Okay, nearly 900 hits and only 25 reviews? That mean only about 2% of readers are reviewing, and that's not cool guys. I want to hear if you like this, if I'm keeping the characters in character and any suggestions you have for making the story. Seriously, I want to know how this story is being recieved. Even if it's just 'I like it' or 'I hate it' I want to know. So no new chapter until this story gets 40 reviews. THat's not very much, only bumps it up to about 4% of people reviewing. That's not too much to ask, is it?

Kyuri found it hard to believe how long their little group, or 'family' as Katara called it, had been traveling together. It was even stranger to look back and recall all the fights, the conflicts, the escapes they'd been involved in. It seemed not so very long ago that she had been debating whether or not to leave her ice cave. In reality it had been nearly a month.

She reflected back on Jet and his Freedom Fighters with mixed thoughts. Jet himself she had mistrusted from the beginning, ever since she saw the way he looked at Sangilak, like he was looking at a weapon. She had seen it in his eyes, the mark made by suffering, but that mark was flavored with bitterness and hate. It was not a pretty sight. By comparison though, his Freedom Fighters seemed to be truly determined to help the people of the Earth Kingdom get out from under the Fire Nation's thumb. They had a vengeful light in their eyes, but it didn't burn as fiercely as Jet's. They had found a leader and followed him blindly, trusting that the results outweighed the collateral damage.

It had given her great pleasure to draw two deep, bloody lines across his cheekbones. Katara had restrained herself to icing him to a tree; however Kyuri was not so easily assuaged. In front of her, all she saw was a mass murderer with no guilt in his heart, a monster, an animal, and she branded him like one. She hoped they did something to detract from his appearance, because she knew for a fact it was part of why several girls in the Freedom Fighters had joined.

Kyuri had to physically restrain herself from attacking while they trekked through the Great Divide. Without Sangilak, who had flown the Gan Jin's elderly across, and Appa, who took the Zhang's sick, they had to walk the whole thing on foot. It was not the walking she minded, it was the company. Kyuri could hear at least three arguments going on between members of opposing tribes at any given time. After the canyon crawler attack, she was sure things couldn't get worse.

Of course, the universe decided to prove her wrong and the guide ended up with a pair of broken arms. Kyuri had tried to see if Appa and Sangilak could come back and get them and take them across in loads, but he and Appa, with the extra weight, hadn't reached the other side yet, and wouldn't for another hour.

She had decided though that canyon crawlers were really not the best way to travel. She much preferred the smooth flight of Sangilak to the shuddering, jerky gate of those overgrown bugs. Kyuri particularly enjoyed Aang's little story about Jin Wei and Wei Jin. She had no idea the little monk had it in him to be deceitful. However, she knew without a doubt that whatever had happened had most definitely been blown out of proportion. A theft and imprisonment was not worth a century-long feud, especially if it risked all their lives.

Kyuri was glad, though, to know more of Aang's past. Something had been weighing on him, she knew that from the nightmares he'd been having, and it wasn't just the death of his people. Knowing he viewed his leaving as abandonment made everything clearer, and she understood more of Aang's character. He was inclined to bring things on himself, to feel guilty and responsible when things went wrong, even if he wasn't directly involved and really played no part in it.

That said, she could understand his anger. The monks had not been kind to him, taking him away from Gyatso. From what she understood, the man had been like a father to Aang, and to rip him away from that familiarity when he was barely twelve was cruel. Especially if it was just an imaginary fear the monks had that Aang's relationship with Gyatso would distract him from his duty. Kyuri may not be the Avatar, but she knew that to accomplish great things, one needed great help.

Still, though they knew more about Aang, the storm had done them no favors. Katara and Sokka were sick from exposure to the rain. Appa was exhausted by the fancy flying and being washed under by that big wave. Even Sangilak was down. He'd been exposed to entirely too much cold water, and for a fire-breathing dragon like him, that wasn't good.

Kyuri stroked under his chin as he slept, occasionally letting out a sneeze or cough accompanied by a burst of fire. Her eyes were surprisingly tender as she frowned at her dragon in concern. She knew Sangilak was suffering. She could feel his raw throat and stuffy nose as if it were her own. Her head was pounding along with his and for all intents and purposes she as sick as well, but she wasn't showing it in her face or mannerisms.

