"You guys are gonna be done soon, right?" Sokka muttered as he floated on a large leaf past where Katara and Aang were practicing Waterbending with Momo on his stomach, "We have a lot of ground to cover if we're going to make it to Omashu today."

"What?" Katara asked sarcastically as she straightened from her fighting stance and turned slightly to look at her brother, her hands on her hips, "Like you're ready to go right now, naked guy?"

Xiaodan giggled from her sprawled out position on Appa's stomach, who was floating on his back in the river and she rolled onto her stomach to peer at her three friends.

"I could be ready in two minutes." Sokka retorted as he pushed the hair covering his eyes out of the way, "Seriously, whenever."

Katara rolled her eyes and turned back to Aang when the younger Airbender spoke.

"So, you were showing me the octopus form?"

"Right," Katara replied as she turned fully to face Aang, "Let me see your stance."

Aang assumed a defensive stance, his arms raised and his legs slightly apart. Katara considered his stance carefully then she walked over to him.

"Your arms are too far apart." The dark-haired girl stated as she ducked under Aang's right arm so she was behind him then she positioned his arms closer together, "See, if you move them closer together, you protect your center. You got it?"

"Oh, yeah..." Aang replied with cheesy grin as he blushed brightly, "Thanks."

Xiaodan giggled quietly behind her hand as she watched Aang bright red blush begin to die down as Katara walked a few feet away. The white-haired girl folded her arms on Appa's stomach then rested her chin on them, kicking her feet idly as she watched Katara and Aang practice.

"Okay, let's see what you got." Katara said as she turned back to face Aang and took a fighting stance.

Aang took a deep breath and began bending the water around him, creating a sphere of water which he transformed into eight whip-like tentacles around him. Katara smirked and started sending ice shards at Aang, who fended off the ice spikes by maneuvering the water tentacles around him. Katara took a few steps forward as she continued to throw ice shards at Aang, who continued to deflect them with the water tentacles. Suddenly, Aang lashed out with one of the tentacles and wrapped around it around the dark-haired girl's leg, gripping it firmly.

Katara looked at the tentacle in surprise and grinned proudly at Aang as Xiaodan applauded from Appa's stomach.

"You make a fine octopus, Pupil Aang." Katara said then laughed when Aang started dancing around playfully inside a large sphere of water shaped like an actual octopus.

Xiaodan chuckled lowly then cocked her head to the side when she heard what sounded like someone playing a pipa and singing. The white-haired girl tilted her head to the other side then stood up and dove into the water, swimming over to where Sokka had sat up on the large leaf he was sitting on.

"Da, da, da. Don't fall in love with the traveling girl. She'll leave you broke and brokenhearted." A man sang as he and several other people playing instruments, singing, or dancing approached the water.

Xiaodan blinked and glanced at Sokka out of the corner of her eye, a smirk appearing on her tan and tattooed face then she flipped the leave over, causing Sokka to fall into the water with a surprised yelp while Momo jumped into the air and hovered there.

The singing man stopped singing and pointed at the group with a grin, "Hey, river people!"

"We're not river people." Katara said as she spread her arms out slightly, giving the strange group of people a strange look.

"You're not?" The man with the pipa asked in puzzlement, "Well, then what kind of people are you?"

"Just...people" Aang replied with a small shrug of his shoulders, glancing to the side when Xiaodan walked over to stand beside him.

"Aren't we all, brother." The man said with a chuckle as he shook his head in amusement.

Sokka walked over to stand in front of the other three, looking at the strange people accusingly.

"Who are you?" the young warrior demanded suspiciously.

"I'm Chong and this is my wife, Lily." The man, Chong introduced as he gestured towards the woman who had been playing a flute then he gestured towards the other people in the behind him, "We're nomads, happy to go wherever the wind takes us."

Xiaodan quirked a brow when Chong suddenly strummed his pipa in a crazy fashion, her lips twitching slightly in amusement.

"You guys are nomads? That's great!" Aang said excitedly as he gestured towards himself then Xiaodan, "We're nomads!"

"Hey, me too!" Chong said happily.

"I know..." Aang replied, looking at Chong oddly, "You just said that."

"Oh..." Chong stated airily then noticed Sokka standing in front of him and his expression brightened slightly, "Nice underwear."

Xiaodan laughed loudly when Sokka pulled Momo off his head and used the lemur to cover his underwear, an embarrassed look on his face as he shuffled away.

Zuko growled as he fell out of the bushes with leaves sticking to his clothes and his back to his uncle.

"I didn't find anything to eat! I can't live like this! I wasn't meant to be a fugitive!" Zuko shouted as he threw his hands in the air and yelled at the sky, "This is impossible!"

Silence was his only response and Zuko frowned then turned around to look at his uncle, who was crouched beside a small bush with red and white flower sticking from it.

"Uncle, what are you doing?" Zuko asked in exasperation as he walked over to look at the flower his uncle was apparently so enamored with.

"You're looking at the rare white dragon bush. Its leaves make a tea so delicious, it's heartbreaking." Iroh said as he doted over the flower then he frowned thoughtfully, "That, or it's the white jade, which is poisonous."

"We need food, not tea." Zuko snapped as he rolled his eyes at his uncle and began walking away, "I'm going fishing..."

