Hey people. Sorry I'm not working on this quickly at all. But hey, life, right? This isn't my main project. You guys should see the book I'm writing now . . .

Anyway, read and review and please feel free to ask any questions if need be.

Okay? Okay.

—Iason

Inuria

Chapter 7

The way Zuko saw it, the entire celebration should be reserved to an "every five years" sort of plan rather than the annual schedule they held presently.

Right now the only thing that occupied his thoughts were the men who had barged into his room ready to threaten him into giving them money. Honestly, deep down below his thick pride Zuko was aware that they had the perfect opportunity to kill him. Plain and simple. But they didn't and it was knowing at his conscience.

Why money? Why now? What were they planning? Why? He knew that something was going to happen during this celebration, and he could only do so much. He had guards posted on either sides of his doors to his chambers and at either ends of the hallway. On top of that there were men lining the balconies around his own personal one in order to gain a better view of the surrounding area. Then there was the obvious increase in guards around the main ballroom.

His thoughts were entirely occupied with this issue now, and the news that Toph had brought him didn't ease his conscience at all. No one had come the entire night. She had mentioned sensing a trace of someone but that could've easily been Aang. There was nothing to prove that anyone else had been there at all.

These men were too careful to simply forget that they had made a deal, as insides as it was, with the Firelord himself. No. They knew exactly what he had done and that meant they had most likely gone for it in the morning when everyone was safely tucked inside the palace.

Zuko frowned. None of it made sense. This seemed like such a pointless bargain for the men to make. Too many loose ends. And yet...something deep inside him knew that if he let this become a public thing, such as his other assassination attempts, the men would strike the people he cared about most. And he wouldn't know until it was too late.

He strode into the courtyard where the outdoor tables were set and the torches lit, carefully and even artistically aligned. He remembered his first impromptu speech here after he had been crowned Firelord. Every other speech since had felt forced and way too formal.

Behind him the servants were scrambling to lay the golden carpet along the corridors marking the way from the courtyard to the ballroom. Zuko made it a thing once he became Firelord to allow others the opportunity to take a break from the stuffy indoors once the speeches and other formalities were over and done with.

So far, everything was set up to perfection. The only thing lacking was the food which would be brought out during the speeches so that it would be hot when people finally got to it.

Zuko stopped in his tracks, ignoring the men and women scurrying around him.

His brow furrowed. What could those men buy with the money he had agreed to give them? With just the amount he had cashed in just the previous night, he guessed the most dangerous thing they could buy would be at least a small band of hired arms.

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose with a growl. He hated not knowing things. It wasn't a thing his pride particularly enjoyed.

"Zuko!"

Zuko gave another great sigh as he slowly straightened out in order to face the water tribe warrior striding towards him with a large smile and open arms. Behind him, his sister trailed more gracefully and definitely more hesitantly. She was thinking about something. Zuko was suddenly very curious. Had they been talking before he had arrived?

"Sokka," he said dryly. The Firelord tensed as Sokka embraced him joyfully.

"Sokka," Katara's smooth voice came from behind her brother's bushy warrior's wolf tail. "You're messing up the Firelord's robes."

Sokka took a step back and Zuko couldn't keep the scowl off of his face. "Nah. Still looks as gorgeous as the day we met him!" There was a small awkward pause in which Zuko and Katara frowned at one another. "Actually," Sokka added with afterthought, "he was an angry teenager who was almost as bald as Aang then. I take it back."

"But you do look nice. Very regal," Katara added slightly avoiding Zuko's eyes as she gave him the compliment.

Zuko felt the corners of his lips twitch in an almost smile. "Thanks."

"TWINKLE TOES!" A familiar shout came from just inside the hallway followed by some deep chuckles, a crash, and a scream.

"I'm sorry!" Aang shouted behind him as he raced around the small group of friends before sitting on his air scooter.

"Avatar," Zuko greeted him, trying to ignore the headache beginning at his temples. This year was looking to be almost as wild as last year. Oh the dreaded "Last Year."

"Hey, Zuko," Aang nodded at him, speaking a little breathlessly. "Sokka. Katara."

