XVII: Day of the Black Sun

Team Avatar felt the tension as they approached the Fire Nation. Everyone knew that the Fire Nation knew that they were coming, but they also knew that the Fire Nation didn't know of their change of plans. Rather than taking out the Fire Lord, it was just to weaken the army, and the army was more busy patrolling the shores rather than their base.

They approached in submarines, obscured from the Fire Nation eyes. Those who were there included: Haru and his father (friends they met early on in their journey), Pipsqueak and the Duke (former comrades of Jet), the Swampbenders (met shortly before Toph), the mechanist from the Northern Air Temple and his son, Teo, came along too, the mechanist was the one whom Sokka turned to in order to develop the submarines, the Boulder and Hippo (Toph's ex-opponents from her Earth Rumble days), the warriors of the Southern Water Tribe, and whomever else they could find on short notice with some sort of weapon.

Their team was also loaded up with special tanks, designed in the Earth Kingdom, to be powered by the Earthbenders, Katara loaded up on extra water skins for her bending purposes, Sokka had strapped on his boomerang and meteorite sword, Aang had been gifted with a new glider (after his old one got busted up and he had to destroy it) and this new glider came with a snack compartment., and Toph was going to be in one of the tanks.

Unfortunately for Toph, the submarine proved to be a nauseating mode of transport. The vibrations of the water passing over the shell, the motors, and the presence of others jumbled up her sights. The Duke offered her his helmet and she threw up in it.

Sokka approached Aang and asked him: "Are you ready for the Fire Nation to find out that the Avatar's alive?"

"I'm ready… Are you ready for the Fire Nation to get a taste of your mighty boomerang?"

"I've polished it up special for them." Sokka replied. He peered through a porthole, and although the water distorted the image, he could see the coast of the Fire Nation coming up.

Ω £ Ω

Mai opened the door at the sound of a knock early in the morning.

"Zuko, what are you doing here? Do you have any idea what time it is and what day it is? The rebels are planning an invasion!"

"Yes, and that's why I'm here. Mai, there's something I need to tell you before the eclipse… but first, we need to go somewhere where no one can hear us."

"We'll be alone in the cellar." Mai replied, and she showed Zuko down. She looked at him slightly worried and asked him: "So what's going on? Is it something that I should be worried about?"

"Yes… I don't want anyone to risk hearing this, so I wrote it down, but I felt that you at least deserved to have me look you in the eye while you take this." Zuko replied and he passed her a scroll. Mai opened it up and it read:

Dear Mai,

At some point during the last few months of my banishment, I've made a traitorous choice. I had decided to give up my hunt for the Avatar and join him instead. I had been around the world, searching for him, and I've discovered that the war hasn't shared the Fire Nation's greatness, like we've been taught, but that people hate and fear us; and so I came to the realization that in order to restore balance to the war, the Fire Nation must lose, my father would have to be removed from the throne, and I would have to succeed him and restore our nation's honor.

So what happened at Ba Sing Se? I was there when you were in the drill, trying to get through the walls, but I didn't yet wish to reveal whose side I was on. So I stayed out of that fight, but I knew that eventually our paths would cross with Azula again, and so, with my new friends, we devised a plan: Should the right opportunity come, I would 'betray' them, and fight alongside Azula, to regain her trust. Hopefully, something would occur that would allow me to return home, and it did, ever since I came back home, my goal was to pick up any information and send it to the Avatar. His friends have been sending me information about their whereabouts, and I know that the Avatar is still alive. I'm even the one that's advised them where they should strike during the eclipse.

I can't imagine what must be going through your head now… I'll tell you this though, in full honesty: I've been quite happy to be with you during this time, it was the only thing that I didn't hate about coming home. If revealing that I'm betraying the Nation has broken your heart then I am so sorry, but I'll still hold feelings for you, and I hope that in time, you will forgive me.

Once the eclipse is over with, I plan on escaping, and returning to the Avatar, and I'll teach him Firebending. Once we've ended the war, I'd like for us to be together again.

Zuko.

Mai looked at him and spoke softly: "Was there no other choice you could've made?"

"My mind is set, and unless you want to come with me, I don't see how we'll meet again until after the war."

"What if I do want to go with you?"

