Disclaimer:Afterall this time,do you seriously expect me to own anything? Anything at all?I didn't think so.
AN:As promised, it is still the weekend. I will probably be reposting thissoon,whenone of my beta's send it back. But until then, here is Chapter 15!
And remember to Review!
No you don't know what it's like
When nothing feels alright
You don't know what it's like to be like me
-Welcome to My Life, by Hoobastank
Chapter 15
Chaos ripped through the room.
A dark figure raced from the room, his weapon falling, forgotten, to the floor.
Aang and Sokka snapped into consciousness, rolling haphazardly out of their beds, ready to protect Katara.
A dozen armed guards raced into the still dark room, baring their weapons at the emptiness before a light was finally summoned.
"What's going on here?" one of the guards demanded.
"There," Katara managed to say, though she was shaking visibly. "Somebody was standing there...he had a knife..."
"An assassin?" one man suggested.
"Probably just a nightmare," another said.
"That wasn't a dream," Aang said defiantly. He bent down and picked up a long, steel knife. "Somebody was here." Katara swallowed. She had personally been wishing that the stranger had been nothing more than her imagination.
"That's not one of ours," said a third guard.
"It looks like it came from the Fire Nation." Sokka and Aang exchanged glances.
"That doesn't mean anything," another noted. "There are dozens of weapons merchants in the marketplace. Anybody could have bought one."
"Or they could have brought one from home," Sokka said quietly.
"Do you think that renegade Prince-"
"Not Zuko," Aang interrupted. His eyes locked on the weapon. Sen.
Aang carefully approached her the next day. She shot him a knowing glance, but didn't pause as she meandered down one of the winding hallways.
"Hey," he said, preparing himself for anything. She glanced his way again, but said nothing. "Where were you last night?" he demanded. "Katara was-"
"You think I attacked your precious crush," the bounty hunter scoffed, never slowing her pace. Aang set his jaw. Had he been that obvious? But it didn't matter.
"Yes," he said. Sen shrugged.
"Of course I did. About a dozen times. I even slit her throat once, if you were paying attention. I believe you and your dear rival took turns patching her up."
"I'm not talking about then! I mean last night!" Sen stopped for a moment.
"That's a good theory, Aang. But you've forgotten something: I'm nowhere near the palace at night. I'm out in the city, making sure all the big, bad criminals get put in jail. Dozens of people saw me. Ask them." She turned to walk away.
"But they didn't see you there the entire time," Aang said quietly. "Nobody would have stopped you from coming back for a few minutes." Sen glanced over her shoulder.
"You know, for the Avatar, you're not too bright."
"What?"
Without hesitation, Sen lunged at him, thrusting a knife under his chin. She stopped just short, her weapon resting dangerously on his throat, her eyes wild. Before Aang had a chance to react, her expression steeled and she straightened.
"If I was the one in your room last night, your dear crush would not have survived. But when I do kill her, I swear I'll do it in style."
"Please let me in," Katara begged. The guard shook his head.
"It's too dangerous. The prisoner is obviously unstable. He may try to harm you."
"Zuko would never hurt me!" Katara protested. "And he isn't 'unstable.' What happened?"
"He went berserk last night. Attacked two guards and then destroyed his cell."
"What do you mean, 'destroyed'?"
"Started screaming and throwing fireballs across the cell. Nearly melted the walls before we got a chance to restrain him." Katara cringed. She could imagine what they meant by 'restrain'... "That's why we had to move him here."
"Let me see him," she said again.
"I already told you, it's too dangerous."
"I don't care! I want to see him!"
"No."
"Please!"
"You're obviously still upset from this morning," the guard said, motioning to a few of his comrades. "You need to get some rest." Two other guards seized Katara from behind, half dragging her away from the cell.
"No! Please, I have to talk to him! Please!"
Zuko stared disdainfully at the minuscule hole that opened at the bottom of the wall. A small tray of bread and water was hastily shoved through the opening, and then it was quickly closed again. All of his meals for the past three days had been delivered like that, ever since he had heard Katara scream in the middle of the night.
The bread and pieces of meat were dusty, the water was in a small bowl, almost like a dog's dish. Altogether, the guards treated him like some kind of feral animal. But that didn't bother him. He had one concern now: Katara. She hadn't come to see him since that night, and he could only guess at what had happened to her. Horrible visions swam through his mind, and he sat down on his new bed, ignoring his rations. He had to keep hoping. He couldn't give up. If Katara had died, Sokka and Aang would have fount a way to tell him about it.
