Katara's Point of View
My head was throbbing and there was a dull pain in my side. Opening my eyes I looked down to see a burn mark on it. Massaging my temples I blinked to adjust my eyes. Soon enough I could see my hand in front of my face. I reached forward, only to encounter bars. Oh no. The last thing I remembered was being attacked by Fire Nation soldiers. They must have captured me.
My heart was pounding and bile was rising in my throat. Gulping, I forced it down. Panic would serve no one. I had to stay calm and escape. But that was easier said than done. Just being here brought back so many memories- the raid, my running around trying to find my family, the screams, the beatings….without knowing it I started sobbing. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't! I couldn't go back to being a slave again. Tears rolled down my face and my fingernails clutched my arms. Gulping, I tried to quiet down. If the soldiers heard me sobbing I'd be done for.
"Katara, is that you?" a voice whispered. Hearing the voice I jumped, prepared to defend myself against the Fire Nation soldiers. But then logic caught up to me; the soldiers didn't know my name. "Who's there?" I whispered.
"It's Aang," the voice whispered. My heart leaped. Aang was here! For a brief second I felt glad that I had the company, then I mentally slapped myself. What was I thinking? Aang being here was a disaster. Who knows what the Fire Nation would do to him? I had to get him out of here!
"Are the others here, Aang?" I whispered.
"No, just me. You were being held for ransom, Katara." For some reason I found this insulting. Was I not a threat or something? Never mind the fact that I'm the only water bender in my village and kicked Zuko's ass in a fight, I'm just good for ransom. Pushing aside the feelings, I urged Aang to continue. "The plan was to trade me for you. We were going to rescue you, but I was too anxious and went myself. Zuko followed me, but we were ambushed. This girl Ty Lee did something to me and then I couldn't move."
"And Zuko? Is he here?" Even though I couldn't see Aang, I heard the hesitation in his voice. I could practically see the downcast look on his face. My stomach plummeted. No. It couldn't be. "Katara….there was a girl….Mai. Azula ordered her to kill Zuko." No. It couldn't be. Zuko could not be dead. Not after we started dating. Not when our last words were fighting words. I refused to accept it.
"But Mai didn't stab him." Yes! I knew it! Zuko was alive! He'd probably escaped and was planning to rescue us. Aang was still talking. "Mai didn't stab Zuko, but Zhao did." It was as though I'd been doused in cold water. Zhao had stabbed Zuko. There was no way he'd hold back. Zuko was dead. My boyfriend was dead. Numbly, I sank to the floor. The world spun around me but I made no effort to stop it. Aang's words echoed in my head. Zhao had stabbed Zuko. Little sobbing noises issued forth from me.
"Katara, it's okay. Maybe Zhao didn't kill Zuko. Maybe he just wounded him. I'm sure he'll be okay."
"No, he won't!" I yelled, banging on the wall. "He's dead! Dead, dead, dead! I'd never see Zuko again. We'd just found happiness with each other and then it was snatched away from us. The memories of our last moments replayed over and over again. I'd been angry and frustrated at Zuko when I'd left. And now…
No. Maybe Zuko wasn't dead. I'd thought my family was and it turned out Sokka was alive. I had to keep hoping. Assuming the worst wasn't going to help me. But was assuming the best going to help me? Maybe I was just lucky with Sokka. I couldn't hope that Zuko was alive, at least not now. I couldn't let myself wallow in self-pity. Aang and I were in danger. This wasn't the time to feel sorry for myself. There were more important things to be taken care of. My feelings had to be put aside. Sniffling, I wiped my eyes and turned towards Aang's voice. "We're going to escape, Aang," I whispered.
"How?" he asked. I could hear the hope in his voice. I couldn't let him know that I was scared. I had to be strong; I was the older one. It was my job to look after Aang. "I'll figure something out," I assured him. Aang fell silent and I took the moment to wipe away the tears that where still trickling down my face. I had to be strong.
"Katara? It's okay to cry," Aang told me. Shocked, I looked at him. What did he know? Did he lose someone he'd loved? Okay, fine. That was a dumb question- all of the air benders were gone. But I wasn't going to cry. Aang needed me; this wasn't the time for tears. I had to be strong.
Let's see, the air was dry and there was no water. Had I expected it to be different? Aang was probably restrained, and the cells were metal. "Aang, can you bend metal?" I asked.
