Hello again, and welcome back. For those of you who have stuck with me this far… wow. I never thought anyone would actually. But thank you! Here's the fourth chapter in this story. I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: If Avatar was mine, I wouldn't have to resort to pathetic Avatar-a-thons with my friends. Alas, not all wishes come true.

-------------------------------------------------------------

The night caressed the bodies of children as they lay, the blackness clinging to some things but shying away from others, and the moonlight sliding over some while avoiding the others like the plague. Stars twinkled happily, unaware that down below, in a seemingly unimportant forest, great events were about to happen that could change the world. And then why should they care? If humans killed each other off if wouldn't affect them at all.

The soft light of the moon sighed as it fell into a clearing where three bodies slept. It gently held the Water Tribe boy in its arms, rocking him back in forth with something like motherly care. A whisper in his ear made him shiver and roll over, pulling his sleeping bag closer to him. The whisper came again, and he snuggled down deeper, mumbling slightly in his sleep. If you listened closely, you could almost hear him faintly say, "Yue…"

The moonlight also hugged the body of a Water Tribe girl close. She was sleeping next to her brother, and a frown spread over her face. The moon tried to comfort her, but she turned restlessly in her sleep, unwilling to let happiness break down her wall of unpleasantness.

Another figure was touched by the moon through the open side of a rock tent where a small girl was sleeping. She sighed and smiled at it. The moon was something strange and unfamiliar to her. Yet… she loved it as the moon loved her, and she fell asleep in its soft caresses.

In another clearing not so far away three other bodies lay sleeping, although one a child, one a young man and one a much older man. This time the sly night and soft moonlight crept into the place of their rest. Tentatively, the moonlight bathed all three of them, especially the boy with an arrow on his head. He moved in his sleep, unable to get comfortable in any position.

The other two were also lit up, but not as strongly. Darkness crept into the spots the moon missed. It cradled them almost roughly, but they did not wake up. The man fought something in his sleep, but the adolescent was sleeping soundly, his mouth curved into a small smile. The night favored him, and hugged him close.

In a clearing just on the other side of some trees were three other girls. Two were sleeping, and shadows craved their bodies, but one wasn't dreaming. She blended so well into the night that you wouldn't know she was there if it wasn't for her gold eyes. She watched the moon, and the power in those eyes made it turn away from her, favoring to lavish its gifts upon ones more to its taste. The girl didn't mind. She pressed herself back into the darkness, loving it.

Azula felt her neck aching from staring up for hours, and her back was stiff and uncomfortable. The tree she was leaning against had long since been hurting painfully, but she didn't move to become more comfortable. Her eyes itched for sleep, but her brain wasn't tired at all.

The fire princess decided that it was time to move, and she stood, ignoring the protests of her body. Moving silently over to the other two girls, she gently nudged them. Both woke immediately, and one bounced up excitedly with a smile on her face.

The other one rose with an 'oh-why-do-I-even-bother?' attitude, sighing slightly but following the other two as she readied her weapons, just in case they would be needed, although she doubted it. They were perfectly able to handle the idiots without weapons.

Azula checked to see that her two friends were ready before she nodded and started off. Their quiet padding ended when they could see the three. Azula's eyes gleamed in a hungry, almost disturbing way. She glanced at the others again before starting forward, keeping as silent as possible. She smiled and gestured to the Avatar, telling Mai and Ty Lee that she would get him.

They nodded. Mai went immediately for Zuko, so Ty Lee took Iroh. She was too busy concentrating to tease her friend. Ty Lee knew when it was okay to joke, and when it was time to stop.

Azula made her way to Aang, her lips dry with anticipation. She readied her hands with flames, trying to keep them small so that they wouldn't light up the camp and wake everyone up. The princess swallowed and readied herself to hit Aang over the head with a fireball.

Aang shifted uncomfortably. He watched the three girls come into the clearing without really realizing what he was seeing. He was so tired, but his mind wouldn't let him go to sleep. It had been this way since he had gotten captured. So tired, but unable to get some relief by resting.

When Azula started to approach him, he began to panic, but he didn't know it. His body wanted to twitch and spasm, but his common sense kept him in place. When she lit her hands, his brain finally saw what was happening. He turned and looked at her straight on for a moment, his mouth hanging open. Then Azula thrust her fire forward, and Aang rolled away before standing up, getting into a battle stance.

Shit! Azula thought, watching him move around as airbenders were wan to do. She spun and unleashed another bolt of blue fire at him, making him drop to the ground. At the same time, he put his wrists together and blew a large gust of wind at her. Azula deflected it with a fire shield that she then spread outwards, the blue flames trying to lick his sleeves. Aang nearly swore loudly, but saved his breath for the fighting. His sleeves caught fire as he just barely made it out of the way. The Avatar would have put it out with water, but there was none nearby.

Zuko's eyes opened instantly at the sound of fighting. He looked up to see Mai's face over him. She stared for a moment, and the man realized that she had never seen him with his scar before. Using this opportunity, he kicked out at her, releasing a trail of flame. Mai jumped back, her surprise hidden now by her impassive features. Zuko jumped up and avoided the goth girl's daggers just barely. It was now clear that the three were attacking them.

