AN: About a half dozen chapters before the split, I'd estimate. Not a solid number at all, but hoping to keep you guys as up to speed as I am. Hope you enjoy!

P.S. Fair warning, things are starting to step up here.

Chapter 21: Copout

Aang felt a smile cross over his face as he dove downward, the wind whipping at his face. The rest of his companions had congregated near a small bridge crossing over a river, and fortunately, no one was around with it being that early in the morning. It was a sour note for Aang as he realized that a great many people may have been evacuated already and thus it was deserted for a reason, but he caught himself and brought his focus to the moment.

Let's enjoy the good news while we have it.

He pulled up very close to the ground and came out of his flight in a jog as he ran up to everyone. Toph's eyes were still red, worse than they had been atop the wall and Aang knew that she must have been crying quite a bit while she had been with Ty Lee; the acrobat herself seemed to have some wet trails on her own face that glinted in the pale morning light. Mai was wearing a hard look that looked like the expression of someone trying very hard not to let show any emotion in a strong contrast to Katara, who just looked plain miserable. Zuko's face was tight in a perpetual grimace as though he were constantly reminding himself of just how dire the situation was. Sokka and Suki were holding hands tightly, both looking considerably glum, though they looked up hopefully as did all as Aang approached. The expressions that they wore collectively were enough for Aang to feel a throb in his gut that he was hopefully about to bright their morning to a strong degree.

He panted a moment before saying, "We found him."

As the expressions around him changed into that of deeply anxious people, he realized that those three words only fulfilled half of the criteria for a proper report and he hastily added, "He's alive."

Toph let out a moan and put her hands in her face, breaking out into fresh tears. Katara closed her eyes and turned her head towards the sky, breathing deeply as Mai put a hand over her mouth and made a consternated noise before bending over, looking like she might be sick. Ty Lee stared at him before breaking into a smile, pulling Toph by the shoulders to press against her and sigh with relief as Sokka turned and let out a rather humorous noise of alleviation as he hugged Suki, who smiled and returned the embrace. Zuko stepped forward then, expression cautious.

"Alive… meaning?"

It struck Aang that he hadn't actually seen Sasuke himself and thus was only able to confirm this in the broadest sense. But as he stood there, a frightening thought occurred to him; did Azula's mark only work if he was alive? What if it worked when he… wasn't? Aang shook his head, knowing that such pondering was only going to drive him crazy. He partially ignored Zuko's question, instead saying, "Azula's with him at a teashop back down the road this way."

He turned to lead the way back that direction just as Sokka said, "Wait. Isn't that him?"

Aang squinted down the road and saw what he realized was a figure. The figure was moving very quickly their direction and seemed to have some sort of load in their arms. A moment passed before the black hair and outfit told Aang that Sokka's guess was correct and he smiled.

"Well, guess I don't have to take you to him, since here he is."

But as Aang stood there, watching Sasuke quickly move their way and saw what was actually in his arms, that smile faded in an instant.

Sasuke's jutsu had done the job perfectly, highlighting in his mind the occupation of the sprawling streets that stretched for kilometers around him. It hadn't directly told him who exactly was where but instead had bounced images into his head of the people about, their size and their groupings. The seven smaller than adult forms had stuck out to him like a sore thumb and he had broken into a spring in that direction without a moment's hesitation, lifting Jin and carrying her with him.

Very fortunately, the group wasn't far from the teashop he had been staying in and as he saw them just on the other side of a small bridge, he urged himself to run even faster, though he was already moving far faster than a normal human could move.

His own speed and deliberateness were a surprise even to him; why he was so concerned with the wellbeing of a girl he had only known for a morning was beyond him, but he allowed his unbidden emotions to rule his actions. Jin couldn't die, he wouldn't let her. He was distantly able to remember that he had indeed been trained in medical jutsu of at least a moderate variety but as he raced through the streets, the hand signs, the names, the functions all mixed in his head in a completely useless mess and he grit his teeth in anger at himself. He hated the feeling of being useless and it was even more frustrating now.

Within the blink of an eye, he was before his companions. He watched all their faces morph between surprise, relief and concern, but he ignored all but one, his eyes seeking Katara. Sasuke found her instantly and approached her, speaking quickly in regard to Jin's condition by way of greeting.

"She's been burned badly in her midsection, deep enough in the middle to bleed. I don't know what it's hit or what's damaged at this point."

For a moment, Katara's expression simply was simply stunned as her mouth moved wordlessly before she gestured to the ground in front of her shakily.

"Lay her down."

Sasuke did so, and Jin whimpered as her body touched the cold stone, her eyelids flickering rapidly and Sasuke tried to ignore how pale she looked as he straightened. Katara knelt by the girl and moved her hands over the ghastly wound, water rushing from the nearby river to bend to her will, probing and moving over the burnt and bleeding tissue. She looked up to Sasuke then, her expression tight and worried.

"I don't know, Sasuke, this is deep damage. Ordinary water will only be able to heal so much…"

Sasuke gestured to her.

"Try," he said. Katara stared at him for just a moment too long, her expression deepening in worry and with a touch of sadness before he shouted at her.

"Now!"

She jumped and swallowed before taking a deep breath and beginning to work. Sasuke watched her for a moment before turning away slowly, wiping a hand over his mouth as he did. It was the most awful feeling, knowing that there was absolutely nothing he could do to help Jin's plight. He closed his eyes and his hand moved to his hair, running fingers against his scalp and he ground his teeth together.

Worthless.

"Sasuke… what happened?"

It took Mai's words for Sasuke to remember that he was once again in the company of his allies and he turned to look at them all. Any relief or joy that might have been felt at the reunion was gone from their faces, replaced with varying degrees of fear and worry, and as Sasuke looked at Toph's face and saw the pained dread there as she remained close to Ty Lee, he realized something.

She thinks I might have done it.

Swallowing deeply, he spoke quietly, his words biting in the cool morning air.

