AN: I just wanted to quickly apologize that I can't update more frequently than I have been; I've received a couple messages and seen some reviews inquiring why updates aren't happening more often or asking for a quicker chapter release, but the truth is, throwing together a cohesive and relatively clean ten thousand or so words a week is just within what I'm able to do what with my own work and other responsibilities. Make no mistake, if I could do this full time for a career, I would be on this in a heartbeat, but as it stands, this really is the best I can manage, and I do apologize that I can't offer more.

That said, thanks in great part to you guys and the incredible amount of feedback I've been getting as of late, writing has never felt so good and I really am happy with how this story is coming along, particularly with what we're getting into now. Always love hearing from you guys and as always, hope you enjoy!

Chapter 16: Retreat

The hall which had only moments ago been held captive by a stifling wave of tension and shock had devolved almost completely into chaos, at least to Soza's eyes. She had watched as Toph had staggered past her in a desperate run towards Sasuke, where she had thrown herself in front of him and launched a vicious attack at Avatar Kyoshi; her attempt to end the fight before it even began had proven fruitless and Kyoshi had struck down her thrust of earth and then blasted Toph with something that Soza's eyes hadn't been able to make sense of. What she had known was that after it had slashed across her chest, Toph had dropped without another word and Soza had felt a piece of her seem to fall away as she heard screams around her from Aang, Jin, Ty, and others, but her mind wasn't doing so well on comprehending much beyond that. Soza had watched as Sasuke knelt beside Toph and spoke something that she couldn't quite hear as she saw the look on his face move from blank to pure spite in an instant before he screamed and fire as dark as the blackest night erupted around him as he lunged for Kyoshi.

From there, everything had spiraled out of any semblance of control.

Sasuke and Kyoshi had met in an explosive clash that seemed to light up the entire hall as they weaved about one another, energy from their bodies whirling about them, and Soza couldn't make heads or tails of their battle. The speed and power that was passing between them was unlike anything she had ever seen; the energy they seemed to wield was unlike any sort of bending that Soza had ever seen, but it took a mere moment of acknowledging this before everything else burst into motion around her.

As though spurned by some imaginary irresistible command to charge, Aang, Katara, Zuko, Mai, Sokka, Suki, and her mother all burst forward, drawing weapons or bringing their respective bending to their hands, bearing down on Sasuke and Kyoshi. They didn't make it far before Avatar Yangchen and the horrible monstrosity that had been referred to as Koh met their charge. Not a single one of them slowed and within the blink of an eye, they were all weaving and dashing about, throwing attacks at the pair of otherworldly invaders. Despite the varying flurry of attacks assailing her, Yangchen seemed to hardly be pressed to a disadvantage; Soza saw elements fly about her, bending to her will, as well as the same curious energy that Kyoshi also wielded, a blue mysterious current that wasn't at all like the lightning and fire that Soza wielded alongside her mother. Yangchen looked a goddess in her own right, facing down a group of the most adept benders Soza knew existed, the present Avatar, the woman flaunted by the Water Nation as their most talented prodigy, the Fire Lord and his sister, masters of firebending to a nearly legendary degree. This wasn't to downplay Mai, Sokka and Suki's contributions to the fray; they had all fought their share of benders in their time, and despite Yangchen's relentless counterattacking, they were able to duck and dodge without being so much as touched while they looked for openings to get close enough to strike, providing constant pressure in their efforts.

Koh certainly helped make Yangchen's job easier; his enormous insectlike body thrashed and twisted about with a speed that shouldn't have been possible for something his size. He wormed his way around Yangchen, providing a constant deterrent for anyone trying to get too close. Soza saw bursts of fire cast from Zuko towards Koh's body seem to dissipate as they struck it, though as Mai plunged a knife into its side and ripped it along one of the centipede-like body segments, Koh released a loud, terrible hiss and spasmed in response, causing Mai to dart away to avoid being struck in retaliation. A dark viscous liquid pooled from the cut she had opened up on him, and Soza thought she might have seen it bubble.

The Water and Earth Nation generals were trying to shout their soldiers into order, to create some sort of holdable perimeter, but it was clear that even Gokan and Ungo were at a loss. There was no direction towards this fight that they surely had very little bearing on what side they ought to take, and equally, the Council looked completely unsure of how to react to what was unfolding before them; the governor, the viceroy of war, and even Gilbert were all backing away, Gilbert behind his men as they started to retreat towards the exit of the hall. The Kyoshi Warriors had all rushed forward, but even they seemed unsure of what to do, or how to interfere if that was even something they deemed necessary in that moment. Suki might have been the most superior of them, but there was no doubt that she had revealed a very personal sway in the conflict, and for any of the warrior women to act on their own against their patron Avatar, it didn't seem something they might even have been willing to do. They watched tensely and stood at the ready, but not a single one of them made a move to interfere.

But despite all the movement that had been added to the ballistic and wild scene before her, Soza felt her eyes pulled back to Kyoshi, engaged in a furious dance with… with…

With my father.

Soza knew it was stupid, it was such a ridiculous thing to be so focused on as her mother and friends fought for a purpose she didn't even truly understand. But if Sasuke was who she believed he was, that had Soza's heart racing more than anything in the room.

This was likely why it took Jin's hand grabbing her roughly for hearing to return to Soza's ears and for her to even remember that she was not just witnessing what was happening, but was fully present in it as well.

They wanted to kill me too.

She became aware as well of heart pounding in her throat as she looked up to Jin. There came a feeling of disgust distantly that this common woman dared to touch her, but while this thought would surely have been at the forefront of her mind at any other point in her life previous, she found no part of her body willing to pull away in a rebuke of her touch and only listened to the words that Jin needed to shout to be heard above the incredible din that had overtaken the room.

"Soza, we need to get you out of here!" she was shouting, and for whatever reason, Soza remembered then what she had seen just previously. Whipping her head around to look towards the ground, she saw that Ty Lee had picked up Toph and was quickly carrying her away from the hectic battle and towards her and Jin. Soza broke free of Jin's grip to rush up to Toph's motionless body as it was carried her way. Her blind eyes were closed, and she looked almost like she could have been sleeping; as she looked up at Auntie Ty's face and saw tears flowing steadily down her cheeks, Soza felt a rush of panic stab at her heart.

"Toph, wake up!" she screamed, her own voice sounding somehow faint over the terrible noise being produced just ahead of her. There was no part of her that was willing to accept this, even after all that she had seen up until now, she was not about to let Toph be taken away from her.

"Toph!" her voice bursting in another scream that cracked as she frantically reached up into Ty Lee's arms to shake Toph's shoulder. No movement graced her friend's body and Soza's panic began to ramp further up to a sickening degree; she was about to try again when she felt another presence just behind her. Turning her head, expecting to see Jin, Soza instead saw the woman who had produced that weapon that was so incredibly foreign to her and outed Sasuke's imposter. Up close, she was even more imposing than Soza might have guessed, and she was reminded strongly of the aura her mother so elegantly possessed. She spared not a moment to look back at Soza and instead reached out for Toph; Soza felt a sudden possessive urge and she wanted to scream at the woman not to touch her, but she only found herself watching as the woman's hand pressed two fingers against the upper side of Toph's neck and then moved down to gently brush the wound that Kyoshi had inflicted.

"Her heart beats strong," she said, voice firm and loud enough to be heard. "I know not the nature of her wound, but it doesn't appear to have dug deep enough to rupture anything vital; it's possible this was shock that knocked her unconscious."

Ty Lee swallowed and nodded, blinking tears from her eyes as Jin came up beside her, gently cupping Toph's cheek in her hand, tears of her own spilling free.

