I Do Not Own Miraculous or Avatar.
Chapter Forty-Eight: The Crossroads of Destiny.
"You are free to choose." Azula said, walking away with a thin smile on her face.
Zuko was not ready for this.
Iroh had pulled him aside to have another one of his talks with the young prince when his sister, Azula, and several Dai Li came in an restrained his uncle, leaving Zuko unbound and free to choose his side. He weighed his options. There really was only two choices.
Betray father and follow Aang or betray Aang and follow his father. He didn't want to make this choice. Not yet. He needed more time. He needed to be certain. Only, he wasn't certain and the choice was one he had to make then and there. He couldn't run from this. Not this time. So he weighed the two sides.
On one hand, Adrien and his uncle were for the Avatar. On the other, his father and sister were against the Avatar. The Earth Kingdom clearly was suffering from the war and the Fire Nation was apparently responsible for the loss of the Air Nomads, but the Earth Kingdom had shown is was capable of being as corrupt as the Fire Nation and the Water Tribes weren't any better with their laws against women waterbenders. Then there was the whole matter of his mother, a person he was certain was still alive out there. If he turned his back on his father, Zuko knew he would likely never know what had happened to the woman he loved so dearly. Then, of course, there was Mai. If he went with Adrien and Iroh, he could lose Mai. He could lose his only chance at love from her and his father and he could lose all chance he had at the throne. His honor would but unrestorable. He would be an outcast and he was certain Team Avatar would hate him, especially after how Katara reacted and ranted at him. He would have nothing and would be destined to fail as his cousin had. But he would have Iroh and Adrien. Zuko closed his eyes and clenched his fists. He began to walk to where the others had gone, certain he would choose rightly when he needed to.
He entered the main cavern where the Dai Li had engaged in a fight with Hawkmoth, Ladybug, Katara, and the Avatar. Aang was struggling to beat Azula, but faultured. In an impulsive decision, Zuko shot a blast at Azula and Aang. They both froze, each staring at him expectantly. Choose. Choose. Choose.
Zuko winced at the pressure, immediately regretting getting involved. He should have waited. He wasn't ready.
He looked over at Aang. His expression was one of hope yet hid a small glint of doubt for Zuko behind his grey eyes. He looked over at Azula. She seemed to silently demand his loyalty. His mind raced, thinking over the past years he had spent in the city. One by one memories plagued him all in one instant in a way that barely gave him time to process his own thoughts.
No one was ever supposed to pity him, the prince of fire, yet everyone did and he hated it.
I once was like you. I lost sight of right and wrong and I just fought, until finally darkness completely consumed me. I became someone I wasn't. Then. I realized my mistake and I am working to make amends.
Nothing had been the same since grandfather died, since mother vanished.
He would be worthy to be called Ozai's son. He would triumph, and the world would love him once more. Until then… he had to keep his weakness hidden and hope no one saw it. He would keep pushing everyone away, or they would get close and know how unworthy and unhonorable he really was.
I'm sorry that you feel love is something you earn.
A father's love should be unconditional. He should protect you and prepare you for the world. If your father doesn't love or protect you, then I suppose you've been calling the wrong man your father.
She was perfect. Everything I wasn't. A strong bender. A prodigy at everything. Whatever she touched would shine with power. My father saw my sister, and immediately, the pride that I was a fire bender was forgotten. As a boy, I tried studying hard to be a perfect fire bender, like she was. But I could never keep up.
Mom was alway there. Helping me up when I fell down. Pushing me to become better. Because of her, my world was that of light and happiness.
For so long, I let my father control my life. Not to earn his love, like you do with Ozai, but because I was all he had left, whether he acknowledged that little detail or not. Because I let him make every choice in my life, I became someone I wasn't. Sure, I was the perfect son, but never truly myself. The Adin I wanted him to accept
This world is falling apart and people are dying and as the son of the Fire Lord, I at least felt like I had some control over it. It was my responsibility to insure my people were safe and I have fail my father and nation utterly. Then, the second I leave the Fire Nation, everyone is angry at me. They blame me for their struggles. They hate me and call me a monster because I am Ozai's son.
If your father fails to see this in you or love you as you are, then he is unworthy to even dare call you his son, not the other way around.
Right now, you haven't chosen a side, and hopefully, you will never have to make that choice, but I know the chances of that are unlikely. I know you'll choose your father.
Memory after memory raced through his mind. Every word he'd ever thought or had said or had been told. He growled and unleashed a wave of fire. He was so angry and he was afraid to choose. Sadly, as Marinette had warned, his choice had been made a long time ago. In an instant a huge burden lifted from his shoulders, but it was instantly replaced with something far worse that he knew would never leave him. When he looked at who he attacked, his heart sank although his mind was made up. He had attacked the Avatar. He continued to attack with all the anger and frustration he'd felt in all of his life.
He hated the Avatar.
He hated his father.
He hated the Fire Nation.
He hated how perfect Azula was.
He hated the Earth Kingdom.
He hated the Dai Li.
