Sorry for the long wait on this one, but I'm only about a week late on this one. I've been on the job hunt lately, and I've finally gotten a new position, so I should have a little more free time - you know, that's not devoted to combing want ads. Anyway, here's a longer chapter to apologize!

Zuko's plan was simple, but brilliant. Let Zhao follow the smoking ship while he used the smaller boat to continue on to Crescent Island. At the same time, the smaller ship would be using the smoke as a cover.

Asuni learned all this during her little spying session, and as soon as she was clear on the details, she was quick to return to her cubby and pull out her armor, a few daggers, and her sword, fastening them into place. She was about to possibly go up against the Avatar, depending on how this went. She'd take any edge she could get.

Her heart was pounding, but in a good way. In the fun way. Asuni was on edge and twitchy with energy waiting to be released in a good fight. She hadn't had a decent fight in so long. Those soldiers a few days ago hadn't even put up much of a fight.

Asuni scolded herself as she crept down the hallway towards the hold where the smaller ship was kept. She wasn't here to let off some steam in an amateur sparring match. She had a mission. She was here to protect the prince, that was her priority. And he was about to waltz into a place that would arrest him for his very presence.

She needed to be focused.

Asuni forced herself to calm down as she boarded the smaller ship, creeping on past the very unwatchful eyes of the soldiers who were loading it with weapons. It was a simple matter for her to slink into a shadow and slide on board, concealing herself in a small cabinet.

Satisfied with her hiding spot, Asuni slowly entered a trance-like state. She focused on her muscles, slowly relaxing first one, then the other, until her whole body was loose. She had no room to stretch in her hiding place, which was depressing, but at least she was able to take deep breath and meditate a bit before she walked out into whatever situation they were facing.

There was a bit of a jolt as the ship slipped into the water. Asuni pulled herself out of the trance and focused on her surroundings. She closed her eyes, listening intently.

Her hiding place seemed to be safe. All she could hear was the low drone of voices in the distance, and the ever-present hum of the engines.

"-he thinking?"

"This is getting ridiculous. He's obsessed."

"Going to get himself-"

Asuni shifted angrily inside of her cupboard as she heard the passing conversation of a few soldiers. Her fists clenched and she wanted nothing more than to leap out of the cupboard and give them a few good punches.

She knew that a lot of the crew didn't particularly like the prince. She couldn't really blame them. Asuni knew he wasn't the nicest person. He'd never showed them that slightly softer side he allowed himself in her kitchen. They didn't realize that their prince was only the way he was because of his situation.

And they acted like there was something wrong with him.

That was what Asuni hated most. They called his hunt for the Avatar an obsession, a fixation. They didn't see it for what it was: pure, single-minded determination. No, it was not the same thing. There was a very fine distinction. Obsessives had no other thoughts but their fixation, nothing but the idea of how to get it. They were like addicts.

The determined though rationally. They knew how to plan and work to get what they want. They didn't back from deterrents. They didn't flinch in the face of adversity and slink back into their holes until things were safer, until they could strive towards their goal without judgment and prying eyes.

In short, obsessives were ashamed. The determined were proud. And no one could argue that the prince had a shortage of pride.

Asuni smiled slightly at that thought.

The boat groaned under her and she heard the scraping as they docked on land, the boat running up onto the shore. The noise outside suddenly swelled as everyone prepared to disembark. Asuni could hear the prince issuing orders.

"Remain here!"

"Ready a komodo rhino!"

"I'm going alone!"

Asuni froze. What? He was going alone? If she weren't so well-trained in hiding her position, she would have let out a torrent of instinctive curse words at that idea. The prince was strong, no denying it, his anger feeding his bending. But he was not invincible, and that was the idea that he seemed to struggle with!

This would also make it harder for her to sneak off and follow. She'd assumed he'd take most of the soldiers with him and leave a skeleton crew to guard the ship and keep watch. No, he was leaving every one of the dozen soldiers he'd brought along on the boat.

