Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender
This world will never be
What I expected
And if I don't belong
Who would have guessed it
-"Never Too Late" by Three Days Grace
No Avatar. No Air Temple. Could it really be true?
Zuko stood frozen, taking it all in. Is it a dream? A trick? Katara had no idea who the Avatar was, and there wasn't any way she could be faking it.
It was as if he wasn't in his own world.
But that was not possible, right? Of course he was in his own world.
Yet, everything was so... different. Strange. Odd. As far as Zuko could tell, everything in this city was far beyond anything in the Fire Nation.
So if he wasn't in his own world, where was he?
"Here," Katara said from his right. In her hand was a cup filled with a clear liquid. Water. Looking at it, Zuko realized how thirsty he was. He took the glass, gulping it down in seconds.
Katara chuckled. "Thirsty?"
Zuko only nodded, not very happy that she was laughing at him. What was going on was definitely not a laughing matter on any terms.
Her giggling ceased as she noticed the look on his face. "Um, I think that maybe you should lie down, now." She motioned to the sofa.
"No," he responded, voice hard. He didn't want to sleep. He needed to think.
Katara immediately scowled. "I'm doing this for your own good. You might have a concussion, or even amnesia, and you're not going to get better without proper care."
This was the Katara he knew. The nagger. The caretaker. Despite being somewhere completely different, she was exactly the same.
She had started talking again, but Zuko wasn't listening. He sat down onto the soft sofa, looking up to glare at her. Her talking stopped. Smiling slightly, she nodded once.
"Would you like a blanket?" she asked him.
Zuko shook his head, eyes already closing. The sofa felt good under him. He'd been sleeping on the hard cots or the ground for so long. It reminded him of his bed back home.
With thoughts of the Royal Palace, Zuko drifted into sleep.
When Zuko woke, the first thing he noticed was how warm he was.
Then, he remembered what had gone on before he went to sleep.
He jolted upright on the couch. At the movement, a large, soft fabric fell off of him and onto the ground. He leaned to pick it up. A blanket, he thought, rolling the fabric between his fingers.
Pushing it aside, Zuko got up. He walked away from the couch, going to-
He stopped and looked around. Where, exactly, was he going?
And where was Katara?
Zuko called out her name, the sound echoing through the house. She did not appear. He said her name again. No answer. Zuko walked forward, looking down the hallway. Was she in her room? He stumbled down the dark hall. He pulled opened the first door. "Katara?"
As soon as the door was open all the way, strange objects crashed down on him. He let out a yelp as something hit his head. He rubbed the sore spot, closing his eyes, wincing as he heard the crash of more things hitting the hard floor. When the sound stopped, he opened his eyes. There was a mess all around him of colorful objects that he did not know the name of. The only thing he could distinguish was a with mop. The items scattered the hall. Scowling, he decided not to check anymore of the rooms, not wanting to have anymore strange objects attack him.
Where was Katara? Clearly, she wasn't in the... what was the place called?
Zuko's eyes widened as a single thought ran through his head. What if.. what if she had tricked him? Again! She probably left for good, back to the Avatar, leaving him in this strange place without a clue.
Zuko had to give her credit. She was smarter than he had thought.
What was he going to do now? Leave, most likely. But where would he go? Katara was the only connection to his world, even if she didn't act like she knew it.
From her actions thus far, Zuko could tell that she wasn't going to help him, however. In fact, she was probably back with the Avatar right now. He would have to do it himself. Just like he did everything else.
He made for the door. He wanted to be rid of this place, of this world. He wanted something familiar.
Just as Zuko reached for the door handle, he heard a noise come from the area to his right. He paused, momentarily distracted. Shaking his head, he grasped the knob that, with one turn, would get him out. Besides, it was none of his concern.
The beeping came again.
Zuko had to admit that he was curious. This world was so strange. Katara's home was strange. But maybe there was something that he could bring back with him. Perhaps there was something that could benefit the war effort. Something that could help them beat the Fire Lord.
That's who he was now; just another piece in the game. Everyone in the group was the same. They all had the same, imperative job- train the Avatar and help prepare for the war.
He'd chosen to give up on getting his honor back, on gaining his father's approval. He chosen to give up all of that and join the other side. He was a good guy now, no matter how bad he was at being so. If there was something, anything that could possibly help them win, everything other person in the group would stop at nothing to get it.
So, Zuko decided, that he would at least check out the house before he left.
Releasing his hold on the handle, Zuko walked to where he thought the sound came from. He stepped around the counter that sat in the center of the kitchen area. He heard the sound again. His head whipped around, eyes landing on a square object that sat on the counter. It was a silver color, and shiny. There was a small circle on it that glowed orange.
It was a strange contraption. Two slits cut the top of it, with some sort of lever on the side.
How odd.