Unless they were dead, too. He couldn't imagine either one letting anything happen to her.
Zuko felt alone. Isolated. More out of despair than anything else, he struggled to think of what his Uncle would have told him.
"I'm sure she is all right, the old man might have said. Perhaps she is preparing a surprise...or finding a way to free you, as we speak. You must not lose Hope, Prince Zuko.
You must not lose Hope.
"East by southeast," Iroh repeated for the hundredth time since he had heard Sen say it.
Though you don't need to bother remembering that, the bounty hunter had said. Just follow Zhao's men. They'll be marching this way in a few weeks.
The ship had been all but abandoned, left in one of the Fire Nation's ports, but he didn't need it anymore. Sen's instructions led him across land, and the rhinos were the surest mounts through the rough terrain.
He wasn't sure if Zuko even wanted to see him again; the boy had left so suddenly...but Iroh was worried to the point of misery without his dear nephew. He wanted to see him again, one more time. Even if it was just to say goodbye.
Katara smiled slightly as her fingers brushed across the velvet rose petals. Ling Xi was especially proud of these: they were deep red, perfectly formed, with thin, elegant thorns rising from their stems. The little girl watered the rest of her flowers, striking up soft conversation as she worked.
"Are they anything like the one Zuko gave you?" she asked, brushing dirt from her knees. Katara looked up in surprise.
"...Yes..." she started. "How did you know about that?" Ling Xi grinned proudly.
"He bought it from me." Katara smiled as well.
That explains how she knows him. But there was one major flaw in that logic...
"But he gave it to me in Port Sechi." Ling Xi nodded.
"Mother and I used to live there. Before we came here." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Why won't they let you see him anymore? The guards, I mean," she added. Katara bit her lip thoughtfully.
"I..I'm not sure. They keep saying that he's dangerous..."
"But he's not!"
"That's what I said. But they won't listen to me." Ling Xi bit her lip.
"Then maybe they'll listen to me."
The guards looked uncomfortable.
"He won't hurt anybody," the little girl insisted. "I promise. He's the Angel Man."
"Yes...but..." one of the guards said. "Well...we can't let him out...big orders...and..."
"But you could let us see him, right?" the girl said, a hopeful sparkle entering her eyes.
"...Maybe later..." another said.
"Please?"
"Why don't you run along and play, honey?" a third said hastily. Ling Xi offered a solemn nod.
"Sorry," she said when the guards were out of earshot. "That isn't going to work."
"That's all right," Katara said gently. "You did your best. There was nothing else you could do."
"No..." Ling Xi looked thoughtful. A slight smile crept across her face. "But I bet my sister can!"
"What? You have a sister?"
"Yes! She'll know what to do. Hold on!" she cried, sprinting down the hall before Katara could say another word.
Sen walked sullenly across one of the courtyards. She had been sleeping perfectly a few minutes before, but twilight was quickly approaching, and she would have to hunt for criminals outside the palace walls. Again. She glanced to the side- smoke was billowing from one of the dozens of ventilation shafts in a nearby wall. Vaguely Sen wondered if it led to his cell...
"Anybody in there?" she called into the hole.
Silence.
And then:
"Who's there?" Came a muffled, distorted reply. The sound had echoed through the shaft so many times that it couldn't be recognized, but she associated it immediately with Zuko, if only because of the smoke that accompanied the words.
"A fellow prisoner," was her answer to his demand. Clearly her own voice was as distorted as his. She heard a faint chuckle. Odd... She hadn't heard him laugh before.
"So I'm not the only one," he mused.
"Not by a long shot."
"Have you heard any news?" she guessed that there was some caution in his voice.
"Plenty of it," she replied. "The guards like to talk to me. What do you have in mind?"
"Inside the palace," the caution gave way to imaginary hope. "Have you heard of a girl named Katara? Anything at all?" Sen hesitated thoughtfully.
"...Katara, hm?...I think so. Waterbender, right? Supposed to be really pretty, I've heard. The one who came with the Avatar?"
"That's her!" Zuko cried. "Can you tell me where she is now? Please?"
"At the moment? It's hard to say."
"Never mind that, do you know if she's all right?" He was talking quickly, and his words were barely intelligible after their journey through the long chamber between them.