I swear, it's like he tries to make my life more difficult!

Sitting huddled in this cupboard made it more and more likely she would be found. Asuni paused for a moment, listening, and when she didn't hear any feet coming, she ducked out, closing the door softly behind her, and crept out of the room into the hallway.

Here was the tricky part, the hallway. At any moment someone might come out of one of the rooms and catch her. On top of that there was an open door halfway down the hall. This had to be fast, but simply running wouldn't cut it. Motion attracted the eye better than anyone else. If she just sprinted past the door, she'd likely be spotted. And, annoyingly, there were no shadows for her to hide in.

Asuni plucked some water from the pouch at her hip and started running. She sprinted soundlessly past the closed doors, the open one looming ahead. A scant three feet before that door, she leapt, twisting violently in midair and bringing her water to bear.

The water sealed against the ceiling as ice and Asuni used her momentum to skate past the door along the ceiling, crouched on her hands and knees. Once she was passed she dropped back to the ground and ran again, going to the ladder that led up to the deck. She scaled it easily and paused, peering out.

Only two men were on board, both of them standing against the opposite railing and talking. Asuni lunged out of the trapdoor and slid soundlessly across the deck, dropping over the side. The water swallowed her with nary a splash, and Asuni was safe.

She waited, lingering in the water, until she saw Zuko leave the ship mounted on the komodo rhino he'd brought. Only when he was ashore did she slip from the water in the shadow of one of the crags of the rocky island.

Bone-dry, Asuni followed Zuko's path up towards the Fire Temple, keeping quietly in the shadows. She wondered if he knew she was there. He kept looking around, eyes narrowed suspiciously at everything. He could either sense he was being followed or it was years of conditioning making him wary of a threat from any new situation.

Asuni paused in her sneaking. Why was she hiding, exactly? He knew who she was. Or rather, he knew she existed. He wouldn't be all together surprised to see that she was following him; it was hardly the first time. And he was about to go after the Avatar – alone. Or not really alone, but would it make him more confident to know that he had backup.

In the end, Asuni couldn't think of enough cons to outweigh the pros of letting him know she was there, or maybe she just really wanted him to see that he wasn't alone. Whatever the reason, she darted up onto a little ledge in the rock, skittered along ahead of Zuko, and then dropped in front of him.

His komodo rhino grunted and groaned in surprise, its feet stamping warningly. Asuni merely dropped into her standard bow and waited for the prince to say something. She could feel his eyes boring into the top of her head. She waited with bated breath for him to pass judgment.

"You!" he snapped, sounding both surprised and angry. "What are you doing here? Who are you?"

Asuni remained in her position, locked there. She couldn't speak, she wasn't stupid. Zuko seemed to realize that she wasn't going to talk, because he said slowly, "My uncle said you bow like a member of the Royal Guard. Are you… one of them?"

Behind her mask, Asuni smiled. So he was less critical of their existence than he pretended. She nodded in answer to his question and she heard him let out a small, pleased sound that she was communicating.

"Have you been… assigned to guard me, or something?"

Another nod.

"By who?"

Asuni reached up and plucked a dagger from her sheath. Zuko let out a surprised noise and heard leather creak as he shifted in his saddle, but she ignored him, using the point of the dagger to scratch into the rock the words my general. Asuni slid her dagger back into its sheath.

It took Zuko a minute to read the words upside down, but once he had, he barked, "Who's your general?"

She raised her face and one finger, pressing it to the mouth of her mask, the universal symbol for be quiet. In other words, she wasn't telling.

Zuko now seemed a bit uncertain as he asked, "Are you… here trying to help me?"

Asuni nodded, and Zuko scowled.

"I don't need your help, go back to wherever you came from."

Asuni shook her head in denial. She'd followed him for years, no way was she backing down because of his pride. Ah, it really was both a blessing and a curse.