"I'm coming too," Kyuri said as Aang stood, preparing to leave for the herbalist's institute on top of the mountain.

"Someone needs to stay here and take care of them," Aang argued.

"Katara will be functional for a few more hours," Kyuri said, shaking her head. "We'll be back long before she progresses to the fever. Besides, it's not safe for you to go out on your own. What if you get in trouble? With no glider you won't have any means of escape."

"But with Sangilak sick, neither will you," Aang pointed out.

"I can make an exit," Kyuri said, eyes narrowing against a particularly vicious twinge in her throat. Right on cue, she ducked and Sangilak coughed, fire spurting around his teeth. "You don't know about dragon medicine. I doubt the herbalist will either. You need me to come and help."

"Okay," Aang sighed. "But I'll be running. You'll have to climb on my back."

Kyuri raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Well, you can't keep up, and I'm strong enough to carry you, so… you may have to ditch some of your weapons though," Aang said, almost apologetically. He knew how much that idea would appeal to Kyuri. Namely, none. Her hands curled into fists, but she calmly divested herself of her meteor hammer and nearly all of her knives, leaving her with only a small dagger and her swords.

Skeptically, she walked over to Aang and hopped up. Aang hitched her legs around his middle and then he was off. Were Kyuri not used to Sangilak and his penchant for speed, she might have been surprised by the sudden acceleration. As it was, she was only admiring of Aang. Who'd have thought the skinny little boy had the strength to carry her and run? She knew muscle weighed more than fat, and though there wasn't a lot of the latter on her thin frame, there was quite a bit of the former.

Kyuri's head snapped up as she thought she heard a signal horn blare, but they were long past it and the sound was snatched away by the wind before she was even sure she'd heard it. It wasn't long after that they arrived on the grounds of the institute. The buildings were falling apart with age and disuse and it was easy to see that the place was abandoned. Or at least, at first glance it seemed to be, until one saw the pristine green house.

Aang charged inside and Kyuri dropped to the ground.

"Hello! I'm sorry to barge in like this," Aang said, ever polite, "but I need some medicine for my friends. They have fevers, and they've been coughing, and…"

"Settle down," the herbalist, a hunched old woman with a long sheet of white hair pinned up with a twig, chuckled. "Your friends will be fine."

"I need little dragon," Kyuri said. The herbalist blinked at her. "Little dragon, the herb. Tarragon, mugwort. I need the leaves, and a lot of them."

"Oh, mugwort!" the herbalist laughed. "Well, it's right over there! Take as much as you need. It's quite delightful in stew. Are you making stew?"

Kyuri ignored her question and asked for the other requirement. "I also need torch lily." The woman pointed to another plant and turned back to Aang, jabbering about the institute's abandonment while Kyuri plucked little dragon leaves, cramming them into an empty box and filling another with the tubular flowers of the torch lily.

"All your friends need are some frozen wood frogs," the herbalist smiled at Aang. "You can find plenty of them down in the valley swamp."

"And what am I supposed to do with frozen frogs?" Aang asked weakly.

"Why suck on them of course!"

"Suck on them?!"

"The frog's skin secretes a substance that will cure your friends," the herbalist explained. "But be sure you get plenty. Once those little critters thaw out, they're useless!"

Aang was silent for a moment. "You're insane, aren't you?"

"That's right," the herbalist nodded happily. "Now what are you standing around for? Go!"

Kyuri and Aang left the building and were immediately assaulted by a harsh wind. Apparently the storm from earlier had picked up from a few annoyed grumbles of thunder and flashes of lightning.

However, that did not explain the whistling sound…

Kyuri staggered as arrows clattered off the protective plates on her shins. She looked over at Aang to see him pinned by two arrows through his pants. With quick, sure movements, she yanked the shafts free of his clothes while he deflected another volley. Kyuri looked up and tried to reverse the trajectory of the arrows but with the wind and waving branches it was impossible to tell.

"I think you dropped this," Aang said, picking up one of the arrows and proffering it, but Kyuri let out an irritated snarl and snatched his hand, dragging him towards the stairs down the mountain. Four archers rose out of their hidden positions beside the gate, arrows leveled. They fired and Kyuri let go of Aang to draw her blades, hands diving frantically to deflect all of them. One snuck past and clipped her cheek before rebounding off her shoulder plate.

"This way!" Aang yelled, dragging her towards the edge of the cliff.

