Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs purely to Mike and Bryan. This is just my vain attempt to live past the series finale.
Chapter 9: The Search Begins
Summary: As the daughter of the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, Katara must and will do whatever it takes to keep her people and her nation safe, even leaving it in order to become a servant in the home of the Fire Nation's Royal Family for infiltration. Instead of the war and destruction she expected, she finds beauty, life, and love, shown to her by the Fire Nation Prince himself.
Last Time…
An uneasy atmosphere settled over the throne room. The men situated around the large table shifted apprehensively, everyone's eyes shifting around the room quickly. The lone female in the room sat without worries, glancing at her manicure. Everyone tried avoiding glancing at the empty seat at the table, the seat of Prince Zuko.
Finally, the imposing dark figure behind the wall of flames spoke.
"You understand, given recent events, that Prince Zuko's actions have been less than unacceptable. He's acted cowardly and in a nature most unlike Fire Nation Royalty. As of this moment, he is banished from the Fire Nation."
A quiet roar of whispers and grumblings erupted among the members of Fire Lord Ozai's war council.
"Silence!" Upon achieving his desired silence, Ozai continued smoothly, "Zuko has greatly dishonored this nation. He's dishonored me. In order for him to reclaim his honor, I've ordered that he be tasked with the search for the Avatar and that he is forbidden from returning to the Fire Nation and from claiming his birthright as Crown Prince until he has succeeded, for that is the only task of enough worth to prove he has regained the honor and dignity for a son of the Fire Nation. For my son."
Azula smirked and relaxed as the war council stared dumbfounded at Fire Lord Ozai.
The wall of fire died and Ozai was now visible. His face was set in a stern expression, his jaw clenched and his eyebrows furrowed. His eyes were cold and hardened upon his next words. "His banishment is effective immediately."
Zuko groaned. There was a dull ache and he couldn't relieve it. As the seconds passed, the ache intensified. It burned. It seared. This sensation was an unfamiliar kind of burn. It wasn't the same as the fire he produced and controlled. It wasn't warm and comforting, or blazing and powerful. It was cold and biting. The pain… it was slowly resurfacing. He tried to open his eyes but it only brought him more pain. Zuko heard a pained moan, but he couldn't believe that it was his own voice producing that sound.
A soft, shushing sound echoed around him and he panicked, momentarily believing himself to be under attack. He cursed the fact that he couldn't see. He was prey to whatever happened next. His entire body tensed as he prepared for the blow he was sure to come. Instead, a gentle touch moved through his hair. The fingers moved through the dark locks with the lightness of feathers. It felt familiar and Zuko tried hard to remember who would be treating him so kindly but his mind was foggy, numbed by the pain and pain medication.
'Could it be… Mother?'
The chance that he could see Ursa again invigorated Zuko. His hope and desperation to catch a glimpse of his mother overshadowed everything, even common sense and the severe pain. Fighting through the pain, Zuko managed to flutter his eyes open and peek through his eyelashes, nearly recoiling from the pain that simple action caused. Before he could succumb to its intensity, a cooling, soothing sensation washed over the source of his pain— his left eye, he noted.
As the pain was slowly numbed to a bearable level, Zuko dared to open his eyes again, though he knew he should concentrate on using his right eye only. Once more, it fluttered open and he felt a tear spill out of his eye and trail down the side of his face but a gentle hand wiped it away. He managed to catch sight of a flash of blue and Zuko finally remembered.
Katara.
She was at his side, watching over him. The thought warmed him and Zuko found his right eye relaxing, the lid dropping. Just before his vision turned black, he caught another flash of blue, but it was much brighter and an icier shade of blue. It was a glow that was bright enough for him to see behind his eyelid when his eye finally closed. His fatigue usurped his curiosity to find the source of the strange light. He told himself that he was just starting to go crazy and was hallucinating from the small glimpse he had of Katara's eyes.
Katara froze, certain that Zuko had seen her healing him. She held her glowing hands above his face, ready to continue healing his wound but she wasn't sure if he was asleep. She remained immobile until she was satisfied the young man wouldn't open his eyes again. Katara stifled a yawn, having just woken up when she heard him groan in pain and tense up. She obviously didn't want him to suffer so she continued the healing that she started the night before.
As she used her bending to see into the chi paths of his body, she bit down on her lip, frustrated with how the wound was healing. She shouldn't have fallen asleep. During that time, the injury began to heal itself in such a way that was going to leave a large scar. She could try to minimize the damage but most of it was already done, especially in the area closest to his eye. The delicate skin there was far too damaged for her to work with. The ideal way to prevent scarring would be with immediate treatment or healing. She was barred from healing Zuko immediately and, of course, she couldn't reveal her Waterbending. When she was finally alone with him, she stupidly fell asleep.
Continuing to berate herself for neglecting Zuko, Katara cleared up the pathways as best as she could, allowing easier passage for his chi to move through his body and nursing his destroyed skin and nerves to bridge together. For the most part, she concentrated on soothing the burn at the deeper levels of skin. It wouldn't be good to busy herself with fixing the damage at the surface if she didn't get to the source of the problem.
'Although the real source of the problem is the monster that did this,' she thought bitterly.
Seeing that she had done all she could do for the day, Katara let the glow die and returned the water to the bowl she kept next to Zuko's bed. She sighed heavily. Despite the heavy bandaging, she knew from her healing that this wound wouldn't heal quickly or easily. As much as she had tried to direct the flow of healing chi to the area, it was still too raw to handle the energy. Katara took the bowl to the bathroom, changed the water, and grabbed a small hand towel.
When she reached his side again, she set to work on washing him. He was still sooty and his skin had been covered in sweat from when his body went into shock in reaction to the extreme trauma of his injury. They hadn't bothered to wash or change his clothes after he had been attacked. Methodically, Katara dipped the small cloth into the water and dragged it over Zuko. First, she gently dabbed it around his face, taking extra care on his left side, making sure to avoid the dressing, before swiping the cool liquid down his neck. He was still bare-chested from the Agni Kai and so it was easy for her to clean his chest and abdomen, although she could feel the heat in her cheeks. She took the gold armbands from his upper arms and gently snaked them down and placed them on the bedside table before dipping the towel once more and wringing out the excess water.
