"Line them up for the Warden!" A guard barked as the Warden approached the gondola platform.

The new prisoners filed onto the platform in front of the Warden one by one.

Sokka, who had raced up the stairs to the platform, tilted his visor up slightly and breathed out almost silently when he saw his father, "Dad." Quickly he rushed from the stairs and nudged some guards aside, "Excuse me, coming through. The Warden wants me," he pointed towards another row of guards nearest the prisoners, "Over there. Sorry."

He reached the line of guards just as the Warden began speaking.

"Welcome to the Boiling Rock." The Warden drawled as he walked down the line of prisoners with his hands clasped behind his back, "I'm sure you've all heard the horrible rumors about our little island. Well, I just want to tell you that they don't have to be true." He stopped in front of Hakoda and peered up at him, "As long as you do everything I say."

His eyes narrowed when Hakoda didn't look at him, "Look me in the eye when I'm talking to you."

Hakoda kept his head bowed slightly and looked off to the side, "No."

"Oh, you'd rather look at my shoes?" The Warden demanded sharply, then he used his foot to yank Hakoda to the ground by his handcuffs. "Let take a look!"

Hakoda grunted as he was forced into a kneeling position, the Warden's book keeping his handcuffs pinned to the ground.

"I know exactly who you are, Hakoda of the Water Tribe." The Warden stated smugly, "So strong willed. But don't worry, we'll get rid of that in time. Now look me in the eye."

Slowly, reluctantly Hakoda lifted his head and glared up at the Warden. The Warden smiled thinly in response.

"See? Isn't that better." The Warden cooed contemptuously, he looked away from Hakoda's prone form to stare down the other prisoners, "You will all do as I say or pay the price." He started to walk away from Hakoda, "You will all...Argh!" He yelled as he fell onto his face, Hakoda having tilted his handcuffs and causing the Warden's book to get caught in them.

Behind the row of guards, Sokka snickered as the two guards in front of him rushed to help the Warden to his feet.

"Are you okay, sir?"

The Warden lashed out violently, "I'm fine! Get these prisoners out of my sight!"

Sokka loitered behind, watching as the prisoners were directed towards the flight of stairs. Once his father had disappeared down the stairs, he waited a few moments before leaving the platform with the rest of the guards that had remained behind.

In the cell he'd been placed in, Hakoda sat on his mattress. He looked up when the door slid open, his eyes narrowing dangerously at the guard that stepped inside.

"Thank goodness you're okay!"

Hakoda stood fluidly and shifted into a fighting stance, holding his fist out threateningly towards the guard, "If you take one step closer, you'll see just how okay I am."

"Dad," Sokka's voice said laughingly from behind the helmet and he lifted up his visor with a grin, pointing at himself, "It's me."

"Sokka," Hakoda whispered in surprise, lowering his arm and tearing up, "My son."

Sokka quickly pulled off his helmet and dropped it the floor as his father embraced him tightly. They parted after a few seconds and Hakoda held his son at arms-length.

"You know Sokka, you should be more careful with that guard outfit on." he commented with a chuckle, "I almost punched you in the gut."

"Heh, yeah," Sokka rubbed the back of his neck as he remembered his encounter with Suki the day before, "I ran into the problem earlier."

Hakoda grinned at him, "I've missed you, son."

"Excuse me?" Xiaodan demanded, staring at Katara incredulously.

"I know all about your 'feelings','" Katara mocked, making air quotes with her fingers as she spoke the last word, "For Zuko. I heard you talking about him with Toph, so I know that's why you defended him when he asked to join us." Katara gave her a quelling look, "Do you even care about what he did to Aang at all?"

"You were eavesdropping on us?!"

"I wasn't eavesdropping! I went looking for you to ask for you help with dinner and I heard what you guys were talking about!"

Xiaodan scoffed, "Newsflash, Katara, that's calledeavesdropping. And can't even believe you right now."

"You can't believe me? Well, I can't believe you! After everything he's done, how could you possibly like someone like Zuko?" Katara shouted angrily. "All he's ever done is try to hurt us, to hurt Aang. He's a horrible person!"

Xiaodan tilted her head back and closed her eyes, groaning of disbelief and exasperation, "Seriously, this again?" She lifted her head and sighed at the younger girl's stubborn expression, "Katara, Aang is my brother and I would do anything, anything for him. But you don't know, Zuko."

"Oh I think I know enough." Katara retorted sharply with a scowl.

"No, no I don't think you do." Xiaodan replied, sitting down tiredly with another sigh. She rubbed her face, "Katara, why don't you like Zuko? He hasn't done anything to hurt us since he got here. In fact, he's done the complete opposite."

"Because he's lying!" Katara exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration, "And you're too blind to see it!" She began pacing furiously in front of the older girl, her voice rising slightly as she spoke angrily, "It's just like back in Ba Sing Se when we were in the Catacombs together. He talked about his mother and how the Fire Nation took her away from him just like they took my mother! And I believed him!"

Xiaodan's eyes widened, "So that's your problem." She shook her head in disbelief, "You reached out to him and then he joined Azula and helped her almost kill Aang." Xiaodan's eyes widened further and she jumped to her feet, "And you're angry at me because I like him!"

Katara whirled around then and jabbed a finger at the dualbender, "And that's another thing, how-how can you like him, Xia? After everything that's happened, after everything he's done? It's like you've become a whole different person since he's been here!"

"I have not!" Xiaodan denied defensively with an agitated frown. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes, "Look, I don't want to fight with you Katara, but seriously this is getting ridiculous! We can't afford to fight right now, not over something so stupid as this." Xiaodan stared at her pleadingly, "I know you're angry with me, but if you would just let me explain..."

"I think I heard enough already." Katara muttered bitterly with a scowl and she folded her arms over her chest.

Pursing her lips and clenching her jaw, Xiaodan growled, "Fine, you don't want to talk about or let me explain, that's fine. But we are settling this now." She shifted into a bending stance and stared at Katara with narrowed eyes, "No more snide remarks, or subtle wanna fight, then let's go, we'll fight."

Katara stared at her incredulous for a second then her eyes narrowed and she took her own stance, "I won't hold back."

"I'm not expecting you to."

"Are you comfortable Chit Sang?" The Warden asked mildly as he walked into the room the large prisoner was being held in, his arms strapped to a chair in the middle of the room.

"If you're tryin' to get me to talk, forget it." Chit Sang stated defiantly as the Warden walked around to stand behind the chair he was in. "I ain't a squealer."

"Chit Sang," The Warden said lightly, turning his head slightly to look at his prisoner from the corner of his eye with a small smile, "I only asked if you were comfortable."

Chit Sang hesitated a moment then smiled, "Well, yeah, actually I am pretty comfortable."

Without missing a beat, the Warden turned around and kicked the back of the chair, smiling slightly when he heard Chit Sang groan when his face hit the ground. He walked around to stand by the prisoner's head, "Are you still comfortable?"

Chit Sang grunted and glanced up at the Warden, "No."

"I know you and your cronies are not smart enough to come up with that little escape plan." The Warden said, leaning down slightly to stare into the prisoner's eyes, "So you're gonna tell me. Who is?"

The Warden straightened and walked out of the metal room, two guards walking in after him. Chit Sang clenched his jaw as they picked him and the chair up and set it upright before one of the guards closed the door.

"So where's Bato? Where's everyone else from the invasion?"Sokka asked after peering out of the viewing slat in the cell door.

