Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Last Airbender.

Bodyguard of Azula

Chapter 30: Regroup and Offers

"Talking"

"Thinking"

"Biju/spirit talking"

"Biju/spirit thinking"

(Location: Team Avatar)

They were walking. Appa, still clad in his armor, walked behind them. No one said a word. No one wanted to. The sting of failing to defeat the Fire Lord when he was weakest was continuing hit them on the backs of their heads.

"This is humiliating," Katara finally said.

"You mean getting thoroughly beaten by the Fire Nation or having to walk all the way to the Western Air Temple?" Sokka asked her half-sarcastically. Akela (still in armor as well) rolled his eyes.

"Both," she answered. They probably would've managed to reach their destination by now if they were flying.

"Sorry, guys," Aang said. "But Appa gets tired carrying all these people." He gave the sky bison a scratch. The armor was also a factor as it was weighing down on the sky bison. They kept walking the same pace, heading towards a hopeful safe place.

"I wonder how the rest of the troops are doing," Teo said aloud as he pushed himself forward.

"They're probably on their way to a prison," Haru told him. "Seems like my dad just got out and now he's going back in." The bitterness couldn't be more obvious.

"I miss Pipsqueak," The Duke declared.

"I miss not having blisters on my feet," Sokka replied. He had gotten so used to flying on Appa again, even after they had lost him in the desert.

"Hey, we're here!" Toph declared, stopping at the edge of a cliff. "I can feel it."

Everyone else saw the edge of a cliff. "Uh…I think your feet need their eyes checked," Katara told her. All the Waterbender could see was the abyss nestled in between the two cliffs and the clouds that hovered in the abyss.

"No, she's right," Aang said, recognizing where they were. "We are here." Sokka looked around, but still didn't see it. He saw the same thing as his sister.

"Wow, it's amazing!" Toph declared. The Air Nomads who built the Western Air Temple were quite possibly an odd bunch. Instead of finding a mountain to build their temple, they decided to build it in a cliff-side, putting the actual buildings of the temple upside-down! Thankfully however, the floor plan and statues were built correctly and in the right direction.

What the team didn't know was that Zuko and Azula were there as well, albeit further away. Zuko threw a rope down the side of the cliff, and they slid down it, aiming for a nearby platform. Once they were close to the platform, they swung off the rope and landed on the platform, one at a time.

Zuko looked up at the statue of the female Airbender that were lined up against the wall before looking out over the edge. He had been here before, three years ago.

(Flashback: Three years ago)

"What a stunning view," Iroh said as he looked out over the edge.

"The only view I'm interested in is the Avatar in chains," Zuko told him, a bandage was over his eye, covering the new scar he had 'received' from his father.

"You know, the Avatar hasn't been seen for a hundred years. The chances of finding him here are very slim," the Dragon of the West told his nephew with a cautious tone of voice.

"First we'll check each of the air temples, then we'll scour this side of the planet, searching even the remote location until we find him."

"Prince Zuko, it's only a week since your banishment. You should take time to heal and rest."

He turned to face his uncle. "What else would I expect to hear from the laziest man in the Fire Nation?" Iroh sighed in defeat. "The only way to regain my honor is to find the Avatar, so I will."

(End flashback)

He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I was such an idiot." What would've happened, if he had listened to his uncle more and less to the stubborn and misguided call for regaining honor?

"What is it, Zuko?" Azula asked him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Just embracing the irony," he told her. "I started my search for the Avatar here."

"I see." They both heard the lowing of a familiar beast. Moving quickly to hide behind the statue, they watch as the sky bison landed. "Should we show ourselves?" she asked her brother.

He looked at her and shook his head. "No, for now, let's go and set up a camp in the woods." They moved away towards the nearby stairs, trying to get away from the temple.

"It's so different from the Northern Air Temple," Teo said as he and The Duke looked around (for one thing, they were under a cliff, not on top of a mountain). "I wonder if there are any secret rooms."

"Let's go check it out," Haru suggested, wanting to satisfy his curiosity (and not think about what was happening with his father). He went further into the temple with Teo and The Duke. Aang tried to follow but was block by his staff in Katara's hands.

"You guys go," she told the others. "I think we need to talk about some things." They nodded and went off, helping Teo up the stairs.

"I'll race you, Duke," Haru offered as Teo took off once he was at the top of the stairs.

"I told you, it's The Duke!" he replied as they ran after the wheel-bound person.

"Why can't I go?" Aang asked Katara. He really wanted to explore the temple with the others.

"We need to decide what we're going to do now," she explained. "And since you're the Avatar, maybe you should be a part of this."

He walked over to a block of stone and sat down. "Fair enough, so what's the new plan?"

The others sat around on blocks of stone as well, effectively creating a circle. "The new plan is the old plan," Sokka told him. "You just have to master all four elements and confront the Fire Lord before the comet comes."

