Appa landed with a loud thud. Immediately following, Toph appeared over the side of the saddle and dropped to the ground with a groan. "No offence Appa… but I really hate flying," she said, giving him a pat.
"Toph…?" Katara said, confused.
Before the earthbender could reply, Sokka and Suki landed next to her, followed shortly by Aang who avoided her gaze. Suki gave Katara a quick hug, and she blinked at them all as if she were in a dream.
"What are you all doing here?" she asked, dazed.
"Ty Lee sent us all letters to let us know you had been hurt. Sokka and I were just making plans to sail here and help out however we could when Aang and Toph showed up. It seems they had the same idea, so… here we are!" Suki replied.
"And just in time, apparently," Sokka added. "There's smoke and fire from here to the water."
Zuko turned his eyes to Aang, who was fixedly staring at the ground. "Aang… thank you for coming."
He shrugged in response, clearly feeling quite awkward with the situation. Zuko didn't want to push it further; there was no time. Before he could say a word, Ty Lee came running towards them, waving cheerily. She was carrying Katara's waterskins, and as she joined the group she handed them over. "I thought you might need these," she explained. "Hi everyone!" she added, grinning at their friends.
"Thanks Ty Lee!" Katara replied.
"So, what's the plan?" Sokka interrupted, loosening his sword and checking his boomerang.
"Both the Harbour and Caldera cities are under attack, so we should split up," Zuko said. "If Azula is with them, which I'm sure she is, she will likely be looking for me. I should stay close to the Palace, because I'm positive that is where she will look first."
"I'm staying with you," Katara insisted, getting a nod from Zuko in reply.
"I will go into the Harbour city," Iroh interjected. "Toph, Ty Lee, would you like to come with me?"
"You conveniently pick the single girls, old man? Real subtle," Toph jabbed, smirking at him.
Iroh chuckled. "Well, I do enjoy your company…"
Zuko rolled his eyes. He knew Iroh was only joking, but he really didn't think it was the appropriate time to joke around.
"Why don't I go with you three then?" Aang suggested, finally tearing his eyes away from the ground. "I can get us all there quickly on Appa."
Toph groaned at the prospect of another flight so soon after finally reaching solid ground, but said nothing in protest.
"That leaves us with you guys!" Suki said, linking arms with Katara.
Everyone exchanged brief hugs and well wishes, then Iroh, Aang, Ty Lee, and Toph climbed onto Appa and they were away. Zuko, Katara, Sokka, and Suki ran to the Palace gate and were let through immediately. They made their way into the city towards the sound of combat and were quickly set upon by two men. Suki rushed forward and with a few graceful moves dispatched one of the men with ease while Zuko blocked the flames of the second, redirecting the attack back into the man's path. He dodged and rolled to avoid the flames, and before he could get back to his feet Sokka had knocked him out cold with his boomerang.
"Isn't this sweet? It's like our first double date, only instead of dinner and romance we have danger and mayhem," Suki said, turning back to Katara with a wink.
Sokka gave her a frown and replied, "Please don't talk about my sister dating… I'm still trying to get used to the idea of her being Lady Jerkbender."
Katara rolled her eyes as Suki giggled, then followed after Zuko who had charged ahead. They caught up to him just as he knocked out another attacker and turned to face a woman who had charged at him. Katara sent a whip of water towards her; it caught the woman by surprise, sweeping at her feet and knocking her forward onto the ground. Katara quickly moved the water around her and froze it, leaving the woman encased in ice and unable to move. The four of them continued through the city, taking out attackers as they moved from street to street. The bulk of the fighting seemed to be centered around the main market area, and as they got closer the attacks became more frequent and violent. They passed a large, ornate house that had gone up in flames, and as they moved by they heard a scream from within. They paused and looked towards the sound, spotting a woman and a small child in an upstairs window.
"They're trapped!" Suki yelled, running towards the home.
"Suki, wait!" Zuko called, running after her.
Suki charged and kicked the door in, disappearing into the smoke. The flames were hot and intense, and the whole downstairs seemed to be engulfed. Zuko hurriedly followed after his friend, redirecting the flames in their path as she made her way to the stairs. The home was beyond saving, but together they managed to get to the second floor which had less flame, but was filled with thick, black smoke. Suki covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve and continued forward, Zuko close behind. They burst through the doors on the upstairs floor until they finally found the room they were looking for; the woman and her child were cowering near the window, coughing heavily. Suki rushed over to them and scooped up the child in her arms, then helped the woman up.
"Follow us! We will get you out safely!" she said, making for the door.
Zuko led the way this time, shifting the flames away from the four of them. His throat and lungs were burning from the smoke, but he stood near the exit keeping the flames at bay until Suki, the woman, and her child had passed safely through. Once they were all outside, Katara rushed over to them, healing water already floating around her hands while Sokka stood guard against any more attackers. Katara checked out the little boy first, and then his mother. When she was satisfied they would be okay, she quickly checked over Suki and Zuko before giving them both a stern look.
