When Worlds Collide: Book Three, Fire

/////Sam's POV\\\\\

We were on a boat, heading to Ember Island. Zuko was still in a bad mood, and everyone seemed to be keen on giving him space. Everyone except me. I was constantly bugging him, hoping he would talk to me, as he was the only one besides sort if Mai I was comfortable with.

"I'm so excited to spend the weekend on Ember Island," Ty Lee gushed. "It's gonna be great to hang out on the beach, and do nothing."

"Doing nothing is a waste of time," Zuko spat, standing up and startling me. "We're being sent away on a forced vacation. I feel like a child."

"Lighten up," Azula sighed. "So Dad wants to meet with his advisors alone, without anyone else around. Don't take it personally."

I watched as Zuko leaned over the rail of the boat, watching the waves rush by. I sighed, and laid down on the bench, closing my eyes.

"Doesn't your family have a house on Ember Island?" I heard Ty Lee ask.

"We used to come every summer when we were kids," Azula answered.

"Lucky," I sighed, turning my head.

Azula seemed surprised that I had spoken, but she quickly recovered.

"That was a long time ago," Zuko stated, still facing away.

I sighed, and the rest of the trip was silent.

/////\\\\\

When we arrived at the island, we were greeted by two old women. "Welcome to Ember Island, kids," they said in unison, and I shivered.

They reminded me of creepy girls that always ended up killing the protagonist or something.

Behind the two old women, was an old, worn down beach house. The others didn't seem impressed, but I thought it was cute, in a way. Lo and Li led us up the hill, and when we stepped inside, I was surprised at the home-y feel.

"It smells like old lady in here," Zuko whispered to me, and Mai and I rolled our eyes.

"Gee, I wonder why," she said sarcastically, and I laughed.

We continued looking throughout the house, and I studied all the antiques.

"We know that you are upset that you were forced to come here this weekend," one of them said - Lo, I think. "But Ember Island is a magical place."

"Keep an open mind."

"And give it a chance."

"And it can help you understand yourselves, and each other," they spoke unison.

One of them - Li? - picked up a rock, and held it in her hands. "The beach has a special way..."

"...Of smoothing even the most ragged edges."

Azula yawned, and crossed her arms.

Before any of us could respond further, the twins clapped their hands and took off their robes, leaving themselves in bathing suits. "Time to hit the beach!"

My eyes widened, and I felt someones hand smack into my face, covering my eyes.

When whoever it was deemed it safe, I was allowed to see again, and was immediatly blinded by red material.

"Go get dressed!" Ty Lee squeeled, pushing me towards a door, which was then slammed before I could protest.

With a sigh, I looked at the swim suit in my hands. It was a two piece, the top wrapping around my shoulders in a halter top fashion. It was rimmed in white, and had a skirt that reminded me a cheerleaders. When I was dressed, I stepped out, grumbling to myself.

Zuko was sitting on the floor, with a robe wrapped around him, and the other girls were already dressed. When they saw me, Ty Lee grinned, and started to bound out the door, forcing the rest of us to follow.

"I hate this," I mumbled, trying to tug my bottoms down.

Zuko opened his mouth to say something, but closed it, and shook his head.

I gave him a quizical look, which he ignored, and we stepped onto the beach.

Azula looked at everyone with distaste, and smirked at a couple of kids making a sand castle. Before I knew what she was doing, she stomped over, and kicked the castle to pieces, causing the kids to run away crying.

I rolled my eyes at her, and turned around only to see Zuko sitting a towel underneath an umbrella.

"You're too pale," I told him, smiling. "You should lay out in the sun." I took another towel from the bag, and placed it next to his in the sun.

"You'll burn," Mai stated, trudging over and sitting next to Zuko under the shade.

I shrugged, and laid down on my back, my hair sprawling out around my head. I could hear Mai and Zuko talking, but I ignored them, and closed my eyes. It felt nice to relax in the sun for bit, without all the palace servants hounding me all the time.

