Disclaimer: I can't remember if I have to put this at the start of every chapter or not, so here it is; I don't own, meh, any of it. Schwam.

The door swung open early in the morning, closer to night really, as Lin was only just preparing for the day's chores. She turned to greet her husband as he entered the house they had lived together in for over 15 years now. It was situated in what could well have been the smallest, quietest town in all of the Fire Nation, if not the world, and not more than a few hours walk from the capital, convenient for whenever they needed to buy things. Lin's father had moved in with them to, as he claimed, help keep Shinobi in line, but they both knew that he was secretly trying to help support them with his military pension. While it was true that he loved his daughter greatly, Toshi had always felt a certain amount of guilt for leaving her to fight in the war. She had been such a young girl at the time, only 10, and there was so much he missed and wanted to make up for.

In all honesty, Shin was more than grateful for the old man's presence most of the time. It ensured there was always someone capable at home to watch out for his wife. The extra set of skilled and experienced hands didn't hurt either.

"How was your trip?" Lin asked, much the same as she always did, in a gentle yet concerned voice.

"Oh, uneventful as always, you know how it is dear..." His voice trailing off was as telltale as if he had been staring her in the eyes and blinked away.

"What happened?" She asked immediately, note even entertaining the notion that she didn't know something about him was off, if only just slightly.

Shin glanced at his wife warily for just a brief moment before admitting the news he had learned less than enthusiastically, "It was an attack on the palace... they say the Fire Lady's dead."

"Spirits..." Lin breathed in response, her heart immediately going out to the young new Fire Lord Zuko. She took notice of her husbands off-shot, downward glance, and knew he wasn't telling her everything. "What aren't you telling me?" She asked.

He fidgeted for just a moment before answering, "They say it was his sister, the Mad Princess Azula, escaped from prison and come seeking revenge! That she took another girl hostage and escaped!" Shin paused to let the information sink in, and then, remembering something he had in his pocket, pulled it out and explained, "Look, the guards were handing these out to everybody they could find. The most current picture they could make of her, along with the girl she took hostage. Ty-Lee it looks like her name is. We have to be careful Lin, they have no idea where she went and she's dangerous..." His words, though they continued on for some time, were lost on Lin's ears, however, as horrified recognition opened her eyes wide at the sight of the two girls' pictures she was looking at.

A light knocking was all the warning Toshi gave the two girls before quietly entering the still dark room. The sun was only just beginning to come up, but this side of the house wouldn't be disturbed by it for another few hours. Azula stirred at the noise, having always been a light sleeper, and opened her eyes to recognize the old man sitting in a chair just next to the bed on her side. She started to ask him what he was doing, but he interrupted her as if he never heard her speak. Azula couldn't see it in the darkness of the room, but Toshi's gaze was distant and somber.

"You asked me about your cousin when we were walking yesterday, do you remember?" He knew she did and so didn't so much pause for an answer as for effect. "I think I remember him now, yeah, sure I do. He was a brave man, great Firebender too, had it in his blood I suppose," Azula thought she almost caught a knowing glint in the old man's eye, but dismissed it and continued to listen, as if captivated, while Toshi told her about the cousin she had barely known, in a way that only someone with great reverence and respect for whom they're speaking can do.

"You wanted to know if his death was for nothing?" Toshi asked her, fixing his gaze on her suddenly too familiar golden eyes. He saw her nod, and answered with a comforting smile, "No, no I don't think it was."

The silence passed between them for a moment before he broke it with a heavy sigh, his knees creaking as he slowly got up from his chair and told her, "I think you and your friend should start getting ready to head out, you got a long day ahead of you I'm sure..." He trailed off as if he had something else he wanted to say, but made for the door as if he didn't.

"Wait," Azula said as he reached the door, confusion burrowing into her as this man, so usually warm and inviting, was more or less kicking her out. "What about breakfast?" She asked, a concern for food suddenly at the forefront of her mind.

He gave her a kindly smile, confidently proclaiming, "I'm sure you two will figure something out, you seem pretty sharp to me. Besides, I don't think you'll like what we're having." With a wink, Toshi silently shut the door behind him, returning down the hall towards where Shin and Lin and where. He had heard Shin come home, and caught the not-so hushed conversation from the hallway. He was old, but nobody's fool, and he could still put two and two together. But something about the supposed "Mad Princess" had him questioning the truth. She had seemed rather alright to him, and while he wouldn't fight off the army to help her out, the least he could do was give her a head start. Regardless of whether she was innocent or not, if they caught her for the murder of the Fire Lady, he already knew what would happen to her, and it wasn't anything pleasant.

Azula, ever the intuitive one, knew a sign when she saw one, even if she didn't particularly care for any gods or spirits, she did believe in the power of the universe, and that nothing random ever happens randomly. The instant she heard Toshi retreating down the hall, she turned to wake Ty Lee, quietly but urgently whispering, "Ty Lee, we have to get going now! Come on Ty Lee, wake up!"

With some inaudible arguments, feeble attempts at jabs, and mumbled curses Azula would sooner pretend not to hear, Ty Lee was finally... well, her eyes were open. Kind of. She hadn't gotten to sleep the night prior, and now she was being woken up at some obscene Firebender hour by some stupid Firebender. To say the least, she wasn't much of a morning person.

