Chapter Twelve: Where Did Time Go?
Sokka stood on the shore staring up at the nearly full moon. Tomorrow was his sister's birthday and the day of black sun. If all went as planned, they'd weaken the forces enough for Katara's plan.
"Sokka?" Aang said stepping up next to him.
"Hey Aang." he turned to the young air bender. "Why are you up?"
"Couldn't sleep." he replied. "I'm worried about Katara."
"Are you still trying to win her heart?" Sokka sighed.
Aang blinked. "What? No. I told you, the love I have for her is not what I thought it was. I never realized it before, but she's like a mother to me."
Sokka smiled. "Glad to hear that. And don't worry, Katara can take care of herself. Iroh said the fire lord ordered Zuko to be at her side constantly. Something about Jet breaking in to kidnap her and Zuko was the first one there."
"Wait, how is it the fire lord hasn't recognized his own son?" Aang asked scratching his head.
Sokka shrugged. "Katara fooled us remember. I'm sure she did something to him too."
They sat in silence for the rest of the night. Each wondering how tomorrow would go, and wondering how a certain blue eyed girl was dealing with the fire lord.
Azula was furious. Her father had locked her in her room for the past week. She would be allowed out for the invasion in order to prove herself. She was allowed one visitor a day, and it was always Mai. It was during one of these visits that she found out Mai's father had taken her knives from her, rendering her useless.
It was the night before the invasion and she planned on taking out the water bender's brother. If the wench was going to ruin her family, she was going to destroy hers.
Toph and Ty Lee had been moved to a small room after they played lie detector. They were grateful for being out of the cell, but it didn't give them a chance to sneak out as much. At the moment, Toph was about to squish Ty Lee.
"If you don't settle down, I'll bury you alive." Toph growled.
Ty Lee stopped bouncing around. "What's the matter?"
Toph sighed. "The fact that tomorrow is the invasion, and the following day is Katara's so called wedding. I don't even know what's supposed to happen. Katara told me I'm not supposed to show my strength until she signals me."
Ty Lee sighed. "Not even the White Lotus knows what she's planning. As far as I know, she's going through with the wedding."
Toph shook her head. "No she won't. I think she's got something planned for the wedding. Go to bed."
Ty Lee cocked her head to the side in curiosity, but obeyed the earth bender. The little blind girl was fearsome when she was cranky.
Longshot and the rest of the freedom fighters managed to slip into the capitol unnoticed. It was an amazing feat, seeing as it was more than eleven hundred men and women. They were hiding in the homes of fire nation families throughout the capitol, all of whom hated Ozai. Half of them were hidden throughout the palace as well, though none of the Freedom Fighters were to attack the day of black sun.
They all followed orders from one person, and she was the one putting the most on the line if they lost. They had a small group stationed near the coast where the invasion group would be coming in. Their job was to be decoys during the retreat.
Longshot wondered when the Avatar lost his authority, but shook his head. He realized, the kid had power not authority. He could tell the boy wanted nothing to do with this war. He was an air bender, and like his element, he wanted nothing to do with confrontations. If what Smellerbee wrote to him was true, the fire lord wouldn't be much of a fight.
Ozai stared at the portrait of his traitorous wife Ursa. He knew she was still alive, but he was the only one. This new woman would make a fine fire lady, but he'd need to break her spirit to obey him.
He smiled as he thought of what tomorrow would bring. His new bride would be able to wed, but she asked if she could watch the invasion. He said he would allow it as long as Li was with her. He was quite fond of the boy, and was thinking of making him an actual guard with high rank.
Not once did he find a trace of attraction in the boy for his future wife. He had crept into her room a night later to find him sitting on the foot of the bed prepared with a sword to attack any unwanted guests. When the boy requested the sword he was hesitant, but Katara convinced him it would make her feel more protected.
On top of all of the excitement, he had been waking up with horrible headaches. Halfway through the day, he would get dizzy spells and have to take a nap. His daughter was heard in the next room throwing a tantrum, and it was making his headache worse. He started to wonder if his daughter was having him poisoned.
He sighed and laid down to sleep. He decided to only watch the beginning of the invasion. Just to laugh at the insanity of the other nations.
Zuko watched as Katara went through her bending moves. He noticed she was completely relaxed and hated her for it. She acted as if it was the most normal thing in the world to be getting married to the monster of a fire lord. Not to mention the invasion. Her family would be invading tomorrow and she shrugged it off everytime he mentioned it.
"Rrrahhh!" he growled. "How can you do that?"
She stopped and looked at him. "Do what?"
"Act as if it's an ordinary day. Like tomorrow no invasion is happening, or the next day you're marrying my ..." he snapped.
