Spirit of the Flowers and Ballads of Love

Iroh dipped the towel into cold water and then wrung the excess water out. He then placed it on Katara's burning forehead. Iroh sighed as he remembered the doctor's recommendations.

"All we can do for her is make her comfortable until Prince Zuko returns. We should keep her strapped down just in case she has another outburst, but I have a feeling that she will only dream. Keep her body warm and her head cold. Hopefully, her conditions will change, but I fear that Zuko is our only hope."

Iroh once again looked at the girl. She was breathing heavily as if she had just run a marathon. Her pale face was dripping with sweat from her fever. It pain Iroh to see Katara in such a state, but he knew it would only get worse. He kept praying that his nephew would make it back. He then heard her trembling voice again.

"Zu…ko. Where…are you?" Iroh immediately looked out the window to view the YuuYan Forest. Zuko had already been gone two hours. He couldn't help but stare at the green area that surrounded the mountain in the center. As he did, his mind repeated one phrase: Please, Prince Zuko. Hurry back here. Katara needs you.

Zuko ran through the forest as arrows flew past his head. He looked back at his predators. About six YuuYan archers were chasing him through the forest. Zuko didn't have time to waste with them. He had to get to the mountain so he could find the Red Ayame.

After about an hour of being chased, he found a lake to jump in. He held his breath and waited for the archers to pass him. He was able to hold his breath for minutes at a time, so spending time in the water, though he hated the element, was a piece of cake. When he realized the coast was clear, he popped his head out and gasped for air. He looked around for any signs of the archers and then jumped out, drying himself with his body heat. He looked around to see where he was, then realized he was completely lost. Damn, he thought. They did this on purpose to confuse me. They chased me away from the mountain to make sure I wouldn't get what I wanted.

He looked around in determination. He wasn't going to give up that easily. He was the prince of the Fire Nation. Obstacles had always been in his way to test him, and he always found ways to overcome them. This was just another test to him. He would find a way to win.

When he looked up, he let out a small "huh". He then rubbed his eyes to see if the thing in front of him was real. It was a small, glowing, red butterfly fluttering in front of his face. He knew perfectly well that butterflies didn't glow, but why was this an exception? Then he realized it wasn't a butterfly. It was a red flower petal. That made a lot more sense. The petal floated off like a feather. For some reason, he followed it. Something in his mind told him to.

Katara walked slowly through the field of destruction. A town had been completely destroyed by the Fire Nation. It looked like a giant battle had passed. Many soldiers laid dead, both Fire Nation and…Water Tribe. She finally realized where she was. Her home village had been attack. Soldiers that had left two years ago laid maim from the battle. She looked around at all the faces she once knew. How could anyone do this? Why did this happen?

The next thing made her gasp. She ran to her father's side and checked his pulse. She knew he was already dead. She held back the tears and started to look for survivors in the burnt village. All of the snow fort and houses had been melted away, and villagers' blood stained the pure snow. The smell of death made Katara feel faint. No one had been spared, not even women, elderly, or children. The thought of killing defenseless villagers made her sick. She finally lost it when she saw an old lady on the ground in pain. She quickly ran to her grandmother's side as she cried aloud

"Gran Gran, what happened? Who did this?" Her grandmother reached up and grabbed Katara's shirt.

"Fire Nation attack," Kana whispered. "They slaughtered everyone. If the Avatar was here, we might have had a chance. You could have saved us." She's right. If I was here to protect them, then none of this would have happened? Without warning, an arrow flew from the sky and landed in the dying woman's chest. Katara turned around to see a YuuYan archer holding his bow. She couldn't take it anymore. She attacked with a vicious cry of sadness and pain.

Iroh came running in when he heard Katara's screams. She was yelling in her sleep and muttering murderer as she struggled to get free. Iroh made the perception that Katara was dreaming the awful things the doctor said she would. He tried to calm her down, but the screams continued. Iroh finally got her to stop only when he slapped her. He thought that he had cut off the subconscious world from her, but he knew it would return. He sat next to the waterbender's bed and dipped the cloth in cold water. Just before putting it on, he felt her head, retracting it at the slight burning feeling. Only the fire in his hands from bending got that hot. She was getting worse, but there was nothing he could do. All he could do was wait.

Zuko followed the red petal into a small clearing. It felt like he had followed it for a day, even though it had only been an hour. He would have to move faster. Just then, an arrow went whizzing by his head. He turned around to see five archers surrounding him. He smiled and quickly grabbed his swords.

