Ty Lee figured she should be happy. On cloud nine. The top of the world. Everything she had worked so hard for had finally paid off. Nikumu was in the small prison on Kyoshi Island, soon to be moved to Ba Sing Se for a proper trial, where she would be indelibly locked up for her crimes against the nation. Ty Lee had been right all along, even when it seemed no one else believed her. She would be free of this curse that had been thrust at her for these months. No longer would she have to deal with all this craziness.

So why was it that she felt so unsatisfied?

It probably had to do with the initial arrest itself. When everyone had come back to the dojo they had presented the evidence to Suki, Haru acting as her alibi. He had been 'seeing' her for a long time through his bending, making it impossible for her to have planted the scroll for her own gain. Both she and Katara confirmed that the writing was Azula's, even if it was messier than usual and many of the sentences didn't make sense. It had been like that ever since… well, she had lost it. The seal was authentic too. But what made this so incriminating was that every word of it was addressed to Nikumu, commending her for her work in helping her.

Takumi had dragged her out of the dojo, screaming and crying. Begging Suki to believe her. That she was innocent. The cries still echoed in Ty Lee's mind, taunting her. Why would someone break down like that? She knew Nikumu was a good actor; that stunt in the dormitory wasn't so easily forgotten. But this time it was so genuine. Like she was truly in pain. That she had been betrayed by her friends.

"I'll get you, Ty Lee. I'll get you if it's the last thing I do!"

Ty Lee shuddered, the memories so vivid and horrifying. The rain pounded lightly against the roof, bringing her slightly back to reality. Nikumu was out of the picture, yes. Serving the time she deserved, since she had to be the traitor. Had to. Ty Lee couldn't let a little performance create doubts in her mind about what she was so convinced of.

Unfortunately, Azula was not.

They had yet to find her, especially since Nikumu wouldn't spill anything about her whereabouts, denying that she knew about it. So she was still out there, waiting to strike again. By now she ought to be rather familiar with the island; she had been there for quite awhile. Maybe she didn't need anyone (Nikumu) to show her around anymore. Maybe she could cause mischief all by herself.

The most unnerving part about this, though, was that she hadn't struck yet. No sign of her or anythingshe had done since the arrest. The whole island was quiet. Too quiet. Ty Lee didn't like it one bit. No one else seemed too worried though. With the traitor out of the way, it was like everything was normal again. Her instincts told her it was far from that.

A roll of thunder tore the sky apart overhead, and Ling Ling squeaked in fear, pulling her blankets further over her head.

"Its fine, Ling Ling," Katara assured. "It's not a big storm. I can already feel it passing by."

"…when will it go away…?" she mumbled.

"Y'can tell how close a storm is by how many seconds are between a lightning strike and thunder. The number of seconds corresponds with the number of miles," Takumi explained, not even looking up from the scroll she was reading by candlelight.

Lightning flashed outside, illuminating the inside of the dojo with a blinding white light.

"…O-okay…" Ling Ling said, dropping the blanket, "…one…"

Thunder soon followed, and the blanket quickly found its way back around the girl.

"Guess that means its close, huh?" Hasoka asked.

Ty Lee nodded. "It's probably on top of us by now."

"Great," Ling Ling huffed from underneath her protective layer. "Now I'm never going to get any sleep."

"It's not even near time for bed," Hasoka reminded. Ling Ling revealed her head, pouting.

"She's afraid that Katara is lying to her," Ying Ying informed from her own bed. "That the storm isn't going to leave so quickly."

"Am not!"

"Ling, I can feel your…"

"…uncertainty? I thought you didn't want to do that anymore," she frowned. "I thought you wanted to stop feeling my thoughts."

Ying Ying didn't reply, suddenly intrigued by the steady flow of raindrops hitting against the window. Everyone else remained quiet as well, knowing it was best not to go down this path again. Ty Lee remembered what happened last time they talked too much about this whole 'destroying the twin bond' thing. Both of the twins had gotten a little sick, even though Ying Ying was actually for the idea of getting rid of the bond. It was a strange thing, their connection. Ty Lee still couldn't understand why Ying Ying wanted it gone.

Pounding on the door to the dojo caught everyone's attention. Before they could answer it was violently thrown open, a flash of lightning revealing the face of the visitor. His matted hair and clothes were sopping wet, a trail of water dripping behind him as he entered the premises. Ty Lee was surprised that he didn't trip on the way in.

"Ototo!" She cried, her greeting quickly drowned out by another peel of thunder. "What are you doing here?"

