The meeting with his mother and Uncle had passed just as quickly as he imagined, remembering bits of phrases that were exchanged in the History classroom while he sat on one of the steps near the courtyard.

"I think The Royal Fire Academy for Girls will be the best for her," he recalled his mother's lighthearted, defeated voice. "They have always had a strong reputation for leadership-training; perhaps that is where she belongs."

Zuko plucked out a few bits of the grass, inflaming them with the heat of his palm as he kept hearing the conversation in his mind. It seemed to make logical sense, sending his sister away to a place that would better suit her... but he didn't understand why he'd questioned it.

Mom... I don't think sending Azula away is going to change anything about her. His eyes had thinned to Ms. Ursa, and Uncle even flinched by the honesty that came in Zuko's usually-rough prince had pressed a hand to his burned cheek, resisting the attempt to bring up those brawls that had occurred from the moment Fire Lord Ozai had lefttheir lives.

Zuko watched the little grass blades curl into burnt crisps in his hand, remembering... wondering how those numerous episodes of rage had been possible in an eight-year-old girl without wearing her thin. And wondering how... perhaps if his own pride had not been too great... it could've all been prevented.

Taking in a difficult breath as he remembered one more thing he'd proclaimed to his mother.

She's going to think we abandoned her, too.

"Prince Zuko!"

He jerked his head up at the sound of his name, spotting On Ji as she was air-skating over to him from the school's and Xai were running right behind her in alarm.

Zuko cursed a 'dammit' under his breath. I had OmaShu rehearsal today, didn't I...

He picked himself up from the stairwell, ready to face Haru and his ever-dramatic lecturing... but one distraught look from On Ji told him that this didn't had nothing to do with OmaShu.

"It's Aang," On Ji said, almost panting with her words coming out in slight tremors. She could barely look at Zuko in the eye. "He... he Spoke to me."

Zuko raised a brow - as if he'd missed something cryptic - looking over at Suganya for some assurance that On Ji wasn't going crazy. Xai slapped a hand to his shaking head from a corner.

"He said he was going to be late for rehearsal," On Ji continued without taking a break for explanations, "Something about protecting Katara."

The little girl's voice was turning rigid, and Suganya took over by the quick glace Zuko had made to her.

"On Ji's came over to me in the middle of my OmaShu dance to ask if I could get a Listening on Azula."

"Listening?" Zuko's eyes were falling from confused to over-the-top fluster as he looked over to the emotionally distant Xai to the very right. Xai seemed to understand fully well what she'd been talking about, but a hand was still covering his face like a headache. "What the hell--?"

"Dude, chill, okay?" Xai immediately moved the hand towards Zuko to shush him. "It's an Airbending sort of – thing. Anyway, we think Azula's about to knock out your girlfriend."

"She's not my--" Zuko blinked, lacking breath to finish that 'girlfriend' comment as he noticed On Ji's face get covered shamefully by her hands. "What're you talking about? Where is she?"

His mind was already forming a dark whirlwind of possibilities, as he turned from one airbender to the other... feeling his heartbeats quicken in his chest from numerous unsaid questions. He no longer thought about his mother, or Uncle, or even the rash possible whereabouts of his sister. All he could think about was the safety of a certain girl who'd once gotten him out of the rain.

Suganya comforted On Ji by the shoulders, speaking up again.

"I tried to Listen, but Azula's mind is closed off... like she was focusing too deeply on something else. It was like staring at a brick wall--"

Xai groaned annoyingly at the Kyoshi girl. "Will you please skip the analogy and get to the damn point? This guy's face is gonna explode."

Zuko could feel the warmth brewing in his flustered face, turning to On Ji as her eyes stayed hidden from her bangs. As difficult as it was, she finished what Suganya was saying.

"This Combustion wacko's gonna blow up the lab," Xai finished instantly with his arms crossed to Zuko, "and I'm pretty sure it's no coincidence your sister invited him to do it, right when she's about to deal with her election rival."

Zuko stared at Xai quizzically, wondering where that bitter tone of voice was coming from. Nevertheless he brought himself back up to a stance, looking out towards the area of Praying Mantis where an angle of the lone Mechanist's lab was still standing half a mile away.

"But what does confronting Katara have to do with Aang?"

He was just about to say something else, when a rough-yet-withered voice suddenly broke in.

"Azula's gonna take him into the Forest."

They all turned... and there was Hide, walking in a slight limp into their presence from the school.


I will attempt to make this sound as persuasive as possible:

Katara could practically hear Azula's voice echo out of thin air, as the letter's words continued to travel along her worried mind while she ran to the Mechanist's laboratory.

Suppose we have an opportunity to speak. No tricks... no bending. Just one fellow candidate to another, defending her potential title before the big vote is made next week. Perhaps this little chat will give us a better understanding of what Praying Mantis school ultimately needs, and let us agree that by the end of this talk... ONE of us shall back down.

