I'll Follow You Home – A Zutara Story.
Meeoko
Summary : Sequel to 'Eventualities Are Inevitable'. After being captured by a group of Fire Nation radicals and uncovering a secret plot to destroy the Avatar Cycle, Zuko and Katara must work together to find a way to stop the Sila Vatra before Sozin's Comet arrives.
Spoilers : Puppet Master, Day Of Black Sun part 1 and 2, Western Air Temple, Fire Bending Masters and Boiling Rock part 1 and 2.
Author's Note : Hmmm...well, I STILL haven't gotten my 20 reviews, but I was so happy to see certain readers come out of hiding, that I decided not to be a cow and just get started on the chapter anyway. I can't leave you guys in the dark, after all. I want to finish this story just as much as you do.
I was in a bit of a bad mood when I posted last chapter, so you'll have to excuse my demands/threats. My bad!
The tunnels were long and dark. An eerie wind blew through them, making Katara shiver. She still couldn't quite understand why it was so cold when they were walking beneath a live volcano. Her mind kept wandering, thinking about what they would meet once they reached the end of the tunnel.
Just try not to think about it. Maybe dad will be right and this will all just be a big hoax.
Katara doubted it. There was just no way that this was all going to be a wild goose chase. When she, Zuko and Toph had snuck into the Black Column, the Sila Vatra's base, Katara had instantly known that the plan Chan had told them about was serious. She had watched with her own eyes as the Sila Vatra had dripped their blood onto Nori's necklace and stamped and cheered, all lost in the excitement of chaos. Nobody would have gone through that much trouble, just to convince them of an imaginary plot.
The tunnels had been easy enough to find. Toph had immediately sensed them using her Earth Bending and they had started to make the short journey toward the ruins of the Fire Sage's Temple.
It had been rather awkward, and a little scary. They had had to be particularly careful where they stepped, as the dusty earth often gave way underfoot. Sometimes into the lava below.
The heat around the Fire Sage's Temple had been stifling and they had carefully manoeuvred around the rubble and rock faces, avoiding the streams of lava as best they could.
When they finally arrived at the entrance of the destroyed and abandoned temple, Toph had separated the earth underneath them and they had stepped down into the darkness. They had walked for ten minutes, before joining up with the original tunnels built by the Fire Sages.
The tunnel that would lead them to the Sila Vatra.
"I spy with my little eye, something beginning with..." Suki looked around the dark tunnel. "...R"
Chit Sang let out an aggravated breath.
"Is it a rock?"
Suki crossed her arms and pouted.
"Yes. You think you can do any better?"
The great, bulky man looked like a young child, throwing a tantrum. They had been playing the same game for almost thirty minutes! He grumbled, not even bothering to look around the cave.
"I spy with my little eye, something beginning with 'R'."
Suki rubbed at her eyes.
"A rock?"
"Yes." Chit Sang replied, suppressing a groan.
Suki began again, looking incredibly bored.
"I spy with my little eye-"
"A rock." Chit Sang interrupted, sounding bitter.
"Argh!" Suki threw her hands in the air angrily. "I give up! This is a stupid game anyway!"
Thank La! I thought they were never going to stop!
"Anybody know any good ghost stories?" Toph suggested, kicking her feet lazily.
"Do you really think that telling ghost stories is such a good idea?" Katara asked. "We're about to head into a place where we might have to go the the Spirit World. I don't think that Ghost Stories are really going to help anybody's nerves."
Toph crossed her arms, sulking.
This is going to drive us all insane before we even get there!
"So how long til we reach the end?" Chit Sang asked, extending his hand out further, that held a small fire to light their way.
Toph looked glum beside him as she answered, though then again, so did everybody else.
"Not long." Toph mumbled, looking ahead with her blind eyes. "It's about another two hours walk from here."
Everybody groaned. They had already been walking underground for an hour and a half!
Why is everyone so anxious to get there? We all know what's waiting at the end. But I suppose anything is better than this!
