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In honor of Keizo Murase.

Hari Bulkan Prison

Zuko took a deep breath in, hoping to calm the panic in his heart.

He came alone. If Aang, Iroh, or Mai knew about this, they'd try to stop him. Not that he wouldn't blame him since no matter how much he tried to spin it for himself, he couldn't deny how stupid it was. Funny. Here he was all resplendent in the robes of the Fire Lord with the crown in his topknot, and he was just as terrified during the Agni Kai that gave him that scar.

But he was different now. He knew the truth, of the lies he'd been fed. And if he could gain just one kernel of wisdom from that nest of vipers, he'd risk the venomous bite. Didn't Uncle used to say that sometimes good leaders needed to take risks?

The torches in the hallway of the iron door grew and dimmed thanks to his influence. Before him, a pair of guards stood expectedly. And deep down he knew that turning back now was not an option.

"Let me in."

Silently, the guards creaked the door open, allowing Zuko to stride into the cell. His eyes were kept forward, his posture tall and proud. No emotion outside of the stern exterior his ancestors had perfected.

Yet his predecessor behind the bars just glared defiantly. "So. The Fire Lord has once again felt compelled to grace me with his presence. To what do I owe the honor?"

"You know this isn't a social visit Father." Zuko coldly clarified, not buying any of Ozai's false praises.

Sure enough, the former Phoenix King cast aside his sarcasm. "If this is about your mother, my answer hasn't exactly changed." The declaration was not new, but the implications still reverberated in Zuko's heart. His father knew where she was, or at least knew where she was last seen. Yet when it came to push to shove, the answer was kept behind a sneering smile.

Ozai was dangling his mother right in front of him. The new Fire Lord wasn't sure whether it was out of spite or something else. All he knew was that the trick was as old as the scar on his face. Knowing that Zuko kept his composure and let out the first part he rehearsed. "It's not that either. I've come to inform you that there is an upcoming tribunal to prosecute war criminals. You're on the list."

A mock sigh was forced out of the prisoner's throat. "Well, we both knew that was coming. How long do I have before those dirt-shoveling barbarians bury me alive?"

"A while. Considering that the Avatar removed your bending, it was decided you'd be the last to be judged. Figured there wasn't much sense in rushing to something that's already a fitting punishment. Chances are, you're just going to end back up here when all is said and done."

Zuko then glowered. "You'd better thank him for sparing your life."

"Right. Figures that coward wouldn't have the stomach to have my blood spilled by anyone," Ozai flippantly snarked. "And who, pray tell, is higher up on the list? Surely my brother isn't right on top. If you wanted to get along with practically everybody, you could always throw him to the wolves."

Breathe in. Breathe out. With his composure maintained, Zuko let out the second part. "That's what I want to find out. The Earth King's list had a lot of high-ranking members in Fire Nation society. Your inner circle least of all. And if I had it my way, I'd give them over without a heartbeat."

"But because you're unpopular for ending what your forefathers strove to do, you can't do it because that would make enemies. And whose fault is that I wonder? Maybe if you took your lessons seriously instead of loafing about like your Uncle, you would've made a few friends in court. Funny how the world works. You get something you've told yourself over and over again that you alone deserve, only to find out it wasn't what you thought it was," Ozai mocked.

It took all of Zuko's nerve not to turn away in shame. He'd learned a lot about what it meant to wear the crown. For so long, he was told he could wave his hand to end the war and his country would obey. Turns out that when your civilization was built on conquest and oppression, even the most staunch defender of the crown is going to do a double take when their worldview was shattered. Fire Lords were supposed to lead their people to this glorious undertaking after all, weren't they?

Still, the young monarch wouldn't rise to the bait. If Father wanted some twisted form of satisfaction from an outburst or admission to failings, he'd have to look elsewhere. "I have my list to present. Officers, sergeants, and lower-ranking soldiers. They've been accused of those same war crimes. I'll be handing them over first, but the Earth King isn't going to be satisfied with them."

"No wonder. So many good men who followed orders being served on a platter. I do hope you made sure you separated the bad eggs from those who were forced." Another deep blow. As a matter of fact, Zuko hadn't. Sure the obvious ones he'd give a pass for. For those that he wasn't so sure about? There wasn't much time to do so. Sooner or later, the Earth King was going to accuse him of delaying the tribunal by going through an exhaustive screening process for people to be judged. And if he did that, it wouldn't be much of a step to realize that Zuko wasn't going to hand over the colonies either without a fight.

Which came to this painful realization. "I'm considering handing Azula over to them for Ba Sing Se. That should make them more agreeable."

"Oh?" Ozai tilted his head in fascination, causing a shiver to run down Zuko's back. He'd seen this before when that man was in full Fire Lord regalia. The only reason he didn't back down immediately was the knowledge the crown and robes were on him. There was something else too. A smoldering intensity thought long extinguished when he was thrown into this dingy cell.

"Well, I didn't think you had it in you," his father continued, the effort to keep his voice level becoming noticeable. "And here I was wondering whether or not you were content to let her rot in that asylum."

"Whu-how did you know that?!"

"You told me. Just now."

Zuko groaned. Of course, he fell for that. He wondered if his time with Azula taught him anything. "Okay, but that's not the point. She's going on trial to pay for what she's done."

"Right. And I'm supposed to care about what that failure did? I gave her a simple job. One that she'd practically been begging for ever since your little screw-up, and she failed even harder than you ever did. Why should I be concerned that she's paying for it?"

"You're not even concerned?" the young monarch was stunned by his father's callousness replacing the fury. Out of all the people in this world, he'd figure that Ozai would be the one person who supported her. How else would she get away with all of her crap? It's how it was growing up after all. Mother always tried to course-correct her while Father kept turning a blind eye. If Ozai just stepped in once…

Instead, the old tyrant rolled his eyes, his rage either being forgotten or repressed. "Like I said. She's a failure. I'm surprised you showed more promise than she did. Challenging her at her weakest to even the odds? If I knew you had that in you, I would've taken you under my wing without a second thought."

Vertigo almost set in. Desperately, Zuko tried to keep his breathing under control. Remember what you came in for and get out. That's what Uncle would say. Composing himself, the Fire Lord stared his father right in the eye. "Like I said, I'm putting her on trial. End of story."

"And you want me to tell you if there's any way to drown your guilty conscience."

"I have nothing to be guilty over. She would turn the Fire Nation into a nightmare if she was crowned."

"Don't lie to me boy," Ozai snarled, suddenly rising to his full height and his rage now on full display. On reflex alone, Zuko took a step back, feeling the tides turning. "I know what happened," his father continued. "You just stood there and watched as your sister bawled her eyes out. Yet…you couldn't feel a twinge of sympathy, did you? You told yourself she got what she deserved. You finally got on top. Deep down though, you knew you'd never beat her in her prime. It's still eating at you. She denied you your moment of triumph through madness. So you locked her away in that asylum to rot. And now you're serving her up to make her suffer even more. After all, beating her doesn't matter if you keep on destroying her bit by bit. That's cruelty if I ever saw it."

"...that asylum was meant to help her," Zuko snarled back.

His father scoffed once more. "You wouldn't say that if you've ever been there. And do you honestly believe that deep down, you want her to get better? I mean, you're willing to give ME the benefit of the doubt. Why else would you come here and talk to me time and again? Yet you wouldn't extend the courtesy to her. That's downright cruel even by my standards."

"You don't know me."

"Oh really? A boy decides to become a man by taking advantage of their sibling's weakness. Does that ring a bell? Or do you want to ask me how I felt when I put Iroh in his place? Say what you will about me, but at least I waited till he was a traitor to his nation before putting him behind bars. You on the other hand never learned to control your own impulses before throwing off the mask."

Ozai took a step forward, his golden eyes gleaming. "You should know this, boy. Cause deep down, you know we're both the same. And if you want to be a good Fire Lord, you should know your vices are your greatest strength."

A gasp left Zuko's mouth, feeling himself shrink. All at once, the power had shifted. He felt small and weak, caught wearing his father's clothes. Between the two, there was only one true Fire Lord in the room. How badly he wanted to deny it. Deny that his father was right. And yet…

"You want to secure your throne?" Ozai gripped the bars of his cell as if he could melt through the metal at a moment's notice. "Make her suffer. Keep her alive but keep making her pay for what she's done. Vent all your rage on her. And this nation will fear you all the more. You want to be Fire Lord, yes? Learn to hate. Learn to dominate. You can't lead this country on promises of peace and love. Realize who you are deep down, and embrace it."

"...we're done here." Zuko swiftly turned, not wanting to give his father the satisfaction of victory. This was a bad idea from the start. He should've known. Maybe if he asked somebody to back him up, the old tyrant wouldn't have gotten the better of them. All he wanted to do now though was leave before more damage was done.

"By the way. If you can entertain me, how and where are you transporting the prisoners?" Ozai flippantly asked.

"We're carrying them over by prison ships along the furthest islands within our borders. Closest and swiftest way to the Earth Kingdom." Inwardly he cursed himself for divulging even that. Didn't seem like much, but the way he was coerced into doing it made his blood boil. Zuko strode out of the room before more was said though, listening as the iron doors shut.

Yu Dao,

Fire Lord's Tent

"He knew…he knew it was out there…"

Mai peeked out of the tent to ensure no passersby were listening in. It was the only thing that brought him comfort right now. As if things couldn't get any worse, now Kori had to spill the beans about what he did. Didn't she know there was a good reason he was keeping that a secret?!

Huffing to himself, Zuko observed the empty teacup in his hand. He recalled Uncle tried to get into sake the one time. Needless to say, it was a bit of a disaster. Yet even risking an episode like that was preferable to tackling this sober.

"I know your father's a lot of things, risking that monster killing everybody just to make a point?" A grimace distorted Mai's usually controlled face. "Zuko, I want you to tell me why exactly you thought talking to him instead of your uncle was a good idea."

"I…" The Fire Lord's shoulders slumped forward, placing down the teacup and bringing his hands in front of his face. "I was going to talk to Iroh first, but then I saw the list the Earth King sent me. He was right on top. And I've heard a lot of stories amongst the clan heads. I didn't want to believe them but…I don't think I could even come to him after all that. Afraid he was going to tell the whole truth."

