Appa flew through the sky as his passengers let everything that just happened sink in. Ty Lee was the first to adjust and quickly went over to Zuko.

"You caught lightning!" she exclaimed, shocked. "How'd you do that?"

Zuko chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Uncle taught Aang and me."

"Neat!"

She happily waved to Iroh who smiled back.

"I didn't expect to see you both," Zuko commented.

"It was a surprise for us too," the girl admitted. "Azula wanted a team, but we couldn't join her."

A smile came to the boy's face as he looked at Mai. She had a small one as well. The smile fell as a thought came to mind.

"We heard about the execution, but it was a relief to hear that you'd escaped," Mai told him. She looked over where the former general was. "Did your uncle help?"

"Not just him," Toph said, grinning proudly as some feeling started to return. "Wouldn't have gotten out of those chains on their own."

Zuko nodded. "She's right. They all helped me. We're a team now."

This seemed to excite Ty Lee. "Fun! Then the team's even bigger!"

Katara happily approached her, stepping over her brother. He frowned as a result, but he was still immobile from the neck down, so that was all he could do. The sister stopped when she reached the newcomer.

"Is it true that you know pressure points?"

Ty Lee nodded eagerly. "I've got a lot of sisters, so it's an easy way to stand out from them. Well, that and acrobatics."

She emphasized this point by doing a handstand. Her attention moved back to Toph in curiosity.

"You really were able to bend the metal?"

"Toph's the strongest earthbender I've ever met," Zuko said, making his friend grin wider.

"You can say that again," she added, beaming.

Toph started to wiggle her right hand, feeling more of her senses returning. Sokka enviously watched as she stood up.

"Aw! How come you get to not be numb first?"

"I was hit first," she reminded him.

"Fair point."

Unsuccessfully, Sokka tried to will himself into sitting in a more upright position. Seeing this, Zuko went over and helped.

"Thanks," his friend said. A concerned frown came over his face and he looked at the birds perched on the saddle. "I don't know where we'll go now."

The group became quiet as they considered places to travel.

"Ember Island is close to here," Iroh stated.

Zuko nodded. "We might not be expected to go there since it would seem so obvious."

"What if it's so obvious that the soldiers come looking for us?" Sokka asked.

"We don't have to stay long. We just need to be there long enough to send off the hawks and get the messages back."

The group considered this, then agreed. Iroh went towards Aang so that he could guide him to the island. While the group left, Azula was still traveling to Capital City. It was simple to get a ride home when some lightning was shown. The citizens knew better than to say anything to the princess as she was transported. Her ride there was much more nerve-wracking than her departure. She wondered what she would say to her father.

"We have arrived, Princess," one of the subjects said.

It was the afternoon of the next day, but Azula still did not rush to go towards the palace. She calmly stood up and turned her back on the citizens.

"You're dismissed," she stated coldly.

Bowing, they obliged and hurried back to their work. Azula began approaching the palace, each step feeling like she was sinking into the earth. The girl might have been convinced it was the doing of an earthbender. Finally, she reached the inside of the castle and walked to her father's chambers. She knocked on the door.

"Dad," she said.

Azula stopped herself and cleared her throat. That voice had not belonged to her. It was practically timid. It was not fitting for the crowned princess of a nation, especially not someone like Azula. She tried again.

"Dad," she repeated with more confidence, "I'm back."

The door was opened for her. Briefly, Azula thought she saw relief on the man's face, but it just as quickly turned into a look of skepticism. Just like she was analyzing his face, he was analyzing hers. She wanted a mask so that he could not. Ozai's eyes picked up on each small element of the expressions. He saw concern on his daughter's face and knew what that meant.

"Your mission failed," he said.

Without even noticing it, Azula's head lowered. "I was betrayed."

"By the team that you specifically requested."

