Heya. Sorry for the wait. School starts earlier for me than most and I've been working my arse off trying to complete my science course. I started it very late in the year, so I had to do science through summer, which stretched into my first two weeks of school.

I've also been experiencing a lack of motivation, but I'm slowly getting through it. With the encouragement of my teachers and friends, I'm slowly making progress. Updates will probably take longer. Thank goodness I wrote some chapters in advance to posting this story.

Thank you for the follows, favorites, and reviews!

Chapter One: Plans

"Did you truly think that I would ever care for you?"

Azula suddenly gasped in pain as a swift kick was delivered to her side. The kick sent her sprawling onto the floor and she looked up to see the scarred face of her brother, Zuko. His golden eyes blazed with fury as he towered over her small frame. Her body was covered with bruises, scorch marks, and open wounds.

Azula was terrified, practically shaking with fear as she watched her brother approach her once more. She frantically scanned the area for a way to flee, but the orange flames that surrounded the two siblings offered no escape. Before she could move any further, Zuko grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and roughly lifted her off the ground. He forced Azula to look him in the eyes.

"Pathetic," Zuko spat, "You are a fool for ever believing that I cared." No matter how hard she tried, her eyes couldn't break from the furious glare of her brother. "I simply used you for your information to find my mother. I was going to discard you afterwards. Return you to the mental institution, maybe even throw you in prison to rot." A sadistic smile overtook Zuko's angry features as tears slipped from Azula's eyes.

He released her from his grasp and Azula landed with a heavy thud. Her eyes widened when she noticed her mother standing behind Zuko.

"Even mother didn't care for you," Zuko said. Ursa looked somberful, watching Azula with pity. "After all, monsters can't ever be loved," Zuko continued, "No wonder why she left you."

Ursa, who up until this point had been watching Azula, turned her head away to look in another direction. Azula felt hurt by the action, but the voice of her brother took her attention once more.

"You thought you could escape by fleeing into Forgetful Valley? I will track you down. Mark my words," Zuko looked down upon her, " Until then, sister."

Suddenly, the floor collapsed beneath her and she was sent into a free fall. Her chest tightened and a nauseating feeling filled her stomach. Azula flailed and looked around, trying desperately to grab onto anything that could slow her fall.

The light from the ring of fire began to fade as she fell further. Azula could see their outline peering over the edge of the hole she had fallen into.

She could see one of the silhouettes shake their head and walk away. The other remained watching her.

"M-Mom...," Her voice came out weak. The light from the fire faded and she was suddenly thrown into pitch black darkness. A sense of fear and loneliness sent her into a panic. "Mom! Please, mom! Zuko! P-please! Please...PLEASE HELP ME!"

The darkness around her felt alive. It was pulsing and moving, swirling and twisting. She felt it grab her and pull her faster into the abyss. Azula screamed and tried to claw at the air. It felt like it was closing in on her. Hunting her. Suffocating her. Consuming her.

She was completely powerless and vulnerable. She just kept falling, and falling, and falling.

She then hit the ground.

...

Azula's eyes snapped open and she screamed as she jolted up from her spot on the ground. Panic surged through her body and she swiftly got into a sitting position. Her heart hammered in her chest, dry tear stains irritated her cheeks, she was hyperventilating, and a small headache pulsed in her head. She snapped her head left and right looking for any sign of danger.

Azula slowly calmed as she observed the trees around her. She was still in the forest. Not falling, not surrounded by fire, but still in the forest of Forgetful Valley. Her breathing calmed and she allowed herself a small sigh of relief. Her mind wandered back to the contents of the dream.

Small snippets from her dream replayed in her mind: Zuko, her mother, the void. The words Zuko said to her seemed to replay themselves the most. No matter how hard she tried to block the feeling of loneliness and sadness, they would force themselves back up. Tears began to well up in her eyes.

Azula quickly wiped away any tears before they fell. "Tsk. Just because you've cried twice within the last year doesn't mean you should get used to it," she scolded herself, "You've gone most of your life without crying. Let's not start now."

