Chapter 4

Broken Tears

Katara didn't sleep at all that night. Her eyes stared emotionless out the window of her room, terrified at what could have happened to Aang. She let her tears drip from her cheek onto the floor, not even bothering to clean them up. Let them sink into the wood she thought, like the broken staff dug into my heart.

Finally, when she couldn't harbor her feelings any longer, she flipped pages of scrolls out from a desk and pulled out a quill pen to write a letter.

Tears stained the paper as she wrote each dismal word.

Dear Zuko,

It is with great sorrow and fear that I am to say that something terrible might have happen to Aang.

I found a broken part of his staff and he hasn't returned yet. I fear the worse and am in a state of mental breakdown.

Please come to Ba-Sing-Se as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Katara

Once she signed her signature at the bottom, she folded the scroll and tied it to the back of Momo. Giving him quick directions on where to go, Katara opened the window in her room to let Momo fly off into the cold bitter night.


Fear crept into Katara's skull for the remainder of the evening. Her breath was cold as ice and her skin felt like a stiff piece of wood. It angered her that she was just sitting around in the apartment moping while Aang lay out there, probably severely injured.

But as much as she wanted to board onto Appa and call out a search party for him, she knew it would be best to wait until Zuko arrived. When he did, Katara nearly knocked him off his feet when she answered the door.

"Katara, it's alright, I'm here now. Don't worry."

"Zuko, we have to find him. Something has happened to him I know it. He would have returned by now if something wasn't wrong."

Zuko stared into the young waterbender's eyes. They were flooded with fresh tears, slowly dripping from the pupils to the ends of her cheeks. He reached out a hand and wiped her face, then gave her another tender hug. Katara buried her face in his robes, sobbing fretfully as he ran his fingers through her hair, while assuring her with comforting plans.

"I'll alert the palace guards to start a search party throughout the city. They'll talk to everyone around the vicinity to see if they have seen him in the past twenty four hours. Don't worry Katara, we'll find him." Zuko said coaxing her to sit down on the sofa.

Katara took in a deep breath of air then released it gently.

"I do hope so, Zuko. It's not like Aang to disappear like this. He just went out to buy more party streamers for our anniversary party, what could have gone wrong?"

Zuko looked around the parlor to see what extravagant decorations Katara had designed for this special night. He was quite amazed indeed. The entire ceiling and walls were garlanded in an air nomad/water tribe theme. On the far end of the room were too tables that were decked with delectable foods consisting of water tribe and air nomad delicacies. Katara had really gone out of her way to make this a night never to forget. But with Aang's mysterious disappearance, no such thing could exist.

"You stay here in case he returns," Zuko said. "I'm going to the palace to tell the Earth King what has happened."

Katara nodded and Zuko left her alone to gather her thoughts, and then headed towards the palace.

The steps to the entrance hall were immense and quite strenuous on Zuko's feet. He eventually made it to the top, just before he thought his back was going to give way. Knowing he couldn't let Katara down, he ran right through the massive columns and into the entrance hall. Two guards stopped him when he reached the door. Both of which, looked very strict and uptight.

"No one is to see the king without a scheduled appointment," one of them said.

"Yes, I'm aware of the standards, but this is an emergency," Zuko said firmly.

"Buddy, you heard what my friend said; no one is to enter without an appointment. No exceptions!"

"Surely you can bend the rules just once, I am the Fire Lord after all," Zuko induced.

"Well, if you are the Fire Lord, I guess I don't see why you can't see the king."

"Just what is this important news you wish to share with him?"

"The Avatar has gone missing and I need him to rally up a search party too look for him." Zuko said. His girlfriend has found a broken piece of his special staff and believes that something terrible might have happened to him."

"How dreadful. We must alert the king at once," the first guard said.

The two escorted Zuko into the palace and led him to the king's chambers where the new Earth King of Ba-Sing-Se now sat, high on his throne. Zuko stared hungrily up at the king, admiring his honorable position and great leadership in the city since the war ended.

