As soon as the words leave her lips, Azula smirks wider at Ryoko's confusion, basking in it while Ryoko tries to comprehend what she said. It never occurred to Ryoko that Azula would see her brother at all during his banishment. She had nearly forgotten the past events that ended in separating and leaving any loyalty to the fire nation behind. But Zuko hadn't left it behind, he never did.

"You're lying," Ryoko replies to her confession, glaring at Azula. "Why would you go to see Zuko?" She pauses for a second, trying to come up with any explanation. After three years she finally came to them. There was no reason for Azula to go to Zuko on her own accords. It couldn't be that the fire lord wanted him back, if he regretted Zuko's banishment wouldn't he have asked him back already and not after so much time? The man wasn't a loving father who had the ability to feel remorse.

"Well perhaps my father finally saw what a failure he was." 

Ryoko's eyes glance to her right, seeing the chain that held Bumi continue to rise. If she could just keep her occupied, get her mind off of Aang. 

"He was never a failure, Azula." Her words sounded like an innocence chastising. 

"Always naive. It's no wonder you left him, I knew you would finally realize, though it's shocking you came to be with the Avatar."

Ryoko clenches her jaw. She remembered why she was really there. To keep Azula away from Aang. "I won't let you take him, Azula." 

Azula laughs, almost as if laughing in a comfortable space, but it made Ryoko uneasy. The way she smiled deviously ran through Ryoko giving her chills. She was colder than ever, unlike the raging fire within her.

"You act as if you have a choice." Her hands slice through the air, the fire releasing towards Ryoko. Ryoko covers herself from the flames. "I didn't think you would betray everyone you know, Ryoko.  It's too bad your father isn't here to see you now." Ryoko's fists grow hotter, she could feel her throat close up in the fuming anger that bubbled. She didn't need to hear this from Azula, she just had to protect Aang. If she could just keep Azula here for a little longer. Ryoko gets closer, every second feeling more anger soar through her until she runs up and punches towards Azula, the fire emerging from her fist barely missing the side of her head. Azula could feel the heat of the fire go past her eye, scarcely hitting her hair. 

Azula swings her leg up, swiftly aiming towards Ryoko with the large flames as she then rolls away from Azula's attack.

"I'd continue on this little reunion but I have more important things to do." Azula breaks off into a run and without looking back at Ryoko, jumps through the last landing above. 

"Azula!" Ryoko yells out, following in suit. Ryoko leaps up, finding Azula already fleeing from her and chasing the Avatar down, with the coffin detached from the chain it was held on. Aang stood on top of the metal coffin, sliding down the chutes that made up the city. Ryoko groans to herself, a fight couldn't be simple, could it, she thought to herself. 

She sees a glimpse of Azula's armor, the obvious dark red and golds throwing off any normalcy in the Earth city. Just as Azula leaps onto the empty rock like box, Ryoko latches onto the rock, pushing Azula in. The stone tips, sliding down at increasing speed, the roaring of the earth clashing against each other is all Ryoko can hear. 

While Aang and Bumi slide down, Aang laughing and reminiscing over the past, above on the other chute, Ryoko was avoiding any hits Azula tried to throw at her. "Stop, Azula!" Ryoko tries to say grabbing the girl's wrists, shoving them down. 

"And why would I do that?" 

"I don't want to fight you!" 

Azula breaks from Ryoko's grasp, swiping her sharp hand at Ryoko. Ryoko leans back, ignoring the quickening speed on the chute and shoots up, ducking once more and tackling Azula into the bottom of the stone, forcing her hands down, feeling the pulsing heat from Azula's palms. 

Azula's legs move up and kick Ryoko in the stomach, wordless still her focus was trained on the moving prison Aang was sliding on with Bumi inside. Ryoko groans taking a deep shaggy breath, watching Azula shoot lines of fire towards Aang from her fingertips. Ryoko knew the moment Azula saw her, any friendship was over, any hope for a peaceful resolution was impossible when it means that she was now everything Azula was taught to hate and fight. 

The two chutes joined into one letting Azula only get closer to Aang and Bumi. 

Aang looks back, seeing the princess steadying herself on the edges, unknowingly sending a burst of air towards her and Ryoko. The attacks were useless, ending only in Azula getting closer on his tails. Aang looks back at the path, seeing the green structures above his head. The wood crashes down under the pressure of air and his staff. 