"No." Damn it. Okay, don't get discouraged. He was the Avatar. I was pretty sure he could burst out of the cell. Then we just had to escape a dozen Fire Nation soldiers and head back to the others. But what if the soldiers followed us? I was willing to bet that they would. If they did, I'd lead them to the others and get them ambushed. We couldn't go back to the others. It was too risky.
Hello, they're benders and warriors! I think they can take care of themselves.
Yes, but suppose the Fire Nation chases me and Aang? Suppose I lead them to the others?
I'm sure that benders and a warrior could handle themselves. Besides, they've got Appa. He can be used for a quick escape.
I just don't want anyone to get hurt.
The others wouldn't want you to deal with this alone, and you can't. They'd want you and Aang to come back to them. Do you have any idea how worried they'd be when you and Aang don't show up? They'll probably think that you guys have been taken too far away to chase or dead! Do you want that on your conscience? And even though you're a great water bender, do you think you'd be able to take care of Aang all by yourself?
Well, my conscience's logic squashed that plan. Okay, so Aang and I would escape and then we'd head back to the others. But how were we going to do it? As if in answer to my question, a voice called, "Katara? It's Ty Lee." Azula's friend. What did she want? Tensing, I glared at her. My eyes had adjusted enough for me to make out her features. She looked worried. Worried about me? No, that was impossible. Ty Lee was Azula's friend. No friend of Azula's would be worried about someone like me.
"What do you want?"
"Look, Katara, I know we don't exactly come from the same world…"
I laughed humorlessly. "What do you want?"
Ty Lee hesitated and then took a deep breath. "Azula's my best friend. But there were times when I didn't agree with what she was doing."
"Why didn't you do anything about it?" Ty Lee's gaze was full of despair and helplessness. "She's my best friend! We grew up together. Besides, you know what she's like when she wants her way. She threatened to kill my entire family. When I was doing my circus act she had the net set on fire. I could've died!"
"You joined the circus?"
"I wanted to get away from the palace life. Mai's Mai and Azula's power hungry. She banishes about forty people a day just because they don't arrive precisely when she wants or something like that. The palace is a disaster; we barely have enough food. The prisoners are all sick and there's a fight everyday. I wanted a simpler life, so I left to join the circus."
Even though she was Azula's friend, I couldn't help feeling pity for Ty Lee. Being Azula's friend might not make you the bad guy like I'd assumed. Feeling rather guilty, I pressed Ty Lee to continue her story. "It was wonderful at the circus. The people were so amazing and I had so much fun! I really enjoyed bringing happiness to people during war. And people actually saw me as me. As an individual. Not one of the identical sisters, not Azula's best friend, as me."
"So you're saying you never liked any of this?" I asked, hoping that Ty Lee would join us. It was short notice and a little too much to hope for, but her skills would be invaluable.
Ty Lee shook her head sadly. "No, I never liked any of Azula's schemes. I mean, if you're friends with her you either accept it or be punished, and then there's still the risk of you being punished. I was fine when it was harmless pranks like trying to set Mai and Zuko up, but when she got to the plan about Ozai….." Here Ty Lee broke into sobs. Frightened, I watched her. I'd never seen her so upset. Her body was shaking and her braid was bouncing up and down as she shook. I reached out to pat her on the arm. "Ty Lee, it's okay. What happened?"
Wordlessly she shook her head. "I can't tell you! I knew it was wrong, but I went along with it anyway! I'm a horrible person and a coward!"
"No, you're not!" I assured her. "You were scared of Azula. I don't blame you."
"I should've done something! I knew it was wrong and I went ahead with it anyway. I always let Azula influence me anyway. But now.."
"What happened with Ozai?" I demanded. My heart was thudding painfully in my chest. I had a feeling that Zuko didn't kill Ozai and that there was treachery involved. "Was it Azula? Did she kill Ozai?"
Ty Lee shook her head helplessly and started hiccupping. "Azula's power-hungry," she wailed. "She wanted the Fire Nation all to herself!"
"So she killed Ozai and framed Zuko?" Ty Lee nodded. Disgust and pity flowed through me. Disgust that Ty Lee could go along with a heinous act like that and pity for the shaking girl in front of me. Azula was a controlling person. Just because some people were strong enough to stand up to her doesn't mean that others are. Then disgust for Azula flowed through me. It was though I was being consumed in it. I'd always hated that bitch, but now…she'd murdered her own father and framed her brother! There were absolutely no words to describe how awful Azula was. Clenching my fists in midair, I imagined that it was Azula's scrawny neck I was wringing.
