Chapter 14: A meeting with chance
Everything had been going just like he had planned. Getting to the ship was easy enough thanks to the cover of the night, although actually boarding it required some patience as some of the refugees still happened to roam about every once in a while. But once he was inside, the ever-crammed deck filled with sleeping people let him quickly plop down near someone's luggage where he secretly swiped a regular black and beige cloak, along with a passport. He felt bad for doing this, but he had no choice. He resolved to memorize the sleeping person's face so he could at least attempt to return it somehow.
It was a full moon, so whatever hopes he had for rest quickly dissipated. Staring at its imposing figure shining in the sky reminded him of the day that everything changed for him, and for as much trouble it had caused him, it also brought him happiness and purpose he could only have ever dreamt of. He could only hope that Azula and the others were faring well with their own plan.
Kaze let his thoughts drift off, as the ferry would arrive at sunrise, meaning that he had the rest of the night to keep himself busy somehow. It was nice, in a way, to take some time to reflect on all the hecticness that his life was filled with for the last few weeks.
But his reverie would be interrupted, as a chill ran through his body. He was being watched by something. And he knew exactly what it was. The beautiful white spirit that saved him from what would most likely have been a suffocating death did warn him that it would come back for him. And it seemed like the time was ever so slightly closing in on him. He knew he had to prepare for it, but even now, he didn't really know how.
At the very least, he should make sure to support Azula for as long as he can.
Their Kyoshi Warrior costume was as heavy as it was uncomfortable. However did those girls even manage to fight in them completely eluded Azula.
She couldn't wait to get out of it as soon as they got back to their room.
But from what it seemed, the city had one major problem for them. There was at least a single person who would realize they where mere fakes. The Avatar's water peasant.
And so, they waited ever so patiently for the time she made her way back to the palace.
"Too bad the Avatar and his other friends left as soon as we got here." Ty Lee spoke up beside her. "I was kinda hoping to see that cute guy that travels with him…"
Mai, who was to her left, simply groaned. "Well I for one am glad that I don't have to fight while wearing this thing… Tell me why do we have to wait for the waterbender when we could just approach her ourselves?"
Azula sighed at her words, for as much as she wanted to go and scare the little peasant, this was a critical moment for their plan. "We can't. If we get to her anywhere where she can blow our identities then it'll be over for us… If what that general said was true, then that eclipse might be the one chance we have been waiting for. And we have to make a decision regarding what to do with the Avatar and his friends…"
"But haven't we fought them enough times already?" Ty Lee added. "I mean, we already know they're strong… couldn't we just finally come clean?"
Azula ponders at her words. In a perfect world, that could maybe work. But every fight against them has only gotten fiercer and fiercer. She was pretty sure that they would sooner jump off a cliff before trusting them.
If only Kaze could get here quickly. She was sure that if anyone could convince them of their sincerity, it would be him.
They'll just have to make do for now. Worst case scenario, they subdue the waterbender until she agrees to listen.
As if on cue, the doors to the throne room opened with a loud bang, as the person they were waiting for rushed to get to them.
"Suki! Thank goodness you're here!" Her voice was ragged and out of breath. Something must have happened.
"The Fire Nation has infiltrated Ba Sing Se! I just saw Prince Zuko and his Uncle!"
Ah, so Zuzu and uncle were in the city all this time then…
"We have to quickly warn the Earth King!"
Azula took a quick breath. It was now or never.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure to deliver the message… As long as you listen to what we have to say."
Her eyes glinted her usual golden, as the waterbender's eyes widened in realization.
She didn't say a word as she quickly sprung to attack, readying and sending a water whip, which Azula easily sidestepped.
"Listen! This all could be so much easier if you just calmed down and listened to what we have to say!"
But it was useless, the waterbender just kept attacking, forcing Azula to dodge and block with incredible precision. The attacks were fast and powerful, as she started varying her timing and speed. It seemed Kaze was right in his assessment. But it still wasn't anything to Azula.
"Uh… Azula? Are you sure you don't want us to help." Ty Lee spoke up from behind, nerves on edge as she watched the battle unfold.
"No!" She answered as her patience was slowly waning. "If she wants a battle, then I'll give her one!"
Now poised to counterattack, Azula sidestepped a wide swing of water, before sending her own volleys of blue fire.
The waterbender managed to block them, but at the cost of losing her balance. Azula quickly took advantage of this by rushing with surge of fire from her feet, managing to close the distance between them in a split second.