"Heh, it might be more interesting than staying here, but do you really want to spend the rest of the war fighting alongside the enemy? Are you willing to leave your family and friends behind?" Zuko asked her.

"Right, I suppose it would be for the best if I stayed home… but then Azula would expect me by her side. Zuko, if our paths should meet on the battlefield…?"

"You'll know what to do then, I'm sure of it. Now Mai, I should get going, if there's a picture of you I could take with me, I'd love to have one with me so I could still see your face."

Mai went upstairs and returned to Zuko with a locket with a picture of her inside it, they kissed and Zuko went back to the palace. He grabbed his duel swords along with a war horn and prepared for a confrontation with his father. He knew it was going to be dangerous, but he planned on telling him the full truth. He had a lot to get off of his chest, and it would be more honorable of him to let the Fire Lord to learn that his son is going to stab him in the back once the battle's over.

Ω £ Ω

Team Avatar reached the shores, and Aang took flight right away with Katara and Sokka riding in on Appa, the Earth tanks were deployed, the Water Tribe soldiers charged out and they all filed their way towards the army base, although it was a little ways into the mainland. So, naturally, they did come across a few soldiers, and off they were to start whipping their tails. Sokka clonked a couple of them in the head with his boomerang, Katara froze some feet in place to immobilize them, the Earthbenders simply breezed past them in their tanks. Team Avatar advanced with such ferocity that they were simply pushing the Fire Nation out of their paths, and it didn't help the Fire Nation that their bending was starting to get weaker, and they knew that at some point it would be gone, if only for eight minutes… but quite a bit can happen in eight minutes.

Although things were easy for them along the way to the base, there would be fun to have once they actually reach it!

Ω £ Ω

The royal family had evacuated the palace and hid away in ordered to be protected from the invaders. Zuko only spent time in the chamber to mull over what he was going to say to his father. After all he was going to stand, armed, before Ozai and tell him that he was going to join the Avatar to dethrone him, so whatever he was going to say, be better choose his words wisely… and he certainly wasn't going to face his father without the eclipse to protect him, he didn't need to leave the Fire Nation again with another disfiguring scar!

However, just as he was about to find Ozai's door, so he could wait for the eclipse, he overheard a guard reporting that the Invasion has targeted a military base rather than his palace.

"I'll go out to help deal with them then." Azula stated, and Zuko heard her footsteps running off. Azula didn't have much in the way of other fighting tactics aside from her bending, but she knew how to direct orders. With Azula no longer of a concern, Zuko stood before the door to his father's hiding room and waited for the eclipse.

Ω £ Ω

The military base still had some soldiers stationed there, but it was clear that they weren't prepared for the invasion to his them. Aang was the first to arrive, and he started blowing soldiers off of their feet. A group of half a dozen soldiers had circled around Aang, but he just created a wind barrier around him and expanded it until they all just blew away. He then started to make attempts to sink the base into the earth with his bending, but being the only Earthbender in the area for the moment, he could only a little bit at a time, and he still had to direct his attention to the Fire Nation soldiers that advanced on him and bent their fire at him, but the eclipse was drawing near.

When the Earthbenders arrived then it was time to really sink the base, the Water Tribe soldiers and swamp benders focused on driving back the Fire Nation, and Team Avatar worked on destroying the artillery. They found airships and Toph's Metalbending skills came in handy there, there was also a foundry wherein parts were assembled, and that just had to go too, but to get inside they had to get through the labyrinth that was the inside of the base

As the eclipse started to block the sun, the Firebenders' power went from weak to nonexistent, rendering them almost defenseless. All they could do was to retreat.

However, when Team Avatar went into the base, they encountered the terrible familiar figure of Princess Azula.

"So, young Avatar, you are alive indeed, I had a hunch that you were, but that doesn't matter, we've known about the invasion for months now… What I don't know is how you got wind of that information. I know that someone is a traitor, but I'll dwell on that later, after you taste defeat!"

The team wanted to pick a fight with her, but Sokka declared that it wasn't the right time, and to just keep pushing forward, but then Azula told him: "So, Sokka's your name right? My favorite prisoner used to mention you all the time. She was convinced that you were going to come rescue her. Of course, you never came and she gave up on you."

Sokka turned in a rage and slashed his sword at her, snarling: "Where is Suki?!"

