Shattered
Chapter Sixteen
Zuko felt… raw. Yes, raw was a good word for it, as if someone had taken his skin away and left all of his nerve endings exposed. He sighed, resting his head on one hand while pushing his breakfast omelet this way and that on his plate with his chopsticks. He hated feeling this way. Everything seemed to frustrate him, or irritate him, unreasonably so. Even now he seethed with irrational anger. He had tried meditation, but it had done him no good. His mind constantly chased itself in circles. He was torn between keeping his word to wait and the desire to take matters into his own hands. Torn on whether or not aiding himself would harm the nation he loved. He was tired of waiting, sick of his own indecisiveness, frustrated, pissed off… Raw.
The presence of the Avatar's allies wasn't helping matters any. Now that a couple of days had passed and their stupid beast was no longer in immediate danger of dieing, they were taking turns helping work on the farm. Anko tried her best to keep them separated but to Zuko, it was if they were everywhere. The boy at least seemed to try to avoid him, but that girl! She would glare at him with those large blue eyes. Zuko knew that look well; it was angry, hateful and sometimes even calculating. As if she wanted to use him for something. His fingers tightened on the chopsticks and he had to consciously force them to relax. Where did she get off, looking at him that way? He was her superior; in age, in bending, and by his birthright. How dare she plot against him!
Zuko impaled a piece of omelet with his chopsticks and shoved into his mouth, chewing with far more force than necessary, drawing a look from Anko. She wisely kept silent. And as if reality wasn't bad enough, he was being haunted in his sleep as well. For the past two nights, his nightmares had returned full force. Mocking him, robbing him of restful sleep. There was no peace for him anywhere.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Anko's unexpected voice broke his mental tirade. He blinked at the woman. She regarded him stoically; there was no judgment in her dark eyes. He took a deep breath; his mouth opened to speak, and then snapped shut. He exhaled sharply out of his nose, shifting his gaze back to the mauled remains of his omelet. He did want to talk about it, but then again, he didn't. How could he put into words feelings that even he didn't understand?
"Mind your own business," he told her sharply, feeling the familiar twinge of guilt as he did so. Anko didn't deserve his behavior.
The farmer just shrugged. "Suit yourself." She shifted in her chair to look out her door. "When it rains, it pours," she muttered softly to herself. Zuko looked up from his plate in time to see a wagon come pulling up to the porch. Two frantic looking, dirt covered men came tumbling out.
"Anko, you have to come quick! There's been a landslide on Nanyou's farm! Three men are trapped!"
Anko looked anything but hurried as she sipped her tea and then casually crossed her arms across her chest. "On Nanyou's farm, you say?" she said calmly, a touch of sarcasm tainting the words. "That's odd, given his farmland is all flat. Could it be you fools were mining in the mountains behind his farm? The same area I've had to perform rescues at twice before? The area that I told you morons time and time again was too unstable to mine?" Her icy tone stopped both men dead in their tracks. They stared at her for a moment.
"Damn you Anko, there are people's lives on the line! Lecture us later; there's no time for this now!"
The unaffected earthbender rocked her chair back on two legs. "Why don't you use the earthbenders that were helping you mine? Why not get Shikimaru down there and put a shovel in his hands? I know he's the one who put this idiotic notion into your greedy heads."
One man stepped forward, his face contorted with anger. "The earthbenders are the ones trapped along with Nanyou. And you know damn well you're the only one strong enough to move that much dirt."
His companion joined in. "Have you no shame? Kazuma would have been first in line to aid a neighbor."
"Perhaps," Anko drawled. "Then again, my Grandfather had a low tolerance for fools."
"You cold-hearted bitch! Everything Shikimaru says about you is true!"
"You're a monster, Anko," the man's eyes flickered hatefully from the woman to her guest. "Just like the company you keep!"
Zuko's chopsticks splintered in between his fingers. The low burning fire in the fireplace suddenly roared up the chimney while the wooden chopsticks flared up and were reduced to ash in an instant. The two men stared at the firebender wide-eyed.
"I think you should leave now." They shifted their gazes to the steel-toned earthbender. Reading the look on her face, they retreated hastily out the door and to the wagon outside. With in seconds, they were gone.
