Zuko awoke to a dripping sound. He was lying face down. He couldn't remember falling asleep in this damp cave. It seemed his life consisted of getting his ass kicked and then waking up in cold and damp places these days. He scowled and leaned against the cool stone wall of the cave.

It was dark he lit a fist and raised it up to look around. He struggled to his feet and scuffled forward.

"You killed him, and scared the rest away. Very impressive."

Startled he backtracked a little, gold eyes wide. He looked around wildly.

"Who's there? And how do you know…know about that?"

He laughed.

"Who? I'm not what you humans would call a "who". "

A moment of silence.

"You're a spirit"

"Yes. I am," he said. "To answer the second question…I've been watching."

"What would you want with me?"

"To help you. Of course"

"Why would you want to help me" he said a little sadly and a little irritated.

He laughed again. "Because I can"

"How?"

"All you have to do is free me and I'll show you."

"How can I trust you?" He said quizzically

"Why wouldn't you? Have you some family or friends waiting for your return? Somebody else to go to?"

He lowered his gaze to the cave floor and shut his eyes the flame lower to a dim glow on his fist.

"I have no one," He thought momentarily of his uncle a tear trickled from under his eyes.

"Tears?" he sounded amused "What a poor soul" the S's hissed through the cave like a snake.

Anger glinted momentarily on the boy's face but was quickly replaced by a smooth emotionless one.

"How do I free you?"

"Oh, it's very simple…read the cave walls the writing will guide you"

Charioteers were written in what looked to be blood along the gray stone.

Zukos eyes went wide with shock. At what he discovered.

In the woods the group walked along a semi worn path. The sky was sunny cutting yellow shining ribbons through the trees.

"Welcome back to the aimless wandering adventures of—OW!" Sokka yelped "Why'd you do that for, Katara!"

"I'm just not in the mood for your pointless babble—can't it just be quiet!"

"Not if you yell like that all the time." He said smugly giving her a silly smile.

Katara's eye twitched. "YOU—"

"Sorry, sorry! Just don't kill me!" he grabbed onto her knees begging.

"NO, I'm just going to HURT you."

"Agh, Fine!" he let go running away from his fuming sister up to Appa who licked him making him yell and fall back behind the beast out of tongues reach. Aang snoozed on Appa's back a bruise on his cheek.

Katara hung back. Her hopes had been dashed a little she was dangling on a thin thread ready to fall in a heap of sobs. Her shoulder shook a little angrily she wiped away the tears that had escaped her eyes. And stopped her shoulders shaking. She walked forward with resolve.

Her angry shouts sent the fire benders running to do her bidding.

"Kill them all! I want them dead! Send word to my father I need more men, men worthy of my instruction. Pure bred soldiers." She lowered her voice to a sinister level. "Long Feng…" she whirled around to see the man chained between two fire benders. "Is to be put to death with the rest" She smirked "As for my brother and those…brats, I want them too. Send out a brigade."

"Yes, Princess Azula." The soldier said his voice shaking a little he left two other Fire soldiers following him.

She said a top the thrown.

"Azula! Wait I didn't mean to betray you it wasn't---"

"Shut you mouth, before I find a better way to pass the time at your expense, Long Feng"

His eyes didn't spare any fear he was dragged away by two fire benders he seemed to give up. His shoulder slumped and he was dragged away limp.

"I'm surround by incompetent idiots" She slammed a fist on the stone arm of the chair baring her wolfish teeth. The room was empty she's alone.

"Where are those idiots?" She sneered.

"Okay I understand why I'm running away, but why are you? Mai? Mai!" Ty Lee yelled.

"It just seemed like a good idea, I guess." She deadpanned not looking at her hyper little friend.

"Oh." She didn't seem satisfied though.

Mai looked around the woods it seemed so empty of life. At least to her it did.

"Let's stop a bit, okay?" Mai suggested

"Fine with me. I'll make fire."

"You know how to do that?"

She looked a little sad for moment.

"I learned from my trainer at the traveling circus…"

"I see." She said shortly sitting on a log that was near the path.

She smiled happily "I'll go get the twigs!" she chirped.

"Whatever" Mai rested her chin in her palms her eyes far away.

In the past a Ba Sing Se…an underground tunnel that stretches underneath the city from the prisons made into an escape route by a certain hodge podge group.

"Zuko, Stop!" Mai yelled her arm outstretched.

He did stop, her eyes were wide his back was to her.

"Is that you?" he said not turning around. "Is that you, Mai?"

She remained silent.

He moved to face her. She let her arm fall her jaw dropped in surprise at the mark.

"Dang, it's been a while, hasn't it?" A bemused smile graced his to her memory unmarked face, but now marked. The stories had not exaggerated. She stared at his unruly hair. If you got passed the scar, he was still as handsome as her childhood memories remembered. He was certainly taller.

"Yes, it has" she replied her face returning to it's placid normalcy.

"I'm going to have to stop you." She said darkly her eyes cast in shadow.

He scoffed "I hope your life doesn't depend on it, Mai"

She was little taken back. This certainly wasn't the little boy she remembered.

"Don't make this harder than it has to be, Zuko."

"What? Beating you, Mai. It can only get easier."

She glared. Daggers flew from her sleeves one graced Zuko's cheek locks of hair flew in the air. Zuko's eyes widened a bit.

She wasn't as he remembered either.

He charged dodging her daggers easily. She backed from his aflame fist, which graced her bangs singeing them. A dagger grazed his leg cutting a deep crimson line. He cried out taking hold of her wrists he unhooked her dagger bracelets. They fell to the ground in seeming slow motion. She gasped as he threw her to the wall of the earth tunnel. She heard him whisper one last thing before she was out. "I'm sorry it had to be this way." She remembered blurry images of him standing over her.

"Mai! Mai!"

"Ty Lee…"

She vaguely recalls mumbling words to Ty as she was sat up right against the tunnel.

"I'm leaving, I have to" Ty Lee said later explaining why how life seemed so empty without her pursuing her passion.

"I'm going with you." Mai said rubbing her head. Then rubbing her bangs between her fingers watching the burnt locks float away in the wind of the tunnel.

"Why, though?" Ty said surprised. Her eyes a little wide with suspicion, perhaps she would betray her plan to Azula.

She only looked back into Ty Lee's gray eyes a little sadly. That erased any suspicion but not curiosity. She leaned forward in anticipation for a long-winded explanation, perhaps. Mai only gave her an emotionless stare then stood up abruptly ignoring the swaying of the ground.

"Let's go. She'll be looking for us and we'll lose our chance."

"Okay, let's go I know the way." She replied looking in the distance longingly.

"Sure, Whatever let's just go." She croaked holding back something she hadn't felt since a small child.

"Are you crying, Mai?" her shock was raw.

"NO!" she snapped. Stomping down the tunnel Ty Lee watched her back with a sparkle of tears in her eyes. "Mai." She ran quickly after her.

"Mai?" She noticed Mai playing with the burnt ends of her hair again.

"Yes, Ty?"

"Are you worried about your hair? Because I could fix it, ya know I—"

"No. Let's just go to sleep. I need to sleep."

"Okay." Ty said a little sadly lowering her eyes she brought out a bedroll from her pack.

"There's one for you in my pack too." She sat it by the log and unrolled hers a little ways up wind from the fire. "Fine." She said absent mindedly, lost in thought.

Glancing back once at Mai "You'll always be my friend, Mai." She said to herself then she turned away going to sleep.

Mai stared into the flames of the fire until morning.