"What's the big idea Azula? Why do we have to go so early?" Ty Lee whined, not understanding why Azula's "intuition" was reason enough for her to be forced out of bed before the sun was even up. That Azula confirmed the sun was in fact up earned her little more than an annoyed scowl in return.

"Look just trust me, okay? Something that old man said.. something about the way he said it, and the way he was acting. I don't know, alright, just believe me when I say something is wrong and we need to get going now!" The Firebender was running out of patience, but at last Ty Lee conceded the argument. She was already up anyways, no point going back to sleep now.

Fully dressed and awake, Ty Lee made for the door, but only to find it locked. "That's strange... why would the door be-?"

"Because he doesn't want us to go out that way." Azula answered, silently grateful for some evidence that things were not all well. She turned to the window, and as she did she noticed the small pack leaning neatly against the wall just under it. Inspecting it, she found some basic medicines, a length of rope, some wrapped food, and a few odd tools, all packed with a meticulousness that Azula would have found odd if not for the immediate recognition of a Fire Nation military pack, minus the obvious insignia. Standard issue for every soldier in the army, and it's origin was suddenly and blatantly obvious.

"Yeah, we'll figure something out alright." Azula mused to herself with a smirk on her face. Need to start paying closer attention to these crafty old bastards, she decided. Over her shoulder she called out to Ty Lee, "All set?" When she received a nod in return, Azula opened the window quietly and slipped straight out, into the still brisk and heavily smelling of dew morning air. Ty Lee was right behind her, hopping the rather low window and landing daintily on her feet as if she were but a leaf in the breeze.

Just as Azula had guessed, the sun had only just begun to appear over the horizon, and by now was still only half visible. She didn't waste any time in picking which direction to go, and so they began heading for the north exit of the small hamlet Toshi lived in. As they reached the end of the street, for some reason unknown to her Azula took one glance backwards, and that's when she noticed something peculiar in the far distance. It was hard to make out in the dawn's early twilight, and it was very far away, but there was something certainly there, moving north along the road, a large, dark mass practically on the horizon. Squinting she could just make out... soldiers? The distance was great, but there was no mistaking a battalion of soldiers marching down a road. She'd seen plenty after all.

Azula scowled at the implications. Sure, they could have been on a routine patrol for bandits and highwaymen, but much more likely was that they were out looking for her. It couldn't have taken Zuko too long to discover her missing, and by now he probably had half the military out searching for her. The entire military, she decided, after considering it for a moment. They were at peace now, not like they had anything better to do.

"What's the matter Azula?" Ty Lee's voice shook her out of her thoughts and she turned to begin walking once more.

"We should keep moving and stay ahead of those soldiers. I don't have a good feeling about this..." She replied and gestured for Ty Lee to start walking with her.

And so they plodded on, eating some strips of jerky they had found in the pack quietly. By the time they were finished, the sun had completely cleared the horizon and the day had begun in earnest. Azula couldn't help but notice that the entire time it appeared as if Ty Lee was nervous about something, like she wanted to say something but wasn't sure about it. Finally Azula couldn't take it anymore.

"Is something wrong, Ty Lee?" She asked, hoping she sounded more concerned than annoyed, despite the opposite being more true than not.

"Huh? Oh, well, no, it's nothing. It's just... do you think we're safe? Out here in the open like this?" The acrobat gestured around them to the wide, open grassland they were currently plodding through. Azula sighed.

"Ty Lee, we've been through this. They have no idea where we went, how could they possibly have tracked us?"

Ty Lee pondered for a moment, "... Well, when you put it that way, I guess you're right." She replied, that bright, cheery demeanor immediately returning.

"As usual." The Firebender averred with a mock arrogance and a smirk. "Besides, we've already come this far, we have to keep going in this direction, and in this direction, there isn't exactly a whole lot we can use for cover." Despite her tone of unwavering confidence and certainty for their situation, Azula couldn't help but glance back over her shoulder at the steadily moving mass behind them, and she cringed at the uneasy tightness that seemed to twist her gut.

High above them, a small, dark spec in the sky took note of the two travelers then turned and headed swiftly east, it's presence and passing an unknown occurrence to the two oblivious girls far, far below.

It was perhaps two or three hours after he heard the girls taking their leave of his humble abode that Toshi's somewhat aged but still perfectly valid hearing picked up on the unmistakeable clamor of steel boots marching through his small village. He didn't waste his time going to the window to see if they were going to simply pass through, he knew better. If what his son in-law had said was true about the Fire Lady, then they were going to be turning everything in their path upside down on the hunt for the killer. As if responding to his very train of thought, there came a loud pounding at his front door, accompanied by the loud and demanding voice of some soldier or another.

"Yeah I'm comin', just a minute." He hollered in response as he made his way towards the door. More aggressive pounding greeted him right as he reached for the handle, annoying him a considerable amount, to the point that he very irritably and very forcefully yanked the door open and near-shouted, "Now what's so damn important that when I said just a minute you couldn't wait ten seconds!?" right into the face of a momentarily stunned soldier in his mid-twenties. He clearly wasn't expecting this response from a civilian, but then he also didn't seem quite sharp enough to pick up on the fact that he was staring into the face of an ex-soldier who had seen far more and far worse than he himself.

