Previously, in the Corrupted Alliance…

Jin Feng smiled and nodded. "Pleasure doing business with you, Fire Lord," he said. "Dai Li, get back on the boat! Take whatever you have and let's go!" The young man shouted, turning around and walking away. Toph still had a smirk on her face, the children started to cry again, Hiro seemed to be scared out of his wits, and Katara was as head-strong as ever as a few Dai Li agents came along and grabbed them all. They were dragged across the course of the Fire Nation's ship to the Dai Li's ship, and that was the end of the raid. We were left with about ten Fire Navy soldiers and one prisoner. Me.

-x-

"Can you tell me what these are?" He sneered, grabbing the letters out of my hand. I took my hair out of its top-knot and let it fall, running my hands through it. I needed a moment to come up with a good excuse, because I thought for sure they wouldn't go through them. I was wrong. So terribly wrong.

"They're letters, Fire Lord," I said bluntly, coming up with a reasonable cover story. Zuko looked like his brain was getting ready to implode, so I let him screw up his face as much as he wanted to. His scar had stopped intimidating me. He seemed to have more angst then anger. It was like reading a book.

"Child, you better wise up quickly, because I need a persuasive answer."

"Persuasive?" I snarled, throwing the letters to the floor. I stood to my feet and shoved a finger into the Fire Lord's chest. "I'll give you persuasive. I'm your niece. How's that for persuasive?"

-

They were being taken to a dark place. Even though the sun was shining brightly, the place was still dark. Well, every place was dark for Toph. Despite the fact she could feel the sensation of the sun shining against her pale skin; she knew that it was a dark place they were going to. She could sense it. The people were mean and sarcastic, and that was her job. She didn't exactly appreciate those Dai Li people, but she just lay down on the ground with her arms crossed as they dragged her. It was a dark world for her all the time, so she was used to being afraid, so she had no fears. She wasn't exactly sure if that made any sense at all, but Toph still felt sympathetic for her children bawling nearby. She wasn't exactly sure where she meant by nearby; because her sense of direction was lost on the boat and she needed time to get it back when she got off. Katara was yelling and mumbling and cursing, and it Toph finally became fed up with it. She decided that Hiro was a pushover, and that's why he never did anything. Either that or Katara just scared the living mess out of the poor man, but either way, he was an Earth Kingdom resident. People who thrive in the Earth Kingdom are supposed to be fearless and proud, not timid and meek! Toph finally slammed her fist on the hard, rock ground and sent a pulsation Katara's way.

"Will you shut up already? You're making the kids even more afraid!" Katara started to mumble instead, only after tripping. That put a smirk on Toph's face, even after the agent that was dragging kicked her. Toph looked at where she thought the Dai Li was, and just kept her smirk. "I'm sorry, does my Earthbending rattle you?" She asked, testing to see how far she could make the Dai Li bend to her will. Bend to my will. The agent mumbled something under his breath, but it was of no importance to Toph. She set her fingers on the ground and tapped in a rhythmic way, sending vibrations over to Yuki in code. He swallowed his fear so he could understand what his mother was saying, but he picked out enough to piece it together anyway. Katara felt a pebble thrown against her leg, so she looked over at the only possible culprit; Yuki, because he loved to cause mischief as much as his mother. Yuki mouthed something in complete silence so the Dai Li would sense nothing. And the five agents surrounding them didn't. Katara suddenly closed her eyes, and the agents all backed away from them. It was almost like magic. Toph then, from where she was laying down, raised her hands to cause the ground to lift. She shot multiple rocks – still lying down – at the Dai Li, all of them falling to the ground in pain. They could do absolutely nothing for themselves, because they were still being controlled. Toph flicked her wrists and removed the rock binds on Katara and Hiro. The metal binds that she and the children wore were a different story because, somehow, Toph and Yuki couldn't bend them. In desperation, Katara tried to still control the Dai Li and Waterbend the vapor from the steamy air to cut off the binds at the same time. She was able to cut the restraints – but doing both was overwhelming. The six of them started to run, but it was impossible to get away.

"Stop…sitting around!" The agent named Jin Feng shouted; hurting from the rock parade carried out by Toph. "Get them!" Sure enough, the Dai Li agents jumped up and began to run after the group and tackled to the ground. Next time, Toph decided after her face was pressed against the dirt, we're going to make sure we have a Plan B.