It suddenly became darker under my eyelids, and I snapped my eyes open to see a guy standing over me, smiling. He seemed tall, and had dark, shaggy hair. I glanced around, but saw that Zuko was nowhere in sight, Mai was studying her nails, Ty Lee was being pampered by some guys, and Azula was glaring at them.

"Um... hi?" I said, looking back up at the dude.

"Hi," he grinned. "I'm Masaru. And you are?"

"Busy," I told him, and closed my eyes again.

I felt the sand shift beside me, and cracked an eye open to see Masaru propped up on his elbow beside me. "That's a funny name," he smirked. "I don't think I've ever heard of one like that."

I raised an eyebrow. "I don't suppose you would."

"So, Busy, you busy tonight?" he asked, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm actually-"

Zuko was suddenly beside me, his arm draped around my shoulder. He was glaring at Masaru, and the way his dark hair hung in his eyes almost made me scared. "She's taken," Zuko stated, and my eyes widened.

Masaru raised his hands in surrender, and stood back up. "I wouldn't let her out of my sight if I were you," he advised, before winking at me. "See ya around, Busy."

"What was that for?" I asked, turning to Zuko and trying to hide my blush.

"He was... you looked annoyed," he stammered, slowly removing his arm.

"Smooth," Mai sighed, barely sparing a glance at us.

Zuko glared, but before he could say anything, Azula stood up.

"Hey beach bums," she stated, "we're playing next."

I looked over to see her staring at an ongoing volleyball game.

"Ty Lee, get over here now!" Azula shouted, and the giddy girl stood up on her hands, and walked over like that, making her skirt fall, and revealing her red shorts underneath.

"Looks like uneven numbers," I sighed. "Oh well, guess I'll sit this one out." I started to walk away, but Azula's tight grip on my arm held me in place.

"They have another player too," she pointed out, and I pouted.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zuko take off his robe, leaving his chest bare. There were girls ogling at him, and I glared.

Azula pulled us into a group huddle, and she kept glancing at the other team. "See the girl with the silly pigtails?" she asked. "When she runs toward the ball, there's just a slightest hesitation on her left foot. I'm willing to bet a childhood injury has weakened her. Keep serving the ball to her left, and we'll destroy her, and the rest of her team."

"You act like this is war," I stated, squinting.

She shot me a quick glare. "Dismissed."

We spread out, and Azula was serving first. With no warning, she threw the ball up in the air, and as it came back down, she jumped and kicked it over the net easily. It sailed past the other team, leaving them shocked.

We continued the game easily, setting and bumping the ball, always sending it hurtling towards the net.

"I got it!" I shouted, and jumped to meet the ball as it came close the net. With as much strength as I could muster, I slammed my palm against it, sending it back down, almost hitting pigtail girl in the face. I winced as she had to dodge out of the way, but grinned victoriously when we got our point.

I didn't notice just how much damage we caused until the net was nearly in flames, and Azula stood over the other team. "Yes! We've defeated you for all time. You will never rise from the ashes of your shame and humiliation." She turned to us, and smiled. "Well, that was fun."

I stood next to Ty Lee in shock, staring at the net with wide eyes.

Two guys walked over, both shirtless. One had all his hair in a small bun on the top of his head, and the other had a small bun as well, with the rest of his hair falling down in his face. The first smiled at Ty Lee. "I'm having a party tonight," he told her. "You should come by."

Ty Lee smiled. "Sure," she agreed.

"Your two friends can come too," the other guy said, smiling at Mai and I.

"Uh, what about me and my brother?" Azula asked, stepping up in front of us. "Aren't you going to invite us?"

The two guys looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

"You don't know who we are, do you?" Azula asked, surprised.

"Don't you know who we are?" the guy asked. "We're Chan and Ron-jon."

"Yeah," Ron-jon I assumed smiled.

Zuko marched up, looking peeved, and I took his arm, pulling him back.

