A/N: Boy this one was hard to write, and is easily the longest chapter I've ever written so far for anything.
Enjoy.
Chapter 7: Crash At The Crossroads
After meeting who he thought were the Kyoshi Warriors, King Kuei brought them into his throne room. Katara looked around, and there was still no sign of her friends. It was just the three girls, the King, and his pet bear. Kuei sat on his throne while the girls kneeled before him.
"Look Bosco, the Kyoshi Warriors are here to protect us" Kuei said to his pet. Then he turned his head to Katara. "It's been a difficult week for me. My most trusted advisor, Long Feng, and his Dai Li agents tried to take control of Ba Sing Se from me."
"It's terrible when your life is turned upside down like that" Katara said.
"But there is good news" Kuei said. "As we speak, the Council of Five is meeting to plan an invasion of the Fire Nation this summer, on the day of the solar eclipse."
She knows! Katara realized. It was easy to figure out that if her friends had told the King about the eclipse, then her imposter would have been there to hear about it as well. "Well lets pray that everything goes according to plan" she said.
OOOOOOOOOO
Meanwhile, Azula was finishing the invasion plans with the Council of Five. When General Howe finished he gave a scroll to Azula that required the Earth King's seal of approval. On her way towards the palace she stopped to make a copy of the invasion plans. All she needed now was a messenger hawk to transform the secret invasion into a total failure.
Now how am I going to get this to the Fire Lord? Azula wondered as she walked outside. To her knowledge the Earth Kingdom didn't use messenger hawks, and it would be far too risky to leave Ba Sing Se to steal one from a Fire Nation military camp.
Sighing, Azula muttered "Maybe some tea will help me think?" She spotted a crowd walking towards a brand new teashop, and she walked up to it. On the door she spotted the name of the teashop. The Jasmine Dragon? Sounds like something Uncle would come up with she thought.
Azula walked inside the teashop, noting how most of the patrons were higher class. Before she could place an order, Azula heard voices she never expected to find in this city.
"Uncle, I need two Jasmine, one Green, and one Leechi" a familiar teenage voice said.
"I'm brewing as fast as I can" a familiar old voice responded.
Zuzu? Serving Tea? Azula wondered. Once the initial surprise wore off Azula suppressed a laugh and grinned. I'm going to have so much fun with this.
She waited for Zuko to finish with his current order before walking up to him. "Well look who I found" she said. When Zuko turned around in surprise Azula stared into his good eye, waiting for him to say something.
Zuko just stood there, waiting for the Avatar's girlfriend to expose him. "Can I take your order?" he slowly asked.
"Oh yes, one Jasmine from the west, and a darkened Ginseng" Azula said. "And try not to miserably fail like the usual."
While Zuko got to work Azula took a seat next to a table. In under a minute Zuko delivered the tea to Azula. "Is there anything else?" Zuko asked.
"Of course there is something else dum-dum" Azula said. She saw Zuko's good eye widen at the use of that old nickname. "But if there's any honor in this place, then you'll have to come back when I've finished my tea."
Zuko nodded, and then walked away to deal with other customers. Azula took her time with her tea, noting how her uncle hadn't lost his touch. After watching Zuko work for five minutes Azula finished her tea. With a simple wave of her hand Azula caught Zuko's attention, bringing him back for the cups.
"How was it?" Zuko asked.
"It may be the first thing you're actually good at" Azula said. "You could probably bring in the Avatar with this tea as bait."
"I don't know what you're talking about" Zuko quickly lied while picking up the teacups.
"Does that mean you've given up?" Azula asked. "You've finally realized that this life is the best you can ever hope to achieve, dear Zuzu."
Zuko dropped the teacups he was carrying, shattering as they hit the floor. He stared at Azula, and she could almost see him piecing together the hints in her words. Come on Zuzu, figure it out Azula thought. It's not like you can do anything about it.
"Get Out!" Zuko demanded.
"If that's what you want" Azula said. "Though I would be careful if I were you."
"Now!" Zuko insisted.