Remembering himself, the soldier shook his head to regain his composure and, producing a poster in one hand he more demanded than asked, "Have you seen either of these young women recently?"

Toshi looked at the pictures of the two girls he had met yesterday with an unreadable, stern face, but before he could answer one way or another there was a commotion behind him as Lin came bustling around the corner, her husband in tow behind her and their son Renji following just after him.

"I can't believe I gave that monstera hot meal and a bed for the night... let her stay in my own house!" She was grumbling, to nobody in particular, the realization of who she must have let into her home last night obviously having dawned on her, a realization that was clearly not sitting too well with her either.

She caught the soldier's attention with relative ease at that point, and took it upon herself to answer the question she had apparently overheard the man ask. "Yes, we've seen them, the both of them stayed the night here last night, swindled us out of a hot meal and a warm bed they did!" Her vehemence caught the soldier by surprise, but that was nothing compared to his surprise when he realized that he had just gotten a positive lead, and a fresh one at that. None of them had expected to pick up the trail that quickly, nor that easily, and yet here it was. "They gave us fake names and put on this very convincing display, feigning civility and playing us all for fools! I swear if I ever got my own hands on that disgraceful little lying, murderous bi-"

"Now honey, the boy's right here with us, let's try to keep that in mind shall we?" Shinobi cut in, only just preventing his wife from cursing in front of their son. In truth, it was nothing Renji hadn't already heard his grandfather say on multiple occasions, but he knew better than to let his parents discover that little fact, so he feigned naive innocence in that way only a child can. It hardly mattered, as nobody was paying him any mind anyways.

"So the fi-I-I mean, the person err, personsin question were here, at this residence last night?" He asked, stumbling over his own words in his nervous excitement... Was that it? Toshi couldn't be certain, but he was certain of his gut, and at this moment his gut was telling him to be wary of this soldier and his company. Shinobi nodded in the affirmative, and made to explain how the girls had mysteriously disappeared early in the morning before they could even be confronted, but it his words were drowned out by the soldier's sudden shouting to a few of his fellows.

"We'll need to conduct a thorough search of the house to be certain, I'm sure you understand." The soldier stated bluntly, not so much asking permission as informing them of what was going to happen. Without even awaiting an invitation into the house, the soldier's muscled their way past the still very much dazed and rather affronted family of four to begin their search. Toshi however, would have no part of it, knowing full well that the new Fire Lord had taken a great deal of the power away from the military, so while this may have been allowed under Ozai, it was certainly illegal for them to be so invasive in the present.

"Now wait just a damn minute!" He bellowed, a sudden if brief glimpse of the past warrior, strong and undaunted, shining through his visage. The effect was what he had hoped for, more or less getting the soldiers' attention and causing them to hesitate in their ransack-style "search." Though he was somewhat startled himself with how effective his display had been, he didn't want to lose momentum, and so continued in a powerful, authoritative tone, "You have no right nor reason to invade our home and tear it apart, looking for someone who has long since left. You're wasting time that could be spent chasing Azula if you want to catch her so damn bad! And besides, Fire Lord Zuko made it very clear that the military will no longer be an all powerful entity that can disregard civilian law."

If any of the soldiers were about to argue back, their voices froze in their throat at the sight of someone new appearing in the doorway, to which Toshi had his back turned. It took him all but a moment to realize there must be someone of authority standing there. High authority, by the ashen looks on the soldiers who neither moved nor blinked. Before he even turned to greet this newcomer, a voice announced their identity to him in as familiar a sound as that of his own voice.

"I'm afraid this isn't an ordinary circumstance, Toshiru." The elderly man turned to see another man in military uniform standing in his doorway, this one clearly an officer of distinguished rank. A General, as a matter of fact, and this Toshi would have known even were it not for the sleek, high quality armor with the golden insignia emblazoned into it, or even the obvious respect he commanded from his troops. No, Toshi knew this man's rank without a doubt, because this man was his brother.

"Lee-Tzu." Toshi said the name as if it were a poison in his mouth that left a bitter aftertaste.

"General, Lee-Tzu, Toshi. Come now, it hasn't been that long, I know you still remember how to address an officer with their proper rank." Lee-Tzu taunted with all the smug self-satisfaction of a sibling superior.

"What are youdoing here!?" Toshi demanded, fire practically bursting into his fists, which had apparently clenched themselves. His brother, who looked as though he must have been at least 10 or even 15 years his younger, merely regarded him briefly before responding in kind.

"I've been given specific instructions, directlyfrom the Fire Lord himself, to track down and bring his sister to justice." Toshi studied the man opposite him carefully, but he could denote nothing from the man's expression. There was something about the way he had said that last part though, as if scoffing at the justice of it all. Was it that...?

"And as it turns out, this has turned out to be quitethe fortunate turn of events. I have here a letter from Fire Lord Zuko himself, and he has granted me permission to employ any and all means necessary to achieve success in this endeavor." Again he paused, and again only for effect, so he could bask in the anger that was now practically seething out of his older brother. "She has murdered the Fire Lady Mai, and is a threat not only to our nation's welfare, but the peace and stability of the world itself. Now then, I believe my men had a search to conduct..." He let the order hang in the air for a few brief seconds while the previously dumbstruck men remembered themselves and began once again tearing the place apart looking for nothing in particular.

