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Chapter Twenty-Four; Hurt and Healing
A voice, shouting something indistinguishable…
"RUN!"
Pain- something hitting his head…
"Stay awake, Zuko!"
Holding on, staggering forwards, darkness in the corners of his vision…
"Please, just a little further…"
Pain, tightness in his chest, harsh breathing…
Darkness.
OoOoo
Katara collapsed heavily on the ground, hearing Zuko do the same. Her chest heaved as she tried to regain her breath, wincing as her fractured ribs shifted. She glanced over at Zuko. His eyes were closed, and she struggled upright, staggering over to him. She kicked him in his unbroken shin sharply.
"C'mon, up. No sleeping princesses around here."
Zuko looked up at her blearily, then nodded and held his hands out. It was a testament to his exhaustion that he did not rise to the 'princess' bait. She grasped the offered appendages and pulled him upright, throwing his arm over her shoulder, trying to keep all the weight she could off of his broken leg, clumsily splinted by hands too tired and shaking to do a proper job.
They hadn't slept in four days, and it was beginning to take its toll. They'd had a major argument the night before, when the water ran out. They were just plain lucky to come across a fruit tree, which quickly defused the tension as they gorged on the bounty, putting as much as they could in a rough sling before moving on again.
Katara didn't know how much longer she could take this. She had to stay awake to stop Zuko from falling asleep as she didn't know how serious his head injury was. She knew they had to find water soon, and not only to heal their injuries. The fruit wouldn't last forever, and she shuddered to think what would happen when it ran out.
The third time they collapsed, Katara gave up. Spots were dancing across her vision, Zuko was really heavy, and she had never been this tired before. She lay on her back, sighing as her ribs settled. The last thing she felt before losing consciousness was Zuko's arm draped loosely across her stomach as he lay beside her, his broken leg propped awkwardly on hers.
OoOoo
"Zuko, it's alright. Just breathe."
The urgent tone in Katara's voice shook him out of his nightmare, and he shot upwards, his chest heaving as he tried to get his breathing under control. She knelt beside him, rubbing his back and murmuring soothing words as he shivered.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No." The word was out before he could stop it, and he winced. "No… I can't…it's too – painful."
"Okay. Do you feel alright now?"
"I- yes. How long was I out?"
Katara grinned.
"As far as I can figure, about a day and a half." At Zuko's shocked glance, her grin widened. "Well you were pretty tired, and it did give me the chance to heal our injuries."
Katara neglected to mention to him just how long it had taken. Azula had really done a number on him, not to mention the internal bleeding that she had been suffering from.
"What? Where did you get the water?"
When Katara pointed at the sky, Zuko frowned, but then his expression cleared.
"Oh. Rain. Well… good work."
"Thanks. D'you wanna try standing?"
He nodded his assent, and Katara helped him up. He winced a little as his leg took his weight, but after some walking he found that the pain was negligible. Soon after, they had eaten breakfast and headed off again through the forest.
A few hours later, the sun had set and they were exhausted. It seemed that a day and a half of patchy sleep wasn't enough after four days of depravation. They made a nest in the thick carpeting of needles under a pine tree, and lay down.
Zuko put his arms awkwardly around her, knowing from experience that this was the best way to conserve body heat. He was trying desperately not to think about how well she fitted against him, and how – right it felt.
Still, that didn't prevent him from smiling when he felt her arms wrap around his middle.
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