"Planning on stealing them for later?" a cold voice asked.
Taken off guard, Katara jumped and nearly dropped the towel in the basin. She didn't turn around yet, knowing exactly whose voice echoed in the infirmary. As calmly as she could, she put the towel back in the water and turned around to face the dark haired girl in front of her.
Mai, as usual, had an impassive mask over her face but Katara took notice of her body language. The Fire Nation girl stood with impeccable posture— perhaps too impeccable. Her back was ramrod straight, as if the slightest curve would snap her spine. Her shoulders held the slightest hint of tension but perhaps the most telling sign was her hands. Mai kept them down at her sides but the fingers were curled into tight fists. With the way Fire Nation noblewomen kept their nails, Katara wouldn't be surprised if blood began dripping down her hands from the points puncturing her palms.
"Of course not," Katara said. "They were in the way. If you'd like to make sure that I don't steal them, you can take them yourself."
"And have you accuse me of stealing them myself? No thanks. What do you even think you're doing here?"
"I'm the only one besides General Iroh that's even cared to check on him. I've been here all night. Where have you been?" Katara shot back acerbically. Her tone surprised her. She never spoke that way, even when Sokka was doing his very best to annoy her.
Mai narrowed her golden eyes at Katara dangerously. "Just who do you think you're talking to? I could have you thrown in prison just for talking to me like that," she threatened. "And who do you think everyone would be more inclined to believe? I'm Fire Nation nobility, niece of the warden of a Fire Nation prison, and his girlfriend," she said, gesturing towards Zuko. "You? You're just a dirty servant. A purchased whore."
Katara could feel her blood boil with every word Mai said and she fought hard to control her emotions, not wanting every pipe in the palace to burst and flood the place. She took a slow breath and clenched her jaw. Through grit teeth, Katara apologized, "You're right, ma'am. I'm sorry for my disrespectful behavior. Would you like me to vacate the room so that you can stay with him?"
Mai ignored her words and set her gaze on the sleeping prince. It didn't appear as though what she saw surprised her. "Just like Azula said," she murmured. She turned back to Katara but it looked as though she were looking straight through her. "Don't bother. I'm leaving."
She turned to leave the room and Katara didn't know how to react. They were dating… shouldn't she have shown… something? At least some kind of sign to show that she was concerned about Zuko— that she cared.
"Would you like me to tell Prince Zuko you visited?"
Mai hesitated then turned her head sideways, just staring over her shoulder. "Don't bother," she repeated. Then she walked away, her gait unaffected. Her calmness dumbfounded Katara.
"Why… How can she be so apathetic?"
"Probably because she's Fire Nation nobility and apathy usually comes with the package."
Katara whipped her head down to the bed, surprised to see Zuko awake, his face twisted into a grimace as he struggled to open his eyes. He shifted to pull himself up into a sitting position and Katara immediately took hold of him around the waist and shoulders and helped pull him up.
"You heard that?" she asked meekly, her eyes downcast. Katara felt embarrassed, almost guilty that Zuko heard that exchange. After all, who was she to talk that way to someone who was clearly of a higher status than she was? And over a boy that she had no sort of claim over. Katara knew she was more than out of line.
"Most of it," he grunted out. He raised an arm to bring it to the left side of his face and Katara immediately grabbed his hand with both of hers.
"Don't touch it! Zuko, you're just going to end up hurting yourself even more."
"Pain and suffering will be sure to teach me a lesson," he muttered bitterly.
Katara frowned at him. "What are you talking about?"
"Nothing," he snapped gruffly. Zuko turned away from Katara and roughly snatched his arm out of her grasp.
Katara couldn't stop the hurt expression that appeared on her face but she hurried to cover it with a look of indignation and huffed, grabbing the bowl of water and shoved it into his hands, the water sloshing over the edge. Zuko stared at it and at her in bewilderment.
"You can take care of yourself if you're feeling so hot-tempered." Katara stopped before passing the foot of his bed and turned around. "You're welcome, by the way."
"Wait, Katara—"
Zuko put the bowl back on the bedside table and pulled away the blanket, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. He stood unsteadily and Katara, in spite of her anger, found herself turning towards him to help him but he held a hand up to stop her.
"I'm fine. And you're right. I'm sorry. Thank you for taking care of me."
"And spending the night in here," she added.
Zuko raised his eyebrows and immediately winced in pain. Even though it was bandaged, Katara knew that the action pulled against the burned skin. Zuko stopped himself from touching the wound and instead tried to focus on Katara again, his head spinning from the pain.
"You stayed the whole night?"
Blushing, Katara shrugged. "I was worried. And I knew that if I didn't, your Uncle Iroh would've spent the rest of the night in here instead." She smiled at Zuko softly and joked, "My back can handle sleeping in a chair a lot better than he can."
The corners of Zuko's mouth fell into a frown. "You should've slept on one of the spare beds."
"Now you sound like him."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Biting her lip, Katara cautiously stepped towards Zuko. He flinched when he saw her hands coming closer.
"I won't hurt you," she reassured him.
Zuko's right eye closed and he nodded. She gently placed one of her hands on the right side of his face, silently letting him know what she was planning to do. Very lightly, she placed her other hand on the left side of his face. She did it so tenderly; her hand only seemed to hover on top of the bandages. Katara's fingers lightly danced along the bandages, slowing down and lingering over where Zuko's eye was.
"Does this hurt?" she whispered.
"Not really," he whispered back.
