Previously…
Section by section, they continued the process down the bank of the river. Each time, the water that rushed back over the once dry spot seemed cleaner and clearer than the time before.
Some of the others were in long canoes, holding mesh nets between the boats, pulling the thicker out.
Hours went by and by then, Katara teetered on the brink of exhaustion.
"Miss Katara," Iroh placed his hand on her arm as she stood on the banks, now near the old factory. "You look like you are about to fall over. Haven't you done enough for the day?"
She winced at the contact to her wound.
Iroh quickly pulled back his arm, noticing the wrap.
The townspeople sat a ways behind them, gathered in small circles, chatting over their dinner.
The sun ha d began to dip lower on the horizon.
"I want to finish." She mumbled.
Iroh was right, she was tired. But she needed to finish what she'd started. She'd spent so long now, trying to save this village. The eclipse was still a few weeks away.
"Is that from a knife?" Iroh asked, gesturing to the bandaged wound. "How is it doing?"
Katara met his gaze, looking at the red wrap around her bicep.
"I can't heal it…it's not necessarily getting worse, but not better either. I don't know why…"
Katara, Iroh, Zuko and Akira sat in a small circle. Iroh managed to coax the young waterbender back over to the group. He placed a bowl of stew into her hands and swept his arm out in front of him, silently offering her a seat next to Akira.
Iroh laughed heartily at something Akira had said, though she hadn't caught what.
The day's events were playing back in her mind. Mung swimming away, Dock's shocked expression, everyone's cheers after the water was noticeably clearer, and the buckets and buckets of muck being hauled away.
Hauled away to be dumped right outside Mung's old office, hopefully. A smile drifted across her lips before she took another bite.
All in all, today had gone so much differently than she could have expected. Zuko stepping in between her and steadily growing mob of villagers was the first thing that came to mind. When the day had started, she never would have guessed it would have ended with her sitting here with her once archnemesis and his uncle, eating a bowl of stew. She watched Iroh for a moment.
Iroh was no where near as bristly as his fiery nephew. Their relationship was a strange one. They easily seemed like polar opposites. Iroh being more content to hold a conversation and drink tea, while Zuko didn't particularly peg her as a long conversation and nice cup of tea kind of guy.
She looked to the elder man in question. He looked at Zuko with thinly veiled fatherly concern, a look she'd remembered her own father giving Sokka a few times in the past. Perhaps that was the reasoning, Iroh was like a father to him.
Katara chewed the stew thoughtfully, staring out over the water. The sun hung over the horizon, casting a golden-red light on the group.
"So, Katara, Zuko," Iroh started, only to be cut off by the sound of Zuko choking seconds later at the mention of his real name.
Katara's head whipped up at the mention of her real name, eyes darting from Iroh to Akira.
They were wanted criminals, after all.
Akira laughed jovially, bringing her hand to her mouth. "It's fine, Katara, I know more than I think you realize."
Zuko continued to struggle with the bite of food, clearing his throat and drinking tea to wash whatever remnants down.
"June is hardly a water tribe name." Akira waved her hand dismissively. "Besides, Iroh and I have been friends for some time. The secret is safe with me."
Zuko's amber eyes met Katara's blue, both equally surprised.
"This has something to do with the lotus tile, doesn't it, Uncle?" Zuko asked, though it was meant more as a statement.
"The lotus tile?" Katara echoed, confused.
Iroh met his nephew's gaze before briefly glancing over his own shoulder to look at the villagers behind him. He remained quiet.
"You both were playing Pai Sho." Zuko continued, lowering his voice slightly after noticing his uncle's pointed look. "Is Akira a…a member? Or whatever you call it?"
A mysterious look floated across Iroh's face. Akira pressed her cup to her lips, hiding her expression.
"Pai Sho?" Katara continued, still not following. "What are you talking about?"
His temper flared, and he clearly was ignoring Katara. He pressed his uncle further.
