The Gaang losses sight of Kagome after they had finished with the Earth King and head back to their apartment to think things over. Aang had a feeling Kagome would end up getting herself in trouble but doesn't think much of it knowing she could handle herself.
Kagome wanders the halls of the Palace, remembering the times she had come and visited. Mainly the memory with Kyoshi threatening the current king and making the Dai Li. Kagome laughs to herself as she finds her way around by memory. A few of the agents pass by her, completely unaware of her presence. Kagome quietly follows them, making sure to stay out of sight as they lead her down a path she hadn't seen as of yet. Light on her feet, Kagome draws closer to them as they get to a solitary cell with an older male inside. Perhaps the last Dai Li leader, Kagome thought. The agents leave as quickly as they got there, only exchanging a few words with the imprisoned male. Kagome takes this time to come out of hiding and confront the male.
"Mind telling what's going on here?" She asks sternly as she stares at the male. His aura was dark and murky, full of greed and thirst for more power, Kagome couldn't stand the sight of it seeping off of him.
"How did you get down here?" he glares, not fully able to see her face. "And who are you?"
"You're not in a position to ask questions." From what Long Feng could tell, this girl in front of his cell was no more than thirteen and only her sapphire eyes gleamed in the darkness. "What happened to the Dai Li? Did Kyoshi make them for nothing?"
"Go back to your mother, little girl. You don't know what you speak of." Long Feng would be lying if he said he wasn't confused by the girl.
"I know that you undermined the King and brainwashed your people. You convinced them that there is no war here. There was an entire revolt that the past King had asked for help from Kyoshi and I for a reason!" The male stares at her with widened eyes, now fully aware of who she is. Kagome grabs the bars of the door, seething with rage as her hands glow a faint pink. "You are the one who doesn't know what they speak of." Needless to say, she frightened him. Long Feng cowers further into his cell in fear of what she was capable of. Kagome relaxes and walks away from the cell, leaving an unspoken threat towards the male if he should ever cross her path again.
She finds her way out with ease, being careful to avoid any of the Dai Li agents. She then found a room with scattered piles of clothing and an all too familiar headdress. Kagome enters the room and grabs a pair of fans on one of the vanities as she holds it up to the light, watching it gleam. She also finds a Dai Li uniform and quickly changes into it from her priestess robes. That way she didn't stick out like a sore thumb, but of course, she would have to find another outfit for later in her journey. Throwing away her old garments, Kagome pockets the fans and turns to leave. Footsteps echo through the hall close to her as she finds a quick place to hide and focuses on their approaching energy. It was three girls heading back to the room, chatting amongst themselves. One of them was a very dull grey with no real emotion underneath, one bright pink but with darker patches of red scattered everywhere, and the last was more vile than the man she had spoken to.
The girls enter the room, spilling information out that should be kept secret from the likes of her. The girl with the vile, murderous aura was going over the plan that she had made and the achievements they had accomplished. They had beaten down the Kyoshi warriors nearby and took their clothing to gain the King's trust. They stole the Dai Li from the Earth Kingdom, found her brother Zuko living within the city, and captured him along with Katara. Kagome listens closely as she tries to figure out where exactly those two were being kept as prisoners. Both names were ones Aang had told her about, especially Katara. Kagome knew she had to do something. So, she decides to let herself be caught. Once the girls relax for a moment, Kagome takes that distraction to come out and calmly walk past them. Confusion washes over them before they can react, letting Kagome get to the door before anything happens.
"And who are you?" Azula demands, ready to hurt the stranger without hesitation. Kagome simply ignores her and keeps walking, somehow knowing it would get under the older girl's skin. "Answer me when I'm talking to you!"
"Or what?" Kagome stops right outside the door and glances back. Azula was at a standstill. An unknown person had infiltrated her quarters and was able to spy on them without them noticing anything and they were being defiant towards her.
"Trust me, you don't want to know," Azula answers with a sickeningly sweet grin. "However I think I'll play nice if you tell me who you are," she tries to bargain, her friends having to hold back any laughter knowing that Azula was never nice.
"No, I don't think I will," Kagome chuckles back, sealing her ticket into a prison cell. Azula then sends Ty Lee to attack her, only for the girl to be bounced back by an unseen force. Kagome smiles at them, holding the same sweetness as Azula's.
"Guards!" Azula shouts, not wanting to out herself and knowing that Mei would be useless with her knives against the stranger. Kagome smiles more at them as she puts her hands up, waiting for the Dai Li to come and take her. "Take her to the catacombs with the other two." The agents do as commanded while Kagome goes without a fight, the unnerving smile still dancing on her lips. The agents holding her say nothing as they make the descent to the entrance of the catacombs and merely throw her down the hole without much of a care. Annoyed by this, Kagome yells up at them before they close the hole again.
