Chapter Twenty Eight

Necessary Actions

"Isn't that the sweetest thing?"

Zuko whirled on the newcomer, for he recognized the voice. Lieutenant Jee and Tahno were standing at the side of the road. How they had caught them, or snuck up behind without his notice was a mystery to Zuko. He placed himself between Jee and Song, and struck a firebending pose. Jee merely waved a hand dismissively.

"I'm not looking for a fight, Prince Zuko." He said. Tahno removed his helmet and shook his head in agreement.

"Then why are you here? How did you find us?" Zuko asked, his voice rife with tension.

"Perhaps we could sit down and discuss things over a cup of tea? The road has been long, and my old bones could use a rest." Iroh cut in, raising his hands placatingly.

Zuko heard a sound behind him as Song swallowed. He was about to reassure her that things would be okay when she spoke. Her voice was shaky, and her anxiety over the situation was apparent. "I have some ginseng tea inside. We could…"

"No, it's-" Zuko began to tell her that they wouldn't intrude on her home, but his uncle interrupted him. In an extremely excited, and perhaps too loud, voice his Iroh said, "We would love to!"

Zuko groaned internally. He did not want to force Song to take two strange firebenders into her home, especially considering that he did not yet know if they were enemies. Thinking of a solution, he said, "On the porch. We won't intrude on your hospitality more than we already have."

He shot his uncle a glare, and then almost shot a fireball at Tahno, who chose that exact time to scratch his nose. He glared at Tahno, who smirked. Zuko decided that the young man had waited until the right time so as to mess with Zuko. Such had been his habit as a palace guard before Zuko's banishment. He had started merely a month before the fateful day of his agni kai, and had volunteered to go with him on his search.

Iroh nodded his acquiescence, and Song led the way towards the house. Zuko was loath to take his eyes off of the newcomers, even if he had known them for years. Neither of them had shown him any great degree of loyalty, and he suspected that they were in the midst of Azula's machinations.

Uncle Iroh followed Song, and Zuko nodded for his two former crew members to follow. They did, and Zuko walked a few paces behind them, ever vigilant for an attack. When they passed through the fence gate, Jee and Tahno paused to look at it. The men frowned, and Tahno said in a carrying whisper to the lieutenant, "This fence looks horrible."

"Can you hurry up?!" Zuko said angrily, slightly embarrassed at their comments. He had been the one to mend the fence, and he knew it was bad. That didn't mean that he liked to have it pointed out.

"Always so quick with the orders. You're not my commanding officer anymore, in case you had forgotten." Tahno quipped. Zuko clenched his fists. He took a slow breath and let his anger slip away.

In a short time, they were seated around a table that Song had procured for them and, when she made to serve tea, Zuko took the pot from her. He could see that she was uncomfortable with the presence of the uniformed firebenders, and he tried to alleviate some of her stress by serving the tea himself. If he could help by putting at least some distance between them, he would do so. Jee and Tahno exchanged a look at the action, but said nothing.

"Song," Zuko said softly, "You can wait inside if you want, you don't have to be out here if you don't want to."

"N-no, it's fine, Lee. Or, Zuko, apparently." Song spoke, and the young prince thought he could hear a touch of irritation at the end of her statement. He decided to ask about it later, although he assumed it was because he had accidentally brought Jee and Tahno here. Zuko nodded in response and turned his attention on the two men.

"How did you find us?" He asked, looking at Jee.

"Tahno here spotted a small boat while on watch this morning. He informed me of it, and I decided to check the shore in the direction it was heading. We saw an indistinct mass in the water that appeared to be the right size, and a pair of familiar tracks leading away from the scene. We decided to follow you."

"Why? Surely you sent for reinforcements. You know the two of you could not defeat us on your own." Iroh said, examining the pair over his cup. Jee shook his head, but it was Tahno who spoke next.

"No, we didn't. We… have some questions."

"What questions?" Iroh inquired politely. Zuko stared down the two men in disbelief. He was not inclined to believe… well, maybe they were telling the truth. He had never known either of them to lie, so perhaps they spoke the truth.

"When I arrived at the infiltration point to search for Princess Azula," The Lieutenant began, "Ensign Temma told me that you betrayed the Fire Nation, and aided the Avatar by telling him of the plot to capture the Moon Spirit."

Zuko didn't respond. He watched the older man in silence. Jee nodded, taking his silence as admission.

"What I want to know, is why?"

Taking in a slow breath, Zuko closed his eyes for a moment. Opening them again, he could see Song watching them from the corner of his eye. He focused on the pair in front of him and spoke, "I have come to realize that the war is wrong. The reasons given for it are a lie. It was here, in this exact spot, that I finally understood, even if I didn't accept it at the time. The Fire Nation has dis-honored herself, and I can't continue to help her do so."

He took a sip of his tea. "The Air Nomads were destroyed. The southern Water Tribe was crippled, and Zhao intended to kill the Moon Spirit. We all depend on the balance, and so it was for the good of all nations, including ours, that I told the Avatar."


