Chapter Text
Zuko awoke, blinking sluggishly. Something was wrong… something was on his face… his mask! His hand shot to his face, and he bolted upright. His mask was still on. He breathed a sigh of relief. Looking around through still-hazy vision, he realized he was alone, and in some sort of… forest? Swamp? Judging by the terrain, he wasn’t that far from Pohuai, but how had he gotten here? As his head cleared and he took in his surroundings more carefully, his eyes landed on a few characters scratched neatly into the mud by his head.
Gone to take frogs to Sokka and Katara. Will be back ASAP -Aang
He groaned. He must’ve been knocked out, somehow… He remembered inching away from the fortress, blades at the Avatar’s throat, heart beating a fierce staccato against his chest… and then nothing. So the Avatar – Aang – had brought him here. But he must not have figured out the Blue Spirit’s identity, he realized with a jolt, hand going to his mask. Otherwise, he would have left him to Zhao.
Zuko stood, coming to a quick decision. He couldn’t stay and wait for the Avatar to return – he was still dizzy from being knocked out, and he’d be likely to lose. Besides, he couldn’t compromise his biggest secret. If anyone found out he was the Blue Spirit… Zuko felt sick at the very thought. Glancing at the sun for navigation, he left the clearing and headed back to the Wani.
***
Aang couldn’t believe how long it took to find frozen frogs. It had been so easy the first time, but now it was as though they had all vanished! Finally, he had what seemed like enough, and he set off back to his friends.
The healing took forever, too. He was torn between impatience and concern – what if the frogs didn’t work? What if they melted too fast, and he had to go get more, and he couldn’t find any? What if they were actually poisonous frogs, and that was why Sokka and Katara still hadn’t woken up –
“Aang?”
“Sokka! You’re awake!”
“How was your trip? Did you make any new friends?”
“Yes! He’s unconscious right now but-“
“Who’s unconscious?” asked Katara around the frog in her mouth.
“The Blue Spirit! Take those frogs out of your mouths, and let’s go meet him!” Aang sprang to his feet, staff already in hand.
Sokka and Katara were confused. Frogs? What was Aang talking about. They looked at each other. Sokka gagged in horror and spit the frog onto the ground. Katara followed suit.
“AANG!”
Aang looked innocently over his shoulder at them. “Are you guys coming, or what?”
***
Arriving back at the Wani, Zuko brushed off his uncle’s greeting and stormed into his bedroom. He’d failed to capture the Avatar… again. But he hadn’t blown his disguise… wait, could he use that? The gears in his head started turning.
The Avatar thinks the Blue Spirit is an ally… I could use that to get close to him, figure out his plans…
***
“I’m telling you, this is right where I left him! See, here’s the message I wrote!”
“He must have woken up and left,” said Sokka, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
“But why? We could’ve been friends! Why would he have left?” Aang paused as a horrible thought struck him. “Do you think Zhao could’ve found him?”
Sokka shook his head authoritatively. “There aren’t any signs of a struggle,” he told Aang, pointing at two seemingly random patches of undergrowth. Aang sighed in relief, but then immediately heaved a dejected sigh.
“That means he left of his own accord,” he said, shoulders drooping. “He didn’t want to be friends.”
“Maybe we’ll meet up with him somewhere else,” Katara told him, wrapping a comforting arm around his shoulders.
“Maybe!"