She rolled her eyes. "Everything will be fine. The only thing I worry about is your sister. She will be going after my brother to hurt me. That is why I plan on watching."
"What about Toph and Ty Lee?" he whispered.
"They are going to follow along with everyone else." she smiled. "Ozai agreed to do a water tribe wedding, our weddings are during the full moon."
He raised an eyebrow. "Is that true?"
She winked. "It is now. Plus the wedding will be held in a courtyard. He is allowing you to give me away, and Toph will be by my side." She giggled at his frown. "Don't worry, you'll catch on."
He pouted and laid down to sleep. "If you won't tell me, I'm going to bed."
She sighed and sat next to him on the bed. "It's not that I don't want to tell you, it's..."
"You don't trust me." He said quietly.
She scowled and grabbed his face to force him to look at her. "You're an idiot!" she said dangerously. "If I didn't trust you, I'd have sent you with the rest of them to the rendezvous point. I wouldn't have let you stay with me all through those villages. Or trust you to carry me back to our rooms when I was too tired. Or allow you to help me get dressed."
He blushed. "Then why won't you clue me in?"
She let out a sad laugh. "Because you react better when you're surprised. And you're not the only one who doesn't know. Toph and Ty Lee are clueless as well. Sokka, Smellerbee, and Longshot are the only ones to know what's going on. Everyone else just knows their orders."
"What about Aang?" he questioned. "Shouldn't he know?"
She shook her head. "He wouldn't agree. Sokka knows what he needs to tell him. I just hope he figured out how to open the Avatar state again."
"What do you mean?" Zuko froze.
"In Ba Sing Se, he couldn't activate the avatar state because he was in love with me." she wrinkled her nose. "I just hope Sokka knocked some sense into him."
Zuko blinked. "You would turned down the avatar? He's the most powerful bender alive."
She sighed. "Go to sleep. It's going to be an exciting few days. We'll need our rest."
He went to object but found her sleeping already. He sighed and allowed sleep to take him.
Ozai, Azula, Katara, and Zuko stood on a high balcony watching the invasion ship dock. She glanced at Ozai out of the corner of her eye, and saw him smiling despite the sweat running down his face.
"Father? Are you feeling well?" Azula smiled sweetly.
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Yes Azula. I fear I won't be able to watch the whole invasion. I already feel the effects of the eclipse." He said tiredly. "Li, are you a bender?"
Azula whipped around to look at the servant beside the wench. She'd forgotten he was there. Now, she'd have to plan more careful.
"Yes sir, but I have my sword." he replied. "Should anyone try and take Princess Katara, I will fight."
Ozai nodded. "I leave you in charge of her safety. Azula, should they breach the inner city, I give you free reign."
Azula waited until her father left. "So, wench, ready to see your brother die?" she sneered.
Zuko tensed at this, hoping Azula wasn't foolish enough to attack Katara. "Princess Azula, is that needed? Of course she doesn't want her brother to die, even if he is on the wrong side."
"Only weaklings hold family in high regards." Azula spat.
"I know all about where your loyalty lies with your family." Katara said calmly as she watched her brother grow closer to the palace. She was grateful he left her father behind. "Speaking of, did I tell you when I attempted to heal your brother, it only bought him an hour of life."
Zuko cringed. "Prince Zuko is dead?" he asked feeling awkward.
Azula snapped her head up to look at Katara. "You lie! You healed Mai just fine! He's not dead."
For the first time in her life, Katara saw a shred of humanity in the insane woman in front of her. "The lightening boiled his blood. I could do nothing to heal him. Do you know what his last words were?" Azula looked at her expectantly. "Azula always lies." Katara smirked as she said it.
Zuko was ready when Azula launched herself at the water bender. He pinned her against the balcony wall. It was the first time he was this close to her since they were kids, and it was the first time he realized she had lost her mind long ago.
"You have work to do Azula." Katara interupted her tantrum. "They reached the inner city."
Zuko let her go prepared to catch her again, but she took off for the battle. He turned around scold her for provoking Azula, to find her in her brother attire and Smellerbee slipping into her dress.
"What's going on?" he demanded and jumped when she smeared something on the left side of his face. "What's this?"
She tossed him clothes. "Quick brother, we need to even the odds against Azula. Most of those men are non benders. Bee, where's... oh good. Remember, when you see my signal return to my quarters. We'll be coming in the balcony." Smellerbee nodded as they turned to jump over the balcony.
Zuko had no idea what was going on, and it set his nerves on edge. He felt his adrenaline kick in and the taste of the fights to come. He felt the eclipse start and was grateful Azula found swords boring, but she still had her throwing daggers.
