Art: Red Ribbon by Clare Elsaesser

Kida wanted to regret her decisions. She wanted to tell herself that she was a horrible person for letting the events of the night before unfold the way they did. She couldn't do it, though. Every time she thought about it, all she could think about was the feeling of warm lips against her own and rough hands on her hips and...

A low hum left her mouth as she wrapped her arms around her loose body. She slowly reached up to brush her thumb over her lower lip, still feeling the weight of Zuko's mouth on her own.

A flash of golden light brought her heavy-lidded eyes away from the silk bedsheets to the broad window facing her. The sun was beginning to climb over the horizon, covering everything it could reach in hues of orange and yellow. It was a familiar sight. Suddenly she realized...

"What's so funny?" Zuko asked, turning back towards the bed as he tucked in his top.

"You asked where that painting was from," she said through her lingering smile. She turned to the young man who was slowly catching on, a smirk quirking his lips. "You already knew."

He nodded, turning his attention to his waistband as if he needed to perfect the folds of his shirt. "I figured some part of you missed being here."

"Hmm," she hummed, standing from the bed. Zuko didn't look up until she was standing right in front of him, donning his tunic, which almost swallowed her slighter frame. "I suppose I did." She snaked her arms around his neck, and he quickly matched the gesture, wrapping his own arms around her waist.

"I'm assuming you're about to tell me this can never happen again," Zuko said through a sad smile.

She began to shake her head, but there was nothing serious in her expression. It was like she was disagreeing about having fish for dinner. "No, it probably shouldn't."

Before Zuko could try to decipher the meaning behind her words and expression, he found lips pressed against his. He didn't hesitate to kiss back. It was the type of kiss they used to have before she left, slow, sweet, and comfortable.

Zuko's mind was full of cotton when she pulled back. It took him several seconds to try to remember what they were supposed to be talking about. "So...is that a yes or a no."

"No," she answered just before moving her lips to his jaw.

"You're the most frustrating person I've ever met," he huffed.

He could feel her smile against his skin as she slowly moved to his neck. "But you love me," she purred.

"Yes," he groaned.

A knock on the door tore them away from one another. "Lord Zuko?" a servant's voice called.

It took a moment for Zuko to collect himself. "I'm not–" he croaked. He quickly cleared his throat. "I'm not decent."

Kida had to put a hand over her mouth to keep her giggles from escaping. Zuko shot her a glare.

"Oh, uh, your guests are awake, My Lord," the servant responded. "They want to know if you'll be ready to leave soon."

"We'll– I'll be out in a minute," Zuko hastily corrected himself, but the servant would have to be completely ignorant not to have caught on. Kida almost couldn't contain herself.

She waited for several seconds in muffled, breathy laughter before Kida finally gave up and dropped her hand. Zuko's face was almost as red as his clothes as he watched her giggle against his chest. He attempted to glare at Kida, but her clear delight made it difficult. The best he could do was pout.

"We really should get ready, though," Zuko urged.

She gave a long sigh. Reluctant but nodding in agreement nonetheless. "You're right."

Without further conversation, she pulled off the tunic which draped her and held it out so he could finish getting dressed. Zuko bit his lip and forced his eyes level above her head as he pulled the piece of clothing over his shoulders. Kida took over, securing the sash in place before dusting off his short sleeves and making sure everything sat right. "I do prefer this look over your Fire Lord robes."

"I could say the same for you," Zuko mumbled, not looking down.

She laughed brightly. "Obviously! I would look horrible in the royal robes."

She finally took a step away from the man and began to look for her own clothes. "Alright, go on. I'll be right behind you."

Zuko didn't move at first. Keeping his eyes on the window but watching her progress through his peripheral. It took a great effort to make his feet move. He knew that once he walked out of the room, this moment was over. It seemed absurd even to consider letting it go. Nevertheless, he had to.

***

"Good morning, Azula. Beautiful day for a trip, isn't it?" Aang greeted cheerfully from the top of his flying bison.

"Hmph," Azula dropped her bag on the ground. "Be careful when you put my luggage up on that shaggy beast of yours." Suki and Ty Lee were quick to defend the animal, Aang hurriedly attempting to calm Appa. Azula was a far cry from remorseful for her actions, however.