"So are you going to join us, Ty Lee?" I asked, praying that she'd say yes. To my disappointment, she shook her head no. "After what I did, I wouldn't feel comfortable. And I'm still scared of Azula."
"What are you saying?" Was it possible that Ty Lee didn't tell us that story in order to say she was deserting Azula?
"I'm not as strong as you guys right now. Maybe I will be one day. I want my life to go back to the way it was, before Azula. I want to go back to the circus and see my family without worrying that I'll be killed on a whim. And I'm worried about Mai. Zhao was furious when she didn't kill Zuko and attacked her. I had to stop soldiers from rushing her. There's no telling what Zhao might do to her. And when Azula finds out…I can't leave her alone to deal with that."
"Are you going to help us?"
"I am. I'll steal the keys and let you out tonight. I can attack some of the soldiers but I doubt I can restrain all of them. You and Aang will have to make a dash for it. I'm sorry that's all I can do."
I patted her arm reassuringly. "That's plenty. I know what a big risk you're taking and I really appreciate it. It's never too late to change. Remember that." A smile lit up Ty Lee's face and I grinned in response. Seeing the happy girl cry was just scary and depressing. "Tonight. Be ready." Aang and I nodded as Ty Lee hurried away. A new respect for her filled me. I was still disgusted about the Ozai part and how easily influenced she was by Azula, but at least she was attempting to break free. That had to be worth something, right?
Zuko's Point of View
I wanted to die. Fine, I was dying, but I wanted to die quicker. The pain was excruciating; it felt as though fire was eating me alive. Part of me wanted the others to find me, but my pride refused. If they did I'd be yelled at, which I deserved. There was no way I'd put up with their righteous yelling. I'd failed Aang, the world, and Katara. There was nothing for me to do now. I just wanted to die so the pain could be over.
"There he is!" a girl's voice shouted. My heart leapt! Katara! Suddenly newfound strength coursed through me and I struggled to stand up. But it was only Toph. My strength fading away, I flopped back down on the bank. I'd managed to crawl there after the ship had left. Great. Now I was going to get the scolding of a lifetime.
"Zuko, Zuko!" Uncle Iroh's voice was frantic as he hurried towards me. Good old uncle. He was always by my side. I regretted not realizing how great he was sooner. Oh well, at least I'd get to die by him. I wonder if being stabbed is considered an honorable death. Well, maybe it is, but I was dying of a stab wound inflicted on me during an ambush that I should have sensed.
"Zuko, are you okay?" Uncle Iroh demanded. If I'd had the energy I'd roll my eyes. No, I'm fine, Uncle. I haven't just been stabbed or anything.
"He's been stabbed!" Sokka yelled. Once again, if I could I would roll my eyes. I would assume that much was obvious.
"Zuko, let me see!" Uncle Iroh urged, tugging at my hands. Reluctantly I allowed him to tug my hands away. Blood poured from the wound and Uncle's eyes widened. "We need to save him!" he shouted. Why? I wasn't worth saving.
"Why? He's not worth saving!" Sokka yelled. Freaky.
"He is my nephew!" Uncle Iroh thundered. I'd never seen Uncle so angry before.
Sokka crossed his arms stubbornly and continued muttering. When Toph chucked a rock at him he stopped but continued glaring at me. Toph and Uncle rinsed out the wound and bound it using bandages and herbs. Apparently the wound wasn't fatal, much to Sokka's displeasure. In a while I was leaning against a tree and sipping some tea that was supposed to help me. The wound was deep, but it wasn't fatal. Hearing that made me embarrassed that I'd basically just given up on life and wallowed in self pity. I was grateful that I was alive, but that would mean dealing with what had happened.
Oh no. You are not running away from your problems. You screwed up, now you're going to face it.
Fine.
Aren't you going to argue?
No, you're right. And I don't feel like arguing now.
You're no fun when you're submissive.
Apparently all I had to do was agree with my conscience and it would leave me alone. What a useful discovery. My brief joy was short-lived as Sokka exploded at me. "You are the biggest idiot on the planet!"
"Now, Sokka…" Uncle Iroh started, but Sokka carried on. "First you get my sister captured!"
"That wasn't my fault!"
"If you hadn't been such an ass to her she wouldn't have run off." Wow, Sokka just loved rubbing my past mistakes in my face.
"You don't know that for sure!"
