Chapter Eleven

Sibling Conflict

Katara, Sokka, and Aang packed up camp the morning after the escape from the Ilah colony stronghold. All through the night, Sokka's mind was occupied by two things: his looming argument with Aang, and the nagging sense that he had forgotten something. Whatever it was that he had forgotten, he felt that it was important. Despite this, he was under the impression that he did not want to remember what it was.

"Sokka."

The First Son stiffened. It was Aang that had spoken, and Sokka knew what was about to happen. They were about to discuss Zhao…

"Yeah?" He said, looking at his friend.

"Why did you do it? Why did you try to…" Aang said. As he spoke his expression grew dark, as if a stormcloud had rolled in to cover the once clear sky.

"What are you guys talking about? What did Sokka try to do?" Katara asked curiously. Aang's expression softened, and he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"When we were fighting Zhao, Sokka was going to…" Aang trailed off, unsure of how to progress. Sokka exhaled and looked at them. Aang looked sad, disappointed in him. Katara looked confused.

"I tried to end him. He was down, and I had the opportunity. If Aang hadn't stopped me then Zhao would be dead."

Katara gasped, her eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open. "What?! How- No, wait, I must be misunderstanding you. Did you say that Zhao was down? Do you mean like coming down to firebend at you?"

"No. Aang had knocked him around with airbending, he was basically unconscious." Sokka said as he returned to packing up their belongings. "Zhao's never going to stop chasing us, and there's no good left in him. Not like Zuko, Azula or her two friends. He's just… rotten."

"You were going to kill a defenseless man?" Katara said in a small voice, staring at her brother in disbelief.

"Yes." Sokka said calmly. "This is war. Sometimes you have to kill, even if you don't want to. I looked inside of him and I could see nothing but darkness. If I have the chance again I'll take it. It doesn't matter if he's sleeping, awake, eating, or using the bathroom. The world would be a better place without him in it."

He stood up from his pack and began to turn, only to be knocked off his feet when Katara struck him with a jet of water. He landed hard on his back and coughed. He tried to rise but Katara had frozen him in place.

"Katara, what are you doing?" Sokka said calmly, looking at her. She was incredibly angry, he realized. Aang was upset too, but for the moment he was too shocked at Katara's outburst to do anything but gawk. Sokka understood that Aang was upset, but Katara's reaction had surprised him. Why was she so furious with him?

"I can't believe you would do something like that! You never would've done it back home, and Dad wouldn't either! How could you?! Why…?" Katara said, her emotions leaking into her voice.

"Why? Because I had to. Zhao told me that he would never stop hunting us, he swore he would not rest until our entire family was wiped out. Our grandfather killed his father, and now he's sworn revenge on our entire family."

"And so you decided to kill him in cold blood!?"

"It wasn't in cold blood! We-" He was beginning to protest her statement but Katara cut him off.

"Your blood is always cold! It has been since you made you deal with that spirit! Whatever he promised you, it's not worth it! It's changing you, it's making you into something else, something worse!" Katara was yelling now, on her feet and pointing an accusatory finger right at his face.

"It's turning you into something terrible!" Katara's voice began to weaken, as her anger turned to sorrow and grief. "Sometimes it's… it's like you're dead inside. I don't mean when you enter the void, but when we're talking and having fun, you don't laugh or smile anymore. You don't get happy, or angry, just... sad. Mom's gone, and we haven't seen Dad in years. And sometimes, it's like you're not even here anymore."

Katara's eyes were rimmed with tears. "Don't go, Sokka. Don't leave me alone. Whatever this power is, you have to set it aside!"

The ice holding Sokka melted, and he sat up. Aang placed a hand on Katara's shoulder, and she hugged him. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. Sokka rubbed his eyes.

"I can't." He said softly. Katara looked at him. "Can't or won't?"

"Won't"

"Why?" Katara said, choking out the word past a lump in her throat.

Sokka took a deep breath. He hadn't shared all the details of his first trip into the spirit world with them, but he thought that now he should. "When I first met Koh, I didn't want to take up his offer. I didn't trust him, so I turned him down. But then he told me something that made me change my mind."

