Chapter 6: The Pain of Separation
Aang coughed weakly as they flew, trying to expel the dust from his lungs.
"That was some reunion," Sokka remarked sarcastically.
The adrenaline rush the water tribesman had experienced caused his voice to heighten in pitch. The pain was slowly throbbing back to life in his injured leg, and he winced.
Toph inhaled spasmodically, out of breath and too exhausted to say anything.
Suki had slipped back into unconsciousness as soon as they laid her in the saddle, and was slumped against Sokka's arm, oblivious to the proceedings.
Katara sat cross-legged on Appa's shoulders, urging the bison on. "We've got to get you guys to a good healer," she said, and glancing worriedly over her shoulder at her group of ragged friends.
"Yeah, 'cause you couldn't possibly help us at all," Sokka remarked sardonically, shooting his sister a blurry-eyed look.
Katara blinked, aware of her brother's discomfort, but unable to bring her mind to focus on the problem at hand. Her thoughts were in a whirl, and her hands were shaking even as she gripped the reins. She gathered the willpower to stand, bracing herself against the lip of the saddle with her arms outstretched. Not able to amass the strength enough to climb over it, she sat back suddenly as wave of dizziness overcame her, and she sat back down with a huff of frustration.
"I—I can't," she swallowed, staring hard at Appa's white fur. The water gourd against her hip sloshed with impatience, and although she couldn't bear to ignore it, her weariness wouldn't allow her to attend to it. Her heart ached with fatigue, and her sight was fading in and out as exhaustion began to settle into her bones. "I'm sorry," she murmured, looking out upon the landscape with bleary eyes. "I'll get you to an infirmary as fast as I can."
Sokka exchanged a concerned look with Aang, sensing the waterbender's listlessness and responding in mutual worry. They, however, were also afflicted by the exhaustion that overwhelmed them, and said nothing.
Almost a half-hour later, they landed in the White Lotus camp, and Katara quickly flagged down the nearest man and asked if she could speak to Piandao. The foot soldier rushed off, returning a minute later with the Master in tow.
"I'm glad to see you all are well," he greeted, his eyes glimmering with visible relief, but seeing their tired faces and drooping eyelids, he made his announcements brief. "Two of my warriors found Ozai unconscious in the forest," the swordsman told Katara, and she glanced up, wide-eyed and baffled, toward Aang.
The first words out of the airbender's mouth were even more puzzling.
"Is he okay?"
Piandao nodded. "At present, he is asleep. But our healers noticed something peculiar about him…"
"He can't firebend anymore," Aang informed him. "He is no threat."
Piandao looked mildly surprised, but he did not question the fact. Instead, he simply nodded and switched subjects. "Our scouts have been tracking a small army ever since they landed on the lakeshore near the Serpent's Pass. Our intelligence reports have detailed that the army does not yet know that Ba Sing Se has been retaken. They will first come here, and then fan out around the wall."
"Yeah, we sort of ran into them a little while ago," Sokka told him, waving an arm carelessly. Aang leaned over the edge of the saddle, gripping its edge with white knuckles, and felt the painful twinge of his scar as it bled.
Piandao nodded. "With Ozai in our custody we may be able to negotiate an armistice." He then turned his attention toward Katara, kneeling upon Appa's head. "You and your friends can go to the West Defense Barracks within the city's wall. The infirmary is there. Rest and recover. The situation here is being taken care of."
The waterbender looked like she was about to protest, but Toph stuck her head over the side of the saddle, peering down wistfully. "I could sure use a good night's sleep," the earthbender mumbled, rubbing at her eye with the heel of her hand.
That did it for Katara. Built-up fatigue from days bygone flooded over her in even more powerful waves. "All right," she agreed, albeit reluctantly. "Thank you, Master." She mustered up the strength to give an awkward half-bow, a gesture which Piandao graciously returned.
"Thanks to all of you," the sword master replied.
"See you soon, Master," Sokka yawned, waving as Katara murmured to Appa and snapped the reins.
They lifted off.
When they touched down atop the wall, Aang jerked himself back to alertness. Two green-clad guards approached Appa.
"Do you need assistance?" the first guard, a dark-skinned, dark-haired old man, addressed Katara.
"Two of my friends are severely injured," she replied, her voice drained but firm. "Is there room in your infirmary?"
"Of course," piped the other guard, a young recruit, by the looks of him. "Anything for the Avatar."
