I woke up in the back of the cart, groaning and blinking as I then rubbed the back of my neck which was a little sore. "Awake?"
"Uncle Iroh, you're lucky I love you so much otherwise I'd kick your butt for landing a sneak attack on me." I grumbled at him unhappily, rubbing my eyes before looking around. There was a canopy over the back, hiding me from view as well as…is that a Dai Li agent? Wow, Iroh sure works fast. "How long was I out?"
"Not long, we have arrived at the place where we may be able to find help." Ignoring the agent, I sat up then looked through the flap out the front to see a house in the upper ring with part of the wall utterly demolished. Who the heck lives here? "Come, we must humbly ask for help if we are to save Zuko."
"That guy is a real pain in the ass. Maybe we should let him sweat under Azula's care for a few days, maybe then he'll learn a lesson." I said as I jumped out the back, raising my arms to stretch and crack my spine a bit before going up to the door and knocking as Iroh stood next to me. When the door opened, I instantly looked down to see a familiar face, the little blind girl from the road we'd met a month or so ago, Toph.
"Glad to see you're okay." She greeted as I blinked at her then looked over her head to see the Avatar and his friend, Sokka inside.
"We need your help." Iroh informed them all as the boys both dropped their jaws incredulously. At least Toph looked happy to see us, having recognised us from her feet, I'm assuming. Well this sure got real interesting real fast. Let's see how this one plays out. Can't be any worse than facing Azula, right?
"You guys know each other!" The Avatar yelled in disbelief as Toph remained calm as ever.
"I met them in the woods once and knocked the old guy down. Then he gave me tea and they both gave very good advice." Toph explained in simple terms, making me smile uneasily as I lifted my hand to wave and say hi to them all.
"May we come in?" Opening the door further at Iroh's request, Toph allowed us both to enter so that Iroh could address them all. "Princess Azula is here in Ba Sing Se."
"She must have Katara." My ears pricked up at this.
"Your water bending friend is missing? Well that's not good. You really need to work on keeping your group together Avatar Aang, first your bison and now your friend." I teased him lightly though he blinked at me in confusion.
"How do you know about Appa being missing?" Oh boy, and here I thought he was full of wisdom.
"Maybe this will help. Excuse me, I'm borrowing this." Grabbing a curtain I pulled it off the wall with one firm tug, ripping it down then whirled it around over my head with flare, letting it settle before pulling the rest up to cover the lower half of my face. For a few moments Aang just frowned at me until suddenly, it all clicked together.
"Agh! You're that water bending dancer I met! That was you?! Why didn't you say anything? Wait…did you tell Zuko I was here? But then why didn't he come looking for me?" Dropping the curtain I dusted off my hands, figuring the kids wouldn't mind since it looked like Toph had been the one to take out that wall.
"Of course I didn't tell him. I didn't mention anything about your bison either. If Zuko had found out, he would have been after you before you could snap your fingers, then I'd have to follow along and he'd drag me and Uncle Iroh all over the Earth Kingdom and that's just so tiring and boring, so I just conveniently left meeting you here out." I shrugged. "What can I say? I'm lazy by nature." All the while, Sokka still hadn't picked up his jaw off the floor so I flicked his head to wake him up. "Hey, unless you're catching flies with that thing, close your mouth. Your sister is in trouble and so is Zuko. They must both be Azula's prisoners so we've got work to do."
"Then we'll work together to fight Azula, and save Katara and Zuko." Aang decided after he'd shaken his head to clear out the confusion at realising exactly who I was, choosing that it was better to band together than to fight separately.
"Whoa there. You lost me at Zuko." Sokka finally spoke, waving his hands in rejection at the idea of helping the enemy. Guess I couldn't blame them, we had given them a hard time in the past.
"I know how you must feel about my nephew, but believe me when I tell you there is good inside him." Iroh pleaded sincerely, reaching out to place his hands on Sokka's shoulders but he refused to listen, brushing Iroh off.
"Good inside of him isn't enough. Why don't you come back when it's outside him too, okay?"
"Wait!" I quickly interjected, raising my hand to stop him from turning away. "Right now, there's only three of you. Two benders and one Sokka isn't enough to take on Azula and all of her Dai Li agents. Oh yeah, they're working for her now, by the way." I added quickly before spreading my hands to gesture at myself and Iroh. "With us on your side, you have another two benders, fire and water. If we all work together, we stand a better chance of both defeating Azula and rescuing those we care about. Including your sister." Sokka paused, considering my words as I approached him, looking him eye to eye. "I know you don't trust us, why would you? We're Fire Nation, but you can trust that we care about Zuko, and since I'm a water bender, I care about what happens to your sister too. I promise, I won't let Azula hurt her, but I'll need your help. Please?"