"And the last thing you needed was to lose faith in the only person who believed in you."

"Yeah. That about sums it up." He had to admit that for somebody who put on a cold exterior, she had a pretty good bead on people.

Yet she didn't look him in the eye. Instead, Mai scoffed. "Zuko, you know I don't agree with you ending the war and giving up the colonies back, right? Why are you telling me stuff like this?"

Zuko grimaced a bit. That was a shock to her after his declaration. He knew she was willing to stomach it for now, but deep down he also knew there was just as much fire in her heart for war as much as Azula's.

Still, he had to take a chance. "I…don't know who else to talk to right now. Aang would probably say I'm doing everything alright like he always does. I need some honesty. And right now, I need to know what to do."

Nodding to herself, Mai strode over to his desk, not letting her thoughts clear until she opened her mouth. "I think you should listen to her. Kori I mean."

Zuko's jaw opened. "Mai, I thought out of all the people in this world, you'd never forgive Azula for the Boiling Rock."

"I'm not. But this isn't about me. It's about you. Every time you've ever listened to Ozai, you hurt yourself. You thought your honor was gone when he burned you and you ran all across the world nearly getting yourself killed just to get back in his good graces. You believed him when he said you were accepted, yet you weren't happy. Now you listened to him about what to do with Azula and you almost killed her. Again. And did I forget to mention you almost died in the process?

"He was right about one thing. You're letting this grudge eat you from the inside out."

Zuko glowered at his girlfriend's assessment. "What? Now you're on HIS side too?!"

His fiery words did nothing to melt Mai's cold and dignified face. "No. This is an intervention. I wouldn't be saying these things if I hated you. So here's a question you honestly need to ask yourself.

"Do you want to kill Azula?"

"...no."

"Okay. Do you want to imprison or commit Azula?"

"No! Of course not! What's your point?" Zuko was getting frustrated with all the circles he was being led. She better be leading with something or he'd blow a gasket. Can't somebody say something plain for once?!

"Well, there you have it. Do you want to bury the hatchet? This is how you do it. Just say you're sorry. I get that she hurt you too, but it'll be better if you at least make an effort on your end," Mai simply stated.

Zuko stood up and threw his hands in exasperation. "You say like it's easy! Uncle said 'She was crazy and she needed to go down!' If he thought I couldn't reach her-"

"You're having issues with him right now, right? Do you believe he's right about everything?" Mai pushed.

"I…I have to believe him! He's the only one who believed in me!"

"Yet it never occurred to him that you wanted to fix things with her? Did he consider what you wanted deep down?"

…

A shiver froze Zuko in place, letting Mai come close and wrap a gentle hand around his. "Look. I get wanting to make your Uncle happy and all. But you need to think about what you want. And this might be your best shot. She DID save you a few times now. And I don't know about you, but I do know she doesn't want this to last forever either. Why not give her a chance?"

The Fire Lord sighed, feeling his anger being cooled down. Mai was right, but it was still a bitter truth to swallow. "I want to, but what if I've burned all my bridges? What if I just make things worse again?"

"You never know if you try," Mai reiterated with a shrug.

"Okay. What if she still believes in the war?"

"So do I, and here I am having your back. What's that say about me?"

He swallowed that lump stuck in his throat. Don't get him wrong, deep down his beloved was right. It's just…well, he didn't trust himself. Who would? Ozai was right about one thing. As much as Azula wanted to tear him down, he couldn't deny there was something dark inside him as well. Agni help him he had fought tooth and nail to fight it. To be good. Yet he wondered if that darkness had already escaped without him knowing.

His answer was at the tip of his tongue when General Mak came into the tent. "Fire Lord. We have the assassin all ready for your interrogation."

"Think about it, alright?" Mai said, before leaning in and quickly pecking him on the cheek. Zuko stammered, before composing himself, letting Mak lead him and his girlfriend out of the tent. Leave it to a literal would-be murderer to help focus his mind.

An assassin. Now that was something he could handle.

Yu Dao,

Outside of the Fire Temple

"Okay. Azula, I'm asking this as a very concerned friend. I just want to know what the hell you were thinking."

The Princess didn't answer, feeling the last few moments play over and over in her mind. It had gone so wrong so fast. She knew there was a risk in addressing those voices, yet to be left screaming and afraid. That was something her mind was still reeling from.

Least of all now that her friends and the Avatar's gang were crowding around her, her weakness now in full display.

"I…I don't know…" Azula mumbled. "I thought I could handle it. I've heard voices before but these…"

"Woah woah woah. You're telling me you've been hearing voices?" Sokka pressed. His voice caused the once proud prodigy to hug herself, hearing the fear seep into his words.

Thankfully, she didn't have to answer him. "Azula's been seeing voicing and…seeing visions," Maina explained.

Wanting to regain some manner of dignity, Azula choked out, "It started before that Agni Kai."

Katara stood back, looking aghast at the revelation. "I knew you were unwell, but that's…that's something else."

"Well, now you know I'm crazy. You going to hogtie me again?"

"Wait a second. Voices are one thing. What happened in there seemed like something else," the Avatar said, kneeling close to her and staring at her with those oh-so-infuriating eyes of pity. "Azula, tell me everything. I don't think this is just some hallucination."

"How can you tell? I'm the Mad Princess, remember?" Azula spat out. The last thing she wanted was for more people to see her as some kind of charity case.

Instead, Aang shook his head. "No, I don't think you're mad. Cause I felt it too. Back at the tent and just now. Voices don't give off really powerful auras if you catch my drift."

A mirthless laugh erupted from Azula's mouth. "Now you're sounding like Ty Lee."

"Hang on, Azula. I think I get what he's on about." Sokka knelt beside Aang, causing even more attention to be drawn to her ruined state. "What are you thinking? Spirit?"

Aang shrugged. "Could be. They have been known to get attached to people."

"Okay, could we please give her some space?" Kori asked, getting between the Avatar and Sokka. "She's in bad shape enough without a bunch of people crowding around her."

The Princess smiled at her companion's concern but then was shocked at the next voice. "You heard her, people. Give Fireball some space," Toph ordered, practically corralling the gang away from her.

…just go with it, Azula told herself. At least none of them were crowding her at the moment. Gave her a little bit of space to think.

Thinking right now made her head hurt, bringing her back into reality. Seeing all of those concerned faces, she realized that they weren't going to leave her alone without some kind of explanation. So, she picked herself up, stood tall, and composed herself. "These voices, they seem to know a lot about these kaiju. I don't know why but-ugh!"

She grimaced in pain as a sudden jolt of agony wracked her brain. Squinting, she tried to focus, but the harder she did, the more painful it became. Almost immediately, Maina stepped in and told her to "take it easy".

"I'm trying to remember, but there's this…block preventing me," the Princess tried to spell out, feeling both frustrated and unnerved that her own mind was being used against her.

"Aang, can a spirit do something like this?" Katara queried.

"Not that I know of. Azula, have you been hearing these 'voices' since Infant Island?"

"No! I…mean no," the Princess corrected herself. "They've been happening for a while, but they've never been this bad. If you're thinking Mothra is doing this, then I can assure you this is not something she'd do. Those relics she gave me seemed to keep those voices quiet for a while." She held out the dagger and medallion as proof, all while feeling a wave of relief wash over her.

"Then you probably shouldn't throw them away till we know what we're dealing with," Maina gently ordered. Azula nodded, clutching both of them to her chest. Didn't make her feel any less pathetic that she'd be holding on to such fetishes so tightly.

"Wait a minute. If you've been hearing them before, how come that big bug didn't sense them before?"

"Probably the same reason Azula can't talk about them, Toph. Whatever this is, it knows how to cover its tracks. If you can't talk about them, then we've got nothing to narrow them down," Sokka concluded. Just the mere thought of not knowing brought zero comfort to Azula though. She was the Princess of the Fire Nation. If anyone had to stay on top of her thoughts, it had to be her.

So, she told them what came easily. Told them about Axor, the old empire, and more importantly, the enemy in the walls. This so-called "Abomination". Everyone shivered at the sound of that. It could've meant anything.

"One last thing. They hate Godzilla," Azula finished.

Toph scoffed. "Who hasn't that overgrown lizard pissed off?"

"No, I mean they seriously hate Godzilla. They're obsessed with him. I've felt it every time I've seen him. This deep loathing at the back of my mind."

"...so how bad? Can't be worse than you and Zuko," Katara pointed out.

The flippantness of her response struck a nerve in Azula. "Oh no. It's far worse. If you've heard them talking, it makes our little spat look like child's play."

I just wished I believed my own words, she thought to herself. Truth be told, their rivalry still gnawed at her mind. How did he get to be so lucky to have the Avatar on his side? Yet even that paled in comparison to what the Voices felt for Godzilla. The depths of that hatred were so staggering that she couldn't comprehend them at first. Turns out that hearing the same venomous words over and over again allowed you to at least understand a bit. She just wasn't sure she wanted to know how deep that well was.

"So now we have this 'Abomination' running around? Great. Guess the universe hates us right now," Sokka snarked.

"We'll take care of whatever this thing is while you guys handle Axor and the refugees. Does that sound like a plan to you?"

Aang sighed at the Princess's proposal. "Doesn't sound like we have much of a choice. Alright. Just don't try not to get yourself in trouble again. We've got enough on our plate as it is."

Toph suddenly raised her hand in the air. "Could you guys drop me off at Cranefish while we're at it? Want to make sure my dad's okay if Godzilla swings by there."

"Toph, are you sure-"

"I'll be fine Sugar Queen. Not like I'll be walking into anything new," the blind girl interrupted. Azula snickered a little at the nickname. Sugar Queen. She put it on the list of things to get under the waterbender's skin.

"Then it's settled. We'll go pack our bags and fly out on Appa." Aang did something rather unexpected. He walked forward and held out a hand to Azula. "Just stay safe out there. Okay?"

The Princess froze. Was the Avatar just…offering a handshake? He knew she could strike him down at this moment, right? How naive did you have to be?

Then again, it's not like she had anything to lose. She took the hand and shook it rather stiffly. "Don't die out there. Wouldn't want my Avatar slayer status taken away from me, now would we?" she morbidly teased.

