The city of Omashu, one of the last safe havens in the Earth Kingdom, was now occupied by the Fire Nation. Once bustling with merchants and full of laughter, it was jarring to walk through the silent streets. Katara forced herself to ignore the deep sense of foreboding that was building in her gut. There was no sign of a battle outside or inside the city. How did such a great stronghold fall? There was something going on here that Katara didn't want to investigate. But they were doing this for Aang, and for Bumi.

"He's my only friend I have left from before I got frozen." Aang had tearfully pleaded. "We have to help him."

None of them could argue with that. But, as Sokka had attempted to point out, it was very likely that Bumi was gone. Either imprisoned elsewhere or killed. And as much as it pained Katara to leave these people, she knew that there was little they could do against an army. Their top priority was to find Aang an earthbending teacher.

The fumes from the sewers were unpleasant, but the pentapus who clung to Sokka's face allowed them to freely walk the streets. Her brother's dramatics certainly convinced the guards that he was infected with a deadly disease.

"This is great!" Aang bounced excitedly. "Now we can look for Bumi!"

Katara exchanged worried glances with the others before following him down the dark street.

"There really is no fathoming the depths of my hatred for his place." Mai muttered.

Her mother tutted disapprovingly. "Mai, your father was appointed governor. We're like royalty here. Be happy and enjoy it."

Mai's eye twitched as she fought to keep the annoyance off of her face. Since when did being royalty mean being happy? She didn't want that kind of pressure in her life, especially after what happened to them.

She refused to believe that they were traitors. They were just kids. Mai didn't know why they were killed, but she had theories. Dark thoughts that she tried so hard to ignore because they felt like a knife to the heart. Something happened the night they left. And whatever it was, she knew that it was Ozai's fault. He killed them in cold blood.

She didn't even get to say goodbye.

And then life continued without them. She was forbidden from mentioning them, from remembering them. It was bad for the family's reputation, afterall. They couldn't climb the social ladder if they were known associates with traitors.

But Mai didn't care about any of that.

She hated Omashu. It was mind-numbingly dull. Her father wouldn't even let her help with the city's defenses. There were rebels, lurking beneath the city. She had read about them in her father's reports, but she never saw them near the palace. Until today.

The ground shuddered beneath them as a rock slide tumbled towards them. Mai barely had time to blink before the rocks were blasted away, revealing a boy in bright yellow clothing standing above them.

"The resistance!" His mother screamed.

Her knives were in her hands instantly. Mai smirked slightly, overjoyed to finally have something to do. Her family may be annoying, but she wasn't going to let them be assassinated by peasants.

She jumped forward and flicked her hands. The boy and his group scattered as her darts streaked towards them. Her parent's guards joined her, but their only use was revealing the resistance's abilities. A girl lashed out with a water whip and flung two of them off the platform. Mai flung her throwing stars, which were blocked by a wall of ice. The girl ran away, leaving the boy to blow scaffolding in her path.

So an airbender and a waterbender joined the Omashu resistance? She didn't even care about the implications of that. She was just glad to have some formidable opponents to defeat.

Mai easily cleared the scaffolding, landing neatly with her knives ready. But when she finally faced the group threatening her family, she froze.

They stared back at her, a single moment that felt like an eternity as they locked eyes. And she knew they weren't ghosts, they couldn't be, because they looked older, and half of his face was burned off-

And then they were gone, the earth swallowing them up and leaving her alone.

Ozai's hands tightened on the railing as the ship swayed. Even after weeks of sailing he couldn't get used to the unsteady footing and nauseating movements. His captain had told him that the waters were calm today, which contradicted the rolling of his stomach.

The ship itself was supposedly a newer model, but it was lacking the luxury he was accustomed to. The bed was lumpy, the bath water lukewarm at best (with no servants to heat it), and his personal chef's skills were laughable compared to the feasts in the Caldera. His crew were rough and sullen, clearly not drilled in the way the palace guards were. It was completely miserable.

He was a prince of the Fire Nation, the only loyal heir to the throne, and yet he was forced to track wayward children instead of serving his nation. Capturing his children and the Avatar was a pointless task. His father clearly did not think him worthy of his birthright. But he would not let this deter him. He would succeed in this task, and once he returned home he would claim what was his.

