Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar…I swear.
Upheaval
Night fell over the campsite, and the group began moving as one unit. They all moved into a central part of the land where they had been staying, did their best to hide their things, and began to slowly make their way through the forest. None of them felt like talking, their bodies were tense and coiled in tight knots of anxiety over the night's potential outcomes. Following Jet's map, they reached Angmar quickly, and took a moment to solidify their strategy as they stood in the cover of the trees.
The plan was simple. Go in as quietly as possible, get as many supplies as they could, and then leave before anyone realized they were there. It was so full of potential for disaster that it made them sick.
After they had repeated their plan to each other one final time, Katara turned to face Angmar with one hand resting on a tree for balance. Her stomach twisted and knotted itself in fear and nervousness. But there was another feeling in her stomach as well. Deep down, almost hidden by the sadness and the terror and all the other emotions, there was a sick kind of excitement at potentially having a chance to avenge her father and brother. The fire nation now had taken her entire family, and she was going to make them sorry.
All these thoughts were rolling around in her head when a pair of arms encircled her waist and hugged her gently. She leaned back into the embrace and exhaled slowly.
"Ready for this?" Her voice was soft in the quiet of the night.
Zuko shrugged behind her and she felt his chest move against her back. "Katara, whatever happens tonight, I don't want you to worry about me. Keep yourself safe and get out of there as quick as you can."
There was a strained quality to his voice that made her raise an eyebrow. She tried to turn to meet his eyes but he was holding her too tightly. "Are you alright?"
He was quiet for a long moment. "I don't want to see you get hurt tonight. But more than that, I don't want you getting hurt or worse because you're watching out for me."
"Worse?" His arms slackened their hold briefly and she used the extra space to turn and meet his eyes. They were wide with emotions similar to the ones she was feeling, but fear was the most prevalent.
"If any of the soldiers in there get hold of you tonight, they'll take you to prison. It's hard to say what they'll do to you before that, but the rumors I've heard aren't good. I couldn't stand to think of you going through that because of me."
A new wave of sick horror gripped Katara's insides at the possibilities Zuko's words had presented. She inhaled and exhaled slowly to calm herself.
"Well like it or not I'm going to be watching out for you in there." He was about to protest, but she kept going. "I care about you too much not to. If it worries you that much, then you watch out for me. We'll keep each other safe and that'll be that."
Her voice came out sure and certain, despite the sick terror in her stomach. The truth of the whole thing was that neither of them knew what was going to happen when they crept into the maze of buildings that made up Angmar. They might make it out with no problems, but they might not. They might get captured, but then again they might not. Their eyes met and it was obvious the opposite potential outcomes were frustrating Zuko as well. He looked like he would have said something, but Haru's voice broke the silence between them.
"You guys ready to go?"
"Give us a minute." Zuko's voice was strangled as he pulled Katara close and buried one hand in her hair. She hugged him back as best she could, doing her best to comfort him in his fear. Then, out of nowhere, he leaned back and pressed their lips together. The kiss was firm and hot and she returned it with equal force, trying to convince him everything would be okay, even if she didn't necessarily believe it.
"Let's get this over with." He said once the kiss had ended.
Katara took another deep breath and followed Zuko along with the others as they slipped in between two large buildings, through a narrow alleyway, and ended up in a wide street in the middle of Angmar.
Zuko looked tenser than she'd ever seen him. His eyes were narrowed and darting everywhere and his hands were clenched into fists at his sides. He was silent as he slowly explored the base, reading the plaques on the doors until he found one that seemed to be what they were looking for.
Katara bit her lower lip and took a moment to look around them while Zuko set to picking the lock on the building he had stopped in front of. The area was deserted, and the base was quiet, save for the occasional snores and other noises that were unique to sleeping people.
After what felt like an eternity, the door opened with a rusty creak. It wasn't very loud, but loud enough to attract the attention of anyone who might have been awake.
Looking totally terrified now, Zuko waved them forward into the base's supply shed. Inside was a treasure trove of food and other outdoor supplies. Katara moved and grabbed things without paying attention to what she was getting. Her eyes swiveled between the shed's door and its one window. Across the floor, Zuko was doing the same thing as he pulled multiple blankets off shelves.
Time slowed down as they raided the shed, passing in impossibly slow intervals until they had gathered everything they could carry. They met each other's eyes and nodded- Toph stamped her foot once- and began to file towards the door. Just as Katara was beginning to breathe easier, a loud scrape followed by a metallic bang echoed throughout the shed. Eyes wide in terror, she turned to see Longshot standing near the set of pots he had just knocked over.
Jet was about to open his mouth and lay into his friend when the metallic echoes were replaced with an even louder alarm. Footsteps filled the air that had previously been silent, and then suddenly a shout sliced through the pounding of boots.
