As it turned out, Zuko never woke Kouji — unable to sleep, he stayed up the entire night, keeping watch on his own. The boy scowled when he eventually woke up, but managed to refrain from sulking. If he wanted to master his own bending techniques, he had to start mastering his emotions.

Iroh, upon waking, gave Zuko a long, searching look. "When did you wake Kouji?"

"Didn't. Couldn't sleep anyway."

"I'm going out," Kouji announced. "I'll be back in an hour or so." Neither prince objected, and the boy hurried off before one of them thought to follow. Iroh wouldn't be so bad, but Zuko… he still didn't want the prince to know about his bending. Not yet. Not until he was better. Not until he was sure Zuko would take it well.

Once he found an isolated spot not too far from the shack, he planted his feet again and began the movements Iroh had taught him. Once he thought he had the flow, he loosened the tie on his bag of dirt and started the movements once more — then snapped his hand out from the bag to point at a rock.

Obediently, the dirt slashed forward, splashing against the obstacle.

Kouji's eyes lit up. "All right!"

After an hour and a half, Zuko came looking for him. Thankfully, he called out, and Kouji heard him in time to stop before he came into view. "We're going to move on," the older boy informed him.

Kouji nodded, panting slightly; in the time he'd been practising, the humidity from the storm and the morning sun in addition to his bending had tired him. "...You okay?" the prince asked, frowning a little.

Kouji grinned at him. "Just tired," he said, flubbing the truth a little. "Pretty strenuous workout."

Zuko nodded, and led him back to the campsite. Before he'd run off, the three of them had worked out a pattern of taking turns walking, so the ostrich-horse would only have to carry two of them at a time. Zuko insisted on being the one walking at least to start out this time.

This was all right with Kouji; the bending had tired him out more than he'd thought. Until Zuko woke him, he didn't realise he'd fallen asleep riding. Noting this, Zuko once again "forgot" to wake Kouji up for his watch that night.

This didn't improve Kouji's mood anyway, but he swallowed his irritation. The prince was probably just worried. Zuko made him ride again the next day, too, overriding his uncle's objections.

"Zuko, I'm fine, really!" Kouji insisted.

"You fell asleep riding yesterday," he pointed out.

"Because my workout made me tired," the boy said in return. "I didn't work out today." And that only because it was too dangerous for him to be separated from the two firebenders now; even Kouji agreed on that point.

"I don't care. You're still riding."

"Zuko—"

The prince picked him up and put him on the ostrich-horse.

Kouji crossed his arms over his chest and sulked. Iroh sighed, clearly agreeing with Kouji that Zuko should take his turn riding, but knowing his nephew was in no mood to listen to reason. After half a day, Kouji was squirming on the ostrich-horse — his rear end hurt from all the sitting, and he needed to stretch his legs.

Zuko, meanwhile, was stumbling slightly, his two nights in a row without sleep, particularly after the mess in the ghost town just before, catching up with him.

Finally, Kouji swore softly, made the ostrich-horse stop, and slid off. "Zuko," he said firmly, trying to sound as adult as possible.

"What?"

"You're stumbling. Get on the ostrich-horse." He glared up at the prince. Be immoveable, like rock.

"I'm fine," Zuko said, wearily. "And it's your day to ride, we talked about this this morning."

"No, Zuko, you're not fine," Kouji insisted. "Anyone can see that. Either get up on the ostrich-horse, or we make camp here."

"We've still got hours of daylight," the prince pointed out. "And we trade off by days, that was your idea when you insisted on switching out."

"That was before you went two nights without sleeping, Zuko," the boy countered.

"I wasn't tired. And I'm not tired now. Get back up on the ostrich-horse."

"No," Kouji replied stubbornly, skipping back a pace so Zuko couldn't lift him up there again.

Zuko stared at him for a moment, then sighed. "Fine. If you want to walk, walk." He moved forward on foot himself, stubbornly refusing to admit he should get up on the ostrich-horse.

Well, it was half what the boy had wanted, anyway. Calmly, he followed. That night, Zuko tried to stay up again — and failed. He was sleeping somewhat restlessly when Kouji woke the next morning.

Kouji watched him, frowning, then took his blanket and pulled it over the prince as gently as he could before going to tend to their steed. The older boy jerked awake not long after.

Guiltily, Kouji pulled the dirt he'd been playing with back into his bag and looked up over the back of the animal. "Hi."

"...I fell asleep?"

