A/N: Sooooo, this chapter was a bitch to write. I wanted it to just set up the tone of Caldera and let everyone know what was happening. Not that great, but here it is.

"How are you feeling today, peasant?"

The girl looked up from her meditation. Standing before her was the Princess of Caldera, Azula. She was dressed in the black and red armor that was native to the Fire Nation. She had her hair in a topknot, hands clasped behind her back with a devious smirk licking at her lips. The girl said nothing, only closed her eyes and returned to her meditation sessions. This angered Azula, who snarled before punching a ball of blue fire just around the head of the girl. She didn't even flinch as the heat simmered around her.

"You will answer me when I'm speaking to you, you stupid bitch."

The girl opened her eyes, her aqua blue eyes matching the blue tunic she was wearing with the white sash and dark blue leggings. With a sigh, she closed her eyes again with a smirk.

"I'm doing well, Princess Azula," The hate and sarcasm was dripping off of every word as she spoke them.

"My father will not tolerate this disrespect," Azula snapped. "You're lucky he cares for you, or else I would have killed you myself."

This seemed like a challenge for the blue-eyed girl, who opened her eyes slowly and then narrowed them, staring into the golden eyes of the princess. The girl sighed once more, closing her eyes and returning to the meditative state. Azula was angry now, but knew better than hurting her father's prisoner. Ozai had a certain affection for this girl, but Azula wasn't entirely sure just why she was so special. It made her remember her brother, envious of the way he was never put through the trials the she was after he left for his own exile. With a huff, she turned and walked away.

Once she knew she was alone, the blue-eyed girl released the tears that were built up behind her eye lids. She buried her face into her hands, sobbing quietly in the void around her, lost in this unknown world.

"Welcome to Caldera. Please, ensure all belongings are taken down from the ferry, as any items left on board will be auctioned off back at Full Moon Bay."

Zuko kept his bag tied tightly to his back as he marched behind Lu Ten and Iroh. He kept the hood raised over his head, making sure that Jet and his friends wouldn't see him. There was no part of him that wanted to see that jerk after last night. The trio of firebenders walked down from the ferry, watching as families embraced their loved ones. Zuko looked around, not realizing that Iroh was speaking to him. He caught some of the words, and heard one that caught his attention finally.

"A palanquin?" Zuko snapped in a whisper. "Piandao sent us a palanquin?"

"Master Piandao is sort of a celebrity around these parts," Lu Ten said as Iroh led them to the palanquin that had both Piandao's family symbol and the white lotus symbol fused into one. "It's not that much of a distraction."

The Blue Spirit mumbled something under his breath as he was the last one to step into the palanquin. He leaned against the back of, crossing his arms over his chest and staring at his uncle who was staring right back at him.

"So, when do you guys leave?" Zuko asked.

"In about a day or two," Lu Ten answered from Zuko's left. "Until then, we'll most likely be doing some reconnaissance and gathering as much information as we can."

Zuko raised a brow. "Information like what? I thought you knew everything already about this mission."

"He means figuring out how your father works in keeping the girl secure," Iroh explained. "We need to understand how our enemy works and what we have to do to cause the least amount of damage."

The exile scoffed, raising his fist and creating a flame. "We're firebenders. Damage isn't something we can avoid so easily."

"You have so much to learn, cousin," Lu Ten snickered.

Zuko only rolled his eyes, turning away and letting his mind begin to wander. After five years, Zuko was back in the place where his nightmares started. He wasn't sure where exactly Iroh convinced him to take on this mission to save this girl that he knew nothing about. Well, the only thing he knew was that she was a waterbender. And it wasn't that smart as well to send a firebender to save a waterbender. For all she knew, all firebenders were evil and none were to be trusted.

Or was that why Iroh asked about the mask?

Now Zuko's mind was really racing, not fully hearing the words his uncle and cousin were saying. What if they wanted the Blue Spirit, not Zuko, to rescue this girl? He didn't bring his mask, so that was really out of the question. But, Zuko could just make sure that he didn't show that he was a firebender to this waterbender. Shrugging at the thought, Zuko now wondered why his father would even capture of waterbender. Any way that Zuko looked at it, it didn't make sense. And his father wasn't the type of person, if you could call him a person, that would make irrational decision. No, this girl was important. More important than his cousin and uncle were letting on.