Before Katara could respond, the guard ran off, and soon returned with four green-clad medical workers, carrying two stretchers between them. Katara assisted Aang and Toph in carrying Suki from the bison's back. They laid her on a stretcher.
Sokka protested when Toph pushed him toward the second stretcher, insisting he could hop his way to the infirmary, but a stony glare from Katara silenced him. The four assistants lifted the pair from the ground, and they were whisked away. Toph disappeared along with them.
Katara turned back toward the guards, conscious of Appa's heavy breathing behind her. "Do you have any place our bison can rest?"
The second guard, older and wiser than the first, nodded. "You can take him down to the stables, at the base of the wall." He gestured toward the ground, "There is space large enough for him there."
"Thanks," Katara nodded, and Aang bowed gratefully toward the two sentries before sliding back into the saddle.
When Appa was settled, Aang and Katara settled in beside him, too tired to care that the hay they sat on was lumpy and itchy. Aang was curled up against Appa's left foreleg, and Katara a couple feet from him, leaning against the stall's wooden wall. There was a long silence as they both pondered the day's events with hazy minds and hazier thoughts.
"So…" Katara yawned after a while, glancing toward where Aang lay. "How are things with you?"
Aang blinked. His eyes were sad, but he didn't meet her gaze. "Fine," he replied flatly.
"Any…uh," Katara struggled, "Interesting things happen over the last few days?"
Aang twisted around and leveled the waterbender with a somber stare.
"Okay, okay," she submitted, holding up her hands in an appeasing manner. "You don't have to talk about it, if you don't want to."
The airbender lay back down, staring hard at the ground. He was too wired to sleep, but too tired to talk. His shoulder throbbed, but even more painful was his lightning strike wound. The skin had broken again thanks to the kick he'd received, and though the bleeding had stopped, it was still raw and sore. Aang shifted, trying to get into a more comfortable position, but was unable to.
Katara saw him wince, and immediately she sensed his discomfort. Flipping open the lid to her water pouch, she drew some out, and it bubbled softly as she enveloped her hand in it. Her hand glittered blue in the low light.
Aang looked up. Katara regarded him with concern, but he shook his head. "I'm all right," he dissuaded her.
The waterbender met his steady gaze with a doubtful one of her own, but nevertheless, returned the water to its home. "Should we go to the infirmary?" she asked.
Aang shook his head. "They're overcrowded already, and worrying about their own injured."
Katara resigned herself to studying him. "I think you need a new tunic," she asserted with a hint of a smile, glancing over the threads that held the remains of his shirt over his shoulders.
Aang sighed. "Can't argue with that." He peered at her wrinkled crimson robe, which was worn and fraying in a few places. The gold-hemmed neckline clashed with her olive skin.
"You look better in blue," the airbender commented offhandedly, yawning.
Katara couldn't help but laugh. His tone was flat, but his words made her smile. Maybe the old, fun-loving Aang was still in there somewhere.
Appa sighed deeply in his sleep, letting loose a loud, low snore that reverberated against the wooden walls. His breathing soothed both of his companions, and it wasn't long before they had been lulled into slumber.
Katara woke up to the sound of harsh, ragged breathing. Night had fallen, and it was dark in the stall. Appa was still sleeping soundly. Looking up with alarm, Katara peered into the darkness. She saw Aang, still asleep, illuminated by a shaft of moonlight filtering through a window on the far wall. His brow was aglow with sweat, and his face was contorted with agony.
The waterbender got to her knees and crawled over to him. Touching his forehead, she jerked back with a yelp. He was scalding-hot with fever.
Pulling out her water, she felt for a source of his sickness. When her fingers, engulfed in her bending water, drew over the broken skin on his back, Aang whimpered. Katara gasped when she felt the blocked chi-flow there. Probing deeper, she tried to pinpoint the cause, but a sharp hiss of pain from Aang, unconscious as he was, made her pull back with uncertainty.
The dark days of flight, away from Ba Sing Se, and the countless hours trying heal her friend came rushing back at her in a torrent of stinging memories. She knew immediately that this was too much for her limited skills to handle on her own.
"Help!" she called out to the guards who stood watch at the stable doors. "Can someone help me?"
One of them nodded to the other, and his steps echoed against the stone as he came to her. "What's wrong?" the guard poked his head through the sliding door of the stall. His voice was husky from lack of use during the long night shift, but he was fully alert and concerned.
Katara had propped Aang up against her, trying to pick him up. "He's sick," she replied brusquely. "Can you help me take him to the infirmary?"
