1Don't worry, this fanfic's not gonna end as Zutara.
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Iroh and Yori spent the next two weeks forming a new plan. Yori found a canoe tied at one side of the ship she was on. When they would get closer to the North Pole, she would sneak out on it at night and go from there.
"Zhao doesn't suspect a thing." Iroh reported.
"Good." Yori replied. "How close are we to the North Pole?"
"We'll reach their shores tomorrow."
XXX
Zuko was in trouble. Earlier that day, soot mixed with snow fell from that sky which meant Fire Nation troops were closing in on the North Pole. If the Fire Nation discovered Zuko at the North Pole, they'll turn him in to the Fire Lord for sure.. He finally decided to hide until he could come up with a plan for escape.
Hoping that neither Katara, Aang, or Sokka noticed; Zuko snuck to an alleyway and hid there.
'What was I thinking joining the Avatar?' He thought in dismay.
XXX
After Iroh advised Zhao to stop attacking at night, Yori got into a boat and snuck to shore. She managed to navagate through the treacherous icebergs and swam through a few water tunnels into the city.
Yori ducked into an alley to catch her breath. She backed up further in ordwer to hide herself better.
"Ow! Hey!"
Yori jumped at the voice and realized she jumped into someone. "Sorry! I was just..." Yori's eyes widened as she saw who she bumped into. He looked familiar...but also not familiar. "Zuko?"
"Yori!" Zuko exclaimed.
"Oh my gosh, what are you doing here?" Yori asked, her eyes streaming with tears of joy. They hugged each other. "Where's your mother?"
"She's in the Earth Kingdom." Zuko answered. "I was getting tired of the monotonous life I was having, so I set off alone."
"Doing what?"
"Well...I kind of...joined the avatar." Zuko replied sheepishly.
Yori's heart sank. "Oh. Great." She sighed. "I'll uh...I'll just go now." She started walking out of the alley.
Zuko stopped his friend. "Yori, wait. You didn't let me finish." Yori turned back to Zuko, interested in what he had to say. "I think I made a mistake. I thought I found my place in this world by joining the avatar, but...now I realized that I have no idea why I joined in the first place. I'm just trying to find my place in this world, that's all."
"I guess I can understand." Yori replied, folding her arms. "I'm here with your uncle Iroh, by the way."
"How is he?" Zuko asked.
"Well, considering that his sister-in-law killed his father and kidnapped his nephew, I'd say he's doing fine."
Zuko just stared at Yori, shocked. "What? My mother did not kill my grandfather or kidnap me! She just defended me when my father was about to kill me as punishment for trying to usurp my uncle. She just ran away with me."
"Okay, that sounded dirty..." Yori muttered. Zuko looked at her impatiently. "Sorry. But that's not what we were told! We were told that your mother got sick of the palace and killed your grandfather and kidnapped you."
"Why not Azula, tough? Wouldn't the story have been more effective?" Zuko asked.
"I guess people kind of knew your mother and Azula didn't get along well." Yori shook her head sadly. "Anyway, the reason I'm here is because...almost three years ago, your father made a deal with Iroh. If he comes home with the avatar in chains, he'll lift the bounty off you and your mother's heads. He needed backup, so he invited me to come along for the ride."
Zuko turned away and sighed. He couldn't believe what he heard. The Fire Nation thinks his mother is a murderer...his uncle and best friend were hunting te Avatar...this was too much.
"What are you thinking?" Yori asked. "I know it's a lot to take in."
Zuko turned back to her. "What am I supposed to do now? I'd really hate to betray the avatar and his friends just after I met them, but...I want the bounty lifted, too."
"It's your call, Zuko." Yori said simply. "Do you want to stay with the Avatar and continue lying to them about who you are, or join me and your uncle, and together we'll capture the avatar and free you and your mother from jail or worse."
Zuko stood still and silent for a while. Yori had a point. He had to make his decision, and he had to make it now.
XXX
Meanwhile, Katara and Aang were at the Spirit Oasis with Yue. Aang successfully crossed over to the Spirit World.
Zuko walked in on the three. Katara turned to see him.
"Lee!" Katara greeted. "How did you know where to find us?"
"I took a wild guess." Zuko shrugged. "Hey...Katara, can I talk to you for a second? Alone?"
"Sure." Katara turned to Yue. "Yue, do you mind?"
"Yes, of course." Yue smiled. "I'll go see if I can find Sokka."
"Good luck. Knowing him, he'd probably be out on the battlefield." Katara replied. They both laughed. Yue walked off. Katara turned back to Zuko. "What is it?"
Zuko took a deep breath. "Okay...first of all...I lied to you. I'm not from the Earth Kingdom and my name is not Lee."
Katara stared at Zuko. "What? Why...? Who are you, really?"
"Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation." Zuko answered. Katara gasped in horror. Zuko continued. "You see I was in hiding because my father tried to kill me-"
Zuko was interrupted by Katara bending water to push Zuko against a wall. "I can't believe you lied to me! I trusted you! Aang trusted you!"
"I'm sorry." Zuko replied. He stood up.
"You were sent to spy on us, weren't you?" Katara glared daggers at Zuko. Her eyes were filled with hurt and anger. "Joining us was a part of some evil plan to capture Aang!"
"No, it wasn't. Really-"
"How do I know that's the truth?" Katara shot back. "From the day we met,. You lied! And I not only believed you, I actually-ugh!" Katara shot another water whip at Zuko.
Yori quietly snuck in on the scene. It looked like Zuko told Katara who he really was and Katara was not taking it well. Slowly and quietly, Yori approached Aang and picked him up. Casting a glance at Katara, who had her back turned, Yori walked off.
SPLASH!
Water hit Yori's head hard causing her to to stumble and drop Aang. She turned around and shot a fireball at Katara, who blocked the blast with water. Yori cast a quick glance at Zuko, who was frozen in an iceberg. Katara caught Yori off-guard and water-blasted her to the ground.
Yori pretended to be unconscious for a while. Her plan was to catch Katara off-guard. Unfortunately, Katara thought ahead and froze Yori to the ground.
XXX
Morning finally came and Yori melted away the ice around her. She jumped up and bended a huge fireball at Katara. Katara tried to block it, but was forced backwards and knocked unconscious. Yori sighed and walked over to the waterbender.
"If you rise with the moon, then I rise with the sun." She said. She patted Katara's head. "We learn something new every day, don't we?"
Yori stepped over Katara's body to Zuko, who was still thawing. Yoir melted the rest of the ice.
Zuko gasped and shivered. "Man, that was cold! I wasn't in there for very long, was I?"
"Nah. Just overnight." Yori replied. "I knocked the waterbender unconscious. Now's our chance to capture the avatar."
"Right." Zuko walked over to Aang and threw him over his shoulder.
Without looking at each other, Yori and Zuko headed in opposite directions. After a few minutes, Yori looked over her shoulder. Zuko was nowhere to be seen.
"Zuko?" Yori called. Her eyes scanned the horizon., She noticed the froze tundra above and her eyes widened. "Oh no..."
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CLIFFIE! -shot-
...It's lae. See you...whenever.