"You needed it," the boy told him.

The prince sighed, and ran a hand through his hair, a habit he'd picked up since it started growing back in. "Shouldn't've. What if something'd shown up? I was supposed to be watching..."

"This is why normal people take turns on the watch, Zuko," Kouji replied gently.

"Told you. Three nights ago, I couldn't sleep. Night before last, you were too tired, and Uncle's still hurt."

"I'm not too tired now," Kouji remarked caustically.

"Yeah, well, last night I wasn't planning on sleeping," Zuko snapped back. "If I had been, I would've woken you up."

"I'm sure you would have," the boy muttered.

"Someone would have to watch," the prince said, hearing. "And Uncle's still hurt, so that means you. If I'd meant to fall asleep, I would've woken you up first."

"But you didn't mean to, Zuko." Which is the whole problem in the first place!

Zuko stared at him for a minute, then muttered something about nightmares as he went to make breakfast.

Kouji sighed, fed the ostrich horse, and checked the map. They were getting pretty close to the desert.

A little less than an hour later, Iroh had woken up, the three of them had had breakfast, and Zuko had sullenly taken his turn riding. Kouji led this time, and was more than up to the task of the day's walking.

Around midday, Iroh started acting like he was in pain — he was being overdramatic enough that it was probably an act for some reason — but for what reason?

"Maybe we should make camp," Zuko said.

Kouji shrugged and stopped walking. "Sounds good to me."

"No, please," the old man said. "Don't stop just for me." He then promptly upped the drama.

Now trailing the bird, Kouji began counting mentally.

Zuko halted the ostrich-horse and jumped off. Iroh followed a few seconds later and sat down on a nearby rock. The animal, as Zuko was unpacking her, suddenly turned her head, looking behind them, making a suspicious noise.

A split second after that, Kouji felt heavy vibrations and turned to face the way they were coming. "What—?"

Zuko turned in that direction, as well, shifting into a combative stance.

"What now?" Iroh asked, wearily.

His question was answered by a group of men mounted on komodo-rhinos. None of them looked friendly. Swallowing, Kouji took a step back, one hand drifting down to his bag of dirt. "Colonel Mongke," Iroh said, standing and putting a hand on each boy's shoulder. "What a pleasant surprise."

"If you're surprised we're here," the apparent leader, a fierce-looking man with many piercings and other sharp objects, said, "then the Dragon of the West has lost a few scales."

The men swiftly armed themselves, and Kouji joined Zuko in a combative stance, his grey eyes narrowing.

"You know these guys?" Zuko asked, keeping his eyes flicking between the men.

"Sure," Iroh said, smiling. "Colonel Mongke and the Rough Rhinos are legendary. Each one is a different kind of weapons specialist. They are also a very capable singing group."

"We're not here to give a concert," the pierced man snapped. "We're here to apprehend fugitives."

Kouji spotted a ball and chain, and a soft smile touched his lips as its wielder began to spin it. At the very least, he knew how to foul chained weapons up.

"Would you like some tea first?" Iroh asked, rubbing his arm, still smiling. "I would love some. How about you, Kahchi?" He eyed the man armed with a glaive. "I make you as a jasmine man. Am I right?"

"Enough stalling," the spokesman cut him off. "Round 'em up!"

Unfortunately for the Rough Rhinos, the three travellers were ready for them. They of them neatly dispatched three of the five rough riders before piling onto Xiǎo Mǎ — as Iroh had taken to calling the ostrich-horse. The two remaining pursued, ineffectively — one of them threw a grenade at the three fugitives, but it missed, and the ensuing smokescreen enabled them to escape.

"It's nice to see old friends," the General said, smiling.

"Too bad you don't have any old friends that don't want to attack you," the prince said, caustically.

"Hmm… Old friends that don't want to attack me..."

"Is it that hard to think of any, uncle?" Kouji asked, somewhat teasingly. He was exhilarated, his eyes shining — he didn't even notice the small injuries he'd received from the explosion. Iroh didn't answer, being lost in thought. Zuko shifted position, tearing his shirt to try and clean Kouji up as best he could while on the back of a moving ostrich-horse.

"Zuko, it isn't that bad—" Kouji protested gently, but he didn't fight the prince.

"Even things that aren't that bad can become bad if you don't fix them. Shut up."

The boy did. By the time Zuko had done all he could from the moving animal, Iroh had guided the ostrich-horse into the desert.

