AN: One: thank you for the reviews. Cookies for everyone!

Two: thanks for sticking with us even though our posts have been infrequent. Between school and NaNoWriMo, things have been pretty busy.

Three: enjoy the chapter!

Chapter Fourteen

To say that all hell broke loose would be something of an understatement.

Not that Azula would know. She was miles away before it was discovered she had escaped.

If it was one thing she was good at, it was lying. And by extension, disguises came naturally to her.

She already looked different than she did. Her hair was much longer, and worn down in a decidedly inelegant style. She was slightly thinner, though probably not enough to be noticed by many. Her voice and mannerisms had changed, if only out of habit, and they could be useful in returning to the general public.

It had been nearly a year. Azula had some research to do on the new Fire Lord.

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The more she looked around, the more self-conscious she felt.

Nobody else was wearing a dress.

Aurora liked dresses. She liked the way they pooled at her feet and the way the skirt moved when she spun in a circle.

But as she sat in the crowded square, she realized that the Fire Nation was not particularly big on dresses.

She idly kicked her feet, toying with the bread she had been given without feeling particularly hungry.

It was apparently a good restaurant. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so crowded.

She could see the place had a few tables with men wearing the thick robes of the Fire Nation Royal Guard. They would be keeping an eye on her, or more specifically, Zuko.

Aurora stared at the empty chair across from her. Why dinner? Why in a restaurant? Wouldn't, say, a picnic lunch on the palace grounds be a lot less... romantic?

Three more guards came in and quietly took a seat, without getting any food. They seemed to be in conversation, but Aurora knew that it was all an act. She knew how the politics of the Nation worked.

Finally, Zuko came through. He gave a polite nod to the waiter and scanned the square for Aurora. She ducked her head and stared at the bread in her hand as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. Aurora knew he would immediately spot her. With her hair, she stuck out easily in crowds, not to mention she had stupidly worn blue.

As expected, he was soon sitting in the chair directly across from her.

"Good evening, Rory."

Aurora wasn't exactly sure why, but she felt a tiny bit of blood rush to her cheeks when he spoke. She had to get this whole blushing thing under control. It was just Zuko after all.

"Good evening, Blaze." She peeked up and immediately regretted it. He looked nice. He was wearing a robe and had his hair tied back neatly. Aurora looked down at her own dress and tugged on the long sleeve. She shouldn't have worn a dress, especially a blue one. She should have worn red...

"Don't you like the bread? I know you used to love it."

Aurora smiled a little, against her will, still looking at her bread. His attempts at conversation were adorably awkward. She looked up to see Zuko cutting his bread. "Uh, yeah. I still love bread. It's just... I dunno." Aurora took a tiny bite of the bread. She usually didn't care what people thought of her. So why was she trying to make a good impression?

He smiled at her and bit into his bread. Aurora took a small sip of her tea and swallowed it quickly, trying not to cough. It was hot. Very hot. Zuko looked up at her.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she lied through her teeth. "I'm fine."

"Too hot?" he guessed. She simply nodded. "You should blow on it next time." Another nod. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Um... Yeah... I just..."

You just what? Face it. You are such a little kid! You're acting like a grade school girl with a major crush!

But I just want to be friends! I do! I really honestly do!

You and I both know that's not true. Just tell him what you're thinking! Do it!

But... I... All right! All right!

"I just think that this is all kind of... Romantic, is all and... Yeah... Never mind." She opened her menu and began to look through the entrees and finally settled on a salad. Which was odd to her because she didn't really care for salad.

She refused to look up. Even when he said her name. Aurora just simply fiddled with the tip of her hair. When they were little, she and Zuko never felt awkward around each other. It had just come naturally. But now? Now was a whole different kind of situation. The waiter took their order and walked away before she finally looked up to see Zuko fiddling with his bread, looking as awkward as she felt.

A memory flitted back to her. When they ate, she and Zuko would always dissect their bread and only eat the fluffy inside. She giggled a little bit. He looked up.

