Chapter 28

Crossing Paths

Yu walked into the city alone. Azula had stayed back in the mountains. Telling him that she'd wanted to look around places to stay.

We're not staying in the city? he'd asked.

If they were looking for us in the last town, there's a good chance they'll be doing so here too. She said.

Azula couldn't have known that the poster in Shenjing was actually little more than a fluke. A returning fisherman had posted it only because it had been handed to him at a port in the Fire Nation. He was barely literate and had actually thought it was a flyer for a play. It only ended up on the board because he didn't feel like carrying it around with him anymore.

Also, given her own overwhelming sense of self importance, there was simply no way she could imagine that the whole world wasn't in an uproar in regards to her escape. The truth of the matter was that very few people in the Earth Kingdom could have cared less. The military was more concerned with roving bands of Fire Nation soldiers still littered about. Most of the peasantry was too busy rebuilding their towns and cities, as well as trying to reunite with family members pulled away by the war. In reality, except for a select few people, there was virtually no word or interest circulating about Azula's escape.

Not that any of that really mattered. She hadn't come here for the city, but instead its surrounding topography. While Yu was out of her hair doing errands, she could scout around and start making plans for her reunion with her dear brother.

It was a big city. If he wasn't careful, it would be fairly easy to get lost, though he had one major advantage. There was an earthbending academy near the gate he'd come in. He could feel it even know. Twenty three earthbenders gathered together. A few coming and going at regular intervals. That didn't include the three earthbenders at the gate.

He could sense benders all around the city, which should have struck him as a bit odd if he'd been thinking about it. In fact, when he'd first sensed Azula, he was only able to do it at very close range. As the days wore on, that changed. In the last town they'd visited, he was only able to find her again because he could sense her from half the town away.

Now, it was no task whatsoever to pick out the position of every single bender in the entire city. At the moment though, it felt like nothing more than background noise. Just something to filter out while he pondered what was currently troubling him.

Had he not been ignoring it, he may very well have taken notice of the odd collection of benders entering the city from the East. His senses would have picked out two waterbenders, two earthbenders, one strong firebender, and an airbender.

- - - - (maybe break these two sections up?)

Aang pulled the hood of his cloak a bit further down on his head, making sure it covered his arrow.

"Ugh! This thing stinks," he mumbled under his breath.

"Sokka, wasn't it your job to wash these last?" Katara asked, taking a few steps away from Aang and his cloak.

"Hey, don't blame me. I didn't think we'd ever need these again once the invasion was over," Sokka said while trying to keep his distance from Aang. The cloaks they'd been wearing while sneaking about the Fire Nation had been sitting in a bag on the back of Appa's saddle for months now. It reeked of stale sweat and mildew.

"You still should have washed them."

"You know," Toph groaned and pinched her nose shut, her voice came out deep and nasaly, "it's not just my sense of hearing that's more sensitive than yours. I think I'm gonna throw up."

"Alright, Toph, Sokka, back up." Katara started waving her hands at a trough full of water.

"Hey, Katara, what are you..." Aang started to ask before getting hit with a blast of water. Momo jumped off his shoulder and took flight just as it hit him. It swirled around him, engulfing everything but his head, then even that. The water swirled away, then back into the trough.

What water was left was blast away with a strong gust of air. The cloak billowed into the air, threatening to fly off, before settling back down on his shoulder.

"There, much better," Katara smiled.

"You could a warned me, at least," Aang said as Momo landed back on his shoulder and licked a few drops of left behind water off the side of his face.

"Hey, you're clean, aren't you?" Katara joked, "Consider this the price you pay for being famous. If you go wandering around the market with your arrows showing, we'll get mobbed. Then who knows how long this'll take."

"Ok, now that twinkletoes smells all pretty, let's get going," she said, hurrying off down the road.

"Uh, Toph?" Sokka spoke up. "How do you know the market's that way?"

"Cause that's were the most vibrations are coming from. Meaning that's were all the people are, genius."

- - - -

Yu looked back and forth between the various vendors lining the streets. His eyes glanced over them, not paying attention to what wares and services they offered up, marching forward, cutting between groups of civilians, hardly even noticing them. To any bystander, he looked like a man with a mission, heading with purpose toward an important destination.

And they would be wrong.

Yu had almost forgotten why he was even here. Completely lost in thought, his furious pace was nothing more than a side effect of his building anxiety.

Weeks ago, he only had one concern: finding out who and what he was. Odd as it may seem, it was now the last thing on his mind. In fact, it almost seemed trivial.

As he continued doing laps around the marketplace, all his thoughts were entirely consumed with one thing.

Azula.

There was no more denying it. The talking to herself when she thought he wasn't listening. The increasingly erratic behavior. Not that he knew her all that well, but it was pretty obvious that something was wrong with her, seriously wrong, and it was getting worse.

