"Mother..." Tsai paced around the guest room where her mother would be staying. It was past midnight and the shocking news of Fire Lord Ozai's passing had been a hard hit. "What are you doing here?" She pinched the bridge of her nose already feeling overwhelmed.
"It's not safe. Why did you come? Who's taking care of things back home?"
Sanju removed her glasses and placed them next to the bedside table, a bored expression on her sharp eyes.
"Your friends are terrible liars. Specially that bald boy."
"You mean the Avatar?"
Leave it to her mother to have absolute and complete disregard for whom she was entertaining. Just a couple of years back she would've bent over backwards just to entertain him. Now she had reduced Aang from an almighty Avatar to an honest bald boy. How typical of her to be so unconcerned with matters that did not regarded her.
"I've come to take you home. Your brother and I need help running the paper," she said placing her hands on her lap, sitting with her back completely erect, lips drawn into an intimidating thin line.
"I didn't mean to come to the Fire Nation, or to stay here for so long... Wait- if you and Mecha are here? Who's in charge? Also- where did my brother go?" Tsai asked, still a thousand questions running through her head.
"That boy with the ponytail, he's quite brilliant," Sanju nodded closing her eyes for a moment.
'Sokka? Really?' The young lady couldn't help but be slightly horrified at the thoughts of Sokka running a newspaper. "Your brother is off with some girl," she added flatly. 'Mai, of course.'
"Mom," Tsai looked at her nervously twirling the fabric of her dress skirt in her hands. "What if... What if I want to stay here, in the Fire Nation?" She admitted looking at her with hopeful eyes.
"Stay? And do what?" Her mother arched a judgement eyebrow. "What are you going to do here? Lounge around?" Again, three years ago she would've been ecstatic at the news. Hell - she would've packed her up and kicked her out of Yu Dao with a bidding away party. Now, however, she seemed unenthusiastic at the idea.
"No," she drawled out feeling small under her mom's intimidating green gaze. "I'm going to stay and I'm going to help people here. There's much reconstruction to do, just like back home."
Sanju made a disapproving sound, yet her posture did not shift. "That terribly rude man has brought nothing but turmoil and more troubles since he came into our lives and still he can't manage to say a single word of acknowledgement to me." She uttered bitter at the lack of appreciation.
"Mom," Tsai reasoned with her. "He's in shock, his dad just died."
"Oh?" She poked. "His father? The disgraced war criminal whom he allowed to rot in jail?" She huffed with a glare. "It's no surprise the coward chose the easy way out. Suicide..." She clicked her tongue.
Tsai's shoulders slumped forward in defeat. Clearly it would be impossible to get through to her mother and even worse when she was in a mood.
"You're impossible," she muttered shaking her head and walking towards the door.
"Don't you walk away from me!" Her mother called out sternly. Her daughter didn't respond and exited the room. "This conversation isn't over Tsai!" She called.
Troubled, upset and beyond irritated Tsai worriedly made way to Zuko's room. She wondered if he was still awake this late in the night.
She slid the door open slowly. The maroon room was dark, and she saw him. Zuko was on his bed, laying down on his side over the bed covers. A single candle kept the room dimly lit. She looked at him with concern and walked around sitting on the edge of the mattress. She could see that he was awake. His gold eyes fixed on a particular spot on the wall. He hadn't said a single word since they had both been informed of Ozai's demise. Tsai assumed this must've been terribly hard for him.
Sure, maybe Fire Lord Ozai was an absolutely vile and disgusting man. He was a war criminal. He was solely responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. Yet he was his father – and his abuser too.
He was the man who had scarred and emotionally tortured for years. Not to mention the multiple assassination attempts on his young life. Not to mention how he had taken everything away from him, even his mother.
Remaining silent she placed a hand on his arms hoping it would bring him comfort. Unsure of what she could possibly say or do to make the situation any better.
This was a lot. Even for him to process and dissect how he felt.
