while Katara and Toph got ready for battle. Katara filled her water pouches, Toph put on her wrist guards, and people had just finished putting Appa into his armor. All that was left was Sokka and Aang.

Uzume was practicing hand combat with Katara when the two boys finally joined them. Everyone was getting onto the ships when Uzume held back the group.

"Wait," Uzume held up her hands so she could say a few words to her new friends, "I just want to say thank you. For allowing me to grow as a person and set myself free from being an evil puppet. You guys mean everything to me." Katara let out an aw and hugged the girl, causing a chain reaction. Soon, all 5 of the kids were in a group hug.

"Now, let's end this war!" Uzume exclaimed. The 5 ships headed out to sea and soon, they were at the gates of Azulon

"There they are," Bato spoke, looking through a periscope, "The Great Gates of Azulon."

Katara looked around at the ocean, "I don't see any gates."

"Katara, you and the swamp benders whip up a fog cover."

"We'll sneak by those statues just like we sneaked by that fire navy blockade." Tho said.

Uzume gripped tightly on Toph's hand, nervous that the fog wouldn't work. A net started to raise from Azulon's sleeves.

"Keep it up, we're almost through." Hakoda commanded. Uzume's heart pounded when an alarm sounded. Smoke started to emit from the statues and the net caught on fire. Guards on jet skis began to advance on the ships. They all stared at the gates in shock while Hakoda jumped into action.

"Everyone below deck. Let's hope your invention works." Hakoda looked at Sokka with full confidence. Uzume helped usher the troops into the submarines Sokka had invented. Toph and Hakoda were the last people that needed to get in when she could hear the guards on deck. Uzume felt her heart sink as she stared down at the blind girl who paused her movement.

"Uzume? What's wrong? What's happening?" Toph panicked, not being able to see with her senses in the earth. Tears slipped from Uzume's eyes while she watched Toph panic, knowing what she had to do. She had to buy Tophand Hakoda time to get in the submarines safely.

Hakoda looked at the girl with wide eyes, "They're almost in."

She placed her scarred hand on Toph's shoulder and pulled her into a hug, "Go with Hakoda. I'll be safe." Uzume shoved the two of them into the submarine and slammed the door shut. The submarine departed just as a guard busted down the door to the lower deck. The guard stared at the single person in the room in disbelief, then he smirked.

"Uzume, I never thought the next time I'd see you, you'd be with the enemy."

Uzume glared at the man in front of her as she whipped out her fans, "I, personally, thought the next time I saw you, you'd be away from Ozai. What's wrong? Did you get demoted, dad?" She snarled at the firebender. Her father let out a humorless chuckle.

"I'm here because Azula knew you'd be here. I doubted her, but what do you know, a princess is always right," Her father got into a defensive firebending stance, "Now, I'm bringing you Azula." Uzume widened her own stance and into one Toph taught her.

"I'm not going without a fight."

Her father thrusted his fist out, sending a ball of fire to where Uzume stood. She spun out of the way quickly and balanced herself on one foot. She held both her fans out and motioned them in his direction, blowing him back into a wall. He threw more fire at her, to which she avoided by using her years of dance.

"Fight me!" Her father shouted, "You're fighting like a stupid airbender!" His words caused Uzume to pause and look at him with wide eyes, "They're not stupid." She spoke firmly.

His father smirked at her sickingly, "They're all dead and their avatar is a dumb kid. Your mother was an airbender-"

"But she's a firebender... a royal palace warden." Uzume furrowed her eyebrows. Her father laughed loudly, "No, your real mother was a stupid airbender who trusted me enough to know she was one. So I killed her."

Uzume's blood went cold at her father muttering those words. I killed her. Heart ached as she thought about having a real mother, one who would have taken care of her. Not the one who worked all the time and forgot her birthday.

She had died and come back to life because this scum was her father. He neglected her and made her seek Azula's attention. He's the reason Uzume thought of herself as a coward. Uzume let out a yell as she focused all her energy on her father. The air around them began to push against his body, keeping him in place where he was. Wind began to build up in the small room they were in, blowing freely through Uzume's hair.

From her father's point of view, she looked like a monster. Her hair blew out of her face, her face was scrunched up with anger, her amber eyes held hate in them. Hate for him. She stretched out an arm in front of herself and clenched her hand into a fist. He felt his lungs hurt, like the air was being sucked from them.

Uzume stared down at her father with remorse in her eyes as she killed him slowly. She didn't even know where all her power came from, she wasn't even an air nomad or a fully spiritual airbender. It was like all her anger and frustration against herself was being taken out on him.

