a/n: hey guys. My Festivus gift you readers and my supportive reviewers is this last chapter for the next couple days. What with the holidays and all, the next chapter won't be posted for a little while (I'm betting most of you won't get to read this till then anyway).

please enjoy and happy holidays!

The Serpent's Pass, I soon found, was probably created by one of the maddest or most idiotic earthbenders in their entire history. It was little more than a strip of rock. It had a path-if one could call it a 'path'-that was unstable, much like the rest of the Pass. A portion of the path would at times collapse under my weight, or the treacherous spiked towers above would shed piece of itself, the massive chunks plummeting downward upon me. But those dangers, I'd managed to avoid.

Again, I wondered why everyone was so frightened of the Pass. While the occasional path on the edge of a great drop to the lake might be intimidating and the falling rocks were a danger, even a capable peasant could traverse this unharmed. Bleak? Yes. Reserved for the most desperate? Hardly.

It was only a few miles later that I encountered something worse than the rocks and height. As I said, it was a very incompetent earthbender behind this mess. Apparently, one that also thought people could breathe underwater. The path came to a point where it sank beneath the lake and continued on that way for several yards until rising again into the regular jagged pattern. Strange enough, there was a round stump of earth in the middle of it, and I owed its existence up to the same idiot earthbender creator.

I gave an irritated sigh. I'd have to swim across. At least the small island gave me a place to stop and rest; though, I doubted that I'd need it. Compared to the spelunking I'd done in the frigid waters of the North Pole, this was nothing.

I removed the upper half of my shinobi shooku and tied it at my waist. While the shinobi was well designed for the acrobatics of climbing around Ba Sing Se, it was ill suited for swimming. With a quick stretch and a deep breath, I dove in.

I had an ominous feeling almost as soon as I hit the water. Since I couldn't explain it, I ignored it. It was an odd feeling… I almost thought that I was being watched. As I swam, I thought I heard a splashing other than my own. I stopped and treaded water, scanning the area around me. Seeing nothing in the dark waves, I continued on.

Suddenly, I felt something move under me. I stopped and treaded again, fear gripping me. Something was here, stalking me. Hunting me. I didn't know what it was, but I knew from experience that the harmless tortoise-seals were incapable of this stealth. No, this seemed to be something far more malevolent. I saw the earthen island a short distance away. I'd certainly feel more secure there. In the water, I couldn't produce flames.

Cautiously, I frog kicked toward the island. But I went still and my whole body went cold as an enormous shadow passed under and around me. Admittedly more out of panic than strategy, I decided to race to the island. However, as soon as I started to make my move, I felt whatever it was beneath me begin to rush for the surface. I swam out of the way just as the thing broke the surface.

I barely managed to tread as I stared in horror and amazement at the gigantic beast that presented itself before me. It was a colossal dragon! Almost…

Inwardly, I groaned and offered the fates a bitter smile. The dragon was almost serpent like.

Hence 'Serpent's Pass'.

I half thought to drown myself for my own stupidity.

Then again, the dragon was probably going to dispatch me very effectively on its own.

It charged down at me, jaws open to reveal sharp teeth, each half my size. I dove down into the dark water, pushing myself deeper and deeper. But in the back of my mind, I knew I couldn't swim deeper than the monster's length, and even if I did it could still swin after me. I was eventually going to be caught, tire myself out and get caught, or tire myself out and drown. My only hope was that island.

Under the water, as soon as I hit the pillar of earth, I didn't immediately resurface; instead, I went around it, if only to confuse the beast for a moment. I followed the damp earth upward, exploding back to air and gasping it in.

Fire needs air, I heard an internal voice chide me.

I scrambled desperately onto the small island and gulped in as much air as possible. I saw the dragon break from the water again, its neck twisting grandly on up to its monstrous face. Its mouth opened wide and let loose a low roar. Its eyes were dead, and yet they saw me.

It lowered its head and charged for me again, but this time I was ready. My skin was soaked wet, which meant I couldn't yet conjure any fire form it. But there was one part of me than could still firebend…

O let the dragon come as close as I dared, until I could nearly reach out and touch it. Then, I took a great breath and released a long powerful stream of flames right at the beast's face. It gave an unearthly scream and recoiled, twisting in pain. I smiled coldly at its misery and my victory.

Is started to plunge back into the water, but as it did and writhed in pain, a section of its body slammed into me and sent me flying. I smacked onto the water painfully and while yelling in surprise and denial. What I ended up getting was a mouth and a lung full of water. it tasted awful, but I was more concerned that I suddenly couldn't breathe.

I started to cough uncontrollably, a quiet panic beginning to rise. Trying to get the water out of me was exhausting my body and I struggled to stay above water. When the dragon finally hit the lake, however, its impact sent great waves over me and I almost couldn't stay afloat. And if I wasn't careful, I realized, the current would sweep me out into open water.

Perfect. I defeat a dragon and end up drowning.

But only a few moments later, I saw the not-so-defeated dragon rise again with the fresh wound. Now it wasn't only hunting, but in a rage.

I am Zuko: Joke of the Fates.

Thinking it was better to drown than be devoured (I'm sure the dragon was going to love the hot meal I'd make), I almost gave up.