It was an alien feeling, the feeling of loneliness. With it, it brought a feeling of vulnerability and fear. Azula hated it with a burning rage even hotter than her blue fire.

The events from yesterday were to blame. Zuko and Ursa were to blame. The very thought of those names pushed away any loneliness she felt.

Azula forced away those weakening emotions. She was not going to let her emotions get the better of her.

Azula turned her gaze skywards and, even with the trees blocking most of the view, could feel the energy slowly building as the sun climbed higher in the sky.

So much for rising with the sun. Well, after all that running last night she definitely needed the rest. She still felt a hint of exhaustion.

Groaning, Azula struggled to bring herself to her feet. Her entire body was sore, her lower body and legs aching the most. With some trouble, Azula got herself to stand upright. She tentatively stretched out her tense muscles and dusted off her clothing. A few leaves and twigs were plucked from her unkempt hair.

"Ugh, how disgraceful of me to sleep in the dirt like some peasant," Azula complained as she looked back at the patch of dirt where she had just been sleeping. She yawned and rubbed her eyes before surveying her surroundings more thoroughly.

She had fallen just on the outside of a small clearing. The trees were not as thick here as they were near the large pools of water and fewer plants grew in the area. The faces that had covered the leaves of the plants had faded overnight, marking the departure of the Mother of Faces from the physical world.

Azula then took the time to assess the damage done to her body. Her clothes were tattered in a few places and small holes dotted the maroon colored fabric. She checked over her limbs, feeling a few large bruises and seeing the many cuts that covered her hands. She made a mental note to get those cleaned as quickly as she could.

Azula looked around the clearing once more trying to get a sense of where she was. Obviously, she was somewhere in the Forgetfully Valley, maybe on the edge of the forest based on how thin the trees were here. She couldn't remember which way she ran when she fled from her mother and brother...

Ah yes, her disgrace of a brother. He was a big problem.

'You thought you could escape by fleeing into Forgetful Valley? I will track you down,' Zuko's voice from her dream came to her mind.

Zuzu. Of course he would go after her. He was probably requesting for soldiers to track her down right this second. Wouldn't want his crazy sister to run loose, would he?

'Oh Zuzu, how you claimed to have changed, claimed to want to mend your familial relationships,' Azula thought sourly, 'You'll probably end up throwing me back into that Agni forsaken institution. Now that you have dear mother, you won't be needing me anymore. I won't let myself get caught.'

A question presented itself. Where could she go? No doubt every town and city around Hira'a would be alerted to her presence.

Well for starters, she needed to get out of Forgetful Valley before Zuko could find her. She'll also need to be careful about leaving anything trackable. Once she made it out of the area, she wouldn't need to worry too much about Zuzu catching her.

An idea came to mind. She could trail the southern coast line and head east. Once she made it out of the immediate reach of Zuko and his soldiers, she could build up her strength, circle back to the Gates of Azulon, and up to the Capital City. There, she can set plans into motion to remove Zuko from the throne and end her pathetic mother's life.

Peering once more into the sky, Azula could feel that the power of the sun had increased slightly. Based on the position of the sun, which was behind her, she concluded that she had come from the west and had been heading east.

If she could recall, Hira'a was inland, but not too far from the coast. Maybe a couple days on foot from the nearest harbor. If she headed south, she'd hit the nearest shore line.

Azula smirked to herself and a new found determination coursed through her body. She will circle around to the Capital City. Though her body was sore, she started to walk south east.

That was until her stomach growled. She'd forgotten about that.

'New course of action. Find food… and water. My throat is so dry it's quite literally killing me,' Azula complained to herself. She exited the clearing and began to search for any water or food.

So her journey began.

A whole day passed before any sign of the people Zuko requested appeared. The day before, Zuko spent his time with his mother listening to her stories and touring the village. Today it was back to business.

The construction crew had arrived earlier that morning with their carts of supplies and were currently repairing the roofing of his mother's home. Ursa, Ikem and Kiyi were in the village square shopping for food while their roof was being repaired.

