Author's Note: Yay, new chapter a day earlier than promised! I knew you would hate me for the cliffhanger :3

"You…"

Zuko moved closer to her, hesitant as he approached the hooded Freedom Fighter. It had to be Kai. That's what Jet had called her as the Dai Li pulled him away. She had been right there in front of him and he had been too blind to see her. At least…if it was her. His uncertainty gave him pause and he studied the hooded figure a moment, unsure of whether he should remove her hood or not.

"Why'd you run?" he asked, hoping he would receive an answer. No response came and he reached out, his hope rising. It could be her. His fingers brushed the fabric and he glanced down, studying the shadowed face in case there was any resistance to his touch. Slowly, he pulled the hood back and a few strands of golden hair fell forward. He was motivated to move the hood back and a flood of emotion rushed through him as his eyes took in the face of his beloved.

"Kai," he whispered, his fingers stroking her cheek. She shied away from his touch and her blue eyes opened to look up at him. They were guarded and he dropped his hand, taken aback by the look. She had never looked at him like that. He frowned, his anger growing when she shifted her gaze away from him.

"Why are you with Jet?" he demanded. She remained silent and refused to look at him, causing his anger to grow. "Answer me!"

"Jet's dead," she replied, her voice cracking. She moved away from him and slid to the floor, burying her face in her hands. He grit his teeth at how upset she was over this. Why did it matter if Jet died? He was an idiot. A realization hit him and he felt his heart beginning to break.

"You loved him…" he deduced, looking away. A harsh laugh escaped her and his eyes flickered back to her tear streaked cheeks, the golden orbs filling with confusion.

"Hardly," she answered, her voice cold as if the memory of Jet disgusted her. "They brainwashed him and he took us under the lake and into a trap."

By "us" she must mean the other Freedom Fighters. What were their names? Longshot and Smellerbee, weren't they?

"Then what?" he asked, his fists unclenching now that he knew that another man hadn't captured her heart.

"I left them to die," she said softly, looking away with eyes focused on something not in the cavern. "There were so many and we needed to get out. Longshot said they would be fine but I knew he was lying. I should have stayed. They would have lived. But he told me Aang needed me and I left." She looked up at him, the guilt clouding her eyes. "They needed me and I left to help the Avatar."

"You're with the Avatar now?" he asked, conflicting emotions suddenly warring inside of him.

"I need his help," she said, looking down at her hands.

"How? What can he do to help you that I can't?" he demanded, crouching down in front of her.

"He knows what's right."

"You don't know that."

"Neither do you, Zuko. You're confused."

"What are you talking about?"

"I can see it on your face. Just because I left doesn't mean I don't know you."

He frowned, glancing away. Silence fell between them a moment before he moved so he was sitting next to her.

"Is that why you left?" he asked, leaning his head back against the stone wall. There was no point in getting angry if they were going to be trapped in here a while, so me might as well just talk to her.

"I asked you first. You just wouldn't listen, so I found somebody who would help me."

He mulled over her words a moment before looking at her and studying her profile. "Do you want to know what I think now?" he asked.

The rumbling of the wall moving aside again captured Kai's attention and cut Zuko off from what he was about to say. Kai got to her feet and frowned as a Dai Li agent pushed Katara in. He quickly closed the wall and the waterbender ran up to it, banging her fists on it.

"Let me out!" she hollered.

"Katara," Kai said, causing the waterbender to turn in surprise.

"Kai! They got you too? Azula's in the-"

"I know," the firebender said, cutting her off. "She put me in here."

The waterbender's blue eyes focused on something just behind her and widened in surprise. "Zuko! Kai, this has to be a trap! When Aang comes looking for me, they'll capture him." She reached out and grabbed Kai, pulling her further away from Zuko. "You're a terrible person, you know that? Always following us, hunting the Avatar, trying to capture the world's last hope for peace! But what do you care? You're the Fire Lord's son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood."

"Katara, calm down," Kai said.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Zuko added.

"I don't? ! How dare you! You have no idea what this war has put me through. Me personally," the waterbender said, her voice cracking as she fell into a crouch. "The Fire Nation took my mother away from me."

Kai's eyes flickered between Zuko and the crying waterbender, unsure of what to do. She crouched down beside Katara, her gaze going back to Zuko. His expression was pained and she had to look away, knowing he was thinking about Fire Lady Ursa.

"I'm sorry," Zuko apologized softly from where he was. "That's something we have in common."

Katara stopped crying a moment to look back at him, her expression filled with confusion. Kai cleared her throat uncomfortably and got to her feet.

"Katara, how did they capture you? Is everyone back in the city?" she asked.

"Yeah," Katara replied, wiping her tears away. "I told Aang I was going to go look for you and I ran into Azula and her friends in the palace. I don't know what happened to the others."

Kai let out a frustrated sigh. "We need to get out of here before Azula gets Aang. I'm going to try and find a way out of here."

"Kai, we're buried underground," Zuko said. "There's no way you'll find a way out."

"I can still try."

Kai ran her fingers over the wall. She had been doing the same thing for the past hour and she had covered every inch of the cave. She knew it was foolish to try and find a way out. There was no way there was a secret switch in the wall. But doing this was the only way to keep herself from panicking. The air had grown heavy and she knew they were running out of time before they suffocated to death. Katara and Zuko were sitting and keeping to themselves. She could feel their eyes on her as they threw occasional glances her way.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you before," Katara said, breaking the silence.

"It doesn't matter," Zuko replied.

"It's just, for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face."

Kai continued her search but her attention was diverted by the conversation going on behind her.

