I do not own Avatar or any of its characters.

The Long Road Ahead

The Eastern Air Temple loomed in the distance. The sight was magnificent and Katara thought that it must have been absolutely splendid a hundred years ago before the Fire Nation attacked it. She was amazed by its size. The Southern Air Temple seemed small in comparison. She knew little of this temple only that Aang lived here as a small boy and that this is where he received Appa.

She looked to Iroh and saw that he was staring in awe of the temple as well. Apparently he had never seen one before. The attacks by the Fire Nation were way before his time. She could tell that aside from his worry about his nephew's health Iroh was excited about this trip. She gathered that he had an appreciation for the all the elements and this was something that he longed to see.

"We're almost there." Aang yelled from atop Appa's head. "I'll land in the main court yard and then we can find shelter and set up camp. Guru Pathik should be somewhere on the grounds. I'm sure though that he will find us before we can find him."

She knew Aang was eager to see this Guru again. She guessed that they had much to discuss. Though she had brought Aang back to life they were both a little anxious to know if the Avatar cycle had been broken or if Aang would ever be able to reach the Avatar state again. She hoped that this Guru had the answers.

She looked down at Zuko. He had fallen back into his fevered sleep after waking briefly from his nightmare earlier. His waking words still haunted her. He had mentioned needing to go to the air temple and that a man was waiting for him there. Could it have been a vision that he had had. Did Guru Pathik really intend to meet with Zuko as well? Part of her wanted to believe it but another part of her felt that Zuko must have heard her and Aang talking last night and his fevered brain made up the story as a result. Either way they would know soon enough.

Aang brought Appa down gently and they slowly made their way from the beast. Katara pulled Zuko from the bison's back and laid him on a mat that Iroh had prepared. Once he was settled they unpacked the rest of their meager supplies. Aang had gone off into a building that looked like stables and then came back to report that the roof was intact and that it would make a good shelter. They could easily light a fire without worry about the smoke and the high ceilings would help to keep them cool during the heat of the day.

They relocated their belongings along with Zuko to one of the stalls within the stable. It was very roomy and they would all fit well inside. When the task was completed Iroh went about starting a fire and took out some more of the Huang Qi root to brew some more tea for Zuko. Katara arranged their sleeping mats and took out some food to make a simple meal. Tomorrow she would have to scavenge the grounds to look for suitable things to eat.

Once Iroh had the tea brewed he asked her to help him with Zuko. This time Iroh decided to prop the prince up and let her give him the tea. From behind he called to his nephew. Zuko started to stir and then opened his eyes. He looked at her with a puzzled expression and then said, "You're still here."

"Well I've got no where else to go." She replied coldly.

"I thought you were a dream." He responded and then asked, "Where is my uncle?"

"Right behind you Zuko." The old man said gently. "Katara has some more tea for you to drink."

"No more tea." He stated emphatically. "That stuff earlier was horrible."

"Well that horrible stuff is keeping you alive." She said with agitation in her voice. "You have an infection. Without this tea you won't be able to fight it properly."

"I don't want any." He whined.

"If you don't take it you could die." Zuko simply turned away at that statement. Infuriated she said, "I didn't go through all the trouble to heal your sorry ass just so that you could give up and die. You need to drink this tea."

He turned and glared at her. "I didn't ask you to heal me."

"No but I did." Iroh interjected. "And believe me she was not too willing to help. Yet in the end she agreed. Katara saved your life."

"You should have let me die." He responded bitterly.

"Such words of despair from one so young." Came an unfamiliar voice from behind them.

They all turned to look at the person who had voiced the comment. Before them stood the oldest man that Katara had ever seen. He was bald like Aang but had a long, flowing, white beard that encompassed most of his face. His eyes spoke of much wisdom but also of kindness. She felt a certain sense of calm just by looking at him.

"Guru Pathik!" Aang exclaimed as he jumped up and ran over to the old man. "I was hoping you would find us."

"Ah Aang my young student, I see you have made your way back to me. Though I sense that things are not as they should be. We have some unfinished business to attend to, do we not?" The Guru said.

Aang bowed his head and said quietly, "I should have listened to you. Now I need to set things right."

The old man rubbed Aang's bald head and said, "It's alright young avatar. We shall discuss it all. But first I want to meet your companions." He looked at them with interest.

As his gaze fell on her Aang said, "This is Katara."

"Ah Katara the water bender. Yes I have heard much about you. You possess a true strength that is sorely lacking in most people today. You have done well keeping your friends together."

She blushed at his remarks and said simply, 'Thank you."

