Katara yawned widely as her eyes threatened to close in exhaustion again. It had been a long night searching for Aang on the choppy sea, the whole group relying largely on Katara's Waterbending to keep the majority of the storm at bay in their little bubble. She was exhausted and, to her horror, she could feel the tell-tale cold emptiness of the bond setting in as she used the last of her reserves to simply stay awake and keep her eyes open and focused on the endless blue expanse below. She could feel Zuko's eyes on her in concern and she reached out to squeeze his hand while Sokka wasn't looking before refocusing on the seemingly endless ocean. First, they needed to find Aang. Then she could address her own fatigue.
"There!" Toph suddenly yelled. The whole group perked up, then turned to look at her accusatorily. Katara sighed, then sat up straight at the glint of orange she had glimpsed on one of the beaches below.
"Hold on, Toph may be onto something!" Katara exclaimed as she ripped the reins from Sokka to steer the Air Bison to the island she had seen. As they landed in the surf, the figure in orange moved slightly with a groan.
"Aang!" Katara yelled jubilantly as she rushed off of Appa's saddle to throw her arms around his skinny frame. The rest of the Gaang followed, even Zuko patting Aang's back hesitantly, but gratefully. He was feeling Katara's exhaustion as well, the circles under his eyes dark and his skin pale, his brow furrowed with general annoyance.
After their teary reunion, Aang gently pushed Katara away.
"I have a lot to do," he began, "but I know I'll have all of your help to do it."
Sokka clapped the Avatar hard on the back, "Glad you finally realize that buddy. We'll meet up with Dad and the invasion force the day of the Eclipse."
"Yeah, don't think you can get out of training just because we're in the Fire Nation," Toph interjected, punching the Airbender in the shoulder. Aang smiled around at all of his friends, his smile dropping when he turned to Katara.
"Yeah...Katara, can I talk to you for a second?" Aang asked timidly. Sokka waved him away before Katara got a chance to respond.
"Aang, you'll be happy to know that you can have exactly 127 seconds according to the schedule," he said, examining a complicated looking scroll. Katara glared at her brother, then turned to smile encouragingly at Aang. The fact that his face was pinched in pain and his burn stood out, red and inflamed looking through a tear in his tunic gave her pause though.
"Aang! You need a healing session. We can talk later," Katara said determinedly, despite the pressing coldness and exhaustion that threatened to overtake her. As she grabbed Aang's hand to get him to lay down, she could feel Zuko's concern.
Katara, he started hesitantly. I'm not sure you should be doing this right now. I'm already loaning you my energy as it is. Katara frowned at him in her thoughts as she began to draw water from her skin. She had felt the extra tingling energy from the bond dwindle throughout the night, and now turning her senses inward revealed that all that energy had been long depleted. Still, Aang needed help. It won't take long.
Katara, Zuko tried again. She ignored him determinedly, just a little healing and then she would rest, she only needed a little more….
"Katara," Zuko said insistently, out loud this time. The rest of the Gaang stared at him.
"She's exhausted!" Zuko defended his outburst.
"How do you know that?" Sokka asked suspiciously. Toph just rolled her eyes, and Aang looked concernedly at the Waterbender leaning over him. "Katara?"
"Quiet! I'm trying to concentrate!" Katara yelled in frustration as she tried and failed to get the water covering her hands to turn its signature blue. She was shivering violently now, despite the fact that they were on a sweltering hot volcanic island in the Fire Nation. Her vision was starting to blur. Finally, the blue light almost flickered on…
Just as her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fell to the ground unconscious.
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Zuko grunted quietly as Katara passed out. Unlike when she was simply sleeping, the usually strong connection between them felt cold and tenuous. Zuko supposed it was probably a reflection of the bond, which had been getting stronger and stronger the closer they got and had now gone without being charged in its usual way all night as Katara exerted herself and dipped into the reserves. He shifted uncomfortably in his spot, feeling even more drained than before and almost naked without Katara buzzing on the edge of his senses.
The Gaang was trapped in a state of shock for a moment, then panic began to set in.
"Katara!" Aang yelled, jumping up and forgetting his pain in favor of listening at Katara's mouth to make sure she was still breathing. Toph's milky gray eyes conveyed her worry as she spoke up.
