Ryoko couldn't take her eyes off the banner. The way the blood red cloth shook in the breeze sent shivers to her spine. The smoke that emerged from the city and rose towards the bright sky only filled Ryoko with a darkness. Being so close to her nation was just like the night of the attack on the northern water tribe and yet now she was facing it head on. She was no longer her father's soldier. Yet the way she couldn't take her eyes off of the fire nation emblem brought her right back to the time where she was, the time where she was a young girl begging for her father's love and approval.

Ryoko though, didn't have the same sentiments to the city before them as her friends did. As she was being faced by her own fears and consciousness, the three with her stared at Omashu with grief and disbelief.

"I can't believe it," Aang says without taking his eyes off of Omashu, "I know the war has spread far, but Omashu always seemed... untouchable."

Ryoko steps forward, her arm going around the young Avatar as she tries her best to give a comforting smile. Apart of her felt guilt where she knew most from her nation would feel no guilt. Most likely at the moment someone was taking charge of Omashu in the stead of the one who was no longer in charge, King Bumi, the man who was supposed to teach Aang.

"Up until now it was. Now, Ba Sing Se is the only great Earth kingdom stronghold left."

"This is horrible," Katara states as she moves closer to Aang and Ryoko. "But we have to move on." She was right, Ryoko thought. Staying there any longer with the fire nation steps away was only dangerous for Aang.

"No." Aang removes himself from under Ryoko's arm as he steps forward towards the edge. "I'm going in to find Bumi." Ryoko had only been told so much about this Bumi, Aang's friend before he went into the ice. She knew how much he meant to Aang and now was being faced with losing another person he held dearest from his life 100 years ago.

"Aang stop! We don't even know if Bumi's still..." Sokka trails off not wanting to say what they were all thinking. He could have been possibly dead. Ryoko knew if he truly fought back with whatever he could, then it might have been his end.

Aang turns around, a minor glare covering his face, but the worry was overwhelming. "What? If he's still what?"

"Around."

Ryoko takes a step forward, trying to find the right words. Obviously the only thing on his mind was finding Bumi. "I know you had your heart set on Bumi, but there are other people who can teach you Earthbending," Katara tells him. Aang turns to look at the city, a stern look in his eyes.

"This isn't about finding a teacher. This is about finding my friend."

"Okay," Ryoko agrees nodding her head. "How are we going to get in though?"

Aang stares back at the city, silent in thought. Then his eyes lower. "I have an idea."

Everyone gets on Appa, the thoughts raiding through everyone's minds that they are too late. There was the chance that Bumi would be gone and the fire nation had completely taken over one of the largest cities in the Earth Kingdom. Ryoko watched Aang from the saddle, only seeing the back of his head, but it was enough to worry her. She hadn't been around Aang long enough to see him at a low point. She didn't know what he'd do if Bumi was gone.

Appa soared down lower than the city, sinking further under until they were surrounded by the earth. Appa lowers himself to the point where the four of them can jump off and stand on the small cliff that held a passage.

"A secret passage? Why didn't we just use this last time?" Sokka asks Aang who was using his staff to open the cover. With a thud, the cover crashes down and a foul smelling liquid pours out near Sokka, Katara, and Ryoko. "Ugh!"

"Does that answer your question?" Without another word, Aang jumps in and wastes no time walking through the passage. Ryoko gags as Sokka steps in first. She was never royalty, but Ryoko and her family had high enough standing where she didn't have problems as others did. Especially that of walking through sewage at the moment.

Aang took the lead, using his airbending and staff to block all the water that was shooting at him, but it went back onto Katara who in turn bended the water behind her so she can get by unscathed by the sewage.

Sokka who stood in front of Ryoko on the other hand took the brunt of the sewage water much to Ryoko's satisfaction. The firebender held her arms up helplessly, unable to bend out of the situation like Aang and Katara in the front.

Aang finally made it to the surface of the city and picked up the cover in the ground. After surveying the land around him and seeing no one there, he hops out, landing gracefully on his feet.

Katara comes out second, pulling herself out of the hole. "That wasn't as bad as I thought," she states dusting herself off.

Sokka, who came out third, was covered in the sewage from head to toe. Aang and Katara's eyes widen at the sight, Katara finding a source of water to wash off the sewage.

