It has been a seriously long time since i had inspiration for this story. Thank you to everyone who kept reading and commenting, i hope this chapter is up to the expectations. So sorry for the wait, but here's Chapter 14: Bleeding Out

Chapter 14

After an awesomely successful first day, the members of Avatar were chilling out in Zuko's garage. Bouncing ideas around for next week's concert.

"We need something that will really blow the judges out of the water." Toph said. "Something that rocks the house!"

"No way! We need something that shows off Aang's mad skill and Katara's voice!"

Well…it was more like Sokka and Toph arguing which of their styles to use. Aang and Katara sat back, waiting for them to lose some momentum. Zuko wasn't paying attention.

"Guys!" Aang finally shouted, catching everyone's attention.

"Obviously, we need to play to our strengths, and yes, we should be loud enough to get noticed, but its more than that! Everyone in our band has something that those other bands don't have: Heart. Our next song should be powerful, yes, but it needs to mean something!"

Aang turned to Zuko, who finally noticed the conversation. "What?"

"I want you to pick the next song." Aang stated firmly.

"Yeah! Zuko, this should be your song next!" Katara gushed.

"Why me?"

Aang leaned in close, so only Zuko could hear. "Because, we need your heart to make an impression in the next round."

Zuko immediately knew what Aang meant. He touched his scar in thought and took a deep breath. "Okay, ill pick the next song."

Everyone smiled, and soon had to head off to rest up. Aang was the last to leave. "Zuko, I know you have this in you. Show them…show him what you can do."

Aang walked out, and Zuko lingered by his guitar. "Yeah…but how?"

School on Monday. Katara was walking around on an off-period, listening to her CD player. As she rounded the side of the building, she spotted a familiar figure sitting on the bleachers by the football field. It was Zuko. He was hunched over a notebook with a pair of headphones over his ears.

Katara walked up, and tapped Zuko on the shoulder. He nearly jumped out of his headphones from surprise. When he saw Katara grinning, taking out her headphones, he switched off his iPOD and patted the seat next to him. "What's up?"

"Nothing, I have a free period today." Katara said while leaning over toward the notebook. "Whatcha doin?"

"…Trying to decide what song we should do on Saturday…Its so frustrating."

"How so?"

"Well, it's a crucial part of the competition. The first round is just to weed out the posers and hopeless cases. The second round is meant to really make an impression on the companies and…" Zuko sighed. "It's just…really important that I show him that I'm strong."

"…Him? You mean…Mr. Ozai?"

Zuko nodded. "He's…my father." He touched his scar.

Katara gasped. "Really? Oh my god…Zuko, He was the one who…I'm so sorry…"

Zuko cut in. "I don't want any sympathy. I need to do this on my own, with my own strength. If I can't face him down…I risk dragging everyone else down with me."

A heavy silence hung between the two. Zuko was doing his best to keep his emotions in check, and Katara was doing her best not to feel sorry for him.

"You know…sometimes, we need to rely on others to make our way. If it weren't for Aang's confidence, I never would have considered singing on stage. And the whole concept of a band, the practice of combining so many skills and sounds, is the same thing. Each part depends on another part to make it sound great."

"We're all here for you, Zuko. And we'll be here for you the whole way. Let this song be your chance to let that feeling out. To "bleed it out", as my dad would say.

So, with a smile and a wave, Katara stood up and hopped down the bleachers.

Zuko rubbed his scar and grinned. "Bleed it out…"

So, later that day, Zuko told everyone the song he wanted to play while they sat in the garage.

"I don't know Zuko, I've never tried to…sing like that before."

"You can do it Katara!" Aang shouted. Upon realizing his outburst, he blushed and grinned, continuing to strum his guitar. "Eh hem…well, I'm sure I can get the guitar down,"

"I can do the rhythm, no problem. Endurance is my specialty." Sokka gloated proudly.

Toph punched Sokka off his High horse. "Well, I can show Katara how to use a tambourine."

Zuko smiled a rare, genuine smile. "Thanks Guys. I really need to do this. This song is perfect for what I need."

Katara smiled secretly, thankful that her words were able to help Zuko out.

"Well…" Aang said, hopping up to his place among the setup. "Lets try it out!"