Anko watched them leave, and then hung her head upside down off the back of the chair for a moment. Then she lifted it back upright and with a long sigh she slowly lowered the chair back down on all four legs. Shaking her head, she pushed away from the table and stood up.
"Don't tell me you're actually going to help those idiots!" Zuko exploded. "After everything they said to you!"
Anko gave the teen a calm look. "I stopped caring about what people say along time ago. Nanyou may be stupid, but he also has a wife and a very young son. Besides," a slow predatory smile crawled across her face, "I think I'll take this opportunity to discourage any more acts of abject stupidity." At Zuko's blank look, Anko's grin widened. "Like the man said, I am the only one on this island who can move that much dirt."
The earthbender tugged on her shoes. The nasty smirk on her face faded as she regarded the boy, and the ashen remains of his chopsticks. Her voice turned serious. "Look, this might take me awhile. Just stay out of trouble for today, Okay? And think about what I asked before. If you feel like talking when I get back, I'll listen." With a departing wave, Anko was gone.
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Katara walked out of the barn carrying a bucket. It was a beautiful day outside, but she didn't notice. Sokka had gone fishing and it was her turn to tend to Appa. Not that she minded; after all, Appa's poor condition was yet another thing that fell into the category of "her fault." Katara scowled as she walked towards the well. She had been the one to push the bison; she had been so sure that they'd be able to find and rescue Aang if only they kept looking, but now they couldn't search at all. And Appa's recovery was going so slowly. His fever was gone and the maggots had been removed, but he still spent most of his day asleep. And everyday they spent here was another day Aang spent locked up in some horrible prison.
Katara put her bucket down next to the well. No matter how many times Sokka told her that she wasn't at fault for the Avatar's capture, she didn't believe him. If only she had been better trained or of she had just reacted quicker. If only she had done something more than just watch passively as he was taken… but wishing to change the past was pointless.
Katara sighed. She missed Aang. Not just because she knew he was the world's only hope, but because he was her friend. She missed his cheerful demeanor, that goofy ear to ear grin, the way he got excited over silly little things. He had literally opened the door to the world for her. And now it was her turn to do the same for him. We will find you, Aang. We will find you and free you. I promise, no matter what it takes.
The soft sound of approaching footsteps jarred her out of her reverie. Zuko. The Fire Nation teen was making a beeline for the well, a large pail in his hands. Clearly lost in his own thoughts, it took a second or two for him to realize she was there. When he did, he hesitated for a moment. Katara glared at him. His very presence on this farm irritated her to no end. He glared silently back, then shifted his look to some distant point over her shoulder. As if I'm beneath him! Not even worth looking at! With an audible sigh he put his bucket down and leaned against the nearby fence, arms crossed in front of him.
Katara's already peevish mood soured further. Zuko was a source of constant frustration to her. Here was someone who had the information she needed, someone who would know where Aang was being kept, and she could do nothing about it. She had promised Anko she wouldn't cause any trouble on her farm and she had told Sokka that she would stay away from the Prince. It was so vexing, and Katara was sick and tired of feeling helpless and frustrated.
The waterbender glanced sideways at the boy. He was still staring off into space like some stuck up bastard. An idea occurred to her. The earthbending farmer had ridden away on her mule hours ago and Sokka was down by the river. Technically, she hadn't gone near Zuko, he had come near her and as a younger sibling; she knew ways to seriously annoy someone without actually doing anything. Why should she be the only one to feel this way? True, Zuko wasn't directly responsible for Aang's capture, but he was Fire Nation, which was close enough. With a private smirk, Katara sent the bucket splashing down into the well.
Zuko leaned against the fence, stifling a growl. Of all the places for the girl to be, why in the name of the eternal flame did she have to be here? Just walk away, a tiny voice of reason advised. You don't need water this instant, just walk away and come back later. Zuko ignored it. If he left now, it would be like retreating and he was definitely not going to show his enemy any kind of weakness. She was a waterbender. She would be done in a minute and then she would leave. He heard a splashing sound. Incompetent fool probably got herself wet.
He let his eyes drift in the direction of the well.
