Author's Note: This one is for I-Am-My-Own-Biggest-Mystery and continues from the previous chapter. Hope you enjoy!
Pleasant Nightmares
Zuko's P.O.V
Something broke through the pain I found myself in. Past the unbearable heat, which was somehow coming from me, I felt her hands against me, cool and soothing and filling me with relief.
My body shook violently each time I coughed, and I could feel the fire trying to escape me. It took every last bit of energy not to burn her by accident and keep the flames inside. My lungs were burning, but she would fix me. Katara would take the pain away. She'd promised.
"Zuko," her voice came. I tried to pull my eyes open. There was her face, filled with concern. There was her smile, like an angel's, when I smiled at her, trying to convince her I was okay.
I shut my eyes again. Her hands traced my body in a way that made me relax. I felt the burning cool a little and was more than grateful for her presence.
She set her hands against my chest and the fire in my lungs almost erupted for a moment, before the pain dissipated. I took in a deep breath, relief washing over me. "Zuko?" her voice came again. I opened my eyes. Her face was so close to mine and her eyes were full of concern.
"I'm okay," I whispered. "Just keep doing what you're doing." Talking to her hurt, but I had to let her know that she was helping. I had to show her that I was thankful.
The pain never went away, not for what felt like a lifetime. The burning inside him, in his lungs, throat, head, heart, could only be soothed, but never banished from his body, no matter what Katara did. It was a fever like she'd never seen, and one like he'd never experienced. It was worse than the one his Uncle had nursed him through when they were refugees in Ba Sing Se. But this was no metamorphosis like it had been last time. This was true illness, pain, ailment.
Katara sat with the sick Fire Lord all day, doing all she could to sooth the burn of a firebender with a relentless fever.
"You took him into the cold water, didn't you?" Gran-Gran said casually as she sat with them. Katara nodded, feeling guilty. Perhaps she had caused his illness by making him swim. "I feel many of his dormant demons awakening and his body is expelling them. It may cause him pain now, but he will be better for it when he pulls through."
It took three days for the fever to reach its worst and start coming down. Zuko's body began to relax on its own, though Katara feared it was more out of exhaustion than how quickly he was recovering. She continued to stay with him, watching over him day and night. She was exhausted too. Katara may have been a master waterbender, but using her healing abilities so often for so long was draining. She'd stopped paying attention to time and forgot to eat, sleep or take care of herself at all. Her family became just as worried for her as they were for Zuko.
On the fifth day, she had been using her healing powers on him, just pressing her hands to his forehead. It was too much. She fell asleep and the water around her hands fell away, soaking the pillow beneath his head.
Zuko woke up a few hours later and turned his head to face her. She was still sleeping, her head on the pillow next to his. The way she'd fallen forward and was still sitting in her chair looked uncomfortable and Zuko forced himself to sit up. Gently, he pulled her on to the bed next to him. Her face was full of tiredness and he realized then just how much she'd done for him. He touched her lips and realized that they felt close to the temperature he remembered her being, or more than his temperature had finally returned to normal. With a gentle kiss against her forehead, Zuko closed his eyes and rejoined her in sleep. The nightmare was over.
Author's Note: I can feel lots of Zutara goodness to come. Don't leave me hanging guys, leave a review and I'll update again when I get back from my holiday. NO PROMPTS THIS TIME AROUND PLEASE! Review and you can start prompting again after next chapter.