AN: I plead the fifth. Life is hard.

Here is part two of Day of Black Sun. You've all waited long enough. Just a quick info lesson:

Azula goes on to tell Ozai that Zuko defeated the Avatar despite knowing that he 'walked away' alive.

The Eclipse portion of "Day of Black Sun" will be set in two parts as well. So here is the first portion.

Aang, Toph: 13
Katara, Suki: 15
Azula, Ty Lee: 16
Mai, Sokka: 17
Zuko: 18

Story Legend
"-" Conversation
'-' Thoughts
'italics' flashback
'italicized word' emphasis

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. It belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.


In a universe where a boomerang surpasses the barriers of insanity and strikes hard into black tresses causing a wave of backlashes and irreversible damages; Apparently it is possible to catch lightning in a jar"

- The Sapphire Prodigy


"To Catch Lightning"
"Chapter 6"


"You little WHORE!"

Azula fell to her knees frightened. Her father summoned her again and this time she didn't think she would be leaving.

"No daughter of mine will spawn illegitimate bastards!"

Ozai moved through the motions and created lightening. Azula's eyes widened in horror.

"Father – please!"

Ozai directed the lightning towards her stomach. "It must die!"

Azula wrapped her arms around her stomach as the lightening drew near.

"NOOOOOOO!"

Azula abruptly sat up breathing harshly. She counted slowly and her breathing evened out.

Placing her arms around her stomach, she spoke soft words of assurance), 'I won't let ANYONE hurt you.'


The moon had just begun to overlap the sun. The eclipse would arrive in a matter of minutes. Sokka looked up and saw Katara helping their dad through the plaza's large doorways. He held his side, still wounded.

"Dad! You're on your feet again."

Sokka and Toph ran quickly towards Katara and Hakoda (of whom had been previously injured).

"Thanks to your sister. I'm in no shape to fight but maybe there is some way I could help."

"Everything's going smoothly and the eclipse hasn't even kicked in yet."

"Let's hope our luck holds out. Katara, you seem distracted. Is something wrong?"

Katara took a few steps forward and gazed out in the distance.

"Is that … Aang?"

Sokka glanced up in confusion. "What?"

Aang glided towards the others dodging fireballs in the process. Moments later he landed in front of them. Sokka hates when he knows something has gone left.

"Please tell us you're here because the Fire Lord turned out to be a big wimp and you didn't even need the eclipse to take him down?" Cause that would be conveniently awesome but if that is the case, then where is Azula in all of this?

"He wasn't home. No one was. The entire palace city is abandoned."

Sokka was internally furious.

"They knew." She knew. Sokka made a mental note to find Azula as quickly as possible and demand her to tell him everything! How long had she known about the eclipse? How long had the Fire Nation known?

"It's over. The Fire Lord is probably long gone. Far away on some remote island where he'll be safe during the eclipse." Aang responded.

Sokka highly doubted that was the case.

"No. My instincts tell me he wouldn't go too far. He would have a secret bunker. Somewhere he could go so it'll be safe during a siege but still be close enough to lead his nation." And since he likely didn't leave, neither did Azula. He couldn't wait to find her sneaky little-

"If it's an underground secret bunker we're looking for, I'm just the girl to find it." Toph said interrupting Sokka's train of thought.

Sokka then pulled out a small device resembling a pocket watch.

"The Mechanist gave me this timing device. It looks like we've got about 10 minutes until the full eclipse. 10 minutes to find the Fire Lord." Mentally Sokka was only focused on finding Azula. Facing the Fire Lord was Aang's mission.

Aang perked up hopeful. "We can still do this. We can still win the day."

Katara, however, remained skeptical.

"Wait. If they knew we were coming, it could all be a trap. Maybe we should use the time we have left to make sure all of us get out of here safely."

Hakoda understood his daughter's point, but that would almost make the sacrifices that everyone made pointless.

"Everyone who's here today came prepared to risk everything for this mission. They know what's at stake. If there's still a chance and there's still hope, I think they would want Aang to go for it."

"What do you think? You're the one who has to face the Fire Lord. Whatever you decide, I'm with you." Sokka hoped that being with Aang meant he would take the chance because he cannot let this go without facing Azula. She had to have known the invasion was his plan. She always seems to know what's going on in his world. Man! He just knows she knew!

