Author's Note: Sorry this took so long! I've been neglecting all my writing, because I'm still trying to get used to school again. My schedule is hectic… and I've also gotten this new, addicting, free online game o.O But I'll try to update more.

Thanks for all the great, supportive reviews last chapter! I may not reply to all of them, but I definitely read them all. By the way, I'm more likely to reply to the longer ones…

By the way, this dream scene is taken exactly from the show, but it is necessary, since Zhao isn't exactly alive after the time of the Comet…

(Edited June 17, 2021): The biggest thing this time around was changing the locale for this chapter - originally, it was at the abbey where those nuns made perfume just like in the show, but it didn't make sense to just transplant them over to the Fire Nation and call it a day. I hope this new version is more creative and entertaining since it features some characters who never made it into the story otherwise.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender and I am in no way associated with the creators of the show.

Book 1: Fire

Chapter 14: Zhao of the Fire Nation

The moon high above was the color of blood, deep red and no longer lighting up the sky. Zhao stood at the edge of the Spirit Oasis, proclaiming the fish he had caught to the sky, announcing his victory over the world.

"I am… a legend now." His voice was low and quivering, still in disbelief over his fulfilled destiny. Tui the Moon spirit shook and struggled feebly in the sack clutched in his fist, as helpless as the entire Water Tribe before him. "The Fire Nation will for generations tell stories about the Great Zhao Who Darkened the Moon. They will call me Zhao the Conqueror, Zhao the Moonslayer, Zhao… the Invincible!" His eyes were wide and filled with emotion as his men watched from behind him. Pride and everlasting glory were at his fingertips.

And then a lemur pounced on his head, tugging at his face, pulling at his cheeks and sideburns. "Get it off!" Zhao bellowed, shaking his head rapidly. "Get it off!" As his men moved to help him, Momo flew away, landing on Aang's outstretched arm. Zhao's men and the Avatar's companions took fighting positions. "Don't bother," Zhao said, holding his fist up to the bag of water. One blast of fire from his knuckles would end the moon's life forever.

Aang dropped his staff and held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Zhao! Don't."

"It's my destiny… to destroy the moon and the Water Tribe."

"Destroying the moon won't just hurt the Water Tribe," Aang said to him. "It will hurt everyone, including you." Zhao seemed to pause. "Without the moon, everything would fall out of balance." The black fish, La, swam frantically in the oasis water, missing its mate. "You have no idea what kind of chaos that would unleash on the world…"

"He is right, Zhao," a deeper, rougher voice said from the side. Iroh, clad in a red and gold cloak, revealed himself.

"General Iroh," Zhao mused. "Why am I not surprised to discover your treachery?"

"I'm no traitor, Zhao," Iroh said, taking off his hood. "The Fire Nation needs the moon, too. We all depend on the balance." His voice turned aggressive as Zhao did nothing. He pointed at the other man. "Whatever you do to that spirit, I'll unleash on you tenfold! Let it go, now!"

Zhao hesitated and tensed as Iroh took a fighting stance, but his features relaxed into defeat. He moved to lower the fish into the water, releasing it again. The sky turned bright with the light of the moon and Yin and Yang began their everlasting dance once more. Suddenly, Zhao's eyes widened with fury, and in a burst of uncontrollable anger, pulled his hand back and struck the pond with fire, which raged and swept over everyone before dying down. Lying in the center of the pool, with an intense burn along its side, Tui floated on the surface of the water as La swam frantically around it.

The moon and the night turned black.

Iroh immediately went on the offensive, striking Zhao and his men with furious blasts of fire. Zhao fled as his men fell to the ground in pain. Shocked, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Yue met Iroh at the front of the pond, staring down into the oasis.

Iroh sorrowfully lifted the dead fish out of the water. Yue started to tear as she fell into Sokka's arms. "There's no hope now… it's over."

Full of anger and intense sorrow over the loss of a kindred spirit, the Avatar State shone with life and Aang's voice took on all of his past lives.

"No. It's not over."


As always, Aang thought back to his nightmare the moment he woke up—it had become a morning ritual of his. This particular dream brought on a feeling of anger and helplessness—mostly directed at the spirits. His anger at the spirits was multiplied because they had dumped him into an alternate universe that always seemed to twist his insides into complicating, confusing bunches.

Yue's loss was the first death Aang had suffered during the war, and because of that, it hit him hard. For the first time he could remember, he felt something akin to hatred towards Zhao… a feeling that he would soon become accustomed to in a year's time. Aang assumed that Zhao had died during his Avatar State rampage, along with all of the other Fire Nation soldiers. And Aang wanted him to die.

"Good morning, Aangie!" His contemplative viewing of the morning sky was blocked by a grinning, happy face.

"Hey, Ty Lee," he said to her, his voice monotone with tiredness.

Her knees bent as she loomed over him with a prominent frown. "Boy, you and Azula sure are boring in the morning!"

"Sorry we can't be as exciting as you and Zuzu," Azula moaned into her pillow.

"But you're a firebender! Aren't you supposed to 'rise with the sun,' or something?" When Ty Lee received no answer, she smiled to herself. "Well, I'm glad Zuko's here to watch the sunrise with me. You guys really don't pay attention to him—that's why he's always up earliest in the morning."

"Ty Lee!" Zuko moaned. "You're not supposed to tell them that!"

Azula guffawed and sat up from her bedroll, stretching. "Oh Zuzu, you're a hopeless romantic."

Zuko deflated as he tended to their breakfast, absolutely miserable. Today it consisted of hard-boiled eggs and bamboo shoots in a spicy-sweet sauce along with dried apricots on the side, more involved than usual, and Aang suspected Ty Lee might have had something to do with it - whether he cooked that much to impress her or she had unexpected skill in cooking and helped him. Either way, it made his mouth water. Aang smiled as he watched Ty Lee interact with his friends, happy that she was with them. She brought a whole new flavor to the group and her happiness and smiling was infectious.

Maybe it would signal an end to overly salted dried meats. Even though Aang no longer had his vegetarian habits, he still didn't like the taste of most meats. In the Earth Kingdom, where the ground was scorched and destroyed by the Fire Nation during the Comet, food was hard to come by, especially vegetation. He had to eat meat by necessity back then.