"Well, I want to hear about it!" Katara said, looking at her brother. He had been completely unresponsive and mute for weeks, and now he was acting like a child!

"It's really not important…" Sokka said, rubbing the back of his head absently.

"I don't know, Sokka, I think it might be. Whatever happened in there made you choose to leave the void, and I for one really want to know." Aang added, steering Appa low over the treetops.

"Ugh… fine." Sokka said with a groan. "And I didn't leave it, I kind of fell out, I guess."

"How do you fall out of the void?" Katara asked curiously. Sokka shrugged.

"I… just listen, and don't interrupt!" He said with a glare. And with that, he began his story.


"Won't you just tell us?" Ty Lee quipped. Azula was still stuck in ice, and Mai was working from the feet up to thaw her. Azula scoffed in response.

"And why would I ever do that?"

"Because otherwise we'll just have to guess. I doubt that what happened there was any more embarrassing than what we could imagine." Mai said without looking up. Ty Lee's eyes lit up at the idea.

"Actually, Mai's right! Don't tell us! I can already see you and Sokka in the tunnel, 'Oh, Sokka, my love, we're trapped in here together, whatever shall we do?' " Ty Lee used a completely inaccurate and swooning voice to impersonate Azula, and it had the desired effect. The princess glared at her and her cheeks flushed.

"Ty Lee! I would never say anything so… so…!" She couldn't think of a word that would aptly describe her displeasure.

"Well what happened then?" Mai said, "If you don't tell us something then I'll have to believe in Ty Lee. Nobody here wants that."

"Hey!" Said Ty Lee, but she was ignored.

"Fine!" Azula snapped. She thought back to the cave-in and began a summary of the events.


Azula groaned. She wasn't entirely sure what had happened, but it was completely dark. She couldn't see anything. She had landed on something soft and warm. Once she began to move, the soft thing became colder, until it seemed as cold as the grave. She sat up, and whatever it was made a sound as it hurried away. There was a brief illumination by a soft, pale light, and she could see the figure of a man before the light was doused. Azula remembered what had happened. She had been fighting Sokka, and then she had been tossed into the cavern. By the Avatar no doubt.

Igniting a fireball, she assumed an offensive position. She was given pause when the light from her fire did not extend past her hand. She frowned, and tried to make the flame grow bigger. It worked, but the increase in light was fractional. It didn't reach nearly as far as it should, and barely illuminated the space around her.

Sokka watched the enemy princess. When he had drawn his sword, it had glowed with the light of the moon. Odd, he thought, as it had only done so when he swung it before. Perhaps it was the total darkness of the cave, or perhaps it was something else. It was a matter that he could ponder at a later date. For now, he had to find a solution to this problem.

He leapt silently to the side as a jet of flame shot past him. He eyed the firebender. He wasn't sure what to do about her. Wrapped in the emotionless stillness of the void, he considered killing her. It would have been easier than trying to drag her though the cave with him, but he didn't think that was necessary. He met the young woman's eyes, though she couldn't see him while he suppressed the light of her fire.

He furrowed his brows. There was something different about her. He opened his third eye with a thought, and looked inside. She was still free of Vaatu's influence, of that he was certain, but there was a cloud over her heart. As if a storm had rolled across once calm waters and ravaged the shore. She was hurting, although he could not say why. She was hurting, yes, but not broken. There was something else, something brighter. Perhaps it was new, or maybe he just hadn't seen it before. She had fire in her eyes.

As the flames in Azula's eyes caught hold of him, Sokka felt a shock, as if lightning had struck inside his mind. He was ripped from the void with such force that he took a stumbling step back, the noise of which caused Azula to kick fire at the place he had been. Sokka took no notice of the attack however, as the storm of emotions that were part of the human condition warred for dominance within him.

Azula heard a staggering footstep and a gasp, followed by labored breathing. She kicked a wave of fire in the direction, but it didn't connect. She was considering charging toward the sound, when Sokka spoke.

"How did you do that?" Sokka asked. Azula rolled her eyes.

"I'm a firebender, genius, it's what we do." She hadn't thought he was dense, but perhaps he had been hit in the head by a rock.

"Not that, I know what a firebender is, obviously." Sokka replied from the darkness.

"Then what? Stand? Look around? I have no idea what else you would be talking about." She said, and she was honestly confused.

Sokka heard the honesty in her voice, and he didn't get the sense that it was a lie. Maybe there was a time limit after all, or maybe she just had some unknown abilities that even she was unaware of. He was glad he had decided not to kill her. When he remembered how casually he considered the action, he felt sick to his stomach. How could he have even considered doing that when he could just… leave her there. Surely she wouldn't be able to follow him, and who knew how long it would take for someone to dig them out. Sokka assumed that Azula had some Fire Nation soldiers following her who would try to free her. Probably, he thought, they might just assume she was dead…

A sharp pain of emotion lanced through his chest at the thought. Not because he was overly concerned with her wellbeing, no, but because he knew that Yue would have been disappointed in him, and thinking of her made his heart ache with despair. She would not have left someone to suffer alone in the dark, even if she was an enemy. Sokka looked at Azula with his third eye, and could see her more clearly. After he went to Koh for more power, as the Face Stealer predicted he would upon their first meeting, his third eye was more perceptive. He could see the most direct paths taken by chi in the body, and even the weak points along them. He picked his targets and rushed forward.

