(1) Augmentum | Zuko

Chapter Thirty-Four

Zuko struggles against the chains that have been wrapped around him and the column behind him. Across from him, Sokka, Katara, and Shyu are tied to a second. They have been bound. And they can do nothing about it. Zuko's eyes flicker to where Rana is propped up against the wall. She's alive and conscious but that cut looks nasty. Zuko turns a glare on Zhao.

"You're too late, Zhao. The Avatar's inside and the doors are sealed"

"No matter. Sooner or later, he has to come out" Zhao comments and then crouches in front of Rana who leans against the wall, her eyes on him, but her hands tied behind her back. "And I still have one prize claimed" He adds. "Are you going to behave?" She clenches her jaw, keeping quiet. He looks over her. Checking on the wound on her neck and then the second one. The new one. The one that is sat across her collar bone, it's still bleeding but not heavily. Zhao touches the edge of the wound and she cringes, trying to pull away. He hums a little then grabs her chin and lifts her face, so she has to strain her neck.

"I hate you," She tells him. He pouts mockingly at her and releases her face.

"I am your father, you're not supposed to like me" He points out.

"You're not my father" She hisses at him. "You slaughtered my real father" She reminds him. "My whole family"

"Yes, I did" Zhao agrees and brushes her hair back from her face. "Your human family too"

"And my people" She adds, he nods.

"I did" He agrees again. "I cut off their tails" Tears gather in her eyes. "And their ears...." She looks away from him as she sniffles. "And I strung them up"

"Stop it" Katara snaps at him.

"And I set them on fire" Zhao continues, ignoring Katara. "One by one" He strokes Rana's hair, patting her head. "Just to get to you...now imagine what I will do to your friends if you don't behave yourself...." She looks away from him, and everyone else as tears slide down her cheeks. Zhao turns to his men. "When those doors open, unleash all your fire-bending power" Zhao orders of his men, Rana shifts her arms, moving her hands behind her back.

"How's Aang going to make it out of this?" Katara asks Sokka.

"How're we going to make it out of this?" Sokka counters, more alarmed by that thought. Rana then starts laughing and looks at Zhao who is surprised by the outburst.

"You really are sort of dim," She tells him. Repeating words he has long said to her. "Or did you just forget?" She asks, he moves closer to her. "I never fight alone" She reminds him and Zhao leans up, eyes scanning around.

"Where are they?" He asks, she smirks and sets her head back against the wall. She then lets out a sharp whistle and Vulpix comes charging out of the shadows and straight for Zhao, she blows out fire to stop his fire-bending soldiers from approaching. Vulpix snaps her teeth around his leg and he cries out in pain before he kicks, sending Vulpix skidding across the floor, but she is quick to get back to her feet, a howling noise riding from her throat. The crystal ball around Rana's neck begins to glow as Vulpix does. She chuckles and glares at Zhao. Vulpix vanishes in the bright light before it disappears to reveal, in her place, a beautiful white Ninetails. Rana pulls her hands apart, tearing her bindings and lunges forward, tackling Zhao to the floor, her sword sliding away from him. She scrambles up and after it. "Watch the door" Zhao orders and pushes himself after Rana who grabs the sword and hurries off. Zhao is right behind her. Sokka watches her go before looking at Katara.

"Did she just leave us here?" He asks her as Ninetails hurries after her. Suddenly, a blinding white light is coming from inside the sanctuary. Zhao's troops stand at the door, ready as smoke billows out into the entryway from the bottom of the door. The Fire Sages look at the floor in shock and fear. Sokka, Katara and Shyu still tied to a column have to shield their eyes from the light as does Zuko. As the doors begin to fully open, two large glowing eyes are visible in the dark of the sanctuary. Smoke continues to emanate from the sanctuary. Sokka and Katara are struggling against their chains.