The ensuing stare down was as brief as it was intense, and ended with the elder brother asking his family to wait outside. Lin considered only for a moment arguing with her father, but decided against it in this circumstance. There was clearly something the two brothers needed to discuss amongst themselves, and themselves alone. Once satisfied that his family was outside and far enough away, Toshi was the first to break the silence.

"What is this about, Lee?" He asked in as civil a tone as he could manage.

Sighing as if he was having to explain something to a child for the thousandth time, "I thought I already explained-"

"What is this reallyabout, dammit!? You know she isn't here, nor is anything that would be useful to your mission. The princess is many things perhaps, but she's no fool. If the accusations are true she wouldn't dare stay in one place for too long."

"Ex-princess, Toshi. She's no princess anymore." There it was again, that tone that said something other than what his words did. Was he referring to her disinherited status in the royal family? Or was it something... Again he had to shake the nagging thoughts away and press the more concerning issue.

"Just say what it is you really want Lee..." Toshi gritted, at his very wits end with patience and on the verge of exploding from the looks of it, and not simply in the metaphorical sense.

Without changing his expression in the slightest, Lee-Tzu somehow managed to look more smug as he savored the moment before finally answering, "Information that will help me track down the fugitives as soon as possible." Even after all that badgering, he still clung to the same veiled statements that told his brother essentially nothing useful. Sensing his elder brother's temper was at it's end, he held up a placating hand, at long last saying, "Which way did they go Toshi, hmm? Tell me which way to send my men and perhaps we can finish this little search prematurely. After all, all we need is something to go off of, some kind of lead that will point us in the right direction. Surely you could speed this entire process up, brother?" He asked in a mock-brotherly tone, more insulting than endearing to be sure.

The older man fidgeted for a few brief seconds. He had already known it would be like this, but still he wasn't quite sure what to do. On the one hand, he saw the door he needed to go through to save his family's home from being completely torn apart, but at the cost of condemning two girls barely on the cusp of adulthood? After an internal struggle of morals, he decided they were already condemned, he could only prolong the process at this point. So, begrudgingly, he told the man he hardly considered his brother except by blood alone, "They went north."

"I'm sorry, my hearing's not quite what it used to be.." Turning his head as if to emphasize, though Toshi was certain he had heard perfectly fine.

"North you insufferable fool! Now get out of my house before I decide to commit my OWN treason!" Toshi bellowed, and despite himself Lee-Tzu involuntarily flinched. General or not, he knew deep down, even if he'd never admit it, that his brother always had been and likely still was a superior Firebender. While he himself had climbed the ranks of an officer in the Fire Nation military, his brother had served alongside the fabled Dragon of the West in the bloodiest campaigns of the war, and more importantly, he had lived to tell about it, completely intact. What Lee-Tzu had in command experience, Toshi had in combat experience, and if push came to shove, the general harbored no delusions about which would prove more useful in a legitimate fight.

Regaining his composure just as quickly as he had lost it, Lee-Tzu resumed his air of confident smugness and announced loud enough for his men to hear, "Very well, we have the information we've come for and, as promised, will be leaving you and your family in peace... for now." The latent threat was obvious enough for Toshi, but he paid it no heed, he knew the information he gave was valid, as loathe as he was to admit it.

The soldiers wasted no time in abandoning their "search" and filing out of the house quickly, the one who had initially knocked on the door shouting to other soldiers around the small town that they were preparing to continue marching. Dozens of sets of metal boots could be heard thudding into formation out in the street, the unmistakeable sound only too familiar to Toshi's ears.

"I miss these little reunions, we really should do them more often Toshi." It was said with all the condescending sarcasm Toshi expected. At last, and not a moment too soon, his brother turned and exited the house, and in the space of a couple heartbeats Lin, Shin and Renji all came quickly back inside, shutting the door behind them. They were all obviously concerned, the worry etched across their faces, but none more so than Lin herself.

"It's alright, they won't be bothering us anymore. Come on now, we've got a mess to clean up." They all solemnly nodded in agreement and set about to do what was necessary, while Toshi himself gave one last, forlorn glance out the window towards the north, hoping sincerely that he didn't just aid in a young girl's execution... Or worse yet, a murderer's escape.

Azula watched intently from the small hill she stood atop as the column of soldiers marched out of the town, heading in their direction. She stayed only as long as she needed before turning and heading down the opposite slope, careful to avoid being seen directly by any of them.

"Well?" Asked a curious Ty Lee, who had remained at the foot of the hill as per Azula's request. Two could be spotted easier than one, she had said, and between the two of them, she was more qualified for scout work.

"They're still heading in this direction, I think we can certainly assume that they're after us for some reason or another, and given the old man's insistence that we leave as soon as we did, it probably isn't any reason that's in our interests. Toshi knew something he didn't tell me..." She let her ramblings continue on inside her own head, but was quiet otherwise.

