A twelve year old Zhu had lost track of time and ended up staying in the library till sundown. When the grandfather clock (the only object that was allowed to make noise there) chimed at 10 o'clock, she knew she was in for it. Kazuki would've been waiting for her at home. Lin was at the police station so she wouldn't know. But, boy, was Kazuki going to set her on fire for being back late.

In the past five years, Zhu and Kazuki had come to an arrangement. Every alternate month, they'd visit each other and stay together for a week. Like a vacation. Iroh had joined the United Forces and was rising in the ranks. Ursa had grown bored of the palace life and was travelling the world with her girlfriend. Last she heard of them, Ursa had sent Zhu rock candy from Omashu.

Their grandmother's death had brought them closer. Iroh had suddenly turned into a very disciplined man, and earned the respect of the nobles of his mother's court. Kazuki became very passive aggressively protective. He'd throw snark at his sister if she was out after sundown, when really he was only worried sick. Ursa and Zhu both trained harder than before and they both excelled in their fields. Zhu had become a master firebender at ten and through Ursa's coaching, she wasn't half bad with weapons. She kept a thin blade up the long sleeve of her tunic just in case.

Zhu ran through deserted alleys, taking a shortcut to avoid taking more time. She had almost made it to the main street when someone stopped her from behind.

"Please...help me…"

The boy was tall, with a scarf wrapped tightly around his neck. She couldn't make out his features but he seemed to be shivering. Well, the night was cold. His dirt stained face looked miserable and he refused to meet her eyes. Zhu turned towards him completely.

"What's wrong?" She frowned.

His eyes darted to a corner and then at her for a second, "My brother - he collapsed and won't wake up. Please, I need help getting him to the doctor."

Zhu debated intensively as the boy continued to plead. Damn it. She exhaled from her mouth and nodded.

"Okay. Where's your brother?"

The further the boy led her into the back alleys, the more Zhu thought it was a bad idea. Their path grew darker and narrower. Overturned dumpsters. Dripping water. Rats. She sent out a small flare and realized that there were people hiding in the shadows above them. Irritation and anger bubbled inside her. She stopped walking, creating a distance between her and the scarf boy.

"Is someone holding your brother hostage? Or someone you care about?" Zhu crossed her arms and the boy turned to look at her, "Is that why you're leading me into the trap?"

He frowned at her and dropped the worried look. Now, he just looked cold and calculating. With narrowed eyes, he got into a fighting stance, "None of your business."

"You picked the wrong fight." She replied, with the same venom in her voice, "I can kill you. And maybe I will."

He shot lightning at her. But since it was a less concentrated effort, it was weak. In fact, if she could, Zhu would've scoffed at his audacity to show such weak skill. Zhu dodged it by jumping wall to wall, until she closed the distance between the two of them and brought her heel down on his head. The boy leapt back, avoiding the fire that shot from Zhu's limbs by an inch. He brought his fists up and punched the air twice, sending huge fireballs towards her. Zhu stretched her arms, pressed the back of her palms together and pushed them away, splitting the fireballs into nothingness.

The boy was long gone by then.

Zhu stood there for a second before turning around. She was caught off guard by a huge wave of dirty water crashing against her and froze her against the wall. Inhaling, she breathed fire, melting off the ice. But too many had surrounded her. Zhu couldn't take on all of them at once.

Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit this is what I get for being nice oh shit oh shi-

She attacked aggressively, as the goons cackled with amusement. Zhu took out one, two, five people, while burning multiple until she was knocked unconscious by a brutal hit to the back of her head. The last thought that passed through her mind was how her brother was going to kill her.

The boy with the red scarf was far, far away from the fight by then. He made his way through the slums, to an abandoned hut that was going to be torn down the next day. The no name crime boss who had hired him was waiting for the good news.

"Your guys got the girl," The twelve year old tugged at his scarf, trying to show that he wasn't disturbed by the way the broad man in front of him grinned, "Where's my money?"

"So impatient," The kingpin had a golden tooth that gleamed when he grinned widely, "Thanks for your service kid. Shady Shin was right. You are quite useful." He nodded at one of the thugs who surrounded him to handover the money to the kid.

