'Bang!' The sound of a loud explosion awakes me from my slumber, "Ah!" I exclaim as I jump out of my sleeping bag, arms raised and ready.
Three Fire Nation warships come rising out of the fog below. Aang runs over to us and blows shut the doors around us. The blasts from the explosions make the ceiling above us crack and crumble. A large section of it breaks off and starts falling towards Katara, "Katara!" I cry out.
"Watch out!" Zuko yells and tackles her to the ground out of the way of the falling rubble. In front of me, Toph and Haru form a tunnel through the temple, "Come on! We can get out through here!" Toph points to the large hole.
I run with everyone into the tunnel but I notice Zuko has stayed in his spot, "What are you doing?" Aang asks him.
"Go ahead! I'll hold them off. I think this is a family visit." The prince responds before running off.
"Zuko!" I call him but he doesn't stop. Someone takes my hand from behind, "Come on! We've gotta get out of here!" The voice and hand belong to Sokka.
"We can't just leave him alone!" I shake my hand free. I run after him and ignore the cries of my friends behind me.
I spot Azula standing atop one of the Fire Nation warships. Zuko jumps off of the crumbling temple and lands short of the ship. He struggles to grab onto anything and falls into the abyss.
"Zuko!" I cry and run as far to the edge as I can without falling as well, "No." I feel tears well up in my eyes. Suddenly Appa comes soaring out from behind me and hovers just close enough for me to climb on. Toph forms a shield out of the rubble and we fly towards Azula and her ship.
I look over the back of the saddle with a glimmer of hope that Zuko will appear and almost as if I had summoned him, a second Fire Nation ship comes into view and Zuko stands on it. I let out the breath I was holding.
Zuko runs across the warship and jumps to the one on which Azula stands. I am unable to focus on their fight as we have to keep swerving out of the way of fire blasts. Katara and I with the use of her waterbending and my firebending are able to keep the fire at bay.
While trying to avoid getting hit we almost run into one of the warships. We have to swerve upwards at the last minute and I almost go tumbling out of the saddle.
A large explosion comes from the ship Azula and Zuko stood on. In the distance, I can see the two siblings falling into the fog. Appa flies down as quickly as he can and I'm able to reach up and pull Zuko down into the saddle.
I wrap my arms around his shoulders so tightly my arms hurt, "I thought you were dead." I choke out and before I know it I'm full-blown sobbing into his chest.
We pull apart and look over to where Azula was falling, "She's not gonna make it." Zuko says. Azula creates a plume of flames from her feet towards the rock wall. She digs her hairpin into the rock surface and stops her fall, "Of course she did." Zuko grumbles.
I sniffle loudly and wipe the snot and tears from my face. Zuko strokes my back in an awkward but comforting manner.
Why can't I seem to hate you?
-
The fire that sits in front of me warms my face and body as I eat my dinner. Four tents surround the group of us.
"Wow, camping ... it really seems like old times again, doesn't it?" Aang fills the silence.
"If you really want it to feel like old times, I could, uh... Chase you around a while and try to capture you." Zuko jokes with a smile. All of Team Avatar laughs minus Katara, "Ha. ha." She says dripping with sarcasm.
Sokka raises his cup, "To Zuko! Who knew after all those times he tried to snuff us out, today he'd be our hero?"
"Hear! Hear!" They chant. I keep my cup lowered and I don't say a word.
"I'm touched." Zuko smiles, "I don't deserve this."
"Yeah, no kidding." Katara spits and marches off.
"What's with her?" Sokka cocks a brow. Zuko stands as well, "I wish I knew." He follows after her.
"What's with him?" I shrug my shoulders in response to Sokka's question but I keep a watchful eye on the two of them.
-
After dinner, I slip into my and Zuko's shared tent. I need to remind myself to kill Sokka later for pairing us up.
I slide into my sleeping bag and my eyes drift shut. All the madness from today has made me exhausted. My eyes drift back open after some time and I notice that Zuko's sleeping bag is still empty.
I open the tent flap and look around the campsite. I spot Zuko slumped over, sitting on a rock in front of Katara's tent. I step out into the cold air and make my way over to him.
"You need sleep," I whisper to him. He looks up tiredly, "Why do you care?"
I sit next to him, "I don't." I say, "What are you doing?"
"I need to talk to Katara."
"And you can't sleep in your tent and talk to her in the morning?"
"She'll ignore me."
"And who's to say that she won't ignore you if you're sitting here?" I stand up and walk back into our tent. I grab my sleeping bag and drag it back over to Zuko. I pull the sleeping bag over my body.
