Chapter 20

Katara's POV

I could feel every single nerve in my body that was set on edge as the I heard the singe of my hair. Closing my eyes, I raised my arms in a fleeting attempt to save myself. From behind my eyelids I watched moments of my life flash through my mind in flickers.

I saw my brother and I playing in the snow in the South Pole, waiting for mom to come up behind us with bait to go penguin sledding. It flashed and I saw my mother right as she spoke to that cruel man who took her from me. It faded into the scene I saw when she was merely a burned corpse…

The images began to change faster as my memories showed when I first met Aang and all adventures, my brother embarrassed by Suki and the other Kyoshi Warriors, and when Toph and I worked together to escape that wooden cell. I recalled all of the times that we shared when we were laughing and having fun back then…

It was this point that I saw memories of Zuko and I together: when we first met, when he tied me against that tree, when we talked in the cave… Even when we kissed…

My heart fluttered as I saw the two of us together and I don't know what it was, but I felt something constrict within my senses and I squeezed my hands. The mass had clenched against my will, but I forced myself and finally it gave in, waiting for the fire to reach me, but it never did as the flames died down. Opening my eyes, I saw Xueyou gasping for breath as he fought against my bending. I felt as though I should make a move and subdued the man, pushing him down to the ground and onto his knees with his hands behind his back, but as I listened to his grunts and shallow breaths, I couldn't continue and released him with a sigh.

He rose from ground slowly with a choked gasp, grabbing at his chest, "You foolish, weak girl! You should have killed me when you had the chance. You're going to regret not taking the opportunity!"

Raising his fist, he released a stream of fire and came at me. With the tiny amount of water that I had, I sent a stream down to his legs and tripped him again of his concentration and center, "I'm not like you. I'm not as pathetic as to take a life to get what I want! I'll show you what a stupid woman can do!"

With everything I had, I pulled at the water again, looking for anything I could to stop him and sought to permanently remove his center. Using the water in my hand I formed three thin discs of ice, throwing the first toward his face, knowing that he would use his bending to melt it before it reached him. Then as quick as I could, I hurled the second and third discs at the same time, but aiming for two different locations: his wrist and his ankle. I knew that he would be quick enough to stop the first and second, but would not be able to react within the few seconds it would take the final disc to slice through his tendon.

"Bitch!" I heard his body thud onto the floor as he screamed and writhed in pain. It wasn't until I heard footsteps echoing down the hall that he stopped crying out as the two guards picked him off of the ground and Zuko came toward me with the others right behind him. They noticed the several lashes in my dress and the way my hair was damaged in some parts, but they said nothing as Zuko told the guards, "Check his robes…"

Searching his sleeves and pockets within the robes, at first the soldiers didn't find anything, until one of them ran a hand down his leg when he was frisking and felt something small against the man's knee. Within his pants, a blade and a small vial were strapped to his leg with a wrap. Zuko grabbed the bottle and the knife, first taking a whiff of the contents of the small container and then taking a look at the blade, which had a dried up burgundy-colored liquid covering the silver. He looked over to the older man with a look of sadness but also anger that raged within him, "You are a traitor to this Nation and went against everything that we have done to preserve the peace of the world. You were the one that had slipped a drug in my tea and caused the heart problems. You were the one that attempted to kill a woman and her yet-to-be born child…"

Listening to Zuko talking, I noticed that a shadow overcame Sokka's face as he continued in his realizations. His eyes looked cold, and I walked toward him, placing a hand on his shoulder as to try and calm him down. He seemed to be stuck in his own thoughts, but he didn't move… Didn't speak…

I looked over to Suki, and she seemed upset but hid her feelings from me and only bit her lip, though her hands began to shake with Quiyue in her arms. Raising my hands, I plucked the little girl out of the Warrior's hands and quietly bounced her in my arms as Suki looked to me with glassy eyes and nodded slightly in thanks. I reached out with a free hand and rubbed her shoulder before she brushed it off and came up to Xueyou.

Zuko had stopped talking at this point, and like the rest of us, was waiting to see what Suki was going to do next. She had lowered her head for the longest of time before she finally looked up at the man before her, "I don't know you…" My eyes furrowed, but I let her continue on. "I have never gotten to know you really besides a formal greeting, but that is all.. I don't know you…" Xueyou looked confused at this point, but he held firm in his anger, "So when I walked toward you in relief, I realized I was only naive in placing my trust in someone I didn't know. I thought you were the man that Zuko has said so much about. A man who supposedly took care of a young boy when the only other person couldn't be there for him. Do you have children?"

He never answered her, but looked down and that was enough for her, "Then you know that my husband and I should be the ones to kill you right now… But I won't…"

We all looked at the woman in shock, but she didn't acknowledge us, rather to continue, "Because of your idiocy, you will live a life where you will never see your family again, but rot in a prison."

At this point she had raised her hand and with a deafening smack, I could see that nothing was more humiliating at that point for the man before us. Zuko by this point ordered for Xueyou to be taken to prison for treason. I watched as they pulled the man away and looked down at Quiyue, who was staring at me intently with her beautiful blue eyes. With a sigh, I brushed the top of her head and with a quick kiss, I spoke up, "Wait!"

They stopped from where they stood and turned around , Xueyou looked broken at this point, but I ignored that for a second, and with a voice telling me to forget about doing it, I reached down with Quiyue still in my arms and began to bend the slit in his leg which at this point should have made him faint, but only caused him to be ridiculously skin began to reform itself cleanly and being that I healed him with his own blood may have left a tiny scar. Standing back up, I turned around and didn't look back when he uttered, "...Thank you…"

"Don't…"

With that, Xueyou was taken to prison, where the remaining members of the council sentenced him for life, for his treason and near attempt of killing the Fire Lord.

