Hardened Winds

Chapter XIV

Summary: Two years ago, Aang was betrayed by Katara, who fell for Zuko and ultimately led to the avatar's failure to defeat Ozai before summer's end. Hardened, the young airbender is now back with a full army and is on the verge of defeating the Fire Nation once in for all. Yet despite his belief of being in full control, nightmares of the past still haunt him. What will happen when Katara returns and a series of misunderstandings and more betrayals unveil? Will Aang be able to handle it all?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

That night, three figures met in the dark.

The winds were strong and the shadowed trees all around them looked ominous, angry. It was almost completely pitch black, but none of them were scared. In fact, they had more important matters to attend to.

"You failed." One finally said smoothly, yet angrily.

"Yes," one of the other two acknowledged coldly, "but we did what you wanted us to do. Now pay up."

The first one who spoke hesitated for a moment, apparently not wanting to let go of money when nothing had been truly accomplished.

"We didn't use our celebrated skills for nothing," the third person, who had so far remained silent, hissed.

After another moment of still silence, the first voice gave up reluctantly.

"Fine."

The tinkle of coins could be heard as they lightly bumped into each other and fell into the recipient's hands. All was quiet between the three as one of them began counting the money, and soon, the second person let out an outraged gasp.

"You promised more!" the third voice whispered harshly.

"Well," their client answered, contemptuous, "you promised you would succeed. So we're even then."

And before the other two could strike, the guilty one had vanished, leaving them alone and furious.

----- ----- -----

"I'm sorry, Aang."

The boy couldn't look up; he couldn't face them. He couldn't face anything. The fresh, verdant grass was damp, emitting a mild, fresh scent, and the cool, refreshing air tickled his skin. The weather was smiling down on him, spring clearly pouring down through the sun's warming rays, yet he was angry at it all. The scenery around him was supposed to be perfect, but how could it be when it had been so obviously touched by wretched, filthy hands?

Because right in front of him was freshly dug earth. And right below him were the corpses of his deceased parents.

On his knees, the child grasped his arms, feeling a hollow inside him as he gazed at the small tomb, his eyes dully going over the epitaph again and again. They were stealing everything away from him –his very soul- and they were doing so piece by piece. He couldn't stand how helpless he was, not being able to stop them.

He couldn't do anything, could he? He was merely a worthless five-year-old, crying over his parents' grave…

And perhaps, under all this earth, was a part of himself, too, so cruelly ripped away by them.

He felt a light hand on his shoulder, and tentatively, the boy turned around. Willing himself not to cry, his face broke when he realized that nobody was there.

His parents had been taken away from him. It had been planned since his birth that he could not keep them, he could not have them.

But as if that wasn't enough… they had to get killed, too. They had had to be part of a gruesome accident in the Fire Nation days ago, and now the child didn't even have anything. His father… his mother… they weren't just away from him, they were… Dead.

And the simple, vicious word shattered him.

He reached out hesitantly to touch the glittering blades of grass, only to find out in horror that they decayed at his mere touch. Horror-stricken, he looked all around him, gasping when he realized that the grass below him had died, too, leaving behind their sickly yellow bodies. In turn, they turned to ash, ebony, blazing cinders that tainted his hands black as night.

It was his destiny, they had whispered to him so many times. It was his destiny that he should be separated from the ones he loved; it was his fate that he should always be all alone.

Everything he knew… everything he would attach even faintly to… He would lose them all.

Every time.

----- ----- -----

The avatar's second-in-command wasn't in the best moods lately.

Annoyed with Katara and frustrated by the fact that he was still nowhere near to finding who the YuuYan archers were working for, Sokka had gradually descended back to his snappish attitude, and although he tried to control his temper, a few in the castle already knew to steer clear of him. However, despite everything that had happened, a part of him still tried to remain optimistic, having high hopes that Gloria and her party would soon find Zuko and therefore erase some of his worries.

Because without the prince free and at large, Katara would finally remain safe and sound in the castle with no one else trying to free her, and Sokka would only have to focus on the invisible enemy. And that was why the seventeen-year-old didn't take it too well when the next day, right after he had told Gloria to gather Misaki and Asuka to go out looking for the firebender, the waterbender returned, regretfully informing him that she could not start looking for Zuko today.

