Black Flame, Blue Fire

by Blutus Mindpretzel

Azula always knew her purpose would be to serve her father, but as Sozin's Comet draws near, her aspirations find themselves against something she has never before felt: doubt. And as Team Avatar struggles to engineer a final game plan, Ozai may have more up his sleeve than they think. However, one lone stranger may be enough to tip the scales as he searches for purpose of his own.

10. Chapter 10

AN: Thanks to the suggestion of a reader, I've been considering the idea of inserting songs here and there for certain scenes, something I didn't even know people did. Was curious if anyone had thoughts on this as I find the idea pretty intriguing and was wondering folks' thoughts?

Regardless, thanks for stopping by for another chapter, the feedback I got from last chapter was immense, lots of reviews and PMs that have kept me extremely motivated to keep writing. Love you crazy kids.

Chapter 10: Consonance

Several dozen yards into the thick trees that formed the woodland that took up most of the island, Sasuke sat alone on a waist high boulder, cleaning his sword. In the distance, he could hear the sounds of joyful shouts and the splashing of water, likely caused by both the rolling of the waves and the patrons occupying it. It seemed that several members of the group were more than happy to take some time to relax, basking in the sun and playing in the sea spray. Sasuke was sure he heard Aang's voice through the trees and it brought him the faintest inkling of contentment that the Avatar was being allowed a moment to just be a kid. It was likely there weren't many of those chances remaining come the arrival of this so-called Sozin's Comet.

Sasuke had expected that having to wait to continue his quest to hunt down Ozai would have taken a frustrating and impatience-inducing toll the moment they arrived on the island, but he was surprised to find that this respite was actually rather pleasant. Time to be alone with his thoughts had been something he had struggled with to find, but here, secluded among the trees with sunlight streaming through the foliage, he had time to think.

He set aside his doubt and his uncertainty regarding the path he had chosen and the necessity in finding Ozai and let his angst in remembering Itachi rest, for at least the time being. All he had to think about was finding the Fire Lord's advisor at this festival and going from there. Without having all the pieces to his memory, he was finding it actually rather easy to simply focus on what was ahead of him, and it was a fairly freeing feeling.

Constant judgement from third parties on the other hand…

"Good. I thought you might have taken off."

Sasuke barely glanced up as Mai and Ty Lee stepped into the small clearing he was using as a place of temporary alleviation from the constant stares and silent threats. He saw, rather startingly, that they were both in swimsuits themselves and he nearly cracked a smirk; Ty Lee he could see frolicking on a beach all day, but he would have assumed Mai the type to hole up under some shade far from the water's edge.

He gestured to the both of them, "Where did you get those?"

Mai jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "About a kilometer down the beach there was an abandoned supply shack that peddlers must have used before the storms drove everyone from this side of the island."

As he looked at the fervent glares they still were fixing him with, Sasuke couldn't resist throwing a wrench in their mental processes.

"You both look nice."

It worked better than he had hoped and he watched both of their cheeks redden and their eyes widen before they managed to recompose themselves. Though his overall interest in romance was neither here nor there, Sasuke was well aware that his natural features were significantly above average and this was bound to attract attention. He had experienced a faint memory in his dreams that previous night of him sitting at a desk and listening to women his age clamor at who would be able to sit next to him. He supposed there were some things he was better off not remembering.

Ty Lee regained herself first and furrowed her brow at him, "If that's supposed to be some kind of smart-ass—"

She cut off as Mai put a hand on her shoulder and looked at Sasuke with equal annoyance. "Let's not make this any more painful than we have to."

Sasuke pushed it further. "So, which one of you is the wingman?"

At that, Ty Lee looked about ready to sprint to where he was leaning against his rock and strangle him, but Mai's grip on her shoulder tightened, holding her in place.

"I can assure you, that's not at all what this is about," Mai said plainly. "We had something different to inform you of."

Of the same mind that this really didn't need to take longer than necessary, Sasuke sighed and pushed away from the boulder, sheathing his sword and placing it atop.

"Alright, let me save you the trouble."

He cleared his throat and spoke bitingly. "'Sasuke, we want to tell you that we're not happy you're here, we think you're dangerous, and you'd better watch your back.'"

Raising his hands openly, he gave the pair of them a look.

"How was that?"

Mai stared him down, chewing at the inside of her mouth as though trying to formulate the best response she could to his sarcastic take on what she had been about to say. It was Ty Lee however who spoke on their behalf then.

"This isn't about either of us."

Sasuke grunted and turned back to pick up his sword. "Damn, I thought that would be pretty close."

As he returned it to his rope belt, he looked back to the both of them and raised an eyebrow.

"Go on then."

Mai gave a sharp sigh of finality. "It's about Azula."

Ignoring a strange throb in his gut at the sound of her name, Sasuke crossed his arms in front of him. "What about her?"

Mai and Ty Lee exchanged glances and the latter gave her friend a nod before looking away towards the ground almost awkwardly. Mai addressed him then in what was the closest thing to civil he thought he had ever heard her tone reach with him.

"We're worried about what having you around is doing to her, in a mental regard."

He said nothing, simply looked on and she took that as a sign to continue.

"It's no secret that the fates of you both have come into close contact ever since you…" she seemed to struggle with the word he knew was coming. "…saved us from the palace. She challenged you to an Agni Kai shortly thereafter and tried her absolute hardest to even so much as scratch you after which you flattened her brutally."

Remembering how he had very nearly lost all control, Sasuke chose not to exacerbate the hostile feelings both young women surely felt towards him by remarking on that particular event.

"Azula is anything but an open book. She's treated everyone she's ever met, save her father, with either contempt, or as tools."

Interrupting, Sasuke pointed between them. "And the two of you being… which?"

Mai ignored him.

"But since she met you, things have been different. She tried to assert herself by defeating you in combat, which backfired. Every time I see her, she's either staring fixated at you, or looking around for where you might be. And the conversation the two of you had on deck last night isn't a secret."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You heard that?"

Shaking her head, Mai replied, "No, not the words. But there are vents along the sides of the below deck that allow you to see at foot level on deck and I saw the both of you up there last night."

As he listened to the list of grievances being aired his way, Sasuke noticed Ty Lee looked still uncomfortable and resolutely at anything but him. This was not her usual attitude towards him as he was much more used to her being totally content simply glowering at him, but he could tell there was more going on here than he would have guessed.

Mai seemed to struggle briefly, as she prepared to get to the point.

"In short, no one has ever affected Azula the way you have. You've helped force her into a difficult position, where she has to rely on companions, not minions, but you'd never guess that this would be so distressing to her, because all her attention seems focused on you."

As she stopped here, Sasuke realized that she was waiting for some kind of response out of him. Thinking of nothing particularly prudent to say, he shrugged, adding, "Alright."

This seemed to snap Ty Lee out of whatever trance had been keeping her from speaking up and her eyes snapped to Sasuke's.