The young boy bent over, apparently catching his breath. Had he run all the way here? In the rain? What could possibly be so important? She couldn't even imagine what could be so important that she would risk getting her hair soaked in the downpour outside. And she had a lot of things to be worried about and a lot of things that could somehow become that important. Ototo didn't have it as bad as her. As he raised his face, pasty white with fear and exhaustion, a chill ran down her spine. Whatever this was, it couldn't be good.

"…h-help…! I… need help!" he gasped.

Suki was immediately kneeling at his side, ready to do her duty. "What do you need help with, Ototo?" she asked calmly. As calmly as possible.

"…Koko! She's out there… all out there and the… and the rain and… lightning…" Ototo tried to explain, though it only came out as hysterics.

Ty Lee gave a concerned glance to Hasoka and Ling Ling at about the same time. Both returned her gaze, though they seemed as helpless as her.

"Ototo. Please calm down," Takumi said, rising from her bed to join her leader, adopting her authoritative persona as she did. "You need to tell us where Koko is. If you don't we can't help her."

His eyes widened and he attempted to slow his breathing. "The forest. I dared her to go in the forest to try and find the dragon from the volcano. It's supposed to come out during storms. I… I didn't think she would actually do it! It was just a dare! But she hasn't come back since the rain started and…"

He bit his lip, as if it was taking everything in him not to break down and start crying in front of all these girls. Suki put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry. We'll find her." She turned to the rest of the warriors. "All right! We need to start a full search of the forest! She couldn't have gotten far… we only need a small team in this weather."

"I'll go," Takumi said.

Ty Lee fiddled with her fingers, contemplating whether she should volunteer or not. She wanted to help Koko. Just the thought of the little girl out there all alone in this storm made her anxious to find her. But at the same time she wasn't sure what good she would be. She hadn't been on the island long enough to know the forest well. She would be lost very, very quickly. Hasoka started to raise her hand, but someone else beat her to it. Someone quite unexpected.

"Me, too," Ling Ling announced, throwing off her blanket.

Ty Lee couldn't believe it. She let her mouth hang open in a gape for several seconds.

"But Ling Ling!" Ying Ying frowned. "You hate thunder storms."

"It'll be over soon, right, Katara?" the younger twin asked. Katara nodded. "Besides, I can find my way in the forest blindfolded."

Ying Ying looked like she was about to say something, but stopped before it could come out. Whatever she would say wouldn't be anything her twin didn't already know. There was no way to talk her out of it. Ling Ling stood up and walked over to join Takumi, a strange sense of confidence emanating from her. A very unnatural sense of confidence. She had to be faking it.

"Okay then," Suki nodded. "If you aren't back in two hours I'm sending in back-up."

"It won't take us that long," Takumi assured.

"You can count on us!" Ling Ling said, saluting like Hasoka often did.

"Alright."

Ty Lee watched as they walked out the door, Ling Ling visibly shuddering as soon as the rain hit her skin, and then again when a pair of lightning and thunder rang out. She hoped they would find Koko soon. She couldn't think of what would happen if they didn't. Many things could go wrong in the forest during a storm. A fire could break out. A tree could fall over and hit her. She could catch a cold and not get back in time to be treated. Or worse. Something called 'hypothermia'.

Thinking about that reminded her of the very wet child who was already found and in their care.

"Here, Ototo," Ty Lee grabbed the blanket Ling Ling had discarded, wrapping it around the shivering boy. She rubbed the corners about his hair and clothes, getting rid of as much water as possible. Katara could've probably just bent it out, but she didn't want to trouble the waterbender. Ototo glared softly up at her, showing his annoyance and embarrassment at being babied, but his gratefulness for it at the same time. She knew she wasn't going to get a 'thank you' from him, but this was good enough.

"Get him closer to the candle," Suki commanded. "I'll start up a real fire while you're at it."

She dragged the fire pit over to the center, then meandered over to the other side of the dojo to get some wood. Ying Ying went over to help, while Ty Lee led Ototo over to Takumi's bed with the candle. The boy stared at the single flame blankly, the light flickering across his damp cheeks in the darkness. She couldn't tell if it was from the rain water or from a stray tear that had escaped from his eyes.

"…they'll find her…right?" he asked quietly.

"Of course," Ty Lee said, trying her best to sound as confident as Ling Ling had looked.

"Because… because if they don't…" his face crumpled. "I never told her… but she was… she was my best friend."

