Balance: An Avatar: The Last Airbender Fanfiction

Summary: The first time it happened, he brushed it off as a trick of the light. The second time it happened, he assumed it was just another bender's attack. The third time it happened however, he had no choice but to accept what had happened. He had bent another element that was not his own. Yet there was already an avatar. Or the one where Zuko discovers that all the elements are connected and the Avatar is not the only one who can bend them all.

AN: So, due to me living under a rock most of my childhood, I never really got to watch/see/do/play a lot of the things someone my age is assumed to have. Recently, I fell sick with the flu, which gave me a lot of time on my hands. The result? In between sleeping and eating the small bits of food I could keep down, I marathoned Avatar: The Last Airbender while laying in bed healing. And before you say that there is no way I could have watched all 3 seasons, here's the math:

61 episodes X about 30 minutes each (rounding up) = 1830 minutes

1830 minutes / 60 minutes per hour = 30.5 hours

5 total days sick X about 10 hours of sleep for each day sick = 50 hours

5 total days sick X about 20 minutes of eating time X 3 meals per day = 300 minutes = 5 hours

30.5 hours + 50 hours + 5 hours = 85.5 hours

5 total days sick X 24 hours in a day = 120 hours

The rest of the time went into typing this, as by the last 2 days, I felt a lot better than I had been.

So, without further adieu, I give you: Balance

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The first time it happened, he brushed it off as a trick of the light. He had been 8 at the time, practicing his Firebending Katas with his younger sister. For all of a second, he thought he saw a burst of air coming from his fist rather than fire. However, he had brushed it off at the time.

'I'm a Firebender, not an Airbender.' he thought 'Besides, they're all dead anyway.'

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The second time it happened, he assumed it was just another bender's attack. He had just been banished by his father, and he had run into some angry Earthbenders. '

The rock that came from behind me was just some Earthbender with terrible aim. It had nothing to due with me slamming my foot down right before starting a Kata. No, not at all.'

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The third time it happened however, he had no choice but to accept what had happened.

He had been captured by his sister. Luckily, Uncle was able to get away safely. The guards dragged him towards what looked like an entrance to an underground cave system.

"Look's like you have some company" sneered one of the guards as the other shoved me down the hole into the crystal filled cave.

'So someone is already down here. Maybe we can work together to ec-'

"Zuko?!" yelled a familiar female voice

Looking up between the fringe of his hair, he swallowed nervously. Standing above him, arms crossed, was the Waterbender that traveled with the Avatar. Katara, the last Waterbender of the Southern Water tribes.

And she did not look happy to see him.

"Uh, hi there?"

Katara's shocked face became an angry one as Zuko sat up and the hole closed behind him.

"Why did they throw you in here?" she asked angrily "Oh, wait, let me guess. It's a trap. So that when Aang shows up to help me, you can finally have him in your little Fire Nation clutches!"

Zuko turned his head to look at her, turned back, and looked at the ground again.

Katara continued to lament "You're a terrible person! You know that? Always following us! Hunting the Avatar! Trying to capture the world's last hope for peace! But what do you care? You're the Fire Lord's son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood!"

Zuko snapped his head around, glaring at the Waterbender "You don't know what you're talking about!"

"I don't? How dare you! You have no idea what this war has put me through!" she turned and sat down, hugging her knees to her chest "Me personally!" She touched her necklace and began to cry. "The Fire Nation took my mother away from me."

Zuko turned around to face Katara " For what it's worth, which probably isn't much, I'm sorry." He paused "I guess that's something we have in common." the Firebender looked down at his arm, rubbing an intricate gold bracelet on his left wrist.

Katara looked back, surprised, and wiped away the tears from her eyes.

Katara spoke softly this time, with an apologetic tone in her voice "I'm sorry I yelled at you before."

Zuko gave her a small smile "It's alright, it doesn't matter anyway, I deserved it. Honestly, I wish my Uncle would have been a little more forceful in trying to get me to see that what I was doing was wrong."

The young Waterbender sighed "It's just that for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face."

Zuko felt a pang of regret and sadness "My face? I see." He touched his scar.

Katara, realizing her mistake, tried to fix the situation "No, no, that's-that's not what I mean." she said as she approached Zuko.