In an attempt to impede her progress, the peasant sent a torrent of water forward. But Azula was ready, and quickly changed directions, allowing her to circle her way to the back of her opponent. Now with a clear shot, Azula delivered a powerful kick to her lower back, sending her flying towards her other friends.
"Hold her down!" She ordered, to which Mai quickly shot her knives to pin the waterbender to the ground.
She slowly made her way to approach them, taking deep breaths in order to settle her temper.
"Now that that's done, you're going to stay still and listen."
"Why would I listen to someone who has been trying to kill us all this time?!" Her tone was defying, filled to the brim with hate.
"It was necessary for our plan. We had to make sure the Avatar and his friends weren't a bunch of weaklings way in over their heads." She leaned down towards where her head was. "And we weren't trying to kill you!"
"Why would you even think I could ever trust what you're saying?! You're just trying to trick me to get to Aang!"
"If we actually wanted to capture the Avatar, we would've succeeded back in Omashu! Everything we've done has been for the sake of saving this world from my father!"
But the girl wasn't listening. Her eyes were lace with pure hatred… It seems her resentment towards them stems further than their little meetings throughout the Earth Kingdom.
"Listen, I don't know what the Fire Nation has done to you in the past. But I mean it when we say that we're trying to help you guys. My father is ruthless and terrifyingly powerful." She says as she clutches her fist to her sides. "Trust me. I've seen it head on plenty of times. He won't hesitate to kill anyone who stands in his way… Not even his own family."
At the very least, it seemed like the waterbender had actually started listening to her words.
"We, heard about your little plan to invade during the eclipse. And with our help, we can guarantee that everything works out."
But the girl's glare hadn't subsided, doubt still clear in her head. "…What would you even get from doing all of this? What's your angle?"
Right, of course she would ask that. Everything that she's done all this time has been for one purpose. To help him realize the world that he wants. For everyone that had to suffer from living in this war driven world.
"…I want to give Kaze a world where he can live freely." Her eyes suddenly turn fond at the mention of the one person who gave her everything she thought she had lost. Everything she thought she didn't deserve.
This seemed to catch the waterbender off guard, here anger being replaced by disbelief. "Kaze?... Your waterbender?" Contrary to Azula, she couldn't help but grit her teeth at the mention of his name.
"What do you mean free? He joined the enemy!" Her mind was going in circles. He betrayed his own people. The entire world. But for what? She had spent all this time trying to come up with a reason but… she could never think of one.
"You don't know anything about him!" Azula let her voice rise in anger. "Don't you get it? We're risking everything we've worked for by telling you this! So why don't you just shut up and accept our help already?!"
But looking at the peasant's face, she could tell she wasn't convinced. "Fine! It looks like you need some time to think about it so… we'll simply have to put you somewhere with plenty of space for that."
"Are you sure about this, Azula? Wouldn't keeping her captured only send the wrong message?" Ty Lee spoke up.
"We have no choice! Even if she doesn't want to listen, we can't just let her go… Once Kaze gets here, we'll try again."
But then an idea crossed her mind. Maybe it didn't have to be Kaze… There was someone else in the city who the water peasant could maybe sympathize with…
She would have to make sure to pay a visit for tea after this.
For now though, it was time to get to her 'arranged' meeting with Long Feng.
Zuko should've seen this coming.
Leave it to Azula to infiltrate the Earth Kingdom and get close enough to the King to somehow take control of the his secret guard.
She's managed to completely outclass him once again, and at this point, he couldn't bring himself to care that much. After all, now that his fever was gone, he has felt somewhat rejuvenated. Finding the Avatar's bison and subsequently releasing it really did a number on him, but it helped him clear his mind. He's still not sure what he wants for himself, but he hopes that his sister will finally listen to what he has to say.
"You really outdid yourself uncle. This tea is almost as good as the ones we had back in the Fire Nation." Azula was sitting across the table from them, chatting amicably with their uncle, while a number of Dai Li agents were posted behind her.
"I'm glad to hear it! I brought this tea specifically in hopes that the Earth King could enjoy it. Although having my niece enjoy it instead makes me only happier for it." Iroh responded with his usual calm and friendly tone.
"But I must ask, Azula. What brings you inside the walls of Ba Sing Se? And how did you manage to acquire control of the Dai Li?"
"Well…" She puts on a serious face. "That's what I was hoping to talk to both of you about. You see, the city of Ba Sing Se has been unfortunately ruled by an incompetent joke of a king. He's a fool, who has lived his entire life sheltered from the war and instead wasted his time with lavish parties and banquets." Her voice turned conniving, as it always did when she was hatching a particularly genius plan.