"Oh yeah, that's great. No problem. I'll just do that," he replied sarcastically, fiddling with a pebble.

"Aang, no one said it was going to be easy," Katara said.

"Well, it's not even going to be possible!" he instantly protested. "Where am I supposed to get a Firebending teacher?"

"We could look for Jeong Jeong," he suggested.

"Yeah, right, like we'll ever run into Jeong Jeong again." They were more likely to get lost in the forest then find him again.

"Who's…?" Toph began to ask, only to stop. "Oh, never mind. If it's important I'll find out."

"Oh well, guess we can't come up with anybody." The Air Nomad jumped off the block. "Why don't we just take a nice tour around the temple?" Before anyone answered him, he opened up the glider and took off. Momo was right behind him.

"What's up with him?" the blind Earthbender asked.

"I don't know," Sokka answered before getting up as well. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to find someplace quiet. Akela, stay put." He walked away, heading into the temple.

"Where is he going?" Katara asked suspiciously.

Toph leapt down to the ground. "You wanna go find out?"

"Just to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." They went after him while Akela stayed where he was. They made sure to follow quietly (or, at least, as quietly as they could) as Sokka walked through the temple.

Finally, he stopped at a door. He opened it and looked inside. "Good enough," he said. He walked into the room, closed the door behind him and locked it. Before the girls could even get close to the door, Sokka started yelling. "YOU ARE A SPIRITS-DAMNED IDIOT! YOU LET THIS GUY OUTSMART YOU TWICE. TWICE! YOU SHOULD'VE FIGURED OUT THAT HE WOULD'VE KNOWN ABOUT THE RULES CONCERNING THE DAI LI AND YOU SHOULD'VE REALIZED HE WOULD'VE KNOWN ABOUT THE DAY OF BLACK SUN. HE'S BEEN IN THAT LIBRARY MORE THEN WE HAVE. BUT DID YOU THINK IT THROUGH? NO! YOU JUST THOUGHT YOU HAD AN ACE AND YOU NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IF SOMEONE ELSE MIGHT'VE POSSIBLY KNOWN ABOUT IT! DAMN IT! WE LOST BA SING SE AND OUR DAD BECAUSE OF YOUR ACTIONS! YOU HAVE GOT TO USE YOUR HEAD MORE, YOU DUMBASS!"

Both the girls just stood in silence as they heard the rant go on, the shouts from inside just barely echoing beyond the door. "Come on, Toph," Katara finally said, turning around. "Let's go."

"Who's he yelling at?" Toph asked as they walked away. She hadn't felt anyone else in that room.

"He's yelling at himself. He always beats himself up when he thinks he did something incredibly stupid." She would've found it funny once. Not anymore.

"So, how do we approach them?" Zuko asked aloud as they set up the camp. They tended to different things so they could finish quicker.

"You're asking me?" Azula replied sarcastically. She was kneeling on the ground getting the fire ready (and mentally thanking Naruto for making her learn survival lessons).

"It's better than just talking to ourselves."

"Well…maybe we should just introduce ourselves."

"What? You mean just walk up and say 'Hello, Zuko and Azula here?'"

"What else should we do? It's not like we have Uncle here to help us." That comment made him stop and think. He started pacing. "What are you doing?" his sister asked him when she noticed the pacing.

"Trying to be Uncle," he answered before putting on what he thought was a thoughtful expression. "Zuko, Azula, you have to look within yourselves to save yourselves from your other selves. Only then will your true selves reveal themselves." He stopped walk when he realized what he had just said. "Even when I'm talking for him, I can't figure out what he means."

"That's sounds like Uncle. Incredibly cryptic and maddeningly unhelpful," Azula remarked as she went back to the fire.

"Tell me about it, I had to live with it for three years, and his tea." He groaned as he remembered a memory. "Both the crew and I got scared when he wanted to try a new kind of tea that had to be made with 'high temperatures.' We made him do it on the deck and made sure the rest of us were below deck and behind locked doors."

She looked up from the fire when she heard that. "Why would you do that?"

"The last time we let him use the kitchen for tea, we had to dock for repairs because the ship had a hole in its side the size of a komodo rhino. The smell, however, lasted for weeks." Most of the crew had found an excuse to be out on deck during that time.

Once Sokka was done yelling at himself, he rejoined Katara and Toph. The three of them helped both Appa and Akela out of their armor, then got on Appa and took off after Aang, who was still flying around the temple and acting like nothing was wrong with the world (or at the very least, that side of the planet).

"Aang, can we talk about you learning Firebending now?" Katara asked him as they flew through the sky.

"What?" he called out, pretending not to have heard her. "The wind is too loud in my ears! Check out this loop!" He executed a big loop, showing off.

"Aang, either you land right now by your own violation, or you land after I brain you in the head with the boomerang!" Sokka shouted, making him flinch.