She wanted to stop, she wasn't a killer.

"We're fire nation," Azula shrugged, "It's what we do." The two girls sat alone together on the beach. It was past midnight and they had gotten home from crashing Chan's party.

"It doesn't bother you that we're always hurting people?" Uzume pressed on to Azula. The royal girl turned her yellow eyes from the ocean to the beauty next to her.

"Like I said, hurting people is just what we do. And personally, I love it." Azula smirked and laid down in the sand, feeling good about herself.

Tears gathered in Uzume's eyes as her father's face turned blue.

"Uzume," Azula spoke up after a few minutes of her last sentence, "Just because it's what we do, doesn't mean it's what you do."

Suddenly, the air went still. Uzume unclenched her fist and fell to the floor, crying. Her father gasped for air and once he was stable, he watched her with wide eyes. Uzume buried her face into her hands as her body shook from her tears. More guards came bustling in and her father pointed at her body.

"Get her."

And a blunt object was smashed against her head.

-

Yellow eyes stared down at her when she opened her amber ones. Uzume glanced over the face above her and she mentally groaned when she figured out who the beautiful face belonged to.

"Uzume."

"Azula."

The two stared at each other for a while, Uzume on the ground and Azula bent over her. Azula finally gave Uzume her signature smirk, "I'm so glad you're awake just in time to see the show."

Before Uzume could question the girl, rock was bent all over her body and mouth. Uzume screamed behind her restraints in confusion as Azula sat herself down on a throne.

The door is blown open by someone Uzume can't see from her position, but she's willing to bet it's Aang.

"So, you are alive after all," Azula said tauntingly, "I had a hunch that you survived. It doesn't matter, I've known about the invasion for months."

Sokka let out a scoff, "We know, Uzume," He gestures to Uzume's bound body, "Told us. Wait, Uzume?" Sokka turned his attention to the rockified girl. Uzume rolled her eyes and hummed behind her mouth covering.

Aang ignored Sokka and Uzume's side conversation, "Where is he? Where is the Fire Lord?"

Azula feigned sadness, "Hm, you mean I'm not good enough for you? You're hurting my feelings."

Sokka paused his one-sided conversation with the girl who couldn't speak and pulled out his sword, "Stop wasting our time and give us the information. You're powerless right now so you're in no position to refuse."

Toph unbent the rock around Uzume, letting her free, and pointed at Azula, "And stick to the truth. I'll be able to tell if you're lying."

Uzume quickly crawled to their side, since her legs fell asleep.

"Are you sure? I'm a pretty good liar." Azula drops her expression, "I am a 400 foot tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings."

There's a pause before Uzume spoke while she tried to stand up, "I can confirm that she is NOT a 400 foot tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings," She finally managed to stand correctly, "Trust me, I've known her for a long time."

Toph sighed, "Okay you're good, I admit it," She bends the earth underneath Azula so that it encases her, "But you really ought to consider telling the truth anyway."

Azula gave them a small smirk as the stone shattered around her. In the brief moment that they're still, Uzume becomes encased in rock again.

"Are you kidding me?" She shouted.

Azula brushed the rubble off her shoulder, "When I left Ba Sing Se, I brought home some souvenirs. Dai Li agents." Dai Li dropped down from the ceiling, attacking the group. Uzume stood in her stone trap, bored while she watched her friends fight. She may or may not have admired Azula while she was fighting, but hey, she was bored.

After a few minutes of fighting, Azula ran out of the room. Aang and Toph ran after her, Toph freeing Uzume while she did.

Sokka grabbed onto Uzume's arm quickly and followed their friends, "Wait! Aang, Toph, stop attacking. Don't you see what she's doing? She's just playing with us. She's not even trying to win this fight!"

Azula gasped, "Not true, I'm giving it my all."

Toph pointed an accusatory finger at Azula, "You're trying to keep us here and waste all our time!

"Um, right. I think your friend just said that genius. And since you can't see, I should tell you I'm rolling my eyes."

It was Uzume's turn to gasp, "Azula be nice! She's blind for agni's sake, she can't help it!"

Toph ignored Uzume's words, "I 'll roll your whole head!" Sokka stopped Toph, "She's just baiting you again."

"Okay, so what do we do? Just ignore her?"

"We don't have a choice. We just have to get out of here and find the Fire Lord on our own somehow. Uzume, do you know this place?" Uzume nodded firmly, "I used to play down here with Zuko, follow me."