The Avatar was spotted near Three River Pass, and not too far from the newly conquered Omashu. There he could rest and replenish his strength and supplies before pursuing his targets.

"Set course for Omashu." Ozai snapped to his captain. The ship rocked abruptly, and he hurried away, too occupied with his stomach to properly punish his captain's smirk.

Mai was here. Mai was here.

Azula wasn't even paying attention as they were led down the dark tunnel. She and Zuko trailed behind them, trying their best not to look like they just saw their childhood friend after years of pretending to be dead.

"What is she even doing here?" Zuko whispered.

Omashu had been seized, and the Firelord would want an obedient henchman to run it for him. From what she remembered of Ukano, he was the perfect candidate.

"Her father must have been placed as governor. He was always a sniveling yesman." She whispered back.

They were led into a large room, where other members of the resistance were staying.

Azula listened to their conversation, but lingered at the edge of the room with her brother. They didn't need to bring attention to themselves.

It was admirable, what they were doing, but ultimately it would lead to nothing. The Fire Nation had a firm hold on Omashu, and a few resistance fighters could do nothing to uproot them.

Zuko nudged her. "Do you think we should try to talk to her? She might be able to help us find Bumi."

Azula shook her head. "We can't risk it. She has no reason to betray her family, or the Fire Nation. We can't let any childhood nostalgia impede our judgment."

"It's not just nostalgia. She was our friend."

For a moment she could hear their giggling as they chased each other around the turtle duck pond. Mai fumbling with her knives, determined to master them but struggling with her small hands. Sharing stolen pastries. Exchanging exasperated looks as Ty Lee babbled like she always did.

Azula firmly stamped those memories down. It was pointless to dwell on them. She returned her focus to the conversation in front of her, which also seemed pointless.

"Fine. But there's thousands of citizens that need to leave. How are we going to get them out?"

"Suckers!" Sokka exclaimed. "You're all going to come down with a nasty case of pentapox."

Things became busy after Sokka laid out the plan. The resistance fighters dispersed to spread the word. Tomorrow they would flee the city, but first the citizens needed to pack provisions and their belongings. Many of them were determined to go, no matter how dangerous it was, but others were unsure.

"Where would we even go?" A woman asked. "I've never left this city."

"What of our elderly and sick? We would have to leave them behind."

Yung stood up and addressed the crowd. "Citizens! I understand that this is dangerous. But is living under Fire Nation rule really what you want? I would rather be free, even if it means leaving our city behind. We must live to fight another day!"

"It's your choice." Sokka moved to stand beside Yung. "I understand why you would want to stay. But anyone is welcome to join us."

Katara turned away from the muttering crowd, and found Zuko sitting alone. She hadn't had a chance to be alone with him since the cave of two lovers. It was hard to have quality time together when your friends were all in the same bison saddle.

"Hey." She sat down beside him. "Are you okay?"

"Yes." He frowned. "No. I don't know."

"What's going on?"

"You know that girl that attacked us? The one with the knives?" Katara nodded. "We used to play with each other when we were kids. She was one of Azula's best friends."

Katara gaped, unsure of what part to focus on. Zuko's childhood friend just tried to kill them. She has knives and throws them with uncanny accuracy. Did the Fire Nation teach all of their children deadly skills? "Wait." She suddenly remembered the way the girl froze right before they sunk into the ground. "She stopped attacking us when she saw you. That's good, right?"

Zuko groaned and placed his head in his hands. "I don't know! Mai's really good at hiding her emotions. She was probably just surprised that we're alive."

Katara rubbed his shoulder reassuringly.

"I think we should try to talk to her." He continued quietly. "But Azula doesn't want to. She said we can't trust her."

Katara's instinct was to trust people, but she was inclined to agree with Azula. "She's helping the Fire Nation occupy Omashu. Would she even want to talk to you?"

Zuko sighed, raising his head and meeting her eyes. "Probably not. But if we get the chance, I want to try."