"Is there something funny?"

"Hm?" she said, halting her giggles but still smiling. "Oh, nothing." She picked up her piece of bread and pulled out the fluffy part, popping it in her mouth.

Zuko couldn't help but smile. It was her habit, she never did like the crust of bread. Their food came and that's when he noticed Aurora had ordered a salad.

"Don't you hate salad?"

He smiled when she turned bright pink and shrugged.

Something was... different about her. Of course she was different... She was older. She had been through more. She seemed... more mature. But she still had that smile.

Aurora sighed and put down her fork. "Zuko, what on earth are we doing?"

The Fire Lord paused in his eating. "Having dinner?"

She sighed again. "You know what I mean."

He didn't say anything. Didn't move, didn't speak, didn't do anything. He did understand what she meant. Zuko was about to speak when Aurora interrupted him.

"You know what I said last time. You're with Mai. I know you are. You may still be mad at each other but... You'll get back together. You know it, and I know it. She's nobility... A good choice really. Mai is... Really a nice person deep down." Each word she spoke tore her own heart apart. She had to get it through his thick Fire Nation skull that Mai would go back to him. "She's good for you," she added, as if trying to convince herself of the reality. "Good for you, good for the country... Good for all involved..." She supposed she was babbling now and quickly shut up.

"Aurora, I don't think you get it. Mai is nice deep down but..." He reached toward her but she pulled away.

"No..." she interrupted. "Just stop... This isn't right." She grabbed her bag and prepared to leave when he grabbed her hand.

"Rory." His voice sounded so serious. Slowly, hesitantly, she looked up at him. His eyes were looking directly into hers and, somehow, she knew what he was going to say next. It terrified her. It unnerved her. And yet, she couldn't help but stay where she was. "I think... I think Mai and I are through."

Her world exploded. A million possibilities soared through her mind before it suddenly went blank. Aurora couldn't remember how to breathe, how to speak. She blinked, hoping it showed Zuko her confusion.

He smiled gently and tightened his grip on her hand. Blood rushed to her cheeks and she felt her hands tremble.

"Is it that hard to believe?" Slowly, she nodded. "I know Mai and I are done."

She gave a small smile, her cheeks becoming an even brighter crimson, and looked down at her leafy dinner.

"Well?"

Aurora nodded, not letting go of his hand.

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Zuko sat in his room and silently wondered what had just happened.

He wondered what exactly had come over him during that dinner. He didn't need anybody else in his life- he was having a tough time enough on his own.

So why had he led her on like that? Why had he told her, why had he...

He hung his head in his hands.

He had screwed up. Zuko had finally decided to just stay single until he got his life straightened out. But now? No way was that happening. His life would now become even more complicated than before, if that was possible. He now had his hair down and Zuko ran a frustrated hand through it.

"S-sir!"

The Fire Lord looked up to see a messenger running toward him, a scroll in his hand. Zuko immediately knew something was wrong by the frantic look and the man's face.

"Yes? What is it?"

The messenger stopped in front of him and gulped down some air, holding his side. "A message from," he began as he gulped more air into his lungs. "The prison. Shang Island. Your sister is... Is... Gone."

"WHAT?"

Zuko took the scroll and read over it quickly, somewhat praying it wasn't true. If it was, he knew what was coming. He felt his anger rising and crumpled the paper.

"I want everyone out looking for her! I want wanted posters and a reward to go to anyone that catches her!"

The messenger gave a tired bow. "Yes, Sir." Then, he ran off down the hall he had come.

Azula? Out of prison? It's impossible!

But the more he thought about it, the more he realized he should have known. No mere prison could hold Azula. No matter the amount of security around her.

He ran another frustrated hand through his hair and resisted his typical urge to firebend in order to release his anger. Zuko knew she was planning something. Something to do with him. He had, after all, sent her to a rehabilitation prison. No doubt that pissed her off.

All forms of hell were sure to come.