"But fine, you're invited," Chan said, looking annoyed. "Just so you know, though, some of the most important teenagers in the Fire Nation are gonna be at this party, so try and act normal."

I snorted, quickly covered my mouth.

"We'll do our best," Azula promised, and marched away, leaving us to follow after her.

/////\\\\\

"Why didn't you tell those guys who we were?" Zuko asked, picking at his food.

We were back at Lo and Li's house, eating before the party.

"I guess I was... intrigued," Azula shrugged. "I'm so used to people worshipping us."

"They should," Ty Lee pointed out.

"Yes, I know," Azula smirked, "and I love it. But for once, I just wanted to see how people would treat us if they didn't know who we were."

I choked on my tea, and tried to cover my smile. Azula glared at me, but didn't say anything.

"Like waves, washing away the footprints on the sand," Li sighed. "Ember Island gives everyone a clean slate."

"Ember Island reveals the true you," Lo agreed.

The twins stood up, and did their weird clapping thing that kind of reminded me of little kids and secret handshakes. "To the party!"

I raised an eyebrow, and turned to Zuko, who shrugged. I started to take another bite of my food, when I felt a pair of hands pull me away from the table.

"Hey!" I gasped. "Ty Lee, let me go!"

"But we have to get ready!" she pouted. "We have to get you dressed, and fix your hair, and-"

"But I'm hungry," I protested.

She started holding up outfits for me. "Mai, which one do you like?" she called, slightly turning towards her friend.

"You know, I did go to parties back home," I told her. "I know how to pick out an outfit."

"This world is a little different," Azula sighed, as she walked past me.

"Well... Why are we getting ready so soon anyway?" I asked, looking outside. It was still bright out - the sun hadn't even began to set.

"Chan told someone the party was lasting from dusk to dawn," Azula stated, and I blanched.

"Azula, I really don't think-"

"This is perfect!" Ty Lee cheered, tossing me clothes.

"But I-"

I was shoved into another room, and the door was slammed behind me. "I don't even want to go," I muttered, but slipped on the clothes anyway.

It was a red summer dress, that tied behind my neck, and was slightly strappy on the back. It flowed to me knees, and had a knot tied in the front. I just wore my black flats as usual, and put on a necklace that Ty Lee had handed to me. It was black, with the Fire Nation insomnia on it, and looked like a choker even though I could barely feel the soft material on my skin. The outfit was simple, but I liked it. It didn't draw too much attention, which was perfect.

I stepped out of the room, still grumbling a bit to myself.

Ty Lee clapped when she saw me, and I noticed she had already changed as well. She was wearing a red belly shirt that had a bow on her chest, and knee length skirt. She had a simple necklace similar to mine, and her hair was in its usual braid.

Mai had a shawl wrapped around her, and her skirt was much longer. Her hair was the same as always as well, and no accesories.

Azula was probably the most dressed up of us all, with her hair in pretty waves, and golden accesories. She too had a red belly shirt and knee length skirt, with a gold armband on her right arm, and a big gold necklace.

"It's about time," she sighed.

"Where's Zuko?" I asked, looking around.

"Sulking outside," she shrugged, and walked out, flanked by Mai and Ty Lee.

I trudged after them, only stopping when I spotted Zuko sitting on a step. I plopped down next to him, taking in his outfit. It was a v-neck shirt rimmed with gold, and simple red shorts. "You look ready to party," I said, pulling at my hair.

He turned to face me, and I saw his eyes look me up and down. I suddenly found myself nervous - did my hair look alright? I didn't really do anything to it, just brushed it out with my fingers, like usual. Maybe I shouldn't put it up or something.

Zuko cleared his throat. "You, um... look pretty."

I smiled, and softly laughed. "Thank you. You look pretty handsome yourself."

He blushed slightly, and I grinned as I stood up, and pulled him with me. We trailed behind the others a bit, and I kept glancing at the sky. This was really early for a party, but maybe that was normal for Fire Nation. They did count on the sun for power, right?