"Very well" Azula said.
OOOOOOOOOO
Katara stood in the middle of the throne room, wondering what to do next. It didn't take long to learn that Aang and Sokka had left Ba Sing Se, and that Toph had gone alone to visit her mother. Mai was watching Ty Lee play with Bosco while Kuei attended to matters elsewhere. Katara felt like she had been backed into a corner, no options other than to wait for her friends to return.
"So is there a reason we're just sitting around here?" Mai asked.
"Now that we're inside we need to wait for the right moment to strike" Katara said. She hoped Mai would buy that excuse, since she had no intention of doing anything against the Earth Kingdom.
"And what would that moment be?" Mai asked.
"I'm working on it" Katara said.
"Hey maybe some tea will help you think?" Ty Lee suggested. "I saw a new teashop opening up on our way here."
"Sure, why not?" Katara said. "I'll check it out."
Katara walked out of the throne room along, taking a sigh of relief. She took her time walking out of the palace, thinking about what to do next. Maybe this new teashop is the one that girl mentioned? Katara wondered as she walked down the palace steps. When she reached the bottom she wasn't paying attention to the people around her, and bumped into someone going the other way.
"Hey, watch where…" Katara started to yell, but then saw the face of the girl she bumped into, and the blue eyes that should only stare back in a mirror.
"YOU!" both girls yelled at once. Katara pulled out a war fan and swung it at Azula, who blocked by quickly waterbending a shield of ice. Azula threw her water at Katara, pushing her back several feet. She bended the water back to her and froze it into an icicle, then threw it at Katara. With both fans in hand Katara deflected it to the side.
"What's the matter, haven't figured out how to bend?" Azula taunted.
Looking around, Katara saw several people watching the sudden fight. "I don't need it" Katara said. Then she charged at Azula, swinging the fans like a pair of clubs. Azula dodged the fans and retrieved her water, then turned and ran from Katara. "Get back here!" Katara yelled.
Azula ran up the palace steps, looking for the right place to lose Katara. Just before reaching the top Azula dropped her water onto the steps below her, then froze the water into ice right before Katara reached it. Katara slipped on the ice and fell face first into the steps, stopping her for the moment. Taking advantage of her opponent's delay, Azula ran into the palace and made several turns through its hallways, and Katara lost the trail.
If she's here, I need to act now Azula thought, catching her breath in a small room. The Earth Kingdom must fall tonight.
OOOOOOOOOO
After a long flight and a detour that will never be mentioned again, Aang and Sokka arrived at Chameleon Bay. Aang was in a hurry to meet the Guru and finally master the Avatar State, so when they arrived in Aang had Appa land right next to the Water Tribe campsite. Immediately after they landed several Water Tribe warriors walked up to greet their unexpected visitors.
"Sokka, good to see you" one of the warriors said as Sokka climbed off Appa.
"Have fun" Aang said. "See you in a…"
"SOKKA!" a girl's voice yelled. Before Sokka knew what was happening he found himself tackled to the ground by a girl in blue clothing.
Looking at the girl's face, Sokka recognized it. "Suki?" he muttered. "I thought you were in Ba Sing Se?"
"What are you talking about?" Suki asked, standing up with Sokka.
"Before we left the city we were told three Kyoshi Warriors had arrived in Ba Sing Se" Sokka explained. "I thought that was you?"
"Not good" Suki muttered. "Those three girls must be using our equipment as disguises."
"What three girls?" Aang asked, jumping off Appa.
"The other warriors and I were ambushed by three Fire Nation girls a while back" Suki said. "They took us by surprise and captured us."
"Let me guess, one with blue fire, another with knife issues, and a third that should be in a circus?" Sokka asked.
"You know them?" Suki asked.
"The dangerous ladies have tried to kill us since we last visited Omashu" Sokka said. "So how did you escape?"
"That's the strangest part, the one with the blue fire let me escape" Suki said. She took a small lockpick out of her pocket and held it up. "Just before getting shipped away she slipped this into my hands, which I used to free myself."