"The others are being held at a prison near the Fire Nation capital." Hakoda replied, leaning against the wall of his cell, "They singled me out as their leader and sent me here." He looked over at Sokka when he came to sit beside him, "But before I left, I met some young women who said they knew you. The Yoshinama Fighters?"

"You mean the Kyoshi Warriors?" Sokka corrected with a small chuckle. He could imagine Suki not reacting well if she heard his father call her warriors that.

"That's right."

"Their leader, Suki, is here and she's gonna escape with us."

Hakoda smiled and put a hand on Sokka's shoulder, "Good, we'll need all the help we can get."

"And you know Prince Zuko?" Sokka asked with a small smirk.

"The son of the Fire Lord?" Hakoda asked then rubbed the back of his neck ,"I don't know him, but I knew of him."

"Well, he's here too."

Hakoda crossed his arms and frowned slightly in consternation, "Sounds like a major problem."

"Actually, he's on our side now." Sokka stated then chuckled at his father's skeptical look, "I know, I had the same reaction. After all he's done, it was hard to trust him. But he's really proven himself and I never would have found you without his help." The teen snorted and shook his head in amusement, "Plus Xia really likes him."

"Really?" Hakoda questioned in surprise. He had gotten to know the young woman while they'd been on the commandeered Fire Nation ship and, judging by the way she had helped them dispatch the soldiers on the ship, he didn't think she would like anyone from the Fire Nation. "That...surprising."

"Yeah, tell me about it." Sokka agreed then shook his head again, "Anyway, we had a plan to escape, but some of the other prisoners got involved and ruined it." He sighed and rested his head against his upraised knees, "I don't know if there's another way off this island."

"Sokka," Hakoda said with a smile as he put his hand on his son's back, "There's no prison in the world that can hold two Water Tribe geniuses."

"Then we'd better find two." The teen deadpanned, causing Hakoda to laugh, Sokka joining him after a moment. Sobering after a moment, he looked at his dad seriously, "Let's get started on that plan."

After coming up with a decent escape plan, Sokka left his father's cell and headed down to the lower level of the prison where Zuko was being held. He looked around quickly before taking a flight of stairs and walking over to the first door to his left. He leaned against the door, lifted his visor slightly and called out quietly, "Zuko, are you there?"

Zuko's eyes appeared in the door's view slat a second later and he whispered back, "I'm here."

"I just got done talking to my Dad." Sokka explained softly, "We came up with an escape plan."

"What are you doing here?"

Sokka jumped and lowered his visor then spun around, staring at the two guards standing near the base of the stairs in surprise, "Uh...I was just," He paused them pointed at the door, "Telling this dirty lowlife what I think of him!"

"Well, you'll have to do that later." The male guard stated seriously, "He's coming with us."

Sokka looked between the guards and the Zuko's door then asked, "Why?"

"Because we have orders straight from the Warden." The female guard replied sharply as she placed her hands on her hips, "That's why."

"Could I just have ten more seconds to rough him up a bit?" Sokka asked, smiling and punching his right fist into his left palm, "Just a bit?"

The female guard eyed him for second then crossed her arms and leaned against the stair rail with smirk, "Fine, ten seconds."

Sokka quickly scurried into the cell, nodding at Zuko to grab the mattress on the floor of his cell. The former prince snatched it up quickly, rolling it up and holding it against his chest, before Sokka began punching it. "Take that! And this!"

Outside the male guard scoffed and looked over his companion, "Newbie."

"We have a new plan," Sokka whispered as he punched the rolled up mattress, Zuko grunting as if in pain whenever he struck, "But it's gonna need a big distraction. Be in the yard in one hour." The door suddenly began to open and Sokka lunged forward, grabbing Zuko's head in a chokehold and forcing him to drop the mattress.

"Alright," The male guard grunted, pushing Sokka off the former prince, "That's enough."

Sokka watched as the two guards lead Zuko out of the cell before leaving himself.

"What are you doing?" Zuko demanded as the guards dragged him down the hall and up several flights of stairs, "Where are you taking me?"

The guards didn't answer as they lead him to another room that was furnished with only a chair in the center of it. He grunted as he was shoved into the room, stumbling and landing on the chair. He turned to glare at the guards angrily, "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Come on, Zuko." Zuko jumped and looked up in surprise at where Mai was leaning against the wall in a dark corner, her head bowed. She lifted her head and stepped into the light, dark amber eyes narrowed, "We all know that's a lie."

Zuko swallowed thickly, "Mai..."

"Are you ready to talk yet?!" Xiaodan yelled, back-flipping to avoid the ice daggers Katara flung her way. A jet of water slammed into her stomach and sent her flying was her only response. Using the momentum, Xiaodan somersaulted backwards into a crouch and shook her head, muttering under her breath, "I'll take that as a 'no' then."

Placing her hands against the ground, Xiaodan kicked up leg and wind-milled them, airbending a blade of air at Katara. The Waterbender brought her arms up quickly, grunting when the air blade hit her and sent her feet skidding across the ground. Breathing heavily, Katara straightened from her hunched over position and brought her arms up, waterbending the liquid from the grass around her and creating multiple whips with it.

Xiaodan bounced across the grassy area beside the stream, dodging the water whips as Katara lashed out with them. She stuck her tongue out and thumbed her nose at the younger girl as she taunted, "Nyah, you missed! C'mon, Katara, I thought you were supposed to be a master." She yelped, barrel-rolling underneath the water jet Katara had launched at her.

"And I thought you weren't going to hold back, Xia." Katara taunted back, only to shout wordless in surprise when the dualbender used a blast of air to propel herself towards her, tackling her to the ground.

The two girls wrestled, rolling across the ground for several moments before Katara managed to kick Xiaodan over her head. She quickly got back to her feet and spun around to face the dualbender, her back to the stream.

"You were the one who said you weren't going to hold back. I never said anything about it." Xiaodan rolling to a crouch and flipped her hair out of her face. Panting, she demanded, "Are we done? Can I explain now or do you want us to continue fighting like a couple of children?"

"Shut up!" Katara growled in reply, throwing her arms up and waterbending a large wave from the stream. She thrust her arms out towards Xiaodan, sending the wave at the older girl.

Xiaodan kicked up from the ground and, landing in a crouch, punched both fists forward towards the wall of water heading towards her. White fire shot from her fists and with a sound like thunder it erupted into a massive cloud of steam when it slammed into the water. Xiaodan then slammed her hands together, airbending a massive wave of air to clear the steam away.

Toph jerked her head up and stared at the ceiling when she felt a barely noticeable tremor go through the earth. Aang looked over at her in confusion as he asked, "Toph? You alright?"

The blind girl was about to answer when what sounded like a thunder-clap split the air. Toph lunged to her feet and raced out of the pagoda, "Katara and Xiaodan are fighting at the top of the cliff!"

Aang yelped and jumped to his feet, snatching up his staff and racing after the Earthbender. He'd known he hadn't been able to help the two girls fix things between them, but he really hadn't expected to actually fight. Maybe he should have tried a little harder to get them to talk it out.

"How is he?" The Warden asked as he returned to the room where Chit Sang was.

Chit Sang, still strapped to the chair, which was being held upside down by two guards, made a low noise in his throat, his face bright red.

"I think he's ready to talk." One of the guards said before he and his companion flipped the chair over and slammed it down so it was upright.

Chit Sang gasped for breath, panting and sweating heavily as the blood rushed down from his head, the red slowly fading from his face. The Warden smirked and approached the chair, leaning over Chit Sang's shoulder.

