Quick A/N; is it just me or does going from VIII to IX fill anyone else with a strange sense of satisfaction? Idk maybe I'm just weird lol anyways Bumi time (lok reference btw :3)

Katara P.o.V.

"The Earth Kingdom city of Omsahu!" Aang exclaimed.

The group had been walking up a hill behind the airbender, and as soon as they could see over it they all gasped at the sight before them. Across a massive canyon was a giant city built on top of a mountain, with a lone winding path leading up to it. Katara had assumed the Air Temple would be the largest human settlement she had ever seen, but Omashu put the temple to shame.

The city was composed of a massive wall surrounding it, with four different peaks inside the city, houses built all the way up the sides. "I used to come here to visit my friend, Bumi," Aang continued.

"Wow," Katara breathed, her eyes wide. "We don't have cities like this in the South Pole."

Sokka seemed just as stunned. "They have buildings here that don't melt."

Aang turned around to face them, a grin on his face. "Well, let's go slowpokes! The real fun is inside the city."

"Wait, Aang!" Azami called out to him. "We can't just run in! It could be dangerous if people find out who we are! We at least need to get you a disguise."

Sokka scoffed at her. "Oh yeah, sure, great idea your highness. I'm sure that if he just puts on a hat we'll just walk straight in." Azami just recoiled a little, glancing down at her feet.

Aang seemed a little confused. "What am I supposed to do, grow a moustache?"

Less than a minute later, to no one's surprise, Aang had a moustache.

"This is so itchy!" Aang complained. "How do you live in this stuff?" Appa just turned his head to face the airbender and snorted at him.

Aang's disguise consisted of a lot of Appa's shedded fur, giving Aang both a moustache and probably the most ridiculous hair style Katara had ever seen, but it was enough to cover his arrows. "What about you, Azami?" Katara asked. "You can't go in wearing Fire Nation clothes, it'll be a dead giveaway."

"Why not?" Sokka countered. "I mean her eyes scream Fire Nation anyways. We really should just leave her out here if we don't want to get caught."

The princess seemed even more downcast as she responded. "When... when we were on Kyoshi, I was given a spare change of clothes. I-I'll just go change behind Appa." She climbed up onto Appa's saddle to grab the clothes, her head down the entire time.

Katara didn't know what happened on Kyoshi, but for whatever reason Azami had seemed a lot more upset the past few days and Sokka had been more rude to her than ever, one time even insisting that she go eat on her own (although Katara had insisted she stay before she could leave). So as Azami went behind Appa, Katara decided to question her brother.

"Alright, Sokka," she whispered, pulling him away from Appa and Aang. "What exactly happened on Kyoshi? First Aang tells me he saw you two training as Kyoshi warriors, and the next time I see you two she's curled in a ball crying herself to sleep while you've got your club in hand glaring at her. What gives?"

Sokka scowled at her question. "Shortly after Zuko arrived, the two of us and Suki went to go attack him. Suki nearly got blasted by Zuko's fire, so I pulled her behind a nearby house while Azami kept him distracted. Next thing I know, as we're preparing to say goodbye, a family of three comes running up behind the houses and claimed that Azami burned their daughter."

Katara gasped, her hand covering her mouth as Sokka shook his head in disbelief. "She couldn't have been older than you were when mom died. I could see it too, Katara, her hand was covered in burns and blisters. Azami's just like every other firebender."

Katara's hand fell from her face, and she frowned a little. "Did the family happen to mention how Azami burned their daughter? You told me the last you had seen of her, she was fighting Zuko, and I doubt she'd just randomly decide to burn a child for no good reason."

Sokka looked uncomfortable. "Well, um, no, they didn't, but-"

"Are you two done yet?" they heard an irritated voice call over. Turns out, during their conversation Azami had finished changing into her Earth Kingdom clothes, and Aang was tapping his foot anxiously. "We got a city to see, young whipper-snappers!"

Azami P.o.V.

The walk up to Omashu took the gaang nearly an hour, most of it spent in silence. Or rather - the three older kids spent it in silence, while the young airbender went on and on about his tales from Omashu a hundred years ago.

