Author's Note: Each page break is a change in character point of view.
Chapter 1: The Crossroads of Destiny
Katara and Zuko were in the crystal catacombs prison. They had been together a while talking.
"I used to think this scar marked me," Zuko said. "The mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately, I've realized I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free of my mark."
Katara's face changed to one of hope, "Maybe you could be free of it."
"What?" Zuko said in surprise.
"I have healing abilities," Katara said.
The small amount of hope that had entered Zuko's heart quickly left, "It's a scar, it can't be healed."
Katara pulled her amulet from under her collar and held it up. "This is water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole. It has special properties, so I've been saving it for something important. I don't know if it would work, but …" Katara gently put one hand on Zuko's scar, and his eyes closed in response. He didn't realize just how close they were until he heard a noise. There was a blast in a wall of the catacombs, and out came Aang and Iroh.
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"Aang!" Katara ran to a surprised Aang and hugged him. "Aang, I knew you would come!" As they hugged, Aang glared over her shoulder at Zuko, who glared back as his uncle hugged him.
"Uncle, I don't understand. What are you doing with the Avatar?" Zuko said as he pointed at Aang.
"Saving you, that's what," Aang said.
Zuko took one step in Aang's direction, but Iroh stopped him. "Zuko, it's time we talked," Iroh said. Iroh turned to Aang and Katara, "Go help your other friends. We'll catch up with you."
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Katara was hesitant, and Aang noticed. Aang gently tugged on her arm, and Katara acquiesced. As they left, Katara looked back at Zuko. He was sadly looking to the side. A small part of her wished they had more time together and wondered what might have happened if Aang and Iroh had been later than they were.
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"Why Uncle?" Zuko faced Iroh, his expression confused.
"You're not the man you used to be, Zuko," Iroh said. "You are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been. And now you have come to the crossroads of your destiny. It's time for you to choose. It's time for you to choose good."
Zuko yelled as crystals suddenly grew from the ground to encase Iroh. He moved into a fighting position to prepare for the intruders. Azula and two Dai Li agents slid down from the sides of the chamber. "I expected this kind of treachery from Uncle," Azula said. Zuko kept his protective stance in front of his uncle. "But Zuko, Prince Zuko, you're a lot of things, but you're not a traitor, are you?"
"Release him immediately," Zuko said.
"It's not too late for you Zuko. You can still redeem yourself," Azula said.
Iroh spoke up, "The kind of redemption she offers is not for you."
"Why don't you let him decide, Uncle?" Azula said turning to Zuko. "I need you, Zuko. I've plotted every move of this day," she made a fist to emphasize her words, "this glorious day in Fire Nation history, and the only way we win is together. At the end of this day, you will have your honor back. You will have Father's love. You will have everything you want."
Zuko could hear his old mantra in his head, 'Azula always lies.' But her picture of the future was so tempting…
"Zuko, I am begging you," his uncle said. "Look into your heart and see what it is that you truly want."
"You are free to choose," Azula said.
Azula gestured at the two Dai Li agents to leave, and they earthbended themselves out. Then Azula left to follow Aang and Katara.
ooo
"What was that back there?" Aang looked at Katara expectantly. They were running through the crystal catacombs, away from Zuko and Iroh, but Aang seemed uneasy.
"What do you mean?" Katara glanced at him. She had hoped Aang wouldn't bring it up.
"You know exactly what I mean. You were close to Zuko when we came in, and then it's like you didn't want to leave them. Something must have happened. It's Zuko we're talking about. What did he do to you?" Aang sounded angry.
Katara sighed, "It's too much to explain now, but I promise I'll tell you later. Right now, we have more important things to worry about. We've got to find Toph and Sokka."
A bolt of blue lightning suddenly attacked them from behind. Aang stopped it using earthbending, as they both turned to face Azula. Katara used waterbending to stop another lightning attack.