"You know what? I know just the thing that would brighten Azula's day!" Ty Lee exclaimed, pointing a finger upwards. "And, well, maybe Aang too, if he likes the result."

Azula narrowed her eyes dangerously. "What are you insinuating?"

"Weeell," Ty Lee continued, "I know about this enclave not far from here where you can get singing lessons." She dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper that clearly wasn't meant to be heard by Aang or Zuko, but they did anyway. "Aang might really be impressed by your voice! You gotta have some cute trait that suitors would like. For me, it's my sense of style."

Azula's eyes widened, and for the first time Aang had ever seen, she looked absolutely stunned. The expression quickly passed, however, and she spoke sharply to Ty Lee. "I'm not going to learn something so useless like singing. If you bring this up again I'll burn every piece of clothing you own and you won't have any style."

Ty Lee giggled. "Why not? It'll be fun!"

"And she thinks she won't follow through on that threat," Zuko whispered to Aang.

Aang shrugged. "Singing could be a great skill to learn," he said. "I think it would suit you, Azula."

Her head snapped to Aang like a whip, so fast it was a miracle she didn't hurt her neck. "What?"

"But Ty Lee, I really don't think we have time to waste. We need to get to the Golden City," Aang said, letting out a sigh. He affixed his new headband to cover his forehead, tightening it at the back. "It's already taking us a lot longer than it should to traverse the Fire Nation."

"What? No! I want to go!" she said, waving her hands frantically. "We don't need to go to the Golden City so fast, do we?" She chuckled nervously. "I mean, it's not all that important."

"We've taken a lot of detours already," said Zuko, cleaning up the remains of their breakfast. "Maybe it would be better to just go on to our destination."

"What is wrong with you two? Where's your sense of fun?" Azula asked, finally getting irritated enough to butt in. "The carnival turned out to be a good diversion. We're going to this enclave of singers, and that's final."

Zuko slumped his shoulders and groaned. It was better not to cross Azula's 'final' decisions, though Aang wondered what made her change her mind so abruptly. Contrarily, Ty Lee cheered on the spot. Aang wondered why she was so happy about diverting from their main destination—did she not want to go to the Golden City anymore? Did she even want to go in the first place? He would have to ask her later, perhaps when Zuko and Azula were distracted by the singing lessons.


The shadowy alley was dark and imposing as he walked, sending shivers up his spine with every step. He was tense and ready for any sign of attack, his blue eye shifting in all directions. On the contrary, his grandmother walked beside him perfectly at ease.

"Brighten up, my grandson," she said to him, her blue eyes twinkling. "Based on his reputation, this man will catch the Avatar for sure."

"If he doesn't kill him first," Sokka said with a roll of his eye. "…I can't believe I'm going through with this."

The sound of the crunch of metal on stone halted both of them in their tracks. Sokka fell into a fighting stance, his hands grabbing his club and machete. Kanna didn't even flinch. As the man walked into their view, Sokka looked at him for the first time. He zeroed in on the man's metal arm, which ended in a sharp claw. His eye then fell to the man's leg, his second metal appendage. Lastly, he flicked his view to the man's face and the strange eye-shaped tattoo in the center of his forehead.

He was the Combustion Man, the most feared assassin and bounty hunter throughout the world.

"I've heard a lot about you," Sokka said to the man, his gaze calculating and ready for any sudden movements. "I know you're good at what you do and you never miss a target. But I want you to find the Avatar and capture him… alive."

The man said nothing—which he could only assume meant an approval. Denial, he guessed, would have been much more of a statement.


"There it is! Down there!" Ty Lee shouted excitedly, her braid whipping the wind. More than once, the braid slapped Azula in the face, and each time that happened during their flight she got more and more irritated until she threatened to burn it off of Ty Lee's head and the latter slid away to the other side of the saddle.

Aang was silent and on guard as the bison landed in the center of the paddock enclosed by a ring of sheltered walkways and wooden tiered buildings. It was an open-air pavilion, likely repurposed from an old sages' cloister, with vegetable gardens to sustain the singing instructors and roughly a dozen students. On the way here, Ty Lee had explained to them that this enclave was a highly selective school for singers and even stage performers; a couple alumni even went on to become members of the Ember Island Players. The instructors themselves were retired members of a renowned traveling singing group; Aang had the momentary fear that they were going to be the singing nomads he had met once, until Ty Lee explained that they were a treasure of the Fire Nation, native to the towns and villages of the Inner Islands. A few komodo rhinos grazing in the paddock padded off when Appa landed, but several people of all ages came over in curiosity over Team Avatar's arrival.

Five stood at the front of the crowd. All of them were men, and one of them had a feather decoration in his hair that Aang vaguely recognized. Ty Lee jumped down from Appa and held her hands out. "Hello there!" she called. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Ty Lee!" said the man in front, grinning wide. "It has! It's good to see you. Have you come to put on your trapeze act again? The students never stopped talking about it!"

Zuko blinked as they stepped down from Appa. "Ty Lee, you know these guys?"

"Oh, yeah," she said. "I stopped by here once or twice with the circus. But I almost forgot to make introductions! Aang, Zuko, Azula - meet the Rhythmic Rhinos, the best singers in the Fire Nation!"

Aang had to suck in his lips to keep from laughing. Now he recognized these guys. The Rough Rhinos had been an occasional encounter he and his friends faced throughout the course of the war, but to his knowledge they fell in battle during a scuffle in the southern territories.

"Pleased to meet you," said the leader, joining palm to fist together in a bow. "I'm Mongke. Welcome to our enclave."

"This is the best of the best?" Azula whispered, so only Aang and Zuko could hear. "Well, it can't be that hard."

"We're actually here to try out," said Ty Lee, putting her hands on her hips. The rest of their audience had begun to disperse, heading back to their lessons, but Mongke and his fellow Rhinos stuck around. "My friends here think they have what it takes!"

"No, we don't," said Zuko, grimacing. "I really, really don't."

Aang scratched his head. "How long will this take? We don't really have the time to stay here long term..."

Azula waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, it won't be long. I'm sure I'll be able to dominate the opposition."

Mongke laughed. "Well, Ty Lee, you're certainly welcome to audition! But let us show you and your friends around first - you might find that the music will speak to you."