"I suppose so," Sen said, ignoring his enthusiasm. "But she got a big scare a few days ago."
"Is she all right? Was she hurt? What happened?" In her mind's eye, Sen could almost see Zuko pressing his face against the tiny shaft, desperately clinging to her every word.
"Either you really like to hear gossip," Sen mused. "Or you really like this girl. That's it, isn't it? You like her?"
"More than you can imagine," he said softly. His voice was tender now.
"Good luck with that. Usually prisoners don't have the best relationships with royal guests."
"...I know," Zuko admitted heavily. "But, please...was she hurt? Do you know?" Sen shrugged, though she knew he couldn't see.
"Some man got into her room with a knife. Scared the daylights out of her, and she screamed. But he got scared and ran off before he got the chance to do anything."
"And she's all right?"
"Spooked, but unhurt." There was a moment of silence.
"Thank you," he said softly.
"I don't think so," she muttered, leaving the hole and the prisoner behind. From the corner of her eye, she saw a little girl looking her way. Sen sighed.
"Are you happy now?" she asked. The girl nodded, and without further warning, rushed forward and hugged the bounty hunter around he waist.
"Thank you," she said. Sen looked away.
"Yeah...any time," she said, putting a tentative hand on the girl's shoulder. "Any time."
"Excuse me," Ling Xi said shyly, approaching the guards the next morning. "...Have you seen my sister? I can't find her." The guards exchanged glances.
"No," the first said. "Have you checked the kitchens? She might have gone there."
"I already looked," the little girl insisted.
"What about your garden?" another offered.
"I don't think so. She doesn't go there a lot."
"What about..."
Aang and Katara slipped quietly past the distracted guards. For an instant, Ling Xi's eyes followed them, but she quickly returned her attention to the men, making up more nonsense about her missing sister. A little further on, they paused. Aang raised his arms and concentrated, repeating King Bumi's last lesson in his mind. A sliver of the wall before him rippled, then fell away in a thousand grains of sand, just wide enough for him and Katara to slip through. Soon they were past the barrier, face to face with a genuinely shocked Zuko. He opened his mouth in some startled exclamation, but Katara hushed him, putting a finger to his lips. Readily he obeyed while Aang sealed the wall behind him, disguising all evidence that they had snuck into the cell.
"Funny," Zuko mused when it was again safe to speak, visibly trying to maintain a discreet distance. "Most people try to break out of prison."
"You know us," Aang said. "Always ready to try something new." His eyes fell on what Zuko had assumed to be a slice of bread. "Unless it's that...it's supposed to be food, right?"
"I'm still trying to figure that out," Zuko admitted casually.
"Has it started moving yet?" Katara asked.
"Not while I'm looking at it."
"Then at least it's polite," Aang mused. "But I think we'll be bringing your food from now on."
"I think your roommate will appreciate that," Katara said, touching the presumed food. It looked stale and moldy. "Has it always been this bad?" she asked. She noticed another
"Not until they moved me to this cell."
"That's not like Bumi," Aang said quietly. "Why would he do that?"
"As far as I know, he hasn't been told," Zuko said. "From what I've heard, he didn't arrange any of this."
"Sen?" Aang said automatically. The bounty hunter seemed to have a hand in everything recently.
"She had something to do with it...But I don't think she was the only one. This room is much bigger than the last one." He was right; now that they looked, Aang and Katara recognized the cell that they had been brought to during their last stay at Omashu.
"Yeah. I think they call it the 'Newly Refurbished Chamber That Used To Be Bad...'" Aang recited. "Or something like that.
"What does that make the last one?"
"The Currently Bad Chamber That Will Someday Be Refurbished," Katara suggested. The reunion was more humorous than she had expected it to be, but some unspoken pact had been formed, that no one would allow the mood to become any darker.
"I think they'll have to start soon," Zuko shrugged. "I didn't exactly clean up before I left."
"Because of that?" Aang asked, pointing at the Prince's hands. They were bruised and covered with rough scabs. He had kept them out of sight before, but now they caught everyone's attention.
"Zuko," Katara breathed, readying a pearl of water to heal him. "What happened?"
"Nothing important," he said. "What about you? Did that man hurt you?"
"He didn't get a chance," Katara assured him lightly, trying to restore the easy atmosphere that had been so quickly shattered.
