Thanks for beta'ing this, GrimGrave :3

Failed Plans? ll

"AAAAANG!"

A lanky, dark-skinned teen stirred then jerked awake, eyes the same bright blue colour as the morning sky wide as he reached for the boomerang that was ever-present on his person. He was on his feet in the next moment, looking around with almost comical alertness, his weapon at the ready. "Katara? What happened? Why did you yell?"

"Aang's missing, Sokka!" The pretty young woman who had first cried out, Katara, wrung her hands, similarly-coloured orbs concerned. "I can't find him anywhere."

Sokka, as he was called, lowered his dukes, his shoulders sagging in relief. "Geez, you nearly gave me a heart attack. He probably wandered off to stretch his legs. We've been flying for days."

The huge, white beast opened his mouth wide in a yawn, as though in agreement, and their third travel mate, a small girl of about twelve with short black hair stirred, milky white eyes opening as her eyebrows drew together. "Ugh… Shaddup, Appa. What's with all the racket?"

"Aang's missing."

"He's fine."

"You don't know that."

The girl yawned, her sightless gaze sliding to the siblings as she rolled her shoulders and craned her neck. "I hate to agree with your idiot brother on this one, but Twinkle Toes can take care of himself."

"Thank you, Toph." His expression soured. "Wait, what?"

Toph chuckled and Katara shook her head incredulously as the two began their usual back and forth. How could they be so calm? Aang was—

She turned and yelped as she crashed into the warm, solid form of another person.

—right behind her.

"Aang!" She threw her arms around him, relief making her heart stutter. "Where were you?"

He squirmed and she released him, holding him at arm's length. The boy seemed anxious. "Katara, I need to talk to you."

His tone made her pulse race anew. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

Toph and Sokka ceased their squabbling at that point and the latter smirked. "See? Told you."

"Mornin' Twinkle Toes."

"Morning," the Avatar returned, rocking on the balls of his feet. "Do you mind if I borrow your sister?"

He waved them both off as he loudly informed Toph that he was going to find them breakfast and the blind girl informed him just as loudly that she hoped he'd fall into a ditch, and Aang motioned for Katara to follow him. He led her to a clearing a small distance from the others, a niche surrounded on three sides by emerald foliage, and gestured for her to sit on a conveniently located log, his expression worrisomely somber, and the Waterbender fidgeted anxiously as, rather than sit next to her, he paced.

They had landed in a clearing at the base of mountain at the base of which there was a thick, emerald wood. The air was crisp and the sun shone bright, though the clouds on the horizon promised that that could change at any given moment. A brook babble nearby, its gentle sound providing an almost surreal soundtrack of tranquility, and Katara was struck by the ominous feeling that it was quiet—too quiet.

Finally, the boy said, "I've been thinking." She waited (im)patiently for him to continue and Aang smiled shyly and scratched the back of his head. "We've been on the run for days now that Azula and Zuko have joined forces and it feels as though we haven't had a single moment to ourselves. It's been crazy and terrifying and I'm so sorry I dragged you guys into this."

"It isn't your fault, Aang." She smiled reassuringly. "If anything, it's those Fire Nation siblings and their insane desire to destroy everyone who stands in their way. I mean, who gives them the right?" Her temper flared, but she quickly reeled it in, swallowing her disdain for the prince and princess of the Fire Nation in favour of comforting her friend. "We're behind you every step of the way. You know that."

For a moment, he seemed at a loss for words. Then, he beamed. "I know. Thank you. I'm so glad I got the chance to meet everyone after you and Sokka found me… But especially you, Katara." He crossed the distance between them and sat next to her on the log. There was sheen of sweat on his forehead. "And I, uh… I wanted to say…"

The sharp sound of metal on metal echoed around them, a deadly cacophony of weaponry, and the foliage came alive with bright red armor and flashy flame insignias.

Whatever it was would have to wait because, suddenly, they were surrounded.

Without missing a beat, Aang grabbed Katara's hand, leaping to his feet and stomping his foot against the ground, raising a solid barrier of earth in order to block the barrage of arrows that came from the soldiers stationed further at higher ground. The heat of fire warped the air, flushing their skin, and Aang grimaced, his grip tightening.

"Run!"

