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Originally posted on 01/11/11 - 07/22/11 at: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6644493/1/James-Cameron-s-AVATAR-The-Last-Airbender

“JAMES CAMERON’S AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER”

Chapter 1: A New Chance In A New Land

As I lay there with my face up in flame, I started having these dreams of floating on water. I was free. Sooner or later though, you always have to wake up…

Yellow eyes opened to survey his surroundings. He was in the heart of the Fire Nation. People dressed in red scurried about around him. He was just like them. Dark hair, pale skin, red clothes, but a burn scar on the left side of his face made him stand out from the others.
Such a burn scar could have been prevented if taken care of properly, but this hadn’t been an accident. No, it had been a lesson in honor, or so he had been told. This scar marked him as the dishonored son.
But he didn’t want pity. He told himself he could do anything anyone else could. He knew the way the world worked. It wasn’t fair. The strong prey upon the weak.
He spotted a prime example. Sitting in a teashop known as the Jasmine Dragon, he spotted a fellow Firebender known as Hide abusing a young girl named On Ji. The guy was a brute, and he was quick to violence. Right now, poor On Ji, the girl Hide fancied, was at the receiving end of it, having Hide’s open palm connect with her cheek.
The strong prey upon the weak. That’s just the way things are. And nobody does a damn thing. But the scarred Firebender wasn’t satisfied with that. He may have lost his honor, but he could at least stop a dishonorable situation.
Yellow eyes narrowing, he stormed over to the so-called couple. Placing a hand on Hide’s shoulder to get his attention, he waited. As soon as Hide turned to him, the scarred man’s fist slammed into his face. Soon a fight broke out, one which Hide was clearly losing. But since it hadn’t been him that started the fight, everyone else came to his aid.
The scarred Firebender was dragged from the Jasmine Dragon and thrown out into the street, landing face first into a puddle. He didn’t let this bother him though. Rolling onto his back, he glared at those who threw him from the teashop.
“Hope you realize you just lost yourself a customer!” he shouted.
A humorless smile crept up his face as he looked up at the sky. So this is what the great Fire Nation had been reduced to. Had it always been like this and he just hadn’t realized it until he had lost his honor, or had the great nation just fallen this low?
As he pondered on this, the faces of two individuals obscured his vision. The first on, a cute girl with her brown hair braided down her back dressed in pink rather than red spoke first. “Hey, Jun, are you sure it’s him?” she asked.
The other one, Jun, just smirked. “Yeah, it’s him all right. There’s no one my Nyla can’t track down. Trust me, Ty Lee, a Shirshu knows who it’s tracking.”
That seemed to be good enough for the girl named Ty Lee. “You Prince Zuko?”
The scarred man, Zuko, didn’t even bother to make eye contact with them. “Get lost, you’re ruining my good mood.”
Jun didn’t take his sarcasm to heart. “It’s about your sister.”
Now that had Zuko’s attention.
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So it had finally happened. He had suspected it for a while now, but to actually see it was rather unnerving. His sister, Azula, princess of the Fire Nation had gone and lost her mind. She had been unstable for years now, always bordering on madness. But now she had finally snapped.
She was being held in an asylum. Wrapped in a straight-jacket and chained to the wall, she twisted about, breathing blue flames, her eyes rolling around in complete insanity. Zuko wasn’t sure what had finally driven her over the edge. She was always crazy, but now she was beyond help, being a danger to herself and others.
As he watched his sister’s useless attempts to get free, he heard Ty Lee speak to him. “Your father requests that you come to help him in the war. The royal family needs an heir, and with the princess out of the picture…”
Zuko snorted. “My father wants me? The shamed son that he himself burned and dishonored?”
“It’s necessary for the public.” Jun told him. “The Fire Lord is there, but we need the public needs to see the face of his heir.” She glanced at Zuko’s scar. “So to speak.”
Ty Lee nudged her and shook her head; afraid Zuko might take offense. “It’ll be a fresh start in a new land. A chance to reclaim your honor, take back your future as the next Fire Lord.”
Of course. His father was only calling him back because Azula was no longer fit for the position. But that didn’t mean Zuko would refuse the offer. He wanted his honor, he wanted his thrown, he wanted his father’s love. It was the only parental love he would get since his mother died several years ago.
And that was how he ended up on a ship heading to the Southern Water Tribe. For it was only the Water Tribe that had yet to embrace the ways of the Fire Nation. With their superiority complex, the Fire Nation believed that their way of life was best for the world and tried to get the other nations to follow their lead. Already the Earth Kingdom and the Air Nation had bowed down and accepted the ways of the Fire Nation, most times by force. Only the Water Tribes remained.
It wasn’t just wanting to ‘help’ the other nations that the war began. The Fire Nation had used up most of their land and natural resources and had to seek others. Unwilling to let go of their ways and compromise, they conquered the other nations and forced them to submit. Soon the world would belong to them.
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After a long time at sea where the days blurred together, their destination was finally in sight. Before them was an entire continent, most of it covered with snow and ice. It was here that the ship finally docked.
Fire Nation soldiers exited the ship to join the hundreds of others. Zuko went with them, even though he was no usual soldier. Though he was a powerful Firebender, he knew that his place here was mostly to serve as a figurehead. Too bad he wouldn’t be able to hide his shameful past any longer.
“Hey, check this out.” he heard a soldier muttered. “It’s the dishonored prince. See the scar?”
“Oh man, that’s just wrong.” Said another soldier.
Zuko ignored them. Let them insult him. Until he regained his honor, he wouldn’t have any to insult. But he would reclaim his honor. Soon the Water Tribes would bow down to the Fire Nation. Then Zuko would become Fire Lord, and his father would become the supreme ruler of the world, the Phoenix King.
Sounded simple enough.
But that’s when he saw several tanks returning from battle. They were in bad shape. One of them was badly dented and was covered in ice with giant icicles piercing its metal armor.
Ok, so maybe it wouldn’t be so simple.
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“This isn’t going to be like conquering the other nations.” The admiral told the new recruits. “This is the Southern Water Tribe. The Air Nomads were a peaceful bunch that hated fighting. The Earth Kingdom was all about defense. Not these people. They are our elemental opposite. And if you’re not careful, these Waterbenders will wash you out.”
He stopped walking and turned to face the soldiers. “I am Admiral Zhao, and it’s my job to keep you alive.” He fell silent for a moment. “I will not succeed. Not with all of you. This place is as unforgiving as the ice that covers it. If you want to survive, you have to respect that fact.
“Our mission is to get the people of the Water Tribe to submit to us. Their warriors are Waterbenders. Like us Firebenders who control fire, like Airbenders who control air, and like Earthbenders who control earth, these Waterbenders control water. And that goes for all kinds of water and liquids. Whether it be ice, mud, or the very blood that pumps through your veins.”
Listening to this, Zuko couldn’t suppress a smile. There was nothing like an old school safety brief to put your mind at ease. After the speech was when things would get interesting. Zuko wondered who he would be working with.
It was very unexpected. Leaving the meeting, a young Airbender came speeding over to him. The blue arrow tattoos on his arms and bald-head identified him as such, as did the ball of air he was hovering on.
“Hi. You’re Prince Zuko, right? I’m Aang. I’m a negotiator. I worked with your sister. It’s really too bad what happened to her, but we didn’t work to well together. She really gave me the creeps.”
Zuko didn’t know how to respond. What was this child doing here with a bunch of soldiers?
“Come on.” said Aang, grabbing Zuko’s hand. “I’m supposed to take you to your uncle as soon as the meeting is over.”
Reluctantly, Zuko let himself be dragged along. He didn’t know how he felt about seeing his uncle after all these years. It would be awkward. If his sister was crazy, then his uncle was right behind her. But at least he wasn’t violent. He had once been known as the Dragon of the West, and was known to be the most powerful Firebender since the legendary Firebender Roku. But after his son was killed, the once great Dragon of the West had, for lack of a better word, lost his spark for battle and was now a keeper of the peace.
“Zuko. Hey, Zuko. Anyone in there?”
Zuko blinked as he realized Aang was talking to him. “Sorry, what?”
The Airbender motioned to a girl with messy black hair. Her clothes weren’t well cared for, and she was covered with dirt. Why was she so filthy? Couldn’t she see how dirty she was? Was she blind?
“As I was saying, this is Toph. She’ll be working with us.”
The girl turned to them and spit, much to Zuko’s disgust. But his disgust turned to pity when he saw that she actually was blind, her eyes nearly devoid of color.
“So, Sparky,” she commented, “you’re the new guy, huh?” She held out her hand, palm up for him to slap it. “Lay some skin on me.”
Feeling uncomfortable, Zuko complied, but Toph pulled her hand away, making him miss.
“Too slow, hot-head.” She teased. “And don’t give me that look.”
The look on Zuko’s face was one of confusion. She was blind, so how could she know when to pull her hand back, and how did she know how he was looking at her?
As if reading his thoughts, she provided him an answer. “I may be blind, but I can see just fine. Probably better than you can. I see with Earthbending. Even the smallest of vibrations sends out a signal that I can pick up and read like sonar. So don’t try pulling any fast ones on me. Oh, and don’t bother lying either, I can tell if you do. Your sister was the only one who could ever lie to me.”
“Miss Bei Fong, I don’t think my nephew wants to talk about his sister.”
The reply came from an old man who looked older than he should be. Going bald, with a gray beard, the former Fire Lord-to-be walked up behind the blind Earthbender.
“Sorry, old timer. Didn’t mean anything by it.”
The old man smiled and turned to his nephew. “Prince Zuko.”
Zuko greeted him the usual Fire Nation way. “Uncle Iroh.”
“Just Uncle is fine. It has been so long since we have seen each other, and I missed you. I am glad to have you here with us.”
“I am happy to be here too, Uncle. I hope you will help me to reclaim my honor.”
The smile on Iroh’s face decreased slightly. “I know you wish to reclaim your honor, my nephew, and I hope that you do, but I also hope that you know why you are here?”
Zuko gave him a confused look. “Of course, to show these water peasants the glory of the Fire Nation.”
Iroh sighed. He had been afraid of this. Though he was nothing like his sister, Zuko’s view on things were very twisted. Perhaps bringing him here wasn’t such a good idea. He sensed a lot of anger in the young prince, and that could make things difficult.
“I apologize for having to leave as soon as we’ve met,” he said, “but something urgent has come to my attention, and I must speak to my brother.”
Toph smiled. “I can tell you’re lying.” She said in a singsong voice.
Rather than being angry at being called out, Iroh just gave the blind girl a smile. “It is no lie, my dear, but simply a small part of what I wish to discuss.” He chuckled and began to walk away. “Though I admire your ability to detect lies, you must learn when one uses a half truth in comparison to a lie.”
Toph tried to look irritated, but couldn’t help but to smile. “Gotta love that guy.”
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The Fire Lord was well aware that his son had arrived, but he didn’t care enough to greet the boy. He had more important things to do. Being the Fire Lord was a busy job, and he didn’t have time to be distracted by such things like family.
Unfortunately, family came looking for him in the form of his older brother entering the room without using force, even though the guards had been instructed not to let anyone in until the war counsel was over.
“Ozai, we must talk.”
The Fire Lord didn’t even bother to look at his brother. “Iroh, as much as I enjoy our talks, I don’t have the time or patience right now.”
Regardless of being in the Fire Lord’s presence, Iroh did not back down. “When it comes to one’s child, a parent must make time, whether they be Fire Lord or peasant.”
With an irritated growl, Ozai turned to him. “Make it fast.”
Iroh nodded, grateful that he would be heard without a fight. “I am concerned for Prince Zuko. I do not believe he is ready for this. There is still much anger in him, and he could destroy the trust we have established with the Water Tribe.”
Ozai could care less about the last part. “The fact of the matter is that I need an heir present. And with Azula unable to fill in that role, I am forced to rely on my son.”
“Even if he is not ready? He has no training in negotiating. He has so much anger and pain bottled up inside, and does not know how to be patient. The Water Tribe-”
“The opinions of the Water Tribe do not matter.” Ozai interrupted. “We’ve tried the peaceful approach. Tried to get them to willingly embrace and accepts us and our ways. But after how many years, our relations to the water peasants is worse than ever.”
Anger flashed in Iroh’s eyes. “That tends to happen when you shoot fireballs at them.” He said, his tone accusing.
Now it was Ozai’s turn to become angry. He didn’t need his incompetent brother criticizing how he ran things. “Let me remind you, brother, that it was I that was chosen to be Fire Lord, even though it was your birthright as the firstborn. But with the loss of your son, and your inability to rule properly, I was chosen to take over. The only reason you’re here is because I have lost my ability to Firebend, and we need a powerful Firebender of royal birth who can immediately take over the thrown should anything happen to me.”
His eye twitched in aggravation. Ozai had once been a very powerful Firebender, capable of rivaling his brother. But after an experience in a Waterbender’s ability to Bloodbend, he had been crippled in a way that blocked his chi, preventing him from Firebending.
“If cannot rely on my own brother,” Ozai continued, “then perhaps I’ll have to rely on Admiral Zhao.” He grinned wickedly. “And he will be able to deal with things much faster than you. Do I make myself clear?”
Iroh remained silent.Is eye twitched He knew when he was beaten. He didn’t want there to be any bloodshed. What he wanted was peace between the nations. He couldn’t stop the war, but he could do his best to reduce the casualties.
“As you wish, my lord.”
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While his father and uncle spoke, Zuko was having a very dull conversation with someone else he discovered he would be working with.
“The name’s Mai.” Said the pale-skinned black-haired woman in an emotionless tone. “I may not be a Firebender, but don’t underestimate me.” She suddenly had six knives in her hand. “My specialty is throwing knives. So unless you want to find yourself pinned to the wall, don’t tick me off.”
Zuko felt a chill run down his spin. How could she be so casual about it?
Mai studied him for a moment before a small mischievous smile crept up her face. “Want to see something cool?” She whirled around yelling, “Yo, Combustion Man!”
She threw a knife at a tall dark man with the tattoo of an eye on his forehead. The man turned towards the oncoming knife. Seeing the knife, he breathed deeply and unleashed a wave of heat from his forehead, seeming to come from his tattoo. Upon hitting the flying knife, there was an explosion, much to Zuko’s surprise.
“That there’s my partner.” Mai told him. “He’s somehow created a way to use his Firebending to make explosions. That’s why we call him Combustion Man.”
Zuko decided to stay away from Combustion Man. “Interesting. How’d he do that?”
“Don’t know.” Mai said in an uncaring voice. “He never talks. He’s not the one you need to worry about though.” They stopped by a door. “It’s him.”
Zuko nodded his thanks to her and entered the room. “You wanted to see me, Admiral.”
Zhao was sitting in a meditative state, breathing deeply. “Firebending comes from the breath.” He said. “If you can’t breathe, you can’t bend. This cold weather can make it harder to breathe, so you have to get used to it.” Opening his eyes, he turned to Zuko. “So, you’re the shamed prince that I’ve heard so much about. You’ve got some guts coming here, especially after having disgraced yourself.”
Zuko didn’t reply, unsure if he was being insulted or complimented.
“This peaceful way of going about things is a bad joke.” Zhao continued. “A bunch of cowardly fools unfit to call themselves Fire Nation. However, it does present an opportunity both timely and unique. A prince with nothing going for him has nothing to lose. Such a person could provide the information I need from within the Water Tribe’s camp.” He glanced at Zuko. “I want you to learn the ways of these peasants so we can earn their trust so they’ll convert to our ways, or hammer them hard if they refuse.”
‘How original.’ Zuko thought sarcastically. “Am I still with Uncle Iroh?”
Zhao wobbled his head. “Technically, yes. But you report to me. Can you do that?”
It didn’t sound too hard. “Yes, sir.”
Zhao grinned. “Well all right then. And if you do the job right, you’ll be rewarded. They say these water peasants have a pond that’s blessed by the spirits that has special healing powers. It might even be able to get rid of that scar on your face. You do this, and I’ll get you that water.”
Hope flared up in Zuko’s chest. A way to get rid of his scar, his shame? It sounded too good to be true. No longer would he bare the mark of the shamed prince.
For the first time in a long time, a genuine smile crept up Zuko’s face. “That sounds real good, sir.”