Ty Lee took a sharp breath, knowing she couldn't lose it in front of him. Not right now. It wouldn't help at all. But she understood what he was going through. It had happened like this so many times before. With Mai it had turned out okay. But with Azula…

Slowly, she took hold of his hand. He turned and looked at her, his eyes wavering in fear and insecurity. At a moment like this, they needed each other. More than both of them would ever realize.

"I know," she said, her voice shaking. "I know."

Some warmth from nearby alerted them to the completion of the fire, and Ototo walked over to it, his fingers slipping from her grasp. Although it was so fast, she could've sworn that he gave her a tight squeeze before leaving to warm up. She smiled. Maybe she was finally getting through to this kid after all. Maybe he wouldn't have to pretend he hated her all the time.

Hasoka was by the fire as well, rubbing her hands in front of the embers. "Rain really makes it cold around here."

"Uh-huh," Ty Lee agreed, her composure gradually returning.

"So…uh…" her friend grinned playfully. "What's up between you and Haru?"

Ty Lee was in debt to the dark corners of the room which effectively hid her blush.

"Nothing!"

"He sure likes to talk a lot about you."

"…he does?"

"He does," Ying Ying asserted. "Though not always directly."

Ty Lee wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad thing. Even Katara, who had been so quiet up to this point, nodded in agreement. What, had they all been keeping track of how many times he had spoken of her!

"Though… it's funny…" Hasoka paused as if pondering what to say next. "For awhile… I thought you were interested in someone else."

She shot a discreet look toward Suki, which fortunately no one else caught. Ty Lee could feel the burn of embarrassment grow up to her forehead and spread down to her neck. Did Hasoka know about her and Sokka? Well… about what they had been? If she knew earlier she had done a good job of hiding it. And why bring it up now? Or was she just fishing for information, trying to prove a theory or something?

However awkward this conversation starter was, it did give Ty Lee a chance to think. Think about her current predicament. Her conflicted emotions. There was Sokka, yes. She had actually had a relationship with him. She knew a bit more about him. But then there was also Haru. Both had obvious levels of attraction. Both showed interest in her. But… they were different. Different people. Different way of life. Different emotions attached to them.

She almost wondered if going through the whole Sokka ordeal was necessary for her. Necessary for her to learn about boys and such. When she had been with Sokka she had always felt a rush. A high. Like everything was perfect in the world as long as they were together. Like every new kiss would solve all her problems. They had rarely talked. Rarely had a real conversation.

Haru liked to talk. They had talked a lot about earthbending when they went out to the inland, talked about their life at home, what it had been like before they had been involved in the war, et cetera. They had learned so much about each other in a short time. And then when they had discovered the evidence together… she hadn't been concerned about whether he would kiss her or not (though to be honest the thought of it wasn't that bad). She had just wanted to be with him.

And from what everyone was telling her, he wanted to be with her.

Both of them cared for her. But only one was willing to go on that next emotional level. Sokka had already given that piece of his heart to Suki, and she was beginning to understand it now. He couldn't share it with two girls. Haru, on the other hand, was ready to devote himself to her.

The only problem was she wasn't sure if she was ready.

"I'm not interested in anyone right now," Ty Lee said. "It's not the right time."

Hasoka stared at her and then shrugged. "Okay. Didn't realize they had a certain time for that kinda stuff, but… okay."

Ty Lee laughed, "It's complicated."

For a second they just stood there in silence, listening as yet another thunderclap erupted in the sky. The sheer force of it was enough to deafen everyone in the room. It sounded angrier than usual, like the storm was growing in strength. She was about to ask Katara about it, but she didn't have the opportunity.

It was then that Ying Ying collapsed.

It happened so quickly that no one reacted correctly. They rushed over to support her seconds later than needed. The only one who didn't come to help was Ototo, and from his panicked expression it looked like it didn't matter. Her breaths came out in labored pants, the pupils of her eyes dilating rapidly. She pressed her hand to her side, soft moans escaping from her lips. It was as if she were unable to make any intelligible words. Katara was over by her supplies, reaching frantically for something.

"Get her on a bed. Now!" she ordered, grabbing several bottles and pouches.

They worked fast, carefully lifting her up and laying her on her bed. She wouldn't stop clutching her side, like she was in an immense amount of pain. But how did that happen? They had all been there. Ying Ying hadn't been attacked. They would've seen it. A wave of terror washed over Ty Lee as she stood by the bed, completely helpless.

"It burns… it burns…!" she screamed, trying to roll over. Hasoka and Suki pushed against her, keeping her from falling off of the bed. "…Ling …it burns!"

Ty Lee froze as she came to a horrifying conclusion.

Ling Ling was hurt.