Katara was shocked by the sensation of his warm breath on her thumb. She wasn't aware that she had placed it on top of his lips. When Zuko spoke, the hot air of his breath tickled the pad of her thumb. Now that she was conscious of it, she took notice of the soft texture of his lips. Katara thanked the spirits that his eye was closed and he couldn't see her blush. She took her hands down and not knowing what to do next, Katara did what came naturally.
"Take off your pants," she ordered.
Zuko's eye shot open and redness crept up his neck onto his cheeks. "What?" he choked out.
"Unless you're feeling better, I was going to finish what I was doing before Mai came in."
"Which was what exactly?" Zuko's voice shot up an octave. He hurriedly cleared his throat and avoided eye contact with her.
Gesturing at his body, Katara rolled her eyes. "You're still covered in sweat and filth. I was wiping you down." A glint shone in her eyes. "It's not like I haven't seen a man without his pants before, Zuko." Sokka eating in his underwear whenever she washed or sewed his pants counted in her mind. And the dummy Yugoda used to teach her and the other waterbenders healing with. But Zuko didn't need to know that.
"You… what?"
Katara grinned and Zuko scowled, realizing that she was teasing him. Whether he was scowling because he didn't like thinking about Katara seeing another man without pants or because she was teasing him, he didn't know. He scoffed and crossed his arms sternly.
"What? I'm just joking, Zuko." The grin never faded on Katara's face. "Quit being so uptight and serious."
"I'm not uptight."
"Sure you aren't." Katara raised an eyebrow at him and smiled smugly.
Zuko groaned. "Why are you doing this?"
"I guess I like teasing you."
"Can't say that I'm used to it… unless you count Azula constantly telling me how she's the better Firebender."
"… I don't. That's not teasing; it's just being mean."
"It's actually just Azula being Azula."
"I can't argue with you on that," Katara quipped. She gave him a small smile that Zuko slowly returned. "But seriously, you need to wash up. You're filthy."
Katara only smiled innocently as Zuko made a face at her. He was set to return her teasing with a witty retort but it died as soon as he saw his uncle enter the infirmary. Katara noticed this and turned to see who Zuko was looking at. She hesitantly bowed before Iroh and moved to the side to give the two their privacy.
"Miss Katara, please. That is not necessary." Iroh kept his tone light but there was something off in the delivery. It was stilted, forced. Katara only nodded in return and Iroh turned his attention back to his nephew. "Zuko, I have some news to share with you…"
"About what?"
"My brother… your father made a declaration while you were recuperating from your injury. It seems as though you have been banished from the Fire Nation—"
"Banished?!"
"— and that you are stripped of your official titles as Crown Prince of the Fire Nation and as heir to the Fire Lord. Your are tasked with continuing the search for the Avatar—"
"The Avatar?! He hasn't been seen in over a hundred of years! It's a wild goose chase!" Zuko threw his hands around wildly to gesticulate his anger and disbelief. Katara shrunk away, frowning.
Iroh held a hand up to silence his nephew.
"—you may not return until you have completed your task and regained your honor, accomplished only by finding the Avatar. You will be given your own ship and crew to aid you in your journey. Fire Lord Ozai's orders are effective immediately."
"…'Effective immediately'…" Zuko echoed, completely shocked. He lowered himself back onto the bed, his eye staring blankly at the floor.
"Do not worry, nephew. I have elected to join you and offer my assistance in any way."
"Banished… stripped of my title… of my honor."
"Prince Zuko, everything will be all right."
"How can you say that?!" Zuko held his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. "My father burned me… my father. And now I'm being sent on a pointless journey around the world to find someone that's probably dead! Nothing is all right!"
Katara hugged her arms to her chest, biting on her lower lip uncertainly. "Zuko…" She took a step towards him but he recoiled.
"Don't touch me!"
Katara backed away, hurt. Iroh looked at the two teenagers with sympathy but before he could say anything, Zuko stormed out of the infirmary.
"Zuko!" Katara yelled. She made to run after him, but Iroh placed a firm hand on her shoulder. She looked back at him imploringly, but he shook his head.
"He needs to be alone and deal with this himself, just for a little bit. The two of us will help him throughout this journey. My nephew will make it through this. He will be all right."
As hard as she wanted to believe him, Katara couldn't help the sinking feeling in her stomach, her eyes full of concern as she looked at the threshold of the infirmary.
Iroh left Katara to find his nephew and attempt to get the newly banished prince to calm down. Katara meandered through the halls of the palace before she found herself at the courtyard across from the hall where Ozai's concubines' rooms were. Katara's gaze alighted on the first door— Asha's room. She hurried across the courtyard and rapped her knuckles against the door. After a few moments of silence, Katara knocked on the door again, impatience creeping its way into her mood. With a sigh, Katara recalled that on her first day in the palace, Asha allowed her entrance into her room whenever Katara needed her.
She gripped the doorknob and twisted it, pushing it open hesitantly, and surprised that it had been left unlocked. She peered inside before she was left dumbstruck at the sight before her. Katara remained frozen at the threshold of the empty room. It was immaculate, left with nothing to indicate that anyone had been living in this room just the night before. Hurrying into the room, Katara looked through all of the drawers and closets, left with nothing inside of them. Asha's bathroom was also devoid of any personal items. The colorful and fragrant collection of perfumes and oils that previously lined the edges of the large, ornate tub had vanished.
"She's not here."
Katara walked back into the main chamber. Another woman who appeared to be a few years younger than Asha stood in the center of the room, a sad smile on her face. She was unlike many of the other Fire Nation women in that her ebony hair was cut short, close to her head with a few strands tousled in every direction. It was even shorter than some of the men's hair. She was very petite and appeared fragile. Still, Katara recognized her as one of many of Fire Lord Ozai's concubines.
"I'm sorry?" Katara asked.
"Asha. She's not here. She was forced to vacate the premises late last night. It happened quickly. She didn't even have time to come back here and pack any of her belongings… any necessities. She was just thrown out like a stray dog," the woman said bitterly.
