"Revenge for what?" Zuko snapped.
Long Feng said nothing more. He leaned back into the chair, the silence lingering around them. Zuko clenched his fists, the green fire roaring. The green flame tinted the room. In a way, it was a beautiful sight. A mixture of earth with fire. Zuko leaned down into Long Feng's face, their noses mere inches apart.
"What are you going to do, boy?" Long Feng sneered. "You're nothing but a child in a man's game."
"I am the Fire Lord. You are nothing but a simple prisoner, you scum," Zuko hissed.
"You will fall, boy. And I will be there to stand over you to see it happen."
Zuko growled, lighting a small flame along his knuckles. He leaned in closer to Long Feng, the flames slightly licking at the once proud leader of the Dai Li. The once trimmed facial hair, now wild and mangy, was slightly singed by the flames. Long Feng hissed, rearing his head back away from Zuko.
"Fire Lord Zuko, that is enough," King Kuei snapped.
The Fire Lord blinked, snuffing the fire. He leaned away from Long Feng, turning on his heel and swiftly walking out of the room. He grabbed Aang by the shoulder, dragging him out of the room right now. They stopped at the door, Zuko turning his head back and staring at King Kuei, his eyes glowing with rage and wrath.
"Whatever it is that you're doing, King Kuei, I advise you to stop," Zuko said. He turned back towards Aang. "We're leaving."
Zuko shoved Aang out of the room, turning and slamming the door. With his scar seeming to be growing, Zuko marched out into the large hall, stopping once he reached Katara and the others. He softly placed a hand on her shoulders, giving a stiff nod.
"We're leaving. Now," Zuko growled.
"What happened, Sparky?" Toph raised a brow.
"I said we're leaving," Zuko snapped, turning his head on The Blind Bandit. "Now get your things and head towards the Trains. Now."
Zuko gave Katara's shoulder a soft squeeze, turning on his heel and walking out of the Dining Hall. The Nobels looked up, whispers running rampant as King Kuei walked back to his large throne, petting the top of Bosco's head. Zuko kept walking as he began to hear the sound of his friend's footsteps behind him. He was already on the Train, arms crossed over his chest as the anger continued to seep from his veins.
"Okay, what the hell was that all about?" Sokka yelled as he stepped onto the train.
"I just had a serious discussion with King Kuei, and we simply disagree on some matters," Zuko said with a stoic expression.
"About what, jerk bender?" Toph quipped.
Zuko remained silent, this time. He looked up as Katara sat next to him, their eyes meeting. The Train lurched forward as the earth benders began sliding the train through Ba Sing Se. There was an uncomfortable silence as they all looked around at each other. Aang was unusually quiet, staring aimlessly at the small beads as he twirled them around his fingers.
"No, really, one of you need to speak up and let us know what happened," Katara snapped, her eyes gazing from Zuko to Aang.
"Like Zuko said," Aang started. "It's a simple disagreement."
"Bullshit," Toph snapped. She stood up, ignoring Haru's grasp on her wrist. She pulled away, resting her hands on her hips. "Both of you quit lying, now. Or else I will throw boulders at the both of you melon heads."
"Sit down, Toph," Zuko snapped.
"Don't start with me, Sparky. Something's up that neither you, nor Aang is telling us. And judging by hard you both are trying to lie to us, it's something big."
"It's Long Feng."
There was only a collective gasp as everyone turned to stare at Zuko. They turned to Aang, who only gave a small nod.
"He's telling the truth," Toph whispered.
"Who's Long Feng?" Suki asked.
"Long Feng was the leader of the Dai Li a few years ago," Sokka said. "Back when we were trying to tell King Kuei about the war, he led a coup with Azula. However, she turned on him and turned the Dai Li against him. He was locked away for a couple years."
"And now he's out. King Kuei told me they found him in the catacombs underneath the Palace. King Kuei reinstated the Dai Li because of his return," Zuko interjected.
"The Dai Li?" Katara raised a voice, remembering what they tried to do.
"He says he wants revenge. The only person I could think he would want revenge against would be my sister," Zuko said. "But she's trapped in the Fire Prison. Maybe I should move her to the Boiling Rock, just to be safe."
"Do you think Long Feng would try anything?" Aang asked.
Zuko had no reply. He buried his hands in his hands, sighing into them before clasping them under his chin. First he had to deal with The Blue Spirit and the rebellion. And now there was the issue with Long Feng. It wasn't his home, but this could upset everything that had worked hard to achieve. But then again, how much of this could be a simple coincidence? He raised his head, looking at every one of his friends, stopping at his wife.
"What if The Blue Spirit is working for Long Feng?" Zuko prompted.
"What? That's crazy talk," Sokka exclaimed.
"Is it, Sokka? When I was in Ba Sing Se, I found his base under Lake Laogai," Zuko said, not stopping himself quick enough to notice his slip up.
"How did you know about the base under Lake Laogai?" Sokka questioned.
Zuko looked up at the Water Tribesman, doing his best to hide his fluster. "I told you, remember? I was the one who freed Appa. I told you that at the Western Air Temple when I joined up with you guys."
"But how did you know that there even was a base under the lake?" Sokka pointed a finger at Zuko. "Because besides Jet, Longshot, and Smellerbee, there was only one other person I saw under there."
Zuko flinched, watching as Sokka gasped. He knew that Sokka put it together. It was only five years late, but Sokka wasn't one to rely on brains that much.
"You were The Blue Spirit!" Sokka yelled.
His proclamation was only met with silence. Zuko couldn't help but smirk as Sokka looked around. Only Suki and Haru seemed to be the only ones unaffected by Sokka's sudden revelation. Sokka took note of this, throwing his arms up into the air.
"How are you guys not surprised by this?" Sokka cried.
"Because, they know already," Zuko said."
"What?" Sokka and Suki said together.
Katara sighed. "Zuko told me after we got married, saying he wanted me to know everything. He also knows that I'm The Painted Lady."
Toph snickered. "Gramps told me even before we arrived in Ba Sing Se."
Aang gave a shrug. "Remember that time you and Katara were sick and I had to go get those frogs for you to suck on? Well, Zhao captured me, and Zuko was the one to save me."
"So you all knew?" Sokka fell back into his seat.
"If it makes you feel any better, Haru had no clue," Zuko smirked, jabbing a thumb in Haru's direction.
"Yes, that makes me feel so much better."
They shared a laugh, a grumbling Sokka being pulled by Suki into a soft kiss. Zuko did the same to Katara, wrapping his arm around her body. Warm met cold, Zuko planting a small kiss on top of her forehead.
"So what do we do now?" Aang broke the temporary peace. "I mean, is Long Feng connected with The Blue Spirit?"
"I don't know," Zuko mumbled. "All I know is that we have to get to Gaoling right away. And make sure all of this is resolved."