Turning his back on Gloria, Sokka gritted his teeth, his eyes on the wall as he stamped his feet and swore to himself. Nothing was going according to plan. A few days ago, he would have laughed if somebody had told him that there were enemies out there seeking his sister, because before, it had all been so simple. Keep the girl away from her prince, that had been his sole goal. Well… he had also wanted to coax her slowly into telling him why she had tried sneaking into the castle in the first place, but ever since Zuko had been attacked by one of his own men without permission, that other mission had been pushed away from his mind. And it was presently obvious that he wouldn't have time to get that piece of information out of Katara any time soon.

First there was Katara accusing him of breaking his promise. Then the aforementioned sister just had to get herself kidnapped. And now it was revealed that there was someone out there who might want to harm her, the avatar, or… according to the waterbender… her precious Zuko. Whoever the stranger was after, he wasn't anyone Sokka wanted to be concerned about. And the former was hiding himself well. It aggravated the second-in-command that he could not find a trace of who he was looking for. What he needed was some cheering up, and the fact that he could not even get a small search party for a stupid banished prince only heightened his temper.

He then whirled around to face Gloria.

"And why," he asked slowly, trying to keep his tone light, "can't you go to Kali today?"

"Technically I can," she started quietly; she could no doubt sense the anger brewing inside him. "But Misaki and Asuka… that's another story. Asuka told me yesterday that she has other things to do today, and Misaki… it's strange," she paused, shrugging, before continuing: "He told me he could come with me. But when I came looking for him a few hours ago, I couldn't find him. So it's just me now. It wouldn't be too bad postponing the search for just one day, would it?"

She turned her hesitant eyes on the boy, making him he groan.

"I guess not," Sokka confessed grudgingly. "But what is up with Misaki? Asuka's always been hard to handle, I should have expected her answer, but Misaki? What is he doing?"

"Don't ask me," Gloria said casually, but she was clearly nervous.

Sighing and putting a hand on his forehead, the adolescent slowly made his way to the conference table and took a seat, feeling weary, irritated, and impatient all at once. Misaki. Hadn't he talked to his friend just yesterday? And he wasn't acting exactly normal then, was he? a snide voice sneered inside his head. It was true, though; there had been something wrong with the former pirate when he had talked to the him, but when the older one had started poking into his business, Misaki had become annoyed. That hadn't been too surprising, though; the sixteen-year-old was very easy to provoke, but still… What is he doing?

Sokka distractedly picked off a small speck of dust on the table. The conference room was filthy; why hadn't he noticed this before? He should really clean the place up. However, a part of him prayed that he wouldn't need to do so, that he wouldn't need to use the room again. Chances of that were sadly unlikely, the boy knew, though.

"The guy is on my nerves," he at last announced, looking up to Gloria. "He has to know that he is part of the avatar's army. He can't just get absorbed in what he's doing and just forget his top priority! And of course, that is serving the avatar."

"You're right," the blond immediately concurred. "But…"

"Why is he always avoiding your requests? My requests?" the South Pole native interrupted her, scowling. "He isn't usually this difficult to handle. And what can be so important that it takes his whole time? And why isn't he telling us what exactly is on his mind anyway? What stupid secrets a sixteen-year-old can have that's so great that he can't tell us? Me?"

"Actually, many," Gloria retorted coolly, yet Sokka was now too deep in his ranting to hear her comment as he angrily continued:

"And what about Asuka? That woman… she is always on my nerves! Thinking she's so great that she doesn't even need to listen to anybody around here… She and Misaki both! They're completely ignoring the avatar! The prince can be up to anything –it's important that we capture him! What can't they… understand that?"

He then clenched his fist and exhaled slowly before putting his head in his arms, suddenly tired.

"I'm so frustrated," he whispered, closing his eyes.

There was silence after that, and Sokka could feel Gloria's eyes on him. But what was she currently feeling towards him? Exasperation, maybe, even anger. Because the blond always got peeved when he got into his 'silly, little tantrums,' as she called them; after all, he was the second-in-command. He had to be cool and composed all the time. And it was during these moments that Sokka missed those carefree days he had had when he had been fifteen. Because then, he had been just Sokka, flying on a ten-ton monster's back with his sister and a hyper twelve-year-old. Yes, even then, he had been helping the avatar, but it hadn't been so official then. Aang… hadn't made it such a somber matter.