"But it isn't pretty." Toph continued as they walked. "You guys probably aren't gonna like it."
Oh Spirit's, what now?
Suki shifted uncomfortably in her heavy Kyoshi robes. She kept pace quite well, though Katara couldn't help but think that Suki would be better off without them until they reached their destination.
"Why,Toph?" she asked as she hoicked up her shoulder pads for the third time in twenty minutes. "What's down there?"
"You mean, 'up there'." Toph replied grumpily, rubbing a hand over her bare arms.
"Up there?" Katara repeated, feeling confused. "Up where?"
Toph rubbed at her bare arms. The chilling breeze continued to sweep through the tunnels.
How could there be such a strong wind underground?
"Well, the tunnel doesn't go under the volcano..." she replied, trailing off.
"...it goes into it." Zuko continued, finishing Toph's sentence for her.
What?
"You mean, we're about to walk into a big pool of molten lava?" Suki asked warily. "Because I really don't think we're going to be able to fight anybody if we're on fire."
"No." Zuko replied, a little bluntly. "There's an island in the middle of the volcano. That's where we're going."
"But...it's still surrounded by lava?" Suki stopped fiddling with her armour and frowned awkwardly. The endless silences and crushing boredom had left everybody feeling a little bit irritable.
Zuko paused momentarily, holding the flame in his hand out just a little further into the darkness. His face was serious, with the same mask of neutral calm that he always seemed to don. Katara was slowly beginning to distinguish between his emotions. She remembered the promise she had made to herself.
"I'm going to learn to read Zuko if it kills me!"
The trouble was, it probably would. If something bad were to happen in the volcano and they lost, Katara very much doubted that she would live long enough to be able to read him.
Zuko finally seemed to snap out of his daze and replied to Suki's question.
"Yes. There's lava surrounding the platform, but if we're careful, it shouldn't be a problem."
"Shouldn't be a problem?" Toph cried, disbelievingly. "We've got to fight a bunch of nut-jobs, possibly your sister and maybe even some Spirit's, while there's a super-charged comet flying over our heads – and now we've got to do it on a little platform that's surrounded by lava!"
Zuko stuck out his bottom lip, but didn't reply. Katara wanted to say something to comfort him, but she felt very much the same as Toph. It certainly sounded like a one-sided fight to her!
They each fell silent.
The howling wind continued to blow through the tunnel, though at least now, Katara knew why it was so cold. The wind was circling down through the volcano and blowing directly at them when it entered the tunnel.
Great. Just great! How are we going to pull this off? I wonder if I can bend the lava. It's technically water, I suppose. Just really, really hot water...
"You think she's gonna show up?" Chit Sang asked them.
"Who's gonna show up, Muscles?" Toph had recently given Chit Sang his very own nickname, much like the rest of them. She had grown rather fond of the giant convict.
"That crazy chick." he replied. "The Prince's sister."
"Don't call me that." Zuko grumbled from the front of the procession. "I'm banished, remember?"
"Let's hope she doesn't." Katara cut in. "Zuko said that Azula doesn't really care about the Sila Vatra. Hopefully, she'll still see it that way after she saw us leaving the Black Column."
They continued to walk down the tunnel in silence. The wind continued to whip past them and Katara continued to worry.
"We're going to get our butts kicked, aren't we?" Toph sighed in the dim light to nobody in particular.
"Oh yeah."
"Yep."
"Pretty much."
Katara had intended her answer as a joke, though she wasn't entirely certain that the others saw it that way.
Maybe they're joking too...
Zuko huffed and rubbed his eyelids, mumbling to himself.
"You had to go and worry about your honour, didn't you? Join the Avatar, teach him Fire Bending and help save the world. It'll all work out! Nothing bad will happen at all!"
He shook his head.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid."
Zuko didn't seem to realise that everybody could hear him.
Aang sat with legs crossed on a rock, looking out over the beautiful view beneath him. The White Lotus safe-house was a-buzz with activity as men and women rushed back and forth, preparing last minute strategies and plans.