"And then you got Aang captured! You should've waited for us, but no. You had to be an irresponsible idiot and let Aang go into an ambush!"
"It was his idea!" I protested. My weak protested echoed in my head, taunting me.
"Bull!" Sokka yelled. "You're older than Aang, you should know better. You knew it was stupid to let him go, and instead of stopping him or waking us you went with him! Then you get stabbed so we have to waste time patching you up instead of chasing my sister and Aang!" Sokka's words hit home; I was a bigger idiot than I'd thought. First I'd driven Katara away and caused her to be captured. Then against my better judgment I'd allowed Aang to go confront the soldiers, even though I knew we were outnumbered. Then I'd gotten stabbed and held up everyone. No wonder Sokka hated me. I was useless.
It was as if Sokka could sense my thoughts. "Oh no!" he yelled. "You are not feeling sorry for yourself! You messed up, now you are going to face it like a man!"
"Snoozles is right!" Toph yelled. "Man up!" I was being yelled at by a peasant and a little blind girl. The sad part was, they made sense. I'd messed up, but I couldn't wallow in self pity. It was time I started facing things like a man.
"What are we going to do now?"
"We're going to go rescue Katara and Aang," Sokka told me.
"What am I going to do?"
"You're hurt. You should stay here with me until they get back," Uncle Iroh told me.
"Forget it!" I yelled, struggling to my feet.
"Zuko, you can barely move!" Uncle Iroh protested.
"Yeah, you would be no use to us!" Toph protested.
"I'm going!" I roared. Pain shot through my body, but I ignored it. There was no way I'd be stopped.
"Zuko, it's really best if you stay here."
"I won't stay! I messed up, and I'm going to fix it. Katara's my girlfriend and the only girl I've ever loved. You have no right to stop me." Fire exploded around me as my fists clenched. No one would stop me. I didn't care if I had to fight all of them, I was going to get Katara and Aang back. Toph rolled her eyes and sighed, "It's no use arguing with him. You know how stubborn Scarface can get. As long as he stays out of the way it should be fine."
Elated, I turned to smile at Toph, but then I remembered she couldn't see it. I settled for patting her on the head awkwardly. Growling, she batted my hand away and snapped, "Don't make me regret this, Scarface!" Intimidated, I nodded, hoping Toph would be able to sense my movement. I was seated on a comfortable spot on Appa and we took off.
Katara's Point of View
My heart was beating so fast I thought it would leapt out of my body. There were so many things that could go wrong with this plan. Ty Lee could betray us. Someone could've overheard the plan. Aang and I could be killed. No, Katara. You have to be hopeful and trust that things will be fine. Since when was I pessimistic? Huh. Zuko must be rubbing off on me. Just thinking that name caused pain to pierce my heart. He was dead. No. Until I saw Zuko's cold, dead body, I wouldn't believe it.
"Katara, you should rest now," Aang advised. I nodded but I was too anxious to sleep. Staring at the ceiling I listened to the water. Once again I was captured and on a ship. But this time I wasn't a helpless little girl. I had people to protect; I had no time to be scared. "La," I whispered, hoping the water spirit would hear me, "it's Katara. I know you probably don't know who I am but I'm a water bender. I'm traveling with the Avatar and we've been captured. I need your help when we escape. Please help us." After my request to La I rolled over, trying to sleep. But I couldn't so I just stared at the wall. I hoped that time would magically speed up and Aang and I would be safe with the others.
The rest of the day passed by uneventfully. I was pressed up against the cell door, ready to make a run for it at the very second Ty Lee came. Aang had taken up a similar position. When the time came we would be ready.
My body tensed as I heard a yell. That had to be Ty Lee. Leaping to my feet I gripped the cell door as Ty Lee tore into the room. "Hurry!" I urged. Ty Lee's hands fumbled as she jammed the key into the hole. A dozen Fire Nation guards poured in the room. Frantically I searched my cell for a weapon. There was a click and my door flew open. Ty Lee moved away, using her pressure point technique to paralyze the guards. I snatched the keys from where I'd dropped them and released Aang. "Come on!" I yelled.
Aang encased us in an air bubble and we were zooming away. "Good luck!" Ty Lee shouted, waving. I hoped she'd be okay. Aang and I burst onto the deck. The Fire Nation soldiers attacked, sending fire blast after fire blast. Aang dodged them as best as he could. He'd go up and then suddenly he'd swoop down. Once in a while he would perform a spin. Every time he dodged a soldier he'd stick his tongue out. "Nyah, nyah! Can't catch me!" he taunted.