"That was foolish! You could have died!" she scolded.
"You would have done the same thing," Suki said with a shrug.
Katara didn't argue; she knew Suki was right, but she didn't want to say it. Instead she turned to the woman, who was clutching her boy tightly. "Get to the Palace; they will take care of you there."
The woman looked fearfully towards the street, then back to Katara. "Is the road safe, my Lady?"
Katara didn't want to lie, but she also knew that the Palace would be the safest place at the moment. Safer than standing in front of a burning building anyway. But before she could reply, Suki stepped forward. "I'll take you there. You will be safe with me."
The woman looked instantly relieved, and she thanked Suki profusely. She then turned to Zuko and bowed as best she could while clinging to her child. "Fire Lord Zuko… thank you for coming to our rescue."
"I'm just glad we were here to help. Stay with Suki, she will take good care of you," he replied.
The woman nodded and bowed to him and then to Katara, then Suki led her away back towards the Palace. Zuko, Katara, and Sokka continued towards the market and back into the fray. Several buildings around them were on fire, and there were downed Fire Nation soldiers and Phoenix Initiative members scattered across the ground everywhere.
"Yikes… well we're definitely headed in the right direction," Sokka said.
When they finally reached the market and were met with chaos. Soldiers were trying to usher citizens out to safety while fighting off the attackers, while citizens who were firebenders tried desperately to stop the spread of the fires that tore through the shops. They saw no sign of Azula, but there were plenty of other targets for them to fight, and they wasted no time getting into the frey. Zuko and Sokka ran towards a group of attackers that were fighting a couple of soldiers while Katara ran to help control the fires. As she got closer she could see shop owners running to and from a nearby well with buckets of water, trying to douse the flames. She took advantage of this, bending the water they supplied to not only combat the flames, but to soak the buildings around the fires to try and stop it from spreading.
She had finally started getting the flames under control when a sudden burst of fire whizzed past her, exploding into the building she was currently working on saving. She spun around to see where the attack had come from, and to her surprise saw General Kohoku charging towards her grinning maliciously. Katara steeled herself and took a fighting stance, waiting for him to attack again. He did, throwing another blast of fire at her which she quickly met with a shield of water. The fire hit the shield, hissing into nothing but hot steam. She immediately countered the attack, forming the water into a frozen arc and firing it towards him. He dodged out of the way and fired two short blasts of flame in her direction, closing the distance between them. Katara evaded the attack then pulled water up around her in a water cloak stance, forming two large tentacle-like tendrils of water which she immediately used to lash out at Kohoku, preventing him from getting too close.
"How did you escape?" she called, swiping out with one of the tendrils to try and knock him off of his feet.
Kohoku dodged the attack and countered with another blast. "I have friends everywhere," he replied vaguely.
He charged at her again, sending two shots of fire toward her which she blocked. She noticed he wasn't a particularly creative bender, focusing more on quick, powerful blasts. It made his attacks easy to predict, but didn't give her much opportunity to retaliate as she was forced to focus on blocking and evading. She needed to change her tactic. His quick attacks suddenly made her think of her sparring session with Zuko, and an idea struck her.
"You're going to lose, Kohoku. In case you didn't know, the Avatar arrived just after the attack, so you don't stand a chance! It must really suck to constantly be on the losing side," she hollered at him tauntingly.
Kohoku screwed up his face in anger. "The Avatar got lucky against Fire Lord Ozai… he will not be so lucky this time! Princess Azula is far more lethal than her father ever was."
"Ozai was arrogant, and so is Azula. That is why they were defeated, because arrogance makes you sloppy. Azula has yet to beat either Zuko or myself, do you really think she can take on the Avatar? Are you that ignorant?"
"I'm ignorant?" Kohoku fired back. "Ironic coming from a stupid little girl from a backwater hovel."
"And yet, I still outsmarted you," Katara replied with a smug smirk.
Kohoku let out a cry of rage, and Katara readied herself for the attack she knew was coming. This was what she had been waiting for. He charged forward, attacking with a barrage of fire. She immediately pulled water up in front of her, shielding against the attack. Flames crashed into the shield over and over, creating a thick, hot steam around Katara. The flames suddenly stopped as Kohoku realized he could no longer see her, and she immediately dropped low to the ground. She waited with baited breath, hoping he would be foolish enough to fall into her trap.
A silhouette appeared in the steam before her and she immediately attacked, drawing water up from the ground where she had let it fall and around the figure advancing towards her. She pushed the water forward in a wave, submerging the figure before quickly freezing it. She smiled triumphantly, but as the steam began to dissipate she realized that she had not frozen Kohoku, but had instead captured one of the Phoenix Initiative soldiers. She spun around and came face to face with Kohoku, who smirked briefly before striking her hard across the face. It caught her off guard, and she was thrown to the ground in a daze. Somewhere in the periphery of her senses she vaguely registered Zuko's voice calling her name, but all she could focus on was the throbbing pain in her head and the ground that was spinning beneath her.