"Damnit, the eclipse is already starting to end." He heard Katara hiss.
He looked up ahead and saw Azula throw dagger after dagger at Sokka. So far, he was blocking them, but something distracted him to his right and a dagger stuck in his leg.
"Damnit!" For the first time he heard worry in her voice. "Oh no, she's got her bending back."
Zuko darted in front of her and blocked Sokka from being struck by lightening. He saw Katara wave Sokka over for her to heal him as he distracted his sister.
"Zuzu!" Azula stood still for a moment. "The water wench said you were dead."
He smirked at her. "I was, but you know me. She left before she found out." He shot a fire ball at her. "You should know by now I never give up, and you'll never beat me."
She screamed as she shot lightening at him and missed. "Damn you Zuko! You ruin everything!" Every shot she took missed him.
He saw a flash of blue run back toward the shore calling retreat, and didn't see her lightening headed for him. He had no time to prepare for it, but he felt the ground meet his shoulder. When he opened his eyes he saw the lightening redirected to the sky.
"Long time no see Princess." Katara said in her brother voice. "How's the leg? Still hurt? It must because your aim sucks."
"You!" Azula hissed as she prepared to strike again. "I'll kill you this time."
Katara easily dodged the next four strikes. "This is getting boring. Come on, even your brother gets hits in when we train."
Azula lost what little composure she had left and shot the biggest bolt of lightening anyone had seen. Katara prepared to redirected it and felt Zuko grab her arm from behind.
"It'll take both of us to redirect it." he whispered as the lightening hit.
Azula watched in morbid fascination as the largest bolt hit them and was rebounded on her. She didn't even try to move. If they could redirect her strongest bolt, then she was a failure. As the lightening burned through her body she saw her brother looking down on her with pity in his eyes.
Katara knelt down next to her as the last of the lightening left her system. "Azula." she said calmly. "I can heal you if you wish it. Your nerves will be damaged and you may lose your bending."
Azula let out a dry choked laugh. "Let me die. I've failed against a nameless peasant and my banished brother." she coughed.
"I am not nameless." Katara smiled sadly.
Zuko rubbed the make up from his face and bent down to face his sister. "Zula, I hope you find peace."
She stared at the boy in front of her. "Right under our noses." she coughed and looked to Katara. "Water... Katara."
Katara nodded and drew a dagger out. "Do you wish me to end your suffering?"
Azula eyed the dagger and nodded in acceptance. "Just tell me one thing." Katara nodded as the dagger poised over her heart. "The invasion was a decoy? Your wedding is the..."she began coughing.
"Yes Azula. It is." Katara smiled sadly. "Zuko... now is the time to look away."
Azula reached for him and he took her hand. "Goodbye Zuzu."
"Bye Zula." he said keeping his eyes on her face as Katara ended her suffering. He never heard the dagger enter, but he felt Azula's hand loosen and slip from his grasp.
"Let's go." Katara said putting a hand on his shoulder. "We'll send someone to get her."
He looked at his sister's body and found no stab wound. "I thought you were going to end her suffering?"
Katara gave him a sad smile. "I stopped her heart. It wasn't hard after the lightening hit her, only being a bender kept her alive."
They landed on her bedroom balcony and found Smellerbee and her friend Xon waiting for them anxiously. Katara and Zuko stripped down quickly and hid their disguises.
"Thanks." Katara said as she dropped down on the bed. "Any trouble?"
Smellerbee shook her head. "We heard a horrific scream though."
"That was Azula." Zuko said solemnly. "We... I... she's gone."
Katara frowned and held her hand out to him. "You didn't kill her Zuko. She chose not to live. You know as well as I do, she could have moved out of the way. She chose not to." She saw how guilty he looked. "Will you two send someone to retrieve Azula's body? Tell them I sent you."
When they left she laid back on the bed and allowed Zuko to lay his head on her stomach as she played with his hair. "Zuko, you can't feel bad about it. Did you see how free she was just before..."
"She was the little sister I remembered before Father ruined her." he let one tear fall for her. "I know she could have jumped away, and that you could have healed her, but I am grateful it happened. Does that make me a horrible person?"
She froze. "Zuko... am I a horrible person for burning those nobles alive? Or for poisoning your father? How about for torturing those people that poisoned you?" she asked continuing to run her hands through is raven locks.
He looked up at her. "No. You had reasons to do that. You were protecting humanity."
She gave him a weak smile. "Perhaps. But I am a monster for using my blood bending for evil purposes."
"You're no monster." he said sitting up.
"Goodnight Zuko." he watched as she fell asleep and followed soon after.