"Remember that you have dishonored Kyoshi's name!" The agents glance at each other, shame rising within them. Disgust fills Kagome, feeling the weight of the uniform she wore. She then stands, brushing the dust off of her and analyzing the auras of the other two prisoners. One an aqua blue with a powerful promise to protect and heal those around them; the other a mix of red and gold with internal conflictions and something more familiar. The girl walks up to her cautiously and goes to introduce herself.
"Are you alright?" she asks, a motherly sense washing over her.
"You're Katara, right?" Kagome answers quickly with her own question, shocking the waterbender. "Aang has told me so much about you!" A warm blush creeps on to Katara's face, not knowing how to respond to the younger-looking female. Kagome grabs her hands fondly, glad to finally meet the person who had captured her Avatar's heart. "He said you were pretty, but you exceeded my expectations!" Embarrassed and a bit confused, Katara slowly pulls her hand away from the raven-haired girl. "I'm Kagome, the 'Priestess of the Spirit Realm' as your brother called me."
"You've met Sokka?" Katara asks forcing herself out of shock.
"And Toph!" Kagome smiles warmly at her, feeling a small bond forming with the waterbender. Katara reminded her of Sango, nearly convincing her that her soul had transferred to this world as Inuyasha's had.
While they were talking about the gaang, Zuko is left to his thoughts. He had known her from somewhere but knew he had never actually met her before this. Saying she was a Priestess and not a bender took him by surprise, making him take a few moments to observe her. At first, someone would think she would be a waterbender because of her blue eyes, but the pigment was much different from any water tribe member to have. Most, if not all, had lighter blue irises resembling the waves of the ocean, but the girl that had dropped in had a more gem-like color. The color of pure sapphire. That alone would make many men yearn for her, to be the only one she would look at. Zuko did, however, remember stories his mother would tell him about the woman his great-grandfather Sozin had fallen for but was rejected coldly when he had started the war. About the woman who didn't care where you came from, just who you were. Her name was always one he would be able to pick out in a conversation about Sozin and Roku, having not been given a title in his home. Zuko almost didn't want to believe that the small child in front of him was that same Kagome.
He was almost entranced by her smile she gave Katara; genuine and full of admiration for the older girl just by the things she had heard from Aang. The way her hair fell behind her like a waterfall of the midnight sky wasn't something he had yet to see on another. Mai's hair was close, much like Azula's and Ty Lee's in color, but the color was a straight black much like his own. Being completely lost in his own mind, he barely registers the words he mutters out that catch the girls' attention. "Midnight sapphires." Now self-conscious and embarrassed, Zuko turns a little way from them to hide his scar from her sight.
"You're Zuko, right?" Kagome asks calmly, staying next to Katara in case he does anything like Aang had told her he had done before. She wanted to go closer to him; feeling his pain and confusion; she wanted to hold him and tell him it would be ok. "The Prince of the Fire Nation?"
"Yeah, that's me," he responds quietly, nearly surprised she didn't mention his banishment.
"Then you are the one that had enough guts to try and find the Avatar thinking he was fully matured," Kagome says as her eyes darken with a hit of rage. "The one who destroyed Kyoshi's Island trying to get to Aang. The one who cornered Aang and help hold Sokka and Katara hostage at Roku's temple. The one who stole Aang's body from the Spirit Oasis and had to be saved to you wouldn't freeze to death." Fire burns behind her eyes, subconsciously walking towards him with every fact laid before them. Katara tries to stop her, barely missing her arm as she continues forward. Both benders, however, show a moment of complete shock. A small pit of jealously blooms inside Katara, knowing that Aang had told her everything to this point; perhaps even something she doesn't know herself. Zuko takes a few steps back, unsure of what the girl could do against him and clearly confused as to how she had known all of this. He backs himself into a pillar, his eyes locked on Kagome's. Her tone quiets down, making sure Katara could hear what she had to say next. "But I know you risked your life trying to save Aang, Blue Spirit." Kagome stares into his eyes, daring him to correct her on anything. Internally, Kagome's heart was racing at the close proximity, the golden color of his irises pulling her in. Her chest clenches tightly as she tries to keep the stern look, but her face betrays her as a warm blush graces her cheeks.
Katara watches their interaction closely, ready to jump in if Zuko tries to attack her new friend. Pushing away her own feelings about the situation away in order to keep a leveled head. Zuko is completely lost for words, too deep in his own thoughts again. He was awkward with girls, to begin with, now he really didn't know what to do about the small one in front of him, challenging him. Kagome reaches up to touch his face, gently caressing his left cheek as her thumb barely grazes his scar.
Reality kicks in for both of them as Zuko's reflexes swat her hand away from his face and shove her back to create some distance. Kagome's eyes widen for a split second before quickly apologizing for touching him without permission as she held her hand. "I didn't mean any harm, I-I just couldn't help but wonder how you got that scar…" Kagome's confident demeanor melts away as sadness fills behind her eyes. "I could possibly heal it if you…" Kagome gets cut off as Aang and Iroh make it towards them.