And when was the last time he had vented out his anger? Sokka couldn't remember, but… I should have a right to just let it all out sometimes… right? He felt his fury slowly fading away, and after a while, he heard Gloria sigh.

"Poor Sokka," she said rather gently.

She then petted him on his head, and he looked up to her and glared. True, he wasn't as old a she was, but he wasn't five either!

"Having trouble with your job?" the waterbender inquired mildly.

"You said it," the boy sighed, rubbing his head. "I can't… get anything I want."

"You want some pie?"

"Yes, tha-… hey!" Sokka abruptly stood up, giving Gloria an irate look. "I didn't' mean it literally, and you know that!" The woman stifled a giggle, and he continued: "Why can't I even get a simple search party? Why is it… that everything is beyond my reach?"

"I'm kind of guilty when it comes to the first question," the waterbender admitted. "But I really tried, Sokka. And I think… you shouldn't blame Misaki too much, either."

"Why not?"

"Well," she looked at him uncertainly. "He has a rather serious injury, and it may be because of that he can't come with me to Kali today."

"An injury?" Sokka stared at her, alarmed. "What kind?"

Misaki wasn't stupid enough to be mortally wounded and refuse to tell anybody about it, was he? Well, the sixteen-year-old wasn't the smartest teenager around, and the second-in-command would not tolerate the former pirate suffering unnecessarily.

"Well, I'm not sure if I really saw it or not (it was really hard to tell), but I believe it's a burn," Gloria replied. "A rather nasty one on his shoulder. I didn't ask him about it, though, because-…"

"A burn?" he gaped at her.

"As I said before, I'm not sure," Gloria said, but that was the least of Sokka's worries now.

"Gloria, you know where people get burns from!" the teenager exclaimed. "Firebenders! Misaki… he could have…"

"Now let's not jump to conclusions, Sokka."

However, the boy had long leaped from his chair. Before the woman could stop him, he was out of the conference room, his pace swift as he headed towards Misaki's room. Before long, his breaths came in pants, but he only quickened his steps, his mind frantically going through the possibilities. He sincerely hoped that Gloria had been mistaken about the former pirate's injury, yet if she wasn't… Sokka had no doubt that the burn had been inflicted by a hostile firebender. But how had that happened exactly? Why hadn't Misaki told him? Well, the younger one's pride might have contributed to his silence, but…

As he was climbing the staircase to the fifth floor, the seventeen-year-old unexpectedly saw Aang sauntering quickly towards him. Sokka raised a hand in greeting, but when the fourteen-year-old passed him by without a word, he frowned… at least until he realized that the airbender's head was down. Apparently, he hadn't seen the South Pole native's wave. Turning around, he yelled out to Aang, this time certain that the monk would turn around and acknowledge him back. He was astonished (and even irritated) when the avatar did not return his shout and did not even bother to look at him, merely continuing his way down. What's with him?

Aang had never ignored him. No matter how busy the airbender was, he always had time to greet Sokka, to smile every now and then when his best friend was there. And now… He shook his head. He didn't have time to worry about this. He should be concerned about Misaki's burn instead, and his mind once again on his goal, he swore that he would give a good chastising to the sixteen-year-old the moment he would lay eyes on him.

----- ----- -----

Tonight, she was going to escape. And this time, there would be no mistake.

Katara sighed and eased herself up from her lying position, rubbing her aching sides as she made herself comfortable on the hard, stone bench. Hard to believe that she had been practically living in this dreary condition for about two weeks already. She shivered, partly in disgust… but mostly from the cold that always managed to slither through her window and chill her to the bones. But it was getting worse, because every night, the temperature dropped some more, and Katara knew that winter was coming. She couldn't live like this for long.

And thankfully, she wouldn't. Katara smiled to herself and leaned back. Zuko had come to her just a few nights ago to tell her that he would free her tonight, and this time, the waterbender couldn't wait. Because she wasn't in the best terms with her brother, and there was no reason –no incentive- for her to stay here any longer. True, she would be leaving behind those she cared for, but she would deal with that. Besides, it shouldn't be too hard; Sokka would not miss her and Aang… His name raised doubts. She hoped he wouldn't be too affected by her escape.