"He told me that I could leave, but I wasn't strong enough. He told me that you would die, and that I would be too weak to save you."

Katara and Aang looked at him in shock. The fact that this spirit would foretell of Katara's death was unsettling, disturbing, horrifying. It weighed over them like a sandstorm at the edge of the desert.

"He lied." Aang said. He didn't know if that was true, strictly speaking, but he wanted it to be. "There's no way that could happen."

"I don't think he was," Sokka said. "I don't know for sure, but I don't think the F- the guy can lie."

Sokka stopped himself from using Koh's moniker. He doubted that revealing that he had bonded with a spirit called the Face Stealer was something he should reveal right now.

"That doesn't mean that he was being honest, does it? I mean, I am going to die eventually. Everyone is."

'I don't know, Katara." Sokka said, shaking his head. "If you mastered waterbending then maybe, but until then I can't put it aside."

"Well, let's compromise." Said Aang. "We'll go straight to the north pole. If we move fast then we can be at the northern air temple in just a few days, and after that it's a straight shot to the north pole. We can be there in a little more than a week."

Sokka glared at Aang. "If that's so then why did you say it would take another month at least to make it there?"

"Uh, I wanted to give Appa a chance to rest. You know, to not tire him out too much." Aang smiled as rubbed his head, blushing. The truth was that he wanted to show Katara and Sokka some sights along the way. That, and he didn't know how much time he And Katara would get together while learning waterbending.

"Okay, that does seem fair." Sokka took another deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Alright. If you promise there will be no more distractions, no more side trips. Just a straight shot from here to the air temple and then the north pole."

Aang and Katara nodded in unison. Sokka squinted at them. "Alright then. I'll stop using them. But if I need to, I will open myself up to the shadow once again."

Sokka closed his eyes. He again searched his mind for the source of Koh's power. He found the gate, and closed it once more. It was easier now, as if the act of opening and closing the gate made it smoother.

Sokka opened his eyes. He immediately felt.. Lighter. As if a weight had lifted off his shoulders. For the first time in months, a joke sprang to mind. He grinned lopsidedly, before looking at Katara and Aang. The two of them looked at him warily, as if not sure what to expect.

"Hey, Katara, did you trap me in ice just so that I wouldn't… lose my cool?"

They looked at him, astonished. Then Aang laughed and Katara snorterd.

"That's the worst joke I've ever heard!" She said, before giving Sokka a hug. She was so glad, so thankful, that at last her brother seemed to be back to normal.


"There you are, Prince Zuko, I was- What happened to you? Why is there a burn on your-" Iroh said. Zuko cut him off with a curt shake of the head. "My quarters."

The two Fire Nation royals made their way swiftly to Zuko's room. Once there, Zuko closed the door and secured the windows and vents. He sighed and leaned against the bulkhead before sliding to the ground.

"Uncle, I've messed up." Zuko said, before he explained everything that had happened since his departure the previous day.

"It's Azula. I'm sure she's figured it out by now. It was set in stone the moment I redirected lightning." Zuko hung his head. He was ashamed, and conflicted. He felt that he had in some way betrayed his nation when he helped rescue Aang. He had done it to save his honor, but he had acted against the Fire Nation's best interest.

"This… is not good." Iroh said, pinching the bridge of his nose. He swallowed the urge to berate his nephew. Zuko had a habit of not thinking through his decisions, why could he just not stop and think? The boy could, obviously he was smart enough for that, but for some reason he never did.

"Prince Zuko, we need a plan. It's only a matter of time until Azula catches up to us, and when that happens she is bound to haul you back to the firelord."

Zuko nodded at his uncle's words. The older man spoke the truth. She would bring him back to their father, and no amount of explaining on his part would inspire mercy from the firelord. Zuko stared out of the sealed window, pondering his situation. He needed to keep out of Azula's grasp until he could deliver the Avatar to his father. He couldn't stay on his ship. No, that would be too obvious. He would be to easy to spot, both for Aang and Azula.