A shadow passed over her and she looked up. Kohoku stood before her, his hands aflame and a murderous look on his face. "You fool… I watched your fight with Zuko. Did you really think I would fall for your little trick?"
Katara tried to get to her feet, but he kicked her hard in the chest, throwing her back down into the dirt and knocking the wind from her lungs. As her vision came back into focus she realized she was surrounded by fighters, all of whom were looking down at her with disgust. She could see Zuko beyond them, furiously fighting through soldiers as he tried to get to her, and she couldn't see Sokka anywhere. She cried out in pain as she felt another swift kick connect with her ribs, knocking her facedown in the dirt. She felt a sudden surge of anger; if she was going to die, she refused to do so laying in the dirt and being kicked around. She pulled water up from the ground underneath her and suddenly flung it towards Kohoku. It froze in mid air and caught him across the face, leaving a deep, bloody gash across his left cheek. He cried out in surprise, the flames in his hands dissipating as they flew to his cheek.
While he was distracted, Katara pushed herself up from the ground and launched another shard of ice towards Kohoku. This time he was expecting it, and he evaded the attack effortlessly. Katara's ribs were burning, her head was pounding, and she was wavering on her feet, but the rage within her fueled her adrenaline and with the last bit of her strength she pulled more water around her and took a water cloak stance once more. She didn't think she could fight off Kohoku and the two dozen soldiers that surrounded them, but she wasn't about to go down without a fight.
Kohoku looked down at his blood on his hands then back up to Katara who was preparing for a fight. He gave her an eerily calm smile that unnerved her, then flames suddenly sprang to life in his hands once more. She rooted herself as best she could waiting for an attack, but just as Kohoku raised his fist to strike, a loud, howling wind came crashing over them. The wind picked up speed, forming a cyclone that swept up the Phoenix Initiative soldiers that surrounded them. Kohoku stared dumbfounded as his soldiers were thrown up into the air and flung in every direction, and he turned his back on Katara to find the source of the attack. Almost as quickly as it had started, the wind died down revealing Aang, who was standing on the roof of a building nearby, his eyes and tattoos glowing dangerously.
Katara grinned at the sight, and immediately took advantage of the situation. She lashed out with both tendrils of water, capturing Kohoku by surprise. She wound the water around him then quickly froze it solid, leaving him trapped in ice. Aang jumped down from the roof and ran towards her, the glowing fading away as he approached.
"Are you okay, Katara?" he asked.
"Yeah, thanks to you! I thought you were down in the Harbour City?"
"I was, but I saw a huge group of Phoenix Initiative soldiers rushing back up towards the Caldera and I thought you might need my help more."
Katara reached out and pulled him into a quick hug. "Thanks Aang. You saved my life."
He blushed slightly, but before he could reply they heard Zuko cry out. They both spun towards the source, and spotted him across the market, fighting off several soldiers at once. It was then that Katara finally found Sokka as well; he was a few yards away fighting one on one with Mai. Aang and Katara shared a brief look, then Aang charged off to help Zuko, and Katara rushed towards her brother.
As Katara approached, she could see a look of pure rage upon Sokka's face. Mai threw a knife at him, which he blocked with his boomerang before sending it flying in her direction. She knocked it out of the air and it clattered to the ground a few feet away, then Mai threw two more knives in retaliation. Sokka quickly drew his sword and knocked the knives out of the air, charging at Mei. "You'll pay for what you did to my sister!" he screamed at her.
Katara grinned despite herself, touched that he was determined to take out Mei for her sake. Mai spotted Katara running towards them and after briefly looking between the siblings, she turned and ran, scooping up Sokka's boomerang as she fled.
"Hey! That's mine! Come back here!" he cried, chasing after her.
An explosion halted them all in their tracks, and the three of them turned towards the source of the sound. Across the market they saw Aang fighting off waves of soldiers, and just past him they could see that Azula had finally appeared. She had fired lightning at Zuko, who had redirected it into a nearby building causing the explosion. Katara turned back to Mai, but she had disappeared from sight. Sokka swore, lamenting the loss of his boomerang, than charged forward to help Aang fight off the soldiers while Katara rushed to help Zuko. She ran towards him, but was blocked by two soldiers who shot flames in her direction. She dodged the attacks, grimacing as a bolt of pain seared through her ribs, then lashed out with a water whip at the first man. She caught him square in the chest and knocked him off of his feet, before dropping to the ground to dodge another attack from the second man. She rolled and got back up, sending the water wip towards him next. He dodged it just as the first man staggered to his feet, launching another attack. Katara reformed the water to shield the attack, then pushed the water forward towards the first man, reforming it once more into dozens of frozen spikes. The man summoned fire to counter the attack, but he was too slow and the spikes struck him in several places. He fell to the ground bleeding just as the second man rushed Katara. She spun to meet him, barely blocking his attack, but he managed to push through and swept her feet. She crashed to the ground with a cry and the man advanced on her, flames growing between his hands. Before either of them could attack, the earth suddenly shifted and erupted beneath him, sending him flying.