"We need to get her out of here," she said firmly. "Her and Soza both. I don't know what's happening, but it's clear that Soza is in danger, and Toph's injured. I don't know from where you—"

As Ty Lee looked to the woman, her words stopped coming and her eyes widened. Soza blinked at the sudden stunned expression spreading across her face and looked quickly between Ty Lee and the woman, trying to pick up on what it was that she had missed.

"Ursa…?" Ty Lee asked, something Soza knew she wouldn't have been able to hear if she hadn't been standing directly next to her. The woman looked at her for a long moment, her expression emotionless until a small, sad smile pulled at the edges of her mouth.

"It's good to see you again, Ty Lee," she said and fresh tear tracks pulled themselves down Ty's face. Soza resumed looking between them, trying to figure how it was that the two of them knew one another before the woman who had answered to Ursa looked to her right and called out.

"Yue!"

The person in question who had turned out to be the silver haired girl who wielded the glowing turquoise sword. It only then struck Soza odd that the young woman referred to as Yue hadn't also joined the fray considering what Soza had just seen of her, so willing to risk danger in protecting Sasuke and Toph as she had. But as Yue looked over, Soza saw a look of horror and pain on her face and assumed that there must have been quite the emotional vicegrip on her mind that was preventing her from entering the battle herself.

Coward, Soza thought with a mental sneer as Yue practically staggered over, her sword held uselessly in her hand.

"We're going to need quite a fast getaway, I think."

"What's your plan?" Jin asked, her voice hoarse, but her eyes having gained a determined glow.

"We came here on an airship, and assuming that our brief reconnaissance is accurate…"

As if on cue, from out of the shadows where there must have been side access to the room, a chiseled and hardened looking man with a hook for a hand jogged up to Ursa. His face was that of a man who had seen his share of chaos and battle, but his eyes held a very urgent and perhaps frightened aura.

"Captain, the building is surrounded; I've never seen the likes of them before, monsters, like that… thing there."

He gestured towards Koh who, as Soza looked, snapped his enormous body like a whip, knocking Sokka away and forcing Aang to swoop past and grab him before he dashed his head on the marble wall.

"Some of them are glowing, some of them are as large as a small vessel, captain, we wouldn't have chance going up against that many."

Ursa considered what he said and cocked her head slightly to the left.

"Very well. Get the crew back aboard the airship and have it fired up. We'll depart as soon as—"

"No," Ty Lee suddenly interjected and Ursa looked at her with a raised eyebrow, causing her to issue a brief apology.

"Sorry," she said quickly. "But Azula, Mai and I all came here on a Whisper, a top of the line airship that's faster, quieter and much more maneuverable than the standard kind. If you're planning an escape by air, that's the best bet we have. We need to get Soza out of here, can you get her aboard?"

Soza blinked as she watched this most strange occurrence of an alliance between people who had only supposedly just met; Ursa gave a brisk nod.

"Siado, follow her and make sure the girl is protected."

"Understood," he said and turned to leave before Ursa grabbed his forearm. It was curious watching a man so much larger than her look so obediently to her as she met his eyes with an intense stare.

"With your life," she asserted, and he nodded slowly in response.

"It will be done, captain."

He turned to Ty Lee who swallowed as the looked at the man who was at least twice as big as she was before moving towards the hidden exit hidden in shadow. Jin followed after her, sparing Soza a sad and strained look as she did and Soza slowly turned to look at the enormous man referred to as Siado who was looking down at her expectantly.

"After you, your highness," he offered, giving a small incline of his head and gesturing with his hook after Ty Lee, Jin and the unconscious Toph. Despite being completely repulsed by his metal appendage, Soza took a moment to appreciate far in the back of her cluttered and panicked mind that someone had some semblance of manners. She started to walk their way before stopping and looking to Ursa who was already eyeing the battle before her with an expression that suggested she was already forming a plan.

"What about my mother? And Auntie Mai? And Suki and—"

Ursa raised a hand to cut her off.

"They'll all be fine. I give you my word, I'll get them all out of her safely."

For some reason unbeknownst to Soza, she found that she very immediately believed every word this woman said. Perhaps it was something to do with the power and control she radiated, maybe it was because she so much reminded Soza of her only parent, but Ursa's very inflection spoke with a very particular certainly that was exceptionally reassuring.

"Who are you?" she asked in a tone that was quiet enough that she wasn't sure that Ursa had even heard her for a moment as she looked down at Soza with a very strange look on her face. It wasn't something that she could pinpoint, but there was a deep sadness in her golden intense eyes. The words she spoke then would numb Soza's body as she followed her Auntie Ty out into the night as she looked at what might have been the first inkling of fear she saw on Ursa's face. And perhaps disgust as well?

"Child… I think I might be your grandmother."

Sasuke's mind was distantly telling him to restrain himself and push for a weakness, and actually analyze how Kyoshi was fighting him, working towards an advantage as he knew that she must have been. He shouldn't have been unleashing a furious array of attacks as his chakra flow practically seemed to sing in his veins, rejoicing over being let loose once again as it bent to yield to his fury. He should have not risked taking so many pointless blows as Kyoshi's metal fans, and whips and bursts of energy came dangerously close to striking him multiple times.

But Sasuke was too angry to actually force his body into actually complying with any of these acknowledgements. He was almost too angry to realize how much he was dominating the fight completely.

It wasn't that Kyoshi wasn't putting up a strong effort. Earth burst from his feet, trying to swallow him or pin his feet, bursts of wind with enough intensity to sheer skin from bone shot past him by a hair's breathe, fire swirled about him and tried to crush him in smoke and heat, and water billowed past him with furious pressure, pulverizing sold marble behind him. It wouldn't have been any sort of surprise to Sasuke that Kyoshi could very well have been a complete monster on the battlefield in her time, but the fact of the matter was, no bender, no matter the power the wielded could have stood up to Sasuke in that instant.

As though it had never left his side, the skills, speed and abilities that his chakra provided to him guided his motions almost as though they required no motor function whatsoever to carry out. Sasuke was at a point where he could have passed for his body being on autopilot, if not for the drilling fury that surged him onward. For despite how little danger that he felt he was in any longer, anger still blistered hotter and hotter merely over the fact that Sasuke hadn't already brought Kyoshi to her knees.

Why is she still standing?

Giving a furious snarl that turned wildly into a yell, Sasuke kicked off of Kyoshi's chest as his sword met her fans in a hard deadlock, backflipping away from her and digging his feet into the ground. The Amaterasu that had been swirling about him, keeping him perfectly safe from any interference or errant attacks, cascaded out from his form at the barest gesture of his fingers to come crashing down over Kyoshi like a waterfall; he would roast her into submission before taking his fists to her for what she had done, raw and vicious satisfaction burning through him as he watched through wild eyes as his black fire reached her.

But as he watched, a blue aura came springing to life around the female Avatar and stopped the fire dead in its tracks. Ever persistent and indomitable, the Amaterasu licked around the field of blue energy and it was then that Sasuke noticed that Kyoshi's energy was no match for his fire; the blue shield of energy that had shown up to protect her body was simply regenerating just as quickly as Amaterasu could burn through it. Growling in anger at the lack of progress, Sasuke decided to turn up the heat.

If her powers are anything like mine or theirs, then she won't be able to do that forever.

Cranking up the chakra output in his eyes, he sent his black flames coursing more rapidly and energetically around Kyoshi, holding her where she stood. Bending his knees, he shot forward, Kusanagi in one hand and Chidori in the other and as he reached her, he thrust, swung and jabbed at every part of her that Amaterasu wasn't currently searing through her protections. But every attack he leveled, something would come to block it; a spire of earth, a column of fire, another burst of the blue energy that he couldn't quite identify, and Sasuke's frustration began to burn even hotter. He could still hear that piece of him in the back of his head, that logical and rational part of his being that was imploring him to take the fight down a notch, just enough to try and figure out the best way to approach fighting Kyoshi, but the rage and hate that burned all the way to his fingertips made that part of him as silent a voice in the black of his heart as could be. Kyoshi had made to kill him, she had made to kill his daughter, and she may very well have had just killed Toph.

