"The letter says for me to go alone, Katara. Or else he'll kill Arik. You know he means it." Zuko stopped pacing in front of his desk to watch the words swim together on the offending piece of parchment. He wished they would just wash away.

"But I can help you!" Katara protested with heat rising to her face.

"No! You can't!"

"What!?" Katara put her hands on her hips and glared—flared—at him.

Zuko felt a huge wave of frustration. "I mean, I know you can. I won't let you."

"What!?" Her eyes narrowed, ready to burst with her anger.

"I'm sorry! I meant—aw, fuck it. The letter says—"

"I don't care what the letter says, Zuko. I'm going with you!"

"Katara, please." He placed his hands on her shoulders as if trying to stay afloat. "Don't do this. I can handle Satoru. Just stay here. I'll be back soon."

She held her scolding—scalding—posture. "But what if Arik's hurt? What if you need a healer? What if you get hurt…"

"Katara, I can't…" He leaned in for her to buoy him. He was so tired of fighting—yet, he couldn't surrender, not in this.

She pushed him away—the fight within her now raging like wildfire. "You can't just leave me behind! Is this how it's going to be? You going off to do Fire Lord business with me stuck at home?" Home. It really is here in the Fire Nation now, isn't it? The realization burned a little.

Zuko folded his arms against his chest. They weren't getting anywhere like this. They were just treading water. "This hardly constitutes as business. Satoru is crazy. It's too much of a risk."

"Which is why you need my help!"

"No! I need you to—"

"You need me to what, Zuko?"

"I…NEED YOU, OK?"

At this admission, her flames were doused. "I'm here. I'm right here."

"No, I mean, I can't lose you." The look he gave her nearly took her breath away—like he was drowning. "Katara, you were right, on the train, I am afraid of losing people. But my biggest fear is becoming like my father, and I feel like you're the only thing keeping me centered right now, and if I lose you, then my worst fears will come true. I can't… I won't make it…without you, and I know it's unfair to expect you to—"

"OK, OK. I get it. I'll stay." She reached out toward him.

"Thank you." His words were muffled in her hair as he crashed into her warm embrace.

"But if you're not back after an hour, I'm coming for you!"

"I'll be back. I promise."

Katara went rigid—like ice—before pulling away from him. Her father had said the same thing when he left for war. She could almost hear those words echo across the vast sea where she stood at the water's edge so many times just waiting for him.

"No." She took a few steps back. "No! You don't get to say that! That's… an empty promise. You're not the only one afraid of losing people, Zuko!"

The depth of defeat returned to his eyes. "I gotta go, Katara. I'm sorry."

She couldn't watch him leave. She felt like there was an ocean between them already. She couldn't just stay here like that—stranded.

Dad never came back… I went to him instead.


She found a small faction of Zuko's guardsmen gathered in the common area of the military barracks. She recognized a few of them but was disappointed that Tamotsu wasn't there.

"Lady Katara, are you lost?" one of the guards asked.

"No, I'm following Zuko."

"Well, you're on the right track. He was just here. Took off on an eel hound not too long ago."

"No, I mean, I'm following him. To wherever he is going. So, I need an eel hound, too."

"Umm, I'm sorry, my lady, but I don't think we're supposed to—"

Katara scanned the group for familiar eyes and then locked hers with his when she saw them. "Fire Lord Zuko has deferred to me before on my own interactions with his guards. This should be no different." She was addressing the man from the airship with whom Zuko had allowed her some authority. There had been a similar exchange on the train, but she didn't see that particular guard at the moment.

Another man attempted to speak under his breath, but Katara heard him anyway. "Yeah, I heard he proposed in Ba Sing Se, so we better get used to taking orders from her."

Before she had a chance to retort, a new voice entered the scene. "Does Fire Lord Zuko know you're following him?" It was Corporal Tamotsu.

"Uhh, yes…" she answered automatically. "I mean, no." She trusted these men, and she wanted them to trust her, too.

"Well, the eel hounds can be a bit feisty if you've never ridden one before. A mongoose lizard would be better for tracking," Tamotsu explained without skipping a beat.