"Weird, do you have any idea why she would do that?" Aang asked.
"I'm not sure, but it seemed like she was hiding something from the other girls" Suki guessed. "But that's not the point right now. You said there were Kyoshi Warriors in Ba Sing Se, they must be those three girls in disguise."
"But if they are in Ba Sing Se…" Aang muttered. "Katara's in danger!" he shouted. "We have to get back to Ba Sing Se!"
"What about the Guru?" Sokka asked. "You have to see him and master the Avatar State."
"That can wait" Aang said. "I have to go back there now."
"Not alone" Sokka said.
"I'm coming too" Suki said.
"Okay, climb aboard" Aang said.
Once all three of them were on Appa the sky bison flew towards Ba Sing Se. "So Suki, how did you end up with the Water Tribe?" Sokka asked.
"When I escaped my cage I was already on a Fire Nation ship" Suki said. "While trying to find a way off the ship it was ambushed by Bato's boat. I stowed away on it and it brought me here."
"Did you meet my dad?" Sokka asked.
"Yes" Suki said. "He wouldn't stop asking about you and Katara."
OOOOOOOOOO
Avoiding the fake Kyoshi Warriors, Azula found a path to the lowest levels of the palace. The guards let her enter the prison, still believing her to be an ally. Inside the metal prison she walked to the farthest cell, which contained the former advisor to the Earth King. Azula opened the door to the cell and walked inside it, finding Long Feng waiting.
"Now this is an unexpected visit" Long Feng said. "Why would a friend of the Avatar visit me in my humble prison cell?"
"You could say that I've had a change of heart" Azula said. "And I want to make a deal."
"But I have nothing to offer" Long Feng said.
"Oh but you do" Azula said. "The Dai Li are not loyal to the Earth King. They are loyal to you."
"True, but why would you want them?" Long Feng asked. "You already have the Earth King's support."
"The Earth King is a fool" Azula said. "No, I need someone competent in power, someone like you."
"And in exchange?" Long Feng asked.
"A partnership" Azula said. "You get your city back, as long as you cooperate."
"Very well, I agree to your terms" Long Feng said.
OOOOOOOOOO
After a long day of work at the Jasmine Dragon, Iroh finally closed the teashop. Iroh was pleased with the turnout for the grand opening, and would like to see many of the new faces become regular customers. Aside from two broken teacups, everything had been perfect. But despite the good day, he could see that Zuko was beginning to brood again.
"Is something bothering you nephew" Iroh asked.
"The Avatar's girlfriend was here today, while you were in the back" Zuko said.
"Did she understand what we're trying to accomplish here?" Iroh asked.
"I don't think that matters" Zuko said. "Uncle, there's something wrong with her."
"You barely know her" Iroh said. "How could you possible tell if she's different?"
"That's exactly it" Zuko said. "I know this sounds crazy, but when she talked it seemed like she was someone I do know. She called me Zuzu."
"Nephew…"
A knock on the shop's door interrupted Iroh. He opened the door and found a messenger waiting with a scroll in hand. The messenger handed a scroll to Iroh and left. When Iroh read the scroll a smile crossed his face.
"What is it Uncle?" Zuko asked.
"We have been invited to serve tea to the Earth King" Iroh said.
OOOOOOOOOO
"Azula, what happened?" Ty Lee asked.
After losing Azula, Katara walked to the private bedroom that the Earth King had provided. Washing off the Kyoshi makeup had revealed a narrow bruise just below the hairline, left there when she had fallen on the steps. It would have been a simple matter to heal it as a waterbender, but Katara didn't have that luxury. She was about to try covering up the bruise when Ty Lee and Mai had walked into the room.
"A lucky hit" Katara lied. The bruise hurt too much for her to think of a better excuse.
"I assume the person is dead lucky?" Mai asked.
"Good one Mai" Ty Lee said while laughing. "Anyway, Azula, do you mind if I take a look at that?"
"What do you know about treating bruises?" Katara asked.