Aang just shrugged, and walked off with his friends, though not before Katara shot Azula a look. Azula just played with her bangs a little, feigning innocence. Made sure her eyes were big, wide, and looking away to twist the knife. Just because they were allies didn't mean she couldn't have a little fun.

Once they were gone, it was unfortunately time to get back to business. She turned around and addressed her entourage, guards included. "Right. I don't suppose any of you know where the resistance hideout is, hmm?"

"I can take you to somebody who knows. Follow me," Kori responded, leading them further into the ruined streets. Azula smirked a bit, glad to get away from that temple just for a little while. Focusing on anything outside of those voices made her feel a bit gleeful.

Yu Dao,

Fire Nation Camp

Aang and the rest of Team Avatar had marched back straight to camp to take inventory. Their self-designated inventory clerk figured they were going to be gone for a day or two, so stocking up shouldn't be an issue. At least that's what Sokka said. In reality, purchasing food from whatever stalls and shops that weren't closed down turned out to be a bit of a chore. That and making sure nobody was following them so they wouldn't get robbed in one of the side streets. "Desperate times make desperate people," the brains of their group summed up.

It didn't make leaving any easier for Aang though. While Sokka and Toph were arguing about whether or not the blind girl wasn't poaching a piece of meat or two, the airbender took the opportunity to slip away to a quieter spot. He watched Yu Dao in the distance, almost envisioning a pile of rubble when they returned from their sojourn. His mind spun in circles, trying to justify his leaving. The refugees needed the Avatar. He couldn't be in two places at once. Zuko would have things under control.

Yet didn't the whole world need the Avatar? Shouldn't he leave somebody a bit more practiced behind to make sure things didn't go to the pits? Could he trust Zuko to watch over everything? Each reasoning was followed by more questions, which in turn spawned more reasons. Sometimes Aang told himself the same arguments, though every repetition of the same thing sounded more and more like an excuse.

He sighed, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Thought I'd find you here," a familiar voice said, catching his ear. Katara walked up beside him, also looking across the city. "You said you wanted to talk earlier, right?"

Aang nodded, wondering how best to put this. "You…ever wonder if we did the right thing?"

Katara raised an eyebrow. "Aang, we saved the world. How is that not the right thing?"

"I know, but what about what came after? About reconstruction and the peace talks and the…you feel like we messed up somewhere down the line and now we're paying for it?" Aang reiterated, choosing his words carefully so the waterbender could get what he was saying.

Which, to her credit, she did. "Oh. Right. I mean, it's not like we wanted things to end up like this. And we have been working pretty closely with everyone. Shouldn't we give ourselves a little bit of credit for what we did right?"

"And what was that?" Aang asked both Katara and himself. "Not watch Zuko's back? Making sure he made all the right moves?"

"Aang, we can't baby him all the time. Do I agree with what he's done? No, but we do have to put a little faith in him. Rebuilding the world is not a one-person job. I mean, why do you think I was so reluctant to leave my village? I was worried that if I left, my home would just fall apart.

"Sometimes, we need to have a little faith in others and not put so much on ourselves. Do what we can with what we have. What we can do, those add up over time. That's how I choose to see it anyways." With that, Katara came over and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, drawing him close in for a hug. Aang allowed himself to smile a bit, just relishing in this one simple moment. They seemed to come few and far these days.

"Mind if I join you for a moment, my friends?" an old voice asked.

Swallowing a lump he had in his throat, Aang beckoned the approaching Iroh over. His gait was slow and measured, and the wrinkles on his face seemed more pronounced than usual. Whatever their issues were at the moment, Aang had to admit the old man didn't look so good.

"Look, I'm sorry for overriding your suggestions for Azula's guards. I asked some of your friends and…" the Avatar trailed off, unsure of how to explain why exactly he just went over the Grand Lotus's head.

Iroh simply patted him on the shoulder. "Do not worry, my young friend. I understand that our little Pai Sho club hasn't been the most open of allies. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably do the same. Especially given our history before coming together after all." The old man proceeded to lean against a tent pole, gazing at the dreary city.

The guilt that lay in Aang's stomach didn't go away though. It wasn't like him to go behind doors like he did. He prayed to the spirits he didn't have to do it again any time soon. What's more, he knew his apology did little to assuage Iroh. After all, everyone knew the real reason for Iroh's current mood. Nobody knew what exactly transpired between him and his nephew, but it had to be pretty ugly considering the ashen face he had when he staggered out of the jungle.

So, Aang switched the topic, hoping to veer it into something the old man surely would have some progress on. "You guys learn anything about the kaiju? Any ways of stopping them?"

A heavy sigh and Iroh's sinking shoulders told him what the answer was without a single word. "We've been reading as many tomes as we can get on in short notice, so there's a chance an answer lays somewhere undisturbed," Iroh began. "At the moment though…nothing. There has been no record of a kaiju being felled by human hands. Only when two do battle is there a chance one may die."

"And I don't think we want to rely on that too often considering Cranefish," Katara pointed out, the memory fresh in their minds.

"Not to mention, the Fire Nation won't accept relying on such beasts for an answer. Godzilla wounded our pride. So we'll keep throwing men at him, hoping every battle will find a chink in his armor. We'll tell ourselves that these sacrifices won't be in vain, yet every attack will fail. More soldiers die. Cities will burn from that monster's wrath. By the time we find that answer, it won't even matter as Caldera will be razed to the ground. No one will even be alive to see it happen. Yu Dao? That's only the beginning, I can assure you."

Dread froze Aang's blood, pinning him to the ground. This wasn't the man who celebrated the end of the war with a party at his tea house. It was as if the fire that was Iroh's soul had been smothered.

Katara on the other hand furrowed her brow. "What? So we just give up? Iroh, there's got to be something we can do! Aang was able to stop Godzilla."

"Godzilla was one. Now there are many. Rodan. Battra. This Storm King of yours. If one is pacified, another will come forth. You saw how many kaiju were on that mural. Do you believe they can be calmed when we have enraged them all?" Iroh asked.

"We had a lot less to work with when Ozai was busy burning the entire world!" Katara pointed out. She probably would've said more if Aang hadn't rubbed her arm. Truth be told, he got what she was saying. Yet something told him that laying out their past accomplishments wouldn't do much good.

So he tried another angle. "Is everything alright, Iroh? You're not sounding like yourself," Aang commented, appealing to the old man's surprising melancholy.

A bitter laugh that only an old weary man could give came from Iroh. "You're right Aang. Yet I can't see any way out of this. Agni bless Zuko for trying his best but…I don't think he was ready to take the throne on his own. There's just too much on his shoulders. Where was I? Just running and hiding like I've always done."

That warm fire that lined his voice had gone cold, further freezing Aang's blood. "Listen, I know things are bad," he gently consoled. "But believe me when I say I know what it's like to lose faith. Spirits, I never thought I'd be able to learn firebending if Ran and Shaw hadn't taught me and Zuko."

"Ran and Shaw…" Iroh's eyes seemed to light up for the briefest of moments. One last flicker before the fire died once more. "You know those two judge the worth of a firebender to determine if they are worthy to learn the secrets of firebending. Yes?"

"Uh, yeah. We were there." Aang wasn't sure where Zuko's uncle was going with this.

"Well, in the old days, dragons weren't just teachers. They were judges as well. It was said that to upset a dragon was bringing the very wrath of Agni upon you. Divine retribution you might say. When I lost Lu Ten, I wasn't sure of what to do. My fire had died out. So I went in search of the last dragon. At first, I thought I was going to face them for my last chance at glory. To finally conquer a legend.

"Yet when I was allowed to meet Ran and Shaw, I…realized the truth. I wanted to be judged for my crimes. For I couldn't bear to live with them," he retold, a tear running down his wrinkled cheek. Aang gasped. Sure he knew that the two would kill those they deemed unworthy. Yet throwing yourself into danger like that just to die? How deep of a pit did you have to fall into to even think of that?

"Listen, Iroh. I don't know what went on between you and Zuko, but we all know that if you weren't here, he wouldn't have changed. He needed you," he reminded the old man. Surely his nephew's accomplishments would've rekindled his spirit.

Iroh just shook his head. "No, he's right to be furious with me. If I truly reached him, he wouldn't have betrayed us all in Ba Sing Se. In fact, I don't believe he hates me as much as he should. I didn't just kill enemy soldiers and civilians during the 500 days. When I learned Lu Ten died, I…fled. Leaving my own men behind to fend for themselves. I thought that if I gave him some space when he became Fire Lord, he wouldn't have so many daggers aimed at his back.

"I couldn't even take responsibility for his betrayal. I just turned my back to him when I was imprisoned. No. I deserve this. Ran and Shaw never deemed me worthy. They just kept me alive so I could live and make the same mistakes over and over again."

Aang and Katara were taken aback by his self-loathing. This was the Iroh behind the brewing teapot, smiling face and wise sayings? Or had he changed more than they could've imagined?

The broken old man sighed. "These kaiju. They bring out the best and worst in us. Maybe that's why they're here. To judge us. To see if we're worthy of existence."

…the airbender couldn't bear to see more. He stepped forward and wrapped an arm around Iroh's shoulders. "I think Zuko needs you more than he knows," Aang explained. "Just give him some time. He'll come around on his own. Did so before after all. The monks always said that only patience will bear fruit when it is ready."

Iroh chuckled again, with an ember of warmth in his voice. "I hope you're right. By Agni, I hope you're right."

Yu Dao,

Merchant's District

The more Azula saw, the more she couldn't believe it. There were upturned rocks and earth practically on every street as they reached the merchant's district. And again, her mind kept going back to that asinine decision to let a bunch of Earth Kingdom thugs into what was just recently a Fire Nation colony. Quite frankly, she wasn't sure if those vipers in Zuko's court were that moronic on paper, or they were more devious than they let on.

Maybe both. Still, it made her want to vomit. Once crowds and vibrant colors were tending these stalls, now they were all closed up. The crowds had long dried up. Only a few souls were milling about shopping for essentials. Everyone else though was wise enough to stay off the streets.

"This place used to be something special. Now…". Kori trailed off, her eyes taking all the lifeless shops in. "If only I had been here," she muttered.

Maina reached over and hugged the despondent rebel. "Hey, it's okay. It wasn't your fault."