Of course Azula wasn't going to be one to tell. She muscled her way out of his grasp, Katara tried to imprison her in ice, and Toph tried to bend the earth and metal forming the structure to try and immobilize her, but the princess ran like a crazed moose-lion. To slow down Team Avatar further from their pursuit of Azula, she had armed soldiers come to her defense, and they were busy trying to tear the place apart.

With a desperate toss of his boomerang, Sokka actually managed to hit Azula upside the head, it was enough to slow her down and shake her footing, but her momentary lapse in coordination didn't allow enough time for them to capture her,

Toph summoned pillars in the base to limit the area of the room, some of them speared through the stored artillery and smashed it up rather well. She even leapt into the air at one point and drove a crack across the base, almost splitting the building in half!

Ω £ Ω

Now that the eclipse had completely blocked off his ability to bend, it was time for Zuko to face his father; he opened the doors to his chambers and stepped inside.

"Prince Zuko, what are you doing here?" Ozai asked.

"I came here to tell you the truth."

"Telling the truth during the middle of an eclipse. This should be interesting." Ozai chuckled he dismissed his guards and sat back to listen… to actually listen for once.

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

"Why would she lie to me about that?"

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

"What?!" Ozai exclaimed, quite in an alarmed fashion at that.

"In fact, he is among those leading this invasion. He could be on us right now. " Zuko replied.

"Get out! Get out of my sight right now if you know what's good for you!" Ozai ordered as he got to his feet in anger.

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

"You will obey me or this defiant breath will be your last!" Ozai snarled as he seethed in rage. He began to walk towards Zuko, but then he pulled out his swords and brandished them before his father. Zuko had means to fight, Ozai, without his bending, did not.

"Think again! I am going to speak my mind and you are going to listen." Zuko declared.

Ozai backed down and took his seat again.

"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. My father, 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 learned 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." Zuko replied.

"Your Uncle has gotten to you, hasn't he?" Ozai spoke with a mocking chuckle.

Zuko closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again with an almost small smirk spreading across his face: "Yes. He has… and so has the Avatar!"

"WHAT?!" Ozai exclaimed.

Ω £ Ω

Back at the army base, more Fire Nation troops had turned up to defend it, about ready to overwhelm the resistance. The Earthbenders continued to sink it deeper into the ground, and their efforts were doing a fine job in bringing down the ceilings in the underground rooms. Although the Fire Nation numbers were growing, there was little they could do without their bending, and increasing lack of artillery.

Inside the base, Azula had put enough space between herself and Team Avatar to catch a breath, and the eclipse would be ending soon.

However, Katara found some extra strength in the moon's presence, and pulled water from both her water skins and the air, she used tentacles of water to snatch up the Fire Nation troops, and throw them out of sight, or to freeze them in place, and even lay down icy patches on the floor, upon which her enemies would slip!

They had torn the place up enough, if they dealt any more damage to the base, they'd end up collapsing it on themselves, and so it was time to start retreating. With the amount of troops to have gathered by now, getting back out would be like going into a whole other battle itself! Also, they were running low on time before the Firebending came back.

Ω £ Ω

"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 replied with a sarcastic chuckle.

"There's something else. During my hunt for the Avatar, I came to certain realizations, and had decided to give up my hunt for him, and instead decided to join him and his friends. After I leave here, I'm to start teaching him Firebending and training him in order to 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?" Ozai asked with a sly grin.

"Because I know my own destiny. Taking you down is the Avatar's destiny… Goodbye. " Zuko replied as he sheathed his weapons. He turned to walk away.

"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?" Ozai asked.

"Oh, I believe that I get the story by now. After the death of Lu Ten you approached your father in order to request for Iroh's birthright. You angered your father, and said that you should feel Iroh's pain. To save my life,you and mother carried out some sort of plot, leading to Fire Lord Azulon's death, and you forged his will so that you could take the throne for yourself. Mother always had a certain love for plants, perhaps she fixed you up with a poison, which she gave you to do what you wanted with it."

"Ha, ha, you're getting too clever for your own good. You've figured out my plot to seize the throne from back then. Now I suppose it's my turn to tell the truth: That day, I did anger my father, but what father has his son kill his own grandson? In actuality, my father told me that he had planned for you to succeed your uncle, and now that I had insulted Iroh by requesting his birthright, Azulon told me that I had disgraced him, and was prepared to strip me of my title. Naturally I wouldn't let that happen, and it so happened that Azula had been listening in on me, and so we came up with the plot that you've just described; and your mother took our bait. She did vicious, treasonous things that night. She knew the consequences and accepted them. For her treason, she was banished."

