There were moments, within those long seconds that passed above the Praying Mantis rooftop, when Aang almost lost his ability to breathe.

Zhao had shown up somewhere between all the chaos, trying to make sense from what had happened up in the air. On Ji and Loung were still up on the roof, puzzled and furious... and Aang exchanged a raised eyebrow with Katara, who looked just as baffled as he was. Sokka was going off critically about how this had been a terrible idea... but nobody seemed to be listening to him. Kids were still questioning, panicking up on the roof, and Aang even saw a mean look come from Smellerbee's thick eyeliner.

It was like she'd long concluded that this kid... this supposedly innocent kid whom Jet decided to befriend under the Oak Tree... was just bound to bring trouble into Praying Mantis High.

Aang's eyes shut tightly, looking back down to the crowd. Teo was being carried out of the woods by none other than Azula herself, which made the young airbender's throat go dry.

What was she doing?

Part of him wanted to Listen to Azula with full intent, to find any sort of evidence that she was the girl behind the air-gliding sabotage. But he couldn't. His head was aching, and the boy didn't need to guess that Azula's mind worked like a complex network of walls.

Aang just held his breath, watching Azula carefully place Mr. Mechanist's son back down to solid ground. Her grace amazed him, but Aang knew her intentions were brutal. He couldn't bear to watch his classmate get punished over a cultural activity that was supposed to be fun.

In one firm prod, Aang reopened his clam-shell glider and took off towards the buffing crowd, determination glimmering in his eyes. And On Ji and Loung immediately did the same.


"Let GO of me!"

Teo didn't care if his legs would fail him from standing up, because touching solid ground seemed more pleasant than the clutches of this person. He'd already recognized her as the former Class President... and by those glinting copper eyes that snarled at him from the ground, it seemed she was only hoping to reclaim her title.

Dozens of students ran over to Teo's direction as the boy crawled away from the graceful young woman who'd 'rescued' him. He heard voices coming all directions, asking him 'are you okay?' in their own words, but his eyes just searched for Toph. The little Earthbender had already gotten out of Ty Lee's arms, and she hurried over to Teo, she Earthbended a surprisingly large barrier between him and the other students... to keep her boyfriend from feeling any more flustered by the attention.

"Miss Crazy, you're gonna pay for this," was Toph's formal greeting to Azula's calm stance, as the little girl Earth-slid over to embrace Teo still on the ground. Ty Lee's gymnastic form had strangely disappeared back into the forest, and Toph felt nothing but good riddance.

"No need to sound so harsh, young lady," came a gruff voice.

Toph turned to the other direction, not having to second-guess the marching heels of Vice Principal Zhao that came closer and closer to them. Students were whispering again, making a space as their ruthless vice-principal surveyed the scene.

"Thank you, sir," Azula remarked in her velvety style, "I was just about to acknowledge how lucky these Non-benders were, since my campaign group was meeting inside the woods right before these air-contraptions became faulty."

"They weren't faulty!" Teo lashed out at Zhao, picking his weight up from the ground with his hands. "One of her friends sent arrows into the air."

"Settle down," Zhao continued. "Now did you manage to see who exactly sent those arrows?"

Mr. Mechanist had been running over from the crowd, trying to part a way with 'excuse me!'s to get to his son, but he did it so quickly that he almost shoved Zhao out of the way.

"Teo!" Mr. Mechanist hugged him immediately, not noticing the angry look at the Vice Principal's face. "Thank goodness you're alright!"

Zhao was gritting his teeth, exchanging a similar glare with Azula as the people from the roof suddenly appeared right behind the Mechanist, asking questions and huddling around Toph and Teo like a large clump. The other spectators couldn't help but whisper to each other, realizing that Azula... her friends... even the Vice Principal himself were all being pushed aside.

"Mechanist!" Zhao gripped the man violently at the shoulder, looking at the inventor's startled eyes like he would want nothing more than to burst him to flames. "Your little science prototypes almost cost the lives of non-bending students."

"Sir, I can assure you that these airgliders were designed and practiced on with the utmost care," Mr. Mechanist raised both his hands in a harmless way, keeping Teo completely out of Zhao's sight. Toph felt herself shake with frustration, and she could hear the to swift soaring of more gliders coming in.

"That doesn't matter, I'm holding you responsible for this ridiculous scheme," Zhao said with bite, glancing up at the sky to see Aang, Loung and On Ji gliding down towards the scene. "YOU KIDS GET OFF THOSE THINGS, NOW!"