He wanted her to suffer, more than anything.

Shouting again in anger, he leapt away from her as she twisted a hand beneath her aura of blue energy and sent a geyser of molten earth to crush and scorch him. His feet touching down on one of the marble pillars lining the hall, Sasuke kicked off the column hard enough for it to shatter underneath the pressure his feet exerted and he drew a hand back, fingers snapping with electricity to thrust his hand at an opening near Kyoshi's face. As it reached a point of a couple inches away, his hand met the aura and his body was suddenly wracked with violent spasms of pain that surged through him and he was blown backwards. Tucking his body, Sasuke let his body roll in a backwards somersault before digging his heels into the ground and bringing himself to a stop. Looking up, he saw her cold eyes staring at him almost reproachfully, as though disgusted at his efforts and Sasuke felt more fury flood his body.

I'm going to fucking pulverize you.

He straightened his back as he watched her stand still was his Amaterasu raged a furious battle with her blue energy, burning through it again and again, and finding more of its shielding essence holding it back. Distantly, his rational thoughts realized that the pain he had felt from making contact with her barrier had been the same pain that he had felt when Koh had been electrocuting him. Whatever it was exactly that made up their being, some level of spiritual power was retained in them, something that they could call upon that wasn't like anything he had faced before.

"Hell with you," he growled and ramped up his attack as fresh tears of blood streamed down his cheeks. Amaterasu flashed even more wildly and Kyoshi disappeared completely under the assault; Sasuke kept up the pressure until the form underneath his black fire collapsed and he felt a surge of victory in his bones as he banished the Amaterasu and had only a chance to blink as he saw that there was now nothing but a hole in the ground where Kyoshi had been standing before the ground beneath him cracked open. He looked down in time to catch a fist to the chin, hitting him hard enough to lift him off his feet and send him crashing to the ground. Spitting blood and snarling, he scrambled angrily to his feet to see Kyoshi landing lithely just nearby. She continued to watch him with her emotionless eyes. Standing slowly, Sasuke scowled as he stared at her, mustering all the hate he could summon to put into his gaze, hoping that she would see exactly how much he wanted to make her bleed. He waited for her to initiate again, to come at him with whatever attacks she would like, knowing that she would never be able to make any of them land. Maybe then he would be able to catch her off guard and land a worthwhile hit. There were so many things he could have done to gain the upper hand on her then and there, but he wanted this to be physical, he wanted this to hurt. Susanoo or an excessively powerful jutsu or Kamui or anything like that wouldn't be nearly as satisfying as just breaking pat her guard and barrier and breaking her bones with his bare hands. So he waited, prepared then to counter whatever she launched at him.

What Kyoshi actually did then was far more surprising to him than any attack could have been.

"Yangchen, Koh," she called out, her voice echoing around the chamber. "We're leaving."

Aang narrowly avoided a spear of blue energy that flashed just by his face and had to remind himself, not for the first time, that Yangchen and Koh were playing for keeps.

He had met the previous Avatar's eyes more than once as she had stopped him from getting between Sasuke and Kyoshi, and Aang had desperately tried to find some of the compassion and hurt that she had shown while Kyoshi had been laying out their reasons for necessitating the deaths of Sasuke and Soza, but she seemed to have locked in to the same sense of duty that Kyoshi had been composed with the entire encounter, and seemed to be fighting him as though she had absolutely no connection to him whatsoever, no relationship whatsoever, no hint that Aang had in his past spoken to her and reached out for advice.

She just sees me as another obstacle… another thing in the way. She'd kill me without a second thought.

It was a realization that withered at his very soul, and despite the gravity of the fight he was engaged in, he could barely keep tears from obscuring his vision.

He and his friends had fallen into something of a reliable rhythm; Azula and Zuko were fighting like mad dogs, relentless and unsatiated aggression in their every movement. It was an odd and disturbing sight to see them both like this, Azula because she had been composing herself with such grace and dignity, regardless of how falsey it had been, for years to that point, and Zuko because Aang hadn't seen this anger out of him since they were enemies. But for both of them, it translated to quite the explosive double sided firestorm that proved the perfect cover for Katara, who was working her way through the fight with a much more passive, but just as significant role. She slipped in a wide semicircle outside of the fight, gathering moisture and sending it rippling beneath Koh and Yangchen, sending it upwards in the form of ice, thrusting at them as frozen stalagmites, or as icy bindings to try and catch and pin them both down.

Sokka, Suki and Mai were all proving that years of relative, if uneasy, peace hadn't done a thing to tarnish their physical skills. They were as fast as any jet of fire, leading attacks and dodging swiftly around anything that got too close to them and then using those dodges to lead into deadly quick advances, striking at whatever they could. Yangchen was untouchable, but blows were starting to pile up on Koh who was starting to move with a more angered speed, the laughs he had been issuing earlier long since gone.

Aang was dipping about the battle, providing support wherever he could see it necessary, tossing a quick updraft to Zuko, Katara, or Azula whenever they looked to be in any immediate danger, and redirecting any blasts of energy that were sent towards Sokka, Suki or Mai. And despite the fact that he was the furthest from the battle while being very actively involved in it, Aang couldn't help but notice that it seemed like the majority of Yangchen's assault was aimed towards him.

Does she want me dead?

It was a frightening and disturbing thought, and Aang wondered if she and Kyoshi had decided that if things came to blows, Aang was likely the second most deadly force to contend with other than Sasuke. If that were the case, they surely would have seen him as a prime target to be eliminated it. Despite this, Aang couldn't bring himself to push more into the fight than he already had. Even just this was terribly painful for him to even fight Yangchen and Kyoshi, but the idea of killing them, despite not knowing truly the nature of their reincarnation, was hardly an idea he could bear.

But it was impossible to ignore that when all was said and done, it might very well be a choice between them and his friends. And that was a decision he knew he could make.

He was considering getting close enough to Katara to relay an idea he had just thought up involving encasing both Yangchen and Koh in a sphere of ice and forcing them to react to that while they moved to assist Sasuke, when he heard Kyoshi's voice ring out from behind him, loud and clear as she gave the order. Aang couldn't even quite believe he had heard it until Yangchen and Koh both ceased their attacks and leapt backwards towards the entrance of the hall. Landing between Zuko and Sokka, Aang took the brief moment to get his wind back as he listened to the labored breathing of everyone around him, even as they readied themselves for further combat. But as he watched, Aang saw Kyoshi propel herself backwards, her airbending allowing her to land neatly beside Yangchen.

From where they had been fighting, Sasuke stalked slowly in her direction, the look on his face enough to give Aang chills. Kyoshi looked at him a moment disdainfully before meeting Aang's eyes, even as she spoke to them all as a whole.

"You've made a grave error today. Regardless of who must die in order to achieve lasting peace, we will act accordingly to reach that end."

She raised one of her steel fans and pointed directly at Aang then.

"There will be a new world order when this is finished, Avatar Aang, one where the conceit and villainy of humanity is put to rest. I suggest you decide if you're going to be a part of that."

With that, she raised the fan above her head and swept it in an arcing motion; the air around herself, Yangchen and Koh shimmered with the same blue energy that the two resurrected Avatars had been emitting during the fight. Sasuke's steps toward Kyoshi became quicker then as he bared his teeth.

