The sunlight crept up over the hilltop, orange rays shining in Azula's eyes. The sunshine barely seemed to affect Wei, who kept his kata strong as he practiced the moves Azula had taught him earlier. They had changed their training location after Hune had found them so easily the day before. They now trained atop a much more secluded hilltop, a solid three-hour trek from the village. No one would aimlessly wander past them today. Wei had arrived at their new destination early, seemingly hours before Azula. Maybe her words last night had been exactly what he needed.

Or maybe, her threat had been slightly too aggressive. All he really needed was a healthy dose of fear to keep him from slacking but instead she had instilled in him a sense of genuine terror. He slammed his fists into the air, colliding with the wind but producing no fire. When he did manage to spark a flame, it looked pathetically weak. Azula had seen candles with more flame than Wei.

'Fifty hot squats now!' She yelled – startling Wei. He quickly obeyed and began his squats. His form was still terrible but at least now he had the right spirit. His knees looked ready to buckle after the fourth hot squat, but he persevered. Veins bulged out visibly from his forehead and his face sweat so much a waterbender could have used it to make a glacier.

'Feeling tired yet?' She goaded him. No response. He hadn't spoken to her unless specifically ordered - not since last night when she had threatened to burn his family home to the ground. In truth, she knew she didn't have the bending to enact the threat, but Wei hadn't seemed to gather that yet - so she let him stew in fear for a bit longer.

She would do it though. If he made her. She was ready and willing to follow through.

Never make a threat you aren't prepared to follow through.

One of her Father's lessons. They were coming back to her even more frequently now that she had started training Wei. She still resented him for losing his crown. He had been weak at the end of the war, but she would not deny his strength before then. He had shaped her into the Fire Nation's greatest warrior and despite everything – she was grateful for that.

Wei would learn to see it that way eventually. Once the dust settled and the crown was hers again, he would see that her brutal training methods were necessary. He would be grateful.

He would be.

Wei collapsed to the ground, exhausted. 'Just give me a sec,'

'If this were real, your enemies would have killed you by now.'

'Good thing it's not real then.'

She towered over him. 'Is this a joke to you?'

'No Sifu.' She could see it in his eyes, the anger begging to be released.

'Are you so hopeless that you can't even do a simple hot squat without falling over?' She turned her back on him. 'Maybe I'm wasting my time.'

He mumbled something under his breath that Azula couldn't hear. She spun towards him. 'Do you have something to say, recruit?'

'-No.'

He was still holding back. Fire was the element of passion which made it impossible to bend while you kept your emotions repressed. She saw the rage she needed in his eyes, simmering just under the surface. Earth kingdom stubbornness kept it contained.

'Spit it out recruit! Or do you speak as well as you bend?'

'Ah!' He pushed to his feet and Azula braced herself for the outburst. It never came. Instead, he balled his fists and took deep, steadying breaths. His breath had a clear rhythm, seven seconds in and eleven seconds out. On his last exhale, he punched forward into the air next to Azula, and it erupted in flames.

'Wow!' The noise came from a bush behind Wei. Azula moved towards the bush and peeked behind it.

'Hi?' Hune did his best innocent impression, only slightly diminished by his sly grin. Azula grabbed him by the collar and hefted him out of the bushes.

'How long have you been following us?' She was curious how long he had evaded her. Her anger was overshadowed by appreciation for his sneaking skills. He had managed to remain undetected in her presence which either meant he was impressively stealthy, or she had lost her touch.

He had to be stealthy.

'Just today,' Hune squirmed under her grip, his legs dangling in the air. Wei kept his arms crossed and gave Hune a glare. 'Okay yesterday too. But I swear I won't tell anyone, I'm really good at keeping secrets!'

'Really? What secrets have you kept?' Azula asked him.

'Lots! Laya said I shouldn't tell people outside of the family that she's an earthbender and I didn't!'

'Actually Hune, you just did…' Wei pointed at Azula, who let go of Hune's collar and let him hit the ground.

'Well, I promise I won't tell anyone about this, I mean it!' Hune looked at Azula pleadingly. 'Can I stay and watch? Please?'

'No.' She turned her back on Hune and pointed at Wei. He interpreted the meaning to be additional hot squats.

'Okay, guess I'll just go home and talk to Mom.' Hune moved theatrically slow as he strolled away from their training area. He couldn't resist glancing back every few seconds. 'I'll just head home then, tell her about my day.'

