The End part 3
OOO
"How do we keep getting in these situations?" Sokka asked, irritated, boomerang in hand, slowing backing away from the advancing ring of firebenders.
Iroh had his hands up ready to defend himself if necessary. "Does this happen to you two often?"
"You have no idea," Zuko muttered, his sharp amber eyes taking in their predicament, shifting from opponent to opponent, and waiting for someone to make the first move.
After escaping Azula's clutches, the trio had left the main part of the city and circled around in a wide curve to end back up where they started, on the hill outside of town, overlooking the docks. What they hadn't counted on was bumping into every firebender and soldier in the area. Now, they were surrounded on three sides by at least thirty of the Fire Nation's finest and cautiously backing up, eyes darting around for any means of escape.
Sokka took yet another step back and his foot slipped. The earth beneath his heel crumbled and he waved his arms to retain his balance. Zuko's hand shot out and grabbed his bicep to steady him. They both looked over their shoulders to the dizzying drop into the rocky sea below them and watched as the earth that had been under Sokka's foot bounced against the canyon wall and shattered against the stone below. Sokka gulped.
"Thanks," he said, voice cracking, face pale.
"No problem," Zuko answered turning to face the approaching soldiers.
Sokka's mind was a whir, racing to piece together some plan of escape, but was unable to come up with anything remotely useful. They were well and truly toast. Either jump into the middle of a fray and end up captured, injured or worse, or take their chances with a certainly suicidal jump into the sea.
"Sokka," Zuko said through clenched teeth, "now would be the time to come up with one of your ideas."
"Hey, it's your turn." Sokka threw out not wanting to admit that he had nothing. "I got us on the ship, remember?"
"Vividly."
Iroh leaned into the conversation. "Something thrilling and heroic, nephew."
Zuko frowned as he racked his brain for something. He had come up with a weak plan and opened his mouth to relay it to his companions but he stopped. "Do you hear that?" he asked.
Sokka tilted his head and listened. A huge smile spread across his features and he risked a glance down the sheer face of the cliff. Giddy with anticipation, Sokka looked back to the problem at hand and noticed that the loud soldier from the ship had broken off from the ranks and stood out in front of the escapees.
"You are outnumbered and outmaneuvered. I think it's about time that you gave up," he stated confidently.
The soldier watched them, backlit by the sun, the wind blowing across the short distance between them and the army. The Dragon of the West looked weary and worn but his stance was one of defiance. The banished prince, his black hair whipping about his scarred face, looked fierce but the bruises he wore, and the way he favored his left side, spoke of pain. The warrior's blue eyes were wide and clear, his hand gripping the blue steel of his weapon as if holding a lifeline, but he wore a knowing grin.
The wind picked up, and shifted direction, kicking up swirls of dust, and rustling the branches of nearby trees. Suddenly, a giant beast appeared from behind them, gracefully rising into the air, its white fur luminous from the glow of the sun. It almost looked like a spirit, huge, and ferocious and the soldiers stepped back.
Appa let loose a loud bellow from right behind the group. Zuko, startled, clapped his hands over his ears as he turned to see the angry bison appear from below the cliff, the Avatar sitting atop its massive head.
"Sokka!" Aang called.
"Aang!" he yelled back. "Great timing!"
The firebenders recovered and started an onslaught of flame but Appa merely turned and with a mighty swish of his tail sent them all tumbling down the hill, scattering them like red leaves on the wind.
Iroh gave the staggered Zuko a wry smile. "Good plan, nephew!" He said, slapping Zuko on the shoulder.
He didn't respond, just stared with wide amber eyes at the bison, astounded that Sokka's stupid bison whistle plan had actually worked and even more surprised that the child Avatar was sitting on the beast's enormous head, waving and smiling like he had just won a game of "Hide and Explode."
"Hi Iroh!" Aang said, still waving. "Did you need rescuing?"
"Yes," the general exclaimed, "I'm afraid your friend and my nephew were having some trouble with the matter."
"Hey!" the two boys protested in unison.
Aang airbended Iroh into the saddle. Sokka ran and jumped, grabbing a hold of the leather saddle to pull himself onto Appa's back. He turned to bid Zuko aboard but his mouth dropped when he saw the too recognizable form of the Fire Princess standing in the middle of the clearing.
"Hey! Where'd she come from?" Sokka demanded of the universe.
Zuko still on the ground whirled to face his sister. He was fatigued from running and injuries and the paltry sleep he had in the past few days but he felt another surge of adrenaline course through him at the chance of fighting her again.