"I used an ability I have access to called Susanoo to survive the fall, but the impact knocked me out. I was moved indoors by an older man who was worried what might happen if I was turned over to the authorities. I woke in a bed in a room off the teashop."

He gestured to Jin who he was relieved to see was still breathing as Katara worked feverishly.

"She was there when I awoke. She wasn't like the other citizens who were there when I crashed into the street, she didn't want to sacrifice me, she didn't think I was some kind of demon and she didn't treat me with some kind of malevolence for… what I was."

It was impossible not to keep the undertone from his voice and he knew that his deeper meaning was clear. It was hardly the time to chide any of them for his treatment in earlier days, but the contrast was too striking not to take note of.

"Then, Azula arrived." Just saying those words sent a twitch into Sasuke's face that pulled the edges of his mouth into a venomous scowl.

"I should have seen it coming," he growled. "She… she saw me and Jin when she entered the shop. I had fallen over and Jin was helping me up. And I guess that was a little too much for her highness."

Zuko looked down at Jin's gently shaking frame, a sick look passing over his face. Sasuke also realized that of all of them, the look that Zuko was giving Jin was nothing short of reservedly horrified, his face paled badly.

"My sister did this."

There was nothing to say in response to this and Sasuke turned away from them all again, unable to look any of them in the eye. He was so furiously ashamed of his own willful ignorance; this danger Azula presented had always been there, yet somehow, Sasuke had always looked away from the possibility as though not acknowledging it would make it become a nonfactor.

If not Jin, then who? Would she have eventually tried to kill Toph? Or Katara? Or any one of them just for looking at me the wrong way?

Just the thought seared a pit in his stomach and he pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.

I don't need this… I didn't need any of this.

Unable to help himself, he let out a frustrated snarl and began to pace, ignoring the startled reactions of several of his company. He kept trying to tell himself that this was much less of an issue than he was making it out to be; at the end of the day, his only concern was finding a way back to his world, not to be wasting time getting caught up in the lives of these people. He hadn't even known Jin a full day no less, why was this making such an impact on him?

She could die.

Before he knew it, he was standing over the injured girl and Katara, glaring down and unable to keep the aggression from his tone.

"Well?!"

He could see the exertion on Katara's face and she barely managed to whisper out as she looked up at him, "I'm still not sure."

As Sasuke's fists clenched at his side and he opened his mouth, Toph was suddenly in front of him.

"She's doing her best, Sasuke!"

As she shouted, Sasuke caught himself and took a step back, inhaling slowly. Aware of the worried expressions that were being cast his way, he made to turn away and try to properly calm himself, but only made it halfway on his heel before Toph grabbed his wrist. He looked to her and saw her looking up at him with a face glistening with tear tracks, though her face was steeled.

"You can't do everything, you know."

Her words combined with the gentle grip on his wrist did more to steady him than any mental self-reprimanding would have and he sighed.

"I know."

He looked at her a moment longer before she drew back and slugged him in the stomach. As opposed to her previous punch at the cave, he saw this one coming but didn't tense too badly for fear of hurting her, but just enough to keep her from summoning his breakfast back up his throat. It still hurt.

"And I thought I said," Toph said through gritted teeth, "To stop doing stuff like that."

"What can I say," Sasuke grunted. "This world's just got it out for me I guess."

She managed what might have been a small smile before looking down, her hair falling across her face and obscuring it from his view.

"I thought you might have been dead," she said, her voice wobbling. Sasuke stared down at her before looking up to the rest of them; everyone was looking appropriately subdued, but Sasuke caught Ty Lee swallowing back some tears of her own. He had seen how she and Toph had been growing closer in previous days and he supposed there was some strong protectiveness emanating from her. He reached out and tousled Toph's hair somewhat roughly.

"C'mon," he said, trying to put something like levity into his tone. "It'd take more than that to stop me. We've fallen from just as high, remember?"

Her head came up then and he saw an aggressive smile there now, for certain.

"You bet I remember. One of these days, I'm going to get you back for that one."

"You think I haven't been sleeping with one eye open since that night?" Sasuke asked and she grinned. For a moment, the stress of the moment, the stress of everything dissipated as he smiled back at her before a snap from Mai broke him from the brief reverie.

"Oh, shit."

Sasuke looked to see her staring with a fierce expression just behind him and he watched as Aang, Sokka, Suki, Zuko and Ty Lee followed suit, mixtures of fear and anger crossing their faces. And as he watched Toph's face pale and she took a stumbling step back, he knew why. He didn't even need to turn around to know what had caused this sudden shift in mood and he wasn't even sure he wanted to.

"I wouldn't bother with her, Katara, I think I dealt quite enough damage to make such efforts fruitless."

Azula's arrogant smirk was visible in her words even without Sasuke looking at her and he felt the fury that Toph had alleviated returning with a tidal force. Ahead of him, Suki was the first to step forward, her voice raised and angry.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?! We just arrived and you're already trying to kill people?!"

Sasuke listened as Azula scoffed. "Please. Some commoner girl will hardly be missed and I was only doing it to help Sasuke."

Mai shook her head in furious bewilderment. "How can killing an innocent citizen be anything but detrimental?! To anyone?!"

"Innocent is a matter of perspective," Azula sneered. "She was trying to steal him from me, and so I took matters into my own hands."

Toph's fearful gaze shattered into a visage of pure rage. "Sasuke doesn't belong to anyone, you damn lunatic!"

Azula's tone became viciously condescending as she replied, "I wouldn't expect you to understand. A stupid girl like you is hardly going to be able to comprehend my actions, and I won't waste words trying to pierce that thick earthen skull of yours."

Sasuke didn't think he could have been more still as he listened to the words being fired back and forth, growing more and more angry as the situation became more and more dangerous.

"You can't keep living like this, Azula! Making enemies out of everyone you come across is only going to get you killed; can't you see there's more to life than just fighting and killing?!" Zuko was shouting desperately, but Azula's reply hardly made it seem like his reasoning was being appreciated.

"You're so cute when you try think, Zuko, but you shouldn't try so hard, you might hurt something." There it was that same smirk in Azula's tone before it dropped into a pitch slightly lower, one dripping with menace.