He tapped his chin, wondering what to do. He knew where Aang was going, yes, and he knew that Zhao would surely try and capture him there. As an admiral, Zhao would have the authority to conscript a fleet of ships to lay siege to the northern Water Tribe. In fact Zhao himself was proud and arrogant enough to do just that, and Zuko was sure that Azula would go with him to the north. Now that she had entered the fray, he doubted that she would return home. Zuko smiled as his plan began to form in the center of his mind.


Azula stared at the ceiling of her cabin. She and Admiral Zhao had set off first thing in the morning after the Avatar's escape. Mai and Ty Lee had come with her, of course, but Ty Lee was acting strange. Well a different kind of strange. Instead of her usual acrobatic and bubbly self, she was quiet and still. She had been acting more like Mai to be honest, and it wasn't a change that Azula fully supported. Their group dynamic was part of what made them such an effective team. She was aggressive and commanding. Mai was cool and even keeled. Ty Lee was lighthearted and merciful. Without the combination of all those factors she doubted that her team would be as effective a weapon as they should be.

More than that, she rather liked Ty Lee the way she was. She didn't know what had happened to shake her so, and she didn't know how to go about bringing her friend out of whatever funk she had fallen into. Azula was gifted at many things, but cheering up her friends had never been one of them. That had always been Ty Lee's area. But now Ty Lee was the one in need of support, and Azula guessed she would be the one to give it. She wasn't exactly in the best mood herself, actually. They were on their way to confront Zuko, for Azula was nearly certain that he had been the man disguised as the Blue Spirit. She didn't relish the idea of her brother being the one to rescue the Avatar, for that would mean that he had truly turned against her, and her last childlike hope for her brother's affection would crumble.

Azula rose from her bed. She was being silly, Zuko had never cared for her. She didn't really care. No, what she was upset about was that Zuko had turned his back on the Fire Nation. That was it, not some stupid childhood need for her brother to love her. No, she had her father, and that was enough.

Her father. Firelord Ozai. The man had taught Azula firebending, strategy, all sorts of things really. He loved her, unlike Ursa. Her mother had thought she was a monster and abandoned Azula without saying goodbye. Zuko had never cared for her, even when she had come to warn him of their grandfather's command of his death. True, she had warned him in taunting fashion, but only because their father didn't approve of sentiment. Going to her brother's room and telling him to run? Begging him to get away from the palace and save himself? No, that would have gained her fathers ire. But going to taunt him? To tease him over his pending doom? That was all she could have done. Zuko should have known that, did know that, but had never acknowledged it. Why? Because, just as he had said when they were small, Zuko hated Azula.

Azula shook her head, annoyed with herself for letting her thoughts and feelings run away from her. Why was she letting herself dwell on a past that hardly mattered? She didn't know. Azula rolled her eyes at herself and noticed that her hand had floated up to gently touch the tip of her nose. Her eyebrows furrowed at the action, and she forced her hand to fall back to her side.

Azula marched her way to find her friends. She was sure that Ty Lee would still be sulking over whatever it was that had upset her, and she was going to find out what it was and set it right. She didn't have to search very hard, as it turned out. She found Mai and Ty Lee sitting on the deck near the prow. Mai was lounging in the sun and Ty Lee was sitting in the shade of gunnel, her arms curled around her knees as she looked out into the middle distance. Azula crossed her arms and stared at Ty Lee.

"What is it?" She said, tapping her foot impatiently. Ty Lee looked up at her, a look of mild confusion in her eyes.

"What?" Ty Lee replied. Mai opened one eye lazily and looked over at the two of them before she spoke.

"What is it that's making you act so weirdly? All day you've just been sulking and staring out into nothing. It was a good change of pace, but now it's just depressing."

Azula nodded. "Out with it Ty Lee, we're your friends. You can tell us."

Ty Lee's lip quivered and Azula was worried that the chi blocker was going to cry, but something even worse happened. Ty Lee jumped to her feet and tackled Azula in a bear hug.

"Azula! You really do care!" She said while Azula writhed desperately trying to untangle herself from the acrobat.