The young Avatar sighed as he looked up at the night sky, with the stars above twinkling like small gemstones. Everything seemed so peaceful and alive. It was hard to believe that in just a few hours, Sozin's Comet would arrive and the entire world would be thrust into chaos.
He couldn't sleep.
There was no way he could relax, knowing what he had to do. It had taken quite a while to adjust to the pressure and expectations of being the Avatar when Sokka and Katara had pulled him out from the iceberg, but sometimes, Aang still felt the weight crushing down on his mind.
"It's all up to me, Momo." Aang sighed as he stroked the lemur's head. "If I can't do this, then the whole world is going to be destroyed. I would have let them all down."
Momo stared up at him blankly, completely oblivious to the destruction that lay ahead. He cocked his head and began to chew on his own tail, determined to satisfy a particularly troublesome itch. Aang smiled at his furry friend's innocence. He enjoyed talking to Appa or Momo. They always calmed him down, without ever even intending to.
"You're right, Momo." Aang spoke to the lemur, hearing an imaginary reply. "I should just stop feeling sorry for myself. I mean, it's not really going to get me anywhere, is it?"
Momo looked up after he had finished scratching and made a curious chattering noise. A small insect flew by and immediately caught the lemur's attention.
"Well, that's true." Aang replied, continuing the pretend conversation to calm himself down. "This is just as much for me as it is for the world. If the world is safe and Ozai's gone, then I guess I can just start to be more...I don't know...normal."
The lemur scampered around on the rock, intending to pounce on the firefly that buzzed past them.
"Well, okay, maybe not normal." the Avatar sighed. "But at least when the war's over, I can concentrate on other stuff, right?"
Momo clasped the insect in between his paws and greedily put it inside his mouth, chomping on the firefly thoughtfully.
Aang lay back on the rock, placing his hands behind his head.
He sighed and looked up again at the stars. His mind began to wander.
"I wish Sifu Iroh was here." he sighed to himself "He'd know what to do."
But Iroh had left the night before for Ba Sing Se, along with several members of the White Lotus Society. Although Aang knew just how powerful General Iroh was, he couldn't help but fear for him. He hoped that he would be alright and that he would manage to reclaim Ba Sing Se.
Aang though about all of the people he loved. Monk Giatso, who had been like a father to him and had died at the hands of the Fire Nation.
Sokka, who had been like an older brother to him since finding him in the iceberg.
Katara, who had always helped him through the worst of times and given him strength.
Toph, the tough and gritty girl who had brought him back from oblivion and captured his heart.
Even Zuko, who had sacrificed everything that he had to help him to end the war!
Every one of their faces span through his head. Aang frowned when the Fire Lord's face appeared and he quickly dismissed it.
"I'm doing this for them, Momo." he said, with a determined tone. "I'm going to defeat the Fire Lord and I'm going to do it for them."
His small, furry friend simply sat on the rock and stared at him with big green eyes. More noises came from inside the safe-house and a cool breeze swept past. Aang looked up at the stars, feeling a small burst of new confidence arise in his heart. If it killed him, he was going to make sure that Ozai wouldn't win!
The stars twinkled above in the black and oily sky. Suddenly, a burst of light swept across the inky canvas and Aang gasped, momentarily thinking that Sozin's Comet had appeared. But soon realising that it was a shooting star, he relaxed his muscles and lay back onto the rock.
"Make a wish, Momo." he said, staring up as the shooting star swept across the sky and slowly began to fade.
When it had passed, Aang closed his eyes and thought as hard as he could. He already knew what he was going to wish for. He only hoped that it would come true...
"Hey Zuko," Katara walked beside him, still shivering in the dim tunnel. "I think we should probably hear that legend now. We need to know what's ahead of us."
They had walked in silence for almost an hour, each lost in their own thoughts. The only sound was the clinking of Suki's armour and the soft crackle of the fire that both Chit Sang and Zuko held in their palms.