But then something happened that I never would have predicted.

At first, I thought I'd imagined the arrow flying up in the air, but then the dragon gave a furious roar and blood trickled from where the weapon was now embedded. Through the coughs wracking me, I saw two figures on the shore. The girl and the mute?

"Aim for the eyes, Longshot!"

I knew that androgynous voice. If I hadn't been in such a state, I probably would have been angrier that they'd followed. I was certainly embarrassed enough.

The dragon, injured by the burn and the assault of arrows, quickly retreated. While this bettered the situation for me, I was still struggling to breathe and not sink. Yet despite my trouble, I didn't want to occur what I knew was happen. It was just too shameful. Nonetheless, the mute soon plunged into the water and swam up to me. Hoisting my arm over his shoulders, we kicked back to shore together. I protested, but it was all somewhat smothered by my attempts and subsequent failures to get the filthy lake water out of me.

We reached land, the mute and the girl giving me space as I vomited up the last of the water. As I wiped my mouth, I was perturbed to spot a small minnow-eel flop about in the refuse. Suddenly, I felt all of the exhaustion from the incident and not having slept overwhelm me. I let my whole body collapse onto the rough rocks, not caring what the ragged Freedom fighters thought anymore. I was too tired to.

"Are you okay? Is he okay?" I heard the girl ask with a slight frantic edge.

I might have whispered a 'thank you'. If I did, I wasn't conscious of it.

Get up, I told myself, get up.

With a great effort, I sat up. I looked across the break to the continuing pass. I could make it. I only had to get across.

I stood for another attempt, and I heard the girl at my side. 'Hey! What're you doing?"

"I'm getting across," I stated evenly, not looking at either of them, but only my goal.

"Are you nuts?" the girl squeaked. "You almost really got hurt! That dragon-"

"Is gone for now, so this is my only chance," I asserted.

I should've just dove in right then. Why was I arguing? They couldn't stop me; they had nothing to do with this. Yet I stayed. Maybe I was tired. But when had that ever stopped me before?

"Look, what if there're more? You don't know what's out there!" the girl insisted, waving her arms.

"Then I'll deal with it when they come."

"Don't! Please…" She stood in front of me so I was forced to look at her. She, however, had her eyes on the ground. I thought I saw her painted stripes run with the mark of a tear. "I've seen what happens when people get obsessed like this…"

"They're Fire nation!"

"It doesn't do any good. Think about this…"

"You never think these things through! This is just like what happened at the North Pole!"

Uncle…

I stood on that bank, I'm not sure for how long. I stared out at the opposite shore, but I wasn't really looking at it.

----------------

There are two ways to leave Ba Sing Se: by water or land. I was now leaving it by land, the Freedom fighters more or less escorting me out. When the time came for us to part ways, I intended to keep walking without another word. The girl's voice, however, stopped me.

"Look, why don't you stay?" she asked with quiet anxiety, "Do you really have to go? We came here to start a new life. Ba Sing Se's a big place and its safe."

Not anymore…

I almost didn't say anything. I almost walked away. But I remembered fighting for my life in the lake and the arrows striking the dragon. So, as payment, I tried to save them pain, save their lives even.

"Don't stay here," I said in a near whisper.

The girl and the mute's brows furrowed at that. "Why not?"

"Ba Sing Se isn't what it seems," I said in a dead tone, "The Fire Nation's coming."

"What!" Smellerbee yelped in disbelief, "Fire Nation?! They're coming?"

"Already here," I corrected shortly.

Her voice took on an unfamiliar shock and anger. "Why didn't you tell anyone? You knew this was happening and you didn't even do anything? You're just going to leave?"

The girl didn't seem to understand, but the mute, surprisingly, seemed to have quickly made al the connections. Even more surprising, he wasn't really a mute.

"You're Fire Nation."

I said nothing. The girl paled a few shades and looked from her comrade to me. Deciding to believe her friend, she then seemed uncertain on whether to run from me or fight me. Personally, I didn't really care which she would choose.

"Jet was right…" she said in a small gasp, "Jet was right about you…" She sounded like she was going to be sick.

I said nothing, and only turned away. But it was what she said next that made me turn around. She wasn't even speaking to me, but to Longshot.

"We've gotta get back to Ba Sing Se!"

I stared at her. "Why?"

She glared at me. "We've gotta let people know! We're going to fight!"

I shook my head and gave a cynical smirk at the idea and her enthusiasm. "It's hopeless."

"Doesn't matter," she said tersely. She turned and started heading back to the doomed city.

"It's the right thing," Longshot said, almost accusingly to me before he turned and followed his comrade.

I stared after them for a moment, pitying them. But a part of me, one I hardly acknowledged, admired them and was ashamed at myself for leaving. But why? What point would be served in staying? In joining the Freedom fighters and their doomed crusade?

Did leaving make me a coward?

Uncle's face turns from me in shame.

The burn stings, even now.

"You regained your own honor."

"It's the right thing."

I closed my eyes and shook my head slightly as I turned and started to walk away. I was doing what I had to in order to survive. There was no shame in that.

Was there?

to be continued...

have a good one!