Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender, but I do like to watch them squirm, don't you?

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Rated M: Mature Content. Blood. Guts. Sex. Drugs. All the good stuff.

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Author: Another day, another chapter.

Toph: So this is where I enter the triumphant hero, right?

Author: Uh… yeah, sure I guess.

Zuko: So I finally get a bit of screen time?

Ozai: Bring it on, son. I am looking forward to destroying you… permanently.

Rose: Ooh... Mai is coming too? What a wonderful time for a reunion.

Azula: I get first crack at the traitor. Get out of my way, whore.

Rose: Temper, temper Azula. If you wanted dibs, you should have said so.

Azula: I tried to say so, but you stopped me!

Rose: Aww... isn't that a shame!

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Chapter 29: Family Ties

The cabin Aang and Katara were thrown into contained a single barred glass window; otherwise it was nothing but dirty crates. The crates were the same as the walls, ceiling and floor; just the same blue tinted steel and wood.

The one solid steel door clanged shut on its rusty hinges with a loud bang, sealing them inside. Regardless of their predicament, Aang couldn't help but notice Katara looked good in blue.

"Darn it! What is this stuff!?" Katara asked sharply as she again rubbed at her eyes. A drop of blue liquid appeared on her finger.

"I don't know, but it took our bending away. Without it, we won't be able to get out of here." Aang replied angrily.

Katara stopped trying to clear her eyes and looked over to Aang. She saw the rage within him. Something must have changed to make him act that way. He had been acting strange for a little while now; when he almost roasted those pirates to get them off the ship... "Aang, are you alright?" Katara asked, her voice mirroring her concern.

"Of course I am not alright! What kind of question is that!? We are trapped on a pirate ship in the middle of nowhere, we can't use our bending, you don't..." Aang shouted before suddenly stopping himself and taking a deep breath.

"I don't what?" Katara asked defensively.

"Never mind. I am sorry I yelled at you. I guess that I am just really frustrated. I'm sorry." Aang said as he hung his head.

Katara knew he wasn't telling her something, but decided not to pressure him under the circumstances. "Apology accepted. Now what say we break out of this place?" she asked.

"I'm open to suggestions." Aang said with a sigh. Katara smiled, reached under her sleeve and withdrew... "Appa's whistle!" Aang exclaimed. Katara nodded.

"We just need to break the glass and somehow break the bars." Katara added.

Aang grinned. "It won't be a problem, trust me." He took the whistle and blew as hard as he could. They waited for a few minutes until they heard a loud commotion outside their door. Men were running by. "That must be Appa!" He blew the whistle again. Suddenly a giant eye was staring at the through the small window. "Appa! You need to break us out buddy." Aang called through the window.

"Aaaaannnnnnnggghhhhhh" Appa called as he backed away and then rammed the window with his head. The rusty bars and dirty glass broke away easily, and Appa moved below the opening. Aang broke away the last remnants of the shattered glass and helped Katara through the window where she fell to Appa's back. Just then the door opened and the pirates broke through the crates in their haste to get to Aang. He jumped onto a crate and leapt through the window, just getting clear as the pirates reached out to grab his ankles. As soon as Aang hit the saddle, Appa took off towards the southern tip of the earth kingdom.

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Zuko and Mai arrived at the docks to the Fire Nation in high spirits. Their relationship had become what it always should have been, and both of them were happy regardless of current affairs. Zuko actually saw Mai smile more often than not, and Mai noted that the look in Zuko's eyes was not the same one she once remembered. As the ship anchored and was made to depart, Zuko and Mai stood at the bow, looking out onto their city. It had been a long road, but Zuko was Fire lord. Mai was to be his wife. All was well with the world. A gangway was set out and Zuko and Mai walked down to a large crowd of people who were there for his arrival. The crowd was strangely silent as they descended, and Mai suddenly snapped to attention when she noticed. She placed a hand on Zuko's shoulder and held him back.

"What's wrong Mai?" Zuko asked.

"Something's wrong here. No one's cheering. Everyone looks afraid." Zuko looked out into the throng of people and saw what Mai was talking about. There were also a large amount of soldiers scattered throughout the peasantry.