"I don't think he's ever threatened to hurt me before," the Air Nomad thought to himself. "Okay!" he said aloud as they landed back in the temple. "We can do that while I show you the giant Pai Sho table! Oh, you're gonna love the all-day echo chamber!"

"I probably could've used that earlier," Sokka muttered to himself. It would've helped reinforce his yelling.

"It'll have to wait," Toph suddenly stated. When they looked at her in confusion, she pointed behind her. "We have company."

"Toph, that's Appa," Katara told her.

"It's who's behind Appa I'm talking about." The sky bison moved away, revealing Zuko and Azula.

"Hello, Zuko and Azula here," Zuko said, making Azula groan.

"You had to go with that?" she asked him.

"Not the issue right now," he replied, jerking his head at Team Avatar, who were preparing for a fight. "We heard you guys flying around down there, so, we'd thought to wait here." Appa stepped up next to him, roared, and then gave him a big lick. "I'm sure you're surprised to see us here," he said, wiping the spit off.

"Not really, since you've followed us all over this side of the planet," Sokka told him, while his right hand was kept on his jian's hilt.

"Right, well…uh…"

"Want me to explain?" Azula asked him.

"Please, by all means."

She turned to face the team. "We've defected from the Fire Nation," she said with simplicity. "We wish to join your group and teach the Avatar Firebending."

"You want to what now!?" Toph asked.

"You can't possibly think that any of us would trust you, can you?" Katara demanded, incredulous. "I mean, how stupid do you think we are?!"

"You've had your moments," Azula remarked. "I mean, there was that time where you led an Earth Kingdom army to a Fire Nation colony and didn't realize that they were going to destroy it."

"Katara, don't open your mouth or this will get worse," Sokka ordered his sister. He looked back at the siblings. "It is hard to believe you. All the two of you ever done is tried to capture Aang."

"I've done some good things!" Zuko protested. "I mean, I could've stolen your bison in Ba Sing Se, but I set him free. That's something!" Appa gave him another lick.

"I'm glad it's not doing that to me," Azula thought to herself, taking a small step away from the bison, just to be sure.

"Appa does seem to like him," Toph noted.

"I can understand why you wouldn't trust me," Zuko said to them. "And I know I made some mistakes in the past."

"Like when you attacked our village?" Katara asked him. "Or when you stole my mother's necklace and used it to track us down and capture us?"

"Katara, close the mouth!" Sokka barked. She scowled at him but didn't push it.

"Nice going, Zuko," Azula told her brother with a small amount of sarcasm.

"You're not helping," he told her before looking back at the group. "Look, I don't know about Azula, but I will admit I've done some awful things. I was wrong to try and capture you, and I'm sorry that I attacked the Water Tribe. And I never should've sent that Fire Nation assassin after you." That last piece of information got everyone's attention.

"You sent an assassin after them!?" his sister repeated.

"It seemed like the right idea at the time!"

"That guy locked me and Katara in jail and tried to blow us all up!" Toph told him angrily.

"…Why don't we let the Avatar speak for once?" Azula suggested. Everyone's attention fell to Aang at those words.

"You once said you thought we could be friends. You know I have good in me," Zuko tried to convince him.

"There's no way we can trust you two after everything the two of you have done. We'll never let you join us," Aang answered firmly.

"We're trying to help you, get it through your thick heads!" Azula snapped at them, getting impatient. "We're not the same people anymore."

"If you won't accept us as friends, then maybe you'll take us as prisoners." Zuko knelt and offered them his hands. His offer surprised his sister. She had never thought he would go this far.

"No, we won't!" Katara shouted, bending her water out of the pouch, and making it hit him like a sledgehammer, knocking him down. Azula moved into a Firebending stance, ready to attack.

"Azula, don't!" her brother told her from where he lay on the ground.

"Put that water away, Katara!" Sokka ordered his sister.

She did as she was told, but she didn't like it. "The two of you get out of here and don't come back! And if we ever see either you again…well…we'd better not see either of you again!" she threatened.

"I've heard five-year-olds give better threats," Azula commented.

"GET OUT!" she screamed.

Zuko stood back up and walked away, soaking wet. Azula was right behind him (thought, not as close as to get wet). Together, they climbed out of the Western Air Temple and back to their camp. By the time they had arrived, Zuko had been able to dry his clothes via minimal Firebending. "I can't believe how stupid I am!" he said as they walked into the camp.

"I can't either," Azula said. "Why did you send an assassin after them and not tell me?"

"I told you, I thought it was the right idea at the time!" Yāo Jing had the fact that the Avatar was alive over them and he thought to get rid of her hold.

"But why hide it from the rest of us?" she asked.

"What was I supposed to say? 'Hi Azula, how's it going? By the way, I sent an assassin to kill the Avatar, who's still alive?' It probably would've been believable if I had said you sent him."

"Oh, thank you very much," she sarcastically remarked as she sat down in front of the fire.

"Why would they try to fool us like that?" Katara wondered aloud before turning to face Sokka. "And why were you not agreeing with us to make them leave?"

