Paper Clouds

Chapter Eleven

By MiaVortice

*All Standard Disclaimers Apply: This is a work of fiction.


He honestly wasn't sure how he should've felt when he looked at them. He was sure that any normal older brother would've thrown a fit if he found his unwed sister in bed with a man that she had introduced to him just a few days earlier. However, the situation wasn't that simple.

Katara found support and moments of peace with the black-haired firebender. Even the Avatar had told Sokka that the two had a close bond forged by mutual respect and trust. They hardly went anywhere without each other, Aang had told him.

Sokka also found no reason to dislike Zuko. He was somewhat serious, but respectful. He had good manners and, from what he had heard, he had jumped off a building to catch Katara and break her fall without hesitation. The man saved his sister.

And yet, despite what their physical actions implied - the hand holding, the hugging, the clinging on to each other in their sleep - neither spoke of the other in what Sokka would've considered romantic ways. The two benders almost seemed like they were simply very close friends.

Almost.

Sokka stood at the threshold of his sister's bedroom door and found the familiar site of the two in her bed. Katara was well beneath her blanket and had wedged herself close to Zuko, who was sleeping on top of her blanket, but covered with his own.

Light snoring came from the two of them. Katara had an arm draped over Zuko's chest while she used one of his arms as a pillow. Both were still dressed in their sleep wear and nothing suspicious seemed to have taken place.

That was a good thing?

Sokka lifted one hand to the wooden door frame and knocked. A lazy groaned escaped Katara and she turned her head and buried it against the firebender's chest in an effort to try to ignore the outside world.

"Sokka?" the said firebender turned his head and squinted. At least Zuko could be counted on to respond.

"Mind helping me wake her up?" the blue-eyed brunette asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"It's early," Katara grumbled. "Come back later."

"I can't," her brother replied dully. "The ferry I need to take in order to catch the train to from the West Lake is leaving soon."

With that, Katara sat up in bed. Her eyes were wide and Sokka would've laughed at her unruly bedhead had he time. "You're leaving already!?" she choked out.

"I only extended my trip because you were here," he reminded her.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay longer? We're going to be leaving within a day or two," Zuko offered. "I'm sure the Avatar will be fine with you accompanying us, as we're traveling south."

"Yeah," Katara said as she pulled away from Zuko and slid her legs over the side of the bed. She slipped her feet into a pair of slippers and reached for her robe. Zuko stretched his arms as he moved to his edge of the bed. "Where are you going next?"

"The swamp," Sokka replied. "Then I'm taking a boat to Kyoshi Island before heading home. They have some new council members they want me to meet."

"Zuko, did Aang tell you where we're heading next?" Katara asked.

"Probably to one of the temples," Zuko shrugged. "We can check."

"Sorry, you two, but I don't have time to waste. I've already pushed back my travel plans," the blue-eyed man reminded them.

"Can you at least wait a few minutes?" Katara asked as she stumbled out of bed and towards a wooden wardrobe against the wall. "I'll come with you to the station."

Sokka was touched, but he was also hesitant. His eyes crinkled up and he prepared to tell her that it wasn't necessary, when Zuko spoke up. "I'll follow along," he said as he stood up beside the bed. He gave Sokka a small nod of his head, as if acknowledging the other man's concerns over Katara's vision. "Have you already had breakfast? There may be a tea house open near the station we can drop by before you leave."

A small smile tugged at Sokka's face and he thanked the spirits that Katara had someone like Zuko. He gave the scarred man a small bow of his head.

"Thanks," he replied. "But I had a really early one. The carriage to the station leaves soon, so I'll meet you two in the outer courtyard." He turned around and headed towards the door. "Don't take too long or I'll leave without you!"

"Alright!" Katara sighed as she pulled out her tunic and pants.

Zuko grabbed a bag that had been resting on a chair in the corner and went to change in the other room as Katara bent some water into a bowl to wash her face. He didn't bother closing the door behind him as he tossed his bag on another chair and began to change out of his nightwear.

"Katara!" he called out as he pulled his top off. "Did you want to come back for breakfast or did you want to get something to eat on the way back?"

"It's early, I don't think anything is open!" Katara called back. She finished tying her belt around her and began to dig around the wardrobe for her comb.

In the other room, Zuko made a mental note to tell one of the palace servants to have breakfast for them ready by the time they returned. With his boots finally tugged on, he began folding his sleep clothes and putting them back into his bag when he noticed a familiar whale bone comb on the chair.

"I told her not to just leave things lying around," he sighed to himself. He picked up the comb and turned back to the room. "Katara-"

"Zuko, I think I need to buy another comb," the young woman was frowning as she dug through one of the wardrobe drawers with her back to the doorway. "I can't find mine."

He raised a brow and lifted the comb as he moved to back to the bedroom. "Did you check the front room?"

Katara let out a scoff and turned around. "Why would it be in the..." She trailed off as she saw the comb in Zuko's hand. "You could've just told me you found it," she frowned.

"I told you not to leave things outside and you still did," he reminded her as he walked into the room. "Turn around."

