How did he get here? He's got a really pissed face on, plus he's already in a fighting stance, ready to attack. I jump up quickly, moving into my own basic waterbending stance. He glares when I do, and I shrink a bit. But then at the thought of the danger Aang may be in, I lift my head and try to look unafraid. The memories of last night fly to the back of my head as survival instinct kicks in.
"Step aside," Zuko demands coldly. "I'm here for the Avatar."
"How did you escape?" I ask, my heart hammering so loud it's almost impossible to hear what I've just said. I'm not sure I can take him full-on, but perhaps I can stall him till help comes. I sneak quick glances at Aang and the door, just as Katara did earlier. Come on guys, where are you?
"Why does it matter to you?" He spits. I flinch at the venom in his words. "I have my ways," he snarls.
"I won't let you take Aang away."
"I'm warning you." Zuko steps closer to me, trying to make me back away. But I hold my ground, staring in defiance into his eyes. I notice belatedly that we're of almost the same height. He gives me a death stare. "I don't want to hurt... you." He pronounces the last word with difficulty. But I doubt what he said - the fire in his golden eyes are saying he would very much like to burn me to ashes where I'm standing.
When it looks like neither of us are giving up our silent staring competition, I decide to try a different tactic - to calm him down. "Look, Zuko. I'm really, very sorry to have betrayed y-"
"WHY DOES IT MATTER TO YOU?!" He yells again, this time with a wild look in his eyes. He almost drops his stance, but catches himself at the last second. Suddenly, all my fears of him disappears, replaced instead with sorrow and guilt.
"Zuko, please calm down," I beg. "You don't want to do this."
"Who are you to tell me what I should and shouldn't do?" Zuko snarls, his hands glowing dangerously red. "You don't know anything about me! You don't know what's at stake here."
"...You're right," I reply quietly, saddened by the thought. I wish so badly I can get back my memories, that way I can know what's bothering Zuko so much, and I can put an end to his pain. It was unfair of me to betray him, then act like I know what's best for him. He's right, I don't know him at all.
Zuko's eyes widen in surprise when he hears my reply. Then they narrow in anger again. "Move!"
"Never," I retort bravely, holding my stance and preparing to battle, if need be.
The first blow catches me by surprise, and I barely managed to twist out of the way of the fire blast. My pulse skyrockets as adrenaline and instinct take over. I dance and dodge away from Zuko's continuous attacks, but can never leave Aang's body for more than a few seconds. Some of the embers singes my tunic, but fortunately for me, none of it catches my skin. Suddenly he stops attacking, panting and sweating. I know then that it's my turn.
Pulling two streams of water from the seawater surrounding the island we're on, I slash my arms across the air swiftly. The water obediently follows my movement, coming down on Zuko in a huge X shape. Getting a huge mouthful of seawater, he coughs and splutters, but manages to roll away and closer to Aang.
"Oh no you don't!" I grit my teeth when he tugs on Aang's clothes, then whack his hand with a water-whip. Thank you for this trick, Katara, I thought silently. Zuko retreats in pain, but immediately comes back on the offence.
Sending fiery hot balls my way, he advances on Aang again, but fails when I push him away with a huge wave. He stumbles back, almost falling off the edge of the island, his dark clothes drenched and heavy.
I stare at my arms, amazed that tonight, of all nights, my waterbending has grown to such strength.
"Aargh!" Zuko growls and runs toward me as I'm returning to Aang's side, kicking fire at me. The flares brush dangerously close to my face, and time stops for a moment. The fire passes in slow-motion across my eyes. My face throbs from the heat. But it passes eventually and time resumes it's steady pace, leaving behind the smell of burnt hair. A few short pieces of crispy black hair falls gently to the grass. I stop in disbelief. My hair!
Now I'm mad.
"No. One. Burns. My. Hair!" I yell while throwing spikes of ice at Zuko who's advancing on me, trying to get pass me to Aang. He manages to melt the ice in time. In rage, I summon all my strength, recalling the moment I flooded the prison cell in one try, almost five days ago. The peacefulness I usually find while waterbending is overtaken by rage. My vision turns red. With a powerful push, I direct the strong blast of water at Zuko, which carries him off the island. Then I pull my arms back to me, so the water turns to ice. A look of pure shock crosses Zuko's face when he realises he's trapped.
Cursing furiously, he starts blasting parts of the huge ice block away. I eye him warily, refreshing the ice every time it's melted off.