Suddenly a large ball of fire rained down on the deck of their ship at the top of the gangway, causing screams and shouting. The peasants on the dock began to flee and the soldiers formed up. To avoid the flames, Mai and Zuko had to run down the gangway before it was destroyed and they fell into the water. The soldiers at the base of the gangway had surrounded the spot, preventing running further than the bottom of the gangway. The gangway began its decent and Zuko and Mai leaped to the docks and were surrounded by their own soldiers.

"What is the meaning of this?" Zuko demanded of the men.

"I'm sorry sir, but we have orders to escort you to the palace." A captain said sadly.

"Orders? Orders from whom? My uncle was only to reign until my return in my stead. I rescind your orders." Zuko declared.

"I'm sorry sir, but the orders are not from the reagent uncle, but from the current Fire lord, Ozai." the captain replied. "Take them!" He commanded his troops.

Ozai!? Zuko stood transfixed as the words left the captains mouth. Not to be taken lightly, Mai reached into her robes, ducked down and let fly a flurry of sharp objects, catching a small cluster of the soldiers and pushing them back. She grabbed Zuko's arm and ran through the gap as the soldiers closed in with their swords and spears.

"Zuko, snap out of it!" Mai snapped as she dragged Zuko along; the twenty-odd soldiers hot on their heels.

"He said my father is back on the throne!" Zuko muttered as if he couldn't understand.

"Now isn't the time, Zuko. Get it together!" Mai snapped again.

Zuko stopped running and ripped his arm free of Mai. He let out a roar and fired a monstrous ball of flame at their pursuers. All of the men jumped out of the way as the flames soared passed. Zuko used that time to close the distance between them and began picking the men off, knocking them unconscious or setting them alight. He picked up a couple of broad swords and began hacking into armor and disarming any soldiers still armed. Mai of course had his back and used her stilettos to keep the men off of him that Zuko missed. Soon only one man remained conscious. The captain had darts in his shoulders and legs and blood gushed from his nose. Zuko grabbed him by the chest plate and pulled him up a bit.

"What do you mean Fire lord Ozai?" Zuko asked very quietly. Mai was listening but continued to scout the area. It was strangely deserted around here. She also gathered up her weapons.

"F-Fire lord Ozai broke out of prison and took back the throne. He threw your Uncle in jail and has also freed his daughter." the captain stammered.

"Azula..." Zuko muttered. "Who else? How did he get free!?"

"Apparently your cousin Lu-Ten freed him." the captain replied.

"Lu-Ten? Lu-Ten is dead!" Zuko said harshly.

"Zuko, Jet was dead too, remember?" Mai reminded him.

Zuko grunted and dropped the captain back to the ground. "When your men come and find you all here, have them deliver a message to my father. Tell him... I am coming for him, and I will end it, once and for all."

Zuko and Mai then took their leave, avoiding patrols and staying low to the ground. They needed to remain free in order to do anything. "What's the plan, Zuko?" Mai asked him as they waited for a patrol to pass.

"It's obvious the city is under martial law. We need to find somewhere to hide, rest, and plan our attack. We need to free my Uncle and confront my father." Zuko replied. After quickly checking to make sure the coast was clear, he quickly darted across the street into another alley.

"I thought it was the Avatar that had to defeat the Firelord." Mai grinned. Zuko grunted and ducked into a doorway, pulling Mai with him and holding her tightly as another patrol went buy on the far street.

"Perhaps that was true before. Now, that jerk is mine!"

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Aang and Katara flew as fast as they could, but the pirates had a good wind and maintained pursuit. Unable to land or escape their sight, Aang and Katara found themselves helpless to do more than run since their bending was still gone. The pirates lobbed boulders and fireballs and junk up at them, but Appa was able to dodge it as he flew. It was getting colder as they travelled and as the sun set they knew they were in trouble.

"Aang, we can't keep this up forever!" Katara shouted over the wind.

"I know! Appa is getting tired!" Aang returned. "I don't know what to do! There's nowhere to land!"

"We may need to face them." Katara said grudgingly.

"We can't. Without our bending we wouldn't stand a chance." Aang replied.

