I have to…help…Katara. She needs me. She…she can't fight Azula alone. Not with her water…I push myself up but my arms give out and I fall back down. I have to do something… She…she can't fight by herself. Not Azula…
Everyone's dialogue was rather faint but I could make some of it out. Katara kept trying to get to me but…Azula wouldn't let her. "Zuzu, you don't look so good!" Azula cried from somewhere. I wanted to see what was happening. I wanted to see if…Katara is okay. But…it just hurt. It hurt lying there…Katara…I'm sorry. I should've taught…you…
When I came to, the pain in my chest calmed down a bit. It was still there, but it was a little less. I looked up and saw Katara, looking at me nervously. "Katara…thank you."
"I think I should be thinking you," Katara said. A tear streamed down her face. "I thought I lost you."
"What did you do with Azula?"
"I tied her up, I don't think she's going anywhere for a while." Katara extended her hand to help me up. I paused, but then smiled and accepted her hand. I winced as I stood but it quickly went away. "Zuzu!" Azula screamed. "Zuzu! How could you beat me?" She started yelling and trying to break free of Katara's chains. When she found no luck, she started breathing fire.
It hurts. Well, my chest, obviously, but it hurts to see Azula like this. Something happened with her. She seemed just fine when we went to Ember Island together. She was trying to get a boyfriend. She played with us. She actually talked at Chan's party. Something happened while I left. It could've been Father. Or it could've been Mother. But, whatever happened, I know one thing for sure. Azula will never be the same sister I grew up with. Even though she pushed me around, even though she was always Father's favorite, even though she was always boasting, she is still my sister. She is still family. It hurts to see Azula this way.
Whatever happened to you, Azula, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help. I'm sorry I couldn't be there to show you that everything is okay. I'm sorry that Father is this way. I'm sorry Mother feared you. I'm sorry for everything that happened, Azula. Because of it, I'll never get to see my sister again. I'm sorry I wasn't here for you, whether you liked it or not. I'm sorry, Azula.
"Zuko, are you okay?" Katara asked, giving me a concerned look. I shook off my thoughts. "Yeah, I'm fine. But, Azula…she's…gone. I'll never get to see her again."
"I'm sorry, Zuko."
"You don't need to be sorry," I said, shaking my head. "I should be. Azula needed me, whether she knew it or not, and I wasn't here to help her. She's slipped and there's nothing I could do about it. Something happened and I don't know what. At this point, she'll barely talk to me, and even if she does, she'll only say brief things, which won't answer any questions I give her."
Katara looked back at Azula. "Zuko, I'm sorry. I can't imagine how you feel right now…" she hesitated, "physically and emotionally. I've always had my brother and I have a feeling I always will. I can't imagine what she's been through to make her like this. I'm really sorry you couldn't help her."
"Katara, thank you."
"For what?" Katara asked.
"For…coming with me. For helping me. I didn't want to admit it but, I did need help. I know Azula is stronger than me, and she always will be, but I didn't want anyone getting hurt. Thank you for helping me when I couldn't fight. Thank you for…" Katara's eyes filled with tears again. "…saving my life."
"Count that as return for helping me understand that revenge isn't the answer," she said jokingly, nudging my arm.
"I hope Aang's doing alright," I said."
"Aang's fine!" Katara said, smiling. "He's the strongest person I know. He's got this!"
I closed my eyes and smiled. "I appreciate your optimism." Katara helped me to Aapa. "I bet he'll be done when we get back." I lied down on Aapa's saddle. The pain will subside, eventually. "Zuko?" Katara asked. "Are you awake?"
"Yeah," I replied.
"I have never seen such powerful Firebending in my life. I don't care your bending was enhanced by the comet. It was so powerful." I haven't seen such powerful Firebending in my life either, since the comet only comes once every one hundred years. "It was also…kind of pretty."
"What?" I asked. Are we still talking about Firebending? "Your bending," she replied. "Sure, I've seen smaller blasts from you, which was pretty when you weren't trying to kill us, but the bigger blasts. They were mixed with other types of bending styles. You used Aang's spin kick thing, you used a Waterbending move, when you pulled up a wall of fire to protect us from Azula's oncoming ones. You mixed Firebending with other bending styles and it was gorgeous, and graceful. It was nothing like I've ever seen before."
I tried to sit up but failed. "Katara…" She continued. "I've never seen Firebending as something so powerful, so pretty. I've always assumed it was dangerous, death trailing everywhere it went. But today…you showed me otherwise. You showed me that Firebending can't only be used for destruction but…protection, safety. When yours and your sister's fire clashed together, they created colors I never thought I'd see in fire. Colors like green and pink. It was the prettiest thing I've seen in a long time."
