Chapter Text
The crystal catacombs underneath Ba Sing Se were beautiful. Each crystal shone in the little light that came from outside the door and lit up the room with a beautiful, muted green. It was the most beautiful thing Katara had ever seen… At least, that’s what she would have thought if she wasn’t so busy trying to escape it. So far, she’d tried kicking at the door, punching it and just plain screaming in frustration when nothing else had worked. Realizing that she wasn’t going to be able to get out of the catacombs without help, Katara sat on the ground and waited. She waited for a sound, for the door to be opened by her jailers, for anything that could either get her out of this prison or that would get her back to her friends. She waited for what felt like hours, the silence of the cave slowly driving her mad as her idle mind wandered in thought about what could have happened to Aang, Toph, and Sokka. She prayed to La and Yue that they were okay. If anything happened to them-
Suddenly, the trapdoor opened, and the Dai Li threw something down the steep hill right towards her. Unsure what it was, Katara quickly jumped out of the way and watched it roll until it hit one of the crystal columns with a thud. Before she had any chance to move or try to force her way through the trapdoor, the Dai Li had closed the door again, shutting her inside with the thing. Sighing, Katara went to inspect what the thing they had thrown in was and gasped in surprise when she realised it wasn’t a thing-it was a person.
“Oh, Spirits! Are you okay?” She asked as she reached around to flip the person onto their back. The person, who she realised now was a male, groaned as he started to regain consciousness. As he opened his eyes, Katara recognised the familiar gold of his eyes and she saw the scar that covered the left side of his face.
“Zuko!” She said as she quickly moved away from him, putting as much venom in her voice as she could muster. She watched him carefully as he sat up and rubbed at his head, her eagle eyes never leaving his movement- she was sure he was up to something. Maybe a concealed weapon or new bending technique?
“Waterbender?” He asked once he was fully reorientated and started to take note of his surroundings. He noted the cave and noted the sealed exit, as well as the Avatar’s waterbender. She was antsy-something was eating at her. He could tell that she was pissed at him, but it wasn’t exactly like he was jumping for joy to be down here with her either.
“My name is Katara, not ‘waterbender’ or ‘peasant’.” She narrowed her eyes at him, surprised when he stared right back at her. Even Aang normally couldn’t keep eye contact with her when she was as mad as she was now.
“Sorry…. Katara,” he apologized. Saying her name for the first time, Zuko found he liked the way it rolled off his tongue. “Where are we?”
“The Crystal Catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se,” she answered. “I’ve already looked and there’s no way out other than through the trapdoor.”
“Great. If we stay here, we’re dead. If we try to take the Dai Li head on, we’re dead, Azula would see to that.” He started to stand, but quickly sat back down with a deep groan of pain as he clutched his side and tried to breathe. Katara was by his side in a moment, her heart would not allow her to ignore someone in pain- even if he was someone that she considered to be an enemy.
“Shhhh…. Hold still. You must have taken a pretty bad beating from the Dai Li.”
“I’m fine! I just-” Zuko interrupted himself as he doubled over in pain, his whole body feeling as if he were being ripped apart from the inside. Katara was torn on the inside as she watched him. She had a small amount of water left in a waterskin that she kept hidden on her person at all times in case her other one was taken from her. She had been hoping to use it to escape or save it for another use. Yet, here was a person in pain from serious wounds that she could help- even if that person was Zuko.
“Hold still,” she told him a little gruffly. Pulling up her dress to her mid-calf, Katara retrieved the waterskin that she had attached to her leggings. Zuko watched her, trying to figure out what her attack would be and how he could defend himself. Holding the waterskin in her hands, Katara suddenly felt very awkward. For the water to heal him properly, it had to be applied directly to the flesh, clothes would render it just about useless. She bit her lip.
“What are you doing?” He finally asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. His golden eyes seemed to pierce her to her very core.
“I’m going to help you heal your wounds. I can heal almost any physical injuries with my water.”
“You would do that… for me?” He asked slowly, unable to comprehend why she would show him this kindness after the many months of chasing her and the Avatar. What would she gain from healing him?
“Yes,” she replied simply, her voice confident and calm. Inside her head, however, she was anything but calm. Zuko stared at her for a moment, sure that there was some angle or trick that she was playing, but the way she looked right back at him made him realise that he could trust her.
“Ok.” He replied, his eyes never leaving hers. “What do I need to do?”
“I need you to take off your top robe and shirt.” Even though she knew this was a rational and logical way for him to heal effectively, Katara couldn’t stop the blush that she felt creeping up her cheeks.
“Why?” Zuko asked, a little too quickly and a little too high pitched to be considered calmly.
“The water works best when it has no obstruction. Since I only have a limited supply, I need to get it working as effectively as possible.”
“Oh.”