She smiled at him malevolently. "Running Zuko? How cowardly, but just like you," she goaded.
He dropped into a fighting stance. "I'll stay if it means I get to see you go down, Azula."
"Poor stupid, Zuko," she replied, shaking her head. "Always thinking you can beat me."
Fire flew from her fingertips and he dodged the deadly flames.
In that moment, as his body twisted to counter her attack, the wounds from Mai's daggers flared to life in his side. With a cry of pain, he fell to his hands and knees on the ground. He clutched at his abdomen and pulled back his hand covered in the dark red blood that his cloak had been hiding.
Azula sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. "Zuzu, didn't anyone ever tell you to know your limitations?" She approached him, fire sparking from her palms. "Say goodbye, brother."
The Fire Princess brought her hands up to finish the fight but a curved blur flew into her vision and connected with her wrist, knocking her arm down. She looked up to see the Water Tribe boy standing on the back of the furry monster, next to her Uncle, as he caught his returning boomerang.
"Didn't anyone teach you to check your surroundings?" Sokka provoked, smirking.
Azula scowled and focused her attention on the warrior. "You again? I'm amazed you're still alive. I am going to have to change that."
Quickly separating the opposing energies, Azula shot a bolt of white hot lightning.
Sokka moved to dive to the saddle but Iroh stepped between him and the strike. Allowing the current to pulse into his fingers, the general directed it down through his stomach, around his heart and out through his other arm. It forked harmlessly, brilliantly into the sky, leaving behind smoking and blackened fingers but an otherwise healthy Iroh and a shocked, dumbfounded Aang and Sokka.
Aang recovered first, raising his staff, he brought it down creating a massive gust of wind that pushed Azula backward several feet, knocking her on her backside.
Sokka pointed at Iroh, mouth still agape. "How…Why…Where did you learn that?"
Iroh smiled mysteriously. "Water Tribe."
Zuko pushed himself up, standing unsteadily, ignoring those behind him and faced his sister, once again, adrenaline thudding in his ears.
"Zuko! Come on!" Sokka yelled, dropping to his knees in the saddle and precariously leaning out, offering his hand.
The Fire Prince refused to turn around. "No! I'm going to face her!"
"You're hurt!" Sokka called.
"I don't care! I want to end this. Now!"
"Prince Zuko, we must leave!" Iroh shouted as well.
"No!"
Aang watched with wide eyes as the firebending soldiers began regrouping behind Azula, making their way back up the hill. "Sokka! We gotta hurry!"
"Zuko," Sokka said, lowering his voice, "we've done what we came to do. You can fight another day."
Finally, Zuko turned to see Sokka, hand outstretched invitingly, and his uncle, a warm smile on his features, waiting on him.
Under Aang's command, Appa began to pull away from the cliff. Zuko took one last look back at his sister as she began to slowly get upright. Then he ran and jumped.
Grasping Sokka's forearm in mid-air, he hung on as Appa took to the sky.
Zuko dangled dangerously his feet finding no purchase on the slick fur. Fire erupted from the ground below them but Sokka held on despite the flaming missiles coloring the air around him. He concentrated only on keeping a firm grip on Zuko, the sight of his friend hanging above the rocky beach blurring under the stress and burning of his muscles as he ignored the increasing heat in his arm and strained to hold Zuko's weight.
As Aang steered Appa, Iroh stood in the saddle and deflected what he could of the attacks coming from the soldiers. Once they were out of range, he ran to Sokka and helped the boy pull Zuko into the relative safety of the saddle.
The boys collapsed in a heap. Zuko allowed his body to go completely limp and let his eyes flutter closed in blissful exhaustion, finally feeling secure. Sokka lay next to him, gasping for breath, ignoring the pain from the bruises and the strained muscles. Going over the events of the past day he couldn't help but start to giggle with relief. Within moments, it had turned into loud cathartic laughs.
OOO
Katara finished rolling up her bedding and strapped it together before standing. "That's the last of it," she said looking over at Toph.
"Good. I want to get out of here as soon as Aang gets back. This town is too populated, if you get my drift." Toph replied, toes digging into the dirt, Momo perched on her shoulder and one hand on the ground keeping lookout for any familiar enemies.
"I can't believe Azula was in this town of all places. What brought her here?" Katara mused, sitting down next to her friend.
"I don't care why she is here just that she is."
Katara nudged Toph in the shoulder. "Why Toph? Scared?"