"Aang, I can't Airbend!" she reminded him, before letting out a startle yip as he heaved her up in his arms and jumped over the side. They plummeted through the trees, branches snagging on their skin and clothes. Aang hit a branch and Kyuri landed next to him, crouched. They took off as more arrows flew towards them, Aang repelling off of trees and Kyuri going from branch to branch in long-legged leaps.

They tumbled headlong into the swamp and Kyuri slipped under the water. Aang dug frantically for frogs while dodging more arrows. Kyuri shot upwards as his arm was pinned with a series of four staggeringly accurate shots to his sleeve. Water iced a shelter in front of them. Arrows could be heard thunking into place on the other side and Kyuri knew the ice was cracking even as she tugged at the arrows pinning Aang.

The ice shattered and Kyuri had no time to replace it. She barely had time to turn before she was pinned next to Aang by a net fired cleanly over the two of them. Her hand wormed towards the knife at her hip but two men appeared in front of her. They reached through the net and pulled her knife free, as well as her swords. She and Aang were bound and heaved over the shoulders of a pair of archers. Kyuri hung her head as they were walked to what would be their prison.

Aang was bound hand and foot on a platform to two pillars with fire at the top, a huge banner with the Fire Nation emblem hanging behind him. The room was empty but for him, four guards on the door, and Kyuri, who was immobile. Apparently they knew how dangerous she could be because they had spared nothing while restraining her.

Her ankles were manacled together as were her wrists, the chains looping around the links between her legs. She was forced into an uncomfortable kneeling position, practically sitting on her hands. The worst part was the collar around her neck, also tied to the chains between her feet. Her head was bent back at an uncomfortable angle so that she was facing the ceiling.

It was torture, and not just the discomfort, though that and the illness she felt from Sangilak definitely didn't help. It was being tied down, being unable to move, that was killing her. She'd never felt more vulnerable. Her throat and chest were open to many killing blows and she had no way to defend herself.

Always, she'd been able to see a way out of any situation, be it a strike or a path that didn't look like one, or through sheer skill. But now she had none of that at her disposal. She had nothing with which to free herself. Her weapons were gone. No one knew where she was.

She was caught.

Her breath came in short pants and her throat rebelled against it. Her head was pounding worse than ever, in time with her frantic heart. Even breathing hurt. She was no longer in control and that terrified her as nothing had in a decade. She knew the symptoms. She knew she was very close to, if not already in a panic attack, and that made her feel even more out of control.

The door opened and Kyuri's eyes snapped to it. In came Commander Zhao, whom she recognized from Roku's temple.

"So you're the Avatar, master of all elements," he said, circling Aang. "I don't know how you managed to evade the Fire Nation this long, but rest assured your little game of hide and seek is over."

"I've never hidden from you!" Aang shouted, fearless. It made a modicum of kyuri's normal self return, strong enough to shove aside all her fears. "Untie me and I'll fight you right now!"

"Ah, no," Zhao snorted. "Tell me, how does it feel to be the only Airbender left? Do you miss your people?"

Aang's face went from furious and challenging to guilty and beaten. He hung his head and Kyuri's control slipped.

"Oh, don't worry," Zhao said in a sick attempt at concern "You won't be killed like they were. See, you'd just be reincarnated into the cycle and we'd have to start the search all over again. So you'll be kept alive. But just barely."

"Bastard!" Kyuri hissed lowly, her eyes hurting as she strained to see Zhao. She couldn't handle not knowing where he was, going only by sound. She needed to see, him, know precisely what he was doing.

He came into view and her shoulders relaxed slightly. He sneered down his nose at her.

"You, however, are not worth much by comparison to the Fire Lord. He wants to offer you a position in his armies."

"Go to hell."

"Now now, we know you're talented. We know you have skills far beyond what our soldiers are capable of. Why do you think you're so tied up?"

"Get away from me."

"Oh, but we could learn so much from each other," Zhao purred, circling her. "We could teach you to unlock your true potential and you could teach us about the Sankole, the details of the bond."

"I'd die before helping you."

"Funny, because that it the other option. Although, that only comes after days and days of torture, locked in a dark dungeon. No sun, no food, no water. You'll break quickly, of that I have no doubt."

"Sangilak!" Kyuri snapped. Zhao laughed, assuming she meant her dragon, but he was ignorant of the meaning of the word. Strongest of them all. She was defying him.