Katara looked around to see who had helped her and spotted Toph running towards her. The Earthbender reached down to help Katara up, giving her a cheeky smile. "Looks like I got here just in time, Sugarqueen."
"What are you doing here?" Katara asked clutching at her throbbing ribs. She was certain a few of them were broken, but there was nothing she could do about it at the moment.
"My feet told me the fight was here," Toph replied, lifting one of her feet and wiggling her toes at Katara. "My feet never lie."
"What about Iroh and Ty Lee?"
"They're holding down the Harbour. Most of the fighting seems to have moved here, so they should be fine."
"Mai is still around here somewhere… can you sense her?" Katara asked, looking around the market.
Toph went silent for a moment, concentrating. She shook her head. "If she's still in the market, she's not on the ground. Be careful."
"You too," Katara replied.
Suddenly another explosion ripped through the air, and Katara spun to see that Zuko had redirected another lightning strike from Azula. The attacks were obviously taking their toll on him, and he looked exhausted. Toph sensed that he was in distress, and frowned before grabbing Katara's hand and rushing towards Zuko.
Azula charged forward, hot jets of blue flame protruding from her fists like daggers. She struck out at Zuko, who blocked her attack and countered with a swift kick, catching her in the middle and knocking her back. It slowed her enough that he was able to leap backwards, firing a blast of flame towards his sister.
Zuko's whole body felt like it was on fire. Redirecting one lightning attack was tough, but two in a row was downright brutal. Every nerve in his body was searing, and it was taking all his strength just to fend off her regular attacks. If she threw lightning at him again, he wasn't sure he could handle it. He looked around the market; he could see Aang and Sokka fighting off wave after wave of Phoenix Initiative soldiers. They seemed to have it under control, but the attackers were flooding in from all sides and giving them no rest. On the other side of the market, he could see Toph and Katara fighting their way towards him. They had less people to fight through than Aang and Sokka, but he wasn't convinced they would get to him any time soon. It was just him and Azula.
"Give up, Zuzu! If you surrender now, I'll let you live!" Azula shrieked at him, firing a wave of blue flame in his direction.
Zuko redirected the flames then leapt into the air with a spinning kick, sending an arc of flame towards his sister. "You will never have the throne, Azula! Even if you succeed in killing me, you will be taken down! Look around you! You may have superior numbers, but you are vastly outmatched!"
As if to back up his claim, there was a sudden crash across the market. Azula and Zuko both glanced towards the sound and saw Aang in his full Avatar State, floating several feet above the soldiers that had previously been attacking him. Some of the soldiers sent volleys of fire at him, but Aang swept the attacks away effortlessly and retaliated with a blast of air that knocked several of the attackers back into a building. Aang immediately washed a wave of water over them, freezing them in place before making the ground under another group crack under their feet. The soldiers fled from the crumbling ground beneath them, only to be encased in a prison of earth. This display was followed by sheer chaos. Most of the Phoenix Initiative soldiers had never seen the sheer power of the Avatar State before, and it caused mass panic.
The market was suddenly filled with fleeing men and women running in every direction. Some stayed behind to fight, leaving Sokka, Katara, and Toph to engage them as Aang sent powerful blasts of air to knock the fleeing soldiers off their feet and pinned them to the ground with shifting earth. Zuko was stunned. He had seen the Avatar State before, but seeing the full power of the Avatar was overwhelming. A blast of fire came hissing towards him and he barely managed to block it. He was knocked off of his feet and skidded across the ground with a grunt, looking up at Azula as she descended upon him.
"Even if you and your pathetic friends have won the battle, I can at least take you down with me," she said, her voice low and dangerous.
Lightning crackled between her fingers. Zuko pushed himself up, wavering slightly as he stood. He grounded his feet and took a deep breath, but he felt unsteady. His eyes found Katara; she was a few yards away still trying to fight her way towards him. She looked up and caught his gaze in hers. Her eyes flicked towards Azula, then back to Zuko with a sudden panic. She could read the look on his face, and she knew that he didn't believe he would survive another lightning strike. She called his name, but he couldn't hear it over the cacophony around them. He briefly wondered if she would be able to heal him this time before tearing his eyes away from the love of his life and back to the bane of his existence. Blue, crackling light flooded his vision, but he locked his eyes on the crazed, sadistic face of his sister, preparing for the attack.