Deciding that it would do no harm, and probably wouldn't help either, Zuko moved away. He felt along the smooth counter-top. It cooled his hand as soon as it made contact. It stopped at a large indentation. A sink. Next, there were an array of jars and containers lined up against the wall. He didn't bother to open them.
Below the counter-top, there were handles that stuck out. Zuko pulled one, opening a drawer. Inside were long, silver objects. Utensils, they must have had been. The drawer was split into sections, each one holding object that had different tops on them. One of them had a long oval top that curved in. It looked familiar. The next one had four prongs on the top instead of a smooth curved surface. Recognizing a familiar shape, he picked up one of the items that had a hard black handle with a sharp blade on top of it. A knife.
It was quite small and dull. His dao swords could have put it to shame. Running his finger along the blade, Zuko's mind wandered.
A sound from the door brought him to his senses. His hand jolted up, slicing his forefinger. A small flash of pain went through him as his finger throbbed, much like his head had before.
The handle of the door rattled. Zuko's head turned towards the sound.
What was going on? Was someone breaking in?
Could this be the next stage in Katara's plan?
Who was on the other side? Pirates? The Rough Rhinos? His father?
Setting down the knife, Zuko slowly crept towards the sitting room. The door shook again.
Zuko raised his arm and bent his knees to secure a firm stance, preparing to send a fireball at the intruder as soon as the door opened. The handle shook harder than before. Zuko let out a long steady breath.
The door swung open.
Zuko's hand shot forward, but nothing came from it. Not even a swirl of smoke. Zuko looked down at his hand in extreme confusion.
Remembering he was not alone, he looked up to see an equally confused face watch him.
"Is everything, alright?" Katara asked, setting down the bags in her hands and stepping forward.
Zuko ignored the question, asking his own instead. "Why are you back, Waterbender? Your plan was working perfectly," he spat angrily.
"Plan? I-" Katara paused as she looked him up and down. "Zuko! You're bleeding!" she said, alarmed, rushing to the kitchen.
Zuko looked down at his hand, and, sure enough, small drops of blood seeped out of the wound on his finger, running down his hand. Katara was suddenly next to him then, taking his hand and wrapping it in a warm, wet cloth.
"How did this happen?" Katara asked as she squeezed his finger tightly.
"What does it matter to you?" Zuko asked, scowling. He wanted to pull his hand away.
"This is my house. You are my guest. It matters."
She lived here? No, that wasn't right. Her true home was in the South Pole, in the Water Tribe.
Katara pulled the cloth away, and checked the cut of his finger. The blood flow had stopped, thanks to her.
"I'll get you a band-aid," Katara said as she stepped away, and walking towards the hallway before Zuko could ask just what a band-aid was.
She appeared a moment later, demeanor completely changed. Katara stood at the end of the hallway, arms crossed and frowning. Zuko stared blankly at her. It made her scowl even more.
"What is this?" she demanded, sweeping her arm behind her. She gestured at the mess on the floor.
"I, uh," Zuko stuttered.
"Unbelievable," Katara muttered as she moved towards him. "I leave you alone for two hours and you already started tearing my house apart."
"Those things attacked me," Zuko defended himself.
"Yeah, because we all know that cleaning supplies have a personal vendetta against humans," she snorts sarcastically.
Katara takes his hand and wraps something sticky with a soft pad in the middle around the cut on his finger. A... band-aid, was it? Interesting.
She walks over to the couch and sits down. She looks at him, waiting. Zuko just blinks. She then rolls her eyes, patting the seat next to her. Zuko slowly shuffles over and sits down next to her.
"Okay," Katara says. "First, I know this is probably a little overwhelming, considering your condition. But we're going to start with the fact that I think you have amnesia."
Amnesia? The term was not unfamiliar to Zuko.
"It was probably caused by a concussion, most likely from what happened this morning."
"And what happened this morning, exactly?" Zuko asked, desperately wanting to know.
She made a face. "I'm not quite sure. All I saw was a large group of people in the park as I was walking by. I went over, and, there you were. I asked around, and I was told that you just, I don't know, appeared. Someone else said that they you might have been hit by a car and then stumbled on the grass. That you looked like you were hurt. And then I kneeled down next to you. And you woke up.
"And, well, here we are," she said.
Zuko took in her story. If what she said was true, then everything else was true. He was in a whole new world. But how did he get here?
And her. Katara seemed so accustomed to this strange place. But how could she? She grew up on a block of ice. Maybe... maybe she's different too.
"Do you remember what happened to you?" Katara asked.
Of course he did. The memory was clear as day in Zuko's mind.
But this place was different. She was different.
Katara had no idea of what bending was, or even who the Avatar was.
Did that mean there were two of her? One of his world, and one of hers? If that was true, it meant she wouldn't believe his story.
She would think he's downright crazy.
"No," Zuko replied. "I don't."
"Where do yo live? In New York? Or are you just visiting?"