Asuni rose and spun on her heel, facing down the path wordlessly. Zuko urged his komodo rhino forwards a few steps, coming level with her. He looked at her sideways and guessed, "You're coming with me?"

Asuni nodded, and started walking. Zuko kicked his komodo rhino and they started walking in tense silence, making their way towards the temple. It was hot on the island, as it was everywhere in the Fire Nation, and Asuni was sweating in her black clothes and her mask. She was wishing for some conversation as a distraction, and she was surprised when Zuko complied.

"So can you speak?"

Asuni's lips quirked. The prince's curiosity had not abated over the years, no matter how he tried to hide it. There was a little bit of the boy who had grabbed her face and exclaimed over her blue eyes lingering in his voice.

She nodded her head once, up and down.

"So you just refuse to?"

Another nod, and now Zuko was scowling. His hand snapped out, reaching for the tie holding her mask in place. Asuni grabbed his risk and leaned out of reach. Her other hand came up, finger twitching back and forth scoldingly. She had to resist the urge to giggle as Zuko almost pouted.

This was… nice, having someone with her on a mission. She'd done a few minor things before this assignment, trips to cities and town near the capital to gather information or give orders. She'd always gone alone though. Asuni couldn't believe the difference it made to have someone next to her as she walked into danger, particularly someone like the prince.

They reached the Fire Temple and Zuko dismounted. Asuni skipped on ahead, sliding in the shadows and peering around corners. She could practically hear Zuko rolling his eyes as he strode unabashedly inside the temple and started down one hallway. Asuni seized his wrist and yanked him back just as a group of Fire Sages rushed past.

Their footsteps receded down the hall, and Zuko suddenly realized how stupid he'd almost been, traipsing out into the middle of a hallway without any sort of plan or cover. Thank Agni for the unknown girl, or he'd have totally blown any element of surprise he had.

Speaking of the girl… Zuko blinked as he turned to face her. He blinked upon seeing how close she'd pulled him, concealing them both in the shadows of a column façade in one wall. His chest was pressed against her, her hand holding his wrist between them.

Asuni hadn't quite noticed yet. She was facing the hallway, listening intently to the fading footsteps. She only remembered quite who she was holding onto when the skin under her palm heated slightly. She looked up and had to restrain a gasp.

She'd never been this physically close to Zuko in her time on the boat. Asuni could feel his body heat, a bit warmer than someone who couldn't bend fire. His eyes were a scant foot from hers and that close they were mesmerizing, flecks of gold and bronze boring intently into her.

Asuni forced herself to release him and scoot around into the hallway, peering out.

Zuko watched the girl as she slid away. She peered down the hall and gestured for him to follow her. Much as it irked him to follow orders, he did as she asked, trailing after her as she followed something only she seemed to see. It took him a moment to realize that she was following the very distant sound of footsteps. He had to train his ears to hear even a suggestion of footsteps, yet she seemed to follow them without hesitation. He was grudgingly impressed at her heightened senses.

She led them to a staircase that rose up to another floor. They could see the tops of a column and an ornate mosaic ceiling above them. Asuni knew this was getting close to the top chamber where Roku's sanctuary was. There were blueprints for this temple in the Royal Guard's library. Back before the war the Royal Guards had worked with Avatar Roku on several things. They'd provided the messengers and the security for the temple while it was being built.

Once again Zuko tried to just rush up the stairs, but Asuni grabbed his shoulder.

"What?" he snapped softly, turning to glare at him. He wrenched his shoulder away. Asuni held up her hands apologetically and then gestured to the ground. She dropped to her hands and knees on the stairs, creeping forwards. Zuko watched as she slunk forwards, lithe as a wolf-panther, gloved hands and booted feet making not a sound on the stone stairs.

Realizing the wisdom of checking the situation before stepping into it, Zuko dropped onto the stair, mirroring her, and crept forwards next to her. He was glad he had. From this position he could see the Fire Sages as they clustered in front of the door, using fire blasts to open it. And he could also see the Avatar as he crept behind a column.