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Chapter 2: Animal Attacks                         
Zuko had never flown before. He had seen hot air balloons floating around the Fire Nation, but he never rode in one. It was quite an interesting experience, although the company could have been better. Right now he was alone with his eccentric uncle, an attractive yet very dull girl that simply “didn’t hate him”, an energetic and childish Airbender, and a giant man that never said a word.Zuko ignored them as best as he could. It was easy to pretend Combustion Man and Mai weren’t there, but Aang and Iroh never shut up. Not that he minded a friendly conversation, but the two of them were rather annoying.“This will do.” Said Iroh. “Take us down, my dear.”“Whatever.” Mai muttered.Coming in for a landing, Zuko helped tie down the hot air balloon. Humming happily, Iroh motioned for Zuko and Aang to follow him while Mai guarded the balloon.“Why don’t you stay here too.” Iroh told Combustion Man. “We’re more than capable of defending ourselves. You should watch the lady.”Combustion Man merely grunted in reply, while Mai groaned. “Oh joy.” She muttered sarcastically. “Now I’ll have someone to talk to.”And so their expedition through the snow began. Zuko followed without complaint, wondering just what the whole point of this little nature walk was supposed to be about. He knew his uncle knew where to find the Water Tribes, so why not just go there rather than trekking through the snow and ice?“How are they even going to know we’re here?” Aang asked.Iroh chuckled. “I’m sure they’re watching us right now.”Zuko raised an eyebrow and looked around. Watching them where? There was nowhere to hide. Sure there were some snow covered trees, large ice and rock figurations, and piles of snow, but nowhere for anyone to hide and spy on them at the same time. At least nowhere he could see.Something moved close by. Zuko immediately got into a fighting position, ready to attack should whatever it was ended up being hostile. But it was only a group of small white bat-like monkey creatures that didn’t look capable of harming anything.“Flying Lemurs.” Iroh told him. “Don’t worry, they’re not aggressive. Just relax, nephew. Come look over here at these cave carvings.”Zuko raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you mean cave drawings? And where not even in a cave.”Iroh just waved it off. “Ah, details. And no, I mean cave carvings look.” Carved in the rocks were symbols and other shapes as if by water erosion. “The Waterbenders can use water in a way to cut through rock. They eroded these pictures into the wall.”Aang looked at the wall, just as fascinated as Iroh. “Whoa, that’s amazing. I didn’t know water could be used like that. How can you tell it wasn’t carved by a tool?”Iroh pointed at one of the carvings. “Well, you see, if you look here…”Zuko rolled his eyes and turned away. He could appreciate art and history, but how a carving was made didn’t exactly interest him. He casually walked away, feeling the snow crunch beneath his boots, until he almost slipped.That’s when he realized that he had found a frozen river. He pressed down on it hard, testing its strength. A grin crept up his face and he glanced over his shoulder at Iroh and Aang. They were still engrossed with the carvings.While they were pretending to be architects, Zuko skidded onto the ice, sliding around. Growing up in the Fire Nation, he had never gotten the chance to ice skate since it was always so warm. This was actually rather fun.And he wasn’t the only one who was enjoying it. A small brown creature went sliding across his path, catching his attention. Once it stopped sliding, it turned its attention to the Fire Prince. Curious, it walked up to him, looking him up and down.“Um… hi…” Zuko muttered, even though he knew the creature couldn’t understand him. “Just what exactly are you? Uncle loves cute things like you. He’d probably want to take you home, name you something like Foo Foo Cuddlypoofs.”The creature made an adorable cooing sound and moved closer. Zuko bent down and held out his hand for the creature to smell it. The creature did so, and then gave his hand a lick. Zuko chuckled. The creature really was very cute.A shadow fell over him and Zuko thought his uncle had caught him playing with the creature. But when an angry growl came from behind him, he knew that it wasn’t his uncle casting the shadow.Slowly turning around, Zuko was greeted by a large animal with enormous horns and long fangs. It looked like a fierce grownup version of little Foo Foo Cuddlypoofs, who had made his way over to the big one and was nuzzling its leg.‘Must be its mother.’ Zuko realized. ‘And mama looks very angry.’Holding up his hands, Zuko created blades of fire. He didn’t want to hurt this creature, but he would defend himself.“Zuko, no!” Iroh cried. “That’s a Saber-Tooth Moose-Lion. Don’t attack, you’ll only make it angry.”The Moose-Lion snarled at the prince, shaking its horns in a threatening manner.“It’s already angry!” Zuko argued.“It thinks you were threatening its baby. The mothers are very protective of their young. Don’t give it a reason to charge.”“So what do I do? Dance with it?”Iroh didn’t appreciate his nephew’s sarcasm. “Just slowly back away, and don’t show any signs of hostility.”Reluctantly, Zuko extinguished his fire blades and slowly backed away. The Moose-Lion watched him for a few moments before it roared loudly and charged.‘So much for no hostility.’ Zuko thought.Creating a fire whip, he ran towards the Moose-Lion. He whipped the ground in front of the angry beast. It leapt up on its hind legs, stopping its attack. Turning around, it took off with little Foo Foo Cuddlypoofs right behind it.Zuko laughed in relief. “Yeah, that’s right! Don’t mess with the Fire Nation! You just run back home where you belong!”But Zuko had made a mistake. The Moose-Lion hadn’t retreated out of fear of him. It had sensed the presence of something else. And that something suddenly burst up through the ice. It was a giant eel-like dragon, its loud roar echoing across the land, and it had its yellow eyes fixed on Zuko.“Unagi…” Iroh whispered fearfully.So his uncle knew what it was? Then maybe he could give him some advice. “So what about this one? Run? Don’t run? What?”Iroh gave him a desperate look. “Run! Definitely run!”Not needing to be told twice, Zuko took off. The Unagi opened its mouth and sprayed a jet of water at him. The water pressure was so strong that it tore straight through the ice, but fortunately Zuko was able to avoid it.That didn’t stop the Unagi though. It lunged at Zuko, just missing him, and breaking through the ice, where it once again moved under water. It was still after him though. Zuko could see its massive form following him under the ice. Every so often it would spray water up at him or break through the ice to try and bite him. Zuko was able to use Firebending to help him maneuver, shooting off fire like a rocket for quick movements.But he was running down a frozen river, the walls of a canyon on either side of him, keeping him trapped as he got further and further away from his uncle and Aang. The extension of the canyon went as far as the eye could see, and he wouldn’t be able to avoid the Unagi forever.That’s when he saw it. A cave in the rock wall. If he could get in there, he’d be safe from the Unagi.He made a run for it, slipping and sliding on the ice as the Unagi swam after him beneath it. Opening its mouth, it shot another jet of water at him. It tore through the ice, missing Zuko, but knocking him off his feet. Luckily for him, when he fell, he slid across the ice, going right into the cave.The Unagi seemed to realize that it was about to lose its prey, and made one last lunge at him. It missed, crashing into the wall, being too big to be able to fit in the cave. Snarling angrily, it went back underwater, but it didn’t leave. Zuko saw it beneath the ice, waiting for him to come out.
‘Great, now what?’
From the looks of it, he had two choices. He could either go back out onto the ice and resume being chased, or he could go through the cave and try and find his way out from there.With one last look at the Unagi, he turned and went deeper into the cave.(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)Up in the sky, a hot air balloon followed the frozen river. Iroh and Aang had rejoined Mai and Combustion Man, then began the search for their missing prince.Their hearts sank when they came to the place where Zuko had escaped into the cave. It was here that the chase seemed to have stopped. Unable to see the cave entrance from where they were, they could only assume the worst.The Unagi had gotten Zuko.(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)Finding his way out of the cave was easier than he thought. His Firebending was a great help, providing him with light to find his way out. But by the time he did get out, the sun had set. Fortunately for him, he still had a ball of fire in his hand to provide him with light.But that light didn’t just allow him to see, it allowed others to see him. And remaining out of sight, someone was watching him. A young dark skinned woman glared at him angrily from her hiding spot. Her blue clothes symbolized that she was of the Water Tribe.She knew right away that he was Fire Nation, and it wasn’t his red clothes or the fire in his hand that told her this. And Fire Nation meant trouble.Well, she wasn’t about to wait and see what evil he would bring to her people. She would take him out before he got a chance to hurt anyone.Using her Waterbending, she bended water out of her pouch. She turned it into a long deadly icicle and took aim. She would make it quick and painless. He’d be dead before he ever knew he was under attack. It would be merciful, unlike how the Fire Nation had been to her and her people.But just as she was about to attack, something shiny caught her eye. It moved across the Firebenders’s path, going by unnoticed by him. Even if he had seen it, he wouldn’t realize its significance, but.iIt had just saved life.Melting the icicle, she returned the water to her pouch and settled for watching him for now. Just by reading his movements, she could tell a lot about him. But the guy was drawing far too much attention to himself. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to end up as some animal’s dinner.But Zuko didn’t know how things worked here. What he did know was that something was following him, and had been for a few minutes. He needed more light. Spotting a snow-covered tree nearby, he shot fire at it. The snow melted away and the tree burst into flames, lighting up the area.Several creatures jumped off the rock wall the tree was near. Zuko felt his insides drop as he recognized them. These creatures were known as Canyon Crawlers. Not only were they aggressive, but they were carnivorous. And they greatly outnumbered him.Zuko fled, but the giant insect-like creatures immediately gave chase. He could hear them snarling and snapping behind him. A moment later, something heavy landed on his back. One of them had pounced on him.Rolling over, Zuko shot a stream of fire in the creature’s face, causing it to retreat. Jumping to his feet, he suddenly found himself surrounded by Canyon Crawlers. There was no escaping them, and there were too many for him to fight. The realization that he was about to be dinner for these beasts hit him. But that did not mean that he was going to just roll over and die.Creating blades of fire, he kept his eyes on the creatures, constantly spinning around to make sure none of the ones behind him were coming at him, but they just continued circling him like sharks. What were they waiting for?“Well?” he snarled at them. “I don’t have all damn night.”Almost as if in response to his remark, one of the Canyon Crawlers lunged at him. Zuko saw it coming and slashed at it with a blade of fire. While his back was turned, another one went for him. Zuko caught this one too and kicked at it, shooting fire from his foot at the same time, then moved to stab another one that was coming at him.Another one pounced, and this time Zuko wasn’t quick enough. He found himself pinned to the ground with the creature’s face less than an inch from his own. Even so, he struggled, trying to free himself, though he knew it was pointless.Then something unexpected happened. A tentacle made entirely out of water sudden wrapped around the Canyon Crawler and lifted it off him, throwing it aside. Zuko sat up just in time to see a water tribe woman rushing towards him.Motioning towards the snow, she melted it down and formed several more water tentacles, which she began whipping at the Canyon Crawlers, who had now turned their attention to her. She struck them with her water whips to keep them back, and actual went on the attack herself, chasing them down.The Canyon Crawlers seemed to figure out that this girl was not going to be prey, and could actually be a predator to them with the way she was attacking. Unable to even get close to her, they retreating, deciding to find another food source.As the Canyon Crawlers fled, the Water Tribe girl turned her attention to the burning tree Zuko ignited. Muttering under her breath, she bended her water whips at the tree, extinguishing the flames. Then, with an irritated glance at Zuko, she walked over to the Canyon Crawlers that Zuko had wounded.Getting to his feet, Zuko created more fire. There was an angry groan from the Waterbender, and she sent some water at him, putting out the flame in his hand.“Hey, what was that for?” he demanded.She didn’t respond, but instead turned her attention to the first wounded Canyon Crawler, the one whose face he had burned. With a hand full of water, she began rubbing it over the creature’s face like a lotion, and, miraculously, its skin began to heal.As Zuko wondered why she was risking her life by helping the creature, something unexpected happened. The whole area began to glow. Zuko blinked and looked around at the glowing rock walls. He soon realized that the light from the moon was reflecting off the snow and bouncing off small crystal fragments in the rock, which illuminated everything. The fire he had been using for light had been interfering with the moon’s light.The Water Tribe girl had already finished healing the first Canyon Crawler, which had quickly scurried off, and had now turned her attention to the other three. She repeated the process of healing each one until she got to the one he had stabbed. She realized that the creature’s injury was too great for her to heal.She began muttering a prayer as she used her Waterbending a different way. Engulfing the creature’s head in water, she froze it into a block of ice. A moment later, she bended the block of ice, snapping the creature’s neck, giving it a quick death.Wincing at the cracking sound of the Canyon Crwler’s neck snapping, Zuko cautiously made his way over to the girl. Now that he could get a good look at her, he could see that she was very pretty. She had dark skin, much different from his pale complexion, beautiful blue eyes that were the color of the ocean. Her brown hair was braided, going down her back, except for a few strands of hair on either side of her head that were tied into loops.“Hey.” He muttered, not sure of what to say. He wasn’t all that good at thank yous. “Um, I… I just wanted to say, uh, thanks, I guess. I was in real trouble back there, so, um, thank you.”The woman glanced at him, giving no indication that she even understood what he was saying. Without a word, she turned and began walking away.Zuko’s mouth dropped open in surprise. He was the prince of the Fire Nation. He had never had someone simply turn their back on him while he was talking, except for his sister.“Hey, wait!” he cried, and went after her, but she just continued to ignore him. “Will you wait a minutes. I just wanted to thank you for killing those-”
Whack!
He had grabbed her arm to get her attention and was immediately knocked off his feet, a stinging sensation on his cheek. As quick as lightning, the girl had whirled around, bending water out of a pouch she carried, and whipped him across the face with it.“Don’t thank me!” she snapped. “Don’t thank me for this! This is sad! Very sad only!”Zuko blinked in confusion. What was sad? Did he do something wrong? Had he offended her by grabbing her arm? “Hey, I’m sorry. Whatever I did, I’m sorry?”She just glared at him, clearly not accepting his apology. Instead, she pointed at the dead Canyon Crawler. “This is your fault. He did not need to die, and those other ones did not need to have been harmed.”Zuko’s confusion increased. “My fault?” he asked, getting angry. “They attacked me? How is it my fault?”“Your fault!” she repeated, louder this time. “You’re like a child. Wandering around at night, making noise, drawing attention to yourself. They were looking for food, and you practically rang the dinner bell.”Was that why she was angry? Because he had accidentally drawn attention to himself? How was he supposed to know? Besides, it was just some mindless beast.“Well,” he growled, “if you love your Canyon Crawlers so much, then why didn’t you just let them kill me?”She stared at him for a moment, then her expression softened. “You have a strong heart. No fear.” Then she became angry again. “But you’re still as stupid and as ignorant as a child.”With nothing else to say, she turned her back on him. Zuko was momentarily caught off guard. She had just complimented and insulted him at the same time. And her mood swing was amusing. She actually looked pretty cute when she was angry. Someone as interesting as her he wouldn’t mind getting to know a bit better.That’s when he remembered the whole reason he and his companions had come out here. They were to try to make friends with the Water Tribes, then get them to accept the Fire Nation’s ways. This was a good chance to start that.With a smirk, Zuko went after her. “Well, if I’m like a child, then why don’t you teach me?”She didn’t even bother to look back at him. “The Fire Nation can’t learn. They don’t understand.”“Then teach me to understand.”“No one can teach you to understand.”She was being difficult. Perhaps she had a bad experience with the Fire Nations. Some of the soldiers were rather ruthless.“I’m sure we could learn to understand each other. My uncle loves learning new things. His name’s Iroh. Ever hear of him?”Stepping on some ice, he lost his balance and began to fall. The girl suddenly whirled around and grabbed him, stopping his fall and helping him to find his balance again.“You can’t even walk right!” she snapped. “You’re like a baby!”Ok, so normal conversation wasn’t working. Maybe he should try a more direct approach. “Look, I need your help.”This didn’t get him any sympathy. “You shouldn’t be here.” she told him. “Go back to where ever it is you came from.”“I need your help.” He repeated.“No! Go back.”He was about to argue further, but her attention was suddenly diverted. She was looking at something on the ground. Looking down, Zuko saw a frog that seemed to be frozen in ice, only it was still alive, and didn’t seem to be bothered by it. It wasn’t alone either. Other frogs just like it were approaching, hopping around his feet. One jumped on his boot and began climbing up his leg. Frowning, Zuko shook his foot, throwing the frog off.“No!” the girl snapped.More frogs attempted to crawl up his leg. Zuko shook them off too.“Stop!” the girl cried again.As more frogs approached him, Zuko began backing away, but the girl suddenly grabbed him to keep him in place. “Don’t move.” She told him. “Don’t… move…”Feeling foolish, Zuko remained still and let the strange frogs crawl up his body. Some settled on his shoulders, some on his head, while the others just clung to his body.“Uh, what are they?” he asked.While Zuko’s expression was one of confusion, hers was one of complete fascination. “Wood frogs that were brought back to life after freezing to death in the scared pond of La and Tui. They’re very pure spirits.”Frogs that froze to death and then came back to life? How utterly ridiculous. “Uh, huh…”Croaking, the ice covered frogs all jumped ff his body at once and began hopping away, leaving a completely bewildered Firebender behind. Clueless as to what was going on, he turned to the girl for help, hoping she would fill him in.“What was that all about?”She didn’t answer. She seemed to be thinking. And, coming to a decision, she grabbed his arm. “Come.”