"Because I was willing to give them the benefit of doubt," he answered. "No one stays the same over the years. Look at the Sand Siblings. They were our allies in Ba Sing Se, but then there was a possibility of fighting them in the invasion." Admittedly, he hadn't been looking forward to that and was glad when they didn't show themselves.

"Well, it felt just like when we were in prison together back in Ba Sing Se. He starts talking about his mother and making it seem like he's an actual human being with feelings."

"He is an actual human being with feelings," he remarked sarcastically. She just glared at him in response.

"I kind of have a confession to make," Aang said to the siblings. "Remember when you two were sick and I got captured by Zhao?"

"And you made us suck on frozen frogs?" the Tribesman asked. "How could I forget?" That was an experience he was going to remember for a long time, unfortunately.

"When Zhao had me chained me up, it was Zuko who came in and got me out. He risked his life to save me."

"No way!" protested Katara. "I'm sure he only did it so he could capture you himself!" That could be the only explanation.

"That was then, but this is now, Katara," Sokka told his sister.

"Now isn't any different from then," she retorted. "Besides, what's with all that crazy stuff about setting Appa free? What a liar!"

"Actually, he wasn't lying," Toph spoke out.

"Well, at least he's not cruel to animals. That's a plus," the Water Paragon remarked.

"I'm just saying that, considering their messed-up family and how they were raised, the both of them could've turned out a lot worse."

"You're right, Toph. Let's go give them a medal. The 'not as much of a jerk you could have been award' award," Katara said with blatant sarcasm.

"All I know is that while they were talking to us, they were sincere," the blind Earthbender told her. "Maybe you're just letting your hurt feelings keep you from thinking clearly."

"That's easy for you to say! You weren't there when he had us attacked by pirates, or when he burned down Kyoshi Island!"

"Or when he tried to capture me at the Fire Temple!" agreed Aang.

"But she was there at Tu Zin," Sokka defended her. They had seen how Zuko behaved differently then. Granted, it was because Naruto showed himself, but it still counted.

"Well, why would she even try to defend them?" Katara asked her brother.

"Because, Katara," Toph said walking forward. "You're ignoring one crucial fact: Aang needs a Firebending teacher!" She poked him on the chest. "We can't think of a single person on this side of the planet to do the job! Now not just one, but two, show up on a silver platter and you won't even think about it?!" She stomped on the ground, shaking the ground slightly. Katara fell silent after she heard this.

"I'm not having Zuko or Azula as my teachers!" Aang said firmly.

"Aang, we don't have any other options," Sokka told him.

"I don't care! They're not teaching me Firebending." He would rather go to Koh the Face-Stealer willingly then let them teach him.

"Well, I guess that's settled," Katara told Toph smugly.

She turned around with a frustrated growl and walked away. "I'm beginning to wonder who the blind one around here really is."

"Toph, wait!" Sokka called after her.

"Leave her alone, Sokka," Aang told him. "If she wants to be alone, then let her."

"Fine, there's just one thing that's bugging me."

"And what is that?" Katara asked.

"If Azula was here, where is Naruto?"

Night had fallen and they were asleep around the campfire. "You must wake up," a voice rang in Zuko's head. It was the same voice he had heard during the eclipse.

"What?" he asked groggily.

"Wake up! There's an enemy nearby," the voice said. That, along with something cracking in the forest, woke him up instantly.

"Who's there?" he called out, trying to see who it was out there.

"What is it?" Azula asked quietly, waking up as well.

"Keep quiet," he told her. "Stay back!" he yelled out, bending fire at the unknown person walking into the light of the fire.

That person turned out to be Toph. "It's me!" she tried to him. She bent up a shield of rock to block the fire, but the fire curved around it. She took a step back and her feet stepped into the fire. "OW!" She cried, dropping the shield and falling to the ground. Zuko rubbed his eyes and saw who it was. "You burned my feet!" she said. The bottoms of her feet were a bright pink.

"I'm sorry!" he tried to apologize, standing up. "It was a mistake!" He ran over to her.

"Get away from me!" she told him, turning around and bending big rocks at him, which he easily dodged. She crawled away, trying to escape.

"Let me help you," he told her, dodging more rocks. "I'm sorry!" He grabbed her shoulder, trying to make her stop.

"Get off me, get off me!" She tore herself out of his grip and bent the earth beneath her into a rock column, hitting him in the chest and sending him flying. He crashed back into the ground in front of the fire.

"I didn't know it was you! Come back!" he shouted at her, but she had disappeared into the forest. He threw himself back with a shout of frustration. "Why am I so bad at being good?!" he demanded aloud.

"Poetic irony?" suggested Azula.

"Shut up, Azula. I didn't see you helping!"

"You were across the camp before I could stand up. By then, the rocks were flying. Pardon me if I didn't want to get brained in the head."