"You guys are gonna love Omashu!" he repeated for the ninth time. "The people here are the friendliest in the world!"

"Rotten cabbages?" a loud voice echoed from up ahead. Looking ahead, Azami saw three guards facing an older man with a cart filled with cabbages. "What kind of slum do you think this is?"

The guard earthbent the man's cart off the side of the pathway, falling down to the canyon floor below. "Oh, my cabbages!" the man yelled, running to look down at them. The gaang just peeked over the edge, watching the cabbages fall, before hesitantly walking up to the guards. "Just keep smiling," Aang insisted.

Once Aang was a few feet from the guard, a giant boulder was earthbent into the air, hovering over the young Avatar. "State your business," the guard demanded.

Aang immediately ran up into the guard's face. "My business is my business, young man, and none of yours!" he yelled in his best "old man voice", as the boulder dropped to the ground behind him. "I've got half a mind to bend you over my knee and paddle your backside!"

The guard seemed a little panicked. "Settle down, old timer. Just tell me who you are."

"Name's Bonzu Pippinpaddleopsicopolis, the third!" Aang huffed. "And these are my grandkids."

Katara walked up to join him, waving as she did so. "Hi! June Pippinpaddleopsicopolis. Nice to meet you!"

The guard rubbed his chin for a moment, before pointing at Katara. "You seem like a responsible young lady. See that your grandfather stays out of trouble. Enjoy Omashu." He stepped aside, allowing the gaang to walk in, and Azami did her best to keep her head low to hide her obvious amber eyes.

Right as they thought they were in, the guard called out to them. "Wait a minute!" Azami tensed, forcing herself to keep facing forwards despite the guard's call as she prepared to use her firebending to get them out.

"You're a strong young boy. Show some respect for the elderly and carry your grandfather's bag!" the guard insisted. Azami relaxed, trying to cover her sigh of relief. "Good idea!" Aang smiled back at them before tossing his bag to Sokka.

Within moments, the gaang was inside the city, gazing around at it in wonder. Azami couldn't help but remember the one time she had visited the city before with Aang, though she had only seen Bumi in passing.

(quick A/N; I know this is a given for lots of stories anyways, but thought I'd mention it still - italic sections are flashbacks)

"Come on, Azami! You've gotta see this place! And I have to introduce you to Bumi!" Aang yelled excitedly.

Azami just laughed, allowing herself to be dragged by Aang into the city as her guards called out for her to wait. Before long, though, they had been left behind, as Aang seemed to know the city inside and out, taking dozens of narrow pathways as shortcuts. Soon, they were stopped outside a house, and Aang excitedly knocked on the door.

A strange young boy with broken teeth and mismatched eyes answered, rushing up to greet Aang. Azami had just stood behind them, smiling at the young airbender, before he excitedly reached out to grab her hand and pull her towards them.

"Bumi, I want you to meet one of my bestest friends! This is Azami, princess of the Fire Nation! Azami, this is my friend Bumi!" The two shook hands, smiling at each other.

Azami smiled softly, remembering when her life was so much - well, maybe not simpler, but definitely easier. She had a feeling that she knew why they were here, and within a few seconds her suspicions were confirmed. 

"This is the Omashu delivery system!" Aang said excitedly. "Miles and miles of tubes and chutes! Earthbending brings the packages up, and gravity brings them down."

"Great, so they get their mail on time," Sokka deadpanned.

Aang smiled back at him. "They do get their mail on time, but my friend Bumi found a better use for these chutes."

Azami groaned. She knew exactly where this was going, and she had a feeling it would end about as well as it did last time.

Katara P.o.V.

"One ride! Then we're off to the North Pole," Aang insisted. "Airbender's honor."

Katara glanced over the edge of the cart the four had found themselves wedged into, a feeling of terror shooting through her as she saw the massive drop beneath them. "Uh, this sounded like fun at first, but now that I'm here, I'm starting to have second THOUGHTS!" she screamed the last word as the cart fell down the chute.