The blind girl scoffed. "Hardly, I just," she trailed off and tilted her head, listening. "Appa is coming back!"
Sure enough when Katara looked up she saw the large animal elegantly descending with a wide smiling Aang sitting in his usual place.
"Aang!" Katara called. "What happened? Why did Appa take off like that? What are you smiling a…" her voice died in her throat when a very familiar figure sat up in the saddle.
"Sokka?" she breathed.
"Sokka?" Toph echoed, frantically looking around. "Where? Where?"
"Katara! Toph!" he called, waving back, a huge smile spread across his face.
He slid off Appa's back and as soon as his feet touched ground he was in a crushing embrace. Katara squeezed with all her might, arms clasped around the familiar and comforting frame of her brother who was finding that if he didn't do something quickly, he was going to run out of air.
"It's ok. I'm back," he assured, wheezing slightly, hugging her back and patting her hair.
She loosened her grip a little but as soon as she did Aang joined in and Sokka was stuck between two pairs of arms. Not to be left out, Momo flew to Sokka's shoulder and wrapped his furry winged limbs around Sokka's neck.
"We missed you!" Aang exclaimed.
Toph was going to wait until Katara let go but seeing that it wasn't about to happen, she ran to the group, launched herself at them and grabbed onto Sokka as well causing Momo to fly away to keep from getting squished.
"We sure did, Snoozles!"
The force behind Toph's hug sent them all sprawling to the ground, in a heap of arms and legs.
"I've noticed," he said, laughing, but returning the embraces as best he could.
They still clung to him, even though they were rolling in dirt, and he was struggling to get up, his three friends refusing to let go. Sokka normally wasn't a very affectionate guy but after all that had happened, he was glad to be back with his family, back home.
Until Katara rolled onto his arm.
"Ow! Ow! Katara!" he whined, letting out a hiss of pain.
The three friends scrambled off of him quickly. Katara immediately began scanning him for injuries and gasped.
"Sokka, your arm. It's burned."
He looked down and winced when he noticed the singed clothing and scorched skin on the arm that had held onto Zuko as they soared above the ground. It hadn't been his muscles straining that had caused the burning sensation; he had been grazed by one of the fiery missiles.
Katara immediately began fussing over him, ordering Aang get her canteen as she tenderly looked at her brother's arm, gently prodding the wound and making soft soothing noises.
"It's going to be okay Sokka, just relax; I can heal this without any trouble. You're going to be fine."
"Katara, it's not that bad. Actually, we probably need to be packing up. Azula is still around." Sokka said, trying to disentangle himself from his sister.
"Sokka, just let me heal it," she protested, trying to pull the fabric of his sleeve away from the burned area.
"Seriously, Katara, we should get back on Appa…"
"Sokka, let me look."
"Katara…"
"Just let me heal it!" she yelled, her face contorting with fury.
Shocked, Sokka stopped trying to get away.
"Better do what she says, Snoozles. Once she gets like this, there is no reasoning with her," Toph said from her position next to Sokka.
Katara pushed back a lock of hair and regained her composure, clearing her throat. "Now," she said softly, "unbutton your tunic so I can get a better look."
Sokka complied not wanting to encounter 'scary' Katara again. As he began to unbutton his shirt, Katara spied the large grubby bandage the covered most of his chest.
"Sokka," she gasped. "What happ…"
"Zuko!" Toph cried, interrupting.
She immediately encased the prince in rock while Katara spun around turning her healing water into a threatening whip.
Zuko had been listening to the argument taking place on the ground below as he lay in the saddle, blood seeping from his side. He had decided in his rapidly dizzying mind that he should try and assist his friend. But as soon as his feet had touched ground, he found himself surrounded on all sides by earth and a water whip inches from his face.
"You," Katara hissed. "Did you follow us? Is Azula close behind? You led her here! Didn't you?"
Sokka jumped between Zuko and Katara, arms spread wide. "Katara. Stop. You don't know what you're doing."
"I don't know what I'm doing?" she asked, incredulous. "You're defending him! Zuko betrayed us! He's the reason Aang got hurt! He's the reason you had to leave us!"
"I know," Sokka said calmly, "but he's also the reason I'm alive right now."
The statement hung between them, thick, like the air before a storm. Their reactions were similar, and though Toph and Aang were surprised they were ready to take their friend's word. However, Sokka could sense Katara's disbelief and her refusal to accept it as true.
"I don't believe it," she finally mustered.