"I still don't like it, Zuko," Katara grumbled to the Fire Lord. The pair watched Aang airbend Azula's bag onto Appa.

"We'll need to take turns keeping an eye on her," Zuko acknowledged. "Every moment of every day, at least one of us has to be totally focused on Azula."

"Well, if worst comes to worst, there are four of us against one of her," Katara assured.

Without invitation, Sokka jumped in. "I'll take first watch!"

"I appreciate the offer, Sokka," Zuko attempted to be polite, "but maybe you should leave this to the benders."

"No, I got it covered," Sokka assured with great conviction. The young man suddenly brandished his freshly cleaned and sharpened boomerang. "Mr. Boomerang and I didn't appreciate her 'ignorant peasant' comment yesterday. We're gonna show her what we're made of!"

Before anyone could stop him, the boy started to waltz towards the princess. "Time to go, Azula, and no funny business or else– WAKA-A-POW!"

As if shewing away a pesky fly, Azula flicked her fingers and zapped the boy's weapon, sending a sharp, electrical pulse to his hand. He fell to the ground with a yelp.

Before anyone could react, Azula crumpled to the ground. A sound rushed out of her lips that could have been mistaken for crying; however, with unsettling comprehension, they realized it was laughter.

"So you made it after all," she cackled.

"At least one of us is happy about this," Kida huffed. Everyone tore their eyes from the disconcerting sight of Azula, weak and powerless on the ground, to the woman who had just exited the palace.

"Kida–" Before Katara could finish her judgment, Kida relaxed her stiff hand, and Azula's taut body fell into a heap.

"Don't let me catch you harming one of them again," Kida directed her words to the princess, her voice absolutely level to a nearly unnerving degree.

"Tell your brother not to wave his toy in my face," Azula rebuked, slowly getting back to her feet.

Azula rubbed her arms, trying to massage away the odd feeling of lack of control. "I can't imagine that you're the reason I wasn't allowed to come out of my room yesterday. So," she looked around as if she'd be able to see who she was looking for, "someone else must be here, possibly a certain coal miner's sister?"

Kida's veins turned to ice. "Don't you dare go near her!"

Azula raised her hands in defense. "Don't worry; I have no reason to go near the little beast. Other than to infuriate you, of course." She dropped her voice as she took a step closer. "Tell me, did you ever get his body back?"

The moment his sister's words registered, Zuko took a step forward, blocking Kida's path to the young firebender. "How did you even know who was here?" he demanded, changing the topic.

Azula tore her gaze away from Kida's deadly glare to look at her brother. "Oh, Zuzu, your lack of faith in me hurts. Just because I've been in isolation doesn't mean I've been in isolation."

Zuko's brow creased in confusion as Azula's lips curled wickedly. She placed a ginger hand on her brother's shoulder. "Welcome to being a monarch, dear brother." She looked past him once again to the eldest waterbender. "Maybe your plaything can explain it to you; she's already got a good handle on it."

"Azula, get on Appa and shut up," Kida hissed, avoiding the girl's words as she turned away. The princess kept her signature twisted smirk but made no further comments, obediently doing as told.

Kida and Aang were the last to get into the saddle, Aang still trying to keep Appa calm as the creature growled at its newest passenger. Kida paused only to speak to Suki and Ty Lee. "You can let her out of her room once we leave, but please keep an eye on her. She also needs to study–"

"Kida, Kida," Suki cooed. "We've got it handled. She'll be okay."

It seemed Kida wasn't completely convinced, but she reluctantly climbed into the saddle nonetheless.

"Were you like that with us ever?" Sokka questioned once she was sitting. Kida threw him a look, and he understood. "No wonder Gran Gran always tried to make you take us with you whenever you went hunting. You must have driven her crazy!"

"Shut up."

Sokka sighed. "It really is good to have you back, Sis."

Kida rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, almost perfectly mirroring Zuko on the other side of Azula. "You too," she mumbled before turning her eyes to the princess.

The young firebender filled with amusement as she watched the elder girl. Kida's whole body was as taut as a bowstring, and she refused to take her eyes off of Azula, even as they lifted into the air. "Still afraid of me?" Azula jeered.