Aang was laughing as the cart kept speeding up, while the other three were screaming. Soon, they approached a merge with another chute, where Katara looked over and felt fear shoot through her at the sight of another cart with six spears heading straight for them. As the two chutes merged, Sokka and Katara were forced to duck as Azami pushed herself towards Aang, desperately trying not to be stabbed.

"I'm on it!" Aang yelled, before he grabbed their cart with both hands and threw them off the side. They slid off one rooftop briefly before bouncing on the ground. Aang's foot found a home in Azami's face, forcing her backwards as Katara found herself squished between the princess and her brother, who was desperately trying to stay in the cart. 

They soon landed back on a chute and continued their descent. "Aang, do something!" Katara yelled, panicking at their speed. "Use your airbending!"

"Yeah, good idea! That'll make us go even faster!" Aang said excitedly.

"THAT'S NOT WHAT SHE MEANT!" Azami screamed at him, but it didn't matter as Aang had already given them a boost. They were soon fast approaching a loading dock, and they all screamed seeing as they were heading for another cart. Within seconds, they collided with it, sending the cart and the four all flying off towards the city below.

Thankfully, Aang was able to airbend them all back into the cart, and they quickly slid on two rooftops before crashing through a house, breaking multiple windows and some pottery in the process. "Sorry!" Aang yelled behind them.

They slid through another house, somehow picking up a cat that fought with Momo for a few seconds before the lemur was able to push it off. Soon, though, they hit a railing, breaking their momentum and causing them to crash straight down onto a cart full of cabbages.

"My cabbages!" they heard a man yell. "You're gonna pay for this!"

The group let out collective groans as they all lay in a pile, Aang's disguise ruined. "Two cabbages please," he said nervously as they were surrounded by guards.

Within minutes, the gaang found themselves being dragged into the palace by guards, being forced to kneel before an old man with a weird crown and uneven eyes. Katara heard a light gasp from beside her, and she turned to see a look of wonderment on Azami's face as recognition lit up her eyes. She didn't have time to question the princess, though, before they were being addressed.

"Your majesty," the guard began. "These juveniles were arrested for vandalism, traveling under false pretenses and malicious destruction of cabbages."

"Off with their heads!" the cabbage merchant demanded. "One for each head of cabbage!"

"Silence!" the guard snapped. "Only the King can pass down judgment. What is your judgment, sire?" The king hummed, leaning forwards on his throne slightly. Katara didn't see what the others did, but she held her hands together in front of her and tried to put on her most charming smile possible. "Throw them..." the king began, and the gaang gasped.

"A feast," the king smiled, and the whole room seemed shocked. The gaang shared confused looks, before being dragged to a table laid with food, the four sitting at one end with the King's throne at the other.

The king stood behind them, a strange look on his face. "The people in my city have gotten fat from too many feasts, so I hope you like chicken with no skin." He offered Aang a chicken wing, which he declined as a vegetarian. The king turned to Sokka, shoving the wing in his mouth. "How about you? I bet you like meat!"

The king headed back to his seat, and Katara leaned over to whisper to the others. "Is it just me, or is this guy's crown a little crooked?"

As he sat down, the king kept questioning Aang. "So tell me, young bald one, where are you from?"

"I'm from... Kangaroo Island," Aang lied.

"Oh, Kangaroo Island, eh?" the king deadpanned. "I hear that place is really hopping!"

There was silence for a few seconds, before Sokka started to laugh at the joke. "What?" he insisted when the other three gave him a weird look. "It was pretty funny."

The king yawned, stretching his arms out. "Well, all these good jokes are making me tired. Guess it's time to hit the hay." Before any of them knew what was happening, the king had reached into his sleeve and thrown two chicken wings, one at Aang and the other at Azami. 

Aang quickly caught his with airbending, and Azami instinctively threw her arms up in an X pattern, creating two similar lines of orange fire in front of her that incinerated the wing before it could reach her. Collective gasps were heard from around the room at the display of bending, and the gaang looked at each other in concern.