"I can hear her heartbeat, but it's kind of slow and weak," she said uncertainly. Unseen by the others, Toph looked to Zuko. Though she knew of their relationship, she had no idea about the full extent of their connection, but she was worried about Katara and thought Zuko might know more than he was letting on. Zuko ignored her for a second in favor of making his way over to Katara, interrupting Sokka in the process of collecting water to splash on his sister's face.
Sokka sputtered indignantly as Zuko sat down next to Katara in his place, taking her hand.
"Hey! What are you doing to my sister?" He yelled, looking ready to lunge at the Firebender in his desperation. As Zuko readied himself for the blow, an unlikely voice jumped to his defense.
"Sokka, let's listen to what Zuko has to say. Getting Katara feeling better should be our number one priority, no matter how it gets done."
It was Aang. Zuko looked at the younger boy in surprise and Aang shrugged in response.
"It was something Yue said last night, after I ran away," the Airbender said with his head down, "she basically told me not to let my selfishness prevent me from seeing the world as it truly is." The younger boy looked to Zuko, and the Prince felt like his grey-blue eyes were seeing right through him. In all their time on the boat, this hadn't happened before, and the Firebender had a small moment of panic. What if it's permanent? The worried eyes of the Gaang tracked him as he struggled to get his breathing under control. Now I know how Katara feels all the time.
There was nothing else he could do except follow the rules of the bond as the pair had parsed out so far, so he took Katara's other hand in his to try and increase the flow of energy between them so she could wake up and help him explain this mess. Kissing would be the best way to accomplish this (well, the best way that was safe to do in front of the others), but Zuko didn't want to push his luck with Sokka any further.
Luckily, Katara seemed to be stirring. Sokka clearly wanted to shout something, but couldn't because Toph had gagged him Dai Li style. Aang was uncharacteristically quiet and contemplative as they all watched Katara begin to slowly wake up under Zuko's ministrations.
She was clearly confused with her surroundings when she first opened her eyes, but relaxed upon seeing Zuko's face hovering over her. Zuko sighed at the feeling of Katara's thoughts sliding against his once again, the relief of the bond buzzing between them. He completely forgot about their audience as he caressed her cheek and gently brushed some sand out of her hair, and she leaned into his warm hand.
You scared me, he admonished, I warned you. Katara gave him a weak smile, and Zuko smiled widely in return, so relieved to see her.
I promise, I'll listen next time. I don't want to feel like this ever again.
Their conversation was interrupted by throat clearing. They bonded pair turned to see Sokka with his arms crossed in a clear display of unhappiness at the closeness of the pair, his anger overtaking his worry now that his sister was awake and out of immediate danger. Aang remained quiet, his gaze focused on where Zuko's hand rested on Katara's cheek. Toph simply punched Katara's shoulder. Hard.
"Nice to have you back Sugar Queen, it was a little too quiet around here without your nagging."
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Katara rolled her eyes. She knew this was as close as Toph would get to saying she was worried and cared, so Katara decided to appreciate it for what it was.
She looked to Zuko again. I feel like I can't get close enough, she admitted to him. Passing out felt like the time they had denied the bond the whole day, except the cold emptiness took on a life of its own, surrounding her on all sides until it simply suffocated her own inner light, stopped the flow of her chi and she couldn't find her way out of the endless sea of cold. She shivered in remembered agony, gripping Zuko's hands a little bit tighter.
He wrapped his arms around her consolingly as the others一sans Toph一 looked on in disbelief. At least we know what happens if we deny the bond for too long now, he pointed out. She tried to follow his lead and look on the bright side. The expectant faces of the Gaang were making that hard, however.
"Okay, enough cuddling!" Sokka yelled, finally having prised off his gag. He looked at Katara in slight betrayal. "Why didn't you guys tell us you were dating?"
Katara winced at the hurt expression on her brother's face. Zuko, sensing her obvious discomfort and lingering exhaustion, decided to interject.
"We didn't tell you because it is...considerably more complicated than that."
It was like a dam broke as Zuko and Katara took turns explaining all they knew about the bond and what had been happening on the ship (up to but not including their topless foray), and they finally told the whole Gaang what had transpired between them while trapped in the Crystal Catacombs beneath Ba Sing Se.
Katara hadn't realized how much it had been bothering her keeping such a large part of her life from people she shared everything with, but now that she had told the truth, it felt like a giant weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
As they finally finished their story, the Gaang sat silent. Toph had known about their relationship, but the bond was news to her. Sokka was still in disbelief that his baby sister had slept next to someone and Aang was...still silent. At least he doesn't look too upset, Katara thought to herself.