"We're not finished!" he shouted, but Kyoshi's voice resounded around them then, impossibly loud and reverberating through what sounded like more than the building.

"Kill him and the girl both."

It was a command issued as the three of the spirits faded from sight and at once, the front of the hall exploded.

Aang felt his heart drop to his stomach as he saw the vast array of creatures laid out before him. He remembered bits and pieces of his brief ventures to the spirit world, and some of these entities vaguely resembled those, but there was something much more inherently malicious about their forms and the way they all stood poised before him. Some were as small as Soza, others might very well have been the size of Appa; some stood on two legs, some on four, some on six or eight, some flew about, suspended on that same blue ethereal substance. Some sprouted claws and fangs, others tentacles and other grotesque appendages, but the one thing they all shared in common was at the moment that Kyoshi's voice started to echo away, there came a terrible din as all the monsters roared at once and burst forward in a wave of pure destructiveness.

Katara was suddenly at his side, gripping his hand tightly and he heard Azula's voice snap out angrily.

"These are your spirits, aren't they, Avatar?!"

Aang rolled his head in both a nod and a shake, unsure of how to even remotely respond to this.

"We'll just have to go through them as well," Zuko said firmly, fire crackling from his hands and everyone followed suit, Aang included as he shook the uncertainty and further shock from his veins.

They're here… they really came.

Even as he shook this disbelief from his mind, he felt a singular strand of gratitude towards everyone there, how quickly they were ready to fight through this, just as they always had been. Weapons or bending, he was certain there would be no quarter that any of them would give and he found himself more than ready to do battle by their side.

Which was likely what would have happened if Sasuke hadn't stepped forward out of the corner of his eye, and turned his head towards the sky.

"KYOSHI!" he bellowed and the world exploded in a jet black torrent. The sound of it deafened Aang's ears and the force of it knocked him and everyone beside him off their feet. He scrambled to his feet and looked back towards where the spirit monsters had been advancing from and had to blink to make sure he was seeing things correctly.

The entire front of the building was completely gone, the entrance hall, the antechamber, and now a fair chunk of the main city hall itself, all torn and blasted away to reveal the night sky. What spirits that Aang could still see were thrashing madly about as black fire clung to their bodies, and he could see it burning away their blue auras, the same kind that Yangchen and Kyoshi had possessed. Unlike the two Avatars however, Sasuke's flame was thoroughly scorching through their barriers, searing and frying the creatures as they flailed about. But as Aang shook away the shell shock from Sasuke's attack, he propelled himself a hundred meters in the air, creating an updraft to hold himself in the night sky for just a moment to confirm his suspicions. And as he laid his eyes on Ba Sing Se, he knew that they were even worse than he might have imagined.

Forming up around the now remains of the city hall building, a great many spirit creatures had rounded themselves up and were slowly pouring into a wide circle around the front of the structure. Beyond that, many more hordes seemed to be moving through the streets, and Aang could see the glow of fires raging throughout the city and from as high up as he was, he could even smell smoke. Tears that had nothing to do with the smoky sting misted his eyes and he dropped back down into the hollowed carcass of the city hall, looking around urgently at his friends.

"The building is completely surrounded and the spirits are already moving through the city to occupy it," he said, his voice shaking.

"We have an army to face down then, do we?" came the voice of General Gokan, who was marching over shoulder to shoulder with Ungo. Their troops remained at attention, though even from that distance, Aang could see panic and fear in their eyes. The generals on the other hand looked almost relishing the idea of going to battle, even as Iroh moved to join them as well.

"The citizens of Ba Sing Se must be the first priority," he said firmly, and Gokan nodded his approval at those words.

"Councilmen and women!" he shouted out then, his powerful voice resonating through the chamber and Aang looked over at Bradley, Dreyer and the others who were pressed to the wall as though certain that would have been their means of escape. Had they edged much further towards the city hall's exit, they likely would have been caught in the blast that Sasuke had triggered, and they looked towards Gokan as he spoke.

"You will need to move yourselves to a safe house as quick as can be," he instructed. "Until we can get the city back under our control, you will need to distance yourselves from the violence."

It took only looking at his face to know the disregard that he held for them, but he understood as well as anyone that leadership was going to be more than necessary for the sudden conflict that was on their hands. He turned back to Aang and the rest, lowering his voice.

"I'm certain you will want to be out there leading the charge, and if that is the case, I would recommend that we—"

"No."

A voice rang out then, tired, pained and terribly urgent. Aang whipped his head around to see Roku leaning against one of the marble pillars, his lean form almost completely hidden by shadow. His breath was pulled in through shallow bursts, and his eyes looked weakly at Aang while they even still flashed with exigency. He looked around briefly at his friends and when none of them made to respond to this other than nodding to him or watching Roku carefully, Aang dashed the short distance to Roku and knelt beside him.

"Why is this happening?" he asked in a voice just above a whisper. "Why didn't you tell me more?"

It was then that he recognized the very tangible ache in his gut, the betrayal he felt from the past Avatars, now even more personified in Roku. The previous Avatar's face became haunted with guilt that seemed enough to overpower whatever physical pain he was presently dealing with.

"I thought… I thought that if I was able to somehow to ease the events that Kyoshi and the others were so intent on pressing upon this world, perhaps… perhaps things could have ended less violently. But they used that desire I possessed for compassion and I became the instrument of betrayal instead of peace."

Aang looked over his shoulder to see the young woman he had seen save Sasuke; she stood a distance from anyone else, closest to the woman who had produced the strange weapon and shot Koh, her face distraught, her impressive sword angled at the floor as emotions flashed through her eyes.

"That woman… is she…?" he started to ask, and Roku nodded.

"That is Yue, the same girl whom you met during your visit to the Northern Water Tribe, whose life was saved by the spirits and who gave her life for the spirits in turn. Despite her upbringing, she became very intensely focused on the talks amongst the spirit world when it came near to being decided that an invasion was necessary. She sensed my own reservations and sought me out on her own, citing her own belief that spirits weren't meant to meddle in the affairs of the waking world. I spent a great deal of time training her physically and preparing her in a physical sense to be moved here from the spirit world."

His gaze was fixed on her sadly.

"It was during this period of conditioning that my plotting was uncovered. It is near impossible to involve oneself in such ethereal alterations and not cause ripples that can thus be sensed by others. Kyoshi learned that I was intending to insert Yue from our world, though my plan had originally been to send her directly to you, to warn you ahead of time and impart as much knowledge with her as I could to prepare your world as best as I could for the coming invasion."

For a moment, Roku paused and then looked away from Yue as though doing just that was causing him excess pain.

"Kyoshi learned of my plan and decided to implement it in her own way. She forced me to impart to Yue only that Sasuke's chakra couldn't be used for fear of damaging the rift between worlds further, and then had me speak to him as I did those many weeks ago on that island. Her whole plan was to use Yue to bring Sasuke and the child together, where she could then eliminate them both in a single clean effort."

"It nearly succeeded," Aang muttered and Roku managed a grudging smile then.

"Yet, her own hubris became her downfall in bringing about the end as she wanted. She chose to pull my form through the rift to perhaps gloat in her victory over Sasuke… I know not what it is that changed about her during her years in the spirit world, perhaps it did have to do with Sasuke, but regardless, she's become so… I can't describe it, Aang, but behind her composure is a fear and a violent desire to destroy Sasuke permanently. She's not the same as you remember her."

Aang thought to the emotionless responses to Sasuke's words that Kyoshi had given and shook his head.

"I can't believe it's come to this," he said, not entirely able to keep the sense of hopelessness from his voice. "How are you here? How are you all… physical again?"