Aang ran, desperately thinking of what he should do. In his initial panic, he hadn't realized that he could put out the fire with air. The young boy did that now, and sighed as the sensation of burning skin left him. He flinched, his clothes stuck to his wound, but he kept running, knowing that Azula was right behind him.

Iroh watched Ty Lee get closer through eyes that were slits. He had seen the whole scene play out, and kept calm, waiting for the perfect moment. Ty Lee took another step closer and Iroh unleashed a fire blast at her face. She flipped out of the way, jumping up at the same time and landing in a tree. Iroh waited, not wanting to set the forest on fire. The acrobat noticed this and took advantage of it, keeping behind the leaves as she moved until she could see an opening.

Azula let loose another barrage of fireballs at Aang, furious that he could still be up after a burning like the one she had given him. The Avatar unconsciously groped for his glider before remembering that the other three still had it. He growled and swiped with his foot, momentarily knocking the fire princess off of her feet. She jumped back up, catlike, and threw two punches in succession, making Aang have to duck and weave.

Zuko was ready to have a good fight with Mai, when he got bowled over by a strong force. It was Aang, and the Avatar became entangled in Zuko, his desperation about getting away from Azula and her creepy blue fire making him oblivious to his captor. "What are you doing?" hissed Zuko, shoving Aang off him and ducking just in time to avoid some more of Mai's daggers.

"Running!" replied Aang, blocking a bolt of lightning with a lot of air. The air crackled around him, and he felt heat thump against his face. He flinched and ignored Zuko's stunned look that he had actually said something. Azula threw a punch at him, and Aang blocked it again before sending his own attack out. Azula dropped and rolled, shooting fire at Aang's head before giving another one to her uncle, whose back was turned. She grinned when it hit him. He cried out, but sent one right back, and then copied her move by sending another one to Mai. Mai blocked it with a metal spike, sparks shooting from it. She dropped it, the metal almost glowing red from the heat. Zuko took advantage of her being distracted to get her feet out from under her, but was stopped from doing anything with his hands when Ty Lee hit his pressure points in his arms- hard. He would have grabbed them if he could move them, but he couldn't.

Aang hit himself in the head. He could use earthbending! How stupid was he? But panicking had taken away his sense. Now he could feel his head cooling off, and moved his arms roughly, resulting in Ty Lee being launched into the air. She tumbled, but managed to land easily on her feet, and went after Iroh again.

Iroh had been fighting with Azula. He kicked at her and followed the fire, running straight for his niece. Azula ducked from his fire and attacked his already burnt shoulder, making the wound deeper. She grinned maliciously, and kept up her relentless attack. Iroh spun, knocking Azula off her feet. She landed in an earth cage. Aang grinned and pushed Mai into a tree with an air blast. Her head hit it, and she dropped down onto her knees, holding it.

Ty Lee frowned and went for Aang. He started fighting with her, their blows going back and forth so fast that they almost couldn't be seen. When one finished a move, the other would start up with another, in a nimble, never-ending dance.

Zuko created his fire daggers with a roar, finding that he could move his arms again, and plunged into the fray, seeing that Azula had blasted her way out of the tank that Aang had made for her. She looked around. Azula grinned and hit Zuko right in the chest with a lightning bolt. Zuko dodged it, but it caught his sleeve and made him cry out in pain. His sister grinned, but was hard put to block a thrust from his fire daggers. Azula grabbed his upper arms and flipped him, right over her shoulder and into a bush behind her. Zuko made to get up, but Azula was two steps ahead of him. She knocked his feet out from under him, and he went right down again.

Iroh watched Mai carefully, knowing that Ty Lee and Azula were busy with the two young boys fighting them. He saw Mai get up and smiled kindly at her. "What are you doing with someone like my niece?" he asked, hiding his wince as he folded his hands. Mai just glared at him, and sent spikes into his shirt, pinning him a tree behind him. Iroh just smiled, making Mai want to vomit. She put more into his legs and advanced. Iroh waited until she was close before heaving his body weight forward, releasing him from the spikes' grasps.

Aang pushed up a rock and threw it at Ty Lee, who swerved and instead headed for Iroh, pushing his pressure points as she had done with Zuko. Aang growled and hit her with an attack while her back was turned, causing the acrobat to start bleeding in the back of her head. She stumbled, starting to get dizzy and see spots. Mai spun around and threw daggers at Aang, who was pinned to a tree. He stayed there, panting heavily as he watched what was going on, trying to move his arms and legs.

Zuko snarled and wrapped a fire whip around his sister's leg, pulling her down on top of him. Gold eyes stared into a twin pair, and they both didn't say anything for a moment that seemed to last an eternity. Then Azula smiled, the very sight making Zuko shiver. "You lose," she whispered, and hit him hard in the back of his head. The exiled fire prince fainted immediately. Azula pushed herself off of his chest and looked around, dusting her hands off.