Katara had almost completely forgotten about the legend that Zuko had promised to tell her, but was utterly determined to quell the boredom and awkward silence that surrounded them.
Plus, Zuko had told her that the legend had some importance to their mission.
If it's important, then we need to know.
He took in a breath, the flame in his hand slowly rising. When he let it out, the flame lowered again. Despite their situation, Katara couldn't help but think just how handsome Zuko looked in the light. She would often see him rubbing at his scar or wincing if he made too much movement.
His scar's still hurting? But I thought that the storm had passed. Unless, the Comet is supposed to be the storm...only ten times worse.
"What legend?" Toph asked.
"It's a legend about the Spirit World." Zuko mumbled, clearly lost in thought. "It's been told in the Fire Nation for hundreds of years. I remembered it a few days ago. I think it might be the reason behind the Sila Vatra's plan."
Everyone looked at Zuko expectantly, waiting for him to continue.
"It's been told since I can remember. It's all about the origin of Fire Bending. I never really believed it before. At least, not until my Uncle laid siege to Ba Sing Se."
"Your Uncle?" Suki raised an eyebrow. "You mean General Iroh?"
"What's Pop's got to do with it?" Toph asked, taking a more keen interest at the mention of her gentle friend, Iroh.
Katara also wondered herself. Zuko had often spoken about his Uncle and the great things that he had done, but Katara couldn't think of a single story that linked Iroh to the Spirit World.
Iroh's just like a walking storybook. How much has he done in his life that we don't know about?
"It's complicated." Zuko replied, not once taking his eyes away from the tunnel that lay ahead, quoting Toph's words. "But it's not pretty either."
They each fell silent, willing Zuko to continue. After a while, he seemed to realised this, though he looked reluctant to tell them. Was it really that bad? Or was it something else?
Zuko rubbed again at his scar and began to tell them the legend.
"The Fire Sage's used to tell me and Azula the legend back when I was a kid. It was just a story to most people - to scare their kids into behaving or to use as a ghost story. But the Fire Sage's insisted that there was truth to it, even though nobody believed them. For some reason, they always told my father that it was important for the royal family to know about it."
Why would the Fire Sage's want Zuko and Azula to know it? A legend can't be all that important, can it?
The sound of their feet padding on the earth echoed through the tunnel. Katara momentarily forgot about the biting cold and the threat that lay ahead of them as Zuko continued.
"The legend was about one of the original Sun Warrior's. He was the Chieftain's son, given an unbreakable glass blade and bearing the tattoo's of his people. They say that he was the first to be given fire by the dragon's and learn to manipulate it. His name was Agni."
"Wait." Katara frowned slightly. "Agni? Isn't that the same person you're always swearing by?"
Zuko nodded.
I knew I'd heard it before.
"But I always thought that Agni was some sort of God or a Spirit to the Fire Nation." she said, recalling all of the times that Zuko had sworn by the name.
Agni...Agni...Wasn't there something else as well?
"He wasn't a God or a Spirit." Zuko shook his head, looking ahead. "But he left his place in Fire Nation history."
Katara kicked a stone in front of her, thinking hard. There was something niggling at the back of her mind. Something she remembered. But she couldn't quite get the thoughts to merge as one.
"It's because of Agni that the Fire Sage's first began." Zuko continued. "He travelled into the heart of the Fire Nation, to search for someone who could teach him to control his Fire Bending. But he couldn't find a master. He was the first to be given the gift. So, he would have to train himself."
I never thought of that before. The first benders would have to learn all by themselves. They wouldn't have any master's to teach them, like we did.
Katara knew just how difficult training yourself to bend the elements was. She had been the only Water Bender in the entire South Pole! Even though she had been aware of her abilities from a young age, it had taken her years to just learn two simple moves.
She remembered yelling at Aang when she had first taught him what she knew. He had been so quick to learn and it had enraged her, instantly becoming jealous of his natural ability.
"Why don't we just throw the scroll away since you're so naturally gifted!"