"No! It's not 'alright'! You don't even know what you're doing to her, do you?!"

Ever presently calm, Sasuke shrugged. "I guess not. Maybe you can explain it to me."

Ty Lee continued to stare at him, her breast heaving furiously as she looked ready once again to race to him and batter him into a bloody pulp. Mai spoke next, though it was quiet and almost reserved, as though she was frightened of even saying what she believed.

"I don't know exactly how much, or to what extent… but Azula is infatuated with you."

This was enough to catch him by surprise and he pulled a face. "I'm sorry?"

She gave him a humorless smile.

"I can tell you're just as oblivious to it as all boys are, but it's fairly clear that she's become somehow beguiled by your mere existence."

Her expression darkened. "Don't get me wrong, this is something more than just some crush. She never even considered the possibility that someone stronger than her could exist; you're a complete curiosity to everyone, not just her. But because of what you've done, and what you're capable of, she's… well…"

It was clear that even just talking about this was something Mai didn't want to do and Ty Lee's expression had become something much more pained than angry. Sasuke, in relative contrast, wasn't buying any of it.

"So, let me get this straight. I help spring her from her psycho dad, beat her half to death and completely dismiss her in all other senses, and you think she… likes me?"

Mai looked as disappointed in the prospect as he would expect.

"There were signs," she muttered. "When you passed out after focusing the thunderstorm or whatever you did at the palace, she went to drag you to the airship without a word. She stood between you and elite archers back at the temple to keep them from firing. And, most unbelievably and something you might not understand since you haven't known her for too long, she hasn't done everything in her power to slit your throat after you humiliated her so badly in that Agni Kai."

Sasuke looked at her flatly. "So if it had been anyone else who had beaten her, she would have long since tried to put a knife in their back."

Nodding, Mai crossed her arms. Sasuke looked between her and Ty Lee, half expecting one of them to burst out laughing at this hyper elaborate joke, but neither did. He let silence linger for several long seconds before addressing what he had been told.

"If there's any truth to this, and I'm hardly convinced there is, why bring this to me? If I'm as oblivious as you say, why not just let me flounder in my own ignorance?"

Ty Lee nearly cut him off before he was done talking with how viciously and swiftly she answered.

"Because this can't go on! If this… fascination with you goes any further, it will end badly for her! You said it yourself, you're dangerous and you're not the kind of person she needs by her side!"

Playing devil's advocate to a prospect he didn't quite believe, Sasuke spread his arms inquisitively.

"How do you know that? You didn't hear what we actually said last night, how can you be sure we're not both perfect for each other behind closed doors?"

Mai pulled her lips back in a look of disgust. "Please. I was seconds away from trying to sneak on deck and listen in, but she came down below again before I could. And it was fairly obvious you had rattled her pretty badly, and I think we have a right to know how."

Ty Lee practically growled at him, "You bastard, what did you say to her? Can you really not tell how damaged she is?"

Suddenly feeling frustration swell in him, Sasuke took a step in their direction, ignoring the instinctive defensive physical stances they both adopted immediately.

"I'm apparently the only one who can tell! No one has the guts to tell her how pathetic she is and it's going to get her in more trouble than anyone is willing to consider! I told her exactly what she needed to hear, that if she wants a chance at recovering, at getting a shot at her second chance, changes need to happen. Whether she listens or not isn't something I'm holding my breath on."

He jabbed a finger at the pair of them, relishing how their derisive and judgmental looks had fragmented into wide-eyed looks of fright at his sudden outburst.

"And regardless, I don't give a damn what you think you have a right to. You think you're her friends? Start acting like it instead of treating her like some fragile pottery about to shatter. She's already broken."

Turning away from them, he waited for some angry response, or perhaps a fist swung at the back of his head, but none came. Instead, a meager voice issued from Ty Lee as she barely murmured.

"She deserves better than you…"

Suddenly, a large piece of the puzzle fell into place, and Sasuke turned, eyes widening. "Oh, so that's what this is about. It's not about what's good for her, it's about what she deserves? You sure seem enlightened in that regard, why not let me in on the secret? Who's the lucky guy she deserves?"

He allowed an audible amount of deliberateness to drip into his tone.

"Or lucky girl?"

The look of absolute agony that lit up Ty Lee's face then was enough for him to confirm his suspicion and she stomped a foot in clear, aggravated helplessness and stormed back into the trees towards the beach. Mai looked after her for a long moment before quietly speaking again.

"You know how to push someone's buttons, I'll give you that."

Sasuke grunted before sitting back down on his rock. "I'd say sorry, but considering how everyone seems to have nothing but resentment and enmity for my mere presence, I can't say as I'm particularly inclined."

When she looked his way again there was almost a pity in her eyes. "Well, you haven't read the situation nearly as thoroughly as you think you have."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow inquisitively, but she didn't elaborate on what he had missed. He expected her to leave it at that, but she spoke again and there was a startling amount of softness in her voice then.

"I know you're not a bad person, Sasuke. I don't even think we all couldn't be friends under different circumstances. But you are dangerous. And Azula is hurting more than anyone is able to get a good look at. We just don't want to see her hurt more."

Gradually, Sasuke felt the annoyance he had been feeling begin to dissipate from his veins, and he sighed. "Then talk to her. Yell at her. Hold her down and scream the truth in her ears if you have to. Because she's not budging easily, I can promise you that."

Mai looked towards the ground. "I know."

With that, she turned and began to walk away, but paused at the edge of the clearing. Half turning, she addressed him a last time.

"I'm sorry."

And she too disappeared into the bright green foliage. Sasuke stared after her, genuinely surprised by her words. He would have expected nothing less than utter bitterness based on what he could tell of Mai's personality, but it seemed there was more to her than he might have given her credit for.

He leaned back and looked through the bits of blue sky he could make out through the massive leaves above.

Azula.

He hadn't even really considered it. A curiosity sure, but something resembling allure, even attraction? Maybe even obsession? Sasuke shook his head; the pair of them were imagining things, Azula would never fall for someone like him. If Ty Lee wanted her so badly, she could have her.

He grumbled to himself as his mind turned to Ty Lee. Regret mingled as he thought to how he had provoked her as such harassment was only prone to making his stay with these people even more precarious. He supposed the proper thing to do would be to find her and apologize, though the mere thought of that was so alien, he had to go through it several times in his head before even acknowledging it as a possibility.

Before the idea could even make it past the planning phase, his attention was retaken as another person came scampering into his clearing.

Toph's skin still was soaked in ocean water, her hair wet and wild hanging down her back. She was breathing hard and still had the ghost of a smile on her face; she clearly had been enjoying herself down at the beach. Her expression became more controlled as she neared him, adjusting her borrowed swimsuit that looked somewhat too big for her small frame.

"Sorry, I totally forgot you said you wanted to talk."

Sasuke waved a hand. "Not a problem.

Say something nice.

"I'm glad you were having fun."