'Stop.' Azula moved towards him, Wei tensed behind her. 'We can make an exchange.'

'What's that?'

'It's like a deal, you have something I want so I get you something you want in exchange. Then we're even.' Wei seemed to relax slightly. She had no need to threaten Hune. It was clear from past experience that he didn't respond well to threats. Instead, she could offer him a simple transaction. 'I get you something you want and in exchange you keep quiet, deal?'

Hune seemed characteristically thrilled by the idea. He nodded so fast Azula thought his neck might snap.

'Okay, so what do you want?'

'The shiny rocks from the gorge!' He failed to contain his excitement, jumping into the air as he said it.

'Seriously?'

'Yep, they're pretty deep in there and honestly the whole place is kinda scary but then I thought that Lin is pretty scary so she could do it but I already asked you once and you said no but now we made an axe-change-'

'Okay, okay. Just stop talking please.' This was how far she had sunk. Retrieving 'shiny rocks' for a little boy. Not for the first time since she came to Baoshan Village she thought about what her previous self would have thought – seeing her rolling in the mud with peasants. Only a year ago she had planned to scorch the entire Earth kingdom into ash, and now she lived here? Hune kept grinning up at her, waiting for her response. She sighed and nodded.

'Woo-hoo! Let's go!' Hune ran to Wei and yanked his arms away from the clearing and towards the gorge. Azula followed behind, reluctantly.

'So, that's when I found the hotcakes Laya was hiding from me, but she also said that Shelun had some which made me kinda mad cause if he could have one then why couldn't I? Just seemed unfair to me, anyway so I was inside and Laya was outside with Mom so I knew she wouldn't notice if I just slipped my hand into the-'

He never stopped. Azula had decided that she envied the deaf. Only the deaf were immune to Hune's endless rants about nothing. Were all children so utterly pointless? Why did anyone bother?

'Hune, buddy. Maybe we should keep it down in case any dangerous animals are out here.' Wei spoke in a gentle voice with Hune, calm and patient. It frustrated her. Wei had a fire in him, even if he wouldn't admit it. A strong supply of anger to be utilised in bending. Yet, he held back. She struggled to understand someone who refused to seek out their full potential. All her life she had been taught the measure of greatness, the price of success. It was a price Wei seemed unwilling to pay.

'I'm not worried about dangerous animals, Lin is here!' Hune pointed at Azula as if to remind Wei of her greatness.

'Keep your eyes on the road anyway, or I'll let a platypus bear eat you.' That should shut him up, she thought.

Her ears grated with the sound of his bellowing laughter. 'Good one Lin!' He skipped ahead, oblivious to the real danger of the wilds.

'I thought he was scared of me?' Azula asked Wei as they trailed a few paces behind Hune.

'Should he be?' Wei seemed to be making a conscious effort not to look at her.

'That depends on you.' She kept her pace as Wei drifted back, his steps slowing to a crawl.

'There it is!' Hune shouted back at them.

It turned out to be a deep gorge that extended into the valley. The heat of the climate had dried out the riverbed below, leaving only craggy rocks and dust. Azula could smell smoke coming from the depths of the gorge and they all heard loud scraping coming from below their feet.

'Is someone mining?' Wei asked, looking at his feet.

'This place has no significant natural resources and your land is barren, no one has bothered with mining expeditions this side of the Earth kingdom in centuries.' Azula remembered the details from one of the last strategy meetings she had attended back in the Fire Nation. Fire Lord Sozin had ordered the mass excavation of all villages and towns along the coasts of the Earth Kingdom. Anything that presented a threat to the Fire Nation mainland. Anything worthwhile had long since been mined from this worthless pile of rocks.

'Hune!' Wei ran out of view, towards the gorge. Azula followed.

She peered over the edge of the gorge and saw Hune crawling into a small crevice in the rock.

'I've got to go get him!' She grabbed his shoulder and held him back.

'He'll be fine, he's clearly been here before.'

'You are the last person I would trust with my family's safety.' He pushed her back harshly, Azula stumbled back and saw the fire dancing in his pupils. So, there was a spirit after all…

Just as Wei went to leap into the crevice, they heard a small cry.

'Guys! Come and look!'

Wei squeezed into the crack, barely fitting into the tiny crevice. Azula followed, jagged rocks cutting at her sides as she shimmied into the crevice.