The girl sprinted over to the back-door of the building, panting in breath and making absolutely sure that nobody could spot her. Katara clutched the water pouch strapped to her back, reassuring to herself it was still there.

I propose that we meet in the Mechanist's empty laboratory right after today's last gong. I shall be waiting in the man's central office on the second floor. Please take this proposal with good caution; I would hate to see the Avatar-in-Training suffer terribly due to your bad judgement.

Come alone.

That was the last thing Katara could recall, as the letter stayed crumpled in her hand like so much trash. Her brows furrowed, overlooking the height of the Mechanist's red-brick laboratory building and the contrast it made to Praying Mantis's Gothic stone exterior in the distance. There an ominous air drifting along her ears, but Katara ignored it terribly, knowing she had to face this woman before anyone else... before Aang... would get hurt.

Katara gripped the handle of the rickety wooden door, and entered the gray, dusty catacombs of the laboratory.


Zuko and Xai stood furiously towards Hide, keeping On Ji in their protective reach as Suganya's hands held two open Kyoshi fans. On Ji herself glared at Hide curiously but fiercely within the trio of kids who were involuntarily guarding her.

Hide remained in his limping stance, his face looking old and defeated as he stared back at them.

Xai grit his teeth, shielding On Ji's frame with an arm. "You step any closer and I'll blow your head off, asshole."

"I'm not gonna hurt you guys, okay?" Hide's eyes were lingering bitterly to each of them, and he practically avoided On Ji's gaze. "I just... I want to help you."

"Help us?" Suganya almost cracked a laugh. "Brei An might've gotten the better of you, but you really expect us to trust you, now that you suddenly say you want to help us??"

"How do we know this isn't another one of my sister's tricks?" Zuko rasped harshly, feeling the burnt skin on his face go numb.

Xai stepped forward at that, as if about to lay the first blow on Hide while the tanned Firebender frowned and just remained exhausted-looking.

"Look... if you don't want to listen to me, that's your problem," Hide avoided On Ji's gaze at all costs, holding onto what seemed like a bruised arm as he stepped back defensively. He glared over at Zuko. "Personally, I'm done dealing with Azula's crazy shit, but I figured you should know... she's gonna kill the kid."

"What!?" On Ji's throat went dry, her eyes glimmering with worry.

"The Avatar-in-Training or whatever..." Hide continued without acknowledging On Ji, comforting his bruised arm with a grunt. "She wanted me to take him into the forest with the other guys while she dealt with the Water girl, and when I told her 'no'... she got disappointed."

Hide grit his teeth as he looked down at the grass, comforting his arm by perhaps bruises that were covered by his sleeves. On Ji's eyes thinned towards the arm, as if she'd mentally discovered the reason behind his limping and his hidden bruises. Azula didn't take rejection very lightly, after all.

"Azula was baiting the Water girl to try and capture the kid. She was gonna trap her inside the lab, and give her a few minutes to resign from the election... or else, she wouldn't set her free."

"Wait a minute..." Xai's hands fell from their defense in fright. "That's not fair! If the lab's supposed to get demolished, that means if Katara doesn't resign... she'll...?"

Suganya and Zuko exchanged frightened glances as Xai exclaimed exactly what they were thinking, while On Ji covered her mouth in disgust. Hide just muttered 'good job, air-head,' and it sent Xai almost flying off the ground in rage.

Thank goodness On Ji had brought herself between the two guys, airbending them both out of range while Suganya shouted off how unnecessarily immature those two were being. Zuko grit his teeth and leapt a fire slash between Xai and Hide, hoping to prevent any new damage to get to On Ji while he settled the matter.

"We have to get to Aang before Azula does." On Ji said out of breath, clasping Zuko's arm at her side. "I can get there quickly in the forest with my air-skates."

"What about Katara?" Suganya claimed, unfolding her fans towards the distant laboratory.

"You're right," Zuko rasped. "Someone needs to stop that Combustion Man from firing while someone else gets her out of there."

"Xai and I are the strongest Listeners," Suganya said automatically, realizing that time was of the essence. "We can locate Aang in the forest and Speak to the other airbenders to come help. On Ji should go with you... she's the best air-bender out of all of us."

Hide raised a brow. "What about me?"

Xai glared at the firebender, murmuring a "we don't need you, jerk."

"Guys that's ENOUGH!" On Ji raised her voice once and for all, turning over to her ex-boyfriend. "If you really want to help, go turn yourself in to Vice Principal Zhao, and explain what Azula and all her Fire Nation henchmen have been up to this past year. Maybe that will make him see the light!"

Zuko couldn't help but smirk in agreement, watching On Ji practically spit her words out to a speechless Hide.

"Good," Xai commented proudly from the side. "Now let's go get some friends."