Ryoko comes out last, a smirk on her face while the non bender glares at her. Somehow she came out looking as fine as ever, making Sokka roll his eyes at her chuckling figure. But the other two still had their eyes on his face, or rather what was on his face. The little creatures suck on both sides of his face causing Sokka's gaze to fix on them.

Sokka screams, grabbing onto them and trying to pull them off with all this might. "They won't let go! Help!"

Aang shoves Sokka into the nearest wall of one of the homes, shushing him while doing so. "Stop making so much noise. It's just a purple pentapus." Katara and Ryoko follow after the two boys and watch as Aang starts to lightly pet one of them. The pentapus' tentacles peel off gently and come off of Sokka's cheek. Sokka follows what Aang did, petting the pentapus until it let go, both of them leaving marks on his cheeks.

"Hey!" The four of them turn towards the noise only to be faced by fire nation soldiers. Ryoko perked up, all three blocking Aang who covers his arrow on his head. "What are you kids doing out past curfew?"

Being so close to a soldier from her home yet not being able to speak with them felt weird. On the ship some of the fire nation crew even respected her. To them she was the commander's daughter, not knowing the truth of why she was on Zuko's ship. Even when her father made her feel less than, at some point when on the ship she was important.

"Sorry, we were just on our way home," Katara says drawing Ryoko from thoughts of the past. Katara pulls the dazed Ryoko away as they all turn around and start walking in the opposite direction.

As they continue walking, the soldier squints. His eyes zone in on the dots across Sokka's neck. "Wait. What's the matter with him?" Katara leans back, blue eyes landing on the marks from the small creatures. She turns around holding onto Sokka's shoulders.

"He has pentapox, sir." The soldier steps up to Sokka, ready to touch his face. "Um, it's highly contagious." The soldier then turns his attention from Katara to Sokka, examining his face.

A groan escapes from Sokka as he gets closer to the soldier. "It's so awful, I'm dying!" Ryoko hides her snicker as the soldier leans back.

"And deadly," Katara adds on.

The soldier steps back to stand in line with his companions as he says, "hey, I think I've heard of Pentapox. Didn't your cousin Chang die of it?"

"We better go wash our hands. And burn our clothes!" The three soldiers run off, leaving the four to themselves. Ryoko sighs at the idiocy while Sokka continues coughing loudly for the soldiers to hear.

"Thank you, sewer friend!" Aang pets the pentapus he holds in his hands.

"I did not think it would be that easy," Ryoko says out loud. "We have to be careful now, who knows what other soldiers are doing now. Come on." The four of them move on from the scene, sneaking through the city and avoiding guards on their way. With hoods up, they pass by soldiers undetected until they find a spot to hide.

As they crouch down out of the view of guards, Katara whispers, "Let's find Bumi and get out of here."

Sokka leans over to Aang with a mumble. "Where would they be keeping him?"

"Somewhere he can't earthbend." Aang's eyes search around the city until they land. "Somewhere made of metal."

Down below, the light shine brightly from the four lanterns the guards held by Mai and her mother. Her mother held her brother in her arms. As they walked, the stoic expression on her face remained as she spoke out loud. "There really is no fathoming the depths of my hatred for this place."

"Mai," her mother says, drawing Mai's attention, "your father was appointed governor. We're like royalty here. Be happy and enjoy it."

"I thought my life was boring in the fire nation, but this place is unbearably bleak. Nothing ever happens.

Up above, the earthbender raises his hand ready to strike down the group. His hand falls, hitting the boulder, sending the two boulders down the slope at increasing speed. The rumbling of the rolling boulders erupts in the groups ears, Aang being the first to look up and see. Aang glances down quickly at those below, he takes his staff and swipes at the boulders, breaking them to pieces.

As the dust settles in the air, Mai sets her eyes on the person who did that. "The resistance!" Mai's mother yells pointing up. The knives reach her fingertips and Mai flicks her wrists, the knives smoothly releasing from her hands and soaring through the sky at Aang. Aang jumps up, landing on the structure where the knives landed. Ryoko gasps as she turns her head from the group to the knives that were in front of her.

Ryoko stares in wonder at the knives that struck the structure next to them. They were so familiar, she had seen them before. "M-"

"Ryoko, let's go!" Aang yells as he jumps off the structure and grabs her hand, pulling her into a run. The four run off as two of the soldiers below started to climb up the ladders. Katara stops, turning around and whipping her water at them as they came up to the top. The men fall back feeling the impact of the water. This didn't stop Mai who climbs and then leaps up to the landing, more knives protruding from her and flinging them at Katara who turns the water to ice. Katara runs off after Ryoko, Aang, and Sokka while Mai rushes after them.