"Then I'll be there with you." Katara took his hand and squeezed it. "I'll be the first to welcome her if she wants to talk. But if she tries anything, then I'll water whip her to Ba Sing Se."

He laughed in surprise, the furrow in his brow disappearing. Katara felt her stomach flutter. He should laugh more often.

"Drive them out of the city!" Her dad put his arm around her protectively. "We have to rid the city of this disease!"

Mai rolled her eyes and shrugged him off. Pentapox was so obviously made up. She glanced down at the crowd slowly stumbling through the streets. It was probably a ploy by the resistance. Which meant that Zuko and Azula were down there as well.

She quietly slipped away while her parents fussed with Tom Tom. It was time to meet up with some old friends.

Zuko stood at the side of a small shop, partially concealed in the shadows. He and Azula took it upon themselves to make sure everyone made it out of the city, while Sokka and Katara coordinated at the gates. Aang was searching for King Bumi while the guards were distracted.

A fake plague was definitely distracting. The soldiers cowered as droves of the sick walked past them. Some had even covered their nose and mouth with hastily wrapped clothing in an attempt to protect themselves.

His gaze wandered to the palace. Mai was up there. Zuko wondered what she was doing, or what she had been doing after they had left. Did she believe the lies the public was fed about their disappearance? Did she even miss them? He had had little time to think about her, so he supposed it would be hypocritical to expect her to do the same. They were children when they last saw each other, after all.

"Zuko?"

He started and looked around. She was there, standing only a few feet away. There were no knives in sight, but he knew she could have them out in an instant. Zuko turned to face her. A voice that sounded suspiciously like Azula told him to be ready for a fight.

"Mai."

They eyed each other warily.

"What are you-"

"Where have you-"

They both trailed off awkwardly. It seemed that their social skills had not improved since they last saw each other.

"Why are you here?" He asked, hoping to gauge whether this was going to be a heartfelt reunion or a dark alley fight.

Mai raised her eyebrow. "I wanted to talk to you. Both of you."

"I wanted to talk to you, too." He said. "But we weren't sure if you would… you know."

"Try to kill you?"

"Well, yeah. We're traveling with the Avatar, technically we're enemies to the crown."

Now both of Mai's eyebrows were raised. "You're with the Avatar?"

Zuko froze. "Um, no."

She stared at him incredulously before rolling her eyes. "Okay, whatever. I don't even care about that. I just want to know what happened that night."

He could hear shouting in the streets, growing closer. Advancing slowly in a line, the Fire Nation soldiers were now torching the streets. The last of the Omashu citizens were fleeing, all pretense of a plague abandoned, to get away from the flames.

"We barely escaped with our lives that night." Zuko said. Mai's eyes flickered to the left side of his face. "We didn't try to kill the Fire Lord. But we are traitors."

The building that shadowed them caught fire. He couldn't stay any longer if he wanted to rejoin the others. Zuko began to back away from her. "I have to go, Mai. I'm sorry."

"Wait!" She grabbed his hand. "You can't just go, I still have questions-"

The firing line was level with them now. Zuko was swept away by the crowd, with Mai still clinging to his hand. It was all he could do to keep a hold of her as they ran. The gates crept nearer, and he could see Katara and Sokka waving to him.

They were out. He turned in time to see the soldiers closing the gates.

Mai turned an almost lethal glare on him. "Great. Now I'm locked out of the city."

"You didn't have to follow me." Zuko retorted.

"Yes, I did! They would have killed me! They thought I was one of your peasant friends."

"It was your family that ordered them to attack! These people are just as innocent as you."

Mai pinched her nose, something she would do a lot when they were kids. "Look, I didn't come here to argue with you."

"Then why did you come here?"

Azula appeared at his side. Her eyes narrowed, obviously overhearing their argument and sensing the tension between them. Zuko placed a hand on her shoulder. He didn't want a fight, and he didn't think Mai wanted one either, or she would have attacked him a lot sooner.

"Hello, Azula."

Azula nodded coolly. "Mai." Then she turned to him, her brow furrowed.

"She came to find us." He said quickly, knowing immediately what she was thinking.

"And how do you know we can trust her?"