In a flash Zuko had leapt to his feet, running with impressive stealth forwards. Asuni watched as he seized the Avatar, one strong arm crossed over his chest to pin his arms to his side, the other clamped over his mouth to silence him. Asuni skittered forwards.

And now came the same old problem. Who to help, Zuko or the Avatar? She thought it was the Avatar's turn, but maybe it was Zuko? Ah, she couldn't remember! And what did it matter, anyway. She knew exactly how this situation had to end for the Fire Nation to have any hope of becoming the great nation it could be.

"Aang, go!" one of the sages cried.

"Aang, now's your chance!" Katara cried as she and her brother took out the Fire Sages with the aid of one of their own.

Aang struggled, fighting to get away. Zuko's grip slipped and Aang managed to lunge out from behind the column, but not before Zuko gat a firm grip on his arms, yanking them behind his back.

"The Avatar is coming with me!" Zuko snapped at them all, looking understandably smug. The Fire Sages took advantage of the distraction that was the prince and quickly overpowered their captors, throwing the Avatar's friends to the ground.

"Close the doors, quickly!" Zuko ordered as the Fire Sages began to bind the two Water Tribe members to a pole. He pushed Aang back towards the stairs, where Asuni was waiting for him. The Avatar jeked suddenly, twisting and turning until Zuko's arms were tangled around themselves and Aang was free. He spiraled past the prince with a parting kick and ran for his friends.

"Aang, go!" Katara shouted. The Avatar made a sharp turn, slipped past a Fire Sage, and slid through the closing doors just before they slammed shut. "He made it!" A light glowed, sealing the doors closed.

Zuko went toppling down the stairs and Asuni lunged, wrapping one arm around the prince's chest under his arms and grabbing onto the railing of the stairs with the other. She tugged at the prince, pulling his momentum around so that he smashed into her, saving him a tumble down the stone stairs. Asuni ended up smashed between two hundred or more pounds of muscular armored prince and a stone wall. She let out a low groan of pain as Zuko sagged away from her onto the stairs and reached up to rub her bruised shoulder.

Zuko pulled away from her with an agitated growl and started up the stairs. Asuni sighed and followed, straightening her mask as she went.

"Your four, with me!" he barked to the sages. "We have to get these doors open!"

The Sages looked surprised to see him. "Prince Zuko, you-"

"Now!"

The Sages hurried to obey him. Banished or not, he was still the prince. Zuko pointed to her and gestured to the spot next to him. Asuni mimed a basic Firebending move and then shook her head. His eyes widened in understanding.

"You can't Firebend," he realized. The Sages looked between the prince and Asuni, not quite understanding what she was doing. One Sage hastened to take her place though, and Zuko turned back to business. "On my count… one … two… three!"

Five simultaneous fire blasts shot from the fists of the Firebenders stationed before the doors, directed right for the holes in the door that formed the locking mechanism. Asuni watched as the fire broke into the pipes, but nothing happened.

"It's not working!" Zuko said in frustration, lowering his hands.

"It must be the light!" the Head Sage announced. "Avatar Roku doesn't want us inside."

Zuko rounded on the Fire Sage that had gone against his fellows. "Why did you help the Avatar?" he demanded.

"Keep quiet men…"

Asuni's head snapped around at the faint words. That voice, she knew it. With a quick lunge she was to the columns that lined the rear of the room, framing the doors that led out to the balcony. They were carved with long dragons curling around them, which made them easy to climb. Asuni scrambled halfway up, clung to a carved scale, and froze on the backside of the column.

The Fire Sage lowered his eyes to the ground, looking pitiful on his knees before the prince. "It was once the Sages duty. It is still our duty."

She cocked her head, waiting. Sure enough, she saw them before Zuko did. Commander Zhao followed by a half dozen soldiers ascending the stairs. He applauded at the Sage's words, the sound echoing in the room. Zuko whirled and his eyes locked on the officer in hate for a moment before he realized that Asuni was nowhere to be seen. His eyes leapt around, but he couldn't see her, and Asuni couldn't risk trying to signal to him.

