Finally! I know this chapter is long overdue, and I apologize so much! My life has been a spiral of chaos over this last month! Not to mention I had writers block for about a week! Anyways... Here it is! The long awaited chapter. Enjoy!
Chapter 27
The darkness of the cave surrounded me as I listened to the steady breathing of Zuko nearby. For the last three hours I'd been pleading with him for a break. Zuko had been on a steady move ever since he found Appa's fur. We'd followed the trail of shed fur for miles, only stopping when we desperately had to. However, after a whole day of travel, I could see that Zan needed rest. When I told Zuko we needed to stop, he told me I just was trying to gain the Avatar some time. I smacked him on the back of the head in response, and he came to his senses.
We'd made camp inside a small cave that was cool and uninhabited. Zan found a cool spot on the dirt to lay, and Zuko decided to recline against him for the night. As the two slept, I sat and stared out at the dark world unable to sleep. My heart ached as I was conflicted with what to do. I knew I had to stop Zuko, but I wasn't sure what step I should take. When I was riding on Zan, I tried to think of anything I could say to persuade Zuko he was making the wrong choice. I knew trying to reason with him would do no good though.
My eyes shot back over to my two sleeping companions, and I wondered what would happen if they woke up in the morning and found me gone. Would Zuko freak out? Would he be mad? Would he care?
The last question was quickly shaken from my thoughts. I was sure he would care. As much as he desired to capture the Avatar, I knew he still loved me. However, I couldn't feel some type of resentment towards his sudden focus on finding Aang. He clearly had much more desire to please his father than to be with me, and that hurt me. He would be willing to throw our chance of being together away so he could return home.
My eyes watered as I came to the realization that I'd tried not to believe: Zuko loved his honor more than me.
As these words ran repeatedly through my mind, I grasped the necklace he had given me so long ago. I knew as I did, that it was time to choose my path. I had two choices: Stick by Zuko's side, let him capture Aang, and then become a prisoner to the Fire Nation; or rush ahead to warn Aang, stop Zuko, and become an enemy to the man I loved.
The thought of what would come out of my actions greatly burdened me, but I knew the decision had to be now or never. Closing my eyes, I pictured my family, Aang, and Appa… As much as I loved Zuko, I couldn't let him hurt my family and the world.
Standing as silently as I could, I made my way over to Zan who slept soundly. My movements were as light as I could make them, and reaching for the canteen of water I tried not to bring Zuko out of his sleep. To my relief, he didn't stir and I felt I could finally breathe. Taking a quick sip of the canteen, I placed it back on Zan's saddle. I wasn't sure how long it would take me to catch up to the others, so I didn't want thirst to be my enemy.
Once I was ready, I stepped to the end of the cave and stared up at the moon above. A tear slid down my cheek as every piece of me wanted to turn around and go back to Zuko. I restrained myself, remembering that finding Aang and my family was more important. As I started to head away from the cave, I hung my head trying all I could not to look back. If I looked back, it would only cause more pain.
My feet crunched against roots and twigs as I headed towards the grasslands of the Earth Kingdom, and away from my companions. By the time I walked three miles or so, I saw dark silhouettes of mountains form on the horizon. I knew from maps Iroh had shown me that these mountains revealed I was headed toward the Si Wong Desert. Appa's fur appeared to head a straight beeline towards the mountains, and I quickly questioned where my family was headed. Were they really planning on flying across the desert?
Eventually I started to reach a crowd of trees whose dark shapes rose tall above. Just as I was about to continue forward, I stopped walking as the ground below me suddenly began to shake. My eyes widened, and I turned my head in shock. A dark shape was slowly emerging over a hill in the distance. The shape was most definitely the cause of the trembling ground below me.
With slow movement, I inched behind a bush and crouched down to hide from the shape that was growing closer by the second. As the shape came into view, I noticed with utter horror that it was some type of giant machine. The sound of the metal grinding as the machine advanced forward caused my ears to ache. The smoke being set off from the machine appeared to dim the moon above. As the strange moving contraption began to become more visible, I saw the front of it was narrow and pointed, while the rest of it looked like a long metal weapon with wheels. My eyes widened as I came to realize just who owned the steel machine: The Fire Nation.
A crack in a root sounded behind me, and I gasped turning in shock. My heart pounded a million times a minute as I saw Zuko standing over me. His eyes weren't looking at me though. Instead, he was gazing at the machine with horror.
"Azula… She's following the Avatar's trail…"
At the name of his sister, I was surprised he knew who was behind the machine. However, I quickly focused on the question in my mind as I stood and faced him with guilt. "When did you figure it out?"
