Chapter 17: Moving Forward, Together

"…And when we came back, it was too late. The man was gone, and so was my mom."

Zuko could only shake his head in horror at her story. Her own mother gave up her life to protect her … "Your mother was a brave woman…"

Katara, who was holding back tears, could only give a sad smile. "Yes, she really was…" She then wiped her eyes before she faced him once more.

"Can I ask you a question, about your mother?" Her eyes were hesitant, as if the mere question would scare him away.

That caught Zuko by surprise, so the only answer he gave was a shaky nod.

"You said you were the last one to ever see her but… Do you know why she had to leave?" She looked concerned, as if she hadn't just poured her own heart to him a couple of seconds ago.

"…I-I don't know…" He tried to look into his memories but the pain it generated forced him to wince and drop his gaze to the ground. Katara took it as a sign that she had overstepped, as her face was ridden with guilt.

"I'm sorry! You don't have to answer, I-"

"No, it's fine." He tried to reassure her. "It's just that… After she left, it was like she had disappeared completely. Every record of her living in the palace was gone, and every servant that personally served her and our family was banished… It was like she had never existed from the beginning…"

"That's terrible!" Her voice held so much pain and anger. And it wasn't for her, but for him. "But how is that even possible? Who could have that much power to simply erase any trace of a person…" Her face turned despondent, but then she jumped at the realization. "…Your father?" Her voice was small, as if she had just uttered a curse.

"…My sister had a theory. That my mother was banished after she was forced to kill my grandfather… Although she could never figure out a motive for her…" Even now, the memory of that week after his father's coronation still ran a blade through his heart. "My father knew that with my uncle being away in the war that if my grandfather died, he would inherit the throne right away. And that's exactly what happened."

"So, you're saying that your father somehow forced your mother to kill your grandfather in order for him to become the Fire Lord…" She was shaking her head. "And after she did that, she was driven out of the capital, and disappeared completely… What kind of monster could do that to his own family?"

"My father could… I'm sure he won't hesitate to kill us the moment he finds out we're fighting against him." He reached for his scar. "And even now, I don't know if we'll be strong enough to defeat him…"

But Katara reached for his hand and fixed him with determined eyes. "We will. I'll make sure that he doesn't get away with all the suffering he's caused. I promise you, Zuko."

Great, he was overwhelmed again…

It took an unbelievable amount of willpower to not let himself cry again. But in the end, he managed to hold it down, as he took a deep breath. He really needed to get himself together…

"You're right, we will win, no matter what."

Katara smiled at him before she quickly realized what she had done.

Blushing lightly, she quickly removed her hand from his with a cough. "Sorry, I didn't mean to come off so strongly." She was fidgeting in place. "I just can't believe that your own father would hurt you like he did… And I imagine it must've been the same for Azula…"

Zuko sighed. "Azula was always better than me at everything… so my father used to favor her despite being younger." He still remembers how angry he used to get when he thought about it. "But that only meant that his expectations for her were higher. And when she didn't meet them, well…" He tried to think back on his childhood, but he realized he was too busy being angry at her to even notice her pain. Time and time again he realized how much he had failed at his promise to their mother.

So, he just shook his head with another sigh.

They remained in silence for a while, while a downcast mood settled on them. But, to his surprise, it wasn't awkward like he expected. It was comfortable, in a way. He noticed that he has never talked this much about his childhood with someone before… And he was glad that Katara was someone who could understand where his pain came from.

"Do you think…" Katara suddenly broke the silence. "I mean, about your mom leaving after, well… you know." She coughed in embarrassment. "Um…"

Okay, now he was more confused than anything.

"What is it?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well…" She sighed, clearing her nerves. "What I'm trying to say is that what if your mother left you and Azula in order to protect you."

"…Like your mother?"

"Yeah… I mean from what you told me about her, she sounded like she really loved you two. Why else would she have done what she did?"

Zuko thought for a moment, making Katara look at him in worry that she might've said something wrong.

But before she could retract her question, Zuko spoke.

"I always thought that I was part of the reason she left. That if I had been stronger, then she wouldn't have had to feel the need to protect me by leaving… The only problem was that I could never figure out what she had to protect me from…"

"You said my mother was brave for what she did… And I'm sure that your mom would've tried to protect you no matter how strong you were…" Her voice was soothing, as if it were a breeze on a particularly hot day. "So don't blame yourself, okay?"

He considered her words. Deep down he knew she was right, and that his mother would've sacrificed herself regardless of how strong or capable he was. But it was still hard to accept, even after so many years.