"I don't know."
Of course he couldn't tell her that he was from the Fire Nation. She wouldn't inderstand.
"What about you family? Where are they?"
His family? His mother was dead, and his uncle was still in prison.
"I have no idea."
Katara gave an exasperated sigh. "Do you remember anything?"
Of course he did.
"I'm Zuko, and I have a..." Zuko's eyes widened. He jumped up from the couch, practically sprinting to the mirror that hung on the wall.
His scar. It was still there. But looking at his reflection, Zuko saw that he looked older. Just like Katara, he wasn't his sixteen year-old self. He was taller, he thought. The angles in his features more defined, his shoulders more broad. But his scar was still the same. He raised his hand to touch the rough skin.
"Burn scar. Second degree, it looks like." Katara's voice said from behind him. A heartbeat later Zuko could see her in the mirror behind him.
"Can I ask what happened?"
"How old am I?" Zuko says, avoiding her question.
"You don't look too much older than I am. Maybe twenty-three, twenty-four."
More than half a decade than before. Zuko didn't know what to think.
In the mirror, Zuko could see her looking at him in fascination. Or maybe it was his scar. He looked away. He didn't like it when people stared.
"Second," Katara said, "I got you some clothes. I'm not quite sure what you're wearing, but for your sake, I think you should change."
Zuko looked down at his red tunic, breeches, and boots. He looked at her, wearing a short sleeved tunic and some sort of breeches that were dark blue and looked tightly woven. It was... revealing, Zuko decided. Much more than the long blue tunics she was always wearing. Her clothing and his were quite opposite, in this world.
Did he stick out? He hadn't noticed any strange looks from passerbys on the street. But what if they had been staring, noticing for themselves just how out of place he was?
"The clothes are from my brother. They should fit, though."
Her brother? Could it be? Was Sokka here, too?
Zuko wanted to ask her about it, but he didn't. He couldn't. If Katara didn't know who he was, then her brother probably wouldn't, either. Not in this world.
And that meant he couldn't tell her anything.
Nothing of his home, who he was, or who he knew could slip from his mouth. Zuko would have to act like he couldn't remember anything, for the sake of not raising attention.
"Why did you come back?" Zuko asked. He still had a suspicion that all of this was just apart of her plan.
"Because I live here. And I wasn't going to just leave you at my house."
If she was speaking the truth, Zuko knew she had to be a different Katara. She obviously belonged here.
Zuko did not.
"Anyway, I really think you should go to a hospital, Zuko. Just a few scans on your head, that's all."
"No."
"You don't understand. This could be serious. Amnesia is nothing to play around with," she said.
"No," Zuko repeated. She started talking again, but he tuned her out.
He supposed the only way to make her let it go would be to do something he'd seen the blind earhbender do many times.
"Didn't you say you were a doctor?" Zuko asked, interrupting her spiel.
"I-" she paused. "Well, not yet. I'm hoping to be accepted into medical school this fall. But, I'm taking some summer courses."
"So you essentially could address the situation yourself, could you not?"
"I, well," she thought about it. "I suppose I could. But I'm not sure if-"
"Then it is done."
"But, Zuko-"
"No."
She sighed, exasperated. "Fine. I suppose I could take a look at your head. It seems like that is the only problem. There is a possibility that you could regain your memories by yourself."
Zuko nodded, relieved that it worked. The blind girl really could be a genius at times.
"So..." Katara started. "Can you really not remember anything?"
Zuko just shook his head. Had he always been this good at lying?
"What are you going to do, then?"
Zuko didn't respond. He had no clue.
"Well, maybe... maybe you could stay here until you figure something out."
Zuko looked at her, surprised. This was definitely not the same Katara. And if she was willing to help him in this world, maybe there was a possibility that he could find a way back to his own. He didn't belong here. All he needed was some time.
"My, ah, roommate, or ex-roommate, just moved out, and there's an empty room, so..." she trailed off.
"Alright," Zuko agreed. Katara gave a small smile, then moved to the door to pick up her bags from earlier.
She came back to him and held one of the bags out. Zuko took it.
"These are a few days worth of clothes. And pajamas." She said it almost sheepishly.
Zuko raised an eyebrow. Had she planned to invite him to stay?
Zuko didn't know how to feel about all of this. Here was Katara, the girl who hated him, inviting him into her home and giving him things. He'd never been shown this sort of kindness from her. It was very knew.
That's because she was new, Zuko reminded himself. This world and everything in it was uncharted territory.
"Will my... memories come back to me?" Zuko asked, filling the silence, but also wondering what she had in mind for what to do with him.
"Over time... it's likely. We just have to give your brain a push."
"How are we going to do that?" Zuko inquired.
"Oh," Katara said, smiling, "you'll see."
A/N: Hmm... What does Katara have in store for Zuko?
Thanks for reading!