"Hey Katara," Aang said quietly. "We need to get going soon. I'm not sure how long Ling Xi can keep the guards distracted."
"Ling Xi?"
"Katara made a friend. A little girl. You'd love her, Zuko." He readied his stance and opened a thin opening in the wall. Katara smiled at the Prince and turned to leave, only to feel a firm tug on her hand. She turned back for an instant to see what was wrong, and Zuko's hands cupped her face, and he bestowed a swift, passionate kiss on her lips. It ended as quickly as it had come, and Zuko lifted his lips to her ear.
"Soon," he whispered so only she could hear. "Come back to me soon." She nodded weakly, still dizzy from his kiss.
Aang watched helplessly, his emotions swirling chaotically within his chest. He was glad that Zuko was safe, and Katara was happy, but...sometimes, it just didn't seem fair. He cared about Katara. Really cared about her. But she didn't see- had never seen him as anything more than a little friend. Maybe, if life had continued as it once had, everything might have been fine. If Katara just didn't notice his hints, if he was just too scared to say anything, if he could dream and wish in secret...but that reality died with Zuko's arrival. Now Aang was left with those bitter, beautiful reminders- their kisses, their embraces, even the way Zuko now whispered into her ear while she seemed to cling to him for dear life. Aang wanted it all,and he wanted it badly. But it was too far gone already: claimed and won by Zuko's hand. Aang didn't hold it against the Prince. He and Zuko were friends now, after all, and Aang had come to help him as much as to please Katara. Zuko was a member of the group.
And yet, the two of them still weren't close. Despite their kindled alliance, both still remembered a time when they had been predator and prey, and even now, that division remained between them: an unspoken knowledge of that terrible truth: I loved her first. But she chose you.
The embrace ended at last, and Zuko helped Katara through the hole. Just as Aang prepared to follow, Zuko ducked his head to the Avatar's ear.
"Don't let anything happen to her," he whispered. "Please." Aang nodded. Zuko continued: "You still need to learn Firebending?" Another nod. "I can teach you." Aang nodded again. Past the cell's exit, the guards were returning, finally finished with Ling Xi's distraction. Carefully Aang slipped from the hole and sealed it behind him.
Sokka wandered purposefully through the hallway. He was sure that the kitchens were close by...if only he hadn't gotten distracted by those girls a few minutes before, he wouldn't have lost his way. Not that he minded, of course...
A slight movement drew his attention in a far corner, and he paused to get a better look. Sen was reclined across a couch, a crystal glass in one hand and a tall bottle at her feet.
She looked at once luxurious and ragged, with fine clothes hanging from her too thin body, her ebony hair drawn into some elaborate style before it was tousled into freedom. Slender fingers played idly with the rim of the glass while her dark, haunting eyes stared off into nothingness.
Sokka stopped and watched as she raised the glass to her lips, taking a long sip. After a moment she grimaced and spat it out, spraying the floor with foul smelling liquid.
"Putrid," she muttered. "How does anyone drink this venom?"
"If it's that disgusting, why do you drink it?" Sokka asked, carefully stepping around the puddle of wine. Sen refilled the glass and took another sip, swallowing bitterly.
"It makes me numb," she said wearily.
"What?"
"Numb. I don't want to feel. If you can't feel, you can't hurt. And you can't care." She paused, reflectively pouring herself another glass. "Life is a lot simpler, if you just don't care." She sounded calm. Rational. She was obviously drunk. Yet Sokka found her fascinating. So far, no amount of logic had been able to decipher her.
"Is it working?" he asked.
"No." She took another sip.
"Then why are you here?"
"Because His Majesty thought I needed a day off," her voice was low with scorn."He thinks it'll help my nerves. He thinks I need his help. And his protection. He thinks I'm so helpless that I can't survive without his charity. It's sickening!" She drained the glass.
"Why would you need help?" Sokka asked cautiously. Sen looked up from the glass, not really seeing him.
"I don't. I can get by. I've been doing it for years. It's my sister..."
"You have a sister?" She nodded forlornly.
"Ling Xi..." Sokka's jaw dropped.
"Her? She's your sister?"
"Funny, isn't it? We're nothing alike."
"What, was she adopted or something? What happened?" Sen's gaze darkened and she stared hatefully into her wine.
"The war happened. The Fire Lord happened." She took another swallow.
"The Fire Lord? I thought you were working for him."