"Eventually, he found his way here, along with one of his oldest friends, Pai." Zuko continued coolly. "To this volcano. He thought that if he trained in his natural element, he would be able to learn how to manipulate his element."
I wonder who the first Water Bender was...
"Is that how you knew about this place?" Suki asked, folding her arms.
Zuko nodded again.
"As I said, I had a Fire Sage as my teacher. He wanted me to learn all about it. That's why the Fire Sage's Temple was built here for Avatar Roku. The Sage's felt that Avatar Roku's strength came from this place, brought on by the first Fire Bender and the natural elements underneath. Some of the Sage's even believed that Agni was the very first Avatar."
"And was he?" Chit Sang asked. Zuko shrugged.
"No, he wasn't. A lot of people believe that, but most don't know how the story ends."
"So get on with it already!" Toph moaned, eager to learn more. "We're less than an hour away and we kinda need to know this stuff."
Less than an hour? Oh, spirit's! What are we going to do once we get there?
Zuko cleared his throat and nodded to Toph, though he knew she couldn't see him.
"Anyway, Agni and Pai found their way inside the volcano, onto the dais in the middle, where we're going now. Agni trained for seven days and seven nights without stopping, while Pai meditated. But when finally, Agni stopped to eat, something distracted him. A huge fiery light shot through the sky above him and he felt a huge burst of power."
"Sozin's Comet..." Katara whispered. Zuko continued.
"Yes. But the unexpected burst of energy startled him and he accidentally cut himself with the glass knife he was eating with. The blood fell onto the floor and he dropped the blade. Suddenly, a dark flash appeared in front of him. When Agni looked up, there was a tear in the air. It was like a black split in the centre of the platform. Agni was not a cowardly man and he and Pai stepped towards it, his new Fire Bending giving him confidence."
Zuko's face looked grim.
"Legend says Agni crossed over into the Spirit World. He didn't return to the world for almost a hundred years. When finally he stepped back out of the tear, he hadn't aged a day. But everyone he knew or cared about had died. It was only Agni who stepped out. His friend had not come back out with him, but nobody could understand why. When Agni came back to the Sun Warrior tribe, he was a fully-fledged Fire Bending Master. But his name and his forefathers had been long forgotten and a new Chieftain stood in his place."
That's it! The name!
"Kai!" Katara shouted, a little louder than she intended. That was the name she had been trying so hard to remember. "Agni and Kai. I remember you telling me about it when we were captured! You said that Agni Kai was the duel you and your father-"
She clamped a hand shut over her mouth.
Katara had almost forgotten that the others didn't know the reason behind Zuko's scar. It had been his secret to tell and she had almost given it away!
Spirit's, Katara! Why did you have to go and open your big mouth?
Zuko looked over at her and frowned. A small amount of steam flew out from his nose. She bit her lip and mouthed sorry. Of course he was going to be a little angry. She had almost told everybody his secret!
"Wait." Suki looked over at Zuko, with her mouth open. "You had to duel your father?"
Oh, great! They did hear you!
Letting out a long breath, Zuko looked down at the floor. He seemed to be considering whether or not to tell them the truth. Katara felt her stomach clench with guilt.
"Ozai and I fought an Agni Kai when I was younger." Zuko mumbled. "Long story short – he won."
Suki put a timid hand over her mouth. Chit Sang looked at Zuko warily.
"That how you get that scar?" he asked, rudely.
Oh, Yue...this isn't going well.
Zuko nodded, but never once looked up from the floor.
"Yeah."
Toph scratched at her head as she walked. Quickening her pace, she caught up with Zuko and looked up at him with blind eyes.
"You have a scar?" she asked him. "Where?"
"Toph!" Katara slapped a palm to her forehead. "Don't be so rude!"
"What?" the Earth Bender shrugged. "Sparky doesn't mind, do ya, Sparky? A little scar can't be all that bad."
