AN: :D this took longer than expected. but hey, it's here now!
visual accompaniment: lizanthium's ridiculously pretty and deeply satisfying art, in which zuko and katara are in suits and they're lawyers. check it out, for your own well-being. lizanthium on tumblr.
enjoy!
Zuko
Today 7:15 PM
There's something we need to discuss.
Can't be done in public. Probably shouldn't do it over the phone either.
Apt. number is 953. Ilah Street.
Today 8:30 PM
On your way?
Katara pockets her phone and scuffs the floor with her boot. Her hand has been hovering millimeters away from the elevator's 9th-floor button for at least five minutes now, and the slight tremble of her fingers betrays only a hint of the pandemonium in her head. Since the moment she read Zuko's first text of the evening, she has been dissecting, processing, and overanalyzing.
What could they possibly need to discuss? Why couldn't it be done at the library? Or over the phone? Why is every text properly punctuated? Is he going to murder her? Is this all one big setup?
She should not be here. She should go home right now. What is she thinking?
She presses the button.
In no time at all, she's outside his door, knocking sharply. It swings open almost instantly to reveal Zuko wringing his wrists, looking as nervous as she feels.
"Hi."
"Hi," he parrots back.
The awkward tension of this moment is suffocating, despite the fact that this is not the first time they're meeting outside of the coffee shop. For the past two weeks, they've spent nearly every evening at the Caldera Library, sneaking into the archive room and combing through microfiches and newspapers.
(There was also that one time they met at the pet store and, for four hours, had done nothing but coo at baby badgermoles and turtleducks. That had been an essential meeting too, believe it or not. Katara had really needed to study...the way Zuko's eyes lit up when an animal crawled into his palm. For research purposes. Classified research.)
So this is just one more meeting, she tells herself, and the new setting isn't that important.
For some reason, it's hard to believe that.
"Am I allowed to come in or…"
"Oh! Yeah, sorry, come in." She slides into the apartment, instantly taking note of the scattered papers, minimal furniture, and escape routes. "I, uh, didn't have time to prepare, so it's a bit messy."
"This is not messy, Zuko. I've seen messy- hell, I lived with messy. Sokka was not the most wonderful roommate. You're good."
"Okay, great. Great," he mutters, moving to sit on the floor beside his coffee table. She follows, settling down on the opposite side of the table and frowning at his distracted behavior.
"Is there something you wanted to talk about?"
She watches him take a few deep breaths and straighten his posture. "You work in computer science, right?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Do you- do you know how to hack into someone's computer?"
"What? Why would you think that?" she all but shrieks as her eyes bug out painfully.
His hands fly up in surrender. "Hey, I'm just asking! Just in case!"
"What do you mean 'just in case?' What- why are you even- I've never-"
Katara's questions devolve into incoherent spluttering and she tries to wrap her head around the fact that he's somehow found out the truth. That should be impossible. Her program was coded perfectly to be undetectable, so how did he figure it out?
"Look, I- don't think too badly of me for this, okay? I think we should hack into my boss's work computer." Zuko's words spill out of him in a rush and she is certain that she heard him wrong.
"I'm sorry, did you just say we should hack into your boss's computer?"
"Yes." She's not sure what her face has contorted into, but it alarms Zuko. "Listen, it's not that bad! Well, alright, I guess it's illegal but- but don't you want to know, Katara? Don't you want to find the incriminating things Zhao has on his computer? Because the papers we've found at the library aren't enough!"
He's right. In just two weeks, due to their combined perseverance and the Fire Nation's capital library, they've gathered more information on Kya's death than Katara had in 15 years. They now know the exact intersection at which the collision occurred, that there were four cars involved, and that Kya had died on impact.
However, none of that implicates Azulon Industries.
"Okay," she breathes. "Let's do it."
She returns to his apartment the next night, brimming with anticipation and righteous anger.
"Were you able to do it?" Katara asks Zuko, swiftly making herself comfortable at his dining table and whipping out her laptop. His assignment had been to attach a USB drive to Zhao's computer, one that would automatically decrypt everything in his inbox and download every file.