The boy pocketed the wad of cash and hurried out of the hut. By tomorrow, there would be no evidence of the transactions that had taken place there. Within a few hours, the child traffickers would move to their main base by the old port. But what difference did it make to the boy?

Everyone suffers. That's just the way the world is.

His brother was waiting for him under the bridge that connected the slums with the main city, with a blanket around his shoulders. Two slabs of earth were on either side of him, protecting him from the cold wind. At the sound of footsteps, the younger boy glanced up from the ground.

"Mako!" The blanket forgotten, Bolin raced towards his elder brother, "Hey, big bro. Where were you?"

"Just running some errands for Shady Shin." Mako dusted his brother's clothes before realizing that they were going to sleep on the ground anyway. "Sorry I took so long. Are you hungry?"

Bolin's face fell, "Did he make you do bad stuff again?"

"Yeah, he made me do math. You know, keep an account of his money." The girl with golden eyes and wild hair flashed across his mind.

The world is unfair. The world is unfair. The world is-

"Okay."

"Are you hungry? We can get skewers if you want. I got paid today."

Later that night, Mako huddled together with his brother under the bridge. He had lit a fire and Bolin had made a makeshift shelter with his bare minimum earthbending skills. Tonight wasn't so difficult for them. At least their stomachs were full.

-Is that why you're leading me into a trap-

Yet, he couldn't get the girl off his mind. She must've been his age. Mako wondered for a second what they'd do to her once they caught her. Was she dead? Lots of kids in such situations ended up dead. They were sometimes sold off to warlords in the Southeast for good money. What would they do to her? Mako had heard a lot of horrifying stories during his time on the streets and he had tried his best to protect his brother from hearing these incidents.

She's privileged enough to have someone waiting for her at home, He forced himself to think, They'll come looking for her. They'll call the cops. The cops will save her. And the other kids. It's not my fault. I did what I had to.

Her eyes, though, when she said that she'd kill him. The girl had meant it. The heat of the fire was something he had never felt before. Mako never had anyone come at him with the intention of killing him and this girl hadn't even thought twice about it. Sure, he'd been beaten to nearly an inch of his life but that was punishment for talking back.

...Who cares…

Mako drifted off to an uneasy sleep.

The world is unfair.

They had locked her in a freezer.

Zhu had woken up to extreme cold that made her fingers hurt. She panicked for a moment, not recognizing where she was. The freezer was small and she could barely move. She didn't know how much time had passed. Or where she was. For all she knew, the kidnappers could've shipped her off from the Seedy Merchants' Pier.

Her heart was hammering in her chest out of fear. It was so, so cold. And she wasn't used to it. If she hadn't worn her black kung fu shoes, her toes would've turned blue and fallen off. Had Kazuki realized that something had happened? Had he gone to her mother at the police station? The flurry of questions and worries that plagued her mind frustrated her.

Slamming her leg against the wall of the metal freezer, she started screaming, "Let me out!"

Somebody hit the freezer back harshly, "Shut the fuck up, you little shit."

Zhu reeled back. So someone was there. She began to kick the freezer walls and yelling repeatedly until she felt the temperature drop even more. Ice had started forming on the inside. Zhu started to shiver.

"Yeah, that'll fucking teach you." The same voice swore, "You scream one more time and I'll throw you to Gomi. He has a real fondness for little bitches like you."

She went quiet, not wanting to test the threats. The cold was interfering with her bending. She was too cold to melt the metal. Wincing because of the cold, Zhu huddled in a corner with her arms wrapped around herself.

It took a lot from Zhu to regulate her breathing, channeling the fire in her veins. 'The breath of life' her grandfather had called it. She sat there for a long time, calmly breathing in and out. Until she heard the last voice she expected to hear.

"Is that you, Zhu? Is it really you?"

She leapt up, beating her fist against the freezer, "Chen? What the - Chen, what are you doing here?"

His voice trembled and he spoke so low that Zhu had to strain her ears. Now that she listened closely, she could hear multiple crying noises. Sniffling. Somebody calling for their parents or siblings. The colour drained from Zhu's face when she realized that there were so many children there, apart from her. If she could only use her body heat detection.