"You make this so easy, peasant."

It was what Katara first heard as she boldly entered the dark, abandoned laboratory of Mr. Mechanist. There was hardly any light coming into the place, and the voice came almost like an echo by how everything had been emptied out -- except for the few scraps of carbon paper scattered on the ground.

The laboratory wasn't a maze to get into, really, but with the eerie silence and abandonment that Mr. Mechanist had left to it... Katara had to hold her breath to meet the voice that was waiting for her just nearby, in the main laboratory.

Her eyes -- despite the lack of light -- were still holding their copper brilliance as they met her WaterTribe rival. And Katara refused to blink out of conscience as they met in that vast room.

"I knew you'd follow directions and come alone... being as noble as you are," Azula then said, her velvety voice sounding less echoed as she stood just a few feet away from Katara. The princess crossed her arms and her legs as she sat formally on Mr. Mechanist's old desk, as if it were a substitute for her Fire Nation throne. "But you decided to sneak in one of your small water pouches, just in case. What's the matter... don't you trust me?"

"Shut up," Katara said flatly, "You said you wanted to talk, so let's talk."

"Mind your manners, peasant," Azula responded, uncrossing her legs and bringing her sitting stance sharply at the girl. "I will get to the bottom of this, and I would like to make some things perfectly clear."

Katara lowered her stance defensively, as Azula gracefully propped off the desk and walked to her direction.

"First off... I want you to stay away from my brother," the girl said with an unusual bite. "You've poisoned his mind long enough, and it is my job to remedy him."

She felt her heart quicken as the princess spoke so viciously about Zuko, and Katara didnot let that stop her from glaring at the girl. She hoped that her glimmering blue eyes would maintain themselves fully throughout this talk.

"And second... I am not trying to destroy this school," her copper eyes shimmered as she spoke. "You are."

"How–?" Katara's eyebrows were rising ballistically. "How can you be so deranged as to tell me I'm the one trying to--"

"Because you are challenging an authoritative tradition has passed through Praying Mantis High since the moment Avatar Roku decided to establish it." Azula explained eloquently, without so much as raising her clear voice. "Fire Nation citizens have always maintained order at this school. It's our nature to be more organized and sophisticated than all of you... others. The Fire Nation is the world's youngest civilization, and therefore has the ability to bring progress in the smallest of communities... including Praying Mantis High School. Having you as the student body president will only make things worse."

"What're you talking about, Azula?" Katara felt her hands grip more tightly. "I've been trying to make a difference here! Ever since you were elected president two years ago... all you've cared about is yourself, and your Fire Nation background. Did it ever occur to you that, maybe... there were other cultures in this school that needed to be represented?"

"I am doing my best to fulfill their needs."

"Like HELL you are!" the watertribe girl could feel her hairloops flailing slightly as she shook her head. "You've never approached anyone about their personal heritage! This school needs to show its diversity; Avatar Roku created Praying Mantis for that reason! God... did you ever open your mom's History book?"

"Do not bring my mother into this, peasant!" Azula's voice suddenly turned rigid, "And don't patronize me about my own Nation's history. I've taken Avatar Roku's mission into full consideration... we still celebrate your culture's holidays and festivals throughout the year. I even funded the non-bending activities and competitions."

"That's not the point, Azula," Katara narrowed her eyes and softened her voice to keep herself steady. "Funding activities for different cultures is not the same as appreciation. Youtraumatized the airbenders. You don't think they matter at all... do you?"

"No, I don't," the princess responded cooly, and Katara's eyebrow twitched. "They don't belong at our school, what with their ridiculous customs and their mental abilities. I felt it necessary to demonstrate those reasons through the Welcoming Ceremony... but of course, you had to try and save the day. I was scaring them so they would understand this is not the place for them."

Katara could feel her throat turning dry, speaking exasperated and angry. "How could you do that? Azula... the Airbenders are the oldest civilization in the world, and you don't respect them. You almost made them believe the Avatar was against them."

"The Avatar is against them," Azula said coolly."He is the one threat from keeping the traditional order that Praying Mantis has always had."

"AANG IS NOT A THREAT!" Katara finally spoke her mind with the right amount of volume."He's been so sweet and helpful since the day I met him, Azula. He wanted to bring the airbenders out of their shells and finally get some diversity back into this school!"

"I assumed you would say that," Azula brought a cunning little grin to the side of her mouth, as if upholding a little secret in her mind. Her keen ears had already grabbed the sound of curious rustling outside... and the princess smiled to herself even more... as her mind suddenly felt pulled by an unseen force.

She knew this force was in the shape of a young boy.

Those instincts never failed her. This was all happening as she had planned it.

"Well, everyone else seems to believe me," Katara continued flatly and sarcastically, crossing her arms. "Aang's going to be great Avatar someday, and I'm not going to let you hurt him."