"It's not just Katara who's in trouble, Sokka. All of Ba Sing Se is in trouble. Working together is our best chance." Aang reasoned, making Sokka close his eyes and begrudgingly moan before resolving himself to working alongside us. Brightening with a grateful smile, Iroh quickly got the ball rolling.
"I brought someone along who might be able to help us." Leading us all back out onto the porch where Iroh had dropped the hooded, gagged and bound Dai Li agent, who looked like he would very much like to go home right about now. Lifting him off the ground with some earth bending, Toph secured our prisoner so that he couldn't escape, allowing Iroh to pull off the hood and gag so that the agent could talk. Let's just hope we can persuade him that telling us everything we want to know is the best option for him, otherwise, I don't mind giving him a nasty case of frostbite.
"Azula and Long Feng are plotting a coup. They're going to overthrow the Earth King." Huh. Well that was easier than expected.
"My sister! Where are they keeping Katara?" Pointing his machete like weapon at the agent, our prisoner continued to talk without reserve.
"In the crystal catacombs of old Ba Sing Se, deep beneath the palace." I sighed in disappointment.
"You know, I thought Dai Li agents were tougher than that. What a let down." Reaching out in order to place my face directly in front of his, I glared at him menacingly, copying the kind of expression Zuko used to wear all the time and it seemed to do the trick as the agent started to perspire uncontrollably. "I suggest you keep quiet about all this, otherwise I'll have to find you and add another scar to your collection, understand?"
"Yes! Yes I understand, just let me go, please?" Rolling my eyes I turned away and nodded to Iroh, signalling we should get moving.
"Let's get moving. Come on Kayo, it's time you met Appa." Aang said to me with a smile and immediately my face lit up as the Avatar led the way to his bison, me eagerly following behind. Unable to hold back, I ran up to the bison and flung myself at it, spreading my arms to hug its fluffy face with a squeal.
"It's just so soft and fluffy! Hello Appa, I'm Kayo your biggest fan, I've wanted to meet you for such a long time." I laughed happily as Appa lifted his head slightly and growled as if in greeting, sniffing me with his broad nostrils as I buried my face into his fur before he suddenly opened his mouth and licked me with his massive tongue, making me squeal again and giggle. "Ew gross!"
"Yep, that's Appa. Now that you two have met, let's get going." Sokka clapped his hand, ushering us all along in order to climb on board.
"No way! We get to fly?!" Ecstatic, I eagerly climbed up Appa's leg which he held out for me and I settled myself on his back, burying myself in the fur. "This is amazing, if we weren't going to go face a crazy princess and a whole army of deadly earth benders, this would be such a perfect day!" I sighed happily, rolling over onto my back and stroking the bushy fur. "Appa, you are much better in person than watching you fly overhead." As the last of us climbed up, Aang took the seat at Appa's head and held the reins which were attached to his horns, giving the signal to fly.
"Yip-yip Appa!" When we first took off, I yelled with exhilaration and held my hands up high in the air, unable to believe the fact that I was actually flying, but when I looked down and saw Ba Sing Se far below us and the clouds closer than I'd ever seen them before, I knew this couldn't be a dream.
"We're flying! We're really flying! You guys got to do this everyday? I'm so jealous!"
"Yeah great…flying around blind with no solid ground to see. Yippee." Toph drawled unhappily as she lay flat against Appa's back, clinging on for dear life. Laughing happily, I pushed back my hair and gazed out at the world, like I was seeing everything from a completely new point of view.
"I guess it is kinda cool we get to fly everywhere we go. You know Appa, I think we take you for granted." Sokka said, patting Appa's back in appreciation as Appa sounded a growl in answer, Aang looking back at us.
"He says it's good to be acknowledged." Literally feeling like I was floating on air, I buried myself into Appa's fur until we landed outside the palace walls near the old sector, where the Dai Li agent said there would be old caves down beneath our feet. I slid down Appa's tail last before going to his front, fussing over him and giving him all the attention and adoration I had built up ever since I'd first heard about him a year ago. He seemed to enjoy the attention, and it even made Momo jealous as he came zooming towards me then scampered over my head and shoulders until I fussed him too.
