I LIVE! Lol okay so yeah I'm back! So so SO sorry for the delay, I got caught up in other things, plus I started school a couple months ago and I have homework and stuff for my drama class and whatnot so I've been a bit busy. ANYWAY, I've finally written chapter four. Well, actually, I have up to chapter six done, but obviously I haven't posted them (plus I have it typed in the notes on my iPod so I have to transfer it to my laptop lol). also, thanks to everyone who has reviewed, followed, and/or favorited! You guys make me happy! :D

So, anyway, I don't own AtLA or Prince of Egypt. Enjoy chapter four!

Chapter 4: Escaping

Zuko froze. Yue had been right all along. It all seemed so clear now. The constant, confusing feeling of pity toward the slaves, his letting the girl escape only nights before. It was all because of his subconscious mind trying to tell him who he really was. Kohana, Yue, and Jet were the real reason for those emotions he could never really decipher. And on top of it all, he had to free the slaves and take down Azula. It was a lot to take in.

"Thank you. I appreciate the information." It was all Zuko could manage to say and it was rushed and frankly, sounded pretty stupid coming out of his mouth, but he was suddenly in a hurry to leave. He rushed out of the building and in the direction of the small village where he'd encountered Yue and Jet. He wasn't entirely sure why he headed in that direction, but he knew one thing. He had to speak to them, or at least to Yue. He wanted to apologize. When he approached the house he'd seen Yue and Jet enter a few nights prior, Zuko pounded on the door, praying for an answer. It seemed like an eternity before Yue appeared before him. She looked tired, worn from the day's work. The glow in her sapphire blue eyes seemed to have vanished.

"Oh. Hello, Prince Zuko." She greeted. He could hear the sorrow in her voice and automatically felt awful. "I'm sorry, Yue." Her head snapped up so that she was looking at him rather than at her feet. "Wh-what?" She stammered. "I'm sorry. I know you were telling the truth and well…I feel really stupid now. And I'm a total jerk. So…I'm sorry."

Suddenly, the gleam returned to her eyes.

"You…you know? Really?" He nodded. She grinned and before he could do anything, she flew at him and pulled him into a hug. He hesitated before returning it. He wasn't used to people hugging him, or showing any type of affection at all, really. He wasn't sure how to respond. Yue pulled away from Zuko and looked up at him, smiling from ear to ear. Her sheer joy was contagious.

"Come inside!" She grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him inside of the house before shutting the door behind her. "Jet! Come here!" She called. Her brother-well, her other brother-entered the tiny room they were standing in, presumably a kitchen and living room combined, through the only doorway visible besides the entrance. Jet automatically scowled. "What are you doing here?!" He growled. The boy was in a defensive stance, prepared to strike. "Get away from my sister or I swear, you'll wish you were never even born!" Yue glared daggers at him. "He's not hurting me, Jet! He's here to apologize!" The older boy eyed Zuko warily. "She's not lying," Zuko sighed. "I wanted to say….I'm sorry for not believing you. I'm an idiot. Don't ask me how, but I found out the truth. I guess I always sort of knew, but I didn't want to believe it. But now I know for sure, and I'm sorry I acted the way I did."

The silence that came afterward was excruciating. Jet seemed cynical; he didn't drop his guard even for a second. "Fine," He snapped reluctantly. "But I'm doing this for Yue, not you. I don't like you. And I don't care if you're my brother, if you step out of line, you're dead, got it?" Zuko nodded, understanding Jet's standpoint, as harsh as it was. "You're very protective of your- I mean, our-sister." He corrected himself, remembering that he was, in fact, related by blood to the other two teens in the room. Jet stared very coldly at his half-brother. "Yes. Very."

The tension-filled silence was broken by the distinct sound of shattering. Jet whirled around, alert as ever, and Zuko and Yue looked curiously in the direction from which the sound had come. Yue's eyes widened. "Mom!" Standing in the doorway from which Jet had entered was a woman who looked to be in her mid-forties with trademark Water Tribe blue eyes and dark hair that flowed down her back. Her face was tired, weary. But her eyes were bright. She stared at the other three inhabitants of the room as if in awe. No, not at all three of them, Zuko realized, at him. He didn't have to be told who he was looking at. He knew very well, as did she.

Kohana approached them slowly, cautiously, as if she'd seen a ghost. She didn't say a word, but came face to face with the Fire Nation prince and stared at him, tears welling in her eyes. "Mother?" Zuko whispered. He knew the answer, but he asked anyway, though he wasn't sure why the question was necessary. Instead of speaking, Kohana threw her arms around her son, who she hadn't seen since the night she left him at the doorstep of the Fire Nation palace so many years ago, and wept openly. Zuko hesitated before returning the embrace. This was his mother, after all; his real mother, who had given him up for the sake of his life rather than abandoning him without explanation as Ursa had. It was odd, how different the same thing could be sometimes.

As Kohana pulled away, she offered a teary smile. "Welcome home, Zuko." Zuko returned the smile, all the while noticing that he did resemble her slightly. He had her shape of face and her nose. Yue and Jet were visible in her features as well. Yue had her eyes and Jet had her high cheek bones. Of course, Yue and Kohana had already proved to have similar personalities when it came to reunions. Zuko had yet to find out if Jet got his fierceness from their mother.

