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Chapter Text

Fear drove Zuko onward, making him push his legs and muscles to the limit as he raced towards Katara and his mother. He couldn't afford to think about his mother or his shock at seeing her, or about what nearly happened to Katara the last time Azula had released her lightning. He couldn't afford any distractions, or make any mistakes. One, single mistake now could cost him everything.

Zuko's heart was hammering so loud it became like a steady drumbeat in his ear. His breath caught as he watched the lightning at Azula's fingertips gather and then launch forward as Katara and his mother landed on the ground. Just as he landed in front of the two of them, Zuko came to a sudden stop. Immediately, he planted his feet and turned towards the bright arc of lightning that was racing towards him. He took a deep breath as he moved his right arm forward with the first two fingers pointing outwards. That was as far as he got before the lightning hit him. The force of it pushed him backwards, but he fought to stay on his feet and keep his stance. If he let the lightning overwhelm him even for a second, it would kill him.

Zuko could feel his entire body trembling with the massive surge of energy that ran through him. Like a living thing, it hungered to consume every part of him. Against this raging storm, his uncle's instructions again came to him, like a beacon of light. Sharpening his focus, he moved his right hand towards his left arm and began to pull both his own energy and the lightning down through his arm towards his stomach. His right arm then stretched out, pulling all the swirling energies up from his stomach and following the path towards his right hand.

Even as he fought to direct this raging river, he could feel his anger surge to life. It hungered to be released on Azula–the very person who had not only endangered his own life more times than he could count, but who had also threatened Katara's and their mother's as well. Just the thought of her trying to hurt Katara again infuriated him. His rage demanded vengeance.

He gathered the lightning in the fingertips of his right hand, and then opened his eyes, searching for Azula. When he found her, he looked for the familiar traces of hate and disdain in her features, but with a shock, he realized he could see none of it there now. The widening of her eyes and the extremely pale hue of her face spoke of fear– that, and a look of vulnerability that was so uncharacteristic of his sister that it shook him down to the core. In that split second–as the lightning ached to be released–he suddenly remembered the dream he had after the first Agni Kai with his sister. It had felt so good to give into the anger and take his sister down. But that feeling had later turned into horror as the gravity had what he had done–or wanted to do–really hit him. He didn't like seeing that version of himself, and he didn't want to start down that path. Zuko lowered his arm, pointing down at the ground right in front of Azula, and then released the lightning.

Azula brought her arms up in an effort to shield her face as the lightning hit just a few feet in front of her. Dirt and debris flew everywhere. The force of it sent Azula flying backwards, throwing her back several feet. A feeling of dread seized Zuko, making him question if he had miscalculated his aim. A moment later he heard her groan and saw her shift on the ground, and he sighed in relief. She might be pretty banged up, but she was alive.

His mind shifted back to Katara and his mother, and he hastily turned around. Both of them were lying on the ground still, and he watched as they opened their eyes and surveyed their surroundings. Zuko bent down and laid a hand on Katara's arm. "Are you okay? Did either of you get hurt?"

Katara blinked her eyes a few more times and then sat up. "I'm fine." She had a very worried expression as she looked him up and down. "Zuko…the lightning–"

"–I'm fine," he reassured her, "I redirected the lightning back towards Azula."

Ursa quickly sat up, "Azula–is she okay?"

"I think so," Zuko answered hesitantly. Now that he knew that both Katara and his mother were safe, he redirected his focus back on his sister.

He stood up and walked over to where Azula lay. She had just opened her eyes and was forcing herself to sit up, groaning as she did so. When Zuko was just an arm's reach away from her, he stopped. His shadow crossed over her, making her jerk her head up towards him. He saw fear flit across her features again, but the next second it had turned into a familiar mask of cold detachment.

"If you're going to kill me," she sneered, "then go ahead and get on with it."

"I'm not going to kill you, Azula," he replied softly.

"Why not? Are you too scared to do it?"

"No, that's not it at all."

"Then why?" Her expression hardened. "If our positions were switched, I would have done it already."

He closed his eyes, trying to gather his tumultuous thoughts. An image flashed in his head, one of them exploring the underground tunnels when they were really small. When he met Azula's gaze again, he implored her to understand. "I don't want to kill you because you're my sister, Azula. I don't want us to keep fighting. I know it's hard for you to imagine, but the truth is that we don't have to be enemies. We can be on the same side…we could be siblings again–like we were when we were little."

Azula looked away, but not before Zuko caught a glimpse of uncertainty from her. "But…I was supposed to be the Fire Lord. I did everything he asked. He promised it was going to be mine."

Zuko grimaced. "Ozai promised a lot of things, but in the end, he only did something if it suited his own purposes. He wanted you to be the Fire Lord so he could keep controlling you. He would give you the illusion of power, but in reality he would be the one making all the decisions and calling all the shots. He wanted you to be his puppet."

Azula's head whipped back towards him, her eyes blazing with anger. "That's not true! Father trusted me! He gave me the Fire Nation to rule because he knew I was ready for it!"

"Ozai may have said you could be the Fire Lord, but you were always going to have to answer to him, weren't you?" When Azula didn't answer, he pressed onward. "You were still his subordinate, no matter what title you had, because it always had to be done his way. You were letting Ozai control you then just like you're letting Ichiro control you now, but it doesn't have to be that way. We can work together. Just help me defeat him."

"And then what?" she mockingly asked, "you want me to bow and scrape to you while you prance around as the Fire Lord?" Her scowl deepened. "The throne should be mine."

"You had your chance, but you've lost…in more ways than one." Zuko made sure to put some steel behind his words. "I am the Fire Lord, Azula, and that's not going to change. You now have two choices. You can either join me and help me defeat Ichiro, or you can go back to the Prison Tower. The choice is yours."

A light touch on his arm made him turn and see that Katara was now by his side. When he turned back towards Azula, Zuko saw that his mother had now moved to his other side. He had so many things he wanted to say to her and so many questions still, but he knew it wasn't the right time just yet.

"Azula," Ursa pleaded with her, "please listen to us. Don't go down the same path as your father. I don't want you to ruin the life and the opportunity that you still have left."

Azula sneered at her. "Don't act like you care about me. I'm not stupid enough to fall for it."

