He turned to face the oncoming Dai Li.

"You're so dramatic," Azula said. "What, are you going to challenge me to an Agni Kai?"

"Yes," Zuko snapped back, stepping between Kouji and his sister's faction. "I challenge you."

Unseen thanks to Zuko blocking the view of him, Kouji tugged open his bags and settled back, ready to help.

"No thanks," Azula said, lightly.

Zuko yelled, called up a fireball, and shot it at his sister. Her Dai Li pulled up the floor to block it, then shot their gloves at his feet—

that were blocked by another portion of stone floor, raised waist-high.

And then Kouji darted past Zuko to leap atop the small wall. Without pausing, he launched himself at the Dai Li and slashed his arms forward, sending dirt and sand flying from the pouches he wore on either hip to splash into the faces of the two elite earthbenders

"Kouji, down," Zuko shouted, not taking time to react to the earthbending, though Azula's eyes widened. He called up more fire to shoot at his sister and her agents, but held it, waiting for Kouji to drop.

The boy promptly dropped and rolled aside, clearing the way for his prince. Unfortunately for both of them, the Dai Li agents left standing took this opportunity to try their rock-glove trick again, this time successfully trapping both of them. Azula walked away, and the two of them were dragged off down separate hallways.

Growling, Kouji struggled and fought until he almost worked his way loose before one of the agents dealt him a strong blow, stunning him. He was then thrown into a metal cell. They gave no indication of were Zuko had been taken.

Frightened and hurting, Kouji paced his cell. He couldn't do anything now, the Dai Li had taken his bags to make sure he'd be unable to escape. The day seemed to drag on forever.

Some indeterminate time later — it was hard to track, in the windowless metal box — the door next to his screeched open and three people were tossed inside. Surprised, Kouji moved to the side of his cell closest to the one next to him. Once he was sure the Dai Li were gone, he cautiously called, "Hello?"

"'Lo again, Kouji. Be quiet," Toph's voice hissed.

His eyes went wide, and he shut up. What was she doing here?

She didn't answer his unspoken question. Confused, Kouji stuck to his corner. There was a quiet babble of voices in the cell next door, then an ungodly screech and several bangs.

The screeching noise repeated, and his own cell door buckled.

"Hurry up, Toph, someone will have heard that!" another familiar voice hissed beyond the door.

Toph had done that? But— metal—! Then the other voice registered, and it was probably a good thing his eyes could go no wider. "Sokka?"

Toph pulled the door away. "Come on, quick, we're getting out of here."

"Wait, we're rescuing this Kouji? Zuko's best friend?" Sokka yelped.

"Because Kouji is such a common Earth Kingdom name," the younger boy snapped at him, then turned to Toph. "Azula has Zuko. Do you know if...?"

"Iroh and Aang went to rescue him and Katara," Toph informed him. "Are you coming, or what? 'Cause we got to leave now."

Kouji bit his lip. "I'll wait here. If I go with you I'll only slow you down." And gods only know what's going to happen tonight. And I don't trust Sokka.

"Don't be stupid," she said flatly.

"I'm not," Kouji replied. "One of the Dai Li agents hit me in the head — and I've only used my bending combatively once. I'll be a liability. Just go."

Toph considered a moment, then came closer, lowering her voice. "We're not sadists. We don't know where Azula is, she might come back for you if it looks like Zuko's gonna side with us."

"I know," he replied, just as soft. "I'll take that risk. I can turn this in my favour."

"Not well enough that she'll believe you."

"Toph, come on," Sokka called. "If he wants to stay, leave him. We need to get gone, and the King won't leave without his bear, so we need to stop and get that, too."

"You'd be surprised," Kouji told her. "Go."

"...Fine. Want me to put the door back?"

"I can work with it." Kouji smiled. "It isn't like Sokka and I have a good history anyway. I know what I'm doing."

"Okay. See you on the other side." She pelted off after her erstwhile cellmates. Kouji watched her go, then sprang into action. Bracing himself, he droves his head twice into the wall, biting back a cry of pain. Swift as lightning, he ripped his hair ties from his head, using the smaller band to lock his ankles together and gagging himself with the headband. That done, he yanked off his belt, moved his hands behind his back, and began twisting the belt around his wrists. It took some awkward and almost-painful twisting to get a knot tied in it, but he managed, barely. Once he was well and truly tied, he let himself fall to the floor and waited to be found.

