Going Under
The water reaches for him and he knows that this is the
end. All his arrogance and ambition can't save him now. He regrets
not taking the time to be kinder to those who showed him that not
everything was about power…
"Come on, let's go for a walk,"
the girl pleads. He is 17, and doesn't have time for love. "No.
Get out." He snarls, not even turning around. "But, Zhao…" He
whirls around, grabs her arms and kisses her hard, one last time,
then shoves her out of the tent…
He is even younger, slamming a
foe into the ground, smirking as the boy bursts into tears. He sneers
at the watching children, and saunters off…
Prince Zuko stumbles
in the Agni Kai, and falls. Zhao sneers at him and pounces, only to
be knocked away by a furious frenzy of attack…
Now, the real
Zuko holds out a hand, which he silently refuses. He has done too
much evil to hope for another chance. So he holds his hand close and
closes his eyes. To his surprise, a face appears there. "Sayuri?"
His teenage sweetheart smiles at him. "It's all right now," she
tells him. Startled, he opens his eyes again to see her luminous form
before him. She reaches out a translucent hand and touches his brow,
then his cheek. "I'm here now," she whispers, and kisses him.
As she does so, the darkness takes him. Admiral Zhao, model soldier
of the Fire Nation finally gives in to the most powerful forces, the
ones he has been denying himself for his entire life: love, peace and
happiness.