"I could have attacked him when he was on his own, but I didn't. I just wanted to talk, Azula." Mai raised her hands up. "I promise. I thought you were dead this whole time. I just want some answers."

Zuko glanced behind him, where Omashu citizens were gathering together, some of them frowning at Mai. Katara, Sokka, and Aang were among them. Katara gave him a questioning look. He gestured for her to follow them.

"Let's go somewhere more private." He said, pulling her and his sister with him.

Mai shifted awkwardly, her hands itching for one of her knives to fiddle with. When she asked to talk she didn't think Zuko would invite the Avatar and his friends. They were all staring at her from across the small fire. She would almost prefer the Omashu citizens and their pitchforks.

"It's nice to meet you, Mai." Said the water tribe girl. "I'm Katara. And this is Sokka and Aang. My brother and the Avatar."

Mai nodded.

"So you grew up with Azula and Zuko?" The Avatar leaned forward. "What was that like?"

Mai shrugged. "It was fine." It was the best time of her life, really. But nothing good was meant to last. They were ripped away from her, without a goodbye or explanation. She turned to them both, determined for the answers she was denied all these years. "You said you almost died that night. What happened?"

It was Zuko who explained. Mai struggled to keep her face neutral as he described their narrow escape. The flickering light of the fire illuminated his scars, trailing down from his face and disappearing into his robes. A wave of nausea rolled in her stomach.

They hid at Piandao's estate for a year. Mai remembered her home being searched more than once that year. Her father had been furious at the implication that he would harbor fugitives to the crown.

Ursa died. They fled to the Earth Kingdom, then became an infamous vigilante. The Blue Spirit, in honor of their mother and her favorite play. Mai remembered their mother always reading by the turtleduck pond as they played.

They joined the Avatar, helping him on his mission to master the elements and defeat the Firelord. "And now we're looking for King Bumi." Zuko finished. "We need him to teach Aang earthbending."

Mai clenched her hands. If she hadn't been at Omashu, she would never have known that they were alive. Not once did they attempt to reach out to her or Ty Lee. It was all just a crazy, terrible coincidence that they were reunited.

"I spent all this time grieving for you." She said quietly, her anger simmering underneath. "You never even tried to reach us." Ty Lee's sobs echoed in Mai's head, her round face flooded with tears as she packed for a new life in the circus to escape the memories. "And now you have your new friends and a new purpose. Were you ever going to tell us?"

"It was too risky." Zuko said regretfully. "There was no way for us to contact you, and we didn't want to endanger you and your family."

But Mai's feelings were bubbling over after being repressed for so long. "I don't care! It would have been better than thinking you were dead!"

"Being dead was our only advantage." Azula said. "We would have been hunted down if anyone knew we were alive. It wasn't personal, Mai. Zuko is right, we would never have been able to reach you without exposing ourselves."

They were right. She knew that. But it didn't make all those years of hurting go away. Maii's grief only grew. Her friends weren't dead, but their friendship was. Time and circumstances beyond their control forced them apart. And now here they were, on opposite sides of a war, almost strangers to each other.

"I'm sorry, Mai." Zuko said softly. "We missed you, too. I'm glad you found us."

Azula reached out and patted her shoulder awkwardly. "It was… wrong of me to distrust you, Mai. Your friendship was important to me."

Mai shrugged helplessly, desperately trying not to cry in front of their friends.

The Avatar apparently had no trouble crying in front of strangers. "That was beautiful." He wiped a tear from his eye. "I'm so glad you joined us, Mai. It'll be good for others to see that not everyone in the Fire Nation supports the war."

Mai stiffened. "What makes you think I'm joining you?"

Everyone stilled. Even the campfire lowered slightly.

"What do you mean?" Asked the water tribe boy.

"I only came here to find Zuko and Azula." Mai said coolly. "I have no interest in becoming a fugitive."

"But… you're their friend!" The Avatar said. "Why would you support the Firelord after what he did to them?"

Mai scoffed. "I don't support the Firelord. And I don't care about the war. But I'm not joining your little group." There was no way a few kids could defeat the Firelord. She doubted they would even reach the Fire Nation before getting killed. "You have no chance. You can't win this."