Zuko expected his mother to be angry or hurt, but instead she seemed full of regret. "Azula, I never wanted to leave you–either of you. I did what I could to protect my children, and Ozai banished me because of it. If there had been any other way to stay with you here or come back to you sooner, please believe me when I say that I would have done it, without hesitation. I know that I haven't been here for you for the last few years, and for that I will be eternally sorry. But there was not a single day that passed that I did not think of you both, and miss you terribly. I have, and will always, love you."

Azula seemed to bounce from hope to confusion to disbelief, all in quick succession. "You say that but I know you don't mean it. You think I'm a monster."

"Azula," Ura's voice was so tender, it made Zuko ache with the memories it brought to the fore, "I never thought you were a monster, but I was concerned about you and the choices you were making. I saw you try so hard to be just like your father–to be just as unfeeling and cruel as he was–even though, deep down, you and I both know that isn't who you are." A beautiful smile crossed her lips. "I remember the Azula who used to make origami with me and feed the turtle ducks in the pond behind the palace. I remember how you and your brother used to play for hours on end, pretending you were explorers and always searching for new lands to discover."

Although Azula remained silent, Zuko saw something change in Azula's gaze. There was a softness in their depths that Zuko was not used to seeing. Ursa appeared to notice this as well and gently laid a hand on Azula's shoulder. "Ozai saw a lot of himself in you, and so from a young age he tried to shape and mold you so you would become just like him. But just because he's your father and you are so alike, that doesn't mean that you have to make the same choices he did. You can be whoever you want to be…do whatever you want to do. You can be free to make your own choices because it's your life, Azula. You don't have to let anyone else tell you how to live it. And know that whatever you do I will always be there for you, and will always love you, no matter what."

Azula looked confused once again and quickly shrugged off her mother's hand. "I want to believe you, but I know I can't. You're both traitors. You betrayed our family and our country."

"I understand why it looks that way to you," Zuko told her. "It took me a long time to see things differently too. But after traveling and spending some time in the other nations, I realized something important. Everything we've been taught has been based on a lie, Azula. We've been told that our war with the other nations is justified–that conquering them is a good thing because we can unite them under one banner, and share all of our great achievements with them. But all it's really done is hurt and killed innocent people, torn apart communities and families, and left a world more broken than it was when this all started. That's why, when the peace conference starts up in Ba Sing Se, I'm going to be there to make sure the Fire Nation plays a part in forging a new way forward–one that doesn't involve fighting."

"But the Fire Nation will be seen as weak!" She protested. "The rest of the nations will turn on us! The only way we can stay safe is if they fear us."

Ursa shook her head. "Fear isn't the answer. It just creates distrust and discontent. Just look at the size of the Resistance–that's what comes from trying to rule through fear alone. In the end, it just unites those who you try to oppress."

"Just like what happened with Mai and Ty Lee." Azula's gaze immediately snapped to Zuko when he mentioned their names. "You tried to control them through fear, but that didn't work, did it?"

"They were the ones who betrayed me!" Azula replied angrily. "They were going to let Zuko and the other traitors go. They left me no choice!"

"No, Azula," Zuko insisted, "you were the one that left them with no choice. You tried to force them to do something that went against their beliefs–to betray a life long friend–for an ideal and a war that had been forced on them from the beginning. It's no different from what Ozai did to both you and me."

His sister didn't say anything right away and clearly looked very troubled. A small sliver of hope grew in Zuko that perhaps Azula was actually hearing them, and could possibly change. Is our mother right about Azula? Does she still have a softer side underneath her cold exterior? Maybe she could change and we could be a family again.

A loud noise coming from the palace interrupted Zuko's thoughts, and his gaze followed where it emanated from. He saw the large palace doors begin to swing open again and could already see the shadows of a small group emerge. When they stepped out into the light and Zuko recognized who was leading them, he involuntarily clenched his fists. "Ichiro," he growled, and when Katara heard him she instantly dropped into a defensive stance next to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Azula had put some distance between herself and the rest of them. It also troubled him to see that her face once again showed no emotion.

Ichiro was in his uniform as usual, his appearance as neat and tidy as the first day that Zuko had met him. When he thought about how Ichiro had deceived him from the start, Zuko could feel his anger welling up again, aching to be released. However, he forced himself to remain where he was. A part of him was surprised that Ichiro had come to him, but now knowing what he knew about the man, the general no doubt had a good reason to do so. Zuko would be patient and wait.

While Ichiro approached them, Zuko glanced at the four people behind them. They were dressed in Fire nation colors and in a uniform of sorts, though it was a different type of uniform that Zuko hadn't really seen before. They were heavily armored, though their armor looked like it had a lot of smaller plates and pieces. Its purpose was most likely to give them some mobility while still keeping them very well protected. Zuko also noticed that two of the four heavily armored guards had very large shields with them. He had never seen shields like these. Instead of being straight they were concave in shape, and much longer than a typical shield–at a quick glance they looked about four feet or more in length. They were also made out of some kind of a black, shiny material with very little decoration on it. Zuko didn't know what kind of soldiers these were, but he had a bad feeling about the group.

The four guards stayed so close to Ichiro that they could almost pass for the general's shadow. They stopped the instant Ichiro did, just ahead of Zuko and his group. The general only spared a quick glance for the others before turning his attention back to Zuko. "Fire Lord Zuko," Ichiro greeted him, as smooth and unruffled as ever, "I would be lying if I said I wasn't surprised at seeing you here. It seems that, once again, you have managed to escape the Sons of Sozin." He directed a hard gaze at Azula. "And it appears your sister has failed at her task as well." His cold, calculating eyes took in Zuko again, "It seems that everyone has underestimated your talents, myself most of all. It's a frustrating error that I intend to correct shortly."

Zuko was finding it very hard to control his temper. "I know it was you that hired the Sons of Sozin to kill me from the beginning. What I want to know is why. And if you were so intent on killing me, why go through this whole charade? You could have killed me back when we first met in my office."

It was Ursa that answered first. "I know why he didn't kill you when you first met–it's because his firebending is too weak. He could never come close to the power or skill level of you or your sister, and he knows this. He could never challenge you directly. That's why he's always preferred to work from the shadows, and let others do his dirty work for him. The only reason that he was promoted to the rank of High General was for his superior military tactics–and his family's distinguished, long line of military service."