Kida scoffed. "Are you still afraid of me?"

Azula grinned. "You know, sometimes I look at you, and I just can't help but think that Farther had an affair with a Water Tribe peasant. It would make a lot more sense than Zuko being the one I'm related to."

"You're trying to get under my skin, but I really don't care," Kida sighed lazily as she made an effort to relax her shoulders.

"Well, there's no fun in that," Azula admitted in the same tone as Kida, pushing back her loose bangs. "How about instead," Azula's subdued expression suddenly shifted to manic, her pupils becoming pin-needles and a sneer pulling up her lip, "you tell me when she approached you."

Kida slowly straightened, attempting to decipher what the girl meant. "What are you talking about?"

Azula started to move towards Kida. "When did she get to you? How did she convince you to help her ruin my life?"

Before his sister could reach Kida, Zuko lunged forward and threw out an arm in her path, his tight fist sizzling as it threatened flames. "That's enough, Azula!"

Azula's expression shifted just as quickly as before, eyes becoming hooded and the corner of her mouth curling. "Put that away, Zuzu. It's just small talk."

There was a long sigh from the other side of the saddle. "I miss Toph," grumbled Sokka.

"You said it," Aang agreed.

Kida didn't turn to look at them. Her eyes were still locked with the manic princess, waiting for her to either explain herself or lash out again. Neither happened. She eventually settled back into place, and Zuko slowly sat back as well.

"Kida?" Zuko asked in an undertone, although their distance and the wind meant he had to speak loud enough for almost everyone to hear.

"I'm fine," she assured quickly, eyes still locked with his sister's. "I'm fine."

Several hours passed as they flew through the sky. Azula attempted several times to get under everyone's skin, but Kida and Zuko were quick to block it. After a while, she gave up. No one eased enough to stop watching her, however.

They were still taking turns when Zuko eventually talked Kida into taking Appa's reins, able to notice that the princess was getting to her even if the others didn't see it. She switched spots with Aang, loosely taking the rains in hand—there was no real reason to guide the well-trained creature, but it was a nice distraction.

The sun was beginning to sink in the sky when a distant valley came into view; it was spotted with several small buildings and looked to be a village. Kida was about to speak up when she felt an odd rush come over her.

Her nose itched, making her twitch before her brow began to respond similarly. Before long, her face was set in a deep scowl that she couldn't shake off.

"I think that's Hira'a up ahead," she heard Zuko speak up. "If we can't get there before sunset, we should set up camp. I don't want to enter the town in the middle of the night like a gang of bandits."

"Good point," Sokka agreed. "Hey, Aang– AH!" He yelped as he looked at his friend beside him. The monk's face bore a similar expression to Kida's. "What, it's not enough that we have one passenger who stares at us with crazy eyes?"

"What's wrong with your face?" asked Katara.

"I don't know... But I can't help it! There's something out there...some kind of spirit. I can feel its presence, especially in my face."

Kida raised her hand but didn't turn to look back at them, using her other hand to attempt to cover her features. "I feel it too."

"Whoa! Did you guys see that giant wolf spirit?" Aang exclaimed. Kida took her hands from her face to look down. A massive blue wolf, easily the size of Appa, raced through the forest below them. "I think that's the presence we're feeling."

Sokka made a jesting comment but was quickly muffled by Katara. Kida was more focused on Zuko's voice, however. "There's nothing down there."

"You can't see that?" Kida demanded.

Zuko looked up at her, his brow furrowed. "You can?"

Kida never got the chance to explain, her attention having caught onto something behind him. Azula stood on the edge of the saddle; her arms spread as if ready to take a swan dive. "Azula!"

Zuko spun around to look at his sister. "Azula, get down from there!"

"I can't tell you what a pleasure it's been riding with you all, listening to you bicker. Too bad not all siblings get along as well as Zuzu and me," she chimed conversationally. "Now that Hira'a is just a hop, skip, and jump away, it's time to bid farewell. I'll be sure to give her your regards."

Zuko launched himself towards her, but it was too late. He screamed down, reaching for his sister as she propelled herself off the side of Appa.