Azula heard a flurry of footsteps approach her and she shot out with her firebending. She felt a quick succession of light punches across her arms and back and her fire went out. She tried to loose a gout of flame from her other hand, and then both of her legs. Nothing happened. She took a step back. Non-bending combat hadn't been something she had studied, but she was strong, and she would try and capture the First Son regardless.

"I propose a truce." Sokka said from beside her. Azula whirled in his direction, and still she could see nothing. She swung a fist towards the voice and missed, and again Sokka spoke.

"What is wrong with you?! We're trapped in a labyrinth under a mountain! Calm down!" He said with irritation.

"I am calm, and how can you see me? It's completely dark. Surely your hearing isn't that good." She answered. There was a pause, and then the pale white light from before filled the cave. Sokka had drawn his sword, and it radiated light like the summer moon. Azula blinked at the weapon, and remembered Hahn's comment about Sokka's sword. Maybe it was magic after all.

Azula was unarmed, unable to bend, and trapped in the dark where the only source of light could easily spell her undoing. A truce sounded pretty good at that point.

"Fine then. A truce until we get out of this sun forsaken cave." With that she began to shift rocks to the side. She moved a few middle sized stones, and then attempted to move the larger ones.

"There's no point in doing that." Sokka said, looking at her with an expression she couldn't identify. Azula glared at him.

"In case you had forgotten, my friends, the Avatar, your sister, and a group of dimwit musicians were standing exactly where the rocks fell. In addition to that, as far as we know, this is the only exit."

Sokka shook his head. "The others are okay. I can hear them."

"How can you possibly hear them? And people think I'm the liar."

"I don't have to explain myself to you!" Sokka snapped back. "Suffice it to say that I just can."

Azula scoffed, and rolled her eyes. She turned her head to look at him, and when she met his eyes she was surprised by what she found. When she first looked upon them, they had been empty, as if just the living shell of a dead soul. Now, they were filled with an allconsuming, ocean colored despair. He bore a hopelessness and sense of loss that bit deeply into his soul.

Sokka blinked in surprise at the sudden look of concern on the Princess's face. It was quickly shed by a mask of irritation, and Sokka looked behind him. There was nothing there, and he thought it could have been a ruse, to get him to lower his guard so that she might strike him with a rock. He quickly returned his sight to Azula, but she had not moved.

"Are you planning to just stay here then? There is an exit, and we'll find it eventually. If you want to stay here in the dark, be my guest. I'm sure that you'll dig your way out in a few years, or perhaps Iroh will find a way to get through."

He saw the subtle flame of anger flash across her face. But in a moment it seemed to be chased by sorrow, and he couldn't begin to understand why. His third eye was opened, and it seemed that the storm cloud within her flared when he said her uncle's name. He thought back to his last encounter with the man. He had fought off Zhao, right before…

A knot formed in his throat, and his instincts told him to flee into the void. Before he could, he remembered the words of a long dead guru. Instinct is a lie, told by a frightened body praying to be wrong. The words gave him pause. Why was he so desperate to get away from the pain? Wasn't that part of what it meant to be human? He remembered what his father had told him years ago. Fear, hope, love, and pain were part of life. He thought that perhaps loss was too.

"He's a traitor, and he won't be coming." Azula said firmly, her anger and sorrow leaking into her words. She stood, and began to walk off into the tunnel. Sokka followed after.


Zuko watched as Jee absorbed his words. The man nodded slowly, and Tahno didn't react. Zuko spared a quick glance for Song, who wore an unreadable expression. His uncle merely sipped his tea, his calm demeanor disarming the others.

"Another matter then," Jee said, "When I was in port waiting for the armada to depart, I took a trip to a tavern. While there, I heard a rumor. This particular rumor came from a man who had been a high ranking palace guard, and he told me of a war meeting that took place the day of your banishment."

Zuko stiffened. He saw Song move her hands anxiously, but Jee continued. "Is it true? Did you try to save the forty first?"

Zuko eyed him, and said, "Yes." he then gestured to his scar. "But I failed, and this is what I got for my efforts. The Fire Lord said it was for my refusal to fight, that I would learn respect. But now I think he would have done it anyway, or perhaps more…"

Song gasped, covering her mouth. "You mean that-" She cut herself off. Zuko nodded, guessing her meaning. He met her eyes and saw pity, a look that he never cared to receive. He returned his attention to the two men, both of whom had a wetness to their eyes. He gave his uncle a confused look, but Tahno spoke.

"My little brother was in that division." His voice was rife with a long held sadness, "He was just a boy, only seventeen."

"My nephew, he perished in the battle." Jee said, "My sister's never been the same. He was her pride and joy."

"I'm sorry," Zuko said, "I didn't know, I should've tried harder, I could've-"

"No, you did all you could, Prince Zuko." Tahno said, regaining some of his usual formality. Zuko found it odd that he would switch back so quickly. "What more could you do? A boy of thirteen, and the only one brave enough to defy the Fire Lord."