Inside was a dark tunnel, smelling faintly of gun powder. Azula instinctively tried to ignite her hand for a light source, but no flame appeared. Fortunately, Wei didn't seem to notice as he took out a match and lit it. They walked slowly through the tunnel, their footsteps echoing in the hollow cave. She figured it must have been a small part of an expansive cave system right under Baoshan Village. The caves could have been ancient, but she noticed small etchings along the cavern walls. Arrows pointing the way. Someone had already charted this path. Hune didn't seem like the type to plan ahead.

'Someone's been here before.' She said to Wei. He ignored her and kept walking.

Fine then, keep acting like a child. You'll regret it next time we train.

A sudden sharp ray of light disorientated both of them. They came to another crack in the rock that clearly led into a deeper cavern. Wei went first, squeezing through the crack, even tighter than the one before. Azula went through and emerged on the other side, with her mouth agape.

It wasn't just a massive cave – it was a massive mineral deposit. Brilliant jade crystals illuminated the cavern with stalactites dangling off the ceiling. Azula recognised the material instantly, it was the same crystals that populated the catacombs beneath Ba Sing Se. From the look in Wei's eyes, he seemed to recognise them too.

'Unbelievable,' He gazed up in awe at the sprawling crystals hanging from every surface. 'I read about these, but I never thought I'd actually see any. This has to be the largest deposit of crystals outside of Ba Sing Se!' He took a small notebook from his back pocket which Azula had never seen before. She saw him roughly sketching the crystals.

'I didn't know you could draw.'

'Huh?' He noticed the notebook in his hands and turned bright red. He quickly stuffed it back into his pocket.

'Pretty cool huh?' Hune was lounging on a bed of crystals about ten feet in the air. 'I've been trying to take some out of here for a while now but I keep getting lost on the way out'.

'How? Just leave the way you came in,' Azula turned around to point at the crack they entered through – only to see a solid wall. 'Where did it go?'

'No idea! I came in here once to get a crystal and then the walls started moving around me. I got scared and ran before it could close up.' Hune grinned, seemingly content with their rocky tomb.

'How are we supposed to leave?' Azula asked Hune, who was chucking crystals into the air and failing to catch them as they fell.

'You can show us out Lin! You hunted a platypus bear; a weird cave is nothing right?' Hune looked at Azula expectantly. She sighed and nodded, hoping to avoid another Hune panic attack when he realised: they were trapped.

'Hune, this is incredible!' Wei started rubbing the crystals as if to study them, Azula assumed. 'A deposit this huge could be a massive boon for the local economy. I just can't believe no one found this before…'

'Yeah…' It was strange. The Fire Nation had spent years mining this area for anything worthwhile and come up with nothing. Perhaps they were unfamiliar with the territory? But then how had the Earth Kingdom missed this? To ignore a mineral deposit this large during a hundred year war? She wasn't buying it.

'Hune when did you first find this place?' She asked him.

'Well, I saw a glow coming from one of the caves one night so I peeked in and saw some of the shiny rocks but they were really far down and I got scared so I didn't go in but now-'

'-And when was this?' She asked.

'A few months ago, Oh it's a great story let me tell you-'

'-Is that when you made the markings on the walls?'

'What markings?'

They felt a steady rumble come from behind them. The cavern wall stressed and cracked under a sudden and immense pressure. Azula rushed behind a wall of crystals for cover, Wei and Hune joining her. Suddenly, the rocks erupted out, leaving a gaping hole in the cavern.

'Hah! Told you we don't need the girl.' A gruff voice emerged from behind the cloud of dust and smoke.

'Fighting and mining are very different Rohung.' Another voice, this time it was softer and feminine.

'I don't see any difference between chucking a rock at another rock and chucking one at a person…' Rohung replied.

'That's why your bad at it.' The last voice was quiet, barely audible compared to Rohung's rumbling tones.

'Ah he speaks! Thank the spirits for me Oz, they have blessed us with another witty remark from the great Motung!'

Motung remained silent as Rohung continued.

'It's been so long; I'd say the last time he spoke there were still airbenders!'

'Are you done?' Motung asked, exasperated.

'More words! Today is a special day after all, I'm surprised your mouth still works. After all that inaction I'd have thought it would be nothing but cobwebs?'

Rohung's entire body rumbled when he laughed. Motung hung his head and sighed. Oz walked slowly around the cavern, inspecting each of the crystals carefully.

'Did you guys check this area before?' She asked.

