Hey, here's the next chapter in Walking a Wire! I really had fun writing this one, mostly because of the dialogue. I like how Akira is developing as a character, and I'm happy to show the characters as part of a larger world after all that time on their own before. I hope you enjoy, and thanks to SteelAssassin5156 for the review. The rest of you, please tell me how I'm doing!

Chapter V: Old Friends Gather, Old Friends Scatter

The port was a riot of activity after being on the ship for so long. Akira gratefully disembarked, his pack slung comfortably over his shoulders, and set off towards the palace. However, before he could get anywhere, another Guard barred his way.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to the Palace to obtain my next assignment, Kojima. Shouldn't you be overseeing the crew?" The other Guard laughed, "Nah, I farmed it out to one of the Rank Guards, they need the experience. When I heard that you were onboard, I just had to make sure we found each other, and here you are running off to the Palace without so much as a hello!"

"That's because I knew my second would track me down anyway." They headed away from the commotion at the foot of the ship, back into the city.

"Actually, I've been promoted, Akira. I'm a First Lieutenant now, so we're technically the same rank. I've been acting commander of White Unit while you were gone" Akira could tell he was embarrassed by this, and Akira himself was almost bursting to tell Kojima about his own promotion. Kojima had been his second almost from the day that he had been made unit leader when they were still in Rank Guard training. Akira had never doubted his appointment; the man was sharp, brave, and loyal--yet he wouldn't swallow lies just to remain so. Akira thought that Kojima was the one man to whom he might actually be able to confess his visions. But for right now, all he wanted was to get to the Palace, formally accept his promotion, and then get White Unit together for a night on the town to celebrate.

She got off just in time to see him head off with another of the Guard, and only now noticed how both of them wore white shoulder guards, as well as white streaks down their arms and legs. She blew it off--it must be just some Guard thing. Still, she found herfself oddly disappointed that he was leaving already. She also felt bad for how she'd treated him on the voyage. Why feel bad? He deserves it! But he used to be your friend. Used to be! Couldn't you be friends again? No, he's changed into something else, some kind of monster! You're just using him to make yourself feel better, you know. What?! What you did to the Kyoshi, you probably killed some of them. No, that's not true, I stopped them from hurting Azula! They deserved whatever they got! Would she do the same for you? That stopped her. While Mai would certainly help out her friend, Ty Lee had never known Azula to do anything for anyone unless it put her in a position of power over them. Would she have let the Kyoshi beat them if she thought it would gain her some kind of advantage? Ty Lee sighed, probably. She hiked her bag onto her shoulder and made her way down the gangway, into the capital city.

"To glory!"

"To the Fire Nation!"

"To our Captain!"

"To the Pack!" Glasses clinked around the table, then the men threw back the drinks in a single movement. Akira choked on his, and instantly several hands were thumping him on the back. These men, he thought, They do anything for me. They've stood beside me from the beginning of our training, and they're the best men in the world. He coughed as he remembered the trip that they had taken, following their promotion to High Guard, to the southern coast where Akira's family lived. At the time it had something to do with a bet, but once the men had arrived, it had become something else, something fun. The villagers, of course, were only too willing to allow the men to stay in the village, and in return the men helped with whatever they could. Seargent Ling had taught them, "The quickest way to make friends with a man is to help him with something you don't have to." Really, Seargent Ling had taught them a lot of things, and even though they all outranked him now, Akira had no doubts as to whose orders would be followed if they ever met him again.

"So, then, I was telling him...what did I say to you, Yarin?" Kojima gestured to one of the others, a tall man who was draining his glass as fast as the waitress could fill it.

"You said you'd break the kid's nose if you ever caught him there again."

"Right! And then, this kid, couldn't be more than twelve, he goes and runs to his mama, sets her on me, and if that lady wasn't part saber-toothed tigermoose, I'll eat my helmet! The woman was completely crazy! I mean, I didn't want to arrest her, she wasn't doing anything wrong, but she just kept going at me, and I didn't know what to say, old bat didn't even stop to breathe, gets all blue in the face--"

"Kojima, try breathing yourself!" Laughter rang from the men around the table, as Kojima took a gulping breath and launched back into his tale. Akira examined the Captain's mark on his helmet and gauntlets, and suddenly thought of Ty Lee. He remembered, he was going to tell her of his promotion, but then--Then it turned out she hated everything to do with you, he thought sourly. To distract himself, he asked the group, "Does anyone know where Anzin and Xiao are?"