"Click… click… click…"
The girl was cranking up her bucket using the windlass! Zuko's eyes widened in disbelief, then narrowed with ire.
"Click… click… click…"
She was doing this on purpose! Not only was she not bending the water out of the well, she was cranking it up as slowly as she possibly could. It's not too late to walk away. Remember, there's water in the kitchen.
No. No way am I going to let her defeat me! Let her play her childish little game; I don't care. I'll just ignore her. I'll wait here as long as it takes.
"Click… click… click…"
All I have to do is stay calm and "Will you just bend the stupid water already!"
Katara gave the irate Prince an innocent look. "Oh, I'm sorry." She laced the words with sarcasm. "I guess I'm just not nearly as powerful a bender as you are. You'll just have to wait." She resumed cranking, even slower than before, internally laughing. No longer the picture of indifference he was before, Zuko seethed helplessly. Ha, serves him right! The firebender was bound by the same "no fighting" rule she was, there was absolutely nothing he could do to her. Katara stifled the urge to stick her tongue out at him.
Zuko stood erect at the fence, practically shaking with irrational anger. How dare she mess with him this way!
"Click… click..."
He ground his teeth together. This had to stop. Before he went insane. He pushed himself away from the fence and approached the well. If the Water Tribe girl wanted to play games, fine. He'd show her how it was done.
Zuko stood at the opposite side of the well as Katara. "Is this really the best you can do? How pathetic. But then, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Your whole tribe is pathetic and weak. So inconsequential that it's not even worth our time to finish your people off. Although, we'd be doing the world a favor to eliminate such inbreed weakness."
Katara's eyebrow twitched. What did he mean "not worth their time"? Her mother had been killed in a Fire Nation raid and now he was talking about exterminating the rest of her people as casually as most people talked about the weather. Katara's hands turned white-knuckled as they tightened on the crank. "It must be so hard for you," she mocked, "to know that your mighty regime is destined to fall by a twelve year old's hands. What cowards you all are! So afraid of the Avatar that you had to murder a whole race of people to try to prevent his reincarnation."
Zuko actually laughed, the sound harsh and bitter. "You really are stupid. I don't care how powerful he is, that idiot couldn't even save himself. How is he going to stop my fa… the Firelord if he can't even defeat Zhao?"
Katara folded her arms in front of her, the water long forgotten. She spoke with calm confidence. "He will. Aang will stop the Firelord and save the world." She smirked at the Prince. "And then we will see whose people are weak and pathetic."
Zuko stared at her, then scoffed. "You are such a hopeless dreamer! Where is your precious savior now? Rotting away in some Fire Nation prison, that's where. And what were you doing while Zhao captured him; daydreaming your life away? Or maybe he was captured while trying to save you again. You are right about one thing; we were wrong to worry. As long as the Avatar has allies like you, he'll never be a threat to us!"
Katara felt like she had been punched in the gut. The Prince's words hit right at her own self doubt. She stared at him wordlessly, unable to come up with a retort. Sensing victory, he smirked at her. "Here, since you're obviously incapable, I'll draw your water for you." Katara held her ground as he started to circle the well, mind spinning desperately in circles. She didn't want to lose, not to him. There had to be something else she could say, someway she could still hurt him. Sunlight glinted off a scar on his left wrist, drawing her attention. She frowned; the scar line was thin, straight and still reddish in color, meaning that it was new. Sokka's words rang in her head. "Maybe you're right Katara, maybe he needed to capture Aang himself… What was it he said? We had no idea what he'd lost…"
Katara's eyes widened as her brain made as intuitive leap. Confidence returning, she met his amber eyes with her blue ones. "You are right. Maybe I am a hopeless dreamer. But at least I still have hope." Zuko paused and Katara shifted her gaze pointedly to his left wrist. "At least I'm not a craven, gutless, loser like you."
Zuko's face drained of color as he realized what she was looking at; that she knew what he had done. It was all the confirmation that Katara needed. "You dare call me pathetic and weak but the only real weakling here is you! You're too chicken to deal with your own life. No wonder you're all alone; your men probably couldn't stand being led around by a coward!"