Mongke and the Rhythmic Rhinos led them to the central building. On the way, after getting told the rest of their names, Aang tried to piece together what he remembered of the other Rough Rhinos as Mongke introduced them. Aang had never learned their names before, but he remembered Ogodei who was bald except for a long black braid off-center from his head and Kahchi with his impressive beard. One of them in Aang's world kept his face concealed behind a helmet; even here, Yeh-Lu covered his entire face with a draped cloth that had the character for "Beauty" painted on it. Lastly, Vachir rounded out the group with tattoos around his eyes that made Aang wonder if the Yu Yan Archers existed in this world. All five of them demonstrated kindness and warm welcomes despite their intimidating exteriors, pointing out notable parts of the enclave with enthusiasm and encouragement for their passing students. All but Mongke eventually departed to return to their students, but before going they made Aang and the others promise to attend their concert the following night.

After they passed the halls where students had their room and board, Mongke led them to an indoor atrium with tiered seating that provided excellent acoustics for anyone standing on stage. A scattering of instruments had been arranged on the stage and even Ty Lee plucked the string of a lute as she passed, the sound reverberating through the rest of the atrium. Aang and Zuko sat in the seats with Mongke while both Ty Lee and Azula prepared to demonstrate. Ty Lee stretched and trilled and cleared her throat, and when Mongke called for her to sing something first she strode to the center of the stage with the utmost solemnity, her eyes downcast in a display of somber emotion that made Aang, Zuko, and Mongke lean forward with interest.

"La la la laaa!" The sound that issued from her throat sounded like a flock of gila-geese dying all at once, so terrible that Aang had to grit his teeth. "Laaaaa la la la! La laaaa!"

"Well, Ty Lee, that was certainly lively," said Mongke, as soon as she finished. Aang tugged on his ear lobes to alleviate the ringing. "Though I think your true talents lie in acrobatics."

She smiled sheepishly. "I figured as much. Oh well! Gotta try everything once, y'know? What did you think, Zuko?"

Zuko had covered his ears at one point during her performance but he managed a weak smile. "Uh, I never knew anyone could sing like that."

Ty Lee laughed. "It's okay, you can say it was terrible!"

"Is it my turn?" Azula asked, stepping up to Ty Lee's side at the center of the stage. "I have a song ready."

Ty Lee joined Aang and the others in their seats while Azula looked out at something beyond them and cleared her throat. Zuko chuckled as his sister prepared her voice. "This should be good," he said. "I don't think Azula knows any songs all the way through. And they're all our uncle's."

Azula took in a deep breath and held a hand to the center of her chest. "Winter, fall, summer, and spring," she sang, drawing out the words more than Aang thought the song called for.

"Every year the birds take wing,

Four seasons, four loves.

Four seasons, for love.

Return to the nest and never fly,

Soar to the winds, the winter sings,

Beyond the leaves, a keening cry,

The sun or moon, which will it bring?

Winter, fall, summer, and spring.

Four seasons, four loves.

Four seasons, for love."

Once she finished, she put a hand on her hip and waited expectantly. "Well?"

Zuko blinked in shock and whispered to Aang. "Who would've guessed she listened to the whole song?"

"Painfully average," said Mongke, arms crossed and unimpressed. "Stilted and emotionless. It is clear to me that you never practiced singing for a crowd in your life."

Azula's brow rose, and for the second time that day she looked stunned. "Excuse me?"

Aang sunk in his chair. Azula was better than he expected, but even he thought Mongke was a bit harsh. "Maybe one day you might get it if you work hard enough," Mongke continued. "But it's obvious that you lack the gift."

Zuko let out a low whistle. "It's been a long time since I've seen her direct that glare at someone other than me."

Azula looked livid indeed. "Aang, Zuko, Ty Lee, we're leaving," she said, stomping back up the atrium steps, barely slowing down to look at them. "Right this instant."

"Already?" Ty Lee asked, joining her hands together. "But Azula, you're already perfect in so many other ways! That was way better than my singing!"

Azula looked as if she were about to retort when she stopped in her tracks, eyes fixed on the doorway. Aang followed her gaze and his blood ran cold.

Zuko stood up and gaped. "Zhao? Is that you?"

Framed in the doorway, Zhao offered Azula a slow clap. Unlike every other time Aang had seen the man, all those years ago, this time he didn't wear armor; instead, he had a grey robe draped over his shoulders and matching loose pants tied with a black sash. An opening in the robe displayed bandages wrapped around his torso. Otherwise, he still had the same proud topknot and bushy sideburns that Aang remembered. "My, my," he said. Even his voice still oozed with the same condescending tone. "What a surprise. Ozai's own children, in the flesh. I never thought I'd see the two of you here."

Aang remembered how much Prince Zuko hated Zhao. But now, Zuko's surprise turned into a wide grin. "Zhao, it's good to see you!"

Both Zuko and Azula stood at Zhao's side as the latter spread his arms to encompass their shoulders. "You two have grown," Zhao said. "Your father will be pleased to see you."

"Father?" Azula asked, eyes wide. Aang felt his heart pound against his chest. He couldn't be here. He prepared to leap away if Ozai walked through that door next, panic rising so much that he felt like he could be sick. "He's here?"

"No," said Zhao, letting out a low chuckle under his breath, and at his words Aang felt his tense legs loosen. Zhao turned Zuko and Azula away from Aang, Ty Lee, and Mongke as if he didn't even notice them. "Not at this... circus. Come, my tent is outside. I'll fill you two in on all the exciting details."


Aang and Ty Lee found themselves sitting in the corner of Zhao's tent, picking at their sour dumpling soup bowls while Zhao regaled all of them with the details of the horrific battle that ended with him being wounded and all of their waterbender enemies devastated. He gestured to his weapon rack, which had broadswords, longswords, a bow and a quiver of arrows, a guan-dao, and several daggers all polished and free of dust as he told the story of how he gutted an enemy warrior with that very knife, wrested the sword from another warrior's grip, used the spear as a crutch while enemies chased him through the wilderness... All the gory details started to make even Zuko look green, but Azula listened with rapt attention.