He moved his eyes from the machine back towards me. He looked hurt by my betrayal. He knew exactly what I was asking him. "You didn't speak a word to me all night… You were avoiding my gaze since we stopped in the cave. I could see the guilt written all over your face. I was pretty positive you were going to leave in the middle of the night. That's why I never fell asleep… As soon as you left the cave, I grabbed Zan and followed you."
Internally I wanted to kick myself for not hiding my plans better. On the other hand, I felt awful for trying to leave Zuko in the middle of the night.
"I had to… I knew you would try to stop me… I can't let you capture Aang… I can't let you destroy this world."
Zuko took in my words slowly, and I could see he was trying to remain calm. His eyes shot back to the passing machine in the distance behind me, and he frowned. "I'm not the one you need to worry about it seems… If I don't capture the Avatar, then my sister surely will."
His words caused me to worry. "How do you know it's her?"
He narrowed his eyes. "There's only one other person who would risk going after the Avatar in the middle of the Earth Kingdom…" He turned and began to walk away from me. As he did, I watched him go with more guilt than earlier. He was most likely hurt by my treachery, and I knew I couldn't be sorry.
He stopped walking suddenly, and I heard him let out a heavy sigh. He turned back towards me and crossed his arms. "Are you coming willingly, or am I going to have to throw you over my shoulder?"
His question surprised me. However, I quickly found my voice. "What are you going to do?"
The young man who I still cared so much for, stepped over to me and grabbed my chin. Forcing me to stare into his gaze, he stated, "I'm going to stop my sister, and then once I do the Avatar's mine." He leaned his head down so he could lessen the distance between us. "You can come willingly, or by force. Either way I'm not letting you out of my sight. I know you'll try to stop me, and I can't allow that."
His words sent a feeling of irritation through me. Shoving his hand off of my chin, I snapped, "You can't make me do anything! I'm not going to just sit back and let you capture the Avatar. I love you Zuko, but I will not let you destroy this world!"
There was a sudden tension between us as we both wanted two very different things. His fists tightened at his side as he realized I wouldn't make his night easy. Zan suddenly stepped into view, probably curious over the noise Zuko and I were making. At Zan's presence, Zuko turned and headed over to him grabbing something on his saddle.
"I don't have time to argue with you… I can't let Azula get too far ahead. Are you going to come or not?"
His question was strained as he tried to hide his emotions. I knew he was torn between making me happy and regaining his honor. I could see he wasn't thrilled about having to threaten me, but that he was running out of options. He would not forget about his mission, but he also refused to leave me behind.
"If I come with you, will you promise that once you stop Azula you'll leave Aang alone?
Zuko did not answer, but he didn't have to. We both knew the answer to my question. Once Zuko took care of Azula, he would go after the Avatar. Zuko wouldn't rest until the Avatar was in his possession.
"If you don't want me to get in the way, then the best option for you is to leave me here. You may think you can stop me from helping Aang if I go with you, but I will not rest until the Avatar is safe from both you and your sister. You can watch my actions all you want, but I will do what I must when the time comes."
"How will you be able to help the Avatar if you can't bend?" His tone was leveled as he tried not to betray his emotions. "What makes you think you'll have the chance to save him when the time comes?" He turned back toward me, and my eyes widened when I saw what was in his hand. A long piece of rope dangled in his grasp, and I knew immediately what he was planning to do.
Quickly I tried to feel for any source of water that might be nearby. To my luck, there was a stream that seemed to be a few meters away. If I could just get close enough, I could use the water to defend myself against Zuko.
"I guess I should've seen this coming… I should've realized that one day we would have to turn against each other." I took a slight step to the right, keeping my eyes on Zuko. He tried not to show the regret that was flowing through him. "One thing I have to confess though, is that I won't ever stop loving you… I hope you know that…" I felt my eyes water at the truth. "No matter how far apart our paths tear us, I won't ever forget what we have…" I felt my throat tighten, but I managed to get the rest of my thoughts out. "I just wish things could be different… I wish we could truly be together…"
He grimaced and looked down at the rope in his hands as my words caused him pain. He wished the same. He loved me too. However, it was time to face reality. Zuko was the crown prince of the Fire Nation, and I was the daughter of Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe. As much as we loved one another, we were of two different worlds.
"Good-bye…" I took one last painful look at the man I loved, and then turned sharp on my heel.
Taking off towards the stream, I heard Zuko only shout a second later and pursue me. He was too far behind to stop me from reaching the stream, and as soon as the water came into my grasp I managed to pull it out and harden it in the air. Creating a solid ball of ice, I lunged my hand in the direction I'd come. The ice flew straight towards Zuko, who just barely managed to jerk his body out of the way. In the process he dropped the rope. Once his own hands were free he quickly shot a blast of fire at me.