She let out a small huff, but did as she was asked. A moment later, she felt the comb gently work the tangles from her hair and a warm hand move the thick locks aside. Zuko had become rather proficient at braiding her hair, but he still had problems with the hair loops. She thought they were the easiest part, but not so, according to Zuko.

When he released her braided hair, she immediately began to work on the hair loops as he made a show of returning her comb to the drawer - where it was supposed to be. She rolled her eyes.

"Let's go," she snorted as she headed to the front. Zuko followed after her. By the time they reached the outer courtyard, a sleepy Earth King and a more awake Earth Queen were bidding Sokka good-bye. Aang was standing with them, petting one of the ostrich horses that would pull Sokka's carriage to the station.

"Are you sure you don't want to bring any more gifts with you?" the Earth King asked with a yawn. "Your elders had sent us such wonderful gifts."

"Truly. I simply adore the new saddle for Nyla," Queen June acknowledged.

"I'm afraid due to the several stops I need to make before returning to the South Pole will make it difficult for me to carry much. You've already sent back more than enough, Your Highnesses," Sokka assured them. He caught the sight of his sister coming down the tiered steps behind the two royals. "Ah! Finally!"

"We didn't take that long," Katara told him.

"Your Highnesses," Zuko stopped just beside Katara and bowed. "Good morning."

"Oh, right! Good morning!" Katara quickly followed Zuko's movements. "Thank you for seeing my brother off."

"It is common practice and it was a pleasure having him here," the king beamed.

"Aang, are you coming with us?" Katara asked as Sokka started trying to usher her and Zuko into the carriage.

The bald Avatar smiled and shook his head. "I have to play some final respects at the temples and then head to another meeting. I'll be here for dinner, though. I'll go over our travel plans then."

"Are we going to another temple?" Zuko asked as he waited behind Katara to enter the carriage.

"Yes! The Eastern Air Temple is awaiting us," Aang told them. "Sokka, have a safe trip!"

The door to the carriage closed and Sokka stuck his head outside the window to wave. "Don't be a stanger! Come by the Southern Water Tribe! We'll have a feast - the best seal jerky you've ever had!"

Inside the carriage, Katara ran a hand down her face. "Sokka..." Beside her, Zuko chuckled. Sokka slid back into his seat and looked at his sister and Zuko across from him. "And you, too. Come visit us soon. Everyone is going to ask about you when I get back and will want to know when you'll come home."

Katara let out another heavy breath. "I'll drop by when Aang comes," she assured him. Sokka raised a brow and crossed his arms over his chest.

"And when will that be?"

"I don't know. I'm not the boss of the Avatar."

"I'll ask about visiting the Southern Tribe after the Eastern Air Temple," Zuko interjected. Katara snapped her head towards him and frowned. "Maybe we can come down from the Southern Air Temple."

"Thank you," Sokka nodded. "See, Katara? Is that so hard? Just to ask?"

His sister let out a groan and sunk back into her seat, looking out the window as they passed through the various gates. Zuko inwardly winced. She was upset with someone and that someone was not Sokka. The black-haired man remained quiet the rest of the journey to the station.

Katara and Sokka continued to exchange jabs at each other and Zuko said nothing, so long as Katara didn't seem bothered by 'seeing' anything outside of the window. It was only when Sokka's attempt at a comeback drew his attention back to the siblings.

"...what am I supposed to tell Grandpa?" Sokka demand. "That you'll stay away until he rejects all those engagement offers?"

"No, can't you just tell him that I'm not interested in them?" Katara asked, displeased. Somehow, Zuko felt relieved hearing that. "But don't make it sound as if I'm threatening him!"

"I don't know...," Sokka rubbed his chin. "Telling him that you'll stay away may work out better. I'd say he's more likely to give in if you hold that over his head."

"Sokka, don't threaten Grandpa," Katara frowned. "Come on. Just help me with this." Her sibling paused to think for a moment.

"Only if you send him a letter later, personally rejecting the offers," he finally replied. He groaned and tilted his head back. "I wish I had thought of that sooner, then I could have something to give him when I get back."

"Fine, fine," Katara conceded. "I'll go send him a letter."

"Ambassador, we've arrived at the station," the driver of the carriage informed them. They jerked to a stop and could hear the driver climb down to open the door for them.

"Well, it's too late to get you to write a letter now. Just send one home as soon as you can. Grandpa is stubborn, so be firm," Sokka stressed. The door opened and he began to climb out. Katara followed after him.

"Well, what do you want me to say other than 'no, Grandpa, I don't want to get married'?" she snorted as Sokka turned around to give her a hug. Zuko climbed out of the carriage behind them as the two siblings embraced.

"Tell him you won't come back until -"

"I'm not threatening him."

"Fine," Sokka sighed as he pulled away from her. He looked over her shoulder and found Zuko giving him a respectful bow. Sokka smirked as he took a step back. It looks like it was up to him to help his sister. "I'll just tell him you're already involved with someone."