"Vice Principal Zhao, there's no need to yell at them," Azula reproached in her usual fashion, right when Aang and the others landed. "They don't understand the dangers that come with teaching their unusual culture to the world. We shouldn't blame them for being so... different."

"We're not dangerous, lady!"

Loung didn't wait to speak his mind at the gritty-yet-elegant young woman. Aang was frowning, and On Ji kept her arm slightly in front of him, so as to prevent him from doing anything rash in front of the crowd.

"Airbenders have just as much a right to show their culture here in the school," Aang heard himself say calmly and firmly to the man. "Someone attacked the gliders with arrows in the woods. I don't know who did it... but it wasn't our fault!"

"It was a deadly mistake," Zhao crossed his arms, surveying the small group of airbenders. Suganya had made herself known within the crowd just then, bringing herself near her fellow friends of the sky. Zhao grimaced at her determined face, and he saw how the wheelchair boy's eyes were glaring at him like a deadly snake-owl. "And considering the trauma this has caused to many students in the school... I'll be banning these silly contraptions and any other demonstration your Waterbending colleague has planned."

"You can't do that, Zhao!"

Aang's silver eyes glimmered with so much fury, he could barely recognize his own voice as he yelled at the Vice Principal.

But the man remained calm, his arms crossed in that same intimidating way from the moment he'd first seen the Avatar-in-Training outside the attendance office. His voice returned to the usual gruff.

"All airbenders, please follow me to my office for questioning."

Zhao made a quick glance at Azula from behind him, and then proceeded to step forward, locking eyes with Aang to make sure the kid followed orders.

On Ji stayed near Aang's shoulder, but narrowing her eyes at the Vice Principal all the same. This after-school activity had turned into a deadly game of power and prestige. She knew this wasn't the time to be rash, and yet watching her airbending colleagues step reluctantly behind Zhao... On Ji could feel their peaceful nature slowly tearing itself apart.

Another uproar seemed to be brewing, of whispers and voices among the spectators that watched Zhao establish his rule to the powerless kids. Time seemed frozen, as Katara and Sokka stared down at the quiet commotion that was lingering between the young airbenders and the Vice principal himself. Their own waterbending culture was now being threatened by unspoken words, and Sokka could ultimately feel another migraine coming to his head.

"It was Longshot." was all Sokka could say, massaging his temples. "Azula threatened him into helping her, and he's the only kid I know with that good of an eye."

Katara sighed, shutting her eyes tightly. "God, this is a nightmare..."

Her hands were in fists as she leaned on the roof ledge, and this sudden revelation from her brother was making her practically out of breath. The fact that Aang, and these airbenders were getting punished over a mission she herself had started was becoming such a burden to her eyes.

She had to go to Zhao's office. She couldn't leave those kids hanging.

But right after Aang and the airbenders had left with Zhao, Katara felt her stomach tighten violently as Azula's voice suddenly overtook the crowd.


"My fellow friends and peers of Praying Mantis High..."

Azula maintained her elegant stance before the small crowd of kids that were still encircled outside the school. Of course, she had expected quite a few other people to show up after such a commotion in the sky... but perhaps this would have to do.

"We all understand that Avatar Roku, our principal, founded this institution centuries ago as a Fire Nation citizen, and while I understand that his intentions were for mere cultural integration... he did not overlook the outstanding consequences that his mission would entail. For the past few weeks, I have seen a vast amount of change within the Fire Nation citizens, the Water Tribes, the Earth-dwellers, and yes... even the small population of Air-benders at this school."

She noticed the Watertribe siblings staring down at her from the roof, and Azula grinned at herself proudly while seeing Katara's face go sour. The determination in her voice was raw and splendid, even though the crease between her copper eyes folded almost in anger.

"Let me remind you that I, for the past two years as Class President, have worked very hard in establishing a strong representation of non-benders at this school. I would like to mention one of my dearest friends and comrades, Ty Lee..." Azula's eyes quickly searched for the cheerleader within the crowd, but failed to find her, "...a proud Non-Bender who has taken great advantage on the extra-curricular activities that I myself had suggested. I have placed much passion in representing the non-bender community, and I hope to maintain a strong influence with each and every culture that is within the Pray Mantis community."