"Now, Azula, imagine the terror on his face as I used his own sword against him! Obviously, I also wielded it with much more skill than he did, but it might be harder to imagine that kind of skill without much reference for real sword fighting to go off of." Zhao gave a meaningful glance toward Zuko as he said it. "There's no substitute for the skill and training of a real soldier."

Zuko frowned. "What about Lu Ten? We've seen his demonstrations plenty of times."

Azula cut across Zuko, eager for more details. "So how'd you get wounded? And why did father and the others leave you here?"

Aang scowled at the dig toward Zuko, but kept to himself as Zhao went on to explain that he had been outnumbered and stayed back to hold off enemy forces while Ozai and the rest of his soldiers retreated. He'd been left at a singing enclave, of all places, because it was the nearest safe place for Zhao to rest and recover.

"So is your dad still nearby?" Ty Lee asked. She lowered her bowl to her lap and averted her eyes. "Maybe... maybe you'll get to see him."

At her question, Aang found himself feeling a familiar ache at the idea of Zuko and Azula leaving for their father's side. He knew how she felt.

"They're going up and down the eastern coasts," Zhao answered. "But they should be returning soon to pick me up again before we head across the sea to the Earth Kingdom. So if you want to see him, it'd be your last chance."

"Not just Father, but Lu Ten, too," Zuko said, leaning back. "It'll be... strange."

Zhao gestured toward Aang with his chopsticks. "And if you bring the Avatar to present to your father, he'd surely reward you. You'd be in his good favor."

Aang felt heat stirring in his gut. "I'm not a prize. I can see right through you - you just want that recognition for yourself, don't you?"

It came out harsher than he intended. Zhao's voice deepened as he smirked and his words came out like a drawl. "You've got a sharp mouth on you, boy," he said. "I'm already one of Lord Ozai's favored soldiers. What use could I have for you?"

"Aang, your aura's turning really red," Ty Lee pointed out with a timid voice.

Emboldened by Aang's silence - who bit his tongue to avoid saying something that would offend Zuko or Azula - Zhao continued. "You should respect your elders - did they forget to teach you that at monk school? I expected the Avatar to be much more disciplined than this."

Azula furrowed her brow as she looked between them both. "What is going on here? Aang, we know you're not just a prize to present to our father."

Aang was about to retort to Zhao when Zuko stood and grasped Aang by the shoulder. "Come on. Let's go outside." Taken aback by Zuko's action, Aang shot one last glare at Zhao before getting up and following Zuko outside of the tent. Part of him felt like Zhao would attempt a sneak attack at Aang's turned back, and the thought left a tingling at the back of his neck. "You need to cool off," Zuko said. "What's bothering you?"

"What's bothering me?" Aang asked, incredulous, as he looked back at the tent. Looking at Zhao, he could only picture the arrogant, destructive man who nearly wiped out the moon and made Aang lose a friend. But even further than that, he recognized a similar event with his friends back home, when Aang did something stupid and both Sokka and Katara left him behind to reunite with their father. He turned away from the tent, facing the Rhythmic Rhinos' enclave across the field. "Zhao's a jerk."

Zuko shrugged and hesitated before responding, letting the singing cicadas fill the silence. "He can be."

"Didn't you notice the way he was talking about you?"

"Sort of," Zuko admitted. "But he's always been like that. I'm used to it. Azula always had most of the village's attention."

"But that doesn't mean you should just put up with it!" Aang said. "How is that fair?"

"We were always taught to show respect and discipline, especially to our elders and particularly to those outside of our family," Zuko said. He kicked at a loose stone in the grass. "That's just always how it's been. Speaking up and speaking out reflected badly on our father. And, well, now that you're with us, you're our responsibility. You'd disrespect me and Azula - and by extension, our father - if you offended Zhao or dishonored him."

Aang crossed his arms and looked away. "I'm no one's responsibility," he said, but even he knew it sounded petulant. Even so, he didn't miss the implication behind Zuko's words, that he was part of their family.

Zuko sighed but then he smiled. "If you say so," he said. His eyes focused on the tent flap as it opened and Azula and Ty Lee climbed out to head toward the enclave. "I'm going back inside. But I have a bad feeling about Azula and Ty Lee sneaking off into the night - why don't you go see what they're up to?"

Glad for any excuse not to go back into Zhao's tent, Aang nodded and followed after the two girls toward the pavilion in the center of the paddock. He crept low when he heard them talking, and stopped short when Azula started to vocalize. She didn't use words, but she changed the pitch and volume of her voice at Ty Lee's direction. Even though it still wasn't that good, Aang found himself sitting in the grass and listening. He supposed that she took Mongke's words to heart even if she tried to make it appear otherwise. For reasons he couldn't say, he let the sound carry him into pleasant, nostalgic memories.

"Oh! Aang! What're you doing here?"

Ty Lee noticed him while he was caught up in the sight of Azula practicing and he leapt to his feet. "Oh, I was, uh, just curious to see what you two were doing!"

"Oh," said Ty Lee, waving a hand. "Azula's just trying to impress—"

Azula clamped a sharp-taloned hand over Ty Lee's lips. "Not. Another. Word."

Ty Lee nodded fearfully but Aang grinned as he tugged at the back of his headband. "I think you're getting better, Azula!"

She pointed at Aang with her free hand. "That goes for you, too! You didn't see anything."


Sokka didn't know what to think about the Combustion Man. He seemed to know where to go, how to find the Avatar, all without saying a word to him or his grandmother. They left Sokka's ship and it was just the three of them now traveling over land. The trio had stopped to take a short break and let the buffalo-yaks rest, but when Sokka pulled the mounts by their reins toward his grandmother and the Combustion Man, he found that they weren't ready to go at all.

His grandmother and the Combustion Man were seated around a short, wooden table playing a game of Pai Sho.

Sokka raised his eyebrows and then furrowed them. "What are you two doing?" he asked, his voice sharp. He didn't even know where his grandmother had gotten the table or the Pai Sho board.

Kanna seemed as innocent as ever as she moved a tile across the board. "We're just playing a short Pai Sho game. Prince Sokka, would you like to join us?"

Sokka clenched his fists. "No! We have to find the Avatar! I've come up with a plan."

"But me and this nice gentleman were having such pleasant conversation," Kanna said with a pout.

