Disclaimer: "Take aim where she falls. Cut off a wolf's head, and it still has the power to bite."

(An: Ok, if you liked the idea that Ursa ended up happy… quit reading now. I considered stopping there because I've really grown to like Ursa… but I've had this ending in mind since I first thought of the fic. I know I said this chapter would be Zuko-centric, but it's really not; he just runs most of the plot. I don't write from his POV very much; I find it really, really hard. This is not a "Zuko sees the light" fic; this is a "Zuko continues making stupid decisions" fic. Also, here there be Longerbee. Ye've been warned. Yarr.)

Deaths never affect just one person; like a stone dropped in a still pond full of leaves, they make ripples that upset everything else. I mention this only because much of this chapter is concerned with death, and I brush over some of the ripples to get to the stone so this story will be a little less long in the tooth.

O-o-O-o-O

Ba Sing Se was confusing. It seemed that everywhere he turned, there was something determined to turn his ideas on their head. Jet had seemed like an all right guy… until they got to Ba Sing Se and he flipped out in the tea shop, that was. Zuko had thought himself untouchable… until he started working at the tea shop and met Jin (why was it that all of the girls he came across had to be so damn nice, anyway?). And Zuko had thought Azula always lied… until she took over the city. He never would have thought it possible, but she actually seemed to be sincere.

It was creepy.

The day after Ba Sing Se fell, she called him to the throne room. She was sitting on it, legs crossed. This, at least, was typical Azula behavior- always remind others that they are beneath you. She steepled her fingers and smiled at Zuko above them. "It's almost frightening, Zuko, how quickly you have become integral to my plans."

Ah. So that was what it was about. Azula had a job for him. Zuko crossed his arms and said nothing.

"I want you, Ty Lee, and Mai to find the Avatar's friends." Zuko started. Azula's lips thinned. "I've thought about it, and it's really not wise to let them live. Even without the Avatar, they remain a symbol of rebellion, and the benders are annoyingly powerful. Things aren't yet settled here, so I have to stay behind- most of the people in this city are sheep, but the Dai Li and Long Feng are wolfbats. Someone has to make sure things stay in our favor."

Zuko nodded. "Is that it?" He had decided that, when it came to Azula, distance was probably the best balm for their truce. He may have sided with her- she was family, after all- but that didn't mean he liked or trusted his sister.

Azula inspected her nails- immaculate, as usual. "Of course not, Zuko. That's only the beginning of the plan. When things are settled here- when I'm certain that all hints of insurgence have been crushed- I'll send for you."

"But what if we haven't found the Avatar's companions yet?"

Azula glanced at him. "Then we'll simply leave Ty Lee and Mai on the scent," she said, sounding rather annoyed. Not because of the question, but because she was aggravated that he thought her forgiveness was conditional? Perhaps. You never could tell with her. "I trust that you'll be able to find them quickly anyway." She steepled her fingers again. "When you come back, I am going to the Fire Nation to acquire further orders from Father." Zuko opened his mouth, but Azula held up her hands. "I want you here to take care of things. I want you to prove to Father how well you can dominate these people… I want you to prove it to me." She got off the throne and put a hand on her brother's shoulder. "You and I, Zuko… we shall crush the last vestiges of the Earth Kingdom."

Zuko inclined his head; he wasn't about to bow to his own sister.

"Oh, and Zuko…" Azula called as he turned to leave. "I know that your decision troubles you. You made the right choice." She smiled at him again. It made his flesh creep.

"Azula always lies," his younger self sighed in his ear.

Zuko shook himself. Jet would have seen the resemblance at once.

O-o-O-o-O

They moved out quickly, but after that, the days passed slowly. By the fourth day after the coup, Ba Sing Se was behind them. Zuko's doubts were not.

