Disclaimer: All rights belong to Nickelodeon, Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, and all the men and women that created the A:TLA show, books, and comics. I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made. The lyrics are from the song "I Won't Give Up" by Jason Mraz
Rating: General Audiences. Warning: some scenes contain dark themes and minor violence
Chapter 6: The Last Element
And just like them old stars
I see that you've come so far
To be right where you are
I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get dark
I'm healing this broken heart
I know I'm worth it
"They're coming!"
Aang flies down the slope of the hill to the beach where Sokka and Suki are washing up. Toph is sitting in the sand, attempting with mixed results to create a sand castle without her bending.
Sokka and Suki pause, mid-splash, and turn to him. "Who's coming?" Sokka asks, already wading back to shore.
Aang holds out his arm. Perched on it is a familiar sight.
"Momo!" Sokka runs up and grabs the winged lemur, hugging him tightly. "Good to see you back, buddy."
Momo chatters and squirms out of his grip.
Suki reaches the beach and straps her belt with her fans back on. Toph stands and wipes sand off her face. Aang fidgets with his staff.
An awkward silence settles over the group. In just a few short minutes, they'll know whether their worst fears have come true.
"Whatever happens, we have to stay together," Suki says, breaking the silence. Since Katara's absence, she's taken over her role. She isn't quite as motherly or gentle as Katara, but they all know she cares just as much about them. She also has the most experience in leading a group. "We can't fall apart and run away. We have to continue this fight, with or without the Avatar."
"But there isn't any hope of victory without Katara," Aang points out. No one says it, but they all know that he only joined the group for her. If it wasn't for his loyalty to them - but especially to Katara - he would have returned to the Air Nomads long ago. He's not the type to seek out or enjoy violence. He's strong and powerful, but he's not a warrior. He came to help the Avatar, not fight Ozai himself.
"It's not about hope. It's about taking down as many Fire Nation soldiers as we can and slowing down Ozai." Toph crosses her arms. "And making him think twice about leaving the safety of his palace."
Aang looks over at Sokka. "What do you think?"
Sokka stares up at the sky, turning his boomerang over in his hands. "I think that I don't want to have to make that decision."
Appa comes into sight, slowly coasting down. As he nears, they can see Zuko behind the reins. Aang bounces from foot to foot, anxious. Suki and Toph stand as stoic as ever, and Sokka clutches his boomerang with white knuckles.
Appa lands a few feet away. Zuko slides off his neck without looking at them. Then he turns and lifts a hand.
An arm emerges, reaching down to grasp his hand. Then Katara is swinging out of the saddle, her boots hitting the sand with a muted thud. She turns to the others, a shy smile stretching out on her face.
Aang and Sokka rush forward, squishing her in a hug. She wraps one arm around each of them, holding them close. They stand like that for what feels like hours. Although Katara considers everyone on the team her family, there's something about Aang and Sokka that feels like home.
When they finally step back, Toph is waiting. She punches Katara roughly in the arm. "That's for being stupid," she says. Then she throws her arms around her waist. "That's because I'm glad you're alive."
Suki hugs Katara next. When they step apart, the Kyoshi Warrior steps over to Zuko and gives him a hug, too.
"Thank you for bringing her back to us."
Zuko's face reddens. He looks uncomfortable with everyone suddenly staring at him. "I just - "
Before he can finish, Sokka and Toph and even Aang are enveloping him in a hug. Katara and Suki join in.
For a moment, everything is right in the world.
Then the moment ends and the weight of their destinies is back on their shoulders. Sokka and Aang tell the stories of Aunt Wu, the assassin and Master Piandao. Katara and Zuko keep their story mysterious, but mention they found someone who could heal Katara. Although the others don't like the secrecy, they understand that they're just protecting the people who helped them.
"So what's the plan now?" Zuko asks, turning to Sokka.
"We need a new invasion plan. A more subtle one, this time. And maybe a distraction, so Katara can focus on the Fire Lord. We need our allies back, but we don't have time or the resources to break them all out of prison." Sokka rummages through his maps and papers. "I'll need some time to think about our options."
"I'm going to continue mastering firebending. I know my earthbending could use some work, too." Katara's eyes drift over to Aang. "But most importantly, it's time I learned airbending."
Aang's eyes shine with excitement. "I thought you were never going to ask."
"We have to be careful, though," Sokka warns. "We're in a unique position. As far as the Fire Nation is concerned, Katara is dead. We need to keep her hidden so they don't send any more assassins or soldiers after us."
"But if I stay hidden, then everyone else will think I'm dead. They'll lose their hope."
"It's a necessary sacrifice. If you haven't inspired them enough already, then they weren't really willing to fight for you, anyway." Suki leans over and lays a hand on her arm. "I know it's hard. But you being alive and no one else knowing it is our greatest tactical advantage."