…"Coward"…
Zuko was laying in a hospital bed, his face and head wrapped up like a mummy. It burned. Sympathy tears leaked out of his good eye; he couldn't stop them, no matter how hard he tried. The week old Agni Kai wound hurt constantly. But some things hurt more.
Voices, both familiar, reached his unbandaged ear. His Uncle, who had thus far been his only visitor, and … his Father.
"Banishment? Surely that isn't necessary, brother. Hasn't Prince Zuko suffered enough?"
"He doesn't even know the meaning of the word. Did you not see the way he lay cringing on the ground like a dog, instead of fighting like a man? Is that who I'm supposed to entrust our empire to? What a shameful, disgusting display!"
"What did you expect? You are his Father and his Lord. He worships the ground you walk on."
The Firelord snorted disdainfully, "If he had any respect for me at all he would have honored me with battle, not disgraced me with cowardice. Or do you expect me to go easy on him because he is my son? As the son of the Firelord he should be a shining example to our fighting men. Instead he has dishonored me, you, and the entirety of our proud nation!"
"But banishment, brother? Perhaps there is an alternative punishment?"
"No! I want him out of my sight. He sickens me."
"…Very well, but at least give him a way to prove himself to you, a way to reclaim his lost honor. You are angry now, but he is still your son and he wants nothing more but to please you."
Silence, then, "The Avatar. Let him bring me the Avatar. After all, that coward has been hiding from us for one hundred years. Perhaps it takes a coward to catch a coward…"
Katara realized instantly tthat she had made a mistake. Zuko's eyes widened, and then narrowed. His pupils contracted into little points, his whole body shook with uncontrollable rage. All sanity left his eyes; she could practically hear something inside of him snap. Then everything burst into flames. The windlass, the bucket, the grass by his feet, even the teen himself was engulfed in fire. With a mindless scream he charged her. Only instinct saved Katara's life. That and the fact she was standing next to a well.
Water geysered out of the well, dousing the inferno surrounding Zuko. Hot steam billowed up as the water instantly evaporated. Katara backpedaled out of it. This time the torrent didn't stop him; he still charged her. Remembering what Anko had said about bending steam, Katara desperately pushed the cloud towards Zuko, surrounding him with it. Blowing out of her mouth, she froze the minute water droplets as they condensed on his body. She paused, panting, as the remaining steam dissipated. Zuko, his face contorted in a mask of rage, was encased in clear ice; she had frozen him solid. Katara took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, relieved.
A sharp sound split the air, echoing off the barn. For some one who had grown up in the South Pole, the sound was unmistakable. Katara looked up in time to watch her icy prison crack, then shatter; shards raining down like glass. She had time to take two steps before he reached her, tackling her to the ground. There was no thought, no reason, no sanity behind his eyes as he pinned her down with one hand while drawing back a fist as if to punch her in the face. Except his fist was surrounded by flame, a point extending out like a dagger.
Katara sucked in a breath for a scream as the fiery fist hovered above her. Then, as quickly as the fight had started, it stopped. Katara could feel a tremor run through the Prince's body. Eyes wide with terror, she looked up at the equally wide-eyed Zuko, who looked down at her with horror. He blinked, breathing hard, looking around as if he couldn't quite understand how they had gotten into this position. The fire around his hand, the insane inferno behind his eyes was gone, only shock and abhorrence remained.
He sat back suddenly, taking his weight off her shoulder. "I…I didn't mean… I'm so…" "Sokka, No!" Katara yelled. It was too late.
Zuko twisted around in time to see the charging Water Tribe teen's club start to swing down towards his head. He threw himself sideways off the girl, throwing up his hands to protect his head, knowing full well that he was about to be clobbered. Suddenly Sokka tripped. The ground had deliberately swallowed his foot, stopping his charge instantly. His swing missed Zuko's head by an inch, the Fire Nation teen felt the force behind the blow as the displaced air whooshed past his ears.
As Sokka fell forward, the earth surrounding his foot pulled upwards and back. Before his body could hit the ground, he found himself hanging upside down, semi encased in earth. Katara and Zuko both sprang to their feet as Anko approached, her face grim.
To be continued…
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A/N: Sorry, sorry for the awkward chapter break.; I think it is the last one. I will try to post chapter seventeen ASAP. Thanks for your patience.