"Ah, I see we are here."

Zuko looked up at his uncle's voice, feeling that the palanquin had indeed stopped moving. He was the first one out of the palanquin, grabbing his bag and seeing Piandao and his butler, Fat, standing there. Zuko lowered his hood and bowed, his uncle and cousin following suit. Piandao bowed back, smiling widely at the three firebenders.

"The order welcomes those who seek the treasure," Piandao said, nodding to Iroh and Lu Ten. "And Zuko, it is good to see you again."

These old men and their cryptic greetings.

"As it is to see you, Master Piandao," Zuko replied.

Piandao turned and extended his arms towards his small palace. "Please, come inside for tea. I feel that there is a lot that we must discuss."

"Lo and Li, go and see that the peasant isn't hungry or anything," Azula ordered.

The two old women bowed slightly, turning away from Azula and walking down the hall to where the waterbender's room was. Lo opened the door, letting Li walk in first before joining her at her side again. The blue-eyed girl looked up at the sound of the door closing. She was sitting in the same spot when Azula visited her a few days ago. She hadn't moved, staying in a lotus position and keeping her breathing him.

"Princess Azula inquires if you are hungry," Lo and Li said.

"If all I'm getting are fire flakes, then no, I'm not hungry."

Lo and Li turned their faces into deep scowls. "You speak such disrespect to the Princess of Caldera? Have you no shame?"

The waterbender scoffed, holding back a chuckle. "And keeping me locked up in here is considered respect?"

"Father Ozai has the best intentions for you, peasant," Lo and Li hissed. "It'd be best if you do well to behave yourself."

"I'm still not hungry," the waterbender snapped. "But I do wish to ask you a question."

The two older firebenders looked at each other, mumbling stuff that the waterbender couldn't here. They nodded to each other, crossing their arms over their chests and nodding to the girl. "Speak."

"Why am I here?"

Lo and Li both raised their brows, confused by this question. "Aren't you aware of the reason why Father Ozai tracked you down from the Southern Water Tribe?"

The waterbender shook her head slowly, staring down at the ground. Lo and Li sighed, looking at each other once more. "The answer you seek lies within yourself. Deep down, you know why you are here, waterbender."

The waterbender was silent for a few moments before nodding once. With a sigh, she looked up, smiling brightly and doing her best to keep her composure. "Tell Princess Azula thank you for asking about my state of being."

Tonight was another night of them taking notes of the pagoda tower that the girl was in. Zuko was dressed in his black shozoku, only raising his zukin enough to cover his mouth and nose. The hood part was bundled around his neck. He stayed crouched next to Lu Ten, who wore the black outfit to perfection. Well, at least Lu Ten believed that it was perfect. Zuko, having worn that outfit for years, would say it was just a little too much.

"Doesn't seem like it's that hard to get in there," Zuko observed, seeing only two guards at the entrance.

"You underestimate things, Zuko," Lu Ten snapped.

Zuko rolled his eyes. "I've spent years as a vigilante with a blue oni mask in Ba Sing Se. Safe to say, I was the one that was underestimated."

"A bit full of yourself, aren't you?"

The exile said nothing, only turned to stare at the two guards standing in front of the pagoda tower.

"So, when is this raffle thing?"

"Father said in about two days," Lu Ten answered. "But we're unsure of that plan now."

Zuko whipped his head around, narrowing his eyes and fitting his lips into a scowl underneath the zukin. "What do you mean, you're unsure of it?"

"You remember Zhao, right?"

Zuko gave a nod.

"Well, he's the one in charge of the raffle," Lu Ten explained. "Think of him like Ozai's right hand man. You win the raffle, Zhao recognizes you because of the scar, and it's all over."

"So now what?" Zuko prompted. "And please nothing that involves having to deal with the uprising."

Lu Ten shook his head. "If anything, we'll just have you steal someone's winning ticket and sneak in yourself."

Zuko rolled his eyes again. "Did neither of you truly think this through? I know uncle always tells me that, but now I'm beginning to think he should take his own advice about that."