Some time later, Zuko appeared in the doorway, and silently untied him.

"Zuko!" the boy cried, throwing his arms around the older teen.

Zuko didn't hug him back. "It's over," he said, woodenly. "I'm going home. Will you come with me?"

Kouji blinked and looked up at Zuko. "Home?"

"Home." He didn't sound excited, the way he had months before, when Azula had first made contact. "I'm going home."

"To the Fire Nation..." Kouji was torn. On the one hand, Zuko. On the other, he was an earthbender, and Zuko and Azula both knew it.

She might come back for you...

Toph's voice rang in his head, and Kouji clung tighter to Zuko. Zuko said nothing else, just stood there, unmoving.

Finally, the colonist whispered, "I'll go with you."

The prince relaxed a little, and nodded. "I'll protect you. No matter what," he whispered back.

Kouji leaned his head against Zuko's stomach. "Tell Azula that Sokka left me tied up when Toph let me out. He's got no reason to like me and Toph didn't know I was with you, the princess might buy it."

Zuko just nodded, seeming unwilling or unable to speak any more. Finally, Kouji let go of the prince. Obviously Azula had won, but... what had happened? "Zuko, what about unc- th-the general...?"

"He'll be all right," the teenager said, a nonanswer, once he'd convinced his tongue to work again.

Kouji dropped the subject. This was even less his prince than the frighteningly cheerful Zuko of yesterday. Again he wondered what had happened while he'd been imprisoned, and if Toph had made it out all right. Zuko was clearly still reeling from whatever it was that had gone on. He'd get no answers from that quarter. There was no way in hell he'd ask the princess, either. In fact, he had every intention of staying out of her sight as much as possible. So who did that leave?

No one. He'd just have to wait until the prince steadied out.

Kouji sighed. "Now what happens?" he asked quietly.

Again, it took a second for Zuko's tongue to work. "Azula secures the city. Then we pack up and head home."

"...okay." Kouji ran a hand through his hair and flinched as he brushed the bump he'd given himself. It was a mark of how shocky Zuko still was that he didn't ask if he was okay.

Hesitantly, Kouji took Zuko's hand. "Where do we go right now?"

The prince shrugged.

Kouji took a deep breath, then exhaled. "Okay. Then let's go find out." Not releasing Zuko's hand, he led the older teen out of the prison. The prince followed mutely.

As his feet hit solid ground, some of the tension in Kouji's body drained away. He was certain of himself again, no longer muffled. He paused for a moment to figure out where the largest concentration of people was, a trick he'd perfected in their month in the city, then headed that way.

Zuko just followed him, saying nothing, until he realized where they were headed. "Can we not?" he asked. "I'd rather be alone..."

"I know," Kouji replied, "but it's better to find out if there's a place set aside for u— for you."

"I doubt they've gotten that far yet."

"Better safe than sorry. You can stay in the hall while I go in, if you want..." Kouji hoped Zuko didn't. Zuko was probably the only reason he was still alive.

"I..." Zuko trailed off, then took a deep, shaky breath. "I don't know what I want..."

The boy stopped and turned to his prince. "Zu..."

"I don't know," the teenager repeated. He hadn't let go of Kouji's hand.

They were next to an empty room. Kouji pushed the door open and pulled Zuko inside, nudging the door shut with his foot. From there he tried to get the teenager to sit down.

He did, numbly. "It's over..."

"It is?" Kouji mentally cursed those words the moment they left his mouth.

Zuko just nodded. "Too much has changed, I can't go back to the beginning."

"...back to the beginning? What do you mean?"

"I don't know."

Kouji hesitated, then knelt and hugged Zuko again. This time, he hugged back, almost desperately. "It'll be okay," the boy whispered, trying to comfort him. "It'll all come out okay..."

"If it comes out at all," the prince said, dully, before he could stop himself.

Now Kouji was even more confused. "How do you mean?"