"Hmm... delectable tea?" Iroh mused then he gave the plant a suspicious look, "Or deadly poison?"

Xiaodan lounged beside Aang with her head on his stomach as he laid against Appa's side with Chong on his other side. Katara was sitting on Appa's front leg near Xiaodan's feet with Lily sitting behind her, braiding flowers into the Water Tribe girl's hair.

"Hey, Sokka." Aang greeted when the Water Tribe boy approached, the pink flower wreath on his head falling forward slightly, "You should hear some of these stories. These guys have been everywhere!"

Chong stopped strumming at his pipa and looked over at Aang and Xiaodan, "Well not everywhere, Little Arrowhead. But where we haven't been, we're heard about through stories and songs."

Aang grinned at Sokka, "They said they'll take us to see a giant night crawler."

"On the way, there's a waterfall that creates a never-ending rainbow!" One of the nomads, Moku said dreamily as he rolled onto his back with a happy smile on his face.

"Look, I have to be the wet blanket here, but since Katara is busy, I guess it's up to me." Sokka stated in exasperation, ignoring the annoyed glare his sister gave him as Lily continued to braid her hair, "We need to get to Omashu. No sidetracks, no worms, and definitely no rainbows!"

"Wow, sounds like someone has a case of destination fever." Chong said in a sing-song voice as he grinned good-naturedly at Sokka, "You're worried to much about where you're going."

"You got to focus less on the where and more on thegoing." Lily piped in as she tossed one hand out to the side, accidently pulling Katara's braid.

"O. Ma. Shu!" Sokka retorted impatiently as he enunciated each syllable, his eyebrow continuing to twitch.

"Sokka's right." Katara commented suddenly as she looked over at Aang, "We need to find King Bumi, so Aang can learn Earthbending somewhere safe."

"Sounds like you're headed to Omashu." Chong stated obliviously and Sokka smacked his forehead in frustration, causing Xiaodan to giggle manically.

"There's an old story about a secret pass right through the mountains." Chong said suddenly as he sat up slightly to look at the four teens.

Katara gave him a skeptically look, "Is this real or a legend?"

"Oh, it's a real legend. And it's as old as Earthbending itself." Chong replied then began strumming his pipa and singing, "Two lovers, forbidden from one another, the war divides their people and the mountain divides them apart. Built a path together...'

Chong stopped and scratched at his head for a moment, "Yeah, I forget the next couple of lines, but then it goes..."

"Secret tunnel! Secret tunnel! Through the mountains, secret, secret, secret, secret tunnel! Yeah!" He finished singing and a vein in Sokka's forehead began throbbing slightly in annoyance.

"I think we'll just stick with flying." Sokka grumbled, clearly unamused as he glared at the nomads, "We've dealt with the Fire Nation before. We'll be fine."

Xiaodan quirked a brow as she watched him walk away and Aang smiled at Chong.

"Yeah, thanks for the help, but Appa hates going underground." Aang said to Chong and Appa grumbled slightly, "And we need to do whatever makes Appa most comfortable..."

"I don't think Appa's comfortable!" Xiaodan shrieked as Appa dodged the fireballs being launched at them from below.

Appa roared in agreement as the group desperately tried to escape as several trebuchets launched more fireballs at the group, the sky bison narrowly managing to avoid them.

"Ahhh!" The four teens screamed in terror as Appa dodged more fireballs.

The four teens trudged past the nomads covered in ash and scorch marks and the nomads looked at them in surprise.

"Secret love cave, let's go." Sokka said, pointing forward as he walked past the nomads.

Zuko stomped back into the small clearing where he had left his uncle when he had gone fishing, the long branch he had used as a fishing pole resting against his shoulder while a tiny fish flapped about helplessly on the sharp end. Zuko's brow furrowed slightly when he saw his uncle still hunched over in front of the plant with his back to the banished prince.

"Zuko, remember that plant that I thought might be tea?" Iroh called out sheepishly without turning around to look at his nephew.

"You didn't..." Zuko groaned in exasperation.

"I did." Iroh responded then started to turn around, "And it wasn't..."

Zuko gasped and recoiled back sharply when his uncle turned around fully, revealing himself to be swollen and covered in a bright red rash.

"When the rash spreads to my throat, I will stop breathing." Iroh explained in a surprisingly calm voice as he scratched at his cheek for a moment then he stood and walked over to his nephew and showed him a branch with berries, "But look what I found. These are bacui berries, known to cure the poison of the white jade..."

Iroh's excited voice trailed off for a moment then he continued unenthusiastically, "That, or maka'ole berries that cause blindness..."

"We're not taking any more chances with these plants!" Zuko snapped angrily as he snatched the branch of berries from his uncle's hand and tossed it into the woods, "We need to get help..."

"But where are we going to go?" Iroh asked as he crouched down and began to scratch his rash vigorously, "We're enemies of the Earth Kingdom and fugitives of the Fire Nation."

Zuko folded his arms over his chest and cupped his chin in thought, "If the Earth Kingdom discovers us, they'll have us killed."

"But if the Fire Nation discovers us, we'll be turned over to Azula." Iroh added as he stood up and scratched at his arm.

