Responses to Reviews:

RonaldM40196867: Probably one of the ones I've completely forgotten about because they made no impression on me when watching the series.

Zigzagdoublezee: No, we'll have to wait for his descendants to get those.

As Always, Please Review!

Team Avatar formed a ring as the Stonemason's men closed in, drawing their weapons ominously.

"Don't do this!" Yue held up her hands to try to appeal to them. But it didn't work. One of them made a grab at her wrists. Yue's waterbending training kicked in. Acting purely on instinct, she brought a stream of water out of her waterskin and whacked the man upside the head. He crumpled to the ground.

For a moment, everyone just stared at him.

"How dare you," the Stonemason spat. "Kill them!"

"Another successful meeting," Sokka muttered to Yue dryly, and then they were fighting for their lives. Rinzen spun his arms, and Yue felt a breeze on her face, then a wind, and then a forceful gale, until at last they stood in the eye of a hurricane localized entirely within the cave. Yue felt her hair whipping around her face as all the worldly possessions of the bandits were ripped off the floor and thrown around the room, slamming into their assailants and knocking several of them over.

"Can you hear me?" She yelled over the sound of the wind.

"Just about!"

"We need to get to the exit!"

The group began shuffling backwards as Rinzen shifted the eye of his storm. Yue had to use her water to flick a flying rock out of the air as it flew towards her. It returned the way it had come, striking a bandit in the chest and causing him to collapse with a gasp.

"The Air Nomad!" She heard someone screaming faintly in the distance. "Get the Air Nomad!"

"Rinzen...?"

Their little circle came to a stop.

"On my signal, run," Rinzen shouted back.

"What's the signal?" Taiyo asked.

"You'll know it when you see it," Rinzen assured the newest member of their group. Then he twisted. The wind noise around Yue abruptly stopped for a moment, and then they were all blasted by a rush of air travelling straight out of the mouth of the cave. Most of the bandits were knocked straight over.

Unfortunately, so was Team Avatar. Yue was sent sprawling by the air that suddenly slammed into her, landing in a big pile on top of the others.

"Ow!" Someone below her complained, possibly Suki.

"Run!" Someone else called. Then Yue realised that had been her. Adrenaline surged through her, driving her to stand up and begin, slowly at first as she regained her bearings and then speeding up as she went, to rush towards the exit, where she could see the bright sunlight streaming in. Some bandits tried to stand up, but they were forced back down by gusts of wind, water whips, or the earth latching around their limbs to hold them in place. Finally, they burst out of the cave to a scene of absolute pandemonium.

Blasts of flame rocketed across the clearing, fired by several figures in red who had surrounded the carts. They were engaged in intense close quarters combat with the bandits in their tattered green uniforms, fighting with swords, spears and bending. It didn't take long for Yue to recognise their leader, as Fukashi Sato physically punched a bandit in the face, causing him to fall down. Then he saw them.

"We've got to stop meeting like this!" He shouted, drawing his sword with one hand and raising his other hand in greeting.

Across the clearing, Gembul was roaring in confusion. Nobody seemed to be bothering with him, they were all more interested in the fight around the carts, and Rinzen immediately took off towards him- almost literally, thanks to his airbending. A moment later he reached him, and immediately set about trying to calm him down.

A moment later, Yue heard a commotion behind her, and rushed backwards as she turned to find the Stonemason and his men, looking decidedly the worse for wear, emerging into the light behind them, blinking. They took in the scene, their leader holding up his hand. The bandits at least seemed to be disciplined enough to understand that, for they backed off and went quiet, even the ones attacking Sato and his men. Both sides faced each other down, breathing heavily, as the Yuad was quite literally caught in the middle.

"Fire Nation," the Stonemason spat. "You were stupid to come here."

"And you are a monster," Sato told him. "You murdered an entire village."

"Then you know what's going to happen to you."

"Oh I'm not so sure about that," Sato grinned. "This time you're facing a man who can fight back. No defenceless women and children for you to brutalise now."

Then he remembered the cartload of hostages behind him.

"Well, except these ones, but I'm here to get them out."

The Stonemason seemed to swell up, clearly offended by the attack on his martial prowess. His face went ever so slightly red.

"What do we do?" Suki asked, sidling up to Yue and whispering in her ear as the argument continued. Both the Stonemason and Fukashi Sato were too busy trading barbs and insults to really take much notice of them any more. "We could make a run for it."

"Sato still has the prisoners," Taiyo pointed out. "Aren't they the whole reason we're here?"

"He said he was going to free them," Suki replied.

" And when has the Fire Nation ever kept their word before?"

Yue was getting a headache. She looked around, trying to think of what to do. Her eyes fell on Sato, and she remembered the conversation they had had in the village.

She sighed.

"What?" All her friends asked at once.

"I have a plan," Yue announced quietly. "But you're not going to like it."

She didn't much like it either, she was risking her reputation for this if it got out, but what choice did she have?

She strode forwards, towards the Fire Nation soldiers, then turned on her heel to face the bandits.

"I've had enough of this," she announced. "I'm taking the hostages and leaving. Anyone who wishes to help me can help."

The Stonemason looked suspiciously between her and Sato.

"Are you two working together?" He asked.

"...No?" They said at once. They couldn't have sounded very convincing.

"I don't believe you," the Stonemason decided.

Yue looked at Sato, and Sato looked at her.

"Truce?"

"Truce."

Then the Stonemason levelled his sword at them and the bandits surged forwards again, screaming their hatred as Yue drew a thin tendril of water out of her pouch and prepared to lash out.