"Of course, miss," the guard nodded politely, and sensing the urgency of the situation, scooped the airbender up in his arms. Katara got to her feet and followed him quickly as the guilt of past events washed over her like a nauseating flood.
Ten minutes later, Aang was lying on an infirmary bed, which was little more that a stone slab covered by a thick, woven sheet. The guard who had carried him there left hurriedly to go wake a healer, and Katara kneeled beside the airbender, dabbing at his forehead with the water from her pouch. He stirred briefly, moaning, but then settled back again, still breathing laboriously.
Soon the guard returned with a healer, and Katara stood up with shock. "Yugoda!" she exclaimed, "You're part of the White Lotus too?"
The Northern healer was dressed in simple blue kimono with a cream-colored frock. Her sleeves were pushed up to her elbows, and her gray hair was pulled back in a loose and messy braid. Her blue eyes sparkled in the harsh orange light of the lantern she was carrying. Yugoda smiled. "Yes I am, dear," she confirmed, "Questions later, though. I take it the Avatar needs my assistance?"
Katara placed a hand on Aang's burning forehead, and the worried crease of skin between her eyes deepened in shadow. "His chi is blocked in a critical place. It's interrupting some of his key systems." As if on cue, the airbender tried to inhale, but his diaphragm refused to respond. The result was a muted whooshing sound that came from his mouth.
Yugoda moved close, standing on the opposite side of the bed. She set the lantern on the bedside table. "Be a dear," she motioned to the guard, "And go fill a basin of water and bring it to me. Quickly, now!"
The guard obeyed, and was back within the minute with a large wooden bowl in his arms. He set it down on a stool at the foot of the bed.
"He stopped breathing!" Katara was in a panic, and she gripped the bed sheet from where she kneeled, looking to Yugoda with terror in her eyes.
"Help me turn him on his side, dear," Yugoda ordered, her calmness easing the young Southern girl into action, "Facing you now. Easy…there. Now let me see…" The old healer drew water from the basin and worked it into the broken skin of Aang's back.
A few agonizing moments ticked slowly by, and then suddenly the unconscious airbender gasped, inhaling strongly.
Yugoda's brow was furrowed, and without looking up from her work, she said, "Katara, come around beside me. I'm going to need help with this next part."
Wordlessly, Katara obeyed, and the guard helping them took her place on Aang's other side.
They worked for another hour, untangling the huge mass of energy that had built up in Aang's chi pathway. When it was finally flowing again normally, Yugoda cleaned the strike wound and she and Katara bandaged him to ensure that the inflamed skin would keep free of infection.
Aang was breathing normally again, and sleeping soundly. His fever had gone down, and his expression was peaceful. The guard returned to the stables, and Yugoda was preparing to retire to her cot in the healer's section of the infirmary.
"What do you think could've caused that?" Katara wondered aloud as Yugoda folded a damp towel they had used.
"I'm not sure, dear," the healer replied quietly. "Chi blockages don't usually occur in that magnitude. You've unblocked chi before, I take it?"
The young waterbender nodded solemnly.
Yugoda shook her head in wonderment. "Usually a person's chi is blocked by a sharp, solid strike to the pathway. A chi block like his," Yugoda's blue gaze flitted toward Aang, "Must've been blocked for hours, maybe over a day, in order to cause that much damage."
Katara blinked in realization. "He was kicked in the back yesterday. I think it was hurting him."
Yugoda regarded the waterbender sternly. "Why did you not come to the infirmary?"
Katara tugged the blanket she'd been given up over Aang's shoulders, and avoided Yugoda's gaze. "He insisted that it wasn't serious." There was a dark shadow in her mind, hovering at the edge of her thoughts like a menace.
Seeing her expression, Yugoda softened her gaze. "Would you like to talk about it, dear?" she prompted softly.
"What?" Katara looked up at the healer from where she sat on the bed, her eyes shaded with confusion. "Talk about what?"
Yugoda blinked kindly at her young charge, and she sat down on the empty cot beside Aang's, facing the waterbender. "What has been going on between you and the young Avatar," the healer's eyes narrowed, as if daring her to deny it. When Katara didn't, she continued. "I could see from the start you held affection for him, and he for you."
"Of course we do," Katara responded, her voice so soft it was almost a whisper. Her blue eyes were wide and glazed. "We're friends."
Yugoda could've laughed, but in the quiet room, she didn't dare. Instead, she settled for an amused smile.