Zuko arched an eyebrow as Katara answered the Avatar's greeting with a concerned look and a slow "hello". Seemed like the ex-couple were starting to get used to being in the same vicinity as each other.

"Hey, buddy!" Sokka said happily. "What exactly did you do to the lovely Miss Beifong?"

Aang looked a little panicked. "Shhhhhh! Sokka, not so loud!"

They all paused and soon they felt the earth move beneath them like a small ripple as if it were searching for something. Or someone. Zuko saw a flash of a green dress go across the hall and into the ballroom.

"I'm actually rather curious myself," Zuko said as he faced his friend.

Aang flushed as he scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile. "I may have done something a little impulsive."

Sokka face palmed. "Aang. Pal. Never give the lady a gift before talking to her first. Remember Katara when we first landed in the fire nation and that neckla-"

Katara and Aang flushed deeply at that comment and avoided looking at each other. Instead they glared at him with enough fire to make even Zuko uncomfortable.

"No! Not like that!" Aang said rather loudly.

"I heard you!" Toph began marching towards the courtyard, her face showing them all that a certain Avatar was about to get it.

"I may or may not have just overheard her being a little...friendly with one of Zuko's guards..."

Katara and Zuko looked at each other in blatant surprise before looking back at Aang.

Aang rubbed the back of his neck again. "And then made fun of her for it...?"

Zuko and Sokka facepalmed at the same time now. Katara covered her mouth.

"Do you have a death wish?" Sokka asked Aang. "Are you insane?!"

Now Toph was almost upon them. Sokka quickly shushed all of them loudly when in reality he was he loudest one of them. Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

Toph stopped right outside of their little circle. She tapped her foot impatiently. "How stupid do you think I am?"

"What?" Sokka asked feigning innocence. It was a poor act to play. Especially with Toph.

"You're all standing in a circle. With a space fit for another person. Unless you were waiting on me to show up, Twinkle Toes is on his little 'air scooter' right now and is refusing to come down."

Zuko looked down carefully at the small earthbender, though she was only a couple of inches shorter than Katara. Yup. She was angry.

Aang looked panicked and for that second of panic, Toph used the earth to boost her up and grabbed the air bender by his ear. And twisted.

Aang jerked himself towards his earthbender master with a yelp in an attempt to relieve the pressure. Toph lowered her small column back to ground level. "Excuse me, my friends. I need to talk with our mighty Avatar."

"Hey! Be careful with the wooden beads! They're very old!" Aang was saying as they both disappeared around a corner.

Sokka shook his head. "This year is going to be -"

"Disastrous?" Zuko offered.

"A replay of last year?" Katara supplied.

Sokka snapped his fingers trying to find the word. His eyes lit up and he pointed a finger to the sky. "Amazing!"

Zuko groaned and couldn't help feel more stressed than normal. After all, he had to keep himself on his toes, ready for the assassins who were clearly ready to attach tonight, he had to play his part as the formal Firelord, and he had to deal with his friends.

This was going to be eventful to say the least.

"What are you doing out here?"

Toph turned suddenly, a little surprised that someone had managed to sneak up on her. But then again, there was only one person on this green earth who could successfully do so.

"Twinkle Toes," she greeted, leaning back against the pillar she had been standing by.

She could imagine Aang frowning. "You didn't answer my question."

Toph shrugged and played with one of the layers of her dress. "I don't like being in a room crowded with people. Normally. But after all of our speeches and the formal dining and stuff..."

She trailed off and gestured towards the many nobles wandering around the courtyard, some even dancing to the loud music drifting outside from the ballroom.

"Right now I'm just watching people and listening."

She could feel Aang's grin. "Spoken like a true earthbender."

Toph snorted. "I'm THE earthbender, son. And you'd better believe it."

Aang chuckled. "So. Why exactly are you and Zuko going into panic mode over a few assassins? We've dealt with more threatening people. It isn't the first time someone made a bargain with Zuko in his own bedroom."

Toph shook her head with a small laugh of her own. "Now, you and I remember that differently. I seem to remember that 'bargain' was made by a teenage fangirl waiting to get some alone time with the Firelord."

