Chapter 9: Unlikely Savior

"Holy shit," said Hiro, staring down at the obstacle that lay before them.

The entire patrol (plus one Emperor) stood at the tip of a chasm that dropped straight down into the raging blue of the river below. The cliff sides were sheer and rocky, pebbles and clods of dirt tumbling down to the water below at the slightest tremor. The might of the second river made the first one seem like a baby trickle of a stream.

Katara stepped back from the edge, swallowing hard. She did not technically have a fear of heights, but still, looking at what seemed like the possibility of an infinite fall put a queasy feeling inside her stomach. Almost like the space below her was tugging, pulling until she almost leaned over and just fell. Shaking her head slightly, she tried to calm herself. Holy shit is right.

Lt. Ensei was the first to speak up as soon as they had all looked and trembled their fill. "Three problems: getting down, crossing over, and getting back up. Any ideas?"

"I guess the usual," said Faozu, eyes narrowed in concentration. "Tie a rope to a tree, lower ourselves down, swim over—"

"But how do we get back up?" interrupted Hiro. "We can't tie a rope to a tree on the other side while we're still in the river. How would we throw anything up a cliff that high anyways?"

Faozu nodded slowly. "Easy to get down, not so easy to get back up."

"Plus that river's currents have got to be much stronger than the first one," continued Hiro. "We definitely won't be able to make it across without help. We'll be washed away."

I could do it, Katara thought privately inside her head. I could slow down the river; not too much, but enough to allow me to swim across without getting carried away.

Hah. Fat chance I'm telling any of them that.

"Who says we have to go through the river?" said the Emperor, all of a sudden. The patrol turned to look at him.

Lt. Ensei barked a short laugh. "What else are we going to do, fly over it?"

The Emperor nodded.

Everybody stared.

Then Katara understood. "Wait—I think the Emperor means that we can do like we did yesterday, you know, the rope idea. Except we could string it over the river and the canyon, instead of wading through the water." She looked at him for confirmation.

He nodded. "Faozu could do the same thing. Shoot the rope, swing over, and tie it down for the rest of us. If he's okay with it, that is."

Faozu looked pensive for a moment, then nodded.

"Crazy idea," muttered Hiro. "But I guess it might work."

Lt. Ensei and Qin nodded their agreement.

"You'll have to climb up one of the taller trees to get it into another one of the trees on the other side," said the Emperor.

Faozu had his bow slung over one shoulder and the rope tied around his waist. Grasping one of the lower branches, he swung himself up into the dark boughs of the tree, quickly disappearing from view.

Soon he reached a good height, and leaned out, waving at the patrol on the ground. The Emperor nodded back at him and cupped his hands around his mouth, yelling, "Now tie the rope to the arrow and send it over."

Faozu gave them a thumbs-up before disappearing back behind the leaves. Seconds later, an arrow whistled out of the tree, trailing the rope after it. They watched it, brows furrowed with anxiety, before it buried itself in a tree trunk on the opposite side of the canyon. The arrow was placed a bit lower, so that the rope stretching across the canyon slanted downwards towards the opposite side; this way, they could slide over easily with gravity's help. Katara could see that Faozu's aim had picked a large, sturdy tree for the target.

Then, looping a rolled up extra shirt into a short handle, Faozu looped it over the rope until he was hanging from it, and then pushed off from the tree, flying out over the canyon and leaving his pack behind. The patrol held their breath.

"What if he falls?" wondered Hiro quietly.

Katara made a shushing noise, eyes tracking Faozu's process over the river below. What if the rope broke? What if the arrow wasn't deep enough? What if the shirt ripped?

They let out a cheer as Faozu descended into the branches of the tree on the other side, and poked his head back out to give them a triumphant smile.

"Now that Faozu's getting that rope secured, we'll be able to go across with no problem at all," said Lt. Ensei.

"I'll go first," volunteered Hiro eagerly.

"Second, if no one has a problem with it," said Qin.

"Third for myself," said Lt. Ensei.

The Emperor and Katara exchanged a look, then she shrugged. "Going last is perfectly fine with me," she said.

"Then that's settled," declared the Lieutenant.

Hiro scrambled up the tree trunk, before he, too, was sliding over the canyon towards Faozu who was waiting on the other side. His scream of fear and excitement intermingled as he flew over the river. "YEAH! WHOO-HOO! I'M FLYING!"