She didn't need to be told twice. The duo sprinted towards the flying bison: Sokka and Toph were fending off Fire Nation soldiers, the former with his boomerang and the latter with her Bending, but they were being crowded towards the base of the mountain and would soon run out of space to maneuver.

This was bad.

Katara undid the cap of the canteen hanging at her side by a strap that crossed her front, the comforting familiarity of the element and the obedient way it warped and twisted at her command stilling her racing heart. She shaped it into a whip, sweeping it around in a wide arc in order to clear them a path and Aang slid his foot forward, knocking over another few enemies with a wall of earth.

They ducked, avoiding another stream of heat, and the Avatar vaulted over the length of a spear shaft as its sharp end was thrust towards him, disarming the man who held it with a blast of air, and Katara hastened to follow—only to meet the business end of a wooden cudgel and hit the ground. Her vision swam, the water she had been wielding falling uselessly to the earth with a soft, mocking splash that she could just barely hear over the ringing in her ears.

Through the haze, the Water Bender could just barely see her friend slip away, through the crimson mass, and she allowed her eyes to close, her temple throbbing mightily. Somehow, she wasn't even upset; if Aang was safe, the world was too.

There was a commotion and blue eyes opened a crack to see that the soldiers seemed to be squabbling amongst themselves. Suddenly, the sea of red parted and a beautiful, terrible teen strode towards the fallen Bender, her gait suggesting that she had all the time in the world.

"Your precious friends have abandoned you." That voice—that smug, better-than-thou husk—was all-too familiar by this point. It made rage suffuse her frame in a flood of heat and the Water Bender whirled to meet the wolf-like gaze of the Fire Nation princess. "Learn when to surrender, peasant, and you may just live to see another day."

She bristled. "Excuse me?"

"Katara!"

All eyes went to the sky, where the flying bison was careening directly towards them, the youths astride it clutching on to its saddle for dear life, and Azula barked orders to her men, electricity crackling around her tightly clutched fist as she raised it to strike—

Thinking quickly, Katara pressed her hands against the damp earth, concentrating hard on the water she found still lingering there and forcing it up, up, up until it broke through the surface like a water spigot and filled her hands. She curled her fingers, shaping the element into a dense sphere and slung it.

In the next moment, two things happened: the orb struck Azula directly in the back of the head, causing her to stagger, and Appa blazed directly overhead, the wind caused by his velocity flattening the ranks as they cowered close to the ground.

"Princess!"

"The Princess has fallen!"

Taking advantage of the confusion, the girl elbowed her way through the throng, racing after her friends.

"Katara, grab my hand!" Aang was leaning over the side and the others were gripping his ankles, calling out encouragements to the Water Bender below.

She pushed herself harder, managing to close the gap between them and grab the boy's hand just as Appa broke free of the lashes that bound him, bellowing his discontent as he ascended, performing a barrel roll in order to avoid the projectiles that followed in his wake.

As the air thinned and their pursuers drew further and further away, the ragtag band of heroes collapsed, sighing in relief as they allowed the fatigue of yet another perilous situation wash over them.

They had escaped the immediate danger relatively unscathed and they had to be thankful for that.

Katara squeezed Aang's hand, nodding to her brother, who rested a hand on her shoulder, and Toph, who clutched Momo.

They had escaped the immediate danger, but this was far from over.


The earth below trembled with the force of thunder's roar and Azula grit her teeth, the fine hairs at the back of her neck standing on end as the air was saturated with its charge. She balled her hands into fists at her sides as she endured the torrential downpour, her mind a kingdoms away.

She had failed again—what would she tell her father?

The biting chill she felt from the elements was nothing compared to the cold knot of disappointment that had formed in her gut and the back of her head ached.

A hand rested tentatively on her shoulder and, in the next moment, a warm form pressed against the princess's back and she tensed, heat rising within her slender form to flambé the person foolish enough to touch—!

"'zula, you should come back inside."

'Ty Lee…'

"Where's my brother?"

"Below deck, yelling at the men for allowing you to be harmed. He seems mad."

Mad? He was mad? Azula released a wordless howl, punctuating the outburst with a bolt of white lightning, and Ty Lee flinched.

