Book 2: Earth
Chapter 8: The Chase
A/N: Hello dear friends. By now, you all have probably gotten pretty used to me taking literally forever to update this story, but I am sorry anyways! If you are still reading this, you have my sincerest gratitude. If you just got here, welcome! I'm glad you're here. I love this story, and maybe it'll take me 10 years to write, but I will finish it! But hopefully it wont take that long.
I hope you're all doing alright. Pandemics are hard, but we are strong. You guys are strong.
See you at the double bar, friends. Enjoy!
It turned out that only a few hours rest didn't quite combat the tiredness that Emi felt, or the aches and pains in her body. She made that discovery shortly after leaving Ying's little Earth Kingdom town behind her. Despite that, however, she was determined. Three or four days was plenty for her to start missing her best friend, and she was sure that as long as they were together again, they would be okay. They would find Uncle, figure out some sort of destination, and finally have a plan again. All they needed was a little bit of direction.
Her heart rose in her throat when she finally came across a familiar ostrich-horse camped a little ways off of the path. Just beyond that was another achingly familiar figure; Zuko, who watched her approach with a soft expression on his face. That look told her all that she needed to know, and so without hesitation, she set her pack down and crossed over to hug him, sighing in relief when his arms wrapped tightly around her.
"I'm so sorry." She whispered, resting her chin against his shoulder. "I should have never lied to you."
"Shh." Tears burned in her eyes at his gentleness, convinced that she didn't deserve it. She felt silly as she gripped Zuko's tunic tighter, and she knew she held on to him for much longer than was probably necessary. It had only been a few days since they'd last seen each other, after all. When they had lived at the palace, there had been plenty of occurrences in which they would go several days without seeing each other. That was far more common than always being together, really. But it had been quite some time now since those days, and everything had changed. Now, she was afraid that he could disappear the moment she let go.
It was Zuko who finally pulled away first, and he ushered her toward the small fire he had made with a hand on the small of her back. She didn't protest as she settled against their stolen ostrich horse.
"I have to talk to you." A smile pulled at her lips as they spoke at the same time, and Zuko rolled his eyes. How little things had actually changed, even though it somehow felt like they'd been apart for ages.
"You first."
Deciding to give him a mostly abridged version of the past day or so, she told him about the fighting she'd heard, and the way she'd thrown herself into the fray. She ignored the disapproving look he shot at her, unwilling to ask whether he disapproved of her fighting without them, or the fact that it was Fire Nation soldiers she had fought against. That was a problem for a later time. She explained that it was Ying that she'd saved from a nasty blow, and that Korin had luckily been the first one to notice her. She told him about their midnight rendezvous, and the conversation they'd had; the one where she found out that Korin was meant to be searching for them. She could hear the pain in her own voice as she spoke, and Zuko's brows knit together as he looked at her.
"Are you alright?" He asked, the concern in his voice obvious. Emi pressed her lips together tightly, then forced a smile.
"You know, maybe it's about time I gave Azula a reason to hate me. She's determined to do it anyway." It was meant as a joke, but judging by the disapproving look that crossed Zuko's face, she guessed that it didn't do much to hide her bitterness. Turning her face towards the sky, she sighed.
"No, I don't think I am." She said. "Korin is our friend, Zuko. And now, he either delivers us to her on a silver platter, or returns empty handed. And something tells me she won't be very forgiving." She brushed her hair back from her face in frustration. She had known so few people in the Fire Nation, and somehow, Azula managed to hurt them all.
"About that," Emi's head jerked forward, a knot forming in her stomach at the tone of his voice. "Azula is here."
Emi felt her face grow pale at his words, and she pulled her knees up to her chest, propping her chin against them. Knowing that Korin was the one sent after them afforded her some sort of peace, even though her worry over her friend's safety continued to linger. But Azula was dangerous and seemingly hell bent on destroying them; no matter what happened, they could not afford to fall into her hands. Worried as she was, though, Emi couldn't help but feel confused as well. What was the point of having Korin hunt them if Azula herself was after them? Azula was many things, but inefficient was certainly not one of them. Why waste the resources? Though, she thought sourly, she supposed the Fire Nation certainly had men to spare.
