Disclaimer: Mike and Bryan are here with me now, attesting to the fact that I don't own Avatar. They do. And Nickelodeon owns them… uh, their contracts, so I guess that means Avatar is a part of Nick, too. Curses.

Author's Notes: The Lightbulb Master, Miyiku, Togira Ikonka, Kiminator Mark XII, Menamebephil, AvatarAiris, and Sokka's Fan-Lawyer—muchas gracias para ustedes. (: Adoré leer y contestar a sus críticas. In other words, you guys make my world go around. Also thanks to katara602, who just joined the party at chapter 3. ¡Bienvenido!

It should be obvious by now that I don't update as often as I should. And now that I have my driver's license (yay!), I'll actually be DOING THINGS and HAVING A SOCIAL LIFE with my friends. Also, finals are coming up next week, and I kinda need to study for those.


The Angel Experiment


"We kissed at the invasion, and I thought we were going to be together… but we're not."

-Aang, "The Ember Island Players"


"Mai."

The raven girl immediately stopped in her tracks. The icy voice chilled her entire body and sent waves of arctic sprays down her spine that rooted her feet into place. Azula. "What do you need, Azula," she ground out, long bangs falling protectively over her silver eyes. "I'm not training with you guys right now, if that's what you're after."

"The new generation can wait." Precise footsteps clicked beside the older girl (high heels on tile), and Mai resisted the urge to glare at her. "I need you, Mai. You're the only one suited for the job at hand." A slim, manicured hand found its way onto her shoulder. Mai couldn't help but chance a look—this closely, she could clearly see the enlarged pores where Azula's scraggly hair follicles would poke out. But right now, her hairs were thin and fine, like a well-bred young lady. A set of eyes found the floor as Azula stalked her prey.

"I need you to do me a favor," the younger girl continued, catching her friend's gaze with her own piercing amber one. "I think Father… underestimates the girl's ability." This was the first time Azula had ever said such a thing. Voicing discontent or disapproval was as good as a betrayal in Ozai's eyes. (Just look what happened to Zuko.) "He hasn't put enough guards around her chamber. But you… you've seen her in action. You know what she's capable of."

An imperceptible nod.

A red-lipped smirk twisted her face into something evil. "I knew you'd see it my way. Go make sure that there's a good solid wall between that thing and her escape."

Mai's brows plunged. She wasn't a thing… she was a she. Capable of thoughts and emotions just like everyone else. The Eraser continued her walk down the hallway even as she heard Azula's heels stalking away in the other direction.

--

So. Turned out that Sokka was right.

That moron actually knew what he was talking about when he said the trip would be "long, boring, and dangerous." Pfft. At the time, Toph had refused to believe him. But now… now that they had been flying for God-knew-how-long (much longer than she had traveled with Aang), and the hot midday sun was beating down on her sensitive skin and soaking into her charcoal-colored wings; she felt so hot that she honestly thought she might spontaneously combust. Just boom!, and a million little Toph pieces might go flying everywhere.

She wiped a bead of sweat from her brow. "Sokka… where are we?"

He probably shrugged, but she couldn't tell. "There's a few roads down there and some fields, but that's about it. Oh, and a big barn. Not much else."

But Zuko, who was flying near the back of the formation, did spot something else. There was a group of kids, probably not much older than he was, surrounding a younger girl. Ganging up on her. His golden eyes narrowed as the others noticed it too.

"Hey… what's going on down there?" Aang pointed.

Zuko's voice was low. "I think I know." He tucked his blackish wings in, quickly dropping in altitude and landing a little roughly behind the barn. The rest of the group was still circling above him, trying to stay out of the kids' line of vision. He waved a hand at them, trying to get them to fly away and just get the heck out of there. Aang was the only one close enough to notice… but Zuko saw a little flash of sadness in his eyes as the three disappeared.

He turned around and approached the gang, putting on his best face. Not like he had to try that hard; his scar did most of the talking for him. "What are you doing?" he growled, crossing his arms.

One of the kids waved around a shotgun, though it was obvious he had no idea how to use it. A big burly kid with an ugly nose and a letterman's jacket sneered at him. "I suggest you get going, freak. This little lady's our friend, and you have no business interfering in our discussion."

Uneven eyes narrowed. Yeah right. One of the bullies actually tried to lift his gun, and quick as a flash, Zuko had darted around the girl in the middle and punched the guy in the face. Zuko winced as he felt the other's nose collapse under his fist. Crap… he didn't know humans were so fragile.

The big one came at him from the back, but Zuko stopped him in his tracks with a swift elbow in the gut, followed by a rib-cracking kick. He groaned and fell over. The remaining bullies looked nervously at each other before backing away just a little bit. Zuko took his opportunity to scoop the girl into his arms and drop her off behind the barn. He didn't get a very good look at her, but he did manage to catch the tiny "thank you" she gave him before he started running again.

As he made for the woods, he couldn't help but start thinking. He was always running away, trying to escape certain death or dismemberment. He tried to be the good guy, take care of someone else for a change, but no. The universe couldn't even give him a LITTLE slack.

