This chapter begins with a dream Zuko has the night he kissed Jin then continues briefly through the rest of Season 2. Chapter 5 will be the start of Season 3! I don't own these characters or their dialogues from the show. Please R&R D

Chapter 4

Zuko walked aimlessly down the streets of Lower Ring Ba Sing Se. The avenue was crowded with life-size Earth Kingdom figurines that were slowly shambling towards wherever it was that they were headed to. As he continued, the prince noticed glowing lights coming from further down the road. The lanterns of the Firelight Fountain had been lit for the evening. Their small flames flickered and reflected off the water.

He saw a girl sitting on the edge of the fountain. She was trailing her delicate fingertips along the surface of the glittering water and watching the tiny ripples that formed. Zuko smiled and walked closer to the figure. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks. He knew this girl! She wore a blue dress trimmed with polar bear fur and adorned with cerulean colored stones. Her wavy brown hair trailed along her back down to her waist. She had two braids interlaced with azure ribbons that tied together at the back of her head. The maiden turned and smiled shyly at him. The prince sat down beside her, gazing deeply into her blue eyes. She looked exactly like Katara, but she was wearing the Water Tribe doll's clothes!

"Zuko," the girl said softly.

She had the warmest most loving expression on her face. He felt a pain inside of him flow away and his heart fluttered against his chest. He brought his hand to his chest and his fingertips brushed against what felt like flower petals. The prince looked down and there indeed was a flower blooming right above his heart! Zuko tenderly took the blossom into his palm. How had it gotten there? There hadn't been a pin to hold it against his shirt. How had it stayed on his chest?

The flower was a green lotus and it twirled slowly in his hand of its own accord. The prince smiled and reached out to offer the flower to her. She gently accepted it and cupped it into both of her hands. The lotus began to twirl faster, and they both laughed softly.

"I've missed you," he said as he ran a hand through her hair.

The girl laid her head against his shoulder, the flower resting in her hands at her lap. Zuko rubbed a fistful of her soft locks against his face. They pulled apart slightly and stared into each other's eyes. The prince slowly brought his face down and gently kissed her lips. He smiled in his sleep.

Now, if you were to ask Zuko what a chakra was, he wouldn't be able to tell you. But, in that moment when he gave the lotus to the maiden, he succeeded in opening his air chakra.

Lake Laogai

"I'm begging you Prince Zuko! It's time for you to look inward and begin asking yourself the big questions. Who are you? And what do you want?"

Zuko realized that he had been lying to himself. He wasn't the Blue Spirit, not anymore. The prince had been a different person when he'd used the oni mask to rob from Earth Kingdom people. Zuko had left that lifestyle behind him when he'd caught himself about to steal food from a woman with child. When he'd come across Lee and his family they gave him the opportunity to earn his food. Out in the wilderness he had begun to remember who he was. He wasn't a thief. He wasn't a vigilante. And he didn't need the Avatar to restore his honor. But could he really find it in himself to release the bison that belonged to his longtime enemy?

The prince stared at the blue oni mask. He had worn this persona for so long that he'd actually come to believe that that was who he really was.

"Leave it behind."

Zuko watched the mask slowly sink into the blue waters of the lake. He felt hot and weak. Unbeknownst to him, by letting go of his false persona and accepting his true nature he had unstopped the lie that had been blocking his sound chakra. And because of the disparity between the two personas, his body was now unsure as to whether it was living or dying.

The Earth King

Zuko's body was fighting to come to terms with the loss of a persona that had been dominant for so many years. The last traces of the old persona's essence used its dying breath to take the form of the Blue Dragon. It attempted to kill the prince by dragging him down with it as it fell into the void. Sensing the danger, Iroh roused Zuko from his deadly dream.

"Your critical decision, what you did beneath that lake, it was in such conflict with your image of yourself that you are now at war within your own mind and body. You're going through a metamorphosis, my nephew. It will not be a pleasant experience. But when you come out of it, you will be the beautiful prince you were always meant to be."

That night, Zuko washed away his illusion of separateness from the Avatar, thus unlocking his light chakra.

The Guru/The Crossroads of Destiny

The prince was now truly himself in mind and spirit. His original positive outlook on life had finally returned after many years of dormancy. His senses had opened up like a bud bursting into bloom. Zuko was alert and ready when Azula showed up in the Earth King's palace.

"No, I'm tired of running. It's time I faced Azula."

The prince's unclouded mind assessed that with his sister controlling the Dai Lee, he and his uncle had run out of options as far as settling down and making a life for themselves. Zuko was not about to live his life on the run once again. He was free to choose his own destiny, and he chose to stand and fight. He knew that he was outnumbered, but he hoped that Azula still underestimated his powers enough to fight him in an Agni Kai. She declined the duel. Is she scared of me, or is she really just that lazy?

"You've got company."

Hey! Watch the face!

"Zuko!"