"There's an air and firebender in our presence, and not just any benders," the king exclaimed, standing up. "The Avatar himself, and Princess Azami of the Fire Nation!" Aang, who was still holding his chicken up, quickly hid his arms behind him and let the wing fall onto his plate. The king sat back down, grinning at them. "Now, what do you have to say for yourself Mr. Pippinpaddleopsicopolis?"

Aang quickly stood up, holding his hands above him. "Okay, you caught us. I'm the Avatar, and Azami is a Fire Princess. I'm just doing my Avatar thing, keeping the world safe. Everything checks out, no firebenders here except for Azami, but she's, uh, she's ok, she's my firebending teacher, so good work everybody!" Aang slowly pulled the others up, and started to walk backwards with them towards the entrance.

"Love each other, respect all life, and don't run with spears," Aang continued. "We'll see you next time!" Before they could leave, however, the two guards at the entrance crossed their spears, blocking the exit. 

"You can't keep us here," Katara demanded. "Let us leave!"

"Lettuce leaf?" the king deadpanned, eating a leaf of lettuce.

"We're in serious trouble," Sokka whispered. "This guy is nuts!"

The king gave them a hard look. "Tomorrow, the Avatar will face three deadly challenges, but for now, the guards will show you to your chambers."

"My liege, do you mean the good chamber or the bad chamber?" one guard asked.

"The newly refurbished chamber," the king insisted.

The guard seemed confused. "Wait, which one are we talking about?"

"The one that used to be the bad chamber!" the king smiled crookedly. "Until the recent refurbishing, that is. Of course, we've really been calling it the new chamber, but we really should number them. Uh... take them to the refurbished chamber that was once bad!"

The guards began to lead them away, before the king called out to them. "All except the firebender, that is. Leave her here for now." Katara glanced nervously at Azami, who sent a reassuring glance towards her even though her eyes shone with fear.

The three were led away, and Katara looked over her shoulder to see Azami simply standing still, glaring at the king.

A minute later, and the three found themselves standing before some random wall. The guards quickly earthbent an entrance, revealing a room lit by glowing green gems with three furnished beds laid out. They were quickly shoved inside before the door was bent closed behind them.

"This is a prison cell?" Katara questioned. "But it's so nice!"

"He did say it was newly refurbished," Aang commented.

"Nice or not, we're prisoners," Sokka reminded them. 

Aang looked down at his staff, concerned. "I wonder what these challenges are gonna be. And I hope Azami's okay."

Katara put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "We're not sticking around to find out. I'm sure Azami's fine, but there has to be a way out of here, and when we find it we'll get her out of here too."

Azami P.o.V.

Azami glanced at her friends being dragged away for a moment, before turning to face the king. She had a hunch that she knew who he was, but just out of safety she didn't want to act on impulse just yet. So instead, she waited for the king to tell her what he wanted.

"Well, come sit down," the king insisted, and he seemed to have lost his goofy personality, his face and tone turning serious. "I'd rather not yell at you across the room."

Deciding not to aggravate him so soon, Azami complied, sitting directly across from the king. "What do you want from me?" she asked.

"Much like most other firebenders, always straight to the point," the king muttered. "Very well. Simply put - I know Aang and the two water tribe siblings are no threat, and I intend to release them soon. You, on the other hand, I have reason to mistrust." At this, Azami tensed. The sentiment wasn't unexpected for her, but still irritating. 

"Aang mysteriously disappears for a hundred years along with you while your father and brother wage war against us, and now you show up at his side sneaking into Omashu," the king continued. "So, I want you to tell me everything. Tell me why I should trust you with the Avatar's safety."

Azami glared at the king for a moment. "Outside of the fact that I'm probably the only person alive who's willing to teach him firebending?" she demanded before sighing. "If that's what it takes, then fine."

Sokka P.o.V.

It had now been over an hour since the three had been shoved in the prison cell, and Sokka's patience was wearing thin. Momo was still licking his apple, Aang had paced around the room so many times he was starting to wear a track into the ground, and Katara was trying to reassure him that everything would be fine. 

Sokka had occupied his hours contemplating hi dilemna with the firebender, when suddenly the doorway to the chamber was bent open, and Azami was lightly shoved in before the door closed behind her. Before anyone could say anything, Aang had quickly run up to her and hugged her, tackling her to the ground and frantically asking if she was okay.