"What a moving a heartfelt performance," Zhao sneered at the sage. "I'm sure the Fire Lord will understand when you explain why you betrayed him.

"Commander Zhao!" The Head Sage bowed low at the waist, his voice showing nothing but respect. Zhao inclined his head haughtily in response.

"And Prince Zuko." Zhao's eyes pinned the prince, malicious amusement radiating off of him. He didn't seem fazed at all by Zuko's glare. In fact, it seemed to amuse him further. He radiated a sense of smugness. It was clear he seemed to think Zuko was his now. He had won, and the prince could do nothing from it.

He had no idea that the prince's guard was looming overhead, waiting to strike.

"It was a noble effort, but your little smokescreen didn't work," Zhao sneered. Zuko drew himself up, his face contorting as he scowled furiously at the commander. "Two traitors in one day. The Fire Lord will be pleased."

One soldier came forwards, pulling Zuko's hand behind his back and trapping them. Zuko struggled, but it was only a token effort. He was facing a dozen enemies with no backup. The sages were quite obviously on Zhao's side, and the only backup he'd thought he could count on seemed to have abandoned him. Hot-headed he was, but the prince wasn't stupid enough to believe he could stand against those odds.

"You're too late Zhao!" he snapped. "The Avatar's inside and the doors are sealed!"

"No matter. Sooner or later… he has to come out."

The soldiers dragged Zuko to one of the pillars – the pillar Asuni was perched on – and brought out chains, tying him to the column. Asuni smirked at that. Never bind a Firebender with rope, it was like trying to contain a Waterbender in ice. They could destroy it in seconds. Metal, though… even if they heated it enough to get free, now they had molten metal all over their skin.

"When those doors open," Zhao ordered as his men once again formed up around him, all of them facing the door, "unleash all of your fire power!"

ASuni could hear the two peasants whispering among each other.

"How's Aang going to make it out of this?"

"How're we going to make it out of this?"

A glow suddenly bloomed out from the door, bright blue and almost painful to look at, smoke drifting along the ground. Asuni winced and narrowed her eyes as she began to climb down from the column. The soldiers shrank away slightly and Zuko wormed around the column to shield his eyes as the doors ground open.

"Ready!" Zhao called as a pair of glowing blue eyes appeared in the darkness. Asuni scowled though. Those eyes were too high, the Avatar wasn't that tall.

"No, Aang!"

"Fire!"

The flames surged from the soldier's hands, illuminating the doorway. The fire converged on the looming shape, but then the flames seemed to come together and swirl around. The flames coiled up and away, revealing the tall, robed form of Avatar Roku.

There was a feeling, like a tingling pressure rolling off of the Avatar. It slammed into her and Asuni dropped to her knees, her muscles seemingly coming lose and refusing to support her. She'd never felt this before, but she knew what it was. She'd read about it before in the scrolls left by her mother. This was how her ancestor has described the presence of a spirit. And the Avatar was the spirit. It was both new and intense, and it drove her to her knees, instinctively falling into the bow of the Royal Guards.

Roku threw the fire he had gathered. It slammed into Zhao and his men and threw them like ragdolls across the floor. The fire passed harmlessly over the Avatar's friends, Zuko, and Asuni. It disintegrated the chains into nothingness. Zuko broke form his chains with barely a grunt and seized her shoulder.

"Come on!" he roared at her. Asuni was dragged to her feet, staggering after him as they ran down the stairs to the lower levels, the temple shaking around them violently. They had to dodge chunks of stone and Asuni ached to see the architecture destroyed, but at the same time… if anyone had the right to destroy the temple, it was Avatar Roku. He'd built it, after all.

Zuko cursed as they suddenly hit lava. It was bubbling up from a crack in the floor, rising out of the magma chambers that littered the island's underground structure.

