Katara sighed as she dipped her hands into the cold water. She washed her face and tipped her head back to let the water drip down her neck. Her brother had stopped talking. Even more concerning than that, he had stopped eating. Sokka wouldn't sit next to them at camp; he wouldn't even look at them. No matter what Katara said to him, Sokka wouldn't respond. Late at night, she would sometimes hear him sobbing. It wrenched her heart to see him like this. It came to be that she could barely sleep.
"Did you know that it is rude to spy on people?" Katara had been aware of someone's presence behind her in the brush for some time now. She could feel his eyes pressing on the back of her neck and had finally caught a glimpse of him in the water's reflection.
Zuko shuffled out of the woods with his hands in his pockets. "Katara, I've been meaning to talk to you..."
Katara glanced at him, wiping some water from her chin. "What, I'm no longer the water peasant?"
He gave her a grim smile. "I'm serious."
"Okay, what is it?" she asked, standing up.
"It's about your brother...," he said uncertainly.
"Go on," she said. "I'm not going to bite."
Zuko gave her a disbelieving look as if he thought otherwise. "I don't mean to be rude – don't look at me like that, I really don't – but Sokka is preventing us from reaching the resistance. We really should be getting on the move if we ever want to stop my father and all..."
"How can you say that?" Katara demanded angrily. "He's been hurt! He needs some time to recover!"
"With all due respect, we don't have that time. The Fire Lord is merciless. I have no doubt that he has already found that his daughter has been captured. He will waste no time coming to get her. We need to move." His face was stern and unsmiling, as usual, but panic glimmered in his eyes. Katara knew that he was afraid of getting caught by his father.
She sighed. He was right. They couldn't just sit there and hope that the Fire Lord didn't catch up with them. They had to get to the resistance as soon as possible and seek shelter. "Okay, Zuko," she said. "Fine. But you're going to have to be the one to tell Sokka why we're leaving."
Zuko's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me? No way!"
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Mai tipped her head against the cool window. It was raining outside, the fat raindrops sounding like fingers tapping across the glass. She was worried. Azula had been missing for a couple of days and none of the Fire Nation trackers had gotten any leads on her whereabouts. No doubt the Avatar and his friends had discovered what had happened to some of the Kyoshi Warriors and they had sought their revenge.
Ty Lee had gone with the trackers to find Azula. Mai was still confined to her bedroom as she recovered from the severe burns. The pain was merely dull now and it only slightly ached to walk. Though if it had been up to her, she would have chased after those Avatar imbeciles to get Azula back. Mostly it was because she was bored, not because she was worried.
Through all of this, her thoughts kept straying back to Zuko. After the fire had seared through her back, she had fallen. It had only been a second later that he kneeled over her. "Damn it!" he had said. He had extinguished the flames, placing his hand behind her head, telling her that he was incredibly sorry. She had tried to whisper that she was fine and for him not to worry, but Azula had come, demanding from Zuko what he had done. Mai didn't want him to leave; she had wanted him to stay there, cradling her head in his hands. Afterwards, she had felt so ashamed for feeling that way.
"Curse that boy," she spat angrily, with no one around to hear her. "I don't care if I never see him again." But in her heart, she knew that was not true. If she had been allowed to go after Azula, she would have done it in hope of meeting up with Zuko.
She sighed as she massaged her temples and whispered, "I wish you would just come home."
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When Zuko told Sokka that they were leaving to find the resistance, the Water Tribe boy only responded by packing up his things. He still refused to talk or eat, and there were dark bags under his eyes. He looked ill and was unsteady on his feet.
"You need to eat, Sokka," said Katara. "You're going to pass out if you keep this up."
He ignored her as he slung the strap that held him boomerang across his shoulder. Jet frowned and walked up to him, waving a freshly cooked piece of fish under Sokka's nose. Sokka's mouth didn't even water. He just pushed it away, the fish landing in the dirt.
"You're acting like an idiot," Jet told Sokka hotly. "All we're doing is trying to help. The least you can do is show a little gratitude."
"I'm acting like an idiot, am I?" Sokka replied dangerously, his voice rising. "You all think so?"
No one answered. Aang shuffled his feet nervously.
"Well, excuse me," Sokka shouted, throwing his hands in the air. "Pardon me for being the only one to grieve for the Kyoshi Warriors!" His voice was quite shrill.