She seemed surprised at his response, but smiled nonetheless. As she approached his rock, she turned and looked back the way they had come. "Mai and Ty Lee were going the other way, everything okay?"

Hardly.

"Yeah, they just wanted to talk about Azula."

Without any hesitation whatsoever, she put her hands on the rock he was leaning against and jumped up to sit beside him. Again, Sasuke was blown away by how she seemed so utterly indifferent to his presence, a welcome change to the rest of the group. "Gotcha. Nothing too serious I hope?"

He looked over to her. "Why do you ask?"

Toph pulled a face and shrugged. "Ty Lee had a walk about her."

"What do you mean, 'a walk'?"

"I mean, she was walking like someone had shoved a stick up her ass and made her pay for it. She wasn't happy, wherever she was stomping off to."

Glad he could maintain a façade of apathy around Toph when she couldn't see his face, Sasuke grimaced, though his voice reflected none of that. "Beats me. She doesn't seem to have taken any kind of liking to my tagging along for this long a period."

Running her hands through her mess of black hair, she smiled.

"Well, for what it's worth, Aang doesn't mind having you around."

She kicked her feet for a moment, looking somewhat unsure of herself. "Neither do I."

Being anything akin to grateful was something Sasuke found rather difficult, but since he did need Toph's help, he did his best.

"Well… thanks."

The word came out of him like a pulled tooth and Toph laughed. "You are frickin ridiculous, I swear. Would it hurt you that much to loosen up around people?"

For this, he had no comment and she seemed to understand that; as her laughter faded away, she turned her head his direction.

"Anyways, you wanted to see me?"

"Yeah, I did."

Sasuke looked towards the ground beneath his feet, towards the dirt and the green and the rocks. He knew that this was Toph's forte, her natural element literally and metaphorically. And right now, he was going to have to ask her help.

He grit his teeth. Ask help from a twelve-year-old. Surely that was as embarrassing as it could get.

"I overheard Sokka talking with his girlfriend last night before we left. He mentioned something about you being able to not just pull apart and shape the earth beneath your feet, but you can also work with metal? Is that true?"

Tilting her head to the left and right, she thought about it. "To a certain extent. I'm not at a point yet where I can totally just rip a Fire Nation battleship in half, but I think I can get there."

"Uh… yeah," Sasuke muttered. "Anyway, I wanted to ask: if you wanted to, could you feel metal in the earth beneath us right now?"

She nodded.

"And you could sort it from the earth itself and pull it up?"

She nodded again, but asked, "Why?"

Reaching the part he was more reluctant about, he sucked down his pride and spoke through nearly clenched teeth. "I was hoping you could pull up some metal from beneath us for me to use. Not much, just about a handbasket's worth."

She made face that was both confused and heavily humored by his request.

"Wait, let me get this straight. You can bend earth, water, air and fire, and who knows what else. You can turn a thunderstorm into a single strike to wipe out over a hundred soldiers. You can move faster than the eye can follow, are as strong and as good a fighter as anyone we've ever met, but you need help getting some metal?"

Sasuke flexed his jaw. "Yeah."

"And you're asking for my help."

"Yeah."

Toph let out another laugh, this one as much a bark as anything. "Well isn't that just the damnedest thing. Alright, Sasuke, sure thing."

She hopped down from the rock and sat cross legged on the ground. On her left and right, she dug her fingers up to their knuckles in the earth and closed her eyes. Though nothing happened after that, Sasuke assumed she just needed to concentrate and kept as quiet and still as he could. After a minute or so, she asked from the ground.

"What is it you call it? We call it bending, but you have another word for it, right?"

Guessing that she didn't need complete silence to work, Sasuke replied, "It's called jutsu. And it's not something you're born with, well not really anyway."

He stopped there and she took her hand out of the ground and waved it at him expectantly, keeping her eyes closed. "Elaborate?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"From what I can remember, people like me can use jutsu based on the internal amount of chakra we have."

"Well, for us benders, chakra are points in our body that we concentrate chi to control and bend a certain element."

Nodding as he remembered Aang mentioning something like that, Sasuke tried to clarify, "I think the word has different meanings based on our respective teachings. For jutsu, it's chakra, for bending I guess you could call it chi."

She nodded back. "Got it."

Sasuke continued, "There are three kinds of jutsu and they are all heavily varied and complicated. To keep it simple, one allows for the utilization of physical and mental energy to produce a full optimization of the body as a fighting machine, bringing hand to hand combat to a furthered level. It doesn't usually require chakra."

"Another form uses chakra to create illusions and visions to disorient victims and opponents; I used this type on Mai and Azula when I escaped the prison and I used it again on General Ako to keep him from turning Sokka into soup."

Toph cocked her head, "So when he started groveling to an invisible Fire Lord…?"

Sasuke replied, "I put him in an illusion where he thought that to be the case."

She nodded slowly. "And the last?"

Turning his head towards the trees, Sasuke thought of how to describe it. Of all the things he could remember, jutsu was one of the most complete pieces of his broken memory bank, but describing what was known as ninjutsu wasn't so simple.

"It's hard to describe, but I guess you could quantify it is bending, like you people do, but it's much more than that. I can access more than just the four elements that seem to be the pillars of your guys' abilities, and I can also do a great deal more with them. For example, I can 'bend' water like you would say, but I can also influence it beyond waving about and sending it flowing everywhere."

Toph smirked, "If you think that's all Katara can manage, you've got a heck of another thing coming."

Putting Katara in mind reminded him of what the two of them had previously discussed and he bit his tongue before replying.

"I have no doubt."

After a moment, Toph's face contorted as she considered something. "Hang on, so you can do all this stuff with all these different elements and crap, but you can't make just a little metal come out of the ground."

Wiggling his toes in annoyance, Sasuke muttered, "Not something that's come back to me yet, I suppose."

She continued on, her little voice practically echoing with laughter. "That's so funny. You can make a thunderstorm obey you, but you can't move a little, teeny bit of metal…"

Getting down from the rock, Sasuke crossed his arms, his voice raised in annoyance. "Don't you think you could work faster if you weren't trying so hard to be some kind of half-assed comedian?"

She gave him a blank look and pointed behind him. "Oh, I got your iron a while ago, it was just a lot of fun poking you."

Sasuke whirled to see that she had silently positioned a small pile of raw iron behind him and he hadn't noticed. He turned back to see her giving him a toothy shit-eating grin and he growled as he turned away to examine the material.

"You can be kind of insufferable, you know that?"

She let out another chirp of a laugh, "If I don't get told that at least a couple times a day by Katara, or Sokka, or whoever else, I assume I'm not doing my job properly."

He shook his head; utterly incredible her attitude, though he supposed it was more refreshing than being constantly treated like crap on the bottom of a shoe.

"Well, thanks," he managed to snap offhandedly. She hopped to her feet behind him.

"I assumed you're going to be using all that to make some weapons or something violence based, but you should come back to the beach with me for a little while first."