Azula led the way, seeming to know exactly where she was going. She marched up to house and calmly knocked on the door. It was a big house, with a fancy door knocker and its back to the ocean.

Chan opened it, looking slightly confused when he saw us. "Uh... you're a little early," he told us. "No one's here yet."

"I heard you telling someone you would be partying from dusk, till dawn," Azula said, her hands behind her back, and head tilted to the side. She seemed almost innocent, and in a way, I suppose she was. "It's dusk. So we're here."

"But that's... just an expression," Chan stammered, looking between all of us.

"We are the perfect party guest," Azula told him. "We arrive right on time, because we are very punctual." She gently slammed her fist into her other palm, and smiled.

Chan raised his eyebrows, before shrugging and motioning for us to follow him. "Alright, listen, my dad's an admiral," he told us. "He has no idea I'm throwing this party, so don't mess anything up."

I laughed, but sobered up when he stared at me. "Oh, you were serious?" I asked. "That's... different."

He raised an eyebrow, and turned around to walk away.

"That's a sharp outfit, Chan," Azula called after him. "Careful. You could puncture a hole in the hull of an Empire Class Fire Nation battle ship, leaving thousands to drown at sea. Because...it's so sharp."

"Um... thanks," he stuttered, and walked away.

I kind of felt bad for Azula, and lightly brushed past her, giving her a small smile.

We walked throughout the main room, and I took in all the expensive vased and paintings. "So, let me get this straight," I started, turning to the others. "Chan is throwing a party of teenagers, and expects the house to still be in one piece?"

"Like he said before, some of the most important teenagers of the Fire Nation are going to be here," Azula said, leaning against a wall. "They were brought up to behave."

"Well, I was brought up to behave too, but that didn't stop me from breaking a lamp or two," I stated.

"A party animal, huh?" a voice said behind me, and I jump, whirling around to see Ron-jon standing behind me. "I like that."

"Nope, never been to a party in my life," I rushed.

"But you just said-"

"I just said I've never been to party in my life," I interrupted Ty Lee.

She giggled a bit, and skipped over to Azula.

Zuko lightly took my arm, and dragged me away from Ron-jon. "He thinks he's so great," he grumbled.

I smiled, and shrugged.

"Well?" Zuko pressed. "What do you think of him?"

"I suppose, but I mean, he was just flirting," I shrugged. "That's just what guys do."

"You like him, don't you?"

I stopped, and raised an eyebrow. "What if I did?"

"Well, thats - I mean - he's so..." Zuko struggled for words, and I laughed.

"Relax," I sighed. "No, I don't like him. Like you said, he seems full of himself. You don't have to get so worked up about it."

He mumbled something under his breath, and sat down on a couch next to Mai. I sat on the other side of Mai, and we talked for bit until the other guest started to arrive.

The party had only been going on for fifteen minutes, when Mai started to complain.

"I'm bored," she stated.

"I know," Zuko sighed, resting his head on his hand.

"I'm hungry."

"So what?" Zuko asked, senting her a glare.

"So, find me some food." Mai had her arms crossed, staring off into space.

"No," Zuko told her.

Mai nudged me.

"What?" I asked.

"Aren't you hungry too?" she asked. "Ty Lee didn't exactly let you finish dinner."

I stared at her in confusion, and she raised her eyerows. "Oh, um, yeah. Yeah, I guess so."

Zuko sighed loudly, and stood up. "Fine." He left, grumbling about girls.

"You have him wrapped around your finger, you know," Mai said dryly. "But you don't seem to notice."

"What?" I asked, my eyebrows shooting up.

"See?" She rolled her eyes, and watched as a Ron-jon and another guy approached us. "Just wait."

Confused, I hardly paid attention to the guys around us, and niether did Mai.

Someone started snapping my face, and I jumped, realizing that Ron-jon had been asking me something.

"Sorry, what?" I asked.