Without warning, a shadow dropped from the rooftop next to Azula, distracting her. The lightning fizzled and dissipated and as she turned to see who had appeared, she was suddenly struck hard over the head. She immediately crumpled to the ground, unconscious, and standing over her was Mai, holding Sokka's boomerang. She stared down at Azula with a mixed expression that Zuko couldn't read, then tossed the boomerang aside and looked up at him. They stood staring at each other, neither of them knowing what to say.
Mai took a step towards Zuko, but was halted when a wave of water swept her up into the wall. Zuko tore his gaze away and saw Katara advancing with a look of rage on her face. With a swift movement of her hands, the water froze, pinning Mai against the wall. Katara's fingers clenched and the ice began to expand inward, causing Mai to gasp out as it started to crush her.
"Katara, don't!" Zuko called, rushing over to her.
She gave Mai one last glare, but stopped her attack as Zuko approached. She turned and threw her arms around him, squeezing him tightly despite the pain in her ribs. He wrapped his arms around her in return, holding her close.
"My boomerang!" Sokka's voice called, breaking Zuko and Katara apart.
He ran past them and picked up his weapon, grinning happily. Katara looked around the market and saw that apart from a few persistent soldiers, the attackers had either been neutralized or had fled. Aang had returned to his normal state, and he and Toph were rounding up the last few that remained, trapping them in mounds of earth. Sokka approached Mai and waved his boomerang in her face. "Time for you to chill out," he said, grinning at his own lame joke.
Mai rolled her eyes and ignored him while Katara slapped her hand to her forehead. Zuko turned back to Mai, giving her a strange look before approaching her.
"Why did you help me?" he asked.
Mai was silent for a long moment, avoiding his eyes. "I've never stopped loving you, Zuko."
"Then why did you join the Phoenix Initiative? Why did you try and kill Katara? Why are you attacking innocent people?" he replied angrily.
She looked up at him, her eyes betraying the emotion behind her stoic features. "You hurt me. I wanted you to hurt too."
Zuko's face twisted in fury, and he stepped closer. "You are so selfish, Mai! We broke up for a reason. We didn't work together anymore, and while I'm truly sorry that you were hurt, it is not my fault that you haven't even tried to get over it, nor is it Katara's fault, or the people of the Fire Nation. How dare you take out your petty revenge on innocent people simply because you can't let go of the past?"
Mai said nothing in reply and merely looked away from him, but Zuko knew her well enough to recognize the flicker of shame that crossed her face. He knew that Mai had always had the opinion that it was her against the world, and while he knew she was capable of making the right choice and being a good person on occasion, she more often than not chose to destroy everything around her rather than admit her own vulnerability. With a sigh, Zuko let go of his anger and turned away from her. It wasn't worth the fight; even if she regretted what she had done, she would never apologize. He walked away and joined Katara and Sokka.
The fighting had stopped entirely now, and there was a strange calm throughout the area. Guards and Fire Nation soldiers combed the area, carrying the injured off to be healed and taking the captured Phoenix Initiative members into custody. Aang and Toph headed towards them, both in good shape and relatively unharmed. Sokka had a couple of shallow knife cuts and a nasty looking burn on one arm, but he was in good spirits and hardly seemed to notice his injuries. Katara and Zuko were not so fortunate; Katara definitely had a few broken ribs, her head was pounding, and she could feel a tender bruise blooming across her cheek where Kohoku had struck her. Zuko was shaky on his feet and looked a little bruised and battered, but otherwise seemed to be okay. At the very least, he was strong enough to mask the pain he was in relatively well, so he took that as a sign that he would be fine after a good rest. He had been through worse, and he would survive this too.
"Is everyone okay?" Aang asked as they came together.
They all nodded and mumbled confirmation of their wellbeing. Katara grabbed her brother's arm and was just starting to heal the burn when they heard someone running towards them. They all looked towards the approaching figure and spotted Suki coming towards them. She was still covered in soot and had a few cuts, but otherwise seemed to be in good shape.
"Suki!" Sokka called, wrenching his arm away from Katara and scooping his fiancee up into his arms in an affectionate hug. "You missed all the fun!"
"Oh, there was plenty of fun to be had everywhere. When I got to the Palace gates there was a group of soldiers trying to bust their way in, so I had to tuck that woman and her child in an alleyway and help fight them off. By the time we defeated them all and they opened the gates to let civilians in, there was a huge group of Phoenix Initiative fighters between the gates and the market, so I had to fight my way back through. It looks like the fighting is over though, thank goodness. There were more of them than I thought."
"Yeah, I was thrown by that too," Zuko replied. "I assume they threw their full force at us, but I still didn't think they had quite that many people."
"Hopefully we got them all," Sokka said, glancing around at the men and women scattered across the ground. "What are you gunna do about Crazypants and Knifegirl?" he added, turning to Zuko.