Sokka highly doubted the man spoke to her. He never did. Even now, his face was as blank as it always was. Sokka could only grasp his forehead and sigh in exasperation.


They spent most of the next day helping out at the enclave and listening to more of Zhao's stories. The whole time, Aang withstood Zhao's condescending attitude, his dismissal of Zuko, and even his occasional rudeness to Ty Lee, who failed to notice the slights each time he made them. Eventually Aang realized that Zhao saw Azula as Ozai's favorite, and by staying on her good side it ensured Zhao would remain on Ozai's. The whole concept made Aang angry on Zuko's behalf - even here, Azula got better treatment than her brother? And just because she could firebend and he couldn't? This continued all the way until it was time to attend the Rhythmic Rhinos concert.

The gathering outside the pavilion had grown to include even members from a village half a day's walk away. As the warm, clear night descended on them all, the Rhinos and a handful of their students prepared their performance, some using instruments while the Rhinos themselves sang without accompaniment. All five men vocalized in harmony with each other, with one singing from the throat, his rumbling guiding them along. Aang had never heard anything like it, and at the end of their performance he found himself clapping as hard as everyone else.

After they finished, Zhao scowled at the stage and lurked off toward his tent. Azula, Zuko, and Ty Lee didn't seem to notice, but Aang watched Zhao leave with a frown. The whole reason Azula and Zuko wanted to stay an extra day was for the chance to spend extra time with him (for some unexplainable reason) so why was he leaving?

Mongke approached Aang and stopped at his side, watching Zhao. "I won't be sad to see his back for the last time when he leaves. His sense of pride is too great to stay here."

Ty Lee slid closer to Aang and Mongke, perhaps so Zuko and Azula wouldn't hear her. Sabi clung to her back, her giant ears peeking over Ty Lee's shoulders. "He's being kinda rude, isn't he?"

"He was shot in the back by an arrow," said Mongke, his face darkening in the shadows of nearby torches. "It leads me to believe he fled during a battle in an attempt to abandon his comrades. So, of course, he is bitter about being left here to recover, a place he thinks to be beneath him."

"I've had enough of him," Aang muttered under his breath. With Mongke's words, it had all come together. He walked off into the night, pursuing Zhao to give him a piece of his mind. With each step, Aang found himself getting angrier and angrier. He thought of the man's arrogance and his capability for destruction. He thought of Yue, and the monster that Zhao's actions had forced Aang to become. He thought of the devastation he had wrought on Zhao's fleet at the North Pole, and how he hated and feared himself for so long afterward. It began with Zhao. It was his fault. He caught up to Zhao at the outside of his tent. "Zhao!"

Zhao's shoulders tensed as he turned to regard Aang. "What is it you want, little boy?"

"I've figured you out," Aang said, gripping his staff tight. "You've been disgraced. Dishonored. You fled from battle like a coward and got shot in the back and now you want Zuko and Azula so you can restore yourself to glory in your superior's eyes." He couldn't bring himself to say Ozai's name. Not yet. "You want me. The Avatar. I really am just a prize to you."

Zhao's face twisted. "You watch your mouth! You have no idea what you're talking about!"

"I don't?" Aang spread his arms. "All you care about is yourself and your status!"

He heard footsteps padding in the grass behind him. Azula caught up first and gripped Aang's shoulder. "Aang! What is the meaning of this?"

"Zhao's a coward," Aang said with vehemence, enjoying the way Zhao flinched at the word. "He was shot in the back after trying to run away."

Zuko's eyes widened. "What? Aang, that's a serious accusation..."

"I was shot in the back," Zhao said. His voice had turned cold. "But not because I tried to run." He inclined his head toward Azula and Zuko. "Your father had fallen off of his komodo rhino during a battle with Water Tribe warriors and lost consciousness. Their archers lined up and I did the first thing that came to mind - I shielded his body with my own. Miraculously, most of the arrows grazed me and only one hit." He squared his shoulders and drew himself to his full height. "So don't you dare call me a coward, Avatar."

Aang felt a pain in his chest when his heart dropped. "No way, that's a lie. You made it up to make yourself look good, like all your other stories..." But even he knew he didn't sound convincing.

"I don't know, Aang..." Ty Lee said, biting her fingers.

"You've been horrible to Zhao ever since we got here," said Azula, her fist clenched. "We've known him our whole lives. Honestly, I don't care whether or not he's lying. You may not like him - you don't have to - but this is the first news we've gotten about our father and his soldiers ever since they left our village."

Aang looked to Zuko, who only frowned and shook his head and said nothing. "Why are you defending him? Look at the way he treated us all, especially Zuko...!"

Azula slapped him in the face. It was hard enough for his face to sting, for him to feel her long nails scratch his cheek. "Enough, Aang!"

He saw her again—the same Azula that had killed everyone close to him. And it was as if he was seeing her for the first time.

"We've known Zhao a lot longer than we've known you," Zuko said, his voice hard. "I think you keep forgetting that."

But I've known you a lot longer than you think, he wanted to say, but the words wouldn't come.

"We're going with Zhao," Azula said finally. She didn't look Aang in the eyes as she said it. "We're going to meet with our father again. So you should leave."

Aang's shoulders fell. After everything, he allowed the same thing to happen. He messed up. Pushed his two friends away with his own selfishness. But the anger at Zhao remained, like it was lodged in his throat so he couldn't say anything else. Anger at Zhao, anger at worse evils.

"Ty Lee, are you coming?" Zuko asked. "Or are you going with Aang?"

Ty Lee lowered her eyes and wrung her fingers. "Aang's going to the Golden City. And, well, I have to go, too..."

Zuko closed his eyes for a moment before he went back into Zhao's tent. "Fine, then," he said, before disappearing into its folds.

Azula followed him in without a word of farewell.


Angry, consuming flames blasted from Aang's fists with each pump of his arms. Arcs flew from every kick. Sweat gathered on his brow, causing his hair to stick to his head. The White Lotus headband had been discarded. The night wore on, but Aang's anger never diminished.

