Epilogue

The tunnels under Lake Laogai were an eerie green. The Blue Spirit moved quickly and silently, searching. He had gotten a tip from some Dai Li agents in the lower ring about a large animal that had been taken down here. It was the best lead he had to find the Avatar's bison, so he knew he had to check. Iroh had been asleep when the Blue Spirit slipped out the window and into the night.

It had taken a while to get down this far, and he honestly couldn't remember the way out. It was a labyrinth of passages, and there was no indication of which way to go. He didn't come across many people; there was a Dai Li agent here and there, but they were quickly taken care of. He had to find the bison, before the Avatar did.

He slipped down a hallway he hoped he hadn't been through before. There was door standing slightly ajar about three quarters of the way down. He heard faint voices coming from the room. Slowly, carefully, he approached it, making sure his footsteps were completely silent. Once he was standing outside, he peered in. Zuko's heart sank.

There were women in this room, about twenty, lined up in rows of five with one man standing before them. He was reading phrases off a list, and the women were repeating everything he said in hollow, monotone voices. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest. In the second row, on the end closest to the door was…

"Anji," he breathed quietly. He pulled the mask up to rest on top of his head. Anji was standing there, her hair cut short to match the rest of them. There was an empty look in her eyes as she mindlessly repeated what the man said. Zuko's eyes were watering. So, this is what they did with her, he thought. He swallowed, trying to calm himself. He wanted to push his way into the room; to grab her; to wake her up. But he didn't. He took one more look inside before letting out a long, painful breath and moving on.

There was nothing he could do for her now. If he broke in, they would both be in so much more danger. At least for now, she would be safe. He broke into a run, trying to put as much distance between himself and the room as possible. When he finally came to a shaky halt, he leaned against the wall. He had to keep himself together and remember his mission. I can't help her, he thought angrily, pulling the mask back over his face. There's nothing I can do. I just have to let her go and—

His thoughts were interrupted by a low grunt that came through the door opposite him. It sounded like an animal. His stomach twisted as he reached out to open the door. Behind it was the beast. The bison was chained up, unable to move. His mouth split into a grin as he entered the room. Finally.

"Expecting someone else?" he smirked as the bison made a distressed noise, and he closed the door behind him.

A/N: Hey guys! I know some people wanted a better ending, so I decided to write this. Sorry it's short but I had planned on ending it without this. I hope you all enjoyed it. As always, please review! Thanks