Sasuke had already prepared the first of the few jutsu he was going to employ to start shaping the iron into kunai, but looked back at this, properly confused now.

"Why?"

She shrugged, her face now wearing a hopeful smile. "I think it would be good for you to spend some time with everybody, maybe go for a swim or help me kick over one of Sokka's hideous sand sculptures."

Sasuke looked upwards to the treetops, shaking his head in exasperation. "Why would I want to do any of that?"

Her smile flipped into a frown then, "Because, Sasuke, you acting like this complete asshat and trying to isolate yourself all the time is getting pretty old!"

He looked to her, surprised by her outburst and saw that her overall mood really did seem to have shifted.

"Why even come with us at all?! Just so you can mope around and act all angsty?! Besides, a distraction from all your brooding will be good for you!"

Sasuke crossed his arms and stared down at her, feeling like he had just about had it with this. "Maybe it hasn't crossed your mind, Toph, but I need you people to tell me where and who this advisor is when he shows up. Believe me, I don't take any great pleasure in being treated like a horse's ass just because everyone's scared of me; I'll be out of here as soon as I can and you kids won't have to worry about me anymore."

Her face still reflected her dissatisfaction with the situation, but she did no more than mutter, "You're literally a kid too."

Suddenly, her expression perked up and he frown flipped into a grin.

"Well, lucky for you, I've got my whole afternoon cleared. So I'll just follow you around and annoy you until you come hang out with us for a bit."

Sasuke grit his teeth. "You'd better not."

"I will."

"I have no qualms about hanging you a few thousand feet up out of an airship again, if that's how you want to play this."

She continued to face resolutely his way and Sasuke saw his bluff hadn't worked. Setting his sword beside the unused iron, he rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine, let's go."

Toph seemed to double take and he could tell she really hadn't expected him to concede. "Wait, really?"

Sighing again, Sasuke replied, "Yes, really. But only for a bit."

He had to get to work crafting his kunai. Cobbling some together from some scraps he had found at the temple had been enough for him to realize he should ensure that he was properly equipped, but if it got Toph off his back, he could postpone a little longer.

With a triumphant shout, she grabbed his wrist and began to drag him eagerly back through the woods towards the beach. Sasuke tried to pull his hand free, "That's really not necessary…"

She utterly ignored him. "This'll be so sweet. Everyone's gonna finally see Sasuke come out of his shell!"

"I'm not in a shell, I just don't—"

"Oh, and we saw some flying dolphins as well! There was a pod of them that passed by a few hours ago, but Mai reckons they'll come back by with the tide."

"A pod of what…?"

After a minute or so of his words and inquiries falling on deaf ears as Toph relayed all of the fantastic things that Sasuke had no intention of doing, they broke the tree line.

It was all rather picturesque; if he hadn't known the circumstances, Sasuke would have assumed it was a proper vacation taking place before him. Aang and Sokka seemed to be playing a game that involved bouncing a rather worn down ball back and forth at waist height without letting it touch the water to the laughter of Suki, Haru and Katara. The massive Chit Sang was shouting all kinds of fouls and penalties, but no one seemed to be paying him any kind and he seemed quite content with that; perhaps this was a more rule driven game than people knew.

Hakoda was standing near Appa, working on some repairs to his saddle while the ever elusive Momo flew in circles around the giant creature, occasionally gliding near enough to have Appa blow out a breath that sent him spiraling away. Near them, under the shade of a tree, Zuko and Mai sat, arms around one another, looking fully content with the situation. Sasuke would never have guessed the latter had just come to confront him only minutes ago. Ty Lee was lying just beyond them, eyes closed as she soaked in the sun's rays. Sasuke thought again about apologizing, but shrugged it off when he really couldn't think of what to say.

The only person that avoided Sasuke's eye was the first person he looked for. But as he looked around at the beach that was entirely devoid of Azula, he was surprised to see both younger people he knew to be Teo and some kid who went by "The Duke" rushing up to him. The Duke made it first as Teo rolled up behind him in his wheelchair and he practically shouted in what was clearly excitement.

"You're that Sasuke guy!"

Sasuke only stared down at the kid before Toph squeezed his wrist and bumped him with her elbow.

"Yeah, yeah that'd… be me."

Teo too was grinning something fierce. "They're going to write stories about you, you know. The only person other than the Avatar who could wield not just two, but all of the elements. How you broke into the Royal Palace and escaped by summoning a lightning dragon or something… "

The Duke nodded enthusiastically. "Or how you managed to single-handedly to take down the General Ako and force him to retreat!"

Toph raised her free hand. "Please, please, give the local celebrity a chance to breathe, he's had a hard couple of days."

The pair of them stepped back, not speaking but still smiling widely. Sasuke found he could only stare at them, though.

That was… unexpected.

But then, he had barely spoken a word to either of them or interacted with them beyond his initial introduction to the group the first day he had arrived. Whatever they knew of him was nothing more than hearsay of his exploits, and he was finding it difficult to believe that any one of his companions would have spoke about him in any sort of flattering manner.

As he pulled his gaze from the two, he saw that attention, unfortunately, had moved his way. Though no one stopped what they were doing, anyone Sasuke looked at he found looking back, though they were quick to turn their attention away. Katara was the only one who didn't immediately break eye contact and instead fixed with an intense expression, which wasn't particularly pleasant, but was better than the usual hatred she reserved for him.

Sasuke was just about to ask Toph where Azula was when she gave a short scream and jumped away from him. A moment later a colossal amount of water came crashing down on his head, dousing him from head to toe with a roar. The water splashed away onto the beach, soaking into the sand and darkening it and Sasuke stood poker-straight, utterly stunned.

"Hahaha, I'd call that pretty wet, wouldn't you, Sokka?"

"Hilarious, Aang; you're right, when it happens to someone else, it is funny!"

He looked over to see Aang hovering on a sphere of air a dozen feet above the water surface, pointing and laughing. Sokka too was fighting back hearty snickers as the two of them looked at Sasuke's damp form. Sasuke realized then that he had just been the victim of a practical joke, Aang must have simply smashed him with a healthy dose of ocean water for fun.

He wasn't sure if he was furious or amused.

Maybe both.

Looking around, he saw that now everyone was indeed looking at him with no reservation this time. Katara had a hand over her mouth with her eyes wide, with Suki and Toph both with mouths agape. The Duke and Teo were both laughing and Haru looked like he wanted to join in but could read the group well enough to know that might not have been the best idea. Ty Lee had half-sat up and was watching Sasuke carefully while Mai and Zuko watched from under their shade, their grips on one another looking doubled. Hakoda and Chit Sang were both looking as bemused as Sasuke had just felt and as he looked on, the last member of their party walked out from behind some trees near Zuko and Mai.

Azula had put on a swimsuit of her own, though she looked none too pleased about it. Her hair fell over her shoulders and back, no longer done up in the traditional noble style he had seen before. Her eyes remained fierce, but looked almost embarrassed as though this truly wasn't something she wanted to be involved in or seen as being a part of.

