Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

Chapter 8

Warnings

The breeze swirling around in the early morning air was chilly. Even though it already felt like the snow could start falling any moment somehow it felt even colder with every passing second. Zuko's tale of his encounter with his father was cutting straight to Aang's very soul. Especially when he moved on to the warning.

"Everyone I know is in danger right now," Zuko told him. "One step out of line and who knows what he'll do and who he'll go after."

"So you're backing off," Aang said rather than asked.

"Are you kidding? I'm going to stop him." Zuko turned his head away from Aang for a moment before continuing. "I won't lie to you, Aang. Ozai's dangerous. I already stopped by Toph's school and told her no more of whatever it is she's been doing lately."

"MMA," Aang said. "Mixed Martial Arts fighting circuit. I'm guessing she lied about her age to join up."

"She told you?"

"No, but I've been to a few of her fights," Aang grinned. "I'm sure she knows that I know though. And I know that she knows that I know she knows."

"Not to cut you off or anything but I'm cutting you off there," Zuko cut in. "I told Suki everything too. She's going to pass word on to Sokka."

"Where's he at?"

"Apparently he won some sort of contest and gets to spend a week or so with some famous painter. Suki told me Sokka didn't even remember signing up for a contest, but I looked into it and it's completely legitimate. One of his colleagues must have put his name in."

"And that brings you to me. So what is it you need me to do?"

"I need you to keep an eye on Mai and Ty Lee for me. They're Azula's best friends and I'm not even sure if she's told them what's going on."

"I don't really think Mai needs anyone keeping an eye on her," Aang smiled.

"True," Zuko agreed, "but do it anyway. And be careful, okay?"

Aang grabbed his friend and wrapped his arms tightly around him. He was worried for him, but proud of Zuko's decision at the same time.

"You be careful too," he told him.

"Okay, okay," Zuko said as he pushed Aang off. "You're worse than Katara sometimes, you know that?"

"Speaking of which, have you told her?"

"Do you think I should?" Zuko asked. "She'd probably just come home and give me another person to worry about. She's safer where she is."

"Wouldn't you want to know if she were in trouble? Besides, if you don't tell her then I will." He spoke with Katara almost every night online or over the phone. They had grown quite close over the last three years and he liked to think he knew her at least as well as Zuko.

"You're right," Zuko admitted. "I just have to trust she'll be able to handle herself when she gets here."

"Before you leave you have to tell me one more thing. What happened to the gun?"

"Dwight's?" Zuko asked. "Told him to get rid of it. Apparently he was stashing it in pieces in the kitchen. It's unregistered. Aside from the fact that Uncle and I are both opposed to guns, that one in particular could get us all in a lot of trouble. I'm already risking a lot just by not bringing him in for it."

The hour and a half that was classes before lunch were unbearably long. The teacher's voice seemed vastly distant and muffled by the thoughts surging around in Aang's mind. A man that killed his wife, burned his son, and threatened his own family with a gun was now watching and potentially hunting him and his friends. The worry was such a toll on his body that even before class had let out for lunch Aang was ready to be sick.

The smell of the food in the cafeteria was no vacation from the knotting in Aang's stomach. He had to find Mai and Ty Lee as soon as possible. He waved over to Ria and the others when they saw him, but his eyes were scanning the line. If he was lucky then maybe they had not gotten their food yet. As luck would have it Ty Lee was just finishing up paying for her meal and was heading for the door.

"Ty Lee, wait up!" he called after her.

Ty Lee smiled to him as she waited by the door. She and Mai had begun having lunch at the outdoor tables with Azula. Apparently Azula had just enough time between class at the University and work to share a quick bite with her friends.

"Hey, Aang," Ty Lee greeted as they left the cafeteria together. "What's up?"

"Has Azula talked to you about anything important lately?"

"Important? Not that I can think of. Why?"

"I think we'd better wait for Azula before I say anything else."

"She's already here," Ty Lee pointed. Azula and Mai were both sitting at a table under the shade of a tree waiting with questioning looks on their faces. "Hey girls!"

"Why is our local current event with you?" Mai asked.

"I don't know," Ty Lee admitted. "Something to do with something important Azula's supposed to tell us."

"What, pray tell, might that be?" Azula asked.

"I think you know exactly what it might be," Aang replied. "You did plan on telling them, right?"

"Of course I did," Azula said calmly. "Though I don't see how that is any of your business."

"They're my friends too."

"If this isn't worth the build up you two are giving it, I'm going to be extremely annoyed," Mai said, expressionless mask in place.