"I'm alright Aang, jeez!" Azami insisted, trying to shove the airbender off of her. "Calm down for a moment, will you?"

Aang finally pulled back, a sheepish look on his face. "So what happened?"

Azami just shrugged in response. "Not much, really. He just wanted to know how I ended up with you because like everyone else he assumed that me being a firebender makes me dangerous." She sent a pained look over at Sokka as she said this, before she walked over to the space between Aang and Katara's bed and lay down on the floor, since the three beds were already taken.

Sokka looked down, feeling conflicted. He recalled his conversation with Katara earlier, and found himself realizing yet again that he may have been too quick to judge Azami. Before he had the chance to speak, however, Azami continued. "Look, Aang, we can talk about this tomorrow. For now, you should rest, you'll be needing it."

He heard Katara and Aang both protest about her sleeping on the floor, but she waved them off, already curling up. Within minutes, her breathing slowed, showing her shift to unconsciousness. Katara and Aang both gave the princess a sad look before climbing into their own beds and soon drifting into sleep as well.

Sokka just kept sitting on the side of his bed, twiddling his thumbs as he looked over to watch Azami sleeping between Aang and Katara's beds, contemplating his options. As Katara had said, he didn't know what Azami had done on Kyoshi, only the result. She had certainly seemed distraught about it as well, so it wasn't like she didn't regret what she did.

Making his decision, he got up, and walked over as quietly as he could. He carefully picked Azami up, doing her best not to wake him as he placed her in the third bed, pulling the sheets up over her before he laid down on the floor, slowly falling asleep and feeling confident that he had done the right thing.

Azami P.o.V.

Azami felt herself jerk awake as she felt a hand cover her mouth, her scream muffled as she tried to force the person off of her. Before she could get anywhere, though, she heard a low voice growl in her ear. "Relax, your highness, we've been ordered to bring you to his majesty without waking the Avatar. We'd prefer to do this with your co-operation, but if you struggle we will bring you by force. Clear?"

She slowly nodded, quieting down as she realized she wasn't in immediate danger. Looking over, she saw the same thing happen to Katara and Sokka - who was asleep on the floor for some reason - and she slowly got up out of the bed.

Wait a minute, she thought. I fell asleep on the floor. Her eyes widened as she looked over at Sokka, who avoided her gaze. Did... did Sokka put her in his bed while he slept on the floor? There was no way, she reasoned, and after all Sokka still hated her, didn't he? Why would he do something nice for her?

Before she had the chance to lose herself in her thoughts, the three were dragged out of the room with Aang still sleeping soundly in his bed. They arrived at the end of a dimly lit hallway, waiting a few minutes before the wall in front of them was finally bended down, showing the throne room with the king and Aang already present. The guards quickly pulled out three rings made of some kind of crystal, and the three kids winced as the rings were force on their fingers, shrinking until they squeezed on tight. 

"Those delightful rings are made of pure Jennamite," the king said to Aang as the three tried to tug the rings off. "Also known as creeping crystal. It's crystal that grows remarkably fast. By nightfall, your friends will be completely covered in it. Terrible fate, really. I can stop it, but only if you co-operate."

"Ah, it's already creeping!" Sokka screamed as the rings began to expand.

"I'll do what you want," Aang muttered, and the king smiled.

*skipping the challenges because literally nothing changes*

"How am I supposed to know his name?" Aang asked, panicking.

Azami, whose entire body was covered in crystals save for her face, tried to walk him through the process, since she already knew the answer. She'd promised the king not to spoil it for Aang, but that didn't mean she couldn't help him find out. "Think about the challenges, Aang. They must be the clue."

Aang looked a little confused. "Okay... well, I had to get a key from a waterfall, I saved his pet, and I had a duel."

She nodded in response. "Right, and how did you have to solve each one?"

"To solve each test, I had... I had to think differently than I usually would," Aang's face lit up. "I know his name."