"Yes, your dragon. The Fire Lord was most interested in it after it was described to him. He seemed to think it could be brought around to our side with or without you. And of course, we have no problem killing it if it refuses."

"Maiksuk!" Kyuri shouted, dropping in the language of the Water Tribes. "Piosuiyok kringmiluardjuk! Nutara!"

Zhao may not have known what she was saying, but he knew the tone and knew when he was being insulted. He backhanded her before burying his other fist in her stomach. Kyuri dropped onto her face, panting, cheek throbbing. She expected a bruise was already forming from the hit from his metal armguard.

"Kyuri!" Aang shouted as Zhao moved to leave. "Kyuri, are you okay?" He turned on Zhao, infuriated, and blew hard. Tornadic wind slammed the admiral into the door

"Blow all the wind you want!" Zhao challenged as he rose. "You're never getting out of here. There is no escaping this prison and no one is coming to rescue you!"

The door slammed shut with a ringing thud that Kyuri felt vibrate the floor under her cheek.

"Kyuri, are you okay?" Aang asked softly.

"I'm fine," Kyuri sighed, attempting to shift herself back upright before giving up. She was tied to tightly to manage anything beyond squirming. "I suppose I pushed him too far."

"I guess so," Aang said with a humorless chuckle. "Don't worry, we'll get out of here."

"Of course," Kyuri agreed absently, but in reality she was not so sure. Neither of them could move and none of their friends even knew they'd been captured. Undoubtedly they would be moved closer to the Fire Nation capitol as soon as possible and placed in the securest of prisons they had.

She could feel the panic setting in again as the metal around her limbs chaffed and rattled. The sound of clashing metal and shouts…

They weren't expected.

Kyuri looked up as something scraped at the other side of the door. It opened slightly and a black-clad figure slipped inside silently, dao broadswords slung over his shoulder. He turned and revealed and blue mask of a Water Tribe spirit. Kyuri wondered vaguely if he even knew what it was or if this person was truly Water Tribe.

When Zuko stepped inside the room where the Avatar was being kept, he had expected to see him bound and chained. What he had not expected was to see the Dragora bound and on her face in a mockery of a gesture of respect. She looked to be bowing but then her eyes flicked to him and he could see the anger and vulnerability. It struck him as inherently wrong, almost as wrong as Zhao capturing the Avatar before him, that she looked like that.

Then the question came to him of why she looked like that and suddenly he understood, thoughts flooding him mind as he unraveled hers. He had seen her unarmed before and that had never stopped her, had had a dagger to her throat, pinned against him, and still fought on. But now she was clearly unable to move, vulnerable, and that was when he understood why she was so dangerous.

She despised any kind of vulnerability in herself, and that was why she had molded herself into such an amazing fighter. But here and now that had been stripped away from her, taken cruelly by Zhao without a second thought, and she was helpless. And she truly did not know how to handle that.

For a moment, just a moment, he pitied her, and wondered what on earth had made her feel so vulnerable as to spark her fighting drive. Then he snapped back to the reason he was here and drew his blades.

Kyuri watched as shining metal came free of its sheath. With a series of elaborate spins, building power she knew, he came towards Aang in a rush. Aang yelled in fear and she could understand why. Whoever it was, they knew what they were doing, without a doubt. It suddenly struck her as funny that she was critiquing someone's skill even while bound and degraded like this.

Aang's chains dropped free from his arms. With two quick slices he was free and at Kyuri's side, helping her back upright and tugging at the collar around her throat.

"Get her out of this, please!" Aang pleaded. The man walked over the her and cut the manacles from around her wrists and ankles easily. Slowly she uncurled her limbs, sore from being in the same position for hours. He was more careful with the one around her throat, pulling the edge as far from her skin as possible and sheering through the hinge.

Zuko felt his stomach turn as the collar fell away. It had pressed into her throat and made a ring of bruises like some sort of sick imitation of a necklace. For a moment he was furious that Zhao had managed to do such a thing to her. It had taken every bit of his skill to bruise her when they last fought and Zhao had taken the coward's way out, letting metal do the work for him. It seemed wrong for her to be bruised so easily.

"Who are you?" Aang asked as the man turned and walked to the door, opening it and slipping through. "Are you here to rescue us?"