-

"You and lying go hand in hand," Zuko laughed, almost nervously. I rolled my eyes.

"It's called 'pathological liar'. And yes, it's true. After all, it runs in the family." The face that Zuko had was almost humorous, but I somehow avoided laughing this time. The Fire Lord had picked up the letters and began to search through them. "Find anything good yet?" I asked, stretching across the bed. Zuko seemed annoyed, but I could care less.

"In fact, I did. But before that, do you mind telling me how you are related to me?" Zuko asked, removing a letter from out of his face. I yawned, sitting up. I had been ignoring the pain in my rib cage. It suddenly felt like I would have to deal with it forever, so I got it over it all the more quickly. I decided to ignore it some more so it would hopefully numb itself. I gave each royal family member an individual look before setting out my gloved left palm for demonstration.

"Maybe this will help," I said, igniting it. A blue fire swept over my fingertips, swaying occasionally with my breathing. I received tension in return. Everyone was staring at the small blue flame. It wasn't that amazing really – just blue. It was the blue fire that ruined my life, so I chose to only use it when in deep crap. I decided that that moment was one of those times, so there it was. The cerulean fire that everyone had been dying to see. When I realized that I had to be the one to break the silence, I sighed and quenched the flame. "Well. That was the most awkward silence ever."

That comment was accompanied by an even longer awkward silence, so I kept my thoughts to myself. I realized that I had nothing left to say, so I released an exasperated sigh and fall backwards again. Mai spoke up this time. "I'm actually not surprised my sister-in-law gave birth to something like you. You almost look exactly like her," not the first time I heard that. I got the whole 'Princess Azula' thing a lot, but it made it even easier for me to play off the more I got that scenario. I lifted my head up slightly, straining my broken rib. "None the less, you are very different from her." With that, everyone looked at her. Fire Mistress Mai seemed to be the insane one.

"What are you talking about?" Rei asked in utter confusion; Zuko had the same look upon his face. I chuckled quietly.

"I'm serious. Kaitlynn, dear, you have much more self-control then your mother. If Azula had the power like you do – we probably wouldn't be here at this moment. If you were anything like your mother, you would've killed all of us on the spot. But you didn't. You surrendered to defeat."

I was both satisfied and dissatisfied with that comment. For one, I was overjoyed that she said I was nothing like my mother. I hated my mother – am I even allowed to say that? – with all of my heart. But as for the other thing…

"I did not surrender to defeat," I hissed, pulling myself erect. Mai half-smiled, taking a seat next to me. I moved away from her when she tried to reach out and put a hand on me. My expression was slightly hurt. "I…I didn't really surrender, did I? I was never defeated…I could have fought. …Right?" I just shook my head in disbelief and turned away. Zuko and Mai exchanged glances.

"Look, um, Kaitlynn…," Zuko began terribly, signaling to me that he didn't exactly major in the arts of boosting one's self-esteem. "I've been in your position, so I know how you feel." My eyes shot up at him, consumed in fire. I was pissed, to put it simply.

"You know nothing about me!" I yelled at him. "You have no idea how I feel, no idea who I am, no idea where I'm going, or even one thought about what I had to go through to make it up to this point in my life!" I shouted angrily, with absolute every intention to make Fire Lord Zuko feel bad. "I've read every history that even mentions your name once, Lord Zuko. I know all about your past and your quest to gain 'your lost honor.' And quite frankly, I'm nothing like you! My family is nothing like yours! Unlike your mother, whom loved you, mine is a witch! She's in an insane asylum, and my father is missing! My life is nothing like yours, so don't pretend you know!" I sneered. I was fed up with all the damn crap that was building up in my life, so I decided to fight back. No one knew quite what it was like, no matter what they said.

"Your wrong," said Zuko quietly. My furrowed eyebrows soon relaxed. I wanted to hear what he had to say for once. "I traveled for three long years on my own, and I have this mark to show that I disobeyed my father. I know exactly what it is like to be disowned."