"Don't remind me," she snapped. "If it wasn't for him and his stupid war, my father wouldn't be dead right now. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be...this!" she slammed her fist into the couch, but it sank harmlessly into an overstuffed pillow.
"What do you mean?" Sokka pressed. "What happened?"
"Just what I said..." she muttered. He dared to move closer, studying her carefully.
"You're not really insane, are you?" he asked quietly. She chuckled gently.
"No. I wish I was, though." She laughed, though the sound was sad, pensive. She laid back in the couch, covering her face with her free hand. "If I was crazy, then maybe I wouldn't regret what I was doing. Maybe I wouldn't care about how many people I hurt. Maybe I'd be able to look my mother in the eyes again..." She sighed heavily, allowing the foul odor of her breath to escape her mouth. "It isn't the Fire Lord's fault. It's mine."
"Yours?" She nodded. "How?"
"I said...stupid things. And the Fire Lord...he got mad at me...So I took Ling Xi and my mother and I ran."
"To Omashu?" Sen nodded.
"King Bumi heard about me...and he sent some of his soldiers to get us. He gave me a job...and he gave them a place to stay...food to eat..." she took another sip of her otherwise forgotten wine. "I started hunting people so we could eat, you know. After my father died...six years ago?"
"But that's over. You've got a job-"
"It's never over. As soon as I stop being useful, we'll all get thrown from the city. Firebenders are not welcome here. Nor are their kin."
"But Bumi wouldn't-"
"Wouldn't he? Just like Zhao wouldn't? Like Ozai wouldn't? Don't be so sure! If I mess up once, you'll see: Ling Xi and my mother and I will be back on the street!"
"Is that why you're after Zuko?" Sokka said evenly. Sen shook her head.
"No...I can't. Ling Xi adores him. He's her idol. Her 'Angel Man.'"
"'Angel Man?'"
"He...gave her money once...when she was hungry...and I was away...he treated her kindly...and now she practically worships him...I can't...can't just kill him, after that..." Sokka's eyes narrowed. If Zuko was safe...
"I had a dream about you," he said suddenly. Sen grinned and lifted her glass to him.
"I commend your boldness," she said. "But you're really not my type."
"Not like that! You...you killed Katara. And Aang. I thought it was Zuko...but it was you, wasn't it?" Sen nodded sagely.
"The two great bounties." She pulled a crumpled piece of paper from her robe and pushed it into Sokka's hand. He flattened it and gasped.
"Katara?"
"Yep. Zhao blames her, you know. He's got a scar that makes Zuko's look like a slight blemish. And he thinks that it never would have happened if Zuko hadn't gone to rescue Katara. Thinks he wouldn't have had the guts."
"But I-"
"Have never done anything to make him angry. Consider it a blessing, Sokka. Aang is only safe because dear King Bumi is threatening me to keep it that way."
"But Katara isn't?"
"No."
"And Zuko..." Sokka paused as realization dawned on him. "Has only been defending her this entire time. And if he's locked up, then he can't stop you..."
"Exactly."
"But it doesn't need to be this way!" Sokka protested. "Aang's the Avatar! He's trying to stop the war, remember? And if there's no war, there's no need for Ling Xi to join the army, and... and it'll work out. Trust me-"
"Don't waste my time with bedtime stories and fairytales!" Sen snarled, suddenly enraged. "Trust? Hope? Nothing but fantasy. Mercy is only a cruel joke played on the brainless. And the Avatar is nothing but another bounty. The bounty that'll save Ling Xi." Sokka backed away slightly.
"You think a bounty will save her?"
"I've still got a chance. She's still got a chance. If I bring the Avatar to the Fire Lord, I might be able to reason with him. To let her stay out of the army. And the money from the bounty alone...she would never go hungry again. Mother could stop worrying about me."
"And you?"
"Maybe I'll just lay down and die."
"Die? But...what about your future? Don't you want to live with your sister? Do something else with your life?"
"Like what? Do you have any idea how many people want me dead? Do you honestly think Ling Xi would want anything to do with me, after I handed the Avatar over to a life's imprisonment? I have no future: I sold it six years ago for a sword and a loaf of bread." She fell silent, staring again at the half emptied glass, then suddenly hurled it against the far wall. The glass exploded into a burst of crystal and wine. She stood and calmly walked toward it, as though such things were ordinary, and picked up the largest shard. She wore a sad smile as she studied it.
