Can't Chase Away the Nightmares

When Zuko stepped out onto the deck, his aunt rushed to his side, ignoring the pain of her rib.

"Prince Zuko! There's a large Fire Nation fleet heading this way!" Zuko glanced at her before his eyes rested on the Avatar. There were barely concealed tears in Aang's eyes. Turning back to Brenda, he began to give orders. His voice was calm, his expression emotionless.

"Do we know if they're allies or enemies?" Brenda shook her head.

"I haven't received that information yet." Zuko nodded and sighed.

"Tell me the second you know." The admiral's eyes displayed surprise. He was keeping his head. Zuko wasn't barking orders or anything. He seemed . . . . distant. However, she quickly covered up her surprise and bowed slightly before hurrying off to her ship to find out who was approaching. Zuko's eyes rested on Iroh. "Uncle." The old man looked up to see Zuko approaching him.

"What is it, Prince Zuko?"

"Go rest. You're going to start falling apart soon." The young prince ordered his uncle.

"What about you?" Iroh asked, making his nephew shake his head.

"I'll be fine. Go. Rest." Iroh nodded wearily and made his way to his room. He didn't have the strength to argue with Zuko. Prince Zuko turned to the Avatar.

". . . . I'm sorry. I promised I would have protected her and I failed." Before Sokka and Aang could say anything, Brenda's shout was heard. She had been right about to board her ship when a soldier came up to her and informed her of who was approaching them.

"They're allies, Prince Zuko!" She yelled, almost doubling over in pain from her cracked rib. Zuko nodded to himself, deep in thought, before turning and leaving the two.

". . . . she's in my room . . . for when you want to see her." He muttered over his shoulder, Sokka and Aang almost missing his words. Sokka glared at the ground.

"Don't blame him Sokka. He's doing enough of that." Sokka opened his mouth to object but Aang cut him off.

- - - - -

Brenda frowned when Admiral Haku stepped onto Zuko's ship. He had brown eyes and dark brown hair. True, he had agreed to follow Prince Zuko, but something felt off.

"Admiral Brenda." Haku greeted her with a small bow. They may have been the same rank but she was still royalty. "We've been looking for you and Prince Zuko for awhile now. You're hard to find." Brenda smirked.

"Yes, well, where would the fun be if everything was easy." Haku cracked a small smile.

"You never do anything that could be boring do you." Brenda shook her head.

"No. Life as a soldier is too short to be stuck doing boring things. I say make life as interesting as possible." After a moment she felt herself frown slightly when Haku was silent. "What's wrong? Don't tell me you're backing out?"

"Of course not. I follow Prince Zuko." Haku snapped.

"Then what's wrong?" Brenda asked, her urgency hidden well.

"There is no need for a civil war."

"What are you talking about?" Brenda demanded, an edge to her voice as she cradled her ribs, still in pain. She had yet to see a doctor. The female admiral refused to do so until everything was taken care of. She couldn't let her nephew be forced to care all of the weight. Especially after what had just happened. No, she was take the pain and continue to work. And right now it appeared that he needed her more than ever.

"A week ago . . . . ." Haku trailed off, uncertain of how to tell her.

"Yes, a week ago?" She was growing impatient.

". . . . Fire Lord Ozai . . . ." He still had trouble. Brenda narrowed her eyes.

"What about my brother?"

". . . . Ceres killed him." Brenda felt her eyes widen slightly before she looked down at the ground and closed them.

". . . . I see." 'So . . . . Iroh and I were right. Ceres did target him . . . may his soul rest in peace . . .' Sighing, Brenda looked up when she heard her nephew speak. He had snuck up on her while she was talking with Haku and overheard it.

"How did Ceres get into the palace?" His voice was monotone. Brenda wanted nothing more than to turn around and mourn with her nephew. Though she and her brother Ozai were at odds, he was still her brother. And he was still Prince Zuko's father. She had no idea how the prince was feeling. He had just lost the woman he loved and his father to the same demon. She could only imagine his desire for revenge.

"It posed as a Lady of the Court." Zuko raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"How did it get into the Fire Nation? And how did it even pass for a Lady of the Court?" Haku sighed and shook his head in anger.

"Admiral Zhao was foolish enough to bring it in. Apparently it tricked him." Zuko refrained from snorting in disbelief.

"I doubt that." Brenda nodded, deep in thought.

"More than likely Ceres offered him power and he took it." She looked over at her prince. "Prince Zuko, you are the only heir to the throne. Even though you are banished, you are now leader of the Fire Nation . . . what are your orders?" He looked at the ships and at his own.

"We sail to the Fire Nation."

- - - - -

Sokka stared down at his sister's form. She looked like she was sleeping. Aang felt tears spring up in his eyes. She looked so peaceful.

". . . . I will protect her, young Avatar." Aang looked up, surprised to see Lady Leila sitting in a chair beside the bed. She was watching Katara carefully.

"What?" Aang asked, shocked that Leila had left her son's side once more.

"I didn't say anything, Aang." Sokka didn't take his eyes off Katara.

"No . . . . Lady Leila said she would protect her." Now Sokka did take his eyes off his little sister and looked at Aang, confused.

"Zuko's mother?"

". . . . while my son could not stop Ceres from casting this sleep upon her . . . . I will stop Ceres from devouring her soul." Leila looked up at Aang with determination in her eyes. "My son loves her, so I love her as if she were my own. So I will protect her as I would Zuko."

"What are you talking about, Leila?" Sokka watched as Aang spoke to the empty air in a chair. "Ceres took her soul. How can you stop Ceres from . . . . eating her soul?" Leila shook her head.