Katara jerked her head back with a confused expression on her face. "Who?"

"Please continue watching out for her!" Sokka gave the other man a bow before taking his bag from the driver and heading into the building.

"I won't leave her side," Zuko assured him, still bowed.

The blue-eyed man chuckled as Katara called after him. "Sokka! Involved with who!?" He waved good-bye, blissfully ignoring her question. "Sokka!" He disappeared into the station and Katara scowled. "I'm starting to question why they let him be an ambassador; he never listens."

Zuko chuckled. "Come on, let's get back," he urged. "I'm getting hungry."

Katara turned around and headed to the carriage. Zuko grasped her hand and helped her in almost automatically. "Since Aang is busy at the temple today, what do you want to do? Go around the upper tier one more time?"

"Go to the royal library."

"The royal library?" Katara complained as she sat on the bench inside. The carriage shook as Zuko climbed in after her. "But you've spent so much time there already! You spent all of yesterday there." She had a point. If he wasn't with her, he was in the library while she was with her brother.

"I know, but who knows when we'll have a chance to review those books on the spirit world again?" he pointed out as he sat beside her. "I've been collecting some interesting accounts recently and I'm still looking for any patterns or commonalities that connect them. That may lead us to helping you with your vision. Don't you think that's worth the time in the library?"

"I suppose so...," she replied, sounding guilty. She knew that he was in the library for her. She couldn't really be upset with him for that. The carriage started moving once more and she leaned against him. "But I'm going to get some sleep first. I'll meet you in the library later."

"Later?" he asked as he adjusted his arm around her shoulders to properly cradle her against him. "Later as in the sun sets and you walk in to come get me for dinner?"

"I'll come earlier this time," she yawned as she turned her face and buried it against his shoulder.

"Promise?" he asked, unsurely.

Katara nodded as she felt him place a small kiss atop her head and stroke her arm to help lull her into sleep. "Promise."


The doors to the library flew open and Zuko didn't move from his seat. His eyes remained on a book about the sensitivity of particularly spiritual people to the apparitions, even as the woman raced in, slightly panting.

"I'm sorry!" Katara gasped as she reached the table where he sat. "I over slept!"

Zuko reached across the table for the small tea cup he was drinking from. He brought it calmly to his lips. "I know."

"I meant to wake up, but breakfast was heavier than I thought and once I fell asleep-"

"It's fine," Zuko assured her. Truth be told, he expected Katara to oversleep. In fact, he had carried her from the sentee in the main room of her villa to the bed, knowing that her 'nap' was not going to be short.

"And I could've sworn I fell asleep outside," she continued, looking slightly confused. "Did I sleep walk?"

"I carried you to bed."

"What?" Her face fell. "Why?" Was she that predictable?

Zuko placed his cup back on the table and finally lifted his head. "Because I knew you'd sleep through the day. You'd complain and make me rub your shoulders if you wake up with a stiff neck from sleeping on the sentee, just like last time."

"I wouldn't have been sleeping there for too long," Katara protested. He gave her a deadpan look. Katara flushed and dropped her head, defeated. "Thank you for moving me to the bed."

"You're welcome." Zuko closed the book and rose from his seat. "Is it dinner time?"

"No, I came to look over the books, like I said I would," she asserted and pulled out the seat next to him. "Where do I start?"

She sat down and looked over the piles of books and scrolls strewn across the table earnestly. Zuko hesitated, but took a seat.

"If you're positive that you won't fall asleep again, I think we should go over this," he told her. He reached across the table and grabbed a scroll, carefully unraveling it before her.. "I found some records of people who have been able to see the dead, or at least claim it. There aren't a lot and I had to pull them from the various mentions of them in different books and scrolls, but I've flagged all the ones of interest."

Katara looked interested as Zuko showed her the records. "Where are they from?"

"These particular records are for Earth Kingdom incidents," Zuko said. "They report that they have seen the dead since they were children. Records also indicate that people who observed those with 'the vision' were often talking out loud, as if having a conversation with someone who wasn't there. Sometimes, they would be screaming and would become violent."

Katara furrowed her brows slowly. The screaming and the violent reactions didn't surprise her. Until recently, she reacted the same. "Someone wrote that down?"

"They weren't isolated incidents that happened once for someone. For some people, it was on going," Zuko replied.

"But that would mean someone was watching them the entire time. Family or fellow villagers?" she said. Her eyes scanned down the scroll of various names and locations. The incidents had been meticulously recorded in such a methodological way, it couldn't have been pulled from oral stories passed from one person to another. Katara drew her hands back from the scroll slowly and turned to look at him. "Who compiled these records?" she asked quietly.

"Priests," Zuko admitted. "Doctors, even some family members. These are from towns and villages all over the kingdom. Everything from doctor's patient notes to correspondence, to records from various prisons, hospitals, and temples."

Her heart grew heavy. She knew what that implied. "They thought these people were sick, didn't they?" she asked sadly.

Zuko moved his eyes away from her. "Whatever they saw, they couldn't control and when they acted out in response to what they saw, it was often with yelling and frantic, often violent, physical behavior. It was seen as abnormal by those who didn't understand."

