Will You Join Me? Part 2

"Well, well. I knew the traitor would show up eventually," Azula sneered.

"Brother, I thought you would be stronger than this. Your Uncle has led you down a dangerous and foolish path." She frowned.

"But…you don't have to partake in his folly," She shrugged meekly and grew serious to Zuko's surprise.

"Zuzu, father regrets what he's done. He believes especially after the events in recent weeks that family is important. He wants you home…with family." Iroh spat angrily,

"Don't listen to her Zuko! What Azula offers you is just an illusion. You know that what our nation is doing is wrong." Azula snapped back, "Why don't you let Zuko decide for himself, Uncle? Zuko, what's it going to be? Family or fighting on the wrong side of history? You decide." She said curtly.

Zuko stood paralyzed. Father regrets? He wants me home? Home. Gods, how long…? He thought. Zuko looked up at Katara who was pleading with her eyes. Don't do it Zuko. You know the truth…Don't… She willed him to be strong and to make the right choice. They had come to several understandings alone in that cave. This war had already taken too much from them.

Zuko's eyes grew wide and misty and his Uncle's face fell. He knew.

"I just want to go home," he whispered apologetically. Hating himself for feeling so weak. So easily manipulated.

"I'm sorry," he mouthed to the waterbender who thought they could have been allies in the glowing crystal cavern only moments before. The call for what he saw as his only chance for redemption was too great as he went to stand by his truly psychotic sister gloating victoriously.

Katara watched with deep sadness as Zuko backed away from her. Could she honestly blame him though? No one in their right mind wants to live like this. Fight like this. Potentially die like this. That didn't stop her from being pissed with him though…

Immediately Zuko began shooting fire blasts not really aiming at anyone but forcing his enemies that could have been friends back towards the cave opening the Avatar made with his uncle. Katara understood that Zuko was creating a diversion so they could escape, but the Dai Li took it as a sign to attack.

Aang saw how he and his friends were being bombarded with rock and fire and knew what he had to do. He enclosed himself in a rock capsule and finally did what Guru Pathik instructed him to do from the beginning: he let his attachments go so that he could unlock the Avatar State. It was much easier to do now as he watched Katara and Zuko's interactions even after Zuko betrayed them just now. Surely something shifted between them.

What happened in this cave before they arrived? No...no. It didn't' matter; it was time to save his friends.