Author's Note: Stayed home sick today and got this done for you guys. Be prepared for lots of yummy drama-packed goodnes and a surprise at the end!

The door to the cell opened and Kai opened her eyes as light from the outer corridor filtered in. A young woman walked in carrying a tray of food. She slid it through the slot between the bars and knelt closer, her brown eyes on the blonde firebender.

"General Iroh told me to pass on a message to you. He said 'three days.'"

She got to her feet and left without looking back, shutting Kai in the darkness of her cell once more.

Three days. Three days until the Day of Black Sun. Three days until freedom.

"Chain her and bring her to the bunker," a voice commanded. Kai kept her eyes closed as hands roughly handled her. Cold metal clamped around her neck and she shivered against the unpleasant feeling. Strong arms lifted her and she had to force herself not to cuddle closer to the warm chest she was held against.

"Make her walk."

"She's too weak."

"Spirits, she stinks!"

"You're lucky I'm the one carrying her."

"Why does the Fire Lord want her?"

"He wants to make sure the Avatar doesn't break her out of the prison."

The soldiers continued their pointless talking, and Kai slowly slipped into unconsciousness, too weak to stay awake for more than a few minutes.

Zuko faced the narrow door leading into the main room of the bunker, preparing himself to face his father. He had been struggling with himself for weeks, but the constant nightmares of his mother and Kai and the history he had discovered of his great grandfathers had made him realize that he had made the wrong decision. Now it was time to set things right and make his own destiny, not follow the one his father had planned for him.

With a burst of courage, he pushed the door open and stepped into the room. Guards holding spears turned to look at him and he sought his father out, finding the man sitting behind his first line of defense.

"Prince Zuko, what are you doing here?" Ozai asked, his tone sounding more surprised than his expression gave away.

"I'm here to tell the truth."

"Telling the truth during the middle of an eclipse. Now this should be interesting." Ozai motioned for the guards to leave and they filed out, leaving Zuko alone with his father. No...they weren't alone. Chained to the wall beside Ozai's throne lay Kai, curled into a tight ball and shivering. Ozai's amber eyes went from his son to his prisoner and a small smirk appeared on his lips. Zuko blinked to clear his horror at the sight and returned his golden eyes to his father.

"First of all, in Ba Sing Se, it was Azula who took down the Avatar, not me," he began.

"Now why would she lie to me about that?"

"Because the Avatar is not dead. He survived."

"What?"

"In fact, he is probably leading this invasion. He could be on us right now."

Ozai got to his feet and pointed at the door. "Get out! Get out of my sight right now if you know what's good for you."

"That's another thing. I'm not taking orders from you anymore."

"You will obey me or this defiant breathe will be your last!" Ozai said menacingly, stepping toward his son.

"Think again!" Zuko snarled, pulling his broadswords out. "I am going to speak my mind and you are going to listen!"

Ozai stopped his progress and sat back down, an enraged expression on his features. Zuko's eyes darted to Kai and he knew his time was running out. The eclipse only lasted eight minutes and he had already wasted too many. They still needed to get out.

"Before I continue, unchain her."

Ozai's jaw clenched at the order but he did as he was told, unlocking and removing the chains from his prize. Zuko moved forward and put his blades away, his eyes never leaving his father as he crouched beside Kai. He carefully lifted her into his arms and he suppressed a grimace as her too thin frame came into contact with his chest. She was so light and he felt as if the smallest movement could break her. He hated himself. How could he have let this happen to her? Slowly, he moved further from his father and pulled out a sword, easily supporting Kai's delicate form with one arm.

"For so long, all I wanted was you to love me, to accept me. I thought it was my honor that I wanted but really, I was just trying to please you. You, my father, who banished me just for talking out of turn, who challenged me; a 13-year-old boy, to an Agni Kai. How can you possibly justify a duel with a child?"

"It was to teach you respect."

"It was cruel! And it was wrong."

"Then you have learned nothing."

"No, I've learnt everything! And I had to learn it on my own. Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilization in history and somehow, the war was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world. What an amazing lie that was. The people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation! They don't see our greatness, they hate us! And we deserve it. We've created an era of fear in the world. And if we don't want the world to destroy itself, we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness."