Katara closed her eyes tightly. That validated one of her fears; that she would be shunned and looked down upon for seeing something others could not.

Zuko watched her hands clench over her lap. Most of the people he read about were considered insane and rather than being thought to have a gift, they were seen as lunatics - madmen and women talking to thin air. He could understand why observers would think so. He had seen Katara break down and start screaming and fighting an invisible figure he could not see.

If any one who didn't believe that seeing the dead was possible, they would've branded her as insane and sent her to a temple somewhere to be healed or worse: locked away.

"I know it's difficult to believe," Katara said solemnly. "If I didn't 'see', I wouldn't believe it myself. But I know how real they are. I just can't control how clearly I see them." She was trying. She was trying so hard. Yet, even after all that time, she still could not tell the difference between a dead man luring her in an alley and the living prince sitting beside her.

A warm hand moved over her trembling one. His long fingers curled around hers and he squeezed them, reassuringly.

"There is nothing wrong with you," Zuko said. "No matter what happens, no matter what you see, you are not broken. You are not cursed," he asserted as she closed her eyes tightly. "You are a waterbender with a gift that has already brought peace to so many." He brought her hand to lips and placed warm, chaste kisses across her brown knuckles. "Both dead and living."

She took a deep breath, trying to calm the ache in her chest. "But that won't change the fact that when I walk down the street, some of those people may already be dead," she said. She opened her eyes and met his defeatedly. "And I still can't tell who is."

Zuko narrowed his eyes. "How long have been trying to sense the difference between the living and the dead?"

Katara frowned. "A few months."

"Before that, didn't you want to just have your vision sealed?"

"Yes, but-"

"And even now, does part of you still want to rid yourself of your vision?" he asked. Katara hesitated. Dealing with the spirits had somehow gotten easier, she admitted, but if given the choice...

She nodded.

"You told us that you used to wake up clawing at spirits, frantic and terrified," Zuko said. "Has that changed?"

A determined look filled her face. "It's different. I've had better experiences with the spirits and I don't face them alone," she pointed out. "You or Aang or the others are always there. We've talked through things, taken it step by step. I can control my reactions better."

"Aang said you've been at peace a bit more recently. Don't you think that your peace may be what is keeping the spirits under control? That your anxiety and fears don't feed into them, so they don't haunt you?" Zuko asked. "I'm not a scholar on all this spiritual stuff. I've tried to read up on it as much as I could, but in my comparisons, I think you are improving." She opened her mouth to disagree, but he quickly cut her off. "Perhaps not with telling the difference, but with dealing with the ghosts. You're not afraid, Katara. And even if you are, you push through anyway and that is where you are different from everyone I've read about."

"That I face it?" she scowled. "I tried ignoring them, Zuko. It doesn't work."

"No, that you react well." He turned back to the scroll. "All of these instances say that the people with the vision react, but they scream and they fight. They resist and so the records for some of them becomes more and more violent. They have the same vision you do, but don't want to react to them. It's like the more they resist the spirits that seek their aid, the more they fight, the more terrified they become and the spirits can't help but feed from that."

"But what about Jet?" Katara frowned. "I was calm and relaxed whenever I was around him and in the end-"

"That is the exception more than the rule," a voice came from the doorway of the library. The two benders looked up and saw Aang slipping past the door. "In the Spirit World, your emotional energy is reflected in the environment and the spirits around you. If you feel negative energy - anger, frustration, or fear, your environment becomes dark and the spirits become monsters."

"But these aren't spirits like in the Spirit World, Aang," Katara countered. "They're the ghosts of the undead."

"And the weaker their hold is on the mortal plane, the easier they are influenced by your energy, which explains Jet. He had a very strong hold here, but because of that, he continued to be consumed by his own negative feelings at the time of his death." Aang stopped in front of their table and pulled one of the chairs out from underneath it. "I'm glad I found you two. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"No, we're just going over these records I found of people in the Earth Kingdom with similar visions," Zuko said. "You came at a good time." He looked over at Katara offered her a small smile. "Aang helped me find some of the books the other day, while you were out with your brother."

Katara smiled thoughtfully at Zuko. "You didn't have to spend all your time here doing that."

The firebender shook his head before settling his eyes on hers. "I wouldn't if I didn't want to."

Aang raised a brow and looked from one travel companion to the other. He lifted his hand to his mouth and let out a small cough. "Um..."

"Hmm? Right, sorry, Aang," Katara blinked. "What were you saying? It isn't time for dinner yet, so shouldn't you still be doing your final rounds at the temple?" Briefly, Aang wondered if she were trying to hint at something.

"We finished a few hours ago," Aang replied. "I spent some time looking into that thing Zuko and I read about yesterday."

"Thing?" Katara furrowed her brows.