"Emi, I don't think she's after us." Zuko said after she voiced that thought, his voice hard. Emi looked at him with furrowed brows, and he pressed his lips together for a moment before continuing, answering her question before she even thought to ask it. "I know that the Avatar isn't far. I think that my Father sent her after him."
Emi shut her eyes, letting out a long, slow exhale. Aang might have been the root of their fight, but that wasn't even the issue that she was focused on at the moment. One, she knew that it would hurt Zuko if the Fire Lord really had sent Azula after Aang; it was like rubbing salt into a wound that was still fresh. No matter what he did, no matter how much he hurt Zuko, Zuko still wanted his father's approval. As much as Emi wanted to hate it, she couldn't. How could she tell him to give up the one parent he had left, when Emi couldn't get through a day without missing hers herself?
But their other problem now was so severe that it overshadowed her concern for Zuko, which was no easy feat. There were very few things Emi could think of that could be as disastrous as Azula capturing Aang, and the worst part was, Emi thought that she might actually be capable of it. Zuko was smart and determined to achieve his goal, but Azula's ruthlessness was something unlike anything she'd ever known.
"We have to go after them." She replied, frowning at the flames of the campfire that danced in front of them. The truth was, she had no idea what the plan would be once they actually caught up to Aang. Even after her apology, Uncle's words from before they had split echoed in her mind. She didn't want to capture Aang. If anything, what she truly wanted was to fight against the Fire Lord alongside him. But Zuko was her best friend, and he was hurting. Maybe he was even a little lost. Emi had always tried to be wise beyond her years, to be understanding and helpful, but she was afraid there was little she could do for Zuko other than be here for him. She didn't know how to heal the hurt of a parent all but completely rejecting you. She couldn't be the person to tell Zuko to give up the hope that one day his Father would finally be everything Zuko wanted him to be.
Next to her, Zuko turned his hand palm-up, and she laced her fingers through his without hesitation.
"I really am sorry." She said softly, looking up at Zuko's face. He gave her a crooked smile and squeezed her hand.
"I know. I am too." Just like that, she felt things between the two of them settle back into place. She and Zuko were too astoundingly different people, but there was one thing, above all, that they had in common; they took care of each other. Rising to her feet, Emi tugged on Zuko's hand until he stood up as well.
"Come on. Let's go ruin your evil sister's plans."
They didn't linger in that spot for long. Apparently, Zuko had known that she was following him and had only stopped there to wait for her. Whatever happened at the small village he'd been in had made him want to see her again. Emi waited until they'd packed up their things and set off again before asking about it. Quietly, he told her about the boy he'd felt a connection to, the one whose big brother was off fighting against the very same type of soldier that had been only one small village away. He'd defended them from a set of thugs, disguised as protectors, and still the family had shunned him after learning who he was. Emi hummed in sympathy at that. It was blind prejudice, but could she blame them? Ying's parents probably would have responded the same way, if they'd found out who she was. She wondered if Ying told them. They talked about their time apart until the sun began to sink in the sky, and Emi's eyes began to drop closed in the same way.
"Alright, that's it. You need to rest." Zuko said finally, when a huge yawn had interrupted whatever she'd been in the middle of saying. They'd already discussed a trip without stopping; they couldn't afford to let Azula get any closer to Aang without being right behind her. Hopefully, they would stop for the night soon. She reminded him of that, and insisted that she could stay awake until then. Zuko was shaking his head before she finished her sentence.
"You haven't had a decent night's rest in days, trying to keep up with me. Sleep."
She really had intended to argue, but she knew that she was fighting a losing battle the second she laid her head down, both against him and her own tiredness. Soon, she fell asleep to the lull of their ostrich-horse's trotting footsteps, and the familiar feeling of Zuko's shoulder beneath her cheek.
She slept for much longer than she thought she would have, considering she'd had to stay balanced atop a moving ostrich horse the entire time. The moon was behind them now, and the realization that they'd been traveling nearly the entire night made her frown.
"Zuko." She said softly, stretching an arm behind her head until she heard a satisfying 'pop'. "It's late. We should stop. You need to rest."
"That machine hasn't stopped all night. She must be gaining on them." He replied in a tight voice, his displeasure written all over his face as he turned to glance at her. Emi exhaled loudly, and rubbed her eyes.