"He saved my life, Katara. I'll explain everything, but we're not safe here."
Toph stood up from her attack pose when she heard Sokka's reasoning voice and felt his honest vibrations in the ground. "He's telling the truth," she stated simply.
Katara looked between her brother and the banished prince. Sokka stood between them, arms spread, shirt hanging open revealing burns and bruises. She studied his face and saw the earnest expression, the exhaustion but also a firm resolve. Looking past him to the prince, she was surprised to see he had turned his head away in obvious shame, black hair falling into his scarred face and that he too was covered in bruises and scrapes.
She allowed the water whip to fall to the ground with a splash.
Toph dropped the rock restraints and without them to hold him up, the weakened Zuko fell to his knees, then pitched forward, unconscious.
OOO
As they flew on the back of Appa toward a safer location, Sokka recounted his harrowing journey with Iroh adding in tidbits of information while Katara reluctantly healed Zuko then tended to her brother. The large burn Azula had gifted him with had healed relatively well thanks to Ming Zhu's poultice and multiple bandage changes that had been aided by Zuko, but it was still painful when Katara began unwrapping it.
Sokka let out a slight murmur of pain when she probed the area with her fingers.
"Sorry," she mumbled, enveloping her hand with the healing blue glove and pressing it against the wound.
The scabs healed and disappeared but she had not gotten to it in time. A large red and rutted scar remained and stood out stark against Sokka's brown skin. Katara couldn't help but stare then risked a glance to where Zuko lay, in a dead sleep, the only indication he was alive was the slow rise and fall of his chest.
Katara couldn't help but wonder how the boy that had chased them across the world, fought them, betrayed them, had become the young man that had saved her brother's life and become his friend.
As they flew, Katara was lost in thought. Sokka talked. Aang and Toph hung onto every word. Iroh laughed at the children's antics.
And Zuko slept.
OOO
He awoke to laughter. Rubbing his eyes, he opened them slowly and found himself staring into a blanket of stars. The moon was absent from the sky, her work finished, and allowed the stars to sparkle.
Gingerly sitting up, he tested his limbs and was amazed to find them in working order. Checking his side, he found smooth pale flesh were he was sure spurting wounds had been hours before.
She had healed him. He thought it had been a dream.
He was still in the saddle, though it now rested on the ground and not on the back of the bison. Looking around, he found the others sitting around a cheery campfire, eating dinner.
Iroh was the first to notice him.
"Zuko! You are awake!"
The other four's heads shot up at the declaration. Aang smiled. Katara frowned. Toph stared blankly forward. Sokka managed a smirk and a wave before continuing to devour his delicious meat dinner. Zuko had learned quickly not to get in between Sokka and food, so the dismissal didn't bother him.
He stood and took a hesitant step toward the camp fire. Iroh beckoned him forward and handed the unsure teenager a warm bowl of thick stew. He accepted it quietly and sat down, close enough to hear the dialogue, but far enough away not to be included.
Zuko ate his dinner in silence, avoiding the heated gaze of Katara while observing the dynamic between the friends. He noticed how Toph sat close to Sokka's right side, a slight blush on her cheeks, how Katara hovered nearby watching her brother for any sign of illness or injury and how Aang showed off bending tricks, obvious wanting the attention focused on him.
Sokka was caught up in it all, enjoying the feeling of being home. He answered Katara's questions, laughed at Aang's jokes and verbally sparred with Toph and her sarcasm. It wasn't until much later that he noticed Zuko was gone.
"Hey where did Zuko go?" Sokka asked, looking around.
Toph pointed away from camp. "Down by the small creek."
Sokka stood. "I'll be back, guys."
OOO
Zuko sat by himself in the dark, legs crossed, open palms resting on his knees. The water of the river flowed swiftly in front of him. He took in a long breath and slowly released it.
Azula had been defeated, for now. He had fulfilled his promise of reuniting Sokka with the Avatar. His Uncle was rescued. They all were safe and uninjured. And most importantly, Zuko had been forgiven by his Uncle for his bad judgment beneath the walled city of Ba Sing Se.
At the moment, life was good.
Small flames flickered to life in his hands as he took another deep breath and allowed his eyes to slide closed. He let the sound of the river calm his spirit and as he meditated, the flames mimicked his slow even breaths. Finally, the dull ache in his chest that had been ever present since Iroh's imprisonment had disappeared.
He never realized how good it felt to be peaceful.