Zuko squirmed uncomfortably and avoided making eye contact with any of them. The conversation was taking him out of his comfort zone. Katara could see that Zuko was tensing his jaw.
He probably wants to run down the tunnel and leave us here. I wouldn't blame him either...
"It's not little." Zuko grumbled to the floor. "Ozai made sure of that."
"Where is it?" Toph continued, unaware that Katara was shooting her daggers.
"Toph!"
"What?" she held her hands in front of her, shrugging. "I'm just asking!"
Stopping in his tracks, Zuko knelt down to Toph's height and grabbed her hand. The young Earth Bender cocked her head curiously as Zuko placed her hand on the scarred side of his face. Katara hoped to Yue that Toph wouldn't wince or move away.
"Woah..."
Toph moved her fingers over Zuko's face, tracing all the way along his scar. Katara was relieved she didn't pull away, though she did look both shocked and sad.
"Sparky...I..."
Standing up, Zuko moved Toph's hand away from his face. Turning around he continued walking down the tunnel. They all followed in silence. Katara could see Toph's eyes looking blindly down at the floor.
"Definitely not little..." she mumbled to herself. She looked hurt. She felt sad for Zuko and angry for what Ozai had done to him.
That was my reaction when I found out too...
They continued to walk down the icy tunnel in awkward silence. Zuko hadn't spoken another word and neither had Toph, who seemed to feel guilty about being so pushy over Zuko's scar. It certainly had left her speechless when she had felt it and realised that it was definitely not 'a little scar', as she had originally described it. Zuko trudged on ahead, saying nothing.
Katara knew perfectly well just how touchy he was about his scar.
"So..." Suki said into the darkness, trying to strike up conversation. "Do we get to hear the rest of that legend?"
Zuko shrugged, though he didn't look back at her. He didn't look at any of them as he continued to scowl at the tunnel in front of them.
"I was going to say, that's exactly why fire duels are called Agni Kai." he sounded a little bitter. "When Agni returned to his tribe, Kai, the new Chieftain dismissed his story as lies. He insulted Agni's honour and his heritage. In his rage, Agni challenged him to a duel. The winner would become the new Chief of the Sun Warrior's."
"So who won?" Chit Sang asked curiously.
"Nobody did." Zuko replied. "When Agni returned, the dragon's had also given the gift of Fire Bending to other Sun Warrior's and they had learnt how to use it. Kai was also a Master Fire Bender, just like Agni. Their battle was the reason the Fire Nation was led to believe that the Sun Warrior's all died out. Agni and Kai's strength built up into one huge wave of fire that swept over the temple and the people, killing them all. Including Agni and Kai."
"Well that stinks." Toph said, a little unsympathetically, once again finding her voice.
But that still doesn't answer our question.
"But what's your Uncle got to do with any of this?" Katara asked Zuko. "Or the Sila Vatra?"
Zuko's shoulders seemed to slump. But at least he was speaking.
"My Uncle had a son, once. His name was Lu Ten. He was my cousin."
Katara's mouth opened slightly and she frowned. She hadn't known that Iroh had had a son at all!
She always assumed that Iroh referred to Zuko as his son was because he had just never had children. And Zuko had never spoken of it until now.
"He was at the battle of Ba Sing Se, along with my Uncle." Zuko continued. "He was killed, by Koh, the Face Stealer."
They gasped. Katara placed the tips of her fingers over her mouth. Koh had always been feared in her tribe. His evil deeds were known throughout both poles and he was greatly feared. It was rare that Koh ventured out from the Spirit World, but everyone in her tribe had warned her against him.
Katara had never seen anyone who had been unlucky enough to encounter Koh, and she hoped that she never would.
"That's rough, buddy." Chit Sang mumbled. Katara thought that that was probably Chit Sang's way of giving his condolences.
"Koh?" Suki repeated sadly. "But how?"
"I don't know." Zuko sighed. "He and my Uncle were fighting a battalion of Earth Kingdom soldiers. One of the soldiers used his Earth Bending to bring them down underneath the ground. My Uncle told me that it looked like a shrine and that the other Earth Bender's yelled at the first for bringing them down there."