"Have you had enough time to think about what I asked?"

"Yes." Chit Sang rasped.

"And?"

"You're right." The prisoner muttered, glancing at the Warden from the corner of his eye, "There was another person involved in the escape plan."

The Warden placed his hand on Chit Sang's shoulder, "Who?"

"It's a guy who's disguised as a prison guard, only he's not a prison guard. He's the mastermind. He came up with the plan."

The Warden smiled condescendingly and patted Chit Sang's head then turned and left the room.

In another bare cell, Zuko sat in the only chair in the room, his elbows resting on his knees and his head bowed. He sighed quietly, "How did you know I was here?"

"Because I know you so well." Mai replied flatly from where she was leaning against the wall to his right, her arms crossed over her chest.

"But..." Zuko looked over at her in confusion, "How?"

"The Warden's my uncle, you idiot." She replied, looking off to the side as Zuko groaned and rubbed his forehead, "The truth is, I guess I didn't know you at all." She reached into her sleeve and unrolled the letter Zuko had left her, "All I get is a letter." She flung her arm out to the side and snapped at him, "You could have at least looked me in the eye when you ripped out my heart."

"I didn't mean too..."

"You didn't mean to?" Mai cut him off with a scoff then she walked around behind him, holding the letter up and beginning to read from it, "'Dear Mai, I'm sorry that you have to find out this way, but I'm leaving.'"

"Stop!" Zuko demanded harshly, turning to look over his shoulder at her with a frown, "This isn't about you. This is about the Fire Nation."

"Thank, Zuko." Mai deadpanned in annoyance, throwing the letter at his head, "That makes me feel so much better."

Zuko grunted quietly and rubbed the back his head where the letter hit, then he pulled it off his lap and dropped it to the ground. "Mai, I never wanted to hurt you." He stood up and turned to face her, "But I have to do this to save my country."

"Ha." She scoffed at him again and crossed her arms over her chest, "Save it? You're betraying your country."

"That's not how I see it."

Mai frowned and looked to the side as she spat out, "Yeah, I'm sure. But we both know you didn't leave just to 'save your country', Zuko. Did you even really care about me?"

"I do care about you, Mai." Zuko protested, "That wasn't-"

"You just care about that other girl more, right?" Mai interrupted, casting a derisive look his way. She uncrossed her arms and walked towards him, poking him in the chest, "You even said it in your letter that there was someone else, but you didn't say who. So I asked Azula who Xia was and she told me."

Zuko stared at her in disbelief and dismay, "You..." He stopped and looked away, closing his eyes in shame. "I never meant to hurt you, Mai. I swear."

"Yeah," Mai responded flatly, crossing her arms over her chest again. "So you keep telling me."

In her cell, Suki practiced a series of kicks and punches, ending in a front kick at the door. The door to her cell opened and she lowered her leg, smiling when she saw a grinning Sokka standing in front of her. "Sokka." She said in relief as he stepped inside and closed the door, peering through the viewing slat, "What's going on?"

"I don't have much time." Sokka replied as he checked to make sure no one was near, "If I'm seen with you the guards might think something's up." His visor slipped down for a second and pushed it back up as he turned to face her. "I just talked to my Dad."

"That's great."

"Yeah," Sokka agreed then grinned excitedly, "And we're escaping today. On the gondola."

Suki stared at him in confused disbelief, "What?"

"My dad and I came up with a plan together. We're gonna commandeer the gondola," He explained as he placed his hands on Suki's shoulders reassuringly, "And we're gonna take a hostage with us so they won't cut the lines."

Suki grasped his wrists and lowered his arms from her shoulders, "We'll never make it onto the gondola. There's too many guards."

"My dad already thought of that." Sokka replied confidently, "He said we'll need a distraction. That's why we're going to start a prison riot."

"Okay." Suki commented, still skeptical, as she looked off to the side in thought. "Let's say by some miracle this all works and we make it on the gondola. The Warden will still just cut the lines, even if we have a captive."

"Not if the Warden is the captive." Sokka quipped back with a grin. A sound from outside wiped the smile from his face and he rushed to the door, peering out of the opening. "I have to go." Suki rushed over and hugged him tightly and he patted her back, "I'll find you before we start the riot."

She nodded and he slipped out of the cell, sliding the door closed behind him.

"Hey you." Sokka froze and glanced over his shoulder as two guards stopped a few feet in front of him, the one who'd spoken pointing a finger at him, "The Warden wants to see you."

"Uh, why?" Sokka asked nervously, turning back to look at the guards.

"I don't know. I didn't ask."

"Maybe I could schedule another time with him?" Sokka suggested with a nervous chuckle, calling over his shoulder as he began walking down the hall, "How's tomorrow?"

"He wants to see you now." The guard barked as two more guards grabbed Sokka by the arms and forced him down the hall.

They led him out of the prison and up to gondola platform where several other guards were waiting along with the Warden.

"Put him in the line up." The Warden ordered sharply and the guards yanked Sokka's helmet off then shoved him towards the line of other helmetless guards.

Sokka squeaked slightly as he lost his balance and fell into another guard, who gave him an annoyed look and pushed him back into position. Eyes wide with fear and shock, Sokka attempted to hide behind the guard he'd bumped into, but was nudged back into his place again.

"One of you is an imposter," The Warden spoke loudly, glaring at the row of guards," Who thought he could fool me. But now that person is going to be in a lot trouble." Chit Sang was pulled out from behind the Warden and led towards the row of guards. The Warden looked at the prisoner and asked, "Who is it?"

Chit Sang opened his eyes and looked at the guards, scanning them slowly. Sokka watched him fearfully, his whole body trembling nervously as the large prisoner walked down the line. He closed his eyes and held his breath.

"That's him, Warden." Sokka snapped his eyes open and swallowed thickly in surprise when he saw Chit Sang pointing at the guard who had thrown him in the Cooler the day before, "He's the imposter."

"What?" The guard shouted in outrage and he grabbed Chit Sang by the front of his tunic, "I am not! He's lying!" Chit Sang lifted his hands nonchalantly and leaned away from the guard as he was dragged away still screaming, "He's a liar!"

Chit Sang smiled thinly, happy to finally get even with the bully guard. Sokka, looking on with the rest of the guards, exhaled and slumped his shoulders in relief.

"Oh boy." Toph muttered as she and Aang finally reached the top of the cliff, not even needing her eyes to see that the fight between her two friends was bad.

Half of the copse of trees that had surrounded the stream where Xiaodan had been washing the clothes, had been leveled and the ground was covered in mud. Xiaodan and Katara faced off in the middle of the destruction, Katara with her back to the stream, pulling water from it, which she then bended at Xiaodan.

Xiaodan flipped out of the way, but Katara redirected the water and used it to grab the older girl's leg, flinging her to the side. The dualbender landed hard on her side and skidded across the muddy ground, before twisted around and rolling back to her feet in a crouch.

"Xia!" Aang shouted, moving to rush towards the fight.

"Back off, Aang!" Xiaodan barked harshly, holding her hand out to stop her brother without taking her eyes off Katara, "Katara and I are settling this our way. Don't try to interfere, please."

The dualbender straightened and thrust her fist at the younger girl, a blast of air flying across the distance between them. The air blast was intercepted by Aang though, who had ignored his sister's demand and leapt in between the two girls, and dispersed the attack.

"Stop it, both of you!" The young boy shouted, looking between the two girls with frustration. "You guys are friends, you shouldn't be fighting like this!"

