AN: I'm amazed at the response I've gotten for this story. My other story didn't do half this good. Thanks for all your reviews. I love to know exactly what you think. I was actually surprised to find that one of you thinks this is horrible. I'm sorry you feel that way. Oh well, on with the story!

Chapter 7: The Healer

Aang looked at the brilliant night sky with awe-filled eyes. Zuko had opened his eyes today, for just a few minutes. They still hadn't found a healer, but Katara had gotten Zuko to eat a little bit of bread before he passed out again. For a while, Aang had been seriously afraid that his new-found friend would die.

But now, he was thinking of his own personal crush on Katara. All you had to do was look at her and see the way she fussed over Zuko to know who she fancied, even if she herself didn't realize it yet. She was sleeping now, next to Zuko, one hand resting lightly on his arm. He knew that, in her mind, it was in case that Zuko woke up needing something. The banished prince had done so much for them, and Aang still didn't know why. He sighed.

Katara stirred in her dream and clutched at the prince. Yeah, she loved him all right. Aang was startled to find that he didn't really mind too much. Zuko wasn't half bad, but if he hurt her, he'd have to deal with the wrath of a thousand Avatars. Aang was startled out of his thoughts by the sight of mist and mist usually meant land.

Sure enough, when he brought Appa lower, there was the island they'd been searching for. His happy whoop startled both Sokka and Katara from their sleep and they jumped up, startlingly taking up battle stances. Zuko opened his eyes blearily before passing out again from the effort of turning his head.

They landed quickly, and managed to get Zuko into a semi-awake state. He was now half thrown over Sokka, who was wordlessly bearing his weight. Katara and Aang grabbed a few things from their bags and the group began their trek up the hill to where the healer lived. Within minutes, Zuko had passed out again.
She added carefully gathered shells to the growing sandcastle. Smiling at him, she asked which shell to use for the castle door and he shrugged. In the end, she chose the pink one. Pink, like the rose in her youthful cheeks, bright, like the shine in her eyes. She cried later when the sea rose and destroyed her precious castle. He'd wiped away her tears and promised to help her rebuild it the next day. She smiled at him through watery eyes. He'd never loved anyone more.
The healer shook her head frustratingly. She'd long since shooed the boy fire-bender's friends out. They had been too worrisome, especially the girl. They'd set to the tasks she'd given them enthusiastically, happy to have something to occupy their minds other than the fate of their friend. She was an experienced healer and very good with her herbs, but even she had to admit, the boy had very little chance of recovery.

She traced her hand over one of the burns on his side, looking particularly at the greenish tinge around the edges. Ossin. The word burned in her mind. For it to show in the boy like this, he must've eaten nearly a bushel. In such a large quantity, despite its gifts, ossin was poison. Sighing, she began mixing an antidote for the ossin and something to bring the poor boy out of his coma.

She came up out of the water spluttering and crying. He grasped her and swam her back to shore easily. "What happened? What's wrong?" he asked her. She sobbed. "Something bit me!" Now he could see it, the bite marks welling up on her ankle, separate blood droplets forming on her otherwise unmarred skin. He could take her back to the city and get it bandaged, but he had to know if what bit her was poisonous.

He waded out to where she'd come up and dove beneath the smooth surface of the lake. The deeper he went, the more at home he felt. But just because he loved the water didn't mean he wasn't scared of it. He always would be a fire-bender. Caught up in his own thoughts, he barely noticed the monster flying out at him. He just managed to twist out of its way. The eel shrank back into its hole, but he had gotten a good look at it. Thank fire it wasn't poisonous.

Resurfacing, he swam back to shore and pulled her into his strong arms. She whimpered against his shoulder, wrapping her thin arms around his neck. He stilled her cries, knowing their father wouldn't like it if she cried, and carried her to their uncle's. And even now he knew, he'd never loved anyone more.

Katara had finished helping the healer with another patient and returned to Zuko's side. Sokka and Aang had gone to the nearby village for some reason, but before they left, Aang had glanced quickly but meaningfully at Zuko. They both were nervous about when…if…he woke up. It had been clear that he hadn't wanted to come with them. How would he react?