He chuckled. "I asked you if you wanted to dance."

"Uh...," I trailed off, and lookd at all the people dancing. I shook my head. "I don't know how."

Ron-jon flipped his hair and smirked. "I could always teach you."

"I really don't think-"

Ron-jon was suddenly gone, and Zuko stood in his place.

I blinked, and noticed that Ron-jon was stumbling around behind Zuko.

"Told you," Mai mumbled.

"What are you doing?" Ron-jon shouted.

"Stop flirting with my girl-" Zuko shook his head. "Stop flirting with my friend!"

"Relax, it's just a party," Ron-jon sighed, walking towards us.

"Zuko-"

Zuko suddenly threw Ron-jon across the room, and he slammed into a giant vase.

"Zuko!" Mai shouted. "What is wrong with you?"

I gaped at Ron-jon trying to get up, and glared at Zuko. "We were just talking! You don't own me, Zuko. Ever since we got here, you've been in a bad mood."

"You blow up at every little thing," Mai added. "You're impatient, and hot-headed, and angry!"

"Well at least I feel something!" Zuko retorted. "As opposed to you. You have no passion for anything! And you," he turned to me, shoving his finger at me. "You just lock yourself up in your room when you get upset. You're like a badger frog!"

"Stop using terms I don't know!" I shouted at him, gaining several weird looks, which I ignored. "I'm sick and tired of you acting like this." I marched away, out to the balcony.

I heard Chan kicking Zuko out of the party for breaking the vase, but stayed where I was. Hopefully I wouldn't see him again for the rest of the night.

It was only a few minutes later when I heard footsteps behind me. I slightly turned my head to see Mai, Ty Lee, and Azula stop next to me.

"Drama between the love birds?" Azula asked, leaning against the rail.

"What are you talking about?" I growled.

"This party's boring," Azula said. "We might as well go and find Zuko."

"You go," I told them. "Maybe I can stay here and... glue the vase back together or something."

"Come on," Ty Lee begged, pulling at me arm. "We can to the beach!"

"I could drown Zuko," I sighed. "That works too."

"My brother's an idiot, we all know that," Azula chuckled. "I'm beginning to think we aren't wanted here anymore, anyway."

I followed her gaze to the house, where a handfull of people were staring at us. I sighed, before nodding.

We calmly walked out of the house, and I could hear some of the people whispereing behind us. We easily made our way to the beach, and stopped at the base of a cliff.

"I'll find Zuko," Azula told us, before making her way up a hill, towards a house.

Sighing, I sat a the edge of the waves that were washing up against the sand. I twirled my hair around my finger, and the water rose, twirling with my motions. Furrowing my eyebrow, I pointed at the water, and slowly lowered my finger before bringint back up again. The water did the same.

"That's what's supposed to happen," I heard behind me, and jumped. Mai and Ty Lee were watching me. "That's what Azula has been trying to teach you."

"Bending without proper stances?" I asked. "But I thought that wasn't possible. Even the Avatar has to use the stances and stuff."

"But you're not the Avatar," Ty Lee smiled. "In a way, you're sort of more powerful. But at the same time-"

"He could snap you in half and burn your corpse." Mai held her straight face as she said this, and I couldn't help but laugh.

We turned to see Azula and Zuko walking toward us, and I glared at Zuko. We walked over to a few rocks, and sat down. In the middle of the semi-circle, a circle of stones held old ashes. Mai and Ty Lee sat on a rock, and I sat on another one, opposite of Azula.

After some hesitation, Zuko sat next to me. "Are you cold?" he asked.

"No."

"I'm freezing," Ty Lee gushed, and Zuko softly smiled.

"I'll make a fire," he told us, looking up at the old house on the hill. "There's plenty of stuff to burn in there."

He left to gather things, and within ten minutes, returned, carrying old pictures. I gasped slightly as he threw an old family painting into the now burning flames.

"What are you doing?" Ty Lee asked.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" he snapped.