Jee nodded, and then swallowed. He looked down slightly, as if gathering his strength, and said, "Please, Prince Zuko, you must join the Avatar! Help him to dethrone the tyrant that is your father, and take his place as Fire Lord!"

Zuko's mouth fell open in shock, astounded at his former lieutenant's request. He stared at the man, who had always seemed to hold him in low regard, and spoke of him as a spoiled child when he thought Zuko could not hear. Had one fact changed the man so much? Or maybe he was desperate to bring peace, that he thought that even Zuko would be a better Fire Lord.

"You want me to openly turn against the Fire Nation and rebel against the throne? To cast aside our people and join the Avatar? Who would support me in my claim for Fire Lord?" He got to his feet and paced, running his fingers through his hair. He laughed, "I can see it! I'll just walk in with the Avatar and sit on the throne. It'll be great!"

He shook his head. "No, should I do that then the people would never support my rule. They would call me traitor, and decry me as usurper. At best it would be civil war, but far more likely that I'll be killed to make way for Azula, or Zhao. Even if I join Aang, someone else would have to take the throne."

Jee and Tahno looked at iroh, who shook his head. They exchanged a glance, and then Tahno spoke. "We have considered that, and, well, we've thought up a plan. We didn't want to begin until we knew the truth behind what rumors we heard, but now that we know…"

"So, what is it?"

"There is… a lot of discontent in the military." Jee stated. Tahno nodded his agreement and continued the lieutenant's thought, "It's true, we're all tired of war! Especially in the newer colonies, like this one!" He waved a hand around vaguely.

"If the people knew the truth, about why you were banished, and how you got your scar, they would support you! Nearly three thousand men were in the forty first, and they came from almost every village, city, and town in the homeland."

"You want me to start a full on rebelion?!" Zuko asked in disbelief, "That would mean civil war!"

Iroh cleared his throat. "Not necessarily, Prince Zuko. If the people knew the truth, then they would accept you as Fire Lord, they may even refuse to fight if you joined the Avatar."

Zuko dragged a hand down his face, exasperated. The subtle burning that he felt every time his scar was touched hurt, but he ignored it as usual. This conversation had really gotten away from him; how had he let it get here?

"Even if I did join Aang, how will I get the people on my side? Fly around on his Bison and drop leaflets?" Zuko said. He could just see it, he and the airbender flying across the archipelago and deploying thousands of leaflets. The foolish boy always flew too low, they would be shot down. He made a mental note to address the issue when he joined him.

"We've thought of that." Jee said, "We would spread the word. Us, and a few others. The men who sailed with you, and some of the survivors of the siege. After that fiasco, the war has become even more unpopular."

Zuko sat down. He opened his mouth, closed it again, and pinched the bridge of his nose. He took a deep breath, and said, "I need to think. I'm going on a walk."


"Is he here too?" Sokka asked, his voice carrying a bitter anger.

"I assume you don't mean here literally, and I don't know who you're speaking of."

"Zhao."

Azula briefly considered lying, and then she did. "Yes, he's-"

"Don't lie to me, Azula." Sokka said. This gave Azula pause, for again he had known she was lying.

"How do you do that? How do you know that I lied? I'm a very good liar, and you're the only person to catch me."

"I'm not sure, but tell me, what of Hahn? Is he around here?" Azula could sense a subtle hunger in his words, as if he longed for the betrayer's death, and she guessed that he did.

"No, Zhao took that clown with him to the Fire Nation, along with his father."

The corner of Sokka's mouth turned slightly upward for a second when she called Hahn a clown, but it resumed its neutral station in a second.

"He is no clown. He is cunning and cruel, do not underestimate him."

Azula put on a thoughtful expression and tapped her chin. "I don't think that I could underestimate him, you see, that's quite impossible."

Again his mouth tugged into a light smile, and he exhaled rather sharply. For a reason she couldn't explain, she felt that she wanted to see more of that. She thought for a moment, and decided that it would get him to lower his guard. Yes, that was it. No other reason.

"Thinking more on it," She continued, "I guess that you're right. He is no clown; he is the entire circus."

She was rewarded by a slight smile, and then a small chuckle. The chuckle grew, and Sokka began to laugh. The laughter was short lived, however, and he soon regained his dreary countenance.

The pair walked in silence for a time, and eventually Sokka asked her a new question.

"What happened to you?"

Azula raised an eyebrow. She glanced down her armor, but saw nothing amiss. She reached up and felt her hair, thinking that perhaps it had come undone, but it was still in place. She looked at him, and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Sokka held his sword in the other hand. The leather on the grip creaked as it rubbed against his skin. "Something happened to upset you. It looks like it hurt pretty bad."

Azula scowled. How could he tell? It was disconcerting how perceptive he was.

"Oh, your sister didn't laugh at my Zuko impression when first we met."