"Got any bright ideas?" Zuko demanded, rounding on her. Asuni shook herself.

This was her first encounter with a spirit, and it would throw anyone off, particularly someone as sensitive as she was to the Spirit World. But right now she didn't have time to be distracted. She had to see to the prince. He had to get out of here alive, and then she could go have a nice freak out in the solitude of her kitchen.

Asuni grabbed his arm and dragged him after her, towards one of the balconies. They burst out into the open air, hot air blasting them from the lava.

"This is your idea?" Zuko demanded, glaring at her incredulously. "What do we do, jump?"

In answer, Asuni backed up a few steps. She leapt over the railing and Zuko shouted in surprise, flying to the edge of the balcony to watch as she twisted in midair. The clawed hook uncurled from her hands. She gripped and threw. The claw latched around the railing just a few inches from Zuko's hands, the spiked tip digging into the wood. Asuni hung on the chain and swung down a level, rolling onto the balcony below them.

Asuni left the chain dangling and gestured for Zuko to follow he did without a backwards glance, scrambling down with ease. Asuni unhooked the weapon with an expert flick of her wrist and did the same thing to get down to the last level. Zuko followed her down and they finally reached ground level. She unhooked her weapon and together they ran, sprinting away from the temple. It was coming down, and when it did, they wanted to be nowhere near it. Asuni had no desire to be crushed, and she had even less desire to have her charge taken from her by an accident of gravity. What an ignoble end that would be.

The whole island was rocked suddenly as the majority of the temple toppled. It shook the ground as stone and wood collided with the rock in a tangled mess, throwing both Asuni and Zuko off their feet. Asuni connected first, Zuko landing half on top of her.

Asuni was surprised when the prince scrambled up, straddling her and pinning her to the ground with a forearm across her chest.

"What were you doing?" he demanded, gold eyes glowing with irritation. "I was chained to a column and you're bowing to the Avatar! I thought you were supposed to protect me."

Asuni was silent.

"Answer me!" the prince shouted furiously, his fingers resting pointedly on top of her mask. He could and would rip it off of her if she didn't speak. his knees were pinning her hands, his eight resting on her thighs and preventing her from wrenching away.

Asuni couldn't answer this one with a nod or a shake of the head. She had to speak. But that didn't mean she had to use her own voice. When she answered, her voice was breathy, raspy, and serpentine. It slithered up out of her mouth like the voice of an old smoker, choked off in the back of her throat so that there was no true distinctive voice to the words, only a toneless, slightly feminine rasp.

"The Royal Guards served Avatar Roku in this very temple while he lived." Zuko jerked back in surprise at her voice, and she didn't blame him. It sounded like the kind of voice that would come from a slippery, dark hole in the ground. "We served him when he lived and we honor him to this day."

Zuko had his answer, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't tempted to rip off the mask and see who was beneath it. What sort of face could belong to such a horrible voice behind the queenly mask? It sounded like she'd damaged her vocal chords. Maybe that was why she never spoke?

Asuni felt the tenseness in him and knew precisely what he was contemplating. Who wouldn't want to know who was under the mask? But she couldn't let that happen yet. She writhed as well as she was able, twisting and arching under the prince. His grip on her suddenly loosened and she slipped away.

Zuko restrained a gasp as she wriggled to freedom. He was pretty sure she didn't realize, in all the struggle, that his hand had brushed the side of her breast, or that she'd driven her hips up into his. Somehow, he doubted she even thought about things like that at all. She seemed utterly focused on the task at hand whenever he'd seen her, barring the little slip with Roku.

Asuni drew herself to her feet and looked at the prince. He was staring at her, an indecipherable expression on his face s he rose, keeping their gazes locked.

ASuni felt back into that hissing voice, saying, "You should return to your ship and safety, prince. I will be there when you need me next."

"Stop!" Zuko protested, but Asuni had already taken off running, sliding into the shadows and disappearing.