Disclaimer: Avatar the Last Airbender copyright Dante Dimartino, Brian Konietzko and Nickelodeon Studios.


She awoke and promptly threw up. It hurt like hell. Someone was there, rubbing her back soothingly. Her head pounded. Her lungs hurt. Her everything hurt. They were speaking to her, but the voices were distorted, like they were coming from beneath water. She tried to focus, but it just made the headache worse.

They were moving her, urging her to recline once more. Something cool brushed against her forehead. She forced her eyes open, squinting against the intense brightness. A blurred figure hovered over her, his touch painfully familiar.

"Zuko?" Her voice was barely a whisper, raw and hoarse.