"Our movement was never supposed to be violent. You two. Is it true they've been aggravating things?" Kori asked the two guards trailing them.

"The Freedom for Yu Dao Coalition? I'm sorry, but we have had a few rioters escalate things between the guards and the scouts," Ming explained. "Not too many, but enough. Whatever they were before, they're not the same now."

Azula was silent, taking it all in and running it through her mind. Now Kori certainly didn't seem like the person to join a violent group. She was a Morishita after all. Yu Dao ran through her blood. No, she was too attached to this city to burn it down. So there was no reason to feign surprise about their turn to violence.

All the more reason that she felt more than a little concern for her friend right now. After all, she wasn't the only one who had their faith in their brethren shaken in the past few weeks. So, she did her part and placed a hand on Kori's shoulder. Needed to get it out now before they were in the thick of it. "You going to be okay?" she asked. Maybe a bit too stiffly, but it was the thought that counts.

"I…yeah. Contact's just around the corner." Sure enough, they turned the corner and found a small shop down at the other end.

With said contact is currently being accosted by two men in Earth Kingdom uniform. Who was currently shoving him around. Much to Azula's displeasure.

Well, nobody said this was going to be easy.

Naturally, Kori was the first one to rush forward, shove her way in between the soldiers and the shop owner, and yell "What the hell are you guys doing?!" To give her credit, her demand for attention caught both of the thugs off guard. Obviously, they weren't expecting somebody to put their foot down.

Course that little spell didn't last for too long before one of them straightened himself and glared the rebel in the eye. "Listen here. We've got good reason to believe that this little firespitter's been giving away our patrol routes to the enemy. All we're doing is straightening him out."

"You threw a BOULDER through my door!" the shopkeeper protested, pointing to the shattered entrance of his shop. Azula grimaced, seeing the good-sized rock (though she wouldn't exactly call it a boulder) lying there amidst the rubble. Instinctively she started putting herself between the civilian and the thugs.

"Says the guy who barricaded himself in. We did ask you to come out," the other soldier nonchalantly said, as if that somehow justified an act of violence.

"Oh yeah! And I'm sure you thugs wouldn't just tear my shop up like all the others!"

"Do yourself a favor and shut. UP," Azula snarled. This got him to shrink and look at her in fear. Good. At least he's scared enough to now not to do anything stupid.

On the other hand, she did take a quick look around at the stores around them. He wasn't exactly wrong in saying that a good portion of them had been damaged. And it didn't escape her that the damaged shops all had Fire Nation insignia while Earth Kingdom stalls were left alone…

"What's going on here?" a gruff voice commanded, heralding the arrival of two Fire Nation guards. Azula let herself relax a little bit, figuring they at least had some more people on their side to back them up. Though she forced herself to stay on edge a little. The last thing she wanted was to be taken unawares.

"We're rooting out some moles is all, ash-maker-"

"They were accusing this shopkeep of revealing their patrol routes throughout the city," Maina hurriedly interjected, hoping to keep tempers at a bare minimum. "He didn't want to come out, so they damaged his shop."

"Oh, we're the bad guys? Did anyone tell you we had to send some boys back to our camp because those firespitters keep hurting them whenever they cut us off?!" one of the thugs spat at the priestess. Azula didn't buy it for a second. Sure she wasn't an idiot and knew some Fire Nation soldiers wouldn't bat an eye at throwing fire at any passing Earth Kingdom troop. But that's because the latter was usually asking for it. And if this was their way of getting information, no wonder the guards stepped in.

Indeed, one of the newcomers just shrugged. "Maybe if you stopped harassing Fire Nation civilians, we wouldn't have to resort to this. Or is pushing around civilians too much for you dirt shovelers to ask?"

"Okay, that's taking it a bit too far-" Ming warned.

"You think his family came here just to make friends?!" one of the thugs snapped. "They came here to replace US. Just because your little overlords are leaving doesn't mean you're not as guilty as they are."

"My grandparents just wanted to get away from that war furnace home turned into. And besides, I didn't even want to be these guys' ears!" the shopkeeper protested. What he said though caught Azula's ear. "Get away" from the Fire Nation? Why would they want to leave? The colonies were a frontier of opportunity, not some refuge for the disenfranchised.

Yet the fear he showed her was legitimate. Which was fair, but why was he nervously looking over at the guards? They were here to protect his best interests as any soldier should do.

"You WILL show respect for your superior," one of the guards said, right on cue. "We're protecting you from these thugs, and you'd better be thankful for it. Besides, colonist or not you're still Fire Nation. How about you show some pride in your civic duty?"

"Civic duty?" Kori turned towards the shopkeeper with concern written on her face. "Mako. They didn't…"

This Mako just nodded, silently digging out a half-burnt picture of his family from his pocket. "Promised a lot worse if I didn't cooperate."

Azula felt like she was about to lurch. Threatening this to a soldier was one thing. But doing this to a Fire Nation civilian? Why-why was she even surprised? This was the same stuff they did on Odo. At least then she was able to swallow they were dealing with smugglers. Here though? What exactly did this nobody do to deserve such treatment?

"Hang on. Aren't you Kori Morishita?"

"...yes. I am," Kori declared, glad to be the center of attention. The way those guards were looking at her made Azula a bit wary though.

Her fears were realized when one guard nodded. "Alright. We're placing you and this shopkeep under arrest for association with terrorist activities."

"WHAT?! I had nothing to do with the assassination attempt! And Mako's harmless!" Kori protested, slowly backing away as the guards approached.

"Mayor's orders. Anybody who we believe to be associated with those murder-happy psychos, we take in for questioning. I think your father specified you in particular," the other guard demanded. One of them brought fire to his fists while another unsheathed his sword.

If things couldn't get any worse, the two scouts started approaching as well. "If anybody's going with anyone, it's us. We've got a few questions of our own about who's been squealing on us."

Kori, Maina, Azula, and their escorts got into a semi-circle facing the assailants. "Maina, you get Mako out of here. He's our best chance at finding the resistance. Got it?"

"Way ahead of you," the priestess said, quickly grabbing the shopkeep's arm. At that moment, the firebending guard threw a ball of flame right at Azula's face. Still, a bit shocked by everything moving so fast, she willed herself to bat away the fireball in the nick of time. The other guard rushed her with his blade in hand, only for Kori to lunge forward and swipe out a dagger she had hidden in her belt.

They crossed blades, but Kori's knife was positioned at the base of the sword. The leverage let her push the guard back. Lee stomped the earth and thrust an arm out, sending a shower of debris from the ruined shop entrance toward the Fire Nation guards. The enemy firebender kicked and punched away the debris with fists and feet covered in flames, but the counterattack did give them some space.

Maina readied her staff and bent a gust of wind to get the now bewildered Mako away from the fight. The sudden airbending technique got everyone to stop for a moment. Not every day an airbender that wasn't the Avatar showed up in their midst.

Azula was more focused on Kori's knife. "Is that a hunting dagger?" she asked.

Kori shrugged. "Pretty useful when you're cleaning kills out in the field."

Right. She was a huntress growing up. Regardless, the two girls switched sides as Azula and Ming in synchrony let out a burst of blue and orange flame respectively. One of the scouts thrust up a wall of dirt, shielding both him and his companion from the flames. The other scout proceeded to kick parts of the wall at the two firebenders, forcing them both to blast the pieces apart. Nothing but small pebbles and rocks got through, bouncing against their armor.

Didn't make Azula less annoyed though. Great. Two earthbenders. And Zuko said he was the unlucky one?

Still, she wasn't one to back down from a challenge. Working in tandem, Azula and Ming kicked and batted away each hurl of dirt and rock. Yet they couldn't counterattack either. The two scouts just kept building their shield and started advancing, closing the distance.

When they reached perhaps 15 feet away from them, their hailstorm stopped. Azula realized the incoming threat before they had a chance to even stamp the ground. "JUMP!" she yelled, prompting both her and Ming to leap into the air. Just in time too as the earthbenders sent the earth shield charging towards them, slamming into the shop behind.

It also left them exposed as the two firebenders lashed out with their feet and sent trails of fire toward the two scouts. The soldiers quickly brought up an individual earth shield for them both, letting the flames wash over them.

"Not bad for a guard," Azula complimented.

Ming shrugged, her elite armor rattling a bit as she did. "You don't get to be a royal guard by being mediocre."

Azula had to admit she liked her, but she couldn't dwell on that for long. The two scouts lashed out and kicked their shields again towards the firebenders. This time, Azula and Ming ducked out of the way, letting the smaller shields streak past. Azula took the opening and shot a quick burst of flame towards one of the scouts. He was just able to roll out of the way, though the suddenness of the strike caused him to stumble a bit.

Her partner wasn't having as much luck. Ming's opponent had rushed her, trying to pummel her with fists of rock. She managed to dodge the first few punches, though any attempt at a counterattack with a flame dagger was thwarted by how large the gauntlets were.

The Princess quickly looked behind her. Kori was already engaged in a duel with the other swordsman, with Lee providing a shield to fend off their firebender. Seeing they were okay for the moment, Azula lunged forward and did a cartwheel, sending a wheel of flame toward the distracted scout.

He reacted just in time to block it with one of his gauntlets, but the force of the strike knocked him down. Still, he rolled with the momentum and brought up his other gauntlet, sending it flying toward Azula.

She smirked, prepared to dodge out of the way. That's when she felt the earth capture her boots. Her eyes widened, realizing she had just forgotten the other scout.

Unable to move, Azula felt the heavy block slam into her shoulder, shattering against her armor. The prodigy was thrown back against the wall across from the shop. Azula gasped in pain. The pauldron of the armor protected her shoulder from the worst of the damage. Yet she felt a sharp sensation whenever she tried to move it.

Her arm was dislocated. A fact not lost on the now triumphant-looking scout. He raced forward, no doubt hoping to break a few more bones while she was down.

The next few moments happened in slow motion. She wasn't quite sure what happened, but a vision came to her, lying dead on these streets. The indignity. To survive so much only to die to this ruffian. She wouldn't allow it.

Deep down, she felt the blue fire that was her soul roar to life. All at once, her dislocated arm was pulled back into its socket with the pain dulled. Azula blinked, unable to realize or comprehend what had happened.