"Get to the shed! Someone broke in!" Just like that, their worst fears had come true. They had been discovered.
"Go! Get out of here! I'll hold them off!" Zuko had dropped the supplies he had been trying to steal and had sunk into a fighting stance.
Words flew to her lips before she thought about them. "No! I'm staying with you!"
The footsteps were closer, the voices louder. "Katara, go! I'll be fine!"
The look in his eyes warned her not to argue, so she took off behind the others, feeling like her heart was ripping itself to shreds inside her chest. As soon as the group was safely in the cover of the trees, she handed her stolen supplies to Haru and turned to go back to the village. A hand on her arm stopped her in her tracks.
"Katara, don't." Jet's voice was in her ears now, his face very close. "He wouldn't want you getting hurt."
She paused to look down at his hand on her arm and to consider his words. Finally, she raised her head and met his eyes.
"And I can't let him get hurt while I stand by. We'll be back. Keep the others safe." And she was off and running before he could protest.
The supply shed was burning and its heat stopped her from getting close to the battle as she approached. She took shelter behind an empty building and looked for Zuko.
He was in the center of the action, fighting and bending and moving like a dragon. Flames arced from his hands and feet as he defended himself and kept his attackers at bay. His body was so lithe and muscular, and for a minute Katara lost herself watching him and forgot that he was in the middle of a life-or-death fight.
She was abruptly jerked out of her reverie, however, when a soldier snuck up from behind and knocked Zuko unconscious with a block of wood. Ice replaced all the blood in Katara's veins as she watched the soldiers approach his prone form.
"Who is he?" a heavyset soldier asked as five of them formed a semi-circle around him.
"Look at the scar," a particularly pale one pointed at Zuko's face. "That's prince Zuko…the one Lord Ozai banished a few years ago."
"Didn't he join up with the Avatar?" a short guard with dead-looking eyes asked.
"He did…and that's all the more reason to take him to the palace. The Fire Lord will deal with him." the heavyset one sounded completely evil and had a dark look in his eyes as he stared down at Zuko. "For now though, tie him up and gag him. Blindfold might be smart too. We'll move out in the morning."
Katara's knuckles went white as her fingers dug into the building she was hiding behind. As the soldiers picked up Zuko's unconscious body and carried him into the darkness, her chest rose and fell rapidly with shallow breaths. She fought down the hysteria rising inside as a feeling of hopelessness took over. There was nothing she could do help him.
Wait, there was something she could do. By herself, she faced no chance against a slew of armed guard but the odds were totally different if there were other people around. She turned and took off at a run, intent on finding Jet and the others. She wasn't paying attention to where she was stepping though, and didn't see the tree root in her path.
Before Katara knew what had happened, her ankle twisted painfully, causing tears to spill down her cheeks as she fell. She hit the ground hard, the breath leaving her lungs in a whoosh. The throbbing in her ankle intensified and she twisted to see the source of the pain. Her left foot was snagged under a raised tree root, the ankle bent at an awful angle.
A thousand bad ideas about how to get out of this predicament ran through Katara's head as more tears fell from her eyes.
"Katara, what happened? Are you okay?" Jet had appeared by her side and looked immensely worried.
"They…they got Zuko. I can't get up. I think my ankle's broken."
He reached out and removed her foot from under the tree branch. She screamed in pain, even though he moved the injured joint as gently as possible.
"It's not broken…but it's definitely twisted. You can't walk on it, can you?"
"No." She shook her head, feeling more tears flow from her eyes. The idea of getting up seemed completely impossible, walking an even more unattainable feat.
"Alright." He paused, looked around, and finally bent down so their heads were close. "Put your arm around my neck."
Breathing still shallow and ragged, she complied. The ground suddenly disappeared from underneath Katara as Jet's arms wound around her torso and under her knees. His strength surprised her as he carried her away from Angmar with seemingly no effort. The searing pain in her ankle continued to demand most of her attention, and the rest of it was consumed by worry for Zuko. There was no telling what those soldiers would do to him, and even if he survived that, there was still the Fire Lord to contend with.
This thought took off in a whole other direction. If the Fire Lord was still alive, that meant that Aang might not have survived the battle. If Aang was dead, what was going to happen to the world? They were all doomed if that was the case.
She looked around, trying to rid herself of these depressing thoughts, and noticed they were moving quickly through the forest surrounding Angmar. Jet's muscles were tense and his eyes darted all around as he carried her.
"Where are we going?" Her voice came out strangled from the tears.
"As far away from that place as possible."
"But…but what about Zuko? We need to get him out of there!" Now she was starting to sound hysterical.
"We will…but right now we need to get somewhere safe and get you help."