Mai was not in the crowd, much to Azula's surprise. She assumed that pathetic little headcase had decided to help her friend in the woods, instead... especially after that clear kick to the stomach Azula had successfully placed on him. Azula could not fathom the struggling that Mai must've been going through, trying to bring an injured Jet down from the trees without the essence of Bending. She could already imagine Mai gritting her teeth within those woods... helping that young man who was definitely not worth her time.

"There is one little subject I fear, and that is cultural dominance," Azula continued, admiring the loveliness of the blue sky just for a second, as she surveyed the crowd. Oddly, Katara's figure up on the roof had already disappeared, and that brought a great feeling to the Fire Nation princess's stamina. "Please do not make the mistake of thinking that I ask for this role by the absolute feeling of power, but instead.... see me as the most organized the most capable leader this school can ask for."

The young watertribesman's face had then left the rooftop as well, but Azula didn't mind... since nobody within the grounded crowd seemed to be leaving. The non-benders' votes were more crucial, anyway. If they could not trust a Water-tribe girl's mission, then all those votes would easily go to the opponent.

But then... something occurred to the princess across the distant school grounds. Among the many unfamiliar faces of people who'd managed to catch her in the middle of her eloquent speech, the girl's copper eyes rose at the sight of her mother.

Ms. Ursa had been standing against one of the corridor's pillars, her arms gracefully at her side and watching her estranged daughter speak.

Azula felt her words jump slightly from her throat, even as she noticed Zuko's familiar, frowning face take appearance next to their mother. They were like two ghosts taking shade under the roofed corridor of the school, judging Azula with the keenest and saddest of eyes.

"I... I cannot deny that I am a Fire Nation citizen," Azula struggled to keep her eloquence going, "Of Royal Blood. It is a part of who I am... and I expect that this experience will lead me to becoming a stronger leader for my country."

That was when a sudden rustling of feet came from the woods. The Fire Nation princess refused to look over her shoulder, as she knew the swift feet who'd decided to betray her this time.

"Longshot!" came a little husky voice from the rooftop.

Eyes turned puzzlingly to notice the lanky boy, subconsciously hiding his face from under a rice hat as he revealed his presence from the woods... and helping carry his Oak Tree leader in grunts. Mai look exhausted as well, holding Jet's weight consistently by his other arm, and she didn't even bother to look for Azula as they hit sunlight.

As the three of them made it out to the crowd, people seemed to stare oddly from Jet's painful state all the way to Azula's never-ending speech and unaffected eyes that glared at the crowd. They didn't know which scene was the most strange. The most grotesque to look at.

"We are....we all are a united people, but there is one thing preventing us from that union. The Avatar-in-Training." Azula said with bite, keeping herself in the moment, as much as it injured her voice to hear Jet's grunts in the background. "While my hope was to make the Airbenders better-represented... this boy was intending to make the Airbenders the most dominant of the school, and he plans to force us into that belief by the sheer amount of power he holds within the four elements and the Spirit World."

"Give it up, princess," Jet muttered under his painful breath as Mai set him down, "that kid has nothing to do with it. You're done sabotaging this school."

Azula felt her eyes glimmer only for a second, enraged at the daring presence of this Earthdweller she'd merely taken down with one blow. She turned to stare him in the face, keeping her cool beneath the flowing strands of hair that hung over her eyes.

"And under what false assumptions do you believe that I had anything to do with this?"

Students started mumbling things amongst each other again, but Jet remained calm, his dreary brown eyes sternly looking at the young woman who mercilessly left him injured.

"He told me," the boy jerked his head to locate Longshot, standing with his eyes still hidden.

Longshot's head slowly rose to meet Azula's eyes of fury. His own blackberry eyes stayed on her, disgruntled and full of unbelievable guilt.

"He did?" Azula questioned in her velvety tone, refusing to raise her voice. "This mute idiot?"

And the mumbling around them instantly got louder.

Mai's silver eyes fell thin with rage in a matter of moments. Ms. Ursa was just about to walk down the corridor steps to confront her daughter, when an arrow suddenly whipped out from Longshot's vest... and he lanced it just centimeters from Azula's shoes.

Azula stepped back, glaring at the arrow. The evidence.

A chorus of gasps wove in, leaving Ms. Ursa to stop dead in her tracks and reminiscing what this once-harmless boy from her History class had almost done.

Azula looked back at Longshot as if she had never crossed paths with the boy. Ever. And her voice came in a scraping sound that echoed her usual serenity.

"You just got yourself suspended."