It was morning. Everyone had woken up and gathered around for breakfast. "Has anyone seen Toph?" Katara asked as she handed out bowls of rice to everyone.

"I haven't seen her since she left yesterday," Sokka answered.

"Maybe she's just exploring the air temple," Haru suggested. "There are some pretty fun spots to practice Earthbending." He had enjoyed himself doing that.

"…I think we should go look for her," Katara decided.

"She'll show up when she shows up," Sokka said, sitting down. He wanted food first.

"We can go check for her," The Duke offered.

"Yeah!" agreed Teo. "I wanna ride that tunnel down to the Hall of Statues again. It will work a lot better now that I've fixed my brakes." He, Haru, and The Duke left to go through the temple again.

The others felt the entire temple shake and saw dust shoot out from a corner. Toph bent a hole in the wall and crawled out of it, falling down the rubble she made and landing on the ground, grunting in pain as she went. "Toph!" said Katara as she, Sokka, Akela, and Aang ran over to her. "What happened?"

"My feet got burned!" she answered.

"Oh no, what happened?" the Waterbender asked, looking at her feet.

"I just told you, my feet got burned!" she repeated herself.

"I meant how."

"Well, I kinda went to see Zuko and Azula last night."

That little tidbit of information shocked everyone. "You what!?" asked Aang.

"Zuko and Azula!?" asked Katara.

"I just thought they could be helpful to us," she tried to explain as Katara got to work on her feet. "And if I talked to them, maybe we could work something out."

"But they attacked you instead?" Sokka asked, trying to get the whole picture.

"Well, they did and they didn't," the blind Earthbender answered. "It was sort of an accident."

"But they did Firebend at you?" Aang tried to clarify her words.

"Yes," she answered with a sigh.

"It's gonna take a while for your feet to get better," Katara told her as she put the water away. "I wish I could've worked on them sooner." It would've been a lot easier to heal if she had.

"Yeah, me too," she agreed.

"You should've waited until this morning to go see them," Sokka told her. That way, they would've been more alert and less likely to attack her.

"I figured most of you would say no and would throw a fit if we went through with it anyway."

"You do have a point." he agreed, throwing a pointed look at Aang and Katara. They ignored it.

"Shouldn't we come up with a plan to stop them?" the Air Nomad asked as he and Sokka picked up Toph.

"Why?" he asked back. "This was just an accident. Besides, what do you me want to say? That we'll let them come back as our prisoners, jump them and then really make them our prisoners?"

"You are the idea guy," Katara said to him as she followed them. They carried Toph back to the pool of water and placed her feet in it.

"Ahhh, that's the stuff," she said as she felt the coolness of the water flow over her feet. "Now I know how the rest of you guys feel. Not being able to see with your feet stinks."

Zuko and Azula made their way down to the temple, being careful to not fall off into the abyss. "Why exactly do we have to do this?" Azula asked. "They said no already."

"This is not asking to join them," Zuko told her. "This is apologizing for last night."

"I can't believe you're doing this. It was an accident."

"It was my fault." He had been the one who burned Toph.

"She snuck up on us. Why was she even trying to do that in…?" She trailed off when she saw something. "Who is that?" she asked, seeing a person farther down then them.

"Who is what?" he asked back, not seeing what she was seeing.

"Him." She pointed down at the person. "Who is that?"

He looked at where she was pointing. His eyes widened in both shock and panic. "That's a problem."

Everyone still helped Toph out as her feet were being cooled in the pool of water. Unbeknownst to them, the assassin was standing on a ledge, watching them. As he saw the Avatar come back into his sights, he inhaled. It was that point Zuko swung down and kicked him, just as he was firing a blast. His shot was off, hitting the rock above them and getting their attention.

Sokka and Aang grabbed Toph. They were about to run when Zuko's voice rang out. "Stop, I don't want you hunting the Avatar anymore!" he told the assassin, surprising said Avatar. "The mission is off. I'm ordering you to stop." He stood in front of the assassin. He was shoved out of the way the assassin inhaled and fired again.

The blast destroyed the cover of the pool of water, showering the team with rocks as they hid below the wall. "If you keep attacking, I won't pay you," Zuko told the assassin, trying to Firebend at him. The assassin didn't even look at him, he just held him there with a hand, letting the fire die away. "Alright, I'll pay you double to stop." He tried to kick the assassin, but that only succeeded in pushing him away. He still fired off another shot, making Aang duck his head back down.

"This is why he is the dum-dum," Azula thought as she tried to get a good angle on the assassin without hurting her brother.

The assassin turned to face Zuko and fire a quick blast at him. Zuko tried to defend himself by bending his fire into a wall in front of him. The blast hit the wall and exploded, but the force pushed him back. When the smoke cleared, the assassin did not see him. But what he didn't know was that Zuko had grabbed onto a root and was climbing back up.

Azula saw that he was safe and tried to generate lightning. "What is wrong with me?" she wondered as she struggled. "It shouldn't be this difficult!"