"Yeah, sure, now let go of me before I shoot you full of lightning." Azula growled, and Ty Lee released her and sat up. Azula huffed and straightened her hair before coming to her feet again. That was completely unexpected. She glanced at Mai, whose eyes were wide in surprise and amusement. Ty Lee was known to hug people, but Azula almost always managed to avoid the display of affection. The fact that she had not only failed to do so, but had also been brought to the deck was evidently enough to put emotions on even Mai's placid face.

Azula glared at Ty Lee who blushed, slightly embarrassed over her actions. Ty Lee rubbed her face awkwardly and Azula made a motion with her hand that seemed to say, Let's hear it.

"Uh, well… It was that Water Tribe boy." She said at last. Azula blinked, surprised at her friend's words. Ty Lee had said he was cute, and Azula was inclined to agree, but that didn't seem to be enough to push Ty Lee into melancholy.

"Sokka? What about him?" Azula said, raising an eyebrow. Mai looked over at her, surprised to find that Azula knew his name.

"His aura… it was, well, it felt wrong, it looked tainted. Like some dark spirit had planted its hooks into him. He was so full of shadow that I could barely see any light, and it shone as if from far away. He didn't really seem fully human, almost like there was something else inside."

Azula nodded, thinking back to that empty thing that she had seen when she had first encountered him. That emptiness had filled, and she thought she had imagined it. But now that Ty Lee said that she too had seen something, Azula couldn't help feeling like she hadn't. Maybe her friend was right, and there were two things inside of that man.

"There was something off about him." Azula said softly. "When I was interrogating him with Admiral Zhao, he called me a liar. That's nothing new, of course, but he said it as soon as the lie left my mouth. It's like he could tell. And when I looked into his eyes…"

Azula shuddered, remembering that horrible ocean colored emptiness. It was as if he was standing right in front of her again, and she was falling straight into that sea blue abyss.

"He didn't seem human at first." Azula finished.

Mai glanced back and forth between the two of them. It was bizarre. Ty Lee was depressed and Azula was rattled, both of which were things you didn't see often.

"Is that why you've been so.." Mai trailed off and made a vague gesture with her hand.

"Uh, kinda. When I saw his aura," Ty Lee said, "I froze. I couldn't move, it was like I was cornered by a crocodile-shark. I don't know why, but I couldn't… It's just, maybe if I hadn't then we could've stopped them from escaping. We don't know where the Avatar is now, so who knows when we'll get another chance? I feel like it's my fault.."

Ty Lee's voice became less steady as she finished, her eyes beginning to water. Azula looked away and over the starboard side of the ship. Ty Lee blamed herself? Why would she do that? Azula, Zhao, Ty Lee, and the countless soldiers stationed at the compound all bore a share of the blame. The only one who hadn't truly failed in some capacity was Mai…

"It's not your fault, Ty Lee." Azula said. "If anyone's to blame for this failure it's me. I decided that the Avatar would be left alone without guards. I decided to bind Sokka with rope instead of chains. I was the one who let them escape when we fought."

Ty Lee gasped. "No Azula, it's not! It has to-!" Azula cut her off, refusing to let her get more than a few words out.

"Oh? Who's fault is it then? Zhao? He was following my orders. The soldiers? You? Mai? No. The only one responsible for this fiasco is me. And once word reaches the capital, I'm sure my father will agree. The only other person we could blame is Zuko, and I don't know for sure that he was the Blue Spirit."

"Zuko?!" Mai asked, a touch of emotion coloring her usual even voice. Azula nodded.

"The dao blades, the way he redirected lightning, the mask. It fits. He trained under Piandao to use those swords. My uncle is the only man who can redirect lightning. The Blue Spirit was my mothers favorite character in 'Love Amongst the Dragons'.

Ty Lee looked up at Azula, her eyes distant. As if lost in thought.

"Even if it was him, that would hardly matter. My father sent me to discover the truth, and to bring Zuko home as a prisoner if he had turned against me. The Fire Nation, I mean."

The three of them sat in silence for a while. No one wanted to speak, the tension between the three of them had grown and waned with Azula's monologue. Finally, Ty Lee spoke.

