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Chapter 4: Day of Black Sun
The invasion plan has begun and they just passed the Fire Nation blockade using the submarines Sokka invented. They continued to go through the water until they had to resurface to refuel on oxygen for the submarine.
"So, this is it, huh?" Aang asked his friends.
"Are you ready for the Fire Nation to know the Avatar's alive?" Sokka asked Aang.
"I'm ready." Aang looked up to Sokka and they shook hands. Toph and Katara came closer and hugged both boys.
"I hope you kick some serious Fire Lord butt, twinkle toes." Toph said to Aang and smiled. They were interrupted by Hakoda telling them it was time to submerge again. Toph and Sokka started to make their way back inside leaving Aang and Katara by themselves.
There was an awkward silence. "Katara, I.." "Aang, I.." They both said at the same time.
"You go first." Aang said politely.
"We've been through so many things together. And I've seen you grow up so much. You're not that little goofy kid I found in the iceberg anymore. I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm really proud of you." Katara said to him as she would to Sokka.
"Everything is going to be different after today, isn't it?" Aang replied back. She replied with a confirmation. "What if- what if I don't come back?" He asked her. Just as she was about to say that he will, Aang kissed Katara. Katara was caught off guard with the kiss and just stood there. Aang pulled away and opened his glider and flew off. Katara was brought back to reality and jumped onto Appa and submerge following everyone else.
Meanwhile, Zuko placed a letter for Mai in her bedroom. He didn't want to start a relationship with her once he returned to the Fire Nation, but he was still close to her to make things not suspicious of his actual plans. In the letter explained that he couldn't be with her because he didn't love her romantically but as a friend. Zuko then made his way to his father's underground safe room while the solar eclipse happened.
"I'm ready to face you." Zuko said to himself as he stands outside the doors and then opens them.
"Prince Zuko, what are you doing here?" Ozai questioned his son.
"I'm here to tell the truth." Zuko said.
"Telling the truth during the middle of an eclipse. This should be interesting." Ozai responded as he waved his guards to leave the room.
"First of all, in Ba Sing Se, it was Azula who took down the Avatar, not me." Zuko stated.
"Why would she lie to me about that? He started to wonder.
"Because the Avatar is not dead. He survived." Zuko continued.
"What!?" Ozai realizing that this can be bad.
"In fact, he's probably is leading this invasion. He could be on us right now." Zuko said.
"Get out! Get out of my sight right now if you know what's good for you." Ozai didn't want to see his son anymore.
"That's another thing. I'm not talking orders from you anymore. I am going to speak my mind and you are going to listen! For so long, all I wanted was for you to love me, to accept me. I thought it was my honor that I wanted. But really, I was just trying to please you. You, my father, who banished me just for talking out of turn. My father, who challenged me—a 13-year-old boy to an agni kai. How can you possibly justify a duel with a child? It was cruel and it was wrong." Zuko ranted to Ozai.
"It was to teach you respect but it seems like you didn't learn nothing." Ozai spat back.
"No, I've learnt everything! And I've had to learn it on my own. Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilization in history and somehow, the war was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world. What an amazing lie that was. The people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation! They don't see our greatness, they hate us! And we deserve it. We created an era of fear in the world and if we don't want the world to destroy itself, we need to replace it with an era of kindness and peace." Zuko says in a serious voice as the Fire Lord just laughs once Zuko finished.
"Your Uncle has gotten to you, hasn't he?" Ozai laughing at Zuko.
"Yes, he has. After I leave here today, I'm going to free Uncle Iroh from his prison. And I'm going to beg for his forgiveness. He is the one who has been a real father to me. But I've come to an even more important decision. I'm going to join the Avatar and I'm going to help him defeat you." Zuko continues.
"Really?" Ozai found this amusing. "Since you're a full-blown traitor now and you want me gone, why wait? I'm powerless, you've got your swords. Why don't you just do it now?" Ozai asked
"Because I know my own destiny, taking you down is the Avatar's destiny. Goodbye." Zuko said as he started to walk away.
"Coward! You think you're brave enough to face me, but you'll only do it during the eclipse. If you have any real courage, you'll stick around until the sun comes out. Don't you want to know what happened to your mother?" Ozai started to convince Zuko to stay and fight and realized that mentioning his mother would make him stop for sure and it worked. Zuko stopped right at the door and turned around. He got him to stay.
They talked on what happened that night Zuko's mother had disappear. Ozai explained that she was banished for killing Azulon, and that she could be alive. He then felt the sun coming out and conjured lightning and shot it at Zuko. Zuko caught the lightning and redirected it back to his father. Zuko made his escape and went to the prison to free his uncle but by the time he got there his uncle was already gone. He made his way to a war balloon to escape the Fire Nation and follow the flying bison