The two paused and looked at each other for a moment then nodded.

"Earth Kingdom it is." Zuko muttered and walked away with Iroh trailing after him, still scratching his rash vigorously.

Xiaodan looked at the ruins of a temple on either side of the dirt road in fascination as she, her friends, and the group of nomads journeyed to the tunnels.

"How far we from the tunnels?" Sokka asked from the front of the group.

"Actually, it's not just one tunnel." Chong explained breezily and Sokka glanced over his shoulder at the older man, "The lovers didn't want anyone to find out about their love, so they built a whole labyrinth."

Sokka halted in his tracks and whirled around to stare at Chong in shock, "Labyrinth?"

"Oh, I'm sure we'll figure it out." Chong stated casually and Sokka's eye twitched slightly then the group began walking again.

"All you need to do is trust in love." Lily said dreamily as she walked alongside her husband, "According to the curse?"

"Curse?" Xiaodan questioned as she quirked a brow and skipped forward slightly so she was walking beside Aang, who was walking on Chong's other side.

Lily nodded in confirmation and Xiaodan clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth quietly. Sokka halted in his tracks once again but the others just walked past him. The Water Tribe stood there for a moment then flinched in terror.

"Curse?!" He squawked in a mixture of annoyance and fear then he rushed after the large group.

"Hey-hey!" Chong exclaimed excitedly as the group stopped in front of the dark entrance of a cave, "We're here!"

Sokka looked up at the large inscription above the cave entrance with narrowed eyes then he looked at Chong, "What exactly is this curse?"

Xiaodan rocked back on her heels and clasped her hands behind her as she looked at Chong and Lily curiously.

"The curse says that only those who trust in love can make it through the caves." Chong explained as he stared at the cave, "Otherwise, you'll be trapped in them forever."

"And die." Lily piped in with an oblivious smile.

"Oh yeah, and die." Chong agreed then his expression brightened, "Hey, I just remembered the rest of that song!"

The four teens watched as the older man walked closer to the cave entrance and started strumming his pipa.

"And die!" He sang in an ominously low voice.

"That's it!" Sokka exclaimed as he threw his hands in the air, "There's no way we're going through some cursed hole!"

Moku turned his head and pointed when he saw gray smoke rising on the horizon, "Hey, someone's making a big campfire!"

"That's no campfire, Moku..." Katara replied as she glared at the smoke, a scowl forming on her face.

"It's Fire Nation." Xiaodan practically growled as she too glared at the smoke.

"They're tracking us." Sokka muttered angrily and Aang blinked as he turned to look at Chong and Lily.

"So all you need to do is trust in love to get through these caves?" The younger Airbender asked, sounding slightly worried as he glanced back at the smoke.

"That's is correct, Master Arrowhead." Chong confirmed with a nod.

Aang turned to stare at Katara's back, watching as her braid and clothes swayed slightly when a small breeze passed by. Unbeknownst to him, Xiaodan was looking at him look at the dark-haired girl adoringly with a small smile on her tanned face before she turned to look back at the smoke that seemed to be getting closer.

"We can make it." Aang said with a smile as he looked away from Katara and back at Chong.

"Everyone into the hole!" Sokka ordered as he pointed at the cave then turned and started walking inside with the others following after him.

Appa growled lowly then gave a quiet roar of fear and agitation as he followed the group into the cave. Xiaodan turned and hurried over to the large sky bison so she was walking beside him, her hand resting comfortingly on the side of his head.

"Shh..." She cooed softly, "It's okay, Appa. Everything will be okay."

The Fire Nation tanks rumbled across the terrain towards the entrance of the tunnel and paused once they reached the mouth of the cave.

"Hold on! It's too dangerous!" The commander barked as the tanks came to a stop, "Haven't you heard the song? Just close them in. The mountain will take care of the rest."

The tanks fired rotating grappling hooks into the tunnel then released them after a few moments, causing a myriad of boulders to fall in front of the cave entrance.

A loud rumbling caused Xiaodan and the rest of the group to whirl around and stare in horror as the rocks fell in front of the cave entrance, closing them inside the dark cave. Lily lit a torch and passed it to her husband as Appa growled loudly and began to paw frantically at the rocks keeping them inside.

"Shh, shh.." Xiaodan cooed as she tried to sooth the frantic sky bison by jumping onto his head and rubbing the bridge of his nose gently.

"It's okay, Appa. We'll be fine." Katara said as she also tried to reassure the bison by putting her hand on his side, "I hope."

"We'll be fine. All we need is a plan." Sokka stated firmly then he looked at Chong, "Chong, how long do those torches last?"

"Uh, about two hours." Chong replied casually while his wife lit the rest of the torches in her hand.

"And we have five torches, so that's ten hours!" The nomad woman said excitedly as she held the lit torches.

Sokka's snatched the torches from her hand and quickly stomped out the fires, "It's doesn't work like that if they're all lit at the same time!"

"Oh, right..." Lily mused with sheepish smile as she put her hands on her forehead.

Xiaodan jumped off of Appa's head, landing nimbly beside Aang and Katara as Sokka scurried up the somewhat calm flying bison's tail and began digging around the saddle.

