The Plan

A Hero Always Comes Home

Katara felt her blood boil. She wanted to rip Zoe limb from limb.

"How can you just say so?! You're worse than Ozai!" Katara yelled. Katara felt her heart pounding. It felt like her heart was trying to burst out of her chest and destroy Zoe. She wouldn't have minded if it had.

"Hmmm let me think… I hate all of you." Zoe said sarcastically. Katara started shaking.

"How…how... can you say that?" Katara asked. Katara felt her anger draining away only to be replaced with grief.

"Do you really want me to say it again?" Zoe whispered harshly. Zoe walked over to Katara and grabbed her by the arm.

"I'm going to do you a favor and bring you back to your cell." Zoe said. Zoe walked out of the room pulling Katara to the cell. Katara stepped into the room and a foul smell engulfed her.

Katara looked around. When she saw Aang and Zuko, Katara screamed.

"What did you do to them?!"

"Me? I did nothing. I wish I had helped though." Zoe replied coldly.

"You…you monster!" Katara screeched.

"She doesn't deserve to be called a monster. It's far too honorable for filth like her." Zuko said weakly.

"Is that supposed to make me mad scar boy?" Zoe shot back. It was silent. Katara could not believe Zoe said that.



Scar boy. Zuko thought sadly. That's what people think when they see me. He saw Katara staring at him. That's what she sees when she thinks of me.

Katara felt Zoe pushing her in the chains next to Zuko. Katara just stared at Zuko, wondering why he didn't fight back. Zoe walked out of the room. The door slammed shut behind her.

Why doesn't she just dump me? Wait we aren't really together. But still…. God I hate Zoe! This is all her fault. Zuko rattled his chains in vain. Toph looked over at Zuko.

"Drop it hot head." Toph commanded.

"We need a plan."

"Really? I thought we were just going to rot in this cell and wait for the Fire Nation to rule the world!" Katara snapped.

"Katara, yelling at Toph doesn't help." Zuko reasoned.

"Oh like you can tell me about reason! You just had to go and nearly kill yourself in an Agni Ki with Azula!" Katara retorted.

"You would have done the same thing!"

"Yeah sure because waterbenders can really take part in an Agni Ki!"

"You know what I mean!"

"No apparently I don't because you have too much pride to ask for help and just have to be all mysterious about everything!" Zuko fell silent.

"Katara say you're sorry."Aang whispered. Aang bean coughing violently.

"No. I don't think I will." Katara scoffed. Toph rattled her chains.

"If you two don't make up Sokka and I won't tell you are plan." Toph threatened.



"What plan?" Zuko and Katara said in unison.

"Make up." Toph demanded.

"And promise to stay away from my sister." Sokka chirped.

"No. I'm their biggest fan girl! So ponytail you need to shut it!" Toph snapped.

"Why are they so quiet?" Toph asked after a moment.

"They're blushing." Sokka pouted.

"Oh. Well like I said make up!"

"Fine." Katara huffed. It took a couple moments.

"I'm sorry." They said in unison.

"Aw a fluffy moment." Everyone turned to look at Sokka.

"What? It wasn't me!" Sokka protested. The group then looked at the doorway. Zoe was leaning against the door frame. Zoe looked up.

"Oops sorry lovebirds. Did I ruin the moment?" Zoe smirked.

"No you ruined our lives when you were born." Sokka shot back.

"Then I'm doing my job right."

"What job?" Zuko asked.

"Ruining your lives. It's a hobby." Zoe laughed.

"Get out of here Zoe." Aang said. He sounded like he was whispering but he just didn't have the strength to yell.

"Hmm I don't think so." Zoe smiled a wicked smile, like she knew something they didn't.

"What Zoe?"

"I know something you don't know!" Zoe sang cheerfully.

"What?"

"Ask nicely."

"Tell us or I'll break out of these chains and rip you limb from limb."

"Zuzu that's not asking nicely." Zoe smirked.



"Please?" Zuko hated himself for saying it, but he wanted to know what was going on.

"Please what?" Zoe eyes sparkled gleefully. Zuko gave up.

"Pleasetelluswhatsgoingon!" Katara rushed.

"What? I can't understand you." Zoe smirked.

"Please tell us what's going on." Katara gulped.

"You guys really need to work on your manners. Well….. Sozin's Comet is going to arrive in exactly…. Two days."

"WHAT?!" Toph screeched.

"You heard me." Zoe replied airily.

"You're lying."

"I'm a lot of things. But I'm not a liar." Zoe walked out of the room slamming the metal door behind her.

"Listen we have a plan."

"We'll you better start talking then." Katara sighed.

"Simple. Someone fights Azula, Hama and Ozai for a couple minutes. The rest of us break our bonds and go to help. Iroh goes to reclaim Ba Seng Se."

"How can we break our bonds?"

"How did Zoe melt Mai's knives? Freeze them, and then heat them up." Aang could do the heating up part, Katara could do the freezing. Then Sokka and I will go with Aang and free the prisoners. You and Zuko will distract Hama, Azula and Ozai. Then Sokka once he frees Suki, will bring the prisoners to help fight. Aang will take on the Firelord, I'll take on the Dai Lee, Zuko will take on Azula and Katara will fight Hama. At Ba Seng Se, the white locus society will help Iroh. Teo, the Duke, Chit Sang and Hadoka are probably on their way here. Any questions?"



"Yeah how are we all supposed to get outside? And how is Iroh going to get to Ba Seng Se?"

"Iroh escaped and alerted everyone that needed to be alerted." Toph finished. Azula burst into the room

"Where is Iroh?" Azula screamed.

"What are you talking about?" Katara asked innocently.

"He escaped two days ago! Where did he run to?"