"I have to try."

Sokka mentally grinned. 'I'm coming for you Azula.'


Azula did her best to prepare physically and mentally for this day. She's normally a calculative person but her pregnancy hormones and stressful nightmares have been kicking her ass. Well, at least her friends are safe.

Flashback

"You're WHAT?"

Mai never ever thought that Azula of all people would end up in a situation like this. Ty Lee gaped at Azula for a few moments before she launched herself on to Azula in a fit of Ty Lee – like bubbly happiness.

"Oh Azula! Congratulations! I knew that your aura was different lately. All bright red and SPARKLY! Wait? Who have you been sleeping with? You have a BOYFRIEND? Why didn't you tell us?"

Trust Ty Lee to NOT see the bigger issues in the scenario. Mai mentally rolled her eyes. Apparently, she would have to be the adult of the two. 'As always.'

"Never mind all that Ty Lee. What are you going to tell your father Azula?"

Mai had a very vivid idea of what would happen if Azula told her father what was going on with her.

It wouldn't end well.

Anyway, they could interrogate her about her child's father later.

Azula sighed tiredly.

"It's a long story Ty, one I don't have much time to explain. I won't be telling my father anything Mai. But I'm no fool. The physician's loyalty will only last but so long. That is why you both must leave."

Mai and Ty Lee both looked up simultaneously, "WHAT?"

"Look at some point my father is going to figure out what's wrong with me. I have no intention of being here when he does. I haven't quite figured out what I am going to do, but I know that I cannot leave you two in the middle of this. This is for your own good."

Azula reaches into her pocket and pulls out a bag of gold coins. She hands it to Mai who stares at it blankly.

"What's this for?"

"I need both of you to get as far away from the capital as possible. If you can, leave the island entirely! I won't let you two be caught in the crossfire of my father's wrath."

Pregnancy really has made her quite the emotional sap.

Mai and Ty Lee glanced at each other unsure, before Ty Lee moved closer to Azula.

"Are you sure about this Zula?"

Azula nodded grimly. She had no other choice but to be sure.

Ty Lee threw her arms around Azula once more. "Be careful!"

Mai moved in creating a three-way hug. "Be safe, Azula."

"Same to you both. I'll be fine. I will see you both soon."


Appa flew towards the top of the volcano where the Fire Nation capital is and landed on the side. Aang, Toph, and Sokka jumped off him to examine their surroundings.

"Do you feel anything down there?"

Toph placed her hand on the ground and focused on the vibrations below.

"Yep. There are natural tunnels crisscrossing through the inside of the volcano."

"Anything else? Is there a structure somewhere?"

Toph extended her hands to each side before she plunged them into the ground and gripped the earth with her fingers.

"There's something big, dense, and made of metal deep in the heart of the volcano."

"Sounds like a secret bunker to me."

Toph thrusted her hands forward, and bent a hole into the side of the volcano. Toph, Sokka, and Aang moved through the hole into a dark tunnel. Toph kneeled and felt the ground before running down one side of the tunnel. Sokka and Aang followed behind.

"This way! That one's a dead end."

"What would we do without you?" Seriously? Cause so many things could have gone wrong in a domino effect if it wasn't for Toph. He is still surprised she hasn't ratted him out.

"Perish and burn in hot magma." Toph's mind couldn't help but create some mental images of Sokka doing just that. She was still sort of healing.

"Yeah, pretty much."

Further down the tunnel was a cavern filled with active lava vents all over the floor.

"The tunnel continues on the other side and it leads right to the bunker."

"We'll have to be fast but careful."

Sokka attempted to run across, but was immediately stopped by one of the vents erupting. He yelled in surprise and shielded himself as Aang swung his staff at it, bending a gust of wind and cooling down the lava.

"How was that careful?"

"I was wrong. We need to be fast, careful and lucky."

Sokka and the others ran across the cavern, carefully dodging the steam and lava coming from the vents.

"There's no floor! It's just a river of lava."

Aang spun his staff and extended the glider wings. "Climb aboard and hold on tight."

Sokka and Toph held on to the top of Aang's glider as he glided through the lava tunnel. They made it to the other side and landed. Then they ran up to a large metal bunker built against the cavern wall. Sokka looked up at the door in awe.