"Well I picked up a thing or two at the circus" Ty Lee said. "You'd be surprised how many people get injured there."
"Fine" Katara said.
"Okay" Ty Lee said. She walked up to Katara and examined the bruise. "That will probably heal up in a week, maybe sooner with a hot towel on it."
"That sounds like a good idea" Katara said. She grabbed a small cloth from a drawer and soaked it in water, then used firebending to heat it up. Placing the hot towel over the bruise dulled the pain. Much better Katara thought.
"So what do we do next?" Mai asked.
As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. "Answer that Mai" Katara asked.
Mai walked to the door and opened it. "What is…"
A rock glove covered Mai's mouth, cutting her off. Before she could react another pair of rock gloves caught her hands and bound them behind her back, preventing her from throwing any knives. Earthbending pulled the rock out of the room, taking Mai with it. After Mai was pulled through the door, several Dai Li agents started to enter the room.
The next target for the Dai Li was Ty Lee, but she was able to dodge the rock gloves they used. Weaving between agents she struck their pressure points, paralyzing several off them. After the seventh agent was paralyzed another agent caught Ty Lee's foot with a rook glove, pinning her in one place. Unable to move out of the way with her foot stuck to the floor, the Dai Li bound her hands in rock.
With Ty Lee trapped, Katara realized that she was next. She used small blue fireblasts to set the agents' clothes on fire, taking their attention away from her. The agents on fire stopped, dropped, and rolled to put out the flames while unharmed agents moved in. The fresh agents saw Katara's fireblasts coming and blocked with earth shields, then caught her hands and feet in rock gloves.
With all three girls neutralized, the Dai Li took Ty Lee and their wounded out of the room. Once Katara was alone in the room, she saw Azula walk inside. "Since when did earthbenders take orders from you?" Katara demanded.
"Oh about an hour ago" Azula said. "I was going to wait until after the solar eclipse to bring down Ba Sing Se, but you forced my hand."
"What happens to me now?" Katara asked.
"For now, I'm going to keep you in a safe place" Azula said. "I don't fully understand just how far our little accident goes. For all I know killing you could harm me as well."
"You didn't hesitate to hurt me earlier" Katara said.
"You're still alive aren't you" Azula said. "By the way that is quite a bruise you have. I'd hate to see my face scarred like Zuzu's." Azula took a small amount of water and bended it onto Katara's bruised forehead. The water glowed for a few seconds before fading, taking the bruise with it.
"Now if you'll excuse me" Azula said. "I don't want to be late for teatime."
OOOOOOOOOO
Just outside the palace was a small building, reserved for the Earth King's private entertainment. The main room in it had its own throne for the King, smaller than the one in the palace but still grand in its own way. In front of it was a small table, with Iroh and Zuko kneeling on the other side. They were they only people in the room, and by the time Iroh started pouring tea Zuko was getting suspicious.
"What's taking so long?" Zuko asked.
"Maybe the Earth King overslept?" Iroh suggested.
Then they saw several Dai Li entering the room, surrounding them. "Something's not right" Zuko whispered to his uncle.
One the Dai Li finished surrounding Zuko and Iroh, Azula walked into the room. "It's teatime" she said.
"Katara?" Zuko said, standing up case of a likely fight.
"Have you met the Dai Li?" Azula asked. "They're earthbenders, but they have a killer instinct that's perfect for fighting firebenders. I just love it."
Iroh picked up his cup of tea and stood up beside Zuko. "Did you know that I'm called The Dragon of the West?" he asked.
"I'm not interested in a lengthy anecdote" Azula said.
"It's more of a demonstration" Iroh said, taking a sip of tea. On cue Zuko ducked behind Iroh while the old man breathed fire, taking the Dai Li by surprise and breaking their formation. He blew open a hole in the wall, creating an exit for himself and Zuko.
Together Iroh and Zuko ran through the hallway. Dai Li followed them and attempted to strike them with small pieces of rock fired from their gloves. Iroh and Zuko dodged the attacks long enough for Iroh to blow open a hole in the side of the building and jumped out of it, landing on the ground one story below.