"Hey, she started it!" Xiaodan retorted defensively, a bit petulantly, as she pointed a finger at the younger girl.

Katara's jaw dropped then she gave the dualbender an furious, indignant look, "What? You're the one who said we should fight!"

"You did what?!" Aang demanded looking at his sister in disbelief.

"She didn't want to talk and wouldn't let me explain anything!"

"You were already lying about you're feelings for Zuko, how was I to know if you weren't going to again?"

"Are you kidding me?! That is the most ridiculous"

"Enough!"

Both girls yelped in surprise then fell silent and stared at Aang, shocked that he had raised his voice at them. Ignoring their looks, Aang just glared at two of them sternly as he scolded them, "Can you even see yourselves right now? You're both acting like a couple of little kids. We're in the middle of a war and here you are fighting. We have to band together, especially right now."

His expression gentled and he softened his tone, "I know you're both angry right now, but I think you guys need to find a different way to work through your differences. Fighting like a couple of kids isn't going to help."

Katara and Xiaodan looked away from Aang, mirroring each other as they crossed their arms and pouted petulantly. Xiaodan glared at the ground for a few seconds in thought then she looked up, surprisingly meeting Katara's eyes from over her brother's head.

"You know," The dualbender spoke loudly without dropping her ember-colored eyes from Katara bright blue orbs. "I think you're right, little brother. We need to work this out in a more...serious manner."

Katara's eyes narrowed and she nodded slowly, "You're right. No more acting like children."

"Great!" Aang smiled happily, his stance relaxing in relief, "I'm glad you both agree-Ahhh!" He squawked in surprise as his sister, gently, blasted him out of the way just before she and Katara charged at each other.

He slid across the ground, grunting when his back hit the stone wall Toph had earthbended up from the ground to stop his momentum. He groaned and sat up, rubbing the back of his head, "Ow."

"I don't think that worked, Twinkle Toes." Toph observed, 'seeing' her two friends going at it a few yards away. They were creating enough vibrations that is was almost as if she could actually see them fighting.

"Monkey-feathers!" Aang cursed, sitting up fully and staring at his sister and Katara in disbelief. The two girls had gone from a grudge match to an all out brawl, the two trading attacks with their individual elements. Apparently when Xiaodan had said they were going to work things out in a more serious manner, she meant they would no longer be holding back in their fight.

He went to take a step forward, to break up the fight again, but Toph grabbed his shoulder and held him in place, shaking her head once and telling him silently that he really should just stay out of it. Aang looked ready to protest but the blind girl gave him a look and said, "You try to break them up again, and you're gonna end up getting hurt and that will just cause more problems between them since they'll most likely blame each other for it." Aang cursed again and clenched his fists at his sides.

"So tell, Katara," Xiaodan panted as she dodged to the side to avoid a blade of water from hitting her, "Why exactly do my feelings for Zuko bother you so much?"

"He lied to me in the Catacombs about wanting to change!" Katara shouted, exasperation and frustration fueling her attacks. She side-stepped an air blast and snapped irritatedly, "And he almost killed Aang, I've already told you this!"

"Technically, Azula tried to kill Aang." Xiaodan corrected, grunting a moment later when Katara's water whip hit her in the gut and knocked her back a few steps. Lunging forward, she threw several balls of white fire at Katara's feet. Except for that moment when Katara had tried to attack her with a giant wave of water, Xiaodan hadn't been using her firebending during their fight, but then again, she also hadn't been taking it seriously either. Now she was and she was going to use every advantage she had over the Waterbender.

"He still helped her! He attacked us both in the Catacombs! After everything he told me, he still helped her!"

"You think you're the only one that effected?" Xiaodan stopped attacking and glared at Katara, fed up with the way the girl thought that a few hours in an underground prison with Zuko meant that she was the only one his betrayal in Ba Sing Se had effected. "What about me, huh? I traveled with him and uncle formonths. You were only in that prison with him for a few hours. It broke my heart to see him fighting along side Azula."

"And who's fault it that?" Katara demanded, stomping over to the older girl and poking her in the chest. "If you didn't want to get hurt, then you shouldn't have trusted him and fallen in love with him!"

"Oh for the love of-" Xiaodan threw her hands in the air and growled wordlessly in exasperation, "Yes, I made a mistake and I paid for, I still am paying for it apparently." She glared at Katara pointedly, "But you can't tell me, you haven't been blinded by your own feelings before. Don't you remember Jet?"

"Jet has nothing to do with this!" Katara snapped angrily, crossing her arms over her chest and scowling at the older girl. And in her eyes, she was right. Jet and Zuko were on two totally different levels. "The situations are totally different.

"Uh, yeah, no, I don't really think they are." Xiaodan retorted drily and she crossed her arms over her chest. She rubbed her face tiredly then crossed her arms again, "Katara, I get that you are angry at Zuko and that you don't trust him, even a blind person can see that, no offense, Toph." She called out to Earthbender.

"None taken." The blind girl called back.

Xiaodan continued, gesturing between herself and Katara, "but this thing between you and me, it has got to end. I love you like a sister and I hate that we're fighting over something so stupid, so can we just," Xiaodan held her arms out again and shrugged, "Can we just stop and, I don't know, actually talk about this?"

The dualbender stared at her hopefully as Katara glared at her, her arms crossed over her chest. Beside Toph, Aang waited for the Waterbender's reply with bated breath, staring at the two girls with wide eyes.

"I'm telling you, it wasn't me." The bully guard insisted for the hundredth time. He had been stripped of his guard armor and placed in a prisoner's uniform then brought to an interrogation room and strapped to the wooden chair inside.

"Save your breath." The Warden snapped, leaning forward to glare at the guard turned prisoner, "I now you've been working together. You threw Chit Sang in the very Cooler they used to escape. It was all part of your plan."

"That was just a coincidence."

The door suddenly opened and a guard called out tentatively, 'Sir, there's someone here to see you."

"Who told you to interrupt me?!" The Warden shouted angrily as he looked towards the door only for his eyes to widen in shock and fear. He, and the other guards in the room, instantly dropped down to their knees in a low bows.

Azula smirked as she stood in the doorway, her hands on her hips, "I did."

"Princess Azula," The Warden simpered as she and Ty Lee walked into the room, "Uh, it is an honor to welcome you to the Fire Nation's most exemplary prison." He stood up slowly, bit kept his head bowed low, "I didn't realize you were coming."

"Who is this?" Azula asked, ignoring his fawning as she walked closer to the guard strapped to the chair.

"He's a guard who was involved in a recent and feeble escape attempt."

The guard scowled and insisted, "It wasn't me."

"Quiet you!" The Warden barked, pointing at the guard for emphasis.

"You're wasting your time." Azula stated disinterestedly as she turned and walked back to the door, "That's not one of them."

Stunned, the Warden looked away from the guard to stare at the princess's back, "How do you know?"

"Because," Azula smirked darkly, "I'm a people person."

She and Ty Lee walked out of the room and the door slammed shut behind her.

Sokka stepped into the control room of the prison's housing area and addressed the guard on duty, "Hey, I just got orders. Let the prisoners out into the yard."

The guard narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, "But we're in the middle of a lockdown."

"Oh, okay." Sokka drawled, waving his hand dismissively and starting to walk off, "I'll just go tell the Warden you said that. I'm sure he'll be glad to hear about you undermining his authority." He paused and looked back at the guard questioningly, "What's your name again?"

"Wait!" The guard called out nervously, Don't tell the Warden, I...I'm just a little confused."