He looked up to see Katara glaring down at him. Uh oh. He got up and walked several feet away from the girl, then sat facing the hole that he had been unceremoniously dumped through. This way he would be closer to the door in case he had to protect her from the Dai Lee AND he'd be farther away from her screaming. The prince was not looking forward to her yelling at him.

"Why did they throw you in here? Oh wait lemme guess: it's a trap so that when Aang shows up to help me you can finally have him in your little Fire Nation clutches."

Zuko's frown deepened and he turned his face to the side, almost looking at her. My hands aren't small! He turned away again. It was probably best to let her finish with her tirade.

"You're a terrible person, you know that? Always following us, hunting the Avatar, trying to capture the world's last hope for peace. But what do you care? You're the Fire Lord's son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" He isn't the world's last hope for peace, and I am not like my father!

"I don't? How dare you? You have no idea what this war has put me through: ME, personally."

He turned his head slightly towards her, waiting.

"The Fire Nation took my mother away from me."

Oh. She was crying. He did turn to look at her now.

"I'm sorry."

He turned completely around to face her.

"That's something we have in common."

She stopped crying and turned around to look at him. His eyes were sincere. Zuko stood up and faced the doorway again. Katara slowly got to her feet and then walked a couple steps closer to him.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you before."

"It doesn't matter."

"It's just that for so long now when I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face."

Their gazes met.

"My face." The prince turned away. "I see." Zuko touched his scar, wishing that she could have seen him without it.

"No, no. That's, that's not what I meant."

"It's okay. I used to think that this scar marked me: the mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately, I've realized I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free of my mark."

Katara offered to try to heal his scar. He paused. Will she be revolted by the feel of my charred skin? The prince humbly closed his eyes and slightly lowered his head, silently asking her to please try. She touched him without hesitation or disgust. Her fingers were so soft against the hardness of his scar. Does she use moisturizer?

The Avatar burst into the room and the girl's hand retreated. Katara ran to hug the monk. The Airbender glared at him menacingly from over her shoulder. Why you little…

"Uncle, I don't understand. What are you doing with the Avatar?"

"Saving you, that's what."

Zuko cried out in rage and lunged towards the boy, but his uncle stopped him. I don't need or want your help you little brat!

"Zuko, it's time we talked. Go help your other friends. We'll catch up with you."

As Katara left, she turned to look at him. Her eyes said a silent apology for not being able to carry out her attempt to heal him. The prince watched her leave. He felt a sadness in his heart as she walked away to join her friend.

"Why Uncle?" But he knew why. His mind was no longer clouded with illusions.

"You're not the man you used to be Zuko. You are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been. And now you have come to the crossroads of your destiny. It's time for you to choose. It's time for you to choose good."

Azula appeared and offered him the chance to join her. The prince knew what he had to do. His inner tranquility had brought him the intuition he needed to beat Azula at her own game. But to do this, he would have to let go of his attachment to his uncle and to Katara. Zuko would protect them, but he would have to leave them behind and face his task alone. He bowed his head softly. As he exhaled, he let them go and his thought chakra opened. The prince felt a strong power being born within his body.

"Uncle, if something happens to the Avatar, promise me you'll try to save her."

And with that he unleashed a powerful kick with the heel of his foot that freed Iroh from his crystal prison.

Zuko aimed a gigantic fire blast in between the Avatar and Azula. His powers had grown immensely. His senses were more alive than they had ever felt before. The prince's concentration was intensely keyed up. The pure cosmic energy he had unknowingly accepted into his body had brought with it a colossal amount of sensory information. His powers were too great. Zuko had to adjust into a defensive fire whipping stance in order to give the Airbender more time to react to his attacks.

He broke Katara's hold on Azula.

"It thought you had changed!"

Oh my god, woman. I'm fire-whipping you instead of blasting you into kingdom come! That doing anything for ya?

"I have changed." He couldn't tell her his plan and it frustrated him.

The princess began to attack her as well. Zuko let out a few blasts aimed slightly to the side of Katara so as to appear to be helping his sister. Azula's lighting threw the girl into the crystals. A line of worry appeared under his eye for a split second and was gone.

His sister blasted the Avatar, and the prince hoped it would not be a killing blow. As Katara sailed towards them atop a gigantic wave, Zuko remembered the time when a mother turtleduck had savagely bitten him for hitting her turtleduckling with a loaf of bread. Perhaps that recollection was enough to cause the prince to pee his pants, but the wave drenched him, so we will never know.

Katara held the unconscious boy in her arms. Her eyes looked broken and they were glazed over like a doll's eyes. He huffed up his body against her pain and slowly walked towards them. Any day now, Uncle!

"You've got to get out of here! I'll hold them off as long as I can!"

He tried to keep the relief from showing on his face. Do not fear, Uncle. I can do this.

"Today you restored your own honor."

He gave Azula the proud look that she was expecting from him. Zuko turned away. His mind was working frantically to reassure himself that Katara was alright and that she had been able to save the Avatar with the sacred water.