Turning his back on the girl, Zuko slowly pulled off his robe and then his shirt that was underneath it. Despite her intentions to not look at him, Katara felt her eyes being drawn to the contours of his back. She could see how his muscles rippled, his back toned and shaped. As he turned to face her, Katara had to look away. Yet even as she mentally slapped herself, she couldn’t help her eyes seeking to look at his chiselled chest that looked as if it had been sculpted from the finest marble by the world’s best Earthbenders. Enemy or not, she couldn’t deny that he was a very handsome man.
“Now what?” He asked softly, his eyes down cast.
“Oh…. I suppose it would be easier if you would lie on your back. That way when your bones start to snap in place, you won’t injure yourself again.”
Nodding in understanding, Zuko laid down next to where she knelt and turned his head to properly see her. Katara took a deep, calming breath. She had never worked on such extensive injuries before and wondered if she would be able to heal them all. Uncorking her waterskin, she quickly and quietly bent the water to her will, keeping her eyes down and her mind focussed as the water formed around her hands and started to glow as she placed them on Zuko’s more serious wounds on his chest. Zuko moaned lowly as he felt the girl’s hands on his chest, her soft hands healing him in an almost gentle manner…. Until she got to his broken ribs. The pain Zuko felt as his ribs were fixed was like nothing he had felt before. He cried out in pain as felt the bones fit back together and snap properly into place.
“I’m sorry I don’t have anything to numb the pain,” Katara sighed as she kept working on him. Zuko said nothing in reply and tried to focus on not crying out again. All he could do as she continued to heal was to try and take deep breaths of air and think about anything to take his mind off of the pain. He snuck a look at her face, seeing the concentration and focus as she healed him. He still couldn’t understand why she was helping him- but he was glad she was. After what seemed like an eternity, she pulled her hands away and Zuko was finally able to sit without feeling too much pain.
“Thank you,” he murmured, unsure of what else to say. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, he turned his back to her and put his shirt back on, unable to think of anything else to do. As he turned away from her, Katara felt herself get mad. How dare he turn away from her after she had just healed him?
“So, why did they throw you in here anyways?” She asked angrily, the volume in her voice rising. “Oh, wait, let me guess- it’s a trap so that when Aang shows up to help me, you’ll finally have him in your little Fire Nation clutches.” Zuko turned slightly to face her but said nothing and after a moment turned back to looking at the wall. “You’re a terrible person! Always hunting us, trying to capture the Avatar- the world’s last hope for peace!” Taking a breath, Katara steadied her voice, determined not to let her emotions get the best of her. “But what do you care? You’re the Fire Lord’s son! Spreading war, violence and hatred is in your blood! It’s just what you do, isn’t it!”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Zuko ground out from where he sat on the ground, trying to keep his temper.
“I don’t?!” She cried out incredulously. “How dare you? You have no idea what this war has put me through-me personally!” Unwilling to let him see the tears that she knew were coming, Katara turned her back on him and sat on the floor, her hand clutching at her necklace as she let her tears flow freely down her cheeks. “The Fire Nation took my mother away from me.”
Zuko felt his anger dissipate at her words. They were both victims of this war and the war had taken precious people from them… at least he understood what that felt like.
“I’m sorry,” he said plainly as he turned his body to face her, his face showing sincere remorse for her loss as he listened to her cry. “That’s something we have in common.”
“What do you mean?” She asked as she turned to face him, wiping away her tears as she did so.
“The Fire Nation took my mother away from me too,” he replied as she inched closer to him. “I was little when it happened… One day she was there and then the next day she was gone. I don’t know what happened or even if she’s alive- it’s like she never existed.”
Katara felt herself filling with shame. Here she was venting all her rage and anger at him because he was the Prince of the Fire Nation, and he had suffered the same pain that she had. They both stood at the same time and looked at the ground.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you,” she choked out, meaning every word she said.
“It doesn’t matter,” Zuko replied as he looked away from her.
“It’s just…For so long now, whenever I imagined the face of the enemy… I saw your face.”
“My face?” Zuko repeated as he reached his hand up to touch at his scar, “I see.”
“No! That’s not what I meant-”
“It’s okay,” Zuko cut her off, “I used to think that this scar marked me- the mark of the banished Prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But… Lately, I’ve realised that I’m free to determine my own destiny- even if I’ll never be free from my scar.”
“Maybe you could be free of it?” Katara whispered quietly, her eyes downcast as she moved slightly closer to Zuko.
“What? What do you mean?”
“You know I have healing abilities, Zuko. I may be able to heal your scar.”
“It’s a scar. Scars can’t be healed,” Zuko replied as he looked her in the eyes, the tips of his fingers tracing the edge of the scar. Katara looked away and clutched at her neck, feeling for the Spirit Water Master Pakku had given her all those months ago.