"These are complications we didn't see coming," Lu Ten snapped, turning his gaze on his younger cousin. "We have to be adaptable to the changing elements that are around us."

"Whatever," Zuko said, turning on his heel. "There's nothing else going on. Let's just go back and report to Iroh and Piandao what we saw. I have a training session tomorrow anyways."

Before Lu Ten could argue, Zuko was off and running across the tops of buildings. The older man sighed, looking back towards the pagoda. He looked at the guards, seeing them retreat back inside the tower. Lu Ten took note of it, quickly running after Zuko and back to Piandao's home.

"Are you ready to begin, Zuko?"

Zuko looked up at his master, nodding once before he unsheathed his dual dao swords. He twirled the blades around his body, remembering all those nights in Ba Sing Se, taking down benders with ease and poise. Zuko nodded once, crouching into an attack position and watched as Piandao made the first move. Zuko stood ready, only stepping to the right, easily dodging Piandao's long sword and swiping across his master's arm, smirking as he saw the cut in the robe.

"Point to me," Zuko snickered.

The two were at again, the metal of the swords clanging against each other as Piandao was jabbing in quick strikes at Zuko. With his two swords, Zuko easily was able to defend himself and throw attacks of his own. But that was something that Piandao took advantage of. When Zuko readied himself for an attack, Piandao quickly slashed at the inside of his arm. Zuko gasped, looking down at the slit on his arm with a small trail of blood running down his arm.

"Tied up."

Iroh, Lu Ten and Fat all watched from the top of the stairs, amazed on how fluid the two of them were. Sipping tea and eating small batches of fire flakes, they watched as the master and pupil exchanged points and danced around each other with grace and poise.

"Zuko's mastery of the dual dao swords is rather impressive," Lu Ten stated.

Iroh nodded, seeing Zuko roll to the side and cutting a slit into Piandao's pants, earning himself another point. "Zuko took immediate interest in those when he began his training with Piandao. I always assumed it was because of the legend of the Blue Spirit."

"Didn't he say Aunt Ursa used to tell him stories about the Blue Spirit?"

Another nod came from Iroh as Zuko earned himself another point. "It seems that becoming the Blue Spirit was the only thing that continued to keep some connection with his mother going."

"Was it just like when mom died?" Lu Ten asked, staring at the ground.

"I believe so, yes."

Zuko, barely beginning to feel out of breath, managed to trap Piandao's sword in between his and flipped it away into the grass. The firebender kicked out the back of Piandao's legs, the old sword master falling on his back. Zuko immediately straddled the man's chest, crossing his swords over Piandao's neck with a smug smirk on his face.

"I win," Zuko snickered.

There was an applause from the stairs, Zuko turning and seeing his uncle and cousin clapping with smiles on their faces. With a smirk, Zuko rose to his feet and sheathed his swords, reaching down and pulling Piandao to his feet.

"It pleases me to see that you have not gotten rusty," Piandao smirked. "It would've been rather embarrassing if you had lost."

The exile scoffed, turning away and walking back up the stairs and past his relatives. He stopped, looking back and Lu Ten and Iroh.

"We need to start planning how I'm going to get into that pagoda tower."

The four men walked inside while Fat went and prepared fresh tea for them. They sat down at the small table, Zuko crossing his arms and waiting for his uncle to begin explaining the plan. After last night with Lu Ten saying they were unsure anymore, Zuko was beginning to regret taking on this mission. The nightmares had also started coming back to him, but he would never tell them. No, that wasn't who Zuko was. He was the Blue Spirit. He was a firebender. And firebenders never wore their emotions on their sleeves. They were supposed to be ruthless and destined to be the greatest benders on the face of the planet.

"I understand Lu Ten has informed you of how winning the raffle is no longer an option," Iroh stated.

Zuko nodded. "With Zhao running the raffle, he'll recognize me if I won."

"Correct," Iroh said. "I have discussed with Lu Ten and we have come to a decision on a new plan."

"Which is…?" Zuko raised a brow.

"Well, it does involve the members of the uprising," Lu Ten stated.

Zuko scoffed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I thought what was going to be a stupid plan."

"Hear us out, nephew," Iroh said. "The raffle is a huge public display that most high ranking officials and important people of Caldera attend. It'll be a perfect opportunity for the uprising to attack."

