Ru: Sorry it's taken so long to update, readers!

Bri: Yeah, sorry.

Ru: But we have some awesome news!

Tawny: Yes, thanks to all of you we've reached over 9500 hits!

Bri: Yay!!!

Ru: That's right Tawny! So thank y'all soooo much!

Bri: Yeah, it really means a lot to us that you keep reading even if you don't review.

Tawny: Although we do love it when you review.

Ru: Yes, we love reading and replying to all of your reviews!

Bri: They make us all happy inside!

Tawny: (whispers to readers) Now that we've said that I'm going to quickly say what comes next before Ru can stop me! Here's the new chapter!

Ru: Hey, that's my line.

Tawny: Beat'cha to it!

(Directorchic16: By the way Readers, if any of you are having trouble keeping up with the characters, please feel free to visit my profile; I have a character description sheet there! Thanks!)

Chapter 12: Change

"NO!" Tawny screamed as she woke from her deep slumber in a cold sweat. It was dawn, and she would depart at noon. As the senses came back to her she put her right hand on her forehead. Was any of that strange encounter real? Or was it all a dream? She sat up in her bed and looked at her mirror. She saw her face and knew that what she saw was not a dream. She had been to the Spirit World and she had met Elen of the Ways. She got up and looked out her window at the rising sun. Today everything changes. Nothing will ever be the same. Tawny sighed and got dressed; soon she would make her way down to the practice field and get some training in before she set out. No one was to know of her departure, lest something happened and she was betrayed by a spy in the palace. If anyone was to wonder where she was, they would be told that she had gone to check the defenses of the Earth Kingdom villages along the coast and there was yet to be word on when she was returning. Not even the King knew exactly who was to go on the mission. Bri knew nothing about it either, it was not her area and she had nothing to do with the mission, so she was not to be told about it. The only other person who knew where Tawny was actually going was Ru and she didn't even say the location to herself.

When she had dressed, Tawny took one last look at her room thinking that this maybe the last time that she would see it. Don't think that way you dumbass! She sighed at the negativity of her mind and walked out the door. When she was outside, she chose a practice field with targets and a wooden kicking pole. She loved practicing before anyone else was out. Usually someone would be out at this time, but everyone was either hung over or still sleeping from last night's activities. So she was alone on the field as the sun was just peeking over the horizon. She threw herself into an intense combination of punches and kicks as she hit the pole over and over again. She let go of everything in those maneuvers; her anger, sadness, and pain. She attacked the pole until she couldn't hit it anymore. If the pole hadn't been set five feet in the ground, she would have knocked it over with the force of her blows. She slammed her back to the pole and sank to the ground in tears, exhausted. Head in her hands, she sobbed uncontrollably; happy that there was no one there to see. After a few minutes, she wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up; she needed to resume her training. Determined, she stood about a hundred feet from the targets and threw her kunai at them. Every time she hit the mark she moved farther back by about two yards. When she was satisfied she circled the targets around her and, without turning, aimed her kunai and spun around while throwing them. She hit the mark on the three in front of her, the two on either side and the two at back diagonals; however, she missed the one directly behind her by about an inch. She saw it and fumed, angry at herself that she still could not get it perfect. There's always one! She thought to herself.

"Tawny", a voice said. "You shouldn't be training, you leave today. You'll be exhausted before you even leave." Tawny turned to face her sister.

"Please don't stop me from training, Ru. You know that I find comfort in it." She said to her look alike.

"I'm not going to stop you; I just thought that you should be resting before you set out." Ru suggested; eyes full of concern for her quiet sister. "Please, I'm just worried about you." Tawny turned away.

"Well, don't be, I'm fine." She really wanted to be left alone.

"Don't do that, don't push me away!" Ru grabbed Tawny's shoulder and turned her so she could see her face. There were tears running down Tawny's red cheeks. "I'm your sister! We share a special bond, and nothing can replace that. Come on, let's get you some breakfast." Tawny let Ru lead her to the kitchen.

"Damn it!" Ursa paced around her small living room. "I'm sure that Iroh knows what happened and he's sure to tell Zuko. I had hoped that I would never have to face this until everything had blown over! What am I going to do? What will Zuko think of me? Does he even know the truth yet?" She didn't know what to do; she just kept pacing back and forth. Sooner or later she would have to go to the palace and face her son.

"Better sooner than later." Ursa sighed; she knew that she shouldn't avoid it. "Okay, I'm going over to the palace to have tea with Iroh in two hours. Tea with Iroh… this should be fun." She laughed. "Maybe we can sort things out then, because if Zuko hasn't heard the truth, I want him to hear it from me." Determined she set about to get ready for her meeting with her son and her brother-in-law.