At least following the Avatar was easy; a flying bison wasn't exactly inconspicuous, and it was amazing what most people would tell Zuko when he raised the temperature a bit. Dealing with the girls wasn't. Ty Lee drove him crazy- she never shut up, and unlike Mai, Zuko didn't have endless patience from years of pinkness. Mai was also aggravating; she only spoke to him when she had to and then only grudgingly.

It was fine, though, since Zuko wasn't verbose himself.

They had little luck with finding the Avatar, though; although easy to track, they always seemed to be one step ahead.

Months passed in that fashion. At least there was little time for introspection.

O-o-O-o-O

Not as far away as Zuko thought, Ursa was picking her way through a much smaller town. Only a few months had passed, but it had recovered from the flood. It was impossible to be in a bad mood; it was just such a lovely day. "You're late. Again."

Ursa ignored Kero and started setting up shop. Somehow, she had ended up starting a small bakery with her one-time rescuer, who was all the more annoying because he could be charming.

"We're out of flour." Now she turned to face him, snatching the money out of his hands. "Hey!"

"Why did you tell me about it if you didn't expect me to go buy some?" Before Kero could protest again, she picked up her skirts and dashed off. She made a face over her shoulder at him and promptly smacked into someone.

"Hey, watch-" began the loudmouth she'd run into. Then the person on the ground said, "Ursa?"

Ursa sat up on her knees and actually got a good look at the person she had knocked over. "Smellerbee!" It wasn't a wonder she hadn't recognized the girl; she looked completely different without her armor. Ursa got up, brushed off her dress, and helped Smellerbee to her feet. "What happened to Ba Sing Se?"

Smellerbee looked at the ground, and a voice behind Ursa answered for her. "It wasn't for us."

Despite how rarely she'd heard the voice, she recognized it immediately and turned toward Longshot. She wanted to hug him (while the pangs for her blood son had long since dulled to a quiet need, those for her adopted child were still sharp), but she knew it would only embarrass him. Instead, she squeezed his shoulder. "It's good to see you both again… where's Jet?"

Longshot looked away, and Ursa understood. "Oh, the poor boy…" She was saddened but not surprised; she had always thought Jet would die young. He didn't know when to fight and when to keep his head down.

"Hey! Ursa!" Kero yelled. "Are you going to buy that flour or what? We have customers, you know!"

Ursa responded with a rude suggestion. Longshot looked rather scandalized, and Smellerbee, for a wonder, started to giggle.

O-o-O-o-O

Between buying flour and various customers at her stall, Ursa managed to prod most of the story out of the teens- it had been ages since they left, after all. "So why did you come back here?"

Smellerbee looked at Longshot (she still did most of the talking) and shrugged. "Nowhere better to go, really." She glanced at Ursa, her eyes lingering on her flour-covered apron. "I can't believe you stayed here."

Ursa was rather surprised. "Why not?"

Smellerbee shrugged again. "You always seemed like you were running from something grander than this," she said finally, gesturing at the town. "I always thought some noble would come looking for you and sweep you away." Longshot nodded. His face was turned away so she couldn't see his expression.

Ursa stiffened, but she only echoed Smellerbee's shrug. "I've tried princes. They didn't work for me. Bakers are far more practical." A dumpling went sailing just to the left of her head; Smellerbee caught it, looking like she was about to start giggling again. Ursa wondered if it was just Jet's death that had caused the changes in the girl, or perhaps something more…?

Longshot tried to steal the dumpling, and Smellerbee smacked him. Perhaps not, Ursa thought, struggling to hide a grin.

O-o-O-o-O

Longshot and Smellerbee ended up staying with her; they resisted, but she put her foot down. "There's nothing but dust in those treehouses anymore. If the other children, thought it was fine to stay with me, then surely you're not above it either."

They glanced at each other and rolled their eyes, but it was obviously only for show.

Everything was normal for a few days until Smellerbee came home with tagalongs. Ursa stifled a gasp when she saw the girl's companions; it was the Avatar and his friends. She hadn't gotten to know them, but they were hard to forget.

