Hei-Won dove behind a rocky outcropping, trying to remain small and out of the line of the fire. This was not what she wanted. She wanted the temple restored and her brother out of prison. The Earth King had promised both if she did what he asked. So what if there were mining camps and drills? They wouldn't be near the temple, just close enough to tap into the resources that the Earth Kingdom needs.

The Mechanist was a lunatic, it's a wonder he was able to organize these people together at all. At least Teo was reasonable to deal with, at least considering the ideas she put forward. He didn't notice her flirting with him at all. She had all but thrown herself at him and he hadn't treated her like more than a visitor to his home. He didn't even see her as part of his people. It hurt.

She almost felt bad about drugging him… but that was the only way she'd get him to sign the contract! How was she supposed to know he'd be too out of it to know her name… to think he'd called her Azula! What did that crazy Fire Nation murderess have that she didn't?

A small landslide above her made her abandon her cover. None of this was supposed to happen! Where was Avatar Aang? He could fix this. He could fix anything.

The Mechanist dodged debris as parts of the temple crumbled around him. He laughed as he lit the fuse of another grenade and lobbed it towards the earthbenders that were trying to shake apart his home. He knew that his people were dying around him. But he didn't force them. He had asked, and they chose to defend their home and way of life. He could feel guilty about it later… once he got rid of the soldiers the Earth King sent, disbursed the Air Nomad Pretenders and found his son.

He was tossed aside by an earth spike breaking the ground underneath his feet. He tucked his head against his chest and wrapped his arms around his head. The wind was knocked out of him as he landed hard on the broken courtyard stones. He could count the number of gliders still in the sky, but his numbers seemed off. Too many. Not enough. His vision blurred and doubled as he tried to get himself to cover. He knew someone was acting as a medic… but he couldn't recall who.

The ground heaved up underneath him again, an earthen hand formed around him, making it difficult to breathe. From the corner of his eye, he saw one of the gliders fall and he hoped the rider could make a good landing.

"Teo the Mechanist, I presume?" a man dressed in green and tan stepped forward. "You will surrender your little rebellion and no one else will get hurt."

"No. Never. I will not surrender to those who would take my home from me despite the ruling of the council of nations."

"So be it." The man raised his hand and iron chains were thrown at the remaining gliders, shredding fragile wings and weighing down the gliders.

Aang sat at Appa's head, silent and worried about his current passengers. Azula still terrified him, made him feel like every nerve in his body was standing on end. But that wasn't as bad as how Teo made him feel. He'd let his friend down again and again. How could he even say that they were friends when he hadn't visited or written to the Northern Air Temple since Sokka sent plans to the Mechanist for the Day of the Black Sun. He should have done something. It was a two day flight from the North Pole, and he had been to see Arnook several times in the past year alone.

And now that he had time to actually think about it, he knew why. He was selfish. The changes the Mechanist had made, they still bothered him. Even though he knew they were necessary. Air Nomads could regulate their body temperatures and use ambient winds to survive. People born of other nations couldn't do that. As far as he knew, there were no benders among the lot, not even an earthbender.

Had he been favoring benders over nonbenders?

He wished Katara, Sokka and Toph had come with him, but they were working with Iroh to try to distribute aid to those caught in the riots. He looked back towards his passengers. Azula had her arms wrapped around Teo's shoulders in an oddly intimate gesture. He thought there would be a blizzard in the Fire Nation before Azula showed some kind of affection for another person.

But they were talking, leaning into each other, smiling. Smiling? He shifted the wind a little to overhear their conversation.

"Zuzu, doing the work of a common factory worker?" Azula laughed and tossed her short hair in the wind. "I wish I could see the look on his face."

"I know, it was priceless. He didn't even realize what we were building until it was done. He isn't good with mechanics, is he? How is he at organizing groups of people?"

Aang sighed and shook his head. He made a mental note to tell Katara that he loved and appreciated her.

Azula noticed the smoke first. The devastation around the temple was noticeable. Earthbenders were not kind to the battlefield. Unnatural protrusions marred the courtyard of the temple, multiple blast sites, evidence of grenades. Azula helped Teo off the sky beast's back. Bodies of temple dwellers and soldiers alike littered the battlefield.

"I don't understand, what happened?" the Avatar gaped.

So much power was left with a child. She carried Teo through the battlefield, looking for survivors. Though everyone they came across had been dead at least a day. Birds of prey were starting to circle and peck the remains. Teo was silent, his face ashen and his eyes locked onto the body of one of the downed gliders. She recognized the girl that helped her strap into the glider during her own harrowing flight.

