a head start," toph jabbed her thumb behind her.

"Thank you," Zuko said softly in a lighter tone that made her smile.

"Aw man, i can't believe I'm saying this but I'll miss you buddy," Sokka whined with open arms to Zuko.

"I'm not your buddy," Zuko pushed him away by the face.

"Not even a little?" Sokka asked with a squished face in the fire benders hand.

"Nope," he quirked a brow.

"Has anyone told you that you have very warm hands?" Sokka offered with a goofy smile before Zuko pushed him away again.

"Later," Zuko saluted with two fingers before walking away from the group.

Zuko looked down at the ticket as he walked through groups to get to the ferry's, it was green with a beige rim, earth kingdom. He was going to the city his nation has been trying to bring down, he had a ticket.

"Oi," he heard behind him and turned confused.

"Oi?" Zuko echoed back not sure why Katara chased after him.

"Oi, I got something for you fuck head," Katara smiled as she panted a little.

"You got something for me?" He didn't believe her.

Katara dug in the side of her boot and pulled out a small blade and handed it to him.

"Here," she breathed holding it out.

"My knife?" Zuko was shocked to see his lost item.

"Yea You forgot it in the North Pole, I threatened You with it remember?" She teased still smiling as he took it.

"And you had it?" He asked slowly.

"Yea, but I thought you at least might want it back, bring it back to where you got it," she laughed softly when Zuko flipped the knife to read the back.

"Thank You Katara," Zuko whispered.

"So am I still counting on three days before You come to hunt us?" She followed him to the line to get on the ferry.

"I'm going to say yes just so you guys stay on your toes," he teased back a little.

"But no, I have nothing to give to the fire nation, there's no reason for me to hunt someone for them," Zuko sighed stuffing the knife in his own boot to hide.

"I hope I'll see you around then?" She held out her hand. He didn't understand why.

"Maybe," he nodded.

Katara snorted and grabbed his hand to hold out, grabbed his wrist and he grabbed hers to mimic, she gave a solid shake.

"It's how warriors greet and say good bye from my tribe," she smiled up at him.

For some reason that made zukos chest warm up, his heart felt lighter, he's never been called a warrior.

"I have to go," Zuko released her wrist.

"Have a safe trip," Katara waved as the line moved forward.

Katara watched Zuko board on the boat as he waved back finally and she smiled.

Maybe there was hope for this war after all.