"My father is loose," Azula said flatly. "Threats have been made. Watch yourselves and each other."

"There's a chance he'll come after us?" Mai asked.

"It's a reasonably high probability," Azula admitted freely. "Mai can handle herself just fine, but Ty Lee, I want you to stay close only to those personnel that your father trusts. That man has a good judge of character. And stay away from any new people. My father has his hands in everything."

"What do you mean threats have been made?" Ty Lee demanded as though that were the only part of the conversation she heard. "What kind of threats? Did he try to hurt you? Is your uncle okay?"

"It was just a random threat to let us know he was around, Ty Lee," Azula answered her. "No one was in any immediate danger."

Aang could barely believe what he was hearing. Either Azula was lying to her friends, or she honestly was not intimidated by a gun pointed at her. Both seemed very likely at this point.

Azula gave a few more instructions to the girls as their lunch period began to draw to a close. Mostly she focused on Ty Lee. More than once she told the girl to stay as close to home and/or her father as possible. Failing that she was to be at the Bei Fong Estate where there was a security staff that Kuzon trusted. When the lunch bell rang Ty Lee squeezed Azula so hard that Aang believed she was going to crack something. Before going to his next class and after the girls left, Aang made it a point to talk to Azula.

"Why'd you lie to her?"

"I would thank you to mind your own business. And tell my brother the same, won't you?"

Azula was gone before Aang could even think about trying to get anymore out of her. He had to get to his gym class anyway. It was the only period that he a Ty Lee shared so it was the best time to talk to her. Maybe he would tell her what Zuko told him. Then again there was the consequence of dealing with Azula afterward. It was going to be difficult to decide what to do.

After a full hour of running around the basketball court trying to find a chance to get a word in with Ty Lee, Aang found himself completely unsuccessful and back in the boy's locker room with cool water running down his head and back. Not only did he not find the chance, he was still not even sure what he would do with it if he had gotten one. He began to towel off and tried to think of why Azula would lie like that. Maybe there was a reason Azula did not divulge the full truth. It was not as if she had no heart. Maybe she just did not want Ty Lee to worry about her.

"And it's not like Ty Lee's not gonna be safe," he told himself as he pulled up his shorts.

It was at that moment that a scream emanated from the girl's locker room. There was no thought in his mind, Aang just reacted. He bolted for the door to the boy's locker room and threw it open. In a matter of seconds he had sprinted to the other side of the building and ripped open the girl's locker room door with his hands raised to defend his friends. Most of the girls were clinging to each other and a few were still screaming. Ty Lee saw him and ran to him with her arm pointing towards the back of the locker room.

"Someone's there!" she said.

A few quick steps forward and quicker glances and Aang's eyes locked onto a small window near the roof that was cracked open. Whoever it was had already beat a hasty retreat. The adrenaline began to wear off as Aang's pulse slowed and his nerves relaxed. Whatever this was was already over.

"It's okay," he announced. "All clear."

For a second Aang did not know what hit him. Ty Lee was pressed against him and breathing erratically. She was a tough girl, but this . . . whatever it was in the locker room had really shaken her. He placed his arms around her a whispered to her how everything was all right. It was right about then that he realized where he was and how they were both dressed. He in just his shorts and she in her jeans and bra.

"Girl's locker room!" he exclaimed in embarrassment. Both of Aang's hands darted away from her body instantly shot into the air before one hand returned to cover his eyes.

"What's going on in here?" a woman's voice demanded. Aang knew that voice. Joo Dee. "Aang! Now you've gone too far! Come with me this instant!"

"Wait!" one of the girls protested.

"You don't understand!"

"Yeah, he didn't do anything!" Ty Lee added. "There was someone in here!"

"Aang just came because he heard us screaming!"

"Enough!" Joo Dee ordered. "Principle's office with me! Now!"

This was so definitely not Aang's day.

Ty Lee was outraged that she had to defend Aang at all. His character was unquestionable in her opinion. The fact that she had to leave class without permission to go to the principle's office and explain that was ridiculous! She marched right through the school office and into the principle's unannounced just in time to hear that stupid teacher telling Principle Cong how Aang was a pervert.

"That's a lie!" Ty Lee interrupted.

"What is the meaning of this?" the Principle Cong asked, clearly flustered.

"Has she bothered to tell you that the me and the other girls in the locker room were practically attacked before Aang came in?" Ty Lee asked. "We saw someone in the locker room. That's why we screamed and that's why Aang came into the girl's locker room. If he hadn't who knows what could have happened!"

"That is completely beside the point!" Joo Dee said.