Zuko sat outside his mother's home watching the village as he awaited the arrival of his requested search party. Today, he made sure to wear his royal attire as to not get confused for a villager. As he waited Aang, Sokka, and Katara chatted with him and kept him company.

"So, who exactly are we waiting for?" Sokka asked, raising his eyebrow curiously at Zuko.

"Were waiting for my men to arrive so we can start our search for Azula," Zuko responded.

"Why can't we just go searching for her now? We could've covered a lot of ground if we had started earlier!" Sokka exclaimed, waving his arms toward the forest for extra emphasis.

Katara turned to her brother,"As much as it disturbs me to think that Azula is running amok in that forest, we can't just go sprinting into Forgetful Valley looking for her. Think about it. What if one of us ran into her while we were alone? She could roast us."

"Yeah!," Aang suddenly added in,"Plus with more people, we could cover even more ground than the four of us."

Sokka crossed his arms huffed in response,"I still think we should've started earlier. What if she has made it to another village by now?"

Zuko placed a hand on Sokka's shoulder,"Don't worry. The men that I have requested are some of the best trackers in the Fire Nation. Also, word of Azula's escape has already been sent out to the surrounding villages and I've sent extra soldiers. If she's at one of them, then we will know it."

The reassurance did little to keep Sokka's nervousness down and he continued to complain. It was then that a commotion could be heard coming from the village square. Families came out of their homes and villagers began to gather to get a better look at what was going on.

Zuko, noticing the activity, quickly got up and walked briskly towards the town square, Aang, Katara, and Sokka trailing behind him. He could hear Sokka exclaim,"Yes! Finally!," from somewhere behind him.

They rushed up the dirt path and weaved through the circle of people until they reached the front of the crowd. Murmurs and whispers of confusion could be heard coming from the small crowd as thundering footsteps came closer to the village entrance. A dust could of dirt could be seen and loud grunts and high-pitched screeches could be heard.

Entering the village were 3 soldiers riding komodo rhinos. Following behind them were 6 more soldiers riding ostrich horses. They made their way to the center of the town, halting before Zuko as they noticed his royal armor. The man on the middle rhino, no doubt their leader, dismounted his ride and walked up to Zuko, bowing respectfully. Zuko bowed back in response.

"Greetings Fire Lord Zuko. I am Tarrak," the man, now known as Tarrak, greeted in his deep voice.

"Greeting to you, Tarrak," Zuko responded respectfully.

They both returned to their full height and Zuko observed the man before him. Tarrak was a large man with a small beard and short hair. He donned Fire Nation armor over his shoulders and relatively light clothing underneath. So did the other soldiers behind him.

"I heard that you have requested my presence, my lord. My men and I have been sent here by General Iroh to assist," Tarrak respectfully said.

Zuko nodded,"Yes I have. Come along." Zuko turned around and began to walk back to his mother's house. Tarrak mounted his ride and ordered his men to follow.

Zuko lead them through the small village and to Ursa's home, walking around the house to meet out back. The men dismounted their animals and stood around Zuko, awaiting orders. Aang, Katara, and Sokka soon walked over and stood by Zuko.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice Tarrak. I expect that you all have the proper expertise as a search and rescue group?," Zuko questioned the men.

"We are honored to be of assistance to you, Fire Lord Zuko. We all have experience in tracking and fighting, but Mal, Akai, and Xia are our expert trackers. Xing, Suresh, Raleigh, Kizar, Amal, and I are our elite firebending soldiers," Tarrak introduced, gesturing to each person.

Zuko observed each one of them. The trackers were quite a bit younger than the elite firebenders looking somewhere between their twenties and thirties. The firebenders looked older and were more serious, hardened from their time on the battlefield.

"There is a clearing through that treeline," Zuko pointed to behind the group,"You may set up camp there and get ready for a day of searching. Once you are done, come get me inside the house. I can explain our situation in full detail then."

"Yes, Fire Lord," Tarrak gave a small bow before turning to the group of men,"Let's head out back and set up." The men all mounted their rides and rode up a small path that led into the forest leaving Zuko, Aang, Katara, and Sokka.