"That's some door!"

Toph walked up to the door, placed her ear against it, and knocked on it, producing a metallic thud.

"Not a problem."

Toph took a step back before bashing her elbows into the door, fracturing and denting it. She took another step back, kissed her middle and index fingers, and forcefully stabbed them through the middle of the door. Then she kicked a hole through the metal. Toph took off after pointing in a direction and Sokka and Aang followed.

"I am so glad we added you to the group."

Aang, Sokka, and Toph ran down a tunnel on the other side that merged with the first one. War Minister Qin whistled a tune as he moved to the end of the wall and the three ran past him. He gasped in shock, alerting the three to his presence. They turned around and brandished their weapons at him. Toph stomped the ground and popped a rock into the air. Qin pressed his back against the wall and raised his hands in surrender.

"The Fire Lord's chamber is that way down the hall to the left and up the stairs. You can't miss it. "

Aang, Sokka, and Toph all stepped in closer to him. Aang and Sokka glared up at him. Aang suddenly smiled cheerfully.

"Thanks!"

Sokka gave him one last dirty look before he, Aang, and Toph continued through the tunnel. Sokka pulled out the Mechanist's device to check their time.

"Only 30 seconds until the total eclipse."

Sokka barely had a second to consider what he was going to say to Azula. The greater good of the world relied on stopping the Fire Nation. Neither he nor Azula ever really brought up the obvious division between them. He really hoped he could make her see that this had to happen.

Eventually the three of them came to another large door with a flame symbol on the front and at the top. Aang took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"I'm ready. I'm ready to face the Fire Lord."

Aang spun his staff up and forward. The door blew off its hinges by Aang's blast of air. Inside the room is one large hall supported by thick metal beams on both sides, lit by torchlight. At the end of the large hall is a single throne. Azula looked up as she lounged almost nonchalantly on the throne.

Azula sighed inaudibly. 'It's time.'

"I guess the rocks didn't crush your skull or your spirit after all, hmm?"

Aang gapped at her in utter, speechless shock. Toph stared in slight irritation but hidden in her glassy eyes lied dry mirth. Sokka is just as shocked as Aang if not more. His shock slowly morphed into pleasure and immediately nervousness as he considered the situation that he is now in.

Sokka gulped in apprehension. 'I have a feeling this isn't going to end well.'


Zuko stood in front of a much smaller door within the tunnels. He had his broadswords slung on his back.

"I'm ready to face you."

Zuko slid the door open. Inside there were elite guards with spears standing at the front. His father was just about to take a sip from a steaming cup of tea when he noticed Zuko.

"Prince Zuko, what are you doing here?"

Zuko walked toward the line of guards, stopped, and stood.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm here to tell the truth."

"Telling the truth during the middle of an eclipse. This should be interesting." Ozai waved his hand at the guards who then silently left through doors on both sides of the chamber.

"First of all, in Ba Sing Se, it was Azula who took down the Avatar, not me."

"Why would she lie to me about that?"

"Because the Avatar is not dead. He never was."

Ozai's eyes widened in alarm. "What?!"

"In fact, he probably is leading this invasion. He could be on us right now."

Ozai stoop up and pointed, furiously. "Get out! Get out of my sight right now if you know what's good for you."

"That's another thing. I'm not taking orders from you anymore."

Ozai seethed with rage. "You will obey me or this defiant breath will be your last!"

Ozai began to walk towards Zuko, until Zuko unsheathed his broadswords and brandished them at him.

"Think again! I am going to speak my mind and you are going to listen."

"For so long, all I wanted was you to love me, to accept me. I thought it was my honor that I wanted but really, I was just trying to please you. You, my father, who banished me just for talking out of turn."

Zuko pointed his sword at his father as if to better clarify his position.

"My father, who challenged me; a 13-year-old boy to an Agni Kai. How can you possibly justify a duel with a child?"

Ozai remained unrepentant. "It was to teach you respect."

"It was cruel! And it was wrong."

"Then you have learned nothing."

"No, I've learnt everything! And I had to learn it on my own. Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilization in history and somehow, the war was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world. What an amazing lie that was. The people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation! They don't see our greatness, they hate us! And we deserve it. We've created an era of fear in the world. And if we don't want the world to destroy itself, we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness."