"Alright, well, then at least let me have the reins. You should sleep." She said firmly, squeezing his shoulder to emphasize her point. He turned to glance at her with a raised eyebrow, and she huffed in annoyance, prodding at his back with her finger. "I mean it."
"I know you do." He said evenly, but he made no move to halt the ostrich horse's movement. She poked and prodded and pleaded with him until the sun began to rise, but eventually she relented with a sigh and a shake of her head. It had only taken a few days, apparently, for her to forget her dear friend's stubbornness when it came to tracking down Aang.
They travelled for a few hours more, and there were far fewer words spoken in that time. Zuko was beginning to tense up, and Emi felt herself responding in kind, even without meaning to. With some careful maneuvering, she'd been able to dig a package of dried meat out of her bag, and was able to get him to eat something with very little prompting. Nearby, they heard the sound of water running, and they finally made a brief stop. It wouldn't do them any good to die of thirst before reaching their goal. As they drew closer, however, Emi realized that they'd come across something far more useful than just clean drinking water.
"We're close." Zuko said softly, and Emi nodded her understanding, a calm, focused feeling beginning to settle over her. The stream they'd stopped by was full of soaking wet wads of fur, and she didn't need three guesses to figure out where they had come from. So, the gang had finally figured out that Appa's shedding was leading Azula right to them. Narrowing her eyes, she took in the sights around her. There was an obvious trail of white fur, but also a patch of broken treetops. They'd split up.
"So." Emi said, tilting her head as she looked at Zuko. "Katara and Sokka took Appa, and Aang is leading Azula away from them?" They'd spent so long trying to track down Aang that the clues in front of them now seemed too easy to decipher.
"I'd say so." Zuko replied, and she watched as he seemed to brace himself. Hoisting himself back onto the ostrich horse, he held a hand out to her. "Ready?" She frowned as she gripped his hand.
"As I will ever be."
There was a pit in her stomach as they dismounted their ostrich-horse at the edge of an abandoned village. It was one that she knew all too well; Azula was here somewhere. Creeping around the old, crumbling buildings, Zuko finally held out an arm to stop her movements, placing a finger over his lips. There, just beyond the alleyway where they stood, was Aang and Azula. A shudder ran through her. As always, she planned to follow Zuko's lead. This time, it did not take long.
"Do you really want to fight me?" Azula's voice grated against her nerves, but she didn't have time to dwell on it. Zuko leapt out into the open and tossed his hat aside, Emi hot on his heels.
"Yes, I really do." A small, smug sort of smile came to Emi's face at Zuko's dramatics, at the way he squared up against Azula. They did not always see eye to eye, but she took comfort in knowing that he would never choose Azula over her.
Aang's voice was tight as he muttered Zuko's name, but it seemed to Emi that he wasn't entirely surprised either. How could he be? Where else would the avatar's team find him, if not chasing after them? Emi studied Aang's tired eyes and her stomach tightened. The good news was that the three of them were teamed up against Azula. The bad news was that none of them had gotten a good night's rest in days, and Azula just didn't need that sort of advantage. She would have been enough of a challenge on a good day.
"I was wondering when you'd show up, Zuzu." Her eyes narrowed as Azula began to speak, and she watched as Zuko placed himself between her and Aang, his shoulders tense.
"Back off Azula, he's mine." Frustration poured through her, and she ground her teeth together knowing that she couldn't let Azula know how much that action bothered her. Calm down, she reminded herself as she dropped into a fighting stance facing Azula. Right now, all that mattered was preventing Azula from capturing Aang, or the two of them, for that matter. They would figure out everything else later, when they were all safe.
"I'm not going anywhere." There was a smile on her face, but the snarl in Azula's voice as she drew her arms up in front of herself was unmistakable. Emi's hands trembled with nervous energy as her eyes flicked between Azula and Aang, before finally meeting Zuko's. No matter what happened, they were on the same team. Too late, they realized their mistake, and Zuko shouted out as he just barely managed to block the burst of blue fire that Azula sent at him. Emi gasped as he was thrown into the building behind him, anger at her own stupidity rising in her. They would never escape Azula if they got distracted by each other.