"Your uncle has gotten to you, hasn't he?"

"Yes, he has. After I leave here today, I'm going to free Uncle Iroh from his prison and I'm going to beg for his forgiveness. He is the one who has been a real father to me."

"That's just beautiful. Maybe he can pass down to you the ways of tea and failure," Ozai sneered with a harsh chuckle.

"But I've come to an even more important decision. I'm going to join the Avatar. And I'm going to help him defeat you."

"Really? Since you're a full blown traitor now and you want me gone, why wait? I'm powerless; you've got your swords, why don't you just do it now?"

"Because I know my own destiny. And I'm not like you. Taking you down is the Avatar's destiny. And this woman means more to me than anything in this world and she's dying because of me. Goodbye."

He turned to leave, sliding his sword back into its sheath.

"Coward! You think you're brave enough to face me but you'll only do it during an eclipse. If you have any real courage, you'll stick around until the sun comes out. Don't you want to know what happened to your Mother?"

Zuko paused and looked down at the limp form in his arms, his golden eyes conflicted. "I won't fail you again," he murmured determinedly. He ignored his father and left the bunker, determined to find the Avatar.

He moved quickly through the chaos of the city, trying to shield Kai from the flying fireballs and rocks. He searched desperately for the Avatar's group. He needed Katara to heal Kai. He stopped for a moment to make sure she was okay. Her breathing was shallow and he could just barely feel her heart fluttering under his fingertips when he pressed his fingers to her neck. A loud bellow caught his attention and he noticed the rebel troops pressed back against the bay. He rushed over, pushing through the crowd to reach Aang's flying bison.

"Aang!" he shouted. The Avatar stopped in the midst of his address to the crowd, his eyes widening at the sight of the prince carrying Kai's unmoving form. "Please. I need help!"

Katara dropped off of Appa's back, falling into a fighting stance. "You've got some guts showing up here," she growled.

"Katara, I know I'm not your favorite person right now, but Kai needs your help."

"I'm sure. This is another plot to capture Aang, isn't it? The Fire Nation knew we were coming."

"Katara," Aang admonished. "Kai needs you."

Katara looked back at Aang and then her blue eyes fell on Zuko. "Fine."

She turned and climbed onto Appa's saddle, nudging Sokka. He reached down and Zuko lifted Kai up to him.

"Wait! We need to go back for my uncle!" Zuko said once Kai was safely in Sokka's arms.

"Zuko, we don't have time!" Sokka said quickly. The prince looked back towards the prison and then climbed onto the bison's back, his golden eyes filled with regret.

"I'm sorry Uncle."

Appa landed in a well forested area, letting out a loud bellow. A stream bubbled through the clearing and everyone slid off, Toph with an extremely relieved sigh. Zuko cuddled Kai to his chest and moved closer to the stream. "Katara's going to take care of you," he murmured into her hair. She remained unresponsive to his voice and he knew he couldn't live with himself if she died now.

"Lay her down," Katara instructed shortly.

He gently set Kai on the ground, tucking her hair behind her ear. Without another word to him, Katara pulled the clear water to her and let it rest in a thin layer on the firebender. It glowed with a soft luminescence and slowly, the bruises and cuts marring Kai's skin began to fade. He sighed in relief as she miraculously healed before him.

"Why isn't she waking up?" he asked, worry in his golden eyes at the continuous stillness of the fragile form before him.

"Trauma probably. She just needs rest."

"Guys, Appa can't fly any further with all of us on his back. The Western Air Temple isn't much farther so the walk shouldn't be too bad," Aang announced. A collective groan escaped the group and Zuko glanced around the mostly unfamiliar faces.

"Well, let's get going then," Sokka said enthusiastically.

Zuko sighed and lifted Kai into his arms, starting off after the others. Sokka hung back to allow Zuko to catch up before falling into step with the scarred prince.

"If she's too heavy, I can carry her," he offered, his blue eyes lingering on Kai's limp form a moment before meeting Zuko's gaze.