The Emperor cringed slightly as Hiro's voice echoed off the walls. "If no one could tell before, everybody in the vicinity knows where we are now."

Lt. Ensei shrugged it off. "I'm sure we're the only ones here for miles around. There aren't any settlements in the area, nor have I received any reports of rebel activity here." But still, he looked worried.

Qin leapt off the tree after Hiro, and sailed over the chasm, unable to hold back his own yell.

"My turn," Lt. Ensei said, rubbing his hands together, getting ready to climb the tree. He stopped short, and frowned at the Emperor.

"What?" said the Emperor confusedly.

"Your armor," pointed Lt. Ensei. "I just remembered. That's like wearing a second person on you. What if it's too heavy?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what if it drags you down on the rope so that you can't slide over to the other side? If you got stuck in the middle, we'd be in a pretty fucked up position right there, don't you think?"

Now the Emperor was frowning too. "I'm not leaving it behind."

Lt. Ensei was silent for a moment before his eyes lit on Katara. "Why doesn't Kat wear it? She's lighter and the rope'll hold both her and your armor with no problem."

The Emperor looked at her and shrugged. "If you're okay with it, Katara."

She shrugged too, and held out her arms. "No problem."

As Lt. Ensei took his turn and zipped over the river canyon, Katara helped the Emperor take his armor off and put it on herself.

"No need to buckle it up completely on the sides," he said as he lifted it over her head. "we'll just be wasting time, and it'll stay on fine as you cross the canyon."

Katara nodded, trying not to show how heavy the armor was on her. Lt. Ensei had been right when he'd said it was like a whole other person's weight carried in metal. But she worked her shoulders into a comfortable position and stood up straight, determined not to show any weakness. If he can do it, I can do it. Maybe even better.

He gave the armor one last tug, looking strangely vulnerable and unprotected without his usual suit of metal on. "Is that fine?"

"Yeah," she said, and pointed up at the tree. "You go first, remember?"

Hefting his own bag over his shoulder, he jogged for the tree and was up in a flash. Katara thought resignedly how she would probably have to grunt and sweat until she could get up those branches, because if this heavy metal behemoth on her shoulders. Ah well.

Soon the Emperor was on the other side as well, and she could see her patrol gesturing to her, telling her it was her turn to come over. Giving them an encouraging sign, she walked to the tree trunk and looked straight up. Lots of handy branches placed at spaced intervals, perfect for climbing. Her foot hit something before she could lift it up though; Faozu's bag was still here. Oh yes. He'd left it before going over the first time, just in case the bag's extra weight dragged down the then-yet unsecured rope. She frowned a bit. Well then she'd have to take it over herself; she was the last one on this side anyway.

Pulling it up over her shoulder, since her back was already occupied by her own pack, she gritted her teeth and reached up for the first spiny branch. It wasn't that hard, really; she'd had plenty of experience climbing trees with Sokka and Suki back on Kyoshi Island. This was no different, even though she was dragging extra burdens along.

Katara finally reached the rope, and straddle a tree branch as she prepared to go over. Giving Faozu's pack a cursory look, she had an idea. Why not just tie the pack itself to the rope, cling onto Faozu's enormous bag, and swing over like that? Much easier than holding onto the rope herself and having the pack drag her down. The straps of the bag could hold her weight, not the other way around.

It was quick work securing it to the rope; tight enough so it would not come loose, and with enough room so it could slide easily.

Alright. Time to go. She stood up shakily on the branch, and unbidden, her eyes glimpsed through the leaves the floor that was oh-so-far away from her perch. Damn. It would be a long, long fall. And once she was over the canyon, and even longer fall to what would most certainly be her death. Sharp rocks and gigantic boulders would not make good landing cushions.

She forced herself to look ahead, across the canyon, at the expectant faces of her patrol soldiers. This was no big deal. Faozu, Qin, Lt. Ensei, Hiro, and the Emperor had already done it; why couldn't she?

Gripping the bag tightly, she leapt from the branch and tucked her feet onto the bottom pockets of the pack, crouching on it like some sort of armored monkey. She clutched the cloth of the bag with white-knuckled hands, feet digging into the pockets for a secure hold, as she swung out over the roaring river below her. All pretense of solid land dropped away, and her life depended on nothing but the small strength of a thin rope.