Dizzyness threatening to overcome me, I slapped Aang on the shoulder. "Aang, what are you doing? We have to leave!"
"Oh, right!" But while Aang was distracted, soldiers ganged up on us, causing us to fall. Before we knew what was happening we were surrounded. Aang managed to knock away some of the guards with an air blast. The others were knocked away with a well-placed water whip. I made a whipping motion and the whip swung around, knocking out even more soldiers. Even better, my water whip extinguished their fire.
Allowing the water to coat my arms like tentacles, I battled my way through the soldiers. Nothing would stop me. I was in my natural element, and this time I was using it to my advantage. Aang was right beside me, whacking random soldiers with his staff. "Aang, we're clearing a path. Get ready to-" But before I could finish that sentence, Aang cried out. He toppled to the ground, clutching the back of his head. Quickly I snatched Aang and placed him behind me. As we were being pressed in on all sides I hissed, "Aang, get out of here. I'll hold them off."
"But what about you?" he protested.
"It's more important that you get away! Go! Now!" I faced the soldiers, knocking a few of them away with well placed water whip. A fist whipped from the side and smashed into my head. As I fell I clawed at my attacker. When I landed on the ground I could feel kicks being aimed at my body. My ribs felt as though they would break. Ignoring the pain as best as I could I jumped up, kicking and punching wildly. It looked like I would be captured. As if in response a fireball slammed into me. Groaning I rose to my feet and aimed water balls at the soldiers. Aang was gone. Good. I'd done my job and protected him.
Now I was cornered. There was no way I would be able to escape. "Help me, La," I prayed. Of course I didn't exactly expect him to answer, but he did.
You wish for my help, water bender?
Yes, I do.
Very well.
Then I blanked out.
Zuko's Point of View
We were nearing the ship; I could see it in the distance. As we approached I thought I could hear the sounds of yelling. The others tensed, preparing for battle. "Look!" yelled Uncle Iroh. Following his finger I saw what he was pointing at. The river, which had been going at a medium pace, sped up. Huge waves rose and crashed. The ship was swept from side to side as the waves hit. Spray buffeted us as Appa swooped down so we could land.
With a warrior's cry Sokka jumped from Appa onto the ship. Immediately he hurled his boomerang, knocking out about two guards. Before the boomerang came back to him he grabbed a soldier and punched him in the face. Yelling like a demon I hurled fire blasts at the soldiers, sending them flying. My foot slipped on the deck and a wave crashed into me. I slipped and toppled to the ground, leaving me helpless. Before I could defend myself from the soldiers they were blasted away with water. Confused I scrambled to my feet and looked over the rail. Soldiers were floundering around in the water, yelling as huge waves carried them even further. Before I could do anything I was knocked off my feet by an even bigger wave.
"Guys, help me!" Aang yelled. My jaw dropped as I noticed him floundering in the water. Without thinking I dove into the water, swimming towards him. "Aang, here!" I yelled. Aang clawed his way towards me and grabbed hold. I winced as he made contact with my wound. "Zuko! Are you okay?" he yelled.
"The wound wasn't fatal. What happened?"
Aang slipped away from my grip. I lunged towards him and brought him towards me. "Katara told me to run. I did, but the water…." Once again a huge wave crashed into us, but this time it pulled us under. My grip tightened on Aang; no matter what I couldn't lose him. Water streamed into my nose and mouth. Coughing I spewed out the water and clawed my way to the surface. My wound throbbed as I moved. Aang's eyes were wide as his hand started to slip. Frantically I made hand gestures at him, hoping he'd get the idea and use some amazing Avatar trick.
As I sank deeper the pressure made my ears popped. My hands clawed at my throat, as though that would soothe the burning in it. Aang's fingers gripped my shirt and we were in a bubble. Then we rose to the surface and landed on the ship. "Look there!" Aang yelled. I looked to see Katara standing near the railing. Her eyes were glowing and her hair whipped around her. Water sprayed all around her and soldiers were rushing towards her, but she was oblivious. As the soldiers neared Katara's arm swung out, causing a huge water whip to blast the soldiers away.
"Katara!" I yelled. I moved away from Aang and rushed towards Katara . But as I neared Katara I was blasted back. Clutching my wound I stumbled towards her. "Katara, snap out of it!" I yelled. But Katara didn't hear me. The waves continued to rock the ship. The others were busy fighting the soldiers; I could hear their yells. "Katara, please, stop!" I pleaded. "This isn't you!"