"I'm going to make a map to keep track of exactly where we've been." The Water Tribe boy stated he grabbed a blank scroll and charcoal then he climbed out of the saddle, "Then we should be able to solve it like a maze and get through."

Xiaodan, Katara, and Aang watched as Sokka walked forward and began drawing on the scroll then the three exchanged unsure looks.

"Spirits help us..." The white-haired girl murmured quietly to herself.

"You two must not be from around here." A young woman with dark hair said in slight amusement as she wrung out a cloth then began gently rubbing at Iroh's rash, "We know better than to touch the White Jade, much less make it into tea and drink it."

The girl flicked Iroh's hand away when he began to scratch at his rash, which had gotten worse.

"Whoops!" Iroh said with a small chuckle as he rubbed at the top of his head.

"So where are you traveling from?" The girl asked curiously as she glanced over at Zuko who was sitting on a bench a few feet away from where she was treating Iroh while she wrung out a cloth.

Zuko stood nervously, "Yes, we're travelers."

"Do you have names?" The girl questioned as she grabbed Iroh's arm and began rubbing the cloth on his arm again.

"Names? Of course we have names..." Zuko stuttered with trepidation, "I'm, uh...Lee and this is my Uncle, uh...Mushi?"

Iroh shot Zuko an annoyed look then smiled pleasantly at the girl as she took a jar and began slathering lotion over the inflamed areas on his skin.

"Yes, my nephew was named after his father, so we just call him Junior." Iroh said then leaned to the side and shot Zuko a pleased smile.

Zuko's eyebrow twitched slightly and he glared at his uncle them moved his finger across his throat, signaling that Iroh was dead meat but the scarred prince stopped instantly when the girl turned to look at him.

"Mushi and Junior, huh. My name is Song. You two look like you could use a good meal." The girl introduced herself then she glanced at Iroh and swatted at his arm when he started scratching his rash again, "Why don't you stay for dinner?"

"Sorry, but we need to be moving on." Zuko responded carefully as he looked away from the girl's gaze.

"That's too bad." Song replied as she screwed the lid back onto the jar of lotion then smiled innocently at the two men, "My mom always make too much roast duck."

Iroh's eye lit up excitedly and he grinned widely at the girl, "Where do you live exactly?"

Zuko sighed and closed his eyes, resisting the temptation to smack his forehead in exasperation.

Xiaodan quirked an eyebrow and tilted her head slightly as she and the rest of the group watched Sokka look at the map, turning it to the side a few times them drawing it closer to him.

"Sokka, this is the tenth dead end you've led us to." Katara commented in vague exasperation as she looked at her brother then the wall of rocks in front of them.

"This doesn't make sense." Sokka grumbled in annoyance, "We already came through this way!"

"We don't need a map." Chong stated as Sokka stomped past him and began pacing around the group, "We just need love. The little guy knows it."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't mind a map also." Aang quipped which caused Xiaodan to giggle slightly behind her hand.

"There's something strange here. There's only one explanation." Sokka said as he stopped pacing them turned to face group again, "The tunnels are changing."

"Really?" Xiaodan questioned as her brows rose nearly to her hairline as she looked at the Water Tribe boy.

Everyone's eyes went wide with shock and surprise as the tunnels suddenly began to shake around them.

"My daughter tells me you're refugees." Song's mother commented as she placed a platter of roast duck on the table then took a seat across from Iroh at the table in the open-wall dining room, "We were once refugees ourselves."

"When I was a little girl, the Fire Nation raided our farming village." Song said , her voice sad as she looked at Zuko from under her lashes, "All the men were taken away. That was the last time I saw my father."

"I haven't seen my father in many years." Zuko stated quietly as he glanced off to the side.

"Oh?" Song questioned as she looked at Zuko curiously, "Is he fighting in the War?"

Zuko hesitated while Iroh watched him from the corner of his eye as he slurped up a bowl of noodles.

"Yeah." Zuko said quietly after a moment as he sat his dish down and looked away, his scarred face expressing dismay.

"The tunnels, they're a-changin' It must be the curse!." Chong said frantically as he put a hand to his head, "I knew we shouldn't have come down here."

"Right, if only we listened to you..." Sokka snarked sarcastically as paused to glared at the older man over his shoulder.

"Everyone be quiet." Katara said suddenly, grabbing everyone's attention as she stood beside Xiaodan with her hand raised as both girls seemed to listen intently.

"Listen..." Xiaodan stated, her brow furrowing in confusion as she strained her ears to try and hear the strange noise she and Katara had heard a moment ago.

Sokka looked into the darkness of the tunnel with Momo on his shoulder as a low snarl sounded from the dark, causing the lemur to flee from his shoulder and over to Xiaodan's. The Water Tribe boy held the torch up to the tunnel suspiciously to inspect the strange sound. Suddenly a wolfbat flew out of the darkness and towards the group with a screech, causing everyone to fall back and begin to panic.

"It's giant flying thing with teeth!" Chong yelped in panic, his fingers curling slightly to represent teeth.

"No!" Moku called out as the creature landed on the ground, "It's wolfbat!"