Zuko rubbed at the back of his neck.
"One of the Earth Kingdom soldiers threw a sword at my Uncle and it hit him in the shoulder. He still has the scar to this day." Zuko turned to Katara. "Do you remember those Sila Vatra men in the Black Column who were talking about a stone lodged into a sword?"
Katara nodded. She remembered hearing the entire conversation and feeling the blood in her veins slowly turn to ice. It took her a moment to make the connection and her eyes went wide when she realised the answer.
"Nori's necklace!"
"Yes, I suspect it was." Zuko nodded. "It was the same sword that hit my Uncle. As soon as his blood hit the ground, Koh appeared."
He looked down at the floor again, the sadness evident in his eyes.
"My Uncle still won't tell me what happened to this day. But I do know that Lu Ten never made it back to the Fire Nation. My Uncle ended the siege that very day, overcome by his grief."
Poor Iroh...
They all continued to walk in silence for a few minutes, each thinking their own thoughts.
"Zuko," Suki broke the silence. "you know what they're going to do to get into the Spirit World, don't you?"
Zuko nodded but didn't reply. The fire in his hand began to look just a little bit smaller.
"It's all connected." Suki continued. "When Agni spilt his blood, a doorway to the Spirit World opened. When your Uncle's blood did, Koh appeared. That must be it!"
"Be what, Princess?" Toph asked Suki, using the pet name that applied to both her and Katara.
It's in the blood! That's how they're going to do it!
"The blood, Toph!" Katara answered. "Blood opens the Spirit World when it hits the ground in the most spiritual places in each nation! Iroh said that the underground cave in the Earth Kingdom looked like a shrine, right? And Zuko said that this is the most spiritual place in the Fire Nation. It must be like some sort of sacrifice or something." Katara paused, connecting the dots. "That's why the Sila Vatra...that's why they were...bleeding onto Nori's necklace. They called it the Blood Stone."
"Aang never needed blood to get into the Spirit World." Toph added, bringing them away from their thoughts.
Good point...
"Well, I guess that's probably because he's the Avatar or something." Katara shrugged. "Otherwise the Sila Vatra would probably just walk in and out whenever they wanted. It must be the blood!"
I don't see how it could be anything else...
"They must have made the connection to the legend's too." Zuko said dully.
"But I still don't get why they were bleeding on it." Toph raised an eyebrow. "I know it's like some special space stone or whatever, but it's not going to soak up the blood or anything, is it?"
Well, we never did see what happened...
Zuko stopped walking. They all turned around to face him.
"There's only one way to find out." he said, unsheathing the Black Ice Blade from the casing hanging from his hip.
"Zuko..." Katara looked at him warily.
Ignoring her, Zuko extinguished the fire in his hand and placed the pointed tip of the blade onto his finger and nicked at the skin. Katara saw the corner of his mouth twitch as the blade cut into his skin, but nothing more. Suki made a strange noise in her throat and Katara remembered what had happened the last time Suki had seen Zuko mutilate himself.
Oh spirit's, Suki! Don't faint now!
"Zuko, why on earth did you just do that?" Katara sighed, waving a hand in the air.
Beckoning them over with a flick of his head, Zuko held out his finger over the surface of the Black Ice Blade. Chit Sang held his own fire a little closer so that they could all get a better look.
"So we can find out if I'm right or not." Zuko replied, as the droplet on his finger fell onto the shining black surface of the blade. "It's made from the same material, so it should have the same properties."
Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Katara gasped when the blood fell onto the blade. It didn't simply sit there as she had expected it to, but sank into the surface of the blade, as if it was being absorbed through the material. The blood had vanished into the surface of the Black Ice Blade!
What on earth is going on?
"What?" Toph frowned. "What's everybody ooing and ahhing about?"
"It...it ate the blood." Suki mumbled, swallowing awkwardly.