Well of course something's wrong with her, you idiot. You stole her from a mental hospital.

He closed his eyes for a moment, hoping that maybe blocking out the external stimuli might help him think.

Ok, so I've gotta get her back to that hospital, but how? What, am I just gonna ask politely?Yeah, I'm sure that'll work. Maybe if I...

"Waaah!"His foot shifted from underneath him. He spun to the right and almost fell backward, catching his balance at the last moment.

"Watch it, buddy!" a short earthbender in yellow and green with a messy mop of hair hanging in front of her eyes yelled at him. He'd almost walked right into her.

Before he could apologize, the darker skinned guy with the ponytail dressed in blue that she was walking beside yelled out something about 'real warrior food' while pointing toward the meat market. With that, he grabbed the girls hand and excitedly ran off with her in tow. Practically leaving a trail of drool in his wake.

- - - -

Far to the southwest, an airship sat in a clearing, miles from the nearest Earth Kingdom town.

Zuko paced restlessly on deck. He kept looking from the control room and out over the clearing, waiting for the ostrichhorses, carrying his disguised soldiers, to return.

Landing near town, or even close to them. This entire mission had to be executed as stealthily as possible, or at least as stealthy as was possible in fifty meter airship. It was fast, at least. Jian, the talkative old engineer, had been right about that. Though claiming it was as fast as an air bison was a bit of a stretch.

He made another circle around the control room, looking out the window the entire way. What was taking so long? They'd only landed three miles outside of town. It shouldn't be taking this long, especially not for such a tiny little port town.

"I don't think you're pacing is going to bring them back any sooner. Just try and relax a little," Mai said as she leaned against one wall, cleaning her fingernails with a knife.

"Relax!?" Zuko spun on her. "How am I supposed to relax? I..."

No, Mai was right. He'd made his decision. No use getting worked up over it now. Though that still didn't make him feel any better about it. He let out a frustrated sigh and marched out of the control room.

Compared to the Zeppelins his father had used to attack the Earth Kingdom, this ship was much smaller. Behind the control deck were only a few rooms for the crew, then, a small area for cargo (that was currently being used as a pen for the ostrich horses.) Behind that was the engine room and a series of small pods that looked like boilers. Zuko paced the entire length of the ship until he was at its rear. He stopped in front of one of the small boiler looking contraptions. Whatever it was, it wasn't being used.

"I hope we won't have to use those," he heard the loud, burly voice of the engineer behind him.

"What are they anyway?" Zuko asked over his shoulder, looking for any distraction while he awaited his men's return. "They look like boilers, but... kinda not."

"Those, my Lord, are solid fuel combustion chambers. I built 'em myself. You see this?" Gou pointed at a thick metal cylinder with a large handle sticking out from the side of the chamber.

Zuko just nodded, then looked to the front of the ship, then back to the chambers. He could really care less how the ship actually worked, just as long as it did, but despite doing nothing to hide his disinterest, Jian kept explaining.

"Well this..." Jian pulled out a huge metal pin that held the cylinders handle in place. With effort, he pushed the cylinder in, twisted, then pulled it back out, a bit further than it was before. Zuko gave a half-hearted glance at the small opening in the side of the cylinder, inside which was what looked like a candle wick. Zuko opened his mouth to excuse himself, but Jian had already launched back into his explanation.

"That fuse you see there goes to the solid fuel inside the chamber. It's sorta like a bomb really."

"A bomb!?" He now had Zuko's full attention. "I thought you said this ship doesn't have any weapons!"

"Settle down, settle down. It ain't a weapon. I said it's like a bomb. Big difference is this stuff burns slower, not all at once. So, instead of an explosion, you get a real powerful intense burn. Only lasts a few seconds, but sometimes that's all ya need. You see these?"

Jian pointed at the pipes running up from the combustion chamber and out the top of the ship.

Zuko sighed. "I really..."

"These are connected to that metal tube runnin' across the top a' the ship. Once these get lit," he pointed out the other five chambers, "we get a few second burst of speed from each one. It's not much, but for that time, there aint a thing in the sky that could catch us."

Jian crossed his thick, muscled arms across his chest. Looking perfectly satisfied that he'd educated the Fire Lord about the ships inner-workings... Whether he'd wanted the lesson or not.

Jian gave a shrug of his shoulders. "Course, they aint' never been tested. Could just as easily blow up the whole ship. That'd be a shame. After I went an fixed it an all."

"SIR!" someone yelled from the front of the ship. "THEY'RE BACK!"

Zuko turned and made his way quickly toward the front of the ship, glad to get his ears away from Jian. Mai met him halfway to the control room, an amused smile on her face.

"What?" Zuko asked as they hurried toward the front of the ship.

