Breathing

Zuko opened his eyes as he heard a knocking on his door.

"Who is it?" Zuko called out, annoyed that his mediation was disrupted. However, when the door was flung open Zuko felt his eyebrow twitch while his uncle barged into the room with a cup of his tea.

"Prince Zuko!" Cheerily Iroh greeted the young firebender. "I believe that it is music night tonight! Come, you must join us!" Zuko slowly turned around with a death glare aimed towards his uncle. Iroh kept his smile even through he would have been dead if looks could kill.

". . . I have yet to master the one technique that will stop it from wreaking havoc on the world and all you can think about is music night!" Zuko hissed, causing his uncle to laugh.

"Your highness, if you do not take the time to enjoy the smaller things in life you will grow old fast and have nothing to look back on!" Iroh held out his cup to Zuko. "Perhaps some-" Iroh was cut off as he moved to the side to avoid a fireball.

"IF YOU SAY ANYTHING ABOUT TEA, SO HELP ME GOD I WILL BURN YOU TO A CRISP!"

- - - - -

Katara reached down and grabbed Aang's hand, pulling him up.

"Are you sure about this Katara?" Aang asked as she pulled him up over a small ledge. The waterbender smiled and nodded at her friend.

"Positive. We have to check out whatever it is that makes you feel uneasy." Aang glanced around as the two walked along the ledge on a cliff's side.

"How do you know where we're going?" Aang was starting to feel nauseous. He could feel bile rising in his throat with each step he took. That dangerous feeling in the pit of his stomach was too much. Aang felt a migraine ebbing away at the corners of his mind.

"I'm sure that the smoke and those feelings are connect. All we have to do it follow the smell of smoke." Katara smiled, trying to ease some of Aang's obvious pain. Aang pressed his lips together in a thin line before agreeing with her. The smoke was the only thing that was suspicious on the island so far. Katara moved up the cliff's face slowly, making sure she had her footing before she even put weight on her foot. Slowly but surely Katara climbed up the cliff with Aang following her.

- - - - -

Zuko adjusted the armor on his arm with his back turned to Iroh who merely sipped his tea.

"Do not worry your Highness. We will be at the Black Lava Lands shortly." Iroh took another sip of tea, this time louder than he intended, causing Zuko to twitch slightly.

"I'm preparing to take on it and all you can do is drink tea?" Snapped Zuko causing Iroh to pout slightly.

"Prince Zuko, all we can do is wait." Zuko fought back a scathing remark to his uncle's comment. It would do no good to yell at the man who acted more like a father to him than his own.

"Uncle, do you know the way to it?" Iroh sighed before placing his tea cup on the table and looking over at Zuko.

"Yes and no." Zuko turned around to face Iroh, irritation clearly written on his face.

"How can your answer be 'yes and no'?" Zuko ground out, anger beginning to cloud his vision.

"Well, I have never been on the cursed land so I only know rumors of where it is." Closing his eyes, Prince Zuko tried to calm himself. He loved his uncle but there were times when he tried his patience.

"So how are we going to get there before it steals a new body?" Iroh sighed once more, his old age showing as his worry made itself known on his face. Zuko froze. Rarely did his uncle seem detached like this. In fact, it had never happened. Not once in his history with his uncle had Zuko seen Iroh like this.

"Prince Zuko . . . I do not know if we can stop it . . ."

". . . . uncle . . . ?" Iroh looked back at Zuko with a twinkle in his eyes.

"That is why you must join in music night quickly before we leave!" Beaming, Iroh moved his head to the side without missing a beat and avoided another fireball.

"UNCLE!"

"What?"

- - - - -

Katara bit the inside of her cheek to keep from frowning as she looked back at Aang. The avatar looked pale. His eyes seemed dulled and his skin was clammy.

"Aang . . . if you want to turn back . . ." Aang sighed heavily and shook his head slowly.

"No Katara. I have to see what is making me feel like this." Aang pressed forward, into the cave. Katara nodded to herself before following after the last airbender. The young woman had to stop breathing through her nose, the smell of smoke was that strong. It filled the air and gagged her sense of smell. The heavy sent weighed down upon the petite water child. But she persisted. Katara refused to let Aang wander through the cave alone. And she had been the one to push him into it. So she would force herself to follow the young Avatar into the smoke smelling cave no matter how much it bothered her. Katara squinted her eyes as she tried to see up ahead of them as he eyes slowly began to adjust to the darkness.

"Oh my god . . ." Katara stopped dead in her tracks along with Aang. Sticking out of the wall was a woman from the waist up with her arms pulled back into the rock. Her thick blonde hair reached pass her shoulders slightly and had clumps of rock and dirt in it. Skin that was once a pale and smooth was caked with dirt. Wrapped around her breast were strips of dingy white cloth with tattered fabric underneath them, presumably the fabric was once a shirt. A thick leather choker with a buckle adorn her neck along with a thin silver necklace with a sapphire as the only decoration. Aang slowly edged towards her, afraid that any sudden movement might wakethe woman before him. Katara watched as Aang stood before the woman, looking into her heart shaped face. Her well structure cheek bones had full lashes resting on them and full lips were still. "Aang . . ." Aang turned away from the woman and looked at Katara.

"Katara . . . I think we should get out of here." His words were barely above a whisper, as he was worried that he might wake the woman from a deep sleep. However, Katara took steps towards the woman and moved passed Aang. She reached up and held the woman's face in her hands, gently so as not to break the frail looking woman. "Katara, this doesn't feel right. We need to get out of here, now!" Katara turned to look at Aang.

"Aang . . . . she's breathing." At that moment the woman's emerald eyes snapped open.