A/N

Whoo-ha.

xxx

"What is he, stupid?" Zuko snarled. "He'll get killed!"

"Azula won't kill the Avatar." Iroh said quietly.

"We have to go after him!" Katara exclaimed.

Zuko snatched her forearm. "We," he gestured to himself and Sokka, "will go. You will stay here."

She gasped. "Excuse me?!"

"This is no time for a women's rights crusade!" Sokka intervened. "Zuko, let's go! Iroh and Katara, you stay here in case Aang comes back. And Generals… just… keep doing what you're doing."

"I don't think that was the right thing to say." Zuko admonished as he and Sokka sprinted through the palace halls.

"Oh, like telling Katara to stay behind was the right thing to say?"

"You agreed with me!"

"You obviously don't have much experience with girls."

"Ugh. Just forget it. How are we going to find Aang?"

"He won't get to the wall for awhile. We may be able to see him. And… we'll need to borrow some ostrich-horses."

As the sunlight greeted them, they quickly spotted a bewildered civilian gawking at the sky, horse reins in hand.

"We need to borrow this." Sokka guiltily jumped atop the man's horse. "Sorry!"

"I'm not riding yours!" Zuko spat. "I'll find my own."

"Fine, but hurry!"

Zuko pulled his swords from their sheath on his back and cut the ropes to a horse tied outside a shop. He hopped on it and sped after Sokka as a woman screamed after him.

The city was in complete chaos. Earthbenders were stationed on the roofs, taking down balloons with sharp spears of stone. Explosions sounded from fighting, fire blasts and shattering of earth. People ran everywhere in their panic, tripping over one another and casting terrified looks to the war in their sky. Children shrieked. Women cried. And rampant ostrich-horses galloped through the city without owners.

"I can't see anything up there!" Zuko hollered to Sokka over the din.

Sokka swerved around a cowering family in the street. "We know where Azula is, so we can only hope we'll reach them first!"

At several points they came to road blockages, walls of terror-stricken people that refused to go anywhere else. At the first one they came to, Zuko brandished his sword and demanded that they let them through; the people barely noticed him, let alone move for him. Sokka led from then on, finding roundabout ways to move: alleyways and side streets.

Finally the houses began to thin, and fields opened up around them, rolling with excess dust and threatening to contain a multitude of firebenders in the thick, tall grass. The noise from battle was hushed in this distance. As if on cue, the horses slowed to a slow trot, and their riders didn't correct them.

Sokka's voice escaped him as a whisper. "I don't like this."

"Why aren't there soldiers here? Don't you think there would be fighting out here too?"

Sokka halted. "Something's not right."

"Come on," Zuko barked. "Azula's out there. If we can get to her and negotiate, then maybe we can stall enough for them to reinforce the city. And if anything, we need to get to her before Aang does." He clenched his jaw, feeling that maybe he was only talking to calm his nerves: a bad habit he'd picked from being around his new 'gang'. "I think-." He glanced over his shoulder for the other boy.

Sokka had disappeared.

Zuko drew his swords. "Sokka! Get out here now! I don't want you leaving my sight!"

"After all…" A familiar voice drawled, "something could happen out here."

"Azula," Zuko choked, his stomach knotting in fear.

"Get down and step forward slowly."

"Where's Sokka?" He asked cautiously.

"Put the swords down, Zuzu."

"Where is he, Azula?!"

Four figures emerged from the dust, two of them gripping a slouched, pony-tailed one.

"Return him, and I'll come to you," Zuko bartered.

"Are you 'stalling'?" Azula smirked. "I believe that's how you put it, yes? And do tell what sort of reinforcements the city would give."

"I… I don't-."

"Tell us or your new little friend here dies."

"He's no friend, Azula." Zuko replied hastily. "He's a bargaining chip. I was going to offer him-."

"Lies. Of what good would he be to me?"

"He's a friend of the Avatar. You could use him as bait."

"But so are you, my dear brother!" Azula cooed. "You've been so helpful to me in that aspect. Now not only do I have my fugitives grouped together, but I can use them against each other! Besides, if he's just a chip to you…" She glanced at Mai and Ty Lee. Mai swept her knives to Sokka's throat. Zuko started.

"Ah…" Azula smiled. "So, back to my original point: get down, put your swords on the ground or else your peasant dies. Believe me; I can make this extremely unpleasant."

