Thanks for all the reviews last chapter - this one is dedicated to wondering-wandering on deviantart. The song for this one is Shattered by Trading Yesterday. Another favorite! Find it here - http://wwwDOTyoutubeDOTcom/watch?v=w_LOOKssMpA

Chapter Twenty Four - Calling

For a moment, everything seems to slow down. Zuko's senses blur in a moment of utter panic, then everything sharpens around him. Running to the ledge, he grabs the candle and brings it over to Katara, dripping some wax to create a makeshift stand for it.

With utmost care, he turns over Katara and examines the wound at the back of her head. It's not deep, he realizes with a breath of relief, but she's lost some blood. Cursing everyone in the place a million times, he takes off his shirt and is about to rip some off, when Katara murmurs "Use mine," and he gently tears a strip off the bottom of her too-long shirt.

Using some of it to wipe off the blood around the cut - which looks to be from some sort of sharp edge - he bandages the rest tightly. Katara whimpers in pain, and Zuko feels a tiny bit of his inner fire coming back. He tries to be gentle but knows the wound has to be tightly wrapped. He knows her healing powers and wishes for even a little water, but the room in which they're in allows for none.

It's a tiny stone room, without any light but the solitary candle. It's small enough that even that light is enough to light the whole room. Not that he has his bending, but there's no way he could bend his way out. There's no door, or way of knowing where he is - whether he's even above ground or not.

"Aang, we need you," she mumbles confusedly as she lapses back into unconsciousness. He slips an arm around her shoulders, lifting her up until she leans on the wall. Holding her in place with his arm (the blood shouldn't all go to her head), he sits down to wait, lost in the murky emotions into which Aang's name sends him.

After heading off Azula and securing the capital, Katara and Zuko headed towards where they knew Aang and Ozai would be, despite Katara's concerns about Zuko's health. They found Aang with Ozai, who was lying defeated on a rock.

Zuko surprisingly had nothing to say to his father, instead he went straight to Aang to check on him. Katara followed, wrapping Aang in a tight hug. The rest of the group joined in, and they broke apart smiling.

As they began to swap stories, Ozai staggered to his feet, unnoticed. They had been foolish enough to think that the former Phoenix Lord's only weapon would be his fire.

Ozai bypassed Aang and went straight for Zuko, who froze for a second too long, and then bent over in pain from his scar after trying to punch fire at Ozai. Sokka was useless, and Suki and Toph were too busy holding him up. Katara noticed a second too late, and Ozai moved too quickly for any of them to gain their bearings. As Ozai got within striking range of Zuko with his knife, Aang suddenly leaped in, pushing Zuko out of the way. Taking the blow that ended his life.

Although Katara healed his body perfectly, sobbing all the while (a sound which cut them all to the quick), it was too late. His spirit was gone.

They returned together to the capital, Aang's body lying between them, each of them forever haunted by the guilt and thoughts of what might have been.

When Katara wakes, dazed, she recounts reluctantly what happened while Zuko was out.

"They had given you some sort of sedative, I think, and they took you away. And...they told me that I had to tell them or they'd hurt you. And they put me in some sort of wooden cage, in the middle of a room of fire," her voice breaks, she had told Jet of her fear of fire after Aang's passing. "And I couldn't do anything and I wouldn't listen so they cut my head and made me write a letter to Haru telling him things were fine here so he should come taking the long route. They're going to put an ambush there. But I put a hint in the letter for Haru, so if he gets it..." She breaks off again, drawing her knees up and resting her throbbing head on them. Her muffled voice continues, "Otherwise it'll be a massacre, and I think I lost too much blood and I don't remember."

Zuko's control over his rage is pushed to breaking point, and Katara feels it through the unnatural tenseness in his muscles. Lifting her head up wearily, she sees half his face in shadow, stretched with anger and tension. His arm is still around her shoulders and she leans her head against him, turning slightly and wrapping her other arm around him. He relaxes a little and she falls asleep again, no longer able to struggle against the pain in her head, and the agony of betrayal.

"You're witless."

Jet just smiles. He's grown used to the cold girl's sniping. He knows she's tense too, and he's discovered the best way to irritate her is to flirt with her. "You know you love it."

She stumbles slightly, but brushes his remark aside coldly, which shouldn't hurt, he reasons. "I have no interest in you."

"Aww, baby, don't play hard to get!" Jet moves towards Mai, leaning in towards her perfectly upright body.

A sharp senbon is at his throat immediately. "Touch me and you die." She smirks - just a little - and he notices immediately, but remains silent about it for the moment.

"Come on, we have to check on Iroh."

"What about the other prisoners?" she asks, her voice impassive as ever.

"We're not allowed to check on them. Bumi has plans for them." Jet doesn't allow himself to think about the plans - keep moving forward - and strides out of the room, Mai following behind him.

There you have it, the reason why Katara was angry with Zuko. It might seem trifling, but sorrow and anger make a deadly combination. And even the lightning scar wasn't enough to help her with both the losses.

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