"They-they threw me o-out, Zhu," Chen sounded exhausted, "My stupid fam-family. They kicked me out. So-so I took my-my clothes and just left. But these people - they said my- my kind were in hi-high demand. They locked me up in-in this tiny cage, Zhu. There are so many kids here - little kids." He sobbed, "I've been here sin-since afternoon but I can't stay here any long-longer. The more problematic ones - they were thrown in the freezers like you, Zhu. It's been hours since any of them-," Chen gulped and let out a wail, unable to continue talking.

Zhu breathed fire from her nose and clenched her fist, trying to light it on fire. But the flames fizzled as soon as they appeared. "I promise I'll get you out, Chen." She grit her teeth, "You and everyone here. I'll make sure these monsters pay for what they've done."

She didn't hear what Chen said in reply. Instead, she assumed her previous position and concentrated on her chi. Now that she had something to drive her bending, her breath was stronger and more regulated. Zhu tested her fire by engulfing her fingers in flames, creating a small blade. It wasn't strong enough to cut through the metal.

"Chen, are there any guards around?"

"Not right now...let me ask the other kids."

Zhu waited for a while before Chen informed that the children down the row had said that as of now only two guards were at the entrance. The rest had gone to destroy their secret hideouts but they would be back in a few moments.

"A few moments will do." Zhu inhaled heavily and spat blue flames, which caused the freezer to rapidly melt away. She stepped out of the container only to be greeted by one of the most heart wrenching sights she had seen.

It was a huge warehouse. Small cages were stacked one on top of another, with children inside them. Some were as young as two years old. A few were lying motionless. There was a foul smell in the air. Chen was kneeling in his cage, gripping the bars and peering up at where Zhu was standing. He was diagonally below the freezer, between two or three cages. His hair, which had been really long, the last time she had seen him, was now ridiculously short, choppy and shabby.

Seeing Zhu free, everyone started crying and reaching their hands out towards here, begging her to save them. But she knew she was short on time and the loud noises they were making could alert the guards. Sending out a wisp of blue fire, she counted how many children were there in the warehouse, dead and alive.

"Quiet." She hissed, her voice booming, "Quiet, everybody!"

Only the younger kids now cried, but they had been reduced to silent sobbing. The older ones waited for her to talk.

"I am short on time. And I can't brea -" Protests emerged again and Zhu impatiently hissed at them to shut up, "- I can't break you all out because the guards will be here any minute. But I can escape and get help."

"Why should we believe you?" A boy from the cage above Chen's, who reminded Zhu of Kazuki, snapped, "Some of us have been here for days. Why do you get to walk free?"

"My name is Zhu Beifong, daughter of Lin Beifong, Chief of the Metalbending Force, and High Prince Kasai of the Fire Nation." She looked the boy in the eye with fury that was directed at the perpetrators, "I will bring help."

"Go," Chen urged her, "You don't have time, Zhu. Run!"

The firebender propelled herself into the air, using the cages as leverage. She flew to the only window in the warehouse, that was about 50 ft off the ground on top of the large gates. Zhu knelt on the window ledge, looking at the two (clearly drunk) guards, leaning against the wall right under her. They seemed to be talking and chortling. The sea breeze burned her eyes for some reason. It was still dark outside, perhaps a little after midnight.

She could kill them right now and nobody would know. But she couldn't leave the bodies behind. If she stabbed them, maybe she could drag their corpses and dump them into the ocean. Flicking her hand after making her decision, Zhu readied herself with her blade. She breathed in, calming her nerves and jumped.

Using fire propulsion again to smoothen her fall, Zhu fell with her blade raised. The guards didn't even realize what was going on until she stabbed one right through his skull. Her legs were bent, on either side of the impaled man's shoulders. She leapt before he collapsed, pulling her blade out and ignoring the fountain of blood that stained her tunic. The other guard stumbled backwards, opening his mouth to scream but Zhu had swiftly run her dagger across his throat.