Zuko handed out the appropriate sheets to everyone, and they all took their place.

"I want to do the chorus." He said to everyone. Katara nodded, and the rest of the band smiled in approval.

"One, two, three four…"

After practice, Katara felt like relaxing her voice. The lyrics of the song Zuko chose were very different from what Katara was used to. So she was taking a walk out to the top of the hill behind Zuko's house. When she got there, she laid down on the grass and just breathed.

It was something her father had taught her. Whenever he needed to relax, he found a place where nothing else rose above him and just laid down. Katara loved the feeling. Looking straight up, without anything on either side to tether your vision to earth, was one of the best feelings in the world.

"Strange I keep running into you like this."

Katara looked back and found herself staring at an upside-down Aang. "Hey you."

"What're you up to all the way up here?" He asked with a hearty grin.

"Just…resting up. It's a hard song to sing."

"Yeah…but Zuko needs to do this. Did he tell you about Ozai?" Aang asked. He sat on the ground next to Katara.

"Sort of…I think I know why this is important."

Aang lay down next to Katara, staring up at the sky. Katara laid her head next to Aang's, but couldn't seem to focus on the stars.

Aang, likewise, couldn't focus with the smell of Katara's hair Hovering over his head. He could feel his heart quickening the more he thought about the two of them.

Soon. Katara raised her head and turned toward Aang. "Aang…remember when you jumped over to my window and…kissed me?"

Aang blushed. "Yeah…I remember."

"…Well, I've been thinking about it…and…"

"Aang, will you be my boyfriend?" She blurted out, rather more forcefully than she intended.

Aang blinked, then reached up and took Katara's face between his hands. "Of course I will."

Katara opened her eyes, and smiled a most radiant smile down at Aang. She lowered her head and kissed Aang softly on the lips.

They weren't sure how long they were like that, but when they finally broke the kiss, both of them were out of breath.

"…I'm going to get addicted to your kisses if they all feel like that." Katara stated rather dreamily.

"I'm already addicted." Aang teased.

So the two of them lay under the sky, in each others arms, quite content to take on the world…together.

So the week came and went, and soon the Saturday of the Band's concert was upon them. Just like the last time, they donned their trademark white ribbons and set out in Appa, with Zuko following behind.

They arrived at the theatre shortly. There were significantly fewer cars there on this day of the competition, having narrowed the number of bands down to ten. They entered the theatre and registered at the front desk, then were told to head backstage.

So, there they were, each of the members of Avatar doing their pre-show rituals. They were up fourth in the lineup.

Zuko was a wreck. He was breathing terribly hard, and sweating bullets. He thought he was ready, but…

"I can't do this." He said with his head in his hands.

Aang, who had anticipated this, placed a hand on Zuko's back.

"Remember when we first met? When you were wailing on that bass in guitar center? When I first saw you, I saw nothing but strength. Not just in body, but in spirit. The way you played that bass so intently, and with such a steady hand, amazed me."

"That was before…I was going to meet the man who maimed me!"

Aang kneeled down to look Zuko in the eye. "Youre not the same as you were then. You are stronger, you are smarter, and you are a better person. No matter what happens, he can never take that away from you."

"The past is the past…it makes the present happen. You can either let the world walk all over you, or you can turn the tables." Toph added.

"I haven't known you that long, Zuko," Sokka sighed. "but I do know that someone…anyone who has been through what you have would have been a much worse person than you are. You took the worst event in your life and turned it into your greatest strength."

Katara then kneeled down and smiled. Zuko looked up into her eyes. "Its just like I told you the other day. Bleed it out."

Zuko stared for a moment, then made a fist with his left hand, tightening the fabric of his white ribbon. "Bleed it out…"

"Avatar?" a woman with a headset poked her head through the curtain. "You're up."

"Are you here, Zuko?" Aang asked lightly.

Zuko sat for a moment, eyes closed. "…I'm here." He replied with conviction.

The band stood up, nodded to each other, and went out to the stage. Sitting in the front row were five executives and their assistants, Mr. Roku, and a man with a fair face that could only be Zuko's father, Ozai.

Everyone took their places and plugged their instruments into the sound system. Zuko had not yet opened his eyes.

Katara stepped up to the mike. "We're Avatar, and we'll be playing Bleed it Out by Linkin Park.