Wordlessly, he drops the drive into her waiting palm and she hums in approval.
"Should we check emails or documents first?"
"Emails. Zhao is not intelligent enough to pull off a murder. It's more likely that they outsourced the killers and he was in communication with someone about it." Having said his piece, Zuko starts to busy himself with something in the kitchen.
With the full faith that she's come to place in Ozai's son, she opens the folder with the decrypted emails and runs them through the encryptor. Once they're in a readable format, she sets up the search parameters.
Nothing is returned for the search 'Kya.'
Nothing is returned for the words 'car crash.' The clatter of pots and pans is near frenzied and it's possible that the sound is entirely in her head..
Nothing pertinent to the case is returned for 'Southern Water Tribe' or 'lawyer' or 'accident' or 'labor unions' or even 'murder.'
"I'm not...nothing about Mom is showing up. I'll try files now, I think." She hates how shaky her voice sounds and from the especially loud slice of Zuko's knife through a potato, he does too.
"Wait. Hold on. Shiro- Shiro died the same night as Kya, on the twelfth night of the sixth month, because of injuries sustained from an accident," he says, staring at the ceiling as if reading straight from newspaper clippings. "Shiro was part of the Southern Raiders gang. A well-known gang that travels between the Fire Nation and the southern tip of the Earth Kingdom, meaning Omashu could have been a city they stopped at. Try Southern Raiders, Katara, see if anything comes up."
The output glows green: word-or-phrase "southern raiders" \t match-level 100 \t count 1.
In a flash, Zuko's hands are on her shoulders and he's whispering, "Are you ready?"
"Of course. But, if you'd like, it's not too late for you to back out."
"No. I swore on my mother. We're doing this together."
She dismisses the warmth that surges through her as an effect of the firebender's proximity and clicks on the result.
From: zhaoa
To: yrha
Subject: Deadline Change - URGENT
Yon Rha,
The deadline for your assignment has changed to the twenty-third hour of today. You have all the information you need.
Do not disappoint us.
Zhao
She can tell when Zuko finishes reading from the sharp inhale above her head.
"So that's it then," she mutters. "This Yon Rha bastard killed my mother." He squeezes her shoulder in confirmation. "Where is he, Zuko? Where do I find him?"
"I'm not sure. I don't think the Southern Raiders stay in one place for very long, but if Azulon Industries contracted them, it's safe to say they have a headquarters in the area."
"And where is that?"
"That's not general knowledge, Katara. I'll have to do some digging, but I'm sure I can get the answers."
"Soon?"
"It's my priority."
Indeed, it is his priority. Whenever she glances at the monitor that reflects his screen, he's scouring the Internet for information on Yon Rha, the Southern Raiders, or gang headquarters in general. This is true during work hours, during the evening, and more often than not, in the middle of the night.
If one were to peek at Zuko and Katara's text messages, they would see a very long back-and-forth of, "Go to sleep, Zuko," "I am asleep," and the unamused emoji.
Then one afternoon, she observes him open a new tab and search for the Caldera Mental Health Clinic.
The next time they meet at the coffee shop, she is quick to pick up on his pensive and withdrawn mood.
"What's got you all broody today? More so than usual, that is," she asks after the waiter has taken their orders.
He doesn't react to the taunt, surprisingly. "Katara, you're a healer, right?"
"Yeah."
Zuko nods and bows his head. She studies him as she sips at her coffee, and her mind jumps to binarize Zuko's personality, to break him down into ones and zeroes.
The ones are the small smiles of comfort he offers when she's overwhelmed, the light taps on her shoulder to communicate his unwavering support, the baby animal videos he texts her after arduous nights, the way he's memorized her coffee order.
The zeroes are the fidgeting that insinuates loads of secrets, the midnight searches for whatever 'Ursa' is, the frowns that appear at mentions of family, his absentminded reaching for his scar.
That's when it hits her.
"Do you want me to heal your scar?"