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Chapter 3: The Water Tribe
She began leading him along. Zuko followed without complaint. It seemed as if the gods had decided to grant him some good fortune. But where was she taking him? Her village maybe? If so, what had changed her mind? The frozen frogs? How weird. Then again, who was he to judge the culture of others.“So what’s your name?” he asked.Before he could get an answer, something suddenly wrapped around his feet. He toppled over, face first, in the snow, wondering what had tripped him.The girl turned to him, looking surprised. She received another surprise when several people wearing blue appeared, all of them pointing a weapon at the Firebender.Pulling his face out of the snow, Zuko saw a rope wrapped around his feet. Pulling it off, he got up, only to find himself surrounded by people of the Water Tribe. Had the girl led him into a trap?Pushing other people aside, one fierce looking warrior marched up to Zuko with a scowl on his face. Zuko got the impression that this guy was in charge. But before he could address him, the girl moved in front of him protectively.“Jet, what do you think you’re doing?” she demanded.The warrior, Jet, glared at her. “What are you doing? This man is Fire Nation. You know these demons aren’t welcome here.”Though Jet seemed to be very intimidating, the girl didn’t seem bothered by him in the least. “There has been a sign!” she argued. “This is a matter for the Painted Lady.”Jet’s scowl deepened, but he seemed to accept this, whatever it meant. He motioned to the others, and Zuko suddenly found himself being aggressively dragged along. He didn’t bother to fight; there were too many. Besides, he didn’t want to make an enemy of these people, not yet anyway.The Water Tribe warriors led him along, bringing him to their village. Zuko’s eyes widened in astonishment at what he saw. The entire village was made of ice. And it wasn’t something simple like igloos. There were whole houses here, very big ones too. There was even a palace made of ice in extraordinary detail. Even with Waterbending, how had they managed to make such a structure?His presence caused a stir in the village. People gathered around, watching him with looks mixed with surprise, anger, curiosity, and hatred.As they made their way towards the palace, a man came out. With the way he was dressed, Zuko could guess that he was the chief. The people manhandling him brought him before the chief, then bowed their heads in respect.As the girl stepped forward, the chief turned his attention to her. “Why have you brought this man into our village? You know the Fire Nation are not welcome here.”The girl nodded. “I found him wandering around alone. I was going to kill him, but then-”“You should have killed him.” the chief scolded her. “He’ll contaminate our land with his evil.”Zuko felt insulted. “What’s that mean?”The girl glanced at him. “Be quiet. My father is deciding whether we should kill you or not.”Zuko’s attention shifted back to the chief. “Your father?” This girl’s father was the chief? Maybe she could help him make a good impression. And he would come off as the perfect gentleman. “It’s nice to meet you, sir.”He made the mistake of stepping forward, his hand held out to shake the chief’s. The entire tribe reacted very violently to this, afraid that he was attempting to harm their chief. Several spears were pressed up against him, the ones wielding them looking more than ready to strike.“Stop!” a loud voice cried out. “I will look at this Firebender.”A plump old woman with markings painted all over her body exited the palace. She approached Zuko with a look of suspicion and curiosity.“That’s Aunt Wu.” The girl told him. “She interoperates the will of Yue.”“Who’s Yue?” Zuko asked.His question went by unanswered as Aunt Wu looked him up and down, studying him carefully. “What’s your name?”Final some progress. “Zuko.”“And why have you come to us?”“I came to learn.”Aunt Wu didn’t look at all pleased by this news. “We’ve tried teaching other Fire Nation before. But like fire, all they do is burn whatever is given to them.”‘Using analogies, eh.’ Well he could play that game. “I can’t afford to just burn everything in my path. I’m no soldier.”That seemed to get Aunt Wu’s attention. “What are you?”He hoped he wasn’t about to make a huge mistake by giving this information. “I’m the prince of the Fire Nation. Son of Fire Lord Ozai and Fire Lady Azula.”“A prince?” Jet snarled. “We should kill him now. That’ll teach the Fire Nation not to mess with us.”The chief held up a hand to stop him. “We will do no such thing. That will be the equivalent of declaring war. Perhaps becoming allies with Fire Nation nobility will allow us to establish peace.”“It is agreed then.” Said Aunt Wu. “He shall learn our ways.” She turned to the girl. “And you will be the one to teach him.”A look of irritability crossed the girl’s face. “Why me? That’s not fair.”“You found him, and brought him here.” Aunt Wu told her. “Therefore he is your responsibility.” She turned back to Zuko. “We have decided to give you a chance. Take your lessons to heart, Prince Zuko, and we’ll see if your insanity can be cured.”Zuko nodded his thanks. Things were definitely looking up. He would be able to regain his honor in no time. And he’d get to spend time with the beautiful Waterbender in the process.He just hoped that the others would come to accept him. But as he sat down at the table for the dinner he was invited to, he received stares of hostility from nearly everyone.One child made eye contact with him and smiled. Zuko smiled back at him, but the child’s parent turned the boy’s attention away from Zuko. Perhaps gaining their trust would take longer than he thought.Glancing at his new ‘teacher’, he figured he could at least start by getting on friendly terms with her. “You know, I don’t even know your name.”She glanced at him suspiciously, almost as if she were wondering if he had a hidden motive. “Katara.”“Kattara?” he repeated.“Ka-ta-ra.” She said slowly and clearly.“Katara.” He received a nod, and returned it with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Katara.”(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)Zuko had to admit it, there had been times he thought he wouldn’t get back. But soon base camp was in sight. He thanked the Water Tribe members who helped him find his way back, then made his way to camp.His return caused quite a stir. Apparently, everyone had thought that he was dead. Zuko couldn’t blame his uncle for assuming the worst. He hadn’t thought he would make it out alive. So he wasn’t mad that he had been declared as dead. What he was angry about was his uncle suddenly embracing him in public.“I am so sorry, nephew.” Iroh told him. “I shouldn’t have given up hope.”“It’s all right, uncle.” Zuko told him. “Everything worked out.” A grin spread across his face. “You’re not going to believe what happened.”(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)It wasn’t long before news of Zuko’s little adventure had spread throughout the entire camp. Iroh was now making a joke out of how the last thing he saw was his nephew being chased by a hungry Unagi. Yet he was proud of him for making friends with the Water Tribe.The only one who didn’t seem happy about the situation was Aang. He was jealous and felt left out. He was the trained peacekeeper. It was supposed to be his job to make friends with he Water Tribe; not to mention he enjoyed showing off. But now Zuko had taken his place and was now receiving all the attention. It was a real let down.The Fire Lord could care less who made contact with the Water Tribe. He preferred a member of the Fire Nation on the inside anyway. “So they’re giving you a chance?”Zuko smirked. “I’m practically family.”“Very well done.” Zhao told him. “Now we earn their trust, learn their secrets, learn how to take them out.”“I don’t care how it’s done.” Said Ozai. “Whether it’s through friendship or war, as long as they bow down to us in the end. My brother insists upon doing things peacefully, but that takes too long.” He turned to his son. “Zuko, you have three months. If they’re not willing to embrace our ways, then we will use force.”“Three months?” Zuko repeated. “Well then, we’re wasting time.”And for the first time since Zuko could remember, his father smiled at him.(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)While they were on the hot air balloon heading back to the Water Tribe village, Iroh was teaching Zuko everything he knew about the Water Tribe. Right now they were going over the important figures in the tribe.Holding up a picture of Aunt Wu, Iroh asked for Zuko to identify her.“Aunt Wu.” Zuko replied. “The dragon lady.”“She’s the current Painted Lady.” Iroh told him. “The Painted Lady is like a spiritualist.”He held up the next picture, this one of the chief.“Hakudo.” Said Zuko.“Hakoda.” Iroh corrected. “He’s the village chief. He’s very cautious around people of the Fire Nation. He lost his wife to them, and his son.”Next picture. Zuko knew this one.“Jet.”“He will be the next chief. After the current chief’s son was killed, Jet was named to be the next chief.”Next picture.“Katara.”Iroh nodded. “Hakoda’s daughter. She’s to be the next Painted Lady. She’s also betrothed to Jet.”Zuko nodded in understanding. “So who’s Yue?”“Who’s Yue?” Aang asked, sounding shocked that he didn’t know. “She’s the spirit of the moon. The one they pray to. Without Yue, they would lose their Waterbending.” He sneered at Zuko. “You’d know this if you hadn’t spent your whole life locked in the palace.”Zuko held up the drawing of Katara. “Who’s got a date with the chief’s daughter?” he asked cheekily.Aang’s eye flashed angrily. “Ok, you know what-”“That’s enough.” Iroh interrupted. “Things didn’t turn out as planned, but as long as we avoid any violence, nothing else matters.” He glanced at Katara’s picture again and sighed. “Katara’s a good girl. She and her brother, Sokka, could always bring a smile to my face. He had a great sense of humor.”(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)Zuko’s lessons in how to be one of the Water Tribe were very different from what he was expecting. Today, Katara had brought him to an unfrozen river and had somehow used her Waterbending to call forth giant elephant koi. And, according to Katara, he was supposed to ride one.“But the water’s freezing.” Zuko told her.Katara nodded. “Normally we would use our Waterbending to make the water around us warm as we ride them, but you should be able to do the same with your Firebending.”He supposed that was true. “Ok then.”“Be gentle getting on.”Not entirely sure about this, Zuko hopped onto the giant fish. He had trouble finding his balance, but managed to steady himself.“Hold onto it’s fin and use it to direct it where to go.” Katara told him. “Make him go by applying pressure with your feet.”Zuko did so, and the fish suddenly dived under. It swam away as Zuko lost his grip and came sputtering to the surface. Katara couldn’t help it and burst out laughing. Zuko glared at her and climbed out, using his Firebending to dry himself off.At that moment, several other elephant koi appeared, swimming on the surface with tribe members riding them. In the lead was Jet, and he led the others over to Katara and Zuko.“You should go away.” he told Zuko.The Fire Prince shook his head. “No, you’d miss me.” he joked.Jet just sneered and glanced at Katara. “This Firebender will never learn anything. All fire can do is destroy.”With that said, he and the others took off. Katara just rolled her eyes and waved her hand, summoning another elephant koi with her Waterbending. “Again.” she told him.

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Chapter 4: Reliving the Past
Riding elephant koi wasn’t the only thing Zuko was learning. He was also learning about the strengths and weakness of the Water Tribe, and he was sharing that information with his father and Zhao.He thought he was keeping a low profile, but he underestimated the abilities of a certain Earthbender. Toph was able to use her Earthbending to detect lying, and it didn’t take her long to figure out what was going one with all the lies that were being told to keep her, Aang, and Iroh in the dark. But she was quick to inform them, and plans were quickly made.Zuko returned one day to find his uncle and Aang packing bags. “Going somewhere?” he asked.“Yes.” Said Iroh. “We’re moving to a warmer location. There’s another base the foggy swamp a few miles from here?”Aang’s head snapped towards Iroh. “The foggy swamp with the ancient Banyan-Grove Tree?”Iroh grinned. “That’s the one.”Using his Airbending, Aang jumped ten feet in the air. “All right!” That’s when he noticed the confused look on Zuko’s face. “The legendary ancient tree that reveals the past, present, and future. You’ve heard of that?”(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)Seeing the Banyan-Grove Tree for the first time was something Zuko would never forget. It was a very emotional moment for him, one that tended to repeat every time he went there.While there was nothing all that special about the tree at first glance, other than it’s massive size, it was the affect the tree had on people that made it so special. According to Iroh, time was merely an illusion here, and one tended to experience both the past, present, and future.Though Zuko couldn’t say what the others saw, he saw something that made his heart clench painfully. A beautiful middle-aged woman with long black hair, the top tied into a bun and held in place by the crown of the Fire Lady. She wore a smile on her face, yet it did not reach her eyes, indicating the sadness she hid behind her smile.“Mother…” Zuko whispered.Iroh glanced at the prince. “Something wrong, nephew?”Distracted, Zuko turned to him, then looked back at his mother, but she was no longer there. “N-No… nothing.”Iroh didn’t look convinced, but he let the subject drop. “Come, we should make camp.”“Finally, someplace warm.” Mai commented. “I was sick of all the snow and ice.”Iroh smiled. “The humidity in the swamp and the trees trapping the heat is what keeps it warm.”“I didn’t ask for a history lesson.”“Come on, Mai,” said Aang, “just look around. Can’t you feel the magic in this place?”“Oh yes,” she replied sarcastically, “it just fills my soul and gives me inexpressible joy.”Zuko rolled his eyes as he followed them. Like Mai, he didn’t believe in magic. The thought of a tree being able to dissolve the barrier between time was absurd. So he had hallucinated his mother. Big deal. She’d been gone a long time, and he missed her terribly. So he had a daydream about her, end of story.“Mother, want to see how Azula feeds turtle-ducks?”Zuko’s head snapped in the direction of the voice and he stopped dead in his tracks. A young boy, a young him, completely scar-free, sat on Lady Ursa’s lap in front of a pond. In the pond swam a mother turtle-duck and her turtle-ducklings, eating the pieces of bread Ursa and little Zuko had been tossing to them.Young Zuko took the entire roll of bread and threw it as hard as he could at one of the baby turtle-ducks, earning a pained squeak from the baby.“Zuko!” Ursa cried. “Why would you do that?”The mother turtle-duck decided that scolding wasn’t enough of a punishment. Quacking angrily, she swam up to young Zuko and bit him.“Ow!” young Zuko cried. “Stupid turtle-duck!”But Ursa gently consoled him. “That’s what happens when you mess with a mother’s babies. They bite you.”The illusion faded away, and the older Zuko realized that Mai was talking to him. “Hey, snap out of it. You’re falling behind.”He blinked. “Oh, right, sorry.”But this wasn’t the only time he saw such things. Later that day, he received another vision. This one wasn’t a happy moment either.“You’ll never catch up.” Azula told him.He remembered this. His father had demanded to see the current Fire Lord, Azulon. The so-called child prodigy, Princess Azula, named after her grandfather, had just demonstrated her Firebending skills, and had found it necessary to taunt her less advanced little brother into making a fool out of himself.Her plan worked as young Zuko demanded to show off his own skills, and failed miserably trying to match his sister. But his mother was there to console and praise him for trying.The current Fire Lord, however, was less than pleased, unable to tolerate failure, and demanding why Ozai was wasting his time.The vision had faded away after that, but Zuko would never forget what had happened. He, his mother, and sister had been ordered to leave while father and son spoke. But Azula had snuck away, dragging young Zuko with her to eavesdrop. They heard as Ozai made his case to Azulon, declaring that he should be Fire Lord rather than Iroh now that their cousin Lu Ten had died. This had sent Azulon into a rage that Ozai would suggest betraying his first born his right to the crown immediately after having lost his son.Zuko had not stayed after that, but Azula had been more than happy to fill him in on what happened.“Dad’s going to kill you!” she said in a singsong voice. “Really, he is.”According to her, Azulon had decided that a fitting punishment for Ozai would be to know the pain of losing a son, demanding that he take Zuko’s life. Of course, Zuko refused to believe such things, repeating his mantra of “Azula always lies”. Yet in his heart he feared that this time she was being truthful.He never did find out. Later that night, his mother had come to his room, telling him that she would always love him and that everything she was doing was for him.That had been the last time he had seen her. The next morning, she was gone. On top of that, Azulon had mysteriously passed away in his sleep, and, as his last request, had named Ozai as the future Fire Lord.Other visions had occurred while in the presence of the Banyan-Grove tree. Some of them were happy memories, but most were sad. And, to his horror, the worst memory of his life had come to him while here.“Please, Father,” 13-year old Zuko begged on his knees, “I meant no disrespect!”“Rise and fight, Prince Zuko!”Zuko shook his head to clear away the vision. He didn’t want to relive that the worst memory of his life. He didn’t need a vision to remind him of what had happened. He had a permanent reminder on his face.Angrily, he turned to his uncle. “Tell me again why we have to stay at this accursed place.”Iroh glanced at him. “This place is not cursed. It’s blessed by the gods.”“It’s done nothing but bring up painful memories!” Zuko shouted.Iroh shook his head. “No, it merely shows you what you need to see. Rather than looking at these visions, painful or not, in a negative way, look at them as a way to shape your future. Do that, and the Banyan-Grove Tree will show you what your future may have in store.”That wasn’t what Zuko wanted to hear. “I know what my future has in store. I’m to reclaim my honor and take the throne.”Iroh sighed, but said nothing. ‘If that is the future you want for yourself, then perhaps that is the reason why you are experiencing such painful memories once again.’

