Chapter 7: Progress
Find a place inside where there is joy and the joy will burn out the pain. - Joseph Campbell
Dinner with Zuko was…different. As the gang sat huddled together, eating dinner around a fire, everyone was oddly quiet. Even Toph didn't stop what she was doing every five seconds to make a snide remark−not that Katara was complaining. He sat in a corner, ate his food quietly and the after a quick nod towards Aang, he ducked down the corridor to head to his room. For some reason, Katara's eyes hadn't stopped following his every movement the whole.
She told herself it was suspicion but she knew she was lying. Something about Zuko drew her eyes to him almost magnetically. She caught herself tracing his jaw line with her eyes, skimming across down to his well muscled shoulders and then up and across to the flat planes of his chest and stomach that showed through the tight fabric of his shirt.
Memories of the morning, when he'd been reduced to just his trousers flashed in her mind. She had tried not to stare for too long but the white skin of his toned body had been mesmerizing to look at. Oh damn, she was doing it again. God knows she really needed to get away from all thoughts of Zuko. He was the bad guy for Agni's sake. Well, bad guy turned good guy or whatever. She wasn't buying it.
See Katara knew better than to fall for this whole 'transformation'. She knew he was bad news. She knew that someday, maybe a week from that day, a month, a year or five years he would betray them. So then why did that thought depress her so much? Why did the idea of Zuko turning back into a cold-blooded, pony tail wearing avatar hunter terrify her so much?
She excused herself and shuffled up to her room, hugging her shoulders. Damn Zuko. Damn him for invading her thoughts. She threw open her door with slightly more force than necessary and fell into her bed, welcoming the thought of sleep. Nice, dreamless, Zuko-less, sleep. She quickly slipped off her robes and wrapped herself into her sleeping bag in just her bindings and underdress.
She was well on her way to dreamland when she heard a knock on her door. Oh it was probably Sokka with his eyebrows singed off again. As she walked up to the door she muttered to her self. She had told him to wear protective equipment.
"Sokka I told you to wear−Zuko?" She had started scolding before even opening the door and then spluttered in confusion. He stood there in a pale white shirt and loose canvas pants, looking down awkwardly.
"What," she began and then narrowed her eyes and said more sternly, "What are you doing here?" She hid her hardly clothed body behind the door with just her face peeking through. He looked at her sheepishly.
"I just…my head feels really weird and Toph said you'd be the person to ask…and I just…I'm sorry if I woke you up. I can come back later or something," Zuko explained but Katara heard the strain in his voice. Maybe she'd gone a little over board with her water-bending technique of making someone fall unconscious. She'd discovered it herself. Katara rubbed the back of her hand over her tired eyes.
"No...no just wait here," she answered. Katara knew Zuko. He must've been really hurting if he'd come to her. His pride normally wouldn't allow it. She shut the door and threw her dress over her nearly naked body and after letting Zuko in grabbed her newly filled water-skin. She looked around at her humbly furnished little room with just a small cot and table. Fine, she thought. I'll let him sit on my bed. Just this once.
Katara motioned towards the cot and turned away from him as he went to go sit down. She could feel his eyes on her back and she shifted uncomfortably. She lifted the water up and down and tried to find that state of mind she needed to heal. Katara relaxed her shoulders and took a few deep breaths. There. She had it.
She turned back to Zuko who was waiting patiently. He gave her a look that made her feel oddly warm. Oh Agni she was really starting to lose it. Focus Katara, she told herself firmly. The only light in her room was a wavering candle, which at that moment decided to burn down to the end of its wick and go out. Frustration welled into her. She felt around blindly for the spark rocks and extra candles she kept.
"It's okay," Zuko called out to her, and ignited a small flame in his palm, "I got it." Katara saw his features light up in the glow of the fire and that warm feeling perpetrated through her being again. The enemy, Katara, that's the enemy, she reminded herself.
"Alright Zuko, let's see where the problem is…" she said softly, coming around to kneel behind him on the bed. She placed her finger tips hesitantly at his temples and let the water flow around his head. Katara winced as she found the blocked chi paths.. She hadn't meant to go as far as block them completely… She took a deep breath. Time to fix the damage. It was a miracle that Zuko had woken up at all on his own. The water began to glow an eerie blue as it healed the abused tissue in Zuko's brain. The dancing Fire in Zuko's hands and the gleam of the blue water cast strange shadows across the room. It would have been beautiful if not for the tension that made the very air in the room seem stale. Katara began feeling immense amounts of guilt.
"Can I ask you something?" he said softly.
"…mmhhmm," was Katara's replied, her focus mainly on the injuries.
"What…what did you do to me? One second I was looking at you and the next…it all just went black…" his voice drifting off. Katara paused in her healing.
"I cut off the blood flow to your brain for a moment," she replied almost inaudibly. It was one thing to know what you've done has caused someone inexplicable brain damage, it was another to admit it out loud. She saw him clench the sheets of her bed.
"Oh…okay." He finally answered. After another ten minutes of extreme healing, Katara finally heaved a big sigh and pushed herself away from him.
"You're done. Back to your average psychotic self," she said, with barely any venom. The fatigue was beginning to wash over her and her eyes were starting to close without warning. Zuko turned to face her, alarm shooting through him. She felt herself beginning to fall. When Zuko lifted her limp form and laid her down on the bed, she didn't even complain, which spoke mountains about the extent of her fatigue. She heard him laugh softly and kneel down to whisper into her ear.
"Katara, I think you're wearing your dress backwards." She heard the sound of the door click as he left and the thud thud of his feet as he walked back to his room. For some reason, after he left, the room felt oddly empty.
A/N: I'm SORRY. short chapter. Anyway, reviews, please? I love the feedback more than you know.
This chapter was written to the song Move You by Anya Marina.