He jolts into his typical ramrod posture with an alarmed expression. "What? No! I mean, that's not…" He trails off, looking ruminative once more. "That's not what I was going to say, but- well, scars can't be healed, I thought."
"That's not going to stop me from trying. Just say the word, Zuko, if you want me to."
It's his turn to study her, and she's so concentrated on trying not to squirm that she nearly misses his soft consent.
Nearly.
WIthout hesitation, she puts the cash on the table, leaps up, and drags Zuko out of the cafe.
"Where are we going?"
"Somewhere I can heal you in silence."
She tugs him all the way to a small alleyway and pops open her waterskin.
"Ready?"
His hand rises to cover the scar. "I'm not sure."
"I won't hurt you. Do you trust me?"
"Yes."
You shouldn't. Katara shoves that thought aside and coats her hand in water. "Alright, I need you to close your eyes. And don't resist the healing. Let the water connect to your chi."
His eyes flutter shut instantly and she gives him a moment to relax before pressing the water to his face. It takes a few minutes for the water to start glowing, but once it does, she can feel the broken nerves, the fragmented energy, and-
and crippling pain.
It shoots up her arm and it feels like she's on fire, she can smell the burning flesh and sense her face being seared. She can faintly hear someone screaming, and it's not until her hand is yanked away from Zuko's face that she realizes it was her.
Katara's knees buckle, but before she can hit the ground, his arms come around her to hold her against him as he slumps against the wall.
"You okay?"
"How did you-" she chokes out, "how did you survive that?" She watches tears she doesn't remember crying fall onto his shirt, terrified to look up at the scar she now knows his father gave him.
"He wanted me to. He wanted me to live the rest of my life with a mark of disgrace for all to see. Just because I told him his labor camps were wrong."
"I'm sorry, Zuko. I'm so-"
"You don't need to apologize," he says with a watery, short laugh. She looks up now to cup the scarred side of his face.
"No, I am sorry. I couldn't heal it."
"Oh." He looks down at her with an unidentifiable expression and then leans down to press their foreheads together. "That's okay, Katara."
"It's not! I wanted to help you!"
"I promise, it's okay. There was something else I wanted to ask you originally."
The word doesn't ask for her brain's permission. It just slides off her tongue as all the best - and worst - promises tend to do. "Anything."
"I don't see how you can trust me to do this. I wasn't able to heal you-"
"Katara."
She opens her mouth to snap at him for interrupting her, but then he reaches across the console and puts his hand on her thigh, and something in her short-circuits. She has to work quickly to repair it so she can pay attention to what he's saying.
"Scars cannot be healed. Nature does not intend for scars to be healed. If we never scarred, do you think we'd remember our own stories? Our mistakes, our perseverance? If my father hadn't given me this mark, the day I barged into that room and gave his Board of Trustees a piece of my mind would've just been like any other day, like any other kid throwing a fit. It's because I have this scar that I know it was the right thing to do. If my father hated it so much, it was definitely the right thing to do. I'm no longer ashamed of it. Of course, I'd rather it wasn't there, which is why I said you could try to heal it. But this mark doesn't define me."
Spirits, she's so stupid.
He just said something profound and heart-wrenching and all she can think about is kissing him senseless.
This is ridiculous.
She unbuckles her seatbelt with an inordinate amount of force and flings the passenger car door open.
"Wait, Katara-"
"Stop saying my name!"
"Sorry, what?"
I think I have some sort of disease because every time you say my name, my stomach does this bizarre flip-floppy thing, and I hate it.
"Nothing. Let's go. Which way is the clinic?"
"No, I need to say something else. You don't have to do this. You don't owe me anything. I don't want to pressure you into this. But if you want to do this, if you want to try healing her, I have full faith in you. I know you can do it."
She steps out of the car and stretches her arms above her head, trying to shake off the memory of Zuko's hand as she gets herself into the proper frame of mind.
"Okay. I can do this."