Katara's eyes widened in disbelief. "You can't be serious!"
The woman raised an eyebrow at Katara. "You're the prince's girl." She slowly circled Katara, surveying her. "Katara." Clicking her tongue, she stood in front of Katara once more, her arms crossed. "You're the new girl with the peculiar relationship with Prince Zuko. Asha was worried about you."
"She told me so last night. She thought I was… that Zuko and I had a weird relationship."
"Believe me, girl, she wasn't the only one. The former heir to the throne barely cracked a smile around his taciturn witch of a girlfriend. Although I suppose since his banishment, I should say ex-girlfriend." A dark eyebrow arched at her. "Then you show up and he's smiling and laughing in public. You must be a very special girl. Asha took quite the liking to you, too." Once more, the woman's eyes appraised Katara.
"Did you know she had a little girl? She would be around your age by now. Suffice it to say, Fire Lord Ozai noticed Asha on one of his travels to the outer Fire Nation villages and decided that he wanted her here. For the safety of her little girl, Asha left her behind to come here. I guess you reminded her of her daughter."
Katara thought she hated Fire Lord Ozai simply for instigating the war. She hated him more after the loss of her mother. Since her time in the Fire Nation, she had convinced herself that nothing could have deepened her hatred of him and her determination to see him fall— especially after watching what Zuko had to go through. But her loathing reached a new level.
"How could he take such pleasure in separating so many mothers from their children?" she whispered.
"You have a lot to learn. He could care less as long as the end suits his needs." The woman glanced around the room. "Asha is gone. And she's not coming back. A hidden blessing if you ask me, as long as she was simply removed from the palace."
"Would it really be that easy?"
The woman frowned. "Probably not. Fire Lord Ozai most likely ensured that Asha would never see her daughter again the minute he kicked her out. In any case, here's a word of advice: leave this life the first chance you get. You're still new; you can still come out of this unscathed. Prince Zuko's too deeply involved. You'll end up getting hurt."
Katara bristled at her words. "I can take care of myself and make my own decisions."
"I'm trying to help you make the right decision. Prince Zuko may be as much of a victim as anyone else, but the boy's practically cursed. Every woman that cares for him ends up gone. It's in your best interest to stay away from him and stop this schoolgirl attachment you have for him. It's what Asha wished to tell you last night after the Agni Kai. She didn't get a chance to tell you so I am." The woman turned to leave the room.
"Wait! How do you know all of this?"
The woman didn't turn around but she stopped shortly before reaching the door. "I was there. I saw him send her away last night. I was Asha's best friend. We came from the same village. And I'm honoring her wishes by trying to keep you safe. It's also my duty as the chief concubine to look after the new girls."
"You took Asha's place?"
"I didn't betray her, if that's what you're asking. You should know by now, Katara. More power doesn't get you anything in the Fire Nation except for a larger target on your back. I hope you make the right decision."
"I know I am."
"You truly care for Prince Zuko, then?"
"He's my friend."
"And you're certain that he cares about you?"
Katara hesitated for the slightest of breaths.
"If you have to question it, then you should definitely question your decision." The woman left the room.
"Wait!" Katara ran out of the room and down the hall. "Wait! Please, do you have any idea where Asha might be?"
"I don't. I have no idea what the Fire Lord had planned for her when he threw her out. It's not safe to go looking for her."
"Why don't you stop telling me what's best for me and tell me what I need to know? I thought you were her best friend! Don't you want to know if she's okay? I'm going to ignore your advice anyway, so I'd rather we just skip that part," Katara snapped.
The woman recoiled before smiling wryly at her. "I'm beginning to see why Asha had such a fondness for you. As for Asha's whereabouts, I can't be certain, but I believe that Ozai may have sent her straight to the streets to fend for herself. You're better off looking for her in the rougher part of the capital. I wouldn't recommend it, though."
"Where do you think the Fire Lord found me?" Katara retorted.
"In that case, give Asha my best."
Just as the woman began stalking away once more, Katara asked, "What's your name?"
"You can call me Ara."
"Ara?"
Ara looked back at Katara somberly. "Asha is my older sister. We were taken together. If you find her, please tell her to live well and to send my love to my niece."
Katara navigated her way through the crowded, humid atmosphere of the slums of the Fire Nation Capital City. By now, she had been able to acclimate and reintegrate herself into this part of society quickly, no longer the wide eyed girl she was when she was first dropped off. No one gave her a second glance. She made sure to keep the cloak securely tucked around her and the hood up. She didn't want to attract any attention.
She had passed by the dilapidated building she knew served as the Freedom Fighters' base. She cringed thinking about her last encounter with the Freedom Fighters' leader, Jet. Katara couldn't be sure, but she thought she had caught a glimpse of him as she hurried by the building. Apparently, he managed to get away from wherever they were keeping him on Ember Island. Sokka and she really regretted involving them into their plans.
'At least I managed to get out of that one.'
Finally, Katara's eyes alighted on the brothel that had housed her until her move to the palace. If Asha really was thrown into the streets, this would be the first place she'd go to. She knew from conversations with Katara that the girls here looked out for each other and it would be a springboard to get back home. At least, Katara hoped that that was Asha's train of thought.
Pushing through the heavy red curtains and into the empty brothel, Katara made a beeline towards the rooms upstairs, where she knew the girls spent the day sleeping before working for the night. Heading for the room she knew had Haku's bed, Katara opened the door, ignoring the protests of the two other girls she had woken up. Haku's bed was empty.
"Where's Haku? I need to speak with her!"
"Who the hell do you think you are?"
"Little girl, what do you think gives you the right to talk to us like that?"
Katara pursed her lips, realizing that these girls were new. "I don't have time for this. Where's Haku?!"
"Katara?"
Katara turned and saw Sokka standing in the doorway. "Sokka?!"
"Hey! Dishwasher, get out of here!" One of the girls threw a pillow in the direction of the doorway and Sokka easily avoided it.