The wind beat at her, whipping her hair around and echoing her drumming heartbeat in her ears. Her eyes produced tears from the force of the rushing air, and she was half-blinded and terrified. Don't let go, don't let go!

Below her the river washed through the sheer walls of the canyon, and her eyes focused on the opposite side. She thought, almost there, almost there, almost back on solid land again, almost to safety again, almost home again—

The whistle of sharp wood through air, the slight thunk, the utter, blinding explosion of pain in her side—her open mouth, was she screaming?—the straight-feathered arrow sticking out like some bodily abomination from her ribs—her blood dripping down, down, down until those insignificant, beautiful crimson drops disappeared into the blue mass of water—her body seemed frozen, her hands clenched tight on the bag, her legs forever caught in that crouch—was it possible she was still hanging on in the middle of the air?

Dimly she could hear the outraged screams of Hiro and Qin, then she was flying through the leaves of the tree (I won't be able to stop I'll hit the trunk won't that hurt?) and hands were gripping her, holding her, peeling her hands away from the bag, asking her such unneeded questions, slapping her face. Every movement made, whether her own or by somebody else's force, cause a ripple of never-ending pain to snap through her body from that evil, ugly arrow in her side.

Then she was on the ground on her back (how did I get down from the tree?) staring up at that hot blue sky before faces interrupted her view, why don't you get out of my way I'm enjoying that wonderful cerulean blue—

Lt. Ensei's concerned face leaned over her own. Funny, she'd never seen him show so much emotion before. Was it really all for her? "Katara!" He slapped her face gently. "Katara! Stay with us, come on, stay with us. Can you breathe? Are you alright?"

Do I look like I'm fucking alright? She answered him in her head. Opening her mouth, she tried to answer, but all that came forth was a pink spurt of bubbling saliva.

"Aw shit, this can't be happening—"

"—it hit her lung, didn't it? Didn't it?—"

"—you're not helping, Hiro, just get me the pack with the medical supplies—"

"Get the tents set up, we'll need shelter, and water, get some water."

"—Impossible! How did the rebels know we were here?—"
Underlying the frantic yells of her friends, Katara could hear her own harsh breathing echoing in her ears. The raspy inhale, the shuddering exhale, each breath like it was her last. Then a warm hand on her brow, a small whisper in her ear, "We're going to have to move you, Katara, it's not safe here, okay?" She didn't know who said it, but all she could do was nod blindly as strong arms lifted her up off the ground and they were moving, each step jolting through her body, hitting that fiery pain in her side. On the edge of her senses she could feel the darkness encroaching, the relief from pain, and knew she wouldn't be able to hold onto consciousness for much longer.

"Put her down here," came the distant sound of Lt. Ensei's voice. No. She was already losing focus. She tried to hang on to her dimming sight. Was that the Emperor's face above her?

"I don't understand," said the Emperor Zuko, slightly muffled. "Why would they shoot her? Why didn't they shoot the first of us who crossed over?" Nobody answered him.

Then Hiro was by her side, tugging at the metal which still encased her body. "We gotta get this armor off of her," he muttered, trying to pull it over her limp shoulders.

"Shit. That's why," said Lt. Ensei, and Katara could see the Emperor and his Lieutenant lock gazes above her. "They shot her because of she was wearing your armor."

"What?" hissed Hiro.

"The rebels thought she was you," Lt. Ensei said forcefully.

The Emperor stilled, his hands still resting on the armor that Hiro was trying to pull off. "They thought she me?"

"You were the target," Lt. Ensei continued. "They made a mistake. They tried to kill you, not Katara. She took the arrow for you."

Nobody really wants to kill me, Katara thought hazily. That's good to know.

Hiro heaved at the armor which had caused all this, caused Katara to suffer the blow and the Emperor to escape unscathed, and it rocked against the arrow. She writhed, arching off the ground, a shriek escaping at the furious pain in her side.

"Stop it!" snapped Lt. Ensei, swiping Hiro's hands away from Katara. "You're making it worse! We have to get the arrow out before we can take the armor off."

Hiro just sat there, hands empty, eyes wild.

Lt. Ensei lowered his voice. "I know you're upset about this, but we gotta do this the right way or she's not gonna make it, understand?"