Plus, Zuko hadn't mentioned his first idea of murdering the avatar for an eternity. Katara felt it safe to conclude that the prince had forgotten all about it. So she wouldn't be guilty of anything… not this time. She would be leaving, and nothing would change. The firebender had said that the moment she was free, they would both embark on a ship to the Fire Nation. When that happened, Zuko wouldn't be in any more danger from an invisible enemy, and Sokka… he could stop worrying. So in the end, everything would work out.

Just then, she heard the familiar rustle outside, and the girl knew without a doubt that it was her rescuer. Smiling to herself, she got up from her bench and stood next to the window, straining her ears for the approaching sound and anticipating the moment she would see the all-too-familiar head of her prince. But as the minutes ticked by and Zuko still did not appear, Katara began to worry. She was sure that he had taken less time to reach her the last time he had come, and the noises she heard… they were louder and more reckless, as if… as if he was struggling? Panic gripped her as she realized that something was wrong.

"Katara… are you there?"

A little shriek escaped the fourteen-year-old's throat when she finally saw Zuko's shadowed face behind the bars of the window. A moment later, she sighed in relief. So nothing had happened. She grinned at the boy and stepped closer, but when she properly looked at him, she gasped, appalled. The moon was partially showing tonight, and although its light wasn't truly strong, it still managed to shine a little on Zuko's facade. It was a small sliver of gray light that only let Katara see a part of his visage, yet it was enough for her see what she needed to know.

"Wh-… what happened to you?"

The banished one scowled, and she reached a comforting hand out to him. There were gashes and scars everywhere on Zuko's face, all deep and horrid, seeming to mutilate his features. One of his eyes was purple and squeeze shut while a longer scar that stretched all the way from his cheek to his neck still bled openly, staining the boy's face and his clothes crimson. His visage was pale and a grayish tint, making it clear that he was hurting.

"I have them everywhere," Zuko retorted bitterly, looking away. The waterbender stepped back, aghast.

Her worst fears had been confirmed. She was frozen in place, a clammy cold spreading through her insides like a deadly virus. She couldn't help but stare at him in horror, gripping her arms as she imagined what had happened… and how it could have been worse. She was scared for him, and what made her afraid the most was that Zuko… he didn't seem to know the emotion of fear himself. By the furious look on the boy's face, Katara knew that he only had revenge on his mind, that he was too proud to think that he was in any danger. She had to be frightened to death for both of them; she had to look after him. Because if he died this way…

She felt like a glass statue. Still and fragile. Because she couldn't do anything, and the moment something truly terrible happened, it would all be over.

"How did you get them?" the girl demanded at last, and Zuko sighed.

"Ambushed," he answered, his voice deadpan. "I was wandering away from Kali, doing some thinking, when two people in black suddenly attacked me. And no, they weren't the YuuYan archers," he quietly told her when he saw her feared expression, "because they were even better fighters than them. And more dangerous. I should have been able to beat them, though," Zuko mused out loud, and his grip on the bars tightened, "but I wasn't ready to fight. And the YuuYan archer I fought with last, he gave me quite a few injuries… But that was no excuse. In a way, I deserve what I got."

"Don't say that!"

"In the end, I got away," the prince shrugged. "But those guys… they were serious."

"They wanted to kill you, Zuko," Katara said quietly, and he let out a low, mirthless laugh. He wasn't surprised.

Rapidly, the girl then told him about her theory about the YuuYan archers. Although Zuko more or less believed her, he still had his own doubts, which annoyed her greatly. She was right –the firebender couldn't just think properly and mind his own safety. Sokka was never able to do so either, and in a way, those two were the same. Idiots blinded by pride. It didn't help that she was the one who would be worrying sick over him from now on.

"I can't get you out tonight," the eighteen-year-old suddenly cut through her thoughts, his voice heavy with regret.

"It's more than okay," she soothed him. "You're in no condition to save anyone anyway."

"Don't say that."

Katara smirked, and Zuko gave her a quick scowl.

"Be ready, though," he whispered, "because neither of us are safe now. I'm not sure when they'll try to attack me again, so I can't warn you ahead of time when we'll escape anymore. Soon, very soon, I'm going to come again, and the next time I'm here, we will get out of here. All right?"

"All right."

The boy was about to descend from the wall when Katara unexpectedly stopped him.