Aang decided to act. He moved out of the safety (or at least, relative safety) of the pool wall. He leapt up into the air just as a blast impacted on where he just was. In the smoke, he bent a tornado and threw it at the assassin. He leapt over the tornado and while he fell, he fired another blast at the Airbender, who dodged it by flipping back away.

As the assassin fell towards another ledge, he slowed himself down by grabbing the ledge above him. His metal arm tore through the stone and he landed safely on the ledge. He rolled forward as he landed and fired another blast.

It hit the pool of water, harming no one. Katara decided to act. She bent the water out of the pool and leapt up, taking the water with her in a giant wave. With a shout, she swung her arms down and the wave quickly turned into ice and fired spikes at the assassin. He defended himself by bringing his metal arm and leg together, making them act like a shield. When the spikes stopped, he lowered them and looked around. He didn't see his target anywhere.

They had run to around the corner, getting out of his range of vision. He fired off another blast, destroying a column. "He's going to blast this place right off the cliff-side!" Toph said as she felt the place shake.

Katara took a quick peek around the corner, only to get a blast close by. "I can't step out to Waterbend at him without getting blown up," she said. "And I can't get a good enough angle on him from down here."

"I know how to get an angle on him!" Sokka said. He pulled out his boomerang and pulled his sister out of the way. He stuck his head out and pulled it back when another blast hit nearby. He looked out again and another blast hit. He held out his boomerang at where the blasts were coming and swung it down to where the last shot had struck, measuring out the angle. "Alright boomerang, don't fail me now," he told the thing. He threw it with all of his might.

It spun around and around, curving towards the assassin. Just as he inhaled and was about to fire off another blast when he noticed the thing, but it was too late. It struck him in his third eye and knocked him to the ground. "I'll give him points for creativity," Azula admitted as she still tried to generate lightning.

"I got him!" Sokka cheered as they moved away from the corner, and he caught the boomerang. Their joy soon disappeared when the assassin stood back up. "Oh, come on!" the Tribesman groaned. They ran back for cover.

"I've got it!" Azula thought as she successfully manages to generate lightning. Once it was primed, she aimed at the assassin and discharged it. Meanwhile, the assassin's vision had turned blurry, but he couldn't see his target. To clear his vision and lure his target out, he inhaled and tried to fire off another blast. But the same thing in Fire Fountain City happened. The blast turned inward on him. The moment that happened was the same moment Azula's lightning struck him.

The resulting explosion was big and destructive enough to take out two of the temple buildings. The two buildings fell down the cliff, the assassin's metal arm spinning through the air, following them. As Haru, Teo, and The Duke looked on from relative safety, Aang, Sokka and Katara looked over the edge. While Sokka wore a neutral look on his face, Aang and Katara shared looks of surprise. They then looked up and saw that Zuko was still alive. He climbed up from the root onto the safety of the ledge.

"Why exactly did I attack him again?" he asked mostly himself while he was on all fours.

"Because you're a dum-dum," Azula answered after leaping onto the same ledge.

"And where were you?" he asked, looking up at her.

"I was trying to find a good angle on him without hitting you. Sorry if it took a while," she replied with sarcasm.

"Whatever." He was silent for a few seconds. "That wall I bent up should've stopped the blast dead. Instead, it sent me over the edge. It was weaker than normal."

"I know. It took me longer than normal to generate lightning. The only time I've struggled like that was when I had just started trying to generate lightning."

"Something is happening to our Firebending." And that wasn't good.

"Agreed, but now is not the time to worry about it." She helped him stand. "We should probably go down to talk to them."

"Yeah, you're right."

"I'm always right," she remarked.

"No, you're not." They made their way off the ledge and down to where Team Avatar was waiting. Once they were down there, they stood before the team in silence.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but…thanks, Zuko, Azula," Aang said to the two of them.

"Hey, who threw the boomerang?" Sokka asked.

"Hey, who threw the lightning?" Azula asked back.

"Azula/Sokka," Zuko and Aang said at the same time. Zuko looked at the team. "I know we didn't explain ourselves very well yesterday. I have been through a lot in the past few years."

"I've changed since Ba Sing Se," Azula chimed in.

"It's been difficult for us. I thought I had lost my honor and that somehow, my father could it return to me," he continued. "But I know now that no one can give you your honor. It's something you earn for yourself, by choosing what's right to do." Naruto's words went through his mind.

"You've restored your honor back at Akawan."

How right the blonde had been. "All we want to do now is play our parts in ending this war. I know my destiny is to help you restore balance," he finished.

"The same here," Azula agreed.

He looked over at Toph. "I'm sorry for what I did to you," he apologized, bowing his head. "It was an accident. Fire can be dangerous and wild. So, as a Firebender, I need to be more careful and control my bending, so I don't hurt people unintentionally."

