Broken Spirits

A Hero Always Comes Home

"Ok now you're over exaggerating." Sokka protested.

"No I'm not. I'm bleeding." Katara yelled in anguish.

"What? How?" Zuko asked, his face was full of worry.

"I don't know." Katara said. She moaned. The chains were digging into her skin. One of the guards walked in.

"Is there a problem?" the guard asked warily.

"She's bleeding!" Sokka yelled.

"So?" the guard asked lazily. Suddenly Zoe appeared.

"What's your name?" Zoe asked quietly. The guard noticed Zoe's glare and started to shake.

"Ch-Chan."

"I see. So Chan why didn't you report to me or Azula?"

"I didn't see it as a problem."

"Well it is. You're fired. Get out of here immediately." Zoe ordered. Chan bolted. Zoe walked over to Katara.

"I'm going to unchain you. You are not going to try to escape. Understand?" Katara remained silent, though the agony was unbearable.

"I can't help you if you don't cooperate." Katara remained silent.

"Fine! Bleed to death for all I care!" Zoe yelled angrily.

"Please Zoe. Help her." Zuko said quietly. He hated himself for begging to a traitor like Zoe, but you do crazy things when you're in love. Zoe stared at Zuko for a moment, then nodded curtly and unchained Katara. 

Katara fell to the ground with a thump. Her arms were pouring blood. Zoe paled. Zoe poured a little water on the blood, and raised it up.

"Katara I need you to roll over."

"If you hurt her…" Zuko began. Zoe cut him off.

"I get you'll kill me. Now shut it lover boy and let me concentrate."

Zoe poured the blood back into Katara through the wound. Katara gasped.

"Don't move! I'm not done!" Zoe snapped. Zoe poured out a little more water and began healing the wounds. Within minutes Katara was healed. Azula walked into the room.

"Why did you help her?" Azula asked.

"I'm not letting them bleed to death!" Zoe snapped back.

"Why?"

"Because dead men don't talk."

"And?"

"If the Hadoka's daughter dies, then she can't tell us the weakness of the North and South pole. And you can't hold dead people for ransom."

"Good point. You're in charge of the peasant." Azula thought out loud.

"Ok." Zoe said uneasily.

"I'm going to keep her in the room next to mine." Zoe said after a moment.

"There isn't one."

"Then make one. I need an infirmary."

"I'll ask Father." Azula said as she walked away.

"Why do you need an infirmary?" Sokka asked.

"You didn't honestly think we'd just let you rot in here did you?" Azula laughed as she walked out of the room.

"What do you mean?" Sokka asked nervously. Zuko closed his eyes.



"They're going to torture us." Zuko answered grimly.

"And we can't torture people that are dead." Zoe stated grimly. Toph looked up.

"Lover boy. That was a good one." Toph laughed.

"Why are you laughing?" Sokka yelled.

"Because I'm not going to just sit here and cry. I'm gonna bust out of here and laugh. And when I do I'll be laughing. So I need practice." Toph replied simply.

Azula walked back into the room.

"Father thinks it's a wonderful idea. I took the credit." Azula smiled.

"I don't care." Zoe replied flatly.

"Good." Azula walked over to Zuko.

"A certain someone wants to see you Zuzu. I decided to let her out of the boiling rock to come visit you. You remember Mai don't you?" Azula laughed cruelly. Mai walked into the room.

"So this is what you've become." Zoe motioned for a guard to help Katara up and whispered to the guard. The guard walked away with Katara.

Zuko didn't look up.

"A letter? That's all I got?"

"Wow. I'm surprised. I didn't know Zuko could spell. It must have taken him a while." Zoe said. Mai glared at her.

"Shut up!" Mai demanded.

"Make me!" Zoe challenged. Mai threw knives at her. Zoe froze them and then heated them up. The knives melted.

"You'll have to do better than that." Zoe said coolly. Mai opened her mouth and then closed it again.



"You should go buy more of your knives. Zoe taunted. Mai walked out of the room.

"What do you have against her?" Azula asked with interest. Zoe looked at Azula.

"No one tells me to shut up." Zoe walked out of the room.

Katara looked at the infirmary. Everything was red. The guard had Katara lie down on one of the beds. There was a beautiful view of the ocean. Something compelled her to escape and run far away, but Katara had to stay. She just couldn't leave her friends.

Zoe walked into a dark cell. A small window let in tiny rays of sunlight. Iroh was chained to the wall inside a cage.

"Iroh…" Zoe said quietly.

"Hush child."

"I can't keep this up any longer!"

"I know." Iroh pitied the girl.

"You have to be strong Zoe. Only a little bit longer." Zoe sighed. I can't wait for this to finally end. Zoe walked out of the cell, slamming the door behind her.

Katara heard someone come in.

"How's your arm?" Zoe asked. The question was friendly but the coldness in Zoe's voice reminded Katara that she was still the enemy.

"Fine." Katara responded coldly.

Zoe walked over to her and sat on the bed next to her.

"Why did you help me and Zuko?" Katara asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Zoe replied simply.



"Before you covered for me and Zuko in front of Ozai. Remember?" Katara wondered why she was acting strangely.

"I didn't cover for you. You guys aren't together." Zoe said quietly but fiercely. Katara caught on.

"Oh yeah you're right."

"I always am." Zoe said quietly.