Only one question remained. What to do next? He had accomplished all he had set out to do, rescuing his Uncle and bringing Sokka to the Avatar. He even had the added bonus of seeing Azula fall flat on her backside. But now there was no going home to the Fire Nation. He had burned that bridge when he had listened to Rin.
Rin. He had some insane belief that Zuko was destined to end the war. How could he? He was banished, wanted dead by his own father. Yet, Rin had seemed so sure…
And did he really want to leave the only true friend he had ever had? At least, Sokka had referred to him as a friend. But maybe, now that he was back with the others, he wouldn't view Zuko as a companion any longer. Maybe the connection between them was only fleeting, born of their adventures, and did not translate into the current situation.
As much as he hated to admit it, the thought made him squirm.
Zuko didn't know how long he had been there meditating and reflecting until he felt someone walk up behind him and plop unceremoniously to the ground at his side.
He tensed until he cracked one eye open then relaxed when he recognized Sokka's profile. Closing his hands, he snuffed out the flames, smoke curling around his fingers in the starlight.
"Hey," Sokka said, staring up at the moonless sky.
"Hey," Zuko replied.
Sokka was quiet for a moment then sighed. "So thanks for saving my life…a lot."
Zuko nodded. "No problem. You saved mine plenty of times."
"Yeah, I did."
They lapsed into silence for a few moments and off in the distance a raven-owl called to its nighttime brethren.
"So," Sokka began again, "you reunited me with the Avatar and your uncle has been rescued. I guess your mission is completed."
"Yes," Zuko answered, not quite sure why that statement bothered him so much. Maybe it had to do with the fact that their journey together was over and his life was thrown back into the mire of questions he had before they started.
"I guess you'll be moving on then," the warrior prodded.
Zuko swallowed. "I think that would be best."
"Oh," Sokka said, shoulders slumping, "I guess so."
Another awkward silence passed between them. Both boys lost in thought, not quite sure how to articulate what they wanted to say.
"Are we friends?" Zuko suddenly blurted.
Sokka smirked. "Zuko, you risked your life for me several times. I'm pretty sure that qualifies as friendship. Why do you ask?"
"I've…I'm…nevermind!" Zuko replied angrily, embarrassed. He turned away, crossing his arms, black hair falling in his face.
Sokka wondered what had made Zuko shift moods so quickly. Then it hit him; the way that Zuko had never uttered the word 'friend,' and the way he had been so awkward and unsure of himself in amiable conversations.
"You've….you've never had a friend before. Have you?"
Zuko sighed and offered a very quiet, very subdued. "No." There was another moment of silence before the exile continued. "I'm not like you; I never had friends to travel the world with."
Sokka shrugged and turned to look over his shoulder back at the campsite, a content smile on his lips. "It's odd really, but they're not so much my friends as they are my family."
Odd. You find family in the oddest of places. Ming Zhu's words rung in Zuko's ears but he was still hesitant.
Sokka turned back to Zuko. "You know, Aang does need to learn firebending. He could use a good teacher."
"He has Uncle."
Sokka rubbed his temple and grimaced. "You're not going to make this easy are you? Look, you don't have to go."
"I…I don't want to go…" the prince confessed.
"Then come with us," Sokka encouraged.
"I don't know. Your sister…"
"Will get over it." Sokka finished for him. "Besides, I need you around to watch my back. You're surprisingly good at it."
And for the first time, since they had started their journey, in a dark musty dungeon, Zuko smiled. Not a smirk but a real, whole-hearted smile. He offered his hand to Sokka, almost tentatively. "Friends?" he asked.
Sokka firmly grasped his forearm in a warrior's handshake and laughed. "Are you kidding? Brothers!"
OOO
Fin!
And I'm done. Whew.
In this chapter are all the scenes I had originally imagined before I even started writing and I can't tell you how great it was to finally be able to sit down and put them on the page.
Thanks to all that stuck around. Thanks to all that reviewed. This story has owned my soul since July and I'm so glad it's over.
I hope that I entertained some of you. I hope that I maybe inspired others. But I just hoped that some of you enjoyed it.
Yes there will be an epilogue. And No, there is not a sequel planned at this time.
Special thanks to Steamboatghost (who actually came up with the Rock beats scissors line in the last chapter that everyone loved) who has done a lot of my proofreading and given me some great ideas.
Of course thanks to Mike and Bryan. (and Sokka and Zuko for being two very fun characters to write.)
Again, THANKS to everyone that reviewed. That means so much to writers to get feedback.
I'm sure I will see all of you around.
fuzzytomato