"Where is it...," Zuko muttered as he rose from his seat and released her hand. He moved aside several books and scrolls, looking for something amongst the pile, until he found a large bound book with a red ribbon wedged between its pages. "Here." He placed the book in front of them and carefully opened it to the page marked by the red ribbon. "One of the people who was recorded with visions like yours was the son of a wealthy, aristocratic family here in Ba Sing Se. From what is written of him, he was born with it and no one could figure out what was wrong."

"Priests from the temples in the city told his family that he was possessed or haunted by ghosts of people who had been wronged by the family," Aang said. "They didn't know what to do with him, as he couldn't go outside without panicking. He began to suspect that everyone was a spirit. Everyone. He'd yell at and fight whoever came near him. His family brought him to a temple by Lake Laogai, where he died."

"Aang went to see if there was any record of him there that could give us more detail," Zuko pointed out.

"Was there?" Katara asked. Aang nodded.

"That temple received a lot of money from the his family, trying to find a way to stop him from seeing. There are records of things he ate, smoked, and drank. Every sort of spiritual cleansing ceremony they could think of was performed on him," Aang replied. "Unfortunately, none of those worked."

Katara felt her entire body grow heavier as she slumped down in her seat. Zuko reached over and stroked the back of her head and back to soothe her. "Nothing?" the firebender asked, frowning. "Are you sure?" After days of pouring over everything he could find on the subject in that library, the aristocrat who had the same gift as Katara was his best bet. He had brought it to Aang and asked him to try to find more information from that temple. He had hoped that something had worked.

"So he died there," Katara said solemnly. Until the end, he must've been haunted.

"Yes," Aang nodded. "He was nearly a hundred."

Zuko's head snapped up. "What?"

A small smile reached at Aang's lips. Katara was still lingering on the fact that the man hadn't been able to stop his vision, but Zuko, after his research, picked up the hint immediately.

"He was ninety-eight when he died. Natural causes, in his bed, while he slept," Aang said.

Zuko let out a sharp breath. He was almost hesitant to believe what Aang found out. "That's...that's great," he whispered. "He's the first one."

"The first one what?" Katara asked as she narrowed her eyes.

"Everyone we've read up on so far couldn't handle the visions, so as a result, many were sent away to try to be dealt with because they became unmanageable. That is why for those we have found, there are extensive records of what they did; the holy men and women and doctors wrote them down. However, you know first hand how what you see can affect you," Aang told her. "It starts to cloud your mind. You start to confuse the dead and the living. You begin to question reality; what isn't there and what actually is. This would drive even the most mentally sound person crazy."

"Aside from this aristocrat, no one has lived to thirty," Zuko said quietly. "Several refused to sleep or eat; their bodies wasted away. Others were driven to madness and met with an accident...some took their own lives to escape their sight."

Katara swallowed the lump in her throat and turned back to Aang. "What happened to the aristocrat? Did he have his vision his whole life?"

Aang nodded. "Up until he died, there were records of him talking when there was no one else with him. He was noted as having 'things to do' and talking about helping someone. The monks there wrote that he would take walks around the lake shore by himself, but he didn't seem to be meeting up with anyone. For a while, a few monks followed him to make sure he wasn't a danger to himself."

"But aside from the monks and priests at that temple, did he meet with anyone else?" Zuko prodded. "His family members or friends?"

"No one came to visit him after his first year. His family had no idea what to do with him and left him there. They donated a lot of money to the temple for their efforts and keeping him. Still, from the records I had read, his incidents of panic stricken terror slowed when he was moved into a secluded part of the temple, away from the cells," Aang pointed out. "The monks eat at specific times, so he'd get meals around those times. It's likely that the spirits helped keep him sane in his seclusion, once he accepted that they were there and weren't trying to harm him."

"Did it say anything about him being able to differentiate between the living and the dead?" Katara asked eagerly.

"No," Aang admitted. "But I wouldn't be surprised if he had developed that sort of sense."

Katara nodded and let out a low breath. "I'm almost afraid to hope."

"No matter what, know that this man lived a long life and he was happy," Aang reminded her.

She smiled weakly. "Helping all those ghosts trapped find peace...I'm happy I was able to do that. I suppose what I'm really concerned about is being unable to tell the difference. If I'm walking down the street, I don't want to disturb others by talking to someone they can't see. I can't have you or Zuko or my brother come with me everywhere to verify whether or not someone is alive."

"Katara, as I've said when you first came to me: I believe that one day, somehow, you will be able to tell the difference," Aang assured her. "But, you must welcome the experiences and learn from them first."

"I know," Katara agreed. "I need to pay closer attention to my surroundings. The reaction of those around me helps."

"Observation is a powerful thing," Aang said.

Katara let out a heavy breath. "Well, since none of these books and scrolls can tell us things we don't already know, I don't see why we have to stay any longer."

"I should put away the books," Zuko said as he pushed his seat back.

"I'll help," Aang said. "Katara, would you mind checking on Appa? I asked the stable hands to feed him early since he didn't eat much all day."

"Sure," Katara said as they rose from their seats. Aang began to collect the scrolls and as Zuko, arms filled with books, turned to head towards one of the shelves, Katara moved in front of him. "Thank you," she said as she smiled warmly. "For looking all of this up."