Hiro nodded.

"Now I need you two to hold her down while I pull this out. Qin and Faozu will have the bandages and water ready—she'll start bleeding like nothing you've ever seen before once the arrow comes out. We'll have to put pressure on it quickly, or she'll lose everything."

Hiro nodded dumbly. Katara couldn't see the Emperor's face. Was he still in shock?

"If she squirms or moves, the arrow will cause more damage on the way out. You have to hold her still. Hiro—her left side, Zuko—"

The Emperor interrupted Ensei before he could finish. "I'll pull the arrow out."

Lt. Ensei was silent for a moment. "Are you sure?"

"What, you don't think I can do it?" his tone had the slightest edge of a challenge.

The Lieutenant seemed to understand something Katara didn't. "Alright. I'll hold down her right side. Qin, Faozu—be ready with the bandages."

As everyone got into position, Emperor Zuko leaned down close to her, his scarred cheek brushing her own clammy one. "On the count of three, I'm going to pull it out, alright?"

Katara nodded dumbly, already tensing.

His hand grasped the shaft of the arrow, and she could feel the pressure all the way inside of her rib cage. "One—two—"

She could feel the slice, the slippery squelch as the foreign head of the arrow left her body. She exploded with pain, her brain swamped with endlessly firing nerves that told her something very, very wrong was happening. The darkness came, and this time she welcomed it, begged for it, pleaded for it to take her away from this awful hell.

She had one last thought before completely fading away. You saved my life, and now I've saved yours. How's that for a debt repaid?

Katara dreamt.

She dreamt many things, confusing things, things that made no sense whatsoever. Things that might have had meaning, and things that most likely didn't matter at all.

A boy. A flying boy. Young, innocent, childlike. But so powerful, so powerful that I'm so jealous of him sometimes. How does he do it? He's young, oh so young, but then he's old. Old like no one else in the world is.

Distant flashes of an icy, small home, a dear wonderful brother, and the calm wrinkled face of an elderly… grandmother? Is that you, Gran-Gran?

Then we're off. A flying… cow? Is that a cow? No, I know what it is. A bison. A flying bison.

It seemed like she lived a million years in every second, lives and people and images whipping by her in a stormy maelstrom. All until the very, very end.

I'm in so much pain. It's unbelievably, I'm giving birth (my child), that's why it hurts my body so much. And my heart—my heart is hurting because I've betrayed him like nobody else in the world could and I'm so sorry, Zuko, I'm so sorry I had to do this I know you don't believe me but I need to tell you I'm sorry and I love—

She opened her eyes.

The gray fabric of an army-issue tent stretched above her. It was silent, cool, and utterly still. She was on her back, and for a horrible second, her abdomen was still in pain. Then she realized it wasn't the wrenching, life-defying pain of childbirth. It was a dull ache now, a throbbing mass on the right side of her ribs.

Katara breathed in until the she couldn't take it anymore and then she exhaled, relaxing her muscles and lungs. She was alive. Breathtakingly alive.

But just barely, as she shifted and tried to muffle her cry in the pillow when a spike of blinding pain ripped up her right side.

Apparently she hadn't been quiet enough, because immediately the tent door flapped open and there stood the Emperor, looking down at her with a frown on his face.

"Did you already try to get up?" he asked, a disapproving note in his tone.

Katara refused to meet his eyes. Faint, hardly-there images from her nightmarish dreams invaded her mind and overlaid the concerned face of the Emperor. Her own voice echoed in her head. My heart is hurting because I've betrayed him I'm so sorry, Zuko, I need to tell you I'm sorry and I love—

She wanted to rip apart her head. What was this? It was so heart achingly real and tangible. What the fuck was it? Mere dreams did not have the substance and emotion that this one did. It was almost as if she were living it, seeing that scarred face lean over her, brushing her brow so gently and whispering, "I'm sorry we couldn't have a happy ending."

A cold splash of water hit her face and she sputtered, eyes focusing again on the Emperor's face, leaning over her.

"The arrow hit your ribs—it didn't do anything to impair your speech," he said, sounding annoyed. "You better drink this."

"Thank you," she gritted through her teeth, and lifted her arms slowly to accept the cup of water. Sipping slowly, she watched him move around the tent on the edges of her peripheral vision.

"How long have I been asleep?" she asked between gulps of the cool, refreshing water.

