I haven't looked at this story in so long that I had to go back to see what was happening. Sorry if I happen to forget anything, or if this chapter is too boring. My writing is a bit rusty, so bear with me.

Chapter 17:

"I'm so stupid...stupid, stupid, stupid..." Aang slammed his head repeatedly into the trunk of a tree.

"Stop beating yourself up, twinkletoes," Toph sighed. "It wasn't your fault they got away."

"Yeah, it was my fault," Zuko chimed in.

The three of them (and Momo) were pessimistically drifting on Appa, flying around aimlessly trying to catch a glimpse of their lost friends (and Azula).

"Look," Toph growled. "All of us could have done a better job handling those thieving jerks. But now we have Katara and Sokka on the loose with Azula, and we should probably spend less time with self-hate and more time looking!"

"You're right Toph," Aang reluctantly groaned. Then he perked up as something caught his eye. "Wait...what's that down there, on the side of that cliff?"

The Zuko scampered to the end of Appa's saddle and stared.

A pile of shards of wood lined a path of crushed grass and bushes, presumably from something large and heavy that was shoving its way through.

"Appa, take us in for a closer look," Aang murmured.

The giant bison dove down and made a solid landing beside the pile of rubble.

"This looks kind of like the carriages that those bandits had with them," Zuko remarked. "Except this one is totally destroyed...what could have happened here?"

"I'm guessing Sokka and Katara put up a fight," Toph offered. "And look," she pointed to the side of the cliff. "I can sense that there is a disturbance in that area."

Sure enough, leading away from the wreckage was path that was presumably cleared forcefully by something that was running through it.

"Maybe this is where they escaped," Aang exclaimed excitedly. "Come on, let's follow that path!"

"Wait a minute," Zuko stopped Aang in his tracks. "How do you know that Sokka, Katara, and Azula were the ones that created that path? Maybe the men who captured them ran away through there, and our friends went a different direction."

"Darn...I guess you're right," Aang looked deflated, but only for a second. "At least now we have a idea of where they were."

"Hey, this path leads straight into the river," Toph realized suddenly.

"There's a town right alongside this river," Aang said. "Maybe the three of them are in that village. We should go check."

OoOoOoOoOo

Katara and Sokka were actually thankful when darkness descended upon them. Their backs throbbed dully, and they wanted nothing more than to relieve them of their burden.

Katara let Azula slide onto the ground with great gratification. Katara groaned and stretched her back, feeling her spine pop as it twisted. Exhaling, she shuffled to where Azula was lying.

"Look away, Sokka," she muttered.

Sokka busied himself with collecting twigs and building a fire while Katara cleaned the bindings on Azula torso in order to reuse them. At one point in time, he found his eyes wandering to where the princess lay on the ground. Immediately, he reprimanded himself, shocked and appalled.

There's nothing interesting about the princess! Nothing at all,Sokka scolded himself. What's wrong with you? And besides, she's a girl...why would you want to violate her?

Am I being gentlemanly toward the princess? Sokka felt like smacking himself in the head repeatedly. Forget it! Just forget her!He began to furiously snatch up pieces of wood from the ground and stuffed them into his overflowing arms.

And yet, thoughts of her continued to stream into his head. He couldn't forget how battered she was. A thousand questions circled around in his mind, one of them being: What exactly happened to her?

OoOoOoOoOo

It was late in the evening before Zuko, Toph, and Aang collapsed dejectedly under a tree in the middle of the town. They had been searching the entire day for Sokka, Katara, and Azula in hopes that the three of them would be hovering around in the village somewhere but to no avail.

"I guess we looked in the wrong place," Aang murmured. "They're nowhere to be found. We'll just have to go back and try a different path."

"They could be hiding in a forest somewhere, and we'd never find them!" Toph exclaimed.

"We'll rest here for tonight," Zuko said. "I'm sure the three of them are alright."

The village was a isolated fishing village that was part of the Fire Nation. Aang was forced to wear a hood that would cover up his arrow, and Appa was forced to hide in the nearby mountain until they returned.

The group made their way to the outskirts of town in order to make camp. As they trudged through the rocky ground, a couple of men carrying a heavy crate passed by, speaking in loud tones to one another.

"I wonder where the princess has gone," one man grumbled.

"After what her father did to her..." another chimed in.

"Can you still believe that?" the first man exclaimed.

Zuko stopped in his tracks. "Wait, guys," he said to Aang and Toph.

Zuko scrambled toward the men, almost frantically. "What are you talking about," he demanded. "What happened to the princess?"

The two men looked at him and laughed heartily.

"I asked you a question!" Zuko growled.

One of the men's expressions darkened. "Now, now, kid," he hissed. "Don't speak to me in that tone. Respect your elders, why don't you?"

Zuko sucked in a breath, willing himself to maintain his patience. "I'm sorry," he said through clenched teeth. "But what you were talking about just now...about the princess...what happened to her?"

"I can't believe you're asking that question," the second man shook his head in disbelief. "The entire Fire Nation has been talking about this for several days now! You must be living under a rock!"

"Dudes, will you just tell us already?" Toph snapped.

"What, you don't know either, little girl? Where have you kids been?"

"Alright!" Zuko shouted. "I get it! We are a bit behind with the breaking news. But it's not our fault. We...we've been on a camping trip, and we've just returned home. So will you just tell us already?"

"Okay, okay, kid, sorry for making fun of you," the man chuckled. In an instant, his expression became dire. "Just several days ago, the Fire Lord announced that there would be an Agni Kai...between him and the princess."

Zuko's blood ran cold. His heart began a sprint in his chest and his skin crawled. Memories of the Agni Kai between him and his father flooded into his mind, disorienting him for a minute. But...and Agni Kai between Ozai and Azula...? "W-whatever for?" he stuttered, more to himself than to the men in front of him.

"Who knows?" the men shrugged. "But all of the nobles came to watch...all of them left completely baffled, amazed, and shocked. They have been telling everyone about what they saw, and word is spreading fast."

"A-and the result...?" Zuko swallowed, already knowing the answer.

"Ozai completely defeated Azula. But I guess that's to be expected...I mean, she may be the prodigal princess, but the Fire Lord is her father, and is way more powerful."

Zuko could feel his breath getting shorter. Ozai was the cause of all of Azula pain...her suffering...her physical and emotional scars. Zuko had always thought that this was a possibility, but having his dreadful theory confirmed was more traumatizing than he ever would have imagined.

In a shaking voice that was barely above a whisper, Zuko asked, "...And what is the princess doing now?"

"You see, that's the best part!" the man laughed, as if speaking about a story or play. "After the princess was defeated, the Fire Lord banished her!"

Chills instantly gripped the back of Zuko's neck and trickled down his spine. The word "banished" still inflicted turmoil in him, and hearing it in regard to Azula was outright baffling. Banished? Zuko thought to himself. How is that possible?

"She is only allowed to return once she kills Prince Zuko, and the Avatar."

"...I see," Zuko muttered curtly. Without a second glance at the men, he swiftly turned around and stormed into the woods.

OoOoOoOoOo

Sorry I haven't updated in so long. I can't promise that another chapter will be out anytime soon. I've had the longest writer's block, junior year in high school is tough and is slowly strangling me, and I've been busy with five AP classes x.x (kill me now). AP exams are coming up, so this may be the last chapter for a while (Eep! Sorry!) Anyways, please review!