It was not yet dawn when a knock echoed through the room. Tsai turned and allowed the person in. In stepped in Zuko's assistant holding in several parchments of information accompanied by two Fire Nation guards standing several feet behind him.
"The physicians have determined the cause of death," he said keeping his eyes lowered. Zuko did not move from his position. His glazed eyes simply remained frozen on that same spot on the wall.
"What was the cause of death?" Tsai asked turning to look at Nezu from her seat on the mattress.
"Fire Lord Ozai's official cause of death was exsanguination. An artery was pierced by a stab wound. Foul play is suspected," he explained. It was then that Zuko actually moved. He sat up slowly his back remaining turned against the messenger. "How'd it happen?" Was all he asked. His tone dry of any sympathy he might've held for his father.
The assistant cleared his throat pausing for a moment, "Uh..." He hesitated.
"Exsanguination," Tsai repeated what the man had just said.
"I want to know how it happened. I need to know every detail," he spoke in a rougher and angrier tone than intended. His gaze clouded with darkness.
The assistant stammered as he once again unraveled the parchment scroll and continued to read. "- Ozai a male adult of middle age, was found dead in his prison cell in the North Prison Tower on the day of our lord past dusk. The cause of death is considered to be exsanguination from a fetal stab wound to the brachial artery. Signs of struggle were present as the man was stabbed 23 times."
'Twenty-three stab wounds?' Tsai's mouth went dry. All this time she had assumed that the man had committed suicide, not that somebody had gone in and turned him into a slice of cheese! Whomever had done this- it hadn't been a casual hit job. This had been personal.
Whomever had done this had personal beef with Ozai, but then again, who didn't?
"This was found amongst his belongings," Nezu said pulling a wrapped bundle from his pocket. Zuko finally turned to look at his assistant. Tsai paled in disbelief, her face resembling a pillow's bed sheets. Instinctively she reached for her neck and realized the man had taken her sunstone necklace. He placed the necklace and other information on a nearby table.
"We will wait until morning to let Lady Ursa and General Iroh know. For now, we will send notice to the other nations and begin the necessary arrangements for the wake and funeral tomorrow. That is all Fire Lord Zuko." The man bowed respectfully before exiting the room.
Tsai found that she couldn't move. She didn't until she noticed Zuko swiftly move around the room and snatch the necklace off the table in disbelief. She reached his side just in time also reaching for it but failing.
He brought the piece of jewelry that he had many times held in his hands and brought it close to his face for further inspection.
He looked at it in disbelief. There was absolutely no way that his father could've gotten a hold of the necklace by causality. She wouldn't have carelessly dropped it. It also wouldn't have been stolen without her noticing. He noted the torn golden chain and put together that he had to have ripped her off her person.
He looked stunned, pained, almost betrayed.
'Could she have?'
"Did you kill my father?" He rasped bluntly, almost out of air. His eyes turned to her.
All evidence pointed to her. It had been a personal crime, the stabbing fit her weapon of choice, the necklace was unmistakably hers.
"No," She responded calmly, "I didn't."
He looked at her hard for a moment. As if doubting her. He believed her, but at the same the evidence was too striking. What motive did Tsai have for killing Fire Lord Ozai? She wanted the entire Ozai Order to collapse and she knew that it might if their leader were to be gone, but at the same time why make it so obvious? Why slay him in such a notorious way?
It was messy, emotional, loud.
Wouldn't poisoning him be easier? Zuko knew that Tsai knew how to poison someone if she wanted to. Her knowledge in herbs and mastery of them would allow her to discretely do such a thing. Specially since she once mentioned she had accidentally poisoned her family.
He proceeded to advance to the next logical question. "Why did he have your necklace?" Zuko demanded to know. His hand clenching around the stone as a concerning anger, the one he was infamous for began to boil inside of him. "Why?" He pressed at her silence.