Katara's eyes made contact with mine, but they weren't the same compassionate eyes. It was as if she didn't recognize me. Then she spoke, but her voice was different. "I am not Katara."
"Then who are you?" I yelled.
"I am La, the water spirit."
"What are you doing with Katara? Let her go!"
"The girl asked for my help. I am giving it to her."
I moved towards Katara, reaching for her wrist. "La, listen to me! You've helped Katara! Now let her go, your job is done!" An angry hissing noise issued forth from Katara's mouth. "You dare order me?" La hissed.
"Yes! Katara wouldn't like this if she saw what you were doing!"
"You know the girl well, then?"
"Yes! Now let her go before I hurt you!" A high laughing sound split the air. Katara- well La- was doubled over with mirth. "You actually think that you, a little wounded boy, can defeat the water spirit?"
Well, when La put it that way the chances of my defeating him were slim, but I was going to try. I lunged towards Katara, tackling to the ground. My aim was to scare La into leaving her body, but he only laughed. Before I knew what was happening I was blasted back. "La! Let her go! Possess me instead!" I yelled. Even though my wound was throbbing I crawled towards Katara. I had to free her. There was no way I was going to lose her again.
Katara's Point of View
I'd blanked out. Vaguely I remembered asking La for help and him agreeing. Now I could see the soldiers floundering in the water and gigantic waves crashing into the ship. Suddenly I sensed an attack behind me. Before I knew what was happening I whipped around, attacking him with a water whip that I'd never be able to use. "La, stop!" I pleaded. "It's over!"
You do not wish my help anymore, water bender?
"No, thank you! My friends are here and the soldiers aren't attacking! Let me go!"
You do not wish to make them suffer for what they have done?
Well, they had ruined my life. They'd hurt me, but I didn't hold a grudge against them. Okay, I held a grudge against Zhao, but that was different. Yes, Zhao. He'd taken Zuko away from me. He had to suffer. I was aware of the water becoming even more dangerous and water tentacles waving from my body, but I didn't care. All I cared about was finding Zhao so that I could see him suffer.
"Katara!" a voice yelled. It sounded kind of familiar, but I didn't have time for such interruptions. I had to get revenge. Revenge for what Zhao had done.
Look, it's that boy again.
I turned and saw that Zuko was crawling towards me. "Katara," he whispered. "Please snap out of it." But that was impossible. Zuko was dead. Zhao had stabbed him. But I'd never seen his body and I was pretty lucky…no. It was too much to hope for. I'd been lucky once, there was no way I'd be lucky again. It was an illusion; it had to be.
"Katara, it's me, Zuko. Please, snap out of it. I love you."
"Liar!" I yelled, using a water whip to knock him away. "You're dead! Zhao stabbed you!"
"No, I'm alive! The wound wasn't fatal!"
Wasn't fatal….the wound wasn't fatal. So Zuko was…. I could feel La slipping away from me. My work is done here. We shall meet again, water bender.
With those final words, La was gone. Crying I collapsed onto the deck. Zuko's arms were around me swiftly, hugging me close. "Katara, I'm so sorry. If I hadn't - I shouldn't have.." Zuko was mumbling incoherent things in my hair. Still crying I pressed my head into his chest, listening to his heartbeat. He was alive. Once again I had been lucky.
"Zuko, I can't believe it! I thought you were…" hiccupping I turned away, not wanting Zuko to see my tears. He grabbed me gently and turned me towards him. "Katara, it's okay. I'm right here."
"I thought you had died! When Aang told me Zhao stabbed you and then I didn't think I'd be lucky like I was with Sokka.. And- and-" Zuko held me even tighter and stroked my hair. "It's alright, Katara. I'm here now." Hiccupping slightly, I calmed down. Zuko was here. We were okay. Everything was fine. Zuko was here with me. As if to reassure myself of that fact I cuddled even closer to him.
"Where's the wound?" I mumbled into his chest.
"Hmmmm?" he rumbled, still stroking my hair. I pulled away from him and started examining his body, searching for the wound. Zuko grabbed my hands and guided it to the wound. "What are you doing?" he demanded.
"I heard water benders are blessed with healing powers. I don't know if I have it but…." I moved my hands in front of the wound, praying that it would work. To my surprise, it did. Delight filled me. "Zuko, it worked!" I cried. Zuko laughed and hugged me back.