"Now, I can tell Katara is deeply focused, but if you all can have her step away, I can finish what I started and we can get back to other matters."

Sasuke felt the princess take a single step forward and he saw Toph take a frightened step back, her mouth pulled in a tight line while her face shone with anger. And as Azula approached from behind him, Sasuke put out a hand to his side, his palm facing her.

"No."

He said the single word quietly, but with an imposing amount of intensity. Because he realized that despite with how helpless he felt to aid Jin, there was something he could do to get a handle on the situation. And Azula didn't take another step after that and he did his best to picture her face; was she offended? Surprised? Hurt that he would order her from getting any closer? It didn't really matter in the long run since his single utterance had done its job for the time being.

"But…" she started haltingly and Sasuke could tell his reaction, above any of the other valid points that had been hurled her way, had done a number on her confidence. "… can't you see what she was doing to you? She was trying to take you away from me!"

Sasuke said nothing to this. Deep down, there was a feeling of dread that was starting to spread throughout his body as he realized that there truly might not be any way around this, any way to truly defuse this… whatever it was possessing Azula. He had spent all these days ignoring her to the best of his ability, letting her push her advances in the hopes that it would satisfy her for the time being, but things had only gotten worse, perhaps irreparably so.

Behind him, she took another step forward and he let some venom slip into his voice as he snapped. "You stay back. Not another step."

He still refused to so much as look in her direction, but he was able to gauge her reaction by the expressions on everyone else. He saw wide-eyed looks of tenseness on the faces of all, but he noticed Mai in particular looking over his shoulder with a deep, deep sadness. He had to remind himself of just how long she had known Azula and no doubt was hurting now to see the princess in such a consumed and crazed state. Sasuke supposed that might have caused him to feel a little pitiful himself, but as his eyes tracked down to Jin's fugue expression as she underwent what was potentially life-saving treatment, he felt that pity swamped immediately with a savage satisfaction in Azula's hurt.

"Sasuke, please…" she muttered behind him, and he could tell that she was doing her best to stay in control and impose her usual air of superiority. She probably wouldn't beg much more than that with an audience, and he could tell the pulling between dominance and desperation was wearing on her.

She remained silent a moment longer before saying loudly, "Can't you see why I'm doing this? I can see what she's trying to do, and I can tell you're being tempted!"

Azula let out a shaky laugh that was quickly covered up by her following words as she began to slowly move towards him. "I'm not blaming you, it's not your fault! But if you'll just let me kill the bitch, then the problem is removed entirely; you don't have to worry about her seducing you or trying to—"

Something within Sasuke's mind snapped and he couldn't keep himself from acting on it. Moving in a sharp turn, he pulled his arm back and swung it across his body; the open flat of his palm connected with the side of Azula's face and there was a terrific crack as he struck her. Her head snapped to the left and she went sprawling in a heap on the ground. Realizing that he hadn't been breathing, Sasuke slowly inhaled and blew it out in a slow breath as he watched Azula slowly pick herself to her hands and knees in slow recovery after his slap. She faced away from all of them and though Sasuke couldn't see her face, he imagined that being humiliated in quite this fashion would hopefully be enough to keep her quiet for at least a moment.

There was a stinging sensation on his palm as he opened and closed his fist a couple times; he knew that if he had put more effort into the hit, he might have taken Azula's head clean off her shoulders, but as it happened, Sasuke didn't want anyone dying just then. He turned back to the group and saw the wide eyed looks now even more stunned and shocked. Zuko and Mai had both taken steps forward, but they both looked deeply unsure of what to do. Suki and Ty Lee had hands over their mouths, and Toph had her mouth open. Through it all, Sasuke did catch Sokka nodding for a moment with a look of distant satisfaction on his face, though he quickly looked away as Sasuke's gaze passed over him. It was the deeply saddened look on Zuko and Aang's faces that stuck with Sasuke the most however; it was a look that told him everything purely through expression. Maybe Azula was too far gone, it said. And Sasuke imagined that she very much might be.

The only person who hadn't reacted was Katara and she gave a gasp that took everyone from the moment and attention moved tentatively to her. She slowly removed shaking hands from Jin's midsection and Sasuke saw that the injured girl had passed out. Katara herself was trembling all over and looked very drained, and he could tell that whatever she had done had taken a great deal out of her.

"I'll… need more time," she managed to get out between exhausted breaths. "But… she's okay. For now."

It was as though a cork had been pulled in Sasuke's gut and a rush of anxiety that he hadn't even truly realized was there rushed out of him. He closed his eyes a moment and then opened them, speaking in a tone that was much more reflective of his usual persona.

"We'll take her to Pao's teashop. I have a friend there who will want to know she's safe and should grant us all room for the time being."

There was a rumble as without a word, Toph drew up a slab of earth from beneath Jin and floated it into the air at waste height. She turned her head expectantly towards Sasuke.

"Where exactly is this place?

Sasuke turned to point out directions, but to his surprise, Zuko walked up, looking almost embarrassed. "I know where it is."

Raising an eyebrow at him, Sasuke asked, "Are you sure?"

Zuko shrugged his shoulders, grumbling back. "Pretty sure."

The group began to move then, Toph moving along Jin's resting form behind Zuko towards the bridge that would take them deeper into the city and towards perhaps a place where they could finally earn some respite. Aang and Sokka moved to support Katara who seemed dazed on her feet and not able to move too well on her own accord. Sasuke considered thanking her as they passed him, but held his tongue. There would be time for that later, and anything that might exacerbate the situation just behind him was something to avoid.

Speaking of, as she walked by, Mai stopped in front of him, fixing him with a hard look, her eyes dancing with worry.

"And you two?"

The group stopped a moment to look back at where Sasuke hadn't moved and to where Azula had moved to a kneeling situation, facing adamantly away from all of them, her expression a mystery. Sasuke flicked a glance back at the princess and replied in a hard voice.

"I'll handle it."