Aang was surprised at he said. He looked at both him and Azula. "I think the two of you are supposed to be my Firebending teachers," he declared, surprising the others (minus Sokka). "When I first tried to learn Firebending, I burned Katara and after that, I never wanted to Firebend again. But now I know you understand how easy it is to hurt the people you love. I'd like the both of you to teach me." He bowed to them both.

They bowed back. "Thank you," Azula said.

"I'm happy you've accepted us into your group," Zuko told him.

"Not so fast," he said, catching them by surprise. "I still have to ask my friends if it's okay with them." He turned to Toph. "Toph, you're the one Zuko burned. What do you think?"

"Go ahead and let him join," she answered. "It'll give me plenty of time to get back at him for burning my feet." And she would enjoy it.

"Sokka?"

"All I want is to defeat the Fire Lord," the Tribesman said. "If they want to help, then I say let them join. There's just one question I have for them."

"And what is that?" Azula asked.

"Where is Naruto? He is never far from you and yet, we haven't seen him." Everyone looked at the two Fire Nation siblings for an answer, just as curious.

"Naruto…stayed behind," she answered, a sad expression forming on her face. "He gave us time to escape by holding off the soldiers coming for us."

"Oh…I'm sorry." He didn't think that would've happened to the blonde.

"Don't be. It was his choice."

"Katara?" asked Aang, looking at her.

She looked at the two like she wanted to drown them right then and there. She closed her eyes and took a breath. "I'll go along with whatever you think is right," she finally said, making Aang smile. Akela padded forward and sniffed them, making sure he got their scents.

"We won't let you down! I promise!" Zuko told them. They walked away, he and Azula followed them. Later, Sokka led Zuko to a spare room.

"Well, here you go," the Tribesman told him. "Lunch will be soon." He walked out of the room and met up with Aang, who had shown Azula where her room was. "It'll take some getting used to," he admitted.

"I know," Aang replied as they walked away. But he was hopeful that wouldn't take them long.

Zuko put his bag on the bed and started unpacking. He pulled out a picture of Iroh and looked at it.

(Flashback: Three years ago)

"If I have to," Zuko declared. "I'll spend the rest of my life hunting the Avatar. I know it's my destiny to capture him."

"You know, Prince Zuko," Iroh told him. "Destiny is a funny thing. You never know how things are going to work out. But if you keep an open mind and an open heart, I promise you will find your own destiny someday."

(End Flashback)

He smiled at what his uncle had said. "That's just like Uncle," he thought." Incredibly cryptic, maddeningly unhelpful…and usually right in the end." He gave a small laugh and shook his head.

Then he noticed that Katara was standing at the door, leaning against its frame. "You and your sister might have everyone else here buying your…transformations," she told him. "But you and I both know you've struggled with doing the right thing in the past." She walked into the room and into his face. "So let me tell you something, right now. Either of you make one step backward, one slip-up, give me one reason to think you might hurt Aang, and you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I'll make sure your destiny ends…right then and there, permanently," she threatened him with a glare.

The glare suddenly turned to shocked surprise when she suddenly felt the tip of a dagger at her back. "Now that is a better threat," Azula said, standing right behind her. "Now allow me to give you one." She pressed the tip down slightly, making her stiffen. "You make one more threat against me or Zuko, you try to kill either of us, and I don't care what the others will think. They will never find your body. Is that understood?" When she didn't get an answer, she pressed down harder, making Katara whimper slightly. "Is. That. Understood?" she repeated, saying each word carefully and clearly. Katara nodded her head. "Good. Now leave," she ordered, withdrawing her dagger.

Katara walked back to the door, stopping to glare at them one last time, before walking through it, slamming the door behind her. Zuko turned to his sister. "That was not necessary, Azula," he told her.

"Yes, it was," she replied, sheathing the dagger. "She doesn't believe what we say. Why else would she make that threat?"

"So, you gave her one as well?"

"You may be a dum-dum, Zuko. But you are my brother," she told him. "Anyone tries to harm you in any way, they will regret it."

"…Thank you, Azula. I never thought I'd hear you say those kinds of words."

"People change. Besides, there's a first time for everything, right?"

"Right," he agreed. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm still unpacking."

"Then I'll leave you to it." She walked out of the room and made her way back to her own. She walked back in and looked at her own bag, which was still in the midst of unpacking as well. She resumed putting the stuff away, when she pulled out her prized possession. As she held it, tears began to form in her eyes. "No," she declared silently, shaking her head and wiping away the tears. "I am not going to cry."

(Location: Fire Nation)

Naruto sat in the middle of the cell, hands bound behind his back. It had been a week since he had been arrested. Each day, Yāo Jing would visit him. She would take him to a room where they "taught" unruly prisoners how to behave. She then tried to "educate" him, but he had acted like her "lessons" didn't do anything (but they did, his aching body could attest to that).

"Come on, sir," Ming said, walking into the cell. "Lady Yāo Jing wants to see you again."