"Good evening, Fire Lord Zuko. What do I have the honor of hearing from you tonight?"

Zuko informed the Earth King of Aang's disappearance and asked for a search party to scan the entire city. Apprehension swelled in his chest, while telling every bit of detail that he had discovered so far since his arrival in the city. After hearing his worried tale, the Earth Kingdom nodded, sharing his concern.

"This is something that must be taken into action at once," he said sternly. The Avatar is the keeper of peace and the one to keep the balance in our world. If we lose him, all that exists could be in peril once more."

"Captain, assembly your finest men and send them to scan the entire city. I want every inch inspected for signs of the Avatar. Also, ask anyone you see if they saw anything suspicious in the last few hours. We might be able to get a few clues on our hands that way."

Zuko was grateful for the king's kind deed. After he finished discussing what Katara had found, he returned to the apartment only to find it quiet and empty.

Katara!" he called. No answer.

The decorations still hung from the walls and the food lay sprawled out on the tables, with flies starting to cover it ready for a tasty meal. The silence continued, which caused Zuko to worry. Could something have happened to Katara while I was away? Did someone break into the house and try to ambush her?

No. Katara was a strong, brave young girl. If she could beat his sister in a fight, then she could beat any old burglar.

He carefully strolled up the stairs and into the hallway. There he found a large pool of water on the floor, soaking into the wood and staining the freshly laid down carpet. Zuko kneeled down to the puddle and dipped two fingers into it. The water was still warm, showing a sign that it had been spilled not too long before he returned.

He stood up back to his feet in time to hear a shuffling noise from inside the bedroom up ahead. The burglar of whoever might be in the house was rummaging around through Katara and Aang's belongings. Probably planning on shipping them off to the nearest market he can find, Zuko thought. Well, he doesn't expect the Fire Lord to pop in on him unannounced.

Like a boxer preparing for a duel, Zuko balled his fists and crept slowly to the door. His eyes were glistening with anger as he put one foot in front of the other. In his mind he believed that this intruder, might have some connection to Aang's disappearance, and could give him the answers that he was seeking. But only patience and surprise could reveal those wishes. And as Zuko came nose to nose with the wooden door, he let in a quiet sigh of fresh air. Then with all his energy, he released a fist of flame right onto the door, melting it in seconds. The flames burnt brightly and Zuko could hear a voice from inside the room. Only the voice he heard, wasn't the sound of an intruder.

"Zuko, are you crazy? You could have burnt the whole place down."

It was Katara, standing in the middle of the room with her hair wet and a towel wrapped around her. Zuko turned his attention back towards the hallway, knowing it wasn't polite to stare at a girl while she's practically have naked. He answered from behind the entrance to the room.

"I heard a noise upstairs and when I called you, you didn't answer. I thought something was wrong," he said apologetically.

"Zuko, I just got out of a bath that's all. Warm water calms my nerves and helps me worry less. I've been fine ever since you left for the palace," Katara said.

Zuko cursed himself for his stupidity. How could he burst in on Katara while she was almost nude? Not to mention burn down the door, nonetheless. His head was filled with thoughts of Aang disappearing that it must have sent him into a state of paranoia.

He turned around only to see what sight he was trying to avoid; Katara fully exposed in the open, no towel.

The captivating sight mesmerized his eyes, as his conscience fought to tell him that it was impolite to stare. Katara quickly noticed and covered her breasts and hid behind the bed post.

"I said don't look until I'm decent," she yelled.

Zuko's mind came out of a trance and he ran back downstairs and into the parlor. There he sat on the sofa, trying to think of places Aang might have gone to. But his ideas were clouded by the constant image of Katara appearing in his mind.

He sat up from the sofa and walked over to the table that held the food. Why let such luscious goods go to waste? After all it wasn't like Aang was going to mind, he wasn't around to celebrate in the first place.

Cliffhanger!

Sorry this chapter is short and not too detailed as the rest. I am busy with school, amongst other things, so I didn't really have much time to write a really lengthy chapter. But I do hope this will suffice.

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