Zuko was surprised that he wasn't already dead. It kind of felt like he was.

His head was pounding, a dull beat against his skull that was complemented by the jolting lurches throwing him around his cell. His wrists already felt raw from the cuffs. The various scrapes and cuts on his body stung, most likely from the sand. Normally this wouldn't faze him, he had dealt with worse, after all. But his friends were still out there.

The only thing that he knew for sure was that Toph had gotten away. The blood dripping down his forehead attested to that. It was worth it. She was only twelve, just a kid who didn't know what she was getting herself into, and Zuko wouldn't be able to live with himself if she had been captured alongside him. He knew exactly what he was doing and what the consequences would be if he was caught.

He hissed again as the tank made a sharp turn. The vibrations made his metal cell extremely uncomfortable. He couldn't even use his hands to catch himself- they were fully enclosed in firebender-grade cuffs, designed to burn the bender if they tried to free themselves.

Aside from the medley of injuries his father had lovingly bestowed on him, he was also just exhausted. They had been run down like animals, and Zuko had nothing left to give. He hadn't even been able to walk to the tank. Ozai's men had forced him to march in the hot desert, but when his legs gave out they didn't stop. They simply dragged him the rest of the way.

He really hoped that the others were doing better than him. With Appa as exhausted as he was, there was really no hope of rescue for him anytime soon. Ozai was probably only keeping him alive to bait the others, anyways.

He tried hard not to think about how Azula was doing without him. The others would take care of her. He trusted them. He and Azula weren't alone anymore. It was something he had been carrying with him since Mother was killed, a heavy burden that weighed down on his shoulders, that was finally lifted. Azula wouldn't be alone.

He just wished that he didn't have to be, either.

The tank shuddered to a halt some time later. When his cell door opened, Zuko was roughly blindfolded and led forward. As he exited the tank (more like shoved out), he was surprised to smell the ocean. The rough terrain turned to boards under his feet, then to the cold metal he instantly recognized as a Fire Nation warship.

Or maybe he was just hallucinating it. His head was still hurting, after all. And he hadn't slept in two days. Ozai would have found all of them if he had just kept searching- it didn't make sense for him to leave the desert. Zuko wracked his brain as he was led deeper into the ship, trying to puzzle out what Ozai's plan was. But Azula was always better at that.

His heart ached almost as much as the rest of his body.

They at least pulled the blindfold off when they threw him into his new cell. His cuffs were chained to the wall, and then he was left alone. Zuko let the rocking of the ship lull him to sleep.

Aang wrung the reins anxiously in his hands as they searched. There were no signs of a fight- no lingering smoke or fire. No flashes of lightning. But Aang couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible had happened. This was all his fault. He shouldn't have shouted at his earthbending teacher. The monks taught him to be the peacekeeper, to make others feel welcome. His friends could be hurt because of him.

He was the first to spot her. A small figure sat on a rock, and they didn't seem to see Appa approaching. Aang squinted, making out the green in the vast sandy terrain. "It's Toph!" he shouted, urging Appa down. He heard the others scrambling to hold on as they dove, Appa was too exhausted for a smooth landing.

She was sitting alone. Aang sprang forward and wrapped her in a hug.

"Toph, I'm so so sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you, that was a horrible thing to do. You were right about Appa, but we fixed it and we need to go now-" Aang stopped abruptly as Toph pushed him off. Her hands were shaking. "Toph, what's wrong? Where's Zuko?"

Toph burst into tears.

Things were bad.

Ozai had taken Zuko hours ago. It was easy to find their tracks, but they were only able to fly for a few miles before Appa collapsed again. Sokka could barely keep his eyes open, but the worry boiling in his gut kept him awake. He wasn't sure if it was the exhaustion, or shock, or maybe a bit of both, but the reality of the situation didn't quite set in until that moment. They were stuck in the desert, with only a few hours of sleep, and their friend had been captured by their homicidal father.

The others weren't handling it well.

Aang and Toph had gone quiet. It was easy to forget that they were only twelve. Aang's normally chipper attitude was gone, replaced with stunned grief.

Toph had stopped crying, but her eyes were red and glassy. She had a few burns on her arms when they found her, which Katara had healed, but she still looked shaken up. Ozai had ambushed them. It was hard to understand through her hiccuped sobbing, but it sounded like Zuko had fought them until Toph could get away.

"He let me go," Toph had said. "I could feel it- they didn't chase me. They wanted me to escape."