Ty Lee was a wreck. She huddled close to the fire, arms wrapped around her knees. Somehow, she got the notion into her head that everything was her fault—that this would have never happened if she joined the Avatar's group. She was the one who brought them to the enclave, after all…

Aang's energy was finally spent, and darkness surrounded him once he extinguished his flames. The two had left the enclave grounds right after the confrontation with Zhao and now they camped on the island's beach. The waves washed up against the shore, but Ty Lee and the fire were just out of their range. Aang sat down next to her with his legs crossed, sighing. His staff lay next to the fire, his headband wrapped around it. Appa was close enough to the fire to feel its heat, and Sabi was wrapped around Ty Lee's head, cooing softly to her.

"Why were you so angry?" Ty Lee suddenly asked him, not taking her eyes off of the fire. Her fingers drew pictures in the sand. "I never thought you could become like that."

"You wouldn't understand. No one would," he said.

"Why won't you let them?" she asked.

Aang didn't answer for a few moments. "What does it matter? They left of their own choice. I don't care anymore," he finally said.

"I think you do," she replied quietly.

Aang's thoughts brought him back to a similar moment with Sokka and Katara. They left him, too… but it wasn't nearly as bad as this was. Would Zuko and Azula ever come back? But this time… he had Ty Lee. He wasn't alone. Ty Lee chose to stay.

He felt a surge of affection for her. He was really thankful.

"They care about you. I know they do," Ty Lee said. "They're loyal. I don't think they'd ever abandon you."

She was so naïve, so optimistic. It was just the way he used to be.

"I'm glad you're my friend, Ty Lee. I'm happy that you're here with me, at least."

She smiled. "Me too, Aang."


Over an hour later, Azula found herself glancing down at her palm. She could have sworn it still tingled from when she slapped Aang.

"You two made the right choice," Zhao said, disconcerted by Azula and Zuko's glum demeanors. "You're going to reunite with your family again. Only danger awaited you down the Avatar's path. He doesn't deserve you two."

"You got that right," Azula agreed. "I thought I understood him perfectly."

"Well, you miscalculated," Zuko said with a shrug. "That's all there is to it."

"He did have a lot of secrets he hid from us," Azula said.

"See? He isn't trustworthy," Zhao butted in. "You two need to be surrounded by people you trust." He tensed when a loud noise hammered somewhere outside, frequent and almost rhythmic, getting louder and louder like it was coming toward them. It sounded like something metal. Both Azula and Zuko stood to go outside and face whatever it was, but Zhao held out his arm and blocked the tent's entrance, waiting. The sound stopped.

A metal claw suddenly ripped through the tent's fabric, cutting a swathe and revealing a bald, bearded man to them with a strange tattoo on his head. Zhao, Zuko, and Azula jumped backwards, picking up their weapons and taking fighting stances. With a few quick swipes of his arm, the metal man tore away the tent, making its posts clatter to the ground and exposing them all to the night. Prince Sokka revealed himself behind the strange metal-limbed man, ducking underneath the giant man's outstretched arm and looking around.

"Where is he? Why isn't the Avatar with you?" Sokka asked.

"You missed him. He's long gone," said Zuko, tightening his grip on his broadswords.

"You know where he is! Tell me!" Sokka demanded.

"We left him hours ago," said Azula, her eyes narrowed. "Leave us." Sokka gestured to the metal man, who stepped up to Azula and grabbed her by the arm. His grip was unbearably tight and cold in his iron hand. Azula couldn't wrench herself free. "I'm not afraid of you," she said fiercely. The man said nothing.

"Show them your power," Sokka said, his arms crossed. A smirk grew on his face.

The metal man concentrated his gaze somewhere above Azula, inhaled, and a beam of pure light shot from the tattoo on his forehead. The beam collided with the trees surrounding them, which exploded in a maelstrom of fire and wood. Azula instinctually moved closer to the giant of a man for protection, who unflinchingly risked being hit by debris as everyone else shielded themselves.

"Well, that was unnecessary…" the old woman next to Sokka said. Next to the metal man, she looked tiny.

"Now do you fear him?" Sokka asked.

"Zhao, let me go!" Zuko suddenly yelled, trying to wrestle himself free of Zhao's grip.

"We need to get out of here! That man is too strong for us to handle!"

"I'm not leaving my sister!"

"That's cute," the Water Prince said with a dark grin.

With a yell, Zhao unsheathed his own straight, long sword and ran at Sokka, holding his weapon behind him as he prepared to swing. Sokka brought up his machete to block the attack. "That was foolish," Sokka said to him through grit teeth as their weapons were locked.

"Oh dear…" Kanna mumbled to herself.

The Combustion Man did nothing except continue to hold Azula.

Zhao broke free of the locked weapons first, bringing his sword around to swing again and again, grunting with each strike against Sokka's machete. He was unleashing all of his fury in uncontrolled attacks. "I've never lost a fight against an opponent," Zhao said between breaths.

"Well, they were stupid opponents then," Sokka said with a narrowed eye.

"You failed to account for one thing, Sokka," Azula noted suddenly, gaining a clever smirk. "Fighting like this, you've lost the advantage of your mind-blowing companion. He's a long distance fighter who damages anyone and anything, regardless of friend or foe."

Sokka growled and pulled his club from a strap on his back, using the crisscrossed weapons to block Zhao's attacks. He was dodging when necessary, rolling around to strike the man with his club. One hit was all it took—Zhao took a strike to the gut and doubled over. Zuko, whose swords were already unsheathed, move to help Zhao before Sokka could deal a finishing blow, but they were interrupted by the voice of someone they didn't expect.

"Sokka, don't do it."

Aang had come.

A moment later, a pink blur took advantage of the distraction and hopped from the trees, striking the Combustion Man's arm in an attempt to release Azula. The man lost control of his arm, but the metal hand was still clamped around her. "Oops," Ty Lee said. The man's flesh hand backhanded her and sent the girl flying into one of the near, undestroyed trees.

"Ty Lee!" Zuko shouted, leaving the issue of Sokka to Aang. He rushed to the girl and lifted her upper body into his hands. She barely clung onto consciousness, her gaze bleary as she tried to blink away the pain. "Ty Lee, talk to me. Are you alright?"

"Ow, that hurt…" she moaned, rubbing her back and her head. She kept alternating between the two—apparently, she couldn't decide what to nurse at the moment. She was dazed, but otherwise fine.