She thought of her actions on the previous day. Everything that had happened after finding the secret passage in Mai's house and before dinner. She still remembered her conversation with Ozai and just how she had returned to the palace injured, soiled in her own blood and with angry tears threatening to spill.
"I went to talk to him," She admitted the truth. Bracing herself for his outburst. "What?" He snapped just as she predicted.
Why would she put herself at such a risk? Why would she got see that man?
"When? Why? What were you thinking?!" He said incredulously throwing his hands up in aggravated frustration.
"I went to directly ask him who was working for him from outside of the prison walls. So, he bartered, he wanted to see Azula in exchange for information."
"And you decided to keep this from me why?!" He demanded fuming. His father was a Machiavellian genius. If anything, he had just been playing her. Where was Azula anyway? She would probably lose the smidge of sanity that she had left when she found out that her father had been brutally murdered.
"I didn't want to worry you," she said frowning slightly. "Because I knew you would react this way, and then yesterday-"
"So you lied to me," he said wounded.
"No, I did not lie," she clarified. "I just never mentioned it."
"That's the same thing Tsai! You lied by omission!"
"It's not!" She pressed failing to contain her equally steaming temper.
"Did you really go see Mai yesterday or was that a lie too?"
"I did," she almost growled out. "I did and I found her father is - was one of Ozai's most loyal followers, and I found a secret tunnel under her house. One that lead to a chamber with dozens of tunnels that are buried all under our noses! I bet that's how they've been meeting and getting in and out of the palace without anybody knowing."
His expression remained hard, eyes focused on hers as he waited to see how this was relevant to his father.
She bit back her lip and looked at him with large eyes as she got ready to tell him her story.
Xxx
Tsai had just escaped the tunnel system. She stood outside of the tunnel entrance she had just exited from. All of this time they had been meeting and sneaking under everybody's noses and nobody had batted an eyelash. She was getting close, closer to finding out who was leading this movement.
Gazing at the Northern Prison Tower from a distance fists clenched at her sides, she angrily made way to pay the former Fire Lord a vision. He didn't have the upper hand in this. She did. She stormed past the prison guards who all eyed her oddly as she made her way to the lowest dungeons of the prison. The walls growing hotter and hotter with each step until she reached the isolated last floor. A floor which was moist with mold growing on the ceiling corners, an unpleasant heat already made her skin glisten with sweat, this time she met him with her identity unsheathed.
She stood before Ozai glowering at the pitiful man who slumped on the corner of the cell with his head lowered. He simply looked up acknowledging her and the fact that his daughter was not standing next to her.
"Deals off," she stated coldly.
A vile smirk stretched across the man's thin lips as he glowered at her with malice. He let out a noise that resembled a dry laugh.
"I'm getting close you son of a bitch," she glared threatening me.
"Are you?" He cocked his head to the side and rose. He approached her with his shoulder's hunched over, his eyes never leaving hers.
"I know about the tunnels," she grimaced which made the smile wipe from his face.
"I'm going to get to the bottom of this. Can't wait to see how loyal those rats are when Zuko and I come after them."
"Zuko..." He huffed almost humorously as he turned towards her. "My son is weak, always has been still is. I'm not scared of you; I'm not scared of him."
She leaned forward gripping the bars of his prison cell tightly. "Could've fooled me," she said with a cocky smirk. Her body stiffened yet she remained unwavering when his hand snatched the opening of her tunic dress pulling her close to him. She could smell his rotten breath and see his snake like eyes hoping to intimidate. She reached for his wrist ripping it away from her as she stepped back, dusting her clothes off.
"It was prophesized by the Fire Sages that my demise would be at the hand of my own son," he uttered, tearing his eyes away from her. "Yet even then he doesn't have it in him."
She had never looked at somebody with as much hatred before. So that was his pathetic excuse? That was this monster's excuse for the years of abuse he had inflicted on his family. The anguish and torment he had put both Zuko and Azula through? This was the excuse for the many murderous attempts as his son's life? For his banishment? A stupid story that the Fire Sages had foretold.
