Disclaimer: If I owned Avatar, I wouldn't slap a disclaimer at the beginning of all my chapters, would I?

AN: I update at last! I'm really sorry about the long wait. It took a while for me to write, and my editors had some trouble with it, and I got really busy with school, and I'll stop feeding you excuses so you can get to the story, ne? Also, for those of you wondering about what Sen looks like, I drew a picture of her on deviantART. There's a link to the picture (and to some Zuko fanart) on my profile page.

And, I've noticed that people have just about stopped reviewing... This might (coughcough) have something to do with my horrible writer's block. Believe me. Your feedback is amazing. It is like bait for Muses. So write a review and help bring back my Muse!

Chapter 13

Sen shook her head in disgust and left the captain. He made no move to follow her, and he clearly had no intention of lowering his prices.

"Blasted, cheapskate pirates..." she muttered, ignoring the dirty look she received from the sailor. He wasn't the only man who had denied her; most of the ships in the port were loaded and filled, and they had no room for an extra passenger, especially if she was unwilling to pay her dues.

"Have you heard any news about this boy?" she heard a vaguely familiar voice ask in the distance.

"I'm sorry, no."

"...Very well. Thank you, just the same..." She turned wearily to see an old man in fine armor, speaking to a passerby. The latter was unremarkable, but the soldier caught Sen's attention. She waited for a moment until the villager left before approaching.

"Good afternoon, General Iroh," she said casually. He turned to look at her, and barely managed to disguise a look of disgust.

"Well, Miss Sen. It is good to see you again." A blatant lie, but an appropriate one. Sen smiled carelessly; the Dragon of the West was still a servant of protocol, it seemed.

"And it is always a pleasure to see you," she returned. "Tell me, how is your nephew doing?" General Iroh suppressed a cringe. Sen withheld a grin and tried to look mildly surprised. "Don't you know?"

"I do not," Iroh said. There was no mistaking the weariness in his voice. She shrugged.

"Would you like to?" Immediately the general's face hardened into a wary expression. He knew enough of her to recognize her tactics, especially her advertisement.

"What do you know?" he asked, carefully guarding his voice. Sen shrugged.

"I know what I need to know," she said. "But I think I'll keep that information to myself, thank you..."

"What do you want for the information?" General Iroh demanded. He had little patience left for her games.

"You have a ship," she said. "I want you to take me to Port Sechi. No charge, no questions asked."

"And you will tell me where Prince Zuko is?" Sen studied the old man for a moment. He had changed dramatically since she had last seen him. Most of his hair had paled to white, oddly noticeable from its former gray. He had lost weight as well, and his face sported more lines than it had a few months before, when he had watched his nephew sneak out to speak to a young Water bender. Of course he had been unaware of her presence, as had Zuko, but she had observed him as closely as she had the young conspirators. It was surprising what a terrible effect the absence of two teenagers had left on him. But she made no mention of his ragged state.

"Where he is at the moment. Are we agreed?"

"Agreed."

Zuko let fly a second punch, only to be evaded by his opponent. Sokka grinned at him, using the moment's lull to drive his club into the Prince's chest. The attack offered no end to the fight, though: Zuko retaliated quickly, slamming his foot into Sokka's side, knocking him back.

"You'll pay for that," the Water Tribe boy barked, ready to attack an instant later.

"Just try and make me," Zuko taunted. Sokka's reply was another swing with his club, though the Prince easily dodged the attack.

"Hey, Katara!" Sokka yelled without warning, pointing over Zuko's shoulder. The Prince glanced involuntarily behind him, hoping to catch a glance of the girl. While his head was turned, he was thrown back by a kick to the gut.

"Sokka wins!" Aang cheered from the side.

"No he didn't," Zuko argued, though he let the other boy help him to his feet.

"Yes I did. Your back touched the ground first. That means that you lost."

"Only because you cheated."

"It's not cheating. It's creative diversion tactics. We never said that those weren't allowed. You can use them too, if you think they'll help."

"Did you finish sparring?" Katara asked, returning to the campsite.

"Yup," Aang said. "Sokka won."

"Was there ever any doubt?" he asked. "But seriously, Zuko. The look on your face was priceless. I didn't think something so simple would work, but then, it is you."

"What happened?" Katara asked, suddenly intrigued.

"Nothing!" Zuko said quickly.

"That bad?" she asked with a slight laugh.

"Your boyfriend is obsessed, Katara," Sokka hooted.

"Is that a fact?" Zuko said.

"You know it," the other boy taunted.

"The loser sets up the tent."

"Have fun with that!" Sokka cried, rushing back into another match. Katara sat back, watching the mock battle with amusement.