"When are you going to let me in on these secrets, old man? We get smuggled into Ba Sing Se with no problem and then I can simply show the damn tile to a stranger and we get free passage on a ship!" He slammed his tea cup onto the ground. "And now, this stranger, a woman you just met, knows our names. Just like that!"
Akira studied the young man, not saying anything.
"Something has to be going on, and I'm tired of you not telling me!" Zuko's voice grew louder.
Katara noticed a few villagers turn to look curiously.
Neither Akira nor Iroh said anything.
With the realization that he wasn't going to get the answers he clearly wanted, Zuko leapt to his feet, storming away.
Katara wondered why Iroh was being secretive about his and Akira's friendship and whatever significance the lotus tile held.
"You'll have to excuse my nephew," Iroh said. "He has had a very long couple of weeks."
Akira offered Iroh a sympathetic smile.
"How did you know?" Katara asked Akira, turning the conversation off Zuko. She had questions of her own, and Zuko's outburst appeared to be something Iroh was used to.
"Did you tell her?" She asked Iroh, when neither responded.
"Let's just say that your arrival…closely followed by the return of a waterbending spirit tends to stir up conversation. Much can be learned over a good game of Pai Sho." Iroh murmured.
Katara frowned, still not understanding.
Was that supposed to be some sort of code?
"So, you knew who I was because you played Pai Sho with Iroh?" She asked Akira, though by now Katara figured she was letting Iroh do all the talking.
Iroh chuckled. "There is a saying, young Katara, that the white lotus opens wide to those who know her secrets."
A similar frustration rose up in Katara yet she kept it buttoned down. Getting angry at them wouldn't benefit her situation. Especially since Akira had been so helpful to her - and she'd hoped Iroh would do the same.
Akira pulled something out of her pocket.
She leaned forward, handing Katara a small Pai Sho tile. A lotus was engraved into it.
"You may find this helpful later on your journey, my dear." Akira's eyes twinkled.
Katara took the small tile, looking at the flower engraved on the surface. She squeezed the tile in her palm, feeling the flower's pattern imprint itself into her skin at the motion.
Akira and Iroh shared a mysterious smile.
She looked past Iroh and Akira, resisting the urge to ask anything else. Something told her any further attempts would be futile.
So instead, she slipped the Pai Sho piece into her pocket.
Better hold onto it, she thought.
They all were silent for a few more moments before Iroh spoke.
"As I was saying, Katara - you told us before how you got separated from your friends, but you didn't tell us how you planned to get back to them."
She was silent for a moment, gnawing on her lip. "I've been meaning to talk to you about that- I know what their plans were, but I don't know where exactly they're meeting."
Katara looked into Iroh's eyes.
Could she trust him?
He'd been nothing but nice to her since she arrived, and he had jumped in front of Aang when Azula tried to kill him with lightning…
Besides, it wasn't like the Fire Nation probably didn't already know…Azula, dressed in Earth Kingdom green came to mind, the Dai Li flanking her. It would be better to ask for help, anyway.
"The day of the black sun - a solar eclipse - that's when we were planning on meeting outside the capital. Firebenders will be unable to bend for eight minutes. We…we were hoping to catch the Fire Lord by surprise…" she shifted on the grass. "I don't think we'll have the element of surprise anymore…but I think we'll stand a chance. Sokka was talking about looking for our father before we got separated."
Iroh hummed thoughtfully. "I believe you are right. It is likely Azula found out about the eclipse from the Earth King. Although, the solar eclipse could be the leverage you all need. I take it your father is a warrior among your people?"
She nodded before she pressed her lips upwards, the smile not reaching her eyes.
The memory of her father's face shrinking as they parted ways made her heart squeeze. She hated having to leave him almost as much as she hated him leaving her.
"Aang still needs to learn firebending. We were hoping to find him a teacher in case…" she trailed off, not wanting to even breathe the possibility of their attack failing.
