Zuko glowered at her over his folded arms. He was a traitor now. It wasn’t just what was on the wanted posters; he was a real traitor. He had been following around the avatar for months, and he hadn’t even tried-
They were going to tie him up in front of everybody and set him on fire, and his father was going to watch.
Zuko remembered the way she had yelled at Jet when he had found out Zuko was a firebender. “Let’s just figure a way out of here.”
“I just don’t get it!” Katara groaned. “She’s your sister, why does she want to... You don’t even like us.”
“No, I don’t, shut up.”
“I just don’t get what she has against you.” Katara turned her back to him, examining the cave walls for cracks. “You’re supposed to be family.”
“Why does it bother you?” he snapped back sulkily, touching the pouch with his uncle’s ashes, resting against his hip. “She’s my sister, not yours.”
The wall rumbled and exploded in at them, scattering crystals over the floor. Zuko coughed on the dust. The Avatar stepped out of the cloud of debris with Toph, and it was all Zuko could do not to duck past them and run back up the tunnel, and get as far away from his sister as he could.
“Aang!” Katara cried, rushing forward to wrap her arms around him and pull him into a tight hug. “Aang, I knew you would come!”
“What, no hug for me?” Toph grumbled loudly. Reluctantly, Zuko opened his arms, and she rushed into them with a smirk. Holding Toph like that was nice. Having someone want to hug him shouldn’t feel as good as it did.
“Come on,” he said at last, patting Toph’s head awkwardly. “Let’s get out of here before Azula shows up.”
Katara nodded and let go of Aang, threading her way through the piles of rock shards into the tunnel, Aang close behind her. The ground bucked beneath their feet. Toph broke away from Zuko and dove down the tunnel after her friends, but before Zuko could follow, a column of the eerie glowing green crystals launched themselves out of the cave floor and swept forward to capture Zuko and slam him into the wall. He blinked furiously against the pain was he heard the tunnel mouth slam closed. Azula slid down the sloping cave wall with two of the Dai Li. Of course. Of course she would have the Dai Li working for her as soon as she came into the city. Of course she managed to show up right before they were about to leave, and never look back.
But of course he was with the Avatar, and the world, Ba Sing Se, was his responsibility, and he never would have let them leave.
Except the Avatar had already left, along with Katara and Toph, and they had closed the wall behind them. Zuko stared open-mouthed against the faceless rock wall that had just been a tunnel, sick with fury and a strange sense fo betrayal. He hadn’t liked them. He knew they didn’t like him, but he thought... He twisted against the crystals, grinding his teeth together.
“They left you behind, Zuko.” Azula strode across the cave floor and stopped just out of her brother’s reach. “You betrayed our family for them, and they left you behind.”
“What do you want, Azula?” he demanded, voice garbled with emotion.
She laid her hand on his cheek, not even bothering to swat away the sparks gathering around his fingers. “It’s not too late for you Zuko. You can still redeem yourself.”
“You’re-” Zuko choked. “You’re lying.”
“The last couple of months don’t matter,” she wheedled. “We can tell Father you were spying on them, gathering information vital to the war effort.” Her lips curved. “And we wouldn’t be lying.”
“What?” Zuko stared, transfixed. “I was-”
She cut him off with a sharp look before he could say anything else. “I need you Zuko. You know how they think, how they work together, if I want to bring the Avatar back to Father alive, I can’t do it alone. At the end of this day, you will have your honor back. You will have your father’s love. You will have everything you want.”
Iroh dies in s2: Crossroads of Destiny, Pt 2/?
They were going to tie him up in front of everybody and set him on fire, and his father was going to watch.
Zuko remembered the way she had yelled at Jet when he had found out Zuko was a firebender. “Let’s just figure a way out of here.”
“I just don’t get it!” Katara groaned. “She’s your sister, why does she want to... You don’t even like us.”
“No, I don’t, shut up.”
“I just don’t get what she has against you.” Katara turned her back to him, examining the cave walls for cracks. “You’re supposed to be family.”
“Why does it bother you?” he snapped back sulkily, touching the pouch with his uncle’s ashes, resting against his hip. “She’s my sister, not yours.”
The wall rumbled and exploded in at them, scattering crystals over the floor. Zuko coughed on the dust. The Avatar stepped out of the cloud of debris with Toph, and it was all Zuko could do not to duck past them and run back up the tunnel, and get as far away from his sister as he could.
“Aang!” Katara cried, rushing forward to wrap her arms around him and pull him into a tight hug. “Aang, I knew you would come!”
“What, no hug for me?” Toph grumbled loudly. Reluctantly, Zuko opened his arms, and she rushed into them with a smirk. Holding Toph like that was nice. Having someone want to hug him shouldn’t feel as good as it did.
“Come on,” he said at last, patting Toph’s head awkwardly. “Let’s get out of here before Azula shows up.”
Katara nodded and let go of Aang, threading her way through the piles of rock shards into the tunnel, Aang close behind her. The ground bucked beneath their feet. Toph broke away from Zuko and dove down the tunnel after her friends, but before Zuko could follow, a column of the eerie glowing green crystals launched themselves out of the cave floor and swept forward to capture Zuko and slam him into the wall. He blinked furiously against the pain was he heard the tunnel mouth slam closed. Azula slid down the sloping cave wall with two of the Dai Li. Of course. Of course she would have the Dai Li working for her as soon as she came into the city. Of course she managed to show up right before they were about to leave, and never look back.
But of course he was with the Avatar, and the world, Ba Sing Se, was his responsibility, and he never would have let them leave.
Except the Avatar had already left, along with Katara and Toph, and they had closed the wall behind them. Zuko stared open-mouthed against the faceless rock wall that had just been a tunnel, sick with fury and a strange sense fo betrayal. He hadn’t liked them. He knew they didn’t like him, but he thought... He twisted against the crystals, grinding his teeth together.
“They left you behind, Zuko.” Azula strode across the cave floor and stopped just out of her brother’s reach. “You betrayed our family for them, and they left you behind.”
“What do you want, Azula?” he demanded, voice garbled with emotion.
She laid her hand on his cheek, not even bothering to swat away the sparks gathering around his fingers. “It’s not too late for you Zuko. You can still redeem yourself.”
“You’re-” Zuko choked. “You’re lying.”
“The last couple of months don’t matter,” she wheedled. “We can tell Father you were spying on them, gathering information vital to the war effort.” Her lips curved. “And we wouldn’t be lying.”
“What?” Zuko stared, transfixed. “I was-”
She cut him off with a sharp look before he could say anything else. “I need you Zuko. You know how they think, how they work together, if I want to bring the Avatar back to Father alive, I can’t do it alone. At the end of this day, you will have your honor back. You will have your father’s love. You will have everything you want.”