He mentioned a vision from Yue while you were passed out, Zuko thought to her. Katara looked at him questioningly as he 'replayed' his memory for her.
"Wait!" Sokka yelled, "If you guys can read each other's thoughts, is that what you're doing right now?!" He pointed his finger at them accusingly. Zuko returned his glare coolly as Katara blushed.
"We do that now so just一just get used to it! Because I definitely am...used to it." Katara snapped at her brother, then crossed her arms and looked away to cover her embarrassment.
Sokka rolled his eyes, "Right...I'm sure you are." He shook his head in confusion. "This bond thing is just...just weird! And did it have to be a Firebender, let alone the Prince of Firebenders?! And do you really expect me to believe you guys 'need' to sleep next to each other? What kind of excuse is that?!"
Katara glared at the idiot also known as Sokka as Toph chimed in.
"Why'd you pass out anyway, Sugar Queen?" The Earthbender asked. "Your heartbeat was really slow too, it was weird."
Katara frowned in thought as she tried to find a way to explain the way the emptiness inside her had snuffed out a light and it had felt like she would never see Zuko again, never feel his warmth again. She settled for a less complicated and angsty explanation.
"Ever since," Katara paused to look to Zuko for confirmation, "Yeah, ever since we first touched in the caves, this connection is always flowing between us. We 'charge' it by touching and our chi," she again glanced at Zuko, "it kind of...reacts to the others and creates this energy between us. The more energy it has, the more we are able to charge it, the more we benefit, like being able to speak in our thoughts without touching or going longer periods of time without touching," Katara paused as Zuko took up her train of thought.
"That's why we started sleeping next to each other," Zuko explained, glaring at Sokka, "Yue gave Katara some vague advice, but we realized sleeping next to each other gave the bond more time to charge because it kept the connection open for a longer period of time and strengthened it, creating enough energy that some spilled over into a kind of reserve. Katara had used up her own energy and our reserves and was reaching into mine just to stay upright," he said while glaring at Katara in memory of her stubbornness, "My chi couldn't support the strain, someone had to stay awake though." Toph nodded thoughtfully while Sokka appeared too surprised by them finishing each other's sentences to say much. Aang broke his contemplative silence as he looked towards the bonded couple resignedly.
"Is it really that bad when you guys don't touch?"
Katara flinched at his tone. She really hated disappointing people, Aang most of all. His question betrayed the small hope the Airbender held that he and Katara could be together, that perhaps the side effects of not touching Zuko were negligible and Katara might still 'defect' to the Avatar's side. Zuko clearly heard the hopefulness in the younger boy's voice as well and he tensed in jealousy and possessiveness at the thought of Katara being with anyone else. Zuko, you know there's no competition.
He snorted. Doesn't mean I have to like him looking at you like that.
She mentally rolled her eyes at his petty jealousy and turned back to Aang. How can I put this lightly?
And CLEARLY, Zuko interjected. She glared at him this time before she smiled at Aang. As much as Zuko's delivery left a lot to be desired, and as much as she barely understood it herself, she needed to make it as clear as she could to Aang and her brother exactly how much she was affected by their connection.
"Our bond isn't the only reason I want to be with Zuko, though it is a big reason," Katara began firmly, "but yes, it is that bad. Try to imagine all the happiness and light in the world has disappeared, and you can't get warm. I would wear a parka all day on the boat, even though I was working in this heat, and I still couldn't get warm." The events of the day began to catch up with Katara as a tear slid down her cheek. She paused, taking comfort in the feeling of Zuko rubbing her cold hands in his warm ones, then took a shaky deep breath as she continued, "The worst part is the feeling of loneliness and fear that you can't escape. My Waterbending weakens and I feel powerless. When I passed out…", she licked her lips, "it felt like I was being suffocated by cold and darkness. It was terrifying."
She fell silent as Zuko continued to hold her hand, the comforting buzzing of the bond between them slowly pulling her out of her melancholy mood. Katara promised herself she wouldn't subject herself to a feeling like that ever again. As she and Zuko recovered, their friends sat silent and contemplative, and the Gaang was quiet, absorbing information there for some time until Sokka stood with a sigh.
"Well, we should get moving. I'm hungry and there's no way there's any meat around here!" He gestured at the rocky, barren shore surrounding them to emphasize his point. Katara sighed in relief. Even though Sokka had not directly addressed her relationship (that wasn't really his way), he had talked about food again, which meant everything was back to normal.