"I struck a deal with the leader of the Dai Li." She stood up and started pacing around, slowly eyeing every single one of the guards posted around. It might have been his imagination, but he swears half of them shivered in fear at her calculating gaze.
"And I'm supposed to help him regain control of the city, unless I, and now you, wish to have their identities exposed. But of course, it's not that simple…"
Wait, Azula would never let herself be blackmailed like that. He's seen her completely outsmart the various nobles and generals around the capital to get her way. She was planning something, and she wanted their help.
"What's your point?" He says with his usual distrustful voice. "Why do you need our help all of a sudden? Aren't you supposed to be the perfect princess?" He lets out with a little more edge than he should've, but it felt good seeing his sister contort at his words.
"Well, brother…" Her voice has her typical venom. "…What I want from you two is help for when the Avatar and his other friends arrive. We already have their waterbender on our hold, now all that's left is making sure we take care of the rest before they figure out what's happening. Leaving Ba Sing Se free to conquer once more."
"In other words, in case your pathetic little brain couldn't understand." She made sure to sound as mocking as she could "The king is a fool, and Long Feng isn't suited to rule…" Her features compose themselves to her usual confident self. "For far too long, the Earth Kingdom has had to suffer at the hands of a puppet for a ruler, while a power-hungry man ran this city from the shadows. This has left many children to grow in this soul draining city, while the people on top take advantage of them."
"Now what I'm going to tell you will require that you trust me completely." She pierces both of them with a sharp glare. "This part of my plan can, under no circumstances, be found out by anyone outside this room, unless I say so." She directs at not only at them, but at the Dai Li agents, who once again, squirmed under her glare.
"Before we answer"- Their uncle stood up to speak. – "what do you plan on doing once the city is under your control… I'm sure my brother would quickly take advantage to occupy the city with the Fire Nation Army."
He was right. Their father would no sooner try and send the message to the world that the supposed unconquerable city fell to his hands. What is she planning?
'I thought she was going against our father… Was he wrong?' No, he wasn't. She saved them from being taken prisoner even if it meant endangering herself. They had to trust her, even if his head wanted to argue against it.
"You're right, Uncle. Father would do that, and that's exactly what we need if we want to win this war. But you need to swear to trust in me no matter what I do or tell you to do." To his shock, her face took a solemn look. "This is all for Kaze, so if you can't trust me, then please trust in his heart that what he wants is for the sake of the world
Ah, that's right. Kaze was the reason for everything that's happened. Azula's change, and his own as well. He did trust him, even if he was unbelievably annoying.
"You don't need to ask us of that, we will always trust you, my dear niece." Their uncle crossed the room to give Azula a hug, to which she seemed to welcome. "Right, Zuko?"
Yes, that's right. They did trust her, and that's why they were still alive after all.
He took a deep sigh. "What is your plan for us, Azula?"
She took a deep breath herself, and he could swear there were the makings of a real smile as she turned to speak to them.
"There is an eclipse coming, and capturing the city will be the perfect cover to distract our father… The final step, is convincing the Avatar to do something… So, I need you, Zuzu, to speak with someone."
The outer ring of Ba Sing Se had Kaze feeling weirdly homesick. The roads were unkept, the homes were crumbling down, and there were more people sleeping on the streets than rats running around. If he didn't know any better, he'd assume he was back in Harbor City. Guess some things never change, whether it be in the Fire Nation or the Earth Kingdom.
But he couldn't waste any more time than he should. He had to find a way towards the innermost ring, and from the looks of it, entry way there required more than just taking a simple ride on the train.
Although looking at the houses, he might be able to make his way by jumping from roof to roof.
Kaze can't help smiling at this. Yet another similarity to his dear home. Although he'd have to make sure to wait until it gets darker unless he wants to get every single guard on his tail… again.
He shook his head. He was getting a little too nostalgic there.
It's probably best that he picks up a dark alley and wait until nighttime.
And so, he did.
Patiently he waited, making sure to attract as little attention to himself, until the sky was finally turning into deeper shades of purple and blue.
Not wasting any more time, he climbed a nearby rooftop and quickly made his way towards the palace.
The streets were still filled with people, most of them drinking their problems and frustrations away. He didn't blame them. If this place was anything like Harbor City, then the richest parts of the city took advantage of the work from the people living here. Regardless, as long as they didn't look up, he should be fine.
But his skin prickled once more, the feeling of being watched once again driving needles to the back of his head. However, something was different. It wasn't the blood chilling sensation that indicated the presence of his evil spirit friend. It was a person, multiple of them actually, all staying within the shadows, quietly studying his every move.