"We're sorry to impose on you like this," the waterbender- Katara, that was it- said, looking at her hands. "We just need somewhere to hide for a few days. Some of our enemies are after us, and we've been on the run almost constantly. It's not good for-" her eyes flicked to the Avatar for a moment before she finished, "-any of us."

"Pardon me, ma'am," said Sokka, looking at Ursa. "Would that be roasted chickenhog I smell?"

Ursa blinked. "Um, yes, I think so… Longshot-"

She never got the chance to finish her sentence; Sokka had already dropped to his knees in front of her. "Marry me," begged the Water Tribe boy. "It's been so long since I had real meat!"

Ursa, rather flustered and trying not to laugh, was spared responding; the Avatar had spotted dessert and elbowed Sokka aside. "She can't. She's going to marry me! Egg custard!"

Longshot pulled his hat down to hide a grin, and Ursa gave up and started laughing.

O-o-O-o-O

"So who are you running from?" Smellerbee asked, sipping her tea. "The whole world or someone particular?"

The Avatar's friends looked nervously among themselves, as if afraid they would summon their pursuers by talking about them.

"Someones," said Katara finally. "They've all been after us for quite a while."

"And Angry Jerk since the very beginning," said Sokka, sounding almost fond.

"Angry Jerk?" Ursa asked.

The blind girl, Toph, smirked. "Sokka's nickname for Prince Zuko."

She kept talking, but Ursa didn't hear it. It was all she could do to keep from dropping her teacup. "You've had encounters with him?" Her voice sounded false in her own ears, but only Longshot looked intently interested.

It had just been so long since she had heard any news of her son… or Azula, for that matter. She missed them both. And Iroh! She had never thought of her old life with longing, and she knew that dredging up her past was dangerous, especially given the present company, but to know what had become of those she loved… oh, what temptation.

"A lot," said Sokka. "Although he's not as bad as Azula. It's too easy to yank his chain for him to be really effective."

"But his uncle's very nice," Toph added.

"Who are the others?" Ursa asked. She wasn't a good liar, but she seemed to be doing an all right job of feigning indifference so far.

The group exchanged glances- not because of reluctance, this time, but simple uncertainty.

"Well, the pink one's Ty Lee," said Sokka after a moment.

"You would know, wouldn't you, Snoozles," Toph muttered.

"And the crazy girl with the knives… I think her name's Mai," said the Avatar.

"Can't forget the Queen Bitch, of course," said Sokka. "Azula."

Ursa thought she might faint. "Is she… following you, too?"

Sokka glanced at his friends again. When he saw that no one else was going to answer, he shook his head. In a much quieter voice, he said, "She's too busy ruling Ba Sing Se."

Ursa gasped.

"The Fire Nation got Ba Sing Se?" Smellerbee whispered. The Avatar nodded, looking at his hands. "Wow… I hated it there, but… if it's gone, what hope do we have?"

Katara looked at Aang, her eyes hardening. "We have Aang. We nearly didn't, thanks to Azula, though. She almost killed him, and she still won! It's not fair!"

"Little is," said Longshot.

"Yes," Katara admitted, casting down her gaze for a moment. "But we would have won if it weren't for her! She's the reason Zuko turned against us, and he's the reason we lost!"

"Katara, calm down," Aang said quietly. "What's done is done. Zuko's not going to change." He said this with resigned weariness- an optimist who has finally given up, on that subject at least.

"So Zuko-" Ursa had to focus to not call him her son, "-turned the battle on his decision?" Vaguely, she remembered Azula recounting dozens of such occasions, where the actions of a single warrior led to a Fire Nation victory. She never thought she'd think of her son as a statistic.

Katara nodded, gritting her teeth. Clearly, it was all she could do to keep from yelling something else. "We're on the run from him again now, and we've hardly had anywhere to take a break. Wherever we go, they find us. We shouldn't even stay long here."