The wolfbat leapt into the air again and began flying around the group, snarling aggressively at them. Sokka swatted at the creature with the lit torch in a frenzy when it flew at him and Katara, but the creature knocked the torch out of his hand. The torch flew through the air and landed on Appa's front paw causing the bison to roar in pain as he began running around the tunnel, which released a discharge of rocks and debris as Appa ran into the walls of the tunnel.

Xiaodan's eyes went wide and she lurched forward, quickly Airbending Sokka and the band of nomads out of the way of the falling rocks then she used Airbending to propel herself away from the rocks. Aang gaped and rushed over to Katara and pushed her out of the way of the falling rocks, landing roughly on the ground.

Aang and Katara slowly got to their feet and turned to look at the massive wall of rocks in front of them while Appa pawed at the rocks futilely with a small whine.

Xiaodan gave a quiet groan as she pushed herself to her knees, one hand on her head where she knew a bruise was going to be forming from when she had knocked it against the ground. Molten orange eyes went wide as she stared at the massive barrier of rocks separating her from her friends and the band of nomads.

The white-haired girl shook her head then got to her feet and put her hands on her hips as she looked at the rocks carefully for a possible way back to either Sokka and the nomads or Aang and Katara. She shook her head again when she realized that there was no way to dig her way out and she sighed in defeat as she turned to face the dark tunnel in front of her. Her eyes got sight of one of the unlit torches on the ground and she quickly picked it up then lit and began walking into the tunnel. She hoped she would either find a way out or meet up with one of the two groups before she died in the cave.

"Spirits help me..."

Sokka rushed towards the wall and attempted to dig his way through the barrier that divided him and the nomads from Aang and Katara as well as Xiaodan.

"Yeah, it's no use. We're separated." Chong commented as he watched the young teen stop digging, "But at least you have us."

"Noooo!" Sokka yelled in horror as he started digging frantically again only to dislodge some of the rocks which fell on him.

Zuko sat cross-legged on the front porch of Song's house, looking out at the trees that surrounded the property. The sliding door suddenly opened and Song stepped out.

"Can I join you?" She asked then walked over to Zuko without waiting for a reply, "I know what you've been through. We've all been through it."

She sat cross-legged beside him and her eyes flicked over Zuko's scar for a moment then she turned her head to face him a little more.

"The Fire Nation has hurt you." Song said quietly then she reached up to his scar.

Zuko caught her wrist and pushed her hand away without looking at her. Song folded her hands in her lap and looked at him for a moment then closed her eyes.

"It's okay. They've hurt me, too." She said compassionately then shifted right leg out from under her and pulled her pant leg up, revealing a large scar on her lower leg.

Zuko's good eye widening slightly as he stared at the large burn in surprise then he looked up at her curiously.

"Oh don't let the cave-in get you down!" Chong sang loudly as he and the other nomads followed an irritated Sokka down the tunnel, "Don't let the rocks turn your smile into a frown! When the tunnels are darkest, that's hwen you need a clown, hey! Don't let the cave-in get you down, Sokka!"

Sokka scowled darkly at the older man and continued to stomp down the tunnel, clutching a lit torch in a white-knuckled grip.

Xiaodan stopped walking and looked around the cavern she had entered carefully, her orange eyes narrowed slightly. Her lips pursed as she looked at the four other tunnels that lead out of the cavern. Xiaodan tapped her fingers against her leg as she looked between the four tunnels indecisively for a moment, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth.

"What to do, what to do..." She murmured to herself as walked towards one of the tunnel entrances and held the torch up in hopes of being able to penetrate the darkness.

Xiaodan did this to the other three tunnels then walked back to the middle of the small cavern and kneeled down, digging a small hole with her fingers which she placed the end of the torch in it so that it was standing upright. The white-haired girl shifted into a cross-legged sitting position and folded her hands in front of her as she began to meditate.

Katara looked around the tunnel she, Aang, and Appa were walking down curiously, hoping to possibly spot a way out. Her blue eyes widening in excitement when she saw a solid rock door at the end of the tunnel.

"Aang, look!" She exclaimed as she rushed towards the door with Aang hot on her heels.

"We found the exit!" Aang said, sounding just as excited as he looked up at the solid rock door.

The two began to struggle to open it while Appa stood behind them, snorting and pawing at the ground. Katara and Aang looked at Appa then at each with wide eyes, and then they jumped to the side as Appa charged forward and slammed into the door. The circular door of rock creaked as it was forcefully pushed open then it rolled off to the side.

Katara peaked into the now open doorway then jumped into the room, her hopeful look changing to one of disappointment when she realized that it wasn't an exit at all.

"This isn't an exit." She stated in dismay as she looked around.

"No..." Aang agreed as he walked up beside her then past her, "It's a tomb."

The two stared down at the ominous looking tomb below them while Appa grunted quietly behind them as he entered the room. Aang walked down from the platform they had been standing on and towards the two stone sarcophaguses in the middle of the room with Katara following him with the torch raised.

"It must be the two lovers from the legend." Aang commented as he stopped beside the raised dais the sarcophaguses were on, "That's who's buried here."

'These pictures tell their story." Katara stated as she gestured towards the panels along the tomb with the torch.

The two benders exchange a curious look and Katara leaned closer to look at the first panel then she began to narrate the story.