His face softened and he lowered his arms. The books hung in between them as he leaned forward and placed his forehead against hers. "I'll help where I can." He smiled. "I'll come by the stables after we're done here."

"Okay." She felt him kiss one of her temples as he passed. She took a step back, watching him maneuver around some tables, before turning around and heading outside.

Aang followed behind Zuko. He looked over his shoulder to make sure Katara was out of hearing range before turning into an aisle.

"Zuko-"

"Scrolls are in the adjoining room, Aang."

"I know, I'll bring them over there," Aang said. "I wanted to talk to you."

Zuko filed some books on a shelf and looked back at Aang. "About what?"

Aang shifted awkwardly. "A message came while I was at the temple," he said. "A Fire Nation messenger arrived at the palace, but they sent him directly to me."

Zuko's movements began to slow. He frowned and narrowed his eyes. "From whom?"

"Your uncle, Lord Iroh."

Zuko froze. In the back of his mind, he knew that his time was up. He had been counting down to the end of his banishment up until the last few weeks, when Katara overshadowed it and he had begun to focus more on her than himself.

Aang could see the hesitation in Zuko's face. The young prince who had been forced to travel around the Earth Kingdom and the temples alone was now officially allowed to return home. However, he didn't appear to be all that ecstatic.

"I don't think I'm ready," Zuko replied as he turned away from Aang and finished putting the remaining books on to the shelf.

"Lord Iroh wants you to go to the Fire Nation," Aang told him.

"I'm not ready," Zuko repeated in a low voice. "I know that my uncle and cousin may have been looking forward to this day, but what about my father?" He scowled at the thought. "Or my sister? How can I face either of them after I was sent away?"

He turned away from Aang and shoved past him. The Avatar followed, concerned. "Zuko, I know you may not be ready, but where else are you going to go?"

"With you and Katara," Zuko snapped. He turned around and frowned. "Unless you want to leave me behind."

"I wouldn't do that," Aang told him seriously. "But you can't avoid returning to the Fire Nation. It's not fair to Iroh. He's a good man and I know he misses you."

"I know he does!" Zuko threw his arms into the air. "And I miss him and my cousin! I look forward to the day when we can just sit around, together, and have tea, just like we used to. But I'm not worried about them. I'm worried about my father! How can I face the man who scarred and sent his own son away? And what do I say to the sister I left behind, without a word?"

"Then what are you going to do?" Aang asked.

"I told you," Zuko said as he reached the table and began to gather another armload of books. "I'll continue traveling with you and Katara. I know she still needs support for her vision and I will remain at her side as long as I can to help her."

"Then you may have a problem," Aang said carefully. Zuko turned around. "Lord Iroh requested my presence in the Fire Nation." Zuko inhaled sharply and Aang kept his eyes on his. "We'll be attending Prince Lu Ten's coronation ceremony in half a month's time."


He hadn't come to meet her in the stables, as he said he would. He hadn't been in his villa, or hers, when she had gone to search for him for dinner. It seemed that even Aang did not know where he was exactly and had awkwardly excused Zuko's absence at the dinner table with the Earth King and Queen by telling them that Zuko had gone to procure gifts for his family.

"His family?" Katara had waited until dinner had ended to ask the Avatar. "Is he sending something back?"

"No," Aang had looked directly ahead of them. "He just said he was going for a walk."

"A walk where?" Katara pushed. "He said he was going to meet me at the stables, but I haven't seen him since I left the library. It isn't like him to skip dinner, especially without telling either one of us. I hope he's alright."

Aang had kept his eyes diverted. "I'm sure he is," he had told her. "He's probably just clearing his head after I told him about the message."

Katara had stopped in the middle of the corridor. Her hand flew out and clamped on the Avatar's shoulder. "What message?" She had missed the nervous look on his face. He bit his lower lip and her grip tightened. "Aang."

"A message from the Fire Nation arrived today," he had gushed out guiltily as her eyes bore into his. "We won't be going to the Eastern Air Temple, as planned. We'll be going to the Fire Nation for Prince Lu Ten's coronation."

She could remember how she had taken in a sharp breath and felt her chest tighten at the same time. "The Fire Nation?" she had muttered. It was something Zuko didn't want to talk about.

"His uncle wants him to come back," Aang had answered quickly. "When he didn't return a few weeks ago, as was expected, it looks like his uncle became concerned. Zuko had sent him a message telling him that he was traveling with me, so Lord Iroh sent me a message directly."

Katara had given him a confused look. "About Zuko or about the coronation?"

"Both," Aang had told her. "Lord Iroh and his son want Zuko to be there."

Katara had closed her eyes and released Aang's shoulder. "Where did he go...?"

She had gone to check her villa and his once more. Zuko didn't seem to have had returned at all and a knot of dread had begun to fill her stomach. She paced his villa's main room, but with each step, she began to count reasons as to why he had left.