Zuko looked back at her "It's okay, I know what you mean. Even if I didn't have a scar my face would still have been the face of the enemy to you." the Firebender gave a small smile, he had been doing that more often lately. "I used to think this scar marked me. The mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately, I've realized that because of my scar, I'm free to determine my own destiny.

"Maybe you could be free of it! I have healing abilities."

"It's a scar, it can't be healed." he turned toward her still smiling softly "Besides, it reminds me that I am free to do as I chose. Even if you could heal it, I wouldn't want you to, but it's the thought that counts. Thank you."

Suddenly, a huge crash sounded, behind them. The two turned around to see one of the people that they each cared about; Iroh and Aang.

Katara cried out happily "Aang!"

Aang looked surprised as Katara hugged him, but Aang looks over Katara's shoulder to glare at Zuko.

Zuko, who was busy being hugged by his Uncle Iroh, ignores him.

"Aang, I knew you would come." Katara smiled moving forward to hug Aang again.

Zuko turned to his Uncle, a confused expression on his face "Uncle, I don't understand. What are you doing with the Avatar?"

"Saving you, that's what." snarked a slightly annoyed Aang

Zuko looked at the Avatar. "I can see that. You have my thanks." turning toward his Uncle again he rephrased his question "What I meant, was how did you find him, much less convince him to work with you? They still consider us both enemies, me more so than you and rightfully so. I-"

Iroh smiled, "Zuko, it's time we talked." He turned to Aang and Katara. "Go help you other friends. We'll catch up with you." They walked away, but Katara looked back at Zuko, giving him a smile and a mouthed 'thank you' before moving on.

Zuko looked confused "Uncle?"

Iroh smiled "You're not the man you used to be, Zuko. You are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been. And now you have come to the crossroads of your destiny. It's time for you to choose. It's time for you to choose good."

"I know, Uncle. Thanks to you and Katara, I know now that-"

Zuko was cut off when he yelled as crystals grow to encase Iroh. He assumed a fighting position to prepare for the intruders. Azula along with two Dai Li agents slid down from the sides of the chamber.

Azula sneered "I expected this kind of treachery from Uncle," she glanced at Iroh, still trapped in crystals, Zuko standing in front of him protectively "But Zuko, Prince Zuko, you're a lot of things, but you're not a traitor, are you?"

"Release him immediately."

"It's not too late for you, Zuko. You can still redeem yourself."

"The kind of redemption she offers is not for you, Zuko!" said Iroh

Azula sneered "Why don't you let him decide, Uncle?" she turned to Zuko "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. At the end of this day, you will have your honor back. You will have Father's love. You will have everything you want."

"Zuko, I am begging you. Look into your heart and see what it is that you truly want."

Azula smirked, believing she had Zuko hooked "You are free to choose."

She gestured at the two Dai Li agents to leave, who Earthbent themselves out. Azula left to follow Aang and Katara.

"I can get myself out. Go Zuko, follow your heart, choose your own destiny!"

Zuko nodded and smiled at his Uncle "Thank you, Uncle, for everything" he whispered, before he turned and ran into the tunnel after his sister, and hopefully, his new allies.

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Katara turned to Aang as they ran through the tunnel

"We've got to find Sokka and Toph!"

A bolt of blue lightning attacked them from behind. Aang stopped it using Earthbending. Katara used Waterbending to stop another lightning attack. The mist from the vaporized water allowed Azula to jump onto a crystal and Firebend two blasts of blue fire. Together, Aang and Katara used Waterbending to stop the blasts. Azula finished her jump, landing on a rock pillar. Aang used Earthbending on the pillar, and Azula gasped once she noticed the pillar crumbling. She jumped off and landed between Katara and Aang. She pointed at both of them, preparing to attack.

A fire blast stopped her from attacking, and they looked to see the source of the fire blast to be none other than Zuko. Zuko looks from Azula to Katara and Aang, giving a smile towards Katara and Aang. The male Firebender launched a fireball at his sister.

"I hope you don't mind, I have a little unfinished family business to take care of" he smirked

Zuko fired another blast. Azula used Firebending to charge at Aang. Aang Earthbent crystal around him into a crystal encased armor and charged at Azula. Azula stops, and uses her Firebending to break Aang's crystal armor and send him flying back into an old building.