Ichiro's gaze narrowed as he took in his mother's appearance. "Ah, Ursa. I must commend you on your disguise, and for keeping your presence a secret even from my own informants." He didn't seem a bit ruffled about finding her here, or from what she had to say. "It's of no consequence, however. In fact, I'm glad you could join us, for now I have the entire family here."

With a grim smile, he turned back to Zuko. "What your mother said is true–I am no spectacular firebender. If you or your sister challenged me to an Agni Kai, I would no doubt lose. But then, I am of a certain opinion that one's ability as a firebender does not predetermine their success in a position of leadership. Take your father, Ozai, for instance. He was, undoubtedly, one of the most powerful and skilled firebenders of our time and yet…it was he that ended up losing the war and weakened our position with the other nations. He believed that his firebending made him almost invincible to a point, and emboldened him to overextend our forces to the point to which they finally broke." His frown deepened. "The events of the last few months have proven that we need a change in leadership. We can't afford to have the descendents of a ruinous despot to ascend to the throne. We need to have a Fire Lord that can be a great leader–that has experience in both military and economic matters and that can guide this nation to its former glory. We need a leader that is truly qualified," he added with a sneer, "not just lucky to be born to the man in charge."

"And I guess you think you're the man for the job," Zuko managed to get out through clenched teeth.

The general smiled, but the gesture didn't hold any warmth. "Why, of course." His scowl returned. "However, there are still a great many people within the Fire Nation who are loyal to your family–whether it is to you or your sister or father–so that did present me with a rather large problem. I had to find a way not only to eliminate you, but also your father and sister as well. The Sons of Sozin I hired to take care of you, but the bigger problem was how I was going to get to your father and sister. By the time I had found out they were in the Prison Tower, that cursed security guard of yours already had his men guarding them, and none of them could be bribed to do an inside job. I quickly realized then that there would be many benefits for becoming your most loyal general."

"So not only would you eventually have access to the Prison Tower," Zuko grimly finished for him, "but then when you had High General Bujing and Shinu killed, you would already be positioned to become the highest ranking general in charge."

Ursa solemnly nodded in understanding, "And with both of Ozai's children out of the way, you could claim the throne for yourself."

Azula, who had been uncharacteristically silent this whole time, took a step forward. There was a deadly undertone when she spoke. "And what about my father? What are you planning to do with him?"

"My dear girl, your father is already dead." Both he and Azula froze at the news, so Ichiro continued in a very dispassionate tone. "I had him removed from his prison earlier today and taken care of. Even having lost his ability to firebend, he was still too much of a liability to be allowed to live."

"You're a liar," Azula hissed, "I saw him in his cell this morning and he was fine."

"I purposely let you see him to put you at ease and then had him removed in secret later. I didn't want to upset the Little Princess before she had performed her duty to me." His mouth twisted in distaste. "Not that it ended up mattering. You still failed to do the job."

"I don't believe you!" Azula practically screamed. "I know he's alive!"

Ichiro shrugged. "Believe what you wish. I don't really care either way."

Fear gripped Zuko as he thought about his uncle again. "What about my uncle…Iroh?..." He couldn't even bring himself to say the rest.

A malicious smile graced the general's lips. "Your uncle will be suffering the same fate shortly. After I get rid of you and the last of your little family here, there won't be anyone else standing in my way. The title of Fire Lord will be mine."

It was Azula who spoke up first. She practically trembled with fury. "Not if I kill you first." With amazing speed, Azula punched both of her hands forward, letting loose an enormous fireball that went straight for Ichiro. Zuko quickly glanced at Ichiro, but strangely enough, he didn't bother to move at all. Instead, one of the guards with the huge shield stepped in front of Ichiro. The man, who looked as big as Masato, calmly positioned his shield directly in the fire's path. Right as Azula's fire hit the shield the man moved his free hand down as if pulling something. Zuko watched as his sister's blue fire suddenly rolled down inside the curve of the shield, mimicking the guard's hand movement. The man then pushed his hand outward and the fire followed his direction, shooting out and heading straight for Azula. The fireball was even bigger now than it was a moment ago, and it pushed Azula back when she blocked with her own fire again.

"No way," Katara uttered, clearly astonished, "Their shields look like they're made out of the same meteorite material that was used to make Sokka's sword. I didn't know Fire Nation soldiers had equipment like that."

"I've never seen shields or guards like these before," Zuko confessed. "They must be some type of special unit I've never heard of."

"I've seen them before," Ursa quietly answered, "This is Ichiro's special military protection unit. They would always guard him whenever he would go out on military missions. They're not going to be easy to defeat."

Zuko saw Ichiro turn his head towards another of the guards next to him. "Finish them," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," the guard answered. She was a woman of average size and wasn't carrying a shield, but Zuko noticed that she had numerous blades and knives of various sizes strapped along the entirety of her belt. She drew up next to her counterpart with the shield, and then together they started to advance towards Azula.

Out of the side of his vision, Zuko saw his mother move off somewhere. When he found her again, he saw that she had picked up a discarded sword from the ground and was running at full speed towards the guards intent on Azula. He hadn't been the only one that had seen her though. One of the two guards left around Ichiro had also seen her and was already moving as well. It was another female guard that didn't have a shield, and Zuko recognized the firebending form she was about to complete. Fear powered Zuko's muscles as he flowed into his own firebending form. He made a wall of fire out ahead of him and just to the left of his mother. A second later the guard's fire hit his wall but it held, keeping Ursa safe for the time being.

Ursa had never hesitated or stopped, her attention being solely focused on the pair of guards heading towards Azula. Just when she was a few feet behind them, the man must have heard her because he stopped and started to turn around towards Ursa. Without breaking a stride, Ursa threw her borrowed sword forward and then dove towards the man. The man brought his hand up and let loose a small flame in her direction, but he wasn't quick enough. Ursa rolled in between the two guards and, in one fluid motion, she grabbed the sword as she got up on one knee and used it to slice the back of the man's left knee.