"It's our only tactical advantage," Sokka corrects.
"You'll be safer," Aang adds. "We just got you back. We can't lose you again."
Katara finally nods. "Alright. I'll lie low and keep working on my bending. Sokka, you work on our plan." She locks her eyes on his. "It's going to be our last chance. We can't fail again."
He swallows and nods. "I won't let you down."
Azula paces the halls of the palace. It's so quiet and dull these days. With no Avatar to chase, no brother to terrorize, and no friends to destroy little Earth Kingdom villages with, Azula has nothing with which to occupy her time.
Sure, her Dai Li agents keep watch all over the Fire Nation, reporting back to her weekly with new gossip and information that she keeps in a mental blackmail folder. Sure, her servants fulfill her every want. Sure, she has all the wealth and opportunity that a girl could want.
But there's an emptiness inside of her. A gaping hole that she can't seem to fill. A nagging voice in her head that won't go away.
The only joy she finds in her existence is when there's a war meeting. Nothing fills her up inside like sitting at her father's right hand side as generals bow before them, reporting more conquered territories. The thrill of an upcoming fight, another strategic city falling. Azula absorbs the stories of battle the men tell, closing her eyes and imagining that she was there.
There was a time when she was the one doing the dirty work. She loved being the one to order the soldiers forward. She loved running into a fight, fire in her hands, in her eyes, in her heart. She loved forcing kings to bow down before her and watching entire battalions flee from her. She loved the power that she wielded, the fear she instilled in others.
Azula lived off the high she got in a fight, the fight or flight instincts within her, the beating of her heart and the sweat on her forehead. She loved seeing the shock in grown men's faces as she took them down effortlessly. She loved being in control.
Now she feels as though there is nothing more. She has climbed every mountain, crossed every ocean, and destroyed every valley. She has fought on every battlefield and won every time. She has proven herself and brought honor to her family. She has earned fearsome and powerful titles. Mothers tell their kids about her at night, warning them to behave or Azula will come and teach them how to be a proper Fire Nation citizen. Soldiers tell tales about her around campfires, whispering about her terrible deeds.
She has achieved everything she ever wanted. And she has never felt so empty inside.
She passes a tapestry on the wall that makes her pause. Her father stands tall and proud in it, his hands on her and Zuko's shoulders. They're much younger in this picture. Zuko's face is unblemished, looking like a photocopy of their father's. Except his eyes. Zuko has always had their mother's eyes, wide and open and bright. Azula looks like their mother, but she has Ozai's eyes. The gleam of cold ruthlessness and ambition shows through even in the embroidery.
Azula sneers at it, reaching up and tearing it down. Obviously the servants missed it when they were tearing down everything else that depicted Zuko. Azula has never seen her father so unhinged as he was when he returned from the bunker, screaming at the servants to wipe out Zuko from the palace. Whatever Zuko had said to him had hit a sore spot. Azula had watched, fascinated by the open display. She didn't know her father had it in him. She wouldn't go so far as to call it a weakness, but it was definitely a crack in his otherwise perfect facade.
But then again, she shouldn't be too surprised. Even if Ozai had always hated Zuko - even as a child Azula knew he was embarrassed of his first born - he still loved their mother. At least, at some point he had affection for her. That's why he didn't kill Zuko when Azulon ordered it. Their mother had stepped in, and some part of Ozai that still felt for her gave in and agreed to a different solution.
Azula doesn't care, though. She's above their family politics. Their mother was only powerful when Zuko was threatened - weak, if you ask Azula. And Zuko was just like her. That's why he never fit in, why he was always so unhappy. Azula has always been the true heir. She's just like their father. The same fire runs through their veins.
Except, unlike Ozai, she doesn't have any weaknesses. She gave up on love a long time ago. Love is for the weak. Marriages are for political gain. One day she'll find an equally ruthless partner and they'll entertain each other by constantly trying to one-up and kill each other. But she'll win, in the end. She always does.
Azula doesn't lose.
But you have lost, a nagging voice inside of her whispers, sending chills down her spine. You lost your brother. You lost your mother. You lost your best friends.
She tries to silence the voice, but it only buries itself deeper, demanding to be heard. This isn't an opponent she can't simply throw fire at.
"I don't lose," she hisses aloud, trying to drown it out. "They are the ones who lost. They're the ones rotting in prison or hiding in exile while I sleep in a palace!"
For how long? How long until your brother returns and steals it all away from you again?
"He won't! I'll kill him this time! I'll do what no one else has the stomach to do!" Her heart rate picks up and she forces images of herself throwing lightning at him into her mind, trying to prove to the voice that she can and will do it. "He's a traitor and a dishonor to us all."
Traitors. You are surrounded by traitors, aren't you? People you trusted with your life. People you grew up with. Why do you think they betrayed you?
