FRAGILE DAYS

Zuko's weight was heavy as he slightly leaned on her, but Katara didn't care. She kept a firm hand on his back to feel warm flesh through the red fabric of his Fire Nation thin silks. His breathing was a bit labored, which worried her. His heart seemed to skip like a rabaroo being chased, then stop in a horrifying second. A heartbeat arose, then another, then another, so she let out the breath encased in her body and mind, but waited to hold it once again.

He was still staring at his insane sister, now quietly mumbling to herself with occasional bursts of flame and temper, looking as if he had fallen in battle and had just discovered that he was bleeding. The comparison immediately made her check his upper body, the pale, taunt skin bearing a reddish-pink, star-shaped scar. No blood, she assured herself, but drew more water from the underground reservoirs and placed her water-gloved hand on the wound.

"Lie down over there, please, Zuko." she implored once she felt the wound.

"No, we must—" Zuko paused and a tiny flinch flickered for a quick second before he straightened up. "We must take care of her, first."

Katara's breath seemed thin to her now. "Do you mean...?"

Zuko jolted, and she gasped, fearing that he may fall or clutch at his wound, but his face was locked on Azula in a somewhat regretful, horrified way

"No." he answered. "No, not that. I mean, we must figure out what to do with her while we wait for news. She could break the chains, though melting them will burn her hands, but she's not in her right mind now, so—" Zuko looked around. "We dismissed the sages, right?"

"Yes." she replied, her hand still on his wound, the water glowing faintly. "But Zuko, I think they may be around. Where would they go? They must have stuck around to see who won the Agni Kai. La, they were going to crown Azula; shouldn't they have...?"

"I do not know." Zuko suddenly stiffened. "Katara, ready your water. I hear footsteps, and they might come for us."

Katara looked at the Prince, almost fatally wounded, breathing heavily, form slumped slightly, breath against her cheek.

"What about you?" Katara asked worriedly. "You are in no condition—"

"If you can fight and defeat them with my meager help, do so, by all means. But if it is beyond both you and me, flee and try to find the rest of the group. Leave me, and I will provide a distraction."

"I will not abandon people who need me, and you need me!" Katara fiercely snapped. "I will not run and leave you here! You almost died once, and I'm not letting you risk dying a second time when I'm perfectly capable of helping you!"

Zuko sighed in her ear. "Have you forgotten that I risked my life to defend you? I will not leave you behind either."

Katara let the words sink in her small form, the words that passed between them now settling in her breast. They were both silent enough to hear shuffling, careful footsteps among the rubble rocks.

"So we will fight and fall together," she murmured softly in conviction. "Since neither you or I will leave each other's side?"

Zuko's face was unreadable for a few heartbeats. He spoke to her without looking at her face: "If it is to be, then it will be so."

Red appeared in her vision, and Katara let water cover her fingers and form into sharp needles of ice at her fingertips, the way Hama had shown her to do. It was the Fire Sages.

"Honored Elders of Agni," Zuko spoke as if he were dressed in flowing gold and red robes with a crown on his head and in a council room full of witnesses. "You have seen that I have emerged victorious from this Agni Kai. I am, as far as we all know, am the Fire Lord."

The head sage glanced at Azula, snarling at the new intruders like a caged beast. "You have not killed her, nor scarred her, as it is traditional in an Agni Kai."

"I will not kill her unless she breaks free and threatens the safety of my friend and myself." Katara raised her chin in anger when the Head Sage replied, "If you do not want her to escape, you can burn her legs. Your victory cannot be certain without making a mark."

"I have fought Admiral Zhao, now deceased, in an Agni Kai and have showed him mercy. I will bestow the same honor to my sister."

"Then you have not won, unless she has surrendered?" It was clear the Sage knew that Azula had not, for Azula was thrashing angrily and cursing her brother to hell, to release her and let her tear him and Water Tribe wench apart.

"I will spare my sister," Zuko repeated, his eyebrow arcing sharply downwards.

"You have no claim to do so, banished Prince. You have no right to claim the title of Lord, unless both Phoenix King Ozai and Princess Azula die or are unfit."

"You would crown a cruel tyrant or a mentally unstable princess?" Katara spoke up chillingly. "Z—Prince Zuko is fit to rule, more than any of them. He is honorable. He will not hurt the ones who are already down. If he kills or harms Princess Azula, wouldn't that be a blight on his honor? She clearly cannot defend herself well and can be killed easily. Look at her! She is not your rational and powerful Fire Princess! She cannot—"

"Then it seems," another sage intoned. "That we are at an impasse."

Katara paused. Zuko gritted his teeth and thoughtfully spoke, "What if we make a deal?"

"A deal?"

"Yes. If Ozai is defeated, then Azula will be carted off to mental asylum, and I will claim to rule as Fire Lord. If not..." Zuko seemed to know the risk of this bargain, for he paused as the sages' eyebrows raised or their heads began to lift as if about to nod. "...then you may free Azula and claim her as Fire Lord."

"What are you doing?" Katara whispered for the second time that day. Zuko did not answer her.

"Very well." the Head Sage agreed when he and the other sages turned to hold a short council. "But you must swear by your deal, otherwise it is useless and a lie."

Zuko inhaled sharply. "You must swear first. All of you."

"No. You made the pledge. You must swear first, or we will not uphold it either way."

Zuko set his jaw.

"Zuko, what is so important about this swear?" Katara whispered to him.