They both shook their heads. Azula peeked up above her cover and saw Oz whispering to the other two. She nodded towards the crevice and gestured for Wei and Hune to follow. They crouched and moved carefully across the room, careful not to expose themselves. Just a few more feet and they would be out. Her old self stirred inside her again, chastising her for avoiding a fight she could win. In truth, she wasn't the same person she was a year ago. Before, the prospect of fighting three people without bending would have been easy; after all she had avoided the Avatar and his friends on the Day of Black Sun, but she hadn't properly trained in months. Her instincts were dulled. Where before she was a sharpened blade, now she was nothing but a butter knife.

Azula heard a sharp shattering noise and turned to find Hune standing over a pile of destroyed crystals.

Oz turned around and saw Hune, his legs frozen solid. 'Hello. My name is Ozemo, what's yours?'

Hune didn't respond.

She had a gentle smile on her face that faded when she noticed the crystals at his feet. 'So, you're the one whose been messing with our deposit. Shame.' She started moving towards him. Until Azula emerged from behind her cover along with Wei.

'There's no need for a pointless fight, we just want a single crystal and then we'll be on our way.' Azula said, keeping a close eye on Oz.

'OUR crystals!' Rohung rumbled from behind Oz, she raised a hand and he seemed to relax.

'My associate is correct; this is our deposit. Can't just give away our supply to any stranger who wanders in.'

'This is a natural deposit; it belongs to the village not you.' Wei held his fists to his sides, tensed. Azula was surprised at the fierceness in his tone.

'We earned this spot!' Rohung spoke again before Oz quickly silenced him with her hand.

'What does that mean?' Wei asked.

'Nothing. Don't mind him. He doesn't know what he's saying…' She looked back at Rohung who lowered his head.

'Okay, let me take a guess here,' Azula grinned and walked back towards the crystals. 'Some small mining crew found this spot and left those marks on the walls. Your crew found out about this lucrative opportunity and decided to eliminate the competition. Once the mining crew was gone, you were clear to dig up the crystals and sell them to dumb rich people.' Azula broke off a crystal that hung from a short stalactite. 'How close am I?'

'Way off! We found this deposit ourselves and we only took out one mining crew who tried to take it from us for the Earth King- '. Rohung rambled, his face red with rage.

'Shut up you idiot!' Oz's composed persona crumbled. She looked back at Azula - seething with anger. 'Give me back my crystals.'

Azula couldn't help grinning. 'Come and get them.' She felt her old fire stirring as Oz launched herself at her.

She saw a bright flash hidden under her sleeve, Azula nimbly dodged the first swipe from Oz's hidden blade. Oz lunged again, slashing at the air as Azula moved around her attacks all the while keeping an eye on Rohung and Motung. Rohung picked up a hefty pickaxe and closed in on Wei. He responded quickly by shoving Hune out of the way and jumping back from the pickaxe swing. The force cracked the ground under their feet, a few dangling crystals shook on the ceiling.

Oz slashed at Azula's shoulder, drawing blood. The cut wasn't deep but nonetheless Azula was furious. She had lost concentration. Oz started circling Azula, her knife still coated in Azula's blood.

'You're quick.' Oz said.

'I know.' Azula ran at Oz, throwing caution to the wind. Or at least that's what she needed Oz to think. Seeing the obvious attack, Oz stepped forward to slash at Azula - who used her momentum to duck under the swipe and kick at Oz's shins – taking her legs out from under her.

'Ugh, cheap shot,' Oz went to bounce back on her feet but Azula had grabbed a jagged crystal and pointed it right at her throat. 'My turn.' Azula didn't see the flash under her sleeve this time, and the knife Oz threw at her stomach sliced at her skin. She had managed to instinctively dodge to the right, avoiding a deadly puncture wound. Still, the injury left her pained and sluggish, giving Oz the perfect advantage.

Throughout the fighting, Motung leaned against the cavern wall – watching the chaos unfold with a neutral gaze. He spun a dagger between his fingers, content to observe rather than fight.

'Stay still you slippery little eel-hound!' Rohung shouted, chasing after Wei with his massive pickaxe. Every few seconds Wei would pause to catch his breath and Rohung, seemingly incapable of learning his lesson, would slam the pickaxe down onto the spot Wei had just left. Each slam cracked the rock beneath their feet. Azula suddenly had a terrible idea.

Still clutching her bloody side, Azula ran towards Rohung. She was careful with her positioning – she needed Hune and Wei with her for it to work. The towering brute saw her approach and grinned. He raised the pickaxe.

