Wild At Heart (Zuko)

Chapter Fifty-One

Zuko walks away from Kali and Iroh and heads into the tunnels toward where Azula disappeared. Kali shakes her head. She can't let him do this for her. She can't let him slide back because of her. All this time spent together and he's turning his back on it all. To save her.

"Zuko" She pleads, her voice breaking. He clenches his fist but doesn't turn back around. The Dai Li agent yanks on the chain and Kali falls backwards with a cry. She stares after Zuko as he walks away from her. She lets out a sad breath and knows this is her fault. She got caught. So he is doing what he can to free her. Even turning to his sister. She shifts on the ground, crossing her legs as tears gather in her eyes.

.......

Aang and Katara are running through the Crystal Catacombs trying to find a way out so that they can get to Sokka and Toph. Bing clings to Aang's shoulders, now believing that he should have stayed back with Kali and Iroh because now he might not have a way back to Kali.

"We've got to find Sokka and Toph" Katara states. An intense shot of blue fire attacks them from behind. Aang stops it using earthbending, but the impact forces him backwards a few steps, Bing jumps from his shoulders and into Katara's arms. Azula, the source of the blast, has smoke trailing from her fingertips. Katara uses waterbending to stop another attack, then sends a wave crashing toward Azula, who vaporizes the water with firebending. The mist from the vaporized water allows Azula to jump onto a crystal and firebend two blasts of blue fire. Together, Aang and Katara use waterbending to stop the blasts. Azula finishes her jump by landing on a rock pillar. Aang uses earthbending on the pillar, and Azula gasps once she notices the pillar crumbling. She jumps off and lands between Katara and Aang. She points at both of them, preparing to attack or defend herself. An orange fire blast lands in the middle of the standoff, and they look to see the source of the fire blast to be Zuko. Bing makes a noise and jumps from Katara's back to run to him, climbing up to sit on his shoulders. Zuko looks from Azula to Katara and Aang, choosing who to attack. When he looks at Azula, she is glaring back at him. He then looks at Aang, who gasps once he realizes Zuko will attack him. Zuko firebends at him, and Aang uses airbending to jump away from the blast. Azula smiles at this and starts duelling with Katara, and Zuko furiously throws multiple fire blasts at Aang. Aang airbends the air currents around him to make a human-shaped gust of air at Zuko, knocking him down. Aang attacks Zuko with more airbending, but Zuko manoeuvrers around the attacks and gets back up on his feet. Bing has gotten loose and is running for cover behind a rock. Zuko fires more blasts at Aang who is clinging to a rock pillar. Aang jumps onto a clump of crystals to avoid the attack. Furious, Zuko summons a greater blast of fire. Aang earthbends some crystals to protect him, but the crystals shatter, sending Aang flying to another clump of crystals. Zuko uses fire whips to attack Aang once again, but Aang jumps to another patch of crystals and Zuko keeps attacking. Azula lands on a puddle of water running toward Katara, who sends a sharp wave of water at Azula that very nearly hits her face but cuts her hair instead, startling her. Zuko is still using his fire whips to attack Aang, who is now jumping along the cave's ceiling. Aang kicks down a stalactite and follows it, using earthbending to increase its impact and sending Zuko flying, bouncing off the ground into a small wall of crystals. Katara waterbends at Azula, knocking her down. Azula slowly gets back up into a fighting stance as Katara encases herself in the water. One water tentacle captures Azula's hand as she struggles to attack her, and another one captures her foot after another failed attack. Katara then lifts Azula up, who yells in fear. Zuko frees his sister using firebending to break the tentacles. Azula gets up and briefly smiles at Zuko in gratitude, then looks toward the crater Aang had created with the stalactite. Aang crawls out, exhausted. Azula runs toward Aang. Katara still has water whips on her hands and Zuko starts using his fire whips.

"I thought you had changed!" Katara scolds Zuko.

"I have changed" Zuko fires another blast. Azula uses firebending to charge at Aang. Aang earthbends crystals around him into crystal-encased armour and charges at Azula. Azula stops and uses her firebending to break Aang's crystal armour and send him flying back into an old building.

......

Kali is still sitting on the ground. From where they are, they can hear the fighting in the deeper catacombs echoing up to them. It sounds rather intense. Kali closes her eyes and shakes her head. When she opens them she looks over at Iroh who doesn't seem as panicked as she is feeling. He seems rather comfortable in his crystal shackles. She raises an eyebrow and he smirks back, something passing between them. She gives a subtle nod, understanding that it is going to come down to her to free them, just as he once freed her. She closes her eyes and concentrates on her environment. Rock and crystals are just part of nature after all. She lifts her hands and pulls them towards her body. Two crystal shards erupt from the crystals around Iroh and hit both Dai Li agents in the chest, the one in control of her chain drops it with the motion. Kali spins up to her feet, holds out her hand and makes a fist. The crystals behind them pull the two Dai Li agents into them, trapping them. She lets out a breath and moves to Iroh. She throws her hands aside and the crystals around him disappear.