with a hiss, her vision blurred. She glanced around her room, noting Toph wasn't next to her. She gasped when she saw Hama's bright blue eyes staring at her through the dark.

Uzume blinked and tried to focus her vision, "Wha..d you d...o." Uzume coughed up blood while she tried to finish her slurred sentence.

Hama stood up with a cruel smirk, "I gave you some extra spice in your soup."

Uzume cackled through her blood filled coughs, "Thas really lame." She stared at the ceiling, eyes glazed over. Her heart felt like it was about to jump out of her throat.

Hama ignored the teen girl laying in the bed, "I know who you are Ms. Uzume. Daughter of Miyuki and Tsora. Daughter of the Fire Lord's personal guard and the royal palace's warden. Also the best friend of the royal children," Hama picked at her nails carelessly, "You know they're paying a lot of money to anyone who finds you," Hama narrowed her eyes on the helpless girl in front of her, "It would be a shame if they found you dead."

Uzume sat up in her bed quickly as Hama advanced onto her. Hama, thinking Uzume would be easy to overpower, decided not to use any bending. Hama straddled the girl and wrapped her wrinkled hands around Uzume's bloody neck.

Uzume scratched at whatever she could as she tried to not choke on the blood in her throat and her lack of air.

Suddenly, her eyes widened. Air. She conjured the energy she had left in her and blew in Hama's face. Hama flew back on the bed and looked at the teen girl who was trying to catch her breath. The old woman stood on top of the bed, looming over Uzume.

"Wanna play the hard way? Fine. Let's play the hard way." Uzume got up and tried to muster enough energy to leave the room and run out of the house to find her friends.

A yelp filled the hot air of the room. Uzume couldn't move on her own will. Her blood pumped and moved through her veins as her body went rigid. Hama stood over her with her hand pointed, slowly bringing it down.

The old waterbender stared down at the brunette with hatred in her eyes, "Your friends think you're just bed ridden. The idiots are out in the town and Katara's waiting in a field for me. No one will come looking for you. By the time they do, it'll be too late. You will have already passed away from your mysterious illness." Hot tears flowed freely from Uzume's eyes as she slowly lost grip of reality. Sobs wracked her body as she realized just how helpless she was. Her eyes and cheeks burned the harder she cried while Hama looked down on her.

Uzume tried to gasp through her sobs and catch her breath until she passed out, Hama leaving the girl in a pool of her own blood.

-

The second time Uzume woke up, she was in the middle of the forest. The sound of a flowing creek and birds chirping made her feel at peace. The sun blazed down onto her pale skin and she squinted, protecting her amber eyes.

She sat up slowly, noting how freely she moved without the pain from Hama's bending holding her back. She looked down and saw she was wearing a white wrap around her torso and white pants. The brunette surveyed her surroundings and only noted trees and flowers. Then, her eyes fell upon a woman with blue arrows watching her carefully.

"What are you doing here dear child?" The woman asked, "You aren't supposed to be here yet. You're supposed to be with them."

"Avatar Yangchen? Who needs me?" Uzume asked while she slowly approached the air nomad.

"Your friends." Uzume let out a scoff and shoved her hands into her pockets, "Yeah right. They don't need me."

The woman tutted and held out her hand for Uzume. Uzume took it and they slowly sat down together in the middle of the flowers. The wind blew through their hair as the air nomad closed her eyes, leaving Uzume to stare at her confused.

"Aang needs you to support him. He thinks he's all alone, but with your new revelation, you can help him restore the Air Nation. You're the only one Katara can stand anymore and Sokka needs someone to laugh along with him. Toph needs you as a big sister and Zuko needs you in order to be good. Azula..."

Yangchen trailed off and her eyebrows furrowed, confused as to why the enemy needed the brunette in front of her. Uzume gripped the ladies hand, "What? Azula what?"

"Azula needs you to help her mind feel at peace again." Uzume looked down at her crossed legs as sadness washed over her at the ladies words.

"It doesn't matter... I'm dead, aren't I?" Uzume's voice cracked while tears streamed down her face. Yangchen softly sighed as she placed her other hand on top of Uzume's.

"No." A tall woman stepped out from the woods from behind Yangchen. Her face was painted white and she had exaggerated red eyeshadow, along with long brows.

"She needs to go back." Kyoshi spoke firmly.

"Kyoshi, think of how this will affect everything." Yangchen countered Kyoshi's words. Kyoshi glared at the nomad and gestured to the crying teen, "Think of how her death will affect everything. She's not supposed to be dead." Both Avatar's turned to Uzume who watched them with frightened eyes while they debated her fate.

Yangchen groaned while Kyoshi went on and on about returning Uzume. She grabbed Uzume's hands and stared her dead in the eye.

"Don't tell anyone."

-

The third time Uzume woke up, it was with a gasp. The large inhale allowed oxygen to flow through her body while she focused her vision around her surroundings. She wasn't allowed a moment of peace before someone shouted She's up! And a pair of arms wrapped themself around her. She breathed in their scent, slight sweat, sea salt and meat. Sokka. Another pair of arms wrapped around her. Pinecone, mud, and flowers. Toph.

The door busted open and Aang and Katara stood in the doorway. They quickly piled onto the group hug with Uzume at the center. She felt happy tears flow freely while she bathed in the warmth of her new friends.

They all pulled back and Sokka placed a soft hand on her cheek covered in dried blood, "What happened?" He analyzed her face for emotions with his soft blue eyes. Uzum grinned sadly, "She knew who I was."

"I think before we leave, we should allow Uzume to clean up." Katara spoke up and ushered all the bodies out of the room. Before Katara left, she looked at the battered girl sadly.

"We were scared... clean up and I'll check if you have any wounds," Katara paused, "And I'm letting Sokka do something about your hair." She gestured to Uzume's signature hairstyle.

Once Uzume washed up and Katara relieved some of the aches in her bones, she was seated in front of a mirror from the inn. Sokka stood behind her while he cut at her longer hair, returning it back to it's shoulder length. He moved in front of Uzume while he admired his work.

"Don't let anyone know this, but if you didn't wake up, I probably wouldn't be able to make jokes anymore. It would feel gloomy and wrong."

Sokka needs someone to laugh along with him.

Uzume hummed, not knowing how to respond to someone telling her he's glad she's not dead. Luckily, she didn't have to as Sokka started to gather hair in front of her. She swatted at his hands, "What are you doing?"

Sokka shrugged, "I'm giving you bangs." Uzume scoffed and crossed her arms, "Yeah right, I'd rather let Toph cut my hair than get bangs."