As soon as he heard the Dai Li close the shaft behind them, Zuko turned to his uncle, his eyes darting to the tunnel. “Go!” Iroh insisted, gesturing feebly. “Don’t worry; I’ll be right behind you.”
Zuko turned away, still uncertain, but he rested his hand against the tunnel wall for balance and hopped forward on his remaining foot. In the quiet, he swore he could hear the sound of it hitting the ground again echoing all around him. Wincing, he lowered himself to his knees and crawled forward into the darkness. When he got out of this, he swore, he was getting a peg leg, the kind fitted just for him, that laced up and wouldn’t come off when rock hands tried to knock it away.
The fire in Azula’s hand sent shadows scurrying over the walls and back to her brother. It bounced and swayed as she raced further and further ahead and Zuko crawled. He kept his breathing low and quiet, because he could hear hers.
With a roar, the blue-white firelight faded into the greenish glow from the crystals. Azula sprang from the tunnel in a shower of dust and sparks, and Zuko ducked back against the tunnel walls. When the dust settled, he crept forward on his hands and knees. With her gone, he could hear that no one else was in the tunnel with him. Uncle wasn’t following.
Zuko swallowed hard. The distant sounds of battle reverberated in the stone around him, and he followed the tunnel ever further, towards it, until at last, the tunnel opened into a great open cavern. Zuko’s breath caught in his throat. The Dai Li and Azula blasted rocks and fire at Katara and the Avatar, who flew at them through the motionless, underground air, and the only way out for him and his uncle was through that.
He clung to the gloom along the edge of the great chamber, water dripping from the walls drenching his hands and robes. No one noticed him. Why should they?
“There’s too many.” The chamber walls threw the Avatar’s words to Zuko, and he groaned silently. If Azula... Uncle... He crawled faster.
Then the Avatar whispered something, Zuko couldn’t hear what, and bent a crystal tent around himself. Zuko wanted to break in and throttle him, until the crystals lit up like a bonfire. The Dai Li and Katara stopped fighting to watch, and Zuko tried to breathe. It wasn’t working right, and when Azula backed up to within touching distance, it got worse.
Her hands traced a familiar pattern through the air. Sparks followed the pathway her finger made. Zuko stopped breathing entirely.
He didn’t hear the Avatar’s crystal tent explode. He didn’t see him hovering in the air above the shards. All he saw were his sister’s hands and a cell in the capitol, and his life ending there, with his uncle’s. It felt like it had ended already.
“What,” the word came out a hiss. Before he even realized he was airborne, he had landed on her back and tackled her to the ground.
But her fingers were still sparking. His fingers met hers. His hand clasped her wrist. The lightning ripped through him, down his arm, through his stomach, and out hist other arm, and he let go... The lightning soared over his head and up to the cavern roof, sending down dust and crystal shards.
“Rrrragh,” Azula yelled with rage, flipping him onto his back and slamming him into the stone. Her hand raised, blue fire gathering in her palms. He couldn’t see anything else, and he waited for it to reach him.
A fireball sizzled through the air between them, knocking Azula away. Zuko scrambled up just as Uncle bounded down from a ledge to stand over him. Stalactites and boulders fell from the cavern roof all around them as the Avatar (Aang, he insisted to himself) waved his arms. Power rolled off him. A wall sprang up between Azula and the Dai Li and the rest of them as the roof came crashing down.
“Get up,” Uncle begged. Zuko grabbed his hand and pulled himself to his foot. The Water Tribe girl, (Katara, he reminded himself), threw his other arm around her shoulder and helped him run.
Well, that was fun.
In retrospect, this isn't nearly as dark as I thought it was going to be at the beginning, maybe even less dark than canon. The Earth Kingdom doesn't even fall. Hmm, not much in the spirit of the meme. Oh well.
Zuko hurt his leg on the run and it won’t heal 7/7 FINISHED
Zuko turned away, still uncertain, but he rested his hand against the tunnel wall for balance and hopped forward on his remaining foot. In the quiet, he swore he could hear the sound of it hitting the ground again echoing all around him. Wincing, he lowered himself to his knees and crawled forward into the darkness. When he got out of this, he swore, he was getting a peg leg, the kind fitted just for him, that laced up and wouldn’t come off when rock hands tried to knock it away.
The fire in Azula’s hand sent shadows scurrying over the walls and back to her brother. It bounced and swayed as she raced further and further ahead and Zuko crawled. He kept his breathing low and quiet, because he could hear hers.
With a roar, the blue-white firelight faded into the greenish glow from the crystals. Azula sprang from the tunnel in a shower of dust and sparks, and Zuko ducked back against the tunnel walls. When the dust settled, he crept forward on his hands and knees. With her gone, he could hear that no one else was in the tunnel with him. Uncle wasn’t following.
Zuko swallowed hard. The distant sounds of battle reverberated in the stone around him, and he followed the tunnel ever further, towards it, until at last, the tunnel opened into a great open cavern. Zuko’s breath caught in his throat. The Dai Li and Azula blasted rocks and fire at Katara and the Avatar, who flew at them through the motionless, underground air, and the only way out for him and his uncle was through that.
He clung to the gloom along the edge of the great chamber, water dripping from the walls drenching his hands and robes. No one noticed him. Why should they?
“There’s too many.” The chamber walls threw the Avatar’s words to Zuko, and he groaned silently. If Azula... Uncle... He crawled faster.
Then the Avatar whispered something, Zuko couldn’t hear what, and bent a crystal tent around himself. Zuko wanted to break in and throttle him, until the crystals lit up like a bonfire. The Dai Li and Katara stopped fighting to watch, and Zuko tried to breathe. It wasn’t working right, and when Azula backed up to within touching distance, it got worse.
Her hands traced a familiar pattern through the air. Sparks followed the pathway her finger made. Zuko stopped breathing entirely.
He didn’t hear the Avatar’s crystal tent explode. He didn’t see him hovering in the air above the shards. All he saw were his sister’s hands and a cell in the capitol, and his life ending there, with his uncle’s. It felt like it had ended already.
“What,” the word came out a hiss. Before he even realized he was airborne, he had landed on her back and tackled her to the ground.
But her fingers were still sparking. His fingers met hers. His hand clasped her wrist. The lightning ripped through him, down his arm, through his stomach, and out hist other arm, and he let go... The lightning soared over his head and up to the cavern roof, sending down dust and crystal shards.
“Rrrragh,” Azula yelled with rage, flipping him onto his back and slamming him into the stone. Her hand raised, blue fire gathering in her palms. He couldn’t see anything else, and he waited for it to reach him.
A fireball sizzled through the air between them, knocking Azula away. Zuko scrambled up just as Uncle bounded down from a ledge to stand over him. Stalactites and boulders fell from the cavern roof all around them as the Avatar (Aang, he insisted to himself) waved his arms. Power rolled off him. A wall sprang up between Azula and the Dai Li and the rest of them as the roof came crashing down.
“Get up,” Uncle begged. Zuko grabbed his hand and pulled himself to his foot. The Water Tribe girl, (Katara, he reminded himself), threw his other arm around her shoulder and helped him run.
Well, that was fun.
In retrospect, this isn't nearly as dark as I thought it was going to be at the beginning, maybe even less dark than canon. The Earth Kingdom doesn't even fall. Hmm, not much in the spirit of the meme. Oh well.