He glanced over at Azula's unconscious form and shrugged. "Mai will go to prison, as will her parents when they are found, and General Kohoku. They organized the Phoenix Initiative, and they will face the consequences of treason. As for Azula… I'm not so sure. I could have her thrown back into prison too, but she is dangerous. If she breaks out again it could be a disaster."
"You could always have her executed," Toph suggested. Aang shot her a disapproving glare, and she shrugged.
"No… I can't execute my own sister, no matter how evil she is," Zuko replied regretfully.
"Well… I could take her bending," Aang suggested.
Zuko gave him a musing look. He crossed his arms and was silent for a few moments, his friends looking between him and Aang with curiosity. Finally he nodded. "If you are willing, I think that would be the best option. Maybe without her bending, she can learn to be a halfway decent person."
"I doubt that…" Katara muttered, getting a snicker out of Toph.
"Stripping someone of their bending isn't something I do lightly… I've only done it the one time and I had hoped I would never need to do it again. But it is a good alternative to killing somebody, so I am willing to do it," Aang replied.
"Let's get this over with then," Zuko said. He turned and let the group over to where Azula lay, still unconscious. Mai watched them approach curiously, but said nothing.
"See if you can wake her up," Aang said with a frown. "I don't feel right doing this to someone who is unconscious."
Sokka and Toph walked over to Azula and hoisted her up, restraining her arms while Suki attempted to wake her, shaking her just a little bit too hard. Eventually Azula's eyes fluttered and she groaned, looking up at Suki with a confused look. A moment later she realized that she was surrounded and restrained, and fought to be released. Toph pulled the earth up around her legs and arms, pinning her in place, then she, Sokka, and Suki backed away and allowed Aang to step forward. Understanding dawned on Azula's face, and she began to panic.
"No! Please don't!" she begged.
Aang ignored her and approached. Azula desperately struggled against the earth that pinned her, and when she realized she was stuck, she opened her mouth and breathed hot, blue flames towards Aang, who effortlessly deflected the attack. He stopped before her, placing one hand on her forehead and the other over her heart, his thumbs pressing into her chakras. Pale blue light suddenly erupted from Aang's eyes. Sokka, Suki, and Katara backed up a few paces in shock, and even Toph seemed to be genuinely unnerved. Only Zuko remained stoic and still, watching with an unreadable expression. Red light erupted from Azula's eyes and mouth, and the whole market was bathed in a wash of bright red and blue light. The blue light started to engulf Aang, covering his head, then his shoulders, until his whole body glowed blue like a spirit. The light crept its way up Azula's arms and began to encase her as well, extinguishing the red light that had crept across her body.
There was a sudden flash of blinding light, causing everyone to turn away and shield their eyes. When the light cleared they saw Aang stumble back a few paces before regaining his strength and releasing Azula from the earth that pinned her down. She slumped forward onto the ground, conscious, but silent. Two guards rushed forward to restrain her, but she did not resist. She merely stared blankly at the ground, putting up no fight as they dragged her away. For a while nobody said a word. They had all known that Aang had stripped Ozai of his bending and that was terrifying enough, but to witness it happening was something that chilled them all to the core. Even Sokka and Suki, who were non-benders, understood the gravity of what had just happened and had no idea what to say to break the tension.
Finally Toph cleared her throat, kicking a pebble idly. "Well, that was terrifying. Remind me never to piss you off, Twinkletoes."
Sokka laughed nervously, but Aang gave her a small smile, appreciating her effort to lighten the mood. Zuko approached him and placed his hand on Aang's shoulder.
"Thank you Aang. Thank you for doing this, and thank you for being here."
Aang shrugged and gave him a sheepish look. "Do you mind if we all stay the night? Appa's had a hard flight, and it's late... I'm sure we could all use some rest."
"Of course, all of you are always welcome."
Zuko cast one last look at Mai, who was watching him with an intense gaze, then turned away and led his friends back to the Palace.
They spent the rest of the night getting patched up and resting. Zuko and Iroh were getting casualty lists reports and reports on the captured Phoenix Initiative members. Those who were caught were sent to the prison to await sentencing, and those that had escaped were branded traitors. They estimated there were about three to four hundred members in total, and despite Iroh's assurance that those numbers were relatively small, Zuko couldn't help but feel like he had failed. They had rooted out a few more members of the Palace staff who had fought against him too, and that certainly didn't improve his mood. By the time he collapsed into bed, he was feeling dejected and sullen.
The bedroom door opened and Katara slipped inside, looking exhausted. She crossed the room, peeling off her clothes and tossing them haphazardly across the floor before crawling into the bed next to Zuko. She curled up next to him and he wrapped his arms around her, comforted by her warmth.
"What were you up to?" he asked, nuzzling his face into her hair.
"I was helping heal people, then I spent some time with Sokka and Suki," Katara replied, yawning.
"How are you feeling? Did you heal yourself?"