The bright ball of flames shot fast, but I managed to bring up a wave of water that rose high above me and crashed into the flame. The fire doused, and the water kept in a direction towards Zuko. Zuko gasped as the water hit him, and the impact sent him flying back off his feet. As he crashed backward onto the ground, I took more water and shot it in front of me creating a wall between us. Freezing the wall, I found a thin layer of ice separating myself from Zuko. Through the ice, I could see a distorted image of Zuko as he tried to get to his feet. While he was distracted, I turned and leaped across the stream landing on the other side.
"CRYSTAL!" A few moments later Zuko's fury could be heard behind me as I darted off through the forest. I wondered if Zuko would try and burn through the wall, run around it, or give up on pursuing me. I could only imagine the pain he was feeling at the moment from my attack. He probably hadn't expected me to fight back so hard. He probably hoped I would cooperate and not give him so much trouble. He should've known me by now though… I wasn't one for just sitting still.
My heart hurt and my eyes were clouded with tears, but I kept moving in hopes that I would gain distance from Zuko. He had Zan to catch up to me, but I knew it would take him a few minutes to get back to Zan and follow me. I tried to keep the tracks of Azula's machine in sight as much as I could as I raced endlessly through the night to get away from Zuko.
Eventually I knew I had to hide, because there was no doubt in my mind Zuko would catch up. An opportunity arose when I saw some tall reeds piled together by the same stream from which I borrowed water earlier. Quickly I maneuvered my way into the reeds and dropped down on my belly to hide myself from sight. I didn't have to wait long. Only a minute after I hid, Zuko and Zan could be heard passing by. As Zan's heavy steps dug into the dirt, I shut my eyes praying he wouldn't pick up my scent. To my relief, he and Zuko kept going. I didn't release my breath until they were gone.
Once I was sure I was safe, I let out a deep sigh of relief and managed to find my feet. My body was exhausted, my clothes were covered in dirt, and I had sweat dripping down my forehead. I knew I had to keep moving though. I'd just let Zuko get ahead, and if I didn't follow his tracks I might reach Aang too late.
The rest of the night felt endless as I journeyed behind both Zan's and the machines tracks. As I headed along, I couldn't help but think about everything that had just occurred. The whole last few hours felt like a dream. I wished at any moment I would just wake up and find none of this had happened. I wished that Zuko had never spotted Appa's fur on the ground… I wished we were still headed to Ba Sing Se… I wished destiny didn't have to be so cruel…
I'd fallen hopelessly in love with a man that I could not have… We were of two different nations, and the possibility of us having ever been able to be together was next to nothing. We did not share the same goals, and for that we were forced to part.
By the time the sun began to rise, I'd finally run out of tears to cry. I also realized that at some point during the night I'd lost my path and could not find the tracks I once followed. The dark and pain had blinded me, and I was now lost in the middle of nowhere without a clue if I was headed on the right path. The rumble and sound of the machine had left my ears hours ago. As I stumbled constantly over roots, rocks, grass, and other obstacles on the ground, I prayed to the spirits for some relief. I was tired and defeated. I was eager for some sight of familiarity. I felt alone and empty.
Please… If any spirit is out there listening… Please help me!
Stepping through some brush, I tripped over a lifted root and fell forward onto the ground. My hands reached out to catch me, but the pain vibrated through my whole body. My luck was awful at the moment.
I tried to catch my breath, and as I did I felt a sudden new stage of tears. My hope was starting to fade. "Please… If you won't help me then at least help Aang…" I began to speak out loud to the spirits, my heart no longer knowing what else to do.
"Aang… You know Twinkletoes?"
A young female voice spoke up from a few feet away. I gasped at the sudden intruder and looked over to see a young girl of twelve standing nearby. She wore a green short-sleeved outfit with a yellow-green tunic over it, a brown belt with studs on its edges, and green and brown-colored arm and ankle bands. She also had a yellow headband with green lining. Over her shoulder was a bag of what I assumed to be her belongings.
Her question and presence had stunned me. "Yo- you know the Avatar?" I stood weakly, my body fatigued and only holding on by hope.
She stood for a moment observing me. Or at least I assumed she was observing me. Her eyes weren't looking at me, but I could tell she was taking me in. I knew as I stared at her glazed over eyes that she was blind.
"Yeah," she finally answered. "I'm on my way to catch back up to him. We got separated for a bit, but I know which direction he headed. He needs me to teach him Earth Bending."
