Chapter Text
Zuko hadn't decided yet.
That was the problem. That was always the problem. His hands hung at his sides, flames sputtering in his palms, while the cave echoed with the grunts of the Avatar and the sharp cracks of Azula's fire. He should attack. He should help his sister.
But Uncle had walked past him without a word. Walked straight to the enemy.
"Quick! Avatar! Near me!"
And the Avatar—that grinning, bald child—had obeyed. Had sprung to Iroh's side like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Zuko's chest tightened.
"Zuko!"
Katara's voice. He turned. Too slow. A wall of water crashed into his chest, and the cold was so sudden, so absolute, that his fire guttered out. When he opened his eyes, ice encased him from the neck down. His arms. His legs. He couldn't move.
Through the blur of adrenaline, he saw Katara's face. Grim. Determined. And underneath it, something that looked almost like disappointment.
Had she actually thought a peaceful conversation was enough?
She had even offered to heal his scar. Which was stupid because you can’t heal scars. But it was kind. That kindness had almost made him betray his nation.
Fool.
He breathed. His inner fire answered. Steam hissed from his mouth, and the ice began to weep.
"Uncle!" Aang shouted, dodging a blue flame. "You're helping us?"
Iroh didn't answer. He placed himself between Azula and the Avatar, his stance wide, his hands loose at his sides.
Azula's smirk flickered. "Uncle."
Zuko shook the last of the ice from his arms. His tunic clung to him, freezing and wet. The cave smelled of wet stone and burnt hair. He wiped his mouth and tasted copper.
Then Azula moved.
A stream of blue fire screamed toward Iroh's chest. Zuko opened his mouth to shout… but Iroh didn't dodge. He raised one hand, palm out, and the fire parted around him like water around a stone. A waterbending technique?
Azula's eyes narrowed. She tried again, wider this time, a cone that should have been impossible to avoid. Iroh swept his arm in a slow circle, and her flames spiraled harmlessly into the ceiling.
She pressed forward. Blast after blast. Iroh stepped backward, retreating slowly, but each step matched her rhythm. She couldn't close the distance. Couldn't land a hit.
"So you got fatter and more craven?" She was breathing harder now, her yellow eyes sharp. "I didn't know either was possible."
"I hardly think I'm the coward, Azula." Iroh glanced at the Dai Li agents scattered across the cave. "How many do you have here? Fifteen? Twenty? Against two?"
Then a burst of fire from his hand caught her shoulder.
Azula spun. She planted a hand on the ground to keep from falling. When she looked up, Iroh was already ten feet away, arms at his sides. Calm. Patient.
For the first time in his life, Zuko saw uncertainty in his sister's eyes.
Azula swallowed. Then she cocked her head with a smile. "You're very good, Uncle." Her voice was almost sweet.
Azula glanced at Zuko for a moment. "You know," she said, turning back to Iroh, "I never did feel bad for you when Lu Ten died. I mean, it was your fault." Her body tensed in a familiar way, her feet pointing towards Zuko. "You really should have been much more careful."
Iroh‘s eyes widened. „You wouldn’t.“
„Wouldn’t I?“ She wasn't aiming at Iroh. She was aiming past him. At the spot where Zuko stood frozen, still dripping wet, still half-blind with confusion.
„No.“
„Do you want to take that risk?“ The air began to crackle.
Zuko knew that sound. The sharp snap-hiss of lightning gathering, the way the air itself seemed to flinch.
"No," he whispered.
But Azula's hands were already glowing. Blue-white light danced between her fingers.
The loud HISS of lightning striking sounded more like ripping paper than thunder.
Iroh ran. Not away, but across, cutting between Azula and Zuko with a speed that belied his age.
Iroh's body shook. His arms flew out. For one horrible second, he was just a silhouette, backlit by blue fire, suspended in midair. Then he collapsed.
Blue light reflected in Azula's eyes, like diamonds, but Zuko could only see Iroh's body convulse in front of him.
The cave went silent for a heartbeat.
Then, the Dai Li agents launched their attacks again. Aang twirled between them, knocking them into eachother and freezing them in place.
Someone was screaming. Was it him? Everything felt muffled, drowned out by the roaring in his blood. His feet moved too slowly. He was stumbling. Uncle.
Zuko skidded to his knees and grabbed Iroh's arms. Iroh was on his stomach. Turn him around. Turn him around. He lifted and rolled him over. His eyes were closed. Everything was twitching. Was he dead?
"UNCLE!" someone shouted. That was wrong. Iroh was his uncle.
"I CAN HEAL HIM!" The voice– Katara's– cut through. Zuko trembled.
Blue fire flew past him toward her. He looked up. Dai Li agents were everywhere. Surrounding the Avatar. Surrounding Katara.
Azula stalked toward the Avatar, throwing fire at Katara's water whip, turning it to steam. The Avatar was in the eye of a whirlwind. Men crashed into the cave walls and debris flurried through the already coarse air.
Zuko heard the crackle of lightning. It was quiet in the howl of the wind but he heard it clearly. Shaky legs were suddenly strong and stable. With a low growl he pushed himself from the ground. Azula‘s eyes were pinned on the Avatar, who was glowing as he hovered.
His body tingled as he crashed into his sister, absorbing the little electricity she'd managed to generate.
She stumbled back, eyes wide. "What are you—"
He punched her in the face.
Her head snapped to the side. She recovered instantly, a blast of fire erupting from her palm and catching him in the chest. He staggered but didn't fall. Didn't stop.
„You—" Another punch. She blocked, grabbing his wrist and twisting. He roared and headbutted her.
Blood dripped from her nose. Her golden eyes went wild. "Father was right about you!. YOU'RE AN ANIMAL."
"AND YOU'RE DEAD." He lunged. She swept his legs, and he crashed onto the stone. Before she could capitalize, he kicked upward, catching her knee. She hissed and jumped back.
"I WASN'T AIMING FOR YOU!" she shouted, circling him. "I knew he’d be a sentimental fool. I was never going to kill you!"
Zuko rolled backward onto his feet, smoke streaming from his nostrils. He charged with flaming fists. His fire burned paler and hotter than ever before.
"YOU WERE NEVER IN DANGER, ZUKO!" She ducked, stepping behind him. “I never miscalculate.“
"YOU KILLED HIM." He howled before she kicked the backs of his knees. He dropped to the ground and stayed there, chest heaving.
Around them, the Dai Li swarmed.
"What is it?" Azula snapped, not looking at them.
"The Avatar and the girl escaped through the waterfall."
Azula let out a frustrated snarl and spun around. "How could you let that happen?! You fools! I don’t pay attention for a minute and they’re gone?" She glared up at the waterfall. "They can't have gone far. Five of you– go get more agents and hunt the Avatar down." She waved an arm. "The rest of you, find the earthbender and the useless one. They should be somewhere in the tunnels."
The agents scattered into the shadows.
Zuko remained on his knees, bent over, holding his head between his hands. The roaring in his blood had gone quiet. The cave had gone quiet too, except for Azula's orders echoing off the walls.
Zuko pressed his palms against his eyes until he saw stars. His uncle's hand had been warm. Always warm. Even now, lying somewhere behind him, it was probably still warm. All that was left was the image of his Uncle’s face, frozen in fear and his trembling body crumbling to the ground.
„We‘ve lost the Avatar because of you.“
„You lost the Avatar.“ Zuko rasped. „I don’t care.“