"You know, if they keep this up much longer, they'll end up doing all the chores."

"Why do you think I didn't try to stop them?" Aang asked, a mischievous smile on his face. Katara laughed.

"So what's the score now?"

"Sokka's going to get the firewood, do the dishes, and look for more food. Zuko's going to do the cooking and the laundry. He's also supposed to give Sokka a foot massage."

"Ouch. At least they're having fun."

"That's true."

Strangely enough, friendly competition suited them quite well: the two boys seemed to get along better when they were fighting than otherwise. But even when they weren't sparring, Sokka's opinion of Zuko seemed to have softened. He had concluded that Katara had already made far worse choices in boyfriends, and was satisfied that Zuko was as protective of her as he was. Having a new sparring partner came as an added bonus.

Sen stared at her surroundings in a confusing mixture of awe and disgust. The room seemed at first to be underwater; the beds, the rug, the numerous wall hangings, were various shades of blue and violet and silver. A silk screen that stood before one wall was painted with rich aquatic ornaments. A number of vases were arranged on the floor, though they had since been emptied of life or earth. Only one flower remained: a rose, left in a simple glass container, left upright though it had long since died. The rose looked oddly familiar, but she brushed the recognition aside, sitting heavily on the silk violet sheets.

"Of all the rooms on this ship," she muttered. "This is the only one available..."

It wasn't a bedroom at all anymore, but an altar: a shrine to the girl who had captured the Prince's heart. And in return for the favor, she had become little less than a queen. Sen snorted in disdain, rubbing the silk between her fingers.

Empresses have slept on more common bedding than this!

Katara and Aang, having been graciously deprived of chores, practiced Water bending as the two older boys did all of the real work. Katara had offered to help, if only to spare Zuko from the more disgusting tasks, but he had refused.

"I lost the match," he said stubbornly. "And I'll accept the consequences. Besides," his face softened, and he brushed a loose strand of hair from her face. "You need a break once in a while. Go ahead and relax. I'll take care of this." He shot a sidelong glance at Sokka. "And I'll make sure your brother doesn't do anything stupid." Katara laughed softly.

"Thank you," she said.

Zuko's determination to impress her was amusingly obvious, but nobody noticed it more than Sokka. Not to be outdone, the Water Tribe boy doubled his own efforts, which was countered as Zuko worked even harder at his own chores.

"You know, if they keep going like this, they're going to wear themselves out," Aang noted as the sky began to darken. The chores had been long since finished, but neither of the rivals had given up yet, and continued doing everything in their power to perfect their work.

"I know. But we're only a few days from Omashu. And the camp has never been cleaner."

"Can't argue with you there," the Avatar agreed.

"But I think the foot massage was going a bit too far..."

True to his word, Zuko was following through with the chore, though his expression was enough evidence that he didn't enjoy it. Through the entire ordeal, his face was grim and set, his hands working quickly to finish their gruesome task as quickly as possible. The memory of the chore seemed to continue haunting him as he seated himself by the nearest stream and washed his hands for nearly a half hour.

"Grow up," Sokka scoffed as the other boyviolently scrubbed his hands. "It couldn't have been that bad."

"I'm sure it wouldn't have been," Zuko countered. "If you had washed your feet once in the past month."

"I did too wash my feet! It's not my fault you're obsessed with cleanliness."
Zuko glared at him, but rose from the stream's bank.

"Have you seen Zuko?" they both heard Katara ask Aang, her voice drifting lightly through the trees. Without hesitation, the Prince beelined for the camp.

"Yep. Obsessed with cleanliness...among other things," Sokka said with a frazzled sigh before trotting to keep up with Zuko.

The city of Omashu loomed around them, rising elegantly from mountain range that surrounded it. Zuko stared in wonder from beneath the confines of his hood. At first glance, the city wasn't as intricate or complex as the Fire Nation's capitol had been, but it easily doubled the other city's size, a vast monument of pyramids and spacious buildings, all enclosed within a sturdy wall.

It certainly looked as though it had been made by an Earthbender.

"Are you sure we'll be able to find you a teacher here?" he asked Aang. The Avatar nodded.

"I have a friend who lives here," he said. "He'll be able to help."

"And besides," Sokka added. "Would you look at those walls? There's no way the Fire Nation or that psycho girl is getting inside. We'll get to take a nice, relaxing break for a while." He and Zuko exchanged meaningful glances.

Katara will be safe here, they agreed silently. Concern for the Waterbender had formed the only substance to their truce. As soon as they could shake the bounty hunter from their trail, they would be able to hate each other in peace again.

"As long as we stay off the mail system," Katara pointed out. Aang, who was looking up hopefully, grinned.

"Do we have to? They're so much fun!"