"Tampering was done with the rift over the years, following the movement through it of Sasuke and those people like him," Roku replied. "We learned that by merging back over to the physical world, we too would become physical while retaining our bending and spiritual energy."

Glancing back to the front of the room, Aang felt a pained jab in his heart as he watched the spirts writhe as Sasuke's black fire slowly consumed them, the blue energy around them practically devoured by the obsidian heat.

"That's what those barriers around them are, what Kyoshi and Yangchen had," he said quietly. "Spiritual energy."

Roku nodded again.

"It is a powerful ability to wield, and when Kyoshi realized that she could possess both it and full control of her bending, she became hellbent on leading a force through the rift to force the physical world back into a state of order. Yangchen was the one who dared to step forward and suggest a more practical approach to restoring peace, but even she wasn't able to completely sway the idea of invasion."

Aang remembered how Yangchen had looked over him Sasuke with such a hurt in her eyes before lapsing to the overpowering composure that surely came with the understanding of her mission. He had known then that she hadn't held a single part of her will that truly wanted to kill Sasuke or his…

His daughter.

Slowly, Aang swallowed and then asked even more quietly.

"You knew, then? Who Sasuke was to Soza?"

The silence that followed was as much an affirmation as an apology could have been and Aang grit his teeth before standing.

"Why did you tell Gokan not to fight?"

The look that Roku gave Aang then was laced with as much sorrow as he had yet shown.

"Ba Sing Se is already lost, Aang. Any fighting you intend to carry out will be met with an overpowering edge in all regards; the spirits have made their advance from the point of this city, not the Fire Nation as my lie would have had you believe. You must instruct the leaders of the city to surrender control, fighting will only result in more pain and death than is already being carried out."

He looked at Aang with a pleading look.

"If you saw what I know you did, then it confirms that Kyoshi is not in full control of the spiritual army she is leading over; many are vicious and have no quarter to give. If a surrender is offered, then at least lives can be spared. Her plan now is to send her forces to overwhelm you while she retreats and regroups. She can afford to do this, and she doesn't want to toe the line against Sasuke any further, not after her initial read of his abilities. If this isn't enough to kill him, she's going to be ready and will return."

At this, Aang felt himself flaring up, indignation and anger stifling any sense of fear that had been previously smothering him.

"You expect me and everyone else to just put our hands up and turn over Sasuke and Soza, all while giving Kyoshi free reign to—"

Roku shook his head quickly.

"You misunderstand. You and your friends must leave. Surrendering entirely to Kyoshi will undoubtedly result in more casualties than are surely necessary, but Ba Sing Se itself might at least be spared further wrath."

For a moment, Aang stared angrily down at the previous Avatar, trying to decide if these words could be believed or trusted, and he let his gut decide.

Then, he snapped, "You're coming with us."

Reaching down, he grabbed Roku underneath the arm and forced him to his feet. The old man groaned at the sudden exertion of his body, and though Aang had a feeling that Roku was not only feeling horrible and devastated about what was happening, he very likely was telling the truth, there was no part of Aang that had any patience right now for him or any other past Avatar after what was now happening. He pulled Roku along back to his friends and the generals before speaking, the words pouring precisely and openly from his mouth without any reservation or nerves.

"The city must be surrendered. Kyoshi is directing her forces into the living world from here, and any defiance will only be met by violence through overwhelming force until the city is taken. If Ba Sing Se is given up, many lives can be spared."

He could tell this was perhaps not what either of the generals had been expecting or wanting to hear, but both kept their mouths shut, their eyes locked expectantly on him.

"You're telling us to give up?" Azula snarled and Aang met the eyes that he likely would have been deeply concerned about making contact with previously, but somehow, Azula didn't seem quite as frightening just then.

"No. We're leaving."

As he said this, Ty Lee entered his peripheral vision, seemingly from out of nowhere. She exchanged a quick word with the woman standing with Yue and then sprinted up to them, her expression looking like was trying to keep from being overcome with panic.

"We have Toph and Soza aboard the Whisper airship, that woman's men have it warmed up and ready to take off; there's a hidden exit out of here through the back hall! If we're leaving, we need to do it now!"

For a moment, everyone looked around at one another; Katara met Sokka's eyes with a deep fear and pain while Suki looked past them all towards the Kyoshi Warriors who remained gathered a short distance away. Zuko was looking like he wanted to badly say something to Iroh while Mai had reached out and clutched Ty Lee's hand tightly, the acrobat looking back with a tearful expression. Azula too was looking at Ty Lee with slightly narrowed eyes, and a very dangerous glow lurking in her orbs before she looked with a sudden speed towards the ominous shadow that was Sasuke a dozen yards away.

Aang realized then that Sasuke hadn't moved since he had shouted Kyoshi's name, his body a pillar of focused black hate as he watched the explosive black flames erupt around the front of the building and burn the frontlining spirits away, their otherworldly shrieks splintering the night air. He realized he didn't so much as want to get close to Sasuke, let alone pull him away from the carnage before him and tell him they had to flee for the good of all.

Finally, it was Iroh who spoke, his tone offering a much needed sense of reassurance to the situation.

"We'll handle things here," he said, reaching out and putting a hand on Aang's shoulder before looking to Roku's slumped form with a sense of awe and suspicion in his eyes. "Do whatever needs to be done; we'll do what we can to make sure that the city's residents aren't put any more in harm's way."

"Uncle…" Zuko said softly, and Iroh looked to him, putting his other hand on the Fire Lord's shoulder. He offered a warm smile that Aang had seen so many times reflected on Iroh's face.

"I'll be fine, nephew," he said calmly. "You have another path to follow."

Suki pushed past them all and took a step towards the Kyoshi Warriors, all of whom regarded her with an odd mixture of fear and sadness. One stepped forward, a taller girl who Aang recognized as being Suki's second in command.

"That was quite the show, sister," she said to Suki, a small smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. "Never would have guessed I would see the day where one of our own would face off against our very patron."

Suki's face was pained as she replied.

"I'm sure you all think that I must be out of my mind for what I did, but—"

The Kyoshi Warrior held up her hand.

"Not another word, Suki. We all saw what happened. Kyoshi isn't… she's not entirely what we would have thought her to be. You tried to stand up for honesty and peace, and she ignored you. You did what you felt you had to do, and you've not yet led us astray."

She glanced around to the other warriors all of whom gave firm nods with eyes now glinting with steel.

"We're not done following you yet, sister."

Aang could tell just how emotional of a moment this was for Suki as her lip quivered and she gave a deep swallow. She turned her head down and smiled, a pair of tears dropping to the floor in front of her.

"Thank you… all of you. But I need you to stay here."

She was met with a series of confused looks and Suki quickly elaborated.

"Kyoshi will not doubt for a moment that I was the odd one out in defying her, and will surely accept all of you at her side should you go before her and offer fealty to service. You can tell her whatever you want about me, but you need to make sure that she doesn't suspect anyone other than me. Reina, you tell her that you're in charge, now that I've been outed as a traitor."

Reina started to shake her head, opening her mouth and Suki quickly walked up to her to pull the taller girl into a tight hug.

"I need people in Ba Sing Se I can trust. When this all comes back around, and make no mistake, I know, despite every part of me wishing otherwise, that this will come back around, I'll need you, all of you."

She looked around at the rest of Kyoshi Warriors, and Aang had no doubt she was meeting each of their eyes individually. Finally, Reina put a hand on her shoulder and offered a firm nod.

"You can count on us, sister."

Suki smiled and started back towards Aang and the others.

"Alright, if that's settled, we—"

There came a furious howl behind them and Aang jumped alongside several of his friends as he spun around.

Sasuke seemed to have grown fed up with just watching the spirits burn and he had drawn his sword and was marching towards the wall of fire he had created, shouting as he did.