There were splashes of blood on her arms and neck and clothes. So. Much. Blood. And Zhu was surprisingly calm for someone who had killed a human for the first time in her life. Blood on the walls. She had closed off the still bleeding wounds by burning the skin together. Blood on the grass. Since the two had bled on the dirt, it wasn't visible. The smell of burnt skin did nothing to Zhu. Without dwelling on it, she quickly dragged the corpses towards the oceanside, kicking them into the water. She stared at where the men had sunk like stones, knowing that they'll turn up floating somewhere by daybreak.

With every inch of strength she could muster from her exhausted body, she flew back home. Zhu didn't know whether her mother was home or not. She couldn't take the chance. However, her home was nearer from that part of the wharf. She leapt from rooftop to rooftop, moving her legs as fast as she could. She flew over bridges, using streetlights to swing herself forward.

By the time she reached home, twenty minutes had passed. She stumbled through the gate and the front lawn, throwing the front door open.

She nearly cried when she saw Kazuki, who was waiting by the threshold where they left their shoes before entering. He flew into a rage when he saw her, yelling about her being irresponsible and gallivanting around the city as if she owned it. Zhu hardly paid attention to what he was saying.

"We need to go." Her throat was dry and her voice was hoarse.

Kazuki couldn't believe his ears, "We aren't going anywhere until you explain - Is that blood?" He demanded.

"I was kidnapped by child traffickers."

Her brother blinked at her for a second before swinging his arms close to his body. His fists burst into flames and he exhaled fire from his nose and mouth, "WHAT?"

"Station. Now. To mother."

They had barrelled through the deserted streets, startling the homeless who were trying to get a decent night's sleep. Zhu had all but ran up the stairs to her mother's office, pushing past Saikhan.

Lin was finishing up her work and was just about to lock up when Zhu came tearing down the office. Never in all her twelve years of raising Zhu did Lin see her daughter like this. Zhu's hair was all over the place, some of it plastered across her sweaty forehead, some had - was that blood or dirt - and the rest was just sticking out.

The police chief could barely register what had happened when the girl had launched into an explanation. Kazuki had materialized behind her, shrugging off Officer Song's hand from his shoulder.

"Traffickers by the abandoned Western Wharfs, warehouse number 502E. 216 alive, 17 dead. They're moving their base by sun-up. No guards when I left but they'll be coming back soon. Hurry, please."

Lin shot out of her chair, barking out orders at all the officers who had gathered outside her office after hearing the commotion. Everyone jumped into action immediately. Multiple units were dispatched and the hospitals nearest to the portside were alerted.

Zhu collapsed in one corner of her mother's office. She would've hit her head somewhere had Kazuki not caught her. He carried her to the room attached to the office, where Lin usually slept, and sat her down on the bed.

"Wait here till I get back." Lin had ordered before leaving. She pressed her forehead against that of her fatigued daughter. "Clean up. Get some rest," The woman straightened her uniform, "both of you." She placed an awkward hand on Kazuki's head and left.

"Zhu, let's wash off the blood. Come on, get - Zhu?"

Zhu was shivering violently, with her body burning up. She could barely keep her eyes open as she lay on the bed. Sweat gathered on her brows as she failed to form any sentences. With very little strength, she muttered that they had to go to the hospital.

"Yeah, we'll go. I'll take you to the nearest -"

Zhu dragged her limbs off the bed and tried to stand only to fall back again. It was cold. There was so much blood. Her stomach churned.

"We-we need to...bring Chen home…" She mumbled, swaying dangerously.

"Lin's gone to save her, Zhu. Don't worry. Lie back down. I'll get th-"

Kazuki heard her say that her friend's family had kicked him out and that he had nowhere to go before Zhu finally passed out. He tucked her into the bed and looked for a female officer, requesting her to look after his sister as he went to get a doctor.

When Zhu woke, she was in her room. She felt completely washed out and her mouth felt dry. Her limbs - Spirits, they hurt. The memory of what had happened came crashing and Zhu shot up frantically. She ran her fingers through her hair, which got stuck in the knots. The girl nearly ripped out her scalp, trying to free her fingers.

"Yeah, I couldn't do much about that."

Chen was sitting at the end of her bed, with his hands on his lap. He wore what Zhu recognised to be one of Kazuki's sweaters, which was a tad too big on Chen. His dark hair of varying length had been combined and parted.