Her thoughts came back to her just in time though to grab the scout by the throat with her formerly injured arm. Glaring at him with an indescribable fury, Azula lashed out with her leg and kicked the scout into the wall behind her. She lashed out with such strength that the wall shook from the impact, with the outer layer crumbling. The blue fire that bathed her leg died, and the scout slumped over unconscious.

The other Earth Kingdom scout was beaten back, overcome by Ming's assault when he saw what Azula just pulled. She just glared at him. "Take your friend and get out of here." Silently, he picked up his comrade and scurried away, not looking back.

Ming took a moment to stare at the Princess. "How…how did you do that?"

With the adrenaline of battle leaving her system, Azula looked at the crumbled wall behind her. Already her mind was hunting for an answer, but all she could say was, "I…don't know."

She looked at her arm which just a moment ago was injured. The pain was dying, and she could feel the bruise beneath receding far faster than it otherwise would have done. Curiously, she gazed at her hand.

Her veins were currently glowing with a faint blue light. Azula blinked, surprised at her recovery. True her healing from the asylum was happening ahead of schedule, but this was beyond her comprehension.

Suddenly, her mind flashbacked to the healing of Godzilla's wound back at Aso Island. The Princess had a feeling her fire could do something similar on a smaller scale, but not to THIS extent.

Gazing around, she saw more eyes looking at her. The two guards were taken down by Kori and Lee, yet all four's attention was drawn to her.

Well, since they had her attention, Azula stomped over and loomed over the two thugs from her nation. "You two turn yourselves in and explain why you were coercing a civilian into doing your duty, attacking a member of the Royal Family, and almost instigating the war."

The two idiots stared gobsmacked at her before the more braindead of the two puffed out his chest. "We don't have to listen to a mad woman," he snarled.

Azula just glared at him, causing him to shrink a bit. Subconsciously or not, she felt fire in her veins again. "Either you tell him, or I will. Understood?"

Again, the guards stood shell-shocked. Annoyed, Azula stomped her foot, causing blue flames to roar from underneath her sole. That was finally enough to get the two idiots to scurry away.

At last, the fighting was over. Azula let out a sigh of relief. Seemed like everywhere she went there was trouble. Still, those two's conduct left her troubled. Sure she wasn't an idiot. She didn't try to delude herself into thinking every soldier in the Fire Nation Army was as honorable as they said. Yet to see them lash out with so little restraint…

"We ready to go?"

She was brought out of her musings by Kori's voice. The noble girl was standing with Mako, who had come from around the corner with Maina. Remembering what they were to do, Azula gestured for the peasant to lead the way. And so he did, but not without looking in bewilderment at the Princess who defended him.

Azula deigned not to give him any attention. All her thoughts were about her miraculous burst of strength back there. She almost didn't feel…human.

Freedom for Yu Dao Coalition Hideout

Turns out the hideout wasn't too far from where they met the shopkeeper. They took a few turns away from the shopping district and into the slums of the city. Well, Azula considered it to be the slums. If it wasn't the opulence of the elites or the humdrum of the store owners, it would have to be the bare basic needs for human survival. True enough, the buildings here were considerably run down with cracks in their walls. Whether they were from fights or just age, the Princess couldn't tell. She just felt dirty being here.

"Could be worse. Could be wading through slurry," Kori teased.

"...you know what? I don't want to know where you heard that." Azula shivered involuntarily at the memory. More so that some colonist knows about that.

Besides, she had enough trouble right now outside of really bad filth-related memories. All around them, peasants of the district were giving them the evil eye. And by them, it was really her. Azula felt the weight of her armor as she suddenly realized she wasn't exactly inconspicuous. By Agni, she wanted a cloak right now.

Eventually, they came to a dark corner where a rather tall and burly man was keeping watch. Like all the others, his eyes fell right on her when the group came up. Already he was reaching for a rather large hammer at his side when Kori stepped forward. "It's okay. She bailed Mako out from some thugs."

The brute grunted before stepping aside, letting them pass and go down a stairwell into a dark basement. In times past, this must've been some kind of storage area. Now though, a whole host of people were held up. At long last, they found the Coalition.

Azula's eyes widened. Here was a sight she never expected to see in her life. Earth Kingdom peasants and Fire Nation citizens intermingling with each other. Well, not exactly. They were still somewhat clumped together in groups according to their ancestry. Yet they were also going from one group to another, checking up on each other. Offering words of encouragement.

And more importantly, tending the wounded. A good portion of the people were wearing bandages or casts of some kind. Some looked like broken bones, but quite a number of them sported what had to be burn marks. The amount was extensive.

They all stared at her as they walked past. Shock. Hate. Fear. No doubt wondering what it meant for her to be here and all. She took it all in. Like it or not, she was going to help these lowlives. Hate her all they want, wasn't going to change the fact they weren't in a position to do anything about it.

Yet she couldn't sneer at them either. Rather, she looked at them with…something she couldn't put her finger on. For some reason that veteran back on Odo Island kept popping up in her mind. And the scale of the injured held her tongue. Especially given how many of them had more burn marks than broken bones. So different and yet so similar. This story before her. Was it like this in every colony? Everywhere the Fire Nation went?

Looking back, it seemed as though all the Fire Nation did was hurt people. Which was absurd. The Fire Nation was supposed to HELP people. To uplift them. Yet Odo Island was oppressed. Aso Island was nearly destroyed. Infant Island was filled with victims of genocide. And even here, where they were supposed to be doing the most good, she saw nothing but hurt. Before she could at least turn a blind eye. Now…now she was surrounded by it.

She felt something, but again, she didn't know what it was.

Thankfully something a bit more familiar rose, marched forward, and gave a salute. "Princess Azula! I'm Private Rei of the Fiery Raptors."

"At ease soldier," Azula responded, earning her a few looks from Ming and Lee. Hey, if they didn't want to keep up with the current situation, that was on them. Right now she had more pressing matters to attend to. "What's the situation?"

The young soldier led them through the group, filling them in on the details. "Well, we did what we asked. We provided some muscle for the Coalition in case of violent reprisal. And it did get violent, a few times. The first few times we succeeded in holding our ground, but then…"

"What happened to Saki? Our old leader? The last thing he wanted was for somebody to go around trying to kill the Fire Lord," Kori asked.

Rei bit her lip, clearly trying to put it delicately. "He was arrested and jailed on charges of terrorism. Well, your father said it was on charges of terrorism so take it with a grain of salt. We think he's being held in the town jail, but we haven't heard anything so far."

Well, it could be worse, Azula had to bite back, knowing that such crassness probably wouldn't be of any help. Truth be told, this Saki was lucky. If her father was still in power, he'd probably label him a traitor and either lock him away in the Boiling Rock or burn him alive. She had seen him do both after all.

Something that Kori seemed to realize, seeing that the girl controlling her breathing from the news. "Okay. Alright. So how do we get from that to, you know, assassination attempts."

"I can answer that, Kori," a teen from the crowd said, jumping up and exchanging handshakes and all. An old friend no doubt. "Right after Saki got arrested, some spook calling himself the Master took control. Started rounding up a circle of followers and began pushing for more violence. Nobody stepped up 'cause…well, he and his gang are giving off some scary vibes."

A glance around told Azula they probably had good reason to keep their heads down. She saw several people standing straight up, just staring at them. Her in particular. There was no hatred in their gaze, just…curiosity. For some reason, that was even more unnerving. Hate she could deal with, but not curiosity.

"The Master. Looks like we've got a name for our guy," Maina whispered. The Princess nodded, already compiling a list of questions. Daggers that she could mold into simple comments by using just the right words. After all, this little 'gang' of theirs didn't seem too dissimilar to the Dai Li.

"Okay. Who let Ozai's Viper in here?"

Oh great. Azula turned around to see a rather short child striding right at her. They had short hair and a headband on their forehead with tattoos painted on their cheeks. They weren't alone either. A tall boy wearing a straw hat and wielding a bow backed them up. The bow was at rest, but Azula took note of it in case things got ugly.

Now she wasn't here to make friends. Yet a Princess couldn't just let a challenge like this go unheard. "'Ozai's Viper?' Kind of has a nice ring to it."

"You oughta know. Don't think you can get away with that crap you pulled back at Ba Sing Se either." More eyes were turning towards them, a circle forming as all could sense quite a confrontation was on the horizon.

Kori wouldn't have any of it as she stepped in between the two. "I'm Kori Morishita. I…don't think we've seen you around. Who are you?"

"I'm Smellerbee. The guy behind me is Longshot. And yeah, we know who you are. What we want to know is what she's doing here?" the upstart demanded.

Ming stepped forward before anybody could stop her. "The Princess Azula is here due to concerns about the kaiju problem. We've heard rumors the Master may be aware of something."

The girl (Azula thought she was a girl) rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Everybody here knows about that giant worm coming right at us. We told 'em! Saw it with our own eyes and everything! We also know that there's a whole army of steam tanks heading our way too! And now we got the freakin' Princess here as well. What's next? Your brother going to drop another drill on our heads too?"

"We're here to help," Maina stood up, holding her hands up to play peacemaker. "Look, I get you can't trust Azula, but-"

"You're right. We DON'T trust her," Smellerbee cut off, getting in Azula's face. "You honestly think you can just come in here and think you're a good guy? Look around! Everyone that got scorched here is thanks to your soldiers! And I don't give a crap if you say it was your brother or not. The last time you Fire Nation thugs said you wanted to help, you burned down our homes. And the last time we trusted one of you 'nobles', he left our friend to be brainwashed and killed."

"Bee." The tall boy leaned forward and rested his hand on the firespitter's shoulder. Azula simply stood passively, allowing her accuser to calm herself down.

"You can fool everyone, but you can't fool us," Smellerbee concluded, before stalking off into a corner to go sulk. Longshot followed soon after, leaving Azula and her entourage alone. Most of the eyes turned away, seeing that the fight was over.

A gentle hand rubbed Azula's back. "You okay?" Maina asked.

Azula let out a breath she had been holding back. "I…"

"Princess Azula I presume?"

They turned towards a plain man giving a pleasant smile. "The Master wishes to meet with you," he said, waving them along to follow. Azula followed, glad to be getting back on task.