"I don't care," Longshot replied softly, simply. He could barely take in the voices of Smellerbee and Pipsqueak as they finally made it to his side. "My deed is done; I'm not going to help you anymore."

"You pathetic little liar." Azula challenged the boy under grit teeth, with Rion Jon and Chan immediately bringing a defensive stance to her. "How dare you hold me responsible, when this was all your idea from the beginning?"

Nobody would counter-argue her, she thought. Nobody even dared to, by the startled looks of everyone's faces. They all seemed so innocent and raw before her eyes, as she looked at the massive crowd of kids.

"Non-benders..." Azula continued to exclaim, finding her own mother stare at her with grief-stricken eyes, "...trying to mark their own dominance in this school. That is precisely what I am trying to avoid from this mission. If you all believe that cultural unity is the safest way to run this school, then by all means... join the Waterbending peasant. Watch yourselves fall under her deadly trap."

Students looked at each other puzzlingly, and Zuko remained within the shade of the outdoor corridor, his copper eyes glimmering from the helplessness he saw unfolding from . He saw that in spite of everything their mother had attempted to keep sacred in their family... that trust she held deeply in her daughter was long gone.

She could no longer recognize her.

"Or..." Azula continued, without a moment's pause or afterthought. "If you believe that the Fire Nation should maintain its traditional sense of order and protection for this school - with the acknowledgment of all cultures - then consider my mission valuable. I shall get rid of this Avatar-in-Training... and I assure you... you will not be disappointed."

At that finished sentence, Azula made a respectable bow towards the people of Praying Mantis High, and marched... with a crowd of students involuntarily making a way for her and her colleagues to the woods.

Within seconds, the crowd dispersed. The Oak Tree kids reunited in calm breaths, but Longshot could barely look straight at Smellerbee. Her distorted glance at him seemed to have dozens of questions all at once... and the boy could hardly keep himself from tearing up like a wounded child. Instead, Longshot's eyes went to Jet, still sitting on the ground and grunting from the pain on his stomach.

Another visit to Nurse Yugoda was now necessary.


"I have half-a-mind of expelling you right here and now, Mister Avatar and friends, for placing such a ridiculous scheme into practice."

Aang was reluctant from yelling anything to Zhao, knowing that Katara was in the office with them (holding his hand!), and that Monk Gyatso's airbending philosophies would die in vain completely.

An airbender must always value patience in his life, regardless of the obstacles at hand.

"It wasn't our fault, Vice Principal Zhao," On Ji attempted meekly, keeping herself near Loung and Suganya while they awaited their fate.

Zhao grunted. "That doesn't matter. It's not my call to expel students, anyway."

Loung raised his eyes, his dreadlocks almost jumping in the background.

"Lucky for you kids, only Principal Roku has that power... and he's still out of office," Zhao muttered just loud enough for Aang and Katara to hear. "But I'm holding you air-kids under in-school suspension until he returns. No more of this bending nonsense, and absolutely no after-school activities."

On Ji gasped, looking at Suganya's upset stance with immediate alarm. No more Kyoshi dancing.

And the play? On Ji brought her eyes towards Aang saddened face, looking completely defeated and upset. No more OmaShu rehearsals to look forward to. They would have to imagine Kuzon kissing Katara from now on.

A large pebble was slowly taking shape in the girl's stomach.

Katara gripped Aang's hand tightly, wanting just as much to shout at Zhao, but feeling so much more guilty otherwise. She frowned, finally getting the courage to speak up.

"Vice Principal Zhao... don't blame the airbenders for this," Katara felt her throat get heavier with each word. "It was my idea."

All eyes turned to the waterbender, and Zhao furrowed his brows.

"I wanted students to get a taste of the airbending culture, and... and it backfired," Katara continued to say, "This was all because of my stupid campaign mission. I don't want anyone else to get hurt. Please... don't suspend them. Suspend me. I won't be in the OmaShu play anymore."

Aang flinched as he heard her speak, almost bringing the boy to tears by what it all had meant. Katara was giving up her after-school activity for the sake of keeping her campaign alive, and letting the airbenders free. It was the most selfless, most noble thing he had ever imagined.

Zhao studied the young waterbender questionably. "Does this mean you're forfeiting your campaign for Class Presidency?"

Katara blinked, but Aang finally stepped in and spoke. "No, she's not. She's the reason the airbenders had the guts to get together and do what we could to protect this school."