"I'm not finished with you, Kyoshi! I'll kill you for what you've done!'

It was then that the very precise gravity of what needed to be done settled on Aang and he looked desperately to Katara who was looking with a very intense look towards Sasuke, her fingers knuckle white as she clenched them into fists. Everyone else looked just as fervent, but no one seemed to want to make a move; it took a second that seemed to last an eternity before Azula took a wobbly step in his direction, a movement that was most unlike the confidence that she usually conducted herself with, but Aang understood why she wasn't able to muster more than that immediately, and why no one else dared to manage even so simple a movement.

They were old memories, but they hadn't grown weak with time, this Aang knew. He felt that same fear that he had felt fine tucking away under the pretext that he would never see Sasuke again. And while he couldn't deny the bizarre relief that came with seeing him again, Aang was paralyzed by fear of the boy who appeared to have grown into just as much an avatar of hate as he had been when he was younger.

That might have been what brought tears into his eyes then.

Sasuke, how long have you been shouldering this animosity? Who's been there for you?

There was a motion out of the corner of his eye and he looked to see the woman who had been with Yue rushing past them and dashing fearlessly towards Sasuke. Aang opened his mouth to shout a warning to her, and he very nearly reached out with his airbending to keep her from getting too close to him, but something stopped him. There was a confidence in her very movements that told him there was more to her than he remotely might have guessed at, and somehow he knew that she would be alright getting close to Sasuke, something that wasn't reflected as Katara, Ty Lee, and Zuko all cried out various words to try and deter her. The woman didn't seem to notice them however, or at the very least had ignored them, and Aang's heart caught in his throat as she reached Sasuke and wrapped her arms around him.

Sasuke tried to twist around at the sudden touch, and Aang felt a chill run through his veins at the vicious snarl and wild look on his face. He drew a hand back, blue lightning crackling around his wrist and Aang wondered if he was even capable of recognizing anyone in that moment of black fury. The woman reached up and grabbed his forearm, her face coming alive in pain as the blue forks coursed along her arm, but she fought through the pain enough to continue to hold onto him with her free hand, her eyes boring into Sasuke's.

"Listen to me, listen to me!" she shouted, and Aang felt a command and maturity in her tone that echoed even to where he stood, loud enough to be heard above the black inferno scorching about at the front of the building.

"This isn't going to help anyone, not you, not any of the people you care about! She's gone, she's not coming back to fight you! You're only risking lives if you stay!"

Sasuke made a violently angry sound and made to push away from her, but she only held him tighter. Aang recognized then that she was a touch taller than him, and somehow, she seemed to radiate just as much power as he did; not the same kind remotely, but he felt the respect that she commanded without even asking for it.

"That girl, she risked her life to protect you! She needs you now!"

As Aang felt a stab in his heart over Toph's condition, he saw Sasuke's expression stagger just a moment as he took in her words. She continued to stare fiercely at him as she pushed on, trying to overpower his anger and get through to him.

"Don't leave us again, Sasuke, don't you dare!"

It was almost like a mother scolding her child, and Aang watched, barely daring to breathe, but slowly, Sasuke's heaving chest began to calm and his snarl faded away to a still intense but not quite as menacing expression. His eyes still flashed dangerously, but the lightning faded from his hand and the woman gently released him, putting her hands on his shoulders. She said something quieter that Aang wasn't able to hear, but Sasuke's face tightened and his head quickly turned towards where Ty Lee had come from. He turned back towards the sea of black fire coursing before him that he had exploded into existence before he angrily bared his teeth; turning his back on the heat, he stormed across the length of the hall. If possible, the council pressed even further against the wall to stay far from him, save for Dreyer, who watched him walk through narrowed eyes. The Earth and Water Nation soldiers and Kyoshi Warriors alike gave him a very respectable berth, though he paid not a single one of them any mind as he passed by.

It took Aang a moment to realize that Sasuke was almost on top of them and he felt his throat tighten. He pulled in air, trying to think of what he wanted to say to him first, but without a word, Sasuke walked directly past every single one of them, not even sparing a glance to Aang, Azula, or anyone. Aang watched him walk past in equal silence, not able to get a single word out; there was so much he wanted to tell Sasuke, but somehow, he couldn't force a single thought from his mouth. Sasuke moved to the back hall Ty Lee had referenced and vanished in the shadows, silent as the darkness that swallowed him.

His passing by left Aang somehow feeling even more empty than he already was, and it wasn't until the woman who had been able to calm him down marched past them as well, snapping out a sharp command as she did.

"Let's move then."

There was still that commanding edge to her voice and Aang felt an urge to move after her as Yue did so promptly following her order. He made to comply but he froze again as he caught sight of Azula. She was looking after the woman with such a wild mixture of emotions that Aang couldn't help but stare unblinkingly at her. Her eyes were wide and there was anger and a sickened glow within them, expressions that Aang had seen in her before.

It was the fear, the almost childlike terror he saw on Azula's face that gave him pause.

Ty Lee looked out over the back balcony of the Whisper, tears streaming down her face. She thought of the people in the city, the Kyoshi Warriors, the soldiers, and the citizens who were surely in wild throes of terror as the monsters that looked like something right out of a nightmare barreled through the streets of Ba Sing Se. Beneath her fading slowly into the night, the enormous ring of the city that was aglow with the light of a great many fires drew her eyes despite how badly she wanted to look away. She gripped the rail tightly and forced her eyes shut as she tilted her head back, taking in a deep breath of night air.

It all went wrong so fast.

They had managed to board the ship with relative ease, the exit out of the city hall taking them around the barrier that the spirits had set up around the building. Silently, they had followed Ursa to where Ty Lee had initially led the man known as Siado to the advanced airship, boarded swiftly, and lifted off. As she looked at the city slowly getting further and further away, she saw several blue wisps flickering through the air, and Ty Lee wondered if some of the spirits had taken to the air, in which case their timely departure was all the more fortunate. It was impossible for her to even wrap her head entirely around what had happened, but trying to ignore that just caused her thoughts towards Toph and hurt flooded her like never before.

Ty Lee hadn't ever felt less in control in her life.

Her world had been completely turned on its head, and she was doing her best not to think about any of it. Everyone seemed to have gravitated towards the bridge from what she had seen and knowing that she likely didn't have a thing she would be able to contribute in any discussions on where to go, she had dashed to the back of the ship and promptly thrown up over the railing. Her nerves were a complete mess and she desperately wished she had the wherewithal to go to the cabin where Jin was sitting with an unconscious Toph or to seek out Mai and just cry into her shoulder for a while. But for whatever reason, being alone just felt the best to her right then.

Sasuke was back in their lives. And with him, a whole host of chaos. Ty Lee grit her teeth and muttered over the railing, the wind whipping past obscuring her words even to herself.

"Damn you, Sasuke… why couldn't you just stay gone?"

The numbness that she allowed to wash over herself persisted for minutes on end as she desperately held her emotions at bay. She wanted to be held, and she wanted to be alone. She wanted to find Sasuke, the only person she hadn't seen on board head to the bridge, and hit him, and scream at him, and hug him, and curse him, and—

"Ty Lee."

Her name being spoken behind her caused her to jump where she stood and she spun to confront the sudden new presence that had slid up behind her. Even before she had identified the person with her eyes, she knew by the voice who it was and realized that there had been someone other than Sasuke who hadn't been present on the bridge.

Azula stood behind her, arms crossed and cloaked mostly in the shadow of night. The balloon portion of the airship hung over the balcony, keeping her frame obscured and thus unable for Ty Lee to pick out what emotion the princess was gazing at her with.

"Azula," she said breathlessly in acknowledgement and the shadow shifted before her.