Aang laughed. "Zuko doesn't like us talking about this."

Toph smiled then suddenly fell serious again. "I think what makes these people different is how much they remind Zuko of himself and his family."

She felt Aang's stare and sighed. "Let me make this easier for you, Twinkle Toes. On a surface level they're two men breaking into the Firelord's room in masks and dark clothing. One bends blue fire. But what really gets Zuko is not just how many people they have with them, but the way they threatened him."

Aang frowned. "By asking for money and threatening US? Toph, come on. This has happened so many times already -"

"Yes," she interrupted, "but I can tell that what scares our precious Firelord the most is that their attack in all that it was...was desperate."

Aang shifted so that he faced her better. Toph remained leaning on the column and facing the centre of the courtyard.

"Desperate?" the Avatar echoed.

"Desperate," she confirmed. "They were desperate and driven. Long story short, they're drive was personal."

There was a silence before she heard Aang's sharp intake of breath. "Ah."

Toph nodded and stood up straight and faced her friend. "They're trying to get Zuko back for something he did to them. Something that had taken something they need restored."

Aang tensed. "Their honor."

Toph nodded grimly. "The thing that makes these people different than the rest is that they're past the point of driven. They won't stop for anything."

Aang scratched the back of his neck. "Why would they come to the celebration now? After only one exchange? You'd think they'd wait for more money to launch the attack."

Toph shook her head. "I don't know. But I do know one thing, Twinkle Toes. This isn't THE attack. It's probably the first of many."

Aang didn't respond and Toph was pretty sure that she wouldn't have been able to find a response to any comment he could've thought of.

"Ow! Sokka! That was me!"

"Well maybe if you hadn't made a sudden movement I wouldn't have panicked!"

Katara rolled her eyes, though she knew her brother couldn't see her. Not only was it incredibly dark since they were a ways away from the celebration and the palace, but it was also incredibly quiet. Which I probably why her brother was so jumpy. Also he had insisted on taking the lead. So Katara was stuck making sure he didn't fall in anymore holes or whatever it was Sokka did to get himself into impossible situations.

"Is the Mighty Warrior scared?" she teased him.

Sokka scoffed as they continued along the sand. Suddenly Sokka stopped.

"I heard something."

Katara massaged her temples. They had been at it for around thirty minutes and if they were gone for much longer their absences would be noted by many people. In those thirty minutes it had been a repeat. Sokka would hear something. Sokka would panic. Sokka would hit Katara in his panic. Katara hit Sokka back.

"No! Wait. I don't just hear something! Katara! Look!"

The waterbender immediately went into her own little warrior mode and crouched down by where her brother was on his knees peering around a small bush.

Sokka pointed towards the cliff side. "See that giant rock? It has a small emblem. I thought it was just me but it's actually there."

Katara squinted and realised that every now and then a smooth, dark, shiny spot on the dark rock would shimmer showing her that a very small part of the rock was marked by, most likely, some sort of metal. Or possibly polished rock.

She felt someone tap her shoulder and faced her brother with a raised eyebrow.

Sokka jabbed his thumb towards the rock. "I want to look at it."

Katara rolled her eyes. "Oh, NOW you're asking my permission to do something."

Sokka went without her and approached the rock carefully. He ran his hands over the emblem with a frown. "It's all rock. I'm sure that someone could've used earthbending to make this, but it's way too precise. It was hand carved."

"Toph could've done something like this," Katara pointed out snarkily.

Sokka made a face at her and walked up to the cliffside tapping his foot and his con thoughtfully as he observed the sheer wall.

"You're going to think I'm crazy," he began slowly.

Katara waited patiently, knowing that her goofball of a brother was going to say something worth listening to.

"But I think there's a cave on the other side of this cliff face."

Katara blinked. "You seem to forget one of our friends is the best earthbender in the world. She was camped out here for hours. How would she miss something like that?"

Sokka frowned. "I know. That's why I said it's a crazy idea. But look." He pointed a finger and traced a path up the cliffside. "The rocks here, they're divided from each other cleanly and in a straight line. Sure, they're separated from each other by a fraction of a centimetre but..."