"Hey I'm confused too." Sokka replied with a shrug as he stood in the doorway of the control room. "But the Warden's in a bad mood and irrational. So if you ask me," He walked over to the guard and put a hand on his shoulder, "It'd be best not to question it and just do what he says."

"Yeah, you're right." The guard agreed with a nod and he began pulling the various levers to let the prisoners out of their cells, the bell ringing as he did so. "We're letting them out."

Suki looked up from where she was kneeling her cell when the door slid open and quickly stood, several other prisoners rushing past her door. She glanced around the outside before exiting her cell, following the others to the yard.

In his cell, Hakoda smirked slightly as the door opened and he quickly exited, walking out into the yard where he was approached by a young woman, who introduced herself as Suki. Sokka, without his helmet and his sword strapped to his back, found them a few moments later.

"This is it." He said as he came to a stop in front of them, "We have to start a riot."

"Okay," Suki said slowly, glancing around at the other prisoners milling about in the yard, "How do we do that?"

Hakoda looked off to the side and smirked slyly, "I'll show you."

Sokka and Suki watched as he ran towards a big, burly, bald prisoner who was talking to a couple others, and shoved him.

"Hey," The large prisoner grunted, turning around to look at Hakoda in confusion, "Why did you do that for? That hurt my feelings..."

Hakoda looked at the man in confusion, "Aren't you mad at me?"

"Uhh, well normally I would be, but I've been working to control my anger." The prisoner explained sheepishly.

Sokka gaped at the prisoner in disbelief and shook his head, "This isn't working."

"Hey you." Sokka jumped and turned around when Chit Sang came up beside him. Chit Sang stared down at him, "You're lucky I didn't rat you out. But my generosity comes with a price. I know you're planning another escape and I want in."

Sokka groaned then brightened as an idea came to him. "Actually, we're trying to escape right now. But we need a riot." he pointed at Chit Sang's face as he asked, "You wouldn't happen to know how to start one would you?"

"A prison riot?" Chit Sang repeated then pushed Sokka's arm out of his face and scoffed, "Please."

Sokka watched as the large man walked off, grabbing a smaller prisoner by the front of his tunic, causing the man to shriek and struggle against him. Calmly, Chit Sang picked the man up and held him over his head as he shouted, "Hey!" He began hoisting the prisoner up and down, "Riot!"

Immediately the yard broke out into chaos, fireballs being throwing all over the place.

Dumbfounded, Sokka stared at Chit Sang while Hakoda nodded in admiration and said, "Impressive."

"Forget about controlling my anger." The prisoner Hakoda had shoved growled then threw his hands in the air, "Let's riot!"

Standing on one of the guard towers, the Warden gripped the railings tightly and stared down into the yard with angry disbelief, "Who let these prisoners into the yard?! This is supposed to be a lockdown!"

The guard who'd been in the control room lifted his visor and blushed in embarrassment before sneaking away.

Xiaodan and Katara stared at each other silently before the Waterbender looked away, tightening her arms over her chest and pursing her lips. She didn't want to fight with Xiaodan anymore either, but she was just so angry. To her, it felt like almost like a betrayal that the older girl didn't distrust Zuko as much as she did, that she could just forgive him for helping Azula hurt Aang.

"I'm not asking you to trust, Zuko." Xiaodan said softly, reaching out to touch the younger girl's shoulder, "Or even to trust me, if you feel like I've become biased when it comes to Zuko. I'm just asking that you trust in the fact that I would never let anything happen to Aang, or you, Sokka, and Toph. You guys are my family and I care about you guys."

"But you care about Zuko too."

Xiaodan sighed and let her hand fall from the younger girl's shoulder, "Yeah, I care about Zuko too. But if I came down to a choice between him and you guys?" She smiled ruefully and shrugged, "Well, as much as I cared, and still do care, about him, I don't trust him completely yet either and I would choose you guys in a heartbeat."

Katara bit her lip and stared into Xiaodan's ember colored eyes, seeing the older girl's sincerity. Swallowing thickly, she uncrossed her arms and looked down, speaking softly, "I don't trust him, I don't know if I can, but I-I can trust your judgment." She looked over at where Aang stood with Toph, watching them with expectant, hopefully eyes then she looked back into Xiaodan's eyes, "You've never giving me reason not to trust you when it came to Aang's safety before."

"So...""So..." Xiaodan said hesitantly, holding her hand out to the other girl, "Friends again?"

Katara smiled weakly and ignored the other girl's hand, stepping forward and hugging her tightly instead. She whispered, "Sisters. I'm sorry I was so mean to you."

"And I'm sorry, I never told you about what happened between me and Zuko." Xiaodan replied as she hugged the younger girl, "I never meant to keep it from you or for you to be the last one of the know." She held Katara at arms-length and asked playfully, "How about we go make some lunch and I can tell you the whole story?"

Katara hesitated and glanced over her shoulder at the piles of laundry that had some how remained untouched during their brawl, "What about the laundry?"

"Eh, we can do that later." Xiaodan said with a dismissive wave of her hand before slinging her arm over the Waterbender's shoulder, "Fighting made me hungry." As if on cue, the dualbender's stomach growled loudly and she sighed, "See?"

Katara chuckled quietly, allowing the girl to lead her over to where Aang and Toph were waiting for them expectantly. She knew things between her and Xiaodan weren't perfect yet, but hopefully they were on their way to fixing things between them.

"So... is everything okay now?" Aang asked with hopeful wariness as he and Toph fell in step with the two girls.

Katara and Xiaodan exchanged glanced then the older girl shrugged, "For the most part. We still have some things to work out, but I think now that we've got all our aggression out in that fight, we're ready to, y'know, actually talk. Right?"

"Right." Katara agreed with a nod.

"Great." Toph quipped drily, "Now when you guys do that, try not to destroy the rest of the temple, alright?"

Xiaodan snorted and Katara rolled her eyes. Silently, both were hoping the same thing.

"Ma'am," A guard called out as he rushed into the room Mai and Zuko were in, "There's a riot. I'm here to protect you."

Mai tilted her head towards the guard and glared at him, "I don't need any protection."

"Hah," Zuko chuckled under his breath, "Believe me, she doesn't."

The guard walked further into the room, "I'm sorry but I'm under direct orders from your Uncle to make sure nothing happens."

Taking a chance, Zuko quickly firebended at the guard's feet then rushed out of the room when he jumped in front of Mai, attempting to shield her from the flames.

"Get off of me!" The girl shouted, shoving the guard aside then racing towards the door, only for Zuko to slid it shut on her.

Zuko stopped fiddling with the lock and stared at her through the viewing slat before closing his eyes and rushing off. Mai swore and glared at his back through the opening.

Zuko faltered slightly when he saw the chaos in the courtyard, looking around rapidly until he saw Sokka, Hakoda, Suki, and Chit Sang pressed up against one of the guard towers. He ran towards them, dodging other prisoners and guards that tried to attack him as he went. He had almost reached the other four when a guard lunged at him in an attempt to subdue him, but Zuko grabbed him and threw him over his shoulder.

"Zuko, good." Sokka said in relief when the former prince ran over to him, "We're all here. Now all we need to do is grab the Warden." He pointed at the top of another tower where the Warden was, "And get to the gondolas."

Zuko nodded and asked, "And how do we do that?"

"Uh..." Sokka frowned then shrugged sheepishly, having not thought that far ahead. "I'm not sure."