"In command of the Darkwalkers and the Red Pirates, respectively." Yarin said. Akira sat back, staring at the ceiling. It seemed like White Unit, known informally as the Mountain Wolves, was getting broken up more often now, as its members left for their own commands at unprecedented ages. Akira had heard that it was because the war was almost over, or because the regular army was stretched too thin and needed officers. Akira disagreed--he believed that his men were simply better than anyone else for the job, and with the war about to end with a bang, of course Ozai would want only the best commanding his forces. It had also reached his ears that all of his men who had recieved commands were working hard to instill the same values that Seargent Ling had impressed onto them: bravery, loyalty to your unit, a hunger for knowledge, and most of all, a sense of human compassion. Akira still remembered that day, when they had rescued the servant woman. He also remembered Seargent Nei's reaction afterwards. The memory was not a good one. Wherever Seargent Nei is now, I hope he's good and miserable.

"Well, Pack, it's been great seeing everyone together like this, and I would love to stay here and listen to Kojima's war stories," more laughter, and a smile tugged at Akira's mouth, "but I have some pressing business to attend to, so--"

"Hey pack leader, does that "pressing business" have a name?"

"Yeah, Captain, weren't there some noble girls on that ship you were on?"

"Aww, come on, we all know that the Lieutenant here--sorry Captain--has only one girl on his mind. Has for years, right pack leader?"

This is getting out of hand. "As a matter of fact, that "business" does have a name. It's called work, although I wouldn't expect you to know much about it, Dasi." The men laughed again as Akira walked to the door, putting his helmet on as he walked.

She threw off the sheets as sunlight streamed in through the massive windows. Pulling on her usual outfit, she heard a knock at the door. Great, just when I'm trying to get my other shoe on. She hopped over while pulling on the shoe and opened the door to reveal Mai, her perpetually indifferent face now marred by a deep frown. "Azula says we're coming with her, she won't say where to." Then, the message delivered, she walked off, leaving Ty Lee to scramble for her traveling gear. We've only been here a few days, where are we going now?" Rushing out of the room, she nearly ran into one of the guards. Wait, she recognized the white patterns on his armor. She turned quickly and began running after Mai.

"Hey wait! The captain wants to speak with you!" It wasn't Akira's voice, but someone else's. She paused for a moment, thinking, Who's the captain? Then she started running again, leaving the Guard shaking his head.

"So Azula, where are we going?" It felt good to be out of the palace, walking the streets of the city again. Ty Lee couldn't help but notice all the different vendors that had sprung up over the years, selling all sorts of things both foreign and domestic. Mai was her usual bored self, but Ty Lee would squeal every few minutes as a particular stall caught her eye.

"Ty Lee, could you stop doing that? It's beginning to hurt my ears."

"Oh, sorry Azula. Oh! Look at those shoes! Sorry." At the look that Azula was giving her, she fell quietly in step behind her, resolving not to look at any more of the stalls.

"Miladies! Mi--Oh, Princess!" Ty Lee nearly ran into Azula's back as she came to an abrupt halt. There was some sort of commotion about fifty yards up the street, as several soldiers were thrown backward by a wall of flame. She could hear them shouting about something, but couldn't make out what exactly it was.

"This, girls, is what we came out here for. Follow me." She pushed past the soldier who had called to them, running into the fray with blue flame sparking at her fingertips. Ty Lee hung back; it looked like there were an awful lot of people in there, and anyway she didn't feel much like fighting. Mai stood beside her, idly flipping one of her daggers.

Once Azula joined in, the fight didn't last very long. The three men who had been causing the trouble were dragged off by the soldiers. Ty Lee tried very hard to not look at what was left of the third one. Azula came over, brushing a hair out of her face. "Well?"

"Well what? You did great out there Azula!" Suddenly, Azula grabbed the front of their clothes, bringing their faces inches from hers.

"You were supposed to help me! Or were you secretly hoping I might be wounded? Killed? Oh, Mai, I'm sure you would have loved that, Zuko would have been unopposed as the next Fire Lord, and of course you would be Fire Lady. And you, Ty Lee," She wondered when Azula would notice her hands were sending off sparks, "I would have thought you of all people would have helped, since I, of course, can easily have it communicated to your parents that their daughter is back in the Fire Nation, and I can only imagine what would happen then. You haven't been very lady-like recently, have you? Maybe your parents might be somewhat ashamed? Dishonored to have such a embarrassing daughter?"

"My--my family loves me!" She couldn't help it, she could feel her eyes burning

"Really? That's not what I heard. I heard they disowned you, and your mother had a new child, a little girl I think. Maybe she can become a proper lady, unlike her big sister? Oh that's right, I forgot, you're not her--"

"Azula, stop it!" The force behind Mai's voice startled both of them as she wrenched her smoking robe out of Azula's grip and stormed off up the street. Azula watched her go, then turned to watch Ty Lee run down an alley, knocking over several boxes in the process. Her mouth curled up into her familiar sneer as she walked regally back up the street, towards the palace she would one day call her own.