Katara shrugged. "I fixed my ribs, but otherwise I will be fine after some sleep. I didn't want to waste time healing my own injuries when there were people who needed me more."
Zuko smiled and sighed. "Why am I not surprised?"
"How did everything go with the Council?"
"Well luckily only one other Council member was with the Phoenix Initiative, and he fled once the fighting began. The others were appalled and seemed quite eager to prove they are not traitors too."
"Katara laughed lightly. "I bet they are scared you are suspicious of everyone." She sat up slightly and looked down at him. "You aren't though, are you?"
Zuko shrugged. "I dunno. After seeing how many people have turned against me..."
"Zuko, don't think that way!" Katara interrupted. "How many people are in the Fire Nation? Hundreds of thousands? A few hundred jerks are nothing compared to all the people who are loyal to you. Please don't be hard on yourself. Iroh and I have both said it a million times; you are a fantastic leader and the people are happier than they have ever been. You have seen it yourself! This isn't your fault, and it isn't your failure. The Phoenix Initiative is just a bunch of bitter, angry assholes who aren't willing to let go of the past. They are the people who took advantage of war and the suffering of others to make themselves more wealthy and powerful, so obviously they won't be happy with you as a ruler! This is all on them."
Zuko was silent for a few moments, but eventually he nodded and smiled at her. "You're right, as usual. Thanks Katara."
She gave him a smug smile and settled back down next to him. "Don't forget it," she said, kissing his cheek.
He laughed and pulled her close before kissing her gently. She returned the kiss, then laid her head on his shoulder, and soon they had both drifted off to into a peaceful sleep.
XXXX
Dawn came swiftly. They had been up quite late, and as the morning light filtered across the room and over Katara's face, she let out a miserable groan. She felt as if she had only just fallen asleep, though she had gotten a few hours in. Zuko stirred next to her and opened his eyes, looking equally miserable that the morning had arrived. They contemplated sleeping in, but they weren't sure how long Sokka, Suki, Toph, and Aang were staying and they wanted to get in some time with them before they left. So they reluctantly rose, Katara returning to her room to quickly bathe and change while Zuko did the same.
When Katara walked into the dining hall for breakfast, Zuko was already there chatting idly to Sokka and Suki, both of whom seemed to be perfectly rested. She cast them both a jealous look, then took a seat next to Zuko.
"How are you both so cheery? I'm exhausted!" Katara exclaimed.
Suki laughed. "I guess you've gotten used to pampered palace life," she joked.
Katara frowned at her and the others all laughed as she grumpily pulled food onto her plate. They were quickly joined by Toph, Ty Lee, and Iroh, all of whom were engaged in an animated conversation that irked Katara even more. She felt like she had hardly slept, and she didn't understand how everyone else was so energized. Her annoyance faded quickly however, and soon she had joined in on the conversation as well.
After a while Aang finally joined them, yawning widely as he sat down next to Toph. Katara and Zuko glanced at each other; during the fighting, things between the three of them had felt normal and natural again. But they had barely seen him after the battle ended, and they weren't sure where their friendship stood. He had come to help them, so he obviously still cared. But neither Zuko nor Katara wanted him to leave without having resolved the issues between them.
"So, how long are you all able to stay?" Katara asked. "It would be great if you could stay a few days."
Sokka and Suki exchanged a guilty look. "Well, our wedding is coming up really soon, and we still have a lot to organize," Suki said regretfully. "Otherwise we would happily stay for a few days."
"Yeah… I sort of dropped everything and abandoned my students, so I should probably get back as soon as possible and make sure they are still alive," Toph said.
Aang gave a sheepish look, pushing his food around on his plate. "I am supposed to be in the North Pole right now… they are unveiling an Avatar statue today and I was supposed to make a speech."
"You missed that to come help us?" Zuko asked.
"Well, yeah. Of course. You guys are my friends, and when I got the letter that Katara had been hurt and heard about all the attacks, I wanted to come help. Besides, it's my job to keep the peace, so I'm sure the people of the Northern Water Tribe will understand why I wasn't there. Though I should probably still head out that way and visit."
Katara and Zuko shared another look, both of them feeling equally grateful and guilty. Suki quickly picked up on the awkwardness that had settled over their breakfast, and she suddenly piped up.
"Ty Lee, I would love to see the Villa while I'm here, and meet our newest Kyoshi Warriors. Why don't we head down?"
"Oh, sure!" Ty Lee replied, beaming. "They should be done breakfast by now and practicing their forms… maybe you can lead them in a lesson! They would love that!"
"Great idea! Let's head down now," Suki said, standing. She grabbed Sokka's wrist and pulled him up. "Come on, you can be our training dummy," she added with a playful smirk.
Sokka pouted at her, then grabbed an armload of buns off of the table and followed Suki and Ty Lee from the room. Iroh took Suki's lead and turned to Toph. "Care to join me for some tea, and perhaps a game of Pai Sho?"