'Wait! Don't!' Oz yelled but Rohung had already let his momentum carry into his downward swing. The pickaxe collided with stone, as Azula evaded to his side and grabbed Wei and Hune. Stone cracked and collapsed under Rohung's feet and before he could react, the ground had disappeared - sending him into the dark abyss below.

'No!' Oz ran towards the hole where Rohung had fell. The added pressure of Oz and Motung was too much for the fragile stone which collapsed sending the two thieves tumbling into the dark.

'Let's go!' Azula yelled over the noise of the crumbling cave. Her gambit had worked but Rohung's swing was far more powerful than she thought; she had accidentally triggered a cave-in. The trio ran until a powerful tremor knocked them onto their backs. Azula looked back and saw Hune trailing behind. Before she could react, the ground shifted again, and the boy disappeared into the darkness.

'No!' Wei tried to run after him, but Azula grabbed him by the shoulders.

'It's too late, we have to go!'

'I'm not leaving him!'

'He's gone-'

'NO!' Azula fell back, bright flames knocking her onto her back. Wei stood over her, smoke billowing from his knuckles.

The ground shifted again, and they were both sent into the rocky abyss.

Azula coughed the dust out of her lungs. The cavern was gone, leaving nothing but shattered rock. Azula got to her feet and surveyed her environment. At least she tried to. The cavern was lit with a single cracked crystal that emanated a dim glow. In the corner of her eye, she saw a figure twitching under the rubble.

'Wei?' She ran over and moved the rocks out from under Wei. Smoke still gently flowing from his knuckles. He pushed her back forcefully and stood unassisted. 'Are you capable of moving or do I need to leave you here?'

As a response, he pushed past her. Azula wasn't sure what to think of this Wei. He seemed assured if not childishly aggressive. And while he lacked any functional technique or poise, he had produced a solid burst of flame. It seemed he would prosper under her tutelage, as she had expected of course.

Wei sifted through the rubble, frantically searching for something. 'What are you looking for?' She asked.

'What am I looking for? Are you seriously asking me what I'm looking for?' He had that same fire in his eyes again, the kind that Azula had once known to be second nature to her.

'I am curious why you'd so needlessly expend energy while we are trapped in here?'

'Needless! Hune is out there trapped under rocks waiting for me to help him!'

'Crushed.'

'What?' He asked, the fire in his pupils dimming.

'Most likely, he would be crushed under the rocks. Probably died from the impact of the fall or else he suffocated under the rubble. So, he wouldn't be trapped under the rocks, he'd be crushed under them.' She ended with a smirk, tapping the rocky walls around them for emphasis.

Wei clenched his fists, that fiery gaze returning to his eyes. Before he could strike, Azula felt the rock by her hands vibrate. The stone split and cracked evenly down the middle, revealing a massive hole in their rocky cell. Dust filled their lungs and through the hazy smoke Azula could barely make out a towering figure with a much smaller figure clasped around their shoulders.

'Found you!' Hune shouted, saddled atop Rohung's massive shoulders. The brute gave a forced smile and gestured for the duo to walk through his makeshift door in the rock. They went through, into another cavern similar in size to the one they had originally fallen from. It seemed these caves were far larger than Azula had realised. However, unlike those caverns this area was sparse with crystals. Azula spotted barely half a dozen stalactites lighting the way. The crystals glowed faintly providing just enough light to see a few steps ahead but not enough to comfortably illuminate the darkness they found themselves in. Nevertheless, the continued onwards with Hune lighting their way from atop Rohung's shoulders holding a single crystal.

'So….. Are we good or…?' Wei asked Rohung. He looked Wei up and down before nodding.

'Me and Rohung are friends now!' Hune declared before Rohung had a chance to retort. 'Yep, I found him in the caves, and I gave him a crystal so he could find his way out and then he helped me move the big rocks in the way and then we found you and now we're friends!' Hune's voice echoed throughout the cave, rattling some of the smaller stones with his vocal vibrations.

'Keep it down.' She snapped at him. He lowered his head and stopped smiling. Rohung turned around and glared at Azula.

'These two are fine with me, but you? The boss will want a word with you.' Rohung said.

'Oh, we spoke.' Azula clutched her side, the slash still aching. 'I'd love nothing more than a long conversation with Ozemo.' She would start with some slashes, that would be fun. Oh, and then she could heat the blade and sear Ozemo's flesh while she screamed. Ah yes, it would be a very interesting conversation.