"Wait," she said. "I need to ask you one more question. The people who attacked you… do you –by any chance- know them? I mean, are they familiar?"

Zuko gave her a wry smile.

"Funny you should ask," he whispered, "because one of the two… I'm completely certain… attacked me before. He was the one… who stopped me the first time I tried to rescue you."

The waterbender was at loss for words, and apparently knowing that there was nothing more to say, Zuko disappeared from her window a second later. Slowly, Katara walked back to the bench, her face expressionless as she lay down and closed her eyes. Something had changed, though, because she felt something more than fear now. There was anger, too, and its blazing heat took her over, spreading like wildfire inside her until all her other feelings were suppressed.

Inside this very castle was the enemy. As well as a shattered promise.

----- ----- -----

Sokka hadn't seen Misaki for two whole days.

The sixteen-year-old hadn't been in his room when the second-in-command had sought him out after his conference with Gloria, and since then it was as if he had vanished from the face of the earth. True, Misaki had left a note saying that he was off on an important errand, but what could that be really? It had been the first time he had done anything like this, and Sokka didn't like it a bit. No one had any idea where Misaki had gone. He had hated to hear Asuka's subtle taunts when he had informed the woman about the former pirate's disappearance.

"Misaki's gone? But I thought it was the duty of the second-in-command to keep track of everybody."

She had been particularly venomous these days, a snake coiled snugly in its darkened lair and waiting for a prey to bite. However, Sokka had a good idea why. Without anybody to beat up, Asuka often became restless, turning to her fellow colleagues for sport. It was pathetic, but there was nothing he could do about it. He could probably report the problem to Aang, but remembering how his friend had ignored him the other day, he doubted that the avatar would look into it, much less resolve it.

So Sokka had been furiously searching for his temperamental friend for two days. By now, he was even prepared to go into Kali and pull Misaki out of whatever 'errand' he was doing, but that proved unnecessary when Sokka knocked on Misaki's door on Day Three, finding that this time, he at last received an answer.

"Hello, commander," the former pirate yawned and grinned dazedly when he opened the door, peering at Sokka through his messy bangs.

It was obvious that the younger teen was exhausted, the seventeen-year-old noted. His movements were slack and both his clothes and his hair were disheveled. Sokka raised an eyebrow, the apparent question burning on his tongue.

"Hello, Misaki," he nodded towards his friend, "I haven't seen you for days. Where… have you been?"

At this question, Misaki rapidly straightened his back while his eyes became suddenly wide open and alert. He gazed intently at Sokka for a moment before saying quite evenly:

"At Kali's market. I was looking for something."

"And that thing was important enough for you to stay in the village for two nights?"

The seventeen-year-old gave Misaki a meaningful look, because that was truly a pitiful excuse. When the castle of Omashu was only a few miles away, why bother to stay in Kali at all? Something was definitely up. The younger boy scowled at him before shrugging his shoulders.

"I decided to stay there for two nights because I felt like it," he replied, his tone considerably cooler. "But if you must know, I stayed with a friend of mine for the last two days. He's a pirate and we used to raid ships together," at that he smirked, "and when I commented on his remodeled ship, he invited me to stay for a few nights. Just to remember the feel of being who I was."

"Pirates aren't welcome in the village of Kali," Sokka pointed out, his own voice a little cold despite himself, "and I doubt your friend could have managed to keep his vessel there for two entire days."

"Whatever you say, commander." Misaki was using his mocking voice, and the last word was spoken out with contempt.

"What have you been up to, Misaki?"

"Is that really your business?"

"I'm second-in-command of the avatar. I should more or less know the affairs of my men. Especially if they are acting strangely."

"You think I'm acting strange, do you?" the sixteen-year-old drawled, taking a menacing step towards Sokka. "Well, maybe because I'm a pirate, and I don't act as civil as you land-lovers! And just because I'm acting just a little weird, it does not mean I'm involved in some kind of murder or anything!"

Misaki glowered at him, and the latter sighed before staring gravely at him. His friend was referring himself as a pirate again. This meant that his temper was really starting to rise. But if Sokka wanted to know what the adolescent had been up to recently, he had to stir up the other's fury. And, he barely contained a smile, he was rather good at doing that.

"You have a burn on your shoulder," he then remarked casually.

Misaki stopped and looked at him, his face becoming even paler before he scowled at his second-in-command, a hard glint definitely in his verdant eyes.