"Never mind. Forget I said anything."

"Zuko—"

"Yeah?"

Kouji changed what he was going to say. "You stay here. I'll find out where you're being kept." And hopefully Azula will be too busy to deal with me personally.

Zuko looked torn for a minute, then nodded.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Kouji said, rising to his feet. Keenly he missed his bags of sand and dirt; they'd had a way of reassuring him all through the winter and spring. Zuko nodded, let go of Kouji's hand, and hugged his knees to his chest.

The boy hesitated, then slipped out of his room and again headed for the crowd. A harassed-looking old woman in palace livery curtly informed him that no such arrangements had been made yet, and all but told him to get out from underfoot. Azula was nowhere to be seen.

Kouji promptly fled to an out-of-the-way-place and considered his options. Zuko wanted to be away from people, but if Azula wanted to find him but couldn't, she'd doubtless be unhappy. Could the Dai Li track people like he could? Kouji didn't know, and wasn't sure he wanted to find out.

No answer was forthcoming, and the irritated woman had already scurried off.

I don't know what to do. Kouji ran his hands through his hair again and hissed. I should probably see someone about that... he thought absently. Finally, he sighed and trudged back to Zuko.

The prince was right where he'd left him, staring down at the floor.

"Things are too confusing right now," Kouji told him, sitting beside him. "I'll wait a bit before I try again."

"Okay."

Kouji yawned and sighed, then leaned into Zuko. "Don't let me fall asleep?"

"'Kay."

The boy closed his eyes and turned his thoughts inward, trying to figure out how he could help his prince get through this without giving Azula too much power over him.

The storeroom door opened about twenty minutes later, revealing the same irritated woman Kouji had spoken to before. "You can't be in here, we need the supplies stored," she snapped.

Startled awake — the boy had slipped into a doze — he stared at her blankly, trying to gather his thoughts together. "You can't be in here," she repeated, slowly.

Zuko hadn't moved, either. Judging by his breathing, he'd fallen asleep, too.

Sighing, Kouji turned to him. "Zuko," he said, shaking the teenager gently.

He jerked awake. "What?"

"We have to move."

"Oh. Okay."

Kouji's head was pounding now, but he dragged himself to his feet and pulled Zuko up as well. The woman sniffed disapprovingly and glared at them as they left.

"Bitch," the boy mumbled under his breath, trying to find another empty room. Zuko followed, quiet and withdrawn again. After about ten minutes, Kouji succeeded and managed to get into the room — the door had been locked, so the colonist made a new one.

Fortunately, no one saw, or it might have raised some awkward questions among those who didn't already know the prince's tagalong was unusual. Even more fortunately, to Kouji's point of view, there was a bed. He dragged his prince there.

"Thought you said you shouldn't sleep," Zuko said, frowning a little.

"S'for you," Kouji replied. Argh, my head...

The prince studied it for a minute, then shook his head. "Should watch you. Make sure."

Kouji nodded, then groaned and gingerly felt his head.

Zuko watched him for a minute, then squirmed around a little, taking off his belt, pulling his knife out of his pocket, and removing the laces from his boots. "Can you hold these for me? Just in case?"

The boy blinked. "Uh... sure," he said, accepting the items.

"Thanks," Zuko said, looking relieved. "I mean... I don't think... I just... don't know what I'm... capable of, right now. I mean, I came close, a while ago, and..."

Kouji stared at him, completely forgetting the pain in his head while his head tried to interpret that and his heart fought against it.

"So you should probably hold on to those. For a while."

"Okay," Kouji said, pushing the internal war down. He'd worry about it later.

"But for now, I have to watch you, so I should be okay," the prince said, attempting to be reassuring.

"Yeah." Kouji didn't nod, not wanting to risk jarring his head. Instead he attached the knife to his own belt and tucked the bootlaces and belt into a pocket.

Zuko fell silent, watching Kouji.

The boy moved to the window and stared out it at the moon. The future was so uncertain now, and he didn't want to admit to Zuko how terrified he truly was of going to the Fire Nation. But Zuko knew about Kouji's gift now, so he had to have some idea.

"This is going to be an interesting summer," Kouji murmured.

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