"Well if that's the case, we should probably get going. I bet we can reach that forest by noon if we try." Ty Lee gestured ahead of them towards the wood line in the distance. Azula nodded in affirmation, though secretly groaned to herself, camping out in the woods again... lovely. Still, camping was better than... whatever else might be in store for her if those soldiers ever caught up.

Luckily, the sparse few surrounding hills provided enough cover to prevent them from being spotted by anyone with better than average eyesight, as there was bound to be. They would only help for so long though, so getting to the forest before the soldiers cleared the hills was imperative, and Azula knew from experience how fast soldiers could march when pressed, as she was almost certain they would be. Something just... didn't feel right, it was in the air, almost like smoke betraying a fire's existence.

Nervousness followed in their wake like the wind that chased them briskly, and the sun climbed ever higher into the sky. They walked on mostly in silence, Ty Lee worrying nervously and Azula deep in thought, contemplating what she should do, what she coulddo. Unfortunately, her options were... disappointingly limited. In fact, as she thought about it, they were, well, there were none. She had nowhere to go, assuming that the military wouldn't be after her unless Zuko himself had ordered it, always quick to assume the worst of her. Her uncle in Ba Sing Se, if she could even somehow manage to cross the ocean and get to the city, was tantamount to going to Zuko. Her father was locked in prison, stripped of his firebending and essentially worthless, and her mother she hadn't seen for nearly a decade since she abandoned her could just as well be dead as far Azula was concerned.

Glancing to her side, Azula couldn't help but let a smile play at her lips despite the apparent hopelessness of the situation. At least she still had Ty Lee. Good enough,she supposed.

"What?" Ty Lee asked, noticing the sly smile.

"I'm glad you're with me Ty." She admitted, as content as could be, as if everything was right in the world for them at that moment. Considering the way things could have turned out, Ty Lee decided that was a good way of looking at things.

Without any warning she took a step towards the smaller girl and wrapped her arms around her shoulders while still managing to keep step, whispering just so, "I'm glad too."

Her eyes widened in sudden surprise, the warmth of her friend's body against her side bringing a gentle, enjoyable tingle to creep up her spine. A sudden thought occurred, and her sly smirk turned devilish. "Ty Lee..." Glancing at the acrobat to see her quizzical look, she coyly remarked, "How fast do you think we could reach those woods?"

"Hmm," Ty Lee hummed in thought, "That depends," she began, a devious slant to her eyes, "Do you still have those jets in your feet?"

It was Azula's turn to contemplate for a moment, then looking her friend in the eye stated coolly, "I guess we'll just have to find out now won't we."

"Maybe we should have thought about this is a bit more before taking off blindlyin one direction, Twinkletoes." Toph couldn't help but remark sarcastically. From what she had been told, as there was no way for her to judge direction herself on the flying bison, they had gone all the way to the north end of the island nation and were now heading back south, with no sign whatsoever of the deranged princess. Well, they had really only gone as far north as it seemed possible to have gotten on foot, maybe a bit more to be safe, but the point remained; they didn't have jack to show for their trip thus far, and they hadn't spotted anything of significance.

"Sorry Toph, but we have more experience on the chasee's side of the spectrum, not the chasers." Sokka remarked in his typical fashion of sarcasm and wit.

"Maybe we should have brought Zuko along." Katara added, remembering all too well how impossibly determined he had been in chasing them all around the world and then some.

Aang, however, remained unusually quiet, and if any of his friends could have seen his face, they would have noticed an expression devoid of any humor at their current situation. "You guys this is nothing to joke about, Zuko is about to make a huge mistake."

"You mean a bigger one than letting that psycho out in the first place?!" Katara shot back.

"There's no turning back once you go down the path of murder Katara! You know this yourself, you should understand how important it is to let go of anger and forgive. Killing is never an option!" The young Avatar argued back forcefully, his unwavering conviction in the sanctity of all life being a foundation of his beliefs.

"Guys, we've already been down this road before," Sokka groaned, only recently having woken up and still groggy, "look, we have to find her first, and then we still have to catch her, so maybe we should worry more about how we're going to do that, then worry about what we're going to do after." In another of his rare moments of brilliance, the young man was surprisingly, yet absolutely, right.

"It's not like she's just going send a blast of fire up into the air and say 'Hey guys, I'm over here!' We're never that lucky you guys."

In response, a plume of azure flame exploded into existence far ahead of them, just past the edge of the forest they were currently passing over.

"Huh," Sokka remarked, only slight surprise in his voice, "I didn't think that would actually work. Thank you the Universe!"

A hawk cry signaled the avian's return was at hand, and Vzad lifted his arm to give it a perch to land on. The bird landed gracefully on his familiar spot, screeching his discovery.

"So, they did head north afterall. Thank you friend, go rest now." With a final cry the hawk lifted up and made for his place at the top of the ship's bridge. Vzad turned to regard the shore, which they had been keeping as close as possible to, and contemplated on what his next move should be.

"Find something, did he?" Came that silk ribbon voice that haunted too many of his dreams. He turned to regard her, barefoot as usual, and looking for all the world like the restless ghost of the grieving widow who could never find rest from one sailor's tale or another.