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Chapter 5: Learning
Today, Katara had brought Zuko up to the top of a mountain. She hadn’t told him the purpose of their journey, merely for him to follow her. Physical activity wasn’t anything new to the Fire Prince, but the cold made it difficult.Finally Katara came to a stop and pulled a strange device out of her pocket that Zuko didn’t get a good look at. She held it to her lips and blew. Zuko didn’t hear anything, but something else did. A few moments later, a large hairy beast came flying down from the sky and landed beside the two benders.“Holy shit!” Zuko gasped. “Is that a flying bison?”Katara petted the large furry beast. “His name is Appa.”“I thought taming flying bison was a trade of the Air Nomads.”She nodded. “It is, but long ago they taught us their ways.” She climbed on top of the large creature. “A friendship forged between a bison and a human is sacred. You become life partners. One day, you will tame a bison as well.”The thought of flying around on one of these creatures was both thrilling and scary. “When?”Katara smirked at his excitement. “When you are ready. Yip, yip!”The bison jumped off the mountain with Katara still on his back and began flying around. Zuko watched in fascination as the two flew about, Appa seeming to literally swim through the air while Katara emitted a battle cry from on his back.“Show off!” Zuko shouted.(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)The days rolled by and Zuko’s training continued. Katara was a great teacher, though very strict. She accepted nothing less than perfection. Zuko had to basically start from scratch. He even had to relearn his Firebending. In the past, he relied on his anger to Firebend, but Katara would not allow that. She told him that bending was a part of him, and he had to learn to use it as such.“You can’t let your anger take control of your bending. Do so, and it’s destructive.”“All fire is destructive.” Zuko told her. “All it can do is destroy.”She disagreed. “That’s only if you let it. All bending is related to nature. When nature is angry, no matter what form of bending it is, it’s destructive. The burning flames of a forest fire, the unforgiving flooding of water, the untamed force of an earthquake, the cruel wind of a tornado, it doesn’t matter. Your bending is your passion. Use your passion to control your bending. Even with Firebending. Control fire properly, and it gives life and warmth to those around it.”It went against everything Zuko had ever believed, but he couldn’t argue with that. He had been forced to learn to Firebend all over again. It was a real pain. At first, he couldn’t even bend at all, but slowly his skills returned without him having to rely on his anger.He also had to learn to fend for himself. Being the prince of the Fire Nation, he had been pampered most of his life. After his honor had been lost, he had gotten a taste of the real world, but out here, he truly had to learn how to survive. He had to hunt, track, build, make things, do whatever it took to survive.But he couldn’t be careless about it either. The Water Tribe was very proud of its ability to live with nature rather than just off of it. Zuko had been lectured for hours on how all nature is connected to each other and needed to learn to live together. He had to learn to respect all things, whether plant, animal, or human.“Do you think that simply because you were fortunate enough to be born as a human that you’re special?” Katara had asked him. “All life feels. You must respect that. We’re all equals.”It was all very annoying, at least in the beginning. Perhaps it was because he hadn’t been able to understand at the time, or wasn’t able to do what was demanded of him, but as time went on, things began to change. The things Katara demanded of him seemed to become a way of life rather than a chore he had to do.Zuko learned to hunt. He was careful about his kills, making them as quick and painless as possible, and saying a prayer for the parted animal’s spirit as he took its life.He learned how to understand the animals that the Water Tribe lived with. He could soon read them and understand their emotions. Though he never did become all that good at riding the elephant koi, he did manage to come to some sort of truce with the giant fish.The cold was no longer a problem either. His body had adapted to the low temperature. His Firebending allowed him to change his body’s temperature, happening on reflex until it was no different than breathing. Now Zuko didn’t even notice when his body temperature automatically changed to allow him to stay in such a cold climate.His Firebending skills had returned too. He was soon bending just as good as he was before. No, it was even better now. It felt stronger, more in control, and Zuko found himself enjoying it.But his relationship with the Water Tribe and their ways wasn’t the only thing that changed. Zuko had also become very close to the people he worked with back at camp. Iroh had become the father he never had, and the two had become very close. And Zuko had even managed to talk Hakoda into letting the old man into the village.Aang’s attitude had improved, and he and Zuko became friends. The young Airbender helped Zuko understand things about the Water Tribe that he struggled with. As it turned out, the Air Nomads and the Water Tribe shared many similar viewpoints about life.Mai was still Mai, still the dull moody girl with an attitude, but she did become friendlier. She smiled and talked more, and even openly said that Zuko and the others were now tolerable.It was hard to believe that it had only been three months.One day Katara demanded a demonstration of Zuko’s Firebending. He complied without complaint, performing for her to the best of his abilities. Katara watched, not saying anything, her face an emotionless mask.Finally, Zuko finished his demonstration and bowed to her. When he looked up, he saw something in Katara’s eyes that he could quite identify. Pride?“A flawless performance.” She told him. “You are ready.”(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)It should have been embarrassing. Here he was, climbing up a mountain with a couple of kids to pass a test that he should have taken six years ago. Meeting the bison was something all ten year olds that wanted to fly went through in the Water Tribe. And here he was, sixteen years old, about to perform this test with some children.But Zuko didn’t feel embarrassed or discouraged. He felt excited, and perhaps a little nervous. But he would be damned if he let Jet see him afraid. Currently, the young warrior was leading him and the others up the mountain to where the flying bison dwelled. Katara flew by on Appa, watching them as they climbed.They finally came to a stop. Katara landed Appa nearby and hopped off. Zuko greeted her with a smile and a nod, which she returned with an affectionate smile of her own. The look didn’t go by unnoticed by Jet, and he frowned in disapproval. Looking at Zuko and the children, he saw them all tired and out of breath, as was he. Yet a cruel arrogant smile crept up his face as he stepped in front of Zuko.“The Firebender will go first.” He announced.Zuko looked up, seeing the smirk on Jet’s face, just daring him to ask for a moment to rest. But the Fire Prince didn’t back down. He merely nodded and stepped past Jet. Katara gave Jet her own disapproving frown before following Zuko.Here, on a large edge of the mountain lay several dozen flying bison. Zuko eyed them curiously, wondering which one would be his. Katara came up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.“Remember, a bison is a companion for life. They can sense what type of person you are. Only one will choose you, and you must choose him.”Zuko looked at the bison. There were at least fifty. “How will I know which one chooses me?”Katara hesitated. “Normally, the ones that don’t choose you, will merely ignore you, but since you’re Fire Nation, they’ll sense the difference and be more… hostile.”Well that told him absolutely nothing. “Meaning?”“Basically, the one that chooses you, will be the only one not trying to kill you.”Zuko felt his stomach drop. Great, so out of fifty flying bison, only one wouldn’t want to kill him. “Outstanding.”He slowly crept out on the ledge. Several bison turned to him, sensing his presence. They immediately began growling, regarding him with distrust. One of them even took a step towards him and snarled.Jet laughed. “That idiot is going to get himself killed.”A jolt of fear ran through Zuko. The urge to Firebend hit him, but he didn’t. If he did, he would either provoke the bison into attacking or scare them off. Either way, he would lose his only chance to get a bison of his own, and lose this opportunity to connect further with the Water Tribe.So, taking a deep breath, he walked out onto the ledge. Several more bison began snarling at him, some backing away, other lowering their horns threateningly. Zuko did his best not to look intimidating, but he didn’t think he was getting the message across.With a roar, one of the bison charged. Zuko lunged out of the way, but his sudden movement set off others. Zuko soon found himself in a pile up of bison. He dodged bucking horns, snapping teeth, flapping tails, and stomping feet, all while trying his best not to fight back.Finally, Zuko found himself backed into a corner. The bison surrounded him, their heads bowed, ready to impale him on their horns. Over their growls, he heard Katara scream his name, the laughter of Jet, and the encouragements of the others. Not that any of them could help him now.One rather large, rather scruffy looking bison stepped forward, growling at Zuko. It bowed its head, displaying its horns, ready to run Zuko through. But Zuko refused to back down.“Lets dance.” He told it.The bison roared and charged. Zuko took a fighting stance, ready to defend himself. It appeared he wouldn’t be getting a bison of his own after all. But just before he prepared to Firebend, another bison appeared in front of him, shielding him from the charging bison. It roared loudly, and the one charging stopped. The two stared at each other for a few moments, making animals noises, almost as if they were talking.Finally, the bison that had charged, and the others, turned away, no longer seeming to feel threatened by Zuko now that one of their own had accepted him. The bison that had defended him turned to the Fire Prince, looking at him almost curiously.“I guess… you’re mine.” Zuko said to it.Almost as if to reply, the bison gave him a big wet lick. Wiping away the massive amount of saliva, Zuko turned to the others. The children were cheering and Jet was looking disappointed, but Katara was beaming proudly.

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Chapter 6: The Festival
Zuko may not have been one for riding large fish, but he enjoyed flying. He seemed to be very intoned with his bison. He understood what Katara meant by saying that a bison was a lifetime companion.Not that they were perfectly in sync right off the bat. He did need some training in how to fly, as did the children that took the bison test with him. But now they all flew through the air as if it were second nature. Jet led them, followed by Katara, Zuko, and the children.Glancing at Katara, a mischievous smirk crept up Zuko’s face. He directed his bison to nudge Appa, not enough to knock Katara off, but just enough to make her loose her balance. She gave him a shocked look, though it held no anger. She returned the favor by having Appa nip Zuko’s bison, forcing Zuko to grab hold of his bison’s horn to keep from falling off.“Enough!” Jet scolded.Though Zuko rolled his eyes at Jet’s attitude, he decided to listen to him and stop fooling around. Today was important. There was a big hunt happening. All the Water Tribe’s hunters were going after big game.Down below, large cow-hippos ran in packs as the hunters gave chase. It was their job to get them going, and then for the real hunters to take them down. Zuko was intent on making a kill. He would prove himself to be a hunter to everyone.Spotting a rather large fat one, he directed his bison towards it. Once he was close enough, he threw his spear. It hit the cow-hippo in the back. It roared loudly, but kept going. Zuko wasn’t surprised, these things weren’t easy to take down. But even after throwing four more spears, his prey kept going.Eyes narrowing, Zuko directed his bison to dive straight down towards the cow-hippo. Taking up a spear, he waited to the last possible second to pull his bison out of the dive. As he did, he threw the spear, using his Firebending to launch it like a rocket. It hit the cow-hippo in the back of the head, going straight through, and coming out of its chin, slamming into the ground. The cow-hippo roared loudly and tripped over its own feet. It came crashing down and was dead moments later.Zuko cried out in triumph. He’d just taken out a cow-hippo all by himself. Not even Jet would be able to dismiss this.(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)On the way back, Katara and Zuko decided to take a detour. She felt it was time to share something special with him. Flying over the area, she motioned downwards. Zuko looked and couldn’t believe what he saw.Among the snow and ice was an oasis surrounded by a shrine. In the middle of it was a pond that seemed to glow. And within the pond seemed to be a yin-yang, circling around and around.Zuko knew what this was. This was the sacred pond of La and Tui, the ocean and the moon. It was the Water Tribe’s most sacred place. According to what he learned, La and Tui were the ancient spirits in physical form. They were the Water Tribe’s direct contact with Yue.‘Uncle would kill to see this.’ He thought, but he knew that outsiders were strictly forbidden.He didn’t get a good look though. They had to get back, or they’d miss the celebration.On the way back, they flew past an island in the middle of a river. But the island suddenly sprang to life. A large claw, more than capable of grasping both Katara and Zuko’s bison in a single palm, reached for them.“Pull up!” Zuko shouted.Katara didn’t need to be told twice. Both she and Zuko directed their bison upwards, just missing being swiped by the giant claw.The giant head of a lion emerged from underwater, its mouth wide open. Katara and Zuko just barely avoided its snapping jaws.With an angry roar, the creature submerged, the entire island going with it. That’s because it wasn’t an island at all, but part of the creature.The water exploded and the creature burst up from under the water, launching itself into the air. Katara and Zuko flew higher as the creature swiped at them. They only just got out of range, yet they flew even higher just to be sure. The creature roared in frustration and turned away, partly submerging itself again so it looked like an island once again.Safe for now, Zuko and Katara shared a look. For a moment, shock and terror was written all over their faces. Then they burst out laughing.(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)Back at the village, Zuko and Katara were talking about what had happened. Katara had informed him that the creature that had tried to eat them was a lion-turtle, the largest and wisest animal in the world. She also told him that her great-great-grandfather was the rider of the lion-turtle.“He rode that thing?” he asked in shock.She smiled proudly. “The lion-turtle chose him. It has only happened six times since Yue became the moon.”Zuko’s eyes widened. “That’s a long time.”She nodded. “They call the rider of the lion-turtle the Blue Spirit. He brought our clans together in a time of great sorrow.” She gave him a smile and grabbed his hand. “Come, lets join the festival.”The festival was to celebrate a successful hunt. There was singing, dancing, and feasting. Everyone one was there, children, hunters, warriors, healers, everyone. Even Iroh and Aang had been allowed to attend.It was a different experience for Zuko. There was no dancing in the Fire Nation, and any parties consisted of well-behaved high-class people making small talk. It was very boring. But the Water Tribe was quite the opposite.Currently, several people were dancing around a roaring firing in costume. Those that weren’t dancing were sitting on the sidelines, watching. Zuko was among them, sitting with Iroh and Aang as they watched the dancing. But Zuko’s attention was focused on one dancer in particular. His gaze was fixed on Katara as she moved to the beat of the drums, completely lost in the music.Someone moved into his line of vision and Zuko looked up to see Jet. Great, just the person Zuko wanted to see. What did he want this time?But to Zuko’s surprise, Jet sat down beside him and handed him a goblet. “Drink.” He said.Hesitantly, Zuko took the goblet. Was Jet trying to poison him? But then he realized that several tribesmen were watching them. Jet wouldn’t do anything with so many witnesses.He glanced at his uncle, who was eyeing the goblet in concern, but not because he thought it was poisoned. Giving Zuko a nervous look, he shook his head. The young prince ignored him and drank. He immediately wished he hadn’t. The stuff was strong. But he immediately received cheers from the others.“Hey,” said Aang, taking a goblet, “can I try some?”“Oh no!” Iroh cried, snatching the goblet from him. “That stuff will knock you off your feet. Now tea, that’s the way to go.”His uncle had been right. Zuko could already feel the affects of the alcohol hitting him. Smirking, he looked up at Jet, wandering if this had been a peace offering.Jet smirked back, also looking like the drink was affecting him as well. “I thought that with enough drink that you wouldn’t be so damn ugly.”Zuko started to take offense, but then he realized that, knowing Jet, he most likely wasn’t talking about his scar.“You did very well today.” Jet continued. “I’ve only seen Firebenders destroy all in their path. And those that can’t Firebend, attack in metal tanks like cowards. I didn’t know someone of the Fire Nation could be brave.”Zuko supposed this was a compliment, or as close as to a compliment that he would ever get from Jet. He opened his mouth to reply, but Katara suddenly appeared beside them, her face flushed from dancing. Beaming happily, she grabbed Zuko’s hand and gave him a tug towards the dance floor.“Come!” she said.Zuko shook his head. “I don’t dance.”She gave him a look of false irritation. “It is the way. Come.”Zuko reluctantly let himself be pulled to his feet, missing the look of suspicious disapproval that Jet threw at him and Katara. He managed to prevent himself from getting dragged off just long enough to grab his uncle’s hand and pull him along.“No, I’m too old to dance.” He said.Aang immediately came to back Zuko up, giving Iroh a shove to the dance floor, and soon the three of them had joined Katara and the other dancers.For not having danced before, Zuko picked it up quickly enough. And it was fun. He and Katara paired up and danced together, even during the dances that didn’t require or have partners. They lost themselves in the music and each other, unaware of the three pairs of eyes watching them in disapproval.Hands joined together, the two danced until the song came to an end. And when it did, Zuko found that he didn’t want to let go. Katara didn’t seem to want to let go either. They remained on the dance floor, looking at each other fondly, and perhaps with a bit more than fondness.On the sidelines, Aunt Wu, who had been one of the ones watching in disapproval, moved towards Hakoda, another disapproving onlooker. “This must not happen.” She told him, knowing he already knew. “Her path is with Jet.”Hakoda nodded in agreement.(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)They had gone back to base today to report in. Zuko remained silent the whole time. He was lost in thought, trying to sort out his feelings. Everything was backwards now; like life in the Water Tribe was reality and his life as a Fire Nation soldier was the lie.It was hard to believe it had only been three months.“Haven’t gotten lost in the snow, have you?”Zuko looked up, finding Admiral Zhao walking towards him. Iroh and Aang were with the Fire Lord, giving him their reports on the mission. Now Zhao was coming for Zuko’s report on his own mission.“It’s been a while since your last report.” Zhao continued, taking a seat beside the prince. “I was beginning to doubt your resolve.” He must have read something in Zuko’s face because he said, “I see it’s time to terminate the mission.”A jolt of fear ran through Zuko. Terminate the mission? Never get to see the Water Tribe again? Never get to see her again?“No!” he cried. “No, I can do this.”Zhao grinned. “You already have. You’ve given me good useful information with this sacred pond of La and Tui. I’ve got them up against the wall now when this turns into a war, which it will.” He said it so nonchalantly. “You’ve restored your honor, my prince. You can go back home with your head held high. I can have you on a ship tonight.”There it was, what he always wanted. Honor, respect, his throne, his kingdom… his father’s love. It was finally all within his grasp once more. He’d done it; he’d gotten his honor back. No longer would he be the disgraced prince, but a hero of the Fire Nation.But there was something else he wanted, something more than anything else. But he would never be able to get it if he went back to the Fire Nation now.“I have to finish this.” He told the admiral. “There’s one more thing left. A ceremony. It’s the final stage of becoming a man. If I do it I’m one of them.” He noted Zhao’s suspicious look. “And I can negotiate the terms of their surrender.”Zhao seemed to be thinking about this. The whole point of this operation had been to earn the trust of the Water Tribe and get them to embrace the ways of the Fire Nation. Now here was the young prince saying that he was moments away from achieving that goal. He couldn’t just dismiss that.“Well then,” Zhao said, sounding disappointed, “you better get it done.”