"What-" Zuko starts as I sit next to him.
"I can't trust that you won't try to pull something." I yawn, "I'm keeping watch."
Zuko shrugs, "Whatever you say."
-
"You look terrible." Katara's voice wakes me. Zuko gently pushes my semi-conscious body off of his lap and follows after Katara, "I waited out here all night." He explains. I sit up off the rock and my sleeping bag slides off of my body.
I walk past the two teens, not wanting to get involved in their drama. I toss my sleeping bag into the tent and join the team for breakfast.
-
The day crawls on and Katara and Zuko have been acting strange since their talk this morning. Katara walks up to Aang who is feeding the sky bison, "I need to borrow Appa."
"Why? Is it your turn to take a little field trip with Zuko?" The young boy jokes.
"Yes, it is." Katara deadpans. Aang's eyebrows raise, "Oh. What's going on?"
"We're going to find the man who took my mother from me." Sokka, who sits next to me, stands up and walks over to his sister.
"Sokka told me the story of what happened. I know who did it and I know how to find him." Zuko explains.
"Um ... and what exactly do you think this will accomplish?" Aang asks. Katara shakes her head, "Ugh, I knew you wouldn't understand." The young waterbender starts to walk away.
"Wait! Stop! I do understand. You're feeling unbelievable pain and rage. How do you think I felt about the sandbenders when they stole Appa? How do you think I felt about the Fire Nation when I found out what happened to my people?" Aang pushes.
"She needs this, Aang. This is about getting closure and justice." Zuko adds.
"I don't think so. I think it's about getting revenge." Aang says.
"Fine, maybe it is! Maybe that's what I need! Maybe that's what he deserves!" Katara snaps. Aang looks at her dejectedly, "Katara, you sound like Jet."
"It's not the same! Jet attacked the innocent. This man, he's a monster."
"Katara, she was my mother, too, but I think Aang might be right." Sokka finally speaks up. Katara scowls, "Then you didn't love her the way I did!" She spits.
"Katara!" Sokka says with pain in his voice.
"The monks used to say that revenge is like a two-headed rat viper. While you watch your enemy go down, you're being poisoned yourself." Aang says.
"That's cute, but this isn't air temple preschool. It's the real world." Zuko comments.
"Now that I know he's out there ... now that I know we can find him, I feel like I have no choice."
"Katara, you do have a choice: forgiveness," Aang says.
"That's the same as doing nothing!" Zuko exclaims. I stand up from my seat against a large rock, "Shut it!" I shout, angrily marching over to everyone, "I'm sick of all your childish bickering!" I glare at Katara, "You are not the only one who has lost someone to the Fire Nation!" I stomp off from the group with smoking hands.
-
I didn't speak to anyone for the rest of that day and this morning Aang informed me that he had allowed Zuko and Katara to borrow Appa and go on their little 'field trip'.
I dig my toes into the sand as the sun sets down over the water. A shadow passes across the sunlight and I recognize it as Appa. he lands on the beach not far away from where I stand. I choose to sit down and ignore the two teens who have just returned.
I don't get to ignore anyone for long because someone walks up next to me, "Can I sit here?" Katara asks. I hum in response and she sits down.
"I'm sorry." The two of us say at the same time. I chuckle, "I shouldn't have blown up at you like that... And I shouldn't have belittled your loss of your mother."
"It's okay." She rests a hand on my shoulder, "I was wrong... Revenge was not the answer."
"That's good to hear." I smile and chuckle, "It seems that we are always getting into arguments."
"Most of them were about Zuko." She laughs, "But you don't have to worry about that anymore." I look at her with shock, "You don't hate him anymore?" She shakes her head.
"Really?" I say with shock, "I suppose I'm the only one left who does."
"Are you sure you hate him?" She cocks a brow. I meet her eyes, "I'm pretty sure, yeah."
"You were sleeping on his lap yesterday, Li." She smirks at the face I make, "That means nothing, Katara!"
"I don't know, Li. Most people wouldn't want to be seen anywhere near the person they hate. Meanwhile, you took a nap on top of him."
I shut my mouth and scrunch my face up in thought. Katara laughs, "I'm just teasing, Li!" She wraps her arm around my shoulders.
The two of us look out at the sunset that has almost disappeared below the horizon.
"Who did you lose to the Fire Nation?" She clears the air.
"My father... The Fire Lord..." I look down at my hands, "The Fire Lord killed him when I was just a kid."
"I'm so sorry, Li Mei."
"It's okay. I got over it a long time ago."