Katara was about to let herself out, but suddenly, the grin in Azula's face became wider - much more acknowledgeable. The girl involuntarily brought a hand near her unopened waterpouch, ready for the worst... but the moment Azula eyed Katara's readiness, the princess just... laughed.

She laughed, amused and amazed by such naivete of this water peasant who dared to believe she had all the qualities of a natural-born leader.

Who STILL believed she was protecting a certain young boy from any danger.

His footsteps crept into the abandoned laboratory yards away, and Azula spotted him by her quick, unquestionable eye. Any moment now, Rion Jon and Chan would crawl out from the hedges near the lab, carrying blindfolds and a beating stick... and Azula softened her laugh at that glorious thought... revealing a noisy set of chains that had been hanging at the back of her waistband.

And the water girl blinked.

"KATARA!!!"

Aang didn't hear the volume of his voice, because his feet had noisily leapt wildly in the air at the first sight of those chains.

But strangely, he was held back immediately... by two pairs of strong arms that sprung out from the entrance of the lab.

"Aang?" Katara turned her head at the distant voice, hoping that it was just her imagination. The next thing she saw was Aang's face being smothered by a thick blindfold on his face... his legs kicking and his whole body quaking by the carry of two familiar henchmen. They were forcefully taking the boy back out into the sunlight.

She saw a large wooden stick come over his head.

"AANG! NO--"

But Katara felt the gash come to her head on the first step she took towards the entrance. It was a metallic blow... a chain. And Katara felt herself hitting the floor, a hand caressing the back of her neck as she turned back to look at Azula.

She was smiling... the thick silver chain dangling from her hands like a toy. Azula smiled, because she had aimed precisely at the root of the head. Perfect for disorientation.

Thank you, Mai.

Katara didn't let herself fall dizzy. She grit her teeth towards Azula, opening her waterpouch to attempt a clumsy freezing technique with her free arm... but Azula was already a step ahead. She leapt over Katara's incoming hand and jabbed the girl's spine before she even stepped back in defense.

Thank you, Ty Lee.

The chain was coiled around her arm now, and Azula watched as Katara stumbled backwards, falling first on her knees... and then to her full side on the ground.

She struggled, much to Azula's impression, trying to get up with the use of one hand. But the princess no longer categorized it as a threat. She just smiled as Katara laid there on the cold, dusty floor, her wavy disheveled hair now covering her face unceremoniously.

And as Katara laid helplessly on her side, breathing heavily, all she saw were the graceful footsteps of a princess approaching her... snatching the waterpouch away... and kicking some of those dusty papers to the girl's face.

She felt her mouth get covered up tightly by a hankerchief... her body dragged... her hands forcefully being chained to a pipeline.

Aang... was all she could say in her mind. Stay strong. Don't worry about me. I'll be okay... She felt tears well up in her blue eyes, dripping to the ground. Her world suddenly became a blur, where all she heard were her rapid heartbeats and the velvety voice of Azula.

"If you'll excuse me, I have some business to discuss with the Avatar-in-Training. You have teen minutes to claim your withdrawal from the student election, by ringing this little bell."

A small golden object was carefully placed on Katara's twitching hand.

"If the bell doesn't sound, then I'm afraid Combustion Man will believe this laboratory is completely empty, and he will have no choice but to do what he's been paid for."

Katara felt her chest jump in painful breaths, her eyes swelling more with tears as she abstractly watched Azula's feet march out the door.

She let another small metallic cylinder bounce to the floor, and Katara heard the tiny roll of parchment contained inside it. A letter. Katara flinched in pain.

Another letter. A... suicide note?

Azula kept walking away from the chained-up girl, unaware of the fright and unspeakable hate that was brewing from those blue eyes.

"Let's hope you survive."


Aang's vision was hazy, but he automatically recognized the woman's thin copper eyes who stood a few feet away... as well as the tiny Fire-Bended flames that Chan had formed distantly behind her.

His head was aching, unsure of how much time had past since he'd approached Mr. Mechanist's lab. The forest around him seemed to tease him with darkness and filtering light... like being within a large nest of interwoven bark. The only moving image he saw was Azula, and her cunning powerful smile.

The boy turned to look behind him... and there was Rion Jon, holding the same tiny flames.

Zuko mentioned these flames before, Aang recalled in his aching mind. They were supposed to mark the arena of an Agni Kai.

"Well, Avatar," Azula said it teasingly, as she looked down at the kneeling boy with sincere interest. "You are quite the prodigy after my own heart. Rumors say that you have already mastered well into all of the Bending elements... Would you care to demonstrate them for me?"

"Where's Katara?" Aang grumbled in pain, feeling his head swell under the pressure of every second. When Azula refused to reply, the boy gruntingly got himself up and turned around in as much balance as he could muster.