The sunrise was beautiful, the sky was lit up with blues and purples and oranges. Over the horizon there were just some stars left in the sky and the moon over in the West. The city brightened with every passing moment and the sun grew larger and light filled the sky. Saimei sat in the gardens staring at the sun as it rose in the East. She sighed; she loved the sunrise, but today… it just didn't seem as beautiful. She glared at the sun, frustrated. Why? Why would Lu Tien send her such a dream? Is he angry with me for not being there for his childhood? Surely Iroh told him why I could not. Perhaps it is because I locked that part of myself up for so long. I think I'll go to the temple today and pray. She rose and turned from the edge of the balcony, where she had been sitting and strolled back to her bedroom; Sujin would be awake by now, and he would be wondering where she was.

"Tawny?" Ru said as she glanced over at her sister who was sitting next to her in the dinning hall eating her breakfast.

"Hmm?" Tawny looked up from her food to glimpse Ru's worried face; she let her speak.

"Are you alright? I know that this mission is a lot to ask of you especially without Bri or myself there to help you. But please… please come back safely. I don't know how I'd forgive myself if anything happened on this mission and I wasn't able to be there to help." Tears formed in Ru's eyes; she clasped Tawny's hands in her own. "Please make sure to talk to me every day and report what happens. Tell me the minute something happens; please don't keep the problems to yourself like you always do. Please tell me, that way I can help. And anything that I can do to help I will. Even though there are a lot of things on this mission that you will have to face by yourself; tell me the second you are in any danger, and I'll figure something out. I promise!" Tawny smiled; Ru was being overdramatic again.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine, and if it makes you feel better… I promise to tell you if any sort of problem arises. No matter how small. 'Kay?" Ru nodded and wiped away the tears that were running down her cheeks.

Miles away in an underground dungeon two men and a woman were sitting in a dark cell.

"Shit!" The woman grumbled as she thrust her fist against the wall.

"Kaori, cursing won't help our situation." The taller of the two men said calmly.

"How the Hell can you be so calm at a moment like this, huh?" Kaori stood and shot back at her teammate. The tall man just looked at her and shook his head.

"You really have no faith in the Gods do you?" He smiled meanly.

"Of course I do, it's people that I don't trust! Mister High-and-Mighty, why don't you just go and become a monk if you are so religious! Then you can look down upon us and judge me then!" The two glared at each other. The other man in the cell looked from one to the other and sighed; he hated it when they fought like this.

"Takamori, Kaori, please; this is not the time to fight. Obviously we can not get out of this situation by ourselves. I'm sure that the Earth King and Ru are doing whatever they can to resolve this problem." Kaori scowled at him.

"So that's it, we just sit here? Like sitting ducks! Is that what you are suggesting Mitsuoki?" The short but sturdy blonde exclaimed, moving so she stood over him.

"Well, we defiantly shouldn't cause any trouble and worsen our predicament." Mitsuoki said as he looked up into her face. "You know they are probably watching us right now, waiting for us to say something that would be of us to them." Kaori frowned and moved away; she knew he was right and she hated it when he was right. She leaned against the wall next to Takamori and calmed her panicking mind.

Zuko woke the next morning and had never felt happier. For once in his life everything was going pretty well. He still did not have his father's love but he realized that that may never come. At least his mother was alive and well and he had found someone who made him so happy. But one thing bothered him. Why did his mother run off the night before? It made almost no sense to him. She hadn't seen him in nine years; why hadn't she wanted to stay and come back to the palace with them? Zuko pondered this thought for a while and conceded that he would ask her when they met that afternoon. After getting dressed he heard a knock at the door.

"Zuko?" Said a voice at the door. He recognized it immediately; it was the voice he had heard countless times in his dreams. He rushed to the door and opened it to find his mother standing in the doorway looking at him.

"Hi, you're early, and we were going to meet in the parlor for tea with Uncle." He said softly.

"I know but I had to talk to you." She told him as she strode into the room. "What has Iroh told you about me?"

"He said that you vanished and no one knew why." Zuko answered.

"He knew why; he was one of the few that knew what happened." She sat in a chair near the fireplace in the large room. Zuko stared at her.

"What happened Mom? No one would tell me and I assumed that you had died or run away. But I didn't know why." He moved closer to her chair and sat down in a chair opposite hers.

"Do you remember the meeting your father had called with Fire Lord Azulon?" Zuko nodded his head and listened intently. "I know that you and your sister had hidden yourselves and stayed in the presence chamber after your grandfather had told us to leave. I also know that you had left early while your sister had heard the entire conversation. When I pulled her away to talk to her after I found her teasing you in your room she told me everything. I couldn't believe it! I went straight to your father:

"Ozai! I know what happened after we left you and your father this afternoon. How could you even think of killing Zuko for power? Isn't he more important to you?" Ursa raged. Ozai turned away; he couldn't look his wife in the eye. She gasped; tears filled her eyes. "I will do everything in my power to protect our son! I will not allow your father to hurt him. I will kill him before he even gets close to my child!"

"Those are treasonous words Ursa." Ozai said his back still turned to her.

"I don't care! I will protect Zuko." She said determinedly.