"It's an honor debt, if you will. I cannot turn away from it, and if I do, it is punishable by death. And I cannot, if I wanted to. I will not lose my honor to break a promise; I never have." He cursed quietly. "Damn them. It seems to be the only way."

Zuko slowly, but steadily inclined his head and raised his right hand before Katara could reply. "I, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, son of Fire Lord Ozai and Princess Ursa, brother of Princess Azula, swear to the almighty and infallible Agni, the Lord of the Sky and Flame, that I will uphold my word in this regard. If the Fire Lord Ozai is defeated by the Avatar and his friends, then I shall become the Fire Lord with the banishment stripped. If the Fire Lord Ozai amerges victorious, then I shall step down, and Princess Azula will become Fire Lord..."

"You must offer a trade, along with your life, if you wish to complete it." the Head Sage remarked. "Have you forgotten your lessons?"

Zuko glared at him. "I know the rules, Sage. I am thinking of one to—"

"Her."

Katara startled when he pointed directly at her. "Me?"

Zuko was adamant. "No."

"What else do you have to bargain with?" the Sage sneered. "You have no honor, no title, no lands, no estate, nothing that would matter of import. The girl seems like a fair trade. She helped you restrain Azula, did she not, Zuko?"

"No." Zuko glowered at the Sage. "I will not use her as a bargaining tool."

"Then the deal is null and void." Arrogance coated his voice with smugness that made the pair stiffen.

"Is it the only trade-off?" Katara dared to ask. She refused to blink as the Sage's eyes roamed over her: her determined face, her erect body, her hand on Zuko's back, the ice dripping from her fingers.

"Yes."

"All right." Katara raised her right hand as she saw Zuko do. "I, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, daughter of Chief Hakoda and Chieftess Kya, now deceased, will hereby say as you and the Moon and Ocean Sprits as witness, swear to thee that I will be the—"

"No!" Zuko convulsed briefly and coughed violently at his outburst. "No! Stop!" A warm hand squeezed hers firmly.

"It is only way. Please, Zuko, finish the pledge."

His golden gaze made a few of the sages step back. "I will not sacrifice you to them."

"Zuko, please." she drew him briefly aside. "You know this is the only to be certain. We cannot guard Azula and take care of ourselves, most of all, you, at the same time. If this pledge is as binding as you say, then the sages will be stuck in the deal, too."

He glanced briefly at his wound and looked at her. He closed his eyes. "Katara, you do realize that you will be killed or given to my father if we lose, right?"

"I know." Katara placed a gentle hand on his chest. "That's why I swore. I know we will win, Zuko. If this is the way for you to gave Azula taken care of and to be the Fire Lord, then do this. I will comply."

He breathed out harshly, taking her by the forearms. "Alright. I will swear if you promise to run if Ozai wins. You can escape, and Agni will not punish you; you will not swear, and you are not of the Fire Nation. Don't drag me along with you. Promise me."

"Yes, I do, I promise." Katara nodded, hoping her eyes did not betray her.

Zuko placed a hand on her arm, covering a faint scar from long ago. "Good. Now let's do this."

They returned, and Zuko continued, "And if I fail to comply with these terms, may Katara, daughter of the Water Tribe, be offered to you..." He took a shallow breath, fisted a hand at her back. "as a sacrifice. May my own Inner Flame turn against me if I break this pledge. In the name of Agni, it is done."

The Head Sage's face turned unpleasantly as if he had eaten a sour plum, but he followed after Zuko, along with the other Sages. Zuko listened carefully and barked out the words if one of the sages "forgot" them. He nodded, and they all bowed to another with the flame sign of their hands. Zuko hid his grimace as he bent at he waist, but Katara drew him closer to him when he rose.

"Who will watch Azula?" Zuko asked them. "You will all, but one most watch her the most."

"I will." Katara glanced at the one who spoke and turned to Zuko. "Zuko, he can be trusted. I know him."

"As do I, Lady Katara." Fire Sage Shyu bowed to her.

"Shyu!" the Head Sage practically snarled. "If you do this, Ozai will smite you!"

"I am willing to die for the Avatar's cause. As I have said before, the sage's duty was to be loyal to the Avatar, and it is still our holy duty."

"Our duty is to serve our Lord!"

"My only Lord to serve is Agni, and perhaps this young prince!" Shyu passionately declared.

"Very well." Zuko interrupted before the Head Sage made a move to attack him. "Fire Sage Shyu will watch the princess and the sages, too. I will be going into the Palace to restock our supplies and replenish ourselves."

Notes:

Fire Sages: All right, they're in Azula's coronation. Maybe Azula let them out to be crowned, or when Zhao died, they had no witnesses and such to support that the Sages betrayed the Fire nation. They wouldn't ask the Avatar, would they? Shyu is here for the purpose of a safety net for Zuko and Katara. I don't trust the Sages unless Shyu watches them.

Zuko's vow: This is like an Unbreakable Vow in Harry Potter 6. This is bound by Agni and honor, and it is not recommended unless you are desperate.

Tone: What did Katara and Zuko do? Zuko was injured. And I assume that Sokka, Suki, Toph, and Aang probably didn't immediately zip over to the Fire Palace. They had Ozai (dangerous, even though he's Energybended) and Sokka's broken leg and a bunch of destroyed forest and airships. I think they would have been delayed. If I were them, I would have wanted to stop by a few villages and yell, "THE WAR IS OVER!" It's called "Fragile Days" because Zuko and Katara are still not sure that Aaang won and that the airships are down, even if they took down Azula. They have only each other to support and trust.

Length: This will be perhaps a three-shot.