But looking at Katara, he figured that it's probably equally as difficult for her to do the same. She must've said those words not just to comfort him, but for herself too.

"Okay, I promise, as long as you promise to the same." He tried to sound playful, but Katara simply stared at him wide-eyed.

He was about to apologize but was quickly stopped by her laugh. It was a nice sound.

"So you noticed, huh… But okay. I promise not to blame myself either." She smiled at him with so much warmth, it felt like he had drifted into a different world, away from every one of his problems.

"Okay lovebirds, it's time to go!" They were startled out of their moment by a loud voice followed by a wall crumbling down.

"Can't believe it took you guys a single conversation to suddenly get so touchy with each other." Toph was laughing, while both of them turned bright red at her words. "Although, Twinkletoes might faint when he finds out."

"What are you talking about, Toph?!" Katara shouted angrily, clearly not finding her humor funny. "What are you doing here anyway?! Weren't you supposed to be with your mom!"

"Well, it's a long story… Listen, just come along and I'll tell you on the way."

Zuko, who was still frozen from the initial shock, simply looked at Katara who still seemed slightly flushed.

"Well, shall we go?" She asked as she tried to compose herself.

"Yeah, let's go."

"I won't let this city be under your control any longer."

Kaze's heart was racing. Even bloodbending someone like Long Feng still filled him with so much nausea that he almost felt like falling over. But he had to maintain it just a little more, as the ocean spirit's effect on him was dissipating from his body, until he made sure the Dai Li were fully out of his control.

So, he steeled himself, and let his voice take as much power as he could muster while he faced the entire Dai Li.

"Long Feng is weak. He built his power through other people's pain and struggle. Even now, the people from the Outer Ring struggle everyday to survive, and it's all because he allowed it to become like that." He can still remember seeing the number of homeless children on the streets as he made his way to the palace. "And it's because YOU allowed it to become like that…"

His face became solemn. "The world we want means giving everyone the chance to become who they want to become. Who they're meant to become!" His voice started picking up steam. He had to get through them no matter what.

And he knew exactly how to do it.

"You guys wanted to see who would come out on top, didn't you. Who would be sitting on that throne, and who would be bowing…" He took a deep breath, as he lowered Long Feng who was being suspended midair. Once he was down in the ground, he released him.

Long Feng fell to his knees and grabbed at his throat. He was panting, and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Well, there's your answer. If anyone of you still wants to follow Long Feng…" His voice became lower, as it became a sharp steel making every Dai Li agent flinch. "Then you'll have to get through me."

It took a couple seconds of silence, but eventually, the Dai Li arrested Long Feng who was still reeling on the floor in exhaustion. Every agent bowed to him, before quickly making their way out of the throne room.

His heart settled, as he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

He did it. He got back to his friends…

And with that, he collapsed to the ground.

"Kaze!" He heard Azula shout his name, as she rushed to his side to help him.

"Kaze! What's going on?!" Her voice held so much worry for him that he almost felt guilty for exerting himself that much. "Tell me what's wrong!"

"I'm okay, Azula… That little trick I did back there sorta took the breath out of my lungs…" He then gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry for being late to the party… Some old friend held me up."

"What do you mean?" Her concern looked almost alien on her face. He hated that he made her feel that way.

"Remember when I passed out after the swamp…"

Her eyes narrowed, as she instantly knew what was going on. "…Did it come back? The spirit?"

"Yeah, he kinda did." He said with a nervous laugh.

"But you're still here… You said he wanted to absorb your soul… did it fail?" Even if she had proof of that right in front of her, she still couldn't help but worry.

"Well, something like that… I'm not too sure about it but… But whatever he did to me lingered for a while. And it gave me the energy spike like the ones I get during the Full Moon… But I managed to hold on in the end."

"Wait, so it helped you instead of killing you?" She raised an eyebrow. "How does that work?"

He let out a laugh, which earned him a glare from her. "Sorry, it's just that… Well, I managed to overpower his hold on me. That's it really. Once I realized who he was, it sorta just became easier."

"I knew you were too strong to let a lowly spirit beat you." She laughed lightly. "Besides, if you had actually let it take control of you, I would've just beat you up until you came back to your senses."

"Yeah, I don't doubt it." He chuckled. How he had missed his talks with Azula…

"You were amazing, by the way." She had now managed to get him to his feet by letting him lean into her shoulder. "The way you took control of the Dai Li, while humiliating Long Feng… It was honestly really hot."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Seriously, THAT was hot?" He then laughed brightly, feeling his strength slowly coming back. "Well, I'm sorry to say that I probably won't be doing that for a long while."