"Of course," Kyuri snapped, in no mood for foolish questions. She shrugged off Aang's grip on her shoulder and followed after the figure in black. Normally she wouldn't trust anyone so immediately, but as of right now he was their only defense and she doubted they would be able to get out entirely unnoticed, no matter how skilled any of them were with sneaking.

They left the room that was their prison and Kyuri's expression was cold and full of contempt as they followed.

"My frogs!" Aang shouted as they passed a room and Kyuri had to restrain herself from slapping a hand over his mouth. Avatar though he was, he was still a child, and one that frequently failed to grasp the severity of a situation. In this case, the need for silence.

However, she had to contain her own shout as she saw her swords and sash waiting on a table inside. Immediately she rushed forwards, eyes darting side to side, looking for a trap. She found none and eagerly snatched up her swords, pausing for a moment to savor the feel of the familiar ribbon-wrapped hilts in her hands. She slid them on and stuck her dagger through her sash.

Zuko had turned immediately upon hearing the shout about amphibians, wondering what on earth was going on, only to see the Avatar crouching in a doorway and the Dragora rushing inside. He hurried back, wondering what on earth had gotten into them, only to see her standing there with her hands on the hilts of her swords, her eyes gently lidded and an expression of great relief on her face. Her eyes snapped open, filled with determined fire as she armed herself with practiced moments. She turned to face him and noddedsharply.

"Lead," she bade and he nodded, grabbing the childish Avatar from the ground and dragging him along.

"Wait, my friends need to suck on those frogs!" he protested. Zuko would have dearly loved to ask, but he couldn't risk them recognizing his voice.

Kyuri and Aang followed as they were lead to an open grate in the floor. The man gestured for them to drop down before doing so himself with a small splash. Aang followed quickly, and Kyuri went last, taking a small amount of comfort in knowing that water was nearby should she need it in a fight.

They edged along the wall of a shallow drainage ditch, lit every few feet by an opening through which water occasionally dripped from the heavy rains the day before. Their guide stopped under a large grate and peeked up, looking to see if it was. He gestured for them to follow before heaving himself upright into the grounds. Kyuri and Aang did the same.

They ducked low, creeping towards the wall where a rope dangled subtly, partially concealed by a shadowy corner. Aang went up first, followed by the masked man and then Kyuri, who jerked as an alarm bell rang frantically.

"There, on the wall!" yelled a soldier, pointing to them dangling there. A soldier on the wall above raced over and cut the rope with a quick slice of his sword. Kyuri, who had only a few feet to fall, landed in a crouch and drew her blades. Aang and their rescuer had a much longer drop, and Aang ended up cushioning them with a little bubble of air. They hit in a cloud of dust and Kyuri heard the distinctive hiss of blades being drawn and knew the stranger had armed himself as well.

The dust cleared and she saw him pointing to the gates on the opposite wall that no one had yet had the time to close. They made a break for it, streaking for the opening even as Zhao flew onto a balcony, yelling furiously, "The Avatar has escaped! Close all the gates!"

"Stay close to me!" Aang yelled, racing ahead. His arms came down in a strong sweep, blasting the column of soldiers blocking the gate out of the way. He made it past just as other soldiers poured out of the barracks, surrounding Kyuri and the stranger.

"Any opposition to fighting back to back?" she called to him as they both stood, waiting for the soldiers to get close enough for a strike. The man shook his head and turned, presenting his back to her. Kyuri pressed her back against his and they began to move.

Zhao had a first rate view from the balcony, and even he had to admit that he'd never seen two people move together better in combat. The Dragora bobbed and weaved, feet flying up and taking soldiers in the nose and chin, using the masked trespasser for support for more powerful kicks even as he pressed against her to dodge and attack. They spun, their backs never separating by more than a centimeter as they changed opponents quickly and randomly, leaving the soldiers staggering at the sudden change of pace in the fighting they were doing.

The Dragora was graceful, flowing. Every single motion she made seemed to flow into the next, even if they were completely unrelated, in a smooth coiling of muscle and a flick of gently curved steel. She used her opponent's momentum against them, turning them around on themselves and leaving them staggering even as she knocked them to the ground. By contrast, the man used sharp, harsh slices and blocks, throwing his strength into each strike and oh, was he strong, forcing soldiers back with a single sweep. His movements and forms were all hard angles and jabs, giving no quarter to anyone who went up against him. It was impossible to predict what was coming next. His movements had no rhyme or reason.