Looking up, Iroh saw that Zuko hadn't jumped after him. "Come on! You'll be fine!" he shouted.
"No, I'm tired of running" Zuko said. "Something is very wrong here and I need to face it."
Zuko turned away from the hole in the wall, and saw Azula standing in the hallway with Dai Li agents behind her. "You're so dramatic" Azula said. "I suppose you'll want to fight me one on one now?"
"Yes, I challenge you" Zuko declared.
"No thanks" Azula said.
Zuko tried to attack Azula with a fireblast, but the Dai Li blocked it by earthbending the floor into a shield. A pair of agents launched their rock gloves, binding Zuko's feet and one of his hands to the floor. Zuko saw Azula turn and walk away right when the Dai Li used another rock glove to strike him into unconsciousness.
OOOOOOOOOO
Despite assurances from King Kuei that Katara was fine, Aang refused to believe it until he saw her face. Along with Sokka and Suki he took Appa to the house in the upper ring. Aang wanted to pick up Toph before looking for Katara, and he figured that she would have been done talking with her mother by now.
Leaving Appa waiting in front of the house, everyone walked through the front doors. Inside the silence quickly told Aang that no one was there. "Why isn't Toph back yet?" Aang wondered.
"Maybe her dad shoved her in a metal box to take her back to Gaoling?" Sokka joked.
"Wait, what" Suki said, confused by Sokka's joke.
"Oh Toph's dad has protection issues" Sokka explained.
"You guys are going to have to fill me in soon" Suki said.
"Okay, but first we need to find Katara" Aang said. He walked back to the front door and was about to open it when someone knocked on the other side. Opening the door he was surprised to find Iroh standing outside.
"I need your help" Iroh said.
Aang and Sokka immediately prepared for a fight, while Suki wondered who Iroh was. "What are you doing here?" Sokka demanded.
"May I come in?" Iroh politely asked.
Sokka looked around Iroh, and found that a certain Angry Jerk was missing. "Alright, just keep the firebending to yourself."
Iroh walked inside the house, and looked Aang straight in the eye. "This is going to sound crazy, and you will probably not believe me" Iroh said. "Katara has captured my nephew."
Aang and Sokka took a moment to process Iroh's statement. "You're right, I don't believe you" Sokka said. "She wouldn't do something like that alone."
"She was assisted by the Dai Li" Iroh said.
"The Dai Li!" Aang shouted. "Don't tell me they brainwashed her like Jet."
"I do not know" Iroh admitted. "She seemed… different. Colder."
"You barely know my sister!" Sokka shouted. "How could you possibly tell if she's different?"
"I asked my nephew the same question after he saw her at my teashop" Iroh explained. "But today she was not the kind hearted girl that I met at the North Pole. She reminded me of someone else."
"And that would be who…?" Sokka asked.
"I won't say, not until I'm certain" Iroh said. "By the spirits, I hope I'm wrong."
"Very well, we'll work together to find Katara and Zuko" Aang said. "And we'll figure out what's going on here."
"Is someone going to explain to me what's been going on in this city?" Suki asked.
"Later" Aang and Sokka said together.
"I brought someone along that might be able to help us" Iroh said. He walked outside the house and led everyone around the corner to show a Dai Li agent, bound and gagged. Iroh removed the gag from the agent's mouth, allowing the agent to speak.
"Katara and Long Feng are planning a coup, they're going to overthrow the Earth King" the agent confessed.
Sokka turned to Aang. "Please tell me Toph taught you her lie-detecting ability?" Sokka asked.
"Nope" Aang admitted.
"Figures" Sokka said. He turned back towards the agent. "Where is my sister?" he demanded.
"I don't know" the agent admitted. "But she did mention a special prisoner, kept in the crystal catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se deep beneath the palace."
"That has to be Zuko" Aang guessed.