He grabbed Katara's arm and pulled her out of the room, closing the door behind them. He led her up another flight of stairs into the attic where Katara knew the owner kept inventory.
"You forgot, didn't you?"
"Sokka, I—"
"You got wrapped up in whatever trouble Zuko got wrapped up in and decided to fix everything for him. You forgot that I told you I would meet you back here if you were coming back with me. You forgot why you're here in the first place."
Katara averted her gaze from her brother's as they entered the attic. "Sokka, I'm sorry."
"Later. We have more important things to deal with. Since you completely ignored me when you walked in the door, I figured that this is what you came for."
The two siblings entered the attic, stocked with piles of crates. From behind one of the piles, Haku came out, her grey eyes accusatory. "Sokka, what the hell do you think you're doing? I told you that no one's supposed to come up here."
Katara stepped forward. "Haku… is Asha here?"
Haku's eyes widened. "Katara, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be at the palace?"
"I was told that something happened to one of my friends in the palace. I thought that this would be the first place she would go. Please, is Asha here?"
There was rustling behind a pile of crates and a heavy thump. Haku ran back behind the crate. When she reemerged, she had one of Asha's arms slung over her shoulders and one of her arms wrapped around the woman's waist, supporting her as she limped out.
"Asha…" Katara's voice broke.
The older woman's beautiful face was marred by horrid looking discolorations. Dark purples and blacks spotted her face and Katara could have sworn she saw a bruise in the shape of a hand wrapping around Asha's exposed forearm.
"Katara." Asha attempted to smile but winced when the movement caused a cut in her lip to reopen. "You're okay."
"What happened?" Katara breathed. She rushed towards Asha, helping Haku support her. "I just found out that you had been thrown out of the palace."
"Fire Lord Ozai was so angry after the Agni Kai. I was the object of his aggression."
Upon further inspection of Asha, Katara could see that her clothes were also singed and she had burns on her forearms— defensive wounds. Her eyes narrowed and her lips formed a tight line.
"Sokka, hurry and bring me some water," Katara ordered, her voice grave. Immediately, Sokka followed his little sister's orders, recognizing the tone of voice.
"Katara, don't worry, Haku's already cleaned my wounds."
Haku interrupted before Katara could answer. "You're a healer, aren't you?"
Asha looked between Haku and Katara, both alarmed and confused. Katara shook her head, deflecting any questions Asha had.
Sokka came back in, the water sloshing around the large bowl. He carried the bowl to Katara. She raised her hands and water flew from the bowl and coated her hands like gloves before glowing an icy blue. Methodically, Katara bent the water over Asha's face, healing the bruises and cuts. It appeared as though the water were merely washing away stage paint from an actor's face. Katara continued towards Asha's forearms, taking time to heal the burns and bruises there.
"Anywhere else?" she asked softly.
Asha shook her head but Haku answered, "Her torso. I think the bastard may have broken a rib."
Katara exhaled forcefully through her nose. That was the only sign of her anger as she moved her hands there, sensing the broken bone and attempting to manipulate it back into place and expediting the healing process. She returned the water to the bowl and sighed.
"That's as much as I can accomplish. Her body will do the rest."
Asha looked at Katara with wide eyes. "You're a Water Tribe girl."
"I am."
"You're working against Ozai."
It wasn't a question. Katara nodded. "My brother and I were sent by the leaders of our tribes to do this. Haku is our Fire Nation contact."
"Then… Zuko…"
Katara's eyebrows furrowed. "As far as he's concerned, I consider him as much of a victim as anyone else Ozai has terrorized."
"You're not stringing him along?"
"I could never," Katara insisted.
"He's a good boy. He doesn't deserve that."
"I know that more than anyone." Katara took one of Asha's hands in her own. "Asha, Ara told me about your daughter. Where is she?"
Asha sighed. "Some neighbors had to take her in when Ara and I were captured. After I was settled into the palace, I sent word back with orders for her to live with an aunt and uncle of mine on Whale Tail Island."
"Does Ozai know?"
"I hope not."
"Ok, you're going to go back with Sokka to the Southern Water Tribe and you're going to pick her up on the way."
Asha's tear bright eyes glistened even in the dim lighting of the dingy attic. "Katara, I can't thank you enough."
Katara looked back at Sokka. "You two have to leave by tomorrow morning at the latest. You have to get out of here, but Asha needs some time to recover before traveling. Make sure you avoid being seen by any Fire Nation soldiers on Whale Tail Island. If Ozai does know about Asha's daughter, we don't want his soldiers taking any action against her if Asha's seen."
"What about you?"
"Sokka, I can't leave Zuko."
"I don't want to leave you behind—"
"You were fine with this last night."
"I figured you would come to your senses by today. Katara, Dad will kill me if I don't bring you back with me."
"Not if you tell him that I still have something important to do. Sokka, this is so important. I know it— I can feel it in my bones. I have to stay with Zuko. I have to see this through."
"I know about that scavenger hunt that the Fire Lord's sent him on. Katara, it could be years until you come back home. We were sent here to gather as much intelligence as possible and then get out. Get in, send information, and get out. You seem to be forgetting that part. I've already sent them plans while you've been busy playing nurse to Prince Zuko."
"Sokka, I know where my duty lies."
"And it's not to him! It's to your tribe, to your family!"
"There's more to it that you just can't see!" Katara hugged her arms to her chest. "Sokka, I can feel it. I'm meant to stay here. I'm meant for something greater than just information relay. That's your destiny. You're the one who knows how to fight a war. That's not my role."
Sokka sighed but didn't argue further. "Fine, but before we separate, we have one more thing to do."
"What is it?"
"Take down a Fire Nation munitions factory." The smirk on Sokka's face was dripping with excitement.
Katara smirked back and deadpanned, "Right. Normal sibling bonding."