Perhaps he wasn't ready to return yet or there was something he didn't want to encounter there. Was it Azula? Azula had mentioned that she had been at her boarding school when her brother had 'left'. They never had a proper farewell and Katara could understand why Azula would be upset.

Katara was also sure there were other reasons that she didn't know about. She trusted that Zuko would tell her about what had happened to him on his own, in due time, but he still hadn't. And Katara didn't want to pry, afraid that it would only encourage his silence on the matter.

If he didn't tell her, she couldn't help him. Katara had inhaled sharply at the thought. Could it be that Zuko didn't want her help? That he left so he didn't bring her into it?

"No," Katara had asserted. She was jumping to conclusions. Zuko probably just wanted to clear his head...or perhaps even go and procure some souvenirs, like Aang had said. Even as she tried to reason out his disappearance, she continued to grow more and more concerned.

The worst thought in her mind was that Zuko had left - not for a walk, but left the group. That he left her. The thought brought tears to her eyes and, frantically, she shoved the thought of her mind. She couldn't sit around and wait any longer; she was over-thinking the situation the longer she waited.

After informing some of the guards to let the Avatar know that she was going for a walk on her own, Katara grabbed a cloak and a lantern and walked out the palace gates. She began to walk towards the shopping district she was familiar with from her walks with Sokka. Her brother loved to shop and for once, she was glad he did.

Their walks had made her reasonably familiar with the area and familiarity relaxed her. The shopping district was past the park and over a bridge. She hadn't noticed any spirits before, but she hadn't really been looking for them. Sokka kept her distracted, but now, she wasn't sure if she wanted to think about Zuko to keep her distracted or try to differentiate spirits in order to stop herself from the thought that Zuko had left them.

Not that he would've, she reminded herself.

Katara crossed the street to one of the many small parts that dotted the area. She proceeded down a brick lined path, opting to focus on finding Zuko. His things were still in his room, she rationalized. He had just gone on a walk.

As she walked along the path, she saw a gray-haired man wading into the stream that cut through the park a few steps ahead. She furrowed her brows, wondering what he would be doing that time in the evening.

She hoped he wasn't trying to fish. First, there weren't many fish in the streams. Second, fishing in the park was illegal, as she had found during one embarrassing outing with her brother. Katara looked over her shoulder for a guard before calling over to the man.

"Sir!" she said. "Sir, you can't fish in the park streams!"

He didn't answer and continued to wade through, looking down at the water as his hands seemed to move along the shallow, pebble-lined bottom.

Katara looked around once more for a guard before approaching him. "Sir, are you looking for somethi..." Her voice trailed off as she watched the current move right through his legs. Her blue eyes darted upwards and she saw the man looking back at her with sad eyes. Katara knew what he was.

The waterbender took a deep breath.

Just ask... She could hear Zuko's voice in her head.

"Sir," she began as she took a hesitant step forward. "What are you looking for?" She smiled hopefully. "I can help."


It was an odd time to be shopping; early in the evening, just as most of the customers of the upper ring's main shopping district were leaving for dinner with their families. What made it even odder was that Zuko's circumstances typically didn't warrant souvenirs. The only remembrances banished men brought back with them were memories.

Unable to fully grasp the implications of his uncle's letter to Aang, which Aang had shown him the page that requested his presence at the coronation, Zuko suddenly felt cornered. He had dropped the books and stumbled back, rubbing his head before telling Aang he was going to go for 'out' to clear his head.

Aang had wanted to go, too, and Zuko couldn't blame him. The young Avatar was just worried, but at that time, Zuko didn't want to talk or be around anyone. Before he realized it, the sun had set and he was deep in the upper ring, away from the palace and the stables where he said he'd meet Katara.

Guilt at bit at him. He'd never let down Katara before, but he was certain she was no longer there. If she went to dinner, Aang would've told her that he had stepped out. The firebender stopped walking.

Aang would've also told her why.

Zuko tilted his head back and let out a small swear. No doubt Katara would be worried about him. She hadn't pried about his circumstances, but after that evening, she would ask. She would ask because she was concerned. He frowned. Katara had her own worries; he didn't want to add to them.

"So much for helping her," he muttered to himself as he continued down the street. He would stop by her villa on the way to his to apologize for missing their meeting, he decided. If she asked, he would tell her; she deserved to know after all their time together. No - not if she asked. He would tell her everything. After all, he knew almost everything about her - her family, her sight, how spicy she could take her food before her eyes began to water.

It wasn't fair that he hadn't said much about his own life. He would remedy that tonight. He would tell her what happened and reassure her that she did not have to help him solve the mystery of his mother's death. Katara was not a tool for him to use and if she didn't want to come with him...he could accept that.

However, the thought of parting from her left a gaping, empty feeling inside of him. They had been together for months and Zuko didn't like the idea that they would be apart. At the same time, he didn't want to weigh her down with his concerns over returning to the Fire Nation.

His uncle would welcome him home with open arms. Lu Ten would grab him into a brotherly embrace and demand that he tell him all about his travels. Azula...Azula would be upset. They'd probably fight and it was possible she wouldn't want to speak to him. He didn't know what he would say to her, anyway. Still, he believed he could work through his relationship with his sister.