"My face. I see…"

"No, no. That's not what I meant!"

Kai peeked behind her to see Zuko had his hand over his scar. She sighed and turned back to the wall. If only he wasn't so self-conscious about it. He was still as handsome as before.

"It's ok. I used to think this scar marked me. The mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately, I've realized I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free of my mark."

Kai paused her search, his words sinking in. A small smile fell on her lips and she continued sliding her hands along the wall. He was finally beginning to believe her when she told him that he hadn't lost his honor when his father marked him.

"Maybe you could be free of it."

"What?"

"I have healing abilities."

"It's a scar. It can't be healed."

"This is water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole. It has special properties, so I've been saving it for something important.I don't know if it would work, but…"

The wall in front of Kai flew open and she jumped back with a yelp. Aang and Iroh came rushing in, and stopped when they saw her. Aang's eyes focused behind her and she turned to see Katara with her hand on Zuko's face. Instant jealousy surged through Kai and she looked away quickly to hide the frown on her lips. As if knowing she needed a distraction, Iroh's arms encased her in a warm hug.

"I'm so glad you're alive," he said, holding her at arm's length to check her for injury. "I was worried."

"Aang!" Katara said in surprise, stepping away from Zuko and then running to the Avatar to hug him. "I knew you would come."

"Uncle, what are you doing with the Avatar?" Zuko asked angrily.

"Saving you, that's what," Aang replied.

Zuko snarled but Iroh grabbed him before he could reach Aang. "Zuko, it's time we talked," the old man said before turning to the others. "Go help your other friends. We'll catch up with you."

"I'll stay here," Kai added. Katara and Aang nodded and ran down the tunnel, leaving the firebenders alone.

"Why Uncle?" Zuko asked.

"You are not the man you used to be, Zuko. You are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been. And now you have come to the crossroads of your destiny. It's time for you to choose. It's time for you to choose good!"

Zuko closed his eyes and tilted his head down, leaving Kai to give a curious look to the older man without Zuko seeing. Suddenly, the floor began to quake and a trail of crystals formed toward Kai and Iroh, trapping them. Zuko jumped away and fell into a firebending stance, his golden eyes flickering around the cave. Azula and two Dai Li agents slid into the cave, the princess landing gracefully and the Dai Li flanking her. Zuko moved between his sister and Iroh and Kai.

"I expected this kind of treachery from Uncle and your pet, but Zuko, Prince Zuko…you're a lot of things, but you're not a traitor, are you ?"

"Release them immediately," Zuko growled.

"It's not too late for you Zuko. You can still redeem yourself," Azula said with a smirk.

"The kind of redemption she offers is not for you," Iroh said.

"Why don't you let him decide, Uncle? I need you Zuko. I've plotted every move of this day. This glorious day in Fire Nation history. And the only way we win is together. At the end of this day, you will have your honor back. You will have your father's love. You will have everything you want."

"Zuko, I am begging you, look into your heart and see what it is that you truly want," Iroh said desperately.

"You are free to choose," Azula said before leaving with the Dai Li down the tunnel Aang and Katara had run through. Zuko's eyes fell shut and the confusion was clear on his face.

"Zuko, pl-"

"Kai, he must make his own choice," Iroh said sadly, keeping her from trying to persuade him any further. She fell silent but her blue eyes were pleading as she watched Zuko struggle with his decision. After a moment, his eyes opened and he moved to where Kai was trapped in the crystal. He reached through the jewels and pulled her closer, pressing his lips firmly to hers in an unexpected kiss. It was over almost as soon as it started and she watched breathlessly as he ran down the tunnel after the others.

"That was different," Iroh commented, causing Kai to blush and look away.

"What was it supposed to mean?" she asked.

"I don't know, but we need to get out of here."

"I still have my swords. Hold on." She unsheathed a katana and began hacking at the crystal, attempting to break through. Luckily, the stone wasn't too hard and it eventually gave way. She made a small enough hole for her to fit through before getting to work on Iroh's. The lightweight weapon broke after only a few hacks and she cursed under her breath. She pulled the other out and began the process and eventually Iroh was freed. She dropped the distorted piece of metal and looked at the older man. He gave her a nod and they jogged in the direction everyone else had gone.

The scene they found once they entered wasn't pretty. Azula and Zuko were advancing on Katara as she held Aang's limp body and attempted to fight them off with waterbending. Kai and Iroh looked at each other in silent understanding before sending a coordinated blast of combined fire at the prince and princess. It momentarily distracted them from Katara, giving her a chance to try and drag Aang away.

"You've got to get out of here! I'll hold them off as long as I can!" Iroh shouted to her. His eyes fell pleadingly on Kai and she shook her head. She wouldn't run this time. She couldn't lose someone else. Without warning, everything broke into chaos. Azula's blue fire came spiraling toward Kai and she used a blast of her own to block it. The princess frowned and moved closer, shooting a stream of fire at the blonde. Kai spun out of the way, only to feel the heat of a different fire blast sear her arm. Her blue eyes fell on Zuko and for a moment, she saw his expression flicker with hesitation before he sent another blast of fire at her. She blocked it and rolled out of the way of a blast from Azula. She couldn't handle both of them by herself and Iroh was busy blocking attacks from Dai Li agents. Her blue eyes quickly scanned the cave walls to make sure Katara had escaped before she turned and ran toward the princess. A stone glove caught her ankle and she fell forward, only to be pulled back up in another casing of crystals. She scowled at the Dai Li before glancing over to find Iroh trapped as well. Her blue eyes went to Zuko and he looked away when her gaze found his.

A/N: Was that what you guys were expecting? R&R!