"But... it's a painting of your family," Ty Lee said.

"You think I care?" he growled.

"I think you do."

"You don't know me. So why don't you just mind your own business?" He glared and crossed his arms.

"I know you," she muttered, and Zuko whirled aroud, fuming.

"No you don't! You're stuck in your little Ty Lee world, where everything's great all the time."

"Zuko, leave her alone," Mai told him, hesitantly putting an arm around the girls shoulders.

He just glared, and spun around. "'I'm so pretty,'" he mocked. "'Look at me, I can walk on my hands!'" He suddenly jumped forward, standing on his hands. His hair hung in a funny way, and he glared, before flying backwards, and landing on the sand with a thud. "Circus Freak."

Ty Lee had tears in her eyes, and Azula chuckled.

"Yes, I'm a circus freak," Ty Lee declared. "Go ahead and laugh all you want. You wanna know why I joined the circus?"

"Here we go...," Azula sighed.

"Do you have any idea how my home life was like?" she asked. "Growing up with six sisters that look exactly like me? It was like I didn't even have my own name!" She collapsed onto the sand in front of the fire. "I joined the circus because I was scared of spending the rest of my life as part of a matched set. At least I'm different now! Circus Freak is a compliment."

"Guess that explains why you need ten boyfriends, too," Mai stated.

"I'm sorry. What?" Ty Lee demanded, with her head tilted.

"Attention issues? You couldn't get enough attention when you were a kid, so you're trying to make up for it now." Mai shrugged.

"Mai, stop it," I said.

"Well," Ty Lee laughed dryly, "what's your excuse, Mai? You were an only child for fifteen years. But even with all that attention, your aura is dingy, pasty, grey-"

"I don't believe in auras," she interrupted.

"Yeah," Zuko sighed, standing up. "You don't believe in anything."

"Oh well," she shrugged. "Sorry I can't be as high strung and crazy as the rest of you."

"I'm sorry too," Zuko snapped, walking closer to the fire. "I wish you would be high strung and crazy for once, instead of keeping all of your feelings bottled up inside. She just called your aura dingy! Are you gonna take that?"

"What do you want from me?" she asked, laying down. "You want a teary confession about how hard my childhood was? Well it wasn't. I was a rich, only child, who got anything I wanted... As long as I behaved. And sat still. And didn't speak unless spoken to. My mother said I had to keep out of trouble; we had my dads political career to think about."

"Well that's it, then," Azula stated. "You had a controlling mother who had certain expectations, and if you strayed from them, you were shut down. That's why you're afraid to care about anything, and why you can't express yourself."

Mai suddenly shot up, glaring at Azula. "You want me to express myself?" she demanded. "Leave me alone!"

We wer silent for a bit, and I looked at everyone before speaking. "It's nice to get some of that anger out every once in a while," I told her softly. "Sometimes, it's goot to just-"

"You, shut up!" she yelled at me. "Miss You're-All-Beneath me. Ever since you got here, you've been a pain! Locking yourself up in your room, and yelling at anyone who looks at you."

"Oh, I'm sorry," I growled, standing up and glaring at her. "Do I have the wrong attitude? Am I supposed to be more happy? I was kidnapped by you two stupid morons!" I glared at the siblings who both had raised eyebrows. "I didn't ask to be your stupid legend. I didn't ask to be thrown into the ocean, and suddenly find myself in a stupid, kids cartoon! My plan was to have a nice relaxing summer with my grandparents, but instead I'm stuck here, fighting a war."

"Lighten up," Azula sighed, rolling her eyes. "It's not as bad as you make it out to be. You're finding out new things about yourself. Who else in your world can say they can bend two elements?"

I screamed in frustration, and sent a giant wave crashing down on Azula's head. She spluttered, and I made to launch at her, but I felt two arms around my waist. "You're an idiot!" I screamed, struggling against Zuko's chest. "I have a baby brother to take care of back home! I have a family, I have friends, I have people I care about. And I'm stuck here, in this stupid place! Let me go!" I finally shoved out of Zuko's hold, and glared daggers at them all, before marching over and sitting back down.