Ursa shook her head. "You can stay as long as you need. There are ways out of here if you need to leave in a hurry." She stood up, smiling thinly. "If you'll all excuse me…" She didn't wait for permission, just walked outside.

She wasn't quite sure what she needed- air? to cry? time to think? She had no idea. It was all too overwhelming- five-odd years with no news from home (or want of it, so she'd thought) and then being swamped with it, to learn that everything you'd feared had come true.

No matter how much she'd loved Zuko, she'd always known that he was easily influenced. He actually cared about honor and formality and all the other old customs that most of his family ignored. The problem was that he thought that honor came from others, not from within himself.

And Azula… She was surprised to feel pride in her daughter. Although this basically meant that the Fire Nation had finally captured the Earth Kingdom, and that her chances of being found were much greater, she had always known her daughter would settle for nothing less than legend status… even as the villainess.

Longshot peered out of the house, eyeing her with stifled concern.

"I'm all right," she said, wiping at the film of tears in her eyes. "Just a little…overwhelmed, I suppose." She smiled, although it was rather distracted.

To her surprise, Longshot walked over to her (it still surprised her that he was almost her height) and put his hand on her shoulder. "I know you miss your son, but let's hope we don't run into him."

Ursa laughed. "I'm afraid he'd be fair disappointed in me. Imagine choosing love over power!" She gave in and hugged the boy, and he didn't resist.

Later, while burying her, Longshot would be glad of that.

O-o-O-o-O

The Avatar was found out, and unlike sane people, Ty Lee, Mai, and Zuko couldn't wait until morning to act on their discovery.

Ursa woke in the night to the sound of screams. She glanced around the room, disoriented, and quickly went to the main room of her house.

Sokka was leaning against the door. "They've found us," he hissed. "They're right down the street."

"And they're burning people in their homes!" Aang replied. His voice, although heated, was also a whisper, and the only light in the room was a strand of moonlight through the windows.

"We can't face them," Katara replied.

"I say we do it," said Toph. "Who's gonna stop us?"

"Ty Lee, for one thing! Do you want to lose your earthsight?"

"Like she could get that close to me."

"Either way, it's not a good idea to just barge out onto the street," Sokka said. He glanced around the room and spotted Ursa. "Ma'am-"

"It's Ursa, and follow me." Ursa grabbed her cloak off the chair (it was the same one she had fled the palace in all those years ago, although much the worse for wear- funny how such things stay with you) and ran back into her bedroom, feeling the floorboards. She came across a trapdoor. "This leads into the sewers."

"Why is it always the sewers?" Sokka muttered. Everyone ignored him.

"I'll go first," said Aang. "Just in case." One by one, all of them disappeared down the hole. Toph ended up leading the way; even though she was blind, she was able to find her way much better than any of the others.

"I still say we should fight them," she hissed.

"We will, once we're out of the city," said Katara. "These people shouldn't have to get hurt just because one of them was nice enough to help us." There was little conversation for a while; everyone was more focused on staying close to the wall. It was hard to see where the floor ended and sludge began in the darkness.

"These don't go all the way out of the city, do they?" said Toph, pausing underneath a manhole.

"Not that I know of," Ursa replied. "But if we get to the edge, we can go to the treehouses. They're still untouched."

"Fancy that," Smellerbee muttered. "We're finally going home."

O-o-O-o-O

Toph said there was no one there when they found their way to the edge of the city. The problem with her earthsight was that it could only see people on the ground. As soon as they all emerged, three kunai whizzed over their heads.

Longshot drew and fired, but Mai had already retreated to the other side of the rooftop. "We have to get out of here."

Smellerbee was looking at the smoke rising from the center of town. "But they're burning it! We should do something!"

"We have bigger matters right now," Longshot replied, nocking another arrow.

Smellerbee's hand tightened on the hilt of her dagger, but she said nothing more.