Propelled by that anger, Emi cartwheeled toward Azula, moving to swipe her feet from beneath her. Azula dodged her attack easily, and Emi grunted as her hands scraped against the rocky earth. Then, another mistake that she realized too late; she was back to fighting with no bending. Scrambling to her feet, she hissed in frustration. It was another complication that they just didn't need.
Azula advanced on Aang, bringing his glider crashing to the ground under another tunnel of white-hot flames. Emi ran to Zuko and snagged the front of his tunic, pulling him to his feet in just enough time for him to strike at Azula and ignoring his thanks. She didn't miss the way that Zuko split his fire between both Aang and Azula, and she fought the urge to stop her own strikes and strangle him. "One crisis at a time, please." She muttered under her breath, throwing an elbow at Azula's chin, only for her to duck and aim at Aang anyway. The four of them locked into a dangerous, complicated dance. Zuko couldn't seem to decide who to focus his energies on, and Emi felt helpless without her bending. For every move she made to stop Azula, Azula had two more planned to out maneuver her. While Aang jumped and dodged, Emi just fluttered around Azula like an annoying gnat. Finally, Zuko made his move, leaping past her and landing on a bent knee in front of Azula, fire flaring in a circle around him. Emi rolled out of the way, watching as Aang made a break for it. He had a head start, but it didn't matter. Azula had blocked Zuko's hit and was chasing after him, with Zuko right behind her.
"Zuko, wait!" Emi cried, but naturally, she was ignored. She heard Zuko cry out and a crashing noise as he fell from the second floor to the first, and she swore as she ran to the building they'd all disappeared into. She saw Aang fly over her, but the sound of Zuko grunting in pain quickly brought her attention back to him. She gasped as she saw him crash through the wall and tumble to the ground, where he lay still, his eyes closed.
"Zuko!" Terror rose in the back of her throat, hot and acidic. She slid onto her knees next to him, shaking his shoulder frantically. She knew that Aang needed her help, but she couldn't bring herself to leave Zuko's side.
Suddenly, Uncle was there, and the feeling of relief that flowed through her was so strong that it brought tears to her eyes. Uncle winked at her, and in the distance she could hear Aang happily shout Katara's name, empowering her. They could actually win this fight.
Zuko's eyes drifted open as Uncle's shadow was cast over him, and Emi smiled when she heard the relief in his voice as well. It didn't even matter that they were in the middle of a fight with her nemesis; they were together again. It was all that mattered.
"Get up." Uncle said sternly, gripping Zuko's forearm and pulling him to his feet. His tone brought Emi back to the present, and she immediately scanned the area around them again. Aang's team was holding their own against Azula, but nobody knew her devious mind like Emi's little family did. Without a word, Emi raced down an alley that would allow them to intercept Azula's attempt to escape, knowing that Zuko and Uncle would follow her. Satisfaction raced through her as Azula, who had been too distracted to notice their approach, bounced against Uncle's stomach and stumbled backwards. His fierce expression was the icing on the cake. When all of this was done, Emi knew she would dream happily of that moment. Aang's team came up beside them, and together, they all slowly backed Azula into a corner.
The small, cocky smile that crossed Azula's face brought Emi's anger back to the surface. Even beaten, she thought she was better than them. One day, Emi vowed to herself. One day she would knock Azula down a few pegs. The spirits only knew how much she needed it.
"Well would you look at that." Azula said slowly, her voice dripping with honey and poison. "Enemies and traitors all working together. I'm done." Raising her arms above her head, her face fell into a hard expression. "I know when I'm beaten. You got me. A princess surrenders with honor." A snarl escaped her before she could stop it. Zuko was far more honorable than Azula would ever be, as far as Emi was concerned.
She didn't know how it happened. One moment, they were staring Azula down, having finally defeated her. Then next...a nightmare. It was as if time, and Emi, were frozen in place, ice racing through her veins until she could feel nothing except shock. They had won, but their victory had gone up not in flames, but in blue lightning. Blue lightning that was quick and deadly and sent Uncle tumbling to the ground with a gasp of pain. Zuko's horrified yell rocked through her, shocking the feeling back into her deadened nerves. He turned and sent a powerful burst of fire towards Azula, and Emi stumbled toward Uncle.