"Argh!" Zuko growled, throwing his hands up in the air in exasperation, "I thought you thought this through!"

"I thought you told me it's okay not to think everything though!" Sokka shouted back hysterically.

"Maybe not everything, but this is kind of important!" Zuko argued then groaned and grabbed his head, shaking it in aggravation while Sokka pursed his lips and touched a finger to his chin in thought.

"Hey, uhh, fellas?" Chit Sang called out, his attention riveted to what was happening in front of him, "I think your girlfriend's taking care of it."

"What?" Sokka questioned, peering around the large man and staring in wide-eyed amazement as Suki ran towards the middle of the chaos, jumping up onto the head of a guard who was scuffling with a prisoner.

The leader of the Kyoshi Warriors quickly ran across the sea of fighting guards and prisoners, using their heads as stepping stones until she reached the tower then she leapt up, scaling the wall rapidly. She pushed herself off the wall and back-flipped through the air, catching the bottom rail of the platform with feet. Swinging herself up from below, Suki somersaulted upward and grabbed the platform's upper railing just as a guard charged towards her. She front-flipped off the rail, narrowly avoiding the flames the guard firebending at her, and landed to his left.

Suki twisted on the ball of her foot and slammed her fist into the guard's chest, knocking him back into the rail. then she ran down the length of the platform. Two guards rushed out of a corridor, the first one aiming a firebending kick at her, but Suki ducked down and slid beneath him, using her arm to trip his other leg and send him crashing to the ground with a loud thud.

The second guard came at her with firebending as well, but Suki nimbly dodged and leapt onto the railing behind, pushing off of it to jump onto the wall, which she scaled rapidly, the guard staring up at her dumbfoundedly.

Her face set with fierce determination, Suki reached the platform the Warden was on, flipping herself over the railing and landing behind him. The guard near the Warden started to take a bending stance but before he could actually manage, Suki slid across the ground and tripped him with her arms. She popped up in front of the Warden, who attempted to attack her, but she grabbed his arm in a deadlock, raising her other fist up and holding it dangerously close to his face.

"You wouldn't dare." The Warden hissed at her.

Suki smirked and spun the man around, bringing his hands together and using his red sash to bind them behind his back then she yanked his headband down and spun it around so the knot was in his mouth.

"Sorry Warden," She said coyly as she tightened the tie and let go, "You're my prisoner now." She slammed him against the wall and looked over at the others as they ran over to her, all of them out of breath. She smiled cheerfully, "We've got the Warden, now let's get out of here."

Hakoda, doubled over slightly and holding his stomach as he tried to catch his breath, commented in admiration, "That's some girl."

"Tell me about it." Sokka rasped, staring at Suki dreamily.

The group ran up the stairs to the gondola's platform, Suki and Sokka at the front while Chit Sang carried the Warden over his shoulder between them and Zuko and Hakoda took up the rear.

"We're almost there." Suki called over to Sokka when the gondola was in sight.

The guards at the gondola stopped looking at the riot over the railing to firebend at the group. Zuko quickly shoved Sokka out of the way and dispersed the flames as more guards joined the others to help.

"Back off," Zuko snapped, stepping to the side to reveal the Warden on Chit Sang's shoulder, "We've got the Warden." The guards backed down instantly, stepping aside to let the group pass. Zuko nodded towards the others, "Let's go."

The group slowly and warily walked past the guards with their arms outstretched to hold them back just in case the guards decided to attack. Zuko stopped at the end of the platform and waited as the others ran onto the gondola, Suki sliding the door open.

"Everyone in."

Sokka boarded first, followed by Chit Sang with the Warden, then Hakoda and Suki. Zuko remained on the platform, running towards the lever and pushing it down. The ropes of the gondola loosened and uncoiled, the gondola slowly moving off and leaving Zuko behind.

Zuko began kicking the lever, glancing over as several guards ran towards him. He kicked the lever one final time, successfully breaking it then he ran towards the edge of the platform, jumping over the railings as several fireballs were launched at him. He stretched out his hand and grabbed Sokka outstretched hand, the other teen grunting as he struggled under the former prince's weight. Swinging slightly, Zuko managed to grab hold of the gondola's side as Sokka grabbed his arms, helping to support him as he climbed through the gondola's window.

"Are you crazy? What were you doing?" Sokka demanded, "Do you know what Xia's gonna do to me if you don't come back?"

"I was making it so they can't stop us." Zuko replied drily, rolling his eyes dusting himself off.

Sokka seemed surprised, "Oh, way to think ahead."

Peering out the window, Suki commented in relief, "We're on our way."

"Wait." Hakoda suddenly called out, looking towards the gondola platform intently, "Who's that?"

Sokka and Zuko moved over to stand by the older man, cringing when they saw Azula and Ty Lee standing on the platform with several guards.

"That's a problem." Zuko muttered as the guards bowed to his sister, "It's my sister and her friend."

On the platform, Azula stared at the platform contemplatively before turning towards one of the guards and snatching the handcuffs off his belt while Ty Lee leapt onto the roof of the structure on the platform and cartwheeled onto the gondola lines.

Running across the platform, Azula smirked and leapt up, firebending a huge jet of blue fire from her fists and propelling herself into the air. She flung the handcuffs up, one of the cuffs locking onto the line. She swung in place for a second them blasted blue fire from her free hand and foot, the force sliding her across the lower line while Ty Lee runs across the upper one.

Inside the gondola, the group watched the two girls approach.

Suki's eyes narrowed and she growled, "This is a rematch I've been waiting for."

"Me too." Zuko stated, eyes narrowing as he slipped out of the window to climb onto the gondola's roof, Suki and Sokka joining him a few seconds later.

Sokka unsheathed his sword while Zuko and Suki took fighting stances, preparing themselves for the inevitable confrontation between them and Azula and Ty Lee.

Ty Lee cartwheeled off the line and flipped through the air, landing on the gondola roof behind Suki, who turned to face her with a scowl. The boys had turned as well, but when a thump sounded from behind them, Zuko and Sokka spun around to face Azula, who smirked evilly at them.

Still smiling evilly, Azula took her stance with her arms outstretched in front of her before she swung her left out, firebending at Zuko and Sokka. Zuko quickly leapt forward, slamming his heel into the blue flames and bending them away with his own fire.

Ty Lee and Suki stared each other down before Ty Lee's lips quirked and the Kyoshi Warrior made the first move, lunging at the other girl. Ty Lee attempted to chi-block the older girl, but Suki blocked her shots deftly then tried to punch the other girl.

Ty Lee brought her arm up and intercepted the punch, the two struggling against each other briefly before Suki punched at Ty Lee again, forcing her to back-flip out of the way. Her hands on the edge of the gondola's roof, Ty Lee swung herself through the inside of the gondola, entering through one window and exiting just as quickly through another before flipping back onto the roof.

Suki whirled around as Ty Lee landed behind her, dancing away as the other girl attempted to chi-block her again. A jet of blue fire suddenly flew between the two girls, interrupting their fight and they both looked over towards where Azula was fighting Zuko and Sokka. Before starting to fight again, Ty Lee cornering Suki against the gondola's metal extension that connected it to the cables.

Azula firebended another blast of blue fire at Zuko, who pushed the flames apart with his bare hands, easily dissipating it. A second later, Sokka slipped out from behind him and swung his sword at Azula, forcing her to dodge backwards. As the sword finished it's arc, she stood up and punched her fist towards the Water Tribe teen, blue fire shooting from her fist. Sokka stepped back and Zuko stepped forward, breaking the flames apart again before firebending at his sister's feet.