"A day and a half," he replied, back turned to her. "It's around noon, one day after you got shot."

That long? "When do we leave?" They still had a mission to complete. Now, because of her, they were behind schedule.

The Emperor turned around to face her, a curious look on his face. "You think you're ready to leave?"

"The mission is—"

He cut her off. "There is still a full day's travel to the Asaj Fortress. You think you can do that, with your wound? You'd more likely open up the bandaging and start bleeding again," he said dismissively.

Katara's fists clenched in the sleeping bag. "I won't be the one to slow us down! If you think some arrow scratch is going to keep me down—"

"You call that a scratch?"

"—you should think again, sir, because I won't be the slow one. I won't be the weakest fighter. I won't be left behind again." Her frustration and all her pent-up simmering emotions that had lain below the surface for so long erupted forth. Her anger at the connection Suki and Sokka had, and would never share with her, and the fact that they were the favored ones in Mistress's eyes. She would not drag everyone else down, and would not let them treat her like some invalid. For once in her life, she would be the strong one.

The Emperor's expression was one of shock, before he regained his composure. An icy mask slipped over his face, pissed off and irritated at her stubbornness. "Fine. If you want to kill yourself, I won't stop you. We'll leave tomorrow morning, and you better be ready by then, scratch or not."

He left, leaving nothing behind him but the echo of her own angry remarks.

She relaxed, leaning back into the pillow. Well, she'd won. She'd screamed at the Emperor of the Fire Empire, and she'd gotten her way.

So why didn't she feel any better about it?

"She's absolutely insane—wouldn't listen to a single thing I said—doesn't seem to care about herself at all—" came the Emperor's voice from outside. Who was he talking to?

The relaxed drawl of the Lieutenant answered him. "What was she screaming at you for?"

"Apparently she thinks she's in good enough condition to go traipsing about in the forest less than two days after she's received injury. Two days! Do you know how much blood she lost? Do you know that she could have died?"

"I know, Zuko, I know," replied the dry voice of the Lieutenant. "There's no need to get worked up at me for it."

"Worked up? I am not in the least bit worked up, Ensei."

"Then lower your voice. I'm not deaf, ya know."

A pause, wherein she could hear the Emperor's confused frustration and the silent

laughter of the Lieutenant.

It seemed the Emperor wasn't done with his tirade, for he took a deep breath and

began again. "She's delirious! Absolutely insane—"

A low laugh from Lt. Ensei. "Let's move away from your precious patient's tent, Zuko. No doubt she can hear every word through that thin fabric."

Katara could practically envision the sardonic smile on Ensei's face. The men's voices gradually ebbed as the Emperor took his friend's advice and stalked away somewhere.

I'm not insane!

Later that evening, Katara received a few more visitors, each one better company than the Emperor had been, she told herself bitterly.

"You look like shit," said Hiro bluntly as he sat down next to her sleeping bag. "I thought you were a goner for sure."

Katara wasn't sure how to take that. An insult, or a compliment? Insulted that he said she looked like something as distasteful as manure, or a compliment that he was glad she was still alive? Oh, well.

"The Emperor said you were talking crazy as soon as you woke up," said Qin, settling down next to Hiro, with Faozu close behind. The two men were wind-ruffled and slightly rumpled. Had they returned from a scouting mission?

"Talking crazy? He was the one who misunderstood everything I said," Katara retorted.

The Lieutenant poked his head in, saw the small gathering, and sprawled down on the sleeping bag next to Katara. Apparently, she thought wryly, this was going to be some sort of soldierly pow-wow around her sick bed. Minus the Emperor, of course.

"He said you wanted to move out by tomorrow morning," said Qin.

"Yeah. How is that crazy?" she said, already knowing the answer.

"For only an infinite number of reasons, Katara," Qin replied with a smirk, lifting up one hand to tick off his fingers in order. "One; you're seriously injured. Two; you're seriously injured. Three; you're seriously injured. Four; you're seriously injured. Five; you're seriously—"

"I get it, I get it," she snapped. "But I'm well enough to travel tomorrow. I don't want to compromise our mission."

"The mission is important, Katara, but not as important as keeping you alive," said Hiro, a small frown on his face.

She didn't want to look at anybody when Hiro said that. Because they all agreed with him, having her best interests at heart.