Iroh stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"Wait…you're a firebender, right? Would you teach him?" Her eyes lit up at the idea, staring at the older man hopefully.
The elder man looked past Katara, down the banks, almost as if waiting for something or someone.
"We shall see. Let us not get ahead of ourselves. Destiny tends to have a funny way of working herself out."
She tried to not let the answer get to her, her shoulders drooping slightly.
Iroh picked up his tea. Katara was sure it had to be cold by then.
He held it under his chin, as if he was going to take a sip.
Steam shot out of his nostrils and into the cup, which began to steam with warmth seconds later.
Did he just firebend his tea? She smiled.
"Would you help us? Help Aang, I mean? I know Ozai is your brother, but…" Katara faltered, not knowing how to ask Iroh to betray his country and brother.
Not that he hadn't already, the wound beneath his sleeve an indication.
Iroh took a sip of the tea, pulling away with a wince. Steam still curled off the rim of the cup.
"You will have to convince my nephew, first. His choice made in the caves was not made lightly. I myself was surprised he did not choose his sister and throne, over me."
Katara sighed, glancing over her shoulder in the direction Zuko had stormed off.
"I've been meaning to talk to him, actually."
She thought back to their first short-lived and admittedly short-tempered interaction they'd had in Akira's shop.
Then, to him helping her save Pepper and stepping in between her and the villagers once her charade was up.
As much as she hated to admit it, she owed him an apology.
Even if he owed her one - or ten!
She took a deep breath before getting up, brushing the dirt and grass off her bottom.
"Wish me luck," she muttered, mostly to herself.
The waterbender wandered down the bank, not too sure where exactly he'd wandered off.
Ten paces later, she glanced back at the villagers, the factory looming on the cliff behind them. Some seemed to have headed home for the night, the crowd having lessened, groups of people floating across the river on the small boats.
It felt surreal to be on these banks once more, this time with no threat of the Fire Nation soldier's looming over her head. Her arm throbbed for the umpteenth time that day, the wound aggravated from all the bending and moving from scaring off Mung and cleaning the river.
It was so worth it.
The river's shoreline changed, her feet suddenly splashing through water. Bending down, she took off her shoes, satisfied to let her toes squish in the soft silt. A figure sat on the rocky dune in the distance.
Zuko.
If he heard her approach, he gave no indication.
His head hung down, strands of dark hair blocking his face from view. He'd traveled far enough from the group that the people on the shore seemed like small ants on the dimly lit horizon. His feet hung off the rock, staring at the water lapping in the silt beneath him.
"Zuko," she greeted quietly, coming to stop a few paces back from the rock.
He raised his head, removing his gaze off the water that lapped beneath his feet.
"What do you want?" He asked huskily, meeting her eyes.
The sun had since disappeared beneath the horizon, allowing the moon to light up the landscape.
Katara wrung her hands, blinking.
"Um…" she took a deep breath. "I came to say thank you…and apologize."
He squinted at her, his brief confusion not lost to her in the dark.
"Apologize?" He repeated.
She nodded.
"Katara-"
"The way I-"
They said at the same time.
She pressed her lips together.
Water rushed over her feet and she felt her feet sink slightly into the silt.
"Can I sit?" She gestured to the rock beside him.
Zuko shrugged, scooting down to give her room. Katara moved closer to the rock, hoisting her body up to sit next to Zuko.
She shivered, surprised at the chilled temperature of the rock.
"I shouldn't have treated you so badly when we first ran into each other at Akira's." She started. "It wasn't right. You seemed just as surprised as I was and…and…"
"You're used to me chasing you and the Avatar around the globe," he mumbled. "I get it."
Katara sighed, making herself look at the firebender. "It still doesn't excuse it. I'm sorry, Zuko…and you jumped in to help me with Pepper and when they found out I'm the Painted Lady." She laughed dryly. "Thank you, really."
They sat in silence for a moment. Katara absentmindedly bent a stream of water from the river, running it over her feet to clean the silt off them.