Kyuri couldn't believe it. She'd never fought back to back with someone before but she knew the theory behind it, why it was effective. Still, she'd never imagined it being like this. She felt completely solid, not a single slip in her strikes and blocks, like a wall had been placed in front of her. Nothing got through. None of her concentration was used to detect small noises or movements behind her. She found herself putting complete trust in the man behind her even though she didn't know him, and letting someone else, for once, watch her back.

Zuko was thrown. He knew without a doubt that the Dragora was a force to be reckoned with, but he'd had no idea what it would be like to feel everything she did just behind him. He could feel the smooth interplay of the muscles in her back and shoulders through the thin fabric of his shirt when she pressed against him firmly for one reason or another. It was amazing how little he feared anything getting past her; after all, she'd always been placed unequivocally in the category of 'enemy' and now she was out of his sight but well within striking distance. To know that he had such a force on his side was a reassuring rush.

Kyuri heard the rush of air and for a moment regretted that the fight was coming to an end. She had enjoyed this, fighting with someone who was a match for her in combat while still being the exact opposite of her style.

Aang rushed in, blasting the soldiers to the side with two quick sweeps of air. Kyuri and the stranger both jumped in time with each other and dropped, only to have Aang fling them both back up into the air to land on the wall above.

The man was on his feet first, swords leveled at the soldiers rushing from both sides. Kyuri meanwhile was digging furiously in her sash before triumphantly holding up the end of a grappling hook and unfolding it, snapping pins into place to make it hold its shape, rope uncoiling from where it was wrapped around her waist under her sash. Aang rose overhead, twirling the broken haft of a spear overhead and using it to keep himself aloft. His legs looped under the stranger's shoulders and carried him aloft towards the next wall when he saw Kyuri had her own plan and was already throwing the hook.

It clicked into place on the opposite wall and Kyuri turned to face the soldiers advancing on her. With quick flashes of her swords she dispatched them all, all except one she judged to weight the most.

"Hold this," she said, thrusting the end of the rope into his hands. Startled, he grabbed it reflexively, then howled and dropped his sword, clutching it with both hands as she shoved him over the wall. He dangled over the side of the wall and Kyuri raced across the rope that was now taut but for a little give, keeping her balance skillfully as she darted over the gap. She jerked the hook out of the spot where it had caught and heard the dangling man yelp as he plunged to the ground, only to be pulled up short as the hook caught on the opposite side of the wall.

Zuko looked up as the Dragora arrived next to them. He'd seen her little trick and had to admire her cunning and balance. He knew that no matter how good his balance may be he'd never have made it that far. He flinched as the Avatar blasted his opponents away, only to find they were faced with three ladders of soldiers walking up the wall. He took one, the Dragora next to him, and they began fighting as the Avatar simply forced his opponents to the ground before doing the same with the Dragora's. He hauled up his ladder and shoved it into his hands while the Dragora raced towards the tower on the opposite end of the wall.

"Kyuri, where are you going?" Aang demanded.

"Go on, I'll meet you over there!" Kyuri said as she ran for the tower. She'd seen it when she first arrived, the system of ziplines used for getting messages and light cargo from one tower to the next quickly. Now all she had to do was pray that they were strong enough to hold her.

Kyuri quickly dispatched the pair of soldiers who were coming up from the trapdoor in the floor that lead to the levels below. She slammed it shut on them and shoved a heavy crate on top of it. She could hear it rattling behind her even as she sheathed her swords and placed her hands on the bars of the zipline, used for attacking nets of cargo. She looked down to see soldiers waiting below, readying spears. A few were already throwing at Aang and the masked man, who were using the ladders to stilt-walk across the gap. She admired Aang's ingenuity even as she swung up and looped her knees over the bars. She shoved off, drawing her swords.

Wind rushed by her as she slid down towards the next tower, her arms snapping to defend against spears. Her muscles screamed as she arched backwards, looking to see if there were any surprises waiting for her on the other side of the wall. In her only stroke of luck of the night, she saw that the tower was empty, all the soldiers having rushed to the wall where Aang and the stranger were expected to connect.

And where they had not connected. Kyuri watched with side eyes as the pair fell to the ground directly in front of the gate even as she dismounted and raced across the wall, throwing soldiers over the wall and knocking them out as she went. She saw the flames as she practically hung over the side of the wall, watching with bated breath.