"Why not?" She sounded disappointed, and she looked disappointed. It was weirdly endearing in a way, but he had to focus. There was time for that later.

"Well because it sucked, and it felt awful…" He tried to play it off, but the disgust that came with bending someone's blood was too much to ignore. "You see, I managed to bend his blood. To take control of someone's body so freely, taking that person's own will, well… it was sickening."

Azula looked surprised at his revelation, as guilt started crawling through her face. "I'm sorry, I-I didn't know… Are you feeling better now?"

"Well, I don't think the feeling will leave me any time soon… But having you here is definitely helping." He added with a playful tone.

She looked at him unamused, before breaking into a giggle. "Well you're certainly feeling better if your acting dumb like that."

But she quickly shifted back to her serious demeanor.

"You said that your meeting with the spirit let you bloodbend, right? How is that possible?"

"Hm… It's too long of a story, but I promise to tell you later, okay?"

Feeling the strength in his legs back, he let go of Azula's shoulder and stretched his limbs. "At the very least, it seems like whatever he did to me wore off already… I reckon I won't be able to bloodbend until the next full moon. Not like I want to go through that again though…"

"Well I, for one, am glad that you're okay… I really thought that bastard had done something to you…" She moved to embrace him.

"Yeah, sorry about that… I really wanted to listen to what he had to say before I dealt with him. So I pretended to be his 'prisoner' for a bit. Those agents I had with me also played the part really well, all things considered." Although Azula almost shooting lightning definitely had him reconsider his choices.

"How did you even managed to get them to listen to you?"

"Well… Let's just say I took a page out of your book." He said sheepishly.

Azula simply raised an eyebrow. "Really? I would've paid to have seen that."

"It was a one-time show, I'm afraid." He really didn't want to do that again.

"Hm… I'm sure I can convince you." Her tone was playful.

"Oh yeah?"

"Ahem! -" Someone brought them out of their little world.

"I don't know if you two realized but…" – Toph pointed behind her. – "you guys aren't alone."

Shit, he forgot about them…

Everyone in the room was staring at them, clearly uncomfortable at their little bout of PDA.

He then looked at Azula, who was now totally frozen in place. He should've known this would happen the moment they reunited… Only one thing he could do now.

He laughed nervously while rubbing his neck.

"Sorry about that…"

Aang had never really interacted with Kaze before, so when he managed to subdue the Dai Li all by himself, well… he couldn't help being intimidated by him.

Plus, the ability he used against Long Feng was anything if not terrifying. He had managed to take control of his body, and there was nothing he could do about it. It was so bad that he was pretty sure he almost threw up.

He honestly couldn't see were this supposed 'nice guy' was supposed to be… until he started talking with Azula.

In a way, he wasn't sure if letting Long Feng win would've been worse than what he was forced to witness. He could only hope he would never get like that when he got together with Katara…

Wait, that's right! Katara!

"Hey, guys?" He called out once Kaze and Azula stopped… whatever they were doing. Thank the spirits that Toph was brave enough to interrupt them.

"Can we get back to what we were talking about now?"

"H-Huh?" Kaze turned to him, to which he then smiled widely. "Oh! You're the Avatar!"

He rushed to him and grabbed his hand, shaking it vigorously. "I'm Kaze! It's great to finally meet you without having to fight you!"

Okay, this was getting a little too weird. He just went through three different moods in less than five minutes.

"Yeah, I'm the Avatar." He said lamely. "My name's Aang by the way."

"Right! Well, I'm not too sure what's been going on these past two days, so… what is it that was happening?"

But a cheery laugh snapped their attention before he could answer. "Oh Kaze, you never change do you!" It was the acrobat girl, as she and the gloomy one approached them. "You really had us worried back there you know! Mai was this close to passing out I'm telling you!"

"What?!" The gloomy one, Mai, shot a glare at the other girl. "You mean YOU almost passed out. I wasn't worried, this numbskull right here always manages to come out unscathed no matter what."

Kaze laughed. He really was glad to be back with his friends. "Yeah, well it's good to see you guys again, seriously."

"Hey! And what about me?" Toph made her way towards their little group. "You owe me a rematch you know." She punched him in the arm.

"Oh yeah! Right…" He rubbed his arm. He honestly still felt like he could fall asleep for a week straight. "Once I feel better, you're on!"