My first bending battle, and I've won, for now. But I don't feel victorious at all. Instead, I feel tired and sick of myself, because I am a non-violent person. At least, I used to be. I've never tried to hurt anyone on purpose. Or at least I used to not. I look sadly on as Zuko glares at me, struggling his way out of the ice while calling me names, his voice punctuated with the sounds of the battle going on outside. Why are we fighting?
"Why?" I ask suddenly. Zuko has stopped struggling for a moment to catch his breath. "Why...are you so angry? Why are you so– so obsessed with the Avatar?"
Zuko glares at me. "And why do you care?"
"Because I want to help you."
"Says the bastard who landed me in prison after making a truce with me."
"I'm sorry, okay? How many times do I have to say it? I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'm sorry for putting you in jail," I fume, wondering if he's really mad at me for this. Can't he see that my hands were tied? Oh wait, he's Zuko. The angry prince. Of course he can't. In an undertone, I add, "Even though you escaped in less than ten hours later."
He's silent for a moment, a dark brooding look on his pale face. "I... want the Avatar so that I can regain my honour."
I hold my breath. Hear it comes. The whole back story of Zuko, the angry-teenager-slash-banished-prince of the Fire Nation. Finally! He's going to tell me about why he's been stalking Aang since the beginning of time.
Five minutes of breathless silence (on my part) later, Zuko resumes his futile efforts of breaking free while I stare at him in silence. That's it? He wants the Avatar so that he can "regain his honour"? That's his excuse? I ask him that.
"What do you mean that's it?" Zuko pants in anger, pausing to stare daggers at me. Even when he's furious like this, he still looks pretty adorable to me. "My honour is the only thing that can allow me to go home to my nation, my birthright," he hesitates, and continues in a doubtful tone, "and my Father can and will finally be proud of me."
I listen quietly. I listen to how his voice is filled with longing and hope, when he speaks of his home. I listen to the bitterness underneath his tone, when he speaks of his father. I also listen to the young boy who didn't receive as much love as any child should receive from their own father, the lost kid who still longs for his father's approval. No wonder he's desperate for Aang, if his father said that's the only way to regain his honour. And...well, that is just– sad.
"Are you... crying?" Zuko suddenly asks in horror.
I look up, surprised to find my vision blurry and my nose puckering. Way to go, Luna, I think to myself sarcastically while wiping off the evidence. Cry for a guy you barely know. Great job. "What? No! Why would I be crying?" I ask with a thick voice and a sniff. Good acting.
"Er. How should I know?!" Zuko answers in alarm, forgetting to look angry for a moment. He looks really uncomfortable and unsure, a strange look on his Face. My lips automatically turn into a smile at that weird scene. Unsure Zuko cheers me up.
"So that's why you want Aang so badly? So you can bring him home to your father and he can restore your honour?" I ask curiously.
"...Yes." He looks away.
"Have you ever thought that," I pause, thinking hard. "That, maybe... You can restore your own honour?"
"What?"
"Yeah! I mean, what's so hard about that? Restoring your honour... You can like, I dunno, maybe discover a new land or something. Name it America! Yeah, that's it!" I nod in excitement, thinking out loud. "Or you can invent a car. They don't have it here, right?... Even better!" I pull out my handphone, remembering it all of a sudden.
I barely register the time flashing on the brightly lit screen - 9.30 a.m. - when waving my phone at Zuko's astonished face. This phone has stuck with me through thick and thin this past week, and it's still working! Beside the 'No signal' sign, my battery display shows that it's still fully charged. Better recommend this brand to everyone when I get home, I make a mental note.
"You can claim this as your own invention! I won't mind!" I suggest with a grin, carried away with my own brilliant thoughts.
Zuko stares at me like I've lost my mind. "Uh-"
But a sound from my back distracts me, so I hold one finger up. "Hold that thought." Then I turn around to find wide grey eyes staring back into mine.
"Luna?!"
"Aang? You're awake?" I ask in surprise.
Aang rubs his bleary eyes, looks again and cries, "Luna! You really are here!"
I laugh as he pulls me into a huge hug. I'm so glad to see him back to normal, even though he looked fabulous when his arrows were glowing. Suddenly, his body stiffens and he asked in confusion, "Zuko?"
Oh right. I turn around, facing Zuko - who looks unhappy but seems to admit his defeat. "Yeah, he was trying to kidnap you," I offer by way of explaining. Zuko rolls his eyes and look the other side, muttering to himself. I cover him with one more layer of ice, just in case.
"You did this?" Aang looks impressed and somewhat scared as I waterbend. I nod, then change the subject immediately.