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Chapter 7: The Ceremony
“I’m begging you, Prince Zuko, please reconsider your decision!” Iroh cried. “You can’t go through with this!”Iroh, Aang, and Mai had been trying to dissuade him since he announced what he was going t do. “I have to do this.”But Iroh wouldn’t give up. “Do you have any idea of how dangerous this is? If you fail, it won’t just affect your life, but your very soul. It can never be undone. There are even those of the Water Tribe who have suffered this fate.”Aang nodded in agreement. “He’s right, Zuko. It’s too risky. You’ve done enough. Just let it go.”“Before it’s too late.” Mai added, still sounding bored, even though she was being serious.“It’s my choice,” Zuko told them, “and I’m doing it.”“What are you trying to prove? Iroh asked. “Once they find out the Fire Nation’s intentions, we’ll be branded as traitors. They’ll never accept us.” He couldn’t put it off any longer. “You can never truly be with her!”Zuko froze as the reality of Iroh’s words hit him. He knew it was true, had known it all along, but he had ignored the truth. There was no real future for him there.Sighing, Zuko slowly turned to them. “Do you know what I was told to do? My father and Zhao sent me out here to find out how to defeat the Water Tribe.”Aang hung his head, hearing what he and Iroh always suspected from Zuko. “Oh man.”“But that was then and this is now.” Zuko continued. “I’m not that person anymore.”Iroh placed a hand on his nephew’s shoulder. “We know that Zuko. But you have to understand that going through with this ceremony won’t change anything.”“I know that.”“Then why are you doing it?”Zuko looked up at him, his eyes filled with determination and desperation. “Because if I don’t, I can never see her again.”(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)Zuko was nervous. Standing before the pond of La and Tui, he prepared to receive his vision. This was his first time entering the sacred oasis. He realized that what he had thought was a yin-yang from when he was flying on his bison were actually koi fish, one black, one white, swimming around each other.“You know what you have to do.” Katara told him.Zuko nodded. He knew how dangerous it was, and he also knew the consequences if he failed, but he was going to go through with it anyway.He sat down and looked at the two fish swimming around each other, letting his mind go blank. Around him, the spiritualists, led by Aunt Wu, chanted, asking the spirits to give him a vision.As La and Tui continued swimming, their eyes began to glow. Zuko’s vision began to blur as the two fish seemed to merge together, forming an actual yin-yang. His head felt funny and his body tingled. Slowly the color seemed to drain from the world, and Zuko felt himself collapse.But he didn’t, he was still sitting up. That was strange since he had felt himself topple over.Looking down, he was shocked to find his body lying motionless on the ground, glowing with a faint light. But if his body was down there, then how was he up here?He looked down and received a shock. He had two bodies. One was lying on the ground, the other one was him. Only this second body was transparent, and somewhat devoid of color, just like the area around him.He had made it to the Spirit World.His body began to float away. He seemed to be pulled by an unseen force. Zuko let himself be pulled along, watching as the land passed by below him. He was carried to a mountain, over to the mouth of a cave. He touched down at the entrance, and was left there to move about freely.“Ok, now what?” he wondered out loud.He heard movement behind him and turned around. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was only a monkey.“How’d you get up here, little guy?” he asked.The monkey turned to face him and Zuko received a shock. The monkey’s face was gone. It had no eyes, nose, or mouth, just flesh covering where its face should have been.Fear filled Zuko as he turned his attention to the cave. He took a minute to regain his composure before stepping inside.It was dark and hard to see, though he could still make things out. He looked around, trying to see what he came here for.He didn’t have to wait long. As if having expected him, something moved out of the shadows. It appeared to be a giant centipede, but where its head should have been was instead a single eye, or what should gave been an eye. When the eyelids opened, Zuko saw that there was no eyeball behind them, but a face, a human face.“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” the creature remarked. “A Firebender, huh. That’s rare for these parts.”Zuko tried to keep his face as emotionless as possible. “Are you Koh?”“I am.” The centipede replied. “Also known as the Face Steeler. Although,” he grinned, “it’s been a while since I’ve added a human face to my collection.”He blinked, and when his eyelids opened again, the face had changed to that of a blue-nosed mandrill. Zuko briefly wondered if this was the very faceless monkey he had seen outside the cave.“Great spirit Koh,” said Zuko, “I have come to you because-”“I know why you are here.” Koh replied, blinking again, his face changing to that of a young woman. It seemed that every time he blinked, his face changed. “You are Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, here to ask me for a vision.” Blink, face of a dog. “That’s very brave of you, boy. Even among the Water Tribe, there are not many who dare to face me out of fear of losing their own face.”Zuko could understand that. He knew the risks of coming before Koh. If he showed the slightest bit of emotion, Koh would steal his face. It was, perhaps, a fate worse than death.“Your face is very interesting.” Koh continued. Blink, face of an old man. “It’s unique. Most faces are symmetrical. But not yours. Yes, your face will be a fine addition to my collection.” Blink, face of an otter-penguin.Zuko couldn’t help but ask. “Why do you take other’s faces?” Koh turned away. “Why does the bee sting? Why do the birds migrate? Why does the dog bark? Why do you benders bend? It is just our nature.” There was the sound of him blinking. “But you haven’t come here to discuss the behavior of the things in this world.” He spun around, sticking his face, that was now to that of a blue-faced demon, right in front of Zuko, attempting to startle him. “Have you?”He had startled Zuko, but he was able to keep his face neutral. “No, great spirit Koh. I have come requesting a vision of fate.”Blink, face of an owl. “Yes, that’s the test, isn’t it? You do, however, know that the future is uncertain. I can give you a vision of your fate, but you must be the one to make it happen.” Blink, a white humanoid face, that of a female Noh, with large dark shadows under and over the eyes and red lips. “However, you may not like what you see. It could destroy you. Are you sure this is what you want?” Blink, face of a fish.Zuko nodded. “It is.”Koh once again pressed his face, that had changed to that of a young man, into Zuko’s face. “Then look into my eyes.”Zuko was afraid that this may be another trick for the sadistic spirit to steal his face. But from what he was told, Koh was neither good or bad, simply amoral, yet bound by sacred laws like all spirits. Though he tended to speak in riddles, it was Koh’s responsibility to answer those that came before him.Taking a moment to compose himself, Zuko looked into Koh’s eyes. The spirit’s eyes began to glow and Zuko felt a fuzzy feeling in his head. Soon the only thing he could see was the light coming from Koh’s eyes. It consumed his vision, blinding him from all else.But from within the light, blurry object soon came into focus. They became less fuzzy, and soon Zuko was able to make out what he was seeing. He was standing at the top of a glacier, overlooking the Water Tribe. He heard a growl behind him as a large shadow fell over him.Turning around, he saw the massive form of a lion-turtle standing over him. It roared loudly, sounding and looking furious. Turning around again, he saw why. The Water Tribe was engulfed in flames. The houses of ice, even the palace itself, were melted down to nothing. Trees burned, and bodies littered the ground.Then the scene changed. He was floating over the oasis. It too was burning. Standing over the pond of La and Tui was a red demon. Raising its hand, it threw a ball of fire at the white koi fish.An anguished cry cut through the night. Looking up, Zuko saw a beautiful white haired ghostly woman emerge from the moon. A tear ran down her cheek and she faded away. A moment later, as if it were a mere candle, the moon went out, enveloping the land in darkness.Suddenly Zuko was standing at the other end of the pond of La and Tui. The white fish floated dead in the water while the black one swam around it. The red demon stood over it, and Zuko feared it might attack the black fish as well.Instead, the demon pointed at Zuko and a bolt of lightning flew out of its finger, striking Zuko in the chest. He fell to his hands and knees and, for the first time, caught sight of his reflection in the water. His face was that of a blue demon, similar to the face of Koh, only more demonic.Then the blue demon face was the one of Koh, and it was no longer in the reflection of water, but right in front of Zuko’s face. He was back in the cave with Koh, and it seemed as if the Face Steeler had tried one last time to startle a reaction out of him, but Zuko’s expression remained unchanged.“You have received your vision.” Koh told him. “Now you may go.”But what Zuko had seen had confused and scared him. “Wait, what does it mean? Is that what will happen in the future?”Blink, face of an old man. “It was merely a vision of the future. Your future. Whether it comes to pass is up to you. Goodbye Fire Prince Zuko.”He felt a pull at his back, and suddenly he was flying backwards. Then he was back in his body, sitting before the pool of La and Tui. Both fish were perfectly fine, still swimming around each other like nothing happened.Feeling exhausted, Zuko fell over. He was immediately supported by members of the Water Tribe.“It is finished.” Said Aunt Wu.Things that happened after that were a blur to Zuko, still disorientated from his trip to the Spirit World. But something happened that he would never forget. He stood before the entire Water Tribe. Hakoda approached him and placed his hands on his shoulders.“From this day forward,” the chief declared, “you are now and forever shall be a member of the Water Tribe. You are now one of the people.”From there, people began reaching out to touch him. Those that could not reach him placed their hands on those closest to him. Even Jet seemed to accept him as he placed his hand on Zuko’s shoulder. But the young Firebender’s attention was on the woman touching his other shoulder. Katara was smiling at him proudly, her eyes wet with tears. But for some reason, Zuko couldn’t help but think that she looked rather sad.

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Chapter 8: The Cave of Two Lovers
He had no idea where Katara was leading him. She had merely told him to follow her. He had done so without question. But he wondered where they were going.  It was a lot warming around here though, there was no longer any snow on the ground.But Zuko didn’t really care about the scenery. His full attention was on the beautiful Waterbender he was following. She looked stunning in the light of the full moon. And tonight she had taken her hair out of her braid, letting it flow freely. Zuko really liked it, and made a mental note to tell her to wear it freely more often.“Come.” She said, heading over to a cave.“Where are we?” he asked as she pulled him along into the cave.“This is known as the Cave of Two Lovers.” She told him, going deeper into the cave.Zuko created fire so they could see in the darkness. “Cave of Two Lovers?”She gave him a smile. “Long ago, two lovers from opposing tribes created this labyrinth with Earthbending. Here they were able to meet without fear of their families discovering them. Only they knew how to navigate through the cave. Anyone else who entered was lost forever.”That didn’t sound good. “So we’re going in here… why?”She laughed. “It is said that only those who believe in true love as they did could find the way through. All you have to do is trust in love.” She gathered some water from her pouch. With it, she covered the fire Zuko had created, extinguishing the flame. “And they say love shines brightest in the dark.”For a few seconds they were left in complete darkness, but then a bright light filled the cave, coming from glowing crystals on the cave walls. Zuko was left in awe at its beauty.“Wow.”“Beautiful, isn’t it? This cave is a sacred cave of eternal love. They say you can still feel the love of all those who enter this cave. It’s an old story passed down for generations in our tribe. Many come here to propose to those they love. And for those who’s love in unrequited, it is said that if you call the name of the one you love while going through the cave that they shall come to love you in return.”Zuko’s heart skipped a beat. “Is that so?”Unconsciously, his hand drifted to his scar. Ever since he had received it, he had thought no one would ever come to love him; that they’d never be able to see beyond his hideous blemish. And his sister had always rubbed that in his face.Katara seemed to sense his sadness. “What’s wrong?”Zuko hesitated. “It’s… nothing.”“You’re lying. I can tell when you lie, Zuko. You’re very bad at it.” She placed a hand on his shoulder. “You can tell me anything.”Again he hesitated. “I guess… I just feel out of place in here. For the longest time I didn’t think anyone would ever love me. My mother died long ago, my father withdrew his love, and my sister, she… well, she said that if Mother saw me with this scar that I’d even lose her love.”Katara was shocked. “What nonsense. Love is not about appearance. You’re mother would have loved you regardless of how you looked. And besides, scars are proof of bravery. They show what powerful warriors those who bear them are.”Zuko shook his head. “Not me. Mine’s one of disgrace.”He pulled away from her. Katara looked at his turned back, a sad look on her face. “Tell me.”A jolt of fear went through Zuko. She was asking him to tell her of the most disgraceful moment of his life. It was a closely guarded secret that he never shared with anyone. But he found that he didn’t want to keep secrets from her. He was already lying to her about his true purpose here, he could at least tell her this.“When I was thirteen, my father and his generals held a war council. I was curious about it, and I wanted to be a good warrior. So I begged Uncle to let me attend. He said I could if I promised to remain silent.“During the meeting, one of the generals presented a battle plan that would require sacrificing a great deal of our men, but would gain us victory in the end. I was outraged by this. I said that he couldn’t sacrifice our soldiers like that. They trusted and respected us, and we’d be betraying them if we did such a thing.” He closed his eyes and sighed. “Father became angry after I said that.”“But you were right.” Katara told him.Zuko shook his head. “Whether I was right or wrong, it wasn’t my place to say so. Father said that speaking out like that was a show of great disrespect, and the only way to resolve it was with an Agni Kai.” He realized she probably didn’t know what that was. “A Firebending Duel to the death.” He heard her gasp in surprise. “Looking at the old general, I thought I’d be able to take him and announced that I wasn’t afraid. And so, before the entire Fire Nation, I prepared for the duel.” He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, as if trying to block out the memory. “But my opponent wasn’t the general.”Katara’s hand went to her mouth. “It wasn’t… Was it?”Zuko nodded. “It was my father. It may have been the general I insulted, but by speaking out of term in the Fire Lord’s war room, it was my father I showed disrespect to. I had to fight a duel to the death with my own father!”He let out an anguished cry and punched the rock wall, splitting his knuckles. “But I couldn’t. I got down on my knees and begged for forgiveness. I told him that I meant no disrespect and that I would not fight my own father.” His hand covered his scar. “So he gave me a permanent reminder of how to show respect on my face. But not even that was enough. He said that since I refused to fight, I disgraced myself, so he stripped me of my honor and disowned me.”He felt tears creep up in his eyes and squeezed them shut tightly to keep them in. But a soft hand on his scar made him open his eyes. Katara was standing in front of him, also looking close to tears. Gently, she took his hand and, using her healing abilities, healed his bloody knuckles.“I was hoping,” he continued, “that the sacred water from here would be able to heal my scar and remove my shame.”“There’s no reason for that.” she told him. “Your family has it all backwards, Zuko. It’s your father who disgraced himself. He burned his own son for trying to save the lives of his own people. It was incredibly brave to speak out when it was not your place to defend your people. And you respected your father so much that you did what was considered dishonorable in front of your entire nation because you did not wish to fight your father.” She touched Zuko’s scar again. “This mark is anything but dishonorable. It’s the mark of a brave and honorable man, and you should wear it proudly.”Slowly Zuko’s hand came up to cover hers. “You’re the first person to ever say that.”She gave him a smile. “Anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool. Any member of the Water Tribe will see you scar in the same light as I do. What your nation believes does not matter.  You are now one of the people, Zuko. You may take your place among us. You may make your house of ice beside the rest of us.” Her smile left her face and she turned away. “And you may choose a woman. Our tribe has many fine women. Song is the best singer.”The change in mood caught Zuko off guard, but from the direction their previous conversation had taken, combined with three months of unspoken feelings, Zuko suddenly found an answer to his question; how did Katara feel about him?“Her name certainly indicates so.” He told her. “But I don’t want Song.”Was it his imagination, or did Katara seem to perk up a bit. But her shoulders immediately sank again. “Jin is a good hunter.”No argument there. “Yes, she is a good hunter.” She turned to him then, a look of heartbreak on her face. Zuko made sure to keep eye contact as he spoke. “I’ve already chosen.” He noticed a glimmer of hope appear in her eyes. He was determined to make his feelings known. “But… this woman must also choose me.”The sadness vanished completely to be replaced with joy and love. “She already has.” She told him.Zuko’s hands came up to cup her face, slowly bringing her face closer to his, and their lips met for the first time.Clothes fell away as kisses and caresses were exchanged, the two lovers whispering declarations and vows of love to each other. And for a short time, the fact that they were from two different worlds was lost to each other. They knew only of their lover and the love they had for them. But as the two held each other tightly while drifting off to sleep, a single thought ran through the Fire Prince’s mind.
‘What the hell are you doing, Zuko?’
(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)The previous night had been magical, but it was to a harsh reality that the two woke up to. Katara was the first to hear it, the loud rumbling of the Fire Nation tanks. But it wasn’t until the metal monsters began drilling through the Cave of Two Lovers that she realized what was happening.Rushing to Zuko’s side, she shook him awake as cracks began appearing along the walls and ceiling of the cave. “Zuko, wake up!”The Fire Prince’s eyes shot open. He recognized the sound of the Fire Nation’s machinery and realized what was happening. “Oh no!”They dressed as they ran from the cave, coming outside to see countless mobile drills burrowing into the mountainside. The Fire Nation was trying to drill a direct route to the Water Tribe, destroying the Cave of Two Lovers in the process.“Hey!” Zuko shouted. “Cut it out! Stop!”If the ones controlling the drills could even hear him over the noise, they completely ignored him. Zuko swore furiously and began climbing the machine. He created fire daggers and stabbed them into what he knew was the weakest part of the drill. There was a loud snapping sound and the drill stopped spinning.At that moment, the lid to the tank open, and a Firebender threw a handful of fire at him. Zuko jumped off the tank and ran to Katara, who could only watch in horror as the Fire Nation proceeded to tear apart the Cave of Two Lovers.Farther away, Zuko caught sight of a group of Water Tribe members, led by Jet. They looked just as horrified as Katara, but also furious. Especially Jet, though he seemed to be looking at Katara and Zuko, noting how little clothing they wore.Zuko decided to ignore the issue with Jet for now. He alone knew the weaknesses of the drills, and if he could actually get the soldiers to realize who he was, he could order them to stop. But Katara and the others were in danger here.“Katara, go back to the village.” He told her. “I’ll do what I can to stop them.”She looked ready to argue. “But-”“These are my people.” He told her. “Only I can stop them. Go now, hurry.”He didn’t wait for her to argue as he ran to another tank. He tried getting their attention again, but when that didn’t work he attempted to immobilize the drill again. But a powerful blow to the head brought him crashing down to the ground. The last thing he saw before blacking out was the large form of Combustion Man standing over him.