Ty Lee stepped forward, a hand closed in a tight fist over her chest in a stark show of her anxiety, her eyes wide and somewhat desperate, "Maybe someone should stay just in case—"

Sasuke moved his eyes to her and she stopped talking immediately.

"I'll handle it," he repeated and this seemed to be enough to make her not want to reply, though he watched as tears leaked from her eyes.

Toph spoke quietly.

"What're you gonna do?"

Sasuke heard an almost eager edge to her voice and saw that same hidden hunger on her face, and he knew then what she was hoping he would say and do. But Sasuke wasn't going to kill Azula, he had no plans for that. But this was something that couldn't be postponed any longer; he should have dealt with it days ago.

It was clear though on the faces of his allies that there was a concern that Toph's unstated wish was something he would carry out; Sasuke met Zuko's eyes and saw that fear reflected perfectly there. Despite whatever monster she had become, he couldn't bear the thought of losing his sister. Putting all the assurance he could manage into his words, Sasuke softly said, "Don't worry."

His affirmation seemed to relieve Zuko's immediate worry and the Fire Nation prince swallowed and nodded, starting to lead the procession again without another word. Sasuke met the eyes of each and every one of them that passed by, letting gazes of fear, of worry, of anger and frustration catch in his own dark eyes. But there was nothing more said and they all continued over the bridge and down the street before moving out of sight.

Left alone in the near dead silence of the morning, Sasuke readied himself and turned.

He looked at Azula where she knelt, her head still turned away. He looked at her dark hair that danced gently in the breeze and moved his gaze towards the ground.

"I'm sorry I had to do that," he started. In actuality, he wasn't sorry at all, but if appeasement was something that needed to happen to keep her constrained in an at least somewhat sane state, it would have to do. "But I felt I had no choice. What you did was… inexcusable doesn't even begin to describe it. You're out of control. And you need to be stopped."

He brought a hand up to his face and rubbed his eyes in a weary frustration; truly, he couldn't believe that he was having to deal with this.

"You continue down a path like this and things will only get worse. You'll make more enemies, and your decisions will have worse consequences. You're no longer untouchable as royalty, eventually, you may be taken in by some form of authority and punished accordingly. I don't even know if that won't happen for this, but if it does, you should know that—"

He was cut off then as Azula spoke, her voice far-off and almost floaty.

"Did it feel good?"

Sasuke didn't know what to say to this. He wasn't perfectly sure what she meant, but he had an idea and he very badly hoped he was wrong. Ahead of him, Azula turned her head slightly, though not enough for him to see her face.

"It did, didn't it? It felt good."

Still, he couldn't reply and she finally turned to face him and when he saw the look on her face his heart sank. There was no humiliation or anger for him striking her and in front of several witnesses, no resentment or hate as he imagined he might have seen.

Her expression was nothing short of hungrily aroused and Sasuke was barely able to keep himself from stepping back instinctively.

Azula's eyes were wide and burning, her mouth stretched in a broad lustful grin. He could only watch as she rolled onto her hands and knees and began to crawl in his direction, her voice shaking with something that he couldn't quite identify.

"I know I deserved it. You want to do it again? It might feel even better," she said, her voice practically a purr. Her expression only deepened in its greed as she no doubt saw the trepidation in his eyes. For all her movements and attitude suggested, she likely knew just how much control she had over the situation.

"Stop," Sasuke growled as she drew nearer. Azula reached the space just before him and pushed herself up to her knees, smirking deviously up at him as she did.

"Or what?"

She reached out and touched a finger to his thigh, biting her lower lip as she dragged it slowly down towards his foot. Sasuke felt her nail even over his clothes and he tried to keep the hairs on the back of his neck from standing up.

"I've told you, Sasuke, I can be whatever you need me to be. Everything I do is for your own good, even if you can't see that."

As her finger moved inside his thigh, Sasuke reached down and grabbed her by the wrist, yanking her roughly to her feet.

"I don't need this… you and your damned obsessiveness!" he snapped. "It's making you a menace to everyone near you, and I can't have you trying to kill people just because of some insane assumptions you're making!"

Azula inclined her chin and only looked into his eyes passionately. "I know you're trying to look out for me, but I promise, it's alright. I'm fine taking these risks if it's for you."

She's not listening, Sasuke thought furiously in his head. She's hearing me, but she doesn't care. How can I make her understand?

Slowly pulling the hand that was gripping her wrist in her direction, Azula brushed her lips against the back of his hand, letting out a noise that could have been a quiet moan as she did.

"I've never felt so sure of anything in my life," she whispered, closing her eyes. "You complete me, Sasuke, and I'll do anything for you."

Letting out a snarl of frustration, Sasuke tore his hand away from her and reached out, grabbing a fistful of her hair, his face an angry scowl. Azula gasped at his movement but as he looked on, her eyes widened as her smile did the same; she was waiting for more, Sasuke realized.

She wanted more.

Fine.

As he held her with one hand, he drew back with the one that was free and punched her in the gut. She curled around his fist and let out a groan as she made to drop back to the ground. Sasuke didn't let her as he let go of her hair and grabbed her by the throat just under her chin. Despite how it might have appeared, he felt as though he had never been less in control of anything. There was a savage satisfaction that striking her gave him, but he knew deep down this was something she was enjoying all the more.

He stared into Azula's glowing eyes and felt her pulse hammering against his fingers. She slowly relaxed against his grip and reached out with a hand, brushing the side of his face.

"More," she whispered.

His frustration breaking, Sasuke roared and slammed her in the mouth with a fist. Her eyes tightened in pain as she was thrown back to land hard on the stone steps just near the bridge. Sasuke watched her as he tried to keep his now intense breathing in check as he watched her slowly pick herself up with a wince. Her eyes moved to him as blood trickled from her mouth and she spread her arms at her side.

"We can keep going if you want," she said and Sasuke spun away, not able to look at her a moment longer. There was some psychotic wall he was unable to break through, not with words, nor violence. He felt truly at a loss and he felt his mouth pull in a disgusted scowl as Azula practically giggled behind him.