Sokka stopped in his tracks to look at her. What she had said didn't seem like a lie, but maybe he couldn't always tell. Or maybe what she said was true, but it wasn't the reason she was upset. As he stared at her, she covered her left eye with a hand and spoke in a gruff voice that sounded nothing at all like Zuko, "I must capture the Avatar to restore my honor."

He stared, and then he closed his eyes. The absurdity of the situation hit him, and he began to laugh at it all. Here they were, enemies on opposing sides of a century long conflict. They were trapped under a mountain and separated from their respective people by a cave-in. He had neutralized her bending, and now she was doing bad impressions of her older brother? It was insane, so much was so serious, and this girl was making jokes? All he could do was laugh. And then he laughed some more. He wiped his eyes, and saw her smirking in triumph. He decided he rather liked that look, and immediately felt guilty for doing so.

Azula felt pride in herself. Now it would be easy to get him to let his guard down, surely that was why she had done it. She just wanted to make him feel at ease, nothing more. That's what she told herself anyway. She almost believed it.

"If you're done," Azula said. Gesturing to the cave ahead of them. Sokka nodded, and the pair of them continued. They walked down the tunnel for a bit, and came across a drop off. The tunnel looked to continue after the drop, but they would have to descend at least twenty feet. Azula would have no qualms about it usually, but without the use of her bending, she wouldn't be able to control her fall. It meant that she would have to climb down by hand and foot. She started to lower herself over the edge, but stopped when she saw Sokka just peer over the edge. He seemed to be judging the distance.

"You're not going to jump, or are you an idiot?" she asked.

Sokka smirked slightly, and replied, "Oh, are you suddenly concerned for my well being?"

Azula's face reddened slightly. How dare he… "Of course not. But if you get yourself hurt, I'm not going to carry you through the tunnel. I'll be more than happy to watch you limp your way through."

Sokka rolled his eyes. He stepped to the edge and sheathed his sword. Suddenly they were plunged into a full darkness, and Azula heard the slight rushing of wind and then the light scuffing of boots. The light returned, and she looked down to see the First Son grinning smugly.

"Just jump and I'll catch you!" Sokka called up. Truthfully, he harbored no illusion that she would even consider doing that, and was only trying to irritate her. A task at which he succeeded.

Azula glared at him, and briefly considered prying rocks from the wall to throw at him, but decided against it. She decided to ignore his request and began her climb. The handholds were sparse, so in order to find purchase in the small crevices, she removed her hair piece and stabbed it into one such opening. She tested it briefly, and when it seemed to hold she continued down the wall. She made it a little over a quarter of the descent when the crevice she had lodged her foot in crumbled. She instinctively tried to kick a jet of flame to steady herself, but without her bending the motion just threw her off balance. She lost her hold on the wall with her left hand, and her entire weight rested on her hair piece. It held for a moment, and then she was falling backwards.

She flipped over in mid air, preparing to land into a roll that would change her downward momentum in a forward one, but Sokka darted under her with a look of panic on his face. He dropped his sword and stretched his arms up toward her to break her fall. Azula had enough time to think he was a fool before the pair of them collided. Sokka managed to catch her, but the energy of her fall caused him to stumble backwards off balance. His foot caught on a small crack in the floor and the pair of them fell to the ground. Azula landed on Sokka's chest, and when she looked up she found that their faces were so close they were nearly touching. Their eyes met, and Sokka flushed before looking away. When he turned his head, his nose rubbed the tip of her own.

Azula froze for a second, and then rolled off of her enemy. She didn't say anything, and tried to crush the slight fluttering in the pit of her stomach. She wasn't sure what that meant, but she doubted that it was a coincidence. She moved to straighten her hair, but remembered that she had let it down during the climb. She scanned the ground for the elaborate golden ornament, but her eyes landed on the glowing sword. She hadn't noticed, or perhaps Sokka had intentionally kept that side of the blade hidden from her. On the flat of the blade was a word that looked as if it had been written in shadow. It was so dark, that against the light emanating from the blade it looked as if it were an unending abyss in the shape of a single word: Regret.

"You named your sword Regret?" She said, staring at it.

Sokka didn't answer. Instead he picked up the weapon and held it aloft. He looked around at the cave floor, and spotted her hair piece. He bent down to pick it up, and noticed how sharp it had become. He didn't know if it had always been that sharp, or if it had been damaged during Azula's descent. Either way, he picked it up and slid it into a pouch at his belt.

"That belongs to me." Azula said, stalking towards him. Sokka rolled his eyes.

"Really? And here I thought it belonged to that rock over there." He started walking again. "You'll get it back once we're out of this cave."

"I will get it back now." Azula snarled, stepping in front of him.

"Oh, yeah, sure. I'll just arm the girl who's constantly trying to kill me and my friends."

"I have never tried to kill you! I only wanted to capture you."

"Oh yeah, that way Zhao and the Fire Lord could do it personally." Sokka glanced at Azula and saw the look of fury on her face. "Look, I'm not a thief. I will give it back, I promise. But honestly, I don't really trust you, so the idea of handing you something to stab me with is not something that sits well with me."