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Chapter 9: Upcoming War
They were back at base camp. They could feel the eyes of everyone staring at them accusingly; the same unspoken word hanging in the air, traitors.“You let me down.” Zhao told the young prince. “So what, you get some local tail and completely forget what side you’re on?”Zuko didn’t dignify that remark with a response, but Iroh spoke up, turning desperately to the Fire Lord. “Brother, please, there is still time to salvage the situation.”Zhao moved in his path. “Hold your tongue, Dragon of the West.”Iroh glared at him. “Or what, admiral? Do you wish to challenge me to an Angi Kai?”Zhao smirked. “I can do that.”Iroh’s fists clenched angrily as he turned to his brother. “You better pour some water on his flame.”Not that Ozai cared, but he wasn’t in the mood to have a fight break out. “Yes, that’s enough.” He glanced at Iroh. “From both of you.”Iroh took a calming breath. “Ozai, listen, that cave was sacred to the Water Tribe in a way you can’t imagine.”The Fire Lord rolled his eyes. “Please. If you throw a handful of snow around here those peasants will accuse you of disrespecting a sacred snowball.”“Don’t disrespect them, Ozai!” Iroh scolded. “There’s a legend to that cave that’s based on truth. It’s a place of love and history to everyone, not just the Water Tribe.”Ozai regarded him, for a moment before he burst out laughing. “What toxic plants have you been using to make your tea? It’s just a cave.” The humor left his face. “Now you listen to me-”“No, you listen to me!” Iroh interrupted. “This is the Water Tribe’s home. If you want to share this world with them, then you’re going to have to understand them.”“Oh, I believe we understand them just fine, thanks to the young prince here.” Said Zhao, clutching a scroll. Unrolling it, he held it up to Zuko. “Tell me, Zuko, is this your handwriting?”Zuko didn’t even need to look at the scroll to know it was his, and what was on it. “Yes…”Zhao’s smirk widened. “And would you please read it to us?” He received no reply. “Very well then, I’ll read it.” He cleared his throat. “‘They’re not going to take on the Fire Nation’s society. They’re never going to give up their sacred ways. We don’t have anything they want. They only desire their freedom. Everything they sent me out here to do is a waste of time. They’ll never give in to the Fire Nation.’” Looking satisfied, Zhao rolled up the scroll again. “So, since the peasants are unwilling to accept us as the superior race, I guess things get real simple real fast.” He grinned at Zuko. “Thanks, prince, for all your hard work.”Zuko hung his head shamefully.(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)Things went downhill from there. Later that day, a report came in saying that the Water Tribe had attacked the Fire Nation’s tanks at the sight where the Cave of Two Lovers once was.This was exactly what Zhao needed in order to proceed. He now had an excuse to go to war with the Water Tribe. Since the Water Tribe technically attacked first, wiping them out would be considered as self-defense and justified.Of course, Zhao still needed the Fire Lord’s permission to go to war, and was currently trying to persuade Ozai to see things his way. And it didn’t take much persuasion to get him to agree.Zuko, Iroh, and Aang could only stand by helplessly as they watched the soldiers prepare for battle.“They didn’t even want us to succeed.” Iroh remarked coldly. “They knew of the Cave of Two Lovers. They destroyed a sacred place to provoke an attack out of the Water Tribe.”Zuko laughed humorlessly. “We were always told that the Fire Nation was great and that the war was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world. What an ingenious lie. And for those that don’t want to accept our ways, we make them an enemy of us, so we justify our destroying them. I can already hear what my father is planning on telling the Fire Nation when we get back. The Fire Nation was merely exploring a cave and the Water Tribe attacked us for no reason, forcing us to go to war.” He slammed his fist on the table. “What nonsense!”Aang nodded in agreement. “It’s just like when they wiped out my people. It’s recorded in the history books that the Fire Nation used a special strategy to defeat the Air Nomad’s army. But the Air Nomads never even had a formal military. They were ambushed and destroyed.”At that moment, Mai came running into the room, her face, surprisingly, written with worry. “Zhao’s going straight for their village. He’s going to destroy it!”Nothing more needed to be said. The other three were up and running to where they knew Ozai currently was. They could not let the village to be destroyed.“Ozai, don’t do this!” Iroh shouted. “They are people just like us!”Ozai pointed at him. “No, they are worthless peasants who are standing in our way. These people have to learn that we don’t stop.”Zuko dropped to his knees, bowing to his father. “Please, Father, don’t attack. We can still try our original plan to get them to accept our ways. Just let me speak to them; they trust me. No one has to get hurt, not Fire Nation or Water Tribe. Or are you going to tell the world that you decided to go to war when you could have chosen a peaceful solution but decided not to? Is that what you’re going to tell the family’s of our soldiers that end up dying?”Ozai seemed to think about this for a moment. “Stand up.” Zuko obeyed. “We’re not leaving for at least another hour. So you better get moving fast. Unless you want your girlfriend in there when the fire starts, you get them to surrender.”(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)Zuko and Iroh returned to the village as the tribe discussed recent events. Attacking the tanks had just been the beginning. Outrage at the disrespect and mistreatment they had received, the Water Tribe wanted revenge, and Jet was the one shouting for it. It was decided that he would lead the war party.This was bad. The Fire Nation was already ready to wipe them out. If the Water Tribe declared all out war and attacked again, nothing could save them from the Fire Nation’s wrath.“Please,” Iroh cried, “everyone, calm down.”Jet pointed at the old man. “You are not one of us! You don’t speak here!” He turned back to his tribe. “The flames of the Fire Nation shall be extinguished!”This was followed by cheers from all those that wanted the Fire Nation to pay. But not everyone wanted a fight. Katara was one of them, but she would never get Jet to listen. She turned to Zuko desperately as he arrived, silently pleading with him to save her people.Zuko was ready to do whatever it took. “Jet!” he called out.The angry Water Tribe warrior turned to Zuko, his anger shifting to pure hatred. “You!” He charged at Zuko, his fist making contact with the young prince’s jaw. “I’ll kill you!”As Zuko went down, Katara moved in Jet’s path. “Jet stop!”He ignored her, simply pushing her aside and demanded of Zuko accusingly, “You stole her purity?”Shocked gasps echoed through the tribe. Iroh pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered, “Oh shit.”Aunt Wu stepped forward, giving Katara a look of disbelief. “Is this true?”Heat flooded Katara’s face and she looked slightly ashamed for having been caught being sexually active outside marriage. “In the Cave of Two Lovers, while Yue shined biggest and brightest in the sky, we became one. It is done.”Betrayal was written on Jet’s face as what he suspected was confirmed. Hakoda and Aunt Wu also looked disappointed. A woman’s chastity was very important to the Water Tribe. Until she was wed, a woman was to remain pure. To not do so meant to wed the man she had lost her innocence to or to disgrace herself and her entire family by ignoring their sacred laws. In short, Zuko and Katara were basically engaged, and their was nothing Jet could do about it.Angrily, he turned to Hakoda. “Katara was promised to me. Everything’s changing. Ever since he came here.”Aunt Wu held her hand up to silence him, giving Katara a serious look. “Katara, if you choose this path, you can never be the next Painted Lady.”Regret flashed across Katara’s face, but she pushed it aside and placed a hand on Zuko’s chest. “I choose him.”Zuko felt his chest swell with love for her. But this was not the time for this. Zhao was coming. If he wanted to save the Water Tribe, he had to get them to listen. And from the looks of it, Jet was the catalyst here for the war to start. He had to convince him not to go to war.“Jet, listen-” he began, but Jet cut him off, reaching for one of his twin tiger hook swords.“Do not speak my name!” he shouted, swinging his hook sword. “You are not my friend!”Zuko jumped away from the deadly blade. “And I am not your enemy!” he yelled even louder. He pointed at the horizon. “The enemy is out there, and they’re very powerful! Please, just listen to me.”“No more talking!” Jet cried, swinging his hook sword again.This time Hakoda moved in Jet’s path. “This is not a proper challenge. You will do this honorably.”Glaring at Zuko, Jet took up his other hook sword. “Fine, lets fight honorably.”

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Chapter 10: Betrayal
Zuko’s weapon of choice was a pair of dual duo swords. He really didn’t want to do this, but he was giving no choice. He needed to get the Water Tribe to listen to him, but he’d never be able to do that with Jet spouting things about war and revenge. First Zuko had to shut him up, then he could get them out of danger.“Nephew,” Iroh whispered, “this is not the way. We don’t have time for this.” He glanced at Jet. “And he really wants to kill you.”“I know.” Zuko agreed. “But it’s the only way to get him to listen. I’ll make it fast.”Jet charged at him, swinging his hook swords. Zuko blocked and swung his own sword, but Jet blocked as well. This was not going to be easy. Jet was very good at swordplay, and, as Iroh pointed out, actually wanted to kill him. So how was he supposed to end this without either of them getting hurt, or worse?Jet twirled his hook swords and brought them down. Zuko responded by crossing his blade in front of him, the hooks on Jet’s swords hooking onto his blades. Sparks flew as Jet pulled his blades free and did a back flip, kicking Zuko in the chin.Zuko had to roll to the side as Jet swiped at him. Jumping to his feet, he headed for the ice with Jet right behind him. As he slid on the ice, he stabbed into it with one of his swords, allowing him to swing around and kick Jet in the chest.Once on his feet, Zuko brought his swords down, but Jet crossed his own in front of him as Zuko had done earlier. He kicked upward, catching Zuko in the gut and knocking him off him. He swung with his hook sword, catching Zuko’s ankle and pulling is foot out from under him. Zuko lost his balance and slipped, hitting his head hard on the ice.On his feet again, Jet stomped down on Zuko’s chest, holding him there, and raised his hook swords. He never got a chance to strike as a tornado of fire suddenly appeared, originating from within Zuko. The young prince was on his feet again, his sword ablaze.Zuko swung his swords, unleashing fire as he did so. Jet was forced to retreat as Zuko launched fire at him with punches, kicks, and sword swipes. Jet was able to deflect the fire blasts with his hook swords until a particularly large blast exploded against his hooks swords, knocking them out of his hands and throwing him off his feet. Looking up, he saw Zuko standing over him, his swords in front of his face.“You see!” Jet roared. “He’s nothing but a demon! These monsters destroy everything in their path!”Jet was obviously a sore loser, but Zuko didn’t care; he had won. Unfortunately, he was feeling dazed from hitting his head so hard on the ice. Stumbling, he fell to his knees, trying to shake away the feeling of light-headedness.Seeing an opening, Jet tackled Zuko, pinning him to the ground. He grabbed Zuko’s dropped sword and prepared to stab the Fire Prince.“NO!!!”Katara jumped from the sideline, knocking Jet off the dazed Zuko. Bending the water in her pouch into a large deadly icicle, she stood protectively in front of Zuko, glaring at Jet, her deadly icicle aimed at him.Jet jumped to his feet, Zuko’s sword in hand. He looked ready to attack again, but stopped when he saw Katara standing in his path. With an angry snarl, he threw the sword down and stomped off.Sighing in relief, Katara knelt down by Zuko and helped him to his feet. “You ok?”He nodded, rubbing his head. “Hope I don’t have a concussion.”She gave him a smile. “Come, you need to lay down.”Instead, Zuko pulled away from her. There was no time for that. He’d wasted too much time already. He turned to Hakoda, speaking loud enough for the whole tribe to   hear. “Please listen to me, I have something to say.” He gave Katara a sorrowful look. “The words are like stones in my heart.”Hakoda motioned for Zuko to continue. “Speak.”He took a moment to choose his words carefully. “A great evil is among us. The Fire Nation is coming to destroy the village.” This declaration was followed by shocked and terrified gasps. “You must surrender, or you’ll all die.”Aunt Wu and Hakoda shared a worried look. The former stepped forward and asked, “Are you certain of this?”Zuko realized that he couldn’t put it off any longer. “Look, they sent me here to learn your ways and earn your trust so… so one day I could convince you that surrender and death were your only options, and that you’d believe me.”Confusion was written on Hakoda’s face, along with the rest of the Water Tribe. Katara seemed to recover first, grabbing Zuko’s sleeve. “What are you saying, Zuko? You knew this would happen?”Her eyes begged him to tell her that this wasn’t true, and Zuko wished more than anything that he could, but it would be a lie. Instead he nodded shamefully. “Yes.” The look of heartbreak on her face broke his own heart. “Look, at first it was just orders, but then everything changed. I fell in love, with the land, with the people, with you.”As he spoke, he realized in dismay that his words weren’t reaching her. Tears crept up in her eyes as she backed away from him, shaking her head. “I trusted you. I trusted you!”“Trust me now.” He begged.“YOU BETRAYED US!!!” she shouted. “You were played us all from the beginning! YOU WILL NEVER BE ONE OF THE PEOPLE!!! TRAITOR!!!”Iroh realized that things were going from bad to worse very quickly. “I tried to stop them.” He cried.But his words fell on deaf ears. All around him, hurt and angry faces glared at them. Jet looked just as furious as the rest of them, but he also had a satisfied look on his face. Katara was too busy weeping to show her anger. And the most furious of all seemed to be Hakoda, who turned angrily to his warriors.“Bind them!”(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)The Fire Nation came by land, sky, and sea. As large war ships floated into the harbor, hot air balloons floated in the sky, and metal tanks road on land. On the biggest ship stood Admiral Zhao with an eager look on his face. Finally they would be getting rid of these water peasants. After today, no one would be able to doubt the Fire Nation’s supremacy.As the Water Tribe’s village came into view, a red Fire Nation eagle flew over towards the admiral with a message. He read it quickly, looking surprised by its contents. Taking out his telescope to check, he saw that Prince Zuko and General Iroh were indeed being held captive at the Water Tribe, just as the message said.“Well, well,” he muttered, “I’d say negotiations have failed.” He smirked. “Prepare to attack.”One of the soldiers glanced at the admiral uncertainly. “But, sir, the prince and the general-”“Are traitors to the Fire Nation.” Zhao interrupted, “and are therefore expendable. Now, prepare the catapults!” Grinning, he looked up at the hot air balloon he knew Combustion Man was on. “Time to show them what you can do.”Almost as if he heard the admiral, Combustion Man braced himself on the hot air balloon flown by Mai. He focused on the closest icehouse and took a deep breath. From out of his forehead, from the exact spot his tattoo was, he unleashed a heat wave compressed into a type of invisible missile. It struck the house he aimed at and exploded in a shower of fire and ice as all around the village enormous fireballs were thrown from catapults at the Water Tribe.(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)“DAMN IT, RUN!!!” Zuko shouted.If the Water Tribe even heard him over all the noise, they completely ignored him. They were too busy fighting. Those that could Waterbend were attacking with bending while those that couldn’t used bows, arrows, and spears. But from within their machines, the Fire Nation soldiers remained safe from their attacks.Zuko struggled against his bonds, but was unable to break free. The same went for Iroh, both of them left helpless to defend themselves and those around them. Up in the sky, Zuko recognized Mai’s hot air balloon. He could see Combustion Man unleashing powerful heat waves from his forehead, destroying all in his path. Zuko now knew first hand why the guy was called Combustion Man.Too his horror, Zuko realized that all the tanks and hot air balloons were heading for a single location, the palace of ice. “He’s gonna destroy the palace!”Iroh looked at the oncoming army and realized his nephew was right. “By the gods…”(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)Mai winced every time Combustion Man unleashed another heat wave. Hearing something explode, she refused to look at the damage being done. But no matter where she looked, she saw some sort of destruction. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw towers of the ice palace falling as more and more giant fireballs were launched at it.This wasn’t right. Not right at all. What was she doing here? How did she get here? She had joined the army in order to protect her country from those who sought to destroy it. She loved her country and would give her life to protect it, but becoming a mercenary and killing innocents just to prove the Fire Nation’s superiority had not been in the job description.She looked at Combustion Man and saw him taking aim at another icehouse. Her eyes narrowed and she turned the wheel sharply, turning around the hot air balloon. Combustion Man lost his balance and he toppled over, his attack going way off course and missing his target completely.Angry about missing his target, he turned to Mai and gave her an irritated questioning look.“Don’t give me that look.” she told him, steering the hot air balloon back to base. “I didn’t sign up for this!”(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)As Zuko struggled to get free, he soon became aware of Aunt Wu approaching him with a knife. Fear gripped Zuko as he expected the worst. She was going to kill him for his betrayal. He knew he had it coming, but he didn’t want to die, not without setting things right at least.Grabbing the Fire Nation prince, Aunt Wu held up the knife. Iroh renewed his struggles, this time to get to his nephew. “Aunt Wu, don’t!”She completely ignored the old man, giving Zuko a pleading look. “If you are one of us… help us…”And then she cut his bindings, followed by Iroh’s. Both Firebenders were astounded, but immediately jumped in to action, trying to evacuate the Water Tribe members and defend against the Fire Nation’s attacks. They hated what was going on, but the fact of the matter was that there was nothing they could do at this moment to save the village.The fireballs kept coming, repeatedly crashing into the palace. Without Combustion Man’s explosions, the process was slowed down, but eventually the palace took more than it could stand.The ground shook as the large palace collapsed, breaking apart into pieces of snow and ice. The members of the Water Tribe ran to avoid the large chunks of ice that came crashing down around them, though not everyone escape.The attacks did not stop until the ice palace had been reduced to a pile of icy rubble. When the fire stopped raining down, the Water Tribe looked at their destroyed village, completely devastated. Cried of despair rang out around the valley as the Water Tribe members shouted their sorrow for the loss of their homes and fellow members.Up in the sky, the mood was quite the opposite. Zhao observed the damage with a proud smile on his face. Patting a soldier on the back, he gave him a satisfied nod. “That’s good work, men. That’ll teach those peasants to respect their betters. Lets head back.”As the Fire Nation army left, the Water Tribe searched desperately for survivors. Zuko was among them, hoping and praying that a certain Water Tribe woman had survived.“Katara!” he shouted. He had to find her. He’d never forgive himself if anything happened to her. He swore that one day he would make his father and Zhao pay for this, but Katara was his top priority.During his search, he got some good news and some bad news. The good news was that he found Katara, and she seemed to be fine. The bad news was that she was standing over the lifeless body of her father. Chief Hakoda lay dead on the ground, half of his body covered in serious burns.Feeling her pain, he dropped down beside her, trying to comfort her through her tears. “Katara, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”“Go away!” she cried. “GO AWAY!!! Leave, and never come back!”With those words, she put him out of mind completely and went back to mourning over her father. Despair gripped Zuko, but what else could he do? He was just as responsible as his father and Zhao. All he could do was walk away with his head hanging shamefully.He wasn’t sure how far he walked before he was suddenly surrounded by Fire Nation soldiers pointing swords at him. He didn’t even put up a fight.

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Chapter 11: Escape
Back at the Fire Nation base, Zuko, Iroh, and Aang sat in a prison cell, arrested for treason. There was nothing for them to do besides wait for their return to the Fire Nation to be put on trial. It was almost definite that they would all receive the death sentence. Zuko being the Fire Lord’s son and Iroh being the Fire Lord’s brother would not give them any mercy. Ozai would send them to their deaths without batting an eye.But it seemed as if the gods had not yet forsaken them, because, at that moment, they sent a guardian angel in the form of Mai. She was walking towards their cell, pushing a food cart.“How’s it going?” she asked the guard.The Fire Nation soldier just shrugged. “Same as usual. You?”“I feel like a servant. And I don’t think these traitors deserve steak.”“They get steak?” the guard cried in outrage. “The prisoners eat better than we do. Let me see that.”While his attention was on the food, Mai moved behind him and placed a knife against his throat. “Yeah, you know what that is.”“What the hell are you doing?” the guard demanded.Mai ignored him. “Get down on the ground.” She forced the guard to his knees and then delivered a hard blow to the back of his head, knocking him out. “Coast is clear!”Toph strolled leisurely into the room. “I kinda figured. I felt the vibrations from that blow all the way down the hall.”Zuko was up against the bars. “Toph, Mai, what are you doing here?”“It’s a prison break, Sparky. We’re busting you out.”“But Zhao has the keys.” Aang told her.Toph smirked. “Keys, shmeys. I’m the greatest Earthbender in the world.”She spit into her palms, rubbed them together, and cracked her knuckles. Grabbing hold of the bars, she easily bent them open, distorting the steel door itself. Zuko, Iroh, and Aang all stepped out, the young Airbender looking at the cell with wide eyes.“Did I ever tell you how cool it was that you invented Metalbending?” he asked.Toph smirked. “You could stand to mention it more often.”Mai wasn’t one for happy reunions. “Can we get going now? I already have a balloon waiting for you. It’d be nice if we could leave before we’re detected.”(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)Several minutes later, at another part of the base, Zhao was having a talk with his men about the upcoming plans for invasion when he was suddenly interrupted by the guard Mai had knocked out earlier, having regained consciousness.“Sir!” the guard cried.The admiral scowled. “This had better be important.” He grumbled, not even looking at the guard.“Sir, the prisoners have escaped!Now he had Zhao’s attention.(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)“We have lift off.” Mai announced as the hot hair balloon took to the air.Zuko nodded and looked over at Toph. “Stay safe, Toph.”She smiled and gave him a thumbs up. “You too, Sparky. I’ll be sure to keep you guys informed of anything that goes on here.” The smile suddenly left her face as she detected something. “You guys better hurry. Old Flame Face is coming.”She ducked into the shadows as the door burst open and Zhao stormed in accompanied by several soldiers. Zuko immediately realized that they wouldn’t make it in time at this rate. He glanced at Aang and they both nodded. Going over to the place where the fire filled the balloon with hot air, Zuko used his Firebending and Aang used his Airbending to make the floating ship all but jump into the air.Down on the ground, Zhao realized that if he didn’t act quickly that they would escape. Using an advanced form of Firebending, he took a deep breath and channeled the energy in his body. Taking aim, he pointed at Zuko and shot a bolt of lightning at him.Zuko was completely unaware of the danger he was in, but Iroh saw it and jumped in. With a technique he invented himself, he caught the incoming bolt of lightning, taking it into his body. He was about to unleash the bolt away from them when the hot air balloon suddenly jerked forward as Aang Airbended them away.Iroh lost his balance and toppled over, loosing control over the lightning he held within his body.As the hot air balloon soared up and away at great speed, Zuko looked down at the Fire Nation base getting smaller and smaller. “Good luck following us.” He turned to Iroh. “We did it, Uncle.”But Iroh’s only response was a groan. The old Firebending master was laying on the floor, his body smoking, his face twisted in pain.“Uncle!” Zuko cried, dropping down to the old man’s side. “What happened?”Iroh groaned. “My body is fried. I tried to redirect the lightning, but… ack!”He winced in pain. Zuko grabbed his hand and held it tightly. “Uncle, no…” He turned to Mai and Aang. “He doesn’t have much time. We have to move quickly.” They nodded in agreement. Zuko looked back down at Iroh. “Hang in there, Uncle. The Water Tribe can help you.”Iroh’s eyes cracked open. “Why would they help us?”A very good question, one both Aang and Mai also wanted an answer to. “Jet’s chief now.” the former told him. “He’s not going to let you anywhere near the tribe.Zuko was fully aware of that. “Don’t worry, I’ve got a plan.”Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the bison whistle he had carved a while back. He blew the whistle and waited. A few minutes later, his flying bison came flying down towards him, hovering beside the hot air balloon.“Hey, buddy.” Zuko greeted. “We’ve got something to do… and you’re not going to like it.”And so he was off, heading for a place he thought he would always stay far away from. But soon enough, a familiar island in the middle of a large river came into view. But it was no island. Zuko recognized the cleverly disguised shell of the lion-turtle that had attacked him and Katara a while back.If he was going to make his plan work, he would need the help of the mighty beast. The lion-turtle was the mightiest and wisest of all beasts. Surely it would know that the land was in trouble and recognize Zuko as an ally.Of course… that was just a theory…