'What about the crystals?' Wei asked.

Rohung shrugged his massive shoulders. 'Right now, I just want to get out of here alive, everything after that is the boss's problem'.

Sure it is, what kind of fool do you take me for?

She would need to keep a close eye on that one. She knew that he would strike at the first sign of vulnerability, because it is exactly what she would do. Wei seemed to lighten as he watched Hune pull the tips of Rohung's ears, the brute just sighing and continuing to walk. She could see his shoulders visibly loosen; his muscles relaxed. He was letting his guard down in front of the enemy. Yet another mistake she would have to beat out of him.

Eventually they came to a small clearing with a single crystal hanging precariously from the ceiling – providing their squat environment with sparse lighting. Green shades of light cast over Ozemo's face, Motung standing behind her. Her right arm was held up with a makeshift splint, a small twig wrapped with twine around her crushed limb. Her face shifted into a snarl upon seeing Azula.

'Hello Oz,' Even with the poor lighting Oz could practically hear the grin on her face. 'Such a shame about your arm, I was looking forward to a fairer fight.'

'Come here and Ill break your arm, then we can have an even duel.'

'Tempting, but I'll have to refuse. I'm much more interested in cracking your-'

'Enough!' Wei stepped forward cutting off Azula before she could finish her threat. 'We have no conflict with you or your crew, we just want a single crystal and then we can all leave. Nobody has to know we were here.'

'And what happened to the deposit belongs to the people?' Oz asked.

'They'll manage without it, we have done for thousands of years.' Azula watched Wei keenly. His mannerisms all conveyed a sense of open sincerity. His image that of a weary man simply seeking passage from the cave.

She knew it was a lie.

A surprisingly well crafted one she had to admit. Wei's body told the story he wanted Oz to believe, while his eyes told the truth. He wouldn't give up the deposit now, not after seeing the vast depts of treasure held within.

'What assurances can we have that you won't tell people about this place?' Oz asked. Her body opened up slightly, suggesting that she might be willing to hear Wei out.

'You have my word.'

You idiot Wei.

Oz let out a sharp laugh that didn't reach her eyes. Behind her, Motung tensed.

'Rohung, do it.' Before they could react Rohung yanked Hune down off his shoulders and swiped the crystal from his hands, he held the jagged point up to Hune's throat – stepping back a few feet away from Azula and Hune.

'Sorry little man.' Rohung held Hune firmly as he squirmed in his grip.

'No! Let him go!' Wei screamed – his eyes frantic and wild.

'He'll hang on to him for insurance,' Ozemo said, ignoring Wei and staring directly at Azula. 'You keep your end of the bargain, and we won't touch a hair on his head. You don't, well….'

Rohung held the crystal dagger even closer to Hune's neck, its tip gracing the skin on his throat. Wei stopped moving, his legs stuck to the ground like someone had bent the rocks over his toes. The only part of his body that wasn't frozen were his eyes – still wild and fiery locked directly onto Hune.

'Let the boy go, and I'll make your death quick.' Azula spoke with a quiet ferocity she didn't even know she still possessed.

'Don't pretend like you care for the boy,' Oz said. 'You don't strike me as the type of person who cares about anyone but themselves. An admirable quality I must say.'

Azula held her stare. She could still hear Hune squirming under Rohung's grip behind her.

'You're in trouble now Lin's gonna kick your butts! Just wai-'Rohung covered Hune's mouth stifling his screams.

'Well then, Lin. Are you going to kick our butts?'

They seemed to be waiting for her answer. Azula stood still, gaze firmly locked onto Ozemo. Wei was still frozen. Hune had finally stopped squirming – instead, he watched Azula, eager to see her next move.

'Take the boy, makes no difference to me.' Azula said. Wei finally moved, craning his head towards Azula – eyes frantic.

Azula slowly shuffled in Ozemo's direction. She needed to get the trajectory right. Wei clenched his fists, the fire in his belly stoked by his anger. Ozemo looked towards Azula's shuffling with a confused look.

'What are you-' Wei punched forward with a bellowing scream – flames erupting from his fist. Azula, who had been expecting the blast, nimbly dodged under the fire – letting it fly directly at Ozemo.