"And the last time we were here, it got us arrested. And I'd rather not end up with one of those rings on my finger again."

"Come on, that was just a joke," Aang protested.

"Rings?" Zuko asked. He was completely lost in this conversation.

"Yeah," Sokka said, rolling his eyes. "Long story. Really, really long story."

"And what does it have to do with mail?"

"You don't want to know," Sokka insisted, rolling his eyes again.

A loud crash sounded as he stumbled into a cart, sending vegetables tumbling to the ground.

"My cabbages!" a vaguely familiar voice shrieked. A small man began stomping around the cart, babbling about his ruined produce. "You'll pay for this!" he cried. "You've ruined my cabbages for the last time, you vandals! I'm gonna-"

"Calm yourself, old man," a chilling voice drawled from behind them. "They'll be taken care of." The merchant huffed.

"Thank you, Sen," he said, barely satisfied. The four teenagers went rigid. Zuko instinctively pulled Katara away from the bounty hunter. Sen smiled and picked up one of the fallen cabbages, cheerfully returning it to the cart.

"Hello, there," she said, her icy voice characteristically unmatched with her pleasant expression. "Did you miss me?"

"What are you doing here?" Sokka demanded.

"I do what I want, when I want," she said, her grin widening. "But right now, I'm pretty interested in the four of you. And I know you've just been dying to see me." A maniacal leer adorned her face. "Now, what were you saying?"

"Leave," Zuko said. "Now."

"I don't think I will." She was nearly humming as she fingered one of Jet's swords. She advanced another step, and he sank into a fighting stance. She laughed. "How charming! What a protective lover you are. You know, I believe there is nothing more endearing than a lost cause." Zuko drew his swords.

"I told you to leave," he said. Firebending was too dangerous in such a crowded area, but he had no intention of backing down from the fight. The surrounding shoppers darted to the side, careful to avoid any potential danger while trying to catch a glimpse of the opponents. Their mixed eagerness formed the passersby into a large ring around them, forcing the four teenagers and Sen into a living arena.

Sen smirked and approached, deliberately shifting her motions towards Katara. Zuko slashed threateningly at her with one sword- a warning, though it was readily blocked, the force of the collision knocking the hood from his head. Sen's second sword hissed through the air, only parried by his other blade. For a moment they stood in a stalemate, completely equal, but suddenly Sen lunged forward, slamming her forehead against Zuko's. His vision flashed into a white blur, but he recovered quickly.

Not fast enough! Sen used the distraction to tear the swords from his hands and cast them at the feet of the crowd. He blocked another slash with his steel bracers- the only remnant of his otherwise discarded armor- though the maneuver forced his arms into place. A second blow plunged toward his side, and he found himself immobile. He heard a sharp crack as the blade collided with Sokka's club. Undaunted, Sen offered them a malicious smirk as she spun out of the arms lock,racing past both of them, her blades now poised at Katara and Aang...

There was a roar of flame, and several women in the crowd screamed. An arc of fire raced across the open arena at the bounty hunter, who flattened herself against the ground to avoid the blaze, though the acrid stench of burning hair was unmistakable. Her swords, now red hot, lay forgotten on the open ground. Zuko stood at the source of the flame, his face contorted into fury, his muscles tensed to deliver another blow. Sokka, Aang, and most importantly, Katara, were untouched by the blaze, though they all looked stunned.

Around them, the crowd churned as women and children were pushed away from the dangers of the fight. An angry buzz flooded the air around the spectators, but the murmuring and shuffling went unnoticed by the two fighters. Sen had regained her feet, now holding a knife, crouching like a cat on the prowl as she and Zuko circled one another.

Without warning, Sen lunged forward again, her new weapon poised for Zuko's throat. He struck again with a blast of fire, and another, and another, all of them hastily dodged. His hands closed into fists, his fingers curled around short, thin jets of flame, as steady as daggers. Sen glared at him and pounced again. Zuko returned her fierce stare, yet he didn't move, allowing her to get closer...closer...

Her knife was barely a foot from his heart when he threw his fist forward, and the world erupted into chaos.

The knife fell to the ground, in two melted shards.

Sen landed on the ground nearly a dozen feet away from her opponent, her clothes partially consumed by fire as she writhed in agony, trying to free her arm from a few stray drops of molten steel.

The flames in Zuko's hands extinguished as the ground beneath his feet lurched and rippled, surging around him, shattering. The pieces flew down at him, hailing razor edged debris upon the Prince as he tried to ward off the new assailants.

"Kill him...Kill him...Kill him..." A demonic chant formed in the heart of the mob, growing with every beat.

Katara cried out; trying to run to his aid, only to be thrown back by the mob of people as they surged forward, rage in their eyes and weapons in their hands.