"Katara!" he shouts as he rushes towards the girl, not noticing Kagome's presence near Zuko. Iroh makes his way over to his nephew, pulling him into a hug as the Prince and the Avatar glare at each other for a moment. "Kagome!" Aang gasps as he loosens his grip on Katara. "How did you get down here?"
"Oh, you know," she laughs nervously. "Just ran into Azula and her little group while figuring out where Katara was being kept." The four of them look at her in disbelief.
"And you…"
"Got away without a scratch?" she finishes Aang's question. "Of course I did! I'm awesome!" Aang laughs alongside her, glad that she was ok. The way she was holding her hand said otherwise, however.
Crystals start encasing Iroh, Kagome snapping her head in the direction of the new auras showing themselves. Azula and the Dai Li agents smoothly slide down the sides of the catacombs, announcing their presence to the others. "I expected this kind of treachery from Uncle," Azula begins as Zuko stands in front of Iroh protectively while Aang, Katara, and Kagome run through the catacombs. Kagome gains an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach, feeling guilty leaving them behind to face that monster. So much so that she starts falling behind the pair in front of her as they ran. She doesn't have time to dwell on her thoughts as she feels Azula's aura quickly gaining ground after them.
"We need to find Sokka and Toph," Katara says to Aang just as Kagome throws up a barrier to deflect the upcoming lightning from the crazed Princess.
"We don't have time, guys!" Kagome yells as she redirects another shot of lightning. She may not be able to bend the elements at will, but Kagome was able to redirect anything thrown at her with her own form of energybending. Azula wasn't too friendly to the idea that someone could casually intervene in her bending, blasting blue flames at the group of three. Aang and Katara are quick to notice and waterbend to stop the attack. Azula continues her assault on the group of three in an attempt to push them into submission. A blast of fire stops Azula from advancing, turning the attention to the source. Kagome's heart clenches again at the sight of Zuko coming to fight and knows she would be on the end of it. Zuko calculates who to attack, giving Azula an opening to attack Katara. Zuko throws fire towards Aang, showing who's side he was on. Kagome glares as she bends it back towards him as she protects Aang, the rage returning to her. Aang bends air at Zuko and knocks him down as he tries to throw more his way. Zuko easily dodges Aang's attacks and gets back to his feet, aiming more fire at the young Avatar. Kagome redirects it at Azula, trying to get an advantage for Katara. Infuriated and confused by the sudden sting of guilt, Zuko sends a larger blast of fire at them and throws them into a patch of crystals before Kagome could react. Groaning at the pain, Kagome quickly gets up with Aang as they evade Zuko's flames and split up. Aang takes to the ceiling and Kagome stays on the ground.
During this, Katara is able to get Azula into a hold of water and stop her flames. Zuko gets thrown back by a stalactite hitting the ground with Aang following its descent. Kagome catches him, cushioning his fall while Zuko frees Azula from Katara's hold.
"I thought you changed!" Katara yells at the banished Prince as they fight with their elements in whip like forms.
"I have changed." Their fight nearly looks like a dance of two elements, deadly yet mesmerizing. Kagome takes a moment to catch her breath, her body sti recovering from her rest. Aang gets locked in a fight with Azula, sending him crashing into one of the abandoned buildings in the ruins as she then turns her attention to Kagome. The unknown girl unnerved her to no end and she wanted her existence erased.
Azula begins her assault on the younger girl, her anger being fueled with each attack Kagome sends back to her. Kagome quickly manifests a light bow and fires at Azula, matching her rage tenfold. Unlike Azula, Kagome wanted to get rid of the dark malice in the Princess's heart. "I guess my little stunt pushed a button for you, huh Princess?" Kagome taunts. Her experience with any firebender is that their anger makes them irrational and uncontrollable with their fire. "Are you upset that I was right under your nose? That I used you to my advantage?" Azula's pupils dilate with hatred as her attacks become uncoordinated and Kagome makes each blast of flames dissipate as her arrows soar towards the enraged female.
Seeing everything unfold in front of him, Aang realizes that he would have to go into his Avatar state in order to beat them back. He meditates to fall into his thoughts and lets go of his attachment to Katara in order to save them and get away. His body lights up with the familiar blue glow as he ascends into the air slowly, catching the attention of the people fighting. Kagome watches him, exhaustion washing over her from the constant fighting as her mind begins slowly processing Azula aiming a blast of lightning at Aang. Kagome raises her hand as quickly as her body would allow her to, trying to get a barrier around Aang before it hits him.
She is milliseconds too late, the strike of lightning hitting his back and making him fall to the ground unconscious. Kagome's own vision blurs a black as she tries to call out for him, her body collapsing.
Iroh then defends Aang's lifeless body from anymore attacks, aiding in Katara's escape with Aang. She wanted to grab Kagome and make sure she got out as well but she could only carry one body at a time in this situation. "Forgive me," she speaks softly as she travels up the waterfall with Aang in her arms. Both Iroh and Kagome get captured by the Prince and Princess, being thrown into solitary prison cells not far from each other.