"Do you know how to stop that man from using his mind explosions?" he asked her quickly.

"What…?"

One of said explosions erupted just above them—not aimed directly at them for fear of the Combustion Man killing himself, but far enough from the two to cause potential damage. Zuko flung himself protectively over Ty Lee, shielding her body from further harm. Shards of wood landed on him.

Azula frequently tried to wrench herself free of the man's stony grip, but he didn't relent. She stopped struggling for a moment, finally deciding to resort to permanently hurting the man. She narrowed her eyes as a fireball came to life in her palm. She was ready to hurl it at his face, but he disrupted her concentration and flung her away, causing her to roll across the ground. Her wavy hair flowed across her back, matted with dirt. She pushed herself off of the ground and took a fighting stance, her amber gaze locked on the man in front of her.


Sokka stood in front of Aang, ready to defeat Zhao, but was interrupted when Aang inhaled deeply. Sokka expected a rush of air, but before Aang unleashed it, he held his finger up in front of his mouth and streamed fire from it, letting the air carry it to make it grow. The massive amount of fire collided with the ground and swept heat over them all, but Sokka avoided the attack.

Aang was pleasantly surprised with the result of the attack he had just invented, using the combination of his air and firebending. Since, for some reason, he couldn't remember how to breathe fire, he had to do the firebending with his hands.

Sokka didn't jump far enough away from Zhao. Aang jumped towards him and hurled his staff, letting the winds spin around it to throw Sokka further away from the other man. Aang's staff faithfully came back to him and his ploy worked. Zhao stood.

"I'm willing to fight on your side against a common enemy," Aang said through grit teeth. "Do not think of this as a hand of friendship. It is not. I really don't like you, but for what it's worth I'm sorry about what I said."

Zhao seemed mildly surprised at his frankness, but smirked. "Then we are allies for this one time only. And don't worry, the dislike is mutual."

"Agreed," said Aang. He examined Sokka. "I think he'll waterbend now. Stay on guard."

Aang was correct. Sokka used both his club and his machete to lift water from the stream alongside Zhao's camp and sent it at the two. A club and a machete were surprisingly good mediums for waterbending—the club used the hard, bludgeoning power of water pressure while the machete used its cutting ability effectively. Sokka was skilled enough to utilize both at once.

Aang pointed his staff at the torrent of water heading their way and released a stream of fire, maintaining it through the attack. While the steam cleared, Sokka chose to run up to him, swinging his weapons in tandem. Water trailed behind them, ready to strike Aang. Aang bent into a kick and released a horizontal arc of air to trip him up, but the Water Tribe warrior jumped over the attack and consecutively sent the water at him. It struck Aang in the midsection and threw him off his feet. As he landed, Zhao rushed to his aid and swung his sword at Sokka, who blocked it with his machete and attacked Zhao's open defense with his club.

Aang returned quickly, striking Sokka in the gut with a short blast of air, giving Zhao enough time to recover. Aang gathered more wind at the tip of his staff and swung it underhandedly at Sokka, who simply stepped to the side and let it pass. However, the Combustion Man, busy with Azula, Zuko, and Ty Lee, was right behind him and it struck him instead. It barely deterred him, but the giant of a man turned and went towards Aang instead. Sokka turned to him at the same time. Aang quickly realized that his staff would be useless against Sokka's two weapons, so he threw it away.

Kanna, who was standing off to the side, was hit with the thrown staff. She scowled. "Hei Bai, forgive them. They're going to burn down the whole forest. But forgive me too," she said. She gathered water from the stream and built it up into a large wave, washing it over everyone on the battlefield. They all paused in their fighting as they became drenched, and looked at her with anger written on their faces.

Everyone except for the Combustion Man, because his face was always blank.

"You're going to destroy the whole forest!" Kanna shouted at them.

Sokka ignored her and used the water all over the ground at his disposal, exhaling a breath of frosty air towards Aang. Before it reached him, however, he was forced to block a pair of broadswords from Zuko. Zuko's curved weapons parried Sokka's own weapons easily, and both continually swung them, coming to a standstill. It was only broken when Sokka hit Zuko in the gut with a broad piece of ice.

Azula hurled a large, charged fireball at the Combustion Man's exposed backside, but the fire simply raged over him and barely harmed the huge man. He turned around, enraged, and sent an explosion at her and Ty Lee, who were next to each other. Ty Lee somersaulted out of the way, while Azula simply ducked. A tree behind her went up in flames. She smirked and sent continuous, short blasts at him, always on the move. He did not move from his position, but instead tried to shoot her incessantly, bringing the blasts closer and closer to himself.

The ground shook and for a moment Aang thought the Combustion Man was on the move, but instead he saw five rhinos barreling toward them from the enclave. They all did their best to encircle the fight and Aang recognized the Rhythmic Rhinos as their riders, all of which wielded the same weapons Aang remembered as from his world. "Let's go, boys!" Mongke shouted to his companions. "Let's show 'em how much we used to be feared!"

Vachir held his bow ready while Ogodei hurled his chains around the Combustion Man, who caught them with his metal claw. Yeh-Lu tried to throw his bombs, but the Combustion Man noticed them in time and detonated them himself, causing the masked Rhino to hurl himself away. Kahchi and Mongke attacked together while the Combustion Man was distracted by the explosives, the former with his spear and the latter barehanded, giving Azula time to catch her breath.

Aang, Sokka, and Zuko were locked in a battle of complicated footwork and finesse, ducking under each other's attacks. Zuko slashed at Sokka, Sokka ripped through Aang's shawl, and Aang circled around them both at the speed of wind, shooting Sokka from all sides with blasts of fire. As he fought, his mind struggled to come up with a plan to defeat the Combustion Man. Back in his own world, he and his friends were barely able to even touch him—and now, their numbers were reduced and nobody was a master bender. Aang kept the assassin's only weakness in mind, but they didn't have any bludgeoning weapons or an earthbender… He was getting annoyed with the increased uselessness of his own bending.

And then Aang's eyes locked on Sokka's club. Quick as lightning, the airbender's hand shot out at Sokka's left wrist, which was holding the Water Tribe club. Zuko took the chance and tried to restrain Sokka, wrapping his arms around the waterbender's torso and held him in a lock, pushing his arms up into the air. Aang wrenched the club out of Sokka's hands, and then went to help Azula.