OOOOOOOOOO
In reality, the 'special prisoner' was Katara, stripped of the Kyoshi Warrior equipment and left with basic Earth Kingdom clothes to wear. The only light in the small cave came from crystals that glowed green. There was no physical way out, leaving earthbending as the only means to access the cave. With nothing to do but wait, Katara paced in the cave to pass the time.
Unsure how long she had been in the cave, Katara heard a tunnel form with earthbending. At the top was a pair of Dai Li agents. "Enjoy your family reunion" one agent said and shoved a boy into the tunnel before closing it. Katara recognized the boy's face.
"Zuko?" she muttered.
Hearing Katara speak made Zuko instinctively take a fighting stance. "Azula!" he yelled. "What are you doing here?"
"Standing around in a cave, what else would it look like?" Katara said.
Unconvinced, Zuko kept his guard up. "Let me guess, it's a trap, so that when Uncle shows up to help me you can finally have him in your clutches."
Surprised by Zuko's assumption, Katara said nothing. What in the world happened to make him hate his own sister? Katara wondered.
"You're a terrible person, you know that" Zuko accused. "Always following us, hunting our Uncle, trying to kill a man that only wants to live a peacefully. But what do you care? You're the perfect princess, when father says kill, you say how quickly."
Katara was horrified by Zuko's description of Azula, and it showed on her face. Barely keeping herself from yelling, she said "You don't know what you're talking about."
"I Don't?" Zuko yelled. "You have no idea what father's put me through, personally! Uncle's the only person I have left!"
"I'm sorry" Katara said. Should I tell him? Katara wondered. Would he believe me?
Zuko was surprised by Katara's apology. Being uttered in Azula's voice it sounded like a foreign language, something that he had never heard before. "What is going on here?" Zuko muttered.
"What was that?" Katara asked, barely hearing what Zuko had muttered.
First Katara looses it, and now Azula is different too Zuko thought. "What really happened that night Azula?" Zuko asked. "When our mother disappeared."
"I…"
Suddenly the wall of the cave exploded, scattering small pieces of rock throughout the cave. From the new hole in the wall Katara saw Iroh and Aang emerge, followed by Sokka and Suki. Iroh layed eyes upon Zuko first, and immediately embraced his nephew.
"Aang!" Katara shouted, glad that she had finally found him. But when Aang saw her he immediately threw a blast of wind at her, pushing Katara back and slamming into the wall. Before Katara could explain, Aang earthbended the wall, creating restraints around her hands and feet.
"What have you done to Katara?" Aang demanded.
"Nothing!" Katara shouted.
"You're lying!" Sokka accused. "Where is my sister?"
"Right in front of you!" Katara shouted.
The sudden silence in the cave was deafening. Katara could see a look of understanding on Iroh's face, while Zuko's was in disbelief. Suki was simply confused, while Aang merely stared at Katara. However Sokka looked ready to explode, and rushed in to place the sharp side of his machete at Katara's throat.
"How dare you say that!" Sokka screamed. "My sister is nothing like you!" Then to his surprise Suki grabbed Sokka's hand and pulled the machete away from Katara.
"Cool it Sokka" Suki asked.
"You're defending this liar!" Sokka shouted.
"I won't pretend to understand what she meant" Suki said. "But I do know that she isn't all bad. She didn't have to let me go earlier, but she did."
"Leave her here" Zuko interrupted. "She can't harm anyone stuck like that."
"Fine!" Sokka shouted. Then he grumbled "Can't believe I'm listening to Angry Jerk…"
"Go find your friends" Iroh suggested. "We'll catch up with you."
Immediately Aang, Sokka, and Suki left the cave through a passage Aang made with earthbending. Iroh waited a few minutes to give them a head start, then led Zuko into the passage to gain some distance from Katara.
"Why Uncle?" Zuko asked, referring to coming with the Avatar
"You are not the man you used to be Zuko" Iroh stated. "You are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been. And now you have come to the crossroads of your destiny. It is time for you to choose. It's time for you to choose good."