Katara didn't really care about that now, he would merely have to get used to it. Stroking the back of his hand with her thumb, she tried to imagine some reason that would send him to the point of suicide. She knew so little about him, she realized, absentmindedly tucking the sheet around him.

The healer came over to them and removed one of the bandages on Zuko's side, revealing a long burn. It looked bad to Katara, but the healer ran her hand over it, smiled, and nodded. She looked up and met Katara's eyes.

"The burns are healing well. Now it's all up to him to come out of this nasty little coma." Katara nodded and sighed. "What is his name, anyway child?"

"Zuko."

"Zuko?" the healer said with an air of astonishment. "Prince Zuko?"

Katara nodded, and to her surprise, the healer chuckled.

"Well, I was wondering why the boy would try to poison himself, but that explains everything."

"What? Why?" Katara exclaimed.

The healer looked affectionately at Zuko for a moment before responding.

"Prince Zuko had a little sister named Ediera. They were as tight as your brother and food. Tighter even. No one ever loved anyone as much as Zuko loved Ediera. But she died just after he was banished. He must have just found out."

Katara found herself fighting back tears once again. Oh Zuko. Sometime while she sobbed for Zuko's loss, the healer left and Sokka and Aang returned. When they asked why she was upset, she told them what the healer had said. Aang seemed as horrified as she had been, but Sokka hugged Katara as hard as he could and left. Aang and Katara stayed by the sleeping prince's side until evening when they left to sleep with Appa.

Sokka came in after they left and looked at the comatose prince with utter sympathy. "I know how you feel Zuko." He sat down in Katara's seat and patted the prince's arm. "If I lost Katara, I'd probably do the same thing you did. But you have friends now. You have Aang, Katara, that crazy uncle of yours, and you have me. We're both big brothers. You have to come out of this and help us. Fight it Zuko." Zuko's eyes fluttered lightly but Sokka didn't notice.

He held the sobbing girl in his arms. Even though she was nine and getting bigger, she was no great weight to his strong arms. He could only see her out of his right eye, for the left was covered in thick bandages. "Oh what am I going to do without you?" she moaned, bursting into further sobs. "Don't worry, my heart, you'll make new friends and learn how to fire-bend. Won't that be fun?"

"Not without you." She stated matter-of-factly.

"I'll be back before you know it." The girl's new nurse standing in front of him smirked at his lie and his eyes flashed fire at her.

He smoothed the girl's hair soothingly. He hated to see her cry. "When I get back, we'll go to Kyoshi and ride the Elephant Koi, alright?"

She finally looked up at him. "Promise?"

He smiled, the last time he would smile for two years. "I promise."

A voice came from behind him. "It's time to go, nephew." He nodded and set her down on her feet.

She looked on the edge of tears once more and their eyes met for the last time. If he had known this would be the last time, he would have thought of something more to say. Better yet, he'd never have let her go.

She let out one more heart-wrenching sob and threw her arms around him, clutching to him as to never let him go. "I love you Zuko."

"I love you too Ediera."

(tear sniffle) who said my story didn't live up to its title? (sob)

(if you are not Katara183, please don't read past the line below. I love you all too much)

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Well, Mademoiselle Insense, you wanted to hear from me. Let's just say you've succeeded in severely upsetting me and that's very hard to do. Your first review annoyed me at most and, since everyone else liked the story, I was inclined to ignore it. But since you insist that I respond, I will do so. I think you're crazy. I've been hospitalized for depression for attempting suicide because my sister died. I know EXACTLY where Zuko is coming from. I wouldn't be so mad if you'd actually read the rest of the story! There's no effing way I'd kill Zuko! This is so pettily stupid!

I know Zuko's personality, but think about what you're saying! It's not like he attempted suicide BEFORE he captured the Avatar! He already had! He'd come home, everything was hunky dory until he finds out that his father, Ozai, killed his little sister, Ediera. So he helps the Avatar escape to get back at his father, and then tries to kill him. In truth, he wasn't TRYING to kill himself, he just wasn't expecting to live through the attack! If you'd read the rest ofthe story you'd see that by chapter 9, Zuko's back to his usual self.

Hope your happy

tu es bete and tres embetante.

Elenea Galad