Kouji looked around. "What's here?"

"Old friends who don't want to attack me," the old man said, smiling.

Zuko slid down off of Xiǎo Mǎ. "I'll walk from here. We lost the rhinos, no need to keep overburdening her."

"All right," Kouji agreed quietly.

Iroh guided the ostrich-horse through the desert, to a little town at what was once probably a great tourist attraction. They stopped at what was unmistakeably a bar. "Kouji, maybe you should stay outside and watch over Xiǎo Mǎ," the old man said.

Kouji shrugged. "Sure thing," he replied, petting her. As soon as the older pair were inside, the boy settled down to play with his dirt. He didn't get very far in it; a shadow fell over him seconds before a strong hand grabbed him by the wrist and hauled him to his tiptoes. "Hey!"

A tall, muscled man with long hair was glaring down at him. "You, boy — what do you know about those two?" He tilted his head towards the bar.

"Let go!" Kouji protested, struggling. The way he was being held hurt.

"Not until you give us what we want," the man snapped.

Another man, this one looking slightly more refined, said apprehensively, "Xīn Fù, I don't think this boy will have the information we want. What would an earthbender be doing around them anyway?"

"Hah!" spat the bigger man. "You call that earthbending?"

The slight to his bending annoyed Kouji. "No, I don't!" he snapped, then jerked his free arm up; the sand moved at his call, splashing into his captor's face. Xīn Fù yelped and dropped him, trying to clear his eyes. "I call that earthbending."

The big man snarled an raised a hand, but before Kouji could react, another hand grabbed Xīn Fù's wrist and pulled it down. "You will not harm him," the newcomer said tersely.

Xīn Fù stared at him, then yanked free. "Sandbending scum," he hissed, then stalked off to the bar.

Kouji rubbed his wrist, looking at the robed man who'd aided him. "Um… thanks?"

The sandbender bowed. "Have you been training long?" he asked.

"I'm… kinda self-trained," the boy admitted. He couldn't see the sandbender's face, but he rather got the impression the older man was frowning. Without another word, however, he drifted off. Not long after that, the bar burst into fighting. Zuko and Iroh, accompanied by a thinner old man, slipped out the back and collected him and Xiǎo Mǎ.

"Uncle?" Kouji asked quietly, deciding not to mention his encounter with Xīn Fù.

"Shh. Come along," the old man whispered.

The boy nodded and followed, leading the ostrich-horse quietly.

The other old man led them to a small flower shop. "It is an honour to welcome such a high-ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus," he said, turning to Iroh and bowing. "Being a Grand Master, you must know so many secrets." Iroh grinned.

Zuko folded his arms and glared. "Now that you've played Pai Sho, are you going to do some flower arranging, or is someone in this club going to offer us some real help?"

"You must forgive my nephew," Iroh said, as he and the other old man got to a door. "He is not an initiate, and has little appreciation for the cryptic arts."

Kouji's jaw dropped, and he stared at the two old men. Iroh made it sound like a spy ring.

The thin man tapped on the door, and a sliding panel in the middle opened. "Who knocks at the garden gate?" a man beyond it asked.

"One who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries," Iroh replied.

The door opened, admitting the two old men. When Zuko tried to follow, it slammed in his face. "I'm afraid it's members only," Iroh said, apologetically, from inside. "Wait out here." He slid the panel shut.

Zuko stared at the door, then turned away, folding his arms and looking remarkably sulky.

"…does he do that a lot?" Kouji asked, rubbing his wrist again. Sozin's beard, had the guy had to grab him that hard?

"No."

Kouji fell silent, rubbing his shoulder now. Urgh, he was going to be sore for days.

"What's wrong?" Zuko asked, glancing over and frowning.

"Ran into a little trouble before the fight started," Kouji admitted, knowing dodging the question would only make the exiled prince more suspicious.

"What kind of trouble?"

"Some guy grabbed me and demanded information about you and uncle," Kouji replied.

"...Great. Someone besides those two bounty hunters recognized us," Zuko muttered, kicking a flowerpot.

"…actually, there was a second guy with him," Kouji said thoughtfully. "He didn't think I was connected to you. And after a sandbender made that one guy leave me alone, they both went into the bar."

"Maybe it was the same two, then." Zuko shrugged, and leaned against the wall to wait.

Kouji sighed and settled down as well.

Morning had broken by the time Iroh reemerged from the back room. "What's going on? Is the club meeting over?"