It wasn't until she met his eyes that Sasuke realized he was staring.

Azula seemed to do a double take when she saw the state of him, soaked from head to toe, her eyes widening and brow furrowing. For a moment, Sasuke felt a rush of humiliation in his gut begin to twist into anger again. Then, he breathed it out and shook his head.

"No…" he said audibly before making several quick hand signs. A great tidal wave of water rose up behind Aang and Sokka and fell over them with a crash; Aang was knocked out of the air and splashed next to Sokka who was knocked ass first into the air briefly by the force of it. As the water settled, both their heads popped up, sputtering and coughing, and looking to him in surprise.

"That was funny," Sasuke finished.

They stared at him for a moment before Aang laughed and adopted a challenging look, summoning up more water behind him. Sokka began to scramble away towards the beach, yelling something about not wanting to become an unnecessary casualty and Toph shrieked as Sasuke readied his Water Release form again, promising nothing but cold-blooded revenge if she happened to be caught up in this.

For the first time, Sasuke found himself utterly unconcerned with what were surely a varied amount of expressions looking at him and as he locked eyes with Aang who grinned aggressively at him, he thought that maybe, just for a little while, he wouldn't mind a little distraction.

---

The game didn't last for too long as Katara finally butted in and declared the water fight a draw when it was clear that collateral damage was going to become more than likely with Ty Lee scrambling from her spot on the sand and Mai and Zuko running from the shade of their tree as a bad throw from Aang sent a giant wave crashing down near it. Sasuke, who had found that he had to take it easy in order for him to not completely wash Aang out with the tide, found himself almost sad to see the sport end; towards the back half of it, Aang had seemed to be getting a little irked that he hadn't been able to land any real water damage to Sasuke since his initial hit.

From there, Sasuke had made to retreat back to his clearing in the trees to resume work but found that Toph had quietly moved all the iron she had extracted to a spot near a fallen tree right in the midst of everyone. Her motive was clear, and while now that he had the iron in his possession, it would have been easy to jutsu it away, Sasuke decided to keep playing nice and took a seat on the tree trunk after pulling off his damp shirt and hanging it from a makeshift drying line that Suki had lain between two trees with some vine.

His work seemed to be very immediately interesting to Teo, Haru and the Duke who pulled up some sand nearby to watch him. He was aware of others watching him work and after a while, Katara, Sokka, Suki, Aang and Toph had joined in sitting around what had become a sort of group, striking up various conversations. Sasuke tuned them all out as he focused on his crafting; he had needed to cast several jutsu in order to heat the iron in order to mold it and to cool it once he had formed it into kunai. He was aware that the levitating iron before him that became red hot and twisted and formed into sharp pointed blades was likely very enthralling and even with the unrelated talking going on around him, he was aware that all eyes, save Toph's, were locked on his work.

While he molded his weapons, he took stock of an interesting interaction taking place by Appa; Hakoda had taken aside Chit Sang and the both of them seemed to be in a tight and heated conversation. Sasuke considered casting a jutsu to intensely enhance his hearing and listen in, but decided against it; if it was important, he was sure he would know about in due time.

His attention turned to inconspicuously watch the Fire Nation members of the group who had noticeably not joined the small commune around Sasuke's handiwork. His eyes immediately went to Azula who had made off a distance by herself, walking along the tide of the ocean a hundred meters or so away, letting the water wash over her feet. There was something about how she was walking, as though she wasn't controlling her actions and was just being dragged along by the will of the breeze that tossed her hair gently about. Even from that distance, Sasuke found himself almost looking absently at her lean frame before blinking and turning his gaze elsewhere.

Zuko was standing and looking like he wanted to join in, a distance between the group and Mai and Ty Lee, the both of which were standing near one another and talking quietly. This was a much more tempting conversation to listen in on and Sasuke listened to his gut without a second thought.

Murmuring quietly enough to not be heard, he said, "Enhanced Hearing Technique."

With a brief moment of effort, he was able to drown out the sounds of the talking around him and heard Ty Lee say in a hiss, "If you don't want to talk to her, I will. We can't keep holding off on this just because we're scared of what she'll say."

Mai shook her head and looked distantly towards the ocean. "Ty… maybe we need to let her figure out this for herself."

Ty Lee looked ready to bite Mai's head off, but the black-haired girl raised a hand placatingly. "Please just listen. For the first time in her life, she's getting a chance to think for herself. Maybe we should let her. Don't you think that she might be able to come to a healthy conclusion on her own?"

Shaking her head in obvious opposition, Ty Lee glared at her friend.

"No, I think that if we give her too much time, something's going to break and she'll try to attack Sasuke again, or she'll try and drag Aang to the capital to make up with her father, or she'll… I don't know, but how can we expect her to think rationally when she's spent her whole life following orders and living as her father's shadow?!"

Looking perplexed, Mai looked towards the ground, crossing her arms.

"Then, what do you suggest?"

For this, Ty Lee didn't have a reply and the two of them looked away from one another, clearly consternated in their thoughts.

This was as much as Sasuke was able to listen in on before another development put his eavesdropping on hold. Hakoda walked up with a disgruntled and understanding looking Chit Sang and explained what apparently had been eating at him since they left.

To the east, he explained, there was a deployment of Water Nation and Earth Nation forces, some of which he had served alongside in the war. It was his intention to take Chit Sang, Haru, Teo and the Duke there where they could be safe and useful in a different capacity. This had broken out into a full-fledged argument, mostly between Hakoda, Katara and Sokka. Haru and Teo looked sad, but resigned to the idea and while the Duke looked fully ready to argue that he wanted to stay, he seemed to read the situation well enough to keep quiet. Zuko, Mai and Ty Lee gravitated over that way to find out what all the ruckus was about and Sasuke tried to avoid the conversation while he continued forging his kunai. No one would put much stock in his opinion after all.

Eventually, Hakoda seemed to force down some tough love on his children with a statement that was as damning and unbeatable as an argument could be.

"We all have our parts to play. Destiny has called on you to perform deeds different than my own. The Avatar needs you and my soldiers need me."

It struck Sasuke then just how much the concept of fate factored into the decision making happening around him. In his head, a parent would never allow their children to take stake in enemy territory, with dangerous people, to be potentially put in certain danger, but it was clear that just like that prophecy that foretold Aang would be the one to take down Ozai and restore peace, Hakoda believed very firmly that his children's place was here and his elsewhere.

Without really a clear resolution to the argument itself, Hakoda seemed to get his way. He took Katara and Sokka aside for a few minutes while Chit Sang ordered Haru, Teo and the Duke to gather their things. Sasuke found himself grateful for fact they would be lightening their load by five people; the more of them there were, the more likely there was the possibility that something could go wrong. And as clearly out of their league as the younger of them were, it made sense to send them off to somewhere safer. He didn't pay much mind as goodbyes were said that afternoon, but he did look up to shake the hands of Hakoda and Chit Sang as they made their rounds.