"You're wrong." The water tribe girl insisted. "Aang can do this. Zuko and Azula believe in him, and if you were really their friend then so would you."

Mai shook her head. "I'm just being realistic." She turned away from the peasants. "You don't need to run anymore. I can hide you in the city. Nobody would know."

They glanced at each other, their expressions unreadable. Mai's heart sank.

"Katara is right." Azula said slowly. "We're with Aang because he's our best chance to defeat our grandfather. Hiding in Omashu with you will accomplish nothing."

So that was it then. They had new friends, a new life, without her. Her part in their lives had ended long ago.

A shadow loomed over the fire. "We have a problem." A man approached them, and she glared defiantly when he pointed at her. "We received a messenger hawk from the Fire Nation governor. He thinks we kidnapped their daughter."

The streets of Omashu were empty. His palanquin slowly approached the palace, a rather uneventful trip with no cowering peasants to intimidate. It was midmorning. A populous city like Omashu should be buzzing with activity. Something was wrong.

The sniveling nobleman assigned to govern the city groveled on the ground as he stepped down.

"My lord, it is an honor to have you in our city."

Ozai sneered. "Yes, it is. Now tell me why the city has been emptied. Were you not charged with controlling these peasants?"

"My lord, you have come to Omashu at a difficult time. There has been a terrible plague. We drove the people out for fear of our lives, but it was just a trick of the resistance." The governor began to shake. "They have kidnapped our daughter. At noon we are making a trade with the resistance. Their king for our daughter."

"You and your family are not of any importance." Ozai said. "Your daughter is not worth the loss of a valuable prisoner."

"Sire, please!" The governor crawled forward to grasp at his robes. "She is our daughter! They'll kill her!"

"Then that must be the price you pay for disgracing your country and lord."

"But the Avatar is with them." The sniveling man pulled a roll of parchment from his sash. "He promised she would be returned to us, we must get her back!"

Ozai paused. "The Avatar?" Ripping the parchment from his hands, Ozai read it carefully. They were to meet at noon for the exchange. The Avatar, and his children.

"I will handle this hostage trade." He kicked the grasping hands away from his feet. "You will stay here. And this city is now called New Ozai, in honor of my contributions to the caldera."

"Thank you my lord, we are so grateful-"

Ozai ignored him, turning away to his own thoughts. From the information he gathered, the Avatar was a child, still mastering the basics of earth, fire, and water. The poorly drawn smiling faces on the ransom note confirmed this. That one must be captured alive, but not unharmed. His children, however, were to be killed on site.

Ozai couldn't wait to finally finish what he started years ago.

"You realize that we're walking into a trap, right?"

Azula was inclined to agree with Sokka. It was completely foolish to trade an Earth Kingdom king for a nobleman's daughter. But she would keep her thoughts to herself to spare Mai's feelings. Things were already tense enough between them.

"I don't think so." Aang, ever the optimist, smiled at Mai. "I'm sure the governor wants you back as much as we want Bumi."

To Azula's surprise, Mai's lips twitched into a small smile. Perhaps she also saw their old friend in the bubbly Avatar. Mai always had a soft spot for Ty Lee.

"We told them to meet us by that giant statue." Sokka said. "That way if things go south we can just hop on Appa and get out of there."

Mai slid next to her and Zuko as they walked up the scaffolding. "I'm sorry about how I reacted. It wasn't your fault, and it was wrong of me to be angry at you."

"It's fine." She didn't blame her. Azula was angry as well. Sometimes that anger becomes too much, and you can't control who receives it.

"I'm going to tell Ty Lee that you're alive, in person. She deserves to know."

"Tell her we miss her." Zuko said. "And we hope she's found some peace at the circus."

Mai nodded. "And I hope you two find peace for yourselves. And justice for your mother."

That was it. The three of them walked the rest of the way up in silence.

She didn't realize until they got closer that the statue was of their father. Ozai's form rose above them, larger than life, his face just as cold and arrogant as the man who inspired it. Azula tore her eyes away as a group of soldiers approached.