The man had barely begun to yell in pain before Ursa was moving again, diving out and away from the pair. She was climbing to her feet when the woman guard spotted her. In the blink of an eye the guard had summoned her own fire and shot it towards Ursa, who was just a few feet away. Zuko watched, horrified as the fire leapt towards his mother and knowing that he didn't have the time to save her. Ursa's eyes widened as the orange fire leapt towards her, and flooded with relief when a wave of blue fire crossed right in front of her, canceling the guard's fire just in the nick of time.

Azula rushed to Ursa as she finished getting to her feet. Then, together, the two turned to face the pair of guards once again. The man, despite his injury, was stubbornly hobbling towards them as the woman guard began to advance again.

"Zuko, look out!"

He had been so worried and focused on his mother and sister that Zuko hadn't been paying attention to his immediate area. A roar off to his left side told him what was coming. Instinctively he moved towards it, creating his own flames that canceled their attack the moment it met his own.

The second pair of guards, who looked almost like a mirror image of the ones who attacked Azula, had now turned their attention on him and Katara. He spared a quick glance towards Katara and noticed that she was holding the palm of her hand upwards, with a very small sphere of water hovering above it. With the way she was concentrating, it looked like was trying to gather more water out of the air and make the sphere bigger. Katara doesn't have much water left to fight with, and with that special shield of theirs, I won't be able to attack the man directly. This isn't going to be an easy fight. I better try to take the woman out first, and then Katara and I can deal with the guy together.

Zuko swiveled and kicked, aiming a smaller fireball at the woman's feet. She easily jumped and avoided his attack, but he was pleased to note that when she landed she was a few feet further away from the guard with the shield. Now was his chance.

He swung his arms around, gathering more energy this time, and then pushed forward, hurling a much larger fire blast at the woman. His flames had barely sprung to life before the male guard was moving, rushing quickly towards the woman. The female guard brought her arms up, as if readying herself for Zuko's attack. When his flames got to her, she moved her arms in a circle of sorts and then swept them towards the other guard. Zuko's fire then launched towards the man, who planted and held his curved shield up right before the flames hit him. The guard once again rolled the flames down the shield and threw it back directly at Zuko. Zuko summoned more fire, and when the two fires met they hissed and spat at each other, before finally fizzling out.

Zuko grimaced. Great. Now I know why they work in pairs. Their whole attack strategy is based on defense and throwing the enemy's own fire right back at them. This fight would last forever at this rate, which I won't be able to keep up. I'm going to have to try something different.

Zuko saw a very thin sliver of water zip past him towards the male guard. Katara snapped her hand back then forward, making the thin sliver lash out like a whip right at the man's helmet. Zuko could hear the loud thud as the guard was hit, making the man stumble and grab his helmet with both of his hands. Seeing her whip gave Zuko just the inspiration he needed.

Rocking his hands back and forth, twin whips of fire sprang to life and he lashed them at the female guard. This time she was on her own, and Zuko was a little satisfied to see her face screw up in concentration as she tried to hastily defend herself. She tried to make her own fire whips, but they were much smaller than Zuko's and when the two met, she was instantly pushed back. Pressing his advantage, Zuko whipped his arms forward again, lashing at the woman repeatedly. Her fire whips shrank until they disappeared completely. Zuko lashed out again, and in desperation she made a fireball that managed to shield her, but also pushed her back and got her off balance.

Katara's thin tendril of water was moving once again. This time it whipped around the woman's ankles with lightning speed and then yanked, pulling the woman off of her feet. Fire off to his left made Zuko twist, but he easily deflected the attack, which he realized had come from the guard with the shield again. Having just seen what Katara had done to the woman guard gave Zuko an idea. He turned towards her. "Katara, get his shield!"

She nodded, and the next moment she was already moving her arms. The sliver of water darted towards the man's shield and then wrapped it around it like a tightly coiled rope. Katara then pulled her arms back towards her, yanking both her water and the shield towards her. The man, who had stubbornly held on, was pulled off of his feet. He desperately tried to hold onto it as he was drug across the ground, until Katara twisted both her water ropes and the shield around in a circle, finally breaking his hold on it.

The man rolled and then lay face down on the ground, clearly dazed from the whole ordeal. Zuko knew the guard wouldn't take long to recover, so he had to act fast. Although his old instincts wanted him to throw another fire attack at the guard, in his mind he could see Goro's charred face again, and Zuko instantly rejected the idea. I have to find another way to make sure he stays down. In just a few strides he had closed the distance between himself and the guard, and he jumped on the man's back. Without hesitating, he wrapped his right arm around the man's neck, putting the guard in a choke hold. The man immediately began to struggle and try to throw Zuko off. But Zuko had already anticipated the move and had widened his stance, so the man's attempts were futile. Zuko refused to release his hold, and as the seconds ticked by he could tell the man was getting weaker. Finally, a few moments later, the guard went still.

Another loud noise behind him made Zuko sit up and turn, just in time to see a very small and thin ice shield in front of him shudder as something hit it. Zuko could feel the heat from the fire even as he saw dozens upon dozens of cracks race across the ice shield's surface. He desperately raised his arms in front of his face, just as the shield broke and shattered into hundreds of tiny shards. He closed his eyes and tried to focus his firebending into his hands and arms, hoping that the heat itself might melt and protect him from the icicles that he knew were flying towards him. Zuko could hear the tiny projectiles zipping all around him. He cringed as he felt some small yet sharp slivers hit him in random places on his shoulders, arms, and legs. When the barrage stopped, he opened his eyes again.

The woman was very quick, and already she had turned towards Katara and was starting another firebending form. Katara tried to pull the tiny fragment of ice towards her again, but even Zuko could tell that she didn't have much water left–especially for a large fire attack. He saw orange fire blossom out from the female guards' hands and race towards Katara as one, large sphere. Still squatting, Zuko knew he didn't have time to perform any proper forms, and he only had a few seconds before the fire would reach Katara. But he knew now–from what he had done at the Sons' hideout earlier and what the pair of guards had shown just now–that he could take control of someone's fire, even without creating his own.

Zuko reached his hands out and focused on the guard's fire as it sped ahead. He imagined that it was his own fire that he had created, and that he could feel his own energy pulsing through it. In his mind, he pushed both his energy and the fire further away from him and Katara. The guard's fire responded instantaneously, moving off course just as Zuko had wanted, and roared off to Katara's right, missing her by just a few feet.