He hated it all and he was tired of everyone telling him which side he had to be on. He was tired of pretending he was fine and that he was strong when he knew he wasn't. This was his life and his destiny, and he wasn't going to let anyone, not his uncle, not Adrien, not Azula, and not even his father choose the kind of man he was going to be. He bent fireball after fireball at Aang. The Avatar dodged easily. His sister smiled and attacked with him.
Instantly Katara reacted, a look of hurt was plastered on her face. He couldn't have cared less. What had she expected? Him to miraculously choose her side? Didn't they know things weren't that easy? The world wasn't just a place where everything was black and white. Who said his side was wrong? Who determined that? The Avatar? Well, maybe the Avatar was wrong. He was a goofy kid who everyone was convinced had the answers to the universe when he didn't. War was never black and white and the Avatar and his friends were fools for thinking otherwise.
Katara and Zuko sparred. The waterbender looked angry.
"I thought you had changed!" She yelled.
"I have changed." He said darkly.
"So what!? That's it? Nothing that you've experienced here in Ba Sing Se meant anything to you? Not even your uncle or Adrien?"
"Like I said in the caverns earlier, you don't know me." He growled.
"Clearly, I do, because you are exactly what I always thought you were." Zuko didn't respond because Ladybug and Hawkmoth had swung into the fight against Azula, allowing Aang to handle the Dai Li in the room with his earthbending. Zuko frowned. He knew his sister could hold her own against the Miraculous holders, but he was instantly concerned for their wellbeing. After all, Hawkmoth was Adrien's father and Ladybug was his girlfriend. Katara took advantage of his distraction and used a water whip to knock him back. He caught himself, focusing back on his fight with Katara. He was sure Gabriel and Marinette would be fine. What mattered then was winning that fight. Katara created tendrils of water like an octopus and started to launch icy daggers. He reached by blocking the dagger and sending his own fiery blasts at her. They continued like this for a few minutes more when Zuko noticed several more Dai Li pour into the cavern. He knew the Miraculous holders, Katara, and the Avatar were drastically outnumbered. Especially with Azula in control of the entire scenario. The four pulled back to regroup the instant they saw the Dai Li.
"Ladybug! I need a distraction! Katara, cover me! Hawkmoth, can you… uh… try to get us some help?" Aang ordered. They all nodded a Aang's plan and he suddenly bended green crystals around him for cover. Hawkmoth fell behind, summoning one of his butterflies to likely use on someone in the city. Ladybug threw her yo-yo in the air.
"Lucky Charm!" She yelled. Everyone covered their eyes as the room filled with a brilliant light for a split instant and a small whistle fell into her hands.
"What the… what am I supposed to do with this?" She muttered.
"You mean you don't know?" Katara asked.
"The Miraculous usually draws my eyes to what I need to make it work. It's not doing that right now. I think this one is a sign." Marinette replied.
"A sign of what?" Katara asked. Before Marinette could reply there was another flash of light. Behind them Aang had emerged from the crystals in his Avatar state. Everyone froze and stopped what they were doing. Zuko backed up, more than aware how dangerous Aang was in that state. Gabriel hadn't even finished creating his Butterfly… thing. Marinette looked back and forth between Aang and the whistle before she gasped.
"No! Aang wait!" Marinette cried as her eyes widened in realization. Zuko wasn't sure what Marinette had realized, but he knew it was too late to stop Aang. He was unstoppable in that state. She reached her hand towards him to stop him, her earings already blinking. Then, all time seemed to slow as there was a sickening crack of thunder and Aang arched back in pain. His tattoos faded and he fell out of the sky, covered in ash with a large, new scar on his back. Next to Zuko was Azula, whose fingers were still crackling with the lighting she'd shot at the Avatar.
"What the heck was the whistle for?!" Hawkmoth asked as Katara instantly went to catch Aang, "I thought your powers brought good luck!"
"They do! Just… trust me!" Marinette argued as she blew the whistle. No sound came from it as she did so. The thing was likely broken. Katara clung to the unconscious Avatar, panic in her eyes.
"We need to get out of here."
"I know." Marinette said in a grave tone, "For not even a Miraculous Cure could save him." Her comrades gawked at her. Zuko had no idea what that meant, but they all looked like they had been completely defeated by Azula's blow. It really didn't matter, because the Dai Li surrounded the group and the battle was won. That's when a burst of fire rammed into the Dai Li attacking the four. To Zuko's disbelief, his uncle stood in front of them proudly.
"Go! I'll fend them off!" Iroh promised. Marinette nodded.
"Thank you." She said, and using the cover Iroh provided, Katara waterbending the four of them out of the caverns. The firebender fought relentlessly against the Dai Li, but the second Katara was out of view, he lowered his hands and loosened his stance. Bowing his head in surrender. The Dai Li wasted no time in arresting him.
That's when it hit Zuko. Azula had just killed the Avatar. Marinette had seen it coming because of what her Lucky Charm had told her to do, and Marinette couldn't bring him back. Zuko glanced over at his uncle and the at were the Avatar and his friends had been. Instantly he regretted everything. He had made this choice on his own. He knew that much. It had seemed like the right choice, so why did he feel like he'd lost himself in making it?