"You weren't right to betray us." Katara tried to keep her voice level but she was feeling lightheaded and weak. She wasn't sure if it was from the loss of blood or all the emotions that were surging through her.

"I wasn't on your side. I never was. I didn't betray anyone." Zoe said quietly.

"Yes you were." Katara protested softly. Zoe walked over to the window and stared out into the distance. Zoe felt very tired all of the sudden. Zoe heard Katara sigh.

Toph's stomach grumbled.

"I miss meat." Sokka moaned.

"I miss being able to beat you up when you said that." Toph snapped back.

"Really? I thought you were going to say Aang." Zuko snapped.

"Wait Toph likes Aang?" Sokka asked.

"Sparky I'm going to kill you! You are so lucky I'm chained up right now!" Toph threatened. Zuko laughed a low hollow laugh.

Suddenly Azula walked in the room. She was dragging something along the ground. That something was tiny, bald and had a blue arrow on his head.



"What did you do to him?" Zuko asked angrily. It wasn't human to break someone like that. Poor kid. But Zuko didn't pity him. His rage controlled him.

"Agni Ki!" Zuko challenged. Azula dropped Aang. One of the guards picked Aang up and chained him to the wall next to Toph. Azula laughed.

"In your state, it would hardly be a fight."

"Sounds like you're scared." Toph taunted. Azula filled with fury. She pointed to the guard. The guard bowed and unchained Zuko.

"Tell Zoe to come to the courtyard immediately, and to have 10 guards watching the water tribe peasant."

"She's not a peasant!" Aang protested weakly.

"Shut up!" Azula snapped. Azula walked out of the room. Zuko rubbed his wrists and breathed in. Zuko walked calmly out of the room. He bumped into Zoe on his way to the courtyard.

"I'd wish you good luck, but it wouldn't help." Zoe said quietly. Zuko glared at Zoe. He missed Uncle. Uncle would warn him with some proverb, or yell at Zuko's stupidity.

"Where's Iroh?" Zuko asked, trying to level his voice.

"Somewhere in the palace." Zoe responded. Zuko grunted. He knew Zoe wouldn't talk. Zoe speed up and walked away. Zuko calmed his nerves and proceeded to the courtyard.

The fresh air hit Zuko. He hadn't realized how much he missed it. Zoe was talking to Azula. Azula laughed her cold maniacal laugh. Zuko prepared to fight. Azula went into a fighting position and attacked. Zuko fell backwards.

"Do you honestly go down that fast brother?" Azula laughed again.



Zuko cursed himself. He was so weak. He struggled to get up and fight. He shot a fireball at Azula's heart. Azula dodged it easily. Zuko tried to make a fire shield and just burned himself.

Zoe looked on. Just give up Zuko. You can't win this. Zoe felt Azula's eyes on her. Zoe acted as though she didn't care.

"You're losing you're touch Zuzu." Azula taunted. Zuko ran at her with fire in his back hand. Azula stopped his hand.

"Now what?" Azula whispered. Zuko smiled and kicked Azula in the stomach and made a fist. A flame shot through it and grew to a huge fireball and directed at Azula. Azula blocked it easily. Azula got up and shot lightening at him. Zuko tried to redirect it but felt the lightning coursing through him. He couldn't direct it back. He was too weak to fight the energy fighting against him. Zuko fell to the ground. Azula laughed. The lightning shot through Zuko, and nearly hit Zoe. Zoe raised her hand and the lightning turned to water. The water splashed noisily. Zuko suddenly became aware his was bleeding out of the corner of his mouth. Azula motioned for one of the guards to take Zuko back to the cell. Azula walked away. Zoe watched one of the guards take Zuko away. Zoe sighed heavily and walked back to the infirmary.

Sokka looked at Zuko.

"What did they to you buddy?" Zuko couldn't answer. Sokka looked at Aang.

"Toph they are-"



"I know. I can hear their breathing. I'll kill Azula for doing this." Zuko heard all of this. He desperately wanted to tell them about how Zoe had turned the lightning to water. But he couldn't he tried to move his lips but nothing came out.

Katara heard Zoe walk back into the room.

"What happened?" Zoe walked over to the window.

"Answer me! I need to know what's going on!" Katara felt her anger taking over her. Katara stood up angrily and walked over to Zoe.

"Start talking!" Katara yelled. Zoe turned to face Katara. Zoe's bright blue eyes looked gray and misty.

"Or what?" Zoe asked gravely. Katara felt her blood boil. Katara punched Zoe in the face. Zoe looked surprised.

"Tell me what's going on!" Katara yelled.

"Your boyfriend is on the verge of death because he challenged Azula to and Agni Ki, Aang is either dead or dying. Now tell me are you happy I told you?" Zoe asked angrily as she wiped away the blood that was trickling out of the corner of her mouth.

"What?! This is all your fault! If you hadn't betrayed us then it wouldn't be like this!" Katara ranted. Zoe looked Katara straight in the eye as Katara continued to rant.

"They're broken because of you! They won't fight back! You might not have killed them on the outside but because of you they're dead in the inside. They're spirits are broken! Because of you!" Katara felt her anger melt away to be replaced with guilt. She had never ranted at someone like that and it felt really good but really mean. But her guilt washed away when she saw Zoe's blank face.



"So?"