Her jaw was tightly clenched. "You monster," she managed through gritted teeth. "You're scared of him..." She said nodding with a determined huff. "That's why you sent him away... That's why you banished him when he was only a child!" She rattled the bars angrily. "You're sick and you deserve everything you have coming to you."
"Everything!" She banged the metal bars rattling them
xxx
"So you did it then..." He looked at her with hard eyes. A blend of uncertain emotions about the demise of his father and abuser haunted him.
"Of course, I didn't." She looked at him with disbelief. "I was livid, maybe I did say somethings I shouldn't have - but I did not kill your father," she looked at him with intensity.
He lowered his gaze. She couldn't really tell just what was going through his head. There was sadness in his eyes, hurt, betrayal, and more than anything confusion.
"Did you?" She probed.
"What?" His eyes widened slightly at what she was implying. "Did you do it?" She pressed.
"What?" Seemed to be the only word he could manage. "How can you say that?!" He rose a morose look on his face. One she hadn't seen since the first few days when they met all those years ago. How could she suggest that he be the one to do it?
Zuko had just as much motive just as she did. Also, if Ozai and the Fire Sage's prophecy was correct. Zuko would be responsible for the demise of his father. Something that had terrorized the former Fire Lord for years.
"Because I would've done it... " she looked down in shame. "I would've done it for us."
She shifted on her steps before taking a seat on the edge of his bed, looking at him with a sad look. His shoulders slumped as his anger waivered.
"I know he was your father, but with him dead... Think about it. What this means for your people, for the rest of the world, for us... Without Ozai, the movement doesn't have any strength. They can't support him if he's gone."
"Don't be ridiculous," he shook his head. "There will always be another backer, it doesn't have to be him. For all that we know it could be Ukano or anyone else."
He wasn't wrong.
She looked at him dejectedly. Of course, he hadn't done it. He had also been preparing and setting up for dinner that night. There was no way he could've sent someone to do his dirty bidding or that he could've been in two places at the same time. She was trying to support him yet couldn't find the words or the proper most effective way to do it.
He sighed and took a seat next to her before burying his face in his hands hunching over in frustration. "Okay, calm down," She said placing an arm on his shoulder. She wanted to ask what the consequences would be for the person who was responsible. Tsai was certain that she hadn't done it. Yet- if her name wasn't cleared. She knew that Zuko wouldn't throw her in the gutter, but it seemed that the other Fire Nations - ones whom already held a certain distaste for her – if they even suspected her of being capable of such an atrocious crime, they wouldn't even blink twice when locking her up. Even worse, they might rebel against their Lord if he stepped in and meddled. It wasn't the moment to ask for the consequences.
"Whomever was responsible had to have done this between dusk and when my family came in an interrupted."
"We have to narrow down our suspects." He said exhaling a sharp breath and sitting up.
"That's still a very long list. Honestly, it could've been anyone." She pondered on just who could've possibly wanted to murder. Ozai, and honestly the list was long.
"Think- who had the most to win from my father's death." He turned to face her.
"Us."
"Besides," He continued.
She's silent.
"It could've been somebody in the Society itself. Somebody wanting to take over. Somebody wanting to incriminate you. It could've been your father, your brother or your mother-"
She blinked twice staggered at what he was implying. Why was it that her family was number one on the list of possible suspects?
"What about you mother and your uncle?" She shot back a little offended.
"You're accusing my mother?" He said in the same touchy tone. It wouldn't be the first time Ursa killed a Fire Lord. However, it didn't seem like her style. Why couldn't she have just poisoned him instead? Aha! Because this time it was personal... Or maybe she wanted to throw everybody off her trail?
"You accused my entire family!" She raised her voice. "My family just got here. Now, I know Mecha had this agenda to kill your father a couple of years ago, but why would he act upon it now? Specially with him already locked up. My mother on the other hand... Sure she has a temper, but I've never seen her hurt a fly, much less a person. I don't think she would've managed to get so close to be able to scratch the man. Whomever did this... It had to be somebody that he knew. Somebody that he trusted enough not to hurt him..."