Katara nodded. "Intuition."

Sokka gave a small grin. "What's it going to take to get you to use the word 'instincts' again?"

"When referring to you? Probably never. You ruined that for yourself."

There was a pause. "I wonder why she couldn't sense this."

Katara took Sokka's elbow and steered him back towards the palace. "We need to go back anyway. People are missing us and I'm sure something is going to happen. Zuko almost never guessed wrong."

Sokka nodded. "Hold on."

He ran back to the cliffside and plucked a small plant from the ground. He carefully perched it in between two of the split rocks and let it sit there.

Katara tilted her head a little. It was a pretty smart plan. If she hadn't seen him put it there she wouldn't have known it was there. It would take a sharp eye to find the small green plant. But she had faith in her brother. Despite his past antics.

"Okay!" Sokka put an arm around her shoulders. "Let's party!"

She sloshed some water in his face and he immediately removed his arm. Katara smiled sweetly at him as he sputtered. They made eye contact and there was a pause before both siblings laughed and continued walking back together, momentarily forgetting about the issue at hand.

It was a shame they missed the man following them back to the palace.

"I have to say, that speech was well prepared. Not at all like last year."

Zuko whirled around to find his uncle standing in the doorway, his arms folded inside his sleeves.

"Uncle! You startled me! What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Nephew. A Firelord should not stand idly in an empty corridor while his people and friends celebrate elsewhere."

Zuko groaned and ran a hand down his face. "I don't know what to do Uncle. I don't know who's after me or why, and I feel like I'm overreacting to this!"

Iron frowned. "Then why not do something about it?"

Zuko looked at his uncle in frustration. "Because I don't want to risk people's lives!"

Uncle nodded. "I trust your friends are aware of the threat?"

Zuko nodded slowly. "Mostly."

Iron took a deep breath and exhaled but said nothing.

"I'll go back, Uncle. I just...needed a break." Zuko turned towards the ballroom when his uncle's voice interrupted him.

"Zuko." The Firelord paused. "Remember that some problems are better sorted by testing the unknowns and learning what isn't to be done rather than carefully treading and making mistakes along the way which you do not understand nor recognise."

Zuko didn't acknowledge Iroh's words and headed back into the ballroom. When he entered he was greeted by noise. Laughter, conversation, music. A few who saw him entered bowed low, but he nodded and smiled, telling them without words to go enjoy themselves and not mind him.

Zuko carefully scanned the room, and when he didn't see any familiar faces (or heads), he headed into the courtyard. Once out there, he paused at the top of the small staircase and scanned the much smaller crowd and the couples scattered across the place.

He had almost given up when he heard a not-so-lady-like snort, heard a sharp, familiar "OW!" and felt a small breeze that only moved within a small vicinity.

Zuko rounded the corner at the edge of the courtyard and found Aang and Toph laughing in between two columns. He immediately relaxed at the sight of his friend's happy interaction.

"Ah! And here comes the Big Bad Firelord!" Toph said dryly. "Learn anything interesting?"

Zuko ignored her and nodded to Aang. "Aang."

Aang smiled. "Hey, Zuko!"

"Have you seen Sokka and Katara?" he asked the two.

Toph and Aang were silent for a second. "Nope," they replied simultaneously.

"They're not in the ballroom?" Aang asked, suddenly serious.

Zuko shook his head.

Toph tilted her head, obviously trying to see if she could 'see' the water tribe siblings.

"Actually Zuko," she began.

"ZUKO!" came an all too happy voice that made the Firelord frown.

Sokka wrapped an arm around the slightly taller man's shoulders. "I see the gang is all here!"

Zuko frowned even more, if that was possible. "Look, I wanted to talk to you about something," he said gruffly, shoving Sokka away from him.

"And we needed to tell you something, too," came another familiar voice from behind him.

Zuko spun around to find himself face to face with Katara. Well, that wasn't entirely accurate since he was technically taller than her. He slowly took in her appearance.

He had only seen her once this evening and that had been when he was giving his speech. She had looked wonderful from a distance and he had even had to tell himself to focus on the speech before he had stated.