She could hardly control her own panic as she knelt beside him, looking up at Zuko with wide, frightened eyes. Azula was gone now, and without knowing where she had gone, even speaking aloud her thoughts was too dangerous, let alone actually doing something about them. Would he know why she couldn't heal Uncle? Would he understand that the risk of revealing her secret to Azula was one they couldn't afford to take? She watched him swallow thickly and fall to his knees, resting his head against Uncle's chest. Emi placed a trembling hand on Uncle's forehead, a single tear dripping down her cheek.
"Just hold on, Uncle." She whispered, her unspoken promise that she'd heal him as soon as she could lingering in the air around them.
"Get away from us!" Only Zuko's distressed voice could have pulled her attention from Uncle in that moment, and she looked up to see that the Avatar's team had approached them, their own horror written all over their faces. It made her tears fall faster.
"Zuko, I can help." Katara's voice was urgent, and so, so kind. They didn't deserve their help, not after everything they had done. But here they were, offering it when they should have been putting as much distance as they possibly could between them. And in a fashion that was so terribly typical of her best friend, he chased them away with a burst of fire.
"Leave!" There was no arguing with the command this time, not with the despair and anger that it held. She didn't even turn to watch them leave. Why would she? Surely they would without another word.
She was wrong.
"Emi, come with us."
Emi's breath caught in her throat, and she whipped her head around to look at Sokka so quickly that it made her dizzy. Next to her, Zuko snarled fiercely, but she was too busy waiting for the protests from Sokka's companions to come. Instead, Aang and Katara looked back at her with soft expressions, and Sokka reached out his hand. For a brief, golden moment, she saw a future in which she stood and took his hand; where she travelled the world with the Avatar's team, helping him in his fight against the Fire Lord. The answer to what she wanted, suddenly painstakingly clear. But in that world, she left the two most important people in her life behind her, walking away with hardly a glance backwards. She couldn't, she realized. Here were her two choices right in front of her, and as much as she wanted to fight alongside Aang and his friends, she couldn't make herself rise to her feet.
"I can't." She said finally, her voice strained. "Please. Please just go." She turned back to Uncle, but not before the disappointment in Sokka's face shot through her like an arrow. Her hand searched until it found Zuko's, and she laced their fingers together, squeezing a little tighter at the sound of Appa departing behind them. Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Emi spoke.
"Let's get him out of here."
Moving Uncle had been a slow process. They knew they couldn't risk Emi waterbending out there in the open, not when Azula could be anywhere. As much as she hated it, Emi knew they hadn't seen the last of Zuko's sister. Instead, Zuko bandaged Uncle's shoulder the normal way, using some of the supplies that Ying had packed in Emi's bag when she left. Emi anxiously kept watch, keeping a careful eye out for slick black hair and hard amber eyes.
It had been an unexpected stroke of luck that they'd come across the small, abandoned house under the cover of a crop of trees. Uncle had been flinching with each step that the ostrich horse took, and Emi was eager to get him settled in somewhere that he could rest.
Later, after a frustrating and unsuccessful bout of healing, Uncle had finally fallen into a more relaxed sleep. Only a few feet away, Emi and Zuko sat at a small, worn table. Across from her, Zuko sorted through the supplies Ying had given her. One day, she would return to Ying's village and thank them for everything that he'd done for them. The food that Zuko organized into piles would last them all several days; enough time to restore Uncle's health enough to move on.
A dinner of rice and beans simmered over a flame that Zuko conjured for them, and Emi found herself gazing absentmindedly out of the window, her mind far, far away from their quaint little setting. Where would they go next? The discussion would have to happen sooner or later, as much as she wanted to avoid another conflict between them. Hopefully, with Uncle to moderate, though, things wouldn't come to that. She'd needed Uncle and Zuko since she was eight years old, and she had no plans to separate from them again.
"You wanted to say yes to that water tribe boy, didn't you? To go with them?" Zuko suddenly asked, his voice soft, hesitant. She was used to the gentler side of Zuko that the rest of the world didn't see, but her friend was brash, and a little reckless. How long had he been thinking about that question while she'd been lost in her own thoughts?