"Please look after everyone, not just my children," Hakoda asked in a low voice as his rough hand shook Sasuke's.

Yeah, how could I resist protecting such pleasant people, Sasuke thought with a mental eye roll, but he only gave a nod in reply.

Zuko, Mai and Ty Lee stood a distance away, watching the communal farewell take place and as Sasuke watched them, he looked down the beach for Azula. He found that he couldn't see her walking along with the tide any longer and he glanced in every direction trying to spot her.

Whatever. If it was something to worry about, Ty Lee or someone would have freaked about it by now.

He placed what was the ninth kunai he had made in the steadily growing stack next to him and looked back forward to see the Duke standing in front of him, looking like he had something to say. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "Don't think we know each other well enough to warrant this, kid."

The Duke seemed to bite his tongue before saying in a low voice as though worried he might be overheard.

"I just wanted to say I think you're super cool and I'm going to tell everyone I can about you."

A ghost of smile crossed his face. "You kind of remind me of someone I used to know. You don't really act like him, but he did what he thought was right, no matter what."

He kicked the sand, looking a little embarrassed.

"So, thanks for doing your part to help win this, we always have needed strong people like you."

Sasuke stared at the kid, feeling an almost pitying pull in his gut before he sighed and got to his feet. He looked around and saw that most attention was being devoted to loading up Appa with the belongings of those who were departing; he did catch Katara watching him closely, though she looked away as soon as he met her eyes.

"This war is far from over, Duke," Sasuke said darkly. "By its end, I have a feeling you won't be thanking me."

He left it there and the Duke only fixed with him with a look of confusion before walking off without another word to join his companions. A few minutes later, Appa took off into the sky towards the east with Sokka aboard as well, to guide the flying bison back to the island after his human cargo had been brought to relative safety.

As Aang, Suki, Katara and Toph stood by and watched Appa leave, Sasuke was surprised to find that the others who had avoided the departing procedures walking over. While Mai and Ty Lee sat on the log furthest from him, Zuko sat down in the sand just to the right of Sasuke's pile of iron he was drawing from to work on his kunai.

Zuko watched him work for a little while before asking, "How many of those do you think you'll need?"

Replying without looking up, Sasuke said flatly, "It's not about how many I think I'll need, it's about knowing how many I'll need and making at least double that."

That was as far as they got by way of conversation and a minute or so later, the rest of the group rejoined them. Toph seemed to have no trouble sitting relatively close to the Fire Nation women and Aang made to join her, but Sasuke caught Katara out of the corner of his eye steering him gently away to sit him between Zuko and herself. Suki walked by and nudged the Fire Nation prince in the back.

"Do you think you could get a fire going? It's getting dark and Sokka had that fish he caught when we got here that I can cook up."

Zuko gave her a nod as she walked by and within a few moments had a fire going in the center of their small circle. It was as the light of the fire threw the group into a brighter relief that Sasuke realized the sun was dipping below the horizon as night began to fall.

An hour later, Suki brought over the fish she had spoken of and got to work frying them up. It was during this time that Sasuke finished working with the last of his iron and put his twenty-sixth kunai to rest with the others. At Suki's orders, everyone moved closer to the fire in order to be served their evening portions and it was when Aang, the last to get his dinner, sat down that Azula came out of the trees.

Her hair was damp enough to show that she had indeed gone into the water relatively recently and as she neared the campfire, she nearly froze up as though suddenly having been reminded of where she was and who she was with. Light conversation fell away as everyone regarded her; Sasuke imagined himself where she stood, a complete anomaly to the situation, unwanted and unknown. He might have felt something like pity as she looked around awkwardly at the rest of them.

"Ah, there you are. Your meal, princess." Suki held out a plate of fish towards Azula who stared at it as though she had just been presented with a bomb. Jerkily, she started walking again to close the dozen or so yards between her and everyone else. She took the plate and gave a strange nod that was as good a thanks as Suki was likely to get. Sasuke felt surprised as she looked around the circle for a place to sit; he would have expected her to take her food and retreat to a safe distance. Ty Lee scooted towards Mai to make room, but then Azula surprised not just Sasuke further, but everyone there by walking over and sitting directly next to him, a foot away from being shoulder to shoulder.

Ty Lee and Mai both looked as though they had bitten off their own tongues as Zuko blinked rapidly. Aang had a piece of fish almost to his tongue and it hung there before his gaping mouth comically. Suki sat down with an expression that said "wow, for real?" next to Toph who was motionless save for her fidgeting feet. Katara was the only one who remained stoic as she looked at Azula and Sasuke with a fierce expression. Sasuke met her eyes for a moment and gave the barest shrug.

Not my idea.

He gave Azula a sideways glance, but she seemed content to ignore him and began to wolf down her fish as though she hadn't eaten in days. After several more awkward moments as everyone reveled in the oddity of Azula and Sasuke eating side by side, mealtime talk resumed.

Pushing aside the strangeness of sharing a sitting spot with Azula, Sasuke did his best to focus inward on his own issues as the majority of the air became full of stories swapped between Aang, Zuko and Toph, who all seemed very eager to share their sides of particular stories from when they had supposedly been sworn enemies.

But as Sasuke tried with a deep urge to refocus on Ozai and reclaiming the rest of his past and securing revenge for his brother, he found that the anger and hate that had recently been so accessible was floating just out of reach. Just when he was about to be able to imagine Ozai's throat beneath his heel, a happy interjection from Aang would pull him from it. And just when he had been near to plotting how best to force words from the Fire Lord's mouth, a lighthearted cackle from Toph caused him to come blinking from his reverie.

Sasuke sighed. Perhaps it would be better to just go with the current before him for the time being.

He tuned into a story that Zuko was relaying about a detour he had been forced to take during his pursuit of Aang when his uncle had lost a prized lotus tile. Though the voices he had been hearing distantly had been primarily of Aang, Zuko and Toph, Sasuke saw that everyone around the fire seemed to be getting into the recollection; Suki and Katara were looking on, content and amused while Zuko and Aang bounced back and forth, filling in their own details. Sasuke noticed that even Mai and Ty Lee looked like they were reluctantly entertained and it was only Azula who seemed to have no reaction to the stories, though he could tell she, like him, was paying attention.

"…and this is the absolute kicker," Zuko was saying. "After all that, after everything we went through, Uncle Iroh pulls the tile out of his sleeve and is like, 'Hey, Prince Zuko, I had it all along! How funny, right?'"

Toph and Aang were half-hysterical at this as Zuko shook his head, smiling.

"I could have killed him then and there."

Wiping his eye, Aang asked, "And then?"

Zuko raised an eyebrow. "Then I grabbed that stupid tile and threw it over the waterfall."

Sasuke chuckled.

It was several seconds of quiet broken only by the crackle of fire that Sasuke realized everyone was once again staring at him in utter disbelief. Even Azula, who had done nothing but chew aggressively since sitting down, had frozen and was half-looking in his direction in silent befuddlement.