"Protect?" Zhao repeated almost laughably. "We already have a student patrol, not to mention a faculty of mastered benders. Why would we possibly need an airbending pa--"

And suddenly, a scrawny and panicky figure burst into Zhao's office door. Everyone flinched over to that direction, watching as the clumsy kid with disheveled hair scrambled over to On Ji... embracing her tightly.

She yelped, her arms locked at her sides. "Kuzon?"

"He tried to KILL me!!!" was his answer, and all the airbenders exchanged glances... immediately knowing who Kuzon was referring to.

Zhao sat up from his desk fiercely. "Who tried to kill you?"

Just a few seconds behind Kuzon came another figure through the door, in the shape of a tall, very calm girl that the airbenders knew too well.

"Brei An!"

Loung quickly approached her with a smile, but so did Suganya and Aang (reluctantly letting go of Katara's hand) practically ignoring Zhao's presence in the crimson dim room. They all hugged her, feeling like they'd been separated for half-a-continent from that dreadful afternoon.

"What happened to Hide?" Aang asked promptly, hearing Zhao's voice say something questionably in the background, but bringing his full attention to Brei An.

The slender girl remained quiet as she hugged Loung, but there were small bags under her eyes that Aang couldn't look away from. She was exhausted over something, but by the regular state of her clothes and her features... it seemed like Brei An had merely been battling within her own mind.

Or someone else's.

"He's alright; Ty Lee is with him." Brei An said soundlessly, not letting go of Loung as she looked over at On Ji. "I don't think he'll be bothering you anymore."

On Ji's eyebrows rose, and so did Aang's. Zhao then felt like he wasn't in his own office.

"Ty Lee, you said?" The Vice Principal demanded that all eyes turned to him once again.

"Yes," Brei An finally located the man sitting behind the desk. "She said she'll bring Hide into the office as soon as she's finished talking to him."

Brei An paused, glimpsing over at Aang to say something else.

"Oh! And she's an airbender, too."

Zhao muttered something along the lines of 'you gotta be kidding me...' and then pressed a fist on his own desk. "Alright, you kids get out of here before I get another migraine. Katara."

The waterbender stopped dead in her tracks as the other kids took their leave, locking blue eyes with the Vice Principal and feeling goosebumps sprout on her arms. She waited calmly to hear what he would say.

"You'll have in-school suspension for the next two weeks. No participating or planning activities, whatsoever... unless it deals with your Class Presidency campaign speech."

Aang lingered, catching every word from the foot of the door.

"But the campaign guidelines state that I have to say my speech before the entire school, right?" Katara then remembered out loud, eyeing Aang from the corner of the room.

"That is correct," Zhao replied promptly, crossing his arms.

"And it can be done at any time before election day... anywhere I feel is the most convenient?"

This time Katara crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at the Vice Principal. Zhao raised a brow, but nodded.

"Then I've made my decision," Katara held her breath, and Aang felt himself leaning slightly towards the office again in anticipation. "I'm going to say my Class Presidency campaign speech right after the production of The Tale of OmaShu is performed in the school auditorium in two weeks. The play is going to promote cultural unity, and it will be perfect for everyone to hear what I have to say."

Zhao's dark copper eyes almost dried up from not blinking, and the man could feel a twitch on his left brow. Aang immediately ran towards Katara to hug her by the waist in support, and the girl couldn't help but smile victoriously.

"You'll announce this to the entire school, right?" The boy asked in his naive little fashion.

Through gritted teeth, the man furrowed his eyes and muttered "Yes. Now get out."

And happily, the two students strolled out of the crimson red office of the Vice Principal... holding hands and feeling like they'd just conquered Ba Sing Se. It wasn't until he realized they were headed for OmaShu rehearsal... remembering Katara's unceremonious goodbye to her part of Oma... that Aang's stomach suddenly began to feel empty.


He watched his sister take her repulsive leave back into the woods, perhaps to plot some more unbelievable schemes that could threaten Katara's campaign. Zuko recoiled, knowing that something worse was bound to be in the works for the waterbender... that girl who would always be considered a rival to Azula. Now more than ever.

He had seen his own mother surrender out there within the crowd, admitting in absolute silence that she could no longer bring herself to understand Azula. She couldn't control that girl's desire for power. It seemed that Azula had always been her father's daughter... and Zuko didn't need to guess that within that eloquent speech... he'd seen his mother almost fall into tears by the depth that she sounded as Ozai.

