Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender? Uh oh. Mark and Brian aren't going to be happy…

A/N: Hey folks! Funny, I'm actually watching The Storm as I write this! Whoo-hoo back stories! Well, anyway…Regular stuff: Friendship fic, canon pairings, we'll see where all this goes. Please let me know if you have any ideas. Read and review and receive a virtual thumbs up and whacked out smiley face! Thanks and enjoy…

Sokka gawked at the Firenation boy.

"You…wait…what?" Sokka sputtered. Zuko rolled his eyes and shifted his weight; Sokka noticed that he clutched his right arm as if pained by it. The firebender said impatiently,

"Come. Now. Or do you want to stay in the jail cell?"

The three friends got to their feet and Sokka said, still confused,

"Why are you doing this? If it's to get to Aang-"

"It's not." Zuko interrupted. "Look, I know I've done some really awful things in the past. I know you have no reason to trust me and that you probably hate me for what I did to you. But-"

"Hey, I don't mean to interrupt but there's about twenty of Princess nut job's soldiers coming this way right now!" Toph said. Zuko's face screwed up in confusion.

"How do you-?"

"Long story!" She cut in. "Let's go!"

They raced from the cell, and the group turned a sharp corner into the next hallway. The four guards stationed there were taken completely off guard. Zuko and Iroh ran at the head of the group and shot burst after burst of fire at the soldiers, knocking them all down. After firing the last burst, Zuko staggered and cried out; he knew he had made a bad move firebending after being injured.

Toph reached the heavily bolted door first, and said determinedly,

"Stand back!" They followed her order. She summoned all of her strength and planted both palms firmly on the door. She grounded them into the metal, grunting with effort as she began to slid the metal apart from a seam at the middle.

"Is she…metalbending?" Katara said, awed. Toph pushed with all her might and the door cracked down the center. Invigorated by her victory, she pulled the remaining metal open in one solid move.

"That was incredible!" Sokka cried.

Suddenly, a stream of soldiers appeared around the corners heading for them.

"We must hurry! Quick, rescue your friend, I'll hold them off!" Iroh called. The friends heeded him and hastened through the opening in the door. All but Zuko, who hesitated and then said to his uncle,

"No. I'll fight with you."

"No! Go with the others, Zuko. You cannot fight in that state!"

"But-" Zuko began. His uncle quelled him into silence with a look: he had to go. Zuko turned without another word and followed through the crack in the wall.

Inside, Zuko saw the Avatar, bound like he was the first time Zuko had gone to rescue the boy, in chains with his friends gathered around him. Sokka hacked at the chains with his machete until Katara pushed him out of the way to slice through the chains with her water whip. Aang fell forward, weak from the chains he had been held in. Zuko ran forward and caught him just as the others reached out to do so. They looked at him oddly and Zuko said seriously,

"I'll take him. He can't walk, and I won't be of much help without my bending."

"What do you mean? What happened?" Said Katara, concerned. He gestured to the burn at his fingers that was quickly spreading up his arm. At their disgusted and horrified expressions, Zuko quickly looked away and hauled the barely conscious Aang onto his back.

Then came a loud explosion from the hallway. All heads turned towards the sound and the teenagers rushed back to the hall. Zuko gasped when he saw his uncle sprawled on the ground surrounded by guards.

"No!" He yelled. He set Aang in the ground and ran towards the fray, fire building in his hands. But then a hand on his shoulder pulled him back. It was Sokka.

"Zuko, come on. We can't stop now!" Zuko shrugged him off.

"I'm not leaving without him!"

Then suddenly, Lightening came shooting at them, just missing Zuko and exploding in front of him. The two were thrown back towards the others at the end of the hallway. It was a dead end, and Azula had arrived.

"I have an idea!" Katara cried. She worked up a strong, sharp water whip and slashed it repeatedly against the side of the machine. She looked at Zuko when she saw it was not working quick enough.

"Can you melt this or something?" Azula's lightening blasts were getting closer and more exact. Zuko decided it was better than nothing. He could at least try.

He pressed his hands against the metal and bended with all his might. It hurt. It hurt a lot. Bending with a damaged hand was agonizing. But a few water whips later, the side was weak enough that he sent one last blast of fire at the metal and it collapsed, revealing fading daylight.

"Mai! Ty Lee! After them!" Azula shrieked.

Sokka pulled out his bison whistle and blew on it frantically. Just in the nick of time, Appa sailed down to them and landed with a thud. The company hurriedly saddled up and took off into the sky. Azula's blasts of lightening and curses on her brother faded as they climbed in altitude.

"Now what?" Toph said, blatantly. Sokka shrugged and Katara said,

"We find somewhere safe."

Zuko could have sworn he saw her give him an uneasy glance as she spoke.