"What if we had help?" Katara smirked and pointed a ways to the north. There were ships off on the horizon that looked like little dots. "I think that may be the cavalry."

Aang nodded and changed course to intercept the ships. The pirates continued to follow and throw things at them. As Appa drew closer, the ships became more distinct; it was the northern water tribe ships!

Aang had Appa swoop low and Katara jumped off onto the deck of the main ship. Her father and Bato were standing there waving at them, but as Katara approached, they drew their weapons. "Dad? Bato?" Katara asked them, eying the weapons.

"Die monster!" Bato cried as he lunged forward.

"Bato wait! It's me, Katara!" she cried, holding her arms up to defend her face.

"Bato stop!" Hakoda cried. Bato pulled short at the last second but did not move his weapon away.

"Katara? Your eyes... what happened?" Hakoda asked her as he approached.

"Katara?" Bato asked, staring intently at her. "Is that you?"

"Hi Bato. Yes, it's me. There's a ship coming and the pirates had one of the medallions we were looking for. They hit Aang and me with some strange gas and our eyes turned blue." she explained.

"I see. So that's why your eyes are blue." Hakoda observed.

"How did you know it was Katara? All I see is a harpy with talons and fangs." Bato asked.

Hakoda shrugged. "I would know my little girl anywhere. I guess the illusion of being a monster is a part of it?"

"I don't know." Katara replied. "Aang and I look the same as we always do to each other. It did take away our bending though."

"I see. I think we should ask those friendly pirates a few questions, don't you?" Hakoda grinned at Bato, who returned it.

"Why don't we?" he asked.

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"Thank you for taking us in." Zuko told the woman who was cooking them a meal.

"It's my pleasure, Firelord. Your father was never more than a tyrant and I always thought so. You'll be safe here. The soldiers would never think to look for you in the back of my bakery." the baker replied.

Her husband nodded his head. "Who would have guessed that we would be able to serve the Firelord and his fiancé? Wait till this all blows over and we can tell the neighbors!" he chuckled.

"Once I have my throne back, you can bet we will be visiting more often." Zuko replied before taking a bite out of a loaf of bread.

"This bread is wonderful." Mai added.

"Thank you, miss. Always appreciate a compliment my mother told Me." the baker said with a smile. "I have a spare room upstairs for you. They aren't as fancy as what you're used to I am sure, but I hope it will suffice."

"I am sure it will be great, thank you." Zuko told her.

After saying their goodnights, Zuko and Mai headed up to the spare room. It was small, but seemed homey. There was a dresser and a nightstand near the bed, and an extra chair to sit in. Zuko did just that and Mai made herself comfortable on the bed. She took out a few of her weapons and began to carefully sharpen and clean them.

"Well, part one of your plans down. We have food and shelter. Now how are we supposed to free Iroh?" Mai asked a trace of her old depressed self coming through.

"I used to visit my father in the maximum security cells. I bet that's where they are keeping him. I know all there is to know about that prison. Getting in will be the easy part. It's getting out that has me worried."

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Aang continued to lure the pirates closer to the water tribe vessels but as soon as the pirates saw the small fleet they began to turn around. Immediately, Hakoda set his ships on an intercept course.

"We need to find out what they know, and how to reverse it." Hakoda explained to Aang once he'd landed and jumped off Appa.

"I understand. I would like to know how to fix this too. Seeing everything in blue gives you a headache after a while." Aang replied. Momo jumped onto his shoulder and began to lick his cheek. "Thanks Momo."

"So dad, how long do you think it will take to catch them?" Katara asked her father.

"I would guess an hour or two at least. Our ship is the fastest we have. The remaining ships will be continuing on to the South Pole while we get our answers." Hakoda answered.

"And our justice." Bato added. "I want to skin the bastard alive for making me almost kill my favorite waterbender."

"I thought I was your favorite waterbender, Bato." Kita said slightly as she came up from below deck.

Bato got a weird look on his face and started looking around for the metaphorical way out. "I meant my favorite young… I mean…" Kita stared him down easily as he trailed off. "I think I will be over there for a bit." He said and headed off to the aft deck.