Sokka peeked through the ripped curtain that covered the lone window in the attic, holding up the thin fabric by the edge of a finger. His blue eyes narrowed as he ignored the landscape of the sea and focused on the large metal behemoth located in the center of the district. Thick, black smog floated out of several towers and pipes, dark clouds that floated upwards, joining the incoming darkness of night. There was only the slightest hint of orange in the sky in the horizon.
He lowered the curtain and turned back to face the room, pulling a black mask over his face. "It's time."
Katara was tying back her thick, brunette waves before fitting a mask around the lower half of her face. "Ready."
Sokka opened the window and climbed through it, the sound of his footsteps on the rooftop echoing above her. Katara made to follow, but before she did, Katara knelt next to where Asha was seated. She took one of the older woman's hands and squeezed it reassuringly. "Thank you for showing me kindness in the palace. I hope you and your daughter find each other and stay safe."
"Thank you, Katara." Asha squeezed back. "You make sure you stay safe as well. And as soon as this is over, please come and visit. I would like to introduce you to my daughter."
Smiling warmly, Katara said, "I'd like that, too."
Katara released Asha's hand and lifted the hood of her black sweater so that her eyes were the only part of her body left revealed, just like Sokka. She held onto the edge of the open window and stepped onto the ledge before turning to face the inside of attic. Holding Asha's gaze for a split second, Katara hoisted herself onto the roof and began creeping across the scaled surface. She could hear the soft click of the window being shut behind her.
Joining Sokka at the rooftop's peak, she sprawled out across the tiles, mimicking his position. Her eyes focused on the munitions factory. As darkness finally crept over the city and lights began popping up, Sokka and Katara began their trek towards the factory, hopping to the nearest rooftop and leaping to the next one as they got closer to their destination.
There were very few windows on the factory. But the Water Tribe siblings could see the groups of people exiting the building. Quickly, they planned possible routes in and out of the factory.
Finally, when the plant seemed deserted, Katara and Sokka dropped down from the rooftop they were on to an awning before leaping down onto the ground. Crouching low, they hustled towards the structure, Sokka taking the lead and positioning himself below a low window that they knew led to an empty room. Katara quickened her pace and just as she would collide into her older brother, pressed the balls of her feet into the ground so that she could spring up and into his open palms, bounding up onto the ledge of the window sill.
"Hurry up, Katara!"
"Sokka, I just got here!" she snapped back.
Katara's eyes quickly scanned the glass. The panels couldn't open. They were merely meant to allow light for the workers. The only opening was a small square within the glass panel that could be pushed open from the inside to act as a vent.
"We have to find another window. They can't be opened from the outside. We need to find one that's already partially opened."
"I'll look from down here and on other sides of the building. Are you able to climb along the ledge and check the windows on this side?"
Katara held onto the edge and reached her neck out to glance at the distance to the next window. "I can jump it. If I find an open window, I'll get inside and leave my mask on the ledge so that you see it when you circle around."
"Be careful!"
"I know! Just go!" She made a shooing motion with her hand to urge her brother to start moving before turning to the next window.
The gap between the two ledges wasn't too bad. Maybe six feet of space between them. She could jump that. Maybe. Katara took a deep breath and moved to the far edge of the ledge she stood on. Perhaps if she had a bit of a running start, she could make it.
She crouched down and placed her weight on the ball of her forward foot. Her eyebrows came together and her body tensed before she took a calming breath. As she exhaled, she pushed forward, took the two steps allotted to her by the window ledge and pushed off of the edge. Katara stretched her arms out in front of her to propel her forward and flew through the air. Her eyes widened as she realized midair that her estimate of six feet was off. The gap was nearly ten feet across.
Cursing that she wasn't taller, Katara thrust her arms out even further and managed to grasp onto the edge of the windowsill. Her momentum kept her swinging so that she continued to travel underneath the ledge, the pads of her fingers scraping against the rough stone as her grip loosened.
Katara brought her knees to her chest in order to stabilize her movement. She straightened one arm to pull herself up while the other hand insured a strong grip. Once she had pulled her torso onto the ledge, she dragged the rest of her body up. Lying down and gasping, she looked up at the glass panel praying to the spirits that the vent would be open so she wouldn't have to do that again. Thankfully, the spirits were kind to her. It seemed that someone was careless in closing the vents. It was slightly open, enough space for Katara to fit a slim finger through and push down. She quickly took off her mask and tied it to the corner of the vent, the dark fabric dancing in the wind.
Holding on to the top of the window frame, Katara put her legs through the vent and slid through.
As expected, the interior was wide-open space filled with crates, machinery, and rows that would be filled with workers in assembly lines. That was all Katara could see in the darkness. Her fingers itched to find a way to turn on some form of light but she forced herself to stay put and wait for Sokka. She heard grunting and raised an eyebrow in the direction of the open window.
Peering out of the vent, Katara fought to laugh at the sight of Sokka scraping to grab onto the ledge of the windowsill. Katara climbed out back onto the ledge and smirked down at Sokka, hands on her hips.
Scowling back at her, Sokka hissed, "Don't look at me like that! You were able to spring up there with my help!"
"Alright, alright, quit howling like a tiger seal. You'll get us caught."
Katara lied down on the ledge and held her arm out over the edge. Sokka stepped back and with a running start, leapt up to clasp her forearm. Katara grunted and slid forward at the sudden weight but dug her toes into the rough stone of the ledge. She reached out her other hand to grab Sokka's other arm.
"Ugh!" she grunted, "When… did you… get so… fat?"
With each word, Katara pulled up Sokka until he was able to push himself up.
Scowling at her again, Sokka rolled his eyes. "Let's just get to work, okay?"
Katara retrieved her mask from where she tied it and put it back on. The mask still didn't hide it when she rolled her eyes at Sokka.
"You're the one who took forever to get here."
She ignored his pout and slid back into the factory, quickly moving out of the way. Sokka gracelessly slipped through the vent face first. As a result, he hit the ground in a similar fashion. Katara raised an eyebrow at him and moved among the piles of crates and in between the conveyor belts. She brushed a hand over one belt, her hand skidding across the rough texture.