"I've always thought Firebending was for destruction as well," I remarked.
"Ever since the Fire Nation took my mother away," her voice softened, "I assumed all Firebenders were bad. That they could never be trusted. That fire was bad. But, when you took me to the Southern Raiders, I thought that you would've encouraged me to take revenge on him. I thought you would've encouraged me to take his life. But, you did the opposite. You encouraged me that forgiveness must come first. You taught me that forgiveness is hard, but not impossible. Since I've forgiven you, I've been putting myself in your shoes, thinking why I should trust you. Thinking why you joined us. Thinking why Firebending could be good, not bad as I seemed to have thought-"
"Katara," I interrupted. "I was encouraging you to take his life. I was encouraging you to take revenge. You're the one who taught yourself to forgive. You taught me to forgive. If I was you, I would've ended him then and there with no questions asked. But when I saw that you could control him from the inside-"
"Bloodbending," Katara corrected.
"Yeah, that. When I saw you could Bloodbend and stop the rain from falling, it made me wonder why you didn't kill me before. You obviously had the power to. You just decided not to. You forgave me before either of us realized it. You forgave him, all on your own, which is why you didn't kill him. You taught yourself how to forgive, and taught me as well."
"Zuko…" she paused. She sat there in silence for a minute. Or at least it felt like it. She said nothing and started crying. She left the reigns again. At that point, I had regained my strength and sat up, but it was too soon. Katara joined me in the saddle and hugged me. "Zuko…I…I…didn't realize that…that you didn't learn to forgive! Zuko I thought…you taught me that."
"By doing what? Standing there?"
"Exactly! You could've helped me! You could have held him down," Katara said, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"It was your battle," I replied. "I didn't want to get involved."
Katara smiled at me, but the tears didn't stop. "Zuko! I'm so proud of you! Your mother would be proud of you! Aang is proud of you!"
After a while of Katara crying, she took the reins again and landed Aapa to where everyone else was already met up. "Way to go, Aang!" Sokka said, using a crutch. "You taught that Fire Lord who's boss!"
"And you didn't kill him!" Suki cheered.
"What did you do?" Toph asked, intrigued.
"I took his bending away. A Lionturtle taught me," Aang replied.
"You sure do go on the craziest adventures when you disappear," Toph said.
"Zuko!" Sokka called. "How did it go with your sister?"
"Well, it seems like they lived," Suki said.
"Katara took care of her," I replied.
Sokka's smile grew bigger. "That's my sis! The strongest Waterbender I know!" Sokka inched his way over to her. Yeah, Katara really is a powerful bender.
Back in the Royal Palace, a Firesage told me to prepare for my coronation. Except, it's hard to do when every time I move, my chest stings. Katara had put bandages on it, but it doesn't really help with the pain. "You need help with that?" a familiar voice asks. I look up to see Mai! "Mai! You're okay! They let you out of prison?"
"My uncle pulled some strings to get me out, yes," Mai replied. It doesn't hurt when the new Fire Lord is your boyfriend."
I paused. "This mean you don't hate me anymore?" I asked, a little uncertain. "I think so," Mai said, smiling. Mai got closer to me and help me put on my robes. She leaned in closer before I stopped her. "What? Are you going to leave again?" Mai asked, annoyed. She crossed her arms.
"Well, uh, no. I'm not leaving the Fire Nation, but…" I replied.
"But what?" Mai asked, narrowing her eyes.
"But, uh…" I want to tell her but she would be mad at me. But I have to be honest with her. I can't just lie. "I…um, kinda like someone else?" I asked, smiling nervously. I rubbed the back of my head. She's probably mad at me now but at least I got it out. "What?" Mai asked, her voice growing gruff. "Am I not good enough for you?" She turned around and huffed.
"No, it's not that, Mai!" I tried. She started walking towards the door. "First, you break up with me and leave, without even a goodbye and now you break up with me again with a new girlfriend?" she cried.
"Mai, please," I tried.
"Please what, Zuko?" Mai asked, whipping around. "Please what?" She threw her arms in the air. "Please stay? Please forgive me? Please-"
"Mai, just listen to me," I said calmly. "I do like you. I found out that…it's not the way I thought it was. I…I met someone else and I have stronger feelings for her. Please don't take this personally, Mai."
"Don't take this personally?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips. "How can I not take this personally?"
"Look, Mai. I wasn't trying to hurt you but I thought it would be better to tell you than to not tell you, to keep it to myself."