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Chapter 12: The Blue Spirit
What remained of the Water Tribe had gathered around the pool of La and Tui. They were praying to Yue, hoping that she would hear and answer their prayers through the spiritual koi fish. In one voice they chanted, begging the spirit of the moon to show them the way, to bring them salvation.Their prayers were interrupted by a loud pounding noise that sounded a lot like giant footsteps. The noise was getting louder, and sounded like it was getting closer.As darkness filled the valley, they all turned to see the source of it. The darkness was caused by the shadow of an enormous creature. It was as if an island had come to life and was now approaching them. But no, it wasn’t an island. It was the mighty lion-turtle.They all cowered away, fearing that Yue had forsaken them. But the lion-turtle came to a stop before them and laid down. With it being this close, they noticed for the first time that someone was sitting on the giant beast’s head. Whoever they were, they were wearing a blue demon mask.When the person jumped off the lion-turtle’s head, fear turned to awe as the people realized that Yue hadn’t forsaken them at all, but had sent them as savior to delivery them from the evil of the Fire Nation.“The Blue Spirit…” Aunt Wu whispered.The masked person walked through the crowd of people. They all backed away to make a path for him, yet made sure to stay as close as possible. Several bowed down, others reached out to touch him, while nearly all of them chanted “Blue Spirit”.The Blue Spirit continued his march through the crowd until he came upon the pond of La and Tui. Here stood Katara beside Aunt Wu and Jet. The Blue Spirit stopped when he came up to Katara. Reaching up, he pulled the demon mask off, revealing his scarred face.Katara inhaled deeply, a look of disbelief on her face. Zuko was relieved to see that there was no hostility in her eyes. It seemed his plan to confront the lion-turtle had been partly successful.“Katara…” He whispered in greeting.“Zuko…” she whispered back. Then she moved towards him, wrapping her arms around him and resting her forehead against his, looking into his eyes. They still held the same love she had for him. “I was afraid… for my people… I’m not anymore.”Zuko gave her a smile. It seemed he was back in her good grace. And since the rest of the tribe wasn’t attacking him, it seemed he was back in theirs as well. But the one he really needed to convince was the one whose opinion mattered the most.Reluctantly pulling away from Katara, he looked at the new chief. “Jet, I stand before you ready to serve the people.”The surprise and awe left Jet’s face, and for a moment he looked like he was going to hit Zuko, but a grumble from the lion-turtle reminded him of just what had taken place.Zuko saw Jet’s reluctance and continued. “You are chief, and you’re a great warrior. I can’t do this alone. I need your help.”Bowing his head slightly, Jet seemed to struggle to find his voice. “Zuko… Blue Spirit… I will fight with you.”Zuko let out a relieved breath. Beside him, he heard Katara let out one as well. One miracle had been pulled off, perhaps another one could occur.“I need your help.” He pleaded. “My uncle is dying.” He spoke up louder for the others to hear. “Iroh is dying. Please, I need your help.”Jet and Aunt Wu shared a look, then the latter nodded. “Bring him to us.”(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)Zuko and Aang carried Iroh to the pool of La and Tui. All around them, the Water Tribe repeatedly bowed their heads and chanted.“Uncle,” Zuko whispered, “look where we are.”The old man’s eyes cracked open. They took in the sight before him, the beautiful view of the pool of La and Tui.“I should pay my respects.” He mumbled.Zuko couldn’t help but smile at that. He and Aang brought him before Aunt Wu, who then instructed them to submerge him in the pool. They did so, leaving only his face above the water.“Water has healing properties.” Aunt Wu explained. “And the water from this pool has the most spiritual energy. It is possible for Yue to heal his damaged body and breathe life into him once more.”Zuko watched his uncle in amazement. “Is that possible?”“He must be touched by the goddess herself.” She gave him a serious look. “But he is very weak.”Fear gripped Zuko as he looked down at his beloved uncle. “Hang on, Uncle, they’re going to fix you up.”As Iroh remained submerged, La and Tui swam around him, their bodies glowing, until Iroh appeared to be floating on a glowing yin-yang of light.Seen only by the old Firebender, the ghostly image of a young white-haired woman came down from the moon and settled down beside Iroh, resting her hand on his forehead.Iroh looked at her in amazement and wonder, then glanced at Zuko. “I can see her… She’s real…”With those words, his eyes drooped shut and he let out one final breath. The water stopped glowing and the image of the yin-yang faded away as Ta and Lui stopped circling him and began to swim around each other once more.“Uncle? Uncle?” Zuko cried. He looked desperately at Aunt Wu. “What’s happening?”Aunt Wu gave him a sorrowful look. “He was too badly damaged. There wasn’t enough time. He has gone to join his ancestors.”Zuko felt the world drop out from beneath him. His uncle was dead. Dead, like the countless other members of the Water Tribe that had fallen prey to Zhao and his evil ways.‘No more.’ Zuko thought. ‘I won’t let this happen anymore.’He felt Katara take his hand. He squeezed it gently and got to his feet, glancing at Jet. “With your permission, I will speak now.” Jet nodded and stood aside. Keeping a firm grasp on Katara’s hand, he addressed the Water Tribe. “The Fire Nation has sent us a message, that they can do anything they want, and no one can defy them. But we will send them a message. Go now to our fellow Water Tribes and gather them together. You tell them that the Blue Spirit calls to them. And together we will show the Fire Nation that they cannot take what they want! And that this, this is our land!”This was followed by cheers from the Water Tribe. They didn’t wait for any further orders. They immediately set out for the other Water Tribes.Keeping a hold of Katara’s hand, he pulled her over to the lion-turtle, which bowed its head, allowing the two to climb on top. It roared loudly and began making its way out of the oasis, the entire Water Tribe following behind, shouting battle cries.(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)Zhao had become aware of the danger of the growing Water Tribe. Over the past few days, they had grown in number. So he had called this meeting of all the Fire Nation soldiers to deal with the situation.“Gentlemen, ladies, we have an aborigines horde gathering out there.” He told them. “Within a few short days, they’ve grown from a few hundred, to well over two thousand, and more are coming in every day. It won’t be long before they overrun us. But we have a little surprise for them. Our sources tell us these peasants worship the spirit of the moon. And within their camp is an oasis that contains two spiritual fish. It’s through these spirits that they are able to communicate with the moon.“So this is the plan. We will force our way into their sacred grounds, where I will kill their sacred spirits. The power of the moon and the ocean will be lost to them. Without the ability to Waterbend, they will be powerless. We will make an example out of these peasants to the rest of the world. And all will know the glory of the Fire Nation!”His speech was followed by cheers from the soldiers. The only one who wasn’t cheering was Toph. Realizing how serious the situation had become, she quickly and quietly left the room. She had to let the others know that Zhao was out to kill the moon itself.(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)“Guys, we got a message from Toph!” Aang cried, relieving the red hawk, Hawky, of his burden.Mai raised an eyebrow. “The blind girl? How’d she accomplish that?”Aang held up a stone plank. “She used her Earthbending to carve a message on here.” His eyes scanned the ‘letter’, widening the more he read. “Whoa… Guys, you need to see this.”He handed the plank over to Zuko. The others gathered around to read as well. They couldn’t believe what they were reading. Surely Toph was mistaking. Zhao wasn’t that crazy, was he?“He’s going to kill La and Tui.” Zuko exclaimed.“That’ll completely cut off the planet’s connection with the moon.” Said Aang. “All of nature will be thrown out of balance.”“If we’re lucky, that’s all that will happen.” Zuko muttered. “We have to stop this.”“You think we’re ready?” Mai asked.Zuko sighed. “Doesn’t matter, we’re out of time. If we don’t do something now, it’ll be too late.”(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)Later that night, Zuko approached the pool of La and Tui. Dropping to his knees, he looked down at the two fish, then up at the moon floating overhead. If he spoke to La and Tui, would Yue really hear him?“I’m probably just talking to some fish,” he muttered, “but if you can hear me, I need to let you know what’s happening. Admiral Zhao has gone mad. He’s coming here to cut off your connection with your people. And it won’t stop there. He’s out to control the whole world. You can see everything from your place in the sky. Look upon our planet and see what the Fire Nation has done. They’re going to do that to the whole world, and worse, unless we stop them.”Sighing, he picked up his Blue Spirit mask. He wondered if this had been his destiny all along. After all, he’d made this mask a long time ago. At the time, he had almost made it red, but for some reason he decided to go with blue. Perhaps that had been a sign of what his future would hold in store.Looking up at the moon again, he continued with his plea. “Look, you choice me for something. I’ll stand and fight, you know I will, but I’m going to need some help.”He felt someone rest their hands on his shoulders. He knew right away that it was Katara, even before she spoke. “Our great mother does not choose sides.” She told him. “She only protects the balance of our world.”Zuko’s shoulders sank at her words. He slowly turned towards Katara and took her in his arms. “Well, it was worth a try.”(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)“No!” Ozai shouted. “No, no, no! Absolutely not! Call off this mission right now!”Zhao sighed in irritation. “Sire, do not worry, everything is under control.”“No, it is not!” the Fire Lord insisted. “I gave no such orders for this! You cannot kill the moon! Do you realize the damage you will cause?”“Sire, just think of what we will achieve. No one will ever go against us again. This will be an incredible victory for the Fire Nation. We will live on in infamy. The people will call you the Phoenix King, and they will call me Admiral Zhao, the Slayer of the Moon!”“I said no!” Ozai told him, poking him in the chest. “The Fire Nation needs the moon too! Our goal is to conquer the world, not cause it to fall to ruin! Remember your place, admiral! I am the Fire Lord, and I order you to abort this mission at once!”Zhao’s eyes narrowed. “Very well then. Stop me, oh mighty Fire Lord. Use your greatness as king to put an end to my plans. I’m clearly disrespecting, disobeying, and dishonoring you. So do something about it. I believe this calls for an Agni Kai, a Firebending duel to the death. Shall we proceed?”Ozai remained silent. Zhao knew perfectly well that he couldn’t Firebend anymore, ever since he was wounded all those years ago and has his chi cut off.“Oh, that’s right.” Zhao mocked, “you can’t Firebend anymore, can you, you old cripple. At this point, you’re nothing more than a figurehead. If you truly are the mighty Fire Lord, then stop me, if you can. If not, get out of my way.”Ozai was furious, but Zhao was right. Without his ability to Firebend, he couldn’t stand up to the admiral. He had no choice but to step aside.Zhao smirked. “A wise decision, your majesty. You’ll see, this will be a day long remembered in the Fire Nation.”

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Chapter 13: War of Fire and Water
Zhao didn’t like it. It was far too quiet. If Zuko and the other traitors had made it to the Water Tribe, they would surely have guessed what his strategy was. Yet even now as they approached the pond of La and Tui, there wasn’t a single Water Tribe member anywhere. Had the cowards flown the coop?“Still no signs of life.” Said one of his soldiers. “It seems even the animals have fled from us in terror.”Zhao looked down from the large airship. “No, they’re far too stubborn for that. Until we completely crush them, those peasants won’t give up. They’re out there… somewhere.”And Zhao was right. As the ships flew in and the tanks crushed everything in their path, Zuko and the others were waiting for the right moment to strike.That time was now.“NOW!!!” he shouted.The lion-turtle came out of his island-shell, a fleet of airships hovering over its head and several tanks at its feet. With a loud roar, it swatted at the ships in the sky it could reach, and slashed at the tanks beneath it.From the trees on its back, several flying bison took flight, going after the ships that the lion-turtle couldn’t reach. On the ground, several other warriors snuck out of the lion-turtle’s shell, attacking the other tanks.“What the hell?” Zhao snarled. “What is that thing?”“I think it’s a lion-turtle.” Another soldier cried.Zhao’s fists clenched. “Where did they get one of those? I thought they were extinct.” He turned to his men. “Take us higher! Get us out of its reach! And shoot down those flying water pests!”Fire began flying through the air as the Fire Nation soldiers attacked the bison. But the bison were much faster, able to avoid the flames while still able to attack the balloons of hot air holding the ships up.On the ground, the tanks shot balls of fire at the Water Tribesmen. They fought back, melting the snow and ice around them so they could Waterbend.Zhao surveyed the scene angrily. “Damn that prince reject. If he thinks he can stop us with his army of savages, he’s wrong. Don’t show them any mercy! Burn them all! I want to see a shower of barbecued bison!”The soldiers hurried to their posts, launching fireballs at any approaching bison. But the Fire Nation was at a disadvantage here. Though they too were up in the air, they couldn’t maneuver as fast as the Water Tribe on their bison.“Stay on course!” Zhao ordered. “And if you see Zuko, take him out.”There was a loud tearing sound followed by a repeating his as a hole appeared in on of their balloons. Another Fire Nation airship, this one painted blue and modified in great detail for faster movement, was flying towards them. It was flown by Mai, and she had a pile of at least 200 knives with her.“Oops.” She muttered, grabbing another knife.She threw it, this time aiming for the balloon on Zhao’s airship. With an angry snarl, he shot fire at the knife knocking it away.“Light her up!” he ordered.The larger airship shifted to get a better angle, but the modifications to Mai’s airship allowed her to move out of range quickly. As she flew the ship, she threw another knife, causing Zhao to duck for cover.“You’re not the only one with a few tricks.” She commented.As Mai did battle with Zhao, Katara and Jet led the aerial attack on the other airships. But they were unable to get close enough without getting burned.“Attack from above!” Jet shouted. “Take out the balloons on their ships!”The Water Tribe did as commanded, out of range of the fire attacks. Fire Nation ships began falling from the sky as the Water Tribe tore their balloons to shreds.Turning his attention away from Mai, Zhao saw what the Water Tribe was doing. “Launch catapults!”One of his men looked at him in surprise. “But, sir, we may hit our own ships.”“They may take out all our ships at this rate. Launch catapults!”The soldiers obeyed his orders and began launching large balls of fire. A couple airships were indeed hit, but the Water Tribe was forced to retreat.Zhao smirked. “Look how they flee from the fire, like insects. This will be a day long remembered when the Fire Nation rids the world of these pests. We’ll be able to report back to base with good news.(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)Unbeknownst to Zhao, the Water Tribe had planned their own attack. Zuko had given them all the information needed to penetrate the Fire Nation’s base. Having underestimated their opponent, the Fire Nation hadn’t anticipated an attack, and Ozai was most surprised to hear that they were under attack.“What do you mean, under attack?” he demanded.“They’re already in the base! They’re taking over everything!”Ozai’s fists clenched. “Well they’ll never get in here. It’s six solid feet of metal. They’ll never reach this room. Once Zhao and his army get back, we’ll take them out. Until then, we stay here.”The door burst open and a soldier rushed in. “Fire Lord, we have a problem.”With an angry growl, Ozai turned to the soldier. “What now?”The soldier pointed to the window. Ozai raised an eyebrow. What was the problem? The windows were too small to get through. The Water Tribe couldn’t get in that way.He looked out the window all the same, and what he saw made the color drain from his face. Toph was standing a several feet away with a whole army of Water Tribe warriors behind her.Sensing the Fire Lord looking at her, Toph smirked and gave him the middle finger, then bent down and placed her hands on the metal surface. With a single movement, and the use of her Metalbending, she tore an opening straight through the wall of metal that separated Ozai and his guards from the Water Tribe.(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)Back at the battlefield, the Water Tribe was not as successful. They were being overrun on both the land and in the air. Mai was currently in a real predicament. Her ship had finally been hit and was up in flames, spinning out of control.“Looks like I’m going down.” She muttered. “Sorry Zuko.”As her ship went down, it was spotted by none other than Combustion Man. The large man’s eyes narrowed as he zeroed in on the flaming ship and took a deep breath. From out of his forehead, he shot a concentration of heat right at her.Mai seemed to sense the attack, because she turned towards the direction the blast of heat was coming from just before it struck her ship, causing it to explode.With Mai’s ship down, Jet tried to go in for a direct attack on Zhao’s ship. Jumping from his bison, he landed on board the ship, and was immediately surrounded by Fire Nation soldiers. He put up a fierce fight, taking out several Fire Nation soldiers before he was finally hit with a stream of fire and fell over the railing, taking a long drop towards the ground.Aang was facing his own problems. There were Fire Nation soldiers everywhere. So far he had managed to use his Airbending to keep them at bay and block their fire, but one soldier with enough skill shot lightning at him, which Aang was unable to Airbend away. He could only turn away and shield his heart. The lightning stuck him in his back. Fortunately for him, it was not that strong, and he managed to survive, but he was down and out.Katara was also in trouble. She maneuvered Appa through a shower of large fireballs launched from catapults. But there were too many, and Appa was finally hit. With a loud cry, he and Katara fell from the sky. In a last ditch effort to save his master, Appa turned so he hit the ground first, giving Katara a cushion to land on with his own body.“Appa!” she cried.She jumped off the bison hurried to his head to see if he was all right. Appa’s eyes were closed, blood pouring out of his crooked mouth, the jaw broken from the fall.Fighting back tears, she quickly took cover. Peaking out from her hiding place, she saw tanks and soldiers coming her way with Combustion Man in the lead. She knew right away that she would not survive the fight. But she would not surrender and become prisoner to these monsters. She would fight to the death.Bending the water out of her pouch, she prepared to attack. But she stopped as she felt the ground shake. The Fire Nation soldiers felt it too, and began looking around for the source.Suddenly, a stampede of Saber-Tooth Moose-Lions came charging at the Fire Nation. They were followed by several other animals, appearing in the thousands. They ran right past Katara, not even giving her a second glance, and attacked the soldiers. People were run down and tanks were flipped over as the animal army attacked.Combustion Man was the only one to hold his ground. He took a deep breath, ready to blast anything that came at him. He wasn’t fast enough, and a Moose-Lion slammed into him, sending him crashing into a tree.He stumbled to his feet, feeling dazed. He knew he had a concussion, but he was still willing to fight. Taking another deep breath, he launched another heat blast, and instead spontaneously combusted.Katara hadn’t seen Combustion Man accidentally self-destruct. Her gaze was fixed on the sky, which was now filled with wild bison and other flying animals; all of which were attacking the Fire Nation.“Zuko,” she whispered, “Yue has heard you.” She felt a rush of hope and excitement as she shouted to the sky. “Yue has heard you!”The Fire Prince was well aware of this as he watched the Fire Nation ships drop from the massive onslaught by seemingly nature itself. The Fire Nation was completely overwhelmed and outnumbered, their seemingly assured victory clearly lost.“And now for Zhao.” Zuko muttered, directing his lion-turtle towards the admiral’s ship.Trusting his lion-turtle completely, he jumped off its head and was caught in the beast’s massive paw. The lion-turtle threw him in the air towards Zhao’s ship. As he soared through the air, Zuko created a fire dagger, and shot fire out of his feet like a rocket to direct himself towards the large balloon giving Zhao’s ship flight.Unfortunately, he was spotted by Zhao, who decided to take matters into his own hands. Taking aim, he shot a bolt of lightning at Zuko. He missed.Zuko stabbed into the balloon and let gravity do the rest. As he fell, his fire dagger ripped open the balloon, leaving a trail of fire behind. When he came to the end, he let himself fall and be caught by the lion-turtle.The large airship fell from the sky. As it fell, Zhao jumped from it, using his Firebending to launch himself away from the ship. He then Firebended downward, reducing the speed of his fall. He still hit the snow rather hard, but he was alive, and far away enough from the airship when it came crashing down.Brushing the snow from his face, he growled angrily. The battle was lost; he knew that. But he wouldn’t give up. He would go on alone if he had to, and he would hang those two fish out to dry. The moon would die by his hand; he vowed it.Getting to his feet, he saw several feet from him a frozen river. According to Zuko, the frozen river ran past a crack in the canyon that led right to the oasis where the spirit fish were.A sinister smile crept up the admiral’s face. It seemed the gods favored him after all.