"Sam-"

"Don't talk to me," I spat, causing Zuko to glare.

"My life hasn't been that easy either, Sam," he said.

"Doesn't excuse anything," I stated.

"Calm down, you guys," Ty Lee begged. "This much negative energy is bad for your skin. You'll totally break out."

"Bad skin?" Zuko asked. "Normal teenagers worry about bad skin. I don't have that luxury. My father decided to teach me a permanent lesson on my face." He pointed at his scar, and I ducked my eyes.

"Sorry Zuko," Ty Lee said shyly. "I-"

"For so long, I thought that if my dad would accept me, I'd be happy," Zuko growled. "I'm back home now, and my dad talks to me." He gave a short laugh. "He even thinks I'm a hero! Everything should be perfect, right? I should be happy now. But I'm not! I'm angrier than every, and I don't know why!"

"There's a simple question you need to answer, then," Azula told him, leaning forward. "Who are you angry at?"

"No one," Zuko told her, "I'm just angry."

"Yeah," Mai piped up. "Who are you mad at, Zuko?"

"Everyone!" He gripped his head. "I don't know!"

"Is it Dad?" Azula asked.

"No, no-"

"Your uncle?" Ty Lee asked.

"Me?" Azula asked.

"No, no!"

"Who are you angry at?" I asked softly.

"Answer the question, Zuko."

"Talk to us."

"Come on, answer the question."

"Come on, Zuko."

"I'm angry at myself!" he shouted, and flung his hands down, making the fire rise up the sky.

We all flinched back, covering our faces. When the flames died down, the fire went completely out, and Zuko turned away from us.

"Why?" Azula asked.

"Because I'm confused. Because I'm not sure I know the difference between right and wrong anymore." He shook his head as if to clear it, and I found myself wanting to comfort him.

"You're pathetic," Azula stated.

Glaring at her, I stood up, and slowly made my way to Zuko. "Zuko...," I started, and took his hand. "I'm sorry. I-"

He suddenly kissed me, and after getting over my shock, I hesitantly kissed back.

Clapping came from behind us, and Zuko turned away to glare at his sister.

"Those were wonderful performances, everyone," she sighed.

"I guess you wouldn't understand, would you Azula?" Zuko sneered, snaking an arm around my waist and pulling me towards him. I was shocked, but didn't complain. "Because you're just so perfect."

"Well yes, I suppose you're right," she agreed. "I don't have sob stories like all of you. I could sit here and complain about how Mom liked Zuko more than me, but I don't really care." She stared at the dying embers. "My own mother... thought I was a monster. She was right of course, but it still hurt."

We were silent for a bit.

"What Lo and Li said came true," Ty Lee suddenly said. "The beach did help us learn about ourselves." She picked up a rock and smiled as she rubbed her palm against it. "I feel all smoothed. "We'll always remember this."

I looked around at everyone. "I guess I was wrong," I told them. "The Fire Nation isn't all that terrible, once you get to know the people in it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to suddenly support the team, but I understand you guys better now. And no matter what happens, I won't forget it."

Azula smirked, and stood up. "You know what would make this trip really memorable?"

It didn't take long to talk everyone into Azula's plan, and we soon found ourselves outside Chan's door.

"Hey Chan," Azula greeted. "We have a message for you."

"Party's over," Zuko stated, and we marched in. I threw the first vase I saw, and Zuko kicked a table in half. People started running out the door as Mai sliced every painting in half, and Ty Lee swung from the chandeliers, bringing them to the ground.

I stood next to the door and smirked. "I guess you don't have floor insurance, huh?" I twirled my fingers, and a massive wave came crashing in, and we were standing it at least two feet of water.

Zuko took my hand, and we raced back to Lo and Li's laughing at Chan's sobs behind us.