Zuko's main worry lay with his father; the man he had accused of killing his mother, fought with, and then had him banished. What could a son say to a man like that? It was the meeting Zuko dreaded.

Yet, Aang had a point. Where would he go if he didn't return to the Fire Nation? Hadn't he been looking forward to returning? What else was there for him to do outside the islands? Eight years he had wandered, dreaming of the day he was back in the palace, in his room, living the life he was born into.

The threat of his father rejecting him again was something he never dwelled on. He would deal with it when the time came and now it had come.

Zuko narrowed his eyes, determined as his hand tightened around the bag of luxury tea blends he had purchased for his uncle and cousin. Whatever happened would happen, he resolved. He would return.

He rounded a corner and caught sight of light pouring from an open door. An middle-aged man was clutching something in his hand as he covered his face with his other. He leaned against the doorway of his elegant house as an elderly woman rubbed his arm and wiped tears from her eyes.

She was bowing to a woman standing just outside the door.

"Katara...?" Zuko whispered as he watched the brown-haired bender bow before being engulfed in an embrace by the old woman. A small smile tugged at Zuko's lips as Katara's arms rose and hugged the woman back.

"I never thought I'd see it again," he could hear the man choking out. "Thank you...I don't know how you found it, but thank you."

Warmth filled Zuko's body as he realized she had done yet another extraordinary feat. She had come a long way and he was proud of her.

"It was nothing," Katara assured them as she stepped back and bowed once more. "The soul of your father can now rest in peace. He was very proud of you." The man rubbed at his eyes.

"Thank you."

Katara bowed once more and stepped back, moving towards the street as the man and the elderly woman returned to their house.

Zuko could see a gentle smile on Katara's face as she kept her eyes fixated on a spot by the street. Slowly, her head tilted upwards, as if watching someone raise into the sky. She lifted her hand and wiped the corners of her eyes.

"You ran into someone?" he asked as he neared her.

Katara whirled around at the sound of his voice. Her eyes widened as a look of relief seemed to flood her face. "Zuko!" Before he could lift up his hand to give her a small wave, her body rammed into his. Her arms wrapped around him as she buried her face in his chest.

The firebender looked surprised as he stumbled back. He hadn't expected such a reaction. He blinked as he looked down at the top of her head. "Katara?"

"I thought you left!" Her muffled voice reached his ears. Zuko's brows furrowed as he frowned.

"Leave?"

"You didn't come to the stables," Katara said as she tilted her head up. "And then you missed dinner." A pained expression appeared on her face and Zuko felt his chest ache for having caused it. "Aang told me about the message from the Fire Lord," she told him softly. "I thought...I thought you had left," she admitted.

He shook his head slowly. "No...no, Katara, I wouldn't leave without telling you," he assured her gently as his free hand rose and cupped the side of her face. "I was just...I needed to think." Her concerned expression didn't change. "I'm sorry about not meeting you at the stables. When Aang told me about the message, I just needed some time alone to think."

"Then...you don't want to go back?" she asked, unsurely.

He opened his mouth, but no words came out. "No." He grimaced. "Yes...maybe." He looked away. "I don't know. I thought I wanted to return the moment I could, but when Aang told me about the message, I realized I wasn't ready to go back."

"Why not?" she asked, her eyes crinkled as she looked up at him. "What's wrong?"

His eyes slowly moved back to hers. His hand stroked her warm, flushed cheek. "Nothing you need to worry about," he assured her. "I'm alright. I swear."

She didn't look convinced and didn't release him from her arms. "Then, what are you going to do?" Katara asked.

He offered her a weak smile. "The Fire Lord has requested my presence and wants me to return," he told her. "I can't ignore him."

She looked relieved once more and allowed her head to rest against his chest again. "So, you will go with us to the Fire Nation?"

"As long as you'll have me, yes."

Katara drew her head back and frowned. "Of course we'll have you! We'll go together!" Her words settled him a bit.

"Then, before we go," Zuko began. "I'd like to tell you what happened to me."


A Note From the Author:

Everyone, I am very sorry for the delay. For those unaware, while I was writing another fanfic for part of the time, there was also an organizational change where I work. Several people retired early and I, who am no where near retirement yet...sadly, inherited a large amount of work. I spent the last several months trying to reorganize things, training new people, and document all my processes so that they could be better shared. In addition, inspired by a friend, I have begun taking online writing courses at near-by universities (I am lucky to live in an area with several excellent ones) to try to improve. As a result, this has hindered my writing fanfics severely and I am very sorry for such long periods between updates.

Thank you all so much for continuing to read. I really do want to finish Paper Clouds. We're nearing the home stretch and at the very least, I should have the smutty chapter posted separately, so as to keep this one's rating as is, before Christmas.

Thank you very much for your patience and time. If you ever want to message me, please go ahead. I'm more likely to respond to them than to reviews, as I'll get a notification.

- MiaV