She responded faster than Azula would have expected. She manged to sidestep the brunt of the blast at the last second, but she couldn't avoid all of the flames which singed her clothing and left a deep black scorch mark across her face. She clutched the burnt side of her face and looked up at Wei. Azula had been expecting indignation, maybe even rage. Instead, Ozemo looked petrified. Motung had broken into a cold sweat and Rohung was already sprinting out of the cave. Motung grabbed her from behind and led them both out of the cavern as quickly as possible. Azula smiled to herself, satisfied that her plan had left the cowardly thieves fleeing for their meaningless lives. She turned back to Wei and Hune.

'Well, I think that went quite well.'

Wei didn't answer. In fact, it looked like he would never speak to her again. His face had contorted into a snarl, the wisps of smoke from his hands flowing past his face. Hune stood next to him, befuddled.

'My plan worked Wei,' Azula stated gesturing towards the scorch mark Wei's blast had left on the stone. 'Not only did you finally bend a consistent projectile flame, but you also saved your brother!'

His face remained stuck in that snarl. Hune looked between the two before quietly walking towards the ray of lights shining into the next cavern.

'You wanted to learn real bending; this is what it takes.' Wei looked to the ground, the fire in his eyes slowly dying out. Without another word, he left the cavern.

It took them hours to escape the labyrinthian caves. During their escape attempts, they saw no sign of Oz and her gang of thieves. Azula figured they must have known the routes by memory after months spent mining the deposit. The slash in Azula's side was slowly healing. Oz had missed anything vital, and the cut wasn't too deep.

Hune and Wei never spoke. Not once during their hours stumbling in the dark looking for an exit. Hune kept his gaze fixed on the ground, head slumped - eyes dazed. Whereas Wei, he kept his eyes painfully fixed to the back of Azula's head wherever they went. When she moved behind him to avoid his stare, he shifted to angry glances over his shoulder. It bothered Azula how much it all…. bothered her. Their opinions meant nothing to her, she never needed anyone's opinion on anything – she was a Princess of the Fire Nation. They were supposed to be irrelevant, so why was she so annoyed by their dismissal?

The strange nature of the caves nagged at the back of her mind. There were several times she could have sworn she saw passages disappear and new ones reappear in their place. Each tunnel felt familiar – but also starkly different from the ones that came before. It had a painfully disorientating effect on her. She was used to her mind playing tricks, but this cave felt different. There was more to this place, but today was not the day she would seek answers. For now, she just wanted out.

Eventually they reached light at the end of their painfully long and silent tunnel. Hune whooped and ran towards the source of the sunlight. Wei and Azula followed.

'Ah, that feels nice.' The sun was beginning to set, they had been trapped in there from dawn till dusk. 'Aw, come back!' Hune shouted at the sun. Unsurprisingly, the sun ignored his request and began it's descent.

'Time to go home Hune.' Wei went to grab Hune by the arm and take him home. Azula stepped up and grabbed Wei.

'You should be thanking me.'

'For what? Nearly getting my brother killed? For threatning my family? For torturing me all day?' Wei stood over Azula and for the first time she realised he was taller than her.

'For revealing your potential, I "tortured" you so you could finally start bending with some passion! Nothing motivates better than rage.'

Wei shook his head in disbelief. 'Is that what you think that was? Rage?' he looked her in the eyes, Azula could practically feel the fire raging in his pupils. 'It was hate, Lin. Every time I needed fire, I thought about how much I hate you and it worked. So, thank you, for making me despise you.'

He left without another word, gesturing for Hune to follow. Instead, the boy lingered for a moment looking at Azula.

'Axe-change?' he held out a small crystal, cracked down the middle so it's light was faded.

'I don't have anything to offer.'

'You can promise to keep being friends with me and Wei.' He smiled at her.

She should have told him they weren't friends or chastised him for incorrectly offering an exchange. But in that moment, with Hune smiling up at her, she relented.

'I accept the terms.' She took the crystal, which only made Hune's grin brighter.

'What did you want the crystals for?' She asked.

'Mom told me even grownups get scared sometimes. She said that even when it looks like someone is in control, they're actually scared.'

Azula frowned and Hune laughed.

Still laughing, Hune turned around and went home. Azula stood alone, clutching her crystal.

Later that night, Azula wandered past Wei's cabin in the village. She saw a faint green light coming from one of the back windows. Looking in, she saw Shoni sitting up in bed, her knitting illuminated by a crystal placed on her bedside.

Yeah, so it's been a while... Sorry about the ridiculous delay and I hope you enjoyed reading it. Next one won't take as long... maybe.