Confronting them now would only alert however many others they had around the city, so he'll have to pretend ignorance for now. Let's see what sort of move they pull out.
And so, he kept jumping between rooftops until he finally got within the inner wall, with the Palace in clear view.
But that's when he sensed it. His watchers were making their move towards him. His breath hitched as he felt what seemed like a projectile quickly closing the distance.
Seeing the nearby streams of water, he quickly decided to jump into one of them, figuring he could get away faster through them.
And he was, for every single speeding rock managed to miss him by a very small margin.
The small river served as perfect cover, letting Kaze quickly maneuver the many different curves it had until he was sure his pursuers had lost sight of him.
Making his way out of the water, Kaze couldn't help but sigh in relief. He was right by Palace, where he hoped Azula and the others where at as well.
But his relief would be short lived. The outer courtyard was crawling with the same weirdos that were chasing him, and most likely on the lookout for him. He'd have to figure something out, and quickly.
He scouted the surrounding area, but there was nothing. It wasn't until he was making his way towards one of the gardens, that he saw a lone guard patrolling through them. It was his chance, and he was going to take it.
With the cover of the night, he made his way stealthily towards the man with the wide brimmed hat that looked like a massive wok more than anything. His steps remained quiet, as he slowly bended some of the water he had gathered in his cannister and aimed it at the man's head.
But he should've known that sneaking behind an earthbender was a terrible idea.
The man quickly turned around with a jump and shot his earth guantlets at him, to which Kaze deflected with his water. He tried to quickly subdue him, but the man was quick and highly trained.
'Just what are these guys?!'
Deciding he needed to be forceful, he felt for the water inside of a tree nearby, a trick he theorized to be possible after their run in with the swamp people, and blasted the guard with a torrent powerful enough to send him crashing to the ground.
Not wasting any time, he quickly froze him in his entirety. But once again, it was too late. Multiple of equally dressed guards came out from the shadows and started firing at him.
He was agile enough to deflect and counter for a good couple of minutes. Many of his attackers fell to his multiple moves, ending with them frozen to the ground, or knocked out by a powerful ice strike. But their numbers were too many. A single rock managed to graze his thigh which made him falter for just enough that his leg was trapped with an unbelievably strong grip of a stone gauntlet. It was then that he knew it was over, as his hands were now cuffed behind him, while one of the men bent a mask over his mouth, preventing any noise from escaping.
He felt powerless. He failed everyone, including Azula. His anger was quickly rising, as he couldn't bear what would happen to his friends and his family, he couldn't let this be the end. He needed to find something. Anything!
And his plead would be answered, as his blood ran freezing cold. Something changed in the air again, like that day in the swamp.
He knew what it meant. Of course that thing would decide to come for him at the worst possible time...
But there was no use resisting now, as when he looked up, the moon was now fully black.
"Why did they throw you down here, huh? Wait, let me guess, this is all a trap so that when Aang shows up, you and your sister can finally get your little Fire Nation hands on him?"
Zuko sighed, whatever he thought his sister would put him through, it wasn't this at all. But he did agree in the end, so he had to at least try.
"My sister wanted me to talk to you, she said that she had already told you the truth."
"The truth? You mean that sorry tale about wanting to test us to see if we were strong enough to fight the Fire Lord." Katara scoffed. "I don't know how stupid you think I am but I'm not going to fall for it!"
"You, your sister, and everyone from the Fire Nation are terrible people. Including your traitor of a waterbender!"
Zuko couldn't help but sigh. For the most part, he was sure that he deserved being berated like that. The Fire Nation, including him, have done nothing to convince anyone otherwise. It seemed like his sister set him up for an impossible task, unless he could somehow come up with something from what little social skills he had.
"Listen… I-I don't know exactly what the Fire Nation did to you but"-
"That's right! You don't know!" She screamed, letting her emotions clear on her voice. "You don't know how much the war has affected ME personally!" Tears started falling through her cheeks, as her voice trembled in pure grief.
"The Fire Nation took my mother!" She screamed one last time, clutching the necklace that he had once used to attack them.
So, she lost her mom too…
"…I'm sorry." Memories of his own mother flashed through his mind. The way she used sing for him when he was little, to all those afternoons they spent talking and feeding the turtleducks in the courtyard. He was the last person to ever see her before she disappeared, and it has weighed heavily since. Even now, he still couldn't help but believe that if he had been stronger, nothing like that would've happened.
"That's something we have in common… The Fire Nation took my mother too."