A whirl of pink flipped over the rooftop; Katara sent a water whip at Ty Lee, but she was already gone, spinning like a top and landing squarely on the ground. Longshot fired where she fell, but she just giggled and dodged it. "Miss me?" she asked, dashing at Sokka. Toph kicked the ground, and Ty Lee flew up on a pillar of rock. "You're no fun!"

She certainly hasn't changed, Ursa thought.

Smellerbee noticed her. "Ursa, you should get out of here," she whispered. Ursa just plucked one of the daggers out of Smellerbee's hands (she knew the girl had at least six more on her). Smellerbee looked torn, but then Mai reappeared, sliding down the side of the building. Aang shot an airblast at her, but Mai drew a broad, thin blade and used it to slice right down the center of it, unfazed.

"Hey, angst boy! Get over here!" Mai yelled, landing. A blast of fire over the rooftop answered her, setting the thatch alight.

Then a firebender came around the side of the building. At least the last time Ursa saw her son, he looked impressive, backlit by his own fireblast in dark red robes. The only thing that marred him was the giant scar over one eye. Ursa wondered briefly where he got it before a stiletto nearly sliced her ear off, and she remembered she was in the middle of a fight. (1)

Katara put the fire out and turned her efforts to Zuko; she held him off, but he was far better than the struggling child Ursa remembered. His movements with the flame were far more impressive; he was no master, but now it was a "not yet" instead of a "never."

Toph, Aang, and Sokka were fighting Ty Lee, so the Freedom Fighters focused on Mai. She and Smellerbee were locked in a nasty bout of hand-to-hand, and Longshot was waiting for them to separate enough so he could fire. Smellerbee was holding her own; Ursa wasn't worried about her. It was only Katara who seemed to be struggling; although the girl was obviously a master and more skilled than Zuko, waterbending was less aggressive than firebending, so she was still getting beaten back.

Prove your loyalties, Ursa thought, biting her lip. She wished she could have a moment to really think about it, but no such luck; fights never allowed for such things. She flipped the dagger in her hand so she was holding it by the dull part near the hilt (not without a sense of déjà vu) and cleared the distance between her and her son.

Perhaps this'll knock some sense into him, she thought, and make him realize how nice it is to live peacefully. Ursa didn't know how long Iroh had been trying to teach him just that.

O-o-O-o-O

Zuko didn't see his mother; all he knew that there was someone coming at him in a battle that he couldn't afford to lose. He was too evenly matched with the waterbender to risk any distractions, so he drew in a deep breath and sank into a deeper stance. He threw out his arms and sent two blasts of flame, one at the waterbender and one behind him. He heard a scream and made himself ignore it; the night was full of them anyway.

Zuko never learned that he had become a matricide. He and his companions retreated quickly after that; they were obviously losing, and they could always strike again later now that the Avatar's trail would be fresh.

He spared no second glance at the woman in the cloak, and perhaps it was all for the best. Still, that scream lingered on the edges of his nightmares for several weeks afterward. (2)

O-o-O-o-O

The moment Zuko fled, Katara rushed to Ursa's side, but it was too late. Longshot was already there, cradling his head in his hands. "That's twice I haven't been able to save someone for you," she whispered, covering Ursa's face with her cloak.

"Not your fault," the boy whispered thickly. "Just get out of here before they regroup."

Katara didn't waste time on further words; she nodded, and the Avatar's friends melted out of the city and out of this story.

Smellerbee stood at his side for a moment or two before wrapping her arms around him. Longshot stiffened, but she whispered, "Enough of that," and he broke. She had cried in his arms a thousand times, and now she was returning the favor.

They buried Ursa at the foot of the largest tree in the forest, carving her name in the bark with the dagger she'd taken from Smellerbee. "Ursa," the characters read. "Mother to many and missed by all."

After laying her dagger atop the mound, Smellerbee looked at Longshot, who hadn't said a word after getting Katara to leave. Almost shyly, she took his hand and squeezed it. "We've got nothing more pressing to attend to now," she murmured.