I thought of a plan to give Ozai the power he so desperately wanted and save you, but the only way it would work was if I disappeared afterwards. I told him my plan and he tried to get me to reconsider, but I had made up my mind and nothing was going to stop me from protecting you:

"Ursa please be reasonable!" Ozai begged his wife. "I love you!" She wheeled on him.

"If you loved me then you would realize that my children are the most important thing to me!" She cried tears forming in her eyes. "I have to do this! I will not let Zuko die for your ambition."

"I know that you still love me! So for us please reconsider! Zuko is nothing compared to his sister! She has all the talent while he is just a disappointment!"

"Ozai, he may be weak now but someday he will be very strong. He tries so hard just to please you. The fact that he has to work hard as opposed to just quickly mastering the skill proves that he will be very strong and have an iron will when he grows up." She turned away from him and started to walk down the hall.

"Ursa! Wait!" He ran to catch up with her.

"What?-"She turned and found herself in his embrace. She relaxed in her love's arms and let the tears fall down her cheeks. She gently pulled away and looked up into his face.

"Promise me that you will never let anyone hurt Zuko or Azula." She said softly as the tears fell freely down her face. He stared down into her eyes.

"I promise." She kissed him, left his embrace, and continued down the hall.

That night I slipped into Fire Lord Azulon's chambers with a dagger and drove it through his stone heart. I found his will on his desk and he had already changed the name from Iroh to Ozai thinking that the next morning you would die. After I had accomplished the deed I stitched the wound on his chest so the dagger had left barely a mark; it wasn't hard, because he had so many scars from previous battles. No one would be able to tell whether he was murdered or not. After I had finished in his room I went straight to your's and said good-bye.

I had a ship set in the harbor to carry me to the Earth Kingdom. I knew that I would be safe in Ba Sing Se so I fled to this city and have been living here ever since."

"Mom." Zuko said when she had finished.

"That's why I can't believe that your father would scar and then banish you!" She said.

"Mom, after you left everything changed. Father became even colder than he had been before. The only person he showed favor for was Azula, but that was nothing new."

"I'm so sorry for what has happened to you Zuko; I blame myself for everything. I was not able to protect you like I should have." A knock at the door startled Zuko and he leapt to his feet.

"Nephew? I hope you are not still asleep. Your mother will be here soon and we need to meet her in the parlor." Iroh said through the door. Zuko let his uncle in so he could see that Ursa was already here. "Oh! There you are! Now that we are all together we should go to the parlor for tea!" Ursa smiled; Iroh was always good for a laugh.

"Yes, that sounds like a wonderful idea." She said as she got to her feet and let Iroh lead the way. She passed by her son and put her hand in the crook of his arm and they walked to the parlor together.

Tawny took one last look at the beautiful palace that she had called her home for so long. Ru was beside her and would travel with her till they reached the outer wall of Ba Sing Se.

"I can't believe it." She said softly.

"I know," Ru replied. "It kinda changes your perspective on things doesn't it?" Tawny nodded. She had said good-bye to Bri earlier and had told her what she had told everyone else; the first lie she had ever told to her sister. She took the first step away from the palace and didn't look back.

When Tawny and Ru had reached the outer wall Ru stopped at the gate and tears formed in her eyes.

"Never forget us." Ru said as she hugged her sister.

"I won't and I won't forget my duty while over there either. No matter how much I want to I won't rescue Kaori, Takamori, and Mitsuoki." The last name cut a wound in her heart.

"But, Tawny, if you find a way without injuring your cover, please tell me first and we will figure out if it will work." Tawny's heart leapt at the thought of even the chance to rescue her friends.

"Thanks, Ru." She said relieved. She stepped away from her. "I'll miss you." Tears formed in Tawny's blue-green eyes.

"Yeah, I'll miss you too." Ru sobbed; her eyes completely overrun with tears. Tawny hugged Ru once more and, unwillingly, let go. She could free the tears run freely down her cheeks and onto the ground. She told herself to release Ru and moved away from her.

"Bye." Tawny said as she wiped her wet face with her hand.

"Bye." Ru whispered in return. Tawny turned around and walked away without looking back, because she knew that if she looked back she wouldn't be able to go forward.

Tawny: (quietly sniffling)

Bri: Are you crying!!??

Ru: Leave her alone Bri.

Bri: But she's crying; don't you find that incredible?

Ru: What I find incredible is Ursa's story!

Bri: Oh yeah! That is pretty awesome!

Tawny: (walks out of room before Bri can say anything else to her)

Bri: I really liked the part when… (Ru walks out after Tawny, not wanting to listen to Bri's rambling)… that part was pretty cool, then when Ozai said… (goes on for about another minute without realizing that no one is there)…and then when she… (looks around) HEY!! Where did everybody go? RU!! TAWNY!! HELLO?! (an idea comes to her) Wait if no one is here then I finally get to say it! Yes!! Okay, here goes. Readers, please review! (giggles) Thanks!

-Directorchic16