Things I've been forgetting but I mean to say them at least once every 2-3 chapters: thank you to everyone who reads, follows, favorites, and/or reviews this story! (Especially the reviews. I love the reviews like Alexander Hamilton loved the debt.) And if you would read any of my sister's stories or check out her blog (worldofdedanan dot wordpress dot com), it would make both of us really happy!

As of last chapter, it is official and practically undeniable! THE BLUE SPIRIT IS THE AVATAR! You weren't expecting that, were you? But really, I promise he is. He is SO VERY the Avatar.

Quick reminder: I do not necessarily share the views/opinions of any characters.

And now that there's a good place for this:

Chapter 12: Azula Reads Her Mail

(Other Than That, Not Much)

Taiyo finally reaches the place where Prince Zuko became an actual, literal human inferno to see the prince lying in the middle of a canyon. The ground has scorch marks all over, one of which is unusually large and unusually circular. Probably where the inferno touched down.

Zuko looks up, but not at Taiyo. "Uncle!"

Taiyo dismounts, hurrying to the edge of the canyon. Sure enough, Prince Iroh is standing by the wall, the Avatar next to him. Iroh shifts, and his hands, bloody and broken, come into view. Those soldiers did this to him.

Taiyo, a man whose control has always been excellent, feels his fists heating involuntarily as they close tighter.

"Prince Zuko!" Iroh says, his voice strained, as Taiyo searches for a rope in Lightning Claws' saddlebags. He grabs the first aid kit, too. "How kind of you to come help an old man."

Taiyo pulls a rope out and looks around for an outcropping to tie it to. Failing to find a convenient rock, he ties it to Lightning Claws' saddle horn. The Avatar says something or other as he does, something about flying, but it's probably irrelevant. Taiyo tunes out the high-pitched voice and tries to hear if the princes are saying anything while he ties a simple harness around himself. He loops the end of the rope through the kit's handles and ties it off.

"Uncle!" Prince Zuko cries. "They- your hands- and I- I didn't come in time, it's my fault, and-" He cuts off abruptly as Taiyo starts to climb down into the canyon. It's a short climb, and in less than half a degree average Taiyo is at the bottom of the wall.

"Sir," Taiyo says. Then, since he doesn't know what to say to his commanding officer, he turns to Prince Iroh. "Sir. I brought a first aid kit."

After a full day waiting, Azula finally picks up her brother's latest missive. Father ignores Zuko's letters for weeks at a time before burning them all, a miniature pyre in the war room. Azula doesn't reply anymore, not since Father noticed Zuko's hawk leaving her room, but she still enjoys reading about all the ways Zuko fails. (His adventures.)

Besides, more sources of information are always better, and if he doesn't write as frequently now that she doesn't respond, it's not like she cares. Father wouldn't care if Zuko ever missed a week. One of Zuko's hawks didn't make it to the palace, a year and a half ago. Father didn't even notice.

Azula slits the letter carrier open with her nails. Breaking through the wax is oddly satisfying, even though she gets a bit under her nail in the process. (Imperfection.) She tips out the scrolls, opens the one dated farthest back, and reads it, imagining her reply to the account of, 'another lead went nowhere. We're heading south next. I know, again, but we're going farther south this time. I have a good feeling about it. This is going to be the place!'

He always says that. It never is.

Really, Zuzu, you think the Avatar would hide in one of those tiny, backwards villages? Besides, we've been to every village there. We would have found it during Grandfather's raids if it was there to be found.

Azula moves the paper to the side and opens the second scroll. This one is longer. Azula glances at the third scroll, an even thicker cylinder, and her stomach flips over. Something is off. She picks up the paper and begins to read.

Azula, I found him! She'd already known. Zhao had sent the news to Father, and Azula had been in the council room when he read the scroll and promptly burned the small pile of letters from Zuko waiting on the mail tray. He was hiding in the South Pole, and he's not an old person at all, he's a kid. And I would be on my way home right now if he wasn't a lying, dishonorable airbender. He surrendered when we were fighting, but then he escaped, and then he went to Kyoshi and made the unagi spit on me… Azula continues reading. It ends with, and now we're going to Omashu, which is way more dangerous than Gaoling. Agni, couldn't Uncle have picked anywhere else?

Zuko, son of Princess Ursa and Firelord Ozai, prince of the Fire Nation and heir to the Dragon Throne, commanding officer of the Wani, Colony-class battleship

As usual, his letter isn't exactly linear so far as time goes. And as usual, Azula has the pieces arranged in order in her mind by the time she's finished reading. Zuko found and captured the Avatar. The Avatar escaped. Zuko had to get his ship repaired before chasing him, ran into Zhao, fought an Agni Kai with him, and won. Zuko caught up to the Avatar on Kyoshi, accidentally burned part of the village down, and the unagi spit on him. He accidentally let Uncle Iroh decide where they were going for a week and Uncle Iroh chose Omashu, because clearly he wants to get Zuko killed.