"Yeah, I could probably beat you with my eyes closed as you are now. And that wouldn't be fun!" She said with a hearty laugh.

"Okay, ha ha Toph"- Sokka had decided to join them – "but Aang's right, we need to get back on topic."

"But first! Where's Katara! Isn't it time that you guys let her go…" Aang was pretty annoyed now at how easy everyone was taking the situation.

"I'll get them!" Toph jumped immediately. "I sensed them by the time Kaze made his dramatic entrance. The catacombs are huge, so it took a while."

"You did?! Why didn't you say anything?!" Okay, this was becoming to much, even for him. They needed to plan the invasion, and he still hadn't decided if he trusted Azula and her group. "Is she okay?"

But Toph simply remained quiet for a second. "Well… Let's just say she seems to be doing better than okay." She said cryptically, to which he could only narrow his eyes.

What did that even mean?

"Don't worry, I'll be right back." She said as she ran out of the throne room.

It was by this point, that Azula snapped out of her shock and made her way towards them.

"I'm never letting you out of my sight anymore." She seemed angry at Kaze. "Now that I know what happens when we separate for too long, it's not happening again."

She then took a deep breath. "Anyway, I agree with the Avatar as well. We really need to settle whether he and his group will accept our help." She then turned to him. "So, will you?"

"I…" He needed to make a decision. His friends were counting on him after all. But…

"Hey, Aang?" Sokka called out to him. "Listen, I know what you're thinking, and I get it, I'm still not too sure about this whole thing… But Toph said they weren't lying, and honestly, if their plan is what they say it is, then it might give us the best chance to win this war."

So Sokka agreed too… "I-I don't know yet… I want all of us to come to a decision as a group, so I want to wait for Katara and hear what she thinks."

He didn't know why, but there's been this crawling feeling in his chest ever since he realized Zuko was the one with Katara…

He knew she was safe, she had to be. And yet…

"I'm sorry, it's just… all this time I truly believed that you guys wanted nothing but to kill me. It's just hard to come to terms with everything…" And it was true, he still had trouble sleeping after the whole desert fiasco. And he was sure that some of Azula's shots would've easily taken him out if he had been just a breath slower.

But to his surprise, or maybe not at this point, all four of their 'enemy' group looked genuinely sorry.

"You're right. We might've taken it too far when we were 'testing' you guys… And for that, we're sorry." Azula bowed to apologize.

"Yeah! We're really sorry! Right, Mai?" Ty Lee followed, while Mai simply just bowed.

He then looked at Kaze, expecting another apology, but instead, his face held an unreadable expression. Almost like he was analyzing him.

"Hey… Are you feeling okay, Aang?" He asked him out of the blue.

"W-What do you mean?"

"I'm not too sure…" He slowly approached him, before pulling some water into his hands. "I just feel something… off. Can I?" He didn't bother waiting for his approval, as he put his water to his head.

"H-Huh? Wait, why?" He wasn't making any sense. What was he pulling?

Everyone looked at Kaze in confusion. "Um… Kaze? What's going on?" Azula voiced everybody's thoughts.

"There's something in his chi… like an imbalance of sorts. It's weird, I shouldn't be able to feel it without properly using my waterbending… maybe it's because you're the Avatar?" His voice was pensive, and his brows were furrowed, as he struggled to put his thoughts into words.

"Wait, my chi? W-What could that mean?" He started to grow worried.

He knew that if something was wrong with his chi, then it was because of what he pulled during his final session with the Guru.

"Yeah… It's in your head, like a dam being seconds from bursting. You see, the body has these things called chakras, they're reservoirs for our chi energy, and they're deeply connected to our emotions."

Wait, that's exactly what the Guru had told him. How did he know this?

It seemed like Kaze saw his confusion, as he quickly made to explain.

"Oh! Yeah, I went to this academy for like a few years, and learned about it from a chi energy genius over there. She truly was incredible."

His face then shifted into concern. "But for it to get this blocked off… Did something happen within you these past few days. Like some deep revelation, or a journey to the spirit world?"

"I…" He knew exactly what had happened, but he didn't have the heart to tell his friends that he completely messed up his training with the Guru. He gave up the ability to enter the Avatar state because of Katara, and even now, he doesn't know if he could let her go.

"Wait, what's going on?" Sokka spoke up. "Is it bad?! Is Aang going to be okay?!"

"I'm not too sure… By the looks of it, any big spike in his emotions might burst this chakra by the head. And the release of energy might be too much for him to handle…" His face was strained, clearly troubled by what he said.