"My mother, Zuko, didn't just disown me. She called me names, abused me, gave me scars, had my father taken away, and then left me alone in this world for dead. You had Iroh, that tea maker! I had nobody, Zuko, nobody!" My eyes danced around like crazy, searching for an excuse to not cry. It was hard enough as it was to stop myself from strangling my uncle right then and there.

"But you did have someone this whole time," Rei cut in, not seeming to love this whole idea of me being his cousin. He was supposed to kill me, after all. But it still made me wonder, because he was the one that brought up the pigment theory. Not me. "But you chose to be alone. Am I right?" I looked over at him; his golden eyes set like stone whilst mine were still trying to slow down. I swallowed.

"…No," I hesitated, not turning away this time. "I had no where to go. I…I traveled all the time."

"Traveled where and why?" Rei asked quickly, immediately after I finished my sentence. He knew exactly where he was going with it, too. I knew just as well as he did that I was going to end up telling the truth one way or another, so I decided to just make it easier for him.

"From where I was usually in the Fire Nation, I'd travel to the Earth Kingdom to see my father…he taught me how to Earthbend and fight." I explained to the threesome quietly, marinating on memories. My father was a loving man, but his neglect hurt me.

"Your dad was the person you could depend on. And you've been using this boat as your transportation to go see him, correct? What'd you use to get to the Earth Nation before hand?" I was attacked by a mountain of questions from Rei, but he wrong about one simple thing. And I couldn't let it die.

"My dad…I could depend on him. You're right, Rei. But none the less, I couldn't depend on him when he disappeared. There is someone else I knew I could depend on, but I did refuse," I sighed, sitting back down on the bed.

"Who is it?" Zuko asked me, growing more and more impatient by the minute. I smiled wryly; I wasn't exactly ready to come clean yet with everything, because I could already tell that things were changing. I looked around the room, trying to think of something along the lines of a lie and an excuse, but I just decided to tell them the way it was.

"Look, I'm not exactly at my best right now. Do you mind if I grab my bag and find another cabin?" I asked, exasperated. I was that Zuko was confused, so I interrupted his thinking. "I'm not ready to tell you guys my life story, alright? It wasn't the best, and I barely know you."

Mai nodded, standing up and putting a small, delicate hand on her betrothed's chest. Rei seemed to be slightly disgusted in the background, but the expression soon faded away. "That's understandable. We'll fix you a room, okay?" She told me turning to her son. Zuko returned his wife's loving gesture by pulling her close, so it made it difficult for Mai to turn her head. I smiled so I didn't laugh aloud. "Rei, can you please escort…Kaitlynn to a clean room?" I watched as the Fire Mistress nearly called me Ursa. I could have cared less, but whatever. At least she knew my real name.

"I'd be delighted," Rei said sarcastically. He leaned to grab my bag and gestured for me to follow him. I smiled at the Fire Lord and Mistress as I walked out, Zuko tossing the stack of letters at me as I did so. Rei left the door open behind us, and I could hear Mai giggle as Zuko gently lifted her and placed her on the bed. I was glad we got out of there while we could. Nauseating mental images. I shuddered slightly from satiation, but I brushed it aside. Rei either didn't notice the couple goofing off in the bedroom or was doing a hell of a job ignoring it. He started walking ahead of me, so I had to jog to catch up. Oh, someone's not happy.

"What's your major malfunction?" I asked him, but realized all too quickly that it was his parents he was angry at. I didn't bother correcting myself.

"My parents are completely ignorant," the Fire Nation teen decided, stopping abruptly. I was caught off guard and almost tripped over air, but somehow saved myself. I was about two feet in front of him, so I took step closer. I opened myself to ask him what was wrong with him, but I was answered without me inquiring. "Soldiers, please shut the door," he began, hearing some unwanted giggles and hushed whispers. There were some other things, but are not to be said. I gave a relieved sigh, smiling. The soldiers – Abuser Man, Newbie, Muscles, and Other Guard - did as told, and then turned to Rei for further instruction. "Prepare Kaitlynn a cabin, will you?" He said, turning his back to them. I guessed that it was a sort of stress reliever when you had the chance to boss people around. I never really had that luxury. When the guards hesitated on moving from the door, Rei rolled his eyes. "They'll be fine. Mom has knives, remember?" He said, slightly annoyed. I broke out laughing, thinking that between Rei's everyday expression and the soldier's worried faces; the whole scenario was hilarious. Rei smiled at me, watching the guards scramble in front of us to find us a room. It took them less then ten seconds to get to a nice one. We followed the two, leading us to a decent cabin. Muscles and Other Guard opened the door to the cabin and Abuser Man and Newbie ran off somewhere to get sheets for the bed and some other things.