Azula does not like this. But telling Zuko he's an idiot is not worth risking Father's wrath, so she doesn't write him. Besides, he's a decent enough firebender- terrible compared to her, of course, but almost everyone is. Surely he can manage to capture one airbending child. Father never even told Zuko the plans in place for the Avatar if he still existed, so Zuko's not wanting people to get hurt won't get in his way. He could be home by the winter solstice, in plenty of time for her to celebrate his coming-of-age by mercilessly decimating him in a duel.

It will be nice to beat her brother in everything again.

That evening, Azula reads the third letter. It skips back in time to just after Kyoshi, when Zuko apparently just happened to go for a nighttime swim, and then a nighttime run-on-tree-branches-while-carrying-something. He doesn't mention what. He does mention that he fell, but didn't hit the ground. That he was held up by the air itself, which means a spirit was messing with him, and he knows Agni is the one true god, but maybe spirits exist anyway? Because it was a spirit, but the problem is now Zuko can't capture the Avatar because he promised to help with the spirit problem- that was in Omashu, when Zuko found him before any of his crewpeople did. The air moving when he tells it to hasn't gone away, so the spirit is following him, and he's been practicing so he won't do it by accident. And there was also a coal fight on a prison rig, and Warden Manobu wasn't following regulation.

Azula, despite her considerable intellect and years of practice deciphering Zuko's letters, has no idea what this has to do with Zuko's spirit problem. Or what exactly is going on, except that Zuko won't capture the Avatar yet because the Avatar is supposed to fix something. To… make it so the air won't move? Azula isn't certain.

She continues reading. It really looks like airbending, apparently, and he's been copying the airbending forms in his scrolls, and the Avatar hasn't done anything about it yet, and how did Zhao get promoted again? And I don't know what to do about any of this, or how I'm going to get home. I can't capture the Avatar, even if he lands on my ship. I can't even figure out which spirit is doing this, no matter how many scrolls I read. I don't know what to do. I can't tell Uncle, he's loyal, he doesn't mess up, he would tell Father or something. I don't know what to do. I really need your help, Azula. Please.

Your brother,

Zuko

His titles are scribbled on at the end, mistakes in the calligraphy showing he was rushing.

Azula resists the urge to hunt Zuko down and smack him. It would imply she cared, which is of course ridiculous. Siblings can't care about each other. Azula picks up her brush. She just needs more information. Father wouldn't be worried about her brother. This is just an interesting situation.

(Zuko, if you die, I will never forgive you (maybe I will someday))

Getting everyone out of the canyon wasn't very difficult. Zuko, despite nearly falling over on his way to the wall, scaled it easily. The airbender flew. Iroh was the most difficult. Taiyo had to tie a harness around him, because of his hands. The soldiers didn't leave any clothes behind. No part of it is an experience Taiyo wants to repeat.

By the time Taiyo joins everyone else outside of the canyon, Taiki and Arata are visible at the base of the mountain. One of them even thought to bring an extra rhino. Taiyo raises an arm in greeting and hopes they'll hurry.

Less than two degrees average later, the others reach them. Arata dismounts, glancing at Prince Iroh's hands with narrowed eyes.

"Earthbenders," Taiyo says in answer.

"What's earth-" Taiki begins, leading the extra rhino around the one he was riding. He stops in his tracks. "Oh."

Prince Iroh smiles. "You brought Jasmine Teaflower!"

Jasmine pulls forward, tugging on his reins. Taiki lets them drop. The rhino bounds forward, then snuffles at Iroh's hands.

"Yes, I know," the prince says. "I can't give you treats right now. I'm very sad too. But you're such a good boy, aren't you, Jasmine Teaflower? Yes, you are!"

He turns his head. "Prince Zuko? Please come pet my rhino for me."

The teenage prince walks over stiffly, and even more stiffly scratches under Jasmine's chin. That's when Taiyo begins to worry.

It's common knowledge that Zuko likes animals, including petting them. It's also common knowledge that he won't admit it, and hardly ever stealth-pets them when people are looking. For him to pet a komodo rhino openly, without even trying to scratch the itchy spot at the back of its jaw, means something is wrong.

Taiyo trades glances with the other two. Neither looks happy.

By the way, with the reviews: Brave Soldier Boy is still going to be my focus, so far as fanfic goes. But random ideas pop into my head and want to be written down, so I write them. That will not change no matter how many or few reviews I get. The only difference is whether I post them. Just to clarify.

Basically, I was trying to bribe you last chapter. Some of them are even potential backstory for this!

Look, I've written two alternate Crossroads of Destiny oneshots already. I need an outlet.