"Ozai wanted you to find us." Katara paced beside them, wiping at her eyes. "He knows we'll come back for him."

Sokka remembered Zuko offhandedly commenting on the bounty on their heads. He and Azula were to be killed on sight. A dark, horrible part of himself wondered if it was already too late; that Ozai had killed Zuko already, knowing that they would still come.

When they found the site where Zuko was captured, Azula had nearly passed out from hyperventilating. Sokka and Aang had managed to calm her down enough to get back on Appa, but even Sokka was on the verge of panicking at the blood they found in the sand.

When Appa finally collapsed, Azula began to follow the tracks on foot.

"Azula!" Sokka called desperately after her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm not stopping until I find him." She was stumbling now. The heat, the exhaustion, the stress- it was all too much for them. Sokka realized that they were all swaying where they stood.

"You're going to get yourself killed." Sokka ran forward, Katara following him. "Please, we just need to rest for a little-"

"Stop it!" Azula yanked her arm out of his grip. "Father is going to kill him! If we don't find him soon-"

"We can't keep going like this, Azula." Sokka insisted. "If Ozai wanted him dead then he would have done it already. He's using Zuko as bait, and if we're going to get him back then we need some sleep."

Katara, surprisingly, agreed with him. She rested a hand on Azula's shoulder. "Azula, I want to keep going too, but we're not going to be able to help him if we collapse as soon as we get there."

Azula wavered, her bottom lip trembling.

"This is all my fault." Sokka turned to find Toph behind them, her face hidden in her hair. "I should have felt them coming."

"You should have." Azula snapped. "Didn't you say you're the best earthbender in the world? You let my brother get captured!"

"That's not true!" Aang frowned. "Zuko told her to leave."

"If she hadn't run off on her own then he never would have gone looking for her!"

Sokka placed himself between them. "Pointing fingers isn't going to get Zuko back. Toph, Azula doesn't actually blame you. She's just upset." He turned to Azula. "And it's not her fault. Ozai's been tracking us for days, there was nothing she could do."

Azula sniffed, crossing her arms to hide their trembling.

"Okay, no more talking. We all need some rest." Sokka gently herded them back to Appa. "I'll take first watch. We'll sleep for a few hours, and then kick Ozai's ass in the morning."

Zuko was jolted awake by the door slamming open.

Someone entered his cell and closed the door. It was dark, and his head was still spinning, but he didn't have to look up to know who it was.

Zuko and Ozai stared at each other for a long moment. His father looked skinner, more haggard than when he last saw him in Omashu. But his eyes were the same. He wondered if Ozai had ever looked at him with anything but loathsome contempt.

"Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused me?" He asked, stepping closer to Zuko with a predatory glint in his eyes.

"Me?" Zuko scoffed. "If you hadn't tried to kill Azula then none of this would have-"

Ozai moved so suddenly that Zuko didn't even have time to flinch. He was slammed against the cell wall, the hand on his throat squeezed threateningly as he tried to cry out.

"This- is- all- your- fault." Ozai hissed, slamming Zuko against the wall to emphasize each word. He finally released him, and Zuko crumpled to the metal floor. "It should have been you! You were always the weak one, pathetically grasping at your mother's skirt. Father should have ordered for your death!"

Zuko abruptly remembered the vision of his mother in the foggy swamp. She, too, had blamed him. And there were times, many times, when he couldn't help believing it. But as Ozai savagely kicked him, he felt a flare of anger rise up.

"None of this is my fault!" He spat at Ozai's feet. "You were the one who ruined everything! You're the one who failed. You're the pathetic one." He stared defiantly at his father, who was breathing heavily like an angered bull.

"I have not failed." He hissed through clenched teeth. "Once I've captured the Avatar-"

Zuko laughed. "That doesn't matter. Azulon only sent you after us to get you out of the way."

He was roughly picked up again, this time by his chained hands. "I am here to finish what I started."

Zuko grunted as the chains around his hands began to heat up. But he didn't scream. He refused to give him the satisfaction.

"You think Azulon will be proud of you, for finally killing two teenagers? You think he approved of you killing mother?"

Something changed in Ozai's eyes. "She made her choice. Ursa's death was not my doing."

Zuko gritted his teeth as the chains grew hotter, his skin blistering underneath. "Why does it matter to you?" He gasped. "You didn't care about her. You didn't care about any of us."