Katara averted her gaze. "What does it matter anyway?"
"It matters to you."
The young waterbender pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "The last words we spoke before he disappeared from Ember Island were words of anger. We yelled at each other. He stormed off. Zuko told me he needed to sort it out on his own. But I wasn't there for him when he really needed support. I rejected him at the worst possible time, because I was afraid. He probably hates me for it." She gazed sadly at Aang's peaceful expression, deep in the realm of sleep.
"Do you really believe that?" Yugoda questioned, her eyes solemn.
Katara passed a hand angrily over her brow, upset with her own helplessness. "I don't know."
With a sigh, Yugoda stood up. She sensed the turmoil within Katara, and she knew it could only be sorted out with time. "There is no magic medicine, dear. Don't give up so easily."
Katara looked up at the woman somberly.
Sighing, the old healer patted the empty cot she had been sitting on. "Well, honey, get some rest. Daybreak is in a few hours, and we might as well take advantage of what little time we have."
Resignedly, Katara crawled under the thin sheet and curled up to sleep.
Aang awoke under something soft and warm. He snuffled contentedly, snuggling further underneath the blanket to block out the light that had suddenly brightened his dark sleeping place.
"Come on, young Avatar," came an unfamiliar voice from somewhere, "Rise and shine."
Aang ignored it and curled deeper into a fetus position, sighing.
From the bunk beside him, Katara sat up and yawned. A young nurse had pushed back the curtain that separated their two beds from the rest of the infirmary, which was set up in a long, thin room, with two long rows of beds, one on either side with an isle in the middle. Most of the patients were already awake, eating breakfast and chattering amicably with their immediate neighbors. Only the very sick were still asleep in their beds, battling infections or sickness brought on by injuries acquired on the battlefield.
Near the end of the row across from her, Katara spotted Suki lying awake in her bed. The Kyoshi Warrior caught sight of her and smiled, motioning to a lump in the bed to her immediate right and mouthing Sokka. Katara waved to let her know she had gotten the message, glad to know that her friend was all right.
"Sugar Queen!" Katara turned abruptly to see Toph standing at the foot of her bed, grinning broadly. "Why didn't you let us know you were coming up here? We could've gotten bunks closer to each other!"
Katara stifled a sniff of laughter at the earthbender's sardonic tone. "We weren't going to," she began, "but…" she glanced over toward Aang's bed, where he lay blinking blindly in the light. He was coming around.
Toph cocked her head toward the airbender and lowered her voice. "What happened?" she asked, concerned.
Katara shook her head, smiling disarmingly before she realized the earthbender couldn't see it. "It's no big deal, Toph. Really," she insisted.
The earthbender wasn't convinced, but she had no time to protest, because just then, Aang propped himself up on his elbows, glancing around with confusion. "How'd we get in here?" he inquired, his voice hoarse. He traced the bandages around his torso and his brow furrowed.
"Long story," Katara replied with a weak smile.
He gazed at her blankly. The waterbender averted her eyes, remembering the last time he had woken up from a long sleep—he hadn't looked at her like that then.
Aang sat up.
Yugoda appeared suddenly beside Toph, tugging a wheeled cart behind her. Many bowls of porridge were stacked rim-to-rim on its shelves. "Good morning. How are you all feeling?"
Toph cracked her knuckles absently.
Katara and Aang shrugged.
The airbender glanced up toward the healer, suddenly recognizing her. "You're the healer from the Northern Water Tribe, aren't you?"
Yugoda nodded. "It's been a long time. It's wonderful to see you again, Avatar Aang."
The airbender blinked. "Likewise."
The old healer held his gaze. "Are you feeling any pain?"
Aang shook his head, puzzled.
"Good," Yugoda seemed pleased. She looked back toward Katara. "If you two want, you can go to the bath house. There are natural hot springs below the walls that are wonderful for sore muscles."
Toph made a face.
"What?" Katara's eyebrow rose. "You don't like hot springs, Toph?"
The earthbender shrugged. "Brings back too many memories of that spa we went to last time we were in Ba Sing Se. The one where they scrubbed my feet."
Katara stifled a giggle. "You've got to admit, though, it was pretty fun."
Toph stuck her tongue out and made a gagging noise. "Have fun splashing around," she stated, "Just don't drag me into it." With that, the earthbender stalked away down the aisle, muttering darkly under her breath. "Never again…stupid prissy…touching my feet…"
"Well, here you go," Yugoda wasted no time in taking two bowls from the cart she was towing. "Not the most exquisite breakfast in the world, but it'll do."