Relief washed over him when he saw that Katara was safe, for the time being. Zuko picked himself up, trying to get back on his feet. He had turned towards the female guard and had almost straightened up when he saw something metallic flash ahead of him. Then, pain blossomed just under his right shoulder. He both felt and heard something hit bone. Before he could process this, he saw another flash, just before something ripped right into his midsection.

This new pain was so intense it took his breath away and burned away every thought that had been in his mind. Agony engulfed him, and it felt as if his entire stomach area was ripping and burning in excruciating pain. Almost involuntarily, his hands sought the source of this anguish and immediately found a thin, metal dagger protruding from his middle.

"Zuko…No!"

Katara's scream brought some of the outside world back to him, and he struggled to focus. Half dazed, he stared at the woman guard ahead of him and saw her give him a malicious smile. Zuko watched as her gaze then darted to Katara, and her hands started to reach down to her belt. Even through his extraordinary pain and shock, there was some small part of Zuko that realized what was about to happen, and screamed at him to do something. He took a larger breath, and even as he did so it felt like the dagger was ripping into him all over again. It was his fear, however, that forced him to get the words out, "Katara! Look out!"

Zuko saw Katara wipe both of her hands across her face and then throw her hands out to create two thin coils of water. Movement made him glance back at the guard, and terror gripped Zuko when he saw the female guard throw both of her hands out towards Katara, with two familiar silver flashes following immediately afterwards. But Katara was already moving. She threw her right hand forward, manipulating the one slice of water into a thin plate of ice that she threw just ahead of her and a couple feet off of the ground even as she ran towards it. As she jumped and landed on it with her right foot she threw her left hand out, making a similar step a few feet higher again. She jumped onto her second and final step and then launched herself in the air, just as the two thin daggers whistled right underneath her.

The pain running through Zuko was so overwhelming that his body screamed at him to lie down. But all he could think about now was Katara, and his desperate need to protect her instantly outweighed any considerations for himself. He forced his right arm up and pointed his hand at the female guard, though it shook in pain as he did so. His own energy–which usually was a deep well from which to draw his firebending from–now only felt like a trickle. Despite the raging pain that still consumed him, Zuko pulled from deep within himself and directed that trickle of energy into his right hand and towards the remaining guard. His small stream of fire rushed forward at the woman, to which she turned and easily blocked. It was enough, however, to distract the woman and give Katara the few, precious seconds she needed.

Just as Katara landed back on her feet she twisted, her hands guiding the two ice steps she had made. The two slabs of ice transformed into two very thin, but very sharp blades. Her face a portrayal of icy rage, Katara threw them at the woman, who had only just blocked Zuko's fire attack. One of the ice daggers hit the woman in the side, right in between two of the armor plates, while the other sailed higher, slicing the guard in the side of the neck. The woman immediately froze in shock and put a hand over each injury. She fell to her knees and then collapsed to the floor and didn't move again.

Now that the threat was over, Zuko could feel the last of his energy leave him. He felt his whole body slump and, unable to hold himself upright any longer, he tipped backwards until he hit the ground. Another agonizing ripple of pain shot through his midsection and up his torso, taking his breath away. A wave of nausea swept over him, making him shut his eyes tightly against it.

"Zuko!"

He heard Katara's voice again, and then a moment later footsteps right next to him. When he opened his eyes, he saw her blue eyes staring down at him, filled with unshed tears. He could tell she was trying to keep calm, but he could detect the tremble in her voice. "Zuko, can you hear me?"

"Yes," he took a shaky breath, "The blades are still in…"

"I know," she answered softly. "Do you think they were poisoned?"

"No."

"Okay." Katara took a deep breath. "I'm going to have to take them both out. Brace yourself."

He nodded and watched as she manipulated her thin coil of water around the dagger under his right shoulder. Zuko held his breath, and only flinched a little as she smoothly pulled it out. Pain flared in the area, but it was small in comparison.

"I'm just going to heal enough to stop the bleeding and then move to…to the other injury." He didn't say anything but just watched as she placed both her hand and the water she had above the area. After a few moments, she sighed and removed both.

Katara glanced at him, and he could tell that she was both anxious and afraid of what was coming next. "I don't have a way to stop the pain. It's going to get worse when I take the dagger out."

This was the moment that Zuko had been dreading. "Just do it," he replied hoarsely. She nodded and then motioned with her hand, directing the water to wrap ever so slowly and gently around the dagger that was still protruding from his midsection. Zuko quickly shut his eyes. He clenched both of his fists and tried to tense his muscles in anticipation. He was determined not to cry out, for Katara's sake, because he knew that this was already hard for her.

Even though Zuko knew it was coming, it still shocked him how much it hurt. It felt as if his insides were tearing and being yanked about, sending wave after wave of agony through him. His jaw was clenched so tight that it was aching, but he refused to yell out or even cry with the pain that was racing through him. He desperately tried to focus on his breathing amidst the ocean of madness and pain. Although it didn't lessen what he was physically feeling, he felt as if it was his only lifeline to sanity right now.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but Zuko did finally begin to notice that the pain was lessening. It wasn't much at first, but it was something that gave him hope. The pain continued to lessen, until Zuko realized he could breathe much easier again and didn't have to focus on it any longer. He opened his eyes, in time to see Katara remove her hand and the water. She turned and looked at something behind him and then glanced over to her right, a frown appearing on her face as she did so. Before he could ask her about it, she started speaking again.

"It's not completely healed, but I've managed to stop the bleeding for now. As long as you don't knock yourself around too much, it should hold for now."

Zuko found his voice again. "Katara, what is it?"

She cast a nervous glimpse around them before meeting his gaze. "There's a bunch of soldiers that just came from the palace and are surrounding us as we speak. I think they're archers."

Zuko slowly sat up and then looked around himself. They were indeed surrounded by archers now–maybe about two dozen or so at a quick glance. This is not good. He looked back at Katara. "Can you help me up?"

Katara slipped an arm underneath his shoulder and helped him up so he could stand again. He looked over to where he last remembered seeing his mother and sister and he saw the pair of heavy armored guards lying on the ground, unmoving. He frantically searched for Azula and Ursa and found them just a few feet away. Azula was squatting next to Ursa, who was sitting on the ground with both hands pressed against her inner thigh. It looked like she was wounded, which worried Zuko. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything he could do about it at present.