"It's going to be fine. We'll recapture the Avatar, and soon we'll discover the truth about Zuko."

Mai didn't say anything. She laid back in her chair and stared into the clear blue sky.

Less than an hour passed before the port in which her brother's ship was reported to be docked came into view. Soon they too had docked and disembarked onto the pier. Azula, her friends, along with Zhao and a group of his soldiers walked along the dock and towards Zuko's ship. They had nearly made it when a man in a Fire Navy uniform disembarked from Zuko's ship and met them along the pier.

"I am Lieutenant Ji." The man said with a bow. "I am second in command of Prince Zuko's vessel. I am sorry to tell you that he and General Iroh have left the ship for the evening."

Azula stared at the lieutenant. She could see that the man spoke the truth, there was no deception in his bearing. She could usually tell when someone was being dishonest with her, though not always. People could lie to her, some could even get away with it, but she usually figured it out before more than a few seconds passed.

"Where are my brother and uncle? Surely they would have told you where they were going." She said, still eyeing the lieutenant.

"Uh, yes, they did. General Iroh wanted to visit the local tea house, but Prince Zuko was adamant that they go to the shrine on the outskirts of town. He wouldn't explain why, and he was very… uh, insistent about it."

Azula rolled her eyes. She had heard from Admiral Zhao about her brother's change in character since his banishment. He had become an ill tempered young man, lashing out those around him and showing little respect for those under his command.

"Very well, Lieutenant. In the name of Firelord Ozai, you are not to take this ship out to sea until after we have spoken with Prince Zuko. Any attempt to do so will be considered treason and your ship will be sunk."

With that, Azula turned and left. Her retenue followed suit and they made their way to the shrine that Ji had specified. It did not take them long, for Zhao had seen fit to bring with them a soldier who had been stationed here for a number of years before being put under his command. Before as much as a half hour had passed, they stood before the shrine.

Iroh was standing a few feet outside of the shrine, watching as his nephew seemed to be bent in prayer. Zuko was not wearing his imperial armor, instead he had dressed himself in a simple outfit of brown and gray. His hair was pulled high into a phoenix tail, but a few days worth of stubble shadowed his scalp. He did not turn around when Azula arrived. He did not acknowledge their presence. He merely reamined on his knees, and touched his forehead to the ground, bathed in the light of the setting sun.

Eventually Zuko stood, and he picked up his dao blades. He slung them over his shoulder before facing Azula. His eyes fell on her, and then to Zhao, Ty Lee, and finally coming to rest on Mai. Zuko smiled.

"It's good to see you again." He said, turning his attention back to his sister. Azula snorted and rolled her eyes at him.

"You mean aside from last night when you freed the Avatar?" Azula asked, watching him carefully. She was sure it had been him, but she wanted to get his reaction. She wanted to know, for certain, that he had betrayed her. No, the Fire Nation. Azula clenched her teeth, this was getting ridiculous, why did she care? He had turned against her long ago.

"Yes, aside from that. It's been too long, Azula. It's a shame we had to meet like thi-" Zuko spoke to Azula, but he was cut off when Iroh started shouting at him.

"You did what!?" Iroh said, rounding on Zuko with a ferocity that Azula had never seen from the man. Zuko too seemed taken aback, stepping away from the older man.

"He and the waterbender infiltrated the stronghold at the Ilah colony. They caused massive damage to the facility and freed the Avatar and the First Son of the South. They're probably halfway to the north pole by now." Zhao said, looking at Iroh with an expression of delighted shock. Was the old general actually going to side with them? Azula was at a loss. She had expected iroh to be in on Zuko's escapades. She hadn't seriously considered that he might not have known, and certainly not that he might side against Zuko.

"Uncle, you have to understand," Zuko said, "I had no choice! If I'm not the one to capture the Avatar then I won't be able to come home!"

"No, you have to understand! The Avatar is the Fire Nation's greatest threat! His capture is far more important than any individual person!" Iroh was shaking his head, his fists clenched at his sides. "You should have left him with Zhao! You could have doomed your whole country! For what?! The chance to capture him again later on? Zuko! You never think things through!"