"What?" he growled.

It was Toph who managed to ask, her words ripe with astonishment, "You can laugh?"

Sighing, Sasuke set his empty plate on the sand at his feet. "Yes, I can laugh, it really is not so ridiculous a concept."

Aang shrugged. "Kind of is."

Not willing to waste breath arguing, Sasuke said nothing back. After a moment, Toph asked another question. "Do you have any funny stories?"

Heaving yet another sigh, Sasuke looked her direction tiredly. "Even if I did have any memories, what makes you think I would have any 'funny stories'?"

She tilted her head back and forth, considering this.

"Well, you laughed, which means you know what humor is. And if you know what humor is, you must have a funny story of some kind, or even a joke that proves you know how humor works."

He stared at her, mildly perplexed.

"Truly you have a dizzying mental process."

Toph flipped her hair over her shoulder and gave him a smile. "I try."

Aang leaned forward from where he was sitting, looking very eager.

"Come on, Sasuke, you have to at least know a joke, or something."

He turned his annoyed attention to the Avatar then, "No, I do not happen to know any—"

Suddenly, he was able to pull from a memory; it was faint visually, but he remembered what was said as he saw himself at about Toph's age listening to a joke Itachi had told him when he must have been much younger. The thought sent a pang through his gut as he muttered absently.

"Actually, there is one."

Toph hopped from where she was sitting to land laying stomach down at his feet, her face propped up on her hands as she smiled widely up at him.

"Let's hear it, freak."

Regretting admitting his recollection aloud, Sasuke tried to backpedal. "It's a longer one, I don't know if you'd want to hear it."

Aang dropped down to sit next to where Toph lay, him too smiling broadly. "I've got all night."

Knowing he wouldn't get any help from anywhere else, Sasuke still looked up and around. Katara was watching him intently, Suki looking his way almost expectantly. Zuko was looking like he was trying hard not to be very interested, as he held Mai's hand; she looked cautiously curious next to Ty Lee, who looked more doubtful than anything.

Sasuke looked to his left to look at Azula, who still wasn't willing to look at him.

"How about it, your highness? Mind if I tell a joke?"

He wasn't expecting his provocation to get a response, but to his surprise, Azula said quietly, "I'd rather you didn't call me that."

Sasuke looked inquisitively her way and she turned ever so slightly, eyes downcast.

"What would you rather?" he asked.

She tightened her lips momentarily.

"My name."

Partially stupefied by not just this admittance, but that she also had let it out in front of everyone else, Sasuke inclined his head.

"Okay, Azula. A joke?"

She looked away again.

"If you must."

Putting his hands on his knees, Sasuke took a deep breath and straightened his back as he looked around at his small audience. It was hard to keep himself from at least smirking as he remembered this particular joke's punchline.

"Once there lived a wealthy nobleman and his wife. They were very successful and very happy, and the fruits of their hard work and accomplishment led them to have their first child, a baby boy whom they were very proud of."

"As the years passed, the nobleman realized that his son wasn't like most other children, but he was polite, kind and behaved himself, so his strangeness was hardly a qualm. On his son's tenth birthday the nobleman asked, 'Son, what would you like for your birthday?' He expected to hear a request for a dog, or an expensive archery set, or a massive playset, or perhaps a treehouse, but his son only looked at him and said, 'Father, all I can really ask for are ten pink polo balls.' Surprised, but nevertheless intent on pleasing his son, the nobleman complied. His son was thrilled, but the next day after he had received his strange gift, the pink polo balls were nowhere to be found."

"The years passed and each birthday his son celebrated he would ask for the same thing. The only difference being that he would ask for a larger amount each year; eleven pink polo balls on his eleventh birthday, twelve on his twelfth birthday, and so forth and the nobleman complied each time. And every day following, the pink polo balls would be gone, as if they had never existed. The nobleman would inquire why his son wanted the pink polo balls and what he did with them, but he never received an answer. On his son's sixteenth birthday, the nobleman wanted to get his son something very nice, so he went to his son and asked, 'Son, what would you like for your birthday this year? This is a very important point in your life and I would like to get you something that means something. Perhaps a race horse of your own? Or a boat to sail the coast with?' But the son looked at him and asked, 'Father, I'm very grateful you would even be willing to offer me these things, but all I really want, more than anything, are sixteen pink polo balls.' The nobleman, bewildered still, complied and the next day, all the pink polo balls were gone. He went to his son and asked, 'What is that happens with those pink polo balls you ask for?' The son became nervous and asked, 'Please humor me father, for just a while longer.'"

Sasuke noticed with satisfaction that his telling was pulling in the attention he would have liked. Toph and Aang were looking deeply thoughtful and transfixed on his words while Suki, Katara, Zuko, Mai and Ty Lee were all watching him with furrowed brow, no doubt trying to piece together themselves what the outcome would be. Even Azula, who was still trying to act like she wasn't paying attention, was looking at the ground with a contemplative glare.

Sasuke continued, "Two years later and his son was on the verge of moving out to begin life for himself. He had chosen an excellent school with which to further his education and with his excellent grades and strong motivation, his parents were very proud. The nobleman wanted to give his son the best gift he could on his eighteenth birthday as he neared this next big step and approached his son about it. 'Son,' he said, 'I want to get you a place of your own for your birthday. Somewhere where you can take this next big step securely and freely. I want to get you your own house, son.' But the son, looking appreciative and humble, only said, 'Father, I have had the most perfect childhood, with everything I could every ask for. You and mother have given me everything I could want or need, but as I get ready to move out on my own, I can only ask, please may I just have eighteen pink polo balls."

"At this, the nobleman finally breaks and becomes upset. 'Son, I have given you pink polo balls year after year, and every time, they disappear and you refuse to tell me why or how they have vanished. Now, I want to buy you a house and that is what I intend to do.' So, taking two horses, the nobleman took his son on the road into the city to look for a house."

"On the ride in, they are attacked by robbers. Their things are stolen, their horses are killed and both the father and the son are stabbed multiple times. As the robbers run off, the nobleman crawls to his son, both of them bleeding and badly injured. He lifts his son's head and asks through a mouthful of blood, 'Son… I have to know. What did you do with all those pink polo balls? Why did you want them so badly?' And the son, struggling to stay conscious, looks up at his father and replies weakly, 'Well, father… the reason is because… because…'"

The crackle of fire once again became the only noise audible as the dark of night settled over the camp. Sasuke looked around and nearly chuckled again; everyone was looking his way with differing levels of open mouths, widened eyes and expectant stares. Katara, who had either knowingly or unknowingly leaned forward a good several inches, finally snapped, "And?"

Sasuke shrugged. "And the son died. The end."

For a moment, there was only quiet. Then, one at a time, the members of his audience began to audibly groan, roll their eyes or shoot him dirty looks. Toph shook her head and got up to her knees to lean his way angrily.