"Yeah, you're right, that makes me feel so much better," Mai said sarcastically, crossing her arms.
"Look, Mai," I started. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Can we still be friends?"
"Yeah, whatever," Mai said, walking out.
I wasn't trying to hurt her. I just thought it would be better to tell her the truth. I'm going to have to explain more to her later. It's just, I can't be in a relationship with her if I like someone else. I'll be cheating and I don't like cheating.
I met with Aang, who is now wearing new clothes. "I can't believe a year ago, I tried to chase you down, my whole purpose of life. Look how far we've come now."
"And now we're friends," Aang said, smiling.
"Yeah, we are," I agreed, smiling.
"I can't believe a year ago, I was trapped in a block of ice. The world is so much different now."
"It's gonna be more different when we build it together," I said. Aang smiled. "Yeah." We both headed outside, to where we were greeted with a cheering crowd. I put up a hand and they quieted down.
"The real hero is the Avatar," I said, pointing a hand towards Aang. "Today, this war is finally over! I promised my uncle that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation. I will. The road ahead of us is challenging. There will be many road blocks. A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred. With the Avatar's help, we can fix it. We can begin a new era of peace."
The crowd cheered as I knelt. The Firesage smiled at me before he put on the headpiece. He puts it in the top knot and stands. "All hail Fire Lord, Zuko!" The crowd cheered again. I stood. I gestured for Aang to follow me. We both walked towards the cheering crowd. We looked at each other and smiled.
To think we've gotten this far. To think that I could turn from the prince who felt it was needed to capture the Avatar to be liked. To think that it was only within a few months Aang learned to Firebend. To think that we all could've gone so far. All that started with Aang, running away from home. To teach me that we could be friends, while I was still trying to kill him. To Aang who taught me that it isn't honor that matters, but family, love, kindness. I grabbed Aang's hand and rose it into the air. "To the Avatar! He's gone a long way to get us all here and we will continue to grow and become better!" The crowd applauded and cheered. Some whistled. I smiled.
Once the ceremony was over, I decided it would be best to talk to my father. He knows about Mother. He most likely knows where she went. If anyone is bound to know, it's him since he banished her to begin with. "I should count myself lucky that the Fire Lord has gifted me with his presence," Father said once I opened the door.
"You should count yourself lucky the Avatar spared your life," I returned. I walked closer to his cell and stood, looking down at him. "Banishing me was the best thing you could've ever done. It put me on the right path. Perhaps, being in here could do the same thing for you."
Father didn't look at me. "Why are you really here?" he asked.
"You're going to tell me something," I said, bending down to his level. "Where is my mother?"
"You're mother?" Father checked. "You came here to ask about Ursa?"
"Answer me!" I demanded, banging my fist on the bars. "Where is she? You banished her long ago, so you should know where she is."
Father smiled but still didn't look up. "Ursa? She tried to kill me so I had her banished." Mother tried to kill him? She was the nicest person I knew and she tried to-
"I was going to have you killed since you couldn't Firebend, Zuko. So she traded. She told me that she'll go as long as I kept you alive. She packed up her things and went. I never heard a word about her since."
"Mother tired to kill you?" Father said nothing. "Why? What did you do to her?"
"I didn't do anything to her. I had her marry me. She became my wife and you and Azula were born. Of course, since Azula was connected to her Firebending, I assumed you were a Non-bender so I was going to have you killed. Ursa begged me to keep you alive. She said that she would trade. She would leave so you could live. It wasn't until you were older that you discovered your Firebending."
"What does this have to do with Mother? Tell me the truth!"
"Since your mother hated every part of me, she insisted on killing me. I don't know with what but she had decided not to, since one of the guards caught her and stopped her plan. Azula was only five when she found she could Firebend, and she was good. Since you were older, and seemed to have no connection to your bending, I decided to kill you then and there." Father continued to explain what he had before with more detail.
"To put it in short terms?" I asked impatiently. Father's stalling. "To put it in short terms, I banished your mother years ago. She could be anywhere. She could be back in her hometown, in Omashu, anywhere. Or...she could be dead."
"Mother isn't dead and you know it."
"Do I?" he asked. I sighed. I'm not getting anything out of him. I left the room and was greeted by a guard who had a note in his hand. "Fire Lord, Zuko. A letter." He held it up.
I accepted and thanked him. I opened it. 'Meet us at your uncle's tea shop. The Lilac Tea or something? You know it. In Ba Sing Se. We'll meet you there, Sokka.' It's the Jasmine Dragon, Sokka, not the Lilac Tea.
Inside, I got joyful greetings. "Hey what took so long?" Sokka asked.