Azula looked back up at him in surprise. His tone sounded so icy. It should not have been directed at her. He only sounded that way when addressing Zuko or servants. Did the fire lord blame her? How could he? She had always proven how effective she was. She was his heiress and a deserving one at that. It had not even been her initial goal to bring a team. If he had just allowed her to carry out her plan the way that she wanted, everything would have worked out. Azula felt heat increasing in her core as she became upset. She gritted her teeth, trying to remain silent.

"Speak what's on your mind," Ozai instructed coolly. "It's obvious that you want to say something."

Azula met his gaze, fire flashing in her eyes. "I only brought them because you wouldn't let me go alone."

Ozai's eyes widened slightly, then narrowed. "Are you doubting my judgment?"

"You're doubting mine!"

"Azula!"

The girl stopped, looking away from him. She had not meant to raise her voice at him. She had seen the punishments Zuko received for such actions. All the boy had to do was frown and he could get knocked into a wall. Sometimes, Azula liked to watch. It was fun how her father defied tradition by not favoring the first born. It was also fun to see how much Ozai valued her after each time he would complete his time with Zuko. He seemed to appreciate her loyalty and skill even more once he was reminded of the disgrace that was his son. Alas, these memories brought no joy with them to Azula at that moment. She had failed twice in her mission, been betrayed by her chosen team, and yelled at the fire lord. Despite that, she was different, so this would be as well.

Azula was not her brother. Her relationship with their father was different–better–so she could ignore that nervousness filling her body. She tensed when Ozai put a hand on her shoulder. The father noticed and was not entirely sure how to feel about it. If anyone else had responded that way, he would have been pleased, but this was Azula. He had never raised his voice at her either. Yet, what was he to do? He felt disrespected by her outburst. If she had been Zuko, she would have left the chambers with new burns to treat. However, Ozai enjoyed the thought of the princess's skin being completely unscarred. Even when she entered battles, he hoped she would remain that way. She represented him after all. He would not ruin this dream of theirs by adding red to her flesh. At the end of the day, she was still young. She had time to learn. Once she did, he would not be so tempted to use harsh disciplining.

"It's important that you take responsibility for your actions, Azula," he said, his voice much calmer.

The girl lowered her head again. "I know. I shouldn't have trusted them." She paused anxiously. "I'm also sorry for my outburst."

That was more like it. Ozai put a hand under her chin, letting their gazes meet. His eyes were cold but not completely uncaring.

"You did well in another area," he revealed.

"Really?"

"Yes, the Earth King is dead because of your suggestion. I'm proud of you for that."

Azula's eyes lit up and she started to smile. She felt that familiar confidence rushing back into her.

"I knew that plan would work. Uncle was pitiful for being unable to conquer Ba Sing Se, but we have and it hasn't taken us years like him."

Ozai smiled as well. "We've proven that Iroh is inferior to me."

He liked how those words tasted in his mouth. When his hand returned to Azula's shoulder, it was gentler.

"We're going to Ba Sing Se. I want the citizens to see their new rulers before we burn the city to the ground. Prepare your belongings."

Azula nodded her head and bowed slightly before hurrying to her room. She cursed her heart for still beating so quickly. Packing offered a nice distraction. While the royals were preparing to leave, the team was preparing to arrive. Zuko looked over the side of the saddle and pointed.

"There's the beach house," he said.

Seeing the building, Aang led Appa that way. They landed on an empty area near the beach. Ty Lee looked happy and quickly hopped down.

"I remember this place!" she joyfully declared.

The others joined her on the sand. Sokka glanced around suspiciously.

"Are you sure no one's here?"

Zuko cringed sheepishly, causing Sokka's jaw to drop.

"They are?!"

"Not a lot!" the firebender said defensively. "Way less than anywhere else we'd go without being completely cut off from the world."

"It's just used for nobles and other high-ranking people in the Fire Nation," Mai stated. "They're probably all in Capital City or the war by now."

Sokka squinted at the Fire Nation citizens and Zuko sighed.

"We can check."

The boy grabbed his mask and swords just in case the latter would be needed. Sokka's senses had returned to him by then, so he went with his friend and waved to the others.

"See you soon."