"Is it time for another lesson?" he asked with sarcasm, standing up from where he had been sitting. "I can't wait."

"I am sorry, Lord Naruto," she said, opening the cell and leading him out of the room. The guards outside were staring at the blonde with disgust and hatred in their eyes.

"Why are you apologizing? You're not the one whose lessons involve trying to beat me black and blue. And stop calling me Lord Naruto or sir, Ming. I'm a prisoner, remember?"

"I'm afraid I can't do that, sir." Every soldier who had served with Naruto was both loyal and respectful. If they had been given the order, they would try to storm the prison, bust him out, and make sure he escaped. Ming was one of those soldiers. "We're here," she said as they stood in front of a door. She opened it and he stepped through.

The minute he did, the door closed and his feet were knocked out from under him. He fell to the ground. "You are not eight, Yāo Jing," he said calmly, like he didn't care what was going to happen to him. He looked up to see her standing over him.

"Are you enjoying your stay?" she asked him, kicking him in the stomach. Ever since she had that one dream that left her aroused and ashamed, she poured all her efforts and focus into torturing him. She would prove to herself that she had nothing to fear from him, or the one from her dreams.

He sat up from where he had fallen. "Well, the food could be better," he answered and was slapped across the face. "Are you serious? You're slapping me? Could you get anymore pathetic?" Her response was to shove her foot into his back, sending him to the floor. "A little better, but I'd still fail you."

"Do you think this is entertaining?" she demanded.

"Do you mean your horrible attempts to torture me, or me making fun of you for said attempts?" His voice was muffled due to his face being in the ground. The injuries she was trying to inflect on him did hurt, but he tried to not let them overpower him. "If you want an honest answer, it's the latter. What's next? Are you going to hit me with lightning? Can you even do it?" He was doubtful, very doubtful.

She pulled him up and slammed him into the wall. "Let me show you!" she snarled at him. She attached his hands to chains above him, holding him there. She began to generate lightning when there was a knock on the door. "Who dares to interrupt me?" she demanded, yanking the door open.

A soldier stood outside. "Lady Yāo Jing, I have a message from Fire Lord Ozai," he said, sounding a little scared and nervous.

"What is it?"

"He wants to see Lord…" He stopped when he saw the glare on her face. "I apologize. He wants to see the prisoner right away." He bowed to her and quickly left.

"So, the Royal Flaming Asshole wants to see me, huh?" Naruto asked, sounding bored. "It took him long enough."

"You will be respectful of my father," she told him as she punched him in the stomach and unchained him from the wall, letting him collapse to the floor.

"No chance in hell." He was forced to his feet and was marched out of the room.

(Location: Western Air Temple)

"Okay, where am I?" Sokka wondered, looking around. The place was a forest at night and in the middle of winter. He stood in a small clearing, watching the snow fall all around him. Above the pine trees, a full moon shined down on him.

"You did well yesterday," a voice said to him, echoing all around him.

"Who's there?" he demanded. He reached for his boomerang, only to find that it wasn't there. He knew that voice, it was the same one who told him to stop and think in the tunnels at the Fire Nation capital.

"You know who I am."

"That may be, but I still don't see you." He looked around, but he still didn't see who was talking.

"That's because you're not looking in the right direction. I'm right here." The voice now came from behind him. He turned around and saw a great, black wolf laying on a rock overlooking the clearing.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I am…" The rest sounded muffled, like the wolf was trying to speak to him through a wall.

"What was that?"

The wolf sighed. "How disappointing, I would've thought you would've heard me by now."

"I can hear you just fine right now."

"But you cannot hear my name and so, you cannot hear me."

"So tell me your name."

"I have tried. You do not listen."

"Well, I'm trying to listen now!" he argued.

"You think do, but it is still the same." The wolf rose from where it lay and padded away from the clearing. "How long will you keep plugging your ears? How long must I remain silent?"

"Wait!" he called after the wolf, but he woke up instead. Akela raised his head and looked at him. "It's nothing, Akela," he said. "It's just an odd dream." The white wolf looked at him for another minute before putting his head back down. "It's strange," he thought as he put his head back down. "But it feels like I should know that wolf." He fell asleep and didn't dream of the clearing in the forest or the black wolf.

End

Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

A reviewer pointed this out and it's a good comparison, so I'll use it. If you have trouble imaging Azula with short hair, think something like future Jade from Jackie Chan Adventures.

I felt that Sokka's chewing himself out was necessary. He thought he had the advantage over Naruto twice, only to find out he was pretty much being led around by the nose. Each time, it proved to have dire consequences.

Also, he would've given Zuko and Azula the benefit of doubt. He's grown up enough that he realizes that they might actually want to change sides and join them. That's why he never really agreed to what Katara and Aang were saying.

I'm not going to show the meeting that Naruto has with Ozai, but I will talk about it.

As for Azula taking a long time to generate lightning, do you really need to ask?

I'll see you all next chapter!