I was amazed at the kid before me. She was going to be Aang's Earth Bending teacher…?
"What about you?" She stepped over to me, and crossed her arms. "How do you know Aang?"
Trying to gather my thoughts, I answered, "I don't know him much… I've only spoken to him briefly… But he's traveling with my family…" I immediately knew I had to join this girl to find the others. "I have to find them before it's too late. You know where they're headed… Take me to them…"
Her eyes had widened as soon as I started speaking. Her mouth was open in shock. Finally, she exclaimed, "Hold on! Your Sokka and Katara's sister?!"
Nodding, I replied with a yes knowing she couldn't see.
She suddenly beamed with delight. "I can't believe it! Just wait until the others find out! I just found their sister! Now Katara will have to respect me!" She stepped over and grabbed my arm. "Well what are you waiting for?! Let's go!"
I was astonished by her enthusiasm, and I didn't know what else to do but to follow her. As she pulled me along, I wondered if perhaps my luck was turning at last. The spirits had granted me a guide to take me to my family.
The girl eventually introduced herself as Toph Beifong, and admitted her and my sister had butted heads pretty rough last night. She'd joined the group a few days before, and she had to admit she hadn't done the best job at getting along. She told me about her double life: she had been a rich blind girl during day, and an arena fighter at night. She spared no detail about how her and my family met. She told me about fighting Aang, having them bombard into her home, and encouraging her to join them. Toph admitted that it was only after she realized her parents were going to trap her for life that she decided to run away.
"I was tired of being seen as weak… I want my parents to see that I'm not some helpless blind girl that needs constant protection." She smiled as she walked beside me. "If teaching the Avatar earthbending is my way of proving to the world I'm strong, then I'm willing to take the chance."
I crossed my arms for comfort, but was glad she was distracting me. "That's great. Aang and the others will be lucky to have you."
She nodded. "Well, enough about me… what about you? I thought you were traveling with some crazy prince? How did you end up in the middle of nowhere on your own?"
Her words caused another surge of pain to shoot through me. Crossing my arms, I muttered, "It's a long story…"
She seemed to consider my words, but she wouldn't let me off the hook that easy. "Let me guess... Crazy Prince finally let his guard down and you took your chance to run?"
I cringed. "Yeah…" It was sort of the truth. Zuko hadn't exactly let his guard down. He just had a moment of weakness that I took advantage of. "I finally escaped… He tried to follow me, but I managed to hide in some reeds until he passed. He's following Appa's trail of fur at the moment. I thought if I could reach them first somehow, I could help."
She abruptly stopped walking, and I gasped as I almost fell into her. Stepping back, I was concerned by her sudden halt. She turned towards me, and I saw her glazed eyes furrow in confusion. "Why did you leave him? If he was following the Avatar, why didn't you stay with him until you both caught up to Aang?"
Her question caused me to hang my head. My eyes shut tight as I tried to stop them from the burning liquid that wanted to fall. "I couldn't… Every minute I was with him only made my heart heavy with burden… I knew when we caught up to the others I would have to betray him… I couldn't stick around and pretend everything was okay." I let out a heavy breath, wishing things could be different. "A few weeks ago I had hope that Zuko and I could actually find a way to be together… But when he found Appa's fur yesterday, I realized how foolish those hopes were." Crossing my arms once more for comfort, I stared at the grass below my feet. "We may love each other, but we will never be able to be together. I couldn't continue to journey with him, because I knew the longer I was by his side the harder it would be to say good-bye."
Toph took in all I said, and then her body turned away from me once again. She started to walk, and I watched her go as my heart pounded sharp in my chest. "You did the right thing." She continued walking, and I followed having no other choice. "You may not think so at the moment, but when you catch up to the others and see Aang is alright then you'll know."
Nodding, I stared up at the trees canopy above wishing Toph's words would comfort me. I still felt sick to my stomach.
"Can't believe you actually do have feelings for him though… Aang told me your brother freaked when he found out you and Prince boy had a thing for each other. Your family doesn't seem thrilled you fell for the enemy."
A heavy breath escaped me as I looked anywhere but at Toph. I whispered softly, meaning every word, "Fate is strange…"
Toph stopped suddenly, and I did so as well. She stood for a second, and I wondered what was wrong.
"Toph? What-"
She held up her hand, telling me to be silent. Her bare feet were planted firm to the ground as she concentrated on nothing I could see. "We're getting close. The machine has stopped and it looks like the groups split up. There are three strange beasts moving away from the machine." She fell silent for a moment. "I think we should head in the direction that the one beast is going. I have a feeling its headed towards Aang."