"What, you think we're glad that they died?" Katara demanded.
"Well, you don't seem too upset about it," he shot at her.
"Now you're just acting like a jerk," Zuko threw in.
"We're all upset, Sokka," said Toph gently, "but sitting here crying about it isn't going to solve anything. If we want to avenge them, the best thing we can do is to continue what they lived for. We have to stop the Fire Nation."
"We're not all upset," Sokka snarled. "What about her?" He thrusted his finger in Azula's direction. "She did this. She and her little friends."
"Yes, she did kill them," Aang agreed, "but we need her in order to save the Earth Kingdom. Please understand, Sokka, we don't like having her around as much as you do."
Azula muttered something through the dirty handkerchief that gagged her mouth.
"What was that?" Sokka demanded, grabbing Azula by the scruff of her neck. He wrenched the bit of cloth out of her mouth. "What did you say?"
"I said that the Fire Lord is never going to trade anything for me," she said, struggling in Sokka's grasp.
"Oh yeah? And what makes you think that?" Zuko asked hotly, rounding on her.
Azula turned her golden gaze on her brother. "I may have been his favorite, but that doesn't mean he loved me. The only reason why he would get me back is so that I can win his pathetic war. I don't doubt that he is looking for me right now, but he will never give you all anything."
"So basically, you're saying we might as well kill you," said Zuko, looking smug.
"You once told me that you loved me," said Azula calmly. "And if that is true, Zuzu, you will not kill me."
He took a step back, aghast. "What you have done to these people is inexcusable."
"And what about what you have done?" she countered, with a small smile. "Have you not, repeatedly, chased them? Attacked them? You've tried to kill them, Zuzu. I don't think they will be quick to forget that. Now tell me, when did you have a change of heart? When did you decide that these people were those that you can trust? When did you decide to turn against your own nation?"
"When Father tried to have me kill myself," said Zuko quietly.
Azula's smile widened. "So you admit that you are the Blue Spirit?"
"You've known it for a long time now, Azula. Don't act so surprised," he whispered.
"You're right," she agreed, "I have known, though Father did not."
Zuko's stomach dropped in horror. "What?"
"It was I who told Father to give you that assignment. Zhao told me about you. He wanted me to spread it on to the Fire Lord, but I was much to busy. When you returned home, I was angry that Father so easily welcomed you back. He was still ashamed of you, to be sure, but nonetheless he allowed you into the palace. So I told him that you would be honored to seek out the Blue Spirit. He never knew that you were him." She looked overwhelmed with glee as Zuko stared at her, his face blank.
"So...all of that...," he whispered. "I...He didn't..."
"He didn't want you dead, Zuzu; I wanted you dead."
Realization sank down on him. "You bitch," Zuko finally spat.
She nodded. "Yes, it was quite vile of me, I admit. I knew you wouldn't have done it, but I wanted you to be angry. So angry, in fact, that you would try something horribly stupid. You are way too easy to predict, Brother."
Something didn't make sense to Zuko. Back when he helped his uncle escape, he had accused his father of sinking so low as trying to get his own son to commit suicide. The Fire Lord hadn't acted surprised or confused at Zuko's words, he had only been angry.
"You're lying," Zuko said quietly. "You're lying!"
"No," said Azula. "For once in my life, I'm telling the truth."
Zuko would have been back home with a father who finally appreciated him if it hadn't been for Azula. She had ruined everything for him, just as she always did.
"Why do you do this to me, Azula?" he asked, his eyes full of pain.
"Aw, is wittle Zuzu going to cwy?" she asked mockingly.
Zuko ignored what she said. He only turned around to face the others. "Kill her," he said, his face livid.
"Weren't you listening to me?" she asked in surprise. "You aren't going to kill me."
"I'm not. That doesn't mean they won't. I'm sure Sokka would love to do you in." Zuko glanced at Sokka, placing his hand on his shoulder. "What do you say? Would you like to do the honors?"
Sokka took the boomerang from his back. "I wouldn't be more pleased. Perhaps I can carve a few more patterns into her pretty face."
"Finally!" Toph exclaimed. "You all are doing it my way!"
"We aren't killing anyone," said Aang sharply, stepping between Sokka and Azula.
Iroh and the Earth King were fidgeting over by Appa, each looking nervous. Momo watched them all with his wide emerald eyes as he chattered softly to himself.