He looked up, nodded, and pulled her into his arms.

They stood there a long time, but eventually they left.

O-o-O-o-O

Zuko had several more encounters with the Avatar, but one day his group came across a giant and impossibly fleet Fire Nation machine. Zuko pulled his lizard to a halt as someone emerged from it. Ty Lee spotted her first. "Azula!" She and Mai dismounted to bow, but Zuko stayed on his lizard as Azula approached; he wasn't the only one who could pull that trick, and he was the older one.

He slipped off the saddle when she had finished greeting Mai and Ty Lee, crossing his arms. And then Azula did something Zuko would have taken a million to one odds against: she hugged him. "It's time to come back to Ba Sing Se, brother," she said upon releasing him (in the background, he could see that the two other girls looked just as surprised as he felt). "And eventually you'll get to come home. I'll see to it. After all, if you can't trust family…" Zuko drew back; he remembered that line. Azula's smile was thin and sharp, a viper's grin.

Zuko was actually rather relieved; he had begun to wonder if someone had brainwashed her.

O-o-O-o-O

On the ride back to Ba Sing Se, Azula, pacing the room (another Azula-maxim: always remind them that you have much better things you could be doing with your time), tapped her lips with a finger. "I believe you will be good at this, Zuko. You have lived among these people for a long while now- you know their ways. You can present yourself as sympathetic, ease them into a new age of Fire Nation rule, all the while maintaining a tight grip over them. An iron fist in a velvet glove, you see?" She paused to look at him, and he nodded. Azula's metaphor, although unoriginal, was vivid.

Azula sat down and crossed her legs in her usual fashion. "However, you must tread carefully with the Dai Li. Any sign of weakness, and they will strike. As for Long Feng- cut off a wolfbat's head…" She glanced meaningfully at Zuko before continuing. "I know you have been long away from the graces of court, brother, so I am leaving Mai with you, to advise you."

Zuko's eyes widened; visions of a certain fountain incident flashed through his head.

Azula flapped her hands as if to banish the thought of any conniving on her part. "She will be valuable to you, Zuko. If Ty Lee knew anything about propriety, I'd put her with you, but…" She shrugged. "You're stuck with Mai. Besides, she's an excellent bodyguard. You certainly won't have the organized resistance of New Ozai, but we don't want to be taking chances with our heir, now do we?"

Zuko turned away, wishing there was a window to look out of. He settled for inspecting a tapestry on the wall. "Do you honestly think Father will reinstate me?" He wanted to believe her, but after last time…

Azula surprised him for the second time in less than an hour. She didn't say anything for a long moment, and when she did, her words weren't smooth and primed; Azula was speaking honestly. At least, as far as Zuko could tell. "I can't say for sure. Father is… unpredictable." She put a hand on his chin and made him look her in the eye. "But know this, Zuko: I will do all I can. That's what family's for, isn't it?"

Family again. That word had always been a cue for him to stop listening to her, but he couldn't tell now. He managed not to recoil when she smiled. "Thank you, Azula."

O-o-O-o-O

Smellerbee and Longshot didn't reach Ba Sing Se nearly as quickly as Zuko, although they departed at nearly the same time. They didn't have the benefits of a tank, for one thing, and they were taking their time purposely; going back to the impenetrable city meant stirring up far more memories than just those of Jet.

But they got there eventually and were surprised to see that little had changed. They had expected to try and find their own way across the lakes before the city, but the ferry was still there, and it was no longer secretive and paranoid. Apparently, the Fire Nation was far more lax about immigration, and why not? It wasn't their country, after all.

Anyway, they didn't look that suspicious; a geisha and a Yu Yan archer, even traveling together, were worth only the most cursory of second glances.