/ The heat of the flames roaring in the fire pits lining the walkway into the center of the spacious room and up to a platform upon which a gilded throne sat, was so intense that it made sweat bead Azula's brow, but she kept her chin high and her spine straight—the very image of proud, proper, Fire Nation blue blood.

She ascended the handful of stairs and and kneeled, lowering her head reverently for the one person in the world who would ever see such a display: her father, Ozai the Fire Lord.

"Rise, Azula." The brunette did as she was told, averting her gaze when she saw the disapproval in the stern lines of his face. "I assume you know why I asked you to return."

She opened her mouth then thought better of it and pressed her lips into a thin line.

Of course. The only time she was ever called home was to be reprimanded. Before, that had been Zuko's role, but it seemed it was her turn to be the family disappointment.

The man shook his head and stroked his beard contemplatively. "Perhaps you are not suited for the task I assigned to you."

'Not suited—?!'

Azula's temper flared and she gritted her teeth, taking in a few calming breaths before managing to respond in a (mostly) neutral tone, "I simply need more time. I almost—"

""Almost" is not good enough, Azula."

"… Yes, Father." That was the safest response. They might have shared the same blood, but that didn't make her any less susceptible to harsh punishment—not after her fall from grace. With each failure the Fire Lord's patience grew thinner.

Ozai leaned back against the high back of his throne, threading his fingers together. "You understand that we cannot allow the Avatar to do as he wishes. He is a threat to the Fire Nation's glorious empire." She didn't say anything. He didn't want her to. "That is why I've decided that you two should join forces."

'Two…?'

"I am not an unreasonable man. This is your last chance to redeem yourself, Zuko; do not fail me."

She whirled around and glared at her older brother, who stood at the base of the raised platform the throne sat upon, the distaste in her golden gaze intense enough to serve as a physical blow.

He didn't flinch, his stance rigid. "I won't."

How dare he? She was Azula, Princess of the Fire Nation. She didn't need a-a babysitter!

"Perhaps if the two of you put your heads together, you can manage to outwit that child." There was a note of sarcasm in his voice and both siblings scowled, frowning all the harder when they realized that their expressions were shared. "Dismissed."

"… Yes, Father." /

It was only when she had reeled in her furiously racing thoughts that Azula realized that her hair was being stroked and that the foolish—brave—acrobat hadn't been cowed by the light show. She allowed herself to relax, her body resting against the familiar bosom of one of her closest frie—vassals. This—this contact, this closeness—was not something she frequently engaged in, but with the way her week had been going, she enjoyed the moment.

Not that she'd ever admit it… and not that Ty Lee needed to be told that.

The bubbly brown-haired girl sighed softly, her breath warming the other Firebender's ear as she questioned, "Feel better?"

"Hmph."

"How's your head?"

Rage had made the ache disappear, but she growled nonetheless, muttering obscenities under her breath. Not only had she fallen in combat, but it had been at the hands of some upstart Water Bender from a Podunk village that was so far in the wilderness that the god's themselves turned a blind eye to it.

Her honour was tarnished and that was unacceptable.

The grip around Azula's midsection tightened, but nothing else was said for a time. And in that silence, the taller girl's mind raced, turning over her most recent failure; tearing it apart and reassembling it until finally she could no longer ignore the words pushing at the back of her throat and asked, softly, "Do you think I'll ever catch him?"

Him. The Avatar. Aang. He was the bane of her existence and a constant reminder that there were things she could not do.

"I know you can," was the sincere response.

She had to. What would happen to her if she didn't?

After another brief silence, the princess nodded, her confidence returning in a surge of haughtiness as she detangled herself from the acrobat and commanded, "Gather the men."

This new plan was foolproof—why hadn't she thought of it before?

Ty Lee bowed at the waist and shimmied back down the ladder, her voice echoing through the ship's innards in her wake, and a savage grin spread across Azula's pretty face.

She could do this. Then, her father would have to respect her.

The image of a pretty, mocha-skinned Bender filled her mind's eye and her grin became all the more vicious. And she would get revenge on that Water Bender who had embarrassed her. Oh, yes… She could already taste the tang of victory at the mere thought of destroying all that was near and dear to that wretched peasant.

After all, what better way to get to a boy than to go after the girl he was sweet on?