Ozai laughed at his mockingly. "Your Uncle has gotten to you, hasn't he?"

Zuko closed his eyes momentarily. "Yes. He has."


"Hello Sokka."

It almost sounded like Azula purred when she said his name. 'That can't be right.' Aang stared.

"Uh, hey Azula."

Aang glances at Sokka confused before glancing back at Azula.

"Where is he? Where is the Fire Lord?"

"It doesn't matter. I've known about the invasion plan for months."

Sokka's eyes narrowed at Azula. As usual his mouth moved before his brain did.

"I knew it! You lied to me!"

Aang stared at Sokka as if he was insane "Sokka what are you – "

Toph pulled Aang back a few steps and whispered in his ear. "Twinkle Toes, just keep quiet and listen. It's about time somebody else is in on this mess."

Aang glanced at Toph crazily before turning back to what now turned into an all-out argument. 'What is going on!?'

Sokka and Azula were now in proximity.

"I lied? I LIED? We never even spoke about the eclipse so how the hell did I lie about anything!? And what exactly is it that you came here for in the first place? Hmm?"

"Are you serious? You never bothered to mention that you knew! And I came to stop the Fire Lord from destroying the world! You knew that this had to happen!"

Sokka took a deep breath and attempted to calm down. He needed to think rationally, he had to get her to understand that this was for the greater good.

A moment of silence passed between them all, a moment of awkward silence. Sokka realized that time is of the essence and prepared himself for a situation that could end so many different unpredictable ways.

He had no idea just how unpredictable the situation was about to get.


Zuko smiled at the thought of his uncle. Ozai frowned in disapproval.

"After I leave here today, I'm going to free Uncle Iroh from his prison and I'm going to beg for his forgiveness. He is the one who has been a real father to me."

Ozai chuckled sarcastically, "That's just beautiful. Maybe he can pass down to you the ways of tea and failure."

Ignoring his father, Zuko pressed on. "But I've come to an even more important decision."

Pausing, Zuko readied himself for his next words.

"I'm going to join the Avatar. And I'm going to help him defeat you."

Ozai grinned slyly, "Really? Since you're a full-blown traitor now and you want me gone, why wait? I'm powerless, you've got your swords, why don't you just do it now?"

"Because I know my own destiny. Taking you down is the Avatar's destiny."

Zuko sheathed his swords, his task completed.

"Goodbye."

Zuko turned and walked away. Ozai stood unwilling to let that be the end of it.

"Coward! You think you're brave enough to face me but you'll only do it during an eclipse. If you have any real courage, you'll stick around until the Sun comes out. Don't you want to know what happened to your Mother?"

Zuko stopped in front of the doors and turned around. Ozai grinned venomously.


"I'm sorry things have to be this way, but the Fire Nation must be stopped!"

Azula's eyes gave way to clear paranoia. "So, you came here to kill me? Hmm? You want to end me!"

Sokka paused, and stared at her in confusion. "I wouldn't- NO, I- Azula what the hell are you talking about?"

"You don't love me! You think I'm some sort of monster that has to be taken down too?!"

'What?'

In the distance, a commotion can be heard. Azula suddenly smirked.

"Feels like the firebending is back on."

Before Sokka could retaliate. He ended up narrowly dodging messy blue flames that nearly burned his torso. Aang disheartened moved into a battle stance as well to help Sokka, despite his evident confusion. Toph examined the situation and determined that she nor Aang needed to intervene. She again, moved herself, and Aang further away from their argument.

"Toph what are you doing? The eclipse is over! Sokka needs our help – "

"No he doesn't. I told you to stand back and observe. I'm tired of being the only one who knows!"

"Knows WHAT?"

'WATCH Twinkle Toes."

While Aang and Toph, once again, began to silently observe the situation, despite Aang's growing anxiety, Sokka continued to dodge Azula's frenzied attacks.

"Azula STOP!"

Azula nearly exhausted, paused for a moment to catch her breath, but that was all Sokka needed. He launched himself at her and pinned her against the wall.

"NO! Let me go you bastard! Let me GO!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I'm pregnant you fool!"


AN: Sorry for another cliffhanger. But you must agree with me when I say it ended in perfection! I'll back with the second part soon enough!

- The Sapphire Prodigy