"No! Aang!" Katara begs as Zhao's soldiers shoot fire blasts into the sanctuary. In total, eight soldiers are concentrating all their firepower at the entrance to the sanctuary. Suddenly the chains around Sokka, Katara, and Shyu drop and Rana hurries around the column, her sword in her hand. Sokka pulls Katara behind the pillar when she goes to get Aang. Rana grabs the chains around Zuko, the two of them sharing a look, she yanks the chains lose, freeing him, and he pulls her around to shield behind the column as the fire blasts from the fire-benders are being manipulated into a gigantic ball of swirling fire. At the heart of the fireball is Avatar Roku, his eyes glowing. From behind the pillar, Sokka, Katara, Shyu, Zuko, and Rana watch with surprised and shocked faces.

"Avatar Roku" Zuko whispers, his hand tightening against Rana's waist. Avatar Roku draws the fireball back towards himself and shoots it out. Ninetails suddenly jumps up and takes the fireball in her mouth before she lands, turns towards Zhao's men and then howls, the fire from inside the ball is sent out in a steady blastwave that blasts all of Zhao's soldiers to the floor. The blast even breached the temple walls. Roku'sentire body is now glowing as he feeds fire into the Ninetails ball. The cowering Fire Sages take fright and run for their lives.

"It's going to destroy the temple!" Shyu warns. "We have to get out of here!"

"Not without Aang!" Katara counters.

"Or Vulpix" Rana shouts over the noise, her eyes on Ninetails as she controls the blast of fire from Roku. Roku raises his arm and brings it down on the floor of the temple. The force of his strike rends the floor. Molten lava rises to the surface. Roku lifts his hand, pulling the magma from deep within the volcano. A wall of magma shoots up through the entire temple structure. The lava explodes out of the very top of the temple. Rana lets out a breath and then pushes away from the pillar. Zuko's arm snaps out and grabs the top of her arm to stop her. They share a look, he shakes his head and she pulls her arm away from him before she rushes around the corner and approaches Roku.

"Rana!" Katara shouts and moves to help her. Sokka stops her.

"She might be the only one that can stop him" He warns. Rana approaches Roku slowly despite the pressure from the blast. Roku's eyes dropping to her. Behind her, her nine tails fan out and he softens a little. He stares down at her, but he has stopped his destruction. Sokka glares at Zuko who glares right back. Each of them waiting to see who makes the first move here. It's Zuko. He looks at Rana before he hangs his head and backs away, before he turns and flees the temple. She's fine, she has her friends and the Avatar with her now. As much as it actually pains him to walk away from her. Something's different now. Something's shifted between them. He can feel it. In his chest. His stomach even. It doesn't sit well with him that he's abandoning her. Roku bows his head and then disappears upward in a column of smoke. Aang is now standing in the entryway to the sanctuary. His eyes are glowing. He closes his eyes, groans and sinks to the floor. Rana, Katara and Sokka run to him to help him as Ninetails lowers to the ground, whining a little, unsure about their reactions to her now.

"We got your back" Sokka assures Aang who clutches to Rana's hand.

"Thanks. Where's Shyu?" He asks them.

"I don't know," Katara answers as she looks around for the Sage.

"We need to leave" Rana offers as she helps Aang to stand, her own eyes looking for Zuko but he's gone. She doesn't understand why it upsets her to find him gone. That he's just left. "Right now" She grabs the crystal from her neck and holds it out. Noivern bursts into existence via a bright light and lets out a roar. They all move to him as he dips down to allow them onto his saddle. Ninetails makes a noise and Rana looks at her as Sokka helps Aang into place. "Come on," Rana tells Ninetails who jumps up behind Katara. Once everyone is in place, Noivern bursts out of the side of the temple, blowing a hole with a sonic blast. He flies them away from the burning temple. Appa suddenly flies up from underneath them, Momo sat on his head, Momo has the hat of one of the Fire Sages on his head. Noivern hovers closer to Appa when they line up and with help, Aang manages to slide along Noivern's wing and onto Appa's back. Sokka jumps down next followed by Katara. Ninetails pounces down leaving Rana alone. She sets the ball to Noivern's head and he disappears again. She drops from the sky and luckily onto a quick-thinking Appa's back.