And that was what made it so hard. Her enemy wasn't supposed to care for her.

"Well, I talked with the Emperor and he said we could leave tomorrow," she said, eyes averted.

"He agreed to it because you practically popped his eardrums with your screaming demands," said the Lieutenant, flicking a bit of dirt off his sleeve.

"He's the Emperor," she stated coolly. "He won't agree with anything I say just because I happened to raise my voice."

"He will if he feels responsible for you," came the equally cool reply.

That stopped her. "What?"

"The Emperor is not a man without honor, Katara," Lt. Ensei said, crossing his arms casually. "He owes you a life debt. He thinks that since you took that arrow for him, he is now responsible for your welfare. And, in a way, your happiness."

"My happiness?"

"He'll do whatever he can to make sure you're satisfied, because you saved his life."

"I didn't mean to," she said bluntly. "It was luck that we decided I should wear the armor, not him. I didn't consciously save his life. I didn't jump in front of the arrow to keep him from dying."

Lt. Ensei laughed. "Now you've revealed to us that you're truly a selfish and conceited person on the inside. Here we were, thinking you would die to protect our Empire's great ruler," he said sarcastically, and it provoked a low chuckle from the others. They all knew that the rebels had only aimed for Katara because they had mistaken her for the Emperor.

"Whatever the reason," Lt. Ensei waved a hand dismissively. "The Emperor still thinks he owes his life to you. You could order him to set fire to his palace and he would do it to make you happy."

She recoiled a bit from the thought of having so much sway and control over one person. It was unpleasantly… powerful.

But while she had his compliance, she would use it. "Then tell him my answer's the same. I want us to break camp and leave tomorrow morning. We're going to finish this mission by rescuing that noble, and then we'll go home where I can rest properly."

The men looked at each other and shrugged.

"You won't be able to do much fighting," said Hiro.

It was her turn to shrug her shoulders. "I'll do what I can, and stay out of the way if something beyond my ability happens."

"If you do as you say, I see no reason not to move tomorrow," remarked Faozu. "And I have other good news. It'll be much easier, and much faster to travel in the morning because Qin and I just requisitioned some horses from the nearest town. You won't have to walk, just keep upright in the saddle."

Even though she had been prepared for a long hike tomorrow morning, Katara couldn't help but feel a bit relieved at this news. "That's great, Faozu. The horses will help a lot."

"Then it's finalized," said Lt. Ensei. "We'll leave tomorrow, as soon as Katara is ready."

A/N: I originally planned for the previous chapter, this chapter, and the upcoming chapter (three of them total) to be ONE chapter. But as you can tell, it all got really long and I had to split it, since a lot of reviewers think more medium-sized chapters are better than less long-assed chapters. I agree. And it lets me relax more as well. XD More chapters are always a good thing.

Could you speed this the story up a bit/I love the way you are taking things slow.
I've gotten several responses like the two above, and it gives me contradicting views as to what the readers really want. And do you know what I do in a situation like this? I'll go my own way and write my own pace. XD Hopefully that's good enough for you, and you'll keep reading even if I'm too slow or too fast.

When are Zuko and Katara going to bond?
I've got a good dose of bonding coming right up.

How long will this story be? Longer than THATP? Or shorter?
As far as my outline goes, maybe a bit shorter. Most likely less than twenty chapters, but then again, I originally planned for THATP to be only TEN CHAPTERS. Amazing, huh? I have no definite answer as of now.

So who is Adia, anyway? I got the impression from other fanfics that she's a noble, but other than that. –MysticMist
Adia is my 100 percent OC that I created. If you are reading about her in other fanfics that were not written by me… that makes me apprehensive because then it means somebody is stealing my OC. She had a bit part in THATP, if that was what you meant. Adia is my own Original Character, and unusable by anyone else.

Is Katara going to have a kick-butt scene/I think she needs to have a warrior woman moment. –several reviewers.
Information concerning all future scenes (including Kick-Butts) are confidential and kept in a three-password, 25 combination locked, booby trapped vault in my hard drive.

AKA: No further comment at this time.

AKA: If you break into the vault and attempt to steal my outlines and secrets, men wearing extremely dark suits and extremely dark glasses will show up at your doorstep carrying threatening looking briefcases and asking you for your social security number. Don't push it.