ZW 2013 Day 4: Gravity

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Like Lead

The lightning doesn't burn when it hits him, oddly. It only ripples through his limbs and settles in them and turns to stone, pinning him to the ground as sharp needles pierce his chest.

The funny thing about being shot with lightning (well, not funny, but maybe odd) is the floating. Between the stinging pain, the relief that Katara isn't hurt, and the slow crawl of time, Zuko can't help feeling a bit out-of-body. He's floating.

Then he crashes. He hits the ground with a heavy thud and a crack in his shoulder, and then the pain is white hot in his head and his chest is numb. The moment is over and gravity has pulled him back, pinning him to the ground. As he tries to push himself up, to reach for Katara, his scorched skin screams at him, and it feels like the ground is pulling him down into the center of the earth.

Zuko's vision swims, and the world lists sideways. His limbs are too heavy to move; each one feels as heavy as Appa. Lightning flashes in the sky and lights up the backs of his eyelids when they sag closed.

"Katara," he whispers.

Zuko hasn't been a spiritual person in a long time, despite the best efforts of his uncle. But as the world fizzles into darkness, he begs everyone he can think of who might have any power at all to please, please save Katara.

When he wakes, gravity has gone back to normal, though the burning and stinging are only slightly soothed by the cool water Katara is holding to his chest. Katara. Katara is alive. And he can't decide whether he needs to kiss her or throw up more (he soon discovers that vomiting is the pressing need of the moment).

Just his luck.

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A/N: N3phtys, sometimes I do think about a fully Azula story! I've just never sat down and done it. I might, one of these days, but I also have a backlog of about 6 other stories I want to do.

If a big Azula story is something all you people of the Internet are interested in, let me know :).