His eyes were staring into a blur, and the denseness forest was almost playing onto him like an optical illusion. Aang had no idea how far into the woods Azula and the others had taken him, but even if he felt dizzy, and weak... even if his running legs would wander off lost in those trees... one thing was abundantly certain.

Aang was not going to stay.

"She can take care of herself, for now," Azula finally said after a moment's pause, bringing the boy's angry look back to her. "But in the meantime, you should consider how much you value your own life. Your existence. The Avatar is supposed to be the most powerful Bender in the world.... and I would like to see you prove it."

The boy brought a palm to his forehead, trying to see square at the mad princess while she stood casually. "I'm not gonna Bend for you just to show you how good I am."

"Why? Are you afraid I'll be better than you?" Azula taunted. "That does not sound like the boldness this world would like to expect from its future leader."

"The Avatar DOESN'T FIGHT!" Aang shouted angrily, with grit teeth as he noticed Chan smiling in the background. His airbending mind was still useless to Listening, but he could practically sense the bitterness coming off of Azula at the refusal of a duel. "You know, I thought you were the coolest bender when I first came here... but now you're nothing but a crazy, mindless, two-headed rat-viper. You hurt people for no reason! What did I ever do to you?"

"You devastated the reputation of the Fire Nation," Azula thinned her eyes, intrigued but untouched. "The Avatar may be the divine medium of this world, but frankly, I don't think we need You to run our lives... or interfere with the progress the Fire Nation could place in this world."

Aang blinked. He felt the bruising from his head clear away, attempting to read the very thoughts coming from this enraged girl.

"W–what're you talking about?"

"EVERYTHING!"

Azula's hands instantly rose with matching blue flames, but not without a slight glistening from her copper eyes. It was barely noticeable, but Aang caught it like a wandering white moth.

"If you hope to save a water peasant, Mr. Avatar," Azula spoke in a velvety, enraged voice, "I suggest you build up the courage to face me, first."

At that, Azula launched her first fire whip of blue, and Aang - with the headache still clouding his mind - jumped out of the way in a dodge, attempting to take Zuko's training to good use.


Her eyes were closed, as minutes seemed to pass like hours in the confinements of an abandoned laboratory. Katara grasped the little bell in her hand, imagining the ridiculous words that were encased in that silver capsule on the floor. She couldn't feel her arms, dangling up by the tightness of the chains that held themselves up on the pipeline.

Footsteps from the outside consumed her mind, particularly from a metallic foot that always seemed to hit the ground by force. She then heard the minuscule drops of a liquid falling out from the distant pipelines, and her heart pounded rapidly. She gripped at the chains that held her, knotted up exceedingly well on the thick pipeline, growling from the fact that her arms were useless... and she still couldn't feel her legs.

"GET AWAY FROM THE LAB!"

Her eyes bolted open, still glistening with exhausted tears as she heard that familiar voice calling from the outside light. Zuko? The bell still grasped in her hand banged against the pipeline, as an alternative response to her useless voice... her mouth tied up from Azula's hankerchief.

Combustion Man's metallic foot stomped, clearly overwhelmed by this new company, just before the first of his blasts hit a corner of the building. The waterbender screamed under the cloth that held her voice, fighting against the chains to try and free herself, as hopelessly as it seemed.

It was certainly more than one pair of feet she heard running towards that laboratory, and Katara gripped up at the chains to bring her weight further up the pipeline... to catch a glimpse of the others who'd stood beside Toph in this deadly rescuing.

She saw the tiny form of On Ji, with her airskates incoming and defensively sending gushes of air towards the Combustion Man. And Toph's bullying demeanor came to try and control the demolition of the building with her Earthbending fists.

From the rumbling, Katara felt like the Earth itself was shaking, pieces of ceiling crackling like dust over her eyes as she tried to spot the commotion outside through a window.

"Toph, can you see where she is?"

On Ji's voice was distinctly heard, and Katara angrilly pushed herself further up the pipeline, holding her numb legs as firmly as she could to spot Combustion Man and whoever was stopping him from sending anymore blasts.

"Yeah... she's in the central office... but she's tied up! I can't Bend her out of there!" Toph's sturdy legs crouched in concentration, to keep the building's second floor from collapsing.

Suddenly, a blast entered through an upstairs window, and Katara flinched at the sight of smoke that was slowly spreading through the ceiling. It was dark gray, and thick.

"On Ji, hold him off with those airblasts. Toph, keep a close grip to those blasts... HANG ONTO THE BUILDING--"

"Don't tell me how to do my job, Captain!" the little Earthbender's flustered voice shouted to Zuko, beyond the wall. "Now go save her before she gets burnt to a crisp."

A rustling of footsteps got closer and closer, and the girl positioned herself further up the pipe to locate where Zuko must've been coming from.

"KATARA!?"