Their leader had a tall, powerful stride. His face was hidden by a standard Fire Nation army mask. Azula and the others gathered around Mai, whose hands were loosely bound with rope. The soldiers stopped, their leader raising his hand.

Above them, a crane lowered a metal cage down, where a cackling old man's face protruded from a small window. "Hi, everybody!"

"You have the girl?" The man's voice echoed oddly from behind the mask.

"She's here." Aang stepped forward. "We're ready to make the trade."

The man made no move to free King Bumi. "You're the Avatar."

Aang frowned. "Yes. I'm here for King Bumi. Release him first, and we'll hand Mai over to you."

"I'm not here for the girl." He raised his hand once more, and King Bumi was raised upwards. "I'm here for you, Avatar."

The man took off his helmet.

And suddenly all of the breath was driven out of her body. Ozai grinned, baring his teeth triumphantly. Azula groped blindly to her left, never breaking eye contact, and found Zuko's arm, gripping it tightly. She was not going to let him near her brother.

"It's been quite some time since we last saw each other, daughter." She heard the others gasp, but she did not dare to look behind her. Ozai was not above striking her down when her back was turned.

"What are you doing here?" Zuko demanded. Azula squeezed his arm as a warning. They needed to leave. She couldn't fight him now, she wasn't ready; already she could hear Zuko's screams, the choking scent of charred flesh filling her nostrils.

"Your time evading justice is over. The Firelord has demanded the capture of the Avatar, and your deaths." Ozai slid into an offensive position, ready to strike. The soldiers behind him readied themselves. Azula couldn't move, she was locked in place by his piercing gaze.

Aang leapt forward, throwing an airblast that the soldiers dodged. "You guys get to Appa, I'm going after Bumi!"

Someone was pulling her back. She clung to Zuko's hand desperately as she stumbled backwards. Aang had reached Bumi's cage and was working to break the chain. Her breath was coming in short gasps, and she could only clumsily block the flame blasts from Ozai's soldiers.

Ozai turned his attention to Aang, who blocked his blasts until the chain snapped. Bumi's cage plummeted down, landing in the mail chute and quickly disappearing. But Ozai did not follow. Instead, he widened his stance, his hands shifting in small circles. Azula's heart clenched.

"Look out!" Zuko yelled. All of them threw themselves onto the scaffolding as the lightning arched over their heads.

Her head was buzzing strangely. More flames passed over her head, but she couldn't hear them. She was pulled to her feet again. Katara shook her. "Azula! Hey, we have to go, come on-"

Appa soared above them, but the soldiers were firing at him, forcing him to constantly dodge.

The air grew thick with static again.

Katara swept her arms up, a water whip pulling wooden beams and framing in front of them. They exploded violently, forcing Ozai and his soldiers back.

Appa landed behind them.

"You were always treacherous cowards!" He was advancing again, his form literally smoldering with rage. "Your mother's not here to protect you anymore. You'll die by my hand just as she did!"

But he suddenly lurched forward, clutching his head.

"Let's go!" Sokka raised his hand and caught the boomerang. He grabbed Azula's arm and dragged her towards Appa, Katara doing the same with Zuko.

And then they were high in the air, Ozai's screams lost to the wind.

"Hey, it's okay, it's fine, shhh-"

Azula's body shuddered in his arms, her breaths fast and shallow.

"I didn't do anything, I just stood there again. He was trying to kill us and I just stood there-"

"We weren't expecting it." Zuko swept her sweaty bangs from her face. "We didn't know. It's okay."

"Shit, Zuko, we forgot Mai. She's still down there, we have to go back-"

"She got away, Zula. I saw it." He had seen her slip away as the fight started, climbing down the scaffolding and out of sight. "Everything's okay."

"No, it's fucking not! I didn't do anything! How am I supposed to protect you when I can't even help myself?"

"That's my job." Zuko said. Azula continued to sob quietly in his arms, but her breathing was starting to slow. "And we're not alone anymore, Zula. It's going to be okay."

Katara, Sokka, and Aang conversed quietly at the front of the saddle, doing their best to give them some privacy. Katara gave him a soft smile when she noticed him staring.

"We're not alone." He said again, burying his face in Azula's neck.