"So what's the plan?"
Sokka was busying himself inspecting the labels on various crates, stroking his chin.
"I'm trying to find a box full of something explosive so that… you know, we can blow up the factory."
Katara's eyes widened as she stared at him in disbelief. "Blow up the factory?"
"I don't think I stuttered, Katara."
"And here I thought we were just going adjust the machinery so that every weapon they make would be defective in the future."
"They can fix that easily enough. And how would that deter them from using the weapons that had already been made? They're all packed up and ready to be distributed."
"Have it your way then."
"Don't tell me you'd feel bad." Sokka peered out from the tower of crates he was looking over.
Katara huffed. "Of course not. There's no one here so no one would get hurt. Except maybe us if you're not careful when you ignite whatever flammable explosive thing you want to ignite."
"If you ask me, you sound like your sympathy for Prince Zuko is growing towards the whole Fire Nation."
"No one asked you. And so what if it was? You heard Asha's story. It's not just the other three nations that have been victimized. People within the Fire Nation suffer too, Sokka. The only ones at blame are Fire Lord Ozai and the mindless minions that listen to him and carry out his order."
"Like Prince Zuko chasing after the Avatar?"
Katara whirled around, knocking over the box she was looking at. "You're joking, right? You think that Zuko doesn't know what a joke that assignment is? If he accepts the reality of it, he also has to accept the fact that he's exiled. It's the one thing that's capable of giving him hope and he doesn't even believe in it." She scoffed. "I can't believe we have to discuss this again. I've already told you—"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Sokka waved his arms at her and spoke in a falsetto voice, "Zuko's not like the rest of them." He made a face and intoned, "I get it."
Fighting the urge to summon a source of water to whip her brother with, Katara turned back to the crates she was examining. Moving on, she felt her foot sink in something soft. Her eyes couldn't discern anything in the darkness so she knelt down to touch the substance. It was finely milled, dark as night, and slipped through her fingers like sand.
"Sokka, I think I found something for you to blow up."
Hastily joining her, Sokka touched a finger to the powder. "Explosive powder. This must be what they shoot using their firebending."
Sokka shook his hands free of the powder and glanced at the nearby pile. "Let's do this."
The two siblings worked quickly to spread out the crates containing the explosive evenly throughout the large warehouse. Using the crate that Katara had knocked over, they created trails of explosive throughout the factory that led to the crates and crossed through the entire structure several times. Sokka was just creating the last trail, pouring the powder to the exit. Katara and Sokka stood at the entrance of the warehouse, the destructive trail starting at their feet.
"As soon as I light this, we need to run. Fast."
He knelt as far away from the powder as he could and reached into the folds of his clothing and pulled out two spark rocks. Very meticulously, he held the green rocks at arms' length and stroked the stones together. A spark passed between the rocks and was immediately attracted to the powder. Sokka dropped the rocks and sprinted away, grabbing Katara's hand as he pulled them to safety.
Within seconds, a series of booms and hissing echoed throughout the large metal structure and it shuddered and shook as it was lit by flames. Even as they ran further and further away, they could feel the waves of heat chasing after them as the fire grew. The streets began to liven up with the clamor of shock and awe at the fire. Crowds started forming as people left their beds and poured into the street to get a better look. Sokka and Katara easily blended in and slowed their pace to a brisk walk as they fought the current of people edging closer to the burning building.
As they reached the brothel, Sokka still continued to pull Katara behind him. Katara gently but firmly removed her arm from his grasp.
"Sokka, I have to head back to the palace now. They'll hear of this and start waking up. I need to be there." She held up a hand to stop whatever argument he had to convince her to come back to the Southern Water Tribe. "Sokka, I can't."
Pursing his lips, Sokka nodded. "Remember what we agreed on. Messenger hawk every week at the minimum." He sighed and then enveloped his little sister in a tight embrace. "You watch out for yourself, Katara. You take care of yourself before anyone else. I know that's a difficult concept for you, but for the sake of the spirits, please just do it."
Fighting back tears, Katara let out a choked chuckle. "I'll do my best."
"Stay safe, little sister."
"Travel safely. And please make sure Asha stays safe."
Sokka gave her a quick nod and relinquished his hold. Katara bit her lip and gave him one more quick hug before pulling the hood more tightly over her head and disappearing into the darkness as she moved towards the palace.
A spray of ocean water lifted as the hull of the ship crashed onto a wave. The mist fell on Katara, but she didn't mind, inhaling the salty smell and relishing in the cool feeling. She glanced at the messenger hawk flying away from the ship, a tiny roll of paper clutched in its talons. Katara was able to send messages without any suspicion under the pretense that she was sending messages to her friends in the brothel. It was still considered strange for her to have such an attachment to this group of people, but the crew aboard the ship took it as one of her many eccentricities. The chief eccentricity being her obvious loyalty to the young banished prince. Katara had heard them speaking about her and the speculation of her plan to entrap Zuko and gain status. They laughed heartily because what good would it be to be a mistress of a banished royal.
She pursed her lips and scowled at the water below her.
"Another letter?"
Katara didn't bother turning around to face the speaker. She already knew the owner of that voice.
She shrugged. "Yes. Don't you know the kinds of drama that can happen with nearly twenty girls stuck together? Missing makeup, missing clothes… the accusations and secrets start flying and then I get a letter from one of the girls giving me every juicy detail."
It was getting exhausting— all of the lies.
"I wouldn't really know. If anyone tried to start drama with Azula, she'd take care of it before they even had a chance to finish."
"I bet," Katara muttered.
The corners of Zuko's mouth quirked up. Katara felt an immense surge of pride at being one of the few able to put him in a good mood. His good humor had been rare in the past few weeks that they had been at sea. More often than not, the expression on his face was a mixture of a grimace and a snarl. And she'd been witness to his terrifying temper quite often as well. Katara was usually the one to offer a kind smile at the unfortunate crewmember who had to face Zuko's wrath.