Aang stops in the middle as he pushes Katara back to keep running while he knocks the structure down with his staff in the air. Through the collapse, Mai flings another knife at him barely missing as it lands in his staff. Ryoko grabs Aang by the collar and drags him back. She looks up at Aang's attacker and her bright eyes land on Mai's dark ones and Ryoko's eyes widen at the girl she hadn't seen in years. It really was her, Ryoko thought, before she feels her feet give out in the collapsing floor, letting the four tumble down underground.

The last thing Mai sees in the collapsing structure is the group falling below the Earth and her knives landing on the rocks. Mai stood alone with her knives and the rubble in front of her, but only one word escaped from her lips. "Ryoko?"

When they fall onto the landing underground, Ryoko groans from the impact and stares up at the multiple earth nation citizens in the resistance who surrounded them. She sighs in relief. There was a chance now.

---

Five Years Ago

"Where is your father now?" Mai asks Ryoko in Mai's home. While she had been sitting in the chair, Ryoko was roaming around, glancing at the numerous objects in the spacious room. Mai didn't mind, she only watched her walk around. Ryoko was entertaining and fun, she always was. On days when Zhao had gone off, Ryoko would be at the palace or even take the time to see her. Being an only child was difficult, and Ryoko understood the loneliness that came with it. Neither of the girls had siblings, only parents who left them be.

"Who knows? He always goes off now on different trips. It's boring." She then smiles with an idea and jumps down, running up to her friend. "But your dad is away too and your mom is out right? We can't do anything else." Her smirk grows as Mai lets out the smallest of laughs.

"Okay." The non bender rises from her seat and leaves the room, only to come back a few seconds later with shiny new knives in her hands. The silver twinkle from them drew Ryoko in. She always found them cool.

"Yes!" Mai chuckles as she prepares them between her fingertips. "That's so cool, Mai!"

"Thanks," she replies.

"Let me get my sword, I made sure to bring it." Ryoko picks up the small sword from the floor and unsheathes it for Mai to see. "It was made not so long ago."

"Does your father know you have it?"

"No," Ryoko says with a giggle.

The girls stand a short distance from each other, indulging in a day alone where they would practice and play with knives and the sword. While Mai had more practice than Ryoko, Ryoko had the vigor to learn something new beside firebending. Meanwhile Zhao was gone on ventures for days or weeks. Ryoko took the chance to learn the practice of the sword when he was gone. "You're getting better," Mai comments. She smiles when Ryoko's face brightens.

"Do you think so?" Ryoko swings the sword around. It wasn't the one she wanted from her father, but it was a decent sword from the master of the sword himself. What her father didn't know wouldn't hurt him, Ryoko thought to herself.

"You practice a lot, you won't even practice anything with Azula anymore." Ryoko falters, a frown coming onto her face.

"It's not worth it. My father would be angry with me." In the silence, the tension grew as Mai thought about Ryoko's situation. She didn't know what happened to her, but over the two years since her mom died, Ryoko and bending was not a good combination. She wouldn't bend with Zuko or Azula much to the younger sibling's disappointment.

Ryoko didn't see it as an option. Despite the feeling it gave the bender, she pushed it away. But Mai also didn't know that her father was the reason for this. Mai at this young age didn't know why Ryoko's father would stop his only daughter from bending or neglected her, but she knew it also was something that Ryoko never liked to speak about.

"Let's go again, Ryoko." It was simply Ryoko doesn't bend and her father would be mad. She never explained why. Not that Mai minded that, it gave them the days to see each other whenever without worrying about others like Azula. Ryoko was the friend who took away the dread of being alone at home.

---

Ryoko walks next to Aang as she observes the underground hideout the resistance had made. It was impressive how they kept away from the fire nation and stood their ground. Yet she couldn't help but think back to Mai. She was here in Omashu, Ryoko guessed with her family, seeing as someone would have had to take over in Omashu, of course it would be Mai's father. She shouldn't have expected less, Ryoko knew that. She just didn't think she'd see anyone from the fire nation around a place like Omashu, attacking her and her friends no less.