"I still can't believe you stepped in between us, honestly."
Sometime during their conversation, the same peaceful feeling slipped between the odd pair, the feeling reminiscent of their time spent in the crystal catacombs.
"I surprised myself," he stared across the water at the village. The charred three buildings were barely visible from where they sat.
"Why?" Katara peered at Zuko. "Why'd you do it?"
He didn't meet her eyes.
"A while back," he started, his voice tight and raspy at a memory. "I was traveling alone…without my uncle. I stumbled onto a small town, just outside the desert.."
Katara's gaze moved out over to the water as she listened to him tell his story of his experience with a young Earth Kingdom boy named Lee and the thuggish soldiers that resided in the village. He told her about the two days he spent there, working on their farm, teaching the youth how to wield dual broadswords and gifting him a dagger his uncle had given him during his time spent trying to conquer Ba Sing Se.
"Lee pulled the dagger on the soldiers when they tried to take his family's food, so… they took him. I went after him for his parents. The soldiers fought back and I ended up firebending." Zuko's voice sounded thick as he finished the sentence. "I let my anger get the best of me. The townspeople were furious, all because I was a firebender. I told them who I really was…Lee said he hated me."
He was silent for a few seconds, and Katara wondered if that was the end of his story.
He knew how she felt.
It was a shame that no one stepped in for him, much like he had done for her. He'd risked his life, all for a boy he just met.
So what if he was a firebender?
He shouldn't have been hated and exiled for something he was born into.
She momentarily recalled him saying before that he was a banished prince.
Katara swallowed, slowly nodding. "I see."
Crickets began to sing, covering up the silence.
Zuko rubbed the back of his neck. "Thank you for saving my uncle." He turned to look at her, shadows covered his face, darkening the light skin. "I know we have… history. You didn't have to."
She studied his face. She'd only seen expressions of determination or anger for so long.
His amber eyes bore into her own.
He was… thankful.
His brow and unmarred eye were soft, not furled down in rage.
He's actually kind of handsome, Katara found herself thinking before she could stop herself. Her cheeks warmed at the thought and she looked down.
"I won't ever turn my back on people that need me." She murmured, before adding, "You're welcome."
The moon rose higher in the sky. The sound of water lapping beneath their feet and nighttime animals emerging to sing took up any void that might have formed from the lack of conversation.
"I also came out here to…ask your opinion on something, or see if you'd be okay with it…" she said suddenly.
He raised his good eyebrow in response.
"I need to find my friends…I don't know where you stand with your whole 'capturing Aang' thing - and I don't need to know," she quickly added. "But I think you'd be my best bet in finding him. I have a general idea on where he will be soon, but I don't necessarily want to travel alone…Iroh told me I needed to ask you about it."
She turned again to stare out over the water. "We could really use your help."
In the distance, down the shoreline, she saw a strange black mass growing closer to the shore. Katara frowned, squinting.
What was that?
It was larger than any boat the village had, even larger then the boat General Mung had left behind.
"I-" Zuko started, before Katara's hand flew to her own mouth, a gasp cutting him off.
"Is that what I think it is?" Her blood ran cold in her veins.
It looked like a Fire Nation cruiser ship.
She glanced at Zuko. His face paled and he nodded slowly.
"Do you think Mung sent them?"
Not waiting for a response, Katara leapt off the rocks, Zuko snapping out of his shock from the motion.
Her feet smacked the ground in rapid fire succession, Zuko's own footsteps not far behind hers.
She hadn't realized how far they'd walked until she was desperate to get back.
Smoke billowed from the smokestack atop the large cruiser ship.
In the distance, they watched with horror as a man that had a similar build to Iroh was drug up the plank and onto the ship. Seconds later, the plank was retracted and the ship began moving away.
"Uncle!" Zuko screamed. "Uncle!"
They thundered to a stop beside a smoldering dent in the silt. Fire Nation flags flew proudly off the mast atop the ship.
