I'm back and very very late! I really have no explanation.

Here isa chapter!


I can't concentrate!

These damned voices won't let me.

"We can hear you" the softer voice say;s the one that reminds me of sizzling

Why are you in my head?

"You're the one who opened the book" the crackling voice retorts.

Ugh

This has been going on for hours and I can now barely see the edges of the Fire Nation.

"Thank Agni" I say happily

"Shut you face" I hear Katara grumble.

I'm glad shes awake. She'll prove a distraction from the voices.

"I don't think that is physically possible" I smirk

She crawls up next to me on Nagitka's head.

"Would you like me to test that?" she smiles sweetly

"No thank you" I reply quickly

"Are we almost there?" she asks

"Yea you can see the outline of the shores" I reply

She squints in concentration.

Her eyes light up when she sees it.

"Will Toph and Sokka be there?" she asks excitedly

"In a few weeks. They went to the Earth Kingdom to throw Aang off" I regret telling her when I see a little of her happiness fade away

"Oh" she says as she tries to hide her dissapointment "Will Uncle be there?"

"Yes, he will most definitely be there" I smile. She started calling Iroh, Uncle a month before the Gaang's departure from the Fire Nation. Now that I look back on it, I remember how much Aang detested her calling him Uncle.

Aang.

"Are you going to tell me why you keep cutting yourself off now that you had your nap?" I ask

Her body stiffens

"Do I have to?" she says steeliy

"If I am to understand then yes. I've gone along with this with only a fraction of information. I need to know everything." I look at her.

In the light I can see bruises on her arm. Fingers.

She notices me staring.

"He usually makes sure no one can see them" she says quietly "But, this was right before the Gala and he was flustered."

A chill runs down my spine.

"He said he was going to take on a new wife. Because I couldn't or wouldn't bear him children." She laughs hurmorlessly "He stole everything from me and then he was going to openly humiliate me by cheating on me with some Air Nomad fanatic. I couldn't take it so I left.I guess that was when you and Toph found me in the mural room. But I still don't understand how I causes so much destruction. B-Because..." she faltered

"Katara, what did he do?" I ask quietly

"He took my bending, the bastard stole my bending." She looks at me, her blue eyes brimming with unshed tears.

I gasp in shock.

She shakes her hear furiously as if to dispel the thought.

"Anyway, when I returned from the mural room, Aang was furious with me for running off. I haven seen him that angry since I tried leaving a few years ago. He made me pay for disrespecting him by walking out. You can't see a lot of the scars but, thery're there." She shudders

I try and talk but she cuts me off.

"Do you have a knife?" she asks

I nod and grab the dagger from my boot.

She take it and proceeds to draw a line right at the hem under her chest.

She drags the dagger around her body until it meets the beggining and repeats the action with the hem oh her hips.

When she finishes the corset bodice of her dress falls slightly.

She cuts a verical line up the side of the bodice until it fall away completely.

Her midsection reveals itself and all of the marks along with it.

I stare angrily at all of the cuts, slashes, burns, and bruises.

He did this to her.

"I'll kill him" I growl

"No." she says sharply as she wraps her arms around her stomach.

Did she just say no?

"But, Katara, he did this to you! He doesn't deserve to live! You said so yourself in the mural room. You wanted his head on a spike and I will pleasurably follow through with that action."

"Whatever that thing in the mural room was, it most definitely wasn't me. I told you I can't bend! She screams. "I don't want you to stoop to Aang's level. I don't want another Aang."she whispers

"I have before" I say quietly

"No! You are so much better than him. You felt remorse for what you did. You did what you had to I do. He gets off on torturing me and making me feel like shit. That is the lowliest of men." She grabs my shoulder and forces me to look into her eyes. They once again have their brilliant blue fire. After a few moments she sighs and let's go of my shoulder as she slumps hers. "He never even said sorry. Which is why when you said it, I broke down." She explains

She takes a deep breath. Her eyes hold a look of playfulness.

"Besides, I dont think you could beat him" she teases "I mean you're okay but he's the Avatar."

I feign a hurt look and scoff.