Kita laughed. "I hope I am not interrupting anything. I heard about what happened to you two, and was hoping I could try and heal you." She addressed Katara and Aang.

"I don't know if this really counts as an injury, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to try." Katara admitted. Aang nodded his agreement and Kita walked up to Katara and placed her hands on either side of her head. "Nothing is happening." Katara stated.

"You were right; there is nothing to heal. It was worth a try though. I'm sorry Katara." Kita said sympathetically.

"It's fine. I just hope when we catch those pirates that we can fix this!"

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Two dark shadows raced silently over the rooftops of the city. Unknown to the patrols below with their torches, this invisible pair were headed straight for the palace prison complex. Using the rooftops, they remained out of danger and undetected as they leapt from shingled roof to shingled roof, covering the distance with practiced speed and dexterity. Hardly a sound could be heard from them.

Zuko and Mai were both dressed in black shin obi robes similar to the ones Zuko once wore as the blue spirit. Though he forewent the garish mask, the remainder of the ensemble was present. Mai wore a similar garb, though with alterations. All through the previous day they had worked on these outfits and their plans. Zuko had no idea that Mai knew how to sew and stitch. Her work was quite impressive, and she put a myriad of secret places throughout her own garb for her weapons.

As they approached the palace wall, Zuko motioned for a halt. Pointing off to the left to a segment of wall near a guard tower, he motioned for Mai to follow his lead. Zuko backed up, and with a running start leapt to a nearby building wall and then ricocheted himself up to the parapet just as the guard tower door slammed shut. Mai quickly followed suit and Zuko pulled her up behind him.

Jumping down from the wall was quite a distance, but Zuko had come prepared. He pulled out a thin cable and grappling hook courtesy of the bakers husband, and they repelled down the wall in the towers shadow to prevent them being spotted in the moonlight. As soon as they reached the grass below, Zuko retrieved the line and they ducked low into the bushes against the wall.

"Okay, so far so good. Now what?" Mai asked him sarcastically.

"The prison is up there" Zuko said, pointing to a fairly intimidating complex. "We need to scale the wall on the far side and go through the ventilation system. It should lead us right to him."

"Well then, what are we waiting for? A written invitation?" Mai asked mockingly as she dashed off towards their next obstacle.

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"Sir! We are about to overtake the pirate ship. What are your orders?" a man addressed Hakoda.

"Have all waterbenders on board put a glacier under their ship. We will swarm them at that point and they won't stand a chance." The reply came.

"Yes sir." The man saluted before turning to the remaining crewmen and delivering the orders.

"Isn't there a safer way to go about this?" Katara asked her dad.

Hakoda shook his head. "This is how it's done, Katara. Not to worry though. This is much easier than you may think."

A line of waterbenders stood on the deck and as one they brought up ice all around the pirates ship. The shouting aboard the vessel was quite heated as the pirates realized their plight. "Alright men! Go and get them!" Bato roared. The men let up a cheer as they swarmed over the pirates, making quick work of them. It was less than ten minutes later that Katara stood with her father aboard the pirate ships deck. Aang had gone below with Bato to find the captain.

"Any of you worthless scum know who gave your captain that little blue bottle and got you into this mess?" Hakoda asked him.

"As if we would tell you!" One of the pirates spit. He was missing an eye and had a patch over the socket.

Hakoda shook his head. "Lock them up. We will ship them back to the earth kingdom to stand trial when we get the chance." Bato and Aang came up holding the captain by each arm. "Ah there you are captain. I was just getting acquainted with your men.

"Bah, you caught us. Our wooden vessel was no match for your metal abomination. What be yer terms?" the captain demanded.

"Our terms are simple. Give us information we need, and we turn you over to officials in Ba Sing Se. Don't give us information and we will kill you; slowly." Hakoda told the man as he came within a hands breath of his face.

"Arg. Alright then. What do you want to know?" the captain asked sullenly.

"What did you use on Aang and Katara, who gave it to you, why did they give it to you, and how do we reverse the effects?" Hakoda demanded.