"Ursa was given to me. She was mine." Ozai hissed. "And you corrupted her."

His hands were sizzling under the scalding metal. Zuko clenched his jaw to stay quiet. "You're the one who killed her."

"If you and your sister had obeyed me then she would still be alive." Ozai spat.

Zuko flinched from him, the ferocity in Ozai's gaze scaring him. Tears blurred his vision. His mother was the kindest, bravest person he had ever known. She wasn't a possession. She stood up for what was right. Ozai didn't know her at all. He didn't love her. Zuko didn't think that he was even capable of it.

"Nothing I did was ever good enough for you." Zuko snarled. "And you know what? Nothing you do will ever please Azulon either. You're not any better than me!"

Ozai grabbed his throat again. The old scars twinged painfully under his hot hands. "Shut up! In a few hours, you and your sister will be dead. And then the Fire Lord will recognize my worth."

"You're not worthy of anything." Zuko choked.

His head slammed into the wall a final time. Zuko slid bonelessly to the floor, his vision rapidly fading, as Ozai stormed out of the cell. He was plunged into darkness once more as the cell door slammed shut.

His hands, still screaming in agony, twitched uselessly in the heated cuffs. There was a sharp ache reverberating in his head, nearly blinding him from the pain, pounding his skull repeatedly. Deep, shuddering sobs took over his body as he curled up on the cold, hard floor.

Zuko closed his eyes. His last thought before darkness overtook him was of his mother's cold, blank face.

Sokka woke up with a gasp. He didn't remember falling asleep. His hand automatically went to his boomerang, but their camp was quiet. Tui shone brightly above them, so he must have slept for a few hours. He was still tired, but it wasn't the bone-deep exhaustion from this morning.

Everyone was still asleep. Except Azula.

She didn't move as he sat beside her, didn't look at him as he bumped her shoulder. In her hands lay a tiny dragon made of fire.

"That's cool." Sokka said. She didn't answer.

He wondered what she was thinking. She had been almost hysterical when they first realized that Zuko was gone. Sokka's stomach hadn't stopped churning since then. He could only imagine what he would be feeling if it was Katara who had been captured. But Azula seemed calm now. No, that wasn't right- she was cold. Detached. Numb.

The dragon flew lazily around them, gliding through the air as gracefully as Momo. She finally broke the silence. "My cousin taught me."

"I didn't know you had a cousin."

"Lu Ten. He died in Ba Sing Se a few years ago." Azula's voice wavered. "Zuko and I would make flame dragons together, to feel close to him. And after we left home- left the caldera, he would make one to cheer me up."

Sokka cautiously touched her shoulder. When she didn't shrug him off, he wrapped an arm around her and squeezed.

"After our father went to war, I practiced with my boomerang until I never missed." Sokka pulled his boomerang out, where it glinted under the moonlight. "He gave it to me a year before he left. Practicing made me feel closer to him, too."

Azula sniffed, the flame dragon now back in her hands.

"I know you're worried." Sokka started slowly. "I am, too. But there's a reason he took Zuko and let Toph leave. He's alive, Azula."

"I know. He's waiting for us. And father is, too." Her hands clenched, causing the flame dragon to disappear with a puff of smoke. "We're going to get him back."

The tracks led them to the coast.

Katara watched as Fire Nation soldiers and sailors patrolled the docks. Several Fire Nation ships were stationed there, along with a line of metal tanks. One of the ships was larger and busier than the others, so she assumed Zuko was being held there. Apparently being the prince of the Fire Nation wasn't enough, so Ozai needed to overcompensate with enormous military vehicles.

Her fists clenched. She was going to water whip Ozai back to the Fire Nation when she next saw him. Even with all of those soldiers to protect him, he was surrounded by water. Maybe luring two waterbenders to him wasn't such a good idea.

For the past few days her body had been tense, but now her stomach was literally rolling with anxiety. She was so worried about Zuko. All of them were. She was scared for him, for all of them. The reality of the danger they were in didn't seem to sink in until Zuko had been taken. Ozai was not someone to dismiss- he was a cold blooded killer who wouldn't hesitate to hurt them.

The plan was to wait until nightfall. Katara didn't like it, but she and Aang's waterbending would be more powerful when the moon rose.

They took turns resting. But Katara could not sleep, not when they were so close to him. She wasn't sure when she would sleep peacefully again. Not until the war was over, at least.