"No idea." Toph replied mimicking Zoe's airy tone. Zoe walked in.

"What's going on?" Zoe asked.

"Iroh escaped! Where did he go?"

"He ran to hide in one of the Air temples. He talked about it in his sleep." Zoe responded, airily as usual.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Azula screeched.

"You never asked."

"Zoe! If your loyalties begin to waver, or I see your not giving it you're all… You'll meet the same fate as them."

"What fate?" Zuko asked.

"Oh Zuzu, didn't you guess? On the day of the Comet, we will wipe out the biggest threat to the fire Nation. Permanently."

Azula walked out of the room.

"You kill me? Ha that's funny. You couldn't. Sorry." Zoe called after her.

Azula just walked away. Zoe turned back to the Gang.

"Well I'm sure you're very happy. Oh Aang don't worry. You'll probably die before the Comet comes." Zoe broke the silence that had settled in.

"We're going to die! This is all your fault!" Zuko yelled.

"You could say that." Zoe said thoughtfully.

"What would Nate say?" Katara asked venomously. Zoe's eyes betrayed her.



"Wh-What are you ta-talking about?" Zoe stammered.

"I never told him-" Katara mocked.

"Shut UP!" Zoe yelled with such force the bottom of her dress caught fire.

"What's wrong Zoe? You don't want me to say it?" Katara hissed.

"SHUT UP!" Zoe punched Katara in the face. Katara laughed hollowly.

"You think that would stop me from saying it?"

"I don't care! Shut your mouth! You don't know what you're saying!"

"I don't? Really?" Katara hissed.

"I didn't mean it! I don't- I don't" Zoe stuttered, backing up. She looked like she was about to puke.

"You don't love him?" Katara whispered. Zoe paled.

"I don't love anyone!" Zoe screamed. Zoe was out of her comfort zone. She couldn't handle this. Nate's face popped into her head.

I'll find you when this is all over I'll find you. Zoe backed up.

"Wait an actual guy liked Zoe?" Sokka laughed.

"SHUT UP!" Zoe screeched. Zoe felt her head spinning. She knew she was on the verge of tears. She needed to get out of here.

"Why do you look so sad? I thought you didn't like him." Katara hissed. Zoe walked away, shaking inside.

They didn't mean it. They didn't mean it. They didn't mean it. Zoe repeated over and over, in her head. Zoe felt sick to her stomach.

"That was mean."

"Toph! How can you say that? She betrayed us! She's the reason we're about to die!"

"She was scared. She was freaking out, Katara. I felt her vibrations." Toph replied calmly.



"Are you saying you felt bad for her? She deserves to be scared! After all she's done you how can you even think about pitying her?" Katara snapped.

"Because she's a person too! And a person doesn't deserve to feel that scared! " Toph yelled back.

"Toph…. She's a traitor. She's more than happy to let us die." Zuko said quietly.

"I wonder if I really am the blind one." Toph muttered.

"Toph! She betrayed us! It's over. We're done. We failed." Zuko replied sadly.

It was silent for the next couple of hours.

"Someone's coming." Toph shook her chains.

"Who's coming?" Sokka asked.

"I don't know. They're coming through the vents."

Suddenly a cloaked figure jumped down. The figure stood up and picked up a bag and opened it. The figure pulled out a green plant and walked towards Aang.

The figure stood there for a moment. Aang lifted his head weakly.

"Who are you?"

"I don't think names really matter right now." The figure replied gently, with a fake accent. Something about this person reminded Toph of someone.

"Tell us who you are." Zuko demanded. The figure was completely cloaked and the face was covered.

"I know your names. That is enough." Toph gasped as she realized who this was. The figure held up the green plant.

"Eat this." The figure unchained Aang and caught him before he fell.



"Just eat it. Fast. There's not a lot of time."

"Why?" Sokka asked. The figure remained silent and unchained them all. Zuko moved to uncover the figure's face but Toph stopped him.

"If whoever this is doesn't want to be revealed, then they don't have to be." Toph whispered harshly. The figure stood up, after handing each of them a green plant.

"I'm giving you five minutes. Then I have to chain you up. I'll help make sure your plan works." The figure then stepped outside the cell.

Katara ran up to Sokka and hugged him. Toph crawled over to Aang and whispered to him.

Zuko sat by himself.

"Go ahead." Sokka whispered to Katara.

"What?"

"Go to talk to him. I promise I won't kill him…yet." Katara smiled and went over to Zuko.

"You okay?" She asked as she sat down by him. Zuko was staring at the floor.

"I'm sorry." Zuko mumbled.

"For what?"

"It's my fault, if I hadn't followed her… I just wanted to make sure she was okay. I didn't want her to get hurt. Uncle… he wouldn't be able to take it." Zuko mumbled.

"Zuko…" Katara wasn't sure what to say. The figure had walked back in.

"Zuko… You love her don't you? But not like that… like a little sister?"

"Yes." Zuko sighed. Katara hugged him. The figure stood there for a minute. A tear trickled down the figure's cheek, unseen by the Gang.

Toph blushed.

"Aang… if we're going to die…. I just wanted to tell you…." Toph mumbled.

"I…well…I…think I love you." Toph said quietly. Toph turned a beet red. Aang looked at Toph for a moment, and then he kissed her. Toph blushed even harder.

"I love you too." In response, Toph punched his arm.

The figure helped Aang up and chained him.

"Thank you." Aang smiled. The figure chained the rest of them up. The figure climbed back into the vent. The figure crawled back to her room, and took off her black cloak and sat down on her bed and cried for a while.

I know who will fight Ozai, Hama, and Azula. It's suicide. They'll die. The figure shook her head, as if to block those thoughts.

If I have to die...So be it.