"Well, we were hired by a stranger in red clothing to do what we did. All I can tell you about him is that he was a she. Body language gives that sort of thing away, you know. I assume they gave it to us so that we could earn our pay and turn the avatar into a freak." He said, pointing at what to him was a very ugly fish-looking man. "The wench called it the mist of amoria or something like that. Said to make sure not to breathe it or touch it and to make sure the avatar did; didn't say anything about reversing it." He added.

"So there's no way to reverse it." Katara stated with a sigh.

"Don't worry Katara. We will figure something out." Aang told her, a hand resting on her shoulder. Katara brushed his hand away quickly, turned and ran below deck.

"Go after her Aang. Talk to her." Hakoda told him. "We can finish up here." Aang nodded and turned to follow after Katara.

"So… just who was this mysterious lady in red?" Hakoda asked, a knife to the man's throat.

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Zuko and Mai had made it up the cliff and stayed in the shadows as they ascended to the top of the prison complex. Zuko found that there as an already loose grate and he and Mai used it to gain access to the maximum security hold. Careful not to make a sound, they found they could drop in a few different places. Zuko stopped when he finally came to a dead end. None of the previous grates had led to his uncle, though some had been over hallways. They may have to risk one of those. As he placed his face over the last grate, he peered through the darkness and noted a prisoner tied to the far wall. A loud snore made Zuko smile. It was definitely his uncle. He motioned to Mai and carefully removed the grate. Dropping down into the darkness, he reached up and gave Mai a hand.

"Lu-Ten, is that you?" Iroh asked.

"No Uncle, it's me." Zuko told him.

"Zuko!" Iroh whispered fiercely. "You must get away from here. They are hunting for you!"

"I know Uncle. We came here to get you out. We need to face my father and get my throne back."

"I understand your reasoning Zuko, but I cannot go. If I disappear, Ozai will take it out on all the innocent people of our nation. I cannot leave." Iroh explained.

"That tyrant. What does he think he's playing at? How did he even manage to do this to you?" Mai asked him.

"Ozai still has men in power who are loyal to him. He also has Azula at his side once more. It will be no easy task to depose him." Iroh answered.

"I don't care. The two of us can handle anything the old man can throw at us." Zuko said fiercely.

"If you mean to defeat your father, you will need Lu-Ten's help." Iroh said.

"That traitor? He's the reason you're in here!" Zuko hissed.

"He was like Jet was; possessed and not himself. He is now keeping an eye on Ozai. I will have him meet you in the city and you will be able to come up with a plan of attack. He will meet you at the jade dragon tea shop at half past noon tomorrow." Iroh said. A loud bank signaled a door opening. "You must go! Hurry!"

Zuko helped Mai with a boost up into the vent and leapt up himself just as light began to enter the hallway. The grate was replaced just in time as a soldier looked through the window.

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Aang: Wow... that was like… three months for an update.

Toph: Seriously. I was getting nervous.

Katara: How do you think we feel? We have been seeing blue for three months!

Aang: Yeah seriously.

Author: Sorry guys. Real life has been kicking my butt. I am trying though.

Sokka: You need to pick it up a bit.

Author: Hey! I am writing an epic fantasy novel I hope to get published someday too you know. I got other things besides you guys to do.

Toph: You're CHEATING on us!?

Author: I'm not cheating on you. I am still going to finish with you guys. I just have others that need to have their story told too.

Sokka: Sounds like cheating to me. Cheater!

Author: Jeez... Okay I will try and work on you guys more. Sheesh.

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Author's Corner:

Okay, so first off I would truly like to apologize for the delay and thank everyone who kept in touch with me over this long period of time. It means a lot to know that some of you like the story enough to ask after it.

As for an update on me and the delay; in the last few months, I have been forced to move out of my rental as my roommate who owns the place is getting married soon. All my free time up to finding a new place was sped apartment or house hunting.

I found a place and am currently in attorney review, but have already moved in. Weird, isn't it? So yeah, between the whole looking for a home, moving in, setting up, working crazy hours and not having my laptop at work, and other obligations (family friends TV shows etc) I have been missing in action. I am still trying to settle down, but I hope you forgive me. I will be finishing this story, no matter how long it takes. The good stuff is still coming, like the face off in the fire nation and the stuff in the spirit world. I hope you like it.

REVIEW!!!