She thought about Sokka and Azula's conversation from last night. She had technically been eavesdropping, but what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them. She was glad that Azula was opening up more, even if it was with Sokka. She and Zuko had nobody to rely on except each other for so long. Katara couldn't imagine what she would do if Sokka had been captured. Her brother was a part of her, just as Zuko and Azula were connected. Growing up without parents does that. Katara completely understood Azula's panic, even if she didn't have a homicidal father.

She still felt horrible for yelling at them. Zuko was just trying to keep the peace, and she had snapped at him for it. What if that was the last thing she said to him? What if all he had to remember of her was that moment? Katara promised to herself that she would make it up to him when they got him back. Because they would get him back. She couldn't accept any other possibility.

She glanced at Toph, who was curled on her side a few feet away. All her anger at the girl had dissipated when Zuko had been taken. None of this was her fault. She had already apologized, but that didn't make it better. Nobody deserved that.

"Toph?" She whispered.

The girl jumped. "What?"

Katara scooted closer to her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have treated you that way."

"It's okay, I was kind of being an asshole." Toph rolled over to face her. "I've been coddled all my life. I was just trying to prove that I don't need help."

"We all help each other. That's what family is supposed to do."

"That's what Zuko said to me. And then I got him captured."

Katara shook her head, before realizing that Toph couldn't see it. "I thought we told you it wasn't your fault."

"I was the one who stormed off. And when Zuko found me, I didn't feel the soldiers surrounding us." Toph's shoulders began to shake. "He told me to run. I could hear them… feel them hurting him, but I left him there."

Katara took a shaky breath, tears blurring her vision. "I would have done the same thing." She placed her hand next to Toph on the ground, not sure if the girl wanted to be touched. "He just wanted to keep you safe."

"You said that family helps each other. I've already failed all of you."

"Toph, you're twelve years old. All of us are kids." Katara laughed wetly. "We're kids fighting a war that we didn't start. Just by agreeing to come with us you've shown how brave and capable you are. I trust you to watch my back. And when we get Zuko back, I know he'll say the same thing."

"Oh." Toph exhaled shakily. "Thank you."

Katara lightly touched the girl's hand, and when she didn't move, she squeezed it tightly.

Nothing was more infuriating than waiting.

There was only so much that he could do while he waited for the Avatar to come. They were children, for Agni's sake- foolishly driven by their naive feelings for each other. Why had they not immediately gone after the boy? Maybe the girl was more cunning than he thought.

Ozai soon found that he had already shouted at everyone in his vicinity at least three times today. They no longer cowered in his presence like they used to, so Ozai found little satisfaction in it. His helmsman, in particular, seemed to mock him while keeping his expression perfectly blank. He briefly considered surprising the cook with last minute extravagant dinner requests just to see her panic, but decided against it. Maybe tomorrow.

Pacing the ship had become dreadfully boring. He practiced drafts of letters to announce his capture of the Avatar to the Fire Lord. He made lists of people to banish when he returned home, the helmsman on the top of the list. Planning his homecoming outfit took him a couple of hours. But soon Ozai found himself with little to do but wait.

Eventually he couldn't stand to even bark senseless orders at his men. Ozai stormed down the halls to the one person who was to blame for his situation.

The boy flinched awake when he entered, his bloody and bruised face briefly illuminated before the door shut behind him. Ozai noted with satisfaction that the boy's hands were curled defensively to his chest. He took a moment to study him. This boy, this weakness in Agni's line, was the sole reason why Ozai was out in this Agni-forsaken land. He was only alive as bait, but the Avatar had still not come. No sign of the girl and the water tribe brats either.

"Where are they?" Ozai spat at the boy.

"How would I know?" The boy sneered.

His hands twitched, desperate to reach for the boy's throat. "Your friends must have abandoned you, then. They finally realized how weak you are."

The boy shrugged. "Maybe."

"They left you for dead."

"I don't care. As long as they got away from you." The boy's bloodied grin momentarily unnerved Ozai. Then, a surge of anger overtook him. He was the one in control! A boy in chains was not going to intimidate him.

Ozai punched his hand out quicker than lightning. But the boy ducked, leaving a smoldering crater in the cell wall, right where his head had been. The boy stared at it, panting like a dog. Ozai strode forward and punched him, hard, on the face. Too slow to dodge, the boy cried out as Ozai grabbed him by the throat again, his hands nearly as hot as the anger that raged inside him.