The mist from the vaporized water allowed Azula to jump onto a crystal and firebend two blasts of blue fire at them. Together, Aang and Katara bended an arc of water to stop the blasts. Azula finished her jump by landing on a rock pillar. Aang earthbended the pillar, and Azula gasped once she noticed the pillar crumbling.
Azula jumped off and landed between Katara and Aang. She pointed at both of them, preparing to attack. A fire blast stopped her from attacking, and they all looked to see that the source of the fire blast was Zuko.
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Zuko looked from Azula to Katara and Aang, trying to choose who to attack. Katara's eyes connected with his. He could hear his Uncle's words echo in his head, 'Look into your heart and see what it is that you truly want.' His decision was made.
Azula's eyes flashed with surprise once she realized Zuko was about to attack her and she split the fire to keep it from hitting her. "Traitor!" she screamed at her brother. "You've betrayed the Fire Nation, Zuko!"
Katara and Aang both seemed a bit shocked, but Katara recovered quickly and started dueling with Azula. Aang and Zuko studied each other a moment, nodding before they both moved to help Katara.
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Azula ran away from Katara, who sent a wave of water at her that actually cut Azula's hair. Katara then encased herself in water, using it to stop Azula's firebending attacks. She threw her arms toward Azula and one water tentacle captured Azula's hand and another one captured her foot.
"She has her!" Zuko yelled.
Aang joined Katara, and they both used the water to bend Azula against a wall. Katara took over, and used ice to imprison Azula, but Azula used a blast of fire to break free.
Then Azula was running. "I know when I'm outmatched," she yelled at them. Azula changed her tactic, and suddenly sent a fireblast at Katara, who out of surprise, didn't bend her water to completely protect herself in time, and got knocked down.
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"Katara!" Zuko yelled. Zuko stepped in front of Katara and intercepted another blast of fire, throwing it right back at his sister. "I'm no traitor, Azula," Zuko said. "Father betrayed me first!"
Azula dodged and continued throwing blue blasts of fire at him. "You will regret this Zuko," she said. "You will never regain your honor now."
Zuko ran after his sister, throwing blasts of fire at her that she continued to dodge. "My honor isn't something someone else can give me!" Zuko said.
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Aang, who had been trying to send blasts of air to throw Azula off, jumped up from the old building he had been using as a vantage point, and earth surfed toward Azula to stop her from attacking Zuko and Katara.
A Dai Li agent used earthbending to break Aang's surf, knocking him down. Aang stood up and surveyed the scene. More Dai Li agents gathered behind Zuko and Azula. Zuko attacked the Dai Li around him, and Katara started regaining her focus as Dai Li agents surrounded her. Katara used the octopus form to defend herself.
"There's too many," Aang mumbled to himself, as he turned to look at Katara. Aang heard Pathik's voice from his memory, 'The only way is to let her go.' "I'm sorry Katara."
Closing his eyes, he turned away from Azula and Zuko and earthbended a crystal shelter tent around himself. Aang entered the Avatar State and the crystal shelter started glowing. Inside the shelter, Aang opened his glowing eyes and broke the crystal above him, floating slowly up.
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Too late, Zuko looked over and noticed what his sister was about to do, "No!" he yelled as he ran at her. A bolt of lightning flew from her fingers and struck Aang in the back. Zuko looked on in horror at his sister, who stood in a lightning summoning position, her fingers smoking.
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As Aang fell down, Katara, tears falling down her face, created a large wave to surf on to catch Aang. The wave knocked down the Dai Li agents as she went. When she caught him, she looked down at Aang and back up with tears in her eyes.
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As Aang fell, Zuko ran towards Aang and Katara to try to help protect them. He turned his fire attacks on Azula with full force, but still couldn't get past her defenses. Azula prepared another attack, but a sudden blast of fire stopped her. Iroh had jumped down from the wall of the cave and stood next to Zuko, helping shield Aang and Katara from Azula.
"You've got to get out of here!" Iroh said. "I'll hold them off as long as I can!" He fired some blasts at Azula and the Dai Li.