"Easy now Momo, there's plenty to go around." I assured him before looking over to where Toph was touching the ground to feel the earth beneath her.
"Well whaddya know. There is an ancient city down there, but it's deep." Taking up an earth bending stance, Toph bent the earth to create an opening for us, digging her way in effortlessly.
"We should split up." Sokka decided, taking the lead. "Aang, you go with Iroh to look for Katara and the angry jerk...no offense."
"None taken." Iroh waved it off, accepting that his nephew really was an angry jerk. Heck, I agreed.
"And I'll go with Toph to warn the Earth King about Azula's coup." I lifted my hand and asked where he wanted me to go so he frowned for a moment, uncertain before deciding I should go with Aang and Iroh. "They're probably being guarded so they'll need help getting past everybody. Nobody will expect another water bender to appear, so it'll have the element of surprise." Sokka decided as Momo jumped onto his shoulder to go with him, making me chuckle.
"Guess that means Momo is with you. Don't worry, you'll see your sister again soon." Nodding his head, Sokka actually paused to give me a small smile before we broke up into our different teams. Aang used his earth bending to tunnel deeper underground whilst Iroh lit a fire in his palm to provide us with light as we went further and further in.
"So, Toph thinks you give pretty good advice, and great tea." Aang suddenly struck up a conversation as I followed the both of them behind, bringing up the rear.
"The key to both is proper aging. What's on your mind?"
"Well, I met with this Guru who was supposed to help me master the Avatar State, and control this great power, but to do it, I had to let go of someone I love, and I just couldn't." Aang revealed as he continued to tunnel, me listening in curiously.
"Perfection and power are overrated. I think you were very wise to choose happiness and love." Iroh said to him as we all paused, waiting for Aang to push back more earth before we could continue. "What do you think, little Kayo?" I smiled as Aang looked back at me expectantly.
"Nobody can be expected to go through life without anybody by their side. After all, you may be the Avatar, but you're also a person. It's not fair for the world to expect you to give up everything whilst giving nothing back to you in return. Maybe letting go of this person isn't exactly what you think it may mean." I mused as I thought deeply, frowning and holding my chin to ponder. "Maybe you don't need to actually let go of someone in order to control the Avatar State, but it is just a momentary state of complete serenity when you have no attachments to anything. I find that my water bending is far more powerful and controllable when I let go of everything, allowing everything to just wash away like I was being cleansed in that moment in time. Maybe it's the same for you?" Aang thought for a while, processing my theory but still worried about whether or not he would be able to enter the Avatar State. I'm assuming we're talking about when he does the big glowy thing, it's not like I actually know what I'm talking about here.
"What happens if we can't save everyone and beat Azula? Without the Avatar State, what if I am not powerful enough?" Looking at Iroh expectantly, Iroh quickly looked around as he tried to think of a response that would calm the Avatar and reassure him.
"I don't know the answer. Sometimes life is like this dark tunnel. You can't always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving..." Trailing off as Aang pushed through the last part of the earth, he opened the way to reveal a large cavern filled with gleaming green crystals, making me blink in surprise and step out to look around, seeing the waterfall at the back with several large columns aligning along the water channels. "…you will come to a better place." Iroh finished as I let out a low whistle.
"Wow."
"They're not here." Aang immediately noticed, jumping forwards and floating down onto a crystal as he searched.
"Don't panic, they'll be here somewhere. Toph said that there were lots of tunnels, right? So this must be just the central chamber. They'll be somewhere nearby." I said quickly before Aang could panic. "Let's keep looking. Over there looks like a good place to start, it looks something like a closed opening only an earth bender can open." I pointed towards a bare face of wall so Aang moved towards us, pushing through as Iroh and I caught up to him, following him until eventually, Aang pushed through into another opening where we were brought to a smaller cave where both Zuko and Katara had been trapped.
"Aang!" Coughing and waving the dust from my face, I stumbled through as Aang hugged Katara with relief and Iroh rushed to Zuko, crushing him in an embrace.
"Jeez Aang, maybe next time watch the dust cloud, huh?" I said as I stepped into view then placed my hand on my hip in anger, pointing at Zuko. "And you, you idiot. What the heck were you thinking going after Azula alone? It's like you don't even have a brain between your ears to think, how could you be so reckless and foolish?! If I ever have to come save your butt again, I'm going to just hand you over to that psycho myself!"
"Kayo." Rather annoyingly, Zuko sounded so happy to see me that it made all my anger and annoyance disappear so I quickly turned my back on him in order to hide my expression, folding my arms stubbornly.