"I guess we should get ready as well," Aang turned towards the remaining people in the group.

"Then I'm going to get something to eat before we go. Don't want to start searching on an empty stomach. See ya!," Sokka patted his stomach and gave a small wave before leaving to walk back into the house.

"We can get Appa ready for scouting. Come on, Katara." Aang waved Katara over and they both walked off towards the town square where Appa was being kept on the outskirts of the town in a small forested area.

Well, it wouldn't hurt to get ready. After all, they'd be searching such a large forest for one person. Zuko sighed and turned to follow after Sokka.

The inside of the house was busy with people, mostly construction workers as they worked to remove broken timbers to put new ones in place. On the other end of the room, Sokka was greedily eating a few fruits that were left in a basket on the table.

Turning, Zuko headed down the hallway to a temporary room. Closing the door behind him, he worked to remove his royal armor and change into more flexible clothing. The heavy armor wouldn't be too helpful in such a dense forest. Once he was in appropriate attire, he opened the door and exited his temporary bedroom.

Upon entering the main room, he immediately noticed Ursa and Ikem talking to each other while Kiyi played with her doll off to the side. She was the first one to notice him.

"Zuko! You're back!," Kiyi's face brightened into a smile and she rushed up to give him a hug. Zuko smiled at his little half-sister and returned her hug.

It took a few seconds for Ursa and Ikem to notice Zuko's presence in the room. Ursa immediately walked over to him, confusion evident on her face.

"We heard the commotion in the town square," Ursa tilted her head at him,"What are those men out back doing here?"

"There's nothing to worry about," Zuko placated. Her features softened a little," They're the search party that I've requested to help look for Azula. We'll be heading out soon. I was just about to get something to eat." Ursa nodded and Ikem walked over.

"Azula…? Isn't that the scary lady that attacked mommy?," Kiyi's eyes were wide with realization.

"Yes, she is, but don't worry. I won't let her hurt any of you," Zuko looked down at Kiyi,"We need to find her before she hurts anyone else...or herself,"

"We were wondering if you'd need our help as well. I don't know much about her, but I'll do anything to help a child of Ursa," Ikem kindly offered, looking at Zuko expectantly.

"I appreciate the offer, I really do, but I think it's best if you focus on taking care of Kiyi," Zuko saw a small flash of worry pass over Ursa's face. Zuko placed a comforting hand on his mother's shoulder,"You need to take care of your youngest child. We will find Azula. If it makes you feel any better, you can scout with Aang on Appa."

Ursa shook her head sadly and turned to look at her youngest daughter,"No, you're right. Kiyi is still growing. You and Azula are teenagers. Kiyi needs us to be there to take care of her."

"What! I can take care of myself," Kiyi frowned and stomped her foot.

"I know, but it's best that your parents stay here to look after you and keep you safe while we're out", Zuko tried to reason with his angry half-sister. Kiyi simply pouted and looked away.

"Well, if you're going to be leaving soon you should eat. We bought some fruit if you'd like to grab a quick snack," Ikem gestured to the table behind him where different fruits and a few other items sat.

"Thank you," Zuko smiled at Ikem and went over to sift through the fruits. Behind him Ursa and Ikem began talking to each other once more and Kiyi followed after Zuko.

Since it was the growing season, there was quite the variety to choose from: cherries, mangoes, apples, bananas. Zuko settled on an apple and began to eat it. Though he wasn't that hungry, a snack before heading out for the day wouldn't hurt. Kiyi reached up to sneak a few cherries before scampering off to play with her doll.

A few undisturbed minutes went by as Zuko finished his apple and Ursa and Ikem discussed their worries. Every once in a while a construction worker would walk by and ask one another for specific tools or items. A firm knock at the door caught everyone's attention. Ikem walked up and opened the door to reveal one of the elite firebenders, Xing.

"Hello, what do you need?," Ikem asked.

"Tarrak has sent me to fetch Fire Lord Zuko," Xing answered. Upon hearing his name, Zuko quickly ate the last bite of his apple, discarded the core, and walked to the door.