"Not at all," Principle Cong contradicted. "If this is the case then it changes the situation entirely. It sounds more like Aang here was acting out of concern for his fellow students' well being rather than any lustful desires. Is this what happened, Aang?"

"Yes, sir," Aang nodded.

"Of course he would say that," Joo Dee sneered.

"Enough. If the other students involved in the incident confirm that this is what happened, then I believe our number one priority should be increasing security for the safety of the student body, not punishing one young man for trying to help his friends."

"Thanks, Ty Lee," Aang said as they left the office.

"I should be thanking you," she grinned. "That was pretty cool what you did. Not to mention kinda hot. You should hear what the girls have been saying about how you look in nothing but shorts."

"Great. Joo Dee's breathing down my neck; the principle's got his eye on me; and now I've got scores of high school girls fantasizing about me. It's tough being popular."

"You know you love it," Ty Lee smiled as she nudged him with her elbow. "I've gotta head back to class."

"Want me to walk you?" Aang asked.

"No thanks," Ty Lee replied. "I was just caught off guard. If I see whoever that was again, I'll knock their block off."

"Be safe."

"You too."

Ty Lee turned around and began to make her way back to her history class. There was no way she was going to be able to focus on anything school like now. She'd been attacked, been pressed up against one of the hottest boys in school (and would have to apologize to Tophy for it later), and there was definitely going to be a call made to her father to let him know what had happened. History held no candle to the present.

"Ty Lee."

She stopped dead. The voice was barely above a whisper. She glanced over to where she had heard it and saw two hands being held up in surrender coming out of the top of a bush. She balled her fists ready to pummel whoever it was.

"Ty Lee, it is me," the person said quietly. A head poked out of the bush. A very cute head. One she had not seen in a few months, which was a good reason to smack it.

"Rou!" she squeaked out, trying to keep her voice quiet. "What are you doing here? Better yet, where have you been?"

"I am sorry," he apologized as he kissed her. "There has been a lot going on recently. I have been very busy."

"So busy that you couldn't even call?"

"There were many important things to take care of, Ty Lee. Many things that I need to make sure were safe. Not the least of which was you."

"I don't understand," she said. Rou was acting strange. She didn't like it. "What's going on?"

"Something big," he told her. "Unfortunate events are going to take place very soon, Ty Lee, but I have made sure that you will be safe."

A horrible thought hit Ty Lee and she lost her breath.

"Does this have something to do with Azula's dad?"

"What?"

"Ozai!" she said fearfully. "Does this have something to do with Ozai?"

"Yes," Rou admitted, "but you do not have to worry. Our arrangement keeps you safe from any harm."

"Your arrangement?" Ty Lee asked. "What arrangement? You're working with Ozai?"

"He is a powerful man, Ty Lee," Rou told her sternly. "There was nothing else I could do. Nothing else my mother would do."

"There's always something else you can do!" Ty Lee yelled at him with tears in her eyes. "It was you, wasn't it? In the locker room."

"I was only trying to warn you as I am now."

"I don't want your warning!" Ty Lee screamed. Rou was beginning to look nervous. They both knew that someone was going to hear her. She did not care. "How could you? That man is evil! He threatened my friends and you want me to just sit around and be safe? You can do something about him! Fight him!"

"I could never win!" he told her. "Not against the power he possesses!"

"Better to lose to a devil than stand with one," Ty Lee told him. "Get out of here, Rou."

"I did this for you," he said.

"You did it for you. If you knew me at all you know I'd never turn my back on my friends. I would never hide when they were in trouble. They're all going to stand up to that monster, and so am I."

They could both hear people coming now. Rou had a choice to make. He could stay and try to explain things away, maybe even set them right. Or he could run. Go back to where ever he had been in the past few months that had changed him into this person Ty Lee did not recognize.

She prayed.

He ran.

"How could she not understand?" Rou asked himself. "I am protecting her. She and her friends can not win this fight."

"You've got two seconds to spit out an explanation before I cut you into a thousand pieces," a dispassionate voice said. Mai stepped in front of him with her arms crossed and anger clearly written on her face.

"I had to see her," Rou said flatly.

"If anything goes wrong with Ozai's plan because you couldn't keep your big mouth shut, I'm going to hold you personally responsible."

"Ozai will win his war just as he says whether they are informed or not."

"Shut up!" Mai yelled. "You made a deal to be here, I didn't. If Ozai takes out any frustrations on my family because of your little slip up with Ty Lee, then I will end you."

"Noted."

A/N: Thanks for being so patient. Buckle up though, because the next few chapters are going to be action, action, action, little bit o' drama, and more action!