"What can I do? I-" Dammit, he managed to cause trouble to his friends because of his selfishness. He promised to never do that again after he hid that letter from Katara and Sokka. "Is there anything I can do?"

"There might be one thing-" He started saying but a big shout interrupted them.

"We're back!" Toph happily stormed into the room.

And two other people were behind her. It was Katara, with Zuko to her side.

They were talking and they looked happy. Katara was smiling while Zuko was laughing about something…

What did that mean?

He's never seen Katara like that before…

What happened? How did Zuko manage to get her to smile like that? It should've been him, not Zuko.

He's known her longer, he's been friends longer, and he's loved her longer.

His mind was blanking. So many emotions flooded his body. He couldn't believe what was happening.

He failed his duty as the Avatar because he couldn't let go of Katara. Because Katara was everything to him…

"Aang!" Someone called out, but he couldn't tell anymore.

He couldn't tell anything anymore.

Everything just went white.

"Wait, does that mean everyone's alright?"

"Yep, at least for now." Toph was currently leading her and Zuko back into the throne room were apparently everyone was waiting for them. "Twinkletoes still hasn't decided whether to trust Azula, so we'll see what he has to say once he sees you again."

She could only sigh in relief. Everyone was safe, and they weren't fighting each other like she had expected. Now she only had to make sure to hold her part of the plan and convince them to take their help.

"Wait, so what happened with Long Feng?" Zuko spoke up as he walked beside her.

"Well, after Kaze did his little weird bloodbending thing on him, the Dai Li all got so shaky in fear that they decided to make Kaze their leader or something." She said nonchalantly, despite the fact that she just said something incredibly crazy.

"Bloodbending…" That sounded… terrifying. She was kind of glad she wasn't there to see it if even the thought of it sent shivers down her spine. She really needed to talk to this Kaze now that they were on the same side. She still wanted to find out what his story really was.

But first, Aang and her brother.

"I don't know if I should be there when we get back… Not after everything I did…" Zuko said, as his face filled with worry.

It seemed like he still felt guilty for hunting them for so long. But it wasn't his fault. None of it really was.

It was the Fire Lord, and she was sure everyone would see that if they talked to him just once and saw the type of person he really was.

"Don't worry, Zuko. Just do what you did to me and cry until they decide to listen to you!" She decided to try and ease his nerves.

"Hey! That's not what-" But seeing the playful smirk on her face, he realized she was teasing him.

So, he groaned in embarrassment. "You'll never let me live that down, will you?"

"What do you mean? It was so moving seeing your usually angry face turn so soft and heartfelt." She giggled. It was fun seeing him squirm.

"Okay, okay! You made your point." He couldn't stop the laugh breaking from his mouth.

"We're back!" They heard Toph shout as the throne room came into view.

Everyone was there. And they were talking, perfectly civil without trying kill each other.

She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. It seemed like this would be easier than she expected.

Her eyes search the crowd, as they were huddled around someone… Kaze was looking worried while holding some water into someone's head.

Moving closer to them, she realized who it was.

"Aang!" She called out. She was so glad to see him after everything that had happened that she rushed to give him a hug.

"Wait, Katara!" She heard Toph shout from behind her.

"Wha-" But it was too late, as she was blown away by a violent gust of wind.

Everyone who was around Aang got brutally blown away, as bodies were strewn into the air wildly.

Thankfully, Kaze, who reacted quickly enough, managed to soften the impact by bending a cushion of water around everyone who was close to him.

"What's happening!?" Azula managed to land with a well-timed roll, allowing her to quickly regain her balance.

"It's like I said!" Kaze shouted through the deafening winds, as Aang was now rising in a massive spherical gust of air. "His body couldn't handle the burst of energy from his blocked chakra!"

The entire throne room was shaking. The stone from the floors and the pillars was crumbling, threatening to drop the entire palace on their heads.

"Aang!" Katara tried to make her way towards him, but the wind was too strong, as she was being pushed away. "What's going on?! Aang!"

"Katara! We have to get away!" Sokka tried to grab her, as he made his way towards the exit.

"No! We can't leave Aang like this!" She struggled from his grip, but Sokka was too determined, using both arms to secure her in place. "Let me go! Sokka!"

"Sokka's right!" Shouted Toph, as she was bending rock supports from the ground in an attempt to stall the roof from collapsing. "The ceiling won't hold for long!" Her voice was strained as her body struggled to maintain her earthbending. "We need to go! Now!"