"Because they were weak," she snaps. "They were foolish and weak! They couldn't see the big picture!"
They saw the big picture. They saw it all too well. They saw how you would abandon them the moment they were no longer useful.
"They were jealous of my power!" Her eyes flash and her fists ball around the tapestry. "They weren't strong enough to stand by my fire! Too weak to see my ambition through!"
Your ambition? The voice chuckles. You sit at your father's feet like a loyal dog. Is that your highest ambition? It is nothing. You are nothing.
"I am everything!" Her hands light up, blue flames burning hotly.
She hears a clatter and whirls around to see a servant dropping a mop on the floor. He hurriedly falls into a bow, his eyes fixated on the floor.
"I-I'm sorry, Y-Your Highness," he stutters. "I d-didn't mean to inter-interupt."
"Get out of my sight," she orders, glaring at him. He bows again and scurries away. Only when he's out of sight does she glance at her fist, now holding only the smoldering remains of the tapestry.
Azula is strong and powerful. Everyone knows it. But she'll prove it. She'll lead the Fire Nation armies to victory and bring glory and honor to herself. No one will dare doubt her then.
The comet is coming soon, and Azula will be ready.
"Airbending is about spiral movements," Aang explains, balancing on top of a sphere of twisting air. He moves in a circle around Katara, forcing her to spin to watch him. "If you meet resistance, you have to be able to move at a moment's notice or else you'll fall. I've had to learn how to step lightly."
"I can always tell when he's around," Toph agrees, leaning back against a rock shelf she's summoned for herself. "It's why I call him twinkle toes."
"The monks also made us have a quiet environment free of distractions," Aang says, glancing over at her.
Toph throws up her arm across her forehead in mock offense. "Oh, no! Poor little Katara can't learn with me around!"
Katara sighs. "She's fine, Aang. I had to learn earthbending with you interrupting every two minutes."
Aang throws up his arms. "Alright, alright. I'm just trying to teach you the way I was taught."
"You're doing great," Katara encourages. "You were saying that I have to be able to adjust to resistance?"
"Yes." Aang nods. "If we were at an Air Temple, I would have you go through one of our obstacles courses. But since we're not, we'll have to use what we have here." He holds his chin for a moment, deep in thought. "Hey, Toph?"
"Yeah?"
"Maybe you can help us, after all." He pulls Katara into an open area. "Alright. Toph, I want you to create rock pillars and shelves that shift and move. Katara, your goal is to try and avoid them - without using any bending."
"The goal is to be quick and light on my feet?" Katara frowns. Earthbending had been the opposite - she had had to stand her ground. Waterbending is about flowing and moving with the currents, and firebending is about guiding the flames. Airbending seems to be drastically different.
Toph takes great joy in her task. Katara has to be quick and sharp to avoid being hit - and she still is, despite her efforts. All it takes is one slip up to lead to a whole series of them. A boulder on the ground trips up her feet and then she can't move fast enough to avoid her side being slammed into.
"Not bad," Aang says when they finally take a break. Her forehead is dripping with sweat and she has small bruises all over her body from the boulders. Toph is hanging around, an elated smile on her face.
"This is fun! Let's do it again!"
Katara waves her off. "I need a break." She wipes her forehead with the back of her hand. Like the others, she's changed back into her Fire Nation clothing to combat the rising summer temperatures and as a disguise.
"You're pretty light on your feet already. A little more training and you'll be perfect." Aang takes a seat next to her on the ground. "So, what do you think?"
She glances up, a confused expression on her face. "Think about what?"
"About Airbending!"
A dry smile appears on her face. "I mean, I haven't really learned any bending yet, so it's hard to say."
"Right. Yeah." He itches the back of his scalp. Katara knows that the extra hair he's grown is bothering him, but it's necessary to cover up his bright blue arrow tattoos.
After a short lunch break, they return to their task. Sokka, Suki, and Zuko come to watch. Katara doesn't like all the extra attention, but she quickly forgets as she focuses on the exercise. Between her heightened senses from her earthbending and her ability to flow from her waterbending, Katara avoids most of the rock slabs easily.
She's just feeling confident about it when one shoots up a hair's breath in front of her face. As she pivots away from it, one slams into her from behind, hitting her back where Ozai's lightning had.
Her vision goes black and she feels herself falling. A second later, she opens her eyes to see Aang and Zuko peering over her.
"Katara? Are you okay?" Aang asks, worry shining out from his gray eyes.
She struggles to sit up, Zuko supporting her. She can't help the wince that escapes when she stretches her back.
"What is it?" Sokka asks, kneeling on the other side of Aang.
"My back." She reaches a hand back and tenderly fingers across the painful area. It's healed, but it's still sore.