Zuko couldn't believe what his uncle was suggesting. The actual words weren't spoken, but the meaning was still there. He was being asked to join the Avatar.
OOOOOOOOOO
When Katara was alone in the cave again, she started crying. They didn't believe me she thought. They think I'm her. She tried to break free of the restraints, but the rock held her to the wall. I'll make them understand. Even if it kills me.
Suddenly the side of the cave was opened with earthbending, and Katara saw Azula walk inside with two Dai Li agents. "How are my favorite prisoners…" she stopped talking when she saw Katara stuck to the wall. Turning to her agents, she said "Who gave the order to bind her like that?"
"No orders, this wasn't our doing" one agent said.
"In that case, cut her loose" Azula ordered. The Dai Li complied and removed the rock binding Katara. "Now where did Zuzu go?" Azula asked. "Or did you kill him while I wasn't looking?"
"Why would I kill him?" Katara asked.
Before answering, Azula dismissed the Dai Li with a wave of her hand. Once the two girls were alone Azula was ready to reply. "He's your enemy, and you're a firebender" Azula said. "And I know he hates both of us."
"Why are you really here?" Katara asked. "Surely you have better things to do than talk about Zuko."
"Quite true" Azula said. "I need your help."
Katara couldn't help but laugh. "You're insane" she said. "I would never help you."
"Maybe, unless you have the right incentive" Azula said. "You see I've plotted every move of this day. But when it's over one piece is still missing from the grand scheme. Me…"
"You?" Katara questioned.
"Yes, or rather, that face that belongs to me" Azula corrected. "As far as father knows I'm just a peasant, and it would be beyond impossible to convince him otherwise. I need you there to appease him."
"And what would I get out of this?" Katara asked.
"You mean besides getting to see the sun again?" Azula said. "You get all the perks of being a Fire Nation princess. The glory, the power, the control… well maybe not the last one."
"Of all people, you should know I don't care about any of that" Katara said.
"Okay then, if you don't join me I'll make sure your friends die very slow and painful deaths" Azula threatened. "All you have to do to keep them alive is side with me." Then she started walking towards the passage that Katara's friends had used. "You are free to choose."
OOOOOOOOOO
The passage from the cave led to a large cavern, with an artificial stream running through a long abandoned courtyard. Green crystals were everywhere, lighting up the entire cavern. Aang led the way in, being the only earthbender present.
"Katara's got to be around here somewhere" Aang muttered.
"Maybe she's up in the palace?" Suki suggested. "Can you earthbend us back up there?"
Looking up, Aang wondered how much effort it would take to lift them straight up with earthbending. "That might take a while."
"Wait up!" everyone heard a voice shout. Turning towards the voice everyone saw that Iroh was approaching through the passage, with Zuko following behind him.
"You're both still here?" Sokka questioned. "Let me guess, we're going back to the good old days where Zuko tried to capture Aang?"
"Not quite" Zuko said. "For now, I'm willing to put that aside until we get out of Ba Sing Se."
"It's a start" Aang said. "Let's get moving."
Suddenly the water from the steam was thrown towards the group, taking them by surprise. The water slammed into everyone, the current sweeping them away. Aang stopped the water around him with waterbending, but everyone else was slammed into the wall and stuck to it when the water froze around their limbs. Looking for the source of the waterbending, Aang saw Azula standing near the stream.
"Katara, what were you thinking!" Aang shouted.
"That's not Katara!" Zuko yelled. With firebending he heated the ice around him fast enough to make it explode into steam. "I don't know how or why, but that's not her!"
Despite being stuck to a wall, Sokka refused to believe Zuko. "Of course that's Katara" he said. "Katara, what's your favorite food."
"Turtleduck salad" Azula said.
"See stewed sea pru… Oh Crap!" Sokka realized.
"Indeed" Azula said. Then she pulled more water from the stream and threw it at Aang, who diverted it with his waterbending. While Aang blocked the attack Zuko attacked Azula with a fireblast, which she blocked with a shield of water.