They began to walk away when Azula called out again, "It's a trap. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Aang and Toph stopped walking but Uzume and Sokka kept walking.

"Sokka's right guys, lets go." Uzume called out for them.

"So, Sokka's your name right? My favorite prisoner used to mention you all the time." She said, managing to stop Sokka, "She was convinced that you were going to come rescue her. Of course, you never came and she gave up on you."

Sokka began to rush Azula.

"Sokka, no!"

Azula was about to swing a knife at the boy, only to be pinned by Toph's earthbending. Sokka grabbed Azula's shoulder and pushed her against the wall, glaring.

"Where is Suki?! Where's Suki?! Answer me!" Azula smirked as she stayed silent.

Aang grabbed Sokka's shoulder, "Sokka, she won't talk."

Uzume reached for his hand, "Sokka, please."

Sokka hesitated before he pulled his hand from Uzume's and turned back to Azula, "Where are you keeping her?!"

Uzume winced when she could hear fighting down the hall and Azula seemed to sense her power again.

"Oh. Sounds like the firebending's back on." Azula kicked her leg upward, making Sokka jump back. She thrusted her foot forward, shooting a fireball at the boy, who's saved by Toph. Azula flipped herself and pushed her feet against the wall, straining against the trap on her. She jumped from the wall and stood in front of them smugly.

"Dad's all the way at the end of the hall and down the secret stairway on the left. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to see you now." Azula spared a glance at Uzume before she turned and ran down the tunnel.

"I fell for it! I used up all our time." Sokka said angrily.

"It's not your fault, Sokka. Azula was ready for us. She had every move planned out."

Uzume nodded, "She knew more than I thought she did."

Sokka shook his head, hopeless, "And now it's too late."

"Maybe it's not too late. The eclipse is over but I can face the Fire Lord anyway."

Uzume shook her head, "No. I don't think that's a good idea."

Aang looked at them helplessly, "But I'm ready! I came here with a job to do and everyone's counting on me."

Toph put her foot down with Aang, "The Fire Lord knew we were coming this time. It just wasn't our day. What we need to do now is go help our friends."

Aang looked down, "I guess you guys are right."

Sokka put his hand on Aang's shoulder, "You'll have another chance. I know you will."

They returned back to the surface and mounted Appa, ready to tell the troops of their defeat.

When they reached the troops and spotted Katara they landed. "It was all a trap. Azula plotted out every move. We just got to get to the beach as fast as we can. If we can make it to the submarines, maybe we can get away safely." Sokka told his father and sister. War Balloons began to deploy and fire at them.

"They've got air power, but so do I! I'm going to do what I can to slow them down." Aang threw his glider in the air and flew up to the balloons.

Uzume watched helplessly as Katara joined him and Sokka tried to usher everyone back safely.

"Try and find cover! I think we're about to see some bombs."

Everyone huddled together as Toph created cover for them. Bombs are dropped on their tanks but they don't turn around to attack again.

"Why aren't they turning around to attack us again?" Katara asked.

"They're headed for the beach. They're going to destroy the submarines!"

Sokka panicked, "How are we all going to escape?"

Hakoda looked at his kids sadly, "We're not."

Sokka shook his head, "Then our only choice is to stand and fight. We have the Avatar, we could still win!"

"Yes, with the Avatar we could still win on another day. You kids have to leave. You have to escape on Appa together."

"What? We can't leave you behind. We won't leave anyone behind." Katara argued with her father.

"You're our only chance in the long run. You and Sokka have to go with Aang somewhere safe. It's the only way to keep hope alive."

"The youngest of our group should go with you. The adults will stay behind and surrender. We'll be prisoners but we'll all survive this battle." Bato suggested to the troops around them.

"They're at the beach already!"

The war balloons were over the submarines and they released a bunch of bombs, destroying their chance at escaping together.

The kids quickly got onto Appa and Uzume held Toph's hand sadly as she watched all the families say goodbye to each other. Part of her was glad she was never close with her family, because moments like this would tear her apart.

All the kids looked at each other sadly, all feeling the sadness in their hearts.

Aang was the last to get on Appa, "Thank you all for being so brave and so strong. I'm going to make this up to you." He spoke to the invasion force. Then, Appa took off.

Uzume looked down sadly at the scene below them. The destruction and fire was a painful sight to see, even if she had seen it so many times. Sokka pulled her into a hug as he started to cry softly and she held Katara's hand.

Aang looked at his friends sadly,

"I know just the place for us to go where we'll be safe for a while. The Western Air Temple."