She muffled a screaming response through the handkerchief, banging on the pipeline with her chain to try and outdo the noise of the incoming fire. She could already feel her arms bruising from the actions, but Katara didn't care. All she cared about was the smoke that was already making her vision foggy.

The waterbender could sense Zuko's determined steps within that labyrinth of a building, and she moved her head around to see beyond the smoke that was crackling the pipes. She knew that as much as Toph could try and hold the building together, it wouldn't stop the fire from burning whatever was inside. Katara felt her throat run dry through the cloth, and the smoke impelled her to cough.

All she could think about was Aang, then... wondering if the boy had managed to free himself from Azula's deadly game before it was too late. She prayed that his Avatar State had not gone out of control.

Aang was clever, she reluctantly welled up in her eyes; whether they came from the smoke or outside noise of the chaos, Katara couldn't tell. Aang would survive. He had to.


It all came like a badly-rehearsed carnival from hell.

The boy stumbled towards the rooted ground in a heap mess, the skin on his arms scraped red by Azula's powerful flame. The bruising had sunk deep into young muscles, it almost made the color of his iconic tattoos look purple.

His airbending clothes were torn and shred by the burns, but the girl didn't seem to slow down in her fight whatsoever. She even chuckled a little, approaching him again with an ease for amusement.

"You must be joking," Azula sneered, talking in dramatic flair. "THIS is supposed to be the most powerful bender in the world?"

As he got up and staggered back into, Aang could see the astounded look in Rion Jon by the corner of his eye. Even with his dark Fire Nation henchmen clothes, Aang could easily read the guy's mind.

The newfound fury in Azula was terrifying him.

"Pathetic." Azula grit her teeth as she acrobatically jumped and wheeled a high flame from one of her feet towards the boy.

In all the strength he could muster, Aang stood his ground, feeling the solid Earth grab onto his ankles like glue. He locked his arms and silently summoned for a wall of Earth to rise in front of him like a concave arc. Aang held his breath as he felt the heat of Azula's flame pass over the arc, and he immediately broke the arc into pieces... Bending them towards the girl.

Thank you, Toph.

Azula leapt away in surprise, her brows furrowing as her feet kicked the large bits of rumble off-course. As Aang revealed himself to her again, his face looked more firm than ever. His eyes were thinning with anger, as if he were already calculating her next move. She summoned a whip-like flame from her hand, elongating it with a swish of her wrist towards the sky right before she aimed it to Aang.

But Aang grit his teeth and placed an arm strategically out to receive the blue Fire-whip in undulating ease. Right when his hand grabbed it, Aang jerked the wrist back towards Azula... focusing all of his energy towards the opponent... and the blue Fire-whip soon tranformed into an ivory brilliance.

The fire had become Aang's fire. Holding onto the powerful flame, Aang swished it strategically back towards Azula in powerful energy. It brought the girl out of balance, stumbling back in her own defense as the Fire whip now held itself under Aang's control. She was about to spark another Fire-whip for good measure, but the boy refused to wait.

Aang's eyes were glimmering in silver, and as Rion Jon and Chan stared in deep awe... they could barely recognize that frightened, lost little boy they had brought into the woods. His nostrils were practically flaring as the ivory Fire-whip came at Azula a second time... from three different directions.

Azula jumped, impressed by the three fire-whips this boy had mastered with one throw. She missed them easily, but was almost thrown out of focus by the amazing amount of light the ivory whip had created against the dark forest.

What she wasn't expecting was a second Ivory Fire-whip to form itself into Aang's other hand, and Azula lifted her eyes... shocked.

The boy's natural learning ability was flawless.

Aang could feel his heart racing through his chest as he ran towards Azula, yelling his energy at the girl who was keeping him trapped inside the forest. The girl who had hurt his friends with so much intention, and who had humiliated the Airbenders almost out of their pride in this same forest not so long ago.

Azula calmly held a ready fist over her frame, watching as Aang's eyes turned lifeless as he lifted both ivory Fire-whips into the air. Chan's eyes rose in fright from behind, mentally debating whether his girlfriend could fend for herself. Rion Jon had frozen in fear.

This was the moment to strike.

"Aang... NO!"

The tranquil, angelic voice of Brei An bellowed into the forest without warning, bringing a powerful force of wind towards Azula that pushed her out of the way just as Aang's whips came to the ground, lifting dozens of rumble into the air. Loung had appeared from behind Aang, and he held the young boy's ferocity back by the arms... while Suganya dealt with the incoming fireballs from Chan with all the airbending defense she had.

Rion Jon weakly blocked the moves that Xai was throwing to him, so much that he looked more like a ragged doll than a Fire Nation henchman.