"They met on top of the mountain that divided their two villages..." She explained gently as she began picturing the story in her head.

'A man dressed in blue and a woman dressed in yellow walked towards each other at the top of the mountain. The two grabbed each other hands though they quickly let go of each other.

"The villages were enemies, so they could not be together, but their love was strong."

Two hills appear with the man stood on one while the woman kneeled on the other, both staring at each other longingly.

"The two lovers learned Earthbending from the badgermoles; they became the first Earthbenders."

A badgermole appeared with the two lovers standing on either side of it then Katara pictured the two lovers creating the labyrinth.

"They built elaborate tunnels, so they could meet secretly. Anyone who tried to follow them would be forever in the labyrinth. But, one day the man didn't come..."

The woman stood in the labyrinth alone a she looked around, her expression clearly startled.

"He'd died in the war between the two villages..."

The woman kneeled beside a grave, her hands on her face as she wept for her lost love.

"Devastated, the woman unleashed a terrible display of her Earthbending power-she could have destroyed them all..."

The woman stood at the top of a pillar of rock, rock pillars appearing all around her in an awesome display of her immense Earthbending power.

"But instead, she declared the war over."

The woman stood on a hill with the sun behind her while the two villages stood on either side of her.

"Both villages helped her build a new city where they would live together in peace. The woman's name was Oma and the man's name was Shu."

An image of current day Omashu appeared in Katara's mind...'

"The great city was named Omashu as a monument to their love." Katara finished narrating the story then she and Aang looked at each other for a moment before turning around.

"Love is brightest in the dark..." Katara murmured as she read an inscription on the wall where a carving of the couple kissing was.

Sokka glared at the map in his hands while Momo perched on his head.

"Oh, great!" Moku whined from behind Sokka as he and the other nomads stared at the wall in front of them, "Your plans have led us to another dead end!"

"At least I'm thinking of ideas and trying to get us out of here, Moku." Sokka snapped in annoyance as he glared over his shoulder at Moku.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute." Chong suddenly piped in, "We're thinking of ideas? Because I've had an idea for, like, an hour now."

"Yes!" Sokka shouted angrily as he spread his arms out and began waving them around dramatically, "We're all thinking of ideas!"

"Well, then listen to this." Chong stated as he looked at the irate teen, "If love is the key out of here, then all we need to do is play a love song!"

Chong began strumming a tune his pipa and Sokka slapped his forehead with his palm, causing Momo to jump away from him.

Xiaodan's breathed deeply in and out slowly as she focused her mind on the single question of which tunnel she should take. The ground suddenly began rumbling beneath her and Xiaodan's snapped her eyes open, not that it did much good since the torch was almost completely burnt out. The white-haired girl quickly jumped to her feet and snatched the torch from the ground, holding it up as she peered around the small cavern. A sudden noise from one of the tunnels caused Xiaodan to whirl around and her eyes went wide as a scream of caught in her throat as the last of the torch completely burnt out, leaving her in total darkness.

Katara studied the carving of the two lovers and the inscription curiously while Aang stood off to the side.

"How are we going to find our way out of these tunnels?" He questioned as he looked at the ceiling.

"I have a crazy idea." Katara mused, almost to herself as she continued to look at the carving.

"What?" Aang asked as he looked at her curiously and Katara hesitated.

"Never mind." Katara replied embarrassedly as she walked away, "It's too crazy."

"Katara, what is it?" Aang persisted as he walked after the girl.

"I was thinking..." Katara started as she leaned against the wall beside the carving, "The curse says we'll be trapped in here forever unless we trust in love..."

"Right..." Aang said as he looked at her back in confusion.

Katara turned to face him then gestured towards the portrait and the inscription, "And here, it says, 'Love is brightest in the dark,' and has a picture of them kissing."

"Where are you going with this?" Aang asked, now utterly confused and lost at what Katara was trying to say.

"Well, what if we...kissed?" Katara said shyly as she blushed brightly and didn't quite meet Aang's eyes.

"Us...kissing?" Aang asked, staring at the dark-haired girl in shock.

"See? It was a crazy idea." The dark-haired girl stated with a nervous chuckle as she turned away from Aang.

"Us...kissing..." Aang sighed dreamily.

"Us kissing." Katara chuckled in a joking manner, "What was I thinking? Can you imagine that?"

"Yeah." Aang said, also in a joking tone as he laughed awkwardly, "I definitely wouldn't kiss you."

There was a beat of silence then Katara whirled around to look at Aang, her expression offended.

"Oh well! I didn't realize it was such a horrible option!" She snapped, clearly insulted as her tone turned angry, "Sorry I suggested it!"

"No, no!" Aang said hurriedly when he realized his mistake, "I mean, if there was a choice between kissing you and dying..."

"Ugh!"

"What I'm saying is I would rather kiss you than die" Aang said desperately as he tried to get back into Katara's good graces, "That's a compliment!"

"Well, I'm not sure which I'd rather do!" Katara hissed as she slammed the torch into Aang's hand and stormed away, obviously enraged.

Aang watched her go then slapped his forehead with his free hand, "What is wrong with me?"

He sighed and walked in the opposite direction Katara had gone in.