"Yes, Redwind has always had good sight, even for a hawk. They're heading north it would seem, apparently found a couple others to accompany them, but there's no doubt about it, he saw them sure as death." Vzad gazed hard and long out across the water, determination plain across his face as he looked out upon the shore and what lay beyond. His target, targetsnow he supposed, were somewhere out there. And now, he had a direction.

"So I suppose we'll be leaving for the shore soon then?" She mused, recognizing the glint in her companion's eye.

"Soon, but not just yet, they're still heading north, disembarking here would just put us behind them." Vzad turned once again to look Nida in the eye, a familiarly wicked as it was clever smile on his face, "You don't chase a running target, dear Nida, you head it off."

A bright burst of blue fire immediately caught his attention, and the wind shifted to run alongside the ship, urging it faster on it's northern course.

"Alright, are you sure about this Ty?" Azula asked, suddenly unsure of herself. Propelling even herself in this fashion would require an immense amount of firepower, let alone the two of them. There was also, of course, the very real possibility that one or both of them could get severely injured if something went wrong. "If something happens you could get hurt."

"It's alright Azula." Ty Lee reassured in a calm, soothing tone as she squeezed her arms around the Firebender's torso, hugging her from behind and holding on tightly and head resting snugly on the girl's shoulder. "I trust you."

As if those words were a spark that had been struck, an explosive fire ignited inside Azula as a tear threatened her eye, and with all her focus she directed the energies down, out, and...

FWOOSH!They rocketed forward as an incredible plume of azure flame erupted from behind them. It was hardly controllable, and as they propelled towards the treeline still far ahead, Azula suddenly realized that this was hardly what one could call "traveling incognito," and just as suddenly as she had started, she had to cut the fire off, causing them to continue gliding over the gravel for a few more yards before she dug her heels into the ground and they came skidding to an uneasy stop. Ultimately, thanks to Ty Lee, they were a bit too top heavy and ended up tumbling into the dirt, dirt dust and rocks flying up everywhere around them.

Coughing and sputtering, Ty Lee was incredulous as she asked, "What was that all about?"

"Ty Lee, those flames were massive! We have people chasing after us, how many of them do you think saw those?!" Azula retorted, wide-eyed and disbelieving of herself that she had just been so foolish. Realization apparently hit Ty Lee like a charging Moose-Lion, and she jumped up, dusting herself off and looking back behind them, then again towards the forest, trying to gauge the distance.

"Azula..." She looked back to the other girl nervously, "I think we should be running."

Without so much as a second thought, Azula replied, "Yes, we should."

"No doubt about it sir, that has to be her." One of the soldiers was saying to Lee-Tzu, simply confirming what they had all seen.

"Men, pick up the pace, we know she isn't far off now, but you can bet your asses we weren't the only ones who saw it. MARCH!" The aged General barked, determined to catch the ex-princess as quickly as possible. Time was only an all-too precious and tragically short resource.

The soldiers following him needed no further encouragement, and quickened their pace at once, kicking up dust in their wake and plodding onwards as if weariness were but a word, and a meaningless one at that.

"Come on Azula, we have to go faster!" A frantic Ty Lee was impatiently urging, the all-too real threat of soldiers, assassins, and spirits only knew what else sending her into a semi-hysteric state. None of which was made any better by the fact that her best friend was only now realizing the true extent of her atrophy. A year without any real exercise had apparently done more damage than Azula had anticipated, and she simply couldn't keep up a sprint for as long as she had hoped. The treeline, for as close as it seemed, could just as well have been the other side of the Fire Nation.

"Dammit.." The ex-princess wheezed, "One year... and I'm... falling... apart."

"We're almost there, just a little bit further 'Zula." For all that she pleaded, Ty Lee could tell just by looking at her that the other girl wasn't getting much further. It was a split-second decision, and she made it without hesitation.

The next thing Azula knew, she was once again being hoisted onto the acrobat's back, and after a brief as it was futile argument, she accepted the help more or less graciously, wrapping her legs about Ty Lee's waist and her arms around her neck.

So, for the second time in only a few days, Ty Lee found herself running across an open field heading for the relative safety of a forest with her best friend turned lover on her back, the only difference this time being that the other girl was awake, and not at all happy about the situation.

One foot in front of the other. It was all she could do, and for as simple as it was in concept, it seemed unreasonably hard to execute in reality. Her lungs ached, legs burned, and the sweat streaming down from her forehead seemed determined in it's goal of dripping into her eyes, made all the worse by the fact she couldn't wipe any of it away with her hands, preoccupied as they were holding up the person clinging to her. One foot in front of the other. In front of the other. In front of the other...

The trees grew taller as the girls drew nearer, and along with them, so too did the budding hope in their collective chests blossom. They could make it. They would make it. One foot in front of the other, and the trees were practically within throwing distance of a stone. Just a few more, just a few more steps and they were there. They had made it. They were-

"RRRRRRRRRROOOOOOORRRRR!"

Fucked.

Azula's head shot up instinctively at the sound, familiar from what seemed almost like a past life to her now, but familiar all the same. She had spent enough time tracking the beast to know what the Avatar's bison sounded like, and if her brother had sent soldiers to track her down, she had certainly anticipated he would have sent the young Avatar as well. She had merely hoped beyond hope that she could avoid him longer. Hope, it seemed, didn't go quite as far as one would like it to, and apparently picked the worst times to fizzle out.