Katara shuddered. She hated those things. Not only did they remind her of Azula, but now they also conjured up raw memories of a near-fatal zipline ride followed by another brush with death in the Ember Island jungle. And here they were facing a life threatening situation yet again. So, she had to do it—for Zuko. Because that is apparently what we do. Live and almost die for each other.

Tamotsu could sense her uneasiness as he prepared the mount for her. "Do you want a few guards to go with you?"

"No, not yet. But if we're not back after an hour, then will you come? I'm headed to the Black Cliffs."

"The Black Cliffs? It will take you an hour just to get there. No wonder Fire Lord Zuko took the eel hound," Tamotsu mused.

"So… will you come? Please?"

"I will do anything you ask, Lady Katara. But just so you know, my fellow guardsman was right. It won't be long before you can order it."

She lifted herself onto the back of the mongoose lizard. With a white-knuckled grip on the reins and a slight tilt of her head, she said, "Thank you, Corporal, for your help. And just because one can make orders, does not mean he or she is exempt from human decency. Common courtesy is not just for commoners. We all deserve respect."

Tamotsu bowed deeply. "I would be most honored to serve you as our Fire Lady. Go with Agni."


Katara didn't remember until she got there, but the Black Cliffs had served as the rendezvous point before their invasion on the Day of Black Sun. It was also where Aang had experienced nightmares and sleep deprivation in his anxiety about facing the Fire Lord. She recalled thinking it was a beautiful island at the time, lush and green, and surrounded by her element, which was always a plus. But now, it seemed very foreboding, nightmarish, and… dark.

It was just after sundown which was when the letter said for Zuko to meet Satoru to discuss the terms of ransom and Arik's release. Katara's mongoose lizard had crossed land and water with impeccable speed and stealth. She left it tied to a tree to rest and graze at grass and bugs while she crept near the edge of the cliff—toward the voices the wind carried her way.

Zuko and Satoru were on the narrow beach below, their bodies poised for a fight, but their conversation surprisingly as light as the spring breeze.

"Just tell me what you want, Satoru, and nobody has to get hurt," Zuko said coolly.

"It's Fire Sage Satoru. I may not be High Sage anymore, but you can't get rid of me that easily," was the emotionless response.

"I never intended to get rid of you. You left before I had a chance to talk to you."

"Well, we're talking now, aren't we?"

"Yes. So, let's just keep this between us. There's no need to harm a defenseless child. He's not even from the Fire Nation, so—"

"Precisely, Fire Lord. He shouldn't be here, so I intend to get rid of him." A snarl crept into Satoru's voice.

Katara frantically scanned the beach wondering if maybe she could free Arik while Zuko kept Satoru occupied with conversation. But she didn't see the boy anywhere.

"You forgot that I also sit on the board of advisors for the Academy," Satoru continued. "Lady Za Je petitioned for us to enroll a new student this week. She said he had promising talent, but that it would also set a precedent for international relations. That he could teach our students to value different people from all over the world…"

"That sounds… interesting," Zuko said warily.

"It should be the Fire Nation teaching the world! Not the other way around!"

Katara could swear the wind picked up at the same time as Satoru's voice echoed through the cliffside. She shivered.

Zuko remained calm. "That is a different way of thinking, Satoru. And not my way of thinking. This is why I had to remove you from the council. The Fire Nation is moving forward, the world is changing, and Arik represents that whether you like it or not. Now, tell me what you want."

"I want my seat on the council, of course."

"I just told you—"

"And I want Lady Za Je to be removed from your council and the school board."

"Fire Sage Satoru, I'm sorry but—"

"And I want any half-breeds in your employment to leave, including your water-bitch girlfriend, because all of them are a threat to our nation's purity and greatness. Too many of us worked so hard for this before you were even born, Fire Lord, so somebody has to keep you in check before it's too late."

"Where is Arik?" Zuko's patience was growing thin.

"Do we have a deal?"

"I don't make deals with arrogant, dishonorable assholes. Now, Where. Is. Arik!"

"Well, if we don't have a deal, I don't know how else to settle this. But you're wasting your time, Fire Lord. The tide is coming in."