"So, is King Bumi with you guys? Is he leading the resistance?" Aang asks the three men who were beside them and stopped in their tracks.

"Of course not," one of the men answers with a clenched fist. "On the day of the invasion, we readied ourselves for battle. We were prepared to defend our city, to fight for our lives and for our freedom." Ryoko eyes moved around, staring at the people around them. They were strong and all seemed prepared, what happened? "But before we even had a chance, King Bumi ... surrendered."

Ryoko glances at Aang. She didn't know the man as well as he did, she never even met him yet knowing how much Aang cared about Bumi made her worried. Knowing the fire nation, if Bumi just surrendered, they wouldn't be so easy on him.

The man continues on with his retelling of King Bumi's surrender. "The day of the invasion, I asked King Bumi what he wanted to do. He looked me in the eye and said I'm going to do nothing." He pauses. His intense stare grew harsher as he speaks. "It doesn't matter now. Fighting the fire nation is the only path to freedom and freedom is worth dying for."

"Actually, there's another path to freedom," Aang says catching everyone's attention. "You could leave Omashu. You're directing all your energy to fight the fire nation, but you're outnumbered. You can't win. Now is the time to retreat so you can live to fight another day."

"They won't stop until they know the resistance is no more," Ryoko adds on.

"You would know," the man says staring into her eyes. It was obvious she was from the fire nation, yet she was standing beside the Avatar, fighting with him instead of against him. "They've taken our home, and we have to fight them at any cost!"

"And the cost will be your home and your lives." Ryoko crosses her arms across her chest as the shorter man raises his head towards the soldier, Yalo.

"I don't know, Yalo. Living to fight another day is starting to sound pretty good to me."

"Yeah I'm with the kid," another states. The numerous men down below them murmured amongst themselves, thinking of losing either their home or themselves to the fire nation.

Yalo turns back with a lowered head. "Fine. But there's thousands of citizens that need to leave. How are we gonna get them all out?"

"Suckers," Sokka speaks up. Everyone looks at him, confusion clear on their faces. "You're all about to come down with a nasty case of pentapox."

Everyone went above ground, getting the pentapus' for Sokka's plan. One by one the men had the pentapus on their skin, letting them develop the suction marks before they were removed. "Okay everyone, into sick formation!" Sokka orders them as Katara, Ryoko, and Aang stand to the side, letting him go through with his plan.

Katara walks forward but turns back when she sees that Aang isn't moving with her and Ryoko. "Aang, what are you doing? Aren't you coming with us?" Ryoko turns back as well when she sees Aang starting to walk the opposite direction of the group.

"Come on, Aang."

"No." He faces the two girls. "I'm not leaving until I find Bumi." Momo clatters onto Aang, pulling at his mouth. Aang grabs Momo and puts him down gently. "Sorry, Momo. I'll feed you later." He looks up at the buildings but before he can jump off with his bending, Ryoko calls out.

"Wait." Aang stops and turns his attention to Ryoko, along with Katara. "I'm coming with you," Ryoko tells him as she holds onto his sleeve to make him wait. "You don't know them like I do, Aang. If anything happens... just let me help you find Bumi." He didn't know Mai either. Ryoko thought to herself. Maybe if she could talk to Mai for a few minutes or even a few seconds, there wouldn't be need for a fight between those she cared about. Aang couldn't say no to the look in her eyes that were like Fang's, the expression on her face when she thought of her friends. He said no words but she knew he agreed.

She looks back at Katara, nodding as if giving a secret message. She would protect Aang. With a pat to Momo's head, Ryoko stands next to Aang before he jumps up with her, landing on roofs and passing through the city to find Bumi.

__________

A/N: Hey guys sorry again for such late updates! But I'm off of school for a while now with break so I'll have more time to update yay. Thank you so much for 5.1k reads! I can't believe it still it seems like just yesterday I got 10 reads.

No Zuko I know :( but we got a flashback with Mai in there. You'll see more of their friendship along with the girls of the fire nation later on especially how close she considered herself with them. Ryoko only cut off ties so easily with Zuko in s1 finale because she thinks he killed Zhao if that wasn't made clear. But she hasn't seen any of the girls in about three years and they left off on a good note when Ryoko was 12 so it'll be difficult with a reunion. Won't be too happy LMFAO hope for the best for Ryoko she might need it

Let me know if there's things you'd like to see in between updates in case they take long! Thanks again! <3