Kida grabbed the reins and tried to pull Appa back around, but he couldn't move fast enough. Aang, the only airbender, swiftly jumped into action. He grabbed his glider before soaring after her.

It seemed he had caught her, but that wasn't a part of her plan. With unnerving quickness, she shot a blue blast at the wing of the glider, making them unsteady. Aang was able to hold on only until she shot another blast his way. They were close enough that Azula was able to land without harm and continue to run. Aang, on the other hand, was in worse shape.

Kida hadn't even gotten Appa all the way to the ground before she leaped off from the reins. She tucked and rolled, taking off after the princess. She heard Zuko shout something behind her but didn't stop to listen.

It seemed, even with Kida's fair advantage over the others, Azula might have actually managed to get away. Kida got to the top of a hill when she came to a stuttering halt. Down below, Azula was on her knees screaming beside a brook.

Kida had seen the pain Azula had been in the day of the Agni Kai, but she didn't really look at it. Her mind had been too full of worry for Zuko. She hadn't comprehended the full agony the girl was in. It looked as if her mind was tearing her up from the inside out.

The princess started to get back to her feet, and Kida started forward again, not wanting to let her get away. For a moment, it seemed Azula had noticed her and was going to attack, but instead of going after the waterbender, she zapped the water at her feet. "This– This must be your most treacherous act, Mother! You've turned my own mind against me!"

Kida got to the other side of the brook just as Zuko joined her. "Who are you talking to?" Zuko demanded, clearly having seen the whole thing as well.

The water Azula had zapped fell like rain over their shoulders for a brief second. Azula waited until it passed, allowing herself to catch her breath. "Why do you care?" she eventually snapped.

"Keep to our deal, Azula," Zuko urged, "and we'll find her...together."

Azula shakily stood straight, pulling her hands into a lightning-bending position. "You need me, Zuzu. I have information you don't. But now that we're so close to Hira'a, I don't really need you anymore."

"You really don't have a choice," Kida snapped before Zuko could respond. Kida picked up her arms, but a different source of liquid responded that she hadn't intended. A thick whip of water sprang from the stream between them. It wrapped around the princess before freezing solid. She teetered for a second before collapsing with a loud thud.

"Zuko! Kida!" voices called from behind them. They both turned to see Kida's siblings running towards them, Aang limping slightly but otherwise okay—Kida had almost forgotten that he could have been hurt.

"See," Katara mumbled as she passed her older sister, "there's more than one way to do it."

Kida didn't respond, watching as her sister waded through the shallow water to the side Azula was on, beginning to reprimand the other girl. "And I don't appreciate you trying to set my boyfriend on fire!"

Zuko's voice sounded from beside Kida, but she barely heard it, feeling her face beginning to twitch once again. "Aang–?" Kida started to turn towards the monk but came to a sudden halt.

Standing behind Sokka, who waved his boomerang as he called out words Kida considered nonsensical, was the same massive wolf Kida had seen before. It seemed that this time she and the Avatar weren't the only ones to see it. Before she could react, Zuko grabbed Kida's arm and pushed her behind him, creating a barrier with his body.

Zuko momentarily blocked Kida's line of sight, and all she heard was the loud snap of jaws before her brother's screams. She pushed around Zuko to see that Sokka had only narrowly managed to jump out of the way.

"The wolf spirit must've left the spirit world for a good reason," the Avatar urged, "so please, everybody, be respectful."

"Respectful?" Sokka yelped. "Your spirit just tried to eat off my head."

"Those markings on its belly," Zuko called out, still keeping Kida back, "they sort of look like a face..." At a forced standstill, Kida was able to see that he was right. The white part of the wolf's belly was marked with two shapes like the eyes of a deep scowl.

"Aang, look!" Katara pressed. "That's the face you've been making."

"You're right...I think I get it now!" Aang agreed.

Aang jumped forward to talk to the spirit. Kida had no chance to join him. She had managed to get around Zuko only to be blocked by a massive wall of water, courtesy of her own sister.

Aang attempted to reason with the creature, but Kida could barely hear over the constant twist of water around her and the others. Eventually, it seemed Aang's tactic had failed completely as the spirit once again lunged.

