Disclaimer: Although I would love to own Avatar and the various other fandoms I love, I sadly don't. However I do own the plot and the 3 seasons of Avatar the Last Airbender. Plus some yummy candy. :p
A sharp, stabbing pain made her eyes open. Reaching to touch the spot, she began to look around at her surroundings. The world was now a vibrant display of earth tones in fading silver moonlight. Shifting her body, a flash of yellow assaulted Katara's eyes making her squint. Where was her husband? He would always wake her up around this time to watch the sun rises so he could just to marvel at the fact the blue sky could turn such a shade of deep scarlet red. It was always one of life's greatest mysteries that held his interest.
Aang is dead.
As soon as the thought came to her, she failed to gulp back a strangled cry. Tears begin to stream down her face making her vision blur. She bit her lips to stay silent incase an enemy was still in the area. The horrible truth continued to repeat over again and again in her head. It was all she could think about. She sunk down deeper in the muddy earth; Katara wished she could just die where she lay. She could let the earth have her by incasing her body with a mud casket. Perhaps then she would be soon reunited with Aang in the Spirit World.
The warmth of the sun made her skin tingle. It must be almost afternoon. At least that was what she decided by looking at the placement of the sun. In a tree in front of her, a mother bird already poked her head outside, looking for any sign of danger before she ushered her three children outside the nest for a flying lesson. Nudging the youngest, the mother flaps her wings landing on a higher branch. Her calls to her children are coaxing and her message is clear. Come to me. Feeling her eyes droop, she could not form the words she wanted to say aloud. I'm coming to you, Aang.
A snap of a branch caught her attention. Night clothed the forest in blackness, making her slightly panic when she could not see after suddenly awaking. Soft footsteps came closer to where her body lay. Maybe if she kept her eyes closed the intruder would think she was dead or better yet maybe she would die before she was discovered alive.
"It is so sad to see a pretty girl like you dead. I bet you were the object of many boys' affections and heartache."
A feather light touch ran down the side of her neck. After slow antagonizing moments, a sharp intake of breath made her flinch.
"So you're alive. Prince Zuko!"
A deeper voice answered the call. "I'm coming, Uncle!"
She refused to open her eyes to see what her two saviors looked like. They were disrupting her reunion with her husband, something she needed to happen. Strong hands lifted her up; Katara's head jerked and rolled to the side. Slowly, her world faded back to blackness as her eyes shut.
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"Uncle, we can't just pick up every hurt peasant we find."
The old general gave his nephew an exasperated sigh. "My prince, you must put good chi into the world in some circumstances."
The candles in the room flared up almost burning the tapestry of a black dragon hanging above. "Well, putting good chi into the world will have us found by my father or worse Azula. And we both know what would happen if either of the two found us."
"Yes. That is true, but did you look at her clothes. They have been burnt by fire. Does it not make you curious to know what attacked her?"
Zuko averted his gaze from his Uncle choosing to study the long gashes that run down the cave wall. He had seen the soot on her clothes and the minor burns on her legs under all the grime. It made his mouth dry just to think he could have caused this to happen. Why could he not remember? Trying to recall the memories of the night before, the firebender let out a sigh when all his memories were again fading into a black abyss of nothingness. The last thing he could recall of the night before was having tea with Uncle before the desire to sleep overcame him.
"Well, she can't stay in my room."
No, she had to be moved. His room was to only one big enough in the cave to support him when he transformed into that cursed beast. If she or anyone else was hurt because of his actions, he would never forgive himself. It was not enough that he became a banished prince forced to leave his native land, not knowing if his father put his mother to death for standing with her son. Azula made sure her dear brother would suffer physical pain along with his unstable emotional state for crossing the Fire Lord.
"You should have left me in the forest if you didn't want me here."
Inside his head the monster roared and Zuko felt like steam could pour out of his body. How dare the girl suggest he should have left her to rot under a tree! The thought had never crossed his mind as it would be unconceivable to leave a wounded person lying in the mud of the forest. The prince had wanted to drop the waterbender off at the village near the river, so she could be with others of her kind. Plus if he really had been the cause of her accident then he could deal with his guilt better if she was not with them. Uncle had convinced him otherwise thinking it best to take care of the girl, until she was better.
Sending the girl a smoldering glare, he almost set the sheets on fire. Making a quick exit out of the room so his anger would not get the best of him, the prince made a motion for the guards.
"Should Uncle or the girl inside ask for anything, make sure you attend to them."
The guards saluted their prince then took their posts at the entrance. Grateful that no one ever asked questions, Zuko stepped outside in the faint light of the stars. Taking deep breaths, he tried what his uncle had told him. The only way to stop a transformation was to calm down. However his muscles tensed from a vision of the horrified face of the waterbender.
Anger at himself surged throughout his body, consuming his thoughts. He had actually hurt someone. What if she was traveling with someone? What if a body was found? What if her could not control his anger? What if he started to go berserk at a random moment? What if Uncle was next? A stab of pain jolted up his leg. Within a few seconds, his thoughts slipped away being replaced by the urge to breathe fire and bellow in rage at the moon.
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Katara felt her whole body groan in protest as she tried to shift her legs into a more comfortable position. The old man at the foot of the bed had a worried look on his face. She was not sure if it was because of her appearance or if he was worried about his nephew.
"I would not move just yet. It would be wise to wait until we can find you if you have any broken bones or not."
Nodding her head, she lay still on the bed using the water in the air to access her damages. Her arms had some busing and swelling but otherwise not broken. Traveling down her body, she could feel her right side throb with pain. Two ribs were cracked and both of her leg muscles swollen two times the normal size. It scared her to realize she had no clue what else was wrong with her. Because of the massive amount throbbing pain, she let out a small moan. Why could they not have left her under that tree? At lease she could not feel the pain her body was in when she was on the ground.
Lavender, mint and the sweet smell of honey filled the air. The sent reminded her of when she was younger helping Gran-Gran mix a sleeping potion for her sick brother, who was tired from coughing all day.
"Drink this. It will help you sleep."
Taking the cup, Katara paused before she took a gulp. Was this the right decision? Her saviors were Fire Nation, which technically made them enemies. However, it did not make any sense to kill her now when they had gone to the trouble of rescuing her. Any kind of sleep would be welcome at this point. With a full night's rest behind her, she could check her wounds better. The tea slid down her throat, giving her a warm sensation in her stomach.
Panda Note: My story is set in the Avatar world with a different darker story line. For my purposes the air nomads are still alive, living during the same time as the characters we know and love. The head air monks, Gyatso, and Bumi will make appearances in the story, but will be the age Aang knew them before the hundred years passed. After this chapter it should mainly be Katara's point of view with Zuko's thrown in there every once in a while. Please review, favorite or follow if you like the story.