"Are you thinking..." he egg shelled wondering if she was also thinking of the same twisted being who could've done this.
"No, it's impossible. If this had been Azula's doing we'd all be dead by now."
Zuko turned the evidence on his head. It all seemed to come down to one suspect.
"Tsai, I hate to say it but it all points to you," He realized.
"What are we going to do when you find out who it was?"
"We can't have a murder amongst us," he said darkly. "It's not safe."
"I agree." She says in the same morose tone. He's looking at her eyes fixed on the carpeted floor.
"You don't believe me!" She says incredulously. "I know you didn't do it. I trust you," he beathed. "But the evidence- you can't tell me you wouldn't look at it objectively in the same way if it was lined up against me."
"But it is-" She says. "Zuko if you did it, tell me. Tell me and we'll figure out a way out of this."
He couldn't help but crack a smile, of course she'd be the type to offer to hide the body.
"We'll get to the bottom of this." He reassured her.
Both barely managed to catch a wink of sleep before the funeral the next morning.
Xxx
The distasteful scent of incense flooded the Fire Nation capital's lesser temple. It wasn't as stunning or grand as the Main Temple, but it was as old as the nation itself. Also, small, yet respectful enough to hold the funeral services of a former Fire Lord and a war criminal.
Tsai glared menacingly at the majority of men and women witch matching Phoenix rings that filled the room. It seemed that all if not most members of the New Ozai Society were present mourning their leader. They all sat near the front. Sharing smug looks with each other all wearing black.
Zuko sat alone by the front. Any moment now he would be summoned to the front by a Fire Sage to ignite the body as the ceremony required.
Tsai sat in the middle with her family and Zuko's. Iroh and Ursa were there too looking quite gloom and sullen. Kiyi had stayed home with her father, seeing as the event wasn't suitable for a child. Ty Lee and Suki were by their sides keeping a close eye on everyone.
Specially on Ukano, Mai's father, who had a dangerous glint to his eye. Zuko was right, it almost seemed like he had been the one to step up to the plate of ringleader.
All members of the Society stepped forward all holding a single white flower and tossing it at the man's open casket as they each individually paid their services. Iroh approached his brother's lifeless body and lightly bowed out of respect, yet he didn't say anything the rest of the service.
Finally, it was time for Zuko to step forward. All eyes were on him as he stood before the flowery casket. He stood frozen wearing his regalia. It looked like he was struggling to ignite it. Concerned Mecha elbowed his sister and nudged her with a gaze that seemed to say to go help him. She nodded and crossed the temple's aisle.
If he ever needed her it was now more than ever.
She stood beside him and despite still being angry with her, he smiled weakly. She gave his arm an encouraging squeeze and swallowed a lump that had formed on her throat when she looked at Ozai's stiff pale face exposed before them. The former Fire Lord's body had been propped on top of a sturdy marble altar table.
Zuko ignited a flame on his hand, both exchanged a look before he shot it down igniting the cask. He stepped back looking at the fire that consumed his father's resting body slowly. He was much too distraught that he didn't hear the small clicking sound. It sounded awfully familiar... Tsai's eyes widened in horror.
"Watch out!" She managed to push him out of the way. Before he could react, a bright light emitted from the fire before a massive flame exploded before them. Both collapsed to the ground, she covered her body best she could shield him from the abrasive flames knowing she'd be immune to them.
Horrifying gasps and screams echoed the temple as everybody rose to their feet some getting ready to rush forward to the Fire Lord's aid, other running towards the exit only to find the doors locked shut.
Tsai looked at her family fearfully but before they could further advance to her, black smog erupted from each of the pillars of the temple as they detonated one by one. Cracks broke the ceiling as a landslide of concrete debris and steel pieces began raining upon the crowd in destruction. Zuko kneeled his eyes also turned in concern to look at his family. There was no time, he would never reach them. The ceiling was about to collapse!