Katara dropped the wall instantly, her urge to protect her boyfriend outweighing her urge to protect everyone else.

No one tried to stop Kida from attacking this time, everyone joining instead. Katara and Kida split the water in the stream to send a combination of icy spears and water whips towards the spirit. Zuko unleashed a barrage of fire on the wolf. Meanwhile, Sokka let loose his boomerang, his attack just as effective as the others.

"Did that wolf spirit...just eat my fire?" Zuko asked in both astonishment and confusion.

"And burped," added Sokka. "It ate your fire and burped at you."

Aang attempted once more to talk to the spirit but didn't get very far before he was interrupted by their strongest companion. Appa let out a massive roar as he stampeded towards the wolf—egged on by Sokka and tempered by Aang.

Growls ripped through the air, the ground trembling as both substantial creatures tossed one another around. With the wolf slamming into a stone formation, it seemed Appa had won. However, it had a final playing card no one expected.

"It just threw up a cloud of moth-wasps at us!" Aang exclaimed as hundreds upon hundreds of purple insects swarmed them.

There was little anyone could do. The moth-wasps couldn't be punched, and bending did little to affect them. It seemed they were multiplying as more grouped around them, blocking out the sight of their limbs and clear air to breathe.

It seemed they would just have to wait out the attack when a sudden blue flash lit their vision. For a moment, Kida thought Aang had gone into the Avatar State, but, as the spirits began to clear, she was able to see that he was nowhere near the light. It soon became clear who had created it.

"You're welcome," Azula said, arms open as if about to bow for a standing ovation.

"That was really dangerous," Aang snapped. "You could have made it worse!"

"But did I?" Azula challenged.

Aang glared but bit back any further comments, opting for the high ground. He turned away from the princess, going towards Appa to pat the bison's arm. "Come on. Let's find somewhere to make camp."

Sokka and Katara hesitated but eventually followed. Kida waited for the Fire Nation siblings, seeing as Zuko sent his sister a pointed glare. She shrugged, feigning an innocent look before starting to walk forward also.

Kida wasn't sure who to be watching or who to be glaring at. Azula was always a safe bet, but Kida got the urge to set her anger towards Zuko and Katara. She hadn't missed their paired attempts at hindering her during the attack. She knew she couldn't have actually done anything to help, but she didn't appreciate them not even letting her try.

She stayed perfectly still for a moment, arms crossed as she watched Azula pass her. It seemed the princess noticed her aggravation, a smirk climbing her lips as she went by. Zuko followed his sister, slowing when he got to Kida.

"Coming?" he asked, reaching out to touch her shoulder.

She sent him a look that caused Zuko to cringe away from her, instantly pulling his hand back to himself. She didn't give him the chance to question what he had done wrong, quickly twisting away to follow the others.

Zuko hesitated behind her. He had a feeling he knew what was wrong, but he hadn't expected this reaction. Already feeling Aang's bottled anger, he decided not to risk opening Kida's. He bit his words back and finally joined the parade, trailing from the back with a perfect view of his sister—though his eyes remained on Kida most of the way.

He felt her anger well into the evening. At the very least, it seemed he wasn't the only one subject to it; Katara getting a few cold looks as well. Guilt filled her features every time her older sister looked her way. Kida even went as far as deciding to sit between Aang and Azula during dinner rather than by either Katara or Zuko.

Zuko was hoping she'd give up sooner or later, but he should have known better. He was passing Kida on the way back from helping clean dishes when he heard her mutter. "What was that about?"

His steps slowed as he considered her words before he attempted to keep walking. "What do you mean?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

Kida pushed herself off of Appa, where she'd been leaning. She didn't attempt to keep her voice down, meaning for Katara to hear as well. "You kept me from helping earlier."

"I didn't–"

She grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop and forcing him to look at her. "You blocked me," she growled. "You acted like I was something that needed to be protected. Have you completely forgotten who I am?"

His eyes hardened as he looked down at her. Forgotten? How could he have ever done that? "No, I know exactly who you are. That's why..." he trailed off, not possessing enough courage to finish.

"That's why what?" she demanded.