Sokka trailed after the band of nomads as they continued playing and singing, his shoulders slumped in annoyance.

"Even if you're lost, you can't lose the love because it's in your heart..." Chong sang happily as he lead the group through the tunnel.

Sokka slapped his head forehead in exasperation and annoyance.

"Thank you for the duck." Iroh said with a smile as he and Zuko stood outside of Song and her mother's house, "It was excellent."

"You're welcome." Song's mother stated with a warm smile as she handed Iroh a parcel of leftover roast duck and rice, "It brings me pleasure to see someone eat my cooking with such...gusto."

Iroh patted his stomach in a contented manner, "Much practice."

Zuko resisted the urge to roll his eyes and turned to leave but Iroh stopped him.

"Junior, where are your manners?" The older man chided softly, "You need to thank these nice people."

Zuko turned back around and bowed to the two women, "Thank you."

"I know you don't think there's any hope left in the world, but there is hope." Song told Zuko as he continued to walk away, "The Avatar has returned."

Zuko paused at the small gate that surrounded the yard and glanced over his shoulder at the young woman.

"I know." He muttered bitterly then he opened the gate and continued walking with Iroh trailing behind him.

Zuko stopped walking when he heard the ostrich-horse tied to a post a few feet away from the gate. The banished prince hesitated a moment then quietly walked over to the animal and untied the reins from the post. He led the ostrich-horse away from post then mounted it and rode it over to where his uncle was standing.

"What are you doing?" Iroh demanded quietly as Zuko rode up beside him, "These people just showed you great kindness."

"They're about to show us a little more kindness." Zuko retorted calmly as he waited for his uncle to climb into the saddle, "Well?"

Iroh sighed in disappointment then reluctantly climbed into the saddle behind his nephew and Zuko urged the ostrich-horse forward, unbeknownst to the fact that Song was watching him leave from a small crack in the sliding door. The young woman looked down sadly then closed the screen door silently.

"We're gonna run out of light any second now, aren't we?" Aang asked with a sigh as he and Katara wandered through one of the tunnels with Appa trailing behind them, the torch ready to burn out at any moment.

"I think so..." Katara replied as she glanced at the significantly smaller torch in Aang's hand.

"Then, what are we going to do?" Aang asked, looking at the dark-haired girl as the two of them came to a stop.

"What can we do?" Katara responded then silently walked over and grabbed Aang's hand.

Aang smiled up at her sweetly and the two began leaning closer as the last of the torch light faded, leaving them in total blackness. Suddenly, the ceiling of the cave lit up with thousands of glowing crystals embedded in the ceiling in a straight line. Katara and Aang, still holding hands, looked at the gleaming crystals in surprise as the path of crystals went down one of the tunnels.

Sokka continued to follow the singing and playing nomads when all of a sudden ferocious snarling filled the tunnel they were in. The nomads stopped playing and Sokka dropped his hand from his forehead while Momo gave a quiet screech and leapt from Sokka's shoulder, running the other way. Sokka and the nomads stare in horror as several wolfbats came charging out of the darkness of the tunnel and straight at the group. Sokka began waving his hands above his head as the several dozen wolfbats flew over his head and in the direction the group had just come from.

"Hey!" Chong exclaimed in amazement as he and the other nomads looked at Sokka, "You saved us, Sokka!"

"No, they were trying to get away from something!" Sokka stated, his voice cracking slightly with tension as he looked at the darkness the wolfbats had come from as Momo jumped back onto his shoulder.

"From what?" Chong asked in confusion then his eyes widened as the tunnel began to rumble and shake violently.

The wall of the tunnel a few feet in front of the group suddenly exploded outward and a giant badgermoles burst into the tunnel and a second later the wall behind the group burst outward and a second badgermole appeared behind the group, causing them to panic.

The badgermole that had appeared first closed its hands together in a prayerful manner, closing off the tunnel behind it with Earthbending while the second badgermole slammed its paws against the ground, closing off the exit behind it. The first badgermole then Earthbended a crack in the tunnel floor that separated the nomads and Sokka by pounding its paws against the ground and the second one began stalking towards Sokka.

The second badgermole knocked Sokka of his feet by hitting the ground then it began tromping towards the Water Tribe boy. Sokka hastily began backing away, raising one arm to protect his face while his other reached behind him, his fingers hitting a string on Chong's dropped pipa and producing a musical note. The badgermole stopped approaching Sokka and cocked its head curiously. Sokka's eyes widened slightly and he hurried grabbed the pipa and began playing, watching in surprise and glee as the badgermole began to quiet down.

"Hey!" Chong exclaimed quietly as he got back to his feet and threw his arms in the air, "Those things are music lovers!"

"Badgermoles coming towards me." Sokka sang nervously as he continued strumming the pipa as the badgermoles stared at him with their sightless eyes, "Come on guys, help me out!"

"The big, bad badgermoles who Earthbend the tunnels, hate the wolfbats, but love the sounds!" Chong began to sing as he pulled the lute strapped to his back in front of him and began strumming it as the other nomads began to stand.

Katara and Aang looked up at the crystals in awe, their hands still linked.

"They're made of some kind of crystal." Aang stated as he looked at the ceiling, "They must only light up in the dark."