"Maybe this isn't wise," Longshot murmured, leaning against the edge of the ship and staring down into the dark water. Last time, the breeze hadn't ruffled his hair because he'd been wearing a hat; now it was because of the rigid topknot he was wearing it in. Smellerbee had smirked when she saw it and asked if becoming a Yu Yan required a vow of celibacy. Longshot hadn't gotten it. He'd told her of his past long ago; she had always been the only Freedom Fighter he'd felt comfortable confiding in. Her rage, after all, was only directed toward the world in general. Smellerbee, unlike Jet, could balance her prejudices with reason. Usually.

"We could say that about everything we've ever done," Smellerbee replied, just as quietly. He studied her out of the corner of his eye; she'd hit him if she saw him staring openly, but she just looked so different in her geisha outfit.

"What?" she demanded, glaring at him. A smack was imminent- he could see her blushing under the ricepaint.

He took a chance and replied, "You look lovely."

Her eyes narrowed, and he waited for the slap. It never came. Smellerbee just sighed and turned her face to the sea.

Jet wouldn't have recognized her then, and not just because of the fancy kimono and carefully coiffed hair. This was not the knife-wielding wild girl who tagged along behind the boys until she became indispensable or even the half-hysterical maiko who had refused to speak.

Smellerbee was a young woman now, quiet and sad and strong, looking for closure with her past so she could accept the future. (3)

She needs this, Longshot thought. And I need this. We need an end to everything.

Smellerbee looked at him, her eyes still filled with a knowledge they shouldn't have gained for years. They looked too much like his own eyes for comfort. Longshot put his arm around her waist, and, amazingly, she leaned against him.

O-o-O-o-O

Ruling Ba Sing Se was surprisingly easy, Zuko discovered. The people were scared and disoriented; all Zuko had to do was act confident and kind, which he managed somehow. About two-thirds of the actual ruling was just public appearances, and the rest was endless paperwork.

But he liked it; he was born to it. This was what he was designed to do, what he had been raised for. It was like breathing. He never once allowed himself to think the words Fire Lord, though; that was too much temptation.

O-o-O-o-O

Ba Sing Se itself hadn't changed much either, if you could ignore the soldiers and the scorch marks. "I hate it here," Smellerbee whispered, hiding her face in his shoulder. "So much." One arm was around him, and the other was clutching a knife so hard her fingers turned white. Longshot took it from her so she wouldn't hurt herself and twined his fingers with hers so she wouldn't try to take it back.

Accessing the palace proved to be surprisingly easy. Longshot blended in instantly; there were already Yu Yan there, and to an outsider, one archer behind the facepaint was just the same as any other. Geisha were as common as dirt in Ba Sing Se, and while it was mildly strange for a Yu Yan to employ one, it wasn't that interesting. People had more pressing things to attend to; there was a war going on, after all.

And besides, Smellerbee and Longshot had spent the better parts of their lives practicing the art of being uninteresting; only particularly observant people really noticed them to begin with, and particularly observant people were almost as rare as airbenders.

Before they separated, Smellerbee pulled Longshot into an empty room, giving him her favorite dagger. "For luck," she whispered.

Longshot raised his eyebrows and fiddled with his quiver meaningfully.

"I know you have your own weapons, but I want you to take it." When he didn't respond, she swiftly pressed her mouth to his and the knife into his hands. "Take it," she repeated, her lips a breath away from his own. "I'm not going to be there to back you up. I need to know that you'll come back to me." She was trying to sound fierce, like she always did, but her voice betrayed her, trembling a little.

"Always," he replied, tucking the knife into his belt.

She kissed him again, softer this time, and repaired her lip paint. Then she turned to leave, but she looked at him from the doorway for a long moment before moving on.

He brushed his fingers across his lips before picking up his bow (hating how natural it felt in his hands, even after all these years).

O-o-O-o-O

Prince Zuko was alone in his chambers reviewing reports. The Dai Li seemed to keep records of everything they did, no matter how trivial, and he had to look over them to see where to best apply their efforts. It made for very boring reading most of the time.