"Oh, food," Aang drooled, suddenly remembering he hadn't properly eaten since his candle-lit dinner alone before the comet, "I'm so hungry!" Despite the unappetizing slop, he took the bowl and started eating heartily.
Yugoda handed the other bowl to the waterbender on the bed beside him. She chuckled. "Good to know last night's episode didn't hinder his appetite," the old healer murmured.
Katara smiled forlornly.
"My legs feel like jelly," Aang complained, after stumbling for the umpteenth time.
Katara braced herself against his shoulder. "You're bound to feel weird after what happened last night," she comforted.
"So you keep telling me," the airbender muttered, trying to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other as they exited the earth-elevator shaft. The man who had assisted them down now waved his goodbye and fell into a horse stance, ready to lift the elevator once more.
Katara waved back as the earthen slab ascended into the shaft.
Immediately upon entering the cavern, they were hit with a thick cloud of steam, and kept walking until they came to a stop at the edge of the swirling water.
Gleaming dully in the low light were scattered lanterns, mounted on the walls of the cavern at various positions around the springs. There were few people in the springs, as it was still pretty early in the morning.
Aang and Katara sat beside each other on the bank, staring silently at the dark, hissing water.
"So…" Aang began after a long moment, "What did happen last night?"
Katara pretended to be captivated by the movement of the water at their feet, and said nothing.
The airbender crossed his legs in a lotus position, and, with his hands cradled in his lap, stared at the water. Built-up resentment from days ago was reawakening within him, and he remembered Ember Island.
"Maybe I should just go," he sighed, making as if to stand.
He was halfway to his feet when, without warning, Katara grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. "Look Aang," she began, but then faltered. With an almost frantic desperation, she pleaded, "I don't know how to make this right. I'm sorry. Every time I say something, I make things worse."
Aang blinked and shifted uncomfortably. Katara's nails were digging into his arm, and the swirl of emotion in her eyes was making him dizzy. "Katara, please," he choked out, "Don't make this harder than it is."
"You don't understand," she insisted, and her eyes overflowed with hurt. "I said things I didn't mean…I—I said them to protect myself."
Aang regarded her dully, doubt tainting the gleam in his eyes.
The waterbender's grip loosened, but she didn't let go of his arm, as if she was fearful that without the contact, she would lose him. "Before you disappeared…" she trailed off, but she didn't have to say it. Aang remembered the heated argument he'd had with his friends, and the frustration and anger and fear that had consumed him.
Katara blinked at him, and the tide of emotion in her eyes settled somewhat as she regained control. "Can…can you tell me what happened? Can you tell me how you did what you did? Can you tell me…?"
Aang sniffed, studying the smooth stone at his feet intently. He didn't really want to talk. He wasn't good at laying out his tangled emotions and putting them to words. He had failed at it before. But he felt like he owed her the explanation. How he'd stormed off without a goodbye…and the pain in her eyes…he didn't want to hurt her as she had hurt him. He took a deep breath. He guessed he could just start with the beginning. "I—I learned it from a lion-turtle."
Katara suddenly released his arm, appalled that he would tell such a story. "What?" her voice was spiked with confusion. "A lion-turtle?"
"Forget it," Aang shook his head, pulling away. He tucked his knees under his chin in a fetal position. Unbidden tears came to his eyes, but he hid them behind a bitter scowl.
After a brief moment, the waterbender stood up, with hurt in her heart and pain in her eyes. She didn't understand his reaction to her uncertainty, and her first instinct was to flee. So she did.
Her footsteps echoed as she strode up the bank and away, toward the elevator. Every step was a struggle.
Then, she was gone. Aang was left alone, in the dark.
He buried his head in his arms, sniffling with silent sobs.
Her pain held off; she made it back to the infirmary with dry eyes. No sooner had she pulled the curtain around their two beds, however, the tears began to come. She curled up on her cot, closed her eyes, and cried convulsively.
A/N: Cheesy and cliché, I know. I've currently hit a brick wall, and all I have is a plastic knife to try to pry my way through it. That's what I get for going into this story blindsided (not like I ever really plan my stories in advance…). Anywho, thanks a bunch for reading—if you've gotten this far, you have my undying gratitude. Unfortunately, I can't recognize you specifically if you don't review, so if you leave a word, I will double that undying gratitude. It will be immortal gratitude.