He darted behind a tree and sat there, evening out his breaths quietly. So. That wasn't so bad.

And then it started raining.

--

The three remaining flock members were silent as they coasted on air currents. It was obvious that Aang regretted leaving Zuko behind, but he didn't want to say anything about it. Toph, who hadn't seen anything, was extremely curious as to what exactly happened—all she could gather was that Zuko was no longer traveling with them. And the eldest boy's face was pensive, something that was becoming more and more usual. Sokka didn't smile as much, or laugh at all really, and he certainly didn't crack stupid jokes like he used to.

Running for your life just sucked like that.

Suddenly, almost out of nowhere, a jagged cliffside appeared from the hilly scenery, cutting across the land like a knife blade. "Looks like we're near a fault line," Sokka observed.

"I see something," Aang said, angling his cream-colored wings to swoop lower. "Come here!" The other two followed him to a small cave that had been carved into the face of the cliff. The floor was sandy and much better for sleeping than solid rock.

Toph looked relieved to have her feet firmly planted in something solid again. Sokka looked around the small area and nodded. "Nice eagle eye, Aang." The younger boy nodded appreciatively before folding in his wings and retreating to the back of the cavern; he had to duck the last few feet so he wouldn't hit his head.

Meanwhile, Sokka slung his backpack on the ground and started rooting through it—he tossed aside an undergarment, a big stack of important-looking papers, and a few empty wrappers before finding some food at the bottom. "Aha!" He displayed his prize—four protein bars—before distributing them evenly among them. The younger two practically stuffed the entire bar in their mouths at one time, and Sokka was tempted to do the same. Aang and Toph both had stupidly high metabolisms, and while he could out-eat anyone if he wanted to, those two could out-eat him because they needed to. They burned through calories so fast it made his head spin.

When they were done, the family settled into the sand with a sigh, Sokka using his limp backpack as a crude pillow. "Guess we're sleeping here for the night," Toph commented. She placed a hand on the ground, and with careful concentration, managed to move a small ledge of earth just under her feet. "All right, success!" she exclaimed before propping her feet up and promptly falling asleep.

Aang laughed softly before curling up in a ball. He too was out like a light in a matter of moments.

The fifteen-year-old sighed. Now if only he could start dreaming like that.

--

Mai entered slowly, softly—quite unlike her. She glided through the door and shut it, careful not to make too much noise. She crinkled her nose; that smell still disgusted her. Her long legs guided her to the place where she needed to be: in front of an animal crate, size large, with someone curled up inside. The dark-haired girl squatted down before coming face-to-face, or nose-to-nose, with a pair of sharp blue eyes gleaming in the weak light.

The younger one was backed far into her holding cell, wings slightly out to make her look bigger. Mai actually felt kind of… sorry for her. She slid her pale fingers through the bars, wiggling them and testing the girl's—Katara's—reaction. She glanced at Mai's fingers quickly but didn't linger too long.

Mai retracted her hand. "All right… I can see you. Tell me, what are you doing back there?"

Katara shifted slightly, brushing a scraggly strand of hair behind her ear. Her voice was rough from abuse. "What are you talking about? Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with the others?"

Mai's impassive look helped to bounce away her anger. "I know what you can do. Why don't you just bust yourself out of here and get it over with?"

The girl experiment drooped and faded. "M-my friends," she choked. "I know they're looking for me. And… and I don't know how."

The Eraser nodded, dark eyebrows barely twitching together. "You'll get better. Trust me. But don't let anyone convince you that you can't."

The dark-skinned girl looked so surprised, but she quickly masked it behind a plain face. She nodded, and for the first time, some of her old personality rushed back to her.

Mai quickly shot to her feet when she heard the door opening. As soon as she saw who was there behind the bright rush of light, she bowed her head and walked out. This was a family matter.

Katara clenched her fists and backed up when a pair of feet stopped before her door. She swallowed and set her face. No emotions, no emotions, don't feel a THING. It'll be the death of you. But she choked on everything when a familiar form crouched before her. The man—the Whitecoat—had darkly-tanned skin. Bright blue eyes (just like her)… and a crooked smile (just like her brother). A million memories of scraped knees and lemonade on hot summer days flashed before her eyes.

He looked at her kindly. "Hello Katara… my lovely daughter."

Quivering, angry, FURIOUS, she bent over on herself. She was gonna be sick. "Dad."

--

K-chink!

Zuko jerked himself back into reality when he heard a bullet explode way too close for comfort. A little bit panicked, he shot off deeper into the woods, using the tall trees and darkening skyline to (hopefully) hide his form. Behind him, he heard more gunshots and a band of teenagers yelling to each other and crashing through the underbrush. Zuko silently cursed at himself. How did he not notice them coming?

He barely ducked a shot that exploded right next to his head. Crap. Those stupid bullies must've called for backup or something…

…Or finally figured out how to use their handguns.