"I'd be abLe to beat him with my hand tied around my back." I say confidently

"Keep dreaming Sparky" she reorts using Toph's nickname for me

"You don't think so? Sweetness?" I fight back using her nickname

"Nope" she snickers.

I fight back the only way that I know is super effective.

I tackle her and tickle her until she can't breathe.

She laughs histerically and it reminds me of the childhood we never got to have together.

I wonder what would have happened if she were to grow up in the palace or me to grow up in the Southern Water Tribe.

I shake the thiughts out of my head. If we didn't grow up as we did, we wouldn't be the people we are today.

And this Katara, my best friend, is perfect in her own way. Despite the scars and the burns and obvious rash personality.

My hands stop and I grin down stupidly at her.

After catching her breath, she gives me a questioning look.

"What are you staring at?" she asks

"Thank you"I say abruptly

"For what?"

"For being you and not letting this situation destroy your personality." I say truthfully

She tries to speak but no words come out.

Nagitka's groans catch our attention as we see the shores of the Fire Nation looming under us.

"That was fast" Katara voices my thoughts

"Yea I guess she got excited when she saw land" I chuckle "Good girl Nagitka. You earned yourself a extra large bale of hay" I pat her head

After a few more minutes, the Palace grows larger and we land.

We're greeted by my flustered staff and Uncle.

We're home.

"Zuko?" I hear Katara say quietly as she is ushered into her quickly prepared room.

"Yeah?" I respond

"Thank you for being you too." She shuts her door. I feel my cheeks heat up and I turn back to Uncle who is smiling knowingly.

"What?" I try to sound stern

"Nothing" he holds his hands up defensively "I just remembered how much I missed Miss Katara living in the Palace."

"Yeah me too." I smile

"Oh and I just remembered how much I liked you two together. Much more than that dreadful Mai girl." He chuckles as he walks away briskly.

"Uncle! We're not-" he hold his hand up as if to cut off my words

As he is walking off, I remembered that I hadn't told him about Mai and Chan.

And, with that, I chase after my still chuckling Uncle.


Katara PoV:

I close the door quickly and sink against it.

I feel water run down my cheeks.

Thank you for being myself.

How can I be myself when every time I close my eyes all I can see is Aang.

How can I be myself without my bending.

I pause at the thought.

I haven't tried in a while.

I concentrate on my tears and flick my wrist, willing the water to move.

Nothing happens.

I try again and again.

With each try more tears of frustration and sadness leak out of my eyes.

I bang my fist on the wall until it bleeds as I try to get out all of my anger and humiliation.

With each punch at the stone wall, the pain begins to lessen until my entire hand is numb.

Then I switch to the other one.

After that one is gone too, I begin to scream, cursing Aang's name.

I must have gotten pretty loud because minutes later I can hear my door opening.

I look up at the blurred watery figure.

When it gets closer, I can see its Azula.

I want to crawl away but something is keeping me in my place.

I feel her arms wrap around me as she whispers words I can't understand.

I feel my body become heavy and I drift into a nightmarish darkness.


Zuko PoV:

I was having tea with Uncle when a servant came and told me that Master Katara was taken into the hospital wing.

I excused myself quickly and ran down into the her hospital room.

I see Azula sitting next to an unconscious Katara.

Her head whips towards me and her golden eyes are filled with anger and dissapointment.

"You left her alone!" she says angrily

"She seemed fine" I try to explain but, she wouldn't have any of it.

"She went through so much, she is mentally unstable currently. I found her screaming and crying with a broken hand and a bleeding other one. She made indents in her wall, Zuko! Her walls are made of stone! I know how she feels and you can't be left alone after what we've been through." She stands up to leave.

"What do you mean what we've been through?" I ask

Though Azula was released a year ago, we still aren't sure what caused her to break down.

"That is a story for a different time" she chuckles and walks out.

I walk over to Katara's bed.

Her face is contorted into a look of anguish and her eye are moving rapidly behind the lids.

She having a nightmare.

Without a doubt about Aang.

I sigh and sit in the chair next to her cot.

I am going to kill the Avatar


I really hope you liked it! Please review, they are really helpful to all writers. Whether the review be positive or negative.

~*~Momo