"Be careful," Katara told them.

The boys nodded and hurried off over the sand hills. Sounds of the gentle waves were peaceful, but they were not enough to distract the friends from why they were there. Cautiously, the duo crouched low as they continued going. On the other side of the island, there were some families. They were playing beach volleyball and laughing.

"I'm surprised Father didn't find them yet," Zuko whispered.

Sokka shrugged. "Maybe they're just really bad at fighting, so he'd rather keep them here." He peeked over a hill, staying just out of sight. "At least they don't look like they're going to be hunting for us anytime soon. You probably couldn't pay them to leave this place." He dropped back down. "Let's see who else is here."

Zuko nodded and the friends started to leave, but they stopped when they picked up on a certain sentence.

"...burned to the ground," someone said.

The boys froze in their tracks, looking at each other.

"Where?" Zuko mouthed.

Sokka shrugged, not having heard the beginning of the sentence. Quickly, the friends scurried back over to their hiding place.

"And to think it took General Iroh all those years only for him to have the troops leave. How incompetent."

This made the former prince frown at the citizen. His expression softened slightly when another person spoke.

"Now, I think I'd rather him stay out there and leave than go and destroy everything. What's even left of Ba Sing Se now for us?"

"We could always use more land."

"We don't have enough people to need as much land as the fire lord is taking. It's just ash by this point anyway."

"Well," the other individual said, standing up, "I'd rather Fire Lord Ozai focus his destructive nature on other nations than on us. At least for as long as this war persists, we're fine."

"We can both agree with that."

Hearing how the one person was getting closer, the boys hurried off. They remained well hidden in the sand dunes and behind buildings. A tense silence hit them as they considered what they had heard.

"The Earth King must be dead," Sokka said.

"I didn't even know they were going after Ba Sing Se again," Zuko admitted. "I thought it was just Omashu."

"Maybe that was the point. It was a sneak attack."

"Probably. I wonder what my father will do next. If the king is dead, maybe he'd want to take over personally."

"Why would he do that? He didn't before."

"No, but it didn't work out well for him before either. The commanders were all killed when he left it to them. I don't know if he will or not, but I could see him going to Ba Sing Se to make sure for himself that everyone's dead."

The sentiment was so cold that Sokka nearly felt a chill go down his spine. "Well, we shouldn't go there before we're ready to fight if he is headed that way, but we can tell the others that's where they can meet us."

Zuko gave a solemn nod of his head, brows pinched together. Sokka began feeling curious and nudged his arm.

"What?"

"I'm thinking about Azula and our father. He's not going to be happy that she returned home empty-handed."

A pit formed in the boy's stomach as glanced towards his friend. Sokka saw a look of worry on his face.

"You know how he used to get," the firebender said. "He's never been like that with her, but if I'm not there…"

"You're worried he'll take his anger out on her."

Zuko nodded and let out a heavy sigh. "I am," he admitted. "Even with everything Azula's done, I still don't want him to hurt her."

"Is that why you went after her?" Sokka asked.

"Sort of," the boy told him. "She thinks she's his perfect soldier. He's thought that for a while too." Zuko paused. "I don't understand that part, but I know what it's like to want to make him proud. It takes over your whole life. Everything you do is to gain his acceptance. She'd be better off realizing that the only way is to be exactly who he wants you to be."

"If she doesn't want to see that, she might have to just learn for herself."

Concern remained in the older boy and Sokka could understand the reason. Although it was difficult to imagine Katara ever being fine with him getting hurt, it was even more inconceivable to imagine himself being indifferent to her suffering.

"When we win," he said, "maybe things will be better for both of you. She could just need to see that the fire lord isn't this all-powerful guy who's always right and can never lose."

"I hope so."

Zuko looked ahead of them, seeing some groups of people in the distance. They were a small family, but they looked loving.

"We used to come here when we were little."

"Was it fun?"