Toph Counted down with her sticks, and Sokka dived into the main riff of the song. Katara took a final preparatory breath and hit her cue.

Here we go for the hundredth time,
Hand grenade pins in every line,
Throw 'em up and let something shine.
Going out of my fucking mind.
Filthy mouth, no excuse.
Find a new place to hang this noose.
String me up from atop these roofs.
Knot it tight so I won't get loose.
Truth is you can stop and stare,
Bled myself out and no one cares.
Dug a trench out, laid down there
With a shovel up out to reach somewhere.
Yeah someone pour it in,
Make it a dirt dance floor again.
Say your prayers and stomp it out,
When they bring that chorus in.

Katara stepped back, still shaking her tambourine, and let Zuko take the mic for the chorus.

I bleed it out,
Digging deeper just to throw it away.
I bleed it out,
Digging deeper just to throw it away.
I bleed it out,
Digging deeper just to throw it away,
Just to throw it away,
Just to throw it away.

Zuko Stepped back, letting Katara step up to hermic again and sing the second verse.

I bleed it out.
Go, stop the show.
Choppy words and a sloppy flow.
Shotgun opera, lock and load,
Cock it back and then watch it go.
Mama help me, I've been cursed,
Death is rolling in every verse.
Candy paint on his brand new hearse.
Can't contain him, he knows he works.
Fuck this hurts, I won't lie.
Doesn't matter how hard I try.
Half the words don't mean a thing,
And I know that I won't be satisfied.
So why, try ignoring him.
Make it a dirt dance floor again.
Say your prayers and stomp it out,
When they bring that chorus in.

Zuko stepped back up, and Katara fell back to his position. He still had his eyes closed.

I bleed it out,
Digging deeper just to throw it away.
I bleed it out,
Digging deeper just to throw it away.
I bleed it out,
Digging deeper just to throw it away,
Just to throw it away,
Just to throw it away.

Zuko opened his eyes, and stared straight at Ozai as he sang the next verse.

I bleed it out.
I've opened up these scars,
I'll make you face this.
I pulled myself so far,
I'll make you face this now.

I bleed it out,
Digging deeper just to throw it away.
I bleed it out,
Digging deeper just to throw it away.
I bleed it out,
Digging deeper just to throw it away,
Just to throw it away,
Just to throw it away.

I bleed it out,
Digging deeper just to throw it away.
I bleed it out,
Digging deeper just to throw it away.
I bleed it out,
Digging deeper just to throw it away,
Just to throw it away,
Just to throw it away.

I bleed it out.
I bleed it out.
I bleed it out.

The band let the last notes fade to black. Roku and the executives stood and cheered as the bandmates took a bow. Zuko kept his gaze fixed straight on Ozai, who stared back with smiling eyes, his mouth hidden behind his hands.

"Very impressive, my young friends." Roku said to the band. "A very interesting song to choose with a female vocalist on the verses, but you have…something special."

Ozai stood up and smiled thinly at Zuko. "Yes…very special indeed."

Zuko stood his ground behind the microphone, then pulled his guitar off his shoulder, jumped from the stage, walked right up to Ozai and stuck his scarred face right into Ozai's unmarred one.

The two were completely still for only a moment. Then Zuko's fist flew up and hooked right across Ozai's cheek. Ozai flew a full ten feet from where he had stood, and lay on the ground groaning.

"That was for my mother, who you abandoned. My sister, who you abandoned. And for me, who you drove away."

Zuko turned his back and gripped his right hand with his left, to keep his hand from shaking. "Enjoy that temporary mark on your face, maybe then you'll have some small idea of what it's like to wear your shame for all the world to see."

Zuko walked steadily back to the stage, picked up his guitar, and hefted it to his shoulder. "Roku, thank you for your time."

Mr. Roku nodded, then turned to tend to Ozai, albeit reluctantly. Zuko faced his bandmates and smirked.

"Sorry guys, I might have just ruined our chances at signing with Ozai Records."

Aang walked up and clapped a hand on Zuko's shoulder. "No problem at all, bud." He said with a smile.

So the Band followed Zuko off the stage, leaving a stunned Audience and a very painful past behind.

Soooo...R&R Please!