He looked at Tsai who hopelessly reached forward before wrapping an arm around her and pulling her back to the nearest shelter – underneath the marble altar table on top of which his father's body had been propped in just moments ago.
He winced when it came down. The thought of his family being crushed underneath the ceiling making his chest ache. Debris and ash fell around them trapping them underneath the small space beneath the marble altar table. Both coughed for breath and the dust and smog.
He held her protectively against his body and with more force than he intended a hand over her head shielding from any collapsing matter. Her eyes were shut tightly, heart racing as she choked on a sorrowful sin for her family, for his family, Ursa, Iroh... Their friends. There was no way they had survived the collapse of the temple.
Moments later the havoc ceased, and silence was the only thing either could hear. No more screaming, no more pain. They sat amongst a graveyard. The space that they shared was completely dark, it was also tall enough for the two to be sitting up without having to slouch.
"I think it stopped," he broke the despondent silence that seemed to linger. She hadn't even noticed the hot tears that had begun to stream down her face.
"Our families," she cried. The thought of everybody they knew and cared for tore her heart apart. He had to be strong, logical, reasonable as his eyes scanned the small space for a way out. There would be time to mourn later, but not now.
The only thing he could do, was hold her, close, a hand lazily holding her head. Mind racing a thousand miles for house as he processed what had just occurred.
"What the fuck!" She suddenly spat; her voice angry as she composed herself and sat across from him. "How could we not have seen it?" She pulled at her hair. "It all adds up!" Her jaw went slack as the dots connected in her head. "How else would you gather the entire Fire Nation Royal Family and all of the New Ozai Society in one room?"
She exhaled feeling drained, the lack of sleep taking a toll on her soundness. "My father..." She pondered on her words. "The bombs, it's his signature style. The Anti-Revolutionary Movement is behind this," she said out loud more to herself. However, Zuko listened carefully. "I don't think he killed Ozai. It's not his style, he wouldn't have been able to get close enough."
"It makes sense," Zuko suddenly spoke. His eyes beginning to adjust to the darkness that engulfed the two of them. "Him wanting to incriminate you."
"I guess you're right..." She hugged her knees and rested her head on top of them. At this point she didn't even want to think, she didn't want to feel anything. She had no reason to believe her father was innocent when it came to this matter. Yet, something in her gut told her she was wrong.
"What are we going to do?" She suddenly cried out frightened.
"There's no use in trying to dig our way out," he said stretching out a palm and feeling the wall with sturdy debris, iron and who knows other materials. If a single piece was moved incorrectly, we might lead a slide in and both would be crushed.
"Great. Be crushed or asphyxiate," She said in uncharacteristic pessimism.
"It was a large explosion," Zuko reasoned. "Somebody's probably digging around looking for any survivors." He explained more to himself, than to her, in an attempt to remain cool and collected. But what if nobody was looking? What if everyone was too scared? The only people that could save them were Aang and the rest of the gang and as far as everyone knew they were all in the Republic of Nations all the way across the other side of the sea.
"It could take days..." Her tone dropped to almost a whisper.
Again, silence, no sign of survivors. Both shaken by the attack, by the terrible loss of their families. Losing her grip on reality Tsai let out a loud angry scream. One he had never witnessed before.
"I'm so angry!" She shouted making his ears ache due to the closeness to her scream. "After all of this. I can't believe my dad wins. I can't believe he dethrones the Fire Nation and destroys a movement with his anarchic methods. It's disgusting... I can't believe we..." She trailed off, her eyes growing large as they once again welled with tears.
"We're going to get out of here," he reassured her, his voice strained eyes hard, as he attempted to snap some sense into her. "Come here," he said reaching for her. She crawled to him and sought refuge on his body, sitting in between his legs.
