(1) Augmentum | Zuko

Chapter Ninety-Five

Aang is still in his meditation pose beside the pool, Katara and Yue behind him, watching him. Waiting for something to happen. Yue leans closer to Katara to talk to her quietly, but it is none too quiet for Aang who is trying to get inner peace to meditate into the spirit world.

"Why is he sitting like that?" Yue asks.

"He's meditating – trying to cross over into the Spirit World. It takes all his concentration" Katara explains. Aang cracks an eye at this continued interruption.

"Is there any way we can help?"

"How 'bout some quiet!?" Aang asks, turning to look at them, Katara putting a hand over her mouth. "C'mon guys! I can hear every word you're saying!" He resumes his pose. Aang stares at the black and white fish circling each other in front of him in the pond. A second later Aang's eyes and head arrow glow white.

"Is he okay?" Yue asks.

"He's crossing into the Spirit World. He'll be fine as long as we don't move his body. That's his way back to the physical world" Yue then begins to walk away.

"Maybe we should get some help?" She asks, Katara shakes her head.

"No, he's my friend. I'm perfectly capable of protecting him" Katara argues.

"Well, aren't you a big girl now?" Zuko's voice echoes through the chamber.

"No" Katara turns to find that Zuko is walking over the footbridge towards them.

"Where is she?" He asks, his eyes flickering around the area, he assumed Rana would be with Aang, yet she's not here. How is he supposed to get her away from the coming army and Zhao if he can't even find her? "Where's Rana?" He counters as he pulls off the sling and egg, gently setting them down on the grass close by.

"So you can hand her over to Zhao?" Katara snaps and assumes a water-bending stance. "I won't tell you" Yue runs off in the background. Aang, oblivious, still communes with the Spirit World in front of the pond. Zuko's eyes find Aang. He thought this would be easy. Find Rana. Get her out of here. But there is one thing she'll do. Find the Avatar. It's part of what she is. He lets out a breath. It's not going to win him any favours with her or her friends though. Zuko launches forward, firing several blasts of fire. Katara blocks all three with water from the pond. He fires several more as he advances, but on the last one, she uses enough water to not only douse his fire, but hurl him backwards and lay him flat on the ground. Zuko pushes himself up to his feet and then goes straight back to it. He fires another blast which she blocks. Katara then launches another stream of water at him, hurling him backwards again. He barely retains his balance, but Katara freezes the water beneath him. His feet are frozen in the ice. Then, with a massive output of effort, Katara raises a churning sphere of water from the main pool behind Zuko, encases him in it, and freezes him entirely. The ground suddenly begins to shake and the ice begins to glow yellow and orange. With an explosion of fire, the shell of ice shatters, releasing Zuko who promptly charges Katara. They trade shots that miss. Zuko gets behind Katara and almost grabs Aang's collar, but Katara blasts him out of the way with a jet of water. He gets blown over to the right ledge. While he tries to recover, Katara raises a huge wave of water that raises him to ten or more feet up the wall. She freezes him in place once again. His head droops in defeat. As the sunlight reaches him, though, his head snaps up with a look of determination. He breathes steam, melting the ice holding him in place. He slides down and charges Katara again. He fires a huge blast of fire. Katara, caught off guard while she walking back to Aang, blocks it only partially. She is thrown back into the post of the paifang gate and is knocked out. When the smoke clears, Zuko looks over her, his hand on Aang's collar, the sun shining bright in the background.

"You rise with the moon. I rise with the sun" He points out and lets out a breath. He thought that Rana would have turned up during the fight. Somehow sensing what was happening. But she's still not here. Zuko closes his eyes and makes a choice. He then looks at Wartortle and Piplup who were hidden behind a bush. Zuko then inclines his head before he moves.

......

Rana's shadowy figure is crouched on the top of Zhao's ship, watching him below on the deck. Anger just coursing through her. Just seeing him makes her so angry. She moves closer to the edge, her fingers wrapping around the hilt of her sword on her back before she pauses. Something flickering through her mind. Wartortle talking to her from the spiritual clearing. She leans back, stopping what she is doing. She has a choice here. Finish it. Kill Zhao and be done with it. Or race back and save Aang. She closes her eyes and then moves.

.........

Katara wakes from her involuntary nap. Her eyes open suddenly, and she gets to her knees with a start. Aang and Zuko are gone.

"Aang" She yells as she pushes herself to her feet. Noivern lands and Rana slides from his back, running towards Katara.

"What happened? Where's Aang?" She asks.

"I'm sorry" Katara whispers. "Zuko...He took Aang" Rana looks at her alarmed, anger rising in her. She thought Zuko was different. She thought something in him had changed. But for him to come after the Avatar. She was wrong. "He took him right out from under me"

"Where did they go?" Rana asks, already moving back to Noivern.