He would not tolerate such insolence. The boy was a disgrace to him, to the royal family. What did it matter if he killed him now? Even the Avatar and his friends had given up on him. He would be doing his duty to the Fire Lord, to Agni, by ridding the world of this traitor.

He met the boy's eyes and found no fear in them. Infuriated, Ozai raised his hand one final time.

Screams erupted above them. Ozai dropped the boy and stood up, looking to the ceiling. More screams, and then the ship rocked violently. Cursing, he stumbled to the door and ripped it open, leaving the boy crumpled on the ground.

It seemed the Avatar had finally arrived.

Slowly, the sun began to dip lower in the sky, until it barely hovered over the horizon. Katara could feel Tui rising. She became restless as Tui's light shone down on them. They couldn't wait any longer.

The first part of the plan was to drop Toph off at the docks, since she wouldn't be able to see on the metal ships. She was going to destroy the tanks.

Next, Appa flew them to the largest ship. Katara raised her arms and rocked the battleship, pushing more soldiers into the ocean. Now was time for the second part of the plan.

Aang and Azula were to stay on the deck and draw as many soldiers to them as possible as a distraction. Already, she could hear Toph booting the tanks into the ocean. Soldiers screamed and they were blown overboard. Ozai would have heard them by now.

She and Sokka plunged into the depths of the ship. Azula had briefed them on basic layouts of Fire Nation military battleships, so they knew the general location of the holding cells already. The hard part was the soldiers they kept running into. But she was a master waterbender, and Sokka had his club, which was devastating in close quarters.

They descended two flights of stairs, fighting soldiers the whole way, until they finally rounded the last corner into a large hallway.

Ozai was standing at the other end.

Katara's vision went red as he raised bloodied hands. That was Zuko's blood. The ship lurched as her anger buffeted the ocean waves. She drew all of the water out of her pouches as he slid into a kata.

Ozai's flames surged forward. She stood her ground, the wall of water she conjured taking the brunt of the blow. Steam hissed around them, burning her hands, but she didn't care. Icicles shot forward and smashed into the walls as Ozai rolled to the side.

Sokka used the steam as cover. When Ozai had come out of his dive, he was there, swinging the club and connecting with Ozai's raised arm with a satisfying crunch. The man howled, lashing out savagely with flames. Her water whip grabbed his hand just in time, allowing Sokka to back away.

Ozai seemed to realize his disadvantage. He charged forward, the flames surrounding his body like a shield, and slammed into her. Katara barely had time to react, throwing her hands up to conjure an ice block. She was knocked to the side. He was fleeing now, dodging Sokka's boomerang and sprinting for the stairs.

"Coward!" Katara screamed, her icicles slamming into the door seconds after he closed it.

Her ears were literally ringing, though she wasn't sure if it was from the anger surging through her veins or the blow against the wall. She started to follow, but Sokka stopped her by grabbing her arm.

"We still need to find Zuko." His hands went to her shoulders and shook her slightly. "Katara, hey." She blinked and finally met his eyes, the ringing dimming. "We're here for Zuko, remember?"

Katara nodded.

Together, they turned the last door in the hallway.

Every soldier that she downed was replaced by two more, but Azula didn't mind. She welcomed the thrill of battle, invigorated by the sweat pouring down her face and the blood rushing in her ears. After days of anxiety and restlessness, fighting against the enemy felt like pus draining out of a festering wound.

Aang twirled gracefully above, blasting away soldiers who snuck behind her. Appa was in on the action as well, his tail sweeping away dozens of soldiers at a time. Normally, Azula would call this a fun bonding activity, but she felt nothing but unbridled rage. These soldiers took her brother from her. These soldiers followed a man who killed her mother.

The flow of soldiers gradually lessened. That was unacceptable. Azula wanted all of them to feel her wrath. Dispatching the rest of them was almost boring.

When she locked eyes with the next man to stumble from belowdecks, the breath was nearly driven out of her body.

Ozai stopped abruptly, his eyes flickering between her and Aang. He was panting harshly, his hair nearly pulled out of its topknot, holding one of his arms to his chest. His hands were bloody.

For once, Azula felt no fear when looking in his eyes. She stood tall, her mother's daggers in her hands, ready to enact the revenge she had promised.

"Father." She said.

"Daughter."

Aang was watching her with wide eyes, but stepped back when she shook her head. This was her fight. "Go get Toph," she said, her eyes never leaving her father. This was going to be over soon.