Sokka yelped in affirmation.

Zuko dropped his swords to the ground and slipped from his horse, stepping forward a few steps. Azula motioned for Mai to hold him.

"If you don't have the Avatar…" She continued, pacing between Sokka and Zuko. "Something's missing here. Did he turn on you?" Neither answered. "Oh, come now. Let's not waste the day! I've only budgeted twenty-four hours for this battle, and I intend on keeping it as such."

"We know where he is," Sokka answered gruffly. "Zuko said those things to throw you off."

She scoffed. "I don't know which is dumber: that you accepted Zuko into your ranks or that Zuko allowed you to. Have you no honor left, either of you? Have you no patriotism?" She turned to Sokka. "What would your father think of such a bond?" He looked away. Azula's eyes went to Zuko. "And yours? Well, I think we all know what your father thinks, don't we Zuzu? After all, it's written so clearly on your face."

"Just tell us what you want with us, Azula!"

"Not in a chit-chatty mood? Fine, then." She sighed delicately. "The truth is that I don't have a Southern Water Tribe peasant on my list of things to capture." A flame instantly rose and bounced in her palm.

"Azula," Zuko squirmed in Mai's grasp. "Don't."

"More chit-chat?" She grinned. "This is your girlfriend's brother, is it not?"

Mai's fist tightened on his arm.

"How do you know that?" Zuko insisted.

Azula rolled her eyes. "I know everything, but that isn't the point. The point is that the only reason you don't want him to die is so that your poor girlfriend isn't upset- which by the way, is the lowest of the low. How you could stoop so low is beyond me."

"Shut up about Katara."

"What did defending anyone ever get you?" Azula snapped. "You've lost those battles before. Isn't it about time you gave those up?" She raised her fist. "The peasant will die, and I'll do it in your honor, Zuko."

"No, Azula! What good would it do? Please, don't!"

"You'll never learn, will you?" She sneered and turned to face Sokka.

Desperate, Zuko entreated his captor. "Mai," he muttered. "Please… Let me go. If you really care… about me…"

Her blank eyes lit up momentarily, and her grip intentionally loosened. Zuko lunged, missing Azula as she took her stance, and put himself right in the middle of her fire.

"NO!" Sokka screamed as Zuko fell to the ground before him. "No, no, no." He looked wildly to Azula, frozen above her brother's body. "How could you? You killed him! Your own brother!" He fought furiously against Ty Lee's clutch.

Mai's hand went to cover her mouth. She trembled in her shock.

Azula laughed softly. "Well, it was a terrible shame that Fire Lord Ozai's son died on the battle field at Ba Sing Se. Just like his cousin," she added quietly, stepping around Zuko's form.

"What…" Ty Lee swallowed, feeling sick. "What do we do… with…" She held Sokka, more in comfort than in imprisonment. "With… Zuko?"

"Leave him. Tie the other's hands. I don't want him following us. And see if you can be creative and make it look like he killed Prince Zuko." Azula answered, beginning her march towards the city.

Mai could not move from her spot. "I let him go," she said quietly.Ty Lee and Sokka looked up at her sharply. She followed her princess obediently.

Ty Lee roped Sokka's hands together, her fingers lingering on his shoulders. She glanced at Azula's retreating back, and then hugged Sokka briefly.

"I'm so sorry," she murmured. Running after her companions, she gave enough time to only look back once.

"You idiot," Sokka spoke. "You're such an idiot. Why would you do that? Why couldn't you just…" He took a shaky breath. "You would've made Katara a lot happier than I ever could. You probably could've… helped Aang more than I can… He has to learn firebending. I can't help him there. You just… You never do what other people tell you to do! That's your problem! You can't let things happen! Well, things do happen!"

He shuffled around for his knife, ignoring the achy feeling in his throat.

"Now what? If I go after them, I'll get killed too. And I can't leave you here." He worked his dagger against his bonds. "I have to… warn… the others." The rope snapped free. "Cousin…" Sokka was delirious in his attempt to overlook reality. "Your cousin died here? What else don't I know about you?" He whispered. "How much else… I would've liked to know… Zuko… What have you done?"

xxx

A/N

I think that was a nice place to stop, yes?

Now come on… WWDRD? (what would dream royale do?)