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Chapter 14: Final Confrontation
Katara made her way through the battlefield. The Fire Nation was in full retreat, but the danger was far from over. So she was heading for the river to get some extra water. Instead she got a surprise as the massive form of an Unagi burst up from under the water.Katara skidded to a halt, ready to defend herself, but to her astonishment, the Unagi bent down, lowering its head in what was unmistakably a show of submission, as if it wanted her to ride it. Katara couldn’t believe what she was seeing. An Unagi never showed submission, and it certainly never let anyone ride it, at least not willingly.This must be Yue’s will, she realized. But if an Unagi needed the aid of a human, and was willing to submit to one, then something, somewhere, must be very wrong.(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)Zhao couldn’t believe his luck. Right in front of him, the snow gave way to a green oasis. And in the middle of the oasis was a sparkling pond. Swimming around each other in this pond were two glowing fish, one black, one white. He had found the sacred pond of La and Tui.Standing over the pond, his hand shot out and snagged the white fish. Lifting it up by its tail, he held it up out of the water. The sky turned red as the fish struggled in his grip. In the pool, the black fish was swimming around in a frenzy over the loss of its partner.Fire appeared in Zhao’s hand as he prepared to fry the fish he held. “I think I’ll take my fish dinner extra crispy.”Suddenly, from over the canyon wall, an Unagi rose up, just managing to get its head over. It opened its mouth and shot stream of water. Zhao dove out of the way, losing his grip on the slippery fish. It flopped to the ground and thrashed about until it managed to get back in the sacred pond.Angry, Zhao looked up at the Unagi. He saw a lone Waterbender woman riding its head, using its antenna as reigns. The Unagi sprayed more water, and Zhao was forced to retreat. He headed for the crack in the canyon he had come through, protecting himself from the deadly water pressure of the Unagi’s attack.The crack was still flooded with water, and Zhao was washed out the other end, back onto the frozen river. Coughing and sputtering, he climbed to his feet, trying to regain his balance on the ice.“Damn peasant.” He snarled.At that moment, the same Unagi burst up from under the ice a short distance away, the Waterbender still rode on its head, controlling the beast.Katara directed the Unagi to attack again. It opened its mouth and shot out another stream of water. Zhao used his Firebending to slide himself across the ice, out of the path of the stream of water that tore straight through the ice with its great force.Zhao knew that even if he were able to get close enough to the Unagi to use his Firebending, his attacks wouldn’t do much damage. That left him with only one option.Taking a deep breath and gathering energy, he shot a bolt of lightning at the Unagi. It roared loudly as electricity flowed through it. Katara cried out as well as the electricity flowed through the Unagi and into her.Seizing the opportunity, Zhao Firebended out of his feet, launching himself in the air like a rocket at the Unagi. When he was near its head, hd created a fire dagger and stabbed into the beast’s throat.Gravity did the rest, pulling him back to the ground. His fire dagger sliced the Unagi open the whole way down. The Unagi roared one last time before collapsing. Fortunately for Katara, she was not smashed between the ground and the Unagi, but after collapsing, the Unagi rolled over slightly and Katara was pinned beneath its head.The Unagi was dead, and Katara’s arms and legs were pinned under its massive weight. She struggled, unable to get free, and unable to us her hands to Waterbend. She could only watch helplessly as Zhao approached her with his fire dagger and a grin on his face.“I’m going to enjoy this.” he told her, raising his fire dagger.“Give it up, Zhao!” Zuko’s voice rang out from behind him. “It’s all over!”The admiral turned to the Fire Prince, hatred burning in his eyes. “Nothing’s over as long as I’m breathing.”Despite the situation, a smirk crept up Zuko’s face as he pulled off his mask of the Blue Spirit. “I kind of hoped you’d say that.”He charged at Zhao, throwing and kicking fireballs at him. Zhao swatted them away and swung his fire dagger at Zuko. The flaming blade met one that Zuko suddenly created, and the two blades combusted.Zhao threw a punch, not meaning to hit Zuko, but to shoot a stream of fire at him. Zuko flipped backwards while kicking upward, leaving a trail of fire behind that singed Zhao’s beard.Jumping back, Zhao unleashed a continuous stream of fire at the prince. Zuko jumped straight up over it and created a fire whip that he swung at the admiral. Zhao stopped shooting so he could swat the fire whip away, only to have a second one come at him.Zuko repeatedly lashed out with his whips while Zhao batted them away, being forced to back away until he came up to a large crack in the ice. Once at the edge, Zhao spun around, shooting fire in all directions, creating a flaming tornado. Zuko was forced to back away, lest he get burned.Using his Firebending, Zhao launched himself like a rocket at Zuko, gathering a handful of fire in the process, that he aimed at Zuko’s face, ready to scar his other side. But Zuko quickly grabbed the admiral’s wrist, stopping his attack. Opening his mouth, he breathed fire at the admiral, much to Zhao’s surprise, forcing him to retreat.“Uncle thought he that.” Zuko told him, then launched another fireball.Zhao managed to catch the fireball, but his palms got singed as he tossed it away. It was then that Zuko noticed how Zhao was panting.“Is the cold getting to you?” Zuko asked. “It kind of makes it hard to catch your breath, doesn’t it. I had a hard time dealing with the cold at first too. But while you’ve been staying in your nice warm base this whole time, I’ve been training these past months to adapt to the cold, to learn how to breathe properly, and use my Firebending to keep my body temperature up. I do it without even realizing it now.” He smirked. “But you can’t do that, can you, admiral? You have to make a conscious effort.”Zhao snarled. “I can do things that you can’t too.”He began gathering energy. Zuko recognized the movements and prepared himself. As Zhao shot the lightning, Zuko absorbed it into his body through his middle and index fingers. Just as Iroh had taught him, he was careful not to let the lightning pass through his heart.Zhao’s eyes were wide in surprise as he watched the prince take the lightning into his own body and then fire it right back at him. He only managed to avoid being struck by shooting fire downward to launch himself up in the air.He landed a short distance away and shot more fire at Zuko. The Fire Prince mimicked him, the two flames colliding with each other in a stalemate. The two began moving closer to each other, unleashing more fire all the while.Zuko could feel the heat burning his skin as he and Zhao got closer, the collision point of the two streams of fire building up. They were mere feet apart when the collision point exploded, throwing both of them back.They both jumped to their feet at the same time, glaring at each other. During this standoff, Zhao couldn’t help but to taunt his opponent. “Hey, prince, how’s it feel to betray your own people?” He received no answer, but Zuko’s glare intensified. “Do you think you’re one of them? Time to wake up.”He began the movements to create more lightning. Zuko braced himself, ready to redirect it again. But the wicked smirk on Zhao’s face had him on edge.Suddenly, Zhao turned towards Katara, who was still pinned beneath the Unagi, trying desperately to get free. Zuko realized what Zhao was about to do and used his Firebending to launch himself in front of her, just as Zhao unleashed his lightning. He didn’t have time to redirect it, and instead was struck in the center of his chest.Zuko cried out and went down. Katara’s own cry joined his as she watched him fall. Zhao’s smile widened as he walked calmly over to the fallen prince. Reaching down, he grabbed Zuko’s hair and lifted him up. Zuko cried out, but his fried body wasn’t responding to his attempts to fight back.“Idiot boy.” He told him, then threw Zuko towards a hole in the ice.“No!” Katara cried, struggling as much as she could.Zhao smirked at her. “Be with you in a minute, my dear.”As if he were taking a pleasant stroll, he walked over to the half conscious Zuko, who hadn’t moved from his spot. Grabbing the back of the Fire Prince’s shirt, he dragged him towards the opening in the ice. “You betrayed us for these water peasants. If you love the water so much, then you can drown in it.”He forced Zuko’s head underwater and held him there. Zuko struggled, but his movements were weak. Zhao kept him pinned down, drowning the Fire Prince in the freezing water. Unable to breath, Zuko couldn’t gather the energy to Firebend; he couldn’t even heat his body enough to simply burn Zhao’s hands. Slowly his struggles lessened until he went completely still.“It’s almost over.” Zhao said as if he were talking to a child.Behind him, Katara managed to free one of her hands. Using her Waterbending, she forced the dead Unagi off her, and immediately created a water whip. She struck Zhao into the back of the head as hard as she could.Grunting, Zhao released Zuko and turned around, only to have an enormous icicle strike him in the chest, coming out his back.With shock and disbelief written all over his face, Zhao looked down at the giant icicle sticking out of his chest, then back up at Katara. She didn’t give him a chance to react. She Waterbended the water from the crack in the ice up and around Zhao. Letting out a puff of breath, she froze the water, entirely encasing Zhao in a prison of ice.Under the weight of both Zhao and the block of ice he was trapped in, the ice beneath his feet broke, and Zhao sank down into the cold dark depths of the abyss in a hibernative state. Even if by some miracle he did managed to get out, he would die from the large hole in his chest within minutes.But all thoughts of Zhao had already left Katara’s mind as she hurried to Zuko’s side. Grabbing his shirt, she pulled his head up from underwater. He was blue in the face, and she saw right away that he wasn’t breathing. Quickly she used her Waterbending to extract the water from his lungs.Zuko coughed and sputtered a few times, but was still seemingly unconscious. Looking at his chest, she saw the real threat to his life was from where he had been struck by the lightning. Gathering water in her hands, she quickly scanned his body for damage, and was horrified to feel his heart slowing down.“Zuko!” she cried desperately. “Zuko!”She received no response. She had to act fast; there was precious little time. Reaching around her neck, she pulled out from the inside of her coat a small vile hanging from a thread. Uncorking it, she bended the water out. The small amount of water glowed with a holy light. It was water from the spirit oasis.Calling upon her healing powers, she covered the spot where Zuko had been struck by lightning with the holy water. As the water sank into his skin, the wound instantly healed, but left behind a starburst shaped scar in the center of his chest.Zuko sucked in a gulp of fresh air and began coughing. He panted rapidly, trying to replenish his supply of oxygen he had been denied. But slowly his breathing returned to normal and his eyes cracked open to see Katara’s tearstained face hovering over him.Reaching up, he caressed her cheek, and she covered his hand with her own, staring at him lovingly.“Thank you, Katara.” He whispered.She smiled down at him. “I think I’m the one who should be thanking you.”

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Chapter 15: Aftermath of the War
What had started out as a savage battle, ended in great victory for the Water Tribe, and complete disaster for the Fire Nation. Once nature itself had turned against them, the Fire Nation had suffered a loss greater than any before.Now came the time of cleaning up. The Water Tribe members were searching for survivors from both sides. No matter who was found, whether Water Tribe or Fire Nation, they were immediately healed, though the latter was taken prisoner once their injuries were taken care of.Aang was found alive, though he now supported a nasty scar on his back, similar to the one Zuko now had on his chest, but he was as energetic as ever in no time. Toph too had survived, though she was completely unharmed, and was feeling very satisfied for having captured the Fire Lord.Sadly, Mai hadn’t made it. Her burnt corpse was found in the remains of the airship she had been flying. The Water Tribe would give her an honorable burial as if she were one of their own.Jet was found alive, but gravely injured. Zuko and Katara had been close by in another search party when he was found and was quickly informed. Once they arrived, Katara quickly used her Waterbending to scan his body for injuries. It didn’t look good. His bones were shattered, and he had massive internal bleeding. It was a miracle he was even still alive.Jet ignored Katara, looking up at Zuko. “A-Are the… people s-safe?” he asked worriedly.Zuko gave him a reassuring smile and nodded. “Yes, they’re safe.”Jet visibly relaxed, even though pain still twisted his features. “I… c-can… not l-lead them…” With great effort, he reached up and rested a hand on Zuko’s shoulder. “Y-You will h-have t-to… lead them.”Shock was written all over Zuko’s face. Jet wanted him to lead? The same Jet that always seemed to hate and disapprove of him was asking him to become the new chief?Immediately, Zuko’s thoughts turned to his father and to what a tyrant the man had turned out to be, and how his sister had gone insane. It hadn’t just been his father and sister either. His grandfather and great grandfather had been tyrants as well. It seemed to run in his family. What if he turned out to be the same? It was common knowledge that power tended to corrupt.“I’m not leadership material.” He said to Jet.This only earned him a glare. “It is… d-decided!” His hand slid down from the Fire Prince’s shoulder and grasped Zuko’s hand. “A-And let it… be known t-that I f-fought… along side… the Blue Spirit.” Zuko nodded and Jet gave him a smile. “Now… finish me…”Once again shock flashed across Zuko’s face. “I can’t do that!”Jet glared at him. “I d-don’t want… to be killed…. By t-them. I’d r-rather die… by y-your hand…” He gave Zuko a determined look. “D-Do this… for me… my brother…”After a few seconds of silence, Zuko nodded. Taking up his knife, he pointed it over Jet’s heart. He would make it as quick and painless as possible.Muttering a prayer for the dying chief, Zuko stabbed the knife into Jet’s chest. His former nemesis died with a smile on his face.(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)Several days after the war ended, the surviving people of the Fire Nation boarded their ships, forced to return to their country, never to return. Water Tribe warriors surrounded them, making sure none caused any troubled or tried to escape, but no one tried anything after having suffered such a great defeat.Among the countless individuals who were being evicted from the Water Tribe’s lands, only Zuko, Aang, and Toph were allowed to stay. All others were sent on their way.Zuko himself oversaw the eviction. His face showed no compassion as he watched his former people leave. And when the Fire Lord himself walked past his son, Zuko gave him a cold uncaring looking and nodded towards the ship. Ozai looked away and headed towards the ship with the rest of his people.When the Fire Nation was gone, Zuko immediately got to work with being chief. His first order of business was to say goodbye to the lion-turtle. The beast had been a great friend and ally, but it was not a creature that was meant to be tamed. So Zuko freed the great animal, watching as it sank beneath the water surface.His next order of business was to find a new home for his people. He discovered a good place to settled down in just a few days time and his people set to work, creating a new village to live in.Sitting in his temporary home until his new house was finished, Zuko wrote the finals notes in his uncle’s book. His assignment had long since been over, but he felt that he owed it to his uncle to write the last few pages.“And so life goes on.” Zuko said out loud, writing the words as he spoke them. “This will be my last entry. No matter what happens in the future, I’m staying here with my people. My real family.” He smiled, thinking of what was going to happen later today. “I guess I better go now. I don’t want to be late for my own party.” His smile widened. “It’s my wedding after all.”
THE END