His tone left no room for debate so she settled back against his chest, closed her eyes, and tried to distract herself from all the horrible potential scenarios that continued presenting themselves. Unfortunately, the only other things on her mind were the throbbing pain in her ankle and her sudden feeling of loneliness at Zuko's capture. More tears fell from her closed eyes and she bit her lip to keep from sobbing.
When Katara's eyes opened, she was inside a cave. It was larger than the one she had stayed in with Zuko and as she looked around to get her bearings, it became apparent that she must have passed out while Jet was carrying her. A fire blazed in the cave's center and she was reminded again of hiding out with Zuko only three days ago.
It was hard to believe that it had only been three days ago when he stopped her from killing herself. That same day she had stopped Azula from killing him. It felt like a year had passed since they first kissed in the middle of the battlefield, but it hadn't even been a week yet. The crushing feeling of loneliness returned when she realized she would be spending tonight alone, not in his arms. It was so strange that she felt that way after only three days. Then again, they had saved each others' lives.
"You're awake…good. How're you feeling?" Jet was sitting next to her. There were bags under his eyes that spoke of a lack of sleep. Had he been watching over her? And for how long?
"Ok…I guess…my ankle is still killing me." The throbbing had returned with a vengeance now that she was conscious.
He nodded and helped her sit up. She continued staring into the dancing flames and then all of a sudden, everything that had happened before she passed out came rushing back in a torrent of emotions and flashbacks. It was too much, and she bowed her head and started to cry.
"Katara, what is it? What's wrong?" One of his hands landed gently on her back and began rubbing her shoulders in an attempt to soothe her.
"I'm just…I'm so worried…" Tears choked off any more words she wanted to say and her shoulders shook as her sobbing continued. One of Jet's arms snaked around her shoulders and she leaned into him gratefully.
At long last, her tears ended. Feeling emotionally and mentally exhausted, she sat up and then leaned back against the cave wall.
"You're worried about Zuko, aren't you?" Jet spoke matter-of-factly and met her eyes.
"I am. I didn't realize how attached I was to him until he got captured." He had a confused look on his face and Katara decided to tell him why he was so attached to Zuko. "Do you remember…when Haru asked about Sokka and I couldn't answer him?"
He nodded and kept quiet, as if sensing her need to talk.
"Well that was because, the day before, after the battle, I had watched Sokka kill himself. Originally, I had found him injured on the battlefield and was going to try to heal him. But then, as soon as I told him Suki didn't make it, he slit his wrists…while I was watching.
"After that happened, I decided I didn't want to live. So I took Sokka's dagger, and started to try to kill myself. Before I could, though…Zuko stopped me. He convinced me it wasn't worth it, we kissed, and we haven't left each other's side since." The story was surprisingly easy for her to retell, especially considering her current emotional state.
"You love him don't you?"
Katara opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly found herself speechless. Love was something she hadn't factored into her feelings for Zuko, and it had only been three days since they united on the battlefield. But that didn't mean loving him wasn't a possibility.
"I'm not sure."
Jet inhaled slowly, and then exhaled as he nodded. "Don't worry. We're going to get him out of there."
"I know…thanks." She smiled up into his face, trying to show her appreciation for his words as much as possible…for just now and for letting us stay with you guys."
He returned her smile and nodded understandingly. "I know either of you would do the same for us."
Their eyes met, and something passed between them in that instant that convinced Katara beyond any doubt that Jet's reasons for sheltering them extended beyond friendliness. She could hear her heart pounding in her chest as she struggled to find the right words.
"You…have feelings for me don't you? That's why you and Zuko were about to kill each other the other morning."
There was a pregnant pause, and then he nodded in confirmation of her statement. "I know it's not appropriate. I know you and Zuko are happy together and that I have no business trying to mess that up, but I can't help how I feel."
Katara nodded as her heart twisted painfully at the memory of Sokka's tears before he died. There was no helping how you felt…all you could do was make the best of the situation you were faced with.
"I'm sorry Jet." She shook her head. "I care about you so much…as a fried…but I can't be the love you're looking for."
He nodded slowly and exhaled, staring at the stone floor of the cave. A tense silence reigned in the cave for several long moments until he stood.
"I'm going to get some air." He walked out of the cave slowly, hands on his hips.
Katara watched him go, hurting for the pain she had obviously caused him, and hating that there was nothing she could do to ease the way he was feeling. Exhaling her own breath now, she lay down on the cave floor and stared into the flames in front of her.
Since she was young, she had associated fire with pain fear and death. Now however, since Zuko had entered her life, fire had a new meaning for her. Thanks to the fire nation Prince, fire now symbolized light and heat that saved lives and brought people back from the brink of death. Fire was so much more than a destructive force; it was a giver as well as a taker. It had saved her, and now she would have to save Zuko.
TBC!
A/N: As always, please review!!