"That's why we stopped you," Katara spoke up. Kida snapped her eyes to her sister, but the younger girl didn't cower in the dark gaze. "We weren't protecting you."

Kida let go of Zuko as she looked at her sister oddly. "What? You were protecting the spirit?"

Katara sighed heavily, putting down the bowls as if she might need her hands. "Aang wanted to talk to it, and you have to admit, you aren't one to ask questions first and attack second. We had no choice."

Kida straightened as these words settled. "So you actually were protecting it from me?" her voice was almost too quiet to hear, but she was too deep in thought to notice.

"Hm," mused an unwelcomed fourth party. "Maybe you all aren't as idiotic as I thought."

Zuko ignored his sister's jeers and attempted to keep Kida calm before she could dwell on them. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, giving her something to steady herself against. "We know you can protect yourself, Kida. We know you can protect us. But, sometimes, other things need to be protected too." He spoke slowly and carefully as if trying not to startle a dangerous animal. Sometimes Kida forgot that she was one.

It was heartbreaking to know that this was her family's first instinct in such situations, but it was also a great relief. "I'm sorry you all even have to think that way," she apologized, although a soft smile began to curve her mouth.

Katara shook her head quickly, reaching out a hand towards the woman. "It's okay. We know you don't mean it. We also know you wouldn't be able to forgive yourself if you hurt someone, especially one of us. We're just trying to protect you from that."

"Thank you." She took her sister's hand and rubbed a soothing circle against the back of her palm. "Really, thank you. I don't deserve that sort of consideration."

"Does that mean we're good?" Katara asked carefully.

Kida nodded before pulling on her hand to bring her little sister closer, wrapping her arms securely around Katara's grown frame. "We're good," she assured.

Katara clung to her sister several seconds longer, relishing in the familiar warmth of her arms. Even after all of these years and all that had happened, her big sister still hugged the same—with full strength and as much love as she could put into one gesture.

When the sisters finally separated, Kida turned to the man still standing nearby. She didn't embrace him like she had her sister but gave a small, reassuring smile paired with a nod. "We're good too."

For a moment, Zuko considered pushing his boundaries and pulling her in for a hug of his own—or maybe even test his luck with a kiss—but he didn't get the chance.

A loud cackle brought everyone's attention back to their newest addition. "Wow! I take back what I said before. You all are idiots! Aoshi would sooner kill a man than listen to him take up her time with pleasantries. She isn't capable of caring about this nonsense."

"I'm not Aoshi," Kida snapped, so much venom dripping off her tongue that even Appa made an unsettled noise.

"Well, you aren't this perfect Kida character they think you are either," Azula rebuked.

"I never said I was." Kida rolled her eyes and tried to turn away, looking for something to occupy herself with instead of getting pulled into this conversation.

Azula's lips were twisted up. She put a hand on her hip. "Then what are you?"

Without thinking properly, Kida turned back to snap once again. "Something barely holding back the urge to commit murder; so, I would hold my tongue if I were you."

Azula didn't look at all concerned by the threat. If anything, her smirk deepened. However, she held up her hands in surrender and kept her mouth shut.

Kida glared after her as the young princess walked towards a tree on the other side of the camp to settle for the night.

"Maybe it's time for us all to calm down and get some sleep," Aang suggested.

Azula kept Kida's stern gaze, neither seeming to hear the young monk.

It wasn't until Kida felt a warm, steady hand around her fist that she realized she was shaking. She looked down to see pale fingers carefully uncurling her own. Only once her hand was completely open, the pale hand slipping into her own to keep her from tensing up once again did she finally looked up at Zuko.

He didn't say anything, letting her find what she needed to see in his calm features. After a moment, which felt like ages, she finally gave a nod and stepped away to start getting ready for bed.

Zuko watched the woman for a few seconds more, making sure she was truly calm. Once he was as certain as he could be, he turned to his sister. She was still watching the woman; her lips twisted wickedly as if waiting for Kida to snap any second again.

"Hey," he called. She lazily looked to her brother out of the corner of her eyes, her head still facing the waterbender. "Knock it off!"

She raised her hands in defense once again, but this time truly took the hint and looked towards the forest instead.

A long sigh left Zuko's chest. This was going to be a long trip.