She kept moving; making sure Teo saw all the bodies. She wasn't trying to be cruel, even though Ursa was quietly sobbing in her ear. She had never met the Mechanist. She hadn't seen him when he was in prison after the Day of the Black Sun. Only Teo and the Avatar could identify the man, and she was not going to allow the air-headed nomad the first crack at saying the first thing that came out of his mouth.

Slowly, they made their way past a demolished trebuchet and through a large hole in the wall that usually lead to the dining hall. With a flick of her wrist, she lit the lamps that were secured to the walls that still stood.

"Azula…"

A stone spire in the center of the room held a body.

"Azula…"

The world started to spin and he lurched forward, crawling over the rubble of the dining hall. He scrambled faster than he thought imaginable and used the rough stone to pull himself upright, reaching as high as he could to try to pull his father down. He had to get him down.

"Teo."

He was fine. Everything was going to be okay. His father was just…

He was just…

Teo let himself fall down, looking up at his father's broken body. He vaguely heard Azula order Aang to lower the earth spire. The ground made a terrible sound as rock shifted under Aang's guidance. Stone shackles released hands and feet and Teo gathered his father close.

"We missed the battle by a day," Azula started pacing around the room. "Avatar, help me look for the commander. He should be around here somewhere."

"W-why?"

"Because I think the Mechanist wounded him."

Teo looked up and saw his pistol in Azula's hand.

"Over here." Aang brushed the dirt from a man in the corner, his green uniform stained black with blood.

"I know this man. His name is Commander Hui. He was with the Dai Li when I took over Ba Sing Se."

"I can't believe this. He sent them here to attack before he even knew the results of the council's ruling."

"You act like you're surprised. People are selfish. Look at you, Avatar. You didn't want Teo's people here, so you ignored them until you conveniently found the time to show up. When your little air bitch complained."

"Azula, that's enough." Teo was exhausted, in pain and now he was alone. And he was terrified. His friends were dead. His father was dead. His home was destroyed. What could possibly be left for him in this world?

He wasn't sure what happened next, but somehow he was lying in his bed. For a brief moment he hoped it was a dream, but he still wore the filthy clothes from the prison. He turned his head and saw Azula rummaging through his closet.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for anything useful. I'm sure we can extort some money out of the Avatar. At least passage to wherever we want to go."

"Wherever we want to go?" He wasn't sure if he heard her right. He still felt like he was falling down a deep well where he couldn't see the bottom.

She stopped throwing things on the floor and sat next to him. "You can't possibly want to stay here."

"But… we?" Of course he couldn't stay here, but he hadn't thought she would want to keep him around. The princess was so confusing.

"Did you hit your head? You're the one that wouldn't let me leave in Ba Sing Se! Do you want me around or not?" She glared at him, her golden eyes narrowed, waiting for him to give her a clear answer.

"Yes. I want you around. I don't know why. I'm not even sure you even like me but… I want you around." He felt his face get hot.

"Good. You are my leverage to getting settled someplace. Earth Kingdom is out, obviously. We're both wanted here. I hate the cold, so I won't go to either pole." She stood up again and moved to the edge of the bed where she pushed his new wheelchair close enough for him to get in.

He grabbed the side of the chair and swung himself from the bed to the chair with long-practice ease. "What about the Fire Nation?"

"Not while my brother is in charge. He's running the economy into the ground." Azula grabbed a bag and started filling it with whatever she deemed good.

"I guess Republic it is. I thought… I saw an air ship docked. If it is undamaged, we'll take it and go."

"This is going so much better than last time."

He caught her arm and Azula looked down at him, a questioning look on her face. He tugged her down to his level and pressed his lips to hers. It was not all encompassing or mind blowing… it just… was.

"What was that for?"

"For not leaving me alone."

"I know you're there. I want an explanation. Right. Now." Aang was beyond furious. Innocent lives wasted as if they were just sheaves of paper.

Hei-Won stood in front of him with a good portion of the Air Acolytes. "We thought they were just going to get them out of the temple. We didn't… we didn't know they were going to kill them all!"

"And you did nothing to stop them?" He kept his voice tight, trying to reign in the Avatar State. He could feel the power within him trying to force its way out.

"What could we have done?"

"You could have said 'no'. You could have helped the temple dwellers fight. You could have gotten help. Sent a messenger hawk! You could have warned them to leave. None of you deserve to be Acolytes. Go back to your homes. I don't want to ever see you again." Aang grit his teeth and sent them all away, making sure they were all headed down the long mountain path before he turned back to the ruined temple.

He knelt down and unearthed the first body and laid it out neatly, then onto the next, and the one after that. It was a tedious task, but he would bear it because it was his duty as a monk of the temple to lay the dead to rest.

So focused was he that Aang almost didn't hear the airship rumble to life from behind the temple. He made no move to stop it. He had done enough meddling in Teo's life as it was. He just hoped that whatever life they found was one of peace and happiness.