He then turned to Iroh. Aang spoke up and said, "This is General Iroh. He is going to teach me how to fire bend."

The guru bowed to the old man and said to Aang, "I am glad to see that you are embracing all aspects of your abilities. It is good to see that you have chosen so wisely in your teacher." He then spoke to Iroh, "I sense that you have a true appreciation for all the elements. Maybe in time you too could be a guru."

Iroh chuckled at that statement and said, "As much as that holds a certain appeal to me I have other responsibilities at the present time."

With that the guru looked to Zuko and then nodding said, "Yes, yes you do."

Katara noticed that Zuko sat there completely still. His expression was one of shock and possibly fear. Though she couldn't understand why he would be afraid of this gentle old man.

The guru continued to gaze at him and finally said, "So I see that you too have made it here, young prince. Have you given any thought to my offer?"

Katara felt a little light headed at that statement. She had wanted to believe that Zuko had been hallucinating earlier but the guru's words proved otherwise. Zuko too had a weird expression on his face she noticed. Maybe he had doubted the validity of his vision as well.

When he replied he sounded far away like he was caught up in his dream again, "I have given it thought. I accept your offer. I want to finish what I started in Ba Sing Se. But this time I want to do it right."

She wondered what that was about when the guru responded, "Then I do not want to hear any more self pitying statements like the one earlier. Listen to your uncle and Katara. It is the only way to mend your body." Zuko grimaced and the guru continued with a little more authority in his voice, "The task ahead will be a difficult one. It will require that you are strong physically so that you can heal spiritually. The toll it will take on your body will be tremendous. You must be ready and the only way to do that will be to follow the instructions of your healer. You owe her that much for saving your life."

Now it was her turn to make a face. She did not want Zuko to feel indebted to her. In fact she wanted nothing more than to be free of him. The feelings he caused within her were too confusing. The sooner he was gone the better.

The guru turned back to Aang and said, "Are you ready my friend? We have much to do."

Aang nodded and bowed. The guru smiled and then placed his arm around her friend. Slowly they walked off to another location within the temple. She hoped that Aang would find the answers that he needed. She hoped that he would be able to tell him if the cycle was truly broken or if the waters from the Spirit Oasis heal the rift as well as his body.

Zuko lay propped against his uncle's chest. He followed Katara's gaze as she watched her friend leave. The love in her expression tore at his heart and stirred that familiar jealousy that he had for the Avatar. He wished that she would look at him with just an ounce of that affection but he had killed any chance of that back in Ba Sing Se. She would never forgive him for what he had done and he honestly couldn't blame her.

As she turned back to him her gaze became hard again. Holding up the tea cup from earlier she said simply, "Well you heard the guru, you've got to do as I say." This brought a small smirk to her lips. "You know this actually could be fun." Then pushing the cup forward she said, "Drink up Prince Zuko."

He could feel the rumble of laughter start in his uncle's chest as his own mood turned sour. No matter how badly he felt for what he had done before, there was still a part of him that could not stomach taking orders from her. He glared at her with contempt in his eyes. This only made her smile more. Apparently he was giving her just what she wanted. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath and exhaled. Gaining a little more control he braced himself for the bitter medicine.

She brought the cup to his lips and he reluctantly drank the noxious mixture. Gagging on the brew he had to stop frequently to keep it down. Finally he managed to finish the tea. He sat back against his uncle; the strain of the simple act had exhausted him.

"I'm tired." He stated.

"Then you should rest." His uncle replied. He helped him back to his mat and Zuko closed his eyes. Sleep quickly overtook him.

When he awoke again the sun was beginning to set in the sky. He could smell a meal cooking on the fire and almost on cue his stomach started to growl. He scanned his surroundings and couldn't see his uncle anywhere. The old man must have gone off exploring the temple. He then focused his gaze in the direction of the fire and noticed Katara sitting there quietly stirring the pot of food. Her face was calm and serene and he lay silently looking at her. All those months he had spent chasing her and her friends he had never really given her much thought aside from the fact that she had become a very worthy opponent. She had grown a lot in her abilities since he had first come across her in the South Pole.

In fact it wasn't until he was trapped with her in the cave beneath Ba Sing Se that he had even looked at her as something more than the Avatar's friend. She had been so angry at first, yelling at him and blaming him for all of her troubles. Then she had done something he hadn't expected; she had cried. He found himself at a loss at the sight of her tears. She was grieving for her mother. That was something that he could understand. He had lost his mother too and the grief clung to him like a second skin. Not a day went by that he didn't think of her or miss her. He confided this to her and in that moment he could see all the walls that she had constructed between them start to crumble. He guessed that she had never really viewed him as much more then her enemy and the discovery that he too suffered loss seemed to bond them.