"Everything is taken care of," Iroh said, bowing to the other old man. "We're heading to Ba Sing Se."

"Ba Sing Se?" Zuko asked, understandably confused. "Why would we go to the Earth Kingdom capital?"

"Ba Sing Se?" repeated Kouji, sounding a lot happier than the prince. "Really?"

"The city is filled with refugees," the thin man explained. "No one will notice two more."

"We can hide in plain sight there," Iroh added. "And it's the safest place in the world from the Fire Nation. Even I couldn't break through to the city."

The door to the shop opened, and a young man, about two or three years older than Zuko, stuck his head in. "I have the passports for our guests, but there are two men out on the street, looking for them."

"Probably me, too," Kouji muttered. "Shin Whatsisname does think I'm connected."

The thin old man frowned, thinking, then he saw a trio of very large flowerpots against one wall, and smiled. "Help me move these onto a cart. You'll hide in them, and my assistant will take you out the back."

"Right," Kouji said, quickly moving to one and trying to shove it.

They loaded up and climbed into the flowerpots as quickly as possible, then a bundle of roots, filled with matted earth and topped by a pretty flower, was put on top of each of them, and the cart began to move.

Kouji curled up as tight as he could in his vase and tried not to think.

Their guide pulled them — aided by Xiǎo Mǎ — to the edge of the desert, where he let them out of the pots. "Ba Sing Se is east of here. Good luck." Iroh mounted the ostrich-horse, and Zuko lifted Kouji up behind him. The younger prince bowed slightly, and led the animal east.

Kouji carefully tucked his arm into his tunic, not wanting Iroh or Zuko to see the bruising. Zuko, however, pulled it out — he'd already seen it, and wanted to get a better look. "Z-Zuko—" the boy protested.

"I just want to see how bad it is," the prince replied, in that quiet way he got when he was too angry for fury.

"It isn't that bad," Kouji replied. "It'll probably be gone tomorrow…"

"It is that bad, and it won't," the older boy replied, letting go. He had enough experience with bruising to know what he was talking about. But there was nothing he could do right now.

Kouji sighed and shook his head, even gladder now that the sandbender had kept Shin Whatsisname from hitting him. Otherwise, Zuko might be hunting him down.

The sandstorm came upon them suddenly and with no warning; it was only after the fact that Kouji realised it had been caused by benders. As it was, in the confusion the boy tried to dismount and bend the sand around them, but Iroh had a strong hold on his tunic and he found himself dangling. Then two hands had him under the arms, and Kouji did not resist, thinking it was Zuko.

But then Iroh shouted, and a shrouded hand prised the boy free, and only as he was tucked up under somebody's arm did Kouji realise that he was being kidnapped. "Zuko!" he cried, but the prince could not hear him nor see him, and before he knew it, he had been stowed on some sort of ship and was being taken away from the two princes.

Frightened, Kouji huddled where he had been put and clung tightly to his bag of dirt. He knew it would do him no good against so many, but it was nonetheless a comfort to know he wasn't helpless. Finally, as the sun began to set, they stopped, and Kouji was retrieved and brought before a rather familiar shrouded figure. Now, however, the mask was down, and for the first time the boy could see the face of the man who had helped him in town.

"You helped me only to kidnap me?" demanded Kouji angrily, but the sandbender raised one hand.

"Peace, little lordling," he said calmly. "We don't mean to keep you for long. Or am I incorrect in thinking your companions don't realise what it is you are?"

Kouji flushed at that. "One knows," he admitted, and the tall sandbender nodded.

"You want training," he said. "Your attack upon Xīn Fù was sloppy and consumed too much movement. If you travel with Fire Nation princes, you must be a colonist, so your lack of training is… explicable."

How had this fellow who had never before seen the boy dissected his life so thoroughly? Kouji wondered. He spoke almost as if he'd watched the young earthbender grow up over the years — a thought that understandably creeped Kouji out. "So, wait — you kidnapped me just to train me?" he said incredulously.

"You lack control, little lordling," the sandbender told him, his voice stern. "It is the duty of any bender who sees one such as yourself to at least teach him enough so he won't harm others when his emotions run amuck. You've a talent for fine control, which is why you have such ease with dirt. The concept is the same with sand. Will you accept the training?"

Kouji bit his lip, considering the offer, then he raised one finger. "One day," he said. "We have to keep moving on."

"Very well," agreed the sandbender. "Now — we'll start with breathing…"