It made her frown. She couldn't stand another fight with him, but he had asked the question as if he already knew the answer. If only it could be that easy.
"You know I would never do that to you." It wasn't an answer to his question, but it was at least the truth. After everything, she owed him that.
"But that's what you want, isn't it?"
"Zuko, I don't want to go anywhere if you aren't going with me." She said fiercely, reaching over the table to grip one of his hands. The conviction of her statement shocked even herself, and she blushed, suddenly feeling self conscious as Zuko looked up at her, his brows knit together. So much had changed since the time they set sail three years ago, and Emi wasn't sure she was ready for any of it.
"I must say, getting struck by lightning is still not one of my favorite pastimes." Emi sighed with relief at the sound of Uncle's voice; both because she was glad that he had finally woken up, and because she had been saved from the intensity between her and Zuko. Pulling away from her friend, Emi rushed over to Uncle, smiling at his ability to make jokes, even as injured as he was.
"Uncle, you're awake." Kneeling beside him, Emi reached her hand into the bowl of water she had set up and called it to her so that it wrapped around her fingers like a glove. Closing her eyes, she placed her hand against Uncle's shoulder, concentrating on the residual shocking energy that still ran underneath his skin. She tried engulfing the energy with the water so she could heal him further, but she was met with the same result as before; Azula's lingering lightning lashed out at her water with a zap, shooting pain up Emi's arm.
"Ouch!" She muttered as she yanked her hand away from the wound and shook it, trying to disperse the painful tingling sensation in her fingers. Even though she really shouldn't have expected anything different, Emi let out a frustrated breath.
"I'm sorry, Uncle. I should have let Katara heal you. I've never healed something so serious, and it's been so long." The guilt made her chest tight. Uncle's hand came up to wrap around hers, and his eyes crinkled in as he smiled at her.
"Nonsense. I may be old, but I've survived far worse than this." He replied with a hearty chuckle. Zuko kneeled down on Uncle's other side, the relief clear on his face, and the vice that had settled around Emi's heart finally loosened. They really were going to be okay. A rush of determination swept through her, and Emi made a promise then and there that the three of them would never be separated again.
"She belongs with us, you know." Sokka's soft statement was unprompted, but it was all too clear who 'she' was. "The swamp was showing her to all of us that day for a reason."
"I know." Katara answered sadly, the wind whipping her hair around her face as she gazed over the clouds. "But she'll never leave them."
"Hello? Can one of you please explain what you're talking about?" Toph asked, her voice exasperated. "All I know is that that kind old man gave me a cup of tea and some good advice."
"That guy that was there? That's Zuko. Ponytail, remember? Except his ponytail is gone now." Sokka replied, circling a finger over his own 'wolf tail' in emphasis, despite the fact that Toph wasn't able to see the gesture.
"And the girl, that's Emi. She's a waterbender, like me." Katara added. "Well, sort of. She can firebend too."
"You're messing with me." Toph accused. "That's impossible."
"We thought so too." Aang chimed in, shrugging his shoulders in another unseen motion. "But it's true. We've seen her do it."
Toph made a noncommittal noise as she propped her chin up with her hand.
"And the kind old man?"
"Zuko's Uncle. And Emi's adopted Uncle too, I guess." Sokka fell back onto Appa's saddle and rubbed at his eyes with a closed fist. "It's complicated. They're complicated."
"Sounds like it." Toph agreed, looking thoughtful. "Zuko and Emi. They're in love, aren't they?"
"Afraid so." Sokka replied, the disappointment clear in his voice. He knew without a doubt that Emi should be with them. She could even teach Aang firebending, when the time came. Who else in the world had ever been able to do both? He could still see the pained look that came over her face when he'd asked her to come with them. She had wanted to say yes, he knew it. He just didn't know if he could ever convince her to leave Zuko behind.
"Do they know? That they're in love with each other?" Toph asked, tilting her head to the side. Frowning, Sokka looked to his sister, who had a puzzled look on her face. They both looked to Aang for an answer, and he just shrugged.
"You know what?" Sokka started. "I don't think they do."
"Huh." Toph stretched her arms above her head, then settled on her side with her bag tucked under her head.
"What a mess."
A/N: Thank you for reading, my friends. Stay tuned.