"See? It's broken," she observed. "And it can never be whole again." She closed her hand over the shard, squeezing it tight. "But it can still cut." She opened her hand, blood flowing from brutal gashes in her palm and fingers. "Even when it's been destroyed, it can still kill." She moved to close her hand again, but Sokka grabbed her wrist, knocking the blood soaked shard from her grip. She stared stupidly at her mangled hand for a moment.
"Don't do that!" Sokka said, guiding her back to the couch. Almost instinctively, he cleaned off her hand with his sleeve and unwound a wrapping from his wrist.
"I'm drunk and insane," she said dryly. "What did you expect?"
"You aren't crazy," Sokka said stubbornly. "And you wouldn't be drunk if you'd lay off the wine." He tore the wrapping with his teeth and started to bandage her hand.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked. Sokka didn't look up.
"You need to keep taking care of Ling Xi," he said. "And that'll be pretty hard if you're bleeding all over the place." He finished the bandage and released her hand. She smiled sadly.
"I recommend you stay out of my way," she said, finally looking up at him. "You're a good man, Sokka. Please, don't make me kill you."
"I'll try," he said. "But I won't let you hurt Katara."
"An interesting proposal," King Bumi said, nodding sagely. "Nobody's ever tried that before."
"It's a show of good faith," Aang said resolutely.
"More like a show of stupidity," Sen sneered. What are you going to do next? Put a viper on your pillow?"
"That's odd," Katara said. "I don't remember lending you any of my pillows." Around them the guards chattered excitedly. Sen ignored the remark.
"I trust Zuko," Aang defended.
"And I trust my knives. But that doesn't mean that I'll put them to my throat." She turned her steely gaze to the King. "This isn't even stupid. It's pure lunacy! Nobody in their right mind would approve such a suicidal-"
"Then it's a good thing that nobody in their right mind is in charge," King Bumi said cheerfully.
"So it's okay with you?" Sokka asked.
"Sure it is," King Bumi said. "Aang, from this point forward, Zuko will be your Firebending instructor." Sen glowered, but said nothing.
"Focus on the flame," Zuko said quietly. "Try not to let it waver." Aang stared at the small fire as it hovered midair, clearly concentrating with all his might. He began to go slightly blue.
"And don't forget to keep breathing," Zuko pointed out. Aang exhaled loudly, trying to catch his breath again. Meanwhile, the flame dissipated into nothing.
"I lost it," the Avatar muttered.
"It isn't supposed to be easy," Zuko pointed out. They both heard a faint grinding behind them, and looked back. An irate guard stood in the doorway, closely flanked by Katara, and a younger girl that trailed behind her like a duckling. Both of the girls had dozens of candles in their arms.
"We heard that Firebending is easier if you have something to burn," Katara said playfully. Zuko and Aang were on their feet in an instant, helping the girls with their loads.
"Who's this?" Zuko asked, nodding to the little girl.
"Ling Xi," Katara said. Immediately the girl blushed and attempted to bow, though her candles began to slide from her arms. "She's been helping us, and she made the salve for your wounds."
"Thank you," Zuko said. Ling Xi's eyes widened in ecstasy, and she chirped a delighted 'you're welcome' before meekly piling her candles on the floor.
"Can we watch?" Katara asked. Zuko nodded warmly, and Aang offered a cheerful 'sure'. The two girls smiled and sat down on one of the spare beds, carefully watching the lesson.
"You know, you act a lot more sober when you're actually drunk," Sokka pointed out as Sen passed him. She shrugged.
"Sobriety is overrated," she said. "And I won, anyway." Sokka's eyes narrowed.
"How? And what was the contest, anyway?"
"Life is a contest, Sokka. To see who survives in the end."
"And since when did you win?"
"Since I crippled you. It's that simple." Sokka pointed to his still perfect legs.
"No, you didn't. See? You didn't hurt me at all. You're the one who got your hand all cut up." Sen shook her head.
"The most damaging blows are not physical," she said. Sokka's eyes narrowed.
"What are you talking about, then?"
"Empathy," she replied simply. "Sympathy for one's opponent. The ability to see yourself in someone else. Had I cut off one of your legs, I couldn't have hindered you more."
"I...don't understand." Sen glanced heavenward.
"Yes, you do. You just don't want to admit it. You know what I'm doing, Sokka. And you know why I'm doing it. But tell me, if you were in my place, would you have done things any differently?"