"Ho- how do you know that?" I looked around in confusion, seeing nothing that Toph was seeing.
"Another thing is following behind, and I assume that's your prince guy. I would guess he would only be headed in the direction Aang went." She started to walk again, but stopped. "Oh! You mean how do I know all of this…? You can thank my feet."
Her words stunned me, and I quickly asked her to explain. She told me that the way she can see is by using the vibrations in the earth. She said her vision is no different than the way I see things, only she uses her feet rather than her eyes. Her technique fascinated me, and I wondered if all earthbenders could do the same. She told me she was the only one as far as she was aware.
Somehow we found ourselves coming upon the giant machine which I had seen a few hours before. In the light of the day, the machine looked twice as big and intimidating. When we got to the front of the machine, we quickly realized why the group had split. Two trails of Appa's white fur went left and right, and on each trail was a set of giant claw marked footprints. Kneeling down by the trail that turned right, I saw immediately the familiar imprints of Zan sunk into the earth.
"Aang went this way," I said softly. "We should go." I went forward, but Toph grabbed my shirt and yanked me back. I yelped and looked at her with question. "What?"
"You're not going to help Aang empty handed." She released me and yanked a canteen out of her personal bag. "Fill this up with water. Katara told me you're a bender, so you'll be able to fight if you have your element." She tossed the canteen at me, and I stared down at it with surprise. "Well! What are you waiting for?! Aang needs us!"
Her shout brought me out of my uncertainty, and I quickly filled the canteen with water from the small stream beside us. As soon as I was prepared for the battle ahead, Toph gestured for me to follow and we both stuck on the trail of dead fur and tracks.
As we headed through the forest, we soon found ourselves coming upon a barren land that seemed to be nothing but dry dirt. The mountains were much larger on the horizon, and I wondered if they had something to do with the lack of water. "There's some type of town up ahead." Toph quickened her steps, and I followed right on her tail. My hand tightened on the canteen I held, and I felt my heart pound in my ears.
Would I have to fight Zuko in a few seconds? Would I have to go against Azula again? Was I really ready for a fight?
It felt like forever since I'd last been in an actual fight. The little spat I had with Zuko a few hours before was nothing compared to actually fighting the enemy. I knew last night that Zuko wouldn't hurt me. As I headed towards Azula, I came to the realization that she wouldn't care how much damage she did to me.
The sound of a loud explosion echoed from the distance, and I gasped as I could finally see on the horizon a wooden town with smoke flying up towards the sky. The fight had already begun, and I prayed Aang was winning against Azula's wrath. At the same time, I hoped Zuko wasn't hurt. My heart was torn between Aang's safety and Zuko's.
"We better hurry," Toph said. She grabbed my hand and began to yank me along. We took off in a run towards the town, both of us set on making sure the others were safe. As we came up on the abandoned Earth Kingdom town, I saw numerous buildings were blazing with fire and dark smoke rose up towards the sky. Some of the buildings were damaged with gaping holes in the wood, while others were missing pieces to their roofs. There were scorch marks everywhere.
A shout was heard, and my mind quickly registered it as my brother's. I was familiar with his warrior cries, and my heart leaped as I realized for the first time since I started out what was about to happen: I was going to see my family again. After months of being apart, I would be reunited.
Racing forward ahead of Toph, I felt adrenaline pump through me as I uncorked the canteen she had handed me earlier. Drawing the water out, I raced around the corner of some scorched buildings and saw them.
My brother had gotten taller over the months we'd been apart. He looked stronger too as he stood with his warrior club, ready to attack. My sister stood a little way from him, and I could see she had gotten stronger as well. Her hair was longer, and she looked to be one with the water she was controlling before her. She didn't show any uncertainty, and looked like a master waterbender. Aang stood on the other side of her, his hand gripping his staff tight. He looked older than I last saw him, and he too had grown taller and stronger. The time we had been apart had been long, and I could see the three of them had faced many challenges during our separation.
Azula stood before the three of them, her appearance showing no change. She was still the same crazy girl that tackled me in the woods a few weeks before. From the distance, I could see she was slightly panicked as she realized she was outnumbered. As if she convinced herself she wouldn't win, she turned on her heel and tried to run. I narrowed my eyes and raced forward.
Shooting a stream of water straight at her, I froze it just as it reached her. She was hit hard by a painful rush of ice, and she stumbled back with a cry of pain. She fell on her butt in a daze, shocked by the unexpected attack. I stopped a few feet before her, my hands moving to bring the ice back into the air and turn it back into water.
"Crystal!" My brother, sister, and Aang's elation could be heard from nearby.