"I see you want to play. I will have to end this quickly. I'm on a schedule, and I don't have time to kick your asses!" He screamed as he charged at the first archers. The other five shot arrows at him, which he evaded. He was faster then the average firebender. The only person that had ever kept up with him was the Avatar. He quickly took down the first archer with a kick to the head. The next two were close together, so he ran to them with his swords lit with fire. He used the swords to hit them across the chest, causing both to fall in one swoop. He then turned to the last to archers and charged. They both fired and missed. He jumped between them and spun around, dropping them both with his feet. He then shoved his feet into their stomachs to knock them out. He smiled as he admired his work. "How disappointing. YuuYan archers may be good with a bow and arrow, but they're useless hand-to-hand."

He didn't see the archer sitting in a tree behind him. The archer took careful aim and fired. Just before the arrow hit Zuko, he turned around and sliced it to bits. He then sent a giant fireball towards the tree. The archer screamed as the flames engulfed him and the tree. Zuko sheathed his swords and stared coldly at the scene. "I knew there were six of you." He looked at the sky. The sun was already gone. "I better hurry. I have twenty-one hours and I still have to climb that mountain." He quickly ran into the forest in search for the mountain with the Red Ayame.

"No. Please, no!" Katara was talking in her sleep again. Iroh didn't know what to do. He didn't want to cause her anymore pain, so he left her to herself. He couldn't stand to see her like that. He would go for a walk and come check on her later. Four hours had passed since he had seen his nephew. I should have gone with him. At least I would have known he would be safe. He growled at his thoughts. He should've had more faith in Zuko. He just wanted to see him. He wanted to hug his nephew again. He sighed as he stared across the sea.

"No! Stop! Haru!" Haru was fighting Jet. Haru was strong with his earthbending, but Jet was too fast. Jet quickly sliced through Haru's back as Katara ran to him. Jet laughed at the dead bender.

"It looks like my job is done. Admiral Zhao will be pleased." Katara turned to him with tears in her eyes.

"Why are you doing this? What does Zhao want?" Jet laughed at her questions then spat on Haru.

"Don't you get it? Zhao wants you to suffer. He knows every person you have encountered. Whether they are close to you or not, they will die, and it is all you fault. You weren't there to save them. They will die just the same." Katara shook her head in fear. She had to stop this. Who was nest? Then she looked over and saw Suki lying in a puddle of blood. Jet had gotten to her too. Jet let out a wicked laughed as he put the swords against his neck. "And since I must rid you of your associations that means my life is over." He pulled the swords and then fell to the ground dead. All Katara could do was screamed in horror.

"Alright, I found the mountain. Now I just have to climb it." Zuko looked up at the mountain that stood before him. It was definitely a 90 degree climb, but it had to be more than two hundred feet. He wondered how big the base of the mountain was. It seemed to stretch out forever. He was about to grab his grappling hook when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. It was the red petal again. Apparently, it wanted him to follow it, but it was going away from the mountain. Against his better judgment, he ran after it. After about fifteen minutes it disappeared. He cursed himself for following it. Then he felt his feet give way. The ground had collapsed on him, but he felt ground instantly. "Damn that petal," he said as he rubbed his butt. He realized he was in a tunnel, and it was leading the exact same way he had just come from. "This must be the paths that doctor was talking about. Maybe that petal knows something. I'm going crazy if I think a petal has a brain."

"He continued to walk around the paths. Every now and then, he would have to pick between two paths. He spent most of his time walking up and down. He sat down to eat a piece of food. He was so hungry from fighting and running around the damn forest. He then tossed his wrapper and started up again.

He continued to pick different paths, hoping that he would see an opening that would lead him to the top. He looked around and found himself face to face with a mountain lion. Stay calm. Don't show any fear. Without warning, the lion pounced towards him. Zuko wasn't fast enough and got a shallow cut on his stomach. He tried running away, but it always cut him off. The lion probably knew its way around here better than he did. He decided to take a direct approach and punched the lion in the gut. Zuko then singed its tail, sending it cowering away. He looked down at his stomach wound and decided it was nothing.

He continued to walk around. He was starting to wonder where he was and how long he had been in the caves. He then saw something lying on the ground. It was a food wrapper. His fears had been realized. He had been walking around in circles. Okay, Zuko. You went right. Let's go left. He turned left and started walking. After awhile, he started to get dizzy. Damn. This wound isn't healing. Katara would be great now. I have to keep moving for her. He then felt the ground give way again. He quickly grabbed a ledge with one hand and hung over a bottomless pit. He saw the rocks fall, but he didn't hear them hit. He could feel his hand losing its grip one inch at a time. He tried to hang on, but he couldn't do it. Finally, his hands let go as he felt his body fall through the air. Katara, I'm sorry. I failed you. Please forgive me. Just before he passed out, he felt his body jerk. When he looked up, he saw a beautiful woman with black jet hair and green eyes holding him.