"Aang!" Katara cried out as she encased herself in water and used it to stop more of Azula's firebending attacks. One water tentacle captures Azula's hand and another one captures her foot. Zuko sent a fireball towards her chest, causing her to fly backwards into another stone building. Azula looks toward the spot where Aang had collapsed. Aang crawls out of the small crater he made, exhausted. Azula runs toward Aang.

Then, the Dai Li agents arrived. Zuko and Katara got into fighting stances. Katara's water whips were no longer on her hands and Zuko started using his fire whips.

Hopelessly outnumbered, Katara got knocked down. Aang jumped from the old building and Earth-surfs toward Azula to stop her from attacking Katara. A Dai Li agent broke Aang's surf, knocking him down. More Dai Li agents gather behind Azula. Katara started regaining her focus and Dai Li agents surrounded her. Katara used the octopus form to defend herself. Aang stands up and surveys the scene.

Aang whispered to himself "There's too many." He looked at Katara.

'The only way is to let her go.'

"I'm sorry, Katara."

Closing his eyes, he turned away from Azula and Zuko who had engaged in combat once again and Earthbent a crystal shelter tent. Aang started meditating. Inside Aang's mind, a giant version of himself in the Avatar State, the Avatar Spirit, holds an airbending sphere with a normal-sized version of himself in the Avatar State. Back in the crystal shelter, Aang entered the Avatar State and the crystal shelter started glowing, alerting those outside. Inside the shelter, Aang opens his glowing eyes and breaks the crystal above him. The camera shows Katara and Zuko looking up to Aang, now rising into the air, with hope. But before Aang can let Katara go and control the Avatar State, a bolt of lightning strikes him in the back. Cut to Azula's eyeball watching Aang getting struck, before it zooms out to show her in a lightning summoning position with her fingers smoking. The Avatar Spirit lets go of Aang and falls out of the plane of existence. As Aang falls down, Katara, tears now falling down her face, was overwhelmed by the Dai Li.

Zuko stared at his sister and the Avatar in horror.

"NOOO!"

Suddenly, a huge wave formed behind Zuko. The wave knocked down the Dai Li agents, and softened Aang's fall. Katara shot up, no longer held down, and ran towards Aang. She looks down at him and back up with tears in her eyes. Zuko was completely confused at what happened and Azula prepared to attack Aang and Katara, but a blast of fire stopped her. Iroh jumped down from the wall of the cave and shielded Aang and Katara from Azula.

He looked at them with worry "You've got to get out of here! I'll hold them off as long as I can!"

Zuko ran over to the other two as Katara walked away slowly with Aang's body to a waterfall, and used waterbending to lift her, Zuko, and Aang up it's path. Iroh holds off the Dai Li agents until after the trio leave. He submitted to the Dai Li, who used Earthbending to encase him in crystals.

Bosco, Kuei, Toph, Sokka, Aang, Katara, and Zuko were all safely escaping on Appa. Appa moaned sadly. Katara placed Aang's body down, and opened the vial around her neck and used the water inside of it to heal Aang's wounded back. The glowing from the spirit water stopped, and Katara started crying. Aang's tattoos glow for a second and Aang gasped. Katara looked at Aang, who smiled a little, and she held him closer.

Kuei looked devastated "The Earth Kingdom ... has fallen." Bosco let out a whine of sadness.

Katara, who was sitting next to an unconscious Aang, looked up. Appa flew over the walls of Ba Sing Se, with one more passenger than they had expected.

As Katara began to explain what happened, and why Zuko was there, the young Firebender had curled up into a ball away from the others, trembling in shock and fear.

He had bent another element that was not his own.

Yet there was already an avatar.

Something was very wrong here.

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AN: I stink at battle scenes. I may or may not have put some of the fight scenes from the episode, rewrote them a bit, and strung it together. Anyway, if you know me, I'm not the best at updating, but as I have an outline for this, it will NOT be abandoned, but seeing as this is going extremely away from cannon, it might take me awhile to get everything together.

Please review! Ideas, critiques, comments, compliments, flames, and your thoughts are welcomed! They help me write better & faster when I know what I need to fix, and that people actually like this!