Ryoko gasps upon seeing the cracking wood, her arm instinctively reaching out and pulling Azula down. The princess falls onto Ryoko, both feeling the impact of the crash. Yet the box still sped down the chute on Aang's tail. Aang sighs in relief seeing the empty box not realizing Azula did not fall out. 

"Stay down," Ryoko commands, but it was futile. Azula scoffs, holding Ryoko down as she flips up standing on the edges of the box once more. Aang yells, seeing Azula's bright flames ready to seer him and Bumi. He ducks, his eyes then meeting Ryoko's who once again sat up exasperated. 

Ryoko leaps up, her own feet dangling off the edge of the box. Feeling the heat rise into her hands, she swings her fist towards Azula, letting her eagerness to protect Aang overwhelm the guilt of attacking her once best friend. Azula, on the defense and offense between Aang and Ryoko, attacks Aang feverishly, while brushing off Ryoko. It was simple to Azula. She could feel Ryoko holding back, and that wasn't an issue to her, it left her to gain the upperhand.

As Ryoko leans forward, attempting to pull Azula back, and keep the attempt of stopping her, Azula swings her leg back, her foot just tipping Ryoko over. The hit pushes Ryoko back off the fast chute. Ryoko tries to grasp at anything but only sees the widening eyes of Azula. Ryoko expected a few moments before reaching an end and feeling the hard rock under her back but a landing came much sooner. She lets out a yelp, landing on Appa's back where Sokka steered towards her. 

"Ryoko are you okay?!" Katara questions her, pulling her up to sit. Ryoko nods, turning her attention back to Aang who was now left with Azula. Bumi, seeing a glimpse of the fire nation girl fall off, uses his chance to catch the princess off guard. He bends the chutes, a large shaggy rock emerging in Azula's path. The fight no longer, Aang and Bumi made it away from Azula and further away from the three, leaving them to wonder where they could get Aang. 

"He's down there!" Sokka tells the girls, pointing down at Aang who now landed on a piece of scaffolding with Bumi holding himself in place with earth. Azula observes from afar, balancing herself while everything inside her was the opposite. 

Katara advances towards her brother to join him at the reins, but it left Ryoko to herself. She brings her knees to her chest, tightly clutching her own skin. She should feel only relief for Aang being okay. Yes, she was, of course she was. But part of her could not help but remember where her new friends stood, her old friends were thrown off, misplaced. It left a stale feeling in her chest. She never wanted the ones she cared about to get hurt in her journey to accepting her destiny. 

Appa lowered down towards the floor, allowing Aang to come aboard and sit with a glum look. "Bumi isn't coming?" Katara asks Aang after seeing Bumi send himself back up the chute. Aang didn't answer but joined Ryoko in silently sitting, as if waiting for something to work out. Katara and Sokka knew Aang's answer though. They just had to leave Ba Sing Se and return Mai's brother who did not belong to them before they were once again attacked by Ryoko's friends. It shocked them to even think Ryoko was once the friend of the girls who did not hesitate in using their skills to take them down. But they wouldn't comment or question Ryoko just yet, she didn't seem ready to answer whatever they asked. 

As Appa took the teens back to the rebellion's spot, Azula was carried away with Mai and Ty Lee trailing beside her. 

"So, we're tracking down your brother and uncle, huh?" Mai wonders. She hadn't seen Zuko in years, just about the same time as Ryoko. If Ryoko had changed that much in the time away from the fire nation, it was only inevitable that Zuko would change as well. 

"It's not just Zuko and Iroh anymore. We have two more targets now." Now that Ryoko was with the Avatar, she was no longer just a girl tagging along with the whims of the banished prince but a traitor to the fire nation. The three girls knew that Ryoko was now a target. Even if she was not with the Avatar and stayed with Zuko and Iroh, she would still be a target.

"It was interesting to see Ryoko again, wasn't it?" Ty Lee had an expression that Mai couldn't quite figure out. She wasn't sure if she was genuinely glad to see Ryoko or if she was just as puzzled as Mai was. Seeing her again still made her wonder, what happened to make Ryoko join the Avatar? 

Azula kept her focus in front of her, not bothering to look beside her at the two girls. She did not want to answer Ty Lee's observation. It had been three years. Somehow Ryoko betrayed her nation and everything taught to her for what? Just a child? Azula attacked Ryoko with everything within her yet she was the one who was insulted and hurt. 

Either way, Azula was sure the next time she encountered Ryoko, she would be ready. 

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A/N: Hi guys! Thanks for reading! I've been busy with personal issues but I'm going to keep on updating these chapters. Thanks for sticking around! Vote and comment :)