"That's how the two lovers found each other." Katara said then she gestured along the ceiling with her hand, "They just put out their lights and followed the crystals."

Her eyes shined with excitement as looked at the tunnel the crystal trail led towards, "That must be the way out!"

She and Aang smiled brightly and embraced each other tightly.

"So, uh..." Aang stuttered after the two pulled away.

"Let's go!" Katara exclaimed excitedly then she ran down the tunnel.

Aang watched her go then shook his head and smiled slightly as he and Appa followed after her quickly. The two made their way to the end of the tunnel, exiting the cave and into the outdoors while Appa bounded after them hurriedly, flopping onto his back with his tongue lolling out in content as soon as he had exited the cave.

"What about Xia and Sokka?" Aang questioned as he and Katara look at the cave exit.

The two look around in concern but then they heard a suddenly rumbling coming from the mountain. They're eyes went wide as the mountain wall on either side of the cave exit suddenly exploded and the two shielded their eyes from the shower of rocks and debris. The cloud of dust cleared and the rocks and debris settled, revealing Sokka and the nomads riding atop two badgermoles. Sokka grinned as he looked down at Katara and Aang, waving enthusiastically while Momo flew about.

"Sokka!" Katara shouted happily as she looked up at her brother slid down the side of the badgermole he was riding and ran over to Aang and Katara.

"How did you guys get out?" Sokka asked as he looked at the two while the nomads climbed down from the other badgermole.

"Just like the legend said, we let love lead the way." Aang replied with a sheepish smile, "Really? We let huge, ferocious beasts lead our way." Sokka commented then looked behind the two curiously, "Isn't Xia with you guys?"

"No." Katara replied with a shake of her head, "She isn't with you?"

Aang's eyes went wide and he looked at the sibling with a stricken expression as they all realized that the white-haired girl was still in the cave.

"We have to go-" Aang started only to be cut off when another rumbling filled the air.

Aang, Sokka, Katara, and the nomads all turned back to the cave exit and stared as another badgermole burst from the wall of the cave, this time with Xiaodan perched on its back.

"Oh thank the Spirits!" The white-haired girl shouted as she jumped off the badgermole, using Airbending to propel herself over to her friends.

"Xia!" Aang exclaimed happily as the two Airbenders embraced tightly, "We thought you had gotten trapped in there!"

Xiaodan pulled away, her arm wrapped around Aang's shoulder as she gestured towards the large badgermole standing between the two the nomads and Sokka had ridden.

"Nah, little brother, I had help from my new friend over there." She said with a laugh as she let go of Aang and walked over to the badgermole and rubbed its nose gently then looked at the other two animals on either side, "It seems someone had the same idea."

"Yep, apparently badgermoles like music." Sokka quipped with a grin.

"Bye! Thanks for the save!" Xiaodan called out as she and Sokka waved at the badgermoles as they plodded their way back into the cave, a rock wall rising up where they had reentered the cave.

Xiaodan smiled and slung her arm around Aang's shoulder again, glancing briefly at where Momo was chittered to Appa as if the lemur was telling him about his journey through the caves then Appa roared at him.

Katara hugged her brother happily then pulled back and looked at his forehead curiously as Aang and Xiaodan ran past them over to the other nomads.

"Why is your forehead all red?" She asked curiously with a quirked brow.

Chong suddenly leaned against Sokka's shoulder, speaking out of the corner of his mouth as he looked over at Aang, "Nobody react to what I'm about to yell you, but I think that kid might be the Avatar."

Sokka's eye twitched and he slapped his forehead, enlarging the red spot as Chong looked at him curiously.

"So are you guys going to come to Omashu with us?" Aang asked as he stood in front of the other nomads with Xiaodan, who was rocking back on her heels with a smile on her face.

"Nope." Moku replied breezily.

"Okay." Aang said, "Thanks for everything, Moku."

Xiaodan and Aang waved as the nomads began walking away with Lily in the lead.

Chong took off his flower necklace and placed it around Sokka neck then clapped his hand on the teen's shoulder.

"Sokka, I hope you learned a little something about not letting the plans get in the way of the journey." Chong stated, actually sounding a little serious then he hugged the Water Tribe boy.

Sokka scowled slightly in irritation and tried to ignore the faint blush on his cheeks, "Just play your songs."

"Hey! Good plan!" Chong said gleefully as he pulled away from Sokka then began strumming his lute and singing as he followed after the other nomads, "Even if you're lost, you can't lose the love because it's in your heart. Da, da, da..."

Aang glanced over at Katara, causing Sokka and Xiaodan to smile faintly as they stood behind the two younger teens with their arms crossed. Aang looked back at the nomads just as Katara blushed brightly and looked off to the side.

"The journey was long and annoying, but now you get to see what it's all about: the destination." Sokka said as the four teens walked up the mountainside towards Omashu.

"I present you the Earth Kingdom city of O-" The Water Tribe boy started to say as they crested the mountain only to pause abruptly, "Oh no..."

"This is not good..." Xiaodan murmured as she, Katara and Aang walked up beside Sokka and stared in shock and dismay, "This is not good at all..."

The great city of Omashu had been captured and placed under Fire Nation rule, the entrance to the city draped with Fire Nation flag.