"No! Zuko! Please-" she was grabbed roughly and pulled away by one of the rabid attackers.

"Kill him, Kill him, Kill him..."

"He'll be dead soon," her captor spat viciously. "We won't need to worry about scum like him anymore."

City guards rushed into the crowd. For a moment, Katara's heart leapt. They'll help. They'll get these people under control.

No...The armored guards plunged into battle, helping the other Earth benders pummel Zuko

"Kill him kill him KILL HIM!"

"ZUKO!"

"ENOUGH!"

The crowd hushed at the command, and several of the once crazed members backed away from the woman in their midst. Or at least, a woman was what she might once have been. She seemed more monster than human now; drenched with water, her eyes flashing dangerously, her left arm red and burned, her clothes still emitting a vicious steam that nearly engulfed her.

What had once been Sen seemed to have become a demon.

"You!" She snarled to one of the guards, her voice raw and brutally fierce.

"Take this piece of filth to the King. NOW!" The soldier hastened to obey.

"These, too!" She commanded another, pointing savagely at Sokka, Aang and Katara.

"But they-"

"DO IT!"

As the crowd parted, Katara finally caught sight of Zuko. He was sprawled across the ground, unmoving. Blood trickled from between his lips, and from numberless cuts and gashes that now covered his body.

Zuko! She tried to fight her way to his side, but the guards that held her were too strong. She struggled for a moment, only to be jerked suddenly from their grip as two viselike hands grabbed her robe.

"You will suffer when I kill you," Sen hissed into Katara's ear, before shoving her back into the arms of one of the guards.

The mob marched through the city, many of its members still scrambling to deliver a few more blows to their now unconscious prisoner, only to be warded off grudgingly by the guards. Zuko had been carelessly thrown over one man's shoulder, and Katara, Aang and Sokka followed behind, restrained by their own captors. Sen led the mob with a hostile determination, though the expression of unbridled fury was eventually relinquished in favor of cold calculation.

The greatest mass of the crowd was shed as they passed the first door of the palace, leaving only Sen, the guards, and their prisoners. They marched past a short flight of stairs, and entered a long chamber, lit by arrangements of glowing green crystal, casting an eerie hue on everything in the room, including the elaborately dressed old man who sat in the throne.

Zuko was unceremoniously thrown to the floor, and the guards motioned Aang, Sokka, and Katara to their knees with a stern glare. Set stepped to the front of the procession, her expression steely and cold.

"You're Highness," she said clearly. "May I present Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation," she gestured mockingly at his still body. "He just finished attacking me and threatening your people. He nearly slaughtered several civilians and recklessly started a fight in the middle of a crowded street in the marketplace."

"You liar!" Sokka shouted, springing to his feet. "You started that fight and you know it!" The closest guard grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him back to his knees, clapping a hand over his mouth.

"Funny," Sen said, her voice devoid of amusement. "Then explain to me why nearly two hundred people are waiting at the gate, completely ready to testify otherwise? Oh yes, and Your Majesty, allow me to introduce you to the three who invited this scourge into your city."

"Those three have amnesty here," the King said calmly, though he looked pensive and grim. Aang, Sokka and Katara looked somewhat relieved.

"Thank you, Bu-" Aang started.

"Well enough," Sen interrupted. "Though I doubt your people will be pleased with such a courtesy. They know who he really is," she bluntly indicated Zuko with one hand. "And they will not take kindly to his presence here. Your people will not allow the son of your greatest enemy to remain alive and free. Not while he is so capable of destroying their homes, their families, and their King." She paused, and then, as though anticipating King Bumi's thoughts, continued. "They will accept no promises. The Fire Lord is not unknown for lying to his victims, nor to his people. The same will be expected of his heir. They will revolt, if only to protect you." She met his eyes defiantly. "It seems that you have only three options: kill him, incarcerate him, or eject him from the city."

"You planned this all along, didn't you?" Aang demanded. "You told them who Zuko is!" Sen glared down at him.

"I didn't need to. This city is prosperous. Filled to the brim with merchants who just love to gossip, and enough of them who travel outside of Omashu. It took little intelligence for anybody to recognize him: an unstable Firebender with a scar over his eye." She raised her gaze again to the King. "And your judgment?"

King Bumi looked from the soldiers, to Sen, to the three children that knelt before him, to the unconscious boy that lay sprawled on the floor, still bleeding from many of the gashes that hatched his body. His face betrayed no emotion, no stray thought.

"Take him to the dungeon," he said at last.

The two women watched silently as Zuko was picked up and removed from the throne room. Katara stared in disbelief and shock. Sen smirked slightly in satisfaction.