Zuko managed to get Sokka's machete out of his hands, but the waterbender freed himself. Since Zuko was now weaponless, he tackled the other boy and they both tumbled to the ground in a heap, kicking, punching, and slamming each other into the mud. Sokka kicked Zuko off of him and rolled around onto the swordsman's back, his hands on the back of his head as he forced the other boy's face into the mud. Zuko struggled to be free, but Sokka held him there, waiting for him to fall unconscious from the lack of air. Zuko's struggling became weaker and weaker, but more frantic as he panicked.

And then a flying knee struck Sokka in the ribs and threw him off of Zuko. Ty Lee skillfully landed on her feet and moved to help Zuko, who was completed covered in mud. Sokka used waterbending to get the mud off of his own clothes and held his fists up to Ty Lee, ready to fight. Zuko was still dazed and gulped in lungfuls of air.

Ty Lee regarded Sokka with disdain. "Oh, pu-lease. You won't be able to do a thing against me hand-to-hand." She performed a round off to near the waterbender and sprung into the air, landing at Sokka's side and punching him with her fingers. Knowing of her unique ability, Sokka tried to dodge her attacks. "Oooh, looks like we're dancing together," Ty Lee said. "Too bad I'm not really into bad boys, though."

Since she was getting nowhere against him, she performed a leg sweep to knock the boy off of his feet and struck his pressure points while he was still in the air. Ty Lee avoided his splash of mud with a back flip, grinned, and ran over to Zuko even as Sokka let out anguished shouts.

Aang slid across the ground to avoid the Combustion Man's attack, trying to best the man together with Azula, who ran around the other side of him, and the Rhinos that kept their distance. The metal man was spinning to try and hit them all, but Aang and Azula hurled blasts of fire to disrupt the explosions and protect their allies. They struggled to get close to him. Suddenly, Aang was once again struck with inspiration from Sokka, recalling how Sokka threw his boomerangs. He'd be able to do the same with the club, but it wouldn't come back… Besides, he didn't want it to.

While Kahchi engaged the Combustion Man and kept him distracted, Aang took careful aim and threw the club.

It spun through the air, painfully slowly, almost as if the Combustion Man would simply be able to step out of the way. He was currently distracted by Azula and Kahchi and unable to block it, and the club collided right with his head. It was the first attack that really seemed to hurt him, knocking him back slightly.

"Everyone, run away!" Aang yelled. He quickly spun both of his arms, gathering air around the Combustion Man. It circled him at furious speeds, definitely unable to stop one of his explosions, but that wasn't its purpose. Aang expanded the tornado to reach them all, including Sokka and Kanna, to blow them all away from the man's uncontrolled blast. Aang didn't look long enough to see if the Combustion Man still stood after that, but instead reached for his bison whistle and called Appa.

The noise of the explosions deterred Appa, but when he heard the whistle he came to their aid. He landed with Sabi right next to the creek, and Azula and Zuko were the first to climb on his back. Ty Lee was next, handing Aang's staff back to him. She glanced back worriedly at Sokka and Kanna. Sokka was on the ground, completely covered in mud, but saved from the blast. Aang glanced at him once last time before jumping on Appa's head, shouting, "Yip-yip!"

The mud, trees, and fire became smaller and smaller as Appa ascended higher and higher, and the four exhaled together when they realized they were safe.

Ty Lee leaned over the back of the saddle as she looked at the scene far below them. "Wow, who would've guessed the Rhythmic Rhinos were that tough?"

"Wait, where did Zhao go?" Zuko asked, alarmed.

"I saw him run away during the fight," Aang said guardedly. He wasn't sure if Zuko and Azula would take his words as truth or not. "He did help me, but I think he was the one who called the Rhinos for help."

Azula shrugged halfheartedly. "Well, he was never the most courageous of men…"

The saddle was filled with an awkward silence as Sabi flew over to Aang's head and coiled around his neck. Zuko and Azula finally spoke at exactly the same time. "Aang, we're sorry," they said forcefully. And then the two glared at each other. "We shouldn't have left you so readily," said Azula.

"Our quest is with you," said Zuko.

Ty Lee grinned. "Yay! I'm so happy we're a big, happy family again," she said to them all. "Group hug?"

They all stared at her, alarmed, and denied. The idea brought sadness back into Aang's heart.

"I'm sorry, too," Aang admitted. "You've known Zhao your whole life and it wasn't my right to judge him. He was kind of a jerk, but it wouldn't have been so bad if I wasn't a jerk to begin with, myself."

"I'm just upset that we missed out on a chance to see father again," said Azula, sighing.

"Don't worry about that," said Aang, and chills shook his spine. "I'm sure we'll run into him one of these days." Chameleon Bay, perhaps? He wondered.

"Perhaps," Zuko mused. "Zhao's probably on his way to father."

They grew silent again. Azula quietly observed Aang, but he couldn't tell what she was thinking.

Ty Lee broke the silence by groaning and slapping her forehead. "Oh, no! We're not going to be able to finish our singing lessons! Azula, we can totally keep practicing, so don't worry..."

"No," said Azula, cutting her off. "I think that was enough singing. I myself have come to accept that I truly can't be perfect at every single little thing I try. I was a little annoyed when he called me 'average at best,' but that is far better than 'completely tone deaf,' so I'll take it. It's a useless skill, all things considered, and I don't have the desire to truly keep practicing it..."

"She really can't handle criticism," Zuko whispered to Ty Lee as Azula continued, unabated. Ty Lee laughed. "She'll rationalize her way around it for hours. It's honestly pretty impressive."

Aang let her continue on and he smiled to himself as he crawled toward the reins. He liked Azula's singing, but this was more like her.


Author's Notes:

Hah, I bet you weren't expecting Combustion Man! I had you all going with Song as a bounty hunter, didn't I? –Song jumps out wielding a bloody axe and foaming at the mouth— Ookay. Don't ask where that came from. Well, it's easy to guess who Combustion Man was switched with now. This was more like a Season 1/Season 3 reversed roles instead of Fire Nation/Water Tribe.

Okay, I better cut this off, because when I have long notes, people tend to review the notes instead of the story… Please review!