Zuko saw that Ichiro was still standing between them and the palace. The general began to gesture and issue some kind of orders. The archers all around them, in unison, drew an arrow from their quivers, set their bows and raised them at Zuko and his group. Frozen with their arrows nocked, they seemed to be waiting for a final command from Ichiro.

Azula seemed to notice this as well and stood, facing Ichiro. "What is it, Ichiro? Are you too scared to face a bunch of teenagers by yourself? Maybe what they say is true, and you really are a coward."

He smiled grimly. "I don't find bravery particularly useful–it usually gets a person killed. Why take such a risk fighting you myself when my archers can dispatch all of you well enough without me?"

She scowled. "It's going to take a lot more than some flimsy arrows to take me down."

"Ah, but these aren't just any arrows. During my dealings with the Sons of Sozin, I found out that they have a very practical way of dealing with those targets that are element benders. They have a mixture that, either in its potion or powder form, can actually suppress a person's ability to bend their element." His cold gaze slid over to Zuko's. "That was how they were able to hold his little earthbender friend for days on end, even though she was surrounded by her element. It's quite a remarkable concoction. So you see, Princess, I am actually confident that you are about to be one less problem that I have to deal with."

Now suddenly much more afraid, Zuko again surveyed the guards around him. They were outnumbered almost ten to one, which would be a challenge even if they were on top of their game. But with his injury and Katara having very little water left, they were already at a disadvantage. The sheer numbers of the archers would ensure that at least some of the shots would hit their targets, and if he, Azula, or Katara lost their bending, winning this fight really would become impossible. What are we going to do?

Zuko snuck a glance at Katara beside him, and he could tell that the same thoughts were going through her mind. She suddenly turned towards him, and he could see the same despair mirrored in her blue eyes. "Any ideas?" she whispered to him.

He gave a slight shake of his head, unable to speak for the moment. I tried so hard to keep her safe…was it all for nothing? Is this how it's going to end? Even though he had never been one to give up, it was hard at the moment to hold on to any hope. "I'm sorry, Katara," he softly told her as he struggled to get the words out, "I never meant for you to get caught up in all of this…" There was so much he wanted to tell her, but he had run out of both time and words.

She gazed deeply into his eyes, and for a moment it was as if time stood still. There was only him and her, and the deep connection that he could feel unspoken between them. She told him that she loved him, even without having to say the words.

Then, something shifted within the depths of her blue gaze. All the fear and anxiety that had been clearly etched over her features disappeared, and was replaced with fierce determination.

Katara stepped away from him and looked again at the archers around them. Suddenly, her arms began flowing into a form, but Zuko was confused when he didn't see any water around her. But still she continued to direct her hands in what looked like very purposeful movements. Her actions were bewildering, but also familiar in some mysterious way.

Movement caught Zuko's eye, making him look up. He realized, with a start, that all of the archers were moving in unison again, but he hadn't heard Ichiro give any further commands. When Zuko noticed the same surprised look on the general's face, he knew that this was not Ichiro's doing. He suddenly knew what Katara was doing. She was bloodbending.

Zuko had seen Katara bloodbend before, but it had only ever been on one person at a time. As he looked all around them, he realized, with a shock, that she wasn't just controlling one archer…she was controlling them all–at the same time.

Amazed, he looked back at Katara. He could already see the strain and tremendous effort it was taking for her to control this many people. But her determination didn't waiver. Katara slowly raised her right hand up in the air, as if she was holding something up–but there was nothing in her grasp. Zuko noticed, however, that in each of the archers' hands that was now raised, there was something in their grips–each now held the poisoned arrow that had been on their bows, with the poisoned tips being pointed at the ground.

Katara's heavy breathing drew Zuko's attention, and he was surprised to see her face now dripping with sweat. Gritting her teeth, she abruptly yanked her raised arm downwards, driving her empty fist right down on the top of her right leg. At the same time, Zuko saw every archer mirroring her movement, moving as one with her–and watched as each and every one of them drove their poisoned arrows into their own legs.

"No!" he heard Ichiro yell, "What are you doing?!"

But it was too late, and Ichiro seemed to realize this as well. As Zuko looked around, he saw the archers begin to stumble and drop to the ground, no doubt due to both the injury and the fast acting poison.

Zuko turned back towards Katara, just in time to see her buckle and fall to the ground. "Katara!"

In two strides, he was next to her and kneeling by her side. He gently put a hand behind her neck and raised her head towards him.

Her eyes, which had been closed, briefly fluttered open. "Zuko?" she half gasped, half groaned.

He was frantic with worry. "Katara, are you okay? What?-" but Zuko cut off as he watched her eyes roll into the back of her head. She suddenly went limp.

"Katara?" He gently brushed his hand across her face, willing her to open her eyes again, "Katara, can you hear me? Katara?"

Despite his pleas, she didn't move or open her eyes. What's wrong with her? Did overusing her bending ability hurt her in some way? Zuko forced himself to take a deep breath and try to stay calm. Gently laying her head on the ground, he then moved so he could softly lay his ear against her chest. He tried to quiet his own breathing so he could listen to Katara.

His fear and worry were so strong and palpable that they felt like a physical presence sitting right next to him. Zuko tried to remember his uncle's words and kept hoping that she would be okay. Then, he thought he heard something. It was so soft it was almost imperceptible at first, but he realized that he could hear Katara breathing. He also finally could discern her heart beating. Straightening back up, Zuko forced himself to take another deep breath. Katara is alive. She's probably going to be just fine. Zuko thought back to the day when Katara had been first attacked by assassins and used her bloodbending to heal herself. She had been very drained afterwards, and just needed some time to rest to recover. Hopefully she just overextended herself and will be fine after she gets some rest. I can't always assume the worst.

Zuko heard someone yell close by–from the sound of it, it sounded like a woman's voice. He searched for the source and saw his mother still sitting on the ground, her face contorted in pain. Crouched next to her was Azula, and he could see the remnants of her blue fire around her hand as it faded away. Suddenly fearful for his mother, Zuko stood up and tried to draw his sister's attention towards him instead of Ursa. "Azula, what are you doing?"