"No, I don't," he retorted, his face murderous.

"Oh, yeah?" Sokka said, his tone nonchalant. "I guess it wouldn't hurt then… if I tried to touch your shoulders, right?"

He reached out a hand, but Misaki instantly jerked away from him. The sixteen-year-old was glaring at him, gritting his teeth, yet there had been a flash of panic in his eyes, Sokka was sure of that. So Gloria hadn't been wrong; Misaki had been burned. But how… and why…? He was intent on finding out.

"Don't lie. You've been hurt. You have been fighting… with a firebender, haven't you?" Sokka shot out his question, advancing on his friend, and when Misaki's eyes widened, he knew he had hit something.

"Yes, I have," he confessed at last, giving his senior a defiant look. "So what? I am one of the avatar's men. Isn't my duty to pick fights with firebenders?"

"Not when you do it behind my back!"

His voice was harsh now, impatient. A second later, he was grasping Misaki's arm tightly, his cerulean eyes piercing through the other's emerald ones as he whispered:

"Who is it, Misaki? Who's the firebender… you've been hiding us from?"

And abruptly, he was hit by a terrible possibility. He remembered when Katara had first challenged him with his promise (that had been… how long ago?), when Zuko had been mysteriously attacked by one of his own at night. Could that have been Misaki? Had the former pirate been foolish enough to pick a fight with the prince, and ever since then, had he been arrogant enough to go hunting for Zuko himself? It wasn't impossible, but there were some missing ends. Misaki wasn't Asuka. He wasn't so resolute when it came to personal revenge. Yet… who else could have attacked his friend in the first place, now that the war was over?

While Sokka had been deep in his conflicting thoughts, the sixteen-year-old had unleashed a string of violent and offensive curses. Only when the South Pole native redirected his attention back to him, giving him a furious stare, did the boy quiet down. For a moment, they glared at each other, and Sokka decided to drop the bomb.

"The firebender," he began slowly, "it was the prince, wasn't it?"

When Misaki stepped back with a horrified expression on his face, Sokka knew that he hadn't been wrong. The other had been battling with Zuko!

"Why?" he then barked out, his grip on the younger one's arm tightening. "Why did you keep looking for Zuko, Misaki? Even after… when he gave you that burn that night?"

"How did you know that?" the adolescent gasped.

"I have my sources," Sokka said quietly, "now tell me. What were you doing these days?"

In one furious motion, Misaki wrenched his arm free, and he gave at his second-in-command an enraged look before shouting fiercely:

"You want to know what's been going on, commander? Then I'll tell you everything! Because you obviously… have no idea what's been happening!"

"What are you talking about?"

Misaki clenched his fist, his face a storm.

"I've only been looking for the prince," he explained, his voice becoming calmer, "because you can't do it yourself. And that Zuko is more dangerous than you think."

"What?" Sokka, by now, had no idea what the former pirate was talking about.

"You don't know, don't you?" the sixteen-year-old breathed. "He's been conspiring. And with who else but that dear prisoner of yours, Sokka. How many times did he talk to her since she was captured, do you know? Well, more than once, that's for sure! They've been having their secret meetings for weeks now!"

The color drained from the seventeen-year-old's face.

"No…"

Hadn't Katara told him that she hadn't been in contact with the firebender? But –and this was when he felt angry with himself- she was his prisoner, and she was bound to lie. Then why had he taken her word to heart? He had trusted her, and she had… She had lied. His own sister! And she had been ranting on about his promise for how long now? Yet…

"How do you know this, Misaki?" Sokka asked, scowling.

"I've been patrolling the third floor for a while," he replied coldly. "And I hear voices in her cell now and then. You see, your prisoner isn't as harmless as you think she is. There are probably secrets of the castle she has discovered, and they are in the hands of the prince now."

There was no refuting the other's logic. It was clear that Misaki had been guarding the third floor, because how else had he gotten into his first fight with Zuko? And it was entirely possible that he had heard his sister and the prince talk while he had been at her cell's door. Sokka glanced at the former pirate's furious face, knowing that no matter how mad he got, there was no reason for the latter to lie about all this. So that left only one horrible explanation, and he felt anger bubbling inside him, a ferocious emotion that was directed to that treacherous sister of his.