Katara staggers backward, falling into her chair, and immediately, Zuko is at her side, flapping a paper fan and holding out a glass of water. She offers him thanks and takes the cup, and all the while her eyes are trained on Azula, who has passed out in her chair.
For three hours now, with Zuko-enforced breaks interspersed in between, she has been running water over Azula's head, seeking out imbalances and hurt in her mind.
There is no dearth of it.
She doesn't think she'll ever be able to forget Azula's chilling screams for her mother.
"This is new to me," she murmurs. The folks at the clinic had initially barred her from seeing Azula but had reluctantly stepped aside as soon as Zuko provided his identification. Maybe the nurses had been onto something. Katara has no idea what she's doing here. Zuko's family is the richest in the world - it isn't as if it would be difficult to find a certified, top-notch healer. Yet he has trusted her with this. "But I'll try my hardest. Just know that it might take a while."
"Most things that are worth it do."
She tilts her head toward him and is taken aback by the fierceness of his gaze. As soon as he realizes she's looking at him, he stands, tucks away the fan, and crosses the room to pick up his sister.
"I'll take Azula back to her room. Do you think you can make it back to the car by yourself?"
A short nod from her, and he sweeps out of the room, leaving her alone with her perplexion.
"Katara, you have to wake up now."
Something pokes at her shoulder, and she pushes aside her grogginess for the millisecond it takes to swat it away.
"No. Tired."
"I know, Katara, but-" An exasperated sigh punctuates his sentence. "If you give me your address, I don't have to drop you off at this cafe and you can sleep a bit longer. Otherwise, you-"
She reaches over to muffle his mouth with her palm. "Gah, I get it. Apartment on corner of 4th Street and Comet Avenue. Now drive."
With that, she snuggles back into the insanely comfortable and warm passenger seat and drifts off to the sound of Zuko's soft humming.
She only awakes again when the road gets obnoxiously bumpy and it feels like her feet are flying everywhere.
But she's not even in the car.
"What are you doing?" she asks through a spectacularly large yawn. Katara knows she should be resisting something about this situation, but she's not able to think of exactly what that is. And besides, the feeling of Zuko carrying her up the steps is just so good. Not at all worthy of complaint.
His face turns a rather dashing red. "Taking you to your room. I asked the receptionist which one it was and I think he was suspicious, but he was too scared to question me. You guys should get better security."
"Mmm, yes," she agrees, burrowing herself into his chest. "Security is nice- oh, shit!"
She practically leaps out of his arms and steadies herself on the staircase landing, mortified and frantic. If he carried her all the way to her apartment, the proper thing to do would be invite him in.
And if she invited him in, he'd see the monitor. The one that shows her everything that happens on his computer.
And they're friends now, so she'll have to tell him about the hacking someday, but by La, she does not want that day to be today. Not after she felt the pain of what Ozai did to him, not after she saw a glimpse of his pain through working with Azula, not after she acted like some sort of housepet in his arms.
"Is everything alright?"
"Yes, yes, everything's fantastic. Thanks for getting me up here. You can leave now!" He blinks at her and she waves her hands in response. "Bye!"
"Um, okay. Bye, Katara." And then he smiles, and it's gentle and glowing and understanding and she knows it's going to be her downfall. "Thank you. For everything."
She whirls around and bounds up the stairs, almost running into numerous walls in her rush to get into her apartment and slam the door shut behind her.
Her heart is only racing because she ran all the way here.
No other reason.
His mother's name is Ursa, she now knows, but only thanks to Azula's memories. Zuko still hasn't talked about his mother since the night he had chased after Katara outside that cafe.
(A moment she can't stop replaying in her mind. Constantly, she feels the sensation of him wrapping himself around her protectively and hears him promise to do anything to help her and it all feels a little like going mad.)
She lets that information stew for a few days as she watches him devoutly switch between tabs about the Southern Raiders, Ursa, and healing for the mind, and the decision is made for her.
The Painted Lady finds her way into the servers of the Fire Nation's government.