"You can stop looking so ashamed, so… worried," she said softly, her voice alive with a quiet venom. "You can beat me until I can't move. You can use me to vent all your anger. I will protect you and I will keep you safe."

Her next three words drove a final stake of resignation and regret into Sasuke's heart.

"I love you."

But then, suddenly, he knew how to beat her.

Turning back to face her, Sasuke allowed the same derision and hateful tone that Azula used so often to speak to Toph or Mai or anyone really to slide into his voice.

"You don't know what love is."

All at once, her whole body seemed to tighten and her smile, while still present, seemed to freeze as though her face wasn't sure the emotion it was ready to convey next.

"What…?" she asked, in a voice just above a whisper, and Sasuke knew that in just moments, he had gotten her on the ropes.

"I said, you don't what love is. So, how could you possibly love me when you're not capable of loving in the first place?"

Now the smile began to fade, melting off her face with a slow and steady pace as Azula ever so gently began to shake her head.

"No, no, I know what love is, I know that I know what love is, how can you say that…?"

Sasuke allowed himself to adopt a small, but vicious smile. He wanted her to know that he was enjoying this.

"No, you know what possessiveness is. All you've ever known are things to take, to steal and to own. Things, or people, it doesn't matter. You remember, in all your life you were always able to take what you want, and use it for whatever you wanted, because of who you were. Ty Lee and Mai? Tip of the iceberg. How many people have had their lives ruined because of your desire to possess?"

He took a step forward, feeling himself regaining control and relishing the look of denial and hurt that was now evident on her face.

"That's what this is. You don't love me. You've just finally found the one thing that you haven't been able to take for yourself, and you've confused it with love. I doubt you've felt love at any point in your wretched little life."

"Stop it," Azula finally choked out. Her attitude had taken a complete reversal and Sasuke knew that his plan was working. There was a last step he would need to take though, and he had a rotten feeling about in the pit of his stomach. But this was the only way to ensure that Azula would keep from getting even more out of control at least until this fateful day was out. After that, things could be settled honestly.

"But maybe I'm wrong," he said. "Maybe this is love."

The hope that blossomed on her face matched the tears that swam into her eyes and for a moment, Sasuke almost felt guilty.

"But if this is love… if that's really what this is, you won't hurt anyone else on my account. I don't care what you think is happening, if you think I'm being seduced or tempted, it doesn't matter. It's not your place to know what's best for me."

"But… she was trying to-!"

As Azula made to interject, something occurred to Sasuke, something that he very much now had as an advantage over her, a bargaining chip that he could use as leverage of a very significant sort.

"Another word out of you, and I'll remove the sign on your chest."

Azula's eyes bulged then and she took a step back and pressed her hands against the spot where he had marked her as though doing so would keep it there forever.

"Please," she whispered and Sasuke inclined his head at her, narrowing his eyes.

"Have I made myself clear?" he asked sharply, watching as Azula's expression stung of panic.

Sasuke tentatively waited, hoping quite badly that this would work. He watched as a flood of different emotions passed over Azula's face before she finally swallowed, tears finally spilling down her cheeks and she nodded shakily.

"Say it," Sasuke growled.

Azula reached across her body with one arm to hug herself as she slumped where she stood, turning her head down. If he hadn't been so furious and disgusted with her, Sasuke thought he might have felt some pity for how alone she looked.

"It's not my place. I won't do something like this again."

It was quite possibly the best he was going to get for the time being, and for now, there were more pressing matters at hand. Sasuke knew that he would have to return to this matter in the future but for the time being, he didn't have time to be constantly looking over his shoulder for Azula's severely dangerous antics.

"We're going to go back and meet up with the others now. If Jin is awake, you're going to apologize to her."

As Azula looked up, Sasuke could see that pride once again shining in her eyes and he knew that despite the simplicity of what he had just requested, for Azula, it was likely akin to stabbing herself with a rusty knife.

"But… I…" she started to sputter out and Sasuke raised a finger to point at her chest. She caught his meaning and looked back to the ground, muttering as she did.

"I'll go back with you and apologize to her."

There was something deeply satisfying about listening to her repeat his orders out loud and Sasuke gave a nod of finality, feeling significantly drained from the whole affair.

Not how I would have wanted this morning to go.

He directed the finger he had been pointing with back towards the bridge where the others had crossed minutes ago; Azula, saying nothing, trudged in the direction he gestured, head lightly bowed and not meeting his eyes. Sasuke waited until she was a good dozen yards ahead of him before falling in behind her, letting out a quiet sigh as he did.

Damn it all with this woman. He thought back to when he had blatantly volunteered to rescue Azula from the hands of her father at the behest of Zuko, and shook his head. How different things might have been if he had never stepped foot in that palace. And all because some old ghost had instructed him to help the Avatar at all costs.

This remembrance was almost enough to stop him dead in his tracks as he walked over the bridge. Aang had named him as Avatar Roku, but from what he understood, this should have been impossible. Where was that old man now? What would have been his instruction now?

Sasuke looked up to see Azula risking a look back at him. He got a glimpse of her curious and regretful eyes looking at him burningly before she looked back forward quickly. Sasuke stared into the back of her head, feeling exceptionally lost in that moment.

Azula… what exactly are you?

He remembered how much more… normal she had been even just days ago when they had spoken on the deck of the airship. She had seemed much more relaxed, much more human. But at some point between then and now, a monster had been let loose; Sasuke imagined that monster had been within her all along, and based on reactions and comments he had picked up from Aang, Katara, Mai and others, it had shown itself before.

Sasuke could only walk along behind her and wish he had all the time in the world to think of a solution to this now looming problem.

The teashop just came into sight as Jin sat up sharply on the slab she was being levitated on, gasping as though she had just had her head forced underwater for a long period of time. Mai jumped as she sucked in air loudly and their procession slid to a halt as everyone turned to regard the injured girl.