"Making new friends I see." She said glancing back toward the engineer, who was still admiring the ships untested propulsion devices.

"Hardly." Zuko rolled his eyes. "He just goes on and on about things I couldn't possibly need to know. Who even does that. Just gives out random information like it's going to be important somehow?"

They stopped at the tiny cargo bay door just as ostrich-horses trampled up the loading plank. Zuko was already asking questions before any of the soldiers were even dismounted. To his dismay, they'd found nothing. Frustrated, he ordered the ship to leave.

"Keep us on the tree tops and away from any roads." He ordered.

The navigator crossed that town off the map, then set course for the next one.

- - - - -

"So what do these do?" Yu asked, picking some kind of dried out lizard and turning it over in his hands.

"Oh that one, depending on what it's mixed with, it makes a great salve for cuts, scrapes and burns," the old healer explained.

Yu looked over the other bizarre components lying across the table. "So what do I mix it with for cuts then?"

The old woman smiled. Whether it was because she was happy to be helping someone, or because she sensed an impending sale, Yu wasn't really sure.

She picked out some swamp grass, a vile of sea salt and some gray powder that, as far as Yu could tell was just ash. She also handed him a small mortar and pestle to complete the sale. Yu paid for it and stuffed it in his pack, a task made more difficult now that he could only take off and put on his back pack with one hand. His other hand still hurt too much to fully close it or grip anything.

He tried to make a mental list of what else he should get. Azula hadn't been very specific.

Whatever you can think of to make us not die, had been her only instruction. Yu had gotten the distinct feeling she just didn't want him around for a while. He hadn't wanted to leave her alone, but he also knew he wasn't going to win any arguments with her either. In the end, it just seemed like a better idea to head into town for a bit. At least use the time to try and think a way through all this mess he'd created.

So far, it wasn't working.

He shuffled from booth to booth, shifting back into wandering and pondering mode, and therefore once again paying very little attention to anything or anyone around him.

It's not like she's some kind of pushover, either. I can't just gather the local guard and go get her. She'll kick their butts. Then she'll probably kick my butt. She's mean when she's angry... and when she's not.

He almost walked into another group of people. They parted as he walked right through them, mumbling to himself and ignoring both them and their insults. He wandered around, picking up a few more things. Dried meats, a small pot and pan, anything he could thing of to make meals a bit more... civilized. They'd been surviving mainly on fish and small animals roasted on sticks over an open fire. Something Azula, well, didn't exactly seem thrilled about.

If I make her suspicious, she's likely to ditch me, or worse. And I can't take a chance of losing her. She's my responsibility. I'm the whole reason she's even out here. So come on brain, help me out here. Why does she have to be smarter and stronger than me? That makes this so much more difficult.

He stopped in the middle of the plaza and let out a frustrated yell then fell into a crouch and grasped his head in frustration. The people around him stared for a second, then kept walking, though at a more... comfortable distance around him.

Gaah! Why am I so stupid? I should have let her get caught back in the last town, but no, for some stupid reason I... What the?

He stood up and looked across the market place. It wasn't what he saw that got his attention. It was what he felt. He was finally close enough to that odd set of benders, that it was finally impossible to ignore.

Two earthbenders, one waterbender, a firebender (a strong one, very strong.) and... something else.

At first notice, it was the firebender that caught his attention. Whoever they were, they were almost as strong as Azula. Her brother? No, that didn't seem to make sense. He was the Fire lord wasn't he? If he was here, wouldn't that cause some kind of commotion? Royalty, in a place like this. Besides, wouldn't he have other firebenders with him? He only sensed this one.

He moved closer, trying to identify the source. It was just past the market, and, if his senses weren't lying to him, down a narrow alley a few yards in front of him.

He moved to it slowly and peeked around the corner. Down the alley stood three figures. He actually recognized two of them. The short earthbender he'd almost walked into and the guy in blue. The third figure was wearing a cloak, but stood about the same height as the earthbender. Some kind of long-eared white creature with a long tail sat on his shoulder.

Only three people, but... he knew what he felt. He was distinctly sensing five benders, and the taller guy wasn't even one of them.

What the heck is going on?

He ducked back around the corner, shook his head, rubbed his eyes. Maybe he was just tired. He took a deep breath and peeked back down the alley.

Nope, still there. Three people. Two benders. Five bending signatures. Four of which seemed to be coming from the kid in the cloak. How was that even...

No way! It couldn't be!

As if responding to Yu's thought's, the short earthbender poked cloaky in the face, causing his hood to fall back and revealing all the proof Yu needed. Right there on his forehead, a blue arrow tattoo.

So, this is what airbending feels like,was Yu's first thought, followed by a sudden sense of elation. If there was absolutely anyone in the world that could help him get Azula back to the hospital, it would be the Avatar.