"He lost hope for rescue, you know." Ozai grinned. "Even I couldn't believe that you would wait this long. Having second thoughts about your brother, Azula? I wouldn't blame you for wanting to be rid of that weakness."

"He's not weak." Azula snarled. Zuko had the scars to prove it. He had more courage as a child than Ozai ever possessed.

"He is a stain on the royal family- he corrupted you and your mother." Ozai began to circle her slowly. "He became your weakness. I had high hopes for you, daughter, but you gave it all up for a failure."

"Then why would you try to kill me?" Azula's voice shook, but from anger instead of fear. "If Zuko hadn't saved me then your favored child would be dead."

"You were not my first choice," Ozai conceded. "But I would not disobey the Fire Lord. He ordered for you to die, even when the clear choice was your brother."

She had guessed his reasoning, had spent years trying to understand how he did what he had done, but to hear it so plainly nearly broke her. This man, her father, was a monster. Azula found herself bitterly wishing that mother had killed Ozai that night instead of knocking him out.

"You're going to pay for everything you did." She said, raising a dagger to point at him. "We're going to end the war, and you're going to die knowing that your whole life was dismantled by your traitor children. Everything you worked for will go up in flames."

He laughed. "What would your peace loving mother think of that, daughter? Have you finally abandoned Ursa's values?"

"Don't speak her name." Mother's name was tarnished by his voice. Ursa had sacrificed herself for her and Zuko. A man like him didn't deserve to even speak her name. Her chest was tight, the years of suffering and pain he inflicted on her straining to escape. She wanted him to feel fear, to see the terror in his eyes, just as he had done to her. He needed to suffer.

But her father continued to laugh. "Azula, you were my favored child because I could sense the power in you the moment you were born. Even now I can feel it. Despite your mother's efforts, you are still my daughter."

"I am nothing like you!" Azula screamed.

Her father smiled. "You and I were born to wield power. We were born for others to fear us. You can't change who you are, daughter."

That broke something inside of her. Azula dropped her mother's daggers and leapt forward, her flames echoing her scream, intent on finally killing the man who haunted her nightmares.

Zuko was alone again.

He lay where his father had dropped him. There was screaming above him, and the ship began to rock dangerously. Or maybe the room was spinning, it was hard to tell. Zuko idly watched as his blood pooled around him, dripping from his nose. The rhythmic dripping was soothing. His vision faded in and out with the drops.

There was an ice cold tingling growing in his limbs, but Zuko didn't mind. The cold floor was soothing on his burns, and numbed his pounding head.

Zuko sighed and closed his eyes.

When he opened them, he wasn't chained to the floor anymore. Instead, he was in a dark forest. The moon shone strangely above him, glittering coldly. Katara stood in front of him. But she looked older, her hair down and wearing Fire Nation clothing. Her face was terrified, her limbs stiff, staring at something behind him.

His vision faded again. He was now in a large field, watching three figures ride ostrich horses in the distance. Their figures were hunched under the hot sun.

He blinked. Sokka was leaping over a chasm, his hand desperately reaching for him. Right before their hands connected, he was gone.

Zuko watched as Aang fell through the air in a glowing cave. His clothes were singed. There was a gaping hole in his back. He could not move to catch him.

Now Toph stood in an empty room. Her small figure turned around. Zuko only had a moment to take in her wide eyes before a metal box trapped her. He could hear her scream, pounding the sides of the box, calling for help.

He drifted for a while. Where, he didn't know. Occasionally screams would penetrate the foggy mists that surrounded him, but nobody answered when he called. He wondered if he crossed over to the spirit world. Maybe his father really did kill him.

Zuko found himself back in the glowing cave. There was only one other person in it.

Azula had her back turned to him. She did not turn, no matter how much he pleaded. Zuko strained against whatever force held him back, but he could not reach her. Darkness began to tint his vision. Azula began to walk away, ignoring his cries. Then, right before his vision completely faded, she looked over her shoulder. Their eyes met. Zuko's heart dropped to his stomach. He had never seen his sister look at him with such hatred. Her cold gaze penetrated his for only a moment before she disappeared.

Gone.

The cell was dark when they entered. There were no windows, no furniture. Just a bloody and bruised boy lying motionless on the cold floor.

"Zuko!" Her knees collided harshly with the floor as she threw herself next to him. But she was too scared to reach out, to touch him. She had done this before, when she was eight, when her mother was brutally taken from her.