He had thought before that she had remained more or less the same Katara he had known for years. But he had been wrong. She had transformed into a different person over time. A liar… a traitor. Misaki was right. She knew information from directly within the avatar's headquarters, and she had probably passed all she knew to Zuko. And the prince… he was the biggest enemy now. And he had an insider in the very core of the avatar's castle!

When Ozai had been captive here, Sokka had dreaded the small possibility of him being able to escape, to destroy the Resistance from the inside out. Now it seemed as if his worst fears had come true. Except it wasn't Ozai who would be doing this, it was his son. And he had been aided by Katara, someone whom he had just assumed he could trust. But he had been so sure about the past that he had forgotten the present, and because of that… who knew what would happen.

"Well," Misaki's cutting voice dragged Sokka back to reality, "now that you have everything you need to know… Get. Away. From. Me."

And with that, the former pirate gave him a contemptuous look before slamming the door in his face. Yet the second-in-command didn't care about that. He was fuming, enraged that he had been fooled –played- by his sister, and he swore that he would make her pay. As he practically ran to the third floor, he reprimanded himself for not knowing better. He should have known, after all. Wasn't his sister the same cold-hearted person who had betrayed Aang two years ago? How could he have let her go through his defenses?

He didn't care about Zuko and his own damn promise. The banished prince could be burned alive for all he cared, and why keep his word when Katara obviously hadn't kept her own? In fact, Sokka was glad that there was someone else out there –the one who had hired the YuuYan archers- who hated the firebender, too. Perhaps he would be able to get rid of the boy, and everything would end happily.

A few minutes later, he reached the waterbender's cell, and he snatched his key from his pocket before violently inserting it into its hole. A moment later, the door was wrenched open, and Sokka glared at the prisoner in front of him. He was a little unsettled when the girl glowered at him back, but he didn't have the time to concern himself about that.

"You-…" The boy had trouble finding the words that would suitably describe her, but Katara beat him to it.

"You completely broke your promise! Don't you care at all?"

"You know what," Sokka said, his anger flaring up, "no, Katara… I don't care at all. I don't care about a pathetic, lying traitor like you!"

Surprise registered on her face before she stood up and clenched her fist.

"What are you talking about?" she asked heatedly. "I didn't do anything!"

"Oh, yeah, you're innocent all right. So, dear sister," the boy leaned on the door, "how long have you been communicating with your boyfriend behind my back?"

Katara gasped and stumbled back, and the brother briefly let a satisfied smirk show on his face before he drew up this full height and crossed his arms.

"How many times have you talked to Zuko already?" he asked derisively. "How many times have you lied to me?"

"Okay, so I lied once," the fourteen-year-old snapped. "Does that matter?"

"Of course, it does!" he all but yelled at her. "Who knows what you told him! I don't know how much you learned about our Resistance since you came here, but I know that you've been sharing it all with Zuko! For all I know, he knows everything about us now!"

"Don't be silly!" Katara told him. "I didn't tell him anything!"

"How do I know? How do I know that you're not lying like you always do?"

"When did I 'always' lie, Sokka?"

"Ever since… you changed and turned your back on us! On everyone who loved and trust you!"

Another gasp escaped her lips. She seemed seriously shaken by his last statement. It only lasted for a second, though, before she took a step forward.

"I might have changed," she started, breathing heavily, "but you did, too! Since when did you stop caring about your promises? Since when did you just let anyone sneak under your nose and attempt murder?"

Katara was right, but it was not in her place to tell him this. Her previous statement only provoked him more.

"Well, since when did I hold back on the enemy just because of a prisoner's say-so?"

"So I'm just a prisoner now, aren't I?"

Sokka's eyes narrowed and he abruptly turned around. He couldn't stand to look at her for any longer.

"Yes," he murmured, "yes, you are."

And he slammed the door shut.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

A/N: Wheee! An eventful chapter at last! And a rather mature author delivering it, too! Yeah, I've had so many people looking down at me because of my innocent ways to express my happiness. Anyway, I think this chapter is rather good, and can you feel the rising action? Hehe. Enjoy and I did pretty good today, hm? Three chapters put up in a single day. Yeah, I know, I'm still way behind, but I am gradually starting to win your hearts once more, right?

Yeah, I'm deluding myself here, I know.

Review if you're nice.