Zuko's Journey

Flee

The next morning arises, with everyone peacefully sleeping throughout the Air Temple. Aang is the first to awake. When suddenly, a Bomb is launched in his direction. He gets out his staff and knocks it away from the Temple. Suddenly, Fire Nation Air Ships arise and begin reigning down attacks on the Temple. "Watch out!" Zuko tackles Katara out of the way of a falling rock. "What are you doing?" "Keeping rocks from crushing you!" "Ok! I'm not crushed! You can get off me now!" "I'll... take that as a "thank you." Toph and Haru create a tunnel through the Temple with their Earthbending. "Come on! We can get out through here!" Everyone enters the tunnel. Aang struggles to get Appa in the tunnel. Zuko stays behind. "What are you doing?" "Go ahead. I'll hold them off. I think this is a family visit." Zuko enters the battle. The lead air ship rises before him, with Azula leading the charge. Though something is off of her. Instead of her icy, emotionless stare, she has a deranged and unhinged smile on her face. "What are you doing here?" "You meant it's not obvious? I'm about to celebrate becoming an only child!"

Azula blasts blue fire, knocking Zuko back. The ground beneath him begins to crumble. Zuko rushes up to the Air Ship. He takes a hero's leap, but he falls beneath the clouds. Azula watches on amused. Meanwhile, Appa still refuses to go into the tunnel. "Come on ya dumb pile of fluff! Get in the tunnel!" Jakto commands. "We can't get him in there. Appa hates tunnels." Aang advises. "We're gonna have to split up." Sokka says. Jakto rushes over to his second-hand man Warrvoq. "Take the kids and everyone else through that tunnel. Molana and I will stay with the Avatar and his team to assist in the fight against Azula." "Of course sir." "No no no! I don't wanna leave you again!" Anwanna cried out. Jakto clams her down. "It'll be okay, sweet girl. Protect your brother. We'll see each other again soon." He kisses the little girl on the forehead. "Now get outta here!" Warrvoq, Mai, Ty Lee, The Duke, Teo, Haru, and the others leave through the cave. Suki, Toph, Sokka, Katara, Aang, and the Water Siblings get on Appa. Azula sees the bison fly. She fires at the beast, but Aang uses his staff to deflect it. Azula smirks at the hero's cowardliness to run from a fight. But her smile fades away. Another Air Ship rises up. And on that ship, Zuko emerges. He is done bargaining with his sister, for he now realizes that she is a lost cause. Azula turns to face her older brother. Zuko charges at Azula with a huge leap. He successfully lands on the adjacent air ship as the firebending battle commences. Snarling, she redoubled her attacks with renewed ferocity. But he met each blast with elegant precision, no longer fueled by anger or fear. Only determination to end this threat, once and for all, guided his hands. Back and forth they battled across the ship, an eloquent deadly dance they had waged since childhood. But now the tides had turned - where once she had the advantage of youth and unstable power, he had grown into his skills. Zuko and Azula each charge a fire punch. They connect, as the explosion sends both of them flying off the Air Ship. Appa swoops in as Jakto grabs his comrade by the arm and pulls him in safely. Azula continues free falling. "She's...not gonna make it." Zuko says with sadness. 

But Azula proves him wrong. With her last breath of power, she ignited her chi and shot out jet streams of blue flame to slow her descent. The ground rushed ever closer still, yet somehow her fire held. At the last possible second, her boots touched down upon an outcropping with impossible grace. Azula stared at her smoking hands. Against all odds...she had survived. For the first time in years, a strange calm came over her.  "Of course she did." Zuko says unapproved as the Gang flies away. They reach a greenfield at night. The kids are sitting around a campfire."Wow, camping. Feels like old times." Aang says embracing the nostalgia. "If you really want it to feel like old times, I could uh, chase you around the world and try to capture all of you." Zuko jokingly adds Everyone breaks out into laughter, except for one. Katara lets out an unnoticeable fake laugh. "To Zuko! Who knew after all those times he tried to snuff us out, that he'd be our hero today." Everyone raises a glass "Hear, Hear!" Said by all except Katara. "I'm touched. I don't deserve this." "Yeah, don't I know it." Katara says bitterly as he storms off. "What's her damage?" Jakto asks. "I wish I knew." Zuko walks off and tries to reason with the only person who seemingly still does not trust him. "This isn't fair. Everyone else trusts me. Why can't you?" Zuko asks humbly.

"Oh everyone trusts you now?! Well guess what?! I was the first person to trust you! Remember?! Back in Ba Sing Se!? And you betrayed us! You betrayed me!" "What can I do to prove myself to you?" Zuko asks. "You really wanna know!? Hmm? Maybe you can reconquer Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth King! Or I know! You can bring my mother back! But unless you can do either one of those things, I will NEVER trust you!!" She storms off. Zuko looks down disappointed. "Ugh, you can come out now! I know you're there!" Sokka sneaks out from behind the bush. "How'd you know I was there?" "You're doing it to spy on Suki's tent." "Oh, right. That. Anyways, how ya holding up?" "How do you think I'm holding up? Your sister hates me. And I don't know what I can do to make me forgive her. Zuko sighs and asks a deeply personal question. "Katara mentioned something about her mother. I know this is a tough question to ask, but I need you to tell me what happened to your mother."