Azula came out of her daze and was outraged. "You!"
I scowled. "Good. You do remember me. That was payback for earlier! I was sore for days!"
She jumped to her feet, and quickly stepped back to try and distance herself from me. She sneered. "I was wondering what happened to Zuzu's plaything. If he can't even control his wench, how's he going to control the Avatar?"
"Don't call her that!" A familiar voice suddenly shouted from behind me, and I turned my head in surprise. Zuko came out of nowhere, looking a bit beaten up, and shot a hot ball of fire at his sister. She gasped and quickly blocked it with her wrists. Zuko stepped beside me, his fists clenched as he prepared to fire again. Azula growled, and went to attack him, but the earth shifted below her and she fell down on the dirt. Toph appeared on the other side of Aang then, and they all looked over at her with elation.
As the six of us surrounded Azula, she knew she was done. She stood back up and tried to escape through the alley behind her, but she ran into someone else. My eyes widened when I saw Iroh. What in the world was he doing here?! I couldn't believe fate had brought every single one of us together.
We all eventually formed a circle around her, forcing her to back up against the worn wood of an old building. Her eyes darted around the circle at all of us with horror and fear. She didn't know what to do. She was in a situation she clearly had not expected. She turned her head towards me, and then over to Iroh, seeing both of her exits were blocked.
She finally sighed and stood up straight. "Well, look at this. Enemies and traitors all working together. I'm done." She held her hands up. "I know when I'm beaten. You got me. A princess surrenders with honor."
The way she spoke made me only on extra guard. Her eyes darting around the group told me she wasn't giving up just yet. We inched closer to her, all of us prepared to fight if she attacked. There seemed to be a long pause as none of us did anything, waiting for her to make the first move. The pause abruptly ended though.
Azula suddenly grinned and shot her hand straight towards Iroh. Time seemed to stop as the blue fire hit him in the chest and sent him falling onto his back. My heart tore, and my anger rose as I saw the man I had come to see as a father crash unconsciously to the dirt.
I lost my calm. "NO!" I shot my water hard at Azula, and everyone else followed my attack. She created a huge shield of blue fire which caused a harsh explosion to blast through the air. We all had to turn away as black smoke flew at us, and when the smoke settled a few seconds later and we could finally see, Azula was gone.
My eyes burned with hot tears of fury as I stared at the spot she had once been. How could she? Her own uncle?!
Turning sharp on my heel, I raced over to Iroh who was out cold on the ground. Falling beside him, I stared at the burnt flesh on his skin in horror. Where the flesh had been burnt, there was blood and blisters. Zuko joined my side only a second later, falling on his knees and dropping his head in agony.
"Uncle…" His voice was broken as he took in his uncle's condition. "No…"
I didn't need to think about what to do next. I took no time. "Help me get his shirt off," I quickly said. "I need to heal him fast."
Zuko looked over at me with surprise, his eyes moist with tears. He nodded though when he saw my eager determination and did just that. As he attempted to remove Iroh's shirt, I stood and turned to Katara with desperation. My family, Toph, and Aang were still standing nearby. Everyone but Toph was watching my actions with shock.
"Katara! I need to borrow your water!"
I stared at the pouch attached to her side. She had been smart and put the water she flung at Azula earlier back into it. I'd been too hit with rage to save my own water. She stared at me with shock, and I knew it was probably because she had no clue I could heal. She read my eyes which were spilling tears, and then she sighed with defeat. Opening her water moccasin, she held it out to me. I drew the water quickly from her and then turned back to Iroh and Zuko.
"Wait a second! You can't be serious! You're helping him!" Sokka was outraged as he realized what was occurring. "He's the enemy."
As I pressed the water over Iroh's bare chest, I let the water soak into his blistered and bloody skin. He grimaced which was a good sign that he wasn't too far gone.
"Aang… Call Appa here so we can grab the bandages we keep for emergencies," Katara suddenly said from behind.
As I healed Iroh, I looked back at her with surprise. She met my gaze again, and gave me a small smile to let me know she understood. I smiled back and mouthed to her a thanks. As I did so, I saw Aang take something out of his robe pocket. He blew into it, and I heard nothing. I decided not to question it, and turned back to my work.
"This is crazy! I can't believe we're helping the brother of the Fire Lord! What would father say?!"
Katara tried to calm him down. "This is the right thing to do… We can't just let the man die."
"Sure we can! He's the enemy! They'd do the same to us!"
Zuko let out a heavy breath beside me. I knew he was trying to ignore my brother's shouts, but it was pretty hard to ignore. Zuko kept his eyes on my work as I let the molecules of the water sink into Iroh's flesh, but I could see from the corner of my eye he wasn't thrilled with Sokka's comments.