"Kill me," Azula taunted, smiling at Sokka. "Go on, do it. I dare you. I deserve it, anyway."
"Oh, now you're sorry?" Sokka demanded. "You regret killing her?"
"Do you want the truth?" she asked, he smile like poisoned honey. "I enjoyed murdering her. Suki, right? Yes, she begged for her life. She said she would do anything, telling me she would help me find you all. She was going to sacrifice your life for her own."
"You're lying," Sokka breathed, echoing Zuko's previous words. "She wouldn't do that."
"I didn't listen to her," Azula continued. "I tortured her before she died...And you know what? She screamed the loudest. It is a shame, really. She was such a pretty girl." Azula was laughing as if it were the most humorous thing in the entire world. "She was going to betray you. Perhaps I was really doing you a favor."
"Don't listen to her," said Zuko angrily. "She's lying."
"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not," she shrugged. "That isn't going to change anything. So, how about it peasant? Are you going to kill me or not?"
"Do you want to be dead?" Sokka asked.
"You're probably going to do it anyway when you don't get what you want from the Fire Lord. You might as well do it now," Azula whispered.
"You're going to hell," Sokka whispered.
"No," she said. "There, my friend, you are quite wrong. Agni is proud of me. I will be rewarded for my deeds." Azula let her mask slip, for a brief second, and Sokka could see that she didn't feel that way. She knew she was going to hell and she was afraid.
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Azula sighed. She knew that Sokka had seen right through her. She was terrified of dying. She wanted to be Fire Lord, to fulfill her legacy. But, to her surprise, Sokka didn't kill her. He only turned away and croaked, "Let's go." Had he pity for her? This was impossible, Azula knew, but perhaps Sokka realized that he didn't want to turn into her. He didn't want to kill anyone. However, it was true what Azula said. She had enjoyed killing Suki and the other two Kyoshi Warriors, though they hadn't offered to betray the Avatar and his friends. That had been a lie. Looking back on it, Azula realized what a savage she had been. How could she ever relish taking another human being's life? That doesn't mean that it shouldn't have been done, but it means that she shouldn't have enjoyed it.
"You're going to hell," Sokka had said. No, she thought grimly. I am already there.
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Aang had been flying ahead of his group for about an hour, looking for any sign of the resistance. Skimming the tree tops, he had desperately searched for their camp, wondering if they had retreated to their fortress beneath the ground of Omashu. If so, it would be difficult to sneak in to find them. It was for certain that the Fire Nation would be on high alert for any sign of their princess.
Suddenly, the roof of what looked like a temple flashed into view. Aang almost fell out of the sky in surprise. After recovering, he gracefully glided to the ground. He glanced around, seeing no sign of anyone. Once finding that he was safe, he turned to look at the palace that loomed overhead. It was a large jade dome, several of its stained-glass windows shattered and lying in pieces. Ivy crawled up the walls and the tiles were dirty and cracked. The whole place smelled of rot and decay from the standing puddles of putrid water, choked with soggy leaves from last fall. It seemed that the place had fallen into ruin a long time ago. Aang couldn't even distinguish what god had been worshipped there.
There was no door to the temple; it must have rotted away not long after it had fallen into disrepair. In the center of the circular room, there was an empty dais. This must have been the place where people of worship would place their offerings. There were scorch marks all up along it. Fire Nation, Aang thought angrily. They did this.
It was all very eerie, standing in an abandoned temple with the footsteps of rat-monkeys echoing off the walls and the sound of water dripping from the ceiling. Something along the far wall caught Aang's eye. It was an ornate rug, wet with rain. The corner of it was lifted up, revealing something dark underneath. He frowned, stepping towards it and lifting the rest of the carpet up with the end of his staff. It was a gaping hole that led into darkness. Aang kneeled down next to it, trying to get a better look. He heard a faint whistle of wind coming from the hole. He leaned in closer to listen, thinking that it was a draft to signify that a large cavern lie beneath him. Something collided into his face and his vision swam. The only sound he heard was the wind rushing passed his ears as he fell into blackness...
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A/N: Dun dun dun...Well, I hoped you like it. I threw in some Azula evilness for good measure and a little bit of Muko. Or is it Zai? I have no idea. Anywho, be sure to review (or else). I live for constructive criticism, for I can always be better!