"I'm not talking to you right now, moron." Jeez, why does he have to look at me like that? It's so darn cute, totally unfair. Glancing across to Aang and Katara, both were smiling at each other as Katara looked at him happily, relieved that he was here.
"Aang, I knew you would come."
"Uncle, I don't understand." Zuko had now lost any tenderness in his voice he'd had towards me and turned to his uncle, clearly upset and probably feeling a little betrayed that we'd teamed up with the Avatar in order to save him. "What are you doing with the Avatar!" Yep, full points for me. I really did know him too well.
"Saving you, that's what." Angered at Aang's snappy quip, Zuko lunged forwards but Iroh smartly caught him and I quickly turned around, unfolding my arms as I worriedly glanced between Zuko and Aang. Maybe…this wasn't such a good idea.
"Zuko, it's time we talked." Holding his nephew back, Iroh then looked at Aang and Katara with a severe expression. "Go help your other friends. We'll catch up with you." Aang bowed respectfully to Iroh in thanks for his help, and even bowed at me which took me aback. I hastily answered, rising back up and giving him and Katara a secret wink before hiding my hand behind my back and gesturing for them to hurry and get out of here. Katara looked at me strangely, clearly still confused as to why a water bender like me was still with the Fire Nation Prince and Great General, but that was for another time.
She left with the Avatar, leaving the three of us alone. "Why uncle?" It was sad hearing that much hurt in his voice, it made me feel guilty like I'd done something wrong.
"You are 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." Iroh began to tell him in a firm and unwavering voice, leaving no more options for Zuko to stand at a crossroads in confusion. "It's time for you to choose. It's time for you to choose good!" Zuko looked away, distressed and uncertain so I started towards him, reaching out to try and console him a little but before I reached him, the earth began to quake.
I gulped, freezing up in place and looked around in alarm when all at once, crystals burst out of the ground and surrounded first Iroh and then me, trapping us both with our arms against our sides with no room for movement. Zuko looked at me in alarm, calling out my name as I yelped fearfully until Azula herself and two Dai Li agents appeared. I froze for a second, eyes widening before I forced myself to calm down. Think rationally, Kayo, and think quickly. Now's not the time to freeze up.
Discreetly trying to move, I found that I had enough space to wriggle slightly, but it wasn't enough to break free. It would take some time, but I might be able to get myself out of this by climbing upwards and out. "I expected this kind of treachery from uncle, but Zuko, Prince Zuko...you're a lot of things, but you're not a traitor, are you?" Azula was saying as I struggled against my prison.
"Release them immediately!" Ignoring his demand, Azula continued in this light, fake kind of voice that made me want to just stuff a sock in her mouth to make her shut up. How was anyone ever manipulated by her? It's clear she's only trying to make you do what she wants from her tone.
"It's not too late for you Zuko. You can still redeem yourself."
"The kind of redemption she offers is not for you." Iroh interjected, trying to help Zuko choose what was right. Wait a minute, what exactly was the right path? I mean, what was all of this really about? Was it the Avatar? The Earth Kingdom? The war? Or was it all the same thing?
"Why don't you let him decide, uncle?" Snapping at her uncle sharply, Azula returned to her pleading, manipulative tone that I had decided I hated more than anything. "I need you Zuko. I've plotted every move of this day. This glorious day in Fire Nation history, and the only way we win is together. At the end of this day, you will have your honour back. You will have your father's love. You will have everything you want." As Zuko continued to struggle against this choice, I tugged a little more firmly at my crystal prison, trying to get loose.
"Zuko, I am begging you, look into your heart and see what it is that you truly want."
"You are free to choose." Waving her hand, Azula summoned her Dai Li agents and started to walk past, however when she came to stop before me, I took a deep and steady breath before looking her directly in the eye. "And you, you I will deal with later, you filthy peasant." She whispered under her breath so that her brother wouldn't hear her. I noticed that one side of her face was rather red, and although it probably wasn't the smartest idea, I smirked.
"Niece face." Her eyes flashed with rage, momentarily losing composure and almost striking me down with her blue fire or lightning before she resumed a calm demeanour.
"That cocky attitude won't last you long. As a traitor to the Fire Nation you will be judged for you crimes and imprisoned where you will never see the light of day again. I'll make sure of it." Snorting with a roll of my eyes, Azula's eyebrow twitched in confusion as her scare tactic failed on me. Please, I've seen my kind, gentle mother be scarier than her. Why should I be afraid? Of course I was mostly bluffing, but she didn't need to know that.