Bending as much water as she could into a wide ring, Azula was ready to deal with Aang and Zuko. But just before she could attack, a blue fireblast hit the floor between her and her enemies. Looking towards the source of the fire, Azula saw Katara at the exit of the passage. Everyone waited for Katara to pick a side, and her choice was made clear when she threw a blue fireblast at Zuko.
Zuko jumped out of the way, then released a stream of fire at Katara. She created her own stream of blue fire which hit Zuko's fire. Red and Blue fire mixed, and the spot where they intersected moved back and forth between Katara and Zuko. While the two firebenders struggled for dominance Azula focused her attention on Aang.
The struggle between firebenders was evenly matched, neither side gaining ground against the other. The floor where fire mixed melted from the heat, and the melted rock started to flow towards both sides. Both firebenders had to stop before the melted rock approached their feet, and both jumped away from the heated area of the cavern.
"I thought you had changed!" Zuko yelled while throwing a fireblast.
"I have changed" Katara said while blocking Zuko's attack. In the corner of her vision Katara saw Azula fighting Aang, with her back turned towards Katara. Seizing the opportunity Katara threw a blue fireblast at Azula, hitting her in the back and taking her out of the fight.
Aang was surprised to see his opponent hit in the back with fire. When Azula fell to the ground Aang saw Katara behind her, a look of relief on her face. "Katara?" he questioned.
"I'm right here" Katara said. She saw Aang look at her, then Azula, and realize what had happened. And Aang fainted.
"Aang!" Katara cried out, and ran up to him. She lifted his head from where it hit the floor, then picked up the rest of him. Turning towards her friends, she saw Iroh using firebending to release them from the ice.
Sokka was the first to walk towards Katara. "So… what is your favorite food?"
"Gran-Gran's sea prunes" Katara answered.
"It really is you" Sokka admitted. Then he lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you earlier."
"How did this happen?" Suki asked. "Or is it another thing you've all neglected to tell me?"
"It was the…"
Interrupting Katara was the arrival of several dozen Dai Li, who had standing orders to assist Azula if she hadn't returned by a specific time. They burst through the walls with earthbending and surrounded everyone in the cavern.
Taking the initiative, Iroh started throwing fire at as many Dai Li as he could to draw their attention. "Zuko, grab Azula and go with the others" Iroh commanded. "I'll hold them off as long as I can."
Trusting his uncle's decision, Zuko picked up Azula. She was out cold from the burn in her back, but still breathing. Running alongside Katara, Sokka, and Suki they ran from the Dai Li. But there was nowhere to go in the cavern, since the Dai Li had sealed the exits with earthbending.
Stopping next to a waterfall that fed the cavern's stream, Katara put Aang on the floor. "Wake up" she said and slapped his cheek. She saw Aang's eyes open, and he instinctively pushed away from Katara before remembering it was her and not Azula.
"What is going on here?" Aang asked.
"No time to explain" Katara said. "Just bend the water and get us out of here."
Aang stood up and started bending the waterfall. The water wrapped around everyone and lifted them up, towards the hole in the ceiling that the water had flowed from. Once through the hole Aang carried everyone through a tunnel, which led back to the upper ring.
OOOOOOOOOO
An hour later Aang, Katara, Sokka, Suki, Zuko, and Azula were on Appa and flying away from Ba Sing Se. Zuko kept watch over Azula, just in case she woke up. As Appa flew over the city's streets everyone could see Dai Li securing their hold over Ba Sing Se, and with Azula out of the picture the city was under the complete control of Long Feng.
No one dared relax until they passed the outer wall. When they finally landed the wall was just on the horizon, and everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. Everyone climbed off Appa just in time to feel the earth rumble. In the distance everyone saw a mound of earth moving towards them, which stopped right in front of them and revealed Toph.
"So what'd I miss?" Toph asked.
Everyone stared at Toph, with no idea where to begin.
A/N: I'd really like to know what everyone thinks of this chapter. The plot bunnies are breeding again for another story and good reviews help me stay focused on this one.