Ty Lee wasn't about to give up though, and drawing on an inner reserve of strength neither of them knew she had she quickened her pace. They were too close, simply too closeto not make it. Azula waited breathlessly, watching the sky and expecting to see the massive animal at any moment. When the boughs of a tree blocked her view of the blue she thought she would almost shout for joy, but instead all she did was exhale a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. In almost an instant, the pair dissipated into the indiscernable foilage of the forest, lost among the trees and leaves.

It wasn't long after that when Appa cleared the treeline, and there could be seen heads poking out from the sides of his saddle, searching frantically in every direction.

"Any sign of her?" Sokka called to Aang after a glance at his sister revealed she had no better luck than he in spotting anything.

"No.." He called back, voice thick with perplexed frustration. "But we aren't the only ones looking." He announced, leveling his gaze dead ahead of them at the black mass of soldiers heading in their direction, still far enough off to not be an immediate concern but their presence alone was disconcerting enough. With a jerk of the reins, Appa suddenly reversed course, so suddenly it nearly threw the other passengers off balance.

"A little warning next time Twinkletoes!?" Came Toph's indignant cry, easily the least comfortable of all the passengers with flying. They landed on the ground a little less smoothly than the blind passenger would have liked, but the instant her feet touched solid ground she felt immediately at ease.

"They must be in there." Aang indicated the forest, and with a steel resolve he rushed in to search, his three friends not far behind. They entered a forest of thick, dense foilage and gnarled, branching trees, a haven for anyone in trying to hide. The trees were easy to climb, and their leaves obscured view from the ground just as it had from the sky.

"Guys, this could be a little harder than we anticipated.." Katara admitted sullenly, suddenly realizing exactly what the situation was. "We would have to split up to have any hope of finding her, and I don't think that's such a good idea."

Aang, however, was undeterred by the prospect, stating confidently, "We have to try, we have to find her before those soldiers do."

"But she could be anywhere Twinkletoes! And in case you've forgotten, I'm not a woodbender, I can't see up these trees. You guys would have to literally search every single one of them.." Pointed out a less than enthusiastic Toph.

The Avatar, however, was still bound and determined to go about searching for a needle in a haystack. A tiny, quiet needle in a huge, huge haystack. He leaped up into trees, only to come crashing back through the leafy canopies moments later, and continuing on to the next one, and the next one, and the next one. Meanwhile, Toph was relegated to stomping about the forest floor, searching for any foxholes or other potential in-ground hiding places, and though she already knew better, she was done arguing for the time being. Azula wasn't stupid enough to hide on the ground when her pursuers had a walking motion detector that could locate anything moving on or under it. Toph was surprised (Though maybe not, she realized), to learn just how many snakes were residing in the forests of the Fire Nation.

Sokka and Katara were essentially useless in the searching aspect, as the time it would take either to climb a single tree, Aang would have searched a dozen, and Toph could detect anything ground level or below for further than their working eyes could see. So, they more or less pretended to be useful while serving as glorified backup in case of a sudden ambush, watching their friends' backs and counting the minutes turning to hours. Eventually, it grew dark and at last the Avatar was prepared call it quits, much to the relief of a now thoroughly bored Toph who had given up all attempts at pretending to be searching and just started kicking trees to test how far up she could sense. Not nearly far enough, she realized, and wondered just how big these damn "tree" things were. To her credit, she did discover more than a few families of squirrelcupines inside various tree trunks.

"Alright, we've been searching for hours and haven't found any sign of her. I think we should go back to Appa, get some rest and maybe she'll move on." Aang admitted sullenly, not too happy about the time wasted and how close they might have been to catching her, but realizing that he was pushing too hard and had to know when to give up. "At any rate, we'll never find her in here, but she can't hide out in the woods forever." With resounding agreements from all around, the four friends made their way back to the southern edge of the woods.

It was only after they emerged from the thicket that they all remembered, and for very obvious reasons, a crucial detail that had been all but forgotten during the mundane process of scouring the woods. The soldiers. They had never entered the woods behind the, despite probably having reached it hours ago. No, instead they appeared to have set up camp for the night, right at the southern border of the forest. They had made a point of keeping a respectful distance away from Appa, who still and despite the relatively new peace had a strong dislike of their ilk.

"Find anything?" One of the sentries hollered tauntingly upon noticing them all. Obviously, they didn't have Azula, so they hadn't found her.

Toph was about ready to give the guy a piece of her mind (and probably foot as well), but Sokka held her back. "Easy Toph, let's just get out of here. Besides, what do we have to prove, that we can beat them twice?" That last part he said just loud enough that he knew it would be heard, and the two of them enjoyed the smug satisfaction of the man's obvious irritation.

General Lee-Tzu sat calmly, pretending to study some irrelevant maps while really he was watching the Avatar and his friends take off to find somewhere more peaceful to rest. After they had disappeared and a few minutes had gone by, he turned to one of his fellows sitting next to him. "Are they gone?" The other soldier nodded, having tracked their movements the entire time. "Alright, you know what to do."