Chen looked fine.

"How do you feel?" He asked, inching closer.

"Wah-" Zhu cleared her throat and coughed, "Water, please."

She all but inhaled the water, choking on it in the process. Chen dabbed the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief. He brought her up to date with what happened.

"After you left, they all kept screaming that you had abandoned them," He fidgeted, "The thugs came back some time later and searched around for the two they had left behind. They looked inside, but couldn't find them. Then, according to one of the kids, someone shone a torch near the gates and found blood. The mob boss wasn't there but his subordinate began to yell orders and said to check if someone had escaped. They found the freezer they kept you in melted and threatened us all. Said if we didn't tell them where you were, they'd burn down the building with us inside.

None of us answered. And that angered them. But before they could do anything, the police arrived. There were so many officers. Apart from you, someone had tipped them off. They arrested the entire trafficking ring and the boss."

Zhu felt incredibly relieved. She leaned back, pressing the back of her head against the wall, "So all the kids were rescued?"

"Yeah," Chen nodded, "Some are still undergoing treatment, but nothing too life threatening. But.." He looked away, "A lot of kids died too. Orphans, most of them. The ones who lived said that they were promised a better life and that they were ready to do anything if it meant getting off the streets."

The boy with the red scarf flashed through her mind. Maybe he didn't voluntarily mean to lead her into a trap. Maybe…

"Wait, what do you mean 'still'?" Zhu jolted out of her thoughts, "How many days has it been, Chen."

The boy held up three elegant fingers, "You've been unconscious for three days. Your brother is asleep on the couch. Your mother's at work."

Hurt pricked Zhu. She could've died and her mother wasn't even here to take care of her.

" - And your father will be here any minute."

Zhu blinked, "...what?"

"Kazuki contacted your father-"

"Oh, for heaven's sake, he's going to lose his mind-"

" -after you were brought home from the hospital -"

" - hospital?"

"That was yesterday. And Kazuki stayed up all night till your fever went down. The doctors said it was because you overexerted your body and exposed yourself to extreme temperatures in very short intervals. Do you want anything to eat?"

"Fire flakes. And tea. Wait, don't make the tea. I can't drink tea if someone else makes it for me." Chen looked at her as if she had offended him. "What about you?"

He sent her a confused look, "What about me?"

"Your family?"

Chen got up, "Your mother was adamant to send me home but your brother said that my parents kicked me out. So I moved into your guest room." He smiled a dazzling smile, "Thank you, Zhu. I can't tell you how much this means to me." His green eyes turned misty and they soon started watering, "You're my hero, you-you know. It's just...you've been there for me for as far as I can remember and -"

"Hey man," Zhu hiccuped, "Don't cry when I can't" hiccup, "can't come and hug you."

He wiped the corner of his eyes with the sweater sleeves and laughed, "I'll-I'll get you your fire flakes."

Zhu sat in silence, hiccuping here and there, engrossed in her thoughts when the door to her room flew open. She jerked up, startled by the loud noise.

Her father, looking very frazzled, had opened the door wide with one hand and was huffing. "Kazuki...Kazuki said you were in the hospital. Are you alright? Are you hurt? Are you sick? You look sick. Where's your mother?"

Zhu raised her arms to calm him down, "Papa, why don't you take a breather."

Kasai's shoulders relaxed and he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"...I got kidnapped by child traffickers."

The High Prince blinked at his daughter, registering what she had just said. His hands swung upwards, towards his body and erupted in flames. (It reminded Zhu of Kazuki when she had said the same to him). He exhaled fire from his nose and mouth, looking deranged.

"WHAT?"

This is by far one of my favorite parts of the story. I got to explore so much of Zhu's mentality with fighting, killing and injuring. It was so much fun seeing how Mai's death affected Zhu psychologically.

And Mako and Bolin finally made an appearance! I'm so happy I could cry. Pre-Canon Mako was difficult to write, I admit. I re-wrote his part at least five times because it kept looking odd. But, I like to think I did an okay job.

I know begging for reviews is lame but...I'd like to know if people are reading this. Even if its 'hey cool chapter', it would still give me the motivation to finish the next chapter. Please?

Cheers!