Azula jumped and twisted around, landing nimbly with a smirk. Her eyes widened and she blinked in surprise, recoiling back quickly to avoid the sword swinging towards her face, forcing her towards the edge of the roof.

Sokka moved back ad Zuko took the lead, firebending at his sister's feet again. With a snarl, Azula jumped to avoid the flames, landing in a plank position by balancing on her hands while she held her legs straight out over the side of the gondola's roof. Swinging her legs up underneath her, the princess shot fire at the guys from her feet, forcing them to dodge to the side.

The fire blast flew across the gondola, forcing Ty Lee and Suki to break apart to let the flames pass by them. Ty Lee quickly cartwheeled towards Suki, punching towards her face only to be blocked again.

Inside the gondola, the Warden began fidgeting, struggling to loosen the tie around his wrists. After a few moments, he managed to get the knot free and he lunged towards the window Chit Sang was looking out of, yanking the headband from his mouth.

"Cut the lines!" He screamed just before Chit Sang grabbed him, covering his mouth with his arm.

"He wants us to cut the line!" A guard gasped in disbelief as he ran towards the senior guard holding a telescope with another guard.

"But if we cut the line, there's no way he'll survive." His companion stated in shock.

The senior guard lowered the telescope grimly, "He knows that."

At his nod, a piece of scrap metal was brought to the platform and jammed into the wheel containing the suspension lines, sparks flying from the friction while a guard struggled to hold it in place. Behind this guard, two more came forward carrying a large hacksaw, which they then proceeded to use to saw through the lines.

Back on the gondola's roof, Azula fired a blast at her brother, but Zuko once again broke it apart and sent his own fire blast at her. Azula jumped over the blast and firebended back as soon as she landed on her feet, only for Zuko to disperse the fire again.

Behind them, Ty Lee and Suki were still locked in combat, neither having gained the upper-hand. Suddenly the gondola shook violently as it came to an abrupt halt, causing the two girls to stumble.

Sokka gave a surprised shout as he lost his balance as the gondola swayed to-and-fro precariously and he began sliding towards the edge of the roof, his fingers scrabbling uselessly for a handhold on the smooth metal. Zuko lunged forward and grabbed the other teen's arm, holding him tightly as he hung over the side of the roof. When the gondola stopped swaying, Zuko pulled Sokka up with a grunt of effort.

Ty Lee, after regaining her balance, quickly scaled the gondola's metal extension and peered towards the platform, her eyes widening when she saw the guards cutting through the lines. She called down to Azula in a panic, "They're about to cut the line!"

Azula's eyes narrowed and she looked back at the tower then she turned to look at the others again, tilting her head slightly when she the second gondola coming in. She smiled thinly as she stated, "Then it's time to leave."

She propelled herself off the roof of the unmoving gondola with firebending, smiling coldly at her brother as she sailed through the air, "Goodbye, Zuko."

Zuko, still holding onto Sokka, looked up at his sister with narrowed eyes as she stopped bending and back-flipped onto the second gondola's roof, Ty Lee flipping after her a moment later. Zuko helped Sokka to his feet, then they and Suki watched as the other gondola moved towards back to the prison then they all climbed back into the gondola.

"They're cutting the line." Zuko said as he slipped inside the gondola, "The gondola's about to go!"

Hakoda peered at the boiling water below and stated grimly, "I hope this thing floats."

On the platform, the guards are still sawing at the line furiously when suddenly several stilettos flew through the air and knock the guards back, pinning them to the structure on the platform. The two guards look at each other in shock before the older one demanded, "What are you doing?!"

Mai deadpanned, "Saving the jerk who dumped me."

Several other guards moved surrounded Mai, and she slid several stilettos into her hand just as one of the guards firebending at her. She leapt above the flames and threw the knives, pinning several of the guards. The guards who remained untouched continued to firebend at her, Mai narrowly missing the flames by sliding across the ground on her side. She slid under the two cable wheels and rolled into a crouch, releasing more stilettos into her hands, flinging them and pinning the guards who ran at her.

Mai jumped in front of a female guard, who's eyes widened in shock before she punched her fist towards her face. Mai ducked under the woman's punch, using her as a shield while throwing more knives at the guards behind the female guard. Grabbing the collar of the female guard's uniform, Mai yanked the woman down and, after stepping back, pinned her to the floor with another stiletto.

Mai straightened and ran towards the wheel that controlled the gondola Zuko was on, kicking the piece of scrap metal they had jammed into the wheel, which began turning as soon as the obstruction was gone.

"Whoa," Sokka gasped when the gondola began moving again and he rushed towards the window, staring at the platform in surprise. "Who's that?"

Zuko joined him and sucked in a surprised breath when he saw Mai fending off several guards by herself. When she turned her head slightly and looked towards the gondola, he leaned out the window, "It's Mai!"

"What is she doing?!" Azula demanded furiously from the second gondola's roof, her gold eyes blazing as she and Ty Lee watched Mai efficiently beat down the guards.

Ty Lee shrugged and made a helpless noise of confusion.

When the gondola reached tower located at the outer part of the volcano, the doors slid open and Suki rushed out, followed by Sokka, Zuko, Hakoda, and then Chit Sang, who was back to carrying the bound and gagged Warden.

Hakoda turned towards Chit Sang, pointing inside of the gondola, and the former prisoner threw the Warden inside. Hakoda peered through the door and smirked at the Warden, "Sorry, Warden, your record is officially broken."

Hakoda hurried after the others, the Warden's muffled screams music to his ears. He reached the others just as they were running up a rocky incline.

"Well, we made it out." Suki panted when they reached the top of the incline and she looked at Sokka, "Now what?"

Zuko suddenly stopped and Sokka paused to look back at him in confusion, "Zuko, what are you doing?"

"My sister was on that island."

"Yeah, and she's probably right behind us." Sokka replied matter-of-factly, hysteria tinging his voice, "So let's not stop."

Zuko shook his head and explained, "What I mean is she must have come here somehow." He looked around for a second then ran towards the edge of the rocks and looked down. He smirked and pointed at the Fire Nation zeppelin docked to the shore, "There. That's our way out of here."

The group grinned at each other then made their way down to the shore to commandeer Azula's airship.

Seething, Azula glared at Mai who was being restrained by two guards, her head lowered so her bangs covered her eyes. She looked towards the guards and barked harshly, "Leave us alone."

The guards released Mai, bowed to Azula and walked way, leaving Mai alone with furious Azula and a nervous Ty Lee. Mai lifted her head up and stare at Azula stoically.

"I never expected this from you." Azula stated, glaring at Mai from beneath her brows

Standing off the side, Ty Lee clasped her hands in front of her and looked between her two friends with a frightened expression. Azula jerked her chin up and scowled, "The thing I don't understand is why? Why would you do it? You know the consequences."

"I guess you just don't know people as well as you think you do. You miscalculated." Mai replied flatly, not letting it show on her face just how scared she was. Her next words though, were brutally honest. "I love Zuko more than I fear you."

Azula's face twisted into an ugly snarl of rage and she shouted, "No! You miscalculated! You should have feared me more!" Shifting into her stance, Azula prepared to generate lightning while Mai slid a stiletto into her hand.

Lightning crackled at her fingertips, Azula prepared to strike, but Ty Lee suddenly leapt forward and jabbed her fists into Azula's back several times while Mai stared with a stunned expression.

"Ah!" Azula gasped as she fell to the floor, unable to move. Her eyes flickered over to Ty Lee as she ran over to Mai.