His uncle's words were true: last year's speech had definitely been...disastrous. For a number of reasons. Let's just say Zuko wasn't inclined to allow his friends in the front of the room while he was giving a special address.

Zuko drew his mind back. Katara had looked wonderful from a distance, but up close she was...well he couldn't think of any adjectives that applied. Gosh what had happened to him? This wasn't normal...

Toph cleared her throat and Zuko felt his face get a little warm.

"Uh, hi. Katara," he said slightly awkwardly.

"Hi...," she said slowly.

Zuko mentally slapped himself. This was worse than when he had tried to get the gang to trust him way back when. He didn't need to prove anything to Katara! He had her trust! They were friends! In fact they had not only travelled together, they had been on diplomatic missions, galas, parties, gotten drinks, had dinner, helped each other when they needed it, and more.

So why...this? Why now? Zuko inwardly winced as he realised this was a long time coming. He had denied himself for too long. Fine. He'll acknowledge it. Later.

The entire mental train took less than a few seconds and Zuko cleared his throat. "I think we should all talk."

Everyone looked at each other and they moved deeper into the shadows of the columns.

It didn't take much for Zuko to recap what had occurred in his bedroom, for Katara to talk about his recovery period, for Toph to explain the lack of activity by the rock, and for both Sokka and Katara to explain where they had been, why, and what they had found.

"You did what?!" Zuko said loudly.

Everyone shushed him.

"You shouldn't have gone by yourselves!" he growled, much quieter.

"I can defend myself just fine, thank you!" Katara said sharply.

"It's not you I was worried about," Zuko muttered. He heard Sokka make a strange noise and ignored it.

"So basically you want to know if these guys are real?" Toph said, scratching her leg, not caring that she was hiking her dress a little high.

"We know they're real, Toph," Aang commented smartly. Toph socked the Avatar in the side.

"I meant whether they should be treated as a threat."

Zuko nodded. "Yes. And now that you all know about the money they're demanding...well they didn't want people to know about that."

"How would they know you told anyone, though?" Katara asked aloud.

No one responded.

"Well," Sokka began, sticking a finger straight up in the air in his 'know it all' fashion.

He was interrupted by the sound of an explosion and a bunch of screams from inside the palace.

Aang and Zuko looked at each other then sprinted towards the ballroom, their friends in tow.

Skidding around the corner, Zuko saw mass panic. People were running everywhere, some using bending to fight off...well something he couldn't see. People were making a beeline for the doors behind the gang and before Zuko could process anything else, the doors slammed shut, the torches lighting the room went out and the drapes closed around the windows. In just a. Few seconds, the room had gone pitch black. And completely still.

"Is everyone still here?" Zuko said aloud.

"There's someone else here," came Toph's voice.

Zuko froze.

"I have to say, I was wondering when you'd begin to doubt me," came a vaguely familiar voice. "I knew you'd never fully considered me a threat until you saw what I could do."

Zuko didn't answer. Someone grabbed his hand and he immediately grasped it back. It was smaller than his, probably either Katara or Toph. He doubted the latter would do such an action.

"So I'll let you know how much I need you to keep to yourself. You have two days to find them, or they disappear forever."

There was a movement by the furthest window as the drapes flashed open to reveal a silhouette jump through the opening and run away.

"Hey!" Katara shouted and she pursued them, using her waterbending to travel faster.

Zuko relit the room and turned around to find only Sokka standing there looking shaken up and rather frightened.

"Aang and Toph...," Zuko breathed.

Sokka hadn't moved and Zuko stepped closer. "Are you...okay..." He trailed off.

Zuko saw the rope tied securely to Sokka's ankle. He followed the rope with his eyes along the wall and along the ceiling...and cursed.

Sokka couldn't move. If he did...well he's release a ship's worth of blasting jelly into the ballroom. It would take out more than just this side of the palace.

The barrels of the explosives had been hidden among the streamers and fabric along the ceiling and walls. Zuko cursed himself again. The decorators. Who else could have...

And his friends were gone...

Zuko let out a shout of anger.

He had lost this round.

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—Iason