They soon stood before the king, Azami's eyes now covered in crystal as well. "I solved the question the same way I solved the challenges," Aang explained. "As you said a long time ago, I had to open my brain to the possibilities." The king cackled as Aang continued. "Bumi, you're a mad genius."

"Oh Aang, it's good to see you," Bumi said softly. "You haven't changed a bit. Literally."

"Uh, this is all very touching, but could we get some help over here?" Sokka demanded. Within seconds, Azami felt all the crystals covering her shatter, leaving her body free again.

"Jennamite is made of rock candy," the king explained as he took a bite of one crystal. "Delicious."

"So this crazy king is your old friend Bumi?" Katara asked.

"Who are you calling old?" Bumi demanded, before his face drooped slightly. "Okay, I'm old."

"Why did you do all this instead of just telling Aang who you were?" Sokka asked him, confused. 

Bumi smiled at him. "First of all, it's pretty fun messing with people. Thank you for not spoiling it by the way, Azami." She smiled sheepishly as Sokka stared at her with a betrayed look.

"But I do have a reason," the king continued, turning to Aang. "Aang, you have a difficult task ahead. The world has changed in the hundred years you've been gone. It's the duty of the Avatar to restore balance to the world by defeating Firelord Ozai. You have much to learn. You must master the four elements and confront the Firelord. And when you do, I hope you will think like a mad genius."

Aang smiled and bowed to his old friend. "And it looks like you're in good hands," Bumi smiled at the group. "You'll need your friends to help you defeat the Fire Nation." Momo chose this moment to jump on Aang's arm. "And you'll need Momo too."

"Thank you for your wisdom," Aang replied kindly. "But before we leave, I have a challenge for you."

Sokka P.o.V.

A few minutes passed, and the three found themselves smiling at a railing as Aang and Bumi went down a delivery chute, cheering the whole way. A distant "my cabbages!" could be heard ringing throughout Omashu.

Sokka glanced over at the firebender beside him, noticing her lighter mood, and decided he had to step up and do what he should have done weeks ago. "Azami... I wanted to say I'm sorry."

She glanced back at him, and Sokka could see Katara smiling out of the corner of his eye. "What for?" Azami asked, confused.

He glanced down at his hands for a second, before looking back up at her, a sheepish look on his face. "I've treated you pretty badly since we first met, even though you've done nothing to deserve it. You defended our village, you tried to do the same for Kyoshi..."

Azami sighed. "It's... it's fine, Sokka. I remember Katara said something about you guys losing your mother to the Fire Nation, so I can understand why you would hate me."

Sokka shook his head in response. "It's not ok for me to blame you for something you had no role in whatsoever."

"And the truth is, I do deserve it after what happened on Kyoshi," Azami muttered.

Katara put her hand on Azami's shoulder, looking concerned. "What did happen?"

"I..." she whispered, her eyes tearing up slightly. "I was fighting Zuko, and I used my firebending against him. I-I accidentally hit the house behind him as well, and I can only guess the young girl was standing at the window when it happened because the next thing I knew I heard a scream and-"

Katara hugged her from behind as Azami sniffed, trying not to lose composure. "It's not your fault," she whispered.

"Katara's right," Sokka insisted. "You were just trying to help, and she got injured because Zuko was threatening the safety of the entire village."

Azami nodded, quickly wiping her eyes before she straightened, and held her hand out to Sokka. "Can we start over?" she asked hopefully.

"Sure," Sokka smiled slightly, shaking her hand. "Hi, my name's Sokka."

She smiled softly back at him. "Nice to meet you, Sokka, my name's Azami."

A/N; Ok ngl I'm a little conflicted on this one. First off, wayyyy longer than any previous chapter but I just couldn't really find a spot to justify splitting it into two parts ykno? And second, im kinda concerned I may have rushed Azami and Sokka's relationship here a little, so I'm curious to hear your guys' thoughts on it (ik they're only starting over as friends but like still this is episode 5 of 61). Anyways, I wanted to get this one out sooner rather than later cuz I'm feeling tired of sitting on these early episodes.

RIP Imprisoned fans, I'll be heading straight into the solstice part I, see you guys there :)