"So she's alive." Zuko spoke.

"Perhaps. Now I realize that banishment is far too merciful a penalty for treason. Your penalty will be far steeper."

Ozai felt the eclipse pass the sun and as Zuko turned away again, he started to bend lightning, he thrust his fingers forward and fired an incredible bolt of lightning at Zuko. To his shock, Zuko caught his lightning with the tips of his fingers, sliding backward from the force of the attack, the lightning crackled around him, but at last Zuko had a chance to try out Iroh's technique, he channeled the lingtning down to his stomach and then thrust his other hand forward, redirecting the lightning in Ozai's direction. Ozai flew backwards in contact with the strike and resulting explosion, he even took a tapestry down with him.

Ozai got back to his feet, prepared to attack Zuko once again, but he had since fled.

Ω £ Ω

The eclipse was over, and the resistance was at the start of their retreat. With their Earthbenders, they managed to escape the bowl they created for the base but Firebenders had a way of launching themselves into the air in order to pursue them, there was also the fact that the Fire Nation had a vast army, Katara took up the rear to ice the ground behind them, and create giant spikes of ice, but they were getting surrounded. One Firebender took a shot, and struck her father in the side. He landed hard against the tree and hit the ground, no doubt that he had, at the very least, dislocated something. Katara ran over to her father, and managed to heal him up quickly, but then, as Bato helped to get Hakoda back onto his feet, he told Katara: "You and the youngest of us need to get on that bison and get out of here, we'll stay behind and surrender, it's what's best."

Aang heard this and after everyone had a chance to say 'goodbye' to their friends and fathers, he ushered Haru, Sokka, The Duke, Teo, and Toph onto Appa's back, Katara hugged her father for her goodbye and got on herself. Aang thanked everyone for their efforts, and Appa took flight. Aang silently promised that he wouldn't allow his comrades to be imprisoned for very long.

Ω £ Ω

When Zuko reached the prison to free Iroh, he found out that he had already busted himself out! According to the warden, Iroh had somehow managed to transform his body into that of a muscle-bound warrior in his cell, he broke himself out by grabbing the warden's arm and pulling him into the bars, where he was able to steal the key and let himself out, powerful enough to clear away anyone in his path.

Zuko didn't have the time to search for his uncle, there was no doubt that Ozai was seething with rage and was ready to kill him. So he had to flee, luckily he had planned for this, and had prepared a war balloon for his escape. He made a run for it with very little trouble on the way there.

He fired up the balloon and as he floated past the army base, he found it almost damaged beyond repair, and he saw troops trying to chip their comrades out of ice and rock.

In the distance he saw Appa flying towards the west, perhaps they were heading towards the air temple that way. Zuko used his bending to propel the balloon faster, and once he was clear over the island, he picked up his warhorn, and blew a few notes. He then aimed, and shot a fireball past the bison, but far enough away as to not spook him.

Ω £ Ω

"Did you guys hear that?" Sokka asked.

"Hear what?" Haru asked.

"It sounded like a horn." Sokka replied. Another note sounded and soon after that a sole fireball flew past them!

"Are they chasing after us?" The Duke asked with worry. Sokka took out a spyglass and saw the source of the fireball, and declared: "No, it's Zuko! He made it out!"

Aang steered his bison to intercept Zuko.

"Aang, it's good to see you're doing well!" He called out.

"It was a close call back at Ba Sing Se! I'm glad that you made it out alright too, but we'll catch up at the Western Air temple, can your balloon hold one more? Appa will get tired carrying this many people, so I can fly someone over to you."

"Yeah there's room for a couple more!" Zuko replied. Sokka volunteered to go over to Zuko's balloon, and so Aang flew him over, and the brothers in arms were reunited, and the Fire Nation faded away as they chased the western horizon.

Ω £ Ω

Wow, I'm impressed that I got an over 4000 word chapter in this fast! I hope you enjoyed it.

Special credit to: Kevinbeck518 for coming up with the alternate take on Ozai's confession, that was awesome to write.

Please review.