Well, maybe not, she thought sadly as she looked at Aang. Her friend still looked to be in pain, which made sense considering Katara hadn't stayed awake long enough to actually heal his wound, but there seemed to be emotional pain too as his gray eyes took in the bonded pairs' joined hands. Katara looked away, she didn't want to take on Aang's feelings right now一her own were trouble enough. She followed Zuko complacently, slightly in a daze as he led her by the hand back to Appa, lifting her into the saddle before she could protest and settling in the back corner with his heavy, warm arm slung around her shoulders.
The rest of the Gaang followed suit, still mostly silent. Aang relaxed on the opposite side of the saddle as Sokka confidently took the reins, once again holding his complicated looking scroll schedule and a map of the Fire Nation.
"Okay, we really cut into the schedule with the Yin and Yang dramatics over here, but I think I can get us back on track and have time to stop for Fire Flakes! Isn't that great?!" He turned excitedly towards the rest of the group, only to be met with 3 blank stares and for Aang to not even look up. The warrior smiled uncomfortably as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Righhhtt…" He said, "less talking, more flying. I can do that." As promised, he flicked the reins to get Appa to begin his ascent, the Sky Bison grumbling with excitement to finally have Aang back and be flying again.
Now that they were in the air, Katara allowed herself to relax as her head fell against Zuko's shoulder. The sun beating down made her comfortably warm and, before she knew it, her head dipped in slumber.
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Zuko shifted slightly, uncomfortable after hours of sitting with Katara slumped against his side, but he didn't dare move too much and accidentally wake her up. It was late in the day now, but not quite evening as they flew over the many islands that made up the Fire Nation looking for a spot to land that would have a market where they could buy food. Sokka was in his own world at the reins, keeping careful track of where they were on the map as he tried to choose a good landing spot. Toph had long since fallen asleep against his other shoulder, but Zuko was far too warm in the bright sun and trapped between the two girls to join them in slumber.
He was surprised the Avatar had not fallen asleep after his long night either. The monk sat quietly, moving little so as to not agitate his wound while he stared silently into the distance. Zuko hoped he wasn't continuing to pine over Katara. While Zuko was sure Aang was upset, he was a 12 year old boy. He had his whole life ahead of himーtoo much life to get caught up in a crush. Especially when his crush is taken and has made it clear, a small part of his mind thought darkly.
As though the Avatar could hear Zuko's less than positive thoughts, he turned to glare at the Prince. Zuko stared passively back at him, and the two were locked in a staring competition until the Avatar spoke.
"Katara said you guys aren't together just because of the….connection between you. Is that true for you too?" He asked, his tone full of accusations and hurt. Zuko sighed, and instead of answering his question, he responded with one of his own.
"Can you imagine knowing someone who could read your thoughts before you speak them out loud? Someone who knew your favorite color or what you wanted for dinner without having to ask?" Aang was silent, and Zuko continued, softening his glare as he looked at the Airbender with his good eye.
"This connection we share...I have no idea idea why the spirits gifted us, gifted me, with such a power," he shrugged helplessly. "I've never heard of anything like this before, and then it just springs up out of nowhere with someone I considered my enemy!" He cleared his throat, working to lower his voice again. "Right from the start, it became the best part of my life. And yet, I thought the same thing at first," the Firebender admitted, "I thought Katara only wanted to spend time with me because of the bond. How she could stand to be around me, to even look at me," he spat, gesturing vaguely at his scar, "I had no idea. But you know what?" He asked with a half smile, "I didn't even need to say those insecurities out loud. She heard my thoughts and just...laughed at me." He looked fondly to the Waterbender at his side.
"What did she say after that?" Aang asked, his tone civil and filled with interest despite his sadness at his rejection. Zuko gave a short, huffing laugh.
"She said 'Of course we don't have to be together, silly! But why would we be with anyone else?" Zuko smiled softly at the memory as Aang looked down, properly chastened.
"So you don't have to be togetherー"
"But we are," Aang was interrupted by Katara, who had finally woken from her nap, unnoticed by the boys, "and being with anyone else could never compare." Zuko blinked, despite himself.
That was kind of harsh baby, he noted, the endearment he had only heard a few times before slipping off his tongue before he could stop it. Katara blushed in response, then rushed to hide her embarrassment as Aang slumped once again in disappointment and she stretched to pat his shoulder.