"I've got it," he replied, refusing to let her go after all the pain he had caused her.

"So…what changed?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why'd you decide to join us?"

"I realized that I don't want to be the bad guy," Zuko said shortly, his gaze falling on the girl in his arms. "Too many people I love have been hurt by my father."

Kai's eyes fluttered open against the harsh sunlight. She felt pressure on her hand and tilted her head to the side to see what it was. Zuko gazed back at her, a small smile on his lips.

"You're awake," he said softly. A frown fell across his face as she tugged her hand away and sat up quickly. She winced as a wave of dizziness hit her and she felt Zuko's arms wrap around her to steady her. "Take it easy. You've been out for a while."

"Get away!" she hissed, pushing against his chest. Taken aback, he released her and sat back. Her blue eyes flickered around the intricate stone chamber before falling on him once more. "Where are we?"

"The Western Air Temple. I brought you inside to heal while the others camp outside." The confusion in her eyes made him move closer. "This isn't a dream."

"Obviously not. You would make it a nightmare," she said harshly. His golden eyes flickered with hurt and she looked away. "How did I get here?"

"I asked the Avatar to help us. We flew here on his bison."

"I was in the prison..."

Zuko looked away, his jaw clenching. "My father took you out during the invasion to keep Aang from finding you. I saved you," he explained.

"Doesn't that make you noble?" she said with angry sarcasm, pushing herself to her feet. She paused for a moment to let the dizziness pass before moving slowly toward the door.

"Kai, you shouldn't be up. You're too weak," he said, reaching for her. She moved her arm out of his reach and continued down the corridor.

"Aang? Toph? Katara?" she called.

"Kai?"

"Sokka!" She moved forward and he wrapped his arms around her, supporting her in her weakened state.

"Zuko, why'd you let her out of bed?"

"She wouldn't listen to me."

"Kai, you're too weak to be up and around just yet."

"I can't be alone with him," she said softly.

Sokka's blue eyes went to Zuko and he gently led Kai past him. "I'll stay with her. You should help Aang with his firebending."

Zuko began to argue but fell silent as they passed. Sokka glanced behind them one more time before guiding Kai back to her sleeping bag. "Was he bothering you?"

"Sokka, he left me in a prison for Agni knows how long. He can't just decide he wants to help all of a sudden and expect me to forgive him."

"Oh..."

"Hey, you're awake!" Katara said from the doorway. "I've got a couple of surprises for you."

Kai looked at the girl curiously as she signaled for someone to come closer and her face brightened when a helmeted head poked around the doorframe.

"The Duke!"

"Kai!" the little boy said happily. He ran into her open arms and she squeezed him tightly. "You're okay! And you have hair!"

He pulled back and she chuckled at his observation. "I told you I'd see you again," she said happily.

"I was starting to worry when Longshot came back without you, Smellerbee, and Jet."

"What?" She looked up and a smile broke across her lips at the young man leaning against the doorway.

"Longshot!" she gasped. She got to her feet and ran into his open arms, burying her face in his shoulder. "I thought you were dead."

"I know," he said sadly. He gave her a small smile and tucked her hair behind her ear. She could see the worry in his brown eyes and she burrowed her face in his neck, seeking comfort.

"Don't worry. I'm okay," she reassured him.

"Zuko told me how you were feeling. Don't feel guilty about what happened to Jet and Smellerbee."

She pulled back to look at him, tears welling in her eyes. "I should have stayed. I ended up getting captured anyway."

He gave her an admonishing look and she stepped back, reluctant to release the guilt she had been living with for so long.

"I'm glad you guys are reunited and all, but as your healer, Kai, I'm telling you to get some rest. You're still weak and you haven't eaten for days. I'll bring you some food in a minute," Katara instructed.

"Fine," Kai said, reluctantly getting back in her sleeping bag. "But I want Longshot to stay with me." The archer nodded at her demand and sat down beside her as everyone else filed out of the room.

A/N: Yay, Longshot's alive! And Zuko finally left the dark side. I guess they won't be giving him cookies anymore. Anyways, things are beginning to look a little more optimistic for our heros now. R&R!