To his surprise, Azula didn't summon any more fire, but instead aimed a glare at him. "Maybe it's none of your business–"

Ursa laid a hand on her arm, gently cutting her off. She quickly turned to Zuko. "Zuko, it's okay. I asked Azula to use her fire to cauterize the wound on my leg. If she hadn't, I would have lost too much blood." She looked up at Azula. "Can you help me up?"

Zuko was surprised again to see his sister lend a hand to their mother, and help her up so she could stand on her feet again. Azula…helping? Has she really changed for the better then?/p>

Azula looked sharply back at the palace. Her whole body seemed to tense with anger. "Ichiro is getting away! We have to stop him!"

Zuko saw that Azula was right. Ichiro had already turned back to the palace and was nearly to the double doors already. Zuko clenched his fists. I can't let Ichiro get away. He's far too dangerous. But… he looked down at Katara, noticing that she still hadn't moved. I can't leave Katara here alone like this… He hesitated, torn by the two conflicting desires within him.

"Zuko," He looked back to see his mother walking over to him as fast as her injury would let her, "Go with Azula. I will look after Katara." When she had reached him, she put a hand on his arm and caught his gaze. "I promise I won't leave her side."

He gently laid his hand on top of hers, noting how extraordinary it felt to finally be so close to his mother again. There was so much he wanted to say to her, but at the moment he didn't have the time. Instead he simply thanked her, to which she gave a small smile. Reluctantly letting her hand go, Zuko stepped away from her and caught his sister's gaze. "Let's go."

Azula gave a curt nod. Her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of Ichiro and then she took off after him. Zuko felt a stab of pain from his stomach area as he quickly followed her. He knew he shouldn't push himself too much, but he also couldn't afford to let Ichiro get away.

Ichiro opened one of the large doors and then vanished inside. Fighting through the pain, Zuko pushed himself faster. Azula was just ahead of him and got to the double doors first, and then she disappeared as well, with Zuko only a couple of seconds behind her.

The double doors led into a grand entry hallway that was meant to be more imposing than welcoming, with its high vaulted ceilings and bare decor. The end of the hallway would open up to a large room from which to access the different wings of the palace, and it was there that Zuko caught sight of a large group of people. They were still too far away for Zuko to see their faces, but he grimly assumed they would be more of Ichiro's people.

Ichiro was now in between this group of people and he and Azula. Ichiro abruptly swiveled and threw his hands out, summoning a large sphere of fire that he threw at Zuko and his sister. The fire had barely left his hands before he turned and was off again, almost at a near run towards the heart of the palace.

Azula created her own blue fire and effortlessly blocked Ichiro's attack. Zuko had just caught up with her when she was off again, the two of them side by side as they raced after the general. They were about halfway down the hallway when Zuko realized that he could now see the faces of the other group at the end. Startled, he realized that he recognized the man standing in the middle of the group–it was Iroh, and on either side of him were Mai and Ty Lee.

Ichiro must have realized the same thing because he came to a sudden stop. Sensing he was in the middle of a trap, he put his back to the wall and warily eyed both the new group and Zuko and Azula. Both groups advanced on the general until only a few feet separated them from their target.

"It looks like you have nowhere left to run, General," Zuko heard his uncle tell Ichiro.

Ichiro snarled. "You are all making a huge mistake."

"I made the mistake of trusting you," Zuko answered him. "But I won't make that same mistake again. It's over, Ichiro. You've lost."

For once, the calm composure that had always marked the general's personality was gone. "You don't deserve to be the Fire Lord! You're too weak!" Ichiro pulled both arms behind his back as he backed away from him, until his back was nearly touching the wall.

Unlike the rest of them, Azula kept walking towards the general. There was a dangerous look in her eyes. "You're the one who doesn't deserve to be the Fire Lord. If you don't have the strength to fight your own enemies, then you could never stand up to the test of ruling the Fire Nation. You are the one who is weak."

When Azula was about an arm's length away, Ichiro suddenly lunged at her. He whipped his right arm around up and around in an arc towards Azula's neck, and it was only then that Zuko realized that Ichiro had a knife in his hand. With incredible grace and agility, Azula leaned back just enough to escape the blade's path and then reached out and grabbed the hand that held the knife. In one swift motion, Azula forced both the hand and blade back around so that the tip of the knife now faced Ichiro while she simultaneously thrust it forward, until it plunged deep into Ichiro's neck.

Ichiro's eyes widened in shock as he stared at Azula. Her cold eyes stared back without mercy. "That," she whispered to him, "is for my father."

She took a step back and watched, expressionless, as he slid down the wall until he sat on the floor. After another moment, he closed his eyes and went still.

Zuko slowly walked up to his sister. He could tell already that she was changed, though he wasn't sure to what extent. He gently put a hand on her shoulder. When her gold gaze met his, for once there was no hatred in them. It was a start. "Thank you, Azula," he told her sincerely.

He could tell his words surprised her, but then something crossed her expression that he wasn't used to seeing…was it gratitude? Azula nodded, but then she sobered. "So what happens to me now? Are you going to send me back to the Prison Tower?"

Zuko held her gaze. "I meant what I said before…I don't want us to be enemies any more. I want you by my side, Azula, as my sister and my friend."

"But how can you trust me that easily, after everything I've done?" she asked, clearly confused and doubtful. "How do you know that I won't betray you again?"

Zuko glanced at Iroh, who smiled and nodded in response. He couldn't help the small smile that crept onto his lips as he turned back to Azula. "I don't know that, but what I can do is hope…hope that you've learned from the mistakes you've made, and use that knowledge to make the right choices going forward." He sobered as he thought about his own past. "I've made plenty of mistakes too, but I was lucky to have someone who loved me enough to give me another chance." He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. "Maybe…just maybe I can be that same person for you."

He saw unshed tears form in her eyes. "Thank you…Zuko." She blinked furiously and cleared her throat, obviously trying to get back in control of her emotions. She turned around but then awkwardly stared down at her feet. "Just don't expect me to get all emotional…that's not really my style."

That made Zuko smile. "I know," he simply answered. He looked up and saw Iroh, Mai, and Ty Lee walk up to them. No longer able to contain his relief and excitement on seeing his uncle, he quickly closed the distance and eagerly embraced the older man.