"Well, I see it's a happy ending!" Uncle Iroh cried, coming over. When he saw Zuko his eyes widened. "You're okay! What happened to your wound?"
"Katara healed it," Zuko explained.
Uncle Iroh's eyes widened and he hugged me. "Thank you!" he cried.
"Katara!" Sokka yelled. He tackled me in a giant bear hug. Laughing, I hugged right back. "Are you okay?" he demanded.
"Yes I'm fine," I replied.
"Well then if everyone's fine, can we get out of here?" Toph demanded.
Iroh laughed and nodded. As we mounted Appa, La's words echoed in my head. He said we'd meet again. Did that mean he would possess me again? Remembering what had happened I shuddered. I'd caused huge tidal waves and attacks that no water bender like me could've done. I could've killed the others. Suppose I did? Suppose La possessed me when I wasn't aware of it and I murdered the others. They weren't safe with me; I had to leave them. "Let me down!" I yelled.
"Why, are you hurt?" Sokka demanded.
"No, I'm fine. But I have to leave you guys. It isn't safe!"
"What are you talking about, Katara?" asked Aang.
"I'm dangerous. La possessed me when I asked him for help. Did you see what I did? I could've killed you all! And then he said we would meet again! He could possess me and-" By this time I was in full- fledged hysteria. I probably would have leapt off Appa if Zuko hadn't grabbed me.
"Katara, forget it! We are not leaving you."
"But I'm dangerous!" I yelled, thrashing in his grip.
"So am I!" he yelled back.
"It's different!" he yelled.
"It is NOT! You're just a bad-tempered prince! You've never done what I just did!"
"That doesn't matter! I'm not going to let you deal with this by yourself!"
"You don't understand!" I wailed.
No, I think you don't understand.
What are you talking about?
They're your friends. Do you honestly think that they'd let you face this alone?
No, but they have to! I nearly killed them, I don't want it to happen again.
Tell me, if they were in your position would you let them face what you're going through alone?
Of course not! They're my friends, I wouldn't abandon them because of something like that. It would be when they need me the most.
So why can't the others do the same for you?
It's different!
How? You wouldn't abandon them, what makes you think they'd abandon you?
Well, I-
It seems rather hypocritical to me. You would stick by your friends but you won't allow them to stick by you.
I am not being a hypocrite! I don't want them to get hurt! Why can't you understand?
Why can't you understand that the people you care about also care about you? Why can't you allow them to take care of you?
The thing is-
Even the caretaker has to be cared for, sometimes. You have your friends and they're willing to stick by you. Don't be an idiot and throw that away.
I looked at my friends. I'd take care of every one of them no matter what. What's to say they wouldn't take care of me? Maybe my conscience was right and I should allow them to take care of me instead of taking care of them. There were times when I needed to be taken care of. "You guys will really help me?" I asked.
There was a chorus of yeses and nods. Overwhelmed at their support I leaned back against Zuko, wiping away the tears that fell down my cheek. My friends would help me no matter what. As we flew on, I started to drift to sleep. It had been a long day and I was exhausted. As my eyes were closing a thought dawned on me. What had happened to Ty Lee? She'd helped me and Aang. Then my eyes flew wide open. Ty Lee had said Mai was being executed for treason, and after she'd helped us, I was willing to bet she was in trouble too. I'd never been fond of the two girls, although when Mai spared Zuko's life and Ty Lee helped us my opinion of them started to change. Maybe there was hope for them and they would turn to our side. Of course I didn't expect them to do it right away, but there was hope. Then it hit me. Mai and probably Ty Lee were going to be executed for treason. They were going to die!
Lunging forward I crawled towards Aang, trying to get the reins.
"Katara, what are you doing?" he yelled, moving away from me.
"It's Ty Lee and Mai!" I had to save them. There was no way I'd let the girls die, not after what they'd done for us. Besides, if it was in my power to save someone and I didn't do anything I would never forgive myself.
"What about them?" Sokka yelled, dragging me back. I bit his arm and lunged for the rein again. "Ty Lee let me and Aang out. She told me Mai is being executed for treason when they get back to the Fire Nation and after what she did, I'm willing to bet she will be too!"
"So, they helped you guys?" Sokka asked.
"Yes!" I yelled, frustrated that they didn't understand. "Don't you understand? Mai and Ty Lee helped us, now they're going to die! We have to save them!"