He had no answer for this.
"If the murder of faceless, nameless strangers is the only way to protect my sister, it is still murder, isn't it?"
He nodded.
"But would you punish me for it?"
Sokka hesitated. He knew the answer. He just couldn't stand admitting it: if Katara had been the one in danger, he would have fought- even killed- a hundred people without a moment's hesitation.
"It's still wrong."
"I know it is. But it's a lot more right than letting her die in the Fire Lord's war." She sighed pensively. "And wrong and right don't matter, where emotion is concerned. The fact of the matter is this: when the time comes, you won't be able to kill me. You can't destroy me for something that you would have done yourself. But that little moral dilemma will cost you dearly, Sokka: in the time that it will take you to gather enough nerve to kill me, I can kill your sister a dozen times. As I said, I've won."
"That doesn't matter," Sokka said grimly. "I'm not the only one protecting her. Aang won't let anything happen to Katara. Neither will Zuko." Sen paused in mid stride.
"No," she admitted. "He won't. Therein lies an even greater problem."
"What?"
"Come with me," Sen said, waving for him to follow her. It was a pointless gesture, really, since he was already following her. But Sokka didn't argue.
"Where are we going?" he asked. Sen didn't answer him for a moment. She stopped sharply, turning to a guard.
"We need to see Prince Zuko's old cell," she said curtly. The guard nodded, and led them down a series of corridors, ending at last in the dungeon. He made an opening in the stone wall and stood aside, waiting for them to enter. Sen stepped into the dimly lit cell first, and Sokka quickly followed. For a moment, his eyes didn't adjust properly. But he quickly realized that what he saw was no trick of the dim light.
"What...what happened here?" he said, lightly touching one wall. White ash gathered on his fingertips. The entire wall had been mutilated, covered in deep scars where the stone had been partially melted, and all of it was charred an angry black, save for a few streaks of white ash. "Was it...always like this?"
"Always," Sen said. "Since the night your sister was attacked." Sokka shook his head.
"Did somebody go after Zuko, too?" he asked dumbly.
"He did this on his own. Completely on his own."
"But...why?" Sokka didn't believe it. He couldn't believe it. There was no way Zuko could be so powerful. It was impossible. It was just...
"Do you see those vents?" Sen asked, pointing to a hole in another of the walls. Sokka noticed with sudden surprise that the remaining three walls were just barely singed. None of them had suffered the abuse of the fourth. "Sound passes through them without difficulty. Almost a week ago, Zuko heard your sister's scream through those vents."
"No way..." Sokka said, realizing what had to come next.
"He tried to tear down the wall with his bare hands. And when that didn't work, he decided to burn his way through."
"But Katara's okay," Sokka said. "She wasn't hurt."
"But he didn't know that. And that isn't the point. Take a good look, Sokka. This is the damage done by a single scream. This happened with the knowledge that you and Aang were still protecting her." She narrowed her eyes coldly. "Think about it: if one cry could do all of this, what will happen when she takes her last breath?"
"I told you," Sokka said. "We won't let you kill-"
"Childbirth, illness, age, war," Sen interrupted. "There are a thousand ways for a woman to die in this world, and surprisingly few of them have to do with me. You cannot deny the fact, Sokka: your sister is as mortal as the rest of us, and one day, despite all of your noble efforts, she will die. And when she does..." she stepped out of the cell, the bright light casting dark shadows across her face. "When she does, you will have an even greater danger to deal with."
"How bad will it be?" Sokka asked softly, not following her from the darkness. Sen shrugged.
"There's no way to tell. But it will be terrible. Zuko has been called the Greatest Threat to the Four Nations, and not without reason."
Katara now dozed on the spare bed as three Firebenders practiced their art. Ling Xi had begun playing with one of the extra candles as she listened to Zuko and Aang, and had succeeded in creating a little fire of her own. Zuko, seeing no great difficulty in having one more student, invited her to join them. Aang personally thought that if the little girl had gotten any more excited by the offer, she would have fainted, but he kept the idea to himself. The little girl wasn't vastly talented or practiced, but she was adorable, and Zuko's extra comments to her helped to reassure Aang of his own efforts.
Zuko looked across the cell at Katara. She was with him now, and Aang had arranged it so his lessons were slowly earning the trust of the city people.
Things weren't perfect- not by a long shot. But they were good.