Her face morphed into confusion. Her mind spun for what felt like the tenth time today, and it had all been the fault of both royal siblings… She wanted to hate them. She wanted to hate everyone that has ever attacked them. And she knew why.
Fighting someone is a lot easier when you don't see them as real people. But that had become harder and harder as the time went by.
Before Katara could even respond, Zuko decided to tell her everything. About their childhood, the horrible things his father did to both him and Azula, and about his mother. About how kind and caring she was for him, and how difficult it was when she disappeared.
"I don't know all the details but… But right before she left, Kaze appeared out of nowhere. And he somehow managed to bridge whatever rift had formed between my sister and our mother. For two days, both actually seemed like real mother and daughter, and not whatever they had beforehand…"
"And Kaze isn't the traitor you think he is… Although I think it'd be better if he told you himself, since I kinda didn't bother learning anything about his past…" He said sheepishly.
Katara absorbed his words slowly. Everything he said made sense with what she had seen. Why they harbored so much hate and power in them. Why they would go this far to fight against their own father…
She was being stubborn, and she knew it. She had no reason to not believe in him. The proof of it was right there in his left eye. Azula and Zuko suffered at the hands of their father, and harbored so much pain from it, that they decided to rebel.
And then there was Kaze. Every single interaction with him was nothing but frustrating for her. He was not only working with the enemy, but he was much stronger than her at her own element. Even after she had thought she had reached a level most other benders reach. And even then, he had never once actually shown real malice towards them. Even Toph had tried to convince them that he wasn't the evil villain they thought he was. Everything was pointing towards the truth.
And the truth was that they were actually trying to fight for their side.
"…I'm sorry for yelling at you…"
Zuko could only smile at her. He was glad she had actually decided to listen to what he said.
"Its okay. I deserved it for everything I did to you guys… So, I'm sorry too."
"It's just… Every time I thought of the enemy, I would always see your face."
His face huh.
"I see…" He answered, reaching a hand towards the reminder of his father's fury etched permanently on his face.
"No- Sorry, I didn't mean to say your scar…" Katara slowly approached him with guilt in her eyes.
"No, you're right… My scar has served as a reminder of who I was, of what I had to do. I always believed it to be the mark of the banished prince, forced to chase the Avatar for the rest of my life…"
And the mark that no matter what he could ever do, he would never be accepted by his father.
"…But lately, I realized that this mark doesn't define me. I'm free to do whatever I want to do, whether it remains sitting on my face for the rest of my life… And it was all thanks to my sister and uncle. They forced me to find another path. Another reason to live, not tied to anyone but myself." His face became fond at the reminder that despite everything that's happened to him, he still had family on his side.
"…It seems like you really admire them." Katara could tell how genuine he was. His voice was warm and his face look calm and determined, like he'd do anything for them. "But you don't have to live your life with that scar… I have healing abilities and…" She didn't know why, but she found herself reaching for her spirit water from the north pole. She was saving it for emergencies but…
"And I have this. Its special water, taken from the Spirit Oasis in the North Pole. If I used it on your eye… I might be able to revert it back to how it used to be…"
Zuko couldn't resist the shock from showing in his face. Ever since his banishment, he always believed his life would be nothing but the anger and pain he was forced to lived with. He wasn't used to people actually showing concern for him… And to be offered something like this by someone who had no qualms in shouting insults at him ten minutes ago well… He was speechless.
But even then, he's lived with his scar for so long. And even now, he doesn't know if he deserves to be free from it.
"…No. Don't bother. At least not yet." His voice was solemn yet with hints of gratitude. "I want to find out who I am, and I know that fighting next to my family will help me do that…" He finally answered, satisfied with his answer, believing it to be the best choice.
Katara couldn't help but gape at his words. It seems she had been wrong about everything. It was obvious to see now, and it was something she noticed from the beginning but decided to push down into the deepest corners of her mind. Her enemies were teenagers affected by the war, just like they were. And they have been struggling to make the world right, to fight for a future when it would've been easier to simply give up and accept the world for what it was.
It seemed like the choice was obvious now.
"Not just your family." He heard Katara say, who managed to surprise him once again. "…I'll do it. I'll try to convince Aang and the others of your plan once they get back, so…" Her eyes widened so suddenly Zuko honestly believed his face had managed to frighten her. And he'd be right, somewhat. "…So don't cry, okay." She said with a laugh that radiated kindness he had never felt before. And then her smile. It was one he hasn't been shown since he had last seen his mother. It was honestly very overwhelming for him. So much, that he could feel tears starting to pool in his eyes. But even then, he felt nothing but grateful.
"Thank you, Katara."