Azula stared at him, but had to admit to herself that she would do the same in a similar situation. Had the roles been reversed, she would have restrained him with the steel cuffs she had stowed within her armor. She begrudgingly conceded the point. "Fine."

"I wasn't going to stab you." She said after a few minutes of walking in silence.

"You're still not getting it back until we get out of here." Sokka said.

Azula pondered how she was going to capture him. She needed a way to get in close, and a way to get his guard lowered. She considered her options, and recalled what had happened only a few minutes ago. They had gotten remarkably close when he had caught her. Yes, if she could get that close again, she was sure that she could get him in her cuffs. How to… She got an idea. If it worked, it would be a small price to pay for his capture. She just hoped that Mai and Ty Lee wouldn't learn of it.

But how to get him to trust her enough? She couldn't lie; he could tell when she did that. She would have to be truthful, but not enough that he would catch on to her plan. What to do, what to say? She had to get close enough, and when they…

Remembering how confiding in her friends had brought them closer, she decided that if she did the same with Sokka, it might lead to the situation she was aiming for. She glanced up at him at her side and said, "My uncle betrayed me."

"What?" Sokka asked, confused by the seemingly random revelation.

"Earlier you asked what happened to me."

Sokka nodded. Azula swallowed and pressed forwards.

"He conspired with Zuko. He led me to believe that he was on my side after Zuko freed the Avatar and you from the Ilah stronghold. All the while he was planning to betray me."

Sokka nodded slowly. That would be enough, he thought, and he knew the sting of betrayal.

"My father sent me to investigate claims that Zuko had betrayed the Fire Nation, and when I had finally caught him, Uncle attacked me and my friends. He knocked Mai and Ty Lee unconscious, and incapacitated me."

"I see," Sokka said, slightly unsure what to say in the moment.

"He knows what happens to people who fail the Fire Lord, and he chose Zuko anyway. I trusted him, and he-" Azula stopped speaking. A knot had formed in her throat, and she couldn't get the words out.

"I… I'm sorry that happened to you." Sokka said, "I'm not going to pretend that I want the Fire Nation to win, because I obviously don't. But, I am sorry. I know how much it hurts."

Azula nodded but didn't say anything.

"Hahn. He was my friend, and he stabbed me in the back. Literally. Because of him… wait a minute," He stopped walking and turned an accusatory eye on Azula. "Were you part of that plan? Did you help plot Hahn and Laluk's betrayal?"

Azula shook her head. "No. I didn't learn of it until the invasion had begun, and Hahn was already on our ship."

Sokka nodded. He continued, "I figured out that there was a spy in our midst, but by then it was already too late. Had Zuko not warned us that Zhao had planned to kill the Moon Spirit, he probably would have succeeded. He nearly did anyway, but Yue…"

He stopped speaking. He took a breath and shook his head. "She has gone where I cannot follow."

"What?" Azula asked, confused.

"I made a deal with a spirit. Because of that, I can't go into the afterlife. I'll just…" He trailed off and stared into the distance.

"What spirit?" Azula asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Koh."

"You made a deal with the Face Stealer?!" Azula asked, astounded that anyone would be stupid enough to treat with someone named The Face Stealer.

"You've heard of him?" Sokka asked in surprise.

"My uncle told me about him. I didn't believe that he was real." Azua returned.

"It doesn't matter now. What's done is done."

Azula frowned. "So this Yue woman, she was the one that merged with the Moon Spirit, right?"

Sokka nodded. Azula opened her mouth to speak, but thought better of it. Why would the Moon Spirit go into the afterlife? Or maybe there was a specific part of the spirit world where only the great spirits could enter, and that was what he meant? Either way, this topic wasn't going to help her advance her cause.

The pair walked in silence, and Azula casually walked closer to Sokka. This did not go unnoticed by him, but he decided not to push more distance between them. She probably didn't want to get separated. He ignored the voice telling him that didn't make any sense.

"Is the light from your sword getting dimmer?" She asked, looking around as the cave seemed less illuminated.


Zuko walked in the late afternoon sun. He hadn't gone far, but the house was out of sight. He wondered where Ran had gone. Song's mother hadn't been seen by him all day, and their original ostrich-horse was gone. He considered asking about it, but figured it wasn't important; he had more dire thoughts to consider.

What was he to do? He didn't want his father to remain in power, that much was certain. He didn't want the Fire Nation to devolve into civil war, which he was certain would follow should he take the throne and his father live. He wondered if Aang would spare him. Even now, after suffering so much at his hand, Zuko did not want his father to die.

He was jared from his thoughts when light footsteps scuffed the packed earth of the road. He turned and saw Song coming toward him. She smiled at him nervously, and he returned the gesture, if a bit forcedly.

"I can't imagine what you're going through." Song said, "I never even thought about what it must be like in the Fire Nation."

"It's not so bad," He said, "Well, for most people."

Song nodded, and looked away. Zuko remembered the look she carried earlier, and thought about what it meant. Venturing a guess, he said, "I'm sorry I lied to you. I wish I didn't have to do that, but…"

"I understand," Song said. "You couldn't just go around telling people who you are, it wouldn't be safe. I mean, I'm still a little disappointed, but I'm not mad."