“This is water from the Spirit Oasis in the North Pole,” she explained as she pulled the necklace off of her neck and held it up for Zuko to see. “It has special healing properties, so I’ve been saving it for something important.” She stepped closer until there was less than a foot of distance between them. “I don’t know if it’ll work but…” She let the sentence trail off as she looked into Zuko’s eyes. Blue met gold as they kept eye contact even as Katara slowly raised a hand to Zuko’s cheek.
Bowing his head and closing his eyes, Zuko allowed her to ghost her fingers along the dead tissue of his scar where the fire had scorched off his flesh. He tensed as her cool fingers ghosted along the dead flesh. Apart from his Uncle and the healers who had saved him after his Agni Kai, no one had touched his scar. Letting her- Katara- do so felt intimate. It made him feel vulnerable- but was that so bad? Katara studied the scar for a long moment as she analysed its depth and how she could possibly heal it. As she went to pull her hand away, Zuko’s suddenly shot up and pressed her hand back to his scarred cheek. The touch was gentle and almost pleading with her… It was like a lover’s touch- something that connected two souls together. He flicked his eyes to meet hers and, in that moment, Katara felt something shift between them, something she couldn’t describe. Before she could say a word or do anything, one of the walls broke down to reveal Aang and General Iroh, their expressions a mixture of extreme happiness and anger. Zuko and Katara immediately jumped apart, their moment shattered like glass.
“Katara!” Aang cried out as he rushed to her, wrapping his arms around her body into a tight hug. Zuko could not miss the furious glare that was being sent his way by the Avatar and chose to glare right back at him as his Uncle wrapped him in a warm embrace of his own.
“I knew you wouldn’t leave me behind,” Katara said as she hugged Aang close.
“Uncle!” Zuko’s voice sounded in the quietness of the cave. “What the hell are you doing with the Avatar?”
“Saving your ungrateful ass,” Aang quickly replied as he wrapped a protective arm around Katara’s waist. Zuko growled at this and made a move toward the Avatar, but was held back by his Uncle.
“Zuko, we must talk,” Iroh said quietly to him before turning to Aang and waving them on. “Go find your friends, we will be along shortly.”
Aang shrugged before turning himself and Katara towards the tunnel, not bothering to look back. Before she entered the tunnel, Katara looked back towards Zuko, concern written all over her face. Zuko looked right back at her, his features of anger softening as he looked at her eyes for a moment- and then she was gone.
“Zuko,” Iroh said loudly, forcing Zuko to return his attention to his Uncle. “You are no longer the boy you once were. Since your banishment you have become stronger, wiser, and freer than you have ever been before,” Iroh could not hold back the slight look of pride he had for his nephew. “But now you have a decision that must be made. It is time for you to choose. Time for you to choose good.”
The last word was barely out of Iroh’s mouth before a loud rumbling sound was heard and his body was completely encased in rock so that he was unable to move. Reacting on reflex, Zuko dropped into a bending stance, ready to protect them from the danger. His arms were raised and ready to attack until he heard a familiar voice that froze him where he stood.
“I expected this sort of treachery from Uncle,” Azula’s soft voice said as she and a few Dai Li agents appeared in Zuko’s view. She was as calm as he had ever seen her as she walked toward him flanked by Dai Li agents. “But you, Zuko? Prince Zuko, you’re a lot of things but you’re not a traitor, are you?” She asked, her last words hinting at great anger. Zuko watched his sister with unease as she came closer to them.
“Let him go, Azula” Zuko growled at his sister, his eyes never wavering from her or the Dai Li agents as he crouched into his stance and felt his inner fire stoking inside of his chest, waiting to be unleashed.
“It’s not too late, Zuko,” Azula spoke with her soft voice again, “you can still redeem yourself and come home.”
“The kind of redemption she offers is not for you!” Iroh suddenly spoke up as he watched the exchange between the royal siblings.
“Why not let him decide, Uncle?” Azula snapped, the familiar barbs of her voice reappearing for the briefest of moments before she turned back to Zuko and softened her features. “I need you, Zuko. I’ve plotted every move of this day- this glorious day in Fire Nation history- and the only way we win is together. Together, we can claim Ba Sing Se in the name of the Fire Nation- something even the mighty Dragon of the West couldn’t accomplish. You will have your honour back… You will have Father’s love…. You will have everything you ever wanted at the tips of your fingers.”
“Zuko….” Iroh pleaded to his nephew, desperate to make him see reason as he stood torn. “I’m begging you. Look into your heart and see what you truly want.”
“You are free to choose,” Azula conceded, her eyes steely as she raised a hand and sent the Dai Li away, leaving them all alone. Walking past Zuko, she stood by her Uncle, the ultimatum she presented was made clear. Zuko bowed his head and tried to gather his thoughts. Azula was offering him what he had been working for since he had been banished all those years ago: his honour, his Father’s love, his place as the Prince of the Fire Nation… She was offering his home- his life- back to him.
Looking between Iroh and Azula, Zuko chose his path.