Iroh didn't say anything, but simply hugged him back. His uncle then gave him an extra squeeze, which made Zuko grunt. Iroh pulled back, his face puzzled. Zuko quickly explained. "It's an injury that's not healed yet. Well, I have two actually…so I'm supposed to be taking it easy."

There was a mischievous twinkle in his uncle's eyes. "Well, then I guess it's a good thing that we've secured the rest of the palace."

"Really? What about the rest of Ichiro's men?"

"Already captured and taken care of. The extra men from the garrison that Mitsugu promised us just arrived. We have more than enough guards to escort Ichiro's men back to prison, and the rest are going to help our allies."

"And Liem?" Zuko anxiously asked, "is he okay too?"

Iroh smiled. "Our young friend is doing just fine. He is at the Prison Tower with some others of our group to make sure the facility stays secured."

Thinking about the Prison Tower made Zuko think of his father. A wave of different emotions came over him when he thought about what Ichiro had told him. "Uncle, Ichiro told us that he…killed Ozai. Do you know if that's true?"

By the slight widening of his eyes, Zuko could tell the news shocked Iroh as well. "No, I don't. But I know that he wasn't in his cell any longer. It was empty when I checked it earlier."

Zuko looked away, staring at nothing in particular. "I think we should check to see if what he said is true."

He felt a hand on his shoulder. "I will look into it, Zuko."

He nodded. "Thank you, Uncle."

No longer wanting to dwell on that line of thought, Zuko turned and saw Mai and Ty Lee standing close to Azula. As he walked up to them, he heard some of their conversation.

"-you know I'm not good at this sort of thing," Azula explained as she tried to look everywhere but Ty Lee and Mai. "I admit though that I…I shouldn't have turned my back on you both, or had you thrown into prison. I might have…overreacted a bit."

"That's probably the understatement of the century," Mai dryly retorted. "But that's probably as close to an apology as we're going to get so…apology accepted."

Ty Lee beamed. "Oh, Azula, of course I'll forgive you too! We're friends, after all." The small girl then hurriedly grabbed her two friends and pulled them both unceremoniously into a group hug. They had just separated when Zuko approached them.

"Mai, Ty Lee," both girls turned around when they heard his voice, "I just wanted to say thank you for helping us and helping my uncle. It means a lot to me."

Mai smiled. "That is what friends do, after all."

Zuko returned the smile, but then it quickly faded when his thoughts brought him once again to Katara. "Sorry, but I have to go."

All three of them looked at him quizzically, but he was already focused on the pair of double doors down at the end of the hall. Worry began to gnaw at him again, but he tried to stay hopeful as he headed back outside. He saw his mother kneeling by Katara, who was still lying down. His heart twisted at the sight, but he forced himself to keep moving. His mind was a blur as he crossed the distance and knelt beside her again.

"I think she's starting to come around again," his mother told him. Daring to hope, Zuko took one of Katara's hands in his.

"Katara? Katara, can you hear me?"

He heard her groan at the same time she moved her head towards him. With his other hand, Zuko reached and gently brushed a small strand of brown hair away from her face. At his touch, her eyes blinked several times until they finally came to focus on him. Relief flooded through him.

"Zuko?" she asked, clearly still dazed, "Where am I? What happened?" She tried to lift herself up, but with a groan she gave up and laid back again.

"Here, let us help," Ursa gently replied, and after Ursa and Zuko had supported her a little more, Katara was finally sitting up.

Katara looked dizzy for a moment, so they didn't try to move her again. Zuko took a moment to explain. "We're in front of the palace. You used your bloodbending to take out all of the archers, and then I guess you must have passed out. Azula and I followed Ichiro inside. Azula…" he hesitated, "well, Ichiro's been taken care of. Iroh, Mai, and Ty Lee are here inside the palace and made sure to secure it. Ichiro's men have all been captured."

Ursa looked questioningly at Zuko, but she seemed to sense that now was not the best time for her questions.

"Can you help me up?" Katara asked, making them both turn towards her.

Zuko frowned. "I don't think you should try to stand, Katara."

He could see that stubborn glint in her eyes. "Just let me try."

Remembering how similar arguments went in the past, Zuko merely sighed in resignation. "Alright."

Ursa ducked her head, trying to hide a smile as she moved to put an arm under Katara's. Zuko quickly did the same. They got Katara on her feet, but it actually surprised Zuko when she didn't try to take a step forward.

It was Katara's turn to sigh. "I feel so weak and drained," Katara admitted, sounding very tired and frustrated. "I don't think I could walk ten steps if my life depended on it."

Zuko smirked at her. "That tends to happen when you attempt to do the impossible."

She aimed a sharp frown at him. "Well, somebody had to do something to save our skins."

Zuko knew he was probably smiling so much he looked like a fool, but at that moment he didn't really care. "It's a good thing then that I have such a dedicated bodyguard and personal healer."

"It is." Her lips transformed into a beautiful smile. "But we should probably take a break from the adventures for a while, don't you think?"

He laughed softly. "Yeah, I would agree with that." Then, without warning, he bent and scooped her up in his arms.

"Zuko! What are you doing?" Katara immediately protested as he began walking towards the palace.

"What does it look like?" he answered gruffly. Both injuries yelled at him as he continued to walk, but it wasn't enough to deter him.

Even without looking down Zuko could tell that Katara was, at this very moment, aiming a none-to-happy stare at him. "I think you're trying to carry me even though you have some serious injuries. Put me down, Zuko."

Despite his aches and pains, he still smiled. "Have I ever told you how cute you are when you try to boss me around?"
She uttered a small, harmless growl. "I do not boss you around. And it's not like you listen to me anyways."

"I'll make you deal then. You let me carry you to your room, and then later–if you say you're up for it–I'll let you do another healing session on me, without uttering a single protest."

When Katara didn't say anything right away Zuko snuck a glance down at her, and saw a gorgeous smile lit up her entire face. "Deal," she simply replied. She then squirmed slightly in his arms, snuggling herself even closer so she could rest her head just under his chin.

As Zuko followed the corridors that would take him to her room, he savored how she felt in his arms. He said another silent, heartfelt thanks to Agni and whatever spirits were listening that both he and Katara had made it out of this ordeal alive and were now safe. He knew that there would still be a lot to do today and the near future, but right now he simply enjoyed being in this moment…and with Katara next to him, it felt right.