"You will be in attendance at the raffle," Lu Ten continued. "You won't enter it, but you will blend in with the locals. Whoever wins, stay close to them. Just be close though, in case the uprising attacks before the winner is announced."

Zuko raised a brow, his confusion growing. "You're making it seem like you planned this with the uprising."

Iroh took a sip of tea, closing his eyes and hiding his smirk. "Well, maybe someone notified the resistance about where Zhao would be."

The exile chuckled, leaning back and crossing his arms over his head as he shook his head slowly. "Zhao being Ozai's right hand man, it'd be a big blow and a direct insult to his legacy. You never cease to amaze me, uncle."

"This is where you have to go on the rest of mission alone," Lu Ten said. "We're both sure that no one from Ozai's regime knows we're here."

Zuko nodded, taking a sip of the ginseng tea. He cringed at the taste, knowing that it was nothing compared to the tea that Iroh makes at his tea shop back in Ba Sing Se. Putting the cup down, he leaned forward, exhaling slowly.

"After I rescue the waterbender, then what?" Zuko prompted.

"You will return here and send notice to Iroh and the rest of the Order," Piandao spoke. "We will keep her safe until Iroh returns."

"And on the off chance that this doesn't work?" Zuko raised a brow. "What if I can't get back here without dealing with trouble?"

"You will take her to Ember Island," Iroh stated. "It remains untouched from any kingdom's rule and you will be safe there."

Zuko shook his head again, laughing loudly this time as he leaned back into his seat. "So, if the plan of just getting back here fails, you want me to go to Ember Island?"

"You still have a house there, don't you?" Lu Ten asked.

Another memory played in Zuko's mind as Lu Ten finished speaking. He remembered walking along the beach with his father. It was back when Ozai was only a ruler of the Fire Nation, not Caldera. His mother was holding his hand, telling him another part of the Blue Spirit legend. And that was when the fireworks started. Little Zuko stared up at them in awe, wanting to be a firebender just like that when he was older.

"Zuko? Are you okay?"

He shook the memory away, quickly nodding as he stood up. "I'll be in my room. Wake me when you two are ready to leave."

Zuko gave them no time to say anything else before he was marching off towards the hallway. The three older men listened as the door slid shut. Iroh sighed, putting down his cup and resting his chin on his fingers. He knew that Zuko was feeling conflicted right now, and he knew that there was a memory linked to his house on Ember Island.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Lu Ten offered.

"He must," Iroh declared. "For all of our sakes, Zuko must be stronger than he has ever been before."

"I trust that you will be okay, won't you, nephew?"

"Of course, uncle," Zuko replied with a smile.

Zuko was standing just outside the front gates of Piandao's home, watching as Iroh and Lu Ten loaded up the palanquin. Lu Ten said nothing, only stopped and gave a short nod to Zuko before he loaded himself up onto the palanquin. It was like Lu Ten to be stubborn and say nothing else as he was getting ready to leave. Iroh stepped in front of Zuko, offering a smile as he placed his hands on the young man's shoulders.

"I believe in you, Zuko," Iroh stated. "The Order of the White Lotus believes in you as well, my nephew."

"I know, uncle," Zuko replied.

"You've grown into such a strong man," Iroh beamed, folding his hands over his chest. "Your mother would be very proud of you."

Zuko nodded, watching as his uncle smile as he turned and climbed up into the palanquin. The firebender watched as the palanquin rose up, the people carrying it away as Zuko let out a heavy sigh. He looked at the footsteps, seeing his teacher standing beside him with his arms folded into his sleeve.

"You know your uncle trusts you, right?" Piandao asked. "He wouldn't have asked you to take this mission if he didn't."

"I know," Zuko said with a nod. "But I'm not sure if I trust myself."

"Why so?"

Zuko said nothing, only reaching up and touching his scar. The image of his father holding a hand of fire made him cringe as he turned on his heel and walked back into Piandao's home. He wasn't entirely sure if he could face his father again, if the time called for it.

And somewhere else, high in the pagoda tower, the waterbender stared up at the setting sun, finding warmth in knowing that the sun would always come back to her, regardless of how strong the moon could be.