"So, how was your trip to the Spirit World?"
"Oh right!" Aang slaps his forehead. Then his eyes widen as he remembers something, grips me painfully and starts speaking fast, tongue almost tripping over his words.
"Luna, the Spirits are in trouble! I think someone wants to hurt them but I don't know-" From here, Aang's nervous voice is drowned out by a sound of a door opening. Instantly, we whip our heads to the entrance of the Spirit Oasis to see who it is. I'm searching for Sokka and Katara's familiar faces when another face greets me.
An unwelcome face.
"You!" Zhao announces with surprise on his face.
To my surprise, however, Zhao wasn't looking at me when he said that. He was looking past me. Above me. I turn to look at who he's talking to.
"You tried to have me killed!" Zuko replies with an angry snarl, shifting around in the slowly melting ice.
Zhao looks a bit caught off-guard as he turns to look at me and Aang. "And you!" Narrowing his eyes, he points one gnarled finger at me.
I take an automatic step backward, and accidentally bump into Aang. "Uh, uh, hi...?" I whisper, my heart taking off at a hundred miles an hour at this unexpected turn of events.
Zhao quickly regains his composure as he steps into the Spirit Oasis. Shadowing him is six of his soldiers, and - to my horror - Katara, Sokka and Yue, all bound and gagged. Katara looks at us, her eyes wide with panic, shaking her head. Zhao smirks at us as he crosses the bridge to where we're standing. "My, my. A traitor, a runaway and the Avatar himself. This day - night," he corrects, "can't get any more glorious for me," Zhao continues with relish.
I notice in dismay the truth of his words. The sun is setting in the west already. As the sun sinks deeper and the moon makes its presence known, I quickly do a mental calculation. It has only been three hours since the sunrise. Three hours of daylight.
Aang brandishes his glider at Zhao. "Let my friends go – now!"
Zhao just gives a sinister laugh, ignoring Aang completely. "Soldiers, detain everyone here. I have a business to attend to."
I look around me, taking note of the full moon, of the two soldiers advancing on Aang, and of the lone soldier advancing on me. I can handle him by myself, I thought confidently.
Taking a deep breath, I quickly move out of the way as the soldier charges at me with a blade. He runs pass me, turns around, growls and runs toward me again, brandishing his blade at me. I quickly airbend myself over his head, landing behind him easily. The soldier once again overshoots. "Hey!" he yells somewhat indignantly.
Man, I can definitely get used to this.
Before the soldier has time to react, I push him to the ground and freeze him over with water. Then I stand up with a triumphant hand raised up in the air. Bad guy - 0, Luna - 1.
But the victorious feeling doesn't last long.
Suddenly, the full moon that was shining brightly on us turns into an ugly red, causing the whole world to plunge into a reddish darkness. I feel lightheaded. I notice Aang - who had successfully knock out the soldiers chasing him and is now running towards me - slow down and clutch his head. Katara sways on her feet while Yue faints right away. What's happening?
Looking up, I finally know what went wrong.
Zhao stands beside the pond Aang was meditating at previously, grabbing a bag tightly. The bag is shaking vigorously, and I realise in horror that Zhao had put the white koi fish into it. The now solitary black koi darts around haphazardly in the reddish pond.
Finally, something in my head clicks.
The white koi is the moon! And Zhao wants to kill the Moon Spirit by killing the white fish! Before I can do anything to stop him, I spot something moving in the shadows, running towards us.
Whoosh!
A sudden blast of fire brushes close to Zhao's hand, forcing him to drop the bag, and as quickly as the world turned upside-down, it goes right-side-up again. The big white fish flops back into the pond, rejoining its partner in their slow and calm dance. The moon resumes it's pale light, and I can feel myself feeling much better.
Everyone turns to see who fired that shot, and is shocked to see General Iroh standing there calmly with his arm outstretched. Zuko stands beside him, hidden in the cliff's shadow.
Taking advantage of this distraction, I quickly dart over to where Sokka and the girls are, sneaking up on the soldiers and freezing them before they can stop me. Then I freed Sokka while Aang works on Katara and Yue.
"Are you okay?" I ask them in concern, ignoring the angry exchange taking place between Zhao, Iroh and Zuko.
Sokka nods, massaging his jaw slowly. "What's happening? I was nearing the palace when these soldiers captured us."
I shrug, looking back at Zhao. He still lingers by the pond, this time all by himself - his cronies are frozen by Aang and I. Zuko has disappeared, leaving General Iroh in a shouting match with Zhao.