And from the trees above... Jet and Mai rained down on Azula's offensive parade. The princess immediate fell back into her teeth-grit rage at seeing the pale-faced traitor, lancing short fire darts at her. But Jet slid gracefully on the ground, scooping Azula up with his hooked swords and sending the girl flying towards a tree. Even before she could grab hold of the tree's branches in her grace... Mai sent a half-dozen daggers through the air, pinning Azula to the tree like a fly on the wall.

Aang had lost most of his conscience, not even feeling the tight grip that Loung had on his wrists. Brei An was running over to help, but Aang couldn't acknowledge her right then. The boy breathed heavily, his eyes watering in tears when realizing he'd been so close to losing control of his power.

Buddy, you okay?

He heard Loung's voice Speaking to his deep, overwhelmed mind. But Aang couldn't reply, as he was too distracted by the multiple commotions happening within the open realm of these woods.

And as the tears welled up heavier in his eyes, all he could think about was Katara.

On Ji's outside the lab right now with the Combustion guy. Loung's words filtered into Aang's mind, and the boy closed his eyes to block the currents fireballs and commotion. She's giving it all she's got.

With a small intake of breath and the first few tears falling from his cheeks, Aang knew what he had to do. His hands suddenly lost their tight fists, and Loung let go of his friend... startled by the sudden coldness of his skin... and the shocking-yet-familiar glow of his tattoos. The air around them was spontaneously picking a great circular mount of wind.

"Aang!?" Loung yelled, scared by how the boy was levitating into the air, and Brei An turned from a distance in utter shock as well.

Aang, please... Brei An attempted with all her Speaking might... don't lose control of yourself!

"I'll be fine," Aang said out loud, in a voice that was deeply low and clearly out of this world.

Loung had practically jumped out of his skin, shielding the strong wind against his face.

"Principal Roku's coming to help..." the boy said calmly in levitation, "...make sure nobody gets hurt."

Brei An and Loung stared distantly at each other, questionably, but then looked back at their Avatar-in-Training in glowing brilliance. It was in reassurance to him and to themselves that they nodded... just before the boy took off in his Avatar State sphere of wind up towards the trees.

Back towards his original destination.


"Katara?"

She barely heard his raspy voice as he immediately found her within the foggy thick smoke, her throat swelling and coughing up a storm. Her mind was going numb, and Zuko quickly untied the handkerchief from her mouth, pressing her fully against his clothing to relieve her from breathing poisoned air.

The moment lasted only a few seconds, but Katara felt her hands clasping the bell open to taking Zuko's frame fully for a crooked hug. Taking a full breath to look up at him, more tears fell from her eyes as she realized her arms were completely bruised by the chains.

"This was all a trap," the girl sobbed angrily while gripping the chain, her words pouring out like overflowing water. "God, I was so stupid, I shouldn't have lied to Aang! She knew he would follow me here no matter what I'd say to him -- he was trying to protect me. Azula took him into the forest. I... I can't feel my legs."

"Shhh... steady..." Zuko frowned as he clasped part of the chain, the wheels in his mind turning rapidly as a small powerful flame appeared in one of his hand. He brought it near Katara's arm, being extremely careful as the hot metal worked its way into melting mode. She started to cough again, prompting Zuko to work his Bending faster as the pieces of ceiling began to fall in larger clumps.

Finally, after what seemed like long minutes, the hot chain cracked and broke apart... and Katara moved her raw and bruised arms to Zuko for a real hug. The boy lifted her, feeling the temporarily numb weight in Katara's legs as he carried her on his back. He could already feel the smoke getting thicker around him... darker... and the building itself was practically shaking by the weakening grip of Toph.

A sudden blast came from outside, and Zuko and Katara flinched towards a window, clearly hearing On Ji's screaming voice beneath.

Katara coughed harshly while holding to Zuko's collarbone, and the boy sped off down the blackened corridor as fast as he could. As light as she was, the smoke wasn't doing anything to help his vision, and Zuko attempted to blast one of the doors off with his FireBending to give them a clearer opening. He made careful steps down the corridor, keeping himself aligned by touching the wall and classroom desks along the path.

Measuring the thickness of the wall, Zuko gave up on returning the way he came, and Katara gripped to him tightly just before he decided to make a double-fisted blast through the crested windows.

It was then that a large pile of ceiling broke and fell, and Zuko jumped to keep himself and Katara away from it. The whole building was fidgeting even more, so delicate it could've all been made of glass... and now the pipelines were breaking loose with gas...

One wrong move of the fire would set the whole place in outbursting flames.

"Zuko, he needs your help." Katara pleaded angrily, trying to shuffle herself off of Zuko's back. "Aang's more important--"

"Don't start talking crazy," he rasped firmly, his arms still buckling her legs to carry her as he continued to walk heavily. "Just hang on!"

A huge blast seemed to bring down the center of the ceiling, and Zuko jumped immediately out of the way but bringing Katara helplessly to the ground again. Her legs were moving, but just barely, and her coughing was becoming harsher... Katara clutching her stomach in pain. Regaining himself, Zuko took off his overcoat and placed it over her face to breathe, looking around for another way out.

