(A/N: After screwing up royal, Zuko is now going to have his chance to redeem himself. But you should know that.)
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter 12: The Blue Spirit
What remained of the Water Tribe had gathered around the pool of La and Tui. They were praying to Yue, hoping that she would hear and answer their prayers through the spiritual koi fish. In one voice they chanted, begging the spirit of the moon to show them the way, to bring them salvation.
Their prayers were interrupted by a loud pounding noise that sounded a lot like giant footsteps. The noise was getting louder, and sounded like it was getting closer.
As darkness filled the valley, they all turned to see the source of it. The darkness was caused by the shadow of an enormous creature. It was as if an island had come to life and was now approaching them. But no, it wasn't an island. It was the mighty lion-turtle.
They all cowered away, fearing that Yue had forsaken them. But the lion-turtle came to a stop before them and laid down. With it being this close, they noticed for the first time that someone was sitting on the giant beast's head. Whoever they were, they were wearing a blue demon mask.
When the person jumped off the lion-turtle's head, fear turned to awe as the people realized that Yue hadn't forsaken them at all, but had sent them as savior to delivery them from the evil of the Fire Nation.
"The Blue Spirit…" Aunt Wu whispered.
The masked person walked through the crowd of people. They all backed away to make a path for him, yet made sure to stay as close as possible. Several bowed down, others reached out to touch him, while nearly all of them chanted "Blue Spirit".
The Blue Spirit continued his march through the crowd until he came upon the pond of La and Tui. Here stood Katara beside Aunt Wu and Jet. The Blue Spirit stopped when he came up to Katara. Reaching up, he pulled the demon mask off, revealing his scarred face.
Katara inhaled deeply, a look of disbelief on her face. Zuko was relieved to see that there was no hostility in her eyes. It seemed his plan to confront the lion-turtle had been partly successful.
"Katara…" He whispered in greeting.
"Zuko…" she whispered back. Then she moved towards him, wrapping her arms around him and resting her forehead against his, looking into his eyes. They still held the same love she had for him. "I was afraid… for my people… I'm not anymore."
Zuko gave her a smile. It seemed he was back in her good grace. And since the rest of the tribe wasn't attacking him, it seemed he was back in theirs as well. But the one he really needed to convince was the one whose opinion mattered the most.
Reluctantly pulling away from Katara, he looked at the new chief. "Jet, I stand before you ready to serve the people."
The surprise and awe left Jet's face, and for a moment he looked like he was going to hit Zuko, but a grumble from the lion-turtle reminded him of just what had taken place.
Zuko saw Jet's reluctance and continued. "You are chief, and you're a great warrior. I can't do this alone. I need your help."
Bowing his head slightly, Jet seemed to struggle to find his voice. "Zuko… Blue Spirit… I will fight with you."
Zuko let out a relieved breath. Beside him, he heard Katara let out one as well. One miracle had been pulled off, perhaps another one could occur.
"I need your help." He pleaded. "My uncle is dying." He spoke up louder for the others to hear. "Iroh is dying. Please, I need your help."
Jet and Aunt Wu shared a look, then the latter nodded. "Bring him to us."
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Zuko and Aang carried Iroh to the pool of La and Tui. All around them, the Water Tribe repeatedly bowed their heads and chanted.
"Uncle," Zuko whispered, "look where we are."
The old man's eyes cracked open. They took in the sight before him, the beautiful view of the pool of La and Tui.
"I should pay my respects." He mumbled.
Zuko couldn't help but smile at that. He and Aang brought him before Aunt Wu, who then instructed them to submerge him in the pool. They did so, leaving only his face above the water.
"Water has healing properties." Aunt Wu explained. "And the water from this pool has the most spiritual energy. It is possible for Yue to heal his damaged body and breathe life into him once more."
Zuko watched his uncle in amazement. "Is that possible?"
"He must be touched by the goddess herself." She gave him a serious look. "But he is very weak."
Fear gripped Zuko as he looked down at his beloved uncle. "Hang on, Uncle, they're going to fix you up."
As Iroh remained submerged, La and Tui swam around him, their bodies glowing, until Iroh appeared to be floating on a glowing yin-yang of light.
Seen only by the old Firebender, the ghostly image of a young white-haired woman came down from the moon and settled down beside Iroh, resting her hand on his forehead.
Iroh looked at her in amazement and wonder, then glanced at Zuko. "I can see her… She's real…"
With those words, his eyes drooped shut and he let out one final breath. The water stopped glowing and the image of the yin-yang faded away as Ta and Lui stopped circling him and began to swim around each other once more.
"Uncle? Uncle?" Zuko cried. He looked desperately at Aunt Wu. "What's happening?"
Aunt Wu gave him a sorrowful look. "He was too badly damaged. There wasn't enough time. He has gone to join his ancestors."
Zuko felt the world drop out from beneath him. His uncle was dead. Dead, like the countless other members of the Water Tribe that had fallen prey to Zhao and his evil ways.
'No more.' Zuko thought. 'I won't let this happen anymore.'
He felt Katara take his hand. He squeezed it gently and got to his feet, glancing at Jet. "With your permission, I will speak now." Jet nodded and stood aside. Keeping a firm grasp on Katara's hand, he addressed the Water Tribe. "The Fire Nation has sent us a message, that they can do anything they want, and no one can defy them. But we will send them a message. Go now to our fellow Water Tribes and gather them together. You tell them that the Blue Spirit calls to them. And together we will show the Fire Nation that they cannot take what they want! And that this, this is our land!"