The spirits must be smiling on him. He felt a bit light headed. This was almost too good to be true. The answer to his problem was standing right there. Not more than fifty feet away. If there was anyone in world that could help him get Azula back to where she needed to be, it was the Avatar.

He took a step into the alley, went to wave his arms and call out, but was stopped dead in his tracks.

What was this awful feeling?

He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. He was terrified. There was something else there. Another kind of bending. Something horrible and twisted. Something he wanted nothing to do with.

Run.

Any thoughts he had of going to this person for help were quickly washed away. There was no salvation here, only destruction. A blur of thoughts flashed through his head. No, not thoughts. Raw emotion, feelings, instincts, survival.

Run!

The Avatar would tear him apart, destroy him.

I can't go back, I won't go back.

So overwhelming was his terror, he didn't even notice that waterbender walking up behind him.

RUN!

He turned to flee, and ran collided with her.

- - - -

Katara was almost done shopping. She wasn't a huge fan of vegetables (though not nearly as enthusiastic about meat as her brother). Even so, over the last year, she'd gotten a pretty good feel for what Aang liked. Luckily, he wasn't terribly picky, unless it was sea prunes. Definitely not one of his favorites, but she was working on that. After all, it was a staple diet of the Southern Water Tribe, he'd have to get used to them eventually.

What's up with this guy? she thought as she approached their meeting place. Someone was standing by the alley, peeking around the corner. Whoever it was, he looked tense and nervous.

Was he sweating? Even shaking a bit.

One hand down toward her water flask, but... no, he didn't seem dangerous. She'd gotten a good sense for these kind of things over the last year. In fact, the closer she got he almost seemed...

He suddenly lurched back, spun, and right smack into her. They both fell to the ground. Katara's basket of fruits and vegetables hit the ground and went everywhere.

"Sorry, I'm sorry," The boy stammered while trying to help her up.

"You should really watch where you're..." Katara started to say as she dusted herself off. She stopped when she looked up at his face, confirming her feeling from before. He was bent over, quickly and clumsily trying to shove her produce back in the basket. Katara was just trying to get a good look at his face.

"Here," he shoved the basket back at her. She grabbed it as he let it go, almost dropping it again. He ran off in an almost panic-like scramble. Looking as though he'd just seen a ghost.

- - - - -

Moments Earlier

- - - - -

Toph stuck a finger in Aang's face, possibly trying to point at him, but a little too closely. Aang pulled his head away to avoid getting poked in the eye and getting a finger jammed in his cheek instead, causing his hood too fall back.

"Alright, so what's the plan beanpole. How do we deal with this spirit thing! Cause, I can't just wallop spirits with rock ya know, and I'm certainly not taggin' along for the scenery."

"Actually, when they're in the physical world, I think you can." Sokka said, remembering his boomerang bouncing off of Hei-Bei's very corporeal spirit creature butt nearly a year ago.

Aang caught his balance after almost being poked over by Toph. "Until I find out more, there really is no plan. We just don't know enough yet. That's why I'm going to try and commune with the moon spirit tonight. It's a full moon after all."

"Commune?" Toph mocked. "Don't try to make it sound so fancy."

"Where's Katara anyway?" She said, shifting subjects.

Aang rubbed his cheek and pulled his hood back over his arrow at the same time Toph tilted her head and smiled as she sensed the vibrations just down the alleyway. "Hey, there she is now. Hope you like bruised fruit."

To which Aang just gave a confused "Huh?"

A few moments later, Katara came walking down the alley while looking back over her shoulder.

"Alright, " Sokka said, "is that everything... Hey, Katara, what's up?" he asked his sister who kept looking out the alley with a perplexed look.

"Oh, nothing. I just ran into someone, literally. It was kind of weird though. I just had this... feeling about him. Like I..."

"Katara!" Toph interrupted, leaning over and whispering loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Aang's right there. We'll talk about your other boyfriends later."

"Not like that," Katara asserted over Aang and Sokka's snickering. She looked back out the alley again. "He just seemed... very familiar. I could swear I've met him before."

Sokka shrugged. "We have been all over the world, met a lot of people, and in case you forgot, we've still got a rogue fire spirit to look for. It's certainly not going to wander up to us while were waiting around here."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She agreed. With nothing left to do, they turned down the alley and headed out of town.



Well, I'm going to be pretty busy this month (as I have been for the last few) so the next chapter probably won't come out for at least another month. Once I'm done with moving and job hunting and finishing the jobs I still have to do before moving.... Ah! Anyway. Thank you very much for sticking with this story, I know my updates as of late have been sporadic at best, but, once I get situated and everything isn't so crazy, I can actually get back to a more regular update schedule. Oh, and I am naturally lazy, but reviews really do help to motivate me. So if you like the story please leave one. And if you have any advice, I'd love to hear that too.