Katara was once again running through a destroyed city. She knew it was the Northern Water Tribes. More bodies covered the snow. Lifeless figures floated down the red river of blood. She finally got to the castle, hoping someone was alive. She only found more bodies, including those of Chief Arnook and Princess Yue. Once again, she had failed to save them. She looked over to see her master with his arms twisted in abnormal ways. He must have died fighting. Then she saw someone she hadn't seen for so long. He was lying on the ground with his boomerang in his hand.

"Sokka!" Katara yelled as she ran over to her brother. His body was covered in burns. She grabbed some water with her hands and tried to heal him, but he was already gone. She was about to cry when she heard a malicious laugh.

"How pathetic," Zhao chuckled. "Trying to heal the dead. You failed your friends once again."

"Zhao," she growled as she streamed water in her hands. "How could you be so cruel? They were all innocent. You kill woman and children. You send suicidal hit men to murder others that have nothing to do with the war. Then you attack and destroy a great nation. Why don't you just kill me now and save me the pain?"

"That is exactly why. I want you to suffer, but there is more to come. There is one left." Zhao then threw a fireball straight at Katara. She tried to block it, but it went through her water and drained her energy. She screamed before Zhao continued his speech. "The Avatar thinks you are at the Fire Nation Capitol. He is going to face the Fire Lord in an Angi Kai. I will take you to him. Then I will make you watch him die in the most painful way. After that, I will lock you in the darkest cell, only torturing you enough to just before death. You will be able to think how you failed your friends for the rest of your life. Their pain will haunt you for eternity." Katara shook her head as she began to cry.

Iroh had just returned from his walk to check up on Katara. He heard her cry once again and ran to her room. This time her eyes were wide open, tears falling down her cheeks. Iroh finally calmed her down, but the next thing she did scared her. Her mouth and eyes were half open, but her eyes had no life in them. "Katara, can you hear me?" Iroh asked as he shook her. "Katara, say something. Please, say anything. Katara." It was no use. She was completely in shock. The only thing she knew as reality was her dreams. Her fever had gotten worse. It didn't even pay to put a wet towel on her head. The only thing that could save her now was Zuko.

Zuko woke up slowly as a nice, cool breeze went through his hair. That's strange, he thought. I didn't think you would fill anything if you were dead. I'm sure that was an angel taking my spirit up to heaven. He looked to his left and saw a beautiful scene below him. It was the forest he had just crossed to get to his death. Wait a minute. He felt what he thought was the floating sky. It was solid. Then he looked down. He was laying on the ground, or rather the summit of the mountain. He looked to his right and saw a red flower. That must be the Red Ayame, but how did I get up here? I was falling into a pit. He then remembered what had happened. A woman with piercing green eyes had grabbed him and lifted him upwards.

"How can that be possible?" he asked himself. "No one can fly except for the Avatar. What the hell is going on?"

"Maybe I can explain." He looked around towards the sound of the voice. His eyes grew in awe as he saw the gorgeous woman in front of him. She was wearing a flowing red kimono with yellow trim and flowers. Her black hair was put up like a geisha, though her make-up wasn't quite as gaudy. She looked like she was in her mid thirties. Her most stunning feature was her gold eyes. Zuko had never seen such pure eyes as hers. The only person that compared to them was Katara. "I suppose you would like to know why I have brought you here, Prince Zuko." Zuko immediately sat up with a stern face. He wasn't sure whether to trust this lady or not, so he wouldn't show his weaknesses.

"How do you know my name?" he asked. The woman laughed at him as she walked towards the flowers. She seemed like a caring person, so Zuko loosened up.

"I know many things about you, Prince Zuko, like you are on a quest to save the one you love."

"I do not love Katara!" he yelled. This made the woman laugh more.

"Why would you say Katara is the one you 'do not love'? I suppose you would like to know my name." Zuko knew she was familiar, but why? Then he realized who she was.

"Mother?" the woman nodded.