The soldier he had addressed, along with one other, took off swiftly into the forest, searching for and almost immediately picking up a trail of footprints.

"He's persistent, I'll give him that. Not very thorough though." Azula mused, having gotten to watch the Avatar and his friends practically picking the forest apart in their search for her. She had rightly guessed the tree's would only be so useful in hiding her from someone who could essentially leap up them, and so she had located a particularly perplexing one to hide in. The way the branches twisted and curled around provided one peculiar little nook in which the two girls could hide somewhat effectively. The fact that it was probably the hundredth something tree he had been up definitely helped in ensuring that he was more irritated and less methodical by the time he had gotten to it, and when he went rushing up past them he hadn't even spared a passing glance.

She had wondered briefly whether or not Toph would be able to detect them if she kicked the tree, but waved that worry away when it became apparent the blind Earthbender was just trying to amuse herself at that point. When they all finally turned and left, she breathed a sigh of relief, but waited a while longer just to be safe before poking her head out and checking to see if the coast was indeed clear.

It was getting to be too dark to see much at all, and Azula was just about ready to climb down the tree and continue onwards when a quiet rustling noise caught her attention. Gazing out into the darkness, she watched intently at a couple soldiers eventually appeared, moving slowly and constantly checking the ground before going further, and obvious sign they were trackers. What had her worried, was the fact that they seemed to be spot on with the trail, heading straight for the tree in which they were nestled. As they drew nearer and nearer still, she held her breath, and waited.

The lead man stopped, gazing at the tree only briefly before looking back to the ground. He indicated for his partner to head in a different direction, while he continued onwards following what must have been the Avatar's footprints. He eventually disappeared further into the dark of night once more, and again silence settled around them.

Azula couldn't decide if it was justified cautiousness or outright paranoia, but she stayed exactly as she was for what must have been another hour yet, despite no further sign of either of the trackers, though she thought she caught the snapping of a twig or the rustling of some underbrush every now and again. She was almost convinced that the moment she stepped foot on the ground, something would get her. Terrible, glowing and furious Avatars, legions of bloodthirsty soldiers, giant killer forest snakes... Something was going to get her alright.

Another half hour, or maybe even full hour, had passed before she finally had enough of a grip on her nerves to make the decision. She nudged sleeping Ty Lee, thankfully not a snorer, until the girl opened her eyes and gazed about at the darkness.

"What..?"

"Shhh." Azula hushed her, still in a highly aware state of paranoia inspired caution. "We have to be quiet, they could still be out there looking for us." Ty Lee nodded her understanding, and so, just as quietly as could be, they crept back down the gnarled trunk of the massive tree, dropping their weight onto each branch slowly enough to prevent even the slightest creaking sound from emitting. At long last, they reached the ground, careful not to rustle any dead leaves, and turned to peer out into the darkness.

Azula practically jumped out of her skin when she heard Ty Lee shriek from right behind her, and without missing a beat she spun, arm outstretched and two fingers extended as she let loose a blast of azure flame, cutting through the darkness directly above the other girl's head, and reducing a hanging vine to little more than a smoldering pile. All at once, it was pitch black again, even more so thanks the brief but intense light their eyes had just been exposed to, but Ty Lee didn't need to be able to see the glare Azula was giving her to know it was there all the same.

"I thought it was a snake." She offered meakly, unable to give any explanation but the truth. She heard more than saw her friend's palm smacking into her own forehead.

"Let's just get out of here already, this place has given me the creeps for far too long." Azula remarked, turning on her heel to begin on their northbound journey once more.

She took a single step and then the world all around them exploded into blinding, dazzling light. Fire appeared in a ring surrounding them, and the source was clear enough. The battalion of soldiers that had been following them were apparently smarter than the Avatar, and more patient as well. Fires were lit in the palms of the men immediately surrounding them, while pikes could be seen clearly enough in the hands of those who stood behind. It was impossible to tell how many were there altogether, but Azula and Ty Lee both knew there was more than enough. They hadn't attacked outright though, and the fact that the men with weapons weren't necessarily pointing them at her, Azula decided to pose the obvious question.

"What do you want with me? Why have you been following us?" She demanded, attempting to sound like the authoritative princess she used to be but noting that the soldiers seemed unfazed. She slid into a stance, ready to go down fighting, and felt Ty Lee doing the same right at her back. A surge of emotion raced through her, realizing her friend was prepared to die fighting at her side on last time, though she likely didn't deserve it.

"I believe I can answer that." An aged yet still powerful voice declared from beyond the ranks of men, and they parted to allow their commanding officer through. A General Azula immediately noticed, but not one she remembered ever seeing before. "But first, where are my manners." He cleared his throat, straightening his back and shifting his armor until he was a picturesque visage of a Fire Nation General.

"It is our honor to finally have the chance to serve you, Fire Lord Azula." He immediately dropped to his knees in a formal bow, and all at once the soldiers around him followed suit.

Author's Note: Eh, so, two months in the making, and that's what it is. I know, not too great but hey, it wasn't much fun writing either, kind of why it took so long, general disinterest and the fact that I want so badly to write the interesting stuff but I have to build up to it first .

Anyways thanks for taking the time, as always.