"Will that be all, sir?" Muscles asked; his expression solid. Seconds later, the two soldiers returned and fixed up the bed for me.

"Is everything good, Kate?" Rei asked me instead, throwing my bag on the bed. Before I could answer his question, I turned to him. I raised an eyebrow, and took a step back.

"What'd you just call me?"

"Kate. Why?" He asked, a little confused. I shook my head and chuckled, then looked up at him with a straight face.

"Don't call me that. Otherwise, everything is fine," I started bitterly and ended sweetly. Rei sighed and shooed the guards away so he could talk to me. When he shut the door, I knew it was something serious. I sat down on the double bed, taking off the abnormally uncomfortable shoes that princesses were supposed to wear. As far as I was concerned, I was no princess. "Look, you don't have to worry. I'm not planning to stick around for long. As soon as we hit land, you'll probably never see me again."

"No, you don't have to do that. I don't mind. It may be cool to have a little sister," he smiled, but it was as tense as ever. "Well, it's up to you. Do you want to stay?" Is that an invitation? I asked myself, stunned. The shoe I held in my hand fell to the ground.

"What?"

"I said, do you-!"

"No, no. I heard you, but…why? I thought you didn't like me. I'm just Earth Kingdom trash, anyway. I don't like Firebending as much as I do Earthbending, so I wouldn't fit in well with you guys. You're better off without me. After all, wouldn't the Fire Nation get suspicious? A princess appearing out of no where…I'm not ever a princess. I'm used to living in the slums, so it would be a big adjustment for me to move into a palace. I don't know if I'm ready to change my lifestyle…"

"Calm down for a minute, Kaitlynn," he chuckled, leaning against the door. "You don't have to make a decision right now. And you don't deserve to live in poverty. You are a royal heir to the throne, so you have every right to come back to the palace with us. If you still decide that you want to stay on the streets, go ahead. I just thought you'd like to meet your family. Other then that, we have about eighteen more hours before we reach Fire Nation territory. My cabin is all the way at the end, across from my parents'. If you need me, feel free to come over," he paused, and smiled. "…I'd give them about forty-five minutes, though. You're probably scarred enough already."

With a laugh, he was gone. I was unsure, though. I had a free invitation to stay with my aunt and uncle, but would I take it? I would be fed well, dressed well, receive an adequate amount of sleep, get treated better then ever, and even more things. I knew things would change, though. Zuko's easy reaction to everything was strange, and the reason for it was yet to arise. Mai was hormonal, so I wasn't really worried about her. And then again – Rei. Rei was so easy-going, even though he seemed to get agitated quite easily. First he seemed angry that I was related to him, and then he ended up happy. It was weird. But then again, maybe it just runs in the family.

-

Next time, in the Corrupted Alliance…

Now, the Dai Li agents had their separate 'division'. They didn't really like to call it that, seeing as they called the different jails by the name of 'division'. They preferred 'headquarters', so that's what I shall call it. So at their headquarters, there were many things. It was mainly a giant building with three other smaller ones. Each Dai Li member had to share a room with nine other people or so, as there were about twenty-eight agents per division. So, rounding, that was around two hundred agents; including Jin Feng. Jin Feng has his separate room, however. He lived in the giant building, which contained the following: Jin Feng's dorm, a huge mess hall, a lounge, a meeting room, and a locked indoor shed that held many different types of weapons.

On the day that the weary Team Avatar arrived, they were sent right away to their separate divisions. Katara, as you can imagine, was fuming with anger. Toph was nonchalant, because she knew that the time would come. Hiro was a worried, pushed-over father. Ayame had probably wet herself in the process of being dragged. Yuri was afraid, but she knew her mommy well enough to know that she would figure something out. Yuki, the 'man' of the 'house', decided to brave it out and go along with it. He let the agents to whatever they wanted. He knew that as long as he obeyed, nothing too serious would come into play.