"No. This is just a sleep spell Ceres cast. Her soul is still in her body, only locked away. The venom from the spider did this." The ghost looked down at her son's beloved. "Do not worry about her soul, young Avatar." She moved to brush some hair away from Katara's face but stopped when she realized that she would not be able to. Lady Leila looked up at the monk. "Please, tell my son that she has not lost her soul."

"How do you know this?" Aang asked the dead Fire Lady, confused.

"I know because I am a spirit. I can still sense hers in her body." She smiled softly. "Aang . . . . should you look hard enough, you will see it too."

- - - - -

Brenda closed her eyes as she sunk into her mattress. It had been a long day. The firebender stuffed a hand under her pillow and stared up at the ceiling. She had gotten lucky. It was only a deep bruise on her rib. But that seemed like the only thing good that happened to her. Zuko was hellbent on revenge, that much she was sure. But everything else was clouded. The Admiral closed her eyes, dismissing the events of the day; Katara and Zuko being separated, the death of Ozai, Leila's vow of protection, the fact that they were going to be back in the Fire Nation in a few days, everything.

- - - - -

Zuko stood on the deck of the ship. At night, it was only a skeleton crew. So he was the only one out of the deck. His hands gripped the railings. His anger was choking him, suffocating him with its demand for revenge. Every moment seemed like a dagger was being stabbed into him, and his anger would rise. He had just visited Katara, sat with her for nearly a hour before he left to think. He tried to pray, but he could not find the words. Nor could he find the patience or calmness he needed.

"I'm sorry Katara, I failed to protect you." Zuko whispered as he remembered the fight.

The spider was too big, too strong. It lumber towards Katara. She watched in horror as it knocked the three firebending royalty in front of her aside with one giant swipe. Brenda was unlucky and was slammed into the hatch door while the other two were merely thrown to the ground. She groaned as she slid down the side of the door and sat on the ground. The admiral sent another blast of fire towards the spider but it merely shrugged it off. Zuko was on his feet and in front of Katara again in an instant.

"Katara! Run!" He yelled before he was knocked to the side once more. He would have fallen over the railing but Brenda and Iroh caught him before that happened. Brenda darted forward and showed Katara out of the way of the spider's attack. Sticky webbing covered her instead of Katara. With ease the firebender burned it off. Standing up, she nearly doubled over in pain from her rib. It wasn't broken, that much she knew for sure. Zuko ran and grabbed Katara's hand, pulling her as they ran. However, the spider was fast. It was in front of the two teenagers, causing them to stop in the run and turn around. However, it struck before they could get away. Katara let out a startled cry of pain as it bit into her.

Zuko forced his eyes closed.

"I should have done better!" He growled.

"You did all you could, my precious little prince." Zuko spun around, surprised to her that voice. Standing in front of him was Lady Leila. The moonlight made her glow.

"I-impossible!" Zuko whispered as he took a step back.

"No, it's not." Leila smiled bitterly as she looked down at her form. "You're so tired, Zuko, that you fell asleep in the chair next to Katara and didn't even realize it." She stepped forward and reached up, stroking his scarred cheek. He stepped back, out of his mother's reach, ashamed of his scar. Frowning, she stepped forward and pulled him into a hug. "My precious little prince . . . . I don't care about the scar. I'm proud of you." Zuko tentatively reached up and hugged her back.

"Mother . . . . I miss you so much." She nodded into his shoulder.

"I know." Sighing, she tightened her grip on him. "But that's not why I'm here. The avatar told you that Katara's soul is still with her. Please, do not lust for revenge." Zuko pulled out of his mother's grip. He looked her dead in the eye and answered her.

"No." She looked surprised.

"But why?" Leila asked, confused. "Katara's not dead. She's alive. The spelling sleep is not meant to last very long. Soon enough-"

"Ceres will never stop." Zuko whispered, looking away. "It's like me when I hunted the Avatar." His hands tightened into fists and fire came out in a short burst. He looked up at her with hatred in his eyes. "And I will kill the demon bitch." His eyes narrowed. "You can count on that, mother."

"Please, why are you so bent on revenge?" Leila begged her soon as she held onto his shoulders, trying to stop him from moving away from her. Zuko reached up and took her hands and removed them from his shoulders.

"Because Ceres has ruined Katara's life. For that alone I want revenge."

"Yes, but before now . . . why? Why now? Katara is alright!" Zuko shook his head.

"I want revenge because it woke me up from the dream I had." She looked surprised.

"The dream?" Leila repeated, confused. "I . . . . I do not understand." Zuko released her hands and stepped back, glaring at the ground.

"All my life, I've been told that I'd never be strong enough. I'd never be good enough. I'd never achieve enough. And I believed it. But Katara made me realize that those were lies. She made me happy like no one else has. For that alone I want to make her happy. But my perfect little dream, my happiness . . . . Ceres made me wake up and realize that the world is going to be nothing but pain. The demon took Katara away, even if it is for a short time. So I want to make it pay." Zuko closed his eyes as his anger rose again. Leila closed her eyes also and sighed, pulling Zuko forward and pressing her forehead against his and held his hands.

"If . . . if there is nothing I can do to convince you otherwise . . . ."

"No. There is nothing you can do to stop me."

"Then . . . the technique Iroh showed you to help you against Ceres . . . you haven't been practicing it very often."

"No, Uncle Iroh said that the form was perfect but I was missing the heart of it." Leila pulled her head back and opened her eyes along with Zuko.

"I will tell you the heart of it. That way . . . you'll have some protection from Ceres."

"Thank you, mother."

- - - - -

I loved Friday's episode. I so happy Jun isn't a love interest for Zuko. She kinda seems too old for him, like she's in her early twenties or something. Well, anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter. Please, tell me what you liked or didn't like and I'll try to make it better.