"I'm sorry Aang, I didn't want to let you down, and I was scared of telling you about us for a long time because of that," she admitted. "But I don't want to hide anymore. I'm happy with Zuko. I need Zuko. And I don't want anyone else but Zuko."
Zuko's chest threatened explosion it was so puffed out with pride. Logically, he knew the younger boy was no threat to their relationship, even if he couldn't tell through Katara's thoughts, the age difference between them alone was enough to mostly disregard the other boy. However, Zuko's insecurities couldn't help but rear their ugly heads. He had never been good enough for anyone except his Mother and Uncle. He still found it hard to believe that someone who had been his enemy would show him so much unconditional affection and acceptance. Unseen by Aang, Katara projected a gentle smile at him through the bond.
You're stuck with me now Zuko, I hope you know that.
He did know that, but he smiled brilliantly at her anyways, uncaring of the Avatar's confused glare. She turned to smile at him, placing a small kiss on his cheek. The bond tingled softly, almost fully recharged from their nap, but still needing a little more closeness if it was to be at full strength. Aang sighed as he watched them interact with each other.
"Yue said I was being selfish, and I think I know what she meant now," he looked at his hands ashamedly. "It would be wrong of me to be mad at you for finding your own happiness, both of your happiness," he said looking at Zuko, "even if it's not with me," he finished resignedly.
"Great, I'm glad you realized that Twinkletoes," Toph's sarcastic, still slightly sleepy voice cut through the tension and Aang's melancholy mood. "When are we getting off this thing and back on solid ground?!" She yelled to Sokka. "My toes are itching for some dirt!"
Aang smiled cautiously as Sokka gestured at them furiously, once again forgetting Toph couldn't see him.
"Shhh!" He mock whispered. "We're in enemy territory now. Anyone could be listening!"
There was silence as everyone sans Toph looked in unison at the deserted, craggy shore.
"Uhh, Sokka," Aang ventured, "it doesn't look like anyone's here."
"That's what the enemy wants you to think!" He exploded, stabbing a finger at them. Another silence.
"Righhht" Zuko said disbelievingly as he looked around, then he snatched the map right out of Sokka's hands.
"Hey!" Sokka yelled indignantly, then pouted as Katara glared him into submission. Meanwhile, Zuko has successfully located where they were and provided the rest of the Gaang with some context.
"There won't be anyone on this side of the island," he said confidently. "This place is called Qiánshào, or the outpost. It used to be the furthest point of the Fire Nation before we started seizing the first colonies," he winced slightly at that thought, but soldiered on. "The town was founded on the other side of this mountain area for the best defense against land invasion and to force any navy approaching from the east to circumnavigate the island in order to attack, giving the town plenty of time to prepare."
Sokka whistled softly, "Man, your people really know how to do war!" He then winced as Katara elbowed him for his insensitivity. "What?! It was a compliment! Now can you make with the magic water stuff and give us some cover so we can land, or do you need to make out with the angry guy before you can manage it?" Toph snickered along with Sokka as Katara huffed and crossed her arms across her chest.
"Let's see if you're laughing like that the next time you're hungry and want someone to make you dinner," she huffed. Only Zuko was privy to the image created by her mentally sticking her tongue out at him as she gathered water to begin to create a cloud and Sokka fell to his knees, begging her forgiveness as Appa leisurely made his way to shore.
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Author's Note: EDITED! I've been slowly working my way through the original chapters because the (poor) quality was giving me the worst writer's block. Hopefully, new chapters will be coming soon. Original Author's note follows.
I think we'll leave it there for now folks. This chapter was kind of hard to write because it takes place in another break in the show. We don't get to see how the Gaang located Aang or how they found the cave, and we definitely don't get to know the name of the island, so I hope you enjoy the back story there. I used a map I found online to get a better picture of how they were traveling, link to the map: https: (slash) (slash) (slash) a (slash) iO8zgMx
Hope the confrontation between Aang and Zuko wasn't too OOC. Zuko is secure in his relationship, Aang can physically see in front of him how much Katara and Zuko are meant to be together and was basically warned off by a spirit, neither of them have too many reasons to be angry.
I'm slowly running out of my previously written chapters, so don't be surprised if the updates start to slow a little. Hopefully everything should go well though, because I really want to know how this story will turn out. I don't have a plan, so I'm along for the ride with you.