Ursa is the wife of Ozai, mother to Zuko and Azula. She grew up in the province of Hira'a and led a theater troupe along with a high school friend. She frequented the streets of Caldera City and was known as a lively, down-to-earth, kind woman, one who often donated to charities and never turned away a beggar.
The last piece of information Katara can find on Ursa is her date of marriage.
That's not to say Katara gives up. The world is at her fingertips and she can't imagine having such power and not using it to help Zuko. Not after everything he's doing for her.
Speaking of which, his breakthrough arrives before hers does.
Zuko
Today 11:30 PM
I know where they'll be tomorrow.
She calls him immediately.
"Where?"
"You're absolutely sure you're up for this?"
"Zuko…" she warns. She doesn't need to say much else. He already knows she's been ready for this since she was eight years old.
"I'll meet you outside the cafe at the last hour of the day tomorrow. Dress in all black. We'll go from there."
Their voices are muffled by their cowls, but her senses are on high alert tonight and she has no difficulty making out the name of their destination.
"They're meeting on Whaletail Island."
"Do you have a boat?"
"No, I was thinking we could stowaway on one."
"No need." She grasps his arm and begins her sprint toward the harbor. He keeps pace with her, pushing her into dark corners when patrolling guards come too close. Soon, they're standing on a wooden deck, and she forms an iceberg before swiftly hopping on, trusting Zuko to do the same. When she feels the extra weight push the float down slightly, she starts to move her arms as if she's swimming. The motion requires no thought, and so she lets her mind be occupied by the question of the night: what will happen when she finds Yon Rha?
"Zuko," she begins softly, and even she is not certain if she's genuinely asking or just testing him, "what should I do when I find him?"
"What do you want to do?"
She has a retort ready, is about to remind him that you can't answer a question with a question, but then she really thinks about what he's asked.
She's been so caught up in what her mother would want her to do, what her brother would expect from her, what Zuko would think of her - and she hasn't taken a single moment to truly consider what she wants to do tonight.
Who does she want to be when she wakes up tomorrow morning? How much blood does she want on her hands? How much mercy does she want to afford a murderer?
"What would you do?" she asks, thinking of Ursa and the terrifying visage of Ozai she's only ever seen on billboards.
"It's not the same for us, not completely. Of course, I have suspicions. And if I ever found out for sure who caused my mother to disappear, I think I'd come close to killing him. But I'm not sure. Maybe it's one of those things you never really understand until you're in that situation."
She hums noncommittally and thinks of her mother's smile, her voice, and skidding, crashing cars.
"I'll tell you what my mother told me," he says, after what feels like an hour but could easily have been a few minutes. "Never forget who you are."
The waterbender presses herself into the cool metallic wall, letting Zuko curve his torso over hers to peek around the corner.
He holds up a single finger, letting her know that there is only one person in the vicinity. And then he raises three more fingers, so she knows the human is four feet away. Water snakes out of her waterskin, slithering across the tiled floor quietly until it latches onto the target's foot. Before the target has a chance to yell, she yanks the water back. Right as her water snake pulls the man around the corner, Zuko fist flies, landing one punch to the gang member's head to knock him out.
Katara crouches instantly, running her hands over the man's outfit until she finds keys and a map.
"Should we leave him here?" she whispers, looking up at her accomplice, who she is only just realizing is as inexperienced in these matters as she is.
Or at least she hopes he is.
"I guess? Maybe he could be a warning. Or a barrier?"
"Right." He's definitely as inexperienced as her, if not more.
They don't have time to dwell on these non-issues. She springs up, ripping the map open and tossing Zuko the keys before breaking into a blind run.
"Yon Rha's office...office...Yon Rha," she mutters as she scans the minuscule icons on the map of what used to be a military base. Only when she finds the gang leader's room does she look up, checking room numbers to make sure they've not missed the office already. "Two lefts and one right from here."
She chucks the map behind her and picks up the pace as a chill seems to settle on her skin, not slowing down until a hand around her wrist tugs her to a stop.
"We're here."
Katara doesn't even nