Lizard-snakes wriggled their way through Zuko's stomach as he glanced at the Water Tribe warriors. They were all big men arrayed in various kinds of blunt and sharp weapons. It wasn't that he was scared—he was confident in his fighting abilities if it came to that—but his experiences in the North hadn't exactly inspired him with the warm fuzzies for adult Water Tribe men. He had to keep reminding himself that he was their ally now and that there was no reason for them to turn on him or lock him away, even if they did find out about the awful things he'd done in the past. Sokka had vouched for him. Everything was going to be fine.
"And this is my dad," Sokka said, sweeping his hand towards the tallest man of the bunch.
Zuko swallowed. All he saw were harsh lines and assessing eyes set in a face that towered above him. It was like being in front of his father all over again, dwarfed in the shadow of judgement and authority. Then the lines softened, crinkling upwards, and a smile formed.
"Welcome," Hakoda said, grasping Zuko's forearm. "My son has told me a lot about you."
A tiny breath escaped Zuko. He returned the grip briefly and stepped back, not trusting himself to speak. Iroh and the others were also introduced.
"Where's Katara?" Hakoda asked, peering around. "Shouldn't she be with you?"
Sokka explained how she was getting Aang settled in one of the tents. Toph was also with her, but they'd be along soon.
The conversation got a bit more sombre at the mention of Aang's condition. Hakoda was the one to break the cloud of gloom by suggesting Sokka take all of them to meet the "prisoners". He smiled when he said the word, the expression amused rather than cruel. It was a lot like the expression Sokka made when he was trying not to laugh. Hakoda then excused himself by saying he had some things to sort out, so perhaps they could all meet again later. Soon, Zuko, Iroh, Mai and Shizue were following Sokka to a different part of the camp.
"I'm telling you it's fine!" someone grumbled from up ahead.
"But if we had a bit more—"
"For the last time, not everything needs to be drenched in salt, you platypus-bear-faced pillock!"
Zuko and Iroh exchanged a startled glance.
"That sounds like Cheng," Iroh said.
They rounded a tent and saw a stooped, elderly man swatting at one of the big warrior's hands with a wooden spoon. There was a pot of something bubbling away over a cooking fire in front of him. Then the old man caught sight of them and dropped the spoon with a dramatic cry.
"General Iroh! Prince Zuko!" He hobbled towards them with tears springing to his eyes.
For an unnerving moment, Zuko thought the cook was going to hug him, but Cheng just grinned mistily and said it was good to see them. Iroh greeted Cheng just as enthusiastically. The helmsman emerged from the tent, drawn by the sound of their voices, and the process repeated itself all over again. It was a messy but happy reunion, intermingled with relief, questions, and also Cheng's complaints about how none of the Water Tribe warriors had any taste when it came to food and how there were never enough spices.
"Where are Jee and Tomoki?" Zuko asked, glancing around.
"Ah, they're probably—"
"Right here," Jee said.
He had come up behind the group with Tomoki and another Water Tribe warrior at his side. Jee looked greyer and had a scar on his cheek that hadn't been there before, but was otherwise unharmed. Tomoki looked the same as always, right down to his wispy beard and the black tufts on his upper lip that he called a moustache. Zuko remembered that Kan and Nozomi had used to tease him about his inability to grow proper facial hair.
Jee's grim expression relaxed slightly. "General Iroh, Prince Zuko. We've been waiting for you."
Zuko let out a breath. This was real. Four of his crew had survived and now they were all together again. In a strange way, it felt like finding a piece of home.
"Is there somewhere more comfortable we can talk?" Iroh asked.
Jee turned to the warrior at his side. "Bato?"
Bato nodded. "Take your time." He clapped a hand on Sokka's shoulder. "C'mon, let's give them some privacy."
Mai said she'd go with the Water Tribe warriors, not having any interest in being part of a crew reunion. Shizue stuck close to Zuko, though she remained silent as they all settled in the tent on the soft fur. The Water Tribe must have gifted it to their "prisoners".
It didn't take long to get the story out of the crew. Just as Sokka had explained, they had fled the North and had been forced to surrender to Hakoda and his warriors. Jee and the others had already lost any desire to return to the navy by then. The siege of the North had shaken them with the sheer power and destruction they'd witnessed, not to mention left many of the crew dead.
"None of us had even wanted to follow Zhao," Tomoki said quietly. "We should have made a stand earlier, but …"
The crew looked down, still weighed by grief and regret. After a moment, Jee picked up the story and explained how they'd realised deserting the navy to return home would achieve nothing. They'd just be hunted down and killed. It wasn't like the Water Tribe warriors would simply let them go either.
"So, you joined them?" Zuko asked.
"Not at first." Jee sighed and rubbed the scar on his cheek. "It's all Cheng's fault, really."
"Cheng?"
The cook cracked a grin and reached into his pocket, pulling out a Pai Sho tile.
"The white lotus," Zuko said, putting the pieces together. "You're part of the Order."
Iroh smiled. "Indeed. He was my second pair of eyes and ears."
"Right I was," Cheng said. "Fat good that did us once we got captured, though. Those warriors wouldn't trust me or let me send any messages, so I couldn't get in contact with the Order. Took some time to earn their trust, I can tell you."
Eventually, as Cheng explained, the crew had come to an agreement with Chief Hakoda. They'd provide strategic information in return for the chief's protection. The goal had been to seek refuge in Ba Sing Se, but that had been abandoned when the Fire Nation had attacked the city. They'd realised that nowhere was safe and there was no point trying to wait out the war.
"We're still soldiers," Tomoki said with a shrug. "It's not our nature to stand on the sidelines. Plus, we heard you'd both sided with the Avatar."
As the crew put it, they'd followed Zuko and Iroh for three years. They had no love for Fire Lord Ozai, so when Zuko and Iroh had got branded traitors, it had only convinced them that fighting for the Fire Nation—at least under its current ruler—was not the way to end the war.
"All we want is peace," Jee concluded. "We don't want to betray the Fire Nation, but …"
"I understand," Zuko said. "I feel the same."
Iroh gripped his shoulder. "This is the best way. We must work with the other nations. Only then can we have peace."
oOo
"You're rather quiet."
Zuko glanced at Shizue. The group had been moving to meet with Hakoda and the other warriors, but he paused now. It was not often she initiated conversation with him. "What?"
"I've been watching you. You've barely said a word for a while now." She stared at him shrewdly. "Something is bothering you."
He looked away. "It's Aang. He still hasn't woken."
"I thought you were the one who insisted he would. Are you saying now he won't?"
"No. I know he's trying, I know he will, but ... I just wonder how long we can wait."
She tilted her head in a questioning manner.
"The comet is coming. The eclipse plan looks like our best bet to stop my father, and then there's Mum …" He swallowed. "If Aang doesn't wake soon, what are we supposed to do? Sure, we can fight without him if it comes to that, but it's supposed to be his destiny to stop the Fire Lord. That's what everyone says. What if we can't succeed without him? And you said my mother has been stuck on that island for three years. I can't just sit around here and wait for Aang to wake up while she's trapped. I just can't."
"It would be reckless to try saving her without the Avatar."
His heart quickened a little. "But not impossible?"
"The spirit on that island is dangerous." Shizue folded her arms across her chest. "Do you really think I would have wasted time searching for the Avatar in Ba Sing Se if I thought there was another way?"
"Then what are we supposed to do? Just keep waiting and hoping? It's been two weeks already!"
She was quiet for a moment. The others were far ahead now, leaving just the two of them standing near the tent.
"There has to be a way," Zuko murmured. "A way to make him wake. You know about fire healing. Isn't there anything I can do to—"
"I am not a fire healer."
"I know that, but—"
"I can't help you."
"Then take me to someone who can!" He stepped closer. "You know where the other fire healers are. I remember you and Mother talking about me being one of them, and I know you had some kind of mission, so that means you have to—"
"I don't think you understand." Her eyes hardened. "My mission was to ensure people like you don't exist."
It was like he had been punched in the gut. All the breath got caught in his throat and he backed up a step. "What?"
"You are a threat. The only reason you were not dealt with years ago is because your mother begged me not to. She insisted we could keep your abilities a secret, that there would be no problems so long as we were careful."
His pulse throbbed in his neck and his mouth went dry.
"Your mother was wrong. Now she is lost, and you—you just had to go and form an energy bond with the Avatar and heal all those people." Shizue curled her fingers into his tunic, holding him fast. "Be grateful, Prince Zuko. I still have enough love for Ursa not to take you to them. You would never leave that place if I did."
She released him and walked off without another word. Zuko was left staring at her back, his heart lodged somewhere in his throat and his stomach twisting.
oOo
It was difficult to focus on the meeting that night. They ate fresh fish and Cheng's stew—not too salty, just as Cheng had wanted—and discussed what they would do next. Hakoda agreed to support the eclipse invasion and suggested they send a messenger to get the Northern Water Tribe on their side as well. Zuko tried to follow the conversation as they moved onto the finer points of the plan, but his mind kept going back to what Shizue had said.
"My mission was to ensure people like you don't exist."
He swallowed and tightened his grasp on the bowl of stew. Had Shizue been some kind of assassin to get rid of fire healers? Had his mother been one as well? Did that mean they had killed people like him before?
Abruptly, he placed his bowl down and stood up. He was going to think himself into circles if he kept worrying about this.
"Where are you going?" Sokka asked. "We haven't finished discussing the—"
"Uncle is the tactician. Ask him."
"But you're—"
Zuko walked off before Sokka could finish his sentence. It didn't take him long to reach the tent where Aang was resting. Aang was tucked up in what looked like Katara's sleeping bag. Black hair had grown over his head to cover his arrow tattoo and he looked much thinner. If he didn't wake soon, he'd probably just waste away.
"I won't let it end this way," Zuko muttered. "You're the only one who can help me save Mum."
His mother would tell him the truth about the fire healers. She had to.
He sat next to Aang's comatose form and grasped his hand. Both he and Katara had tried every healing technique they knew to get Aang to wake up. None of it had worked. Still, the energy bond was unique. It allowed Zuko to communicate with Aang on a level that went beyond the physical. Maybe that was the key.
"Please work," he whispered.
"Wait!"
Zuko flinched and glanced over his shoulder to see Katara enter the tent, the heavy flap settling shut behind her.
"You're going to link yourself to him again, aren't you?" she said.
"Aang needs to wake up. We can't keep waiting for him."
"I know, but you shouldn't do this alone." She knelt in front of Zuko and held his free hand. "Let me help."
He blinked. "What?"
"Use me as an anchor. I've thought about it and I think it's possible."
"Katara, that's—"
"The first time you linked with him, you completely shattered your sense of self and almost didn't come back. The second time it was an accident, right?" She squeezed his hand. "Aang called you to him when you were asleep and your defences lowered. Who knows what would've happened had I not woken you in time and broken the link? It was hard enough just trying to wake you then."
Zuko averted his gaze.
"Let me help," she said softly. "If you're grounded to me, I can get you out if something goes wrong. I can help you maintain the link without putting yourself at risk."
"It won't work. I don't even have an energy bond with you. It only happens when I give up a lot of my chi to heal someone."
"Don't you remember Shang's scrolls? You can control energy connections. That has to mean you can create them as well."
Zuko pulled his hand away from hers. "You don't know what you're asking. Being connected to me isn't a game. It's dangerous. I can barely control my abilities."
"I've helped you control your healing in the past. I know I can help you with this as well. Trust me." She clasped his hand again. "Trust in our bond. We've already linked our energy twice before to do joint healings. This will work, Zuko. I know it."
He met her eyes and saw the determination, the stubbornness. "I don't want to hurt you," he admitted. "I could never live with myself if I did that."
"You won't hurt me."
He held her gaze for a long moment and then let out a breath. "Fine. I'll try."
She smiled encouragingly. Her hand was smooth and warm and he focussed on that—the feel of her touch, the point of contact. He inhaled and called upon his energy, picturing it as a golden thread passing through his meridian paths to connect with hers through their palms. In an instant he felt a caress of ocean and rain. Katara. He exhaled as their energy intertwined, holding a part of him to her like a lifeline.
"I've got you," she whispered. "Now go get him."
Zuko tightened his hold on Aang's hand. Then he closed his eyes and let himself slip through the door of air and elemental power into a world of mist.
oOo
The golden thread led Zuko straight to Aang, who immediately pounced on him in an attack of hugs and exclamations. In short, a typical Aang greeting.
"Easy there," Zuko said, pulling back. "Listen, I've come to get you out of here."
"You know how to get me out?" Aang grinned so widely his face looked like it might split. "What are we waiting for? Let's go, go, go! I can't wait to see a place that isn't just big, misty nothingness. Oh, and Appa and Momo and Katara and Sokka and—"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You missed everyone and can't wait to see them."
Aang beamed. "So, how do we get out?"
"Uh, I haven't fully figured out that part."
The smile drooped a little. "Oh."
"But I do have an idea."
Aang perked up again. "Great! What should I do? Do you need me to do anything? Because I've been stuck down here for a while—"
"Two weeks, actually."
"What?" Aang's eyes bugged wide and he ran his hands over his head. Weirdly, he was still bald in this place. "Two weeks? I've really been here for two weeks?"
"Roughly."
Aang latched onto Zuko like a leech. "You've gotta get me out of here! I can't be stuck here! I have to—"
"Relax. I'm not leaving you again unless you're coming with me."
Tears sprang to Aang's eyes. "Thanks, Zuko." He sniffed. "You're a good friend."
Zuko just sighed and patted him on the shoulder. "Come on, I need you to focus."
Another sniff. "Alright." Sniff. "I'm focussed."
Zuko frowned, though he could understand Aang's weepiness. The poor kid had been through a lot and had never been very good at being alone. "Okay, first I need you to tell me if you can sense your body."
"Not really." Aang rubbed the back of his hand against his drippy nose. "It's like there's a block."
"Figured as much."
He remembered how Aang had mentioned the first time that he couldn't follow because his path was blocked. At first, they'd both assumed it was because Aang's body was too damaged, but now Zuko was convinced that wasn't the case. The fact Aang was trapped in this place of misty nothingness didn't make sense. Something had gone wrong.
"What about the energy bond connecting us?" Zuko asked. "You can sense that, right? That's how you called me here last time."
"Yeah."
"Then that has to be it!"
"Er?"
Zuko folded his arms. "Really? You haven't figured it out yet?"
Aang blinked a few times.
"Geez, Aang, it means you're the one blocking yourself."
"What?" Aang laughed and swatted him on the arm as if he'd made a funny joke. "No way. I would have got out long ago if that were the case."
"Then why were you able to help me leave the first time? Why can I come and go but you can't?"
"I-I dunno. Maybe this place just has a thing against Avatars?" He let out a weak laugh.
Zuko held his gaze steadily. "Look, Katara used the Spirit Oasis water on you. Your body is fine. I think … I think it's your spirit that's not."
Aang lowered his head. "My spirit, huh?"
"Seems that way. About the only thing Katara and I have been able to tell about your condition is that your energy is pretty twisted."
"Then what should I do?"
"Uh, figure out a way to remove your block so you can leave this place. That's a good start."
Aang sighed and sat on the ground. "I'm all for getting out of here, but I have no idea how to remove this block thingy. It's just there!" He threw his arms up in the air dramatically.
"So, think. What's troubling you? What's holding you back from waking up?"
"Nothing! I want to go back more than anything, but …"
"But?" Zuko looked at him expectantly. "What is it, Aang?"
"Oh man." Aang sighed and flopped onto his back. "It really is my fault. I think it's 'cause I lost my connection to my past lives."
"Wait, that's still a thing?"
Aang nodded morosely and swung up to sit upright. "I tried and tried but I couldn't find any of them." He balled his hands into fists and screwed up his face. "I'm a failure. I failed the world once and now I'm doing it again."
"Hey." Zuko crouched next to him and gripped his shoulder. "It's going to be fine. I told you before, right? I can still sense the power within you. They're not really gone."
"Sure feels that way."
"That's just the spiritual block. You can work through this. I know you can."
Aang paused and glanced up at him curiously. "You know, you're starting to sound a bit like Guru Pathik. Have you been getting into the banana-onion juice?"
"Gross, no. That stuff's disgusting."
"I'm kidding." Aang smiled. "You would make a pretty good guru, though. You've got that energy, spiritual sensing thing going on."
"Great. I'll keep that in mind if traitor prince doesn't work out."
Aang scrunched his nose. "Sarcasm?"
"The fact you have to ask is worrying. Now focus." Zuko settled into a more comfortable position. "What exactly about being unable to connect with your past lives is troubling you? What's holding you back from wanting to wake up?"
There was a long pause.
"Aang, come on. You have to work with me here."
Every second Zuko spent in this place was a drain on his energy. Still, he could feel the thread of ocean and rain encircling him. All he had to do was give it a tug and he knew he would be pulled back to the tent. He just didn't want to do that unless Aang was coming with him.