"Calm down," he whispered hugging her close to him. He stroked her hair, running his fingers through the long locks a gesture which he hoped would help calm him down as well.
She kept her eyes closed; nose pressed against the fabric of his robes. She inhaled his scent wondering if it would be the last time, she smelled it. Wondering if this would be the last time they would be in each other's arms. This was ironic, life was funny like that. It was what he had always wanted for the two of them to lie in the same grave for eternity. Maybe that's why he was so calm...
'So this was how it ended...' She took in a deep breath.
"If anything happens..." She began, "I'm glad it's this way. In each other's arms. I hope our story will be immortalized when they find our bodies no longer with life still in each other's arms," she said morbidly.
He couldn't help but smile a little at the thought. Then again this was the guy that actually proposed in a graveyard.
"Our story will live on because we will tell it ourselves."
"How are you so sure?" She asked wiping away her tears. She moved away from him and he turned banging a fist at the wall of rocks that kept them locked up. The wall remained unfaltering, not moving an inch. "Because it can't end like this! I won't let it!" He said wrathfully striking it again and again.
Both still had so much to life for, so much to do...
Tsai didn't know how long Zuko hit the wall for, or how hard, she looked at him with worry. He was screaming at this point, breathing harshly, his knuckles to the point of bleeding. It seemed that each strike came harder than the last.
"Zuko, stop, you're hurting yourself," she pleaded.
He didn't stop, much too infuriated, much too scared to quiet.
"STOP!" She reached for his arm and held it down. She reasoned with him holding him tightly. She couldn't see well, but could feel him shaking, letting out trembling heaves. It almost sounded as if he was crying. "Stop..." She finally whispered.
She reached for his hands and he winced slightly. She could feel the jagged skin underneath her fingertips. His knuckles were wet, bruised and bloody from the repeated impact.
She held them close to her, sadly stroking them with her thumbs. "Here," she said. She took in a deep breath and did something she had almost lost the ability to do. It took her a moment to meditate on her emotions. He saw that she began to faintly glow with the life the Sun Spirit had given to her. The light illuminated the room enough for them to see each other. He could feel the pain in his hands slowly dimmish little by little.
"I love you," She couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face, "And if there's a life after this, I'll love you then too."
He let go of her hands and in the dim light touched her wet face holding it in place before leaning forward and kissing her for what seemed to be the last time.
It was then that there was an impact on the wall of debris that kept them underground. Dust filled the space, and both coughed for a breath. He held her close, protectively, bracing themselves for the impact of the rock slide.
"You're about to die and this is what you're doing?" Mecha laughed as he stood before them.
Both looked at him shaken up. Tsai had never been so happy to be at the end of one of her brother's dumb comments or to hear his mocking laugh.
Mecha stood inside of a large tunnel alongside his mother, Iroh and Ursa. Both firebenders held a small flame that lit the way in their hands.
"You're very wise to choose love over despair my nephew," Iroh stretched out a rare grin amongst the chaos that surrounded them.
"Mom!" Tsai's jaw dropped, teary, red eyes went wide in shock, her mediation becoming nonexistent at what she was seeing.
The auburn-haired girl gaped in disbelief. "You're an earthbender?" She managed to ask.
"Let's get out of here," The earthbender said curtly. Ignoring her question.
"How?" Zuko breathed just as surprised.
"Sanju managed to shield us from the collapsing ceiling by forming a rock shelter around us," Ursa explained in a soft tone. Despite her calm demeanor her eyebrows were tuned up in a concern look. "We were very lucky."
"Ty Lee and Suki are already outside," Mecha added. "We looked around, but I don't think anybody else made it..."
That meant- Mai's father...
"I don't know how much longer I can hold it," Tsai's mother spoke in a strained voice. The woman had both of her shaking arms held up as she held most of the collapsed temple up.
"Let's get out of here!"
xxx
Only 4 more chapters to go! (Hopefully)
We all know what's coming hehe ;) ;)