After snaking their way through the crowd, they came towards a door guarded by two servants. "He simply asks that your guards wait outside. His wish is for this to be a private matter."

Scowling but not wanting to make a scene, Ming and Lee complied, standing aside as the servant opened the door. As soon as Azula, Kori, and Maina filed in, the door was shut.

A chill lay upon the room. It was small, with the furniture moved aside.

Their "host" stood apart, gazing at the trio with piercing blue eyes. "At long last. I must say, I've been waiting for this moment for a long time."

"Really? We've only just heard of your existence just this morning," Azula quipped. She took stock of this 'Master'. He was tall, wearing a heavy cloak that obscured his features. All she could see was those blue eyes. Yet they weren't the blue eyes of Water Tribe heritage. No, they were tinged with a bit of purple. And they lacked pupils. That got her nerves up.

Kori wasn't intimidated though. "Look, we're here because you ordered a hit on Fire Lord Zuko. What were you thinking?! That's-"

The Master simply held out a hand. A very pale-skinned, clawed hand. The fire left Kori's lips, realizing they weren't exactly dealing with some upstart. "Zuko will be dealt with in due time. He's busy right now, interrogating one of my own."

Azula narrowed her eyes. "Okay. Who and what are you?"

A haunting laugh erupted from the man's lips. "Perhaps I should show you. I must admit, it's been getting harder to hide myself. Maybe then we can talk more frankly."

With that, he let his cloak hit the ground.

Along with a powerful tail he had coiled around his torso.

Azula's eyes widened back up as the thing (she wasn't sure if they were a man) rose to its full height, flexing its shoulders. Its skin was deathly pale, to the point she could see its veins. Sharp teeth lined its mouth. The arms and hands were far longer than the bounds of normality.

It was the back that got her though. From his back erupted spines.

Spines like flames frozen in bone.

Only one name could describe this creature.

The Abomination smiled with mirth with a snarl in his voice. "Now then…let's talk."

Yu Dao Prison

Zuko stared at the prisoner in the shadows. All done up in his Fire Lord regalia with the crown on his head, he made quite the intimidating figure. Hopefully, it would get across to the assassin the sort of position he was in.

Behind him, Mai stood silently as the guard filled him in on all the details. "He's a bit of an odd one, Fire Lord. Insisted that he'd only speak to you. We withheld on some of our more aggressive measures, but-"

"That'll be all, Private," Zuko interrupted, never taking his eyes off the inmate. He knew just what some of those "alternative methods" were. Not even an assassin deserved even a fraction of what lay in store. Still, he couldn't ignore the man in front of him who tried to drive a fire dagger into his heart.

There had always been threats of assassinations, and he had to admit he had a few close calls in the past. Iroh even suggested getting the Kyoshi Warriors to help. Zuko rejected the idea, thinking that it wouldn't exactly set a good example to have girls from a village he burned down to be his servants. No, he was going to do this himself.

"I know you can hear me," he started, mustering up all the authority in his voice.

The shadowy figure stirred, lazily looking back at him with blue eyes. Zuko had to double-check. Yes, they were blue. Odd, wasn't the assassin Fire Nation in descent…?

"Ah, so the runt has returned," the stranger drawled.

Zuko clenched his fist. "That's Fire Lord to you. And you WILL show respect to your ruler."

His demand for respect went unheeded though as the assassin lazily waved him off. "You're no king of mine. You're not even a prince. Just a traitor who convinced everyone that his birthright still meant something. Funny. You cling to that crown of yours like it means something these days. Then again, it wasn't too long ago that you found out monsters exist."

"This is your last warning. Show me respect, or I won't guarantee you'll see the sun again."

No smart remark came from the shadows this time. Feeling confident, Zuko laid down the law. "You committed treason and attacked a world leader. The only reason you're still here is that I need a name. I know there's a violent faction within the Coalition, and you've been using the movement as cover. Cooperate, and you might just walk free. Don't, and you're off to the Boiling Rock."

Again, no comment. Now it seemed as though the assassin was deliberately trying his patience. "Well? Answer me," Zuko snarled, keeping his annoyance in check but channeling enough of it into a threat.

Shrugging, the figure turned around and stepped into the light.

Zuko, Mai, and the guard stepped back, seeing the would-be killer in the flesh. He looked human. Or rather, he was part human. His hair was black as you'd expect from Fire Nation. Yet his skin was turning charcoal gray with patches of scaly skin. His fingernails were sharper than normal. And on his back, the Fire Lord could just see bits of spines beginning to burst out.

"By Agni…" Zuko muttered, seeing the…thing standing there, waiting for the first question. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he decided not to keep them waiting.

"What ARE you?"

The Abomination chuckled, his tail swaying lazily behind him. "I am what you perceive me to be. My followers here call me a leader. If I were to step out into the light of day, I'd probably get labeled a monster. Perhaps I'm both. But that's not what matters whatever I call myself, is it? No, you've already made up your mind."

Azula sighed, realizing this wasn't going to be easy. "Okay, let me rephrase the question. How did you get like THIS?" she asked, gesturing to his whole figure.

"That, I can answer," the hybrid shrugged. "I look like him, don't I? Yes, I can see the familiarity in your eyes. Well child, long ago there were more like Godzilla. They're not around anymore. But during my travels, I came upon a dying one of his species. I looked upon its great form and decided, it would be such a shame if its power went to waste. I consumed it, and THIS is the result."

"Maina, can somebody possibly do that?" Azula questioned.

The priestess shook herself out of her stupor and frantically came up with an answer. "No! And the last of Godzilla's kind died out before even the Nations arose! If this guy's telling the truth, he's got to be unfathomably old! Plus, you know, how does somebody like him manage to consume an entire kaiju?!"

Suddenly, that misshapen form swung around and looked her in the eye. "Ah. So Mothra has awakened as well. So many of my acquaintances have finally risen to do their duty. Surprised it took them the world nearly ending to do something about it.

"But to answer your question: yes. I am that old. If spirits can live for thousands of years, why not I?" he pointed out, beginning to circle them, eyeing them with his fangs barred. "Then again. I guess it shouldn't be too surprising. This isn't even my greater self after all. The body you see here is naught but a mere puppet."

Azula's ears zeroed in on that. What did they mean by "greater self"?

"You've no doubt seen Godzilla in the flesh. Surely the runt isn't too dimwitted to figure out the answer," the prisoner taunted.

Zuko felt his blood run cold. "No. No way. You're not saying-"

The assassin suddenly rammed the bars of the cell, causing the guard to jump back. "Don't you get it?" it snarled, baring its razor-sharp teeth. "It's not going to stop. What the Fire Nation has done to the world is too severe. When one backs down, another will follow. Again. And again. Until your nation is in ashes. Be thankful I'll only take the colonies as my territory. The others won't be so merciful, I fear."

"Then we'll find a way to stop them and you," Zuko argued back, stepping forward and unwilling to be intimidated by this monster. "We have people looking, and we're going to find some way of killing your kind. As Fire Lord, I swear I won't rest until my nation is safe from the likes of you."

"And when will that be? When you've sacrificed every last drop of blood to defend it? You pathetic warlords are all the same. Obsessed with winning and victory when you should be more focused on 'survival'. Or did that idiot in the North not hammer in the message hard enough?"

"I am NOT my father!" the Fire Lord roared. Behind him, Mai moved forward to try and calm him down, but it wouldn't work. He was sick and tired of everyone telling him that his fate was written in stone. No, his destiny was to SAVE the Fire Nation. Not serve it up for some oversized beasts to devour piece by piece.

Yet his fury did not melt the cold disdain the hybrid gave him. "Then why send your men to their deaths?"

…

"Why fight for the colonies? Why defend those blood-crazed sycophants in court? Why continue a crown drenched in the blood of millions? Do you believe that simply being in control is enough to redeem the sins of your forefathers? Tell me this, BOY. You say you want to help, so why aren't you accepting the responsibility of healing this broken world?"

…Zuko stood frozen, unable to respond. A contemptuous sneer crept on the thing's face. "That's what I thought."

Azula glared at the Abomination. "Your greater self, hmm? I wonder how 'great' it is when Godzilla rips you to pieces."

Her threat went cold as an inhuman laugh came from the thing's maw. "Oh, I've been waiting how long to face him. The body of one gave me power unimaginable to my kind. But two? I'd be a god amongst gods. The pinnacle of evolution. And I will spread my magnificence across this world like I have with my followers. All will bow to me as the apex predator. One way or another."

Maina on the other hand stood undaunted, holding her staff. "This isn't some natural order you're abiding by. Who died and made you ruler of the entire planet?"

"And who does THAT remind you of, I wonder?" the Abomination continued, leaning down and glaring Azula in the eye. They ignored the priestess like she wasn't even there. "Dominating and subjugating. Killing and conquering. All to stand on the top of the food chain. How does that make me better than YOU?"

"What I and my father did was for the betterment and progress of the world," Azula bit back, fighting back that maddening feeling in the pit of her gut.

The Abomination though, they just sneered in contempt. "Open your eyes, GIRL. Look around you. You've seen all the people the Fire Nation has hurt. Do you honestly believe your war was justified? That all those souls sent to the afterlife were sacrificed for something better? Was burning the Earth Kingdom just the last resort? Or the end of a long line of atrocities your family has committed? And if so, how are we so different?"

…

For the first time in how long, Azula had nothing to say. She couldn't even glare as the weight of what was said began to crush her. No. What they did was right. They HAD to have been. Yes, she and Father were monsters, but better for some to be tyrants than all to be weak.

Right?

"Although, I do have to give you this. Your country inspired me."

Kori threw up her hands in exasperation. "So after all that, you're admitting the Fire Nation did something right by you?"

A tooth-filled smile leered back at Kori, shutting her up. "Correct. Your ideology of the strong consuming the weak inspired me. What failed you was how weak your nation was."

"I, on the other hand, will become strong. I will take the ruins of Yu Dao and build it to be something better. Fire Nation. Earth Kingdom. The best of both worlds to become an empire. One that will rise high with the sun instead of merely reaching for it."