Azula wasn't sure what to say. She had planned to arrest Zuko as well as her uncle, but now that Iroh seemed to be turning on Zuko she wasn't sure. She decided that Zuko had to be taken into custody, and brought back to their father.

"Admiral Zhao, arrest the traitor and escort him back to the ship for transport to the Fire Nation." Zhao stepped forward, as well as several of his men. Before they could come close to him, Zuko unleashed an impressive display of firebending that sent them all to the ground.

"I am no traitor, Azula. I will capture the Avatar, and the children of Hakoda. I will bring them to our father and he will restore my place on the throne." Zuko said, taking a fighting stance.

"I doubt that, dumdum." Azula said, using the childhood taunt that he had always hated. Oddly, its use brought a smile to her brother's face. He ignited a fire dagger in each hand. His eyes narrowed. So that was it then. He had resolved to fight her, and turned against her fully. She had expected as much. She stepped forwards to face him, but Iroh threw up an arm.

"I am sorry, Princess Azula," He said, at which Azula raised an eyebrow. "But it is because of my failure as a mentor that it has come to this."

Generally Iroh, the dragon of the west, stepped into a firebending stance. Zuko's eyes widened in shock, and he stepped back and closer to the forest. "Surrender, Prince Zuko. You cannot win."

"Uncle, please." Zuko said, backing away from the old general. Iroh closed his eyes for a moment and looked away. When he opened them again they were wet. Iroh took a deep breath, and punched out with both fists, sending twin jets of spiraling flame towards his nephew. Zuko managed to disperse the flame, and shot back with an attack of his own. Zuko's own fire went wide. He clearly wasn't willing to hurt Iroh.

Iroh and Zuko fought furiously, Iroh gained ground and Zuko fled closer and closer to the forest. Eventually, Iroh stopped his firebending, and began to cycle his arms in the precise and deadly motions that necessitated the generation of lightning.

Azula's eyes widened in shock, and Mai opened her mouth as if to cry out, only to close it again at the last minute. Zuko looked haggard and exhausted from his battle with their uncle. Azula wasn't sure if he would be able to redirect the lightning, or even survive it at all. She watched in silence as iroh shot a bolt of the cold blooded fire at his nephew. Zuko caught the bolt and was pushed backwards several yards before he managed to redirect the lightning back at them. He had not aimed for iroh, or Zhao, or any of the others. No, instead he aimed for the shrine.

A fireball blossomed up and the air was filled with dust and debris as the old place exploded. Azula shielded her eyes and faced away from the explosion. When she returned her gaze to where her brother had been she saw nothing. Her uncle had been knocked down by the force of the explosion, and he was only now getting to his feet.

Azula grit her teeth. She had confirmed her brother's treachery as her father had commanded, but she had not taken him prisoner. Twice now she had failed him. How long until he decided that she wasn't good enough? How long before he decided to cast her aside?

She shook her head and moved towards her uncle. There was some good news at least. Iroh had not turned against them, and maybe he hadn't been as opposed to her as she had assumed.


"So Mom's not in the spirit world?" Katara asked.

Sokka shook his head. "No, apparently most people go on to some other place or reincarnate. That's what Kuruk said. I think there was something else but for some reason I can't remember what it was."

He scratched Momo behind the ears absently as he tried to remember what it was that he had forgotten. Something from when he was in the spirit world… The image of a blushing snake floated to the fore of his mind and he laughed.

"What's so funny?" Aang asked from his seat on Appa's head.

"There was this snake with a sunburn." Sokka said, wiping a tear from his eye. "You really had to be there."

Aang smiled and turned his attention forward again. He looked down from the horizon and noticed a fleet of ships anchored along the shore. They were Water Tribe ships.

"Sokka! Katara! Look!" He pointed down towards them." The two siblings looked in the direction he had indicated, and Katara shouted in excitement. "I recognize those ships! That's Dad's fleet!"

The Avatar guided his bison down towards the sea, so that his friends could at long last reunite with their father.