The sound of Appa landing nearby was heard a second later, and I felt relieved that Katara had mentioned bandages. The wound would definitely need to be covered so infection wouldn't spread.
"Great! So we're giving the enemy first aid care. What's next? Should we invite them to just journey with us?!" Sokka's shouts were throwing my concentration off, but I continued to try to ignore him. "We should be getting out of here! Not hanging around to play physician!"
"Sokka! Shut up!" Toph shouted. "I met this dude. He's super nice. You don't have to be a jerk!"
"Nice! How can he be nice?! He's kept my sister prisoner for months!"
I grimaced at his last comment. I was never a prisoner to Iroh… He always saw me as a friend…
A body suddenly knelt on the other side of me, and I looked over to see Aang with the bandages. I smiled with gratitude, pulling the water from Iroh's freshly sealed wound. The skin was still blistered, but the brunt of the damage was healed. He would be sore when he woke up, but he would live and that was all that mattered.
"Let's get him bandaged, and then we'll move him into a building. He shouldn't be in the heat like this in his condition." I stood once more and turned back to Katara. She read my mind and held her water pouch out towards me. Once I had the water back in its container, and I avoided Sokka's gaze, I took the bandages from Aang.
Zuko managed to hold Iroh's body up as I wrapped the strips of cloth around his chest. To my surprise, Aang and Katara came over too and helped to hold Iroh up as well. Zuko was shocked by the help we were receiving, but he didn't argue. I was relieved all thoughts about capturing Aang were put on hold at the moment as Zuko worried more for his uncle. No one spoke, but it was clear they all understood Iroh was the top priority at the moment.
Once he was bandaged up, Toph took over and managed to lift the earth below Iroh so the man was hovering on a stone platform. She then carried Iroh out of the sun and into one of the nearby buildings that hadn't been damaged by the previous fight. She set him down as carefully as she could, and then bent the earth out from under him so he was lying on the wooden floorboards of the building. The others had stayed outside when we moved him, and only Zuko, Toph, and I had entered the building.
Once Iroh was in the shade of the building, bandaged, and semi-comfortable, we all sighed with relief. As things calmed down, and Toph went back outside, I felt for the first time how exhausted I truly was. When Iroh had been shot by Azula, adrenaline was the only thing pumping through me as I tried all I could to save him. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, I felt my muscles burn and my throat dry from lack of water.
We sat in the room in silence for a few minutes, Zuko and I not really sure if we should talk or what we should say. Katara interrupted after a minute or two, coming into the building with a blanket draped over her arm and a jug of water. She sat them down in front of Zuko, who looked up at her with surprise.
"It's not much, but it should get you through a few days… It gets cold at night, so make sure you keep him warm. He'll get infection if his body temperature drops too much." She stepped back from him, and then turned to look down at where I knelt beside Iroh. "We'll be waiting for you on Appa… Take your time…"
She turned and left then, and as soon as her presence was gone the room fell silent once more.
Neither of us moved as we knew what was about to happen. As soon as I left the room, I would go join my family.
"He should be okay…" I said softly. "He just needs rest for a few days…"
Zuko nodded, avoiding my gaze. He said softly, "Thanks for healing him…"
I smiled weakly, "He's like a father to me… Besides… I owed him for always taking care of me."
Zuko nodded. He took the blanket and draped it over his uncle, still not meeting my eyes.
After another minute of silence, I finally let out a heavy breath. "I'm sorry about what happened earlier this morning… I- I just couldn't stay by you and watch you hurt Aang… I know I should've handled it all a different way, but—"
"No." He cut me off. After avoiding my gaze for so long, his eyes finally met my own. "You were right to fight me… I shouldn't have tried to force you to come with me… I shouldn't have been so foolish to think I could defeat my sister…" He hung his head again. "I feel like this is all my fault… Uncle wouldn't have been in this situation if I'd just kept heading to Ba Sing Se…" A tear fell down his cheek. "I regret everything…"
I ached for his pain. Reaching my hand out, I grabbed his own for comfort. He was surprised by my sudden touch, and looked up at me with question. "He's alive, Zuko… The Avatar is still free… Your sister didn't win." I tightened my hold on his hand. "You have not lost… I know you're struggling right now, and I understand how much you want to go home… You will one day… You just have to be patient." My words seemed to calm him, and I could see his tense shoulders relax.
"I have lost though… Because of all of this, I've lost you…" He looked up again, and I could see the pain in his gaze as he realized we were about to part. "I know I have to let you go though… You need to be with your brother and sister… I've kept you from them too long."