"Destroying the moon will bring only imbalance to everyone, including the Fire Nation!" Iroh is yelling. Zhao looks sulky as he stares at the pond, eyeing the white fish with his beady eyes.
While Sokka steers Yue to safety, Aang, Katara and I run over to where Zhao is, trying to block him from harming the Moon Spirit.
"Zhao, whatever you do to the Spirit, I'll unleash on you - tenfold!" Iroh yells in anger. I've never seen him this way, with his usually smiley face in an unforgiving scowl. He looks... scary.
"... Fine." Zhao stands up, looking defeated. Is this a trick? I muse quietly, inching forward just in case Zhao changes his mind. Zhao glares at me, then takes a slow defiant step back from the pond.
It happens in the space of a heartbeat.
A maniacal look flashes across Zhao's feature, and I know then that he isn't going to give up that easy. I know he is still going to kill the white koi. And I know what must be done to protect the Moon Spirit.
"NO!" I shout when I see the first flickers of flames coming alive in Zhao's palm. Running forward to block his attack, I drag water from the pond and into my palm to extinguish his fire. There's only one thought, ringing loud and clear in my mind as I'm running toward Zhao - I have to protect the Moon Spirit.
It happens in the space of a heartbeat.
I am inches away from Zhao, and I can see every tiny blood vessel in Zhao's widening eyes. I can hear every vibration in the air as Aang and Katara scream "Luna!" in unison. I can feel the roar of the rushing blood coursing through my veins, the painful way my heart pumps so hard it might explode. I can see and hear and feel everything in such clarity.
Including the sudden breathtaking punch in my right shoulder.
It happened in the space of a heartbeat.
Zhao and I collapse onto the grass in one heap. He pushes my limp body away in disgust, and from my view, I can see blood splashed across his armour. Lots of blood. But he doesn't look hurt. Something wet trickles down my arm. I look down at myself slowly.
A gaping hole from the bottom of my right collarbone to my right shoulder greets my eyes. The green material of my clothe is burned through, including my skin. The charred flesh underneath sizzles quietly, a gooey red and black mess of blood and burnt flesh. I watch in detached wonder and disgust - the feeling you get when watching a bloody torture going on on TV - as something oozes out of the wound, pops, then slides down my chest. My vision blurrs.
And then the pain hits.
The agonising pain. The searing, breathtaking, scraping pain. Imagine a thick fork dragging across your skin, the sharp end tearing into your flesh. Then imagine that the fork is white hot. The pain. There's a hair-raising howl going on outside my head, and in my painful haze I wonder who's hurting that bad to be screaming like they're dying. I'm curled up on the grass with blood literally pouring out of my shoulder when I realise that the hideous sound is coming from me.
There are noises around me that I can't listen to, colours and shapes in my eyes that I can't see, and nothing I can feel, except for the stabbing pain in my shoulder. I remember wishing for death to come - such unbearable the pain is - when I notice a strong bluish white glow surrounding me. Its strong presence fills me with calmness, and even though my wound is still hurting - god, does it hurt! - I stop screaming.
Raising my good hand tiredly, I try to reach for the mysterious light, when it suddenly starts moving away from my fingers. "Come– come back," I whisper.
As the bright light slowly fades away to the distance, another person takes its place. They grab hold of my fingers tightly, giving it a squeeze. "Katara...?" I ask, biting my lips to stop myself from screaming again. Through my blurring vision, I can see Katara giving me a shaky smile.
"Luna... stay with us. You're gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay," a guy's voice reassures, sounding like he's choking. Sokka suddenly comes into view, his expression telling me everything that I need to know. I'm not going to make it. But I have to know something, first.
"Wh- what hap- arghh!" I shudder as another wave of pain courses through my body, leaving me breathless.
"You saved the Moon Spirit, Luna. You did it!" Katara gives a hysterical laugh. Hearing that piece of comforting news, I can feel myself relax. At least my pain is worth the prize. "You threw yourself at Zhao, and you knew he was going to hurt you, but you– you did it!" Katara says again, this time more in awe.
"You're crazy!" Sokka says. But I can't really see him anymore. I can't really see anything anymore. Big splotches of black are covering my vision. I can't see!
"Sokka? Katara?" I try to speak, but nothing comes out. I can still hear them calling my name anxiously, over and over, louder and louder. My heart starts to race, my body shudders, I'm trying to reach out to them...
And then a bolt of white-hot pain pierces my right shoulder, and the whole world ceases to exist.