The man who tried to claim his place as future Fire Lord... and who disappeared, when the request had been denied to him.

Zuko walked towards the school's medical clinic, refusing to follow his deadly sister's footsteps in the woods, in order to get the information he needed.

With a few twirls of a drumstick in his hand, the young man took a breath and knocked on Nurse Yugoda's office. A few lighthearted footsteps came up to the door and opened it.

It was the same girl with the red plait of hair who answered it. She looked frazzled, frozen by the presence of the last person she had expected to see... but nevertheless she blinked. Zuko glanced elsewhere, embarrassingly.

"Prince Zuko!" she felt a blush at her cheeks and slightly bowed her head to hide it. "I... are you hurt?"

"No, Song, I'm okay," the young prince replied, attempting to look past her head to locate any familiar faces. Song was still lingering at the open door, caving in awkwardly and not taking her light green eyes from the boy. "I'm just trying to find a patient... um... can I come in?"

"Oh," the girl blinked foolishly, "yes, of course! Forgive me." Feeling the warmth on her cheeks spread uncontrollably, Song stepped back to hold the door open for Zuko.

He walked down the clinic as casually as he could, and Song watched him intriguingly before closing the door, and hurrying back to tend to a nose-bleeding Earthbending football player. Every now and then, her curious green eyes would glance around the vast room to find him... and Zuko pretended to let that go unnoticed.

Zuko stepped past the young Earthbender girl, shaking in fright into nothingness, and drinking what looked like some jasmine tea with the boy in the wheelchair. The prince glanced sadly, but his focus was on the Oak Tree clan, and he moved forward. He found Mai crowded around with them as Jet was reclined on a hospital bed. Nurse Yugoda was tending to the charismatic Earthdweller, shirtless and bruised all over his stomach.

And Zuko frowned as he approached the patient, realizing that some of those marks were not bruises at all. They were burns.

His instincts had been correct.

"How many times did you say this woman hit you?" Nurse Yugoda asked suspiciously while bending some water over Jet's stomach.

Jet grunted under his breath as he answered, "Just once... but it feels like it could've been twenty... -- oh, hey man."

The Earthdweller had finally seen Zuko enter the circle around the hospital bed, and Mai looked up with a startled eye. One of her hands had been holding Jet's, and Zuko noticed her slight hesitation to move it away.

"I need to ask you about what happened in the woods." Zuko asserted to Jet. "How did my sister attack you?"

"Princess Azula did this?" Nurse Yugoda asked, flabbergasted.

"Yeah, and that girl's still walking around school property like nobody's business," Jet commented sarcastically, then putting his full attention on Zuko. "She just came in from nowhere! The next thing I knew... her feet were punching my stomach. I felt like it was burning... like she'd split me in two."

Zuko frowned, examining the wound as Nurse Yugoda kept the water over Jet's frame. "Both of her feet came at you at once?"

Jet nodded. "And she was quick as hell. She got Teo and was out of sight before I could lift my head up."

"You're lucky," the nurse commented in her studious voice, "I don't sense any internal bleeding…but I suggest you steer clear from intense physical movement for a while."

"Aw, looks like our crazy sex fest is gonna have to wait, Sharpy." Jet's eyes nudged at Mai, who blushed and looked like she was about to punch him. Nurse Yugoda stared at them appallingly. "I'm kidding! Sheesh, whatever happened to a good laugh...?"

Fortunately, Zuko hadn't heard any of that. His mind was wandering elsewhere... at the idea that his sister used an unbelievable amount of Shaolin force in order to do one simple task. A mere kick in the stomach had almost proved fatal; only an idiot would go to that extremity without meaning it.

And Azula was no idiot.

"Mai, I need to talk to you," he rasped to the other side of the hospital bed. The pale girl stared up at Zuko, with the blush finally fading her cheeks. She seemed reluctant at first, to let go of Jet's hand... but she got up anyway, and they quietly walked towards one of the open windows in the clinic.