Yue returned to her brother, a curious look in her eyes. "So what are you going to do now? Now that you know, I mean," She asked. Zuko bit his lip. "I…I don't know. But I'm not going to abandon you. I promise." "You mean like how you abandoned us for sixteen years?" The younger of the two boys in the room said nothing, but Kohana rounded on her son. "Jet! You know full well why he wasn't with us. It wasn't his choice, it was mine. He would have been killed! Why must you be so resentful towards your brother?!" "Because, mom! Look at him! He's been living as a prince! He does nothing and still has everything he could ever need! He's never been hungry, he hasn't had to wear clothes that are three years expired! And meanwhile, we work, day in and day out, and get nothing for it! He's got everything, and he does nothing to help his people! To help us!" "I never said I wasn't going to help you," Zuko's voice was a near whisper. "In fact, I've got a plan."

Jet abruptly stopped fuming. "What?" "I said I've got a plan to….free you. For now, it can only be you three, but later, we'll be able to free the whole Water Tribe if everything goes as planned." After a few seconds, Jet's voice cut through the silence. "I'm listening."

Seven days later, Zuko was awake at the darkest hour of the night. The rest of the palace inhabitants were probably in a deep sleep by then. The last week had been spent in preparation for Zuko and his family's departure. He sneaked out of his room and down the hallway, not planning on being seen or saying goodbye. He'd rather just leave.

"Zuko?"

The young prince stopped dead in his tracks at the sound of the girl's voice. "What are you doing?" Azula approached him slowly, probably still half asleep. Zuko didn't look at her. What would he tell her? For as long as he could remember, Azula had been a devious little brat. She was manipulative, selfish, power-hungry, arrogant, and she always got him in trouble; or, rather, he always took the blame for her actions. That said, they were still close. After all, it's hard not to be close to someone you've grown up with, sibling or not. When Ursa had left, Azula had a harder time coping than she would have liked to admit. Her brother was all she had, seeing as their father couldn't have cared less about his children. Guilt stabbed at Zuko. Suddenly, he felt as if he was betraying his adoptive sister. But that alone couldn't make him stay where he didn't belong.

The prince turned on his heel to face his confused younger sister. Her gold eyes were tired, but they gave away her concern nonetheless. Zuko sighed. "I'm sorry, Azula. I really am. But I just can't stay here anymore. I have to go. I'm sorry." Azula cocked her head to the left and squinted at him. She seemed almost innocent for the first time in years. Zuko was suddenly reminded of the torn little girl who lost her mother a little over three years ago. The look she wore pained him. It was an exact replica of the one she'd given their father when he had explained their mother's abandonment. "But…where will you go?" She asked in a hushed tone. He had to remind himself that she was still half asleep and didn't really care where he went or how long he was gone. A small part of his mind kept nagging at him, though, opposing his conclusion, saying his leaving was going to hurt her more than she already had been, but he pushed it away. Thinking like that wouldn't help his resolve.

"I…I can't tell you. I'm sorry, Azula, I really am. You'll probably never see me again, but you'll always be my sister, okay? No matter what happens, you're still my sister. Okay?" She stared at him, bewildered, and he turned away reluctantly. "Go back to bed, Azula," He told her in a somewhat defeated whisper. The look on her face killed him. But he heard her tired footsteps retreat back to her bedroom, and once he was sure she was gone, he proceeded to leave the palace. Permanently.

Once outside, he raced down the path to the designated meeting place he had set up with the others. Surely, if anyone spotted them, hell would break loose, but he knew what he was doing, and he knew his family could handle themselves. Jet and Kohana were both skilled waterbenders, and Yue, though she was a small girl and a nonbender, was shockingly good with weapons, especially a sword. He was confident that if nothing else, they'd get out alive.

He approached the shadowed area where he saw Jet, Yue, and Kohana waiting for him. He was relieved when he saw that Jet and Yue had weapons close at hand. They were going to need them should anything go wrong. "You ready?" He asked. The other three nodded. Jet glanced at Yue as if to make sure she wasn't afraid. The determined look she was wearing confirmed that she wasn't. Assured that they were ready, Zuko led them to the stolen war balloon.

And I'm ending with another cliff hangers. You think I'm bad, try watching Once Upon a Time, you'll die! (sorry I'm like super into that show right now and EVERY EPISODE ends in a cliffhanger!) Anyway, the whole thing with Azula came from this theory that I have that Auzla really does care about Zuko but resents him because she thinks he abandoned her. Actually, in the last few episodes when she goes totally insane, I think it was a result of Zuko's betraying the Fire Nation to join Aang and Mai and Ty Lee betraying her that caused her to realize how alone she was and then she jusst cracked. But that's just me. As an oder sibling to both my biological brother and seven others that I've known my whole life so they basically count as siblings, I can also see Zuko really caring about Azula but also being kind of ashamed of her. That's what I was trying to get at here.

Oh, and speaking of Zuko joining the Avatar, the Gaang will finally appear in two more chapters! There is a slight twist to Toph's story, which I really like, and Aang's as well. One of which, though I won't say which one, includes our favorite acrobat, Ty Lee! Anyone who can guess which one and what it is gets a fic recomendation. But I bet you can't guess ;)

Thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated, as always!