"It ate the blood?" Toph repeated, looking confused. Katara felt much the same way.
"That's why they were bleeding on it." Zuko said as he sheathed the Black Ice Blade and sucked the blood away from his finger. "They're going to take your great-grandmother's necklace to this place and offer the blood inside it as a sacrifice."
Those monsters! How could they?
"But I thought you said the blood had 'ta touch the ground?" Chit Sang asked as he scratched his head in wonder.
"I don't know how they're going to do it." Zuko sighed. "But if they do and the gate opens, who knows what's going to happen?"
"Nothing good..." Katara mumbled angrily to herself, thinking about how the Sila Vatra had poured their blood over her great-grandmother's necklace.
Zuko put a hand over his face. Katara didn't know what was bothering him so much. He had been acting strangely since they had come to the island. They all turned around and continued to walk back down the tunnel.
Maybe Zuko's just nervous...
But another, small part of Katara knew that this was probably not true. Sure, Zuko got scared sometimes (he had admitted it to her himself only a few hours ago), but he never let it affect him. She had seen it a thousand times before, when he was on their side and when he was not. Zuko didn't scare easily.
It must be something really bad. Is there something he isn't telling us?
Katara had almost cried with happiness when Zuko had finally let down his walls long enough to tell her the truth. She knew just how hard it probably had been for him, but she was both relieved and grateful.
If Zuko hadn't been able to finally open up and trust her, Katara knew that it would have destroyed him from the inside out. And probably her too.
But even though Zuko had allowed himself to trust her, Katara still suspected that he wouldn't tell her everything. She had a sinking feeling that he was keeping something from her. Something important.
She was about to ask him what was wrong when Toph stopped, holding her arms out at the sides as a barrier for the others.
"We're here." she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
They all crept forward, watching as the tunnel began to get lighter and lighter. Katara wasn't sure, but she thought she could hear voices.
This is it.
As carefully and quietly as they could, the small group crept out of the tunnels entrance. They were greeted by the intense heat of lava.
Thousands upon thousands of gallons swirled beneath them, pooling at the bottom of the volcano. The heat rose up towards them and they all blinked as the heat hit their eyes. Katara looked up at the head of the volcano to see the sky above, growing lighter as the darkness of night began to fade away.
Zuko hissed and clutched at his scar, tightly shutting his eyes as soon as he was exposed to the light. Katara turned to him immediately, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Zuko? What is it?" she whispered, acutely aware of the voices that echoed through the volcano.
"It's...it's just my scar." he hissed, slowly releasing his hold as the initial pain began to fade. "The storm is coming."
Or something far worse.
"Zuko, I don't think it's a storm." Katara backed up slightly, into the shadows of the tunnel. "I think that it's the Comet that's making your scar hurt so much."
He looked up at her, still clasping his face, though not as fiercely as he had before.
"If that's true, then we only have about a half hour until Sozin's Comet arrives."
His words came out as harsh whispers and only then did Katara really take in the seriousness of their situation. The Comet was coming! And it wasn't going to wait for any of them!
Katara turned back to her friends, to ask for their help. But they weren't looking at her or Zuko. They all looked horrified.
Following the direction of their open-mouthed gazed, Katara looked over at the large circular platform in the centre of the volcano, it's path leading directly down towards the mouth of the tunnel.
There, standing on the platform, next to a red and gold alter, stood Chun Sau, The Warden. Beside him stood the evil, cocky figure of the Fire Princess, Azula.
And she was looking right at them!
Author's Note's : Okay, I know that this chapter was a little bit short, but there's only so much you can write about when people are just walking down a tunnel. I thought I'd add in some of Aang's thoughts and feelings in here too. He IS the main character after all, no matter how much I dislike him.
Managed to write this chapter in about 2 hours, so forgive me if it's a little rough around the edges. I just wanted to get this down as soon as possible, so that I can begin on the real action. Hopefully, though this chapter answered a few questions.
Or did it? You'll find out soon enough what I mean, next chapter...