"No… she's right, we can't leave him here!" Azula spoke up, as she made her way to help Kaze who was still on the ground. It seemed like his body still hadn't recovered fully. "If we go without helping him, he'll simply die when the building falls on top of him!"

"Then what do we do?! If we don't go, we'll die along with him!" Mai screamed while Ty Lee was running around in panic.

"We have to incapacitate him." Kaze made his way back to his feet, still feeling the brunt of the impact. "If his body shuts down for just a single moment, then all the chi bursting out of him will dissipate quickly!"

"But how would we do that?" Azula couldn't figure out what he was saying, how could they manage to do something like that to the rampaging beast that was the Avatar when they couldn't even get close to him.

"You can do it, Azula! The only force powerful enough to break his defenses is your lightning!"

"What?!" Katara was now crying, the implication of his words landing. "You're saying we need to hurt him?! How do we know that won't kill him?!"

"She won't!" Kaze then pointed to a spot in his chest. "If she strikes near the heart, the lightning won't have to be powerful enough to hurt any other place of his body! Then it's just a matter of reviving him!"

"No! No matter how powerful your waterbending is, bringing people back to life is impossible! I learned that in the North, once someone dies, they can't come back no matter what!" Katara was screaming now, her voice betraying complete grief and pain.

"Wait! Katara!" Zuko joined the many voices screaming through the room. "What if you used the water you showed me? The spirit water!" He rushed to her side, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You said it had magical properties, that you could heal my untreatable scar!"

She wouldn't realize now, but the touch of his hand managed to ground her just enough to bring her out of her spiraling. "Y-You're right! Maybe it could… But what if Azula messes up?! If the damage spans more than just his chest then we won't be fast enough to save him!"

"I won't miss!" Azula's voice broke over everyone. "Haven't you realized by now?" She sounded confident and calm, as she gave an almost imperceptible smirk towards Kaze, to which he simply responded with a nod and a squeeze of her hand. "I never miss."

In a split second, sparkles once again flew from her hands, as a loud crackle echoed over the fierce winds around them. Her heart was cold, and her mind was blank.

She wouldn't let Kaze outdo her after his little show back there with Long Feng. She was supposed to stand by his side after all.

And so, she shot her lightning straight to Aang's chest. Her aim was perfect, not a single millimeter off target.

Everyone in the room simply stared at the Avatar's body as he was hit with the unyielding power of Azula's lightning. What should've been barely an instant felt like an eternity. An eternity of not knowing whether he would survive the strike.

The only two people who looked calm were Azula and Kaze.

And as quickly as he was hit, Aang started falling. His eyes closed, while his chest smoked where the lightning hit.

Before anyone could react, Kaze swiftly bent a torrent of water that enveloped Aang's body, easing him to the ground safely.

Katara followed right after, holding her flask with the water from the Spirit Oasis. "Here you go! Please save him!" Her voice was straight, and her eyes were determined despite the tears falling form them.

Zuko wasn't sure why, but he made his way to her side, once again putting a hand to her shoulder.

Kaze just smiled at them. "Don't worry! I got this!" He took the water and placed it on Aang's burning skin. His face turned serious, now focusing all his energy in repairing the damage done to his body.

The water glowed an ethereal golden, enough to blind everyone present. The tension in the air was palpable, everyone holding their breaths.

But after a few minutes, Kaze released his hold and fell to the ground while panting.

"It's done…" He was catching his breath, sweat falling down his forehead. Azula made her way to support him, while the rest rushed to check up on Aang.

Katara looked at his unconscious body, anxiety flooding her chest.

But she would quickly realize that her worry was unfounded. His chest was completely healed, there was no scar nor any signs of it being damaged.

And he was breathing. His chest gently rising in a slow rhythm.

"His heart is beating!" Toph shouted, now finished reinforcing the pillars and walls around the throne room. "He's alive!"

Katara was now crying further, but it wasn't due to grief but due to happiness, while Zuko stayed next to her in support.

Kaze looked at his work in pride, before looking at Azula, who was sitting beside him. "Nice shot by the way." He gave her a playful smirk. "You almost made my job too easy."

She simply chuckled. "It's like I said. Together, you and I, we are the best in the world."

Kaze shared her laugh, all of their worries disappearing.

She then leaned to connect their lips. Even after all that happened, they still weren't sure if their plan would work. But somehow, with the way the room seemed to bathe in the beautiful glow of the moon through a gap on the roof, they knew that nothing was impossible if they were together.