Zuko closed his eyes for a moment and leaned against a tree. He slid along the trunk to sit on the ground among the roots. After a second Song sat beside him. They stayed there quietly for a second, until Zuko spoke.

"I will join the Avatar. Other than that, I don't know."

"I see." Song said, "But who will become Fire Lord after he defeats your father?"

Zuko shrugged. In truth, he wasn't quite sure. His uncle had already refused. That left himself, Zhao and Azula. Zhao was certainly not a viable option. Azula might be, and Zuko thought her capable. But unless she somehow saw the error in the war, and became a much kinder person, he doubted her rule would be well received. Honestly, Zuko did want to become Fire Lord. Not for the love of power, but because he believed he could help his nation and the world. He cared for his sister, but a peacemaker she was not. Zuko didn't express his thoughts to Song. Instead, he stood and took her by the hand to help her to her feet.

The pair walked side by side as they returned to the house. When they got there, Jee and Tahno were waiting anxiously for his return. Uncle was merely sitting and enjoying his tea, as if they had not been discussing the future of a nation. Zuko looked at Jee and Tahno, and then nodded.

"I will join the Avatar, and I will take my father's place on the throne."


The light was growing very dim indeed. Sokka wasn't sure why, but the sword was still rather new to him, and he hadn't taken the time to test it yet. He couldn't think of a reason why it was glowing in the first place, when originally it had only left a faint trail of light behind it. When first he had drawn it in the cavern, it had shone as bright as any torch, but now it's glow illuminated barely a few feet around them.

Azula was angry about this situation, that much was obvious. He could tell because she told him as much. Several times. Apparently, she thought him an idiot.

"Just in case I wasn't clear, I think you're not smart."

"Okay!" He said, becoming angry himself now, "I get it, you don't like me. But, even now, I would not do anything differently. And besides, I don't need to wield my sword to see. That was only ever for your benefit."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows. Sokka began to respond, when his sword winked out altogether. Azula groaned, and started feeling around for the wall. If they were going to have to wait for her firebending to kick in, she might as well get comfortable.

"What are you doing?" Sokka asked, and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Can't you lose sight of me for five seconds before you think i'm up to something? I'm trying to find the wall so I can sit against it. We're going to have to wait for my bending to come back."

"No, we can just keep going. Like I said, I can see in the dark."

Azula laughed sarcastically, "Well, then, how many fingers am I holding up?" She finally found the wall and lowered herself to the floor to sit against it.

"None, you're sitting on the ground."

"Lucky guess." Azula said, leaning back.

"No, it's not." Sokka said, and he pinched the tip of Azula's nose. She flinched back in surprise and slapped his hand away.

"Don't do that!" She snapped. He had reminded her of what her mother had done when she was small, and that was not something she wanted to think about.

"Sorry, probably a bad time. Didn't really think about it." He said back, and Azula thought his tone sounded apologetic. She considered holding it against him, but decided otherwise. Not that she would tell him it was okay, either.

She felt his hand take hers, and she felt that unfamiliar fluttering in her stomach once more. "What are you doing?"

"I can see, you can't. I'm not interested and waiting for your firebending to return, and I'm not going to leave you alone here either."

"Why?" She asked.

"It would be wrong."

Azula allowed him to pull her to her feet, and to lead her through the tunnel. Occasionally, he would warn her of a stalactite, or treacherous footing. They walked for several minutes, and Azula held onto his hand the entire way. She told herself that the only reason she enjoyed doing so was because she didn't want to stay trapped in this dark cave until her bending returned.

Sokka, on the other hand, had conflicted feelings. He remembered well the first argument that he and Yue had, concerning this specific princess, and he thought that by holding her hand in this manner was somehow a betrayal of her memory. He wouldn't have thought that at all, if he hadn't come to enjoy her company, or notice the softness of her hands. It was odd, he thought, that they wouldn't be hard and calloused by training. Then again, he hadn't held the hand of a firebender before.

Ahead of them, he could see the faint glimmer of light. It broke the monotony of grays and the shifting depths of darkness that was his vision in this eternal night. He thought that it was the absolute lack of light that caused the odd sight. He could still see, somehow, but it wasn't quite the way he was used to. When he noticed the faint light up ahead, he pulled Azula close to him and asked, "Up ahead and to the left, do you see that? There's a light."

Azula squinted into the darkness, and thought she could just faintly make out a change in the degree of darkness ahead. "I think so."

Sokka pulled her along towards it, and gradually they came into a tunnel lined with glowing crystals. To one side, there was a chamber. The pair quickly glanced into it, and deciding it was unlikely to be the exit, they went the other direction. Azula realized that she could now see, but decided to forgo releasing Sokka's hand. It would fit into her plan if she maintained this level of closeness.

The two of them proceeded down the tunnel, and in time they were met with the light of day. Sokka laughed and began to run, pulling Azula along behind him. When they were at last out of that cave, he released her hand. To his surprise, Azula did not let go.