Before they left, Zuko, Iroh, and a small group of Fire Nation soldiers searched the nearby lands in the Fire Nation for any sign of the avatar before they set sail. Katara took that time to make frequent trips to the brothel and make final arrangements of communication between Haku and the Southern Water Tribe. Once she left, Haku would also act as her connection to the goings on in the Fire Nation Capital City. She didn't want to be blindsided by anything that Zuko would most likely hide from her.
In fact, if she weren't there when Iroh told Zuko, Katara wasn't sure whether she would know that Zuko had been banished. Just left alone in the palace.
Katara lifted her gaze from the water to Zuko. His left eye was still covered in bandages but it was much lighter dressing than when they'd left the Fire Nation capital. He would be able to remove the bandages within the next two weeks. Katara had caught him asleep with his door open several times and snuck in to try healing the wound but any progress she made was minimal. Too much time had passed and the damage Ozai had done would be permanent. She at least hoped that her efforts quickened the healing process.
"The officers are joking that I should shave my hair off."
"Huh?"
"They said that I'd be taken more seriously if I shave my head and wear the traditional ponytail of Fire Nation warriors."
He sounded like Sokka when he talked about his warrior wolf tail. Boys.
Katara furrowed her brow at tried to imagine a nearly bald Zuko with a ponytail sticking out from his scalp.
"I don't think it's a funny joke."
"It's just something I was thinking about…" Zuko's eyes turned to the water. "It's a symbol of honor, of dedication to family and nation."
Katara gently placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned back to her. "Zuko, trust me. You don't need to shave your head to prove anything. The fact that you're even doing this— wholeheartedly— is more than enough proof of how dedicated you are to your people. You have all the honor you need."
Zuko smiled at her but Katara recognized it as one merely to placate her. He didn't believe her. She frowned at him.
"Zuko?"
"Hmm?"
"If… if I wasn't there when your uncle told you about your father's orders… would you have told me? I mean— I guess what I'm trying to say is… would you have left me behind?"
"Yes."
Katara fought to not tear her gaze away from his, hoping that the color pooling in her cheeks wasn't too evident. At a loss, she replied softly, "Oh. I see."
Zuko frowned. He had seen the quick flash of hurt cross Katara's features. "It's not what you think, Katara. I… appreciate.. no I—" Zuko groaned and ran a hand over the right side of his face in exasperation. "I obviously don't have the social finesse to express myself."
"You're not addressing a crowd of Fire Nation nobility, Zuko. You're just talking to me. No finesse necessary."
"It's just… what I meant to say is… I'd rather not haul you around the world on an empty goose chase. I'd like you to find a place to call home and settle down."
"I'm fifteen, not thirty. I don't need to settle down. And I have no home to go back to, Zuko."
"I figured that anyplace would be better than being stuck in a ship for Agni knows how long."
"I'm your friend. I said I'd stick with you. And that's exactly what I'm doing. You're going to have to put up with me."
Zuko scoffed. "You make it seem as if I think you're a nuisance."
"Don't you?"
He regarded her, his amber gaze moving slowly from her eyes, down her nose, to her lips, and back up. Katara felt heat rise in her cheeks once more underneath the intensity of his stare.
"No. I don't," he murmured.
Katara shifted uncomfortably and looked down at her feet. She cleared her throat and tossed her long hair over her shoulder.
"Well I can't say the same about you," she commented flippantly.
She brought her eyes back up to meet his and smiled when she saw the mirth in them. Relaxing, she leaned over the railing again to gaze out at the sea. "So where are we headed next?"
"The abandoned Southern Air Temple."
Zuko placed a hand on Katara's back and gestured for her gaze to follow where he pointed. Katara could barely concentrate on where to look. The pressure between her shoulders and the heat radiating from his palm almost caused her to shiver in response. But she could see a faint obstruction on the horizon that she assumed was an island.
"The Southern Air Temple…"
Turning to face him, she asked, "So are we going to all of the air temples before we start concentrating elsewhere?"
Zuko shook his head. "That would be too time consuming. We've already searched the Fire Nation. Although, I highly doubted that we'd find anything there. I'm not even that convinced that searching the temples would do me any good. If he's still alive, the Avatar wouldn't stay there. It's much too obvious. My best guess is that he sought sanctuary at settlements near temples. The Southern Water Tribe, for example."
"The Water Tribe?"
Katara had a sudden case of dry mouth and her heart dropped. Of course. How could she have forgotten?
A jolly, elderly voice broke through the tension. With a hearty chuckle, Iroh's voice boomed, "Lieutenant Jee, you are very logical, but you understand, the Avatar must have learned in the past century to not hide in such obvious places. Of course we should look everywhere for him, as my brother sought to do, I'm sure."
Katara smiled softly at the mediator and his happy demeanor, even in such a tense atmosphere, remembering him as the old man from the previous night. She peered out behind the pillar, trying to get a glimpse of him.
"Oh, yes. I understand completely now, General Iroh."
"Now, the Western Air Temple is completely empty, and we're now sure of the Eastern Temple, as well. Only that damned mechanic and others live there. We all know that there are certainly no Airbenders in the Southern Air Temple, so we have to assume that in my grandfather's destruction of the Air Nomads, the Avatar had no time to flee far and he must have traveled somewhere close," Iroh reasoned. "Therefore, the closest location that would aid him would be the Southern Water Tribe at the South Pole."
"But there's really nothing there."
Zuko shrugged. "It never hurts to look. And the Southern Water Tribe's been growing in recent years. They may have strengthened enough to be able to harbor the Avatar. I mean, he'd be an old man by now. Not like he'd really impose on resources. If we're quick at the air temple, we should be at the South Pole within the next two weeks."
A foreboding sense of dread filled Katara.
Edited April 2019