"And unlike your failed attempt at glory, my civilization will safeguard this world. You humans had your chance, but now it's time for the true rulers to return. This empire, built on the foundations of the old and new, will be MINE. Yours lasted for only a century. Mine will last for a millennium."

"So your choice is this. Either surrender, bow to me right now, or be consumed with all the others. That will be your legacy either way. Nothing, but a worthless FAILURE."

Something in Zuko snapped as he thrust his fist forward and brought forward a burst of flame. Not a trace of the dragon's element was found in it. This was an old fire born of rage and hate.

"ZUKO! NO!" Mai wretched his hand back, forcing him to cut it off lest he hurt his beloved. Zuko tried to take some calming breaths to steady himself. Yet he held up his hands in horror and gazed at the burned bars of the cell.

Behind those bars, the assassin lay motionless on the floor. The flames weren't intense enough to burn through the steel, but enough to scorch them.

"...we're done here," Zuko muttered, turning around to leave in shame.

"Fascinating. So this is the new Fire Lord's mercy."

Zuko and Mai stood paralyzed as they heard the thing pull themselves up. Turning around, they watched as the burned flesh healed and repaired itself. In a matter of moments, there were no signs of burns.

The impossible being coyly raised his arms. "Care to try again?"

With that, Zuko, Mai, and the private backed out of the room, made sure the door was locked, and ordered that the guard be increased. For what waited in there was not anything of this earth.

Azula couldn't help herself as she raised a fist full of flame, holding right to the Abomination's face. "Give me one good reason I don't kill you right now," she demanded.

That damnable smile wasn't wiped off. "Easy. Kill me, and risk war. For your Coalition? They see me as a hero."

"I know these people. They wouldn't follow a monster like you," Kori snarled, staring down the thing that had no right to exist.

"Say the right thing, and they will. For I'm offering something they've always wanted. What have your movements accomplished? Nothing except injury, fear, and grief. What I offer is hope. Independence. No Earth Kingdom or Fire Nation. They're tired of being ruled by tyrants. And they'll give themselves to me without hesitation since I can provide it. Kill me, and you'll rob them of hope."

"...I…" Kori backed down, defeated.

This scene brought an ember of defiance in Azula. "You made one mistake. You revealed yourself to me. Unless you're willing to kill me, we now know what you want."

"No, you don't. After all, what you need to ask yourself is why I wanted you to be here in the first place. I could've said no, sent you away. Yet I invited you here. Now it's your turn to ask, 'why?'" the thing taunted.

With that, the Abomination had enough as he rose and told his followers to take them away. All Azula, her friends, and her guards could do was walk through the crowd of people under the escort of the new master's cult. They were seen to the edge of the poor district, and given a stern warning to not trespass lest more people started dying.

The only comfort Azula had was they achieved their objective. Yet somehow she still felt as though her efforts brought them all ash.

Fire Nation Camp

Sokka was taking inventory one last time when Zuko and Mai were carried back into camp on that palanquin of theirs under an armed escort. At the same time, Azula and her entourage marched amongst the city of tents. Both of them looked worse for wear when they met Team Avatar, who were readying up Appa for their dangerous mission.

The heavy mood was noticed first by Aang, who hopped off of Appa's head and jogged over to the Fire Lord and his fiancee. "Everything okay with you guys?" he asked.

"Things…could be better," Zuko admitted.

Mai on the other hand just sighed. "Let's just say we got freaked out by our prisoner more than he got freaked out by us."

"Ice Queen got freaked out? That's a reason for concern," Toph quipped, much to Mai's confusion on how she got the nickname of Ice Queen.

Everyone proceeded to wait for Azula's now infuriatingly familiar wise-ass comment about Zuko's weakness. The Princess said nothing, just a curt comment about "Guess that makes two of us." That was even more cause for concern.

Naturally, the Fire Lord didn't want to dwell on that alien feeling more than was necessary. "So, I guess you're heading out then?" he asked the Avatar.

"Don't worry. We'll be back before you know it. Wouldn't be the first time we charged head first into danger and came out okay," Aang reassured. With that, the airbender and Zuko embraced one last time. He made a mental note to take an extended stay with the Fire Lord for a little bit once this business was done. Couldn't have been easy with him dropping in and out of such a turbulent state of affairs after all.

Speaking of turbulence, Aang turned to Azula. Gray eyes met golden brown. After a tense moment, the Avatar extended his hand. "I promise to take care of your people," he declared. "I give you my word."

The Princess looked at the outreached hand for a moment, unfamiliar with such a gesture coming from him. Aang threw in a warm smile in there for good measure. The last thing anyone needed was animosity between them.

Sighing, Azula shook the outreached hand. "Just don't make me regret this, Avatar."

Figuring that was about all the warmth he was going to get, Aang hopped on Appa's back, said a "Yip yip!" and the flying bison took to the air. Maina and Imana waved their goodbyes to each other as they ascended. After one last look towards Zuko and Azula, praying that things would be okay when they got back, Aang looked towards the horizon and the dark wilds beyond.

Wondering what exactly was waiting for them out there.

Azula sighed, hoping to get her breathing under control. Showing weakness in front of Zuko was something she couldn't stomach. Again.

Good thing then that he wanted her to meet him along the shoreline of the beach just outside of camp. To the north, she saw the city of Yu Dao. To the south, she could just barely make out the massive footprints of Godzilla as he charged his way onto shore. If she wanted to look southeast, she might've just been able to make out the charred wasteland of that battlefield.

None of which would calm her nerves. So, she looked out to the west, watching the sunset in the west, sinking towards the waves of the sea. Ah, the sun. The one thing she could always rely on to calm her nerves. Even if she felt their caressing rays fade with every second, it warmed her heart more than any ironclad tank or blazing inferno could. Such a shame she rarely seemed to get any time to enjoy it these days. Or any days as of the past year.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Zuko commented, causing her to roll her eyes. Of course, he had to ruin a moment of peace before it sunk in too much. He on the other hand just ignored her exasperation. "I remember Mom used to wake us up so we could watch the sun rise and set."

"You mean she woke you up, right?" Azula snarked.

To her surprise though, Zuko chuckled. "No, she woke you up too. I remembered that much."

She turned to lobby another barb but stopped when she saw what he was wearing. Or rather what he wasn't wearing. No Fire Lord robes. No crown. Just a red and golden tunic with his hair down. Didn't even have an escort with him. Sure, he'd requested Maina, Kori, and the two guards to give them some space, but she figured he'd drag her "friends" with him or something. Just to taunt how they cozied up to him.

It was almost enough to get her to lower her guard. Almost. "Alright. What do you want to know?"

Zuko sighed, obviously not entirely happy she wouldn't let him pretend everything was hunky dory between them both. "Tell me everything."

And so she did. Told him about the Coalition. Told him about those two ruffians that accosted her-

"Wait. Smellerbee and Longshot are alive?!"

"...uh, yeah. Did you know them?"

A pause as Zuko looked out to the west, watching the setting sun. "Back in Ba Sing Se. They were friends of Jet." He went silent, his arms going limp as no doubt some memory played in his mind. "So I guess he died then."

"That's what she told me. Granted it was more snarling, but yeah. He's dead. Wouldn't go around beating the bush with them if I were you." Her attempts at levity failed though when she saw how crestfallen Zuko was. How his fists clenched and his eyes were clamped shut. Guess those two peasants had to be on the money to be right about this.

So she decided to move on to the Abomination. Mainly what it was and their "plans" for Yu Dao. That caused Zuko to lighten up again in alarm. "That's the same thing that happened with the assassin. Okay, maybe not the exact same thing, but definitely to the same degree," he noted.

"What did your guy say?" Azula asked. And so Zuko told her his interrogation. Again, it stunned her with how open he was. Yet she pushed it aside for now to look at the facts. Mainly how, contrary to what Zuzu said, what both of their sources said was practically the same. Even more uncannily was how they almost seemed to line up at the same time. Didn't take much brainstorming to realize how eerily they matched up.

She wasn't the only one to put two and two together. Or rather Zuko started seeing the wheels turn in her head, which got him thinking. Almost like old times. All he had to ask was "Any idea of what this means?".

Azula shrugged. "Not a clue. What I do know is this: there's not a whole lot we can do against this thing at the moment. He's got his claws deep in the Coalition. Take him down, and he'll be a martyr. That's assuming we can even hurt him."

"What about this 'greater self' he talked about?"

"I…don't know. And I've got a bad feeling we're going to find out sooner than later." For some reason, she saw an image in her mind once again. That of those white tendrils creeping towards what she now knew to be one of Godzilla's species. The implications didn't sit well with her.

Briefly, she wondered if she should bring up the voices too. She quickly quashed that idea. The last time it was evident there were voices in her head, Zuko put her in the madhouse. The last thing she wanted was to give him another chance to do it again.

Not to mention that vision of him dancing with dragons. Gazing at him up and down, she wondered what was it that made him so special to get such an honor.

She sighed, pushing the image out of her mind. "Well, that's it then. We've hit a dead end. We know our enemy, but we can't do anything against him."

"King Kuei's not gonna be happy about talks of secession. That's for sure," Zuko quipped. "Then again, that makes two of us that might lose territory."

Azula blinked, waiting for the explanation. True to form, Zuko sighed. "Odo Island and a few of our border islands are partitioning for independence too. Guess that makes me the first Fire Lord in who knows how long to possibly lose land."

You wanted that crown so bad? Then you get all the baggage, Azula mentally scorned. Who was he to complain so much? He brayed on and on about how the crown was his destiny, even though he forsook his honor to do so. Unbelievable. Out of all the people in this world, she never would've expected him to turn traitor, bring a second to an Agni Kai, and claim he'd changed to hide the fact that he spat on his oh-so-beloved honor.

No. She wouldn't stand here and mother him. "I guess we're done here then."

Azula turned to leave before Zuko grabbed her shoulder. "No, we're not. Azula. There's…something I want to say to you."

Here it comes. The Princess turned around, getting ready for another round of threats.

"I'm…I'm sorry."

…

"...what?" Azula asked in disbelief.

"I'm sorry. For almost killing you back during the battle. And for the asylum. And…for the Agni Kai," Zuko laid out. Despite his words, Azula couldn't detect a lie. It wasn't as if she had gotten rusty. Zuzu couldn't lie to save his skin.