As he looked up at the ceiling, he realized the reason behind that unusual blast.

The Avatar-in-Training had massively hovered itself into the building, with a grand hurricane of wind surrounding his little form... sucking the smoke from Zuko and Katara's surroundings.

Aang's eyes were glowing inhumanely, and only Zuko could raise his brows by the mere brilliance and danger it seemed to present.

In moments, he wondered what had happened to Azula... if Aang had managed to escape her clutches, or if he'd finally shown the princess a piece of his – everyone's – mind. And he wondered if the boy himself was still present underneath that Avatar State... beneath all of that great energy and wind that was encircling them... protecting the three of them from the fragile building.

With his glowing eyes, Aang gazed sadly at Katara, and the struggling Zuko who was trying to keep her conscious. With the crumbling sounds of the building coming from all directions... the two knew there wasn't much time to act.

Slowly, the boy levitated down towards the pair, strengthening the sphere into a shield against the falling rubble. His glowing face looked at Zuko and Katara firmly, and they both returned their eyes to him.

"Hold your breath," Aang felt the Avatar's voice come out from him again, placing a hand towards the ground, "and hang onto each other."

They did as they were told, intaking breath and hearing larger mounts of rubble fall onto the boy's powerful shield.

And after a count of three... Aang pressed his hand hard to the Earth, and sent Zuko and Katara rapidly into the cement underground like quicksand... oblivious to the loud, thunderous crumbles that were surrounding him.


Her palms had been sweating from the immense force against the Earth, and yet Toph couldn't get a grip of everything that had occurred inside that crumbling laboratory. Occasionally, she had to send a powerful vibe of Earth towards Combustion Man, to make his lose his balance while On Ji threw her blowing wind against him.

The man was ruthless. He reminded her of somebody else.

But it wasn't until the very corners of the laboratory began to cave in that Toph knew they were in trouble. Her little heart was racing, trying to get a sight of where Zuko and Katara were on the inside... calculating how much more time she could give them.

And then... strangely... she felt another presence inside the building. This wasn't a human presence, but rather a spiritual presence; something that was much lighter than usual–

Twinkle Toes???

Toph's eyes bolted up with a remarkable discovery, but immediately turning frightened, wondering what the hell this kid was trying to do in a place that was about to go down.

But when the two masses of Zuko and Katara suddenly 'disappeared' from underneath the building... it all started to make sense.

"On Ji, they're over here!" Toph exclaimed while the other girl sent a strong gush of air to the bulky man, knocking his head slightly off balance. The little Earthbender ran briskly over to her spot and placed an ear to the ground promptly.

Feeling the vibrations and cracking her knuckles, Toph crunched her arms in a lifting position and parted the small spot of Earth. Like two giant fish out of water... Katara and Zuko emerged from the cracked ground, panting out of breath and covered in dark brown dirt.

On Ji had attempted to meet up with the newly-retrieved friends... but Combustion Man was frustratingly, angrily on her tail. Toph caught the man's metallic, determined foot, but before she could even regain herself from the recent Bending of the ground... she heard another voice.

"AAAAAAHHHH!"

It was coming from behind the bushes.

"SNEAK ATTAAAAACK!"

And when On Ji turned around to nervously face Combustion Man once again, she saw instead the great warrior-channeling face of Sokka run towards the demolishioner's spine.. poking him fiercely at least a dozen times. On Ji had nothing but the privilege of watching the great bulky man fall onto his own face afterwards.

Sokka placed a firm frown, with hands on his hips as he stepped over the Combustion Man victory to get to the others. "So can somebody tell me why that big guy was attacking On Ji? What else did I miss here?-- Um... Zuko... WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THE GROUND WITH MY SISTER?"

Zuko was faithfully helping Katara's now weak body out of the hole, as the others seemed oblivious to Sokka's continuous ranting. The young waterbender was falling slowly into an unconscious state as On Ji went to take the hair out of her face.

It wasn't until the thunderous, gargantuan sound of the crumbling brought down the full building into ruins that everyone's eyes turned back to laboratory. Their eyes bolted up, but only Toph spoke the next moment... sensing the body of a human boy still in there.

"TWINKLE TOES!"


A/N - Honestly, I have no idea why it took me this long. Fight scenes are tricky in general, but I suppose it was the depth of action I had to write... it was exhausting! Hmm, hopefully it turned out okay! I personally love how I was able to show each airbender's strengths! If you didn't catch it: Suganya's the best Listener, Brei An's the best Speaker, On Ji's the best defense, Xai's the best offense, Loung's kinda the Average Joe, and Aang's... well, the AVATAR! Get ready for some OmaShu play in the next one. --MM