Iroh was lying on the ground, unable to move his body parts, and Mai was standing above him, preparing to knock him out with the butt end of one of her daggers. Azula looked away as she did this, preferring to see the Avatar pinned to a tree and not able to get away. She walked towards him, an evil smile on her face as she saw what she had done to him.

Ty Lee was sitting on the ground, her head in her hands. She bit her lip and tried to stay awake, but the darkness that was creeping up on her was so inviting. She just wanted to sink back into it and never wake up again. Mai strained to pull Iroh up, holding him so Azula could see him. "What now, Azula?" she asked.

The fire princess stopped right in front of Aang, who was glaring daggers at her. "We'll take them all." She told her two friends, turning away from the young boy's look. She briskly walked over to her friends, looking down at Ty Lee who had slumped back onto the ground.

A rustling in the trees alerted Azula and Mai to another's presence. They straightened up, flinching at the pain it cost them. Azula did some quick calculations. Ty Lee was out, that was obvious. Mai was hurt and winded, and it pained Azula to walk fast. There was no way that they could face someone else, especially if they were who she thought they were.

Azula growled but said, "We'll take my uncle, since we've already got him up. You carry Ty Lee." Mai looked startled, but nodded and gave Azula the old man. The rustling came again, louder this time as though the people were running towards where the sounds had come from. It was night, and the fire would have lit up the forest. Azula spared one more look for her brother and Aang, but she told Mai, "My brother will come after uncle. He loves him. He'll bring the Avatar too, I'm sure of it. Zuzu wouldn't want to lose his precious catch."

Azula held Iroh under his arms, and began to drag him backwards as Mai hoisted Ty Lee so that she was hanging over her shoulder. They walked out of the camp, leaving everything else where it was. Aang still struggled to get out of his restraints, but it wasn't working. Azula stopped for a second to shoot fire at the trees where the sound had come from, before leaving, following Mai.

A tall oak caught, and flames licked hungrily at it, quickly consuming it. But it wasn't enough. The fire spread fast, eating all the trees that it could. First the two trees on the sides of the oak, then the next ones, until one whole side of the clearing was just fire, dancing and reaching for the sky, sparks flying everywhere.

Zuko was still unconscious, but Aang was wide awake, and desperately trying to get away. He was right in the line of the fire, and it was coming towards him like a monster, growling savagely and impatient to eat him. The panic he had felt before was starting bubble up again, and Aang found that he couldn't think straight. He started to scream, feeling the heat against his face, searing his already burnt skin.

The rustling was its loudest, but you almost couldn't hear it over the crackle of flames. His three friends, Katara, Sokka and Toph, burst out of the forest, looking around wildly. They saw Aang and hurried over to him, aghast at his wounds and the forest fire that was already high.

"Who cares!" shouted Aang as Katara began fussing over his hurt arms. They were surprised because they thought that he was going to be ecstatic to see them. "Stop the fire!" he cried, struggling to get out of his stuck position. "Before I'm glued to the tree!"

Katara took a step backwards, but saw the sense in his words. She turned to face the fire, preparing to give it an onslaught of strong water balls. She uncorked her pouch that held her bending water and started to put out the fire. It was very strong, and her water turned to steam as it connected with the flames.

Sokka unpinned Aang from the tree, and the young boy fell gratefully into his friend's arms. Toph walked toward where Zuko was. She stopped in front of him and shouted. "I think I found Angry Boy,"

Katara immediately stopped and sprinted to where Toph was. Sure enough, there was Zuko, lying immobilized because he wasn't conscious. She felt her blind rage starting to get her again, but Toph grabbed her arm, as though reading her mind. "Katara," she told her. The waterbender looked into the blind girl's very pale green eyes. "We have to get away from here. There's a forest fire, and you and Aang can't stop it with so little water!"

Katara tried to resist it, but she knew that Toph was right. All three of them were tired from running all night, and Aang was in no condition to fight. She had seen his burns. "I know," she whispered. The teen turned away, but Toph stopped her.

"We have to take him with us," she told her. Katara clenched her fists but nodded. She could confront him later. But he would pay for what he had done. She would make him pay.

Sokka helped Aang walk along, and Toph and Katara dragged Zuko between them. They walked as fast as they could, trying to get away from the fire that was spreading.

"This karma is going to come back and haunt us," Sokka told himself, but Aang heard him. "We would put out the fire…" he trailed off, knowing that he agreed with Sokka when it came right down to it.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Author Notes:

Wow, long chapter. My fire is not currently lit. Light it with reviews! I can't stress how much reviews really motivate people to write.

So, I hope you liked it. Action is always fun. I hope I gave a good reason for Iroh to have been captured. I didn't want him to come across as lazy or weak, cause Iroh's neither of those things. He rocks! Sorry if the fight seemed to last really long, (if you don't like that) but I had to let all the characters get a go at someone else, and there's six of them.

Oh, and don't worry, Aang will be happy to see his friends, but later, not this chapter.

My question about OC characters can wait, but not for long. I really need you guys to answer that question about them, because I have some pretty cool ones, but I don't know how well they would fit in this story. I need you to tell me! Wow, long author notes…

So pleeeeeeeease review for me! I live off of reviews. 