He had no guard outside his door; that would have been an insult, suggesting that he couldn't defend himself. Besides, Mai had the chamber next to his. Although she still spoke to him as rarely as possible, Azula had been right in saying she would be valuable to him. Her advice was useful, and she had stopped three assassination attempts that week alone.

But Mai was asleep and Zuko was deep in thought when Longshot came. He picked the lock with ease; it was imposing, but really rather cheap. The prince was a firebender, so the lock was really only a formality, the equivalent of a "keep out" sign. The door was heavy and not well-oiled, though, and a terrible creak broke the silence.

Almost as fast as the sound, Longshot drew and fired, pinning the prince to his desk. "Who's there?" Zuko cried, turning around and trying in vain to free his arm. Longshot fired again, and Zuko blasted it out of the air. "Who are you?"

Longshot said nothing.

Zuko ripped his sleeve free of the arrow; it had been preventing him from getting into a proper stance. Now he dropped into one and eyed his opponent warily.

Longshot drew and nocked an arrow, but he did nothing for a few moments. The two men, who could have been brothers in a different life, faced each other across the room, both prepared to strike if the other made a move.

"Who are you?" Zuko repeated, sick of the silence. The Yu Yan didn't often speak, but that didn't mean they couldn't, and from previous experience, Zuko knew that assassins loved nothing more than to explain their reasons for killing someone.

Instead of answering his question, Longshot asked him one. "Do you even know you did it? Did you know who she was?"

Zuko frowned. "Who?"

Longshot fired. Zuko punched the air, and the arrow burst into flame. Longshot was moving, though; he ducked under the fireblast and swept Zuko's legs out from under him. He pressed his knife to Zuko's carotid artery, his eyes narrowing. "You didn't know, but that's no excuse." Before Zuko could complete his last firebending move, Longshot slit his throat and jumped away from the blood. "And they called me a traitor."

That was the last thing Zuko heard.

O-o-O-o-O

When Prince Zuko was found, fingers immediately went to Mai. She had the opportunity, after all, and it was clearly a knife wound. The motive? Probably a lover's spat. She was imprisoned; the eventual decision was that they would leave her punishment to Princess Azula. That was the only time any of the Dai Li saw her show fear.

There was a mild uproar in the Dai Li themselves; Long Feng had been found dead in his chambers, just like Zuko. He had been stabbed, though; several times, by the looks of things. Everyone shrugged, once again putting the blame on Mai. She was a convenient scapegoat.

No one ever thought to blame any newcomers to the palace for a simple reason: there weren't any. If there had been an extra entertainer or archer there that day, no one noticed.

O-o-O-o-O

Doubtless, you wonder what happened after that. Smellerbee and Longshot's fate, the Avatar's, perhaps even Mai's.

But this is not a story concerned with afters; if I were a stricter storyteller, it would have ended with the death of our heroine. But death isn't the end of anything, especially not stories, and I felt you should know that Ursa was well missed. You may judge the Freedom Fighters and Zuko as you wish; you may assign good and evil as you see fit. Personally, I see no heroes or villains, only a few lost children who never really learned to deal with loss.

Anyway, you'll have to be satisfied with knowing that eventually things righted themselves, and that somewhere, a mother was reunited with her son.

Besides, after is so often associated with "happily ever after", and this is no fairy tale.

(Good Lord, that was long-winded. It took me a while because I rewrote the beginning several times; it wasn't right. Review! Especially if you hate me for this.)

(1) Ursa wouldn't know; she left ages before then. Also, she wouldn't know that Iroh hadn't sided with Azula.

(2) Before you flame me: A) he didn't know it was Ursa, B) he didn't know he killed her, and C) he was in the middle of a fight. Consider that.

(3) In case this wasn't outlined clearly enough: this is what they were taught. Always avenge your friends. Two killings are nothing compared to a city.