"Thank you for notifying me, Xing," Zuko said as he got to the door. The soldier nodded his head and turned to let Zuko leave. Zuko turned back to wave,"Well, wish us luck. Bye Kiyi, bye Ikem, bye Mom."

"Bye Zuko!," Kiyi waved enthusiastically.

"I wish you luck, Zuko," His mother smiled at him.

Ikem patted his shoulder,"I wish you luck as well."

Zuko smiled and returned their goodbyes before walking out of the door. Ikem closed the door and Xing fell in step behind Zuko. They walked around the side of the house and headed up a path that led into a small forested area. Just a short way up the road, the makeshift camp rested in a clearing.

There were three large tents that could house maybe four people each. In the middle of the camp, cooking supplies and a small rack was placed out. Off to the side, the ostrich horses and komodo rhinos were tied to some trees and on the other edge of the clearing Appa rested in a spot of sun and Momo flew around the trees trying to catch insects.

"Tarrak and the rest of them are in there," Xing pointed to the middle tent. Zuko nodded his head and they both crossed the camp.

He pushed the cloth out of the way as he entered the large tent. Inside a map was displayed on a small table and the soldiers were chatting with Aang, Katara, and Sokka who were circled around the map. Upon entering the tent, they all looked up and Zuko went to stand with the rest of the group. They all circled around and Tarrak stood across from Zuko.

"Thank you for coming to day, everyone," Zuko began,"I have requested your presence because my sister, Azula, former princess of the Fire Nation has fled into Forgetful Valley," He noticed that a few of the soldiers looked slightly uneasy at the mention of Azula's name.

Tarrak didn't hesitate,"We are at your service, Fire Lord Zuko. What would you like us to do?"

"Well, I last saw her run off into the east, through the small entrance between the cliffs over there", Zuko responded, pointing at a spot on the map,"We can start searching for clues there. I want your men to pair up into groups of two. Tarrak, I request that you pair with me."

"I can take Appa to do some scouting from the air," Aang insightfully added.

"And Sokka and I can pair up and search as well," Katara shared a smile with her brother.

Tarrak nodded,"Sounds like a plan, but if you do not mind me requesting, Fire Lord," Zuko waited for him to continue,"I would like for Xing and Suresh to take their ostrich horses to scout the treeline. This will equalize the groups into one tracker and one firebender."

Zuko considered his request before responding,"I will allow them to scout the treeline," he paused,"Before we go though, I order that you do not use lethal force. I want you to capture her, not injure her."

Tarrak bowed and so did the soldiers,"As you wish, Fire Lord."

Zuko nodded, satisfied, "All of you, meet back here at sundown to report your findings."

"Yes, sir!" they all said in unison and broke from the circle around the map. Most of the soldiers exited the tent while two men, whom Zuko assumed were Xing and Suresh, went to the back of the tent to grab what seemed like ropes with heavy weights on the ends before exiting the tent as well.

"Be safe out there, sweetie," Aang smiled at Katara and gave her a hug.

Katara hugged him back,"Don't worry I will."

"What's there to worry about? Aside from the fact that the person we are after is...well...Azula. Me and Mr. Boomerang will protect us!," Sokka proudly held out his boomerang,"Now, come on! Azula isn't going to catch herself."

With that, the four of them exited the tent. Katara and Sokka began their trek to the forest. Aang went to the edge of the clearing and mounted Appa. One "Yip yip!" later, they were off.

Zuko turned to Tarrak who had been waiting by the large tent they had just exited.

"We best get going," Zuko said to Tarrak. He nodded in response and began to follow after Zuko to the forest of Forgetful Valley.

As Zuko approached the cliffs he had last seen his sister run through, he frowned slightly.

'Please, Azula. Wherever you are. Come back. I just want to help.'

I really hope I got the characters okay. I'm not too great with writing the Gaang. Also yes, there will be extra characters. I know that can sometimes off put someone from reading a story (I don't like extra characters either sometimes), but they're essential for progressing.

Well, I'll see you all next update... whenever that comes.