This was followed by cheers from the Water Tribe. They didn't wait for any further orders. They immediately set out for the other Water Tribes.
Keeping a hold of Katara's hand, he pulled her over to the lion-turtle, which bowed its head, allowing the two to climb on top. It roared loudly and began making its way out of the oasis, the entire Water Tribe following behind, shouting battle cries.
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Zhao had become aware of the danger of the growing Water Tribe. Over the past few days, they had grown in number. So he had called this meeting of all the Fire Nation soldiers to deal with the situation.
"Gentlemen, ladies, we have an aborigines horde gathering out there." He told them. "Within a few short days, they've grown from a few hundred, to well over two thousand, and more are coming in every day. It won't be long before they overrun us. But we have a little surprise for them. Our sources tell us these peasants worship the spirit of the moon. And within their camp is an oasis that contains two spiritual fish. It's through these spirits that they are able to communicate with the moon.
"So this is the plan. We will force our way into their sacred grounds, where I will kill their sacred spirits. The power of the moon and the ocean will be lost to them. Without the ability to Waterbend, they will be powerless. We will make an example out of these peasants to the rest of the world. And all will know the glory of the Fire Nation!"
His speech was followed by cheers from the soldiers. The only one who wasn't cheering was Toph. Realizing how serious the situation had become, she quickly and quietly left the room. She had to let the others know that Zhao was out to kill the moon itself.
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"Guys, we got a message from Toph!" Aang cried, relieving the red hawk, Hawky, of his burden.
Mai raised an eyebrow. "The blind girl? How'd she accomplish that?"
Aang held up a stone plank. "She used her Earthbending to carve a message on here." His eyes scanned the 'letter', widening the more he read. "Whoa… Guys, you need to see this."
He handed the plank over to Zuko. The others gathered around to read as well. They couldn't believe what they were reading. Surely Toph was mistaking. Zhao wasn't that crazy, was he?
"He's going to kill La and Tui." Zuko exclaimed.
"That'll completely cut off the planet's connection with the moon." Said Aang. "All of nature will be thrown out of balance."
"If we're lucky, that's all that will happen." Zuko muttered. "We have to stop this."
"You think we're ready?" Mai asked.
Zuko sighed. "Doesn't matter, we're out of time. If we don't do something now, it'll be too late."
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Later that night, Zuko approached the pool of La and Tui. Dropping to his knees, he looked down at the two fish, then up at the moon floating overhead. If he spoke to La and Tui, would Yue really hear him?
"I'm probably just talking to some fish," he muttered, "but if you can hear me, I need to let you know what's happening. Admiral Zhao has gone mad. He's coming here to cut off your connection with your people. And it won't stop there. He's out to control the whole world. You can see everything from your place in the sky. Look upon our planet and see what the Fire Nation has done. They're going to do that to the whole world, and worse, unless we stop them."
Sighing, he picked up his Blue Spirit mask. He wondered if this had been his destiny all along. After all, he'd made this mask a long time ago. At the time, he had almost made it red, but for some reason he decided to go with blue. Perhaps that had been a sign of what his future would hold in store.
Looking up at the moon again, he continued with his plea. "Look, you choice me for something. I'll stand and fight, you know I will, but I'm going to need some help."
He felt someone rest their hands on his shoulders. He knew right away that it was Katara, even before she spoke. "Our great mother does not choose sides." She told him. "She only protects the balance of our world."
Zuko's shoulders sank at her words. He slowly turned towards Katara and took her in his arms. "Well, it was worth a try."
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"No!" Ozai shouted. "No, no, no! Absolutely not! Call off this mission right now!"
Zhao sighed in irritation. "Sire, do not worry, everything is under control."
"No, it is not!" the Fire Lord insisted. "I gave no such orders for this! You cannot kill the moon! Do you realize the damage you will cause?"
"Sire, just think of what we will achieve. No one will ever go against us again. This will be an incredible victory for the Fire Nation. We will live on in infamy. The people will call you the Phoenix King, and they will call me Admiral Zhao, the Slayer of the Moon!"
"I said no!" Ozai told him, poking him in the chest. "The Fire Nation needs the moon too! Our goal is to conquer the world, not cause it to fall to ruin! Remember your place, admiral! I am the Fire Lord, and I order you to abort this mission at once!"
Zhao's eyes narrowed. "Very well then. Stop me, oh mighty Fire Lord. Use your greatness as king to put an end to my plans. I'm clearly disrespecting, disobeying, and dishonoring you. So do something about it. I believe this calls for an Agni Kai, a Firebending duel to the death. Shall we proceed?"
Ozai remained silent. Zhao knew perfectly well that he couldn't Firebend anymore, ever since he was wounded all those years ago and has his chi cut off.
"Oh, that's right." Zhao mocked, "you can't Firebend anymore, can you, you old cripple. At this point, you're nothing more than a figurehead. If you truly are the mighty Fire Lord, then stop me, if you can. If not, get out of my way."
Ozai was furious, but Zhao was right. Without his ability to Firebend, he couldn't stand up to the admiral. He had no choice but to step aside.
Zhao smirked. "A wise decision, you majesty. You'll see, this will be a day long remembered in the Fire Nation."
(A/N: That last scene was cut out of the original Avatar. In the movie, Parker tried to stop Quaritch from destroying the Tree of Souls to prevent an all out war, so I adapted that scene. As for Zuko's mask, it was revealed in one of those Extras episodes that the Blue Spirit was almost the Red Spirit. Oh, and I'm sorry for having Iroh die, but you must have seen it coming. The big war is up next, so stay tuned for that.)