Mai found herself looking at the girl through what she imagined had been something close to Azula's eyes. Obviously her psyche was much more stable and sensible than the princess's, but she still took some interest in trying to envision just what Azula might have seen that had made her literally try and murder the poor girl.

As Jin's wide eyes flicked about in an attempt no doubt to figure out where she was, Mai had to admit first and foremost that she was very pretty. During her time at the women's academy back at the capital, she had become quite accustomed to scoping out the other women in her class, primarily for the purpose of seeing who, if anyone, could potentially steal Zuko away from her. All of those girls had been a great deal like her and Azula however, mostly arrogant, or sullen, or bitchy to the most obnoxious degree, Ty Lee as a rare exception. So Mai wasn't quite sure what to make of Jin, with her gorgeous eyes, pretty face and despicably perfect hair.

And then, as if on command of the laws of universal irony, Jin locked eyes on Zuko, her face dawning with recognition and happiness.

"Lee? Is that you? I thought you left the city!"

Mai was not the only one who looked to Zuko then as the prince flushed and grit his teeth. Jin looked down at her mobile bed of rock and slowly hopped off of it; as she did, she clutched her midsection, crying out in pain. Mai felt a dangerous heat on the back of her neck as Zuko dropped down to a knee next to her and caught her. Slowly, he helped her upright and she looked around, her eyes curious though her face still reflected the pain the wound inflicted upon even just as simple a movement as that.

"Where am I? What happened?"

No one seemed willing to speak up and Mai caught Ty Lee's gaze and the acrobat shrugged somewhat helplessly. Mai knew exactly how she felt and saw the same look on the eyes of everyone else.

How do we explain something like this to her?

When there was no reply, Jin looked to Zuko.

"Lee? What happened?" she repeated and Zuko closed his eyes a moment as a look of defeat passed over his face. He opened his mouth, about to likely launch into an explanation that Mai found herself very interested in hearing before Suki spoke up first, her calm and focused voice adding a layer of clarity to the entire situation.

"You were attacked with firebending. Sasuke, whom I don't know if you've met, took you to Katara here…" she gestured to the waterbender who gave a weary smile and a weak wave. Jin returned the gesture in bemusement before looking back to Suki who continued, "… and she fixed you up as best she could. You'll need more attention, but she managed to save your life."

Jin looked back to Katara, her eyes glistening.

"Thank you," she whispered. Katara inclined her head, but Mai could tell she just desperately wanted to be able to lie down and rest after the sever expending of her abilities.

Resuming her looking around, Jin asked, "Where is Sasuke?"

"So you know him?" Toph asked as she lowered the slab of stone to the ground. Mai noticed the sharp edge to the earthbender's voice and though she saw nervous looks on Aang and Ty Lee's faces at the response, the biting tone seemed to be totally missed by Jin, who responded without looking at Toph, smiling as she did.

"I was one of the people who found him after his abrupt landing in the street. After he was moved, I watched him while he rested and was with him when he woke up."

There was a flicker of annoyance on Toph's face and Mai would have been lying to herself if she hadn't felt a similar feeling herself, though she made sure to hide it. She had silently noticed Zuko watching her with the same almost pleading expression she knew that she had given him more than once since the revelation on the cliffside, and Mai knew that a great deal of the boiling heat in her gut was due to what had just happened. It was clear that Zuko knew Jin already, albeit under a different name. And it also wasn't lost on Mai that the girl seemed in no great hurry to release him from her grip.

Oh, so now you'll look at me, Zuko? After all that cold-shouldering, now you're willing to give me the time of day again.

It was no surprise to Mai that she felt no such urge to return his look, venomously happy to give Zuko a taste of his own medicine.

Meanwhile, Toph had crossed her arms and was muttering rather loudly, "I'm sure you didn't need to do all that, he can take care of himself."

The hardly veiled bitterness was once again completely missed by Jin who shook her head, "Oh no, it was my pleasure! Someone had to watch him, and well, he's not exactly an eyesore to look at."

She smiled broadly and Mai was reminded of Ty Lee, both in the wide smile and the complete obliviousness to the situation at hand, though she was sure even her friend would have taken a hint by now. Toph's grudging expression darkened significantly then and the earthbender turned away, fists clenched over her crossed arms.

Sokka's eyes were dancing about and he seemed to have readily sensed the tension that was coming form well more than one place and he cleared his throat with an unnecessary amount of noise.

"All right, well we should wrap up this little trip, I'm thinking; my sis needs a bit of a lay down I'm thinking."

He looked at Jin with a look of mild concern. "And I don't know if you should be walking around just yet yourself."

Jin looked down at her feet and tested her weight, wincing slightly as she did. Without warning, Toph stormed through their group, heading resolutely towards the teashop, snapping over her shoulder as she did.

"I'm sure she'll be fine."

There was a pause as everyone looked after Toph and Mai felt what she supposed was a pang of baneful humor as she saw the surprised look on Jin's face at Toph's passing words. Looks were exchanged once again, but without another word, the group began moving towards the teashop once again and Mai did her best to ignore Zuko helping Jin on her way there.

Further down the street, there looked to be a sizeable amount of people milling about, arguing in a cluster of raised voices. Few seemed to notice their small group pushing into the teashop however and with the dim lighting and pleasant smell emanating from inside, Mai felt almost immediately somewhat refreshed and relaxed, even if her insides were still deeply at work due to a great many things.

"Is it as good as you remember it?" Jin asked with a smile and Mai turned to watch Zuko swallow nervously as he replied.

"Yep… just the same."

"Though I could only wish it were under better circumstances that this reunion could take place."

At the older, familiar voice, Mai turned with the rest of them to see an older, bearded man coming out from behind the counter. She hadn't seen much of him since she was a child, but it was still impossible for her not to recognize the face and stature of the Fire Lord's older brother. He was smiling gently and there was a slight shimmer in his eyes.

Zuko's face seemed to crumple and fall to pieces in a single moment; he slowly let go of Jin who sat gingerly down at one of the tables, looking more than interested in watching this exchange as did they all. Mai watched Zuko's hands shake as he took a step towards his uncle and dropped to his knees, face locked on the ground.

