Freedom

Chapter 4: The Cliff Edge

They knew they had to run. They had to get far away from Ba Sing Se. Katara watched as the bright green earth changed to an expanse of sea. She didn't talk much and kept to herself. When they landed to give Appa a break, she started to walk away.

"Where are you going Katara?" Aang asked her in his chipper voice.

Katara stopped for a moment, "A walk..." she spoke in a quiet voice before she kept walking, making it clear she didn't want to be followed. The group, even Bosco watched after her as she walked away.

She found a cliff side overlooking the ocean and sat with her legs dangling over the edge. She sighed and looked down at her hands.

As she ran her fingers over the back of her hand, she could still feel Zuko's touch as their hands grazed as she ran back to Aang. In her mind, she could still see him being forced to his knees with Iroh beside him. She could see Azula's smirk as she saw that even though she didn't capture the Avatar, she had won. She had her brother, right where she wanted him.

He had betrayed the Fire Nation. He had attacked the Fire Nation Princess and fought beside the Avatar, who was enemy number one in the Fire Lord's eyes. And she had him right in her evil Fire Nation clutches.

Katara knew she had to find him. She knew that when she told her brother and Aang, they would say she developed some little crush on the bad boy Firebender. They would say he was like Jet, that he was no good for her, that he played her like a Fire Nation fiddle.

But he saved them. His capture meant their survival and he made that sacrifice for them. She couldn't leave him in a prison to rot until the end of the war, if he survived that long.

It hit her like a ton of bricks. There was no way he would last until the end of the war.

Ozai was one for advanced punishment, but he was smart. Killing Zuko would be the ultimate show of power. It would show he wasn't even above saving his own son at the cost of his betrayal.

If Ozai was willing to permanently scar his eldest son because he spoke against him in a war meeting, there was no doubt he wouldn't be above killing him for betraying the Fire Nation all together.

A tear fell from her cheek, "I'm so sorry Zuko..." she whispered to herself.

"You don't have to apologize to him"

Katara turned around to see her oldest brother standing behind her. She turned back towards the ocean, a grim expression written on her face.

"He made his decision... And he knew what it meant" Sokka went and sat beside his sister, his feet dangling over the edge.

Katara deciphered if it was worth pushing him off the edge. She would make sure the water broke his fall. But then she would have to go down and get him and that wasn't quite worth the silence she wished for.

"I know you Katara..." he told her, "I know what you're thinking..."

She stayed silent, because what was she supposed to say? I know he chased us around the world trying to capture Aang for the past few months but I want to go risk our lives to save him. She knew what they would say. She knew the risks.

"But I think you also know why we can't go save him... We just got Appa back... Aang still has a long way to go to learn earth bending and - " he went to continue, but Katara cut him off.

"And he needs to learn fire bending... which he can't do without a teacher..." she told him.

Sokka sighed, "I know... but you and I both know that he is going to be held at the most security prison that the Fire Nation has... And even if Aang would never admit that the Fire Nation is still killing innocent people... you and I know he won't make it long"