"Come with me," Azula said, her tone making it very clear that it wasn't a request. It never was with her.

I can't… I can't, not now, Azula, I'm so sorry, but I can't…

And even despite these pained thoughts that rushed through her mind, Ty Lee found herself following Azula into the ship's interior.

The Whisper was smaller than a standard airship outfitted in the Fire Nation's armada, but those vessels could harbor near a hundred soldiers and crew comfortably, more so if they were transport class. With only a few dozen people at maximum being aboard the Whisper now, it was almost eerily empty as they walked through the halls, though Ty Lee assumed that everyone was still on the bridge. The pair reached Azula's cabin and as the princess opened the door, Ty Lee felt a sudden urge to cry for help that she couldn't quite rationalize. Nonetheless, she stepped inside obediently and clasped her hands gently behind her back.

Azula closed the door and the room was briefly plunged into darkness until a small blue fire lit a lamp hanging from the wall and cast the room into a pale azure glow, barely enough to cast light on its two occupants.

"Azula, I'm sorry, I know that you're probably going through so much right now," Ty Lee started, trying to be as gentle as she could with her tone. "But if you're planning on—"

Having been trained with the Kyoshi Warriors, Ty Lee had become more than accustomed in combat and even more so in the art of expecting quick strikes and surprise blows. While she was only a reserve in the Warriors, she was well known as being one of the only one of their number who could spar evenly with Suki. Her combat abilities with them mixed with her past learning chi blocking at the Fire Nation academy made her more than a force to be reckoned with against anyone hand to hand.

And yet, when Azula struck her across the face, despite the fact that she saw it coming well in advance, she didn't even think to move or block it.

Maybe it was because that in all the time she had known Azula, there had never been a part of her that felt the ability to resist her. Maybe it was because that despite what her mind told her, she really had been so preoccupied she just hadn't seen the hit coming. But no matter the reason, she crashed to the floor, her jaw aching and head ringing. Her heart suddenly beating with a furious pace, she rolled into a sitting position and looked up, eyes wide with fear. Azula was looming over her, eyes furious and fists clenched.

"Why…?" Ty Lee started to ask and Azula's voice rippled out in a frigid wave.

"You had my daughter taken from my sight," she hissed and Ty Lee shook her head wildly in disbelief.

"I was trying to protect her! You were fighting, she was in danger!" she cried out, scrambling to her feet. "I just wanted to keep her—"

She had barely begun to straighten her back before Azula hit her again; Ty Lee's head snapped to the right and she dropped to a knee, groaning as she felt the coppery taste of blood in her mouth. Before she could look back, Azula had grabbed her by the throat and held her tightly. Gasping for breath, Ty Lee looked into the princess's eyes and saw nothing but endless anger.

"You had no right," Azula said, her voice nothing but menace though as Ty Lee listened, she heard that menace trembling. She grasped at Azula's forearm as she felt her nails digging into her neck.

"I'm… sorry…" she choked out and Azula released her grip to draw her hand into a fist, slamming Ty Lee viciously in the gut. Letting out a strangled cry, Ty Lee bent double, staggering forward into Azula; she sucked for breath and reached out for Azula desperately, trying to muster up the air to say something. Azula shoved her backwards and grabbed her by the hair, forcing her to her knees. Finally able to collect her breath, Ty Lee looked up with tearing eyes.

"Azula, please, I'm sorry! I wasn't trying to—"

She cut herself off then as she saw Azula's face.

The princess's face was completely aghast, her eyes glazed with a horrified expression. Her mouth was pulled in a paralyzed snarl, her lower jaw quivering as tears streamed down her cheeks. Ty Lee stared back at her and in a brief moment, she knew immediately that this had nothing to do with Soza.

She's hurting so badly. And this is how she's handling it.

In an instant, Azula had been thrust back together with both Sasuke and her mother, two people she likely might have believed she would never see again. And it was clear that she hadn't approached either one of them since they had boarded the ship.

Is she scared? She has to talk to Ursa at least… she needs that probably more than even she realizes. And Sasuke… I don't know what she should do with him, but…

Azula's hand came down to grab her collar and pulled her up, her other hand pulled back into a fist.

Fight back. Chi block her, take her down, she wouldn't be able to fight back in the state she's in.

Ty Lee knew for a fact that she could handle Azula physically. It would take a mere second to subdue Azula and put an end to this, something she repeated in her head like a mantra over and over and over.

But she didn't do a thing.

She simply let the tears come as she let Azula hit her again.

"You're worthless," Azula hissed out, her voice cracking and splintering as though she was on the verge of collapsing into sobs as Ty Lee fell to all fours, trying to fight away the pain. A kick to her ribs caused her to scream briefly and she dropped to her back, clutching her body; her eyes blurry from the tears, she looked up and stared at her childhood friend who looked, if possible, somehow even more miserable than her.

If this is what you need, Azula... use me.

The hurt continued for minutes, the princess finding several ways to inflict enough pain to cause Ty Lee to cry out in pain, but not once did she ask for it to stop. If this was something that was going to help Azula, Ty Lee knew that she would shoulder it. As Azula ripped at her clothes and dug her nails into her chest and back, she felt herself smile strainedly to herself even as the tears continued to fall and the pain worsened to a sickening degree.

I won't give up on you... I can't.

Her body took the punishment and still she didn't even consider the possibility of begging for relief, or fighting back even as her mind fell into a numb and shocked state, simply absorbing what was being dealt to her, and Ty Lee looked into the face of the princess, her beautiful visage locked in a mask of desperation and agony. And Ty Lee reached out and gently carressed that face, not feeling a single thought of malice towards the friend that was delivering such punishment to her. She watched the shock on Azula's face even as she thought her name a last time before exhaustion and pain pushed her mind into blacking out. The name was somehow just as sweet a word to her then as it had ever been before as a last pair of tears leaked down her face before thoughtless oblivion claimed her.

Azula...

Soza marched around the side of the airship around which the metal walkway stretched, feeling the night air whip at her hair and face. She had a feeling that if her mother saw her walking about on the outside of the ship, there might have been hell to pay, but she hadn't seen her since they had taken off. Soza had been sitting in the corner of the bridge listen to the woman who had wildly claimed to potentially be her grandmother talk intently with the hook handed man as well as Aang and the old man that Avatar Kyoshi had somehow willed into being. It didn't seem like much ground was being made as everyone else looked on silently, a small crowd watching the proceedings, but it didn't help that Soza didn't find herself paying attention.

Why is no one… has everyone just forgotten me?

She had wanted to stand up and scream that someone explain to her why this woman had called herself her grandma, why Fire Lord Zuko was as far away from Ursa as could be, why she was completely ignoring him, why no one knew where Azula or Sasuke was, why…

Why I have a father now…

No one had even seemed to notice as she had slipped from the bridge, feeling a strange relief in just being able to move about. She had started to pace about the gangway that worked its way around the Whisper; perhaps even just a couple days prior, the idea of being aboard the advanced new airship would have quite excited her, but in that moment, she had nothing more than raw pulsing emotion pummeling her that was anything but positive.

It wasn't until she felt the wet warmth against her clothes that she realized she was crying, and rather profusely to boot. Wiping the tears angrily from her face, she felt her face tighten into an angry mask.

This changes nothing. Nothing.

Even despite this mental chiding, the tears came more profusely and she rubbed even more angrily at her cheeks. If her mother saw her now… how pathetic she surely looked. What an embarrassment to her mother she was.

I'm such a disappointment .

It truly was such a despicable thing she had become, that she had been forced into by these things that were happening. Coming to a sudden halt on the walkway, she pulled in a deep, sharp breath and clapped her palms against her cheeks.