"Uncle… I have no excuse. I was so, so wrong, and I'm so sorry for all the trouble I caused you. All your love and attention that I threw away… I don't…"

His voice shuddered and broke then, and he took a moment to collect himself.

"I have nothing I can say or do to make it up to you, but I just want you to know…"

There was a gentle thud against the floorboards of the shop as Iroh dropped to his knees as well. Zuko barely had time to look up before the older man's hands were on his shoulders and Mai saw tears streaming down Iroh's face.

"I know, Prince Zuko… I know."

He wrapped him in a tight hug then and after a moment, Zuko loosed a sob before burying his face in his uncle's shoulder.

Despite her present grievances with him, Mai still found a surge of emotion in her gut; she saw that same emotion reflected on Ty Lee's face, hands over a smile with tears streaming down her cheeks. The rest of the group seemed not quite to understand quite the gravity of everything, and Mai realized she didn't either, but she still saw Katara's tired face smiling warmly as she put an arm around her brother's shoulder, he too smiling as he held Suki's hand. Aang had the broadest smile of all as they quietly watched the exchange.

Something near a minute might have passed before the two of them slowly broke apart, still holding one another as they stood. Sniffing, Iroh was the first to break the silence as he seemed to try and add some levity to the whole situation, even as he kept an arm around Zuko's shoulder, the prince looking as happy as Mai had ever seen him.

"I suppose I owe you all thanks. Reuniting with me nephew is probably the greatest gift I could have ever received. And on such a day no less."

Aang bowed his head, still smiling widely. "It was our pleasure, sir. We haven't forgotten the debt we owe you; you've lent us your aid many times."

Iroh inclined his head in return. "To help the Avatar is to help the natural world, and I can't express how overjoyed I am that this young man…"

He ruffled Zuko's hair.

"… has been turned in the right direction as well."

Suki spoke up then. "Thank you for hiding Sasuke. If put in a bad predicament, I don't want to think what might have happened if… well…"

She trailed off, scratching the back of her head and Iroh gave her a knowing look. "Believe me, my dear, I know."

He gave a look towards the entrance of the teashop, a look of apprehension passing over his face as he did.

"Did he not come back with you?"

Sokka looked the same way with a tight look on his face. "He's still out there. With Azula."

A very grim air settled over the previously quite uplifting setting. Iroh reached up to absently squeeze Zuko on the shoulder as everyone's attention now stuck to the door.

"I'm thrilled to see you again, Prince Zuko, but… traveling with your sister? I can't say as I particularly approve."

Even despite his now surely soaring soul at being reunited with his uncle, Zuko still looked like it was difficult to try and defend her, and a look of sadness passed over his face.

"When she turned on father, I thought it could be the moment she needed to turn for the better. But… she only seems to have gotten worse."

"I must say, I was surprised when that news began circulating through the grapevine," Iroh remarked. "I quite believed it to be a lie, a façade perhaps, but one of the Earth Nation spies recently reported back that she had been at one of the island festivals in recent days, stirring up chaos and openly decrying the Fire Lord. I still wasn't convinced, but when she walked through that door not an hour ago…"

He shook his head and looked to Zuko. "What convinced her to turn against Ozai? If there was ever anyone she was loyal too or frightened of, it was him and I would never have expected for their paths to differ so suddenly and so violently."

Ty Lee's voice came out of almost nowhere, the girl herself looking surprised she had spoken up even as she said the words.

"She was trying to save me."

She saw Iroh's eyes on her and she cleared her throat to explain.

"The Fire Lord had gotten the idea that a certain ritual would grant him some immeasurable power if he cut ties and killed someone he truly loved as a sacrifice."

Iroh's expression became one of shock and then dipped deeply into one of sorrow as he closed his eyes. "The Ritual of Sozin's Rites…"

Zuko looked at his uncle in bewilderment. "You knew about this ritual?"

Looking truly broken, Iroh leaned against the counter, saying quietly, "I read about it during my studies before the time I served in the war. It was so entirely absurd a concept though, I never thought… I can't believe my brother would stoop so low."

"He was ready to try it," Mai said, picking up the story. There was something about seeing Iroh look so sad over Ozai that bothered her greatly; didn't he understand what a monster his brother was? There was no time to pity him. "We were with Azula when he told her of his intentions. She was ready too, to sacrifice herself for his wishes, but Ty Lee and myself took a chance and attacked him and his guard, in an effort to save her. When Ozai injured Ty Lee, something seemed to snap with Azula and she attacked him as well. We probably would have all died then and there if…"

As the common denominator of so many of their most recent stories stuck in her mind, she stopped and bit her tongue. Iroh seemed more than capable of piecing it together then and he nodded knowingly.

"He seems to be quite something."

As if on cue, the door swung open and Azula herself stepped inside. The overall reaction of the room seemed to erupt in tension almost immediately and Mai could more than understand why. Sokka and Suko both moved to stand in front of where Jin sat, with fierce looks on their face; Azula's victim didn't move from her chair, but her face tightened with fear as she looked at the princess. Mai eased herself next to Ty Lee, whose expression had become very passionate and nervous indeed, and squeezed her friend's wrist. She prayed that no more violence would come, but she knew deep down, it was always an option with Azula.

The princess had her gaze down, not meeting anyone's eyes, and though her usual aura of imposing intimidation could still be noted, there was a subdued expression on her face. Mai thought she saw some blood leaking from the corner of her mouth and, despite what Azula had done, Mai couldn't help but feel a wave of anger towards Sasuke if he really had thought that beating some sense into her was the only option. That said, Azula didn't seem badly injured beyond that, though who knew just what had transpired in the minutes before.

Sasuke appeared in the doorway behind her a moment later; he looked up and down the street back the way he had come before stepping inside and closing the door. He looked around at everyone one by one, his gaze unreadable. As his eyes passed over Jin, he cleared his throat; Azula gave a slight jerk as though she had been startled and then muttered towards the ground.

