COLLISION - a zuko and yue centric tale

Chapter six

"I can't believe I lost him." Katara kneels by the pool.

"You did everything you could and now we need to do everything we can to get him back," Sokka reassures his sister. "Zuko can't have gotten far. We'll find him. Aang's gonna be fine."

"Okay." Katara stands and walks to Appa. Yue sits down in the sky bison's saddle, more prepared for balancing when he lifts off.

"It's all right. You stay here, Momo, in case Aang comes back." Momo purrs and lays down where Aang was sitting.

"Yip! Yip!" Appa launches into the air, anxious to find Aang. They soar up above the city and over the wasteland behind where the storm is as strong as ever. Yue leans over the side and scans the snow for any sign of life. Footprints would be erased in a heartbeat and Zuko's grey clothing would blend into the snow. Not a glimpse of orange monk clothes peaked out from behind a snow dune.

A/N: I don't know if snow dunes are a thing but I think it's funny and I don't wanna find out that they aren't a thing so the term is staying. 

"I finally have you." Zuko stares out at the storm. "But I can't get you home because of this blizzard. There's always something. Not that you would understand. You're like my sister. Everything always... came easy to her. She's a firebending prodigy — and everyone adores her. My father says she was born lucky. He says I was lucky to be born. I don't need luck though, I don't want it. I've always had to struggle and fight and that's made me strong. It's made me who I am." Zuko clenches his fists at his sides as he thinks of his father. The Avatar is still unconscious, with tattoos glowing. In the Spirit World, if he heard the girl correctly. It would make sense. Hopefully, the boy was stuck there. It would be easier for both of them. Iroh might disagree, but his own experience would probably be much different than the avatar's, who was supposed to be part of that world. Zuko didn't want to fight him. It was all too likely he would lose, even if he didn't want to admit it. The Avatar takes a deep breath, despite being in the Spirit World. A gust of wind makes its way into the cave from the storm raging outside.

"Guess we'll be here a while."

"I don't need to remind you we have a time limit." Iroh stands next to Zhao on the observation deck of the Admirals ship. "If we don't defeat the Water Tribe before the full moon rises they will be undefeatable."

Zhao smiles. "I assure you I have everything under control. I intend to remove the moon as a factor." His grin broadens.

"Remove the moon!? How?" Iroh says incredulously, surely Zhao wasn't entirely mad?

Clunky steps sound behind them. "Admiral Choi! Prepare to meet your fate!" A young Water Tribe boy throws off a Fire Nation helmet and charges them with a spear. Iroh is surprised he made it this far. He shakes his head as the boy is gracefully thrown overboard by Zhao, unceremoniously splashing into the water below. He was part of the water tribe, he would be fine. 

"As I was saying... years ago I stumbled upon a great and powerful secret... the identity of the Moon Spirit's mortal form," Zhao reveals to a shocked Iroh.

"What?"

"I was a young Lieutenant serving under General Shu in the Earth Kingdom... I discovered a hidden library, underground in fact. I tore through scroll after scroll. One of them contained a detailed illustration and the words "Moon" and "Ocean." I knew then that these spirits could be found — and killed. And that it was my destiny to do so."

"Zhao, the Spirits are not to be trifled with!" Iroh is angered. How could Zhao not see the pure destruction this would cause? It would rain down on him, and Zhao would never see it coming.