"It was…different. In those times, a different setting was nice. It was back when we still had Mom. She'd try to give the two of us activities to do together so that we'd be close. Mom always said she wanted siblings around for the hard times in her own life. So, she really wanted us to be able to support each other no matter what we faced. Back then, it sometimes seemed like Azula paid attention to what Mom said, but Father was always around the corner and getting involved." His eyes moved to the ocean. "Mom taught us how to swim. It was one of the few things I did better than Azula. I tried to give her tips, but that made Father upset. He said that only peasants swim because the rulers of the world should fly over the land and seas with their flames."

"He really does hate everything," Sokka commented, frowning. "You can't even swim without being insulted."

Zuko's eyes were sad as he answered. "Hates everything and basically everyone. He got even angrier when I tried again the next day."

The Water Tribe boy saw how his friend unconsciously rubbed his left arm, remembering where there had been a burn. It caused Sokka to wish a thousand times over that the fire lord could be defeated immediately.

"Azula looked stunned," Zuko said quietly. "She'd never seen him attack someone before. He always did it when she was somewhere else back then." He turned, looking at his friend. "That was the only time she came to me afterwards and actually was worried. She didn't gloat or try to make fun of what happened or anything like that. She was just…my sister. I don't know if those days are ever coming back, but if they are, we'll find out when the war's over. That's why I want to be the one to fight her at the end."

Sokka's eyes widened in shock. "You? But…she's Azula! I know you can redirect lightning–which is incredibly cool by the way–but she's still a really strong firebender. You already sound like you want her to be okay. She's not going to hold back when you're both fighting and you can't afford to. How much dodging and redirection can you use before you're out of moves?"

Determination burned in Zuko's core. "I know it's risky, but Aang is going to be busy fighting my father while the others fight the soldiers. We can't pretend like Azula isn't going to be a threat."

"I'm not. I'm saying she's definitely going to be a threat. That's why I think we should assign some of the other fighters to take her down. You saw her when we were all together. She couldn't fight everyone, but we also won't be able to have Aang fight right there with us in battle. If we have the fighters from the Underground go against her, they might overwhelm her."

The other boy shook his head. "I've seen them fight her. They'll go for the kill."

"Then your uncle can do it. He'll hold back, but he knows more firebending techniques than she does."

Zuko still looked doubtful. "Then she'll go for the kill."

Sokka sighed heavily. "Zuko, that doesn't leave many options."

"It leaves me, Sokka. I've been around her the longest. I have to be the one to go against her. Otherwise, someone's going to die or get really hurt. I'm the only one who has even a small chance of reaching her."

"A small chance isn't very promising."

"I have to try." The former prince began looking more confident. "When I was captured, she could've killed me immediately, but she had me arrested."

"That's still bad!"

"Better than getting killed!"

Sokka became quiet as he looked his friend in the eye. Zuko was not going to budge with this. The other boy looked towards where the group was waiting for them.

"Family," he said. "Guess you really can't give up on it." He looked back at Zuko. "If you're doing this, I'm coming with you."

"But you've just got your sword."

"And all those moves Suki taught me," he reminded the firebender. A smile crossed his face. "Besides, one of us is going to need to be practical when we're fighting her and I'm pretty sure that person isn't you."

Zuko chuckled. "I'll try to keep you from getting scorched."

"I'd say that's the least you can do since I'll probably be saving your life," his friend joked.

Chuckling, the duo made their way back to the others. Days passed and in the Southern Water Tribe, Hakoda was overseeing training. Even if his warriors were not actively part of the war, they would be ready. The father's mind had not wandered far from his children. He needed to know how they were doing, but he had no idea where they were. Suddenly, the sound of flapping filled his ears. Looking up, the chief saw a hawk flying towards him. The bird tiredly landed and shivered in the cold. Hakoda approached, carefully bringing the bird into an igloo to get it out of the wind. As he did, he saw a note attached to its leg. He was not the only one to see this. Chief Arnook, the Underground fighters, King Bumi, and the Kyoshi Warriors also received this kind of scroll. So, it was decided. They would meet in Ba Sing Se and end the war once and for all.