After that they had talked and she had offered to heal his scar. He wanted to desperately believe that she could do it so he let her try. Of course before she could begin his uncle and the Avatar had appeared. As soon as her friend appeared he was forgotten. He felt so much anger at that moment and he wanted nothing more than to attack the monk where he stood but his uncle had held him back. Katara left with the Avatar and he was left with his uncle and a monumental choice.

When he had caught up to Katara and the Avatar as they fought with Azula he still hadn't quite made up his mind yet as to what to do. But when he saw them it was as if something snapped within his brain. His hatred for the boy overwhelmed him and his need to prove himself to his father once again blinded him in his decision. He chose to fight with Azula. Hardening his heart he cast aside everything he had found in that cave with Katara. The pain of that combined with his betrayal of his uncle haunted him ever since. If he could do it all over again he would change his actions but he didn't have that luxury and now he had to live with his decision for the rest of his life.

As he continued to stare at her she looked up and locked eyes with him. He felt his face flush from the embarrassment of being caught. Her serene expression from moments before evaporated and she once again viewed him with disdain.

"So you're finally awake." She stated. He remained silent and she continued, "Would you like something to eat? It's just a simple stew made from vegetables but it should fill you up."

"Food would be nice." He replied.

She set about scooping some of the stew into a bowl. She then approached him and set the bowl next to him on the ground. "I guess you're still too weak to sit up on your own?" she asked.

He bristled at the question. He hated being weak and he felt that she thoroughly enjoyed his predicament. He would love nothing more than to prove her wrong but he honestly didn't have the strength to do it. He quietly replied, "I could use your help."

Working together they managed to get him up and she propped him against a wall near his mat. Facing him she lifted the bowl of stew and prepared a spoonful for him. It bothered him to be so dependant on her but he had no choice. Opening his mouth he let her feed him the meal. For such simple fare it tasted very good. "This isn't that bad." He stated.

"Well I'm sure it's nothing like the food you're used to, growing up in a palace and all." She shot back.

"It's been a long time since I've eaten food like that. In fact for the last few months I've had to eat whatever I could forage in the woods."

She remained silent at that remark and continued to feed him. When she spoke again it was whisper soft. "I guess things have really changed for you and your uncle."

"They have." He simply replied. Once again they grew silent.

After he had finished eating she spoke again, "Why does the guru want to see you? You said that you wanted to finish what you started in Ba Sing Se. What does that mean?"

"A few weeks ago I developed a fever. It was some type of spiritual illness. My uncle said it had to do with a critical decision that I had made. I was faced with a choice. I guess I chose wrong. The guru has offered me a chance to redeem myself. A chance to resume that spiritual journey and follow my destiny."

"I guess he's putting a lot of faith in you. Hopefully you won't turn on him like you did your uncle." She replied.

He grew silent at her remark. It still hurt him to think back to what he had done to his uncle but he didn't like having it thrown in his face by her. When he finally spoke his voice was cold, "You know I made a mistake in Ba Sing Se. I regret it very much but I can't change what I did. The guru is offering me a chance to figure things out and I am not going to turn him down. I am tired of being scorned all my life. I'm ready to face my demons and put them to rest. So why don't you just back off and let me be."

She drew in a sharp breath and her face turned red with rage. "I'd love to back off but I'm stuck with the job of babysitting you while you recover!"

"I never asked you to baby sit me. Believe me the last thing I need right now is you in my face reminding me of what a horrible person I am."

She grew silent at that and looked away. He had no idea what she was thinking after his outburst and he really didn't want to find out. Slowly she stood from her place next to him. She took his bowl and walked back over to the fire. Sitting down she began to stir the pot.

Her silence began to wear on him and he regretted yelling at her. Looking at her he saw that her eyes were glazed over and he realized that he had been unfairly harsh with her. She was angry and justifiably so. He wanted to make things right but he had no clue as to how to do it.

"Katara." He called out to her. She continued on stirring the pot; her head down. "Katara, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. You saved my life when you didn't have to and you nursed me to health when you really didn't want too and I have shown you nothing but ingratitude."

She finally looked up at him. A single tear rolled down her face and she quickly wiped it away. "I hate you for what you did to me and to Aang. I don't think that I will ever forgive you. So save me your apologies and leave me be."

Her words stung. The shame that he had been living with for the past week overwhelmed him and he found it hard to breath. He had truly messed up and he wondered if even this guru was going to be able to fix the damage that he had done.