"No Uncle!" Zuko said. "I won't leave you here!"
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Katara hesitated, wanting to get out as quickly as she could, but not wanting to leave an ally behind.
"You need to go Zuko! Help them get out of here! I will be fine," Iroh continued sending out blasts of fire.
"Go!" Zuko shouted at Katara, holding his ground and staying with his uncle.
"But…what about you?" Katara said.
"Zuko, you should go," Iroh said. "I will be fine."
"I'm not leaving you Uncle! Katara, you have to get the Avatar away from here!" Zuko said, grunting as they continued blocking the attacks.
Tears streaming down her face and sensing Aang didn't have much time left, Katara ran to the waterfall, using waterbending to lift her and Aang up its path.
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Iroh and Zuko held off the Dai Li agents until after Katara and Aang were gone. Then they were forced to submit to the Dai Li, who used earthbending to encase them in crystals.
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Katara joined Toph, Sokka, and the earth king on Appa's back. They were flying away from Ba Sing Se. At first, all anyone could do was fearfully stare at Aang's body. Then everyone watched as Katara took her amulet off of her neck and uncorked it. She bended the small amount of spirit water out of it, bending it in a glowing circle above her hand, and into the wound on Aang's back.
When nothing seemed to happen to Aang's body, Katara cried out and hugged him, tears filling her eyes. Suddenly Aang's arrows lit up and faded again, and Aang groaned. Katara said, "Aang!" with a gasp. Aang weakly smiled at her and she hugged him.
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Later, Azula was at the Earth King's throne. She had won, but she was furious about her brother's treachery. "After a hundred years, the Fire nation has finally taken over Ba Sing Se," Azula said.
"That's great and all," Mai said to Azula, "but where is Zuko? I heard he was here."
"Zuko betrayed the Fire Nation today," Azula said, turning to Mai and Ty Lee who glanced at each other in surprise. "He's our prisoner, along with my dearest uncle. Things just got a bit more … interesting."
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Upon arrival to the Fire Nation, Zuko and Iroh had been put in the Capitol City Prison. They were only there for a few days when Zuko got a visitor. "Mai?" Zuko gasped.
Mai stared at him with her dark emotionless eyes. "You look awful," she said.
Zuko frowned and said, "Nice to see you too."
She threw a small pack at him. He looked inside, finding a few changes of red fire nation clothes. He really had been tired of wearing the ugly prison clothes, but he didn't have enough of his own clothes to wear and wash. "Thanks," he said. "But why?"
Mai said, "Because for some reason, even after everything you've done, I still care about you."
Zuko stared at her in shock. "Really?"
Mai lowered her voice. "You're not the only one who questions Azula's … methods. I don't understand every choice you've made, but I understand some of them. Your sister is not the easiest person to work with."
Zuko scoffed, "That's an understatement. Well I'm glad not everyone from my past hates me." He stared into Mai's eyes. "If things had been different … Mai … I …" he blushed. "Since I'll probably be dead soon, I might as well tell you. I used to like you when we were little. Who knows, if things had been different, then maybe we could have been together."
Mai blushed bright red and turned her face away from him. "I liked you too," she said. "Too bad you became a traitor." She sighed, "Things in the palace are boring without you." She turned abruptly to walk out. "Goodbye Zuko," she said.
"Goodbye Mai," he said.
Once Mai was gone, Zuko noticed Iroh raising an eyebrow at him. "Not. A. Word." Zuko said.
Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading! Reviews are much appreciated. This story is very canon compliant in many ways, so some scenes do come straight from the show, but include character insight and thoughts. Many new scenes will include Jet being alive and Zutara. I'm going to try to stick with a weekly Sunday afternoon upload schedule. The entire story is done already, so no worries about starting a story that won't be finished, this story IS complete! Let me know if you have any questions, I'm open to doing a Q&A for updates each week if that's a thing anyone is interested in.