"Okay guys, so we have exactly TWO WEEKS before showtime, and we still need a ton of polishing to do, now that we changed a few things around…"

Haru was doing his best to bellow his voice to the bustling crowd of kids in the theater. Katara had invited Yue and a few of her tennis mates to the rehearsal… figuring out what bending routine would look good for the representation of the Water Tribe. Sokka seemed to be doing his own thing, putting his warrior costume together without saying anything to Suki just a few feet away. Neither, Hide, nor Chan nor Rion Jon had not shown up (much to anyone's surprise) but On Ji still worked intensely in sewing their warrior costumes, with Kuzon helping her and talking nonstop near the stage. Suganya was stretching her leg muscles with the other Kyoshi onstage, those who'd volunteered for this alternate OmaShu production… but she couldn't help but look over worriedly at Haru, who glanced around like any corner of the set would suddenly burst into flames.

And then there was Aang, sitting meditatively onstage… trying to recite his lines while blocking out the noise that echoed along the walls. Trying to imagine that staged kiss between On Ji and himself as the simplest, most meaningless task he would ever do.

But he stomach still felt empty.

"I'm sorry I won't be able to kiss you anymore."

Her voice entered his thoughts like a warmest of sunshine against his skin, and Aang opened his eyes with a grin, meeting her icy blue labyrinth as if it were the first encounter… months ago.

"You mean onstage?" Aang replied teasingly.

Katara blushed and laughed that musical laugh, sitting down next to him without hesitation.

"I'm sorry, too!" The boy nudged a shoulder to Katara's arm, letting the awkwardness between them disappear even more. "I mean, you worked so hard to memorize those lines… and now you won't even get to say them!"

"Yeah," Katara sighed, "but On Ji's been a great understudy. She loves everything about this play. I know she'll do an amazing job as Oma."

Aang nodded, but sadly, staring briefly at his feet as they hung from the edge of the stage.

"Katara, I... I don't have to kiss her... if you don't want me to," he said in a slightly uncomfortable tone as he met her eyes again.

She smiled, leaning even closer bringing an arm around the boy's shoulder to hug him. "The kiss is the most important part of the play, Aang! And with two airbenders, it'll symbolically show how strong your culture really is... how you won't back down without a fight."

The boy stared up at her oddly, and she laughed again. His heart was practically melting as she spoke.

"It's just acting, Aang. Go with whatever you feel is right."

Without even warning him, Katara leaned over and kissed him tenderly on the cheek. The boy suddenly couldn't feel his own toes, even after her lips had long left his skin.

"Actually," she then started, putting a bit of space between them, "I wanted to ask you something."

Aang gazed up at her, raising both eyebrows curiously.

"See... there's this dance that our school puts up at the end of each year…"


"That bruising wasn't an accident, Mai," Zuko argued under his gritted teeth, "You know how brutal my sister is. I think she did it to try and get to you."

"But she wouldn't dare go up against me," Mai snapped in her husky voice, her arms crossed near the windowsill. The fact that they were standing so close was strangely making her uncomfortable. "I have as much stealth as she does... and I'm not even a bender, Zuko."

"I know," the boy acknowledged that fierce, deadly eye of Mai. "But think for a second. Ever since this guy came into your life... you've been different. She believes you have a weakness."

The girl frowned, looking intensely at Zuko's concerned copper eyes. "Do you think I'm weak?"

It took him a second to study the intensity of her voice. He could actually see this new Mai filtering through that firm, narrow glance of hers. The Oak Tree Clan had done wonders. She wasn't that same quiet, withdrawn... mysterious girl he had once felt so attached to.

"Not at all," he rasped just enough for her to catch.

Mai sighed and turned towards the sunlight at the window, her copper eyes glimmered with intent. "I'm not afraid of your sister."

Zuko found himself nodding without any more argument, knowing that he could not force her to do anything out of her own will. All he could do was speak his mind.

"I won't stop you from seeing him," his eyes were firm as he looked at her. "I'm just asking you, as a friend... to be cautious."

And she nodded in return, looking down at Zuko's hand that rested on the windowsill and letting her own hand touch it with reassurance. She didn't say a word, except look him in the eyes with full understanding... before she left to return to Jet's side.

Zuko remained where he was, taking a moment to look out the window and believe that whatever Azula had in mind for Mai, or Katara, or for even that young airbending kid… it would fail to be executed.

That was when he noticed a rather strange figure wandering around the outskirts of Mr. Mechanist's laboratory building. A man with a third eye tattooed on his forehead… who stared up at the rickety building… as if debating whether or not it would collapse on its own.


A/N - whew, lots of shipping drama! I feel bad because I kinda left some characters out there in the cold, but you'll see more of them later. Toph and Sokka will play major roles again, I swear! More bending battles in the next one. Hugs! --MM