Sokka was the one to grab his shoulder and gently turn him over.

Zuko didn't stir when Sokka pulled him into his lap. His head lolled onto his shoulder, revealing the swollen bruises marring his face. Blood trickled from his nose, and sluggishly oozed from the back of his head. There was a burn mark on his throat, and Katara almost became sick when she realized it was the outline of a hand.

She placed a trembling hand on his wrist. His pulse was weak, but still there. What was more alarming was how cold he felt. Zuko was the hottest person she knew, temperature wise. But now he was ice cold. Judging by the amount of blood that pooled below them, she assumed that he was hyperthermic from blood loss.

She uncapped her waterskin and placed what little was left on the back of his head. Her training with Master Yagoda in the Northern Water Tribe taught her the basics. But after she won the right to train with Master Pakku she abandoned the medical tents. Now, as Katara felt the damage done to Zuko, she wished she had stayed longer.

"Katara," Sokka gasped. Her heart clenched when she saw it too. She had been so focussed on his head injuries that she didn't even notice the chains on Zuko's hands. Peeking from under the metal cuffs was blistered skin.

She instantly gathered the rest of her water and cut through the chains. It took a couple of passes, and she had to be especially careful not to hurt Zuko (more than he already was), but they eventually snapped off.

It was suddenly hard to breathe.

Zuko's hands were severely burned. She imagined how it happened. Her stomach rolled.

There was an explosion above them, vibrating the ship. They both looked up.

"We've got to go." Sokka said regretfully. Katara reluctantly put her water away. They needed to get Zuko out of here and away from that monster. Sokka carefully adjusted Zuko so they could carry him between them. Together, they carried their friend out of the cell and up the stairs.

Her father was quick. But his arm seemed to be broken and limited his range of motion.

She fired shot after shot at him, which he dodged or blocked clumsily. Azula made sure to never let him breathe, to not give him a moment of reprieve or time to summon lightning. He had no more backup. He had no allies to save him. Azula was going to kill her father.

He was backed to the edge of the ship with nowhere to go. She readied herself for the final strike. But she paused. She wanted to savor this moment. Her father panted harshly, his eyes narrowed in anticipation. He clutched his arm to his chest. He was scared.

It only took a few seconds. In that moment of hesitation, he struck.

Azula was blown backwards by the blast and collided with something soft. When her ears stopped ringing, she realized that Aang was holding her.

Static filled the air. Lightning sparked in Ozai's hands.

There was a roar above her, then Ozai was blasted off the side of the ship. She got one glance at his startled face before he tumbled over the edge. Appa landed with a groan, turning to them and nuzzling Aang.

"Good boy, Appa!" Aang cheered, helping Azula to her feet. Azula huffed as the beast nuzzled her too. She had the perfect chance to avenge her mother, and she failed.

But her anger quickly turned to horror when Katara and Sokka emerged from beneath the ship. Zuko was between them.

She didn't know how she managed to run to them with her legs feeling so weak. Azula's hands instantly went to her brother's face.

"Zuko," she said roughly. He didn't respond. When she pulled her hands away, they were sticky with blood.

"Is he…" She couldn't finish her question.

"He's alive." Sokka said. "But we have to go now, to find somewhere safe for Katara to heal him."

Azula didn't hear the last half of what he said. All she could hear was that he was alive. He's alive. He's alive. He's alive. That echoed in her head, over and over, as the others pulled her onto Appa.

They laid him down on the saddle. Azula grabbed blankets to protect him from the wind as Appa launched into the air. Her brother was so cold.

As they flew away, Azula tore her gaze from her brother's face to look back. The docks were torn apart. Several of the battleships, including Ozai's, were sinking. Smoke blurred the horizon.

Even if she didn't succeed in killing him, they did prevent her father from following them. They certainly humiliated him. Maybe even the Fire Lord would hear of this blunder and punish him for it.

But all that mattered to her was that she got Zuko back.

Katara began to heal him. "I think he'll have a concussion," she said. "And maybe some scarring from the burns."

As if more burns was what Zuko needed. Azula's chest heaved as she tried to control herself. She was a little girl again; waiting for her brother to wake up, praying between every breath that he would take another.

Suddenly there were several arms around her. Sokka and Aang were hugging her. Toph even placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We're here for you," Sokka whispered in her ear. "It's okay."

The dam broke. Azula sobbed in their arms.

It's okay. It's okay. It's okay.

He's okay.