He turned to her in confusion, and found her looking up at him. He blinked, and she stepped in closer, her face tilted upwards, her lips slightly parted. He realized that she wanted to kiss him, and was going to. Part of him wanted her too, but even now his heart belonged to another. He leaned in for the briefest moment, but then closed his eyes and looked away.

"I can't."

Azula's heart fell at his words, and she was surprised by her own disappointment. She quickly pushed down the emotion as she remembered that she was trying to capture him. Perhaps that part of her plan had failed, but she could still take him prisoner. Thinking quickly, she leaned down and placed her forehead onto his chest. Sokka released her hand, and Azula struck. Putting all of her weight behind the blow, she punched him in the diaphragm. The wind was knocked out of him at the surprise attack, and he staggered backwards as he tried to suck in a breath.

Azula swept his legs from underneath him and managed to spin him around to land on his stomach, the shock of which prevented him from drawing another breath. She moved quickly, taking the cuffs she had stowed with her armor, and trapped his hands behind his back.

Sokka finally managed to suck in a breath, and he coughed violently. He rolled onto his back and saw Azula smirking down on him.

"I cannot believe you did that." He said, the hurt obvious in his voice.

"What can I say? I'm a monster." Azula replied, staring at him.

"No, you're not. You are, however, really mean." Sokka returned.

Azula scoffed. "And what makes you so sure that I'm no monster?"

Sokka's expression darkened and he seemed to look at something that wasn't there. "I have seen and fought with monsters, Azula. Believe me when I say that you are not among them."

Azula fell quite at his words.

"But still," He said, "You are a jerk!" He yelled the last sentence. "Manipulating me into thinking you were going to kiss me, just so I would let my guard down!"

"Oh, come now. You said so yourself that the truce would only last until we got out of that cave. We are at war, if you didn't know."

"Ha! So is that your excuse? Were you planning all along to trick me like that? Was that whole thing just a ruse?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She asked, leaning towards him. She picked him up by the shirt, hauling him to his knees. Suddenly, she felt the urge to follow through with her original plan.

"That was really underhanded, taking advantage of me like that." Sokka said. Azula glared at him.

"Shut up." She said, drawing him closer to gare at him.

"I don't have to, and you can't make me! I think I'll just-" Sokka was cut off when Azula pressed her mouth against his. His mouth fell open in genuine surprise, and she took that as an invitation to continue. After a moment, Azula pulled away and smirked at him. Sokka's face grew red, and before he could say anything, Azula dropped him.

Suddenly he was on his side watching Aang and Katara fight Azula. Despite not yet having reimagined her bending, she was giving them a challenge. It didn't last long, though. Eventually Katara froze her to the cliff face, and soon the three of them were airborne again.


Mai finally managed to thaw Azula out of her bonds. The princess shook the feeling back into her limbs.

"And that's everything?" Ty Lee asked. Azula nodded. Mai rolled her eyes.

"Did he kiss you back?" Ty Lee asked.

"A little."

"Well, I'm glad you've come to terms with it." She said as she stomped out the torch.

"Come to terms with what?" Azula asked. Mai gave her a disbelieving look. Ty Lee crossed her arms.

"Fine." Azula said through clenched teeth. "Maybe I do like him."


"...and then you guys found me. Just in time to, otherwise she might have dragged me off to who knows where." Sokka finished his tale.

Katara watched him with an unreadable expression. Aang, however, was not inclined to hide his reaction.

"I can't believe she did that!" He cried, "What an underhanded trick! And then she had you in chains and kissed you anyway!"

Sokka nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty mad about that."

Katara continued to watch him, but then she said, "Are you going back?"

"What?" Sokka asked, confused, "To Azula? Uh, no, I hadn't planned on it."

Katara shook her head. "I mean are you going back into the void?"

Sokka shook his head. "No, I don't think it's a good idea. It made me consider things I normally would abhor, and besides, emotions are the best and worst part of being human. Only the dead don't feel them, right?"

Aang and Katara exchanged a look, but nodded their agreement. Soon, Appa touched down just beneath a mountain top. The three companions hiked to the top to get a quick look, to see if their suspicions were unfounded. Cresting the top of the peak, they saw that their fears were confirmed. Omashu had fallen.


Author's Note:

Hey all, I know I put lots of notes in here, but I like to communicate with the reader, even if you don't always say anything back.

This is by far the longest chapter I've written, at 8,620 words not including this note. It's roughly double the length of the previous updates in Part Two. Also, this story is currently the fifth most followed story in posted in the last six months! I know it doesn't matter very much, but it makes me feel good. It's good to see my hard work pay off.

I made a few small changes to the last couple of chapters, mainly to increase the number of men lost in the 41st. Other stuff was to make it smoother and sound better. If you're interested, go back and take a second look at Sokka's fight with Fong in chapter 25.

If you feel so inclined, please let me know what, if any, scenes or lines of dialogue/narration stuck out if any. I particularly enjoyed, "...an allconsuming, ocean colored despair." Really the whole end of that paragraph was something I enjoyed writing.

Thanks for reading, Charlemagne OR WHATEVER

12/10/2022