"I am Sakuya, the spirit of flowers. After my death, I was sent here to protect these flowers from those with selfish intentions. Many come up here looking to pick the Red Ayame to sell for money since it is a rare flower. Those who come up here with the intentions of purity I help achieve their mission, just as I did with you, my son. You have always had pure intentions." Zuko looked at his stomach only to find the wound was gone.

"Did you heal me?" Sakuya nodded as she picked a flower and gave it to him. "And you helped me with the red petal." She nodded with a smile and helped him to his feet. That was when he remembered why he was here. "How long have I been unconscious?"

"You have been out for almost fifteen hours." Zuko gasped at her answer. He had two hours to climb down the mountain, cross the forest, and get the flower back to the doctor for Katara. Sakuya grabbed Zuko by the shoulders and gave him a firm look. "Listen to me carefully, Zuko. Time is not on your side, so I won't hold you for long. Katara is a very special person. She needs to survive this, or the world could be destroyed. She is the key to everyone's survival and yours. You will both go through great trials, but you must make it through them." She then planted a kiss on his cheek and started to cry. Zuko had never seen her cry before. He thought his mother was always strong. She would always comfort him if he was in pain. He never thought she was ever tormented until now.

"Mother, I'm so sorry. I must be such a disappointment. You must hate me for all the things I have done. I must have caused you so much pain." Memories came flooding in of the day she died. He could remember how much she suffered from her horrible disease. He remembered not being able to help her. He clenched his fists and yelled as loud as he could. "I failed to save you. I failed as a prince and a son. I'm so sorry I failed you and my country." He felt her hand on his face. It was so soft, just as he remembered. She was kneeling in front of him as she smiled through her tears.

"Zuko, you have made me proud. You never failed anyone. You are fighting for your people. You will always be loyal to your nation, but you must be kind to Katara. She is a wonderful girl. Take care of her. She loves you so. You are not a bad person. The only thing that disappoints me is the fact that I couldn't be there for you when you needed me the most." Sakuya hugged her son and went to the edge of the mountain. "You must hurry, Zuko. I'm sure we will see each other again. I will always be with you." And with that, she disappeared. Zuko did everything he could to fight the tears, but a smiled curled on his lips.

"Thank you, mother."

Katara was standing in irons as she watched two figures in an arena. She could see how excited Zhao was as he held the chain connecting to her neck. She tried to turn away from the fight that was about to proceed, but a sharp pain in the back followed the crack of a whip when she turned. This only made Zhao laugh more.

"You will watch your friend die in agony, know full well that you are the cause of his demise." Katara turned back to the fight. The gong had just rung and Aang and Lord Ozai stood to face each other, both in fighting stances. Katara started to cry at the scene. She knew that Aang had only mastered air and waterbending. There was no way he could beat Ozai. She finally fell to her knees in a frantic sob.

"Please, Zhao. Stop this madness. He is just a boy. He doesn't deserve this." Zhao picked her off the ground by pulling her chain.

"I already told you that you would watch him die. You will live the rest of your days with his death on your shoulders." Katara heard a frightful scream come from Aang. He had just been thrown on his back by a giant fireball. His body was covered in burns and blood. Katara couldn't take it anymore. She didn't want it to end like this.

"Stop! Don't do this to him! Aang, run! Forget about me!" It was too late. Lord Ozai threw the final blow at Aang, causing him to hit the floor with a sickening thud. The mediator ran to Aang's side and declared that his neck had been snapped in two. Zhao allowed Katara to run to his side. She cursed herself for his death. She never wanted this to happen. She wanted to die. She felt there was no reason to live. "Please, just kill me now." Ozai stood over her with his fist pointing at her chest. She closed her eyes, waiting for the deadly blow.

Zuko finally made it down the mountain and ran through the forest as fast as he could. I have thirty minutes to save her. Please be alive, Katara. His hopes rose as he saw the ship in front of him. He quickly boarded it and commanded Lieutenant Jee to take off. He quickly ran into the room Katara was in but stopped at the door. The bed was empty. The worst thoughts went through his head. She can't be…after everything I went through. She just can't…He was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Prince Zuko, you have returned." Zuko turned around to see his uncle standing next to him. He looked extremely tired, but not as tired as Zuko looked. Zuko was glad to see his uncle, but he shook his head and asked the vital question.

"Where is Katara? She isn't…"

"No, Prince Zuko, she is still alive but barely. We moved her to the infirmary because she stopped fighting us. Hurry, we need to get the flower to her immediately." They both ran to the infirmary and gave the flower to the doctor. He started preparing it for medicine as Zuko went to Katara's bed. Her face had lost almost all of its color and was extremely hot, but her hand felt colder than ice. What scared him the most were her eyes. They had no life in them even though they were half open along with her mouth. Was he too late? Was she already dead?