"Get ahold of yourself…" she muttered. "Relax."

For a moment, she felt some semblance of control making its way into her veins and she allowed herself to feel just the briefest sense of calm.

Then, she remembered Toph's tortured body collapsing at the behest of Kyoshi's strike and she felt her knees wobble and she had to grasp the metal railing to stay on her feet and her crying resumed. There too was a panic starting to drive its way through her and she suddenly felt so badly like she wanted to see her mother; Soza didn't care if she was seen like this, she needed to wrap her arms around her, hold tight and just cry.

It was several more seconds before she realized that it was Toph, not her mother, that she was so desperately wishing she could be held by.

A pained cry escaped her lips and she started marching around the side of the airship once again, hoping the movement would be enough to provide some more relief. Her mind drifted over all the events that had forced her into this weak position, who Sasuke supposedly was to her, who Ursa supposedly was to her, what had happened to Toph, how even—

Her heart skipped a beat as she came to a sudden halt. She had been so locked in her own thoughts that she hadn't seen that there was a person standing near the aft end of the ship, leaning against the rigging. The lack of any light made it impossible to tell who the person was and in her state of anxiety, Soza found that she desperately needed to know as quickly as she could who it was she was looking at; a wisp of orange fire burst from her hand and whipped past the person's face. As it moved past him, Sasuke turned his head, his dark eyes boring into Soza as the orange lit up his face, making him look like a demon in the night.

Soza leapt back with a scream; in her head, she tried to enforce the idea on herself that this was a completely irrational reaction, but seeing the man who had just caused such destruction standing just before her had her mind in tatters, ripped apart by fear of what he was. Her eyes both twinged painfully and as fresh tears spilled down her cheeks, she saw a cluster of fire before her on the gangway, darker than even the night itself. She cried out again as she saw it, and thrust an open palm towards it with her thumb angled in, a typical firebending technique used to dispel flames. Nothing happened however and her panic started to grow even more as she tried to eliminate the black flame and it continued to burn almost hungrily before her.

"Concentrate. Don't let it overpower you."

Sasuke's voice was a blade sliding through reeds, a calming tone of the most pressing kind. Soza looked to him and saw that he wasn't looking at the fire she had somehow generated and was instead gazing deep into her eyes. There was intensity and command there and she could do nothing but look back at him as he continued.

"You created and banished this before, I saw it; perhaps it was done unconsciously, but I know you have the capability."

He took a step towards her and even though Soza wanted to turn and run from him, she was transfixed on his eyes.

"Look at the fire. Find its power, feel it coursing."

Slowly wrenching her gaze from his, Soza looked at the black fire burning before her. Never before had she ever been frightened of flames, but in that moment, that small blaze before her was enough to make her quake. Still, she did her best to obey and to her surprise, she found that she could feel the fire in her mind, circling around it and identifying it.

"Seize and crush it. Remember, it never controlled you, you always controlled it from the moment you willed it into existence."

Tightening her muscles, Soza reached to the fire with her mind, her hand acting as a physical embodiment of that action as she stretched her fingers towards it.

Hold it… crush it.

Her mind flicked and the fire crackled into nothingness. Soza let out a small gasp at her success and stared at the place where it had been burning.

"You seem able to create Amaterasu without directly looking at it… and you already possess such control. It's truly rather impressive."

Sasuke had turned away, looking back out into the night. Soza's body felt paralyzed as she processed both his lesson and the fact that they were together, talking.

I'm talking with him.

It was this thought that forced her to say something, and she hurled it, the question that was setting her mind on fire, torturously so.

"Are you my father?"

Sasuke said nothing by way of reply, simply remaining where he stood, the wind gently tossing the spiky shadow that was his hair. Soza couldn't stand not having an answer and she took a step towards him, feeling her fear being overwhelmed by desperation. Clenching her fists, she stomped a foot stupidly, like the pathetic child she knew that she was, but her weakness was even something she could ignore then.

"Who are you?! Who are you that just your name causes everyone I know to practically shut down, that all of hell seems to follow you?!"

She marched right up to him then and grabbed his wrist in a wild show of anxiety.

"Why did Kyoshi call you my father?!"

Distantly amazed at her own courage in confronting this man who truly did terrify her, she waited for Sasuke to grab her hand and throw her to the side, the shout at her as he had shouted back in the hall, to kill her where she stood for showing such defiance to him. But he did none of these things, simply remained where he stood, quietly regarding the night passing behind them. Soza felt the fight start to slip from her and as her shoulders slumped, she managed to keep her grip on his wrist.

"Why did you leave?"

That last question sent a burning sensation back to her eyes as her voice cracked and she jammed them shut as tears leaked out. She didn't want him to see her like this, not he who surely weighed everything by power and will, but she couldn't help it. Soza couldn't keep from crying and she couldn't let go of him either. It felt as though doing that would banish any chance she had of finding out any more about this man.

Sasuke was the one who broke their touch, tugging his arm away from her weak grip. Soza lowered her head quickly, hair falling over her face as she did her best to hide her pathetic crying; of course he would find her deplorable to the eyes, why ever would he claim her as his daughter? Her own mother would surely be disgusted to see her this way, why would a man like Sasuke, so emotionless and raw, think to even consider her for the slightest—

Two palms gently laid themselves against her cheeks and wiped them softly. Soza's eyes sprang open and she found herself looking eye to eye with Sasuke as he cleaned her cheeks with his hands; she saw a mixture of blood and tears on them as he pulled them away.

"I'm bleeding…?" she asked distantly and he shook his head.

"Nothing to worry about. Happens when you use that black fire you just did. It's triggered through your eyes."

He knows about my powers. Because he has them too.

She stared into his calm black eyes with her surely shining and bloodshot orbs in return. Sasuke's expression was unreadable, but when he spoke again, his voice possessed a tender edge that she would never have expected from him, even as his eyes glinted without a hint of remorse.

"I'm sorry, kid."

For a moment, his apology simply resounded in her head. Soza had heard many apologies in her day, servants and soldiers begging her pardon, from Toph and Auntie Ty and Mai, even Avatar Aang had once apologized to her for bumping her in passing.

But this apology was far unlike any she had heard before. Sasuke's voice was rich with sincerity and regret, and Soza got the feeling that so much was being passed through just those three words than he might have relayed with a thousand more.

The weight of everything piled heavily on her, and in a split second decision, where she weighed her pain and desperately grasped for relief, Soza put her arms around his neck and hugged him.

She didn't know much about physical comfort; her mother rarely offered it and it wasn't like the hugs she had seen other parents give their children, or how she saw Toph hug Ty Lee or Jin, or how Aang hugged Katara. She had hugged some of them too, though it often felt like nothing more than a formality, so as she hugged Sasuke, she tried to fathom how she was supposed to feel, how she was supposed to react to this.

From deep inside her gut, a helpless wave of hurt and pain rose up, swelling over her and crashing down in a cascade of misery. But Soza realized she would never have allowed this emotion to rise if her arms hadn't been wrapped around Sasuke then, as though his touch was allowing her to expel these feelings, these absolutely suffocating sensations of agony.

Her mind flashed with the violence she had just seen, the damage she had just seen dealt to Toph, the things she had been told, and the very identity of the man she was hugging and for what she believed might have been the first time in her life, she started sobbing. Huge, wracking shakes of anguished release came over her again and again as her tears spilled over Sasuke's shoulder and she held him all the tighter. There were no more thoughts of embarrassment, of humiliation over what she was revealing, just a sorrowful exhale of more grief, fear and pain then she ever imagined she might have been able to feel.

And as Sasuke's arms wrapped around her in turn, her sobs became even more pronounced and she allowed herself to fall apart in her father's arms.