"I, um, had a little something to take care of," I replied. "Hey, do you guys want some tea?"
"Sure!" Suki exclaimed.
"Ah, Zuko!" Uncle called as I walked past. "Good to see you! Sorry I missed the coronation."
"No, Uncle, it's fine. Really. I'm just glad you're not upset with me."
"Of course, I'm not upset!" he laughed. "How can I be upset when you helped save the world?" I blushed. "Well, I wouldn't put it that way..."
"You know I'm right." Uncle smiled at me. I just smiled back and started making tea. I came back out. "Zuko, stop moving!" Sokka said. "I'm trying to capture the moment. I wanted to do a painting so we can remember the good times together!"
"That's very thoughtful of you, Sokka!" Katara said, walking over to him. Her smile faded. "Why did you give me Momo's ears?" she asked. I walked over to see too. "Those aren't Momo's ears!" Sokka cried. "Those are your hair loopies!"
"At least you don't look like a boar-q-pine! My hair isn't that spiky!" I cried. Sokka's interpretation of me is very angry with pointy hair sticking straight up. "I look like a man," Mai said next to me. Mai? She doesn't seem upset anymore. Did Uncle talk to her?
"Why did you paint me Firebending?" Suki asked, pointing at herself.
"I thought it was more exciting that way," Sokka replied. Momo jumped on the table, stared at the painting, and chittered. "What, you think you can do better?" Sokka asked the lemur. Momo ran outside.
"Hey, my belly's not that big anymore! I trimmed down!" Uncle said.
"I think you all look great!" Toph said.
"Hey, than-wait a minute!" Sokka said. Toph smiled and everyone laughed. "Mai?" I asked. "You're not mad at me anymore?"
"I'm still mad," she replied. "Just not as mad as before. I realize I was being overprotective with you. You can like whoever you want. But that doesn't change my feelings for you, Zuko. If you can't get with...whoever, then I'm taking you back. You hear me?" I smiled nervously. "Yeah, I get it."
I check around the table. Katara isn't standing there anymore. I gotta find her. Get this off my chest. I walk onto the balcony, where she is standing. Aang walks past me and smiles. I join Katara outside. "Katara?" She looked at me, waiting for more.
"Katara, I-" my heart starts pounding. I can't think anymore. How do I start this? What do I say? "Katara, I...I want to...to thank you, for...everything." I finally managed to get something out but it's not enough. "You taught me in...the Crystal Catacombs that...I didn't have to follow what everyone told me to do. You told me that I could choose my own path. You taught me that...forgiveness is stronger than...than hate and anger. I learned that hate slowly eats at you until you can't keep it inside.
"You taught me that forgiveness takes away that hate and anger, and...replaces it with something else. Compassion. You taught me that...the best way to live is...is by writing my own story. By not doing what others have written for me but...what I write for myself. And...and you saved my life."
"Zuko, I did all of that for you?" she asked, stunned.
"Y-yeah, you did..." My cheeks grow warm again. She's gonna see that and-
"Zuko, I...I didn't know I did anything for you. I'm glad I really helped you." She smiled at me. "Thank you."
"Katara, I..." My heart pounds faster. I can't say it. What if I mess up? I already went on longer than I wanted to. "I..."
"Yes, Zuko?" Katara asked, expecting an answer. I know what I want to say, it's just that, I can't say it. What if she turns me down? What if I say something embarrassing? What if I mess it up? "Katara, I...I kinda..." my voice trailed off.
"You kinda what? Are you okay?"
"I kinda...like you..." I did it! I got the words out! But...how does she feel about me? Will she turn me down? Will she-
"Me too," she said. W-what?
"Y-you too?" I checked. She looked at the floor and nodded. "Yeah. I do."
"Katara, I-"
"Thought you would've been turned down? I thought the same thing for you." I-I can't believe it! She likes me too!
This sure was a great, crazy adventure. I made friends, learned the true meaning in life, and, shared my feelings. I helped the Avatar save the world and reunited with Uncle. My heart has this warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Is this what they call...happiness? If so, I really like it. I never want to loose this group, or this feeling.
Author's Note
I'm sorry if the ending wasn't what you expected but honestly, I believe Zuko and Katara work better together than him and Mai. I had a lot of fun writing this and I'm sad it's over but happy at the same time. I'm really glad I got to share this with you. Avatar the Last Airbender has meant a lot to me and, it seems, to other people as well. The story is a masterpiece. I hope I got Zuko correctly. I'm really glad we got to share this together. Thank you for being patient with me, since this took forever to write, and for reading along with me and just being there! I really appreciate all of you!^^