"Maybe you should take it easy," Suki suggests. "You're still healing."
Katara shakes her head and pulls away from the others, climbing to her feet. "We don't have time. My existence could be discovered any day. The longer we wait, the more we risk."
"But you won't be in any position to fight Ozai if you're hurt," Zuko argues.
Sokka turns to Aang. "Is there any non-physical part of Airbending training you can do with her?"
Aang thinks. "Meditation is a very important part. We can work on that for the rest of the day."
"I think that's a good idea, then."
"I said, I'm fine," Katara insists. "Toph, c'mon. Let's go again."
But the girl shakes her head. "I think you need to take a break. You're not any use to us if you're hurt."
Katara feels frustration build up inside of her. She's fine! A little soreness in her back is nothing compared to the suffering of their allies in Fire Nation prisons. What she needs to do is learn to Airbend so that she can finish mastering all four elements and then defeat Ozai. Sitting around meditating isn't going to help her.
She spins on her foot and stalks away. She knows it's childish, but she can't face the others without exploding right now.
She can hear someone - Aang, probably - calling for her, but she ignores him. She just needs to get away from it all for a little while.
So much has happened in the last few weeks. Katara has always had unwavering strength and hope, but she's been tested beyond her limits. She's been fatally wounded and beaten down and she lost the only remaining link to her mother. Now, when she's finally on the cusp of moving forward, she hits another obstacle.
Katara touches her neck where her mother's necklace would have been if she hadn't lost it. She knows that Zuko was only doing what he had to do, and she's not mad at him, but it's still incredibly demoralizing to not feel anything there. She feels as though she's missing part of herself.
The necklace wasn't just a reminder of her mother. It brought back memories of her grandmother and her tribe. It was a relic of old, now-extinct traditions. It also represented something newer - a bond between her and Zuko. When she wasn't sure how she felt about him and whether or not she could truly forgive and forget everything he had done, and he was about to go off on his own adventure to find forgiveness and redemption for himself, she had given it to him.
"This necklace has a history of bringing people back together again," she had said. "I want you to have it so that we'll be able to find each other again."
And they had. Zuko had returned to her and brought it back. She knows it's ridiculous, but a part of her feels like without it, they won't be able to find each other if they get separated.
Everything just seems to be crashing down on her at once. Her massive failure, her injuries, her losses, the new truths learned…
Katara sits on the beach, tucking her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on top of them. Listening to the steady, crashing waves helps calm her down. She always feels at home by the water, whether it's in the South Pole or in the Fire Nation.
A little while later, when she's able to breathe normally and relax again, she hears soft footsteps in the sand. Zuko sits down next to her, staring out across the water at the sunset.
"Am I pushing too hard?" she asks. "Or not hard enough? I don't want to rush and make a mistake like last time, but I can't afford to just sit around."
"I don't know," he admits. "I'm not going to try and tell you what to do."
A small smile stretches at the corner of her lips. "That's probably a good idea."
"I just came to give you something." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small crystal vial filled with a clear liquid. He's tied it to a leather cord. "This is the spirit water that Sokka's been holding on to you since the invasion of the South Pole. He gave it to me to use to heal you, but the Waterbenders at the North Pole used their own."
She takes it and ties the cord around her neck. It rests differently on her neck than her jade pendant, but it's comforting to have something there.
"That spirit water gave me hope when I was sure you were lost. You've always been the one to give me hope, but I know you're struggling right now. So if you ever feel overwhelmed or lost again, I want that to remind you that I will never lose hope in you."
She smiles and leans against him, resting her head in the hollow between his cheek and shoulder. "You always seem to know what to say," she says.
"You're the only person who has ever told me that."
She laughs a little. "The others are slowly warming up to you. Toph and Suki like you. And Sokka does too, he's just jealous."
Zuko turns to her. "He's jealous?"
"Yeah. You're a powerful bender, a good fighter, and you're going to be a great leader. That's all Sokka wants to be. Our dad was a chief, you know."
"He's all those things already. And funny, too." He suddenly frowns. "I haven't figured that out yet."
"That's alright. I get enough corny jokes from him. I don't need them from you, too." Katara sighs. "I just wish Aang would warm up to you, too. I don't understand why he's so stand-offish around you."
"It's a mystery." There's a strange tone in his voice. Katara chooses to ignore it; as much as she wishes that her little family would get along perfectly, it's not her business to police them. Zuko and Aang can work it out themselves. She's got bigger problems.
She holds the crystal vial in her hand, running her thumb along the smooth surface. Tomorrow she'll continue with her airbending. Instead of being overwhelmed by the big picture, she just needs to focus on the smaller pieces.
She's survived this far. She's lost a lot, but she's gained so much more. She's suffered, but she's also experienced so much joy.
It's going to take more than a lightning bolt to the back to stop her.