"I'm scared," Aang confessed in a small voice. "Before you saved me, I saw all the cosmic energy that fuels the Avatar State just fall apart. I saw my past lives turn to dust and slip away from me. Even if you say you can sense the power there, I can't at all. I can't feel anything." He brought his legs up to his chest and buried his face against his knees. "I'm nothing like this. I can't help anyone."
"Aang—"
"What am I supposed to do? I'm so scared, Zuko. Everyone is counting on me. I'm supposed to save the world. That's all I've heard since the day I got told I was the Avatar, but now … I might as well be a normal kid. How can I face them like this? How can I go back?"
"Because you have to."
A particularly snotty sniff. "Is that supposed to comfort me? Because it's not working."
"I didn't mean it like that." Zuko rubbed the base of his neck. Well, maybe he'd meant it a little. "All I'm saying is there's no point staying here. Nothing will change. You'll just be trapped in this place."
"I don't want that. I hate this place."
"Right. So you need to let it go. I know it's scary, I know we don't have all the answers right now, but everyone is waiting for you." His voice softened. "I promise I'll help you find a way to connect with your past lives again. You won't be alone in this, Aang."
Aang tentatively raised his head. "You really believe I can connect with them again?"
"Of course. You're the Avatar." Zuko held out his hand. "Now can we please get out of this misty hellhole?"
Aang nodded and gripped his hand. His grey eyes widened. "What is that? That feeling? It … it kind of reminds me of Katara."
"That's because it is her." A faint smile. "She's going to guide us back. You just have to say the word."
"Ka-Katara? She's in on this too? You two are connected right now?"
"Only at her insistence." Zuko's expression sobered. "She's been at your side almost this whole time. Don't leave her waiting any longer."
Aang grinned and closed his eyes. "I'm ready. I'm ready to go back."
"Then don't let go."
Zuko tugged on the thread of ocean and rain. A part of the mist opened up above them, and then it was as if they were being cradled by a gentle wave and carried to shore. Katara had come through just as promised.
oOo
"Did it work?" Katara asked.
Zuko blinked and found himself sitting in the tent. "It worked."
She sighed in relief. "Thank the spirits."
He released her hand, allowing their energy to unlink. Aang still hadn't moved.
"Wait," she said, giving Zuko an anxious look. "I thought you said it worked."
"I thought it did …"
Worried, they both leaned over Aang and searched for any sign of movement beyond the rise and fall of his chest. His fingers gave a twitch.
"There!" Katara grabbed Zuko's arm. "Did you see that?"
He nodded and held his breath. Eventually, Aang gave a small groan and his eyes opened with groggy slowness.
"Aang!" Katara threw her arms around him. "I'm so glad you're alright!"
"Katara." Aang leaned into her and breathed out a happy sigh. "It's really good to see you." He peered around her. "And Zuko. You're both here. Wait! Someone pinch me so I know this isn't a dream."
Zuko rolled his eyes. "It's not a dream, idiot." His expression softened. "You're really here. You made it out."
Aang's chin wobbled. "Thanks for coming to help me. Both of you. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't."
"I'm sure you would've figured it out eventually." Zuko stood up. "Anyway, I'll let the others know you're awake. No doubt they'll want to hug attack you as well."
He left the tent to sound of Katara asking Aang whether he was feeling okay. As predicted, the others were very relieved to hear that Aang was awake. Even Mai smiled a little and said she was glad the runt had pulled through.
"You woke him," Shizue observed, coming to stand beside Zuko. "Somehow, you figured out a way."
"That's what my abilities do," he said flatly. "Help people. But I guess you wouldn't care about that."
"If that was all fire healers could do, things would be very different."
He swallowed. There was a long pause.
Shizue made a tsking noise. "Look, I'm sorry if I upset you earlier. Much has happened, and there is much you need to learn."
"Then tell me. Help me understand, because right now I have no idea if I should even trust you."
"I won't harm you. That you can trust."
His brow creased. "I don't know if I can believe you."
"Your mother asked me to protect you. That is the duty I have chosen to follow." She held his gaze. "Besides, thanks to you the Avatar is awake. Now we can save Ursa."
Zuko let out a breath. Any other doubts were drowned by the thought of being reunited with his mother. He had waited so long. Regardless of whether he could trust Shizue or not, she was the key to finding the island. That was just a fact.
"Get some rest," Shizue advised. "It's going to be a long journey."