"Ah!" He cried out when a lucky shot managed to graze his shoulder. It burned like fire. He stumbled through the dark underbrush, tripping over some fallen branches before collapsing into a shallow ditch in the forest floor. The teen placed a hand on his wound, and it came back sticky. He cursed again. Stupid lucky shots… now his shoulder was useless, and he couldn't fly. Zuko was 99 percent sure it nicked his wing, too.

The rain was still falling down, patting against the leaves and providing some sound cover for his rasping breaths. Zuko shivered. So even though he was radioactive, that didn't mean he was hot all the time. He got cold just like normal people…

…His scarred face twisted up in a grimace as a wave of pain swept over his upper left side. Now was one of those times he wished he could get ANGRY enough to just generate some freaking fire. But no. His stupid powers only worked SOMETIMES. And besides, the light would give him away.

The teen held his breath when he heard the gang coming closer. They crashed through the leaves and brush like a herd of elephants; he was sure that even if he were deaf, he would hear them a mile away.

Oh no. Oh no…

Yes. Oh God, yes. They flew right by him, still screaming and shouting and cursing. He let out a sigh, wiping the rain from his forehead and out of his eyes. He guessed the universe couldn't hate him that much.

Half an hour later found Zuko cursing once again. Surprise surprise. He was soaking wet, he was cold, and he wanted to get out of this freaking RAIN. Not to mention his stupidly-sore feet, how his stomach was practically eating itself, and… oh yeah… his bloody shoulder. But he trudged on, determined to find a light somewhere at the end of this tunnel.

To his immense surprise, it actually did. He was too focused on his thoughts, and before he knew it, he had stumbled onto the edge of someone's yard, their soft golden lights illuminating the grass. He hadn't even noticed the trees thinning out, or the packed dirt hiking trails. Crap.

Zuko froze, eyes wide, when a girl about his age stepped outside. She had on a raincoat and was trying to convince an overly-large wiener dog to come outside and take a whiz. The pale boy stood stock still. Maybe the darkness could hide him.

"Molly," the brown-haired girl called. "Go do your business so we can get out of this rain."

The dog yipped and started running around the yard, barking hysterically like dachshunds sometimes do. Zuko heard a raindrop sizzle when it hit his bare skin. Shoot… nervousness and being cornered made his body temperature spike. The little dog stopped abruptly and started sniffing, walking around in circles in the yard. Please don't come over here, please don't notice me… The dog noticed him. It stopped and growled, waiting for its owner to come over.

The dog barked. The girl looked scared at the idea of an intruder. Zuko held his breath. Please.

"Hey… I know you." Her voice was soft and melodic as she pulled the raincoat tighter. "You saved me from those bullies."

Golden eyes shot wide open. Right then, he had the brilliant idea to just turn around and RUN. The perfect escape plan. He shouldn't even be here right now, much less talking to her like this. But her voice was so quiet, and her eyes were so sincere. He did help her, didn't he? "Those guys were beating on me, but you chased them away."

Zuko knew he had to run, but he didn't. He stopped. And he smiled slightly, proud of himself. She continued, "Um, I don't think you caught my name, but I'm Song." Her brown eyes danced. "Myself and my adopted sister live here, with Molly of course, and our caretaker. He's a really nice old man; you should come in and meet him. Will you come with me please?" Song tugged his arm hopefully, and Zuko resisted the urge to brush her off.

"Um, well… I guess it would be nice to get out of this rain." Even though every thought running through his head was screaming just the opposite at him. But when he started walking, a shot of pain jetted through his shoulder, and he cried out.

Song gasped. "You got hurt fighting those jerks, didn't you? Let's get you inside; my guardian knows how to wrap a mean bandage." She led him inside with one arm while Zuko kept constant pressure on the wound with the other.

"Ugh…" The house was nice and clean—everything a normal home should look like. Not like he had ever had a normal home before, but that was besides the point. Song led him into a cozy kitchen where an old man sat drinking a cup of tea and reading the paper.

"Grandpa," she said, "this was the boy I was telling you about. The boy that saved me from Duncan and his stupid friends."

But when the old man looked up, Zuko felt like the breath had been stolen from his lungs. No. No way. A thousand memories immediately came to mind, flashes and pictures and tidbits of information—two men helping him, sliding him food, letting him escape. The man's trimmed white beard, his sparkling amber eyes, his contented smile and relaxed posture.

He… he knew this man. If only in his memories.

And before he could stop himself, he whispered softly, "Uncle."


Post Author's Notes: So. You're probably about to kill me right now, a) for leaving you alone so long, and b) for giving you such a stupid cliffhanger. Double cliffhanger, actually. Well, I'm sorry. I really am. But reality comes before fantasy, and reality dictates that I get off my lazy bum and get my life headed in the right direction. Ugh.

On that note, reviews are love. They are so ninja and made of awesome, and they would really make my day. I don't care if you want to flame; tell me I suck, tell me I'm awesome, tell me I'm the stupidest person you've ever met. I don't care. Just please be honest and give me your thoughts.