She had no reason to worry though. Aang shoved the stranger behind him and pulled a shield of swirling air around the pair of them. Fire broke against it harmlessly.

"Hold your fire!" Zhao commanded, striding forwards. The fire ceased at his command. "The Avatar must be captured alive!"

The react was instantaneous. The stranger moved and crossed the sharp sides of his blade across Aang's throat. Kyuri knew to the young boy it must seem like he was turning on him, but she knew better. The threat was good: free us or lose your prize.

Zhao seemed to agree.

"Open the gate," he growled, eyes locked hatefully on the frozen blue mask.

"Admiral?" questioned a soldier.

"Do it!" he roared. The gate slowly began to grind open and Kyuri swung down over the side of the wall. She'd noticed the pikes that kept the gate locked tightly against outside force and they'd reminded her of the spikes on Sangilak's back. She used them as if they were, as a ladder, dropping from spike to spike as she went before taking cover behind the stranger as he backed out with Aang in tow. It may seem a cowardly move but it was in reality the only safe spot at the moment. To hit the stranger, the archers on the wall would have to shoot through Aang, which they would never do. That meant behind him was the only place where she wasn't an open target.

Except, of course, if they were the staggeringly accurate archers Zhao had under his command.

Kyuri watched as the arrow vanished from the string. The stranger collapsed, the paint on his mask chipped slightly from the blunted arrow that had connected. Aang moved as soon as he was free, pulling dust around them to disguise their escape. Kyuri moved immediately to pick the stranger up, dragging one of his arms over her shoulder. Aang's childlike curiosity got the better of him. He reached up and pulled away the stranger's mask and Kyuri suddenly found herself holding Fire Prince Zuko. Her eyes widened and she bared her teeth as Aang skittered backwards. She made to drop him as Aang moved for the forest, but he paused and so did she, looking at him questioningly.

"He saved us," the boy muttered. "We can't… we can't just leave him. It's not right."

Kyuri gritted her teeth. He was right. She may have a strict code of honor, but that didn't mean she always took pleasure in following it, and this was one of those times. Part of her wanted to leave him to be captured for the injuries he'd dealt her by the river. The other part was fascinated by how well they'd worked together when they'd never fought in any capacity beyond as enemies.

"Go," Kyuri said sharply. "You're who they want. I'll keep him safe until he wakes up, and then he's on his own."

"Okay," Aang nodded. He took to the trees, repelling off tree trunks as he went back towards their camp. Kyuri shoved Zuko's swords through her sash and wound the ribbon of his mask around her fingers before she dragged him into the forest. She could hear the soldiers not far behind, coughing as they searched through the cloud of dust, but she knew it wouldn't take them long to start searching the forest.

She nearly stumbled over the perfect hiding spot. An abandoned boar-q-pine hollow. She knew it was abandoned because all the rutting around the door was old, the edges warn away by time and the elements. Abandoned at least six months, so little chance of the animal stumbling back to find them. Kyuri scrambled in through the small opening and, as she predicted, it opened up considerably inside. She dragged Zuko in after her just in time.

Soldiers spilled into the forest and she saw soldiers tramp past the opening. Either they didn't see the hole or they didn't want to risk it. Probably the former.

Kyuri heard them tramping around for nearly three hours before they filtered back into the barracks, all the while Zuko was out. She took a moment to wonder at the strength it must take to pull a bow capable of dealing that much of a punch before pushing Zuko out and following him into the dawning morning. If he woke up, she had no desire to be in an enclosed space with him.

Glancing around, Kyuri found and tree with a mass of roots sticking out of the ground. She dragged Zuko over and rested him in the hollow between a few, his mask and swords beside him but out of easy reach, giving her the advantage. She took up a post on a root, leaning back against the tree itself with one leg stretched out in front of her. Her other foot was positioned on the opposite side of her knee and her crossed arms nestled under her chest.

Kyuri sat there, watching him. She'd promised Aang to make sure he was safe. If he didn't wake up soon, she'd drag him to that herbalist and leave her to handle him. Even as she thought that though, he let out a small groggy groan and his eyes fluttered open and she was struck once again by the golden amber color, so different from the dull bronze color of Zhao's.