Akira stumbled down the shore towards them.
"Akira!" Katara exclaimed, moving towards the woman.
Her clothes were filthy and she seemed to be hobbling.
"It was…" Akira's left hand was pressed firmly against her right shoulder. She raised her bloodied right finger to beckon towards the ship. "A-Azula."
Her face contorted with pain and she slumped towards the earth.
Katara lurched forward to slow her fall, her head turning to stare at Zuko.
"Oh no." She breathed.
Cradling the elder lady's upper body in her lap, she pulled water from the river, cloaking her hand in the glowing liquid.
"Zuko," Katara said.
The young man had started anxiously pacing like a caged animal, his fingers skimming through his hair and pulling slightly before repeating the process.
Steam seemed to curl off him, the vapors barely visible in the moonlight. Townspeople cried out from farther down, some not having returned to the village yet.
"Zuko." She repeated, firmer this time. "We'll find him. You'll get him back."
Katara didn't even notice her use of 'we' in the moment. It slipped off her tongue without a second thought.
Her hand cooly glowed over the injured woman's shoulder.
The thought crossed her mind that maybe her healing wasn't working for others, since it hadn't worked on herself.
Don't worry about that now, she told herself. Focus on what you can feel.
The firebender stopped suddenly, turning to stare wildly at her.
"Will I? How do you know? Do you know how ruthless my sister can be?"
His lip curled in a sneer. "I should have known to not save him. I should have just went back with my sister to the palace; let the world think the Avatar was dead."
Let Aang die…her brain whispered.
And let Iroh be captured…
She felt the gash on the women's shoulder slowly knit itself back together. That would at least stop her from losing blood.
Katara frowned, gently moving Akira off her lap and onto the ground. She stood up, choosing to ignore the barbed wishful thinking. It would do her no good to think about it now. Katara wanted - no, needed - to think about the future.
"Honestly? I don't know. I can't know - but neither can you!" Her hands went up in the air exasperatedly. "I have to catch up to my friends. Your family may know of our plans, but we still hold the advantage!"
The girl came to a stop in Zuko's path, crossing her arms. "Pacing around here and freaking out won't do you any good!"
He scoffed at the girl suddenly in his way, her blue eyes shining stubbornly at him. His gaze held hers for a moment. He was equally as stubborn.
"What are you talking about? What plan?"
"The solar eclipse, the day of the black sun. Firebenders will be without power for eight minutes. It's Aang's one chance to-" she stopped suddenly, not wanting to finish.
To kill your father. Stop this war.
The one point neither her, nor Aang was particularly fond of.
But if it had to be done, it had to be done.
Zuko's expression didn't change, the same hardened look still plastered across his face.
"You honestly think eight minutes is going to be enough time? With only the four of you?"
"There's going to be more than four of us. We were going to get our friends to help us and Sokka was looking for our father before we were separated."
"Do you have any idea how well fortified Caldera is?"
"They'll have a plan."
He snorted.
"Sokka's plans always managed to work themselves out."
Katara tore her gaze away from the young man. She'd gotten him to stop pacing at least, and he seemed to have calmed down to where he was at least logical.
"Where would she take him?" Katara asked. The ship had disappeared behind the mountainous island that sat in the middle of the river. "Iroh, I mean."
Zuko stared at the empty stretch of water and sky, where the boat once sat. "The prison northwest of the city, probably. Less chance of idol gossip that way. That, and my father will want to keep him close. He won't underestimate him again."
Katara went over to Akira once more, placing her hand on her forehead, feeling her chi and life force beneath the surface. She was asleep. Her leg seemed to be slightly injured, but nothing serious.
A few villagers were coming down the beach, most likely to check on them.
She looked to Zuko. "Let's go get him then. Not like I'm not headed that way anyways."
Zuko's expression was unreadable. Katara thought she saw a flicker of relief, but it vanished as quick as it appeared.