"You don't scare me, you're just a kid with a severe case of narcissism, over inflated ego, power hungriness and very deep insecurities which you bury under all that cold hearted ruthlessness whilst also having an insatiable need to control everyone and everything around you so that they both fear and adore you as much as you want just to satisfy those insecurities which you hide from the rest of the world." I listed off easily as I read everything off her face, smirking victoriously as her façade cracked slightly under my accuracy. "You're more like your brother than you think. So easy to read."
"Shut up! I'll deal with you later. When I'm through with you, you'll fear me more than your worst nightmare." Hissing at her for good measure, I watched Azula leave before I twisted my head to try and make Zuko see some sense. There's no way he can go with Azula, he just can't.
"Zuko, honour isn't something that somebody can give to you, it doesn't work like that." I began to say, starting to twist and struggle against the crystals which trapped me, ignoring any pain they caused when they restricted me. "It's something you earn yourself, through your actions and deeds, you can be honourable every day of your life so long as you choose to be so. Azula can't return to you something that was never taken away, and neither can your father."
"You don't know anything! Just shut up!" Zuko yelled at me, starting to break in his mind as he gripped his hair. Getting angry, I yelled back at him in outrage. How dare he say that?
"I know everything about you Zuko! I have lived with you through everything for the past year. There is nothing about you that I don't know, and there is no one in the world other than your uncle who will ever care about you as much as I do!" Shouting so loudly that my voice echoed, Zuko flinched as Iroh observed me quietly, listening to my words as I tried to get through to him. "I know how you like your eggs in the morning, your preferred sleeping position and room temperature, I know your morning routine like the back of my hand, how you hate getting dirty and will spend way too long in the bath because you like to be clean. I know how much you have struggled and fought just to make it through the day when we had nothing but the clothes on our backs and each other for company. I know you, Zuko, and I know that if you go with Azula now, you will destroy yourself, and you won't be happy."
"You're wrong. I'll be able to go home, finally after so long. I won't have to work to earn my keep or take orders from anyone else ever again. I won't have to worry about being found out by the enemy because I'll be home, where I'm supposed to be." Zuko flung out his arm as he spoke, still struggling to make his choice but gradually beginning to tip towards the wrong side, and I could see it happening in his face. We were losing him.
"Zuko, you must listen to me. The path that leads home is not as direct as you think. There are other ways to have everything you want returned to you, but the right way. The honourable way. Zuko! Do not do this, please!" But Iroh's words fell on deaf ears, and as a shadow seemed to pass over Zuko's face, his mind was made up and he started to move to follow after Azula.
"No!" I cried out, tears starting to flow as I continued to struggle against my prison. "Zuko! Zuko no! Don't…don't leave me!" I tried to force him to stay, but all it achieved was to make him pause and look at me softly.
"I promise I won't let Azula hurt you, Kayo. You'll come home with me soon." No, I don't want that. This was wrong, I know that now. Taking down the Avatar, overthrowing the Earth Kingdom, it was all so wrong. We have caused nothing but pain and suffering to hundreds of thousands of people for years, tearing families apart and killing anyone who stood in our way. I can't sit back any longer, because this was no longer a fight that did not concern me. I refused to do nothing whilst the world burned around me. Everybody had a right to live as those chose, to chase their dreams and be free, yet we the Fire Nation had tried to take it away from them. "ZUKO!" Releasing a pained cry I screamed with all my might, using all of my flexibility to force my arm up and out of the crystal cage though it caused severe bruising to do so.
"Kayo! Be careful." Iroh warned as I breathed, struggling to pull myself free until finally, I was out. I began to run towards Iroh, intending to help him somehow but he shook his head. "No, go after Zuko. Do not allow Azula to capture the Avatar. He is the world's last hope for balance to return. Do you understand, Kayo? No matter what happens, you must leave with him." I froze, momentarily not registering his words until it slowly dawned on me.
"Why does that sound like a goodbye? You'll be coming with me, right?" Giving a faint smile, Iroh merely gestured with his head for me to go.
"Hurry, there is no time. Go! Go!" When he shouted, I jolted and found myself running on instinct, chasing after Zuko and Azula in order to do something to help, no matter what it may be. I hate fighting, but sometimes, you have to fight for what you believe in, and I believe that Aang was going to bring peace back to this world and that was something I wanted that more than anything.