"You really do have exactly her eyes," she blurted before realizing what she was doing. Zuko turned his head to focus on her. His eyes flashed as she saw who it was, but to both their surprise he didn't attack. Later Zuko would say it was because he was curious to know what she was talking about, but in reality he knew he was still reeling from the experience of fighting with her.

So, instead of lunging, he simply asked, "Her?"

"Yoshio."

Zuko's eyes narrowed at her. "How do you know that name? It was wiped from all records. And how do you know what my great-grandmother looked like?"

"How do I know?" Kyuri repeated, her eyes going distant as she recalled the experience of living through Sangilak's eyes in a time long gone. "She was a Dragora."

"So? That's well known, but not all Dragora immediately know each other. Answer me!"

"You're smart, figure it out!" Kyuri snapped back, not at all thrilled with how he was speaking to her. "Or, if you really can't, I'll tell you a story. Once upon a time, Yoshio fell in love and married a man, Fire Lord Sozin, who she later realized only wanted her power. She grew to hate him and fell in love again with a general who smuggled her and her dragon Hao, known as the Living Glacier, out of the Fire Nation to the South Pole, where they hoped he would blend in. Yoshio survived six months before the cold claimed her and she died, leaving her dragon alone with nothing but the meager possession she smuggled out with her." Her lips twisted into a humorless smile. "At least, he was alone until he found a little girl collapsed in the snow from cold and blood loss." Expressionless blue met shocked gold. "I know because Sangilak, as Hao is now called, showed me what happened a century ago."

Zuko's thoughts were spinning. So somehow his great-grandmother's dragon had come to be bonded with this girl sitting in front of him? His uncle was fond of saying that things are connected for a reason but he couldn't believe that in this case. What possible reason for this connection between the two of them? But still, something else in her story caught his attention.

"Blood loss?"

He could watch her eyes freeze and it was a startling shift.

"None of your concern."

"You told me this story and I demand to know."

"I am not a subject of the Fire Nation for you to command, O great prince!" Kyuri snapped, rising to tower over him. Her mind was already muddled, knowing that she'd trusted Zuko enough to defend her flank. But then she hadn't known it was him. Of course, the mask came off and everything was normal. But still, fighting with him had been… unhealthily enjoyable. "You will not demand anything of me!"

Zuko lunged, his patience snapping, and fire roiled about his fist. She ducked out of the way of the blast and was gone, running through the forest with barely a leaf stirred by her presence.

When Kyuri returned to the camp she found Sangilak groggy but awake. He blinked one great eye at her as she appeared up the steps, tired and bruised.

"What happened?"

Kyuri sent him images as she collapsed next to him, savoring the familiar heat he emitted. She pulled out the two boxes of plants from under the plates of her armor and set to work crushing them as Sangilak perused the memories. When she had mushed them together into a thick paste Sangilak turned to her with surprised eyes.

"You told him of Yoshio."

"I slipped out," Kyuri said tensely. "I'm sorry. I know you're not fond of being reminded of Sozin, but-"

"Oh I don't mind it. I'm more concerned about you mentioning the attack where your parents died."

"I said nothing of the sort."

"'-he was alone until he found a little girl collapsed in the snow from cold and blood loss,'" Sangilak quoted.

"Oh," Kyuri responded glumly. "That part. He pressed-"

"I saw that."

"-but I didn't say anything."

"Oh yes you did. You sort of screamed at him."

"He deserved it," Kyuri thought with a snarl.

"I'm not denying he was rude. In all honesty, it's the way you felt while fighting back to back that I find disturbing. Kyuri, you cannot trust that family. All of them are liars and enemies, brainwashed by growing up in a family of war and violence. They know no different and they will strike at you. Sozin killed so many of my brethren and their Dragora for opposing him and it was because of him that Yoshio fled to her death, and his line has continued this war without any hint of remorse, and-"

"No one has more reason to hate the royal family than you," Kyuri soothed, "and by extension me. Trust me, I see nothing that could make me change my opinion of him."

But that was a lie and they both knew it. Her opinion had already been changed. When she had first seen him she thought of him as an arrogant bully with no redeemable qualities. However, the more they came across him the more admirable qualities she was finding. Her dislike had been tempered to respect by his skills and determination, two qualities she prized highly.

Kyuri both feared and was fascinated by the idea of finding more qualities to Zuko that she admired.