"I'm sorry I attacked you. I thought you were someone else, but I was mistaken."

Mai could only stare in utter befuddlement. She didn't know if she had ever heard Azula apologize in her life and for her to do it now, in front of so many people…

Sasuke… what did you do?

She saw the corner of Sasuke's mouth turn up just slightly as her thoughts passed by. From where she sat, Jin raised her hands in a gesture of goodwill, though her eyes still glinted with fear.

"That's alright," was all she managed. Silence fell awkwardly over the room then a moment before the backdoor of the shop opened up and a wiry man who must have owned the place stepped inside.

"Ah, everyone is here, quite good, quite good."

He jerked a thumb back the way he had come and then gestured towards the ceiling.

"The guest rooms above should more than accommodate you all if you are in need of rest, a change of clothes, or need to wash up. Iroh and myself will be making breakfast in about a couple hours if that's something that interests anyone."

Despite the tension that still remained on high alert, Mai couldn't help but smirk as Ty Lee's stomach growled next to her. Seeming to want to move the situation out of any potential danger zone, Aang stepped forward, nodding.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Pao."

He gave another smile to Iroh and was the first to walk through the door that led to the stairs to the floor above. Sokka and Suki followed suit, helping along Katara who looked better but still quite fatigued. As Toph fell in line behind them, Mai took a step towards Azula.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up and we can get some ice on that—"

As she reached for the princess's shoulder, Azula's eyes suddenly flared to life and she swatted Mai's hand away.

"I don't need your help," she snapped, a moment before strutting towards the stairs as well, her haughtiness once again on full display. Mai watched her go and gave Ty Lee a worried look that was returned. She slowly turned her gaze to Sasuke who likewise was watching Azula leave.

"Sasuke…" she asked hesitantly. "What happened between you?"

He said nothing for a long moment before murmuring distantly.

"You two should freshen up and nap if you need to. Long day ahead of us."

Sasuke pretended not to be paying attention to Mai and Ty Lee as they watched him intently for a few seconds before moving to head upstairs as well. He remained where he stood, standing silently as Iroh and Zuko exchanged words, promising to catch up as Zuko excused himself to sleep for the little time that was allotted to him. As he was left alone with Iroh and Jin, he turned his eyes to the girl.

"Are you alright?" he asked and she looked at him with a small smile.

"Thanks to you and that waterbender. I have to say, this is not how I expected this morning to go."

Sasuke sighed. "Nor I."

There was a bout of silence once again before Jin slowly pushed herself to her feet; as Sasuke moved forward to help him, she waved him off, clutching gingerly at the makeshift bandages that wrapped her wound. Sasuke remained near her, remembering the amount of blood she had lost and just what that might mean to her recovery, but she waved him off.

"Don't worry about me. I'll need to clean it yet, but I don't know much good will come of fretting over it for the time being."

"You're sure?" Sasuke asked and she gave him a look. He wasn't convinced she was alright, but it would be up to Katara to give her another look over after she was rested.

"I'll be fine. Just think I'll… lie down for a bit."

She bid farewell to Iroh and to Pao, who was returning to the kitchen, before giving Sasuke a last smile and a little wave before excusing herself from the room. Sasuke couldn't help but return the gesture as silly as he felt doing it before he and Iroh were left alone.

He supposed that it shouldn't have surprised him that Iroh started their dialogue with a joke.

"Well, you saved her life for a first date, not too shabby."

Sasuke chuckled darkly. "Hardly. She doesn't know who Azula is, or even Zuko, does she?"

Iroh shrugged. "Probably not. But that's something she shouldn't have to worry about right now."

Turning to him, Sasuke leaned against one of the wooden beams that arose towards the ceiling. "Zuko kept looking at her. Do they have a history?"

"I'm afraid so," Iroh replied. "That probably is something they'll both have to deal with at some point."

Mai as well, Sasuke thought. That was a conversation he would be glad to not be a part of. After several long moments though, his thoughts inevitably turned towards what was undoubtedly on everyone's mind, though the topic seemed to have been thoroughly avoided.

"If you're really as involved with the city's defense as you say, I think you'd better give me a rundown of what we're expecting," he finally said. Iroh looked at him closely, peering with a tired gaze that told Sasuke this was someone who had been reading people for a long time.

"You intend to fight?" the old man asked and Sasuke crossed his arms.

"I was told by my brother that my best bet on fully recovering myself and returning home lies in this city. If Ba Sin Se is destroyed, it throws a nasty snag in my plans."

Iroh fixed him with a frown then. "And on account of doing the right thing?"

Turning and fixing the old man with a glare, Sasuke growled back, "Make no mistake, this wasn't my war. I don't know what the Fire Nation did to the Earth Nation or vice versa or where the Water Nation plays a factor, or anything. Doesn't really make a difference to me who comes out on top since leadership here is a bunch of bickering bureaucrats anyway, according to you."

He paused, a great many images flashing through his mind. "But I've developed a sort of… feud, shall we call it with your dear brother. And on top of that, his plans interfere with mine. He's got someone on his side just as tough as me and I intend to stop them in their tracks, whether I get help from this place's official leadership or not."

Iroh cocked his head then.

"This person you speak of with my brother, who is he?"

Sasuke waved a hand. "You wouldn't know him."

He walked up to the older man then, crossing his arms. "Now, are you going to tell me what we've got so far? As far as I can tell, we don't got a lot of time."

There was a pause as Iroh sized him up and finally sighed.

"Let's take a walk."

Sasuke raised a finger. "If this is a buildup to some life lesson or lecture…"

Iroh laughed as he approached the door.

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm going to introduce you to the general. Then, we'll see if there really is any chance at all to save the city."

Sasuke followed him out into the street where the pale sky was lightening, minute by minute.

"How long would you say we have? I haven't seen any comet just yet, but I can't imagine Ozai's fleet will take too long getting here."

There was an uncomfortable pause before Iroh told him what he had been fearing.

"I'd give us four or five hours. Then, we should see those airships on the horizon."