"Here," the doctor said handing Zuko a glass of red liquid. "You will have to give it to her through her mouth. She should get better." Zuko was hesitant at first but finally did as he was told. He put all the liquid in his mouth and forced it into Katara's mouth. He didn't mind kissing her as much as he though he would. When he rose for air, he noticed that Katara's eyes were closing. It was a good sign according to the doctor. Zuko was asked to leave, but he wanted to stay with Katara. He wanted to be the first thing she saw.

Katara knelt before the Fire Lord, waiting for her swift death, but it never came. Instead, a soft and kind voice reached her ears.

"Katara, what is wrong?" Katara looked up. She was no longer in chains, and Aang, Zhao, and Ozai had disappeared. In fact, the whole stadium was gone. All that surrounded her was whiteness. She gasped when she realized that Zuko was in front of her. She nearly started crying when she spoke.

"Oh, Zuko. Everyone I know has died because of me. Gran Gran, father, Sokka, Suki, Haru, Jet, Pakku, Yue and Arnook, even Aang, they were all slaughtered because I failed to save them. I probably will fail you too." Zuko knelt down next to the sobbing waterbender and caressed her face.

"Katara, none of those things were your fault. None of it really happened. It was just an illusion. Even if they were real you could never blame yourself. We all chose our own paths. You must choose to live on. Please, I need you to live. I want to be with you." Katara finally lost it and wrapped herself around Zuko as he comforted her. "It will be alright. I won't let anything happen to you. I will always be here for you." He bent down to kiss her. She didn't resist. She wanted to be in his arms. She never wanted to let go of him. "Please, Katara. Come back to me."

"Zuko." Zuko looked up from his lap. He gasped as he saw Katara's eyes open. They had life in them again. He was so happy to see that she would be alright.

"Katara, you're alive." He pulled her into a hug, which she almost suffocated from. When he released her, he realized that she was too weak to do much. He didn't care. He was just happy to see her, as was she.

"Zuko, you made it. I must have had you worried. I'm sorry."

"Don't you dare apologize. It was my fault this happened. I won't let anything else happen to you, Katara. I'm going to take care of you." He got up and felt her head. Her fever was already going down. He knew there was nothing left to do except one thing. "I am going to let you get some rest." He started to leave but then felt a tug on his hand. Katara was holding him with all of her strength.

"Please, Zuko. Stay with me until I fall asleep." Zuko agreed to her request and sat back down. Katara couldn't help but think. I know it was all made up, but did Zuko actually kiss me? It felt so real. Everything else felt real too, but this was different. Am I really in love with him?

Katara finally fell asleep, which allowed Zuko to slip away. He went to his room and found Iroh at his door.

"How is she?" Iroh asked.

"She's going to be alright. She just needs rest." Iroh patted Zuko's back and sent him into his room.

"It looks like you need some rest too. You had a hard day, Prince Zuko." Zuko smiled.

"Yes, it has been a hard day, a day I will never forget." Zuko crawled into his bed and thought. I actually kissed her. Am I falling in love with her? Why would I go through all of this trouble? He then remembered his mother's words.

"But you must be kind to Katara. She is a wonderful girl. Take care of her. She loves you so." He rolled over with a smile and sighed. "Thank you, mother," was all he could say before falling sound asleep.

Patience: Ok, that was officially the longest chapter I have written, and I am drained.

Katara: That was truly amazing, Patience. You finally wrote a long chapter for the readers.

Patience: I suppose I will take that as a compliment. What did you think, Zuko?

Zuko: Zzzzzzz.

Patience: Zuko! (flames in eyes)

Katara: He fell asleep. He must have been really tired from all that running around.

Patience: That better be the reason. Anyways, it will be a long time before I update. I am completely swamped with homework and I am exhausted from writing physically and mentally. Plus, I'm not sure what I will do in the next chapter. If you have any ideas, let me know. Well, Cya.

Zuko: So what happened, Katara? I fell asleep around the part where I was following that red petal. Patience is crazy for making me follow a dumb petal.

Katara: Zuko, please don't say anything.

Zuko: Why? She is completely crazy! Who would think a flower has a brain.

Patience: ZUKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Katara: For the sake of the readers and the rating, the last part of Zuko's punishment…I mean accident has been censored. Patience will update in about a week, about the time Zuko gets out of the hospital. Cya next time.