Toph stood and stretched. "Sure… I know when I'm being ushered away. Let's go, old man."
Iroh chuckled at her and stood as well, and together they left the dining room, leaving Katara, Zuko, and Aang sitting awkwardly in silence. Aang stared at his plate for a moment before he finally spoke.
"I um… can I speak to you guys? Somewhere more… private?" he asked, glancing at the servant who was collecting dirty dishes from the table.
"Of course. Let's go out to the garden; there usually isn't many people out there this early in the morning," Zuko replied.
Aang nodded and the three of them stood. Zuko led them out of the dining room and through the hallways towards the main entrance to the gardens in silence. Not one of them spoke as they made their way outside into the bright morning light and followed a stone path deeper into the foliage. After a few minutes Zuko brought them to a secluded spot near the back of the garden, nestled in a corner near the walls that surrounded the area. There were low trees and thick bushes all around a small patch of grass. Katara thought it would be a perfect place for a picnic, and for a moment regretted not having brought a blanket and some snacks before she remembered why they were there in the first place.
Zuko settled into the grass, sitting cross-legged. Katara sat next to him, picking awkwardly at the grass as Aang sat across from them. The silence between the three friends was heavy, and it seemed that not one of them knew how to break the tension. Katara and Zuko glanced at each other briefly, exchanging small, supportive smiles, then Katara took a deep breath and spoke.
"Aang…"
"Katara, I want to apologize," Aang said suddenly, cutting her off. "The things I said to you were really mean and completely undeserved. I owe you both an apology for the things I said and for storming off like I did. I… didn't handle things well at all, and I am very sorry."
"I'm sorry too, Aang. We both are. We never wanted you to find out about our relationship the way you did… I swear we were going to tell you that day, but… we just never got a chance," Katara replied.
"I believe you. I know neither of you would ever hurt me intentionally."
"We really are sorry that you were hurt," Zuko said.
Aang sighed. "You guys really have nothing to apologize for. I'm the one who acted like a jerk, and you didn't do anything wrong. I was just… I was in shock. I had suspected that something might be going on with you guys, but when I saw Katara coming out of your bedroom I fully realized that she had moved on, and I didn't react well at all."
"I wish I could have talked to you about it, Aang. I completely understand how shocking it must have been for you to find out that way," Katara said, giving him a sympathetic look.
"It's my own fault, really," Aang replied, shaking his head. "I have been thinking about all of this a lot since I left Ember Island and I think I finally understand why I have been so reluctant to let go and move on. You are the first girl I've ever loved… you're pretty much the first girl I'd ever met, if I'm being honest, and I had convinced myself that we would be together forever. Even after we broke up, I kept thinking that it was just temporary. But I had failed to realize that we were so young when we first met. I was just a kid, and I was infatuated. But we had to grow up fast during the war, and afterwards we became adults and very different people than who we were when we first met. All of us did. And while all of us will be friends and care about each other for the rest of our lives, you can't force a relationship out of friendship, and I realize now that there is more to a relationship than holding on to a childhood crush."
Katara gave him a warm smile. "That's very mature of you, Aang. I will always care about you, but I think we make better friends, and I am glad you see that now too."
"I do see that now, and I am sorry if I pushed you or made you uncomfortable. I don't want to lose your friendship, or yours Zuko. You both mean so much to me."
Zuko smiled, and Katara shuffled closer to Aang, giving him a hug. He smiled and hugged her back happily.
"I also just wanted to say that I am genuinely happy for you guys, and after having thought about all of this constantly since I found out about your relationship, I can honestly say that you two are perfect for each other. You guys were always sort of the parents of the group, so I really should have seen this coming," Aang added with a laugh.
Zuko frowned. "We were the 'parents'?"
Katara laughed. "You never noticed? Everyone always complained that I mothered them too much, and they always went to you for advice. You were like the 'cool dad' of the group."
"Sokka was around long before me," Zuko replied.
Katara laughed again, clutching her sides "Have you met Sokka? I practically had to keep him on a leash! Do you remember the time he got stuck in that hole and almost eaten by a Moose-Lion?" she said, turning to Aang.
"Or that time when you and Toph were fighting and he forged an apology letter from her, completely forgetting that she can't read or write?" He replied, laughing along with her.
"Then there was the time we were lost in the desert and he drank that cactus juice and went completely bonkers," Katara added.
Zuko cracked a smile. "You're right… he's hopeless. It's a good thing he has Suki."
The three of them laughed, and for the first time in ages they finally felt like old friends again. The tension between them had lifted, and Katara felt an overwhelming sense of relief.
"Come on… let's go round up our friends and spend the afternoon doing something fun before you all have to go," she said, getting to her feet.
Zuko and Aang stood as well, and together they walked back towards the Palace finally feeling at peace.