After several hours of resting and healing the little wounds that I received, I made my way to the dining room, where everyone told me to go at dusk. We all needed a break, me with having just fought, Zuko with his Uncle, who had told him what he discovered and was the reason why they found me so quickly, Sokka and Suki, who needed time with each other, and Toph and Aang took Quiyue with them to allow the couple to do just that.

Passing through the corridors, my eye caught the shimmer of sapphires that adorned the wall of the long hallway. On its opposite side, there resided red rubies that danced in the light of the flickering candles. Their glittering dance was enchanting as I walked further and further down the hallway, and when I finally looked away and entered the dining room, I snapped from their hypnotic transfiguration.

"Hey Sugar Queen! You're looking better than you did before." I glanced over at Toph and straightened out the dress that I had on. I had decided earlier that I wanted to be comfortable rather than pretty for whatever it is that we would be doing tonight, so I chose to wear a pair of dark blue tight pants with a short sleeve, navy blue tunic dress that ended above my knees and black flat shoes.

"Thanks Toph… I mean, I totally didn't feel like dressing up, but…" I looked over to the small blind girl and glared. She only gave a cheeky smile and held up Quiyue, who was fussing in her arms, "Would you mind taking her, she seems to be getting all antsy?"

I sighed, but laughed and walked over to the young earthbender, plucking the little girl from her arms and started to snuggle and toss her into the air, making her squeal loudly. I pulled her close to my body and began to wiggle my nose against hers as she tapped her little hands against my cheeks. I didn't hear the door open and close and watched as Quiyue's smile brightened and she looked passed me right as someone came up from behind. A pale hand moved and touched the little angel's cheek, making her lift her hand up and reach for one of the fingers. As she grasped the index finger, I turned to see her other guardian standing behind me and making faces at the little one. He only looked at me when I began to laugh softly at the two of them.

"Hi…" He spoke with a tenderness that made me blush, "How are you?"

I bit my lip to hide my smile and say quietly while turning to face him, "Hi, I'm fine… I took a nap and everything so I'm doing better. How are you? I mean with everything and all…"

He nodded slowly before looking down, "It was a little hard when I figured it out, but after what happened today to you, everything was pushed aside. I mean, I know that we were close, but when he attacked you and did that to your brother's family, I couldn't hold onto what once was, when I should think about how things are now. I talked to my uncle…"

I nodded for him to continue; my eyes were wide with curiosity, "He told me what exactly led him to do such a thing… Power… He wanted more power within his family, and with his granddaughter marrying the Fire Lord, he would have had it. If she would have gone with the marriage, he could tell her whatever he wanted because I would have been wrapped around her pinky." It was at this point that I realized as to who he was referring to and I bit my lip, "My uncle is very hurt, more so than I because he was his best friend when they were younger, but he knows more than anyone that what he did was wrong and could never be forgiven for taking the life of a mother and child. I highly doubt he will be able to forgive himself after the conversation that he had with Uncle Iroh…"

He finally managed to look up at me, but with a sad smile, and I couldn't help but grasp his hand with my own and giving it a light squeeze. His smile brightened a fraction before a certain little girl between the both of us started to pat both of our cheeks with her chubby little hands. We both looked at the beautiful child in my arms and before we knew it we both leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek at the same time. She started to squeal happily with a cheeky smile.

"Hey now, that's my baby girl!" Zuko and I scanned the room before noticing Sokka watching us with a weird expression on his face, and his wife lost in her thoughts next to him as she stared at us.

I chuckled softly to myself and rolled my eyes, "Don't worry Sokka.. She'll always be Daddy's little girl!"

He didn't let up on his crazy expression, but he was distracted when Aang called out to all of us, "Hey guys! Since we are all here now, I wanted us all to get together before Katara had to leave with her Tribe tomorrow, Sokka, Suki, and Quiyue head out to Kyoshi Island and pack everything for the South in a few days, and Toph and I leaving on Appa to the Earth Kingdom with Iroh. I know that we are all busy, but with everything that happened on Zuko's birthday, Toph and I believed that we should finish celebrating Zuko and now Quiyue's birthday since he never even got to blow out the candles."

Zuko and I looked at each other with a surprised look on our faces, but before we said anything, Toph spoke up, "We also thought since there have been numerous occasions when we have missed each other's birthdays that we should celebrate all of ours together..."

"What are we going to do though? I mean it's only the seven of us, what could we possibly do?" Sokka spoke up with a look of excitement, probably at the idea of cake.

Glaring at the man-child, Toph slid her foot a little to the front and then right, knocking Sokka off his feet with a small bulge of stone that made the first floor, "Well if you would shut your mouth, maybe you would find out!" He nodded with a pout on his lip and picked himself up and off of the ground, "Anyways as I was saying, Aang and I have been out around the city, and we heard of a celebration or whatever happening at one of the courtyards. We thought we could all blend ourselves and have a good time down there."

"We also talked to one of the chefs and he agreed to make a cake if the Fire Lord wishes…" Aang turned his attention to Zuko with a pleading face, practically begging him to say yes.

The young Lord sighed softly and without giving a second glance at the Avatar's weird antics said, "Fine…"

"GREAT!" Aang jumped in the air and motioned for him and Sokka to go with him, "Come on we have to change into something that we won't be recognized in!"

I laughed and watched as Zuko turned to leave, but not before he gave the little princess in my arms a little kiss on her cheek and smiled at me. Blushing, I barely noticed as Suki and Toph were pulling me with them, "You have to come with us too! We definitely have to get you ready too!"

Confused I asked them what was that supposed to mean, and they only replied with, "Don't worry about it… We know exactly what we are doing."