No, he was being sincere.

He continued. "Believe me, I didn't mean for things to get this personal. It's just, I didn't want you to turn the Fire Nation into a nightmare. I…I didn't know what to do with you after and…I thought you were trying to kill me back there. I understand if you're still upset, but just know that I don't hold it against you if you're still mad."

…

Azula couldn't believe it. Was, was this real? Was he honestly apologizing?

Then the words came into focus, and her gaze hardened. "I appreciate what you're saying, but I can't accept your apology."

"...uh, this is usually the part where you say 'I'm sorry' back."

"Forget it. I'm not going to hug you and say everything's okay. Zuko, you took EVERYTHING from me. I fought for this nation same as everyone, and you treated me like trash. Don't even try to pin it all on me. You give me the cold shoulder and only now when you have everything you want to make peace?"

"Azula, I'm trying to be a good brother! Why are you being so stubborn about this-?"

"Cause maybe if you realized you never were a good brother, I'd be more willing to forgive you."

Both siblings stared at each other. Azula could see the comebacks in his mind, so she decided to not let him get the chance. "When was the last time you ever thought about somebody that wasn't yourself? When was the last time you cared about how others felt? When was the last time you took responsibility for what you did instead of absolving yourself of all blame?"

"Oh, what? Like you're suddenly a fountain of morality?!"

"At least I'm honest. You? You keep trying to be the hero when it's so obvious you're struggling to do even that. Why should you put in the effort when everything works out for you despite not even trying to be better? And you say I'M born lucky?"

Zuko flinched, but Azula didn't feel a lot of pity. Let him be on the receiving end for once. "Zuko…you've never been a good brother. And if you're so insistent on putting everything on me, then why should I be forgiving to someone who's done nothing?"

Silence lay on both of them. For Azula, she felt something else lay heavily on her soul. The fire and rage were dying, to the point she couldn't even bear to look at Zuko anymore.

Again, she turned to leave before Zuko said, "I…understand. I haven't been a good brother. But, I'm not giving up on you."

She froze. "Azula, you're in the same spot I was in. I can see it in your eyes. You can try to deny it, but it's still there. Believe me, I denied it too. And I get it. I get why you're this upset, and that's fine. Just know I'm not going to stop trying. Cause deep down, I know you can be better than this."

"...Zuzu, I'm a monster."

"They say Godzilla's a monster. And yet he backed down when he could've killed both of us. What's that say about monsters?"

…Azula tried to blink out the tears in her eyes, feeling grateful he couldn't see them.

One final question still sparked in her mind. "You were there in the Earth Kingdom during the war. Did…did we do anything worthwhile? Did everything we go through, all the people we lost…not worth it?"

"...no. But I don't think we're so far gone that we can't better ourselves."

Azula wished she could've been as optimistic as he was. Still, her fingers went to the medallion around her neck. To get this from ZUKO of all people? Why would people even try to reach somebody like her? A monster?

Her thoughts were interrupted when a shrill cry came upon the wind blowing in from the east. It wasn't overpowering, but it was loud enough for both her and Zuko to notice it. Neither were they the only ones. Everyone back at the camp emerged to hear the eerie sound calling out.

"What's that?" her brother asked.

At the back of her mind, Azula knew the answer. Only one thing was powerful enough to carry their cry on the wind. "Axor."

Behind her, she saw the dark ocean where the cry was carried out. The intent became clear.

A challenge was made.

In the skies east of Yu Dao

A shrill cry shook the air, causing Appa and Momo to freak out. Aang pulled on his reigns to get the sky bison under control and (more importantly) calm. "Easy guys! We're okay!"

"What the heck was that?!" Sokka asked. It was a rhetorical question though since nobody had heard such a noise before in their life. All they could do was gaze to the east and the stretches of jungle where it came from.

A shiver ran down Aang's spine. The jungle and mountains that way were thick. Who knew what could be lurking out there, though he had a sneaking suspicion as to what made that noise.

"Uh, guys? That's not the Earth King's forces doing that down below, right?" Suki nervously asked, drawing everyone's attention to down below. Mainly at a massive mound of earth moving and churning up the ground a good distance away from the emerald tents of the Earth Kingdom's camp.

Imana only had one thing to say. "Battra."

Aang grimaced, forcing his attention back to Cranefish Village somewhere to the south. The kaiju didn't seem to be making its way directly to Yu Dao which was some good news. Yet they also knew they had to make it to the east. They had to stick to the plan, otherwise, more people would be put at risk.

He hated having to do this, but he knew there were people out there who needed him. His only wish was there was still a city when they got back.

?

By a warm campfire, the soldier sighed. It was by luck he managed to find this particular band of warriors making their way to Yu Dao. Children of the Sun they called themselves. Must've been one of those Fire Nation warbands he'd heard so much about.

Not that it mattered much to him. All these vagabonds were the same to him. No, it was the shrill cry in the air that drew his attention.

Everyone in camp froze. People he would've called comrades (at least who this original body would've referred to them as such) stood up in alarm, weapons drawn and fire burning. He heard a child cry, and a number of those stuffy nobles huddle in their tents for a sense of protection.

One of the voices asked, "What was that?"

A dark chuckle came from the soldier's mouth, deciding their terror wasn't worth his time. Instead, he continued to sharpen his knife. He examined it for a moment, seeing the face of Colonel Mongke in the dagger's reflection.

Along with a pair of unearthly blue eyes.

"Seems the Storm King is ready to make his gambit," he said to himself. "Time to make mine."

Somewhere off the coast of Cranefish Village

"I told you, we were just scouting our territory for invasion!"

"And I told you, this area's off-limits! Or am I just supposed to guess that you pirates are just here for sightseeing?!"

The Fiery Raptor captain sighed. They were patrolling the waters at the edge of their territory for any threats when a Fire Nation scout ship pulled their own similarly sized ship over. Nobody was exactly interested in a fight (Agni knows they didn't want to disobey Azula's order of disengagement), but neither crew was willing to back down either.

"Well, I'm sorry that we didn't magically know that Cranefish wasn't too far from here," one of his subordinates snarked.

"Enough! Now we have orders to apprehend any rogue Fire Nation warband, but we've got bigger issues at hand. The Fire Lord ordered us to be on the lookout for Godzilla. So unless you want to be fish food, I suggest you leave this area lest we both run into trouble," the captain of the other boat explained.

"Wait. Godzilla? He's coming this way?" one of the Fiery Raptors asked, with fear seizing his voice.

They would've discussed more, but a faint cry on the wind came from the east. The noise caught their attention. "Uh…what was that?" somebody asked.

"Guys."

"I don't know. Never heard that noise before."

"Guys?"

"It's got to be pretty loud to make it out here."

"GUYS WE'VE GOT COMPANY!"

Their attention was drawn to a grunt pointing out to the ocean out west. And the massive wave of water coming right towards them.

"...nobody…move," the captain of the Fiery Raptors warned. They all held still, watching and bracing as the mass of water came right at them. Slowly the wave went under them, and they watched the huge being swim right underneath.

Just like that, the presence had swum out from underneath and towards the coast, leaving them spellbound. Somebody let out a sigh of relief. Seems their orders to not engage the beast had saved their skins-

Suddenly, a massive gray tail erupted from the water and swayed in the air. It gave the sailors down below maybe half a second to scream before coming down, sending them all to a watery grave.

A/N: …reality hates me sometimes, doesn't it?

Sorry for the delay. Again. School you know.

For starters, we have a scene with Ozai. I wanted to make sure I got him right since he WAS the ultimate big bad of the original series. Basically get the menace and dread down despite being locked behind bars. It is one thing I did like about the comics since it's obvious he still has a hold on Zuko despite everything. I wanted to play into that with the scene.

That and develop why Zuko didn't ask Iroh right away given how high he was on the Earth King's list. Admittedly I hadn't planned on him abandoning his men. That was something that literally was revealed in the new Iroh comic while I was writing this chapter (don't recommend it by the way). Writing his scene was difficult since I've had some issues recently with him, but I do hope it's at least balanced enough. Just because I don't like a character doesn't mean I'm going to drag them through the mud out of spite. Maybe take a few whacks at his pedestal, but not go too far you know?

Now for the fight scene. I wanted to show that both Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom wouldn't necessarily be good since…well, the Earth Kingdom reserve in the show wasn't exactly all that pleasant. It's kind of a mirror to Yu Dao and the colonies becoming independent in the comics, but I wanted to give more impetus to this. Mainly that the Earth Kingdom might not necessarily like settlers who weren't responsible for the more heinous crimes the army caused.

As for Azula's new ability, it IS a reference to Godzilla's ridiculous durability and regenerative abilities in the films. It won't be to the same extent, but considering how she's starting to realize the full potential of her blue fire, it's going to be harder to put her down.

Yes her taking down that one scout was a reference to Legendary!Goji crushing the Male MUTO with his tail in the 2014 film.

For the Coalition, Smellerbee and Longshot were those two characters we glimpsed in the scenes leading up to Battra's reveal. They also were in The Promise so I wanted to get them involved somehow. Plus throw some of Azula's pro-war beliefs in her face. Which is what was the point since she's starting to see that the Fire Nation wasn't necessarily the good guys in this conflict. Not even the lesser evil.

Now the Abomination. I based his design on those Godzilla humanoids at the end of Shin Godzilla. It was a cool design and I wanted to use that a bit with his scenes. I also based some of his concepts on The Thing (being able to infect other people and spread his "magnificence" to others) and Genestealers (basically these horrible Xenomorph cult leaders from Warhammer 40,000 that overthrow governments). For those wondering, he actually is a monster from the Godzilla series. At least a little something original I wanted to do with them. I did give a few clues.

Finally, the scene with Azula and Zuko. I wanted to keep this as balanced as possible without falling into the tired good sibling/bad sibling dynamic. Mainly both have legitimate grievances, but neither are necessarily entirely in the right either. Hope I nailed that sweet spot.

Up next, Azula and Zuko get a rude awakening while Team Avatar meet up with the Children of the Sun. Thank you all so much for your patience and make sure to leave a review to leave your thoughts. Follow and favorite to show your support. Thank you all for reading, hope you have a great day, and I hope to see you all next time!

Which I pray doesn't take up to a year.