"Wait, what?! That's it?!"

Sasuke nodded. "That's it."

Aang, who looked equally betrayed, stood up. "How is that a joke?! That's not funny!"

Allowing himself to smirk, Sasuke replied, "I don't know, I'm finding it rather amusing."

He had to deal with varying levels of annoyance and voiced anger over the next several minutes, but he found that attention to be far more appealing than attention that was directed at him for other, more judgmental reasons. Eventually, Katara was able to move them along as Toph and Aang still seemed ready to attack Sasuke for playing with their emotions to such a degree.

"Okay, okay, so Sasuke's an asshole," she said loudly. "I think we can move on from this now, though."

She looked around.

"Anyone else have a story or joke that actually has a real ending?"

Her eyes flicked to him in annoyance then, but Sasuke saw a softness in her gaze there that he hadn't expected to see.

Huh. Who would have thought that crappy joke was what I needed to loosen her up to me.

Of all people, it was Ty Lee who spoke up reluctantly. "Well… we burned down a summer home during a party a few weeks back."

She pointed into the dark of night. "Just one island over as a matter of fact."

Suki sighed. "Can you people go anywhere without destroying something?"

Mai came to her friend's defense.

"To be fair, they were kind of asking for it."

She looked at Zuko who gave her a pained look.

"Sort of," she clarified, none too helpfully.

From there, she, Ty Lee and Zuko launched into the tale of a vacation they had taken themselves on some of the more populated beaches, beaches that they would likely be visiting shortly in pursuit of the Fire Lord's advisor. Even Sasuke had to admit that imagining the three of them, plus Azula, taking on some easygoing vacationers in volleyball was quite the comical prospect.

But as he listened in to this tale, the hairs on the back of his neck began to rise.

"I really, seriously couldn't get these guys off me, even after that," Ty Lee was saying. Her attitude towards Sasuke seemed to have diminished or at least been pushed to the wayside as she recounted her side of the tale.

"You wore the skimpiest outfit and are a sucker for attention, how did you think that was gonna go?" Mai asked flatly, earning laughter from Katara and Suki. Ty Lee turned her palms face up sheepishly.

"Well, when you're so used to the spotlight that you sort of just—"

Sasuke put up a hand.

"Quiet."

As eyes turned to him after his abrupt interruption, Ty Lee's face returned to the usual disdain he would have expected her to regard him with as her voice snapped with sarcasm. "Oh, I'm sorry, is this a little too girly for you?"

From where she was sitting on the ground, Toph spoke quietly. "No, listen to him."

At Toph's words, everyone quieted for several long moments before Katara asked gently, but purposefully.

"What is it, Toph?"

The blind girl gave no immediate response, but said after several seconds. "There's gotta be, say, thirty at least. The sand makes it hard to tell."

Sasuke shook his head.

"Double that. They're in the trees too."

Suki leaned forward, hissing. "Who?"

Sasuke didn't reply. The campfire they were sitting around had suddenly made their position feel incredibly naked. It was the only light as far as the eye could see as night had fallen above. The ocean was a black void to his back and in front of him, the treeline was an invisible, black mass of impending and encroaching hostility. To anyone else, it would have appeared as just that, a black looming shape, but as Sasuke's Sharingan flared to life, he knew far better.

Dozens of figures were standing amongst the trees and in them, silent and staring. They had arrived very quickly en masse; Toph had been able to sense many of them, but Sasuke's enhanced sight could seem them as they peered at the small group around the fire.

"Natives?" Aang asked quietly, his voice shaking. Sasuke could practically feel his fear.

"If so, what do they want?" Katara asked. Sasuke would have expected Mai or Zuko to reply, but it was Azula who spoke up, a rare sound that night.

"There were always rumors from the inlands of these islands that cannibals and savage tribes roamed deep within the trees, but they were dismissed as rumors."

"You might be wanting to reconsider that," Toph muttered.

Ty Lee's voice was low and measured, but there was fear in her tone too. "What do we do? We can't fight them all, or run; Sokka's still gone with Appa."

Suki's voice was the calculated tone of a warrior.

"If we knew if any of them were benders, that would be very helpful… otherwise, I think our best bet is to retreat to the ocean. Katara and Aang can put up a barrier of water around us until we can at least figure out better what we're dealing with."

Her plan was met with general murmured consensus as everyone tried not to look towards the trees, at least until Sasuke said in a sharp, straightforward tone a single word.

"No."

As eyes turned his way, he growled. "I know you all hate what I am. But I'm stronger than any coward watching us in from those woods. I've been getting stronger since I woke up in that prison. I'm getting stronger still."

His eyes flashed red.

"And I'm done running."

He stood up, picking up his sword. At once, there was a twang and a hiss and as his Sharingan took over, he swiped out with a hand to his left.

Caught in his hand was an arrow with a wicked and pointed barb. Had he not caught it as it had come slinging out of the darkness, it would have embedded itself in Azula's throat. Her eyes were wide as her hand moved almost involuntarily to clasp at the skin on her neck, but to Sasuke, things were very apparent. Whoever these people were who were staring at them from the cover of night, they had just tried to kill one of their number. That was no sleep dart he held, or bola meant to ensnare someone. Someone had just tried to kill Azula without a word or warning.

That was all Sasuke needed to know.

With a few tight, brisk hand seals, he gestured in a sweeping motion towards the woods. All at once, a towering wall of flame spread in a brilliantly bright blaze that extended for dozens upon dozens of meters from deeper in the trees, walling in the layer of trees closest to the beach. And in the light that suddenly made the beach glow as bright as the falling burn of sunset, Sasuke could see them.

They looked around in a panic, dropping from the trees or swinging about them, the ones on the ground jumping around, waving their bows, clubs and other manner of weapon in a frenzy. It was clear quickly to him that they were not there to talk or exchange peace; that firing of a bow on Azula had been no accident. These island inhabitants, naked but for spots of armor and loincloths, were there to kill them, capture them, or worse.

And Sasuke couldn't have been more pleased by the turn of events.

A fire had come alive in his chest, suddenly unlocked by the precipitous threat that had come before him. The hate and fury that had recently been outside his reach had fallen into his hands, clasped and crushed by his pounding heart. He hadn't lied about his strength; his power, his energy was growing drastically even just as the hours passed.

If I weren't here… what would become of everyone? Tortured, killed, cannibalized?

As he unsheathed his sword and began to stalk towards the small army that was preparing to bear down on him, he looked back and met Katara's eyes. Her eyes no longer held that expected spark of hauteur that she commonly regarded him with, but they now flashed with fear as the light of his fire danced over her face. He made sure she could see his Sharingan that smoldered like the ire in his heart.

You said you were scared of me. That you knew I was dangerous.

He turned back to the savages before him as they screamed furiously as one, a cacophonous, overpowering sound as the fire burned behind them, leaving them nowhere to go but to Sasuke or the flames..

You're scared of me, Katara? I'm about to give you a damn good reason to be.