"Come on," Ty Lee exclaimed, pulling on Mai's arm, "Let's get out of here!"

She tried to drag Mai away, but guards surrounded them, preventing them from escaping. Whimpering slightly, Ty Lee huddled closer to Mai, glancing around fearfully.

"You're both fools." Azula spat from the ground, glaring at them furiously as two guards picked her by her arms and held her upright.

"What shall we do with them, princess?" A guard asked as several grabbed both Mai and Ty Lee.

"Put them somewhere I'll never have to see their faces again." Azula answered with snarl, staring into both Mai and Ty Lee's unreadable faces, "And let them rot."

Sitting side by side at the broken fountain, Katara and Xiaodan worked on cleaning the dishes from dinner, working in companionable silence. The tension that had been brewing between the two of them for weeks had finally eased enough that they felt comfortable in each other's precision. Their brawl up on the cliff had helped a great deal by providing an outlet for that tension, but what had really helped patch up the bond between them had been Xiaodan sitting Katara down and explaining everything to her; from her time as Zuko's prison to the time she spent with them after willingly leaving the group to travel with the former prince and his uncle Iroh and all the way up to when she and met up with Katara and Aang in the Crystal Catacombs of Ba Sing Se just after Azula had struck Aang with a bolt of lightning. Xiaodan had even gone so far as to reiterate the journey she had taken with Zuko to the Sun Warriors' ruins just over a week ago.

Katara had returned Xiaodan's honesty with her own, explaining in more detail than she had before about what exactly had transpired between herself and Zuko while they had been imprisoned in the Catacombs as they had gone back up to finish washing the laundry. Thankfully, neither had started fighting again during either conversation.

It had been an enlightening conversation for both girls to say the least. Both had learned things about one enough and themselves in the conversation that brought them closer and set them on the path to mend their relationship. And while Katara still wasn't completely comfortable with the idea of Xiaodan having romantic feelings towards Zuko, she had begun to accept it as something that she, or Xiaodan, couldn't change. It also helped to know that Xiaodan still didn't fully trust the former prince and that she hadn't completely forgiven him yet.

Katara, who had been musing idly on hers and Xiaodan's conversation as she scrubbed at a stubborn piece of food, was abruptly pulled out of her thoughts when a wet rag smacked her in the face. The rag slid off her face, hitting the fountain water with a splash, and Katara blinked the water out of her eyes then turned her head to stare at Xiaodan in shock.

The dualbender grinned cheekily at her, only to yelp when a small stream of water splashed her in the face. She blew a wet strand of white hair out of her face and gave Katara a flat look, before smirking and scooping some water in the bowl she'd been cleaning.

Katara's eyes widened and she warned, "Don't even think about it, Xia."

"Too late." Xiaodan replied then dumped the over Katara's head, only to squeal when the younger girl redirected the water back at her, soaking the front of her shirt. "Ack! Not fair, Katara!"

"Shouldn't get into a water fight with a master Waterbender." Katara snarked playfully.

Xiaodan's eyes narrowed with mock ferocity, "Oh, now you're gonna get it, girly."

Katara's eyes widened and she jumped to feet with a small squeak, rushing away from the older girl as she gave chase.

Aang perked up when he heard the familiar sound of Xiaodan and Katara's laughter and he turned to look over his shoulder. A smile lit up his face when he saw the two girls running around the broken hourglass fountain, splashing each other with the water instead of doing dishes.

"They seem to be doing better." Toph commented, tilting her head slightly towards the two girls.

"Yup." Aang agreed happily, watching Xiaodan and Katara fondly as they continued to play around. It filled him with happiness to see them getting along again. He just hoped it would last when Zuko and Sokka returned from their fishing trip.

"What is that?" Haru suddenly exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at the approaching Fire Nation zeppelin from where he and the rest of the group were sitting around the campfire enjoying the tea Xiaodan had prepared for them an hour or so after dinner.

The group leapt to their feet and raced towards the edge of the courtyard, watching warily as the airship docked beside them. They watched as the ramp lowered and the group gawked in disbelief as Sokka and Zuko disembarked.

"What are you doing in this thing?" Katara asked in shock, staring at the zeppelin in amazement, "What happened to the war balloon?"

"It kinda got destroyed." Zuko replied with a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his head.

"Sounds like a crazy fishing trip." Aang commented with raised eyebrows.

Xiaodan quirked a brow at him and crossed her arms, "Yeah, it does."

Sokka and Zuko glanced at each other and chuckled nervously at the look the dualbender was leveling them with that clearly said they would have some serious explaining to do later.

"Did you at least get some good meat?" Toph asked eagerly, "Xia's only been finding fruits and vegetables and all that gross stuff."

"Hey!"

"I did." Sokka replied, happily closing his eyes and smiling widely, "The best meat of all." He opened his eyes and his smile widened if possible as he and Zuko stepped to the side, "The meat of friendship and fatherhood."

"What do you-" Xiaodan started to ask only to make a surprised noise when Hakoda and Suki disembarked from the warship, "Holy hog-monkeys!"

A large man appeared behind Hakoda and Suki and waved at the group, "I'm new. What's up everybody?"

Xiaodan narrowed her eyes on the strange man then walked over to stand between the two teen boys and hissed, "You both have some serious explaining to do."

They were both saved from replying by Katara's happy shout.

"Dad!" Katara exclaimed, rushing towards her father with tears in her eyes.

Hakoda embraced his daughter tightly, "Hi, Katara."

Keeping her arms around her father's waist, Katara peered up at him curiously, "How are you here? What is going on?" She looked over at her brother. "Where did you go?"

"Uh..." Sokka laughed sheepishly, "We kind of went to a Fire Nation prison." At the look his sister gave him, he pointed at Xiaodan, "Hey, she knew all about it!"

"Oh do you dare bring me into this, buddy."

Shaking her head, Katara laughed, "I don't even care right now." She reached out and grabbed her brother's arm, yanking him towards herself and their father, the family embracing tightly.

Xiaodan crossed her arms and glanced up at Zuko, noticing the way he was smiling softly as he stared at the siblings and their father. She gently nudged him with her hip, "Hey."

He looked down at her in surprise, "Hey."

"Thanks for helping him." Xiaodan said softly with a nod towards Sokka then she bit her lip and looked away almost shyly, "And, um, I'm glad you, y'know, made it back safely." She abruptly bounced up on her tiptoes and pecked his scarred cheek then she stepped back quickly, her tanned cheeks darkening.

Zuko blinked and stared at her in surprise, his hand coming up to touch his cheek. He smiled slowly at her and Xiaodan's blush darkened. She cleared her throat and rolled her eyes, muttering drily, "Oh shut up and wipe that look off your face, Firebug."

The former prince just continued to smile slightly at her, watching as she walked over to embrace Suki and greet Hakoda. It wasn't until he remembered his talk with Mai at the prison that the guilt he'd felt earlier reasserted itself. He looked away from Xiaodan and let his hand drop from his face, folding his arms over his chest. He'd have to tell Xiaodan about Mai, about their relationship while he'd been in the Fire Nation, and the conversation they'd had in prison.

Zuko looked over at Xiaodan again, seeing the happiness on her face as she spoke to Suki. But not tonight. He'd tell her soon, just not now.

"Hey, this is great and all," Toph suddenly said loudly, grabbing everyone's attention, "But seriously, you guys didn't find any meat?"

The group was silent for a moment before everyone started laughing.