Author's Note: Oh look, I joined another fandom. I'll still be writing for my old fandoms, but now I'll be posting more of a mixture.
Anyway, here's the story I wrote for Day 1 of Zutara Week 2012. The prompt was 'Serendipity'. Enjoy!
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Stitches
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Morning arrived.
His eyelids lifted.
From the light he could barely see, it was cloudy outside. It didn't surprise him. The comet's trail left the skies filled with smoke and ashes. Soot would fall like rain for days.
He tried to sit up, but he couldn't move.
He felt like he'd been thrown off a cliff. Worse, even. The lightning had jolted through his system, had nearly torn him apart. He'd been lucky, very lucky. Lucky that years of travel had built him into the kind of person that didn't give up so easily. And lucky that one of the greatest waterbenders in the entire world was by his side, keeping him safe.
Speaking of Katara. Where was she?
He tried pushing himself up again, to no avail. His chest hurt, his sides hurt, and his arms... His arms felt like leaden weights. He should have expected that, but in his sleepy states, Zuko had never been the most aware. He always became even more likely to indulge his slightest whim, act on even the tiniest hint of danger.
At the moment, he didn't quite know what is going on. He'd survived, he supposed. And unless something had gone badly awry, Katara was okay as well. But what about Aang and the others? He slowly clenched and unclenched his toes, testing out his motor abilities. his feet might been the only parts of him completely uninjured; after all, they had left and hit the ground first when he'd taken that leap, the one that he had known would kill him. The one meant to save a life. The one that could have ruined everything.
As he remembered it, he winced; if he hadn't accepted Azula's challenge, there may never have even been a danger. He and Katara could have fought her together, as his uncle had told him they should do. But the comet had affected both firebenders, swelling their prides, making them reckless. If she'd gotten hurt, it would've been his fault. He couldn't be upset for his immobility; after all, he was the only one responsible.
He wondered what Uncle would have told him to do. His father would have told him to let Katara die, that compassion was weakness in its most potent form, and man worthy of becoming Fire Lord would have put the fate of the nation before the fate of a peasant. Uncle, he wasn't so sure about. Always talking about balance and choosing your own destiny. He would have understood.
Which took him full circle. Where had she gone? Zuko doubted it was far, since the burn mark on his chest was dry and scabbed, already appearing weeks old. Only a master healer could have such an effect.
He groaned and curled inward, knees to chest, face to side. He didn't want to think. He was so tired of thinking. He wanted dreams, not fears. The room was sweltering, but there were goosebumps on his arms and legs. The hairs felt like thorns.
That was the moment Katara chose to walk through the bedroom door, carrying a pitcher of water and a pile of clean bandages.
His eyes followed her, the rest of his body motionless, as she set down the bandages on the bed. She looked tired. Her hair has come out of its loops, and her eyes had lost some of their fire. "I see you are awake," she said. How long before this would her voice have contained malice upon saying? Too recently, he decided. "I'll let the servants know, so they can bring you some food." Then she added more softly, "We were getting worried."
He wanted to say many things. Mostly thank her, for saving his life, for saving his nation. Instead he merely asked, "How long have I been asleep?"
"Nearly twenty-four hours." That explained the frazzled hair, as well as the appearance that she hadn't sat down in several hours. She probably hadn't.
He coughed, trying to pull himself upright once more. "You haven't slept." It wasn't a question, and she looked guilty. "Why not."
She looked away, occupying herself by glancing out the window. "It's been rather busy around here," she told him hesitantly. "I spent some of the time boiling water with which to heal you, and some of it tending myself… as well as Azula."
Zuko could tell that she was holding something back. She wasn't telling him something, something important. He wished Toph was there; she proved herself to be adept at telling when someone was not telling the whole truth. "Right. And what else were you doing?"
At first he wasn't sure whether she was going to answer his question, since she occupied herself by soaking one of the cloths and pressing it firmly against his burn. After a few moments of this, she finally sighed. "You know well enough how... controversial... your return is. And locking up your sister... There are a lot of unhappy people right now."
"Oh, believe me. I know."
"You are aware that your father has a bounty on your head?" He wasn't, although it made sense. "Some of the nobles were out for your blood."
He should have been used to people hunting him down by this point, but the thought of greedy nobles clambering to have them arrested while he was completely helpless chilled him. "So what did you do?" It wasn't good if there were a lot of people in the court who disagreed with his return; that would make it very difficult to claim the throne.
"I… held them off." She met his eye, and despite her exhaustion, he saw just a bit of the familiar spark return to her. Then her fingers lit up as she continued the healing process.
He expected her to keep talking, but when she didn't, Zuko realized that he would have to pry to find out anything. "Katara. Would you please stop playing games."
She sighed, wincing as though she had a headache. "I'm tired. I'll tell you later."
A cross expression covered Zuko's face, and he reached out in time to grab her wrists. Not tightly, but firmly enough so she couldn't leave before she told him. "Now. What did you do."
She rolled her eyes, and he recalled the last time he'd grabbed her wrists like this. He'd ended up saying something dumb then, too. If she was reminiscing as well, she didn't show it. "I… may have locked them in your prison cellar. As well as released the Kyoshi warriors to keep guard." She smiled, regaining the gentleness for which she was renowned. "Can you drop it for now? You need to rest, and everything is under control."
Zuko let go of her wrists, a boyish look of wonder on his face. "But... why?" He blinked; he could hardly believe that she would do anything for him, yet alone… everything. "You should have left all of this to me, or to Aang. Why would you do all that?"
This time, it was Katara that looked at him sideways. She didn't speak, but that was all the answer Zuko needed.
As she left, he settled back into sleep. Perhaps now his dreams would be sweeter.