Wild At Heart (Zuko)

Chapter Fifty-Two

Zuko and Azula are now both fighting Katara. Hopelessly outnumbered, Katara gets knocked down. Aang jumps from the old building and earth surfs toward Zuko and Azula to stop them from attacking Katara, with a fiercely determined look on his face. However, a Dai Li agent appears and jumps in front of Aang's surf, sending him flying off. Aang yells as he falls. More Dai Li agents gather behind Zuko and Azula. Katara starts regaining her focus and Dai Li agents surround her. Katara uses an octopus form to defend herself. Aang stands up in a fighting stance, but his determined face quickly turns into one of despair.

"There's too many" Aang whispers to himself and then looks at Katara. "I'm sorry, Katara" Closing his eyes, he turns away from Azula and Zuko and earthbends a crystal shelter tent. Aang starts meditating. In the crystal shelter, Aang enters the Avatar State and the crystal shelter starts glowing, alerting those that are standing outside. Aang opens his glowing eyes and breaks the crystal above him. Katara now looks up at Aang, now rising into the air, with hope. But before Aang can control the Avatar State, a bolt of lightning strikes him in the back. Azula smiles menacingly in a lightning summoning position with her fingers smoking. As Aang falls down, Katara, tears now falling down her face, creates a wave to catch Aang. The wave knocks down the Dai Li agents and Zuko. She looks down at Aang's lifeless body and backs up with tears in her eyes. Zuko and Azula prepare to attack Katara, but a blast of fire stops them. Iroh, the source of the blast. He stands beside Kali on a rock face above them. Iroh jumps down from the wall of the cave and shields Aang and Katara from Zuko and Azula. Kali uses a vine that grows from the ceiling to swing down, landing at Iroh's side. Kali reaches up and touches the collar around her neck then takes a deep breath before the metal cracks, she yanks it free of her and throws it down on the ground between them. Zuko lets out a relieved breath. He and Kali share a look, her eyes softening with understanding, she knows why he did what he did. That he did it to save her. Now she is going to save him. She manifests two vines in her hands to use as whips. Zuko looks at his uncle who nods, reassuring him that he can make a choice here. To make a stand for who he truly is. Zuko moves to Kali's side and readies a bending stance as he glares at Azula. Iroh looks back at Katara.

"You've got to get out of here," He tells her. "We'll hold them off as long as we can!" Katara glances at Zuko who turns his head slightly to look back at her. He nods a little and she lets out a breath. He then turns and joins Iroh in firing some blasts at Azula. Kali slams her foot down and the earth beneath them rumbles before a number of slabs send two Dai Li agents flying into the air. Kali then snaps out the whips, wrapping them around each of the agents before she yanks, pulling them down to the ground with heavy thuds. Iroh glances around as Zuko and Kali fight, but whenever they defeat an enemy, two more pop up out of nowhere. They are outnumbered and the chances of them actually winning this is very, very slim. "Get her out of here," Iroh tells Zuko, the two of them sharing a meaningful look. "Go" Iroh pushes and shoves Zuko away from him and towards Kali. Zuko glances at Azula who glares at him, getting ready to attack him. Iroh throws her back with a blast of fire and Zuko moves, fast. Running towards Kali who is fighting off a group of Dai Li agents. Zuko lets loose fire at them to give them the opportunity to escape. He scoops up Bing who is batting his ears against a downed Dai Li agent and then grabs Kali's hand as he passes her, pulling her along with him. Heading in the same direction that Katara and Aang went. Not to join them, but simply to use the same method of exit. Iroh holds off the Dai Li agents, taking blows of earthbending, when Zuko and Kali are far enough away, he submits to the Dai Li, who use earthbending to encase him in crystals. Azula is triumphantly smirking. Zuko glances back at Iroh to find that he is already looking back at Zuko. Iroh nods softly. Zuko then closes his eyes and turns away as Kali lifts them out of the underground tunnel system and to the surface with vines.

.....

There is a small fire burning away in a forested area. Kali sits close to it with Bing and Ran-Ya. She stares into the flames thinking about Iroh and how they just left him behind to escape. That they abandoned him. And he likely will be taken prisoner and dragged back to the Fire Nation, as a traitor. Zuko lets out a breath as he sits at her side, pulling a blanket around her.

"My father will never restore my honour now" He whispers and Kali turns her head to look at him sharply.

"He doesn't need to, Zuko" She argues and reaches up to touch his face, curling her hand around his scarred cheek. "You never lost it" He looks at her softly and reaches up to cover her hand with his. He pulls her hand away to kiss the back of it. "So what do we do now?" She asks him, he lets out a breath and looks at the fire.

"I have no idea" He admits quietly. The two of them sit there in silence as they ponder what they've done and what they can do now. Kali eventually shifts closer to Zuko and he lifts his arm so she can curl into his side, his arm settling around her shoulders.