My body shook at the pain of having to say goodbye one last time. "I wish things could be different… I wish you could come with us…"
He sighed heavily. "Me too…" He gripped my hand in his own, not wanting to let go. "If things were different, then I would…"
Nodding slowly, I looked back over at Iroh who looked to be in a peaceful slumber. "You two take care of each other… I- I won't be around anymore to keep you both in line…"
He grimaced. "Yeah… We will…"
The floorboard creaked behind us, and I turned to the doorway to see Sokka standing there. His eyes were narrowed as he looked at the grip Zuko and I had on each other's hand. He crossed his arms, and spoke with a firm tone, "We need to go, Crys. Your time is up."
His words made me a little irritated, but I calmed knowing why he was saying it. He just didn't want me to get any second thoughts about staying with Zuko, instead of going with my family.
With one last squeeze of Zuko's hand, I stood and went to leave. Sokka continued to wait at the doorway, ready to escort me to Appa and away from the "enemy" as he called them. Just as I was stepping over to Sokka, I heard a shuffle as Zuko stood from behind me.
"Crystal! Wait!" I stopped mid-step.
Turning, I looked back at Zuko with question. He broke the distance between us before I could question him, and the next thing I knew his lips were crushing my own. As he wrapped one arm around my waist, and placed his other hand behind my head, I shut my eyes enjoying our last moment together. His hand tangled in my hair as his kiss only grew. Tears were falling down my cheeks as I kissed him back. My hands found both sides of his face, and I felt the warmth of his skin one last time. He broke away for a second, only long enough to catch his breath, and then he kissed me again. This time his hand left my hair and moved to the back of my neck. Our noses touched, our bodies touched, and our hearts molded into one.
A hand grabbed my arm suddenly, and I was yanked away from Zuko towards the doorway. Sokka held a firm grip on me, as he used his other hand to point his warrior club at Zuko. "That's it! No more sucky face!" He released me, and then stepped between Zuko and I. "If you ever come near my sister again, I'll make sure you end up worse than your uncle! Stay away from my family and friends!"
Zuko paid no mind to Sokka. His eyes stayed on my own, and I knew then we were both saying a silent goodbye. Sokka noticed, and quickly turned grabbing my arm again. "Let's go, Crys!"
As Sokka pulled me towards the door, and away from Zuko, I tried to jerk from his hold. "Sokka! Wait! Let me just say one last thing! Please!"
My brother stopped, his rage slowly fading as he started to come briefly to his senses. He let out a heavy sigh, and then dropped his grip from my arm. "Fine." He didn't meet my eyes, but his tone was firm. "One last thing. Then we are leaving."
Looking back at Zuko, I could see he was trying all he could not to lose his emotion. With agony, I said my last words.
"I love you so much, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation."
He took in my words, and then spoke with his heart. "I love you too…"
Turning then, I let one last tear fall as I walked past Sokka out into the blazing sunlight. I didn't pay attention to if Sokka followed. I was sure he did. All I knew was that I couldn't look back, because if I did so, I would crumble into a million pieces.
Taking one step at a time, I created the distance between Zuko and I as I moved towards the familiar flying sky-bison I'd met so long ago. Every step felt like a piece of my heart was being left behind. I knew this was the right thing to do though…
It was time for a new chapter in my life.
It was time for me to be with my family again.
It was time for fate to take me on a different course.
Sokka stayed silent as he walked beside me, and I could see he was guilty for having been so harsh to me a few seconds before. He had wanted to sound firm in breaking me and Zuko apart, but he had seen how much the separation was hurting me. He was probably scared I hated him know for his force. To reassure him, I took his hand in my own and gave it a squeeze. He looked at me with surprise.
"You look different," I said softly, knowing I needed to let him know I was glad to see him. Zuko would never leave my heart, but I needed to focus on my family now. They needed me, and I needed them. "Time has changed you."
His guilt calmed, and his hand returned my grip. "You're different too… I can see you're not the same little sister I knew at the South Pole…"
I nodded, and looked back at Appa whom we were approaching. "Looks like we have a lot of catching up to do…"
He stopped walking, and I stopped beside him. We met one another's eyes, and he let go of my hand. With fast moves, he suddenly pulled me into his arms and gave me the strongest and warmest hug he had in a very long time. The familiar embrace of my twin brother sent tears to my eyes. I hugged him back, forgiving him for his past actions in the last few minutes. I knew he was just trying to protect me.
He hugged me closer, his body towering over my own from the time that had changed us. "I've missed you so much, sis."
Pressing my face into his chest, I promised, "I've missed you too."