(1) Augmentum | Zuko

Chapter Ninety-Nine

Iroh is now standing over the guards who struggle to get up, before he turns and walks back to the pond where the black fish swims frantically and white, a huge gash in its side, floats. Iroh gently lifts the white fish from the water, an expression of sadness on his face. The guards are now gone from behind them, fleeing. Yue is on the verge of tears, Sokka's hands on her shoulders.

"There's no hope now. It's over" She tells them, her voice breaking. Aang's sad expression turns to determination as his eyes and tattoos glow white. His Avatar Spirit speaks through his mouth.

"No, it's not over" Aang walks forward into the pond. Katara moves to follow, but she is stilled by a motion to halt from Iroh. Aang stands in the middle of the pond, arms in prayer. He looks down at the black fish, whose eyes and white mark on his spine begin to glow white. His feet are in the pond which now glows bright white. Then he drops into the pond as if the bottom had fallen out of it and he disappears. The water in the pool around the oasis itself begins to glow a deep blue-veined with white. Yue, Sokka, Kaara, and Iroh look on with wonder at the power coming to life before them. A huge, incandescent blue wave rushes under the footbridge as if some huge creature is moving underneath it. The blue, white-veined creature is a huge fish-like being. At its centre is a blue-white bubble in which Aang is hovering, arms spread wide. 

............

Zhao drags Rana along a walkway but finds it difficult with her struggling to get free of him. But she's blindfolded and limited in what she can do with restraint hands behind her back. She kicks out, stomping down on his foot. He releases her, but it also means that the spirit arrow pierces her neck and she cries out behind the gag, stumbling back, almost going over if not for Zhao grabbing the front of her dress and yanking her back to him. He tears the blindfold from her eyes and then grips her chin between his fingers. She stares back, defiant. Behind Zhao, Zuko hurries out onto the walkway.

"Let her go," Zuko tells Zhao who digs the arrow into the wound on her neck as he pulls her back against his back, turning them both to face Zuko, pressing the side of his head into hers.

"You two" Zhao scolds. "Two infatuated....silly little teenagers, unravelling years of hard work...working my way up through the ranks....even raising..." He digs the arrow in and Rana struggles against him. "These filthy creatures...the vastaya" Zuko meets Rana's eyes. "I never wanted it" Zhao admits. "Your grandfather gave me an order...to find it" He puts more pressure on the arrow and she whimpers. "And raise it loyal to the Fire Nation....but they can't be broken in" He lets out a breath. "It wouldn't take much" Zhao offers. "I could wipe an entire species out..." He draws the arrow down her neck. Rana cries out in real pain as he jams the arrow into her neck. Zuko moves, launches a few fire blasts at Zhao with a cry of anguish, but his target dodges, throwing Rana down to the ground, a ring of fire erupting around her as Zhao turns to face Zuko. The Ocean Spirit's essence travels down the main canal in the background. Zuko continues his attack firing volley after volley at Zhao, who breaks them with his hands held together in a wedge in front of him. As the blasts subside, Zhao drops his smoking cloak to the ground and then returns fire. At one point Zuko is able to exploit a moment when Zhao leaves his chest unguarded. Zuko blasts him and Zhao falls off the parapet wall onto the tier below. Zuko turns to the ring of fire around Rana. She lays unmoving, blood pooling around her in the centre. He's seen this before. And it hurts no less this time. He looks at the fire. The left-hand side of his face twitches. He can't not go to her though. He has to check on her. He has to see if she's alive. He jumps through the ring of fire and moves to her, touching her shoulder and turning her onto her back. She looks up at him, eyes tired but aware of him.

"Did you just jump into fire for me?" She asks weakly, he clutches her face in his hands before he moves one to her neck to cover the bleeding wound. "It's not that bad" She mumbles, he gives her a look.

"Yes, it is" He argues, she hums and touches her side with a shake of her head, her fingers unbuttoning her robes.

"This one is way worse," She tells him and opens up her robes to reveal another wound against her chest. And she's right. It is so much worse. It's deep and angry and he assumes it's one of those spirit weapons from the way it bubbles with purple goo. "I thought I could do it" She whispers. "I thought I could kill him, to be free of him" Zuko touches the skin around the wound and closes his eyes when she touches his cheek. "I think he's killed me instead" Behind Zuko, through the flames. Zhao appears, more dishevelled. He's grasping Rana's sword in his hand as he glares at Zuko.