Then, Katara saw him. Arik was in the water, a good ways out from the shore. It was hard to tell because of the distance, but he appeared to be bound and gagged. She suspected he was weighted down somehow, too. He was moving, so still alive, thankfully, but not putting up a fight or trying to swim.

Zuko had seen him, too, and started yelling his name and running toward the water. He was cut off by a blast of fire, though.

"We still haven't settled this, Fire Lord!" Satoru shouted.

Zuko looked down at his own fists that had flared up in response. "Fine. Agni Kai."

"Breaking your own law? Now who's the dishonorable one?"

Zuko didn't even take time for the ceremonial formalities in starting off the fire duel. He punched several fire blasts toward Satoru which were deflected with ease.

And so the fight was on. Katara watched in horror until she couldn't watch anymore. When she closed her eyes, though, she felt something she hadn't noticed until that point. The moon. It was full.

True, this meant she had more power as a waterbender, but it also meant the tide would be higher, too. And the spring tides were always the highest. When she looked down at Arik's small frame bobbing in the water, the level had already risen significantly. She glanced back at the fire blasts on the beach. Could she sneak down and help Arik without Satoru noticing?

No. There probably wasn't enough time. And even if there was, she had promised herself never to go near an Agni Kai ever again. Not after…

Oh, fuck. Satoru can do lightening. It's OK. Zuko can redirect it. He'll be fine. I need to focus on Arik.

The tide was up to the boy's shoulders by now, and he was visibly panicking. She couldn't hear him, but she imagined he was screaming even through the gag. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, summoning the power of the moon. Together, they were all-powerful. And with that power, she, too, could control the tides. She could hold back the water until Zuko won his fight.

Katara tried to stay focused on the sea—her element—where she felt in command. She saw Arik relax as the water dipped back below his waist as a result of her efforts. She tried to focus on him—her patient—because she was a healer, and this was where she was needed right now. But her ears and her heart betrayed her, and when she chanced a glance back at the beach, she feared maybe Zuko was losing.

And then she feared she was losing, too.

She also had the power to end the fight, but she would have to risk Arik's life to go to Zuko's aid. She remembered Aunt Wu's prediction. "You must decide… and lives will be in your hands. Choose wisely."

But there was another prophecy that came to mind. She was the power of the moon, the power over the blood. Roku had said it and promised that his bloodline would continue through her. I can do this. I choose... to control my own destiny.

With one hand guiding the tides, she directed the other back toward the beach. Before Satoru had a chance to send another bolt of lightening in Zuko's direction, Katara cut off the blood flow to his brain. It wasn't a fatal blow, just something that would knock him out. She'd used the same technique with Takeo on Ember Island. She immediately put all her efforts back into pushing back the tides, but the rush of exhaustion was already starting to take its toll.

A stunned Zuko approached Satoru cautiously before he heard Katara's voice ring out over the cliffs. "Zuko! Go get Arik!"

She waited until she saw them both safely back on the beach before she collapsed on the soft grass. She stared up at the moon, willing herself to stay conscious at least until Zuko could come to her. She then noticed that it wasn't quite full. Another day or two... She started to fade in and out, waxing and waning. She thought she could hear Zuko calling her name. When she felt strong arms finally lifting her from the ground, the last thing she saw was Tamotsu's face.


Dr. Yang watched as the young Fire Lord paced between the rooms of the royal hospital suite. Both patients were resting, and both patients were going to be fine. She wasn't sure if she could say the same for Zuko if he kept up such a fuss.

"Come have some tea," she said when he made another pass through the sitting area.

He only glared at her in response and took a few more fretful steps toward Katara's room.

"It wasn't a question. Doctor's orders," Dr. Yang clarified.

If it had been anyone else, his mother even, Zuko might have played the Fire Lord card just then. But a flood of memories spent in these rooms in the care of this doctor reminded him that she really was the best at what she did—and always had his best interest at heart.

The memories had revisited Dr. Yang, too. "You know, Zuko, I've seen a lot of things within these walls."

He nodded and slowly sipped his tea, a calming blend—he was not surprised about this in the least.

"At first, seeing you pace around like that reminded me of your father… when Azula was born…"

That comment surprised him, though. "Oh."

"But then I realized that wasn't it at all," the doctor continued. "You reminded me of yourself. When Azula was hurt. Do you remember that?"

"No. Or well, sort of. I remember talking to Mom about it afterward."

"Zuko, you've always cared about other people. And you always will. It's your nature. It's who you are. And you're nothing like Ozai. He only cares for himself. I hope you aren't still worried about becoming like him, because you won't."

"It makes sense… what you're saying, I guess. But I'm afraid that if I lose the people I care about, then all that will be left is myself and all this pain. Then what will I become?"

"Zuko, there will always be pain and loss. But you have overcome before, and you will do it again. You will find hope and press on. You will find strength and move forward. That's also who you are. You never give up."

"Sometimes I get so tired, though. Like giving up would be so much easier. Now that I'm Fire Lord, some of my fa—Ozai's ways actually make sense. I would never do it that way, but it is so much harder to do the right thing. I dunno, does it make me crazy to say I can actually relate to him? Maybe I am more like—"

"Zuko, stop! Repeat after me. 'I am not my father.'"

"Uhh, okay. I am not my father." It was easy enough to say. He'd said it countless times before trying to convince himself of it.

"Say it again."

"I am not my father."

Dr. Yang nodded. "Now, say, 'I am a good leader.'"

"What? Why?"

"Just say it."

"I am—I try to be a good leader."

She shook her head. "No, that's not what I said."

"FINE. I am a good leader. Happy now?"

"No. Now say, I am a good person."

He rolled his eyes. "I am—ughhhh!" Why am I so bad at admitting I'm good?

"Say it."

"I'm a good person." The words were barely above a whisper.

"There, now how do you feel?"

"Like a three-year-old. Are you done barking orders at me, doctor?"

"No, I have just one more. Go get some rest."

Zuko wanted to protest—he wasn't a child, he didn't need her telling him what to do or say, and he resented the idea of taking a nap—but admittedly, he was exhausted. And when he awoke sometime later, he not only felt more rested, but he felt better overall. Better as in, good. He repeated the doctor's words in his mind with one slight revision.

I am a good leader. I am a good person. I have no father.


Naturally, Katara would wake up when he was gone. "Dr. Yang! Where's Zuko?"

"I sent him to rest. He stayed at your bedside all night and paced about for half the day. He was a mess." The doctor began checking her vitals as they spoke.

"That sounds like him. And Arik?"

"He'll be fine. He'd be worse if he weren't a firebender, but the chill of the water got to him. His body temperature is still too low, but he's under the warming blankets and should be better within a day or two."

"What about Satoru?" Katara winced when she said his name.

"Oh. Um… I haven't checked on him since he came in, actually. He's in another doctor's care. They're not sure what happened to him, exactly."

"Oh. It was me. I cut off blood flow to his brain… but only for a second, just so he would lose consciousness. I didn't want to kill him, and it shouldn't have hurt him…"

"Katara, you have to be careful about these things, especially when it comes to the brain. It's the body's command center. One wrong move and a person could lose control over…"

"Wait… did something happen?"

"From what we can tell so far, he's lost his ability to form coherent speech. I'm not sure what other cognitive repercussions there are."

"Wow, I never meant to… the other guy, on Ember Island, nothing like that happened…" He had no problem forming words afterward. She remembered how Takeo carried on about the war and losing his only son. "Dr. Yang, does Fire Sage Satoru have any family?" Maybe his loss fueled his hate as well.

"He has a son. Also named Satoru, but they're estranged. The younger was an engineer who worked in weaponry during the war and lost his job when the war ended. His uncle, Satoru's brother, had a startup business in the Earth Kingdom and offered the young man a job. Fire Sage Satoru disapproved of his brother, Loban, conducting business with an entrepreneur outside of the Fire Nation, and told his son that if he went to work there, he would disown him."

"Wow, that's… quite a story. Why is he so… against the other nations?"

"The Fire Sages were traditionally deeply spiritual in their roles to the Fire Nation. Fire Lord Azulon paid them little attention during his reign, and Fire Lord Ozai stripped them of their authority during his. My guess is that when Zuko reestablished their positions of power, Satoru took the spirituality aspect a little too far. He thinks the Fire Nation is blessed by Agni, that we are the chosen people, and that all others are inferior. It's an ancient belief system that Sozin based his war campaign on, and after a hundred years of conquest, such notions don't go away so easily, I'm afraid."

"Wow, that's—" Katara squeezed her eyes shut. The throbbing sensation had returned to her head.

"That's enough Fire Nation history for today. Here, have some tea. You need to rest and recover."

While Zuko received the calming blend to help him relax, Dr. Yang gave Katara the sun poppy tea which put her right to sleep.


Soft seal
Little seal
Swimming in the sea
Happy seal
Swim to me
Time to go to sleep

"Dad?"

"No, it's me, Zuko."

"Dad, I'm so sorry. I couldn't… save her. I wasn't fast enough."

"Hey, shhhhhh. Nobody blames you for—"

"Maybe if I would have, I don't know… I could have—Dad? I'm sorry."

"Katara! It's me, Zuko! And you have nothing to be sorry for!"

"Zuko?"

"Yeah. I'm here. It's me."

"But where's my dad?"

"Umm, I don't know. Probably on a boat somewhere headed for the South Pole."

Katara rubbed her eyes, finally shaking the effects of the sun poppy and coming into full awareness. "The letter! I forgot to send the letter! We had to go save Arik… there wasn't any time… we have to warn him… we have to send a letter straight away!"

"Shhhh. I'll go send one right now, OK?" He gently pushed her back down when she tried to sit up. Katara had never been a good patient, and he expected her to fight him on this.

But she didn't. "Tell him about the assassin."

"OK."

"And not to trust anyone from the North!"

"I'll tell him of our suspicions… yes." Perhaps I'll phrase it more diplomatically.

"And that we're coming to visit, right?"

"Of course." He waited to see if she wanted to add anything else, but when she appeared to be finished, he kissed her forehead and strode toward the door.

"Zuko!"

"Hmm?"

"Will you also tell him I'm sorry… in the letter?" Her eyes looked glazed over again, like they did when she first woke up.

"Katara, you are not responsible for your mother's death. You don't need to apologize—"

The fog lifted, and the tears formed. "No, it's not that. My dad and I were fighting in Ba Sing Se. I just don't want our last words to be about that. I just want him to know…that I love him."

"Katara…" But her eyes were closed, and there was nothing more to say. Zuko didn't know what they fought about, but he knew it didn't matter as far as Hakoda was concerned. Good leaders wouldn't let one disagreement destroy the relationship. Good people loved their children no matter what. And good fathers would never make their children fight for their honor. A good father would honor his children with his love.

I am a good leader. I am a good person. And even though I have no father, I will be a good father someday.


A/N: A random note on naming OCs... the way I used to do it was pick out minor character names from canon. This is how I came up with Arik and his parents, Shinu and Lian. Then at some point, I started looking up historical Japanese names and their respective meanings. This is where I got Takeo (violent/warrior), Tamotsu (defender/protector), and Satoru (enlightened/persuasive).

But then I read The Rift and saw there was a Satoru in canon! I had no idea, but since I like to make interesting connections, I decided to make that Satoru related to my Satoru. This side plot just kinda fell into my lap! I don't think the events from The Rift will play any part in my fic, but I may have plans for Satoru Junior... (Besides, since when have I been a stickler for canon?)

Speaking of The Rift, I have to revisit Toph for a minute. She kinda got the shaft in Rising Tide. (Aang did, too, but that's to be expected in Zutara fanfiction, I think.) So, Toph is in Two Rivers (future Republic City) spending time with Arik's family for now. I think she'll look into starting her metalbending academy soon. She went to King Kuei's wedding but ended up staying with her parents. (They do some reconciliation in Not Stalking Firelord Zuko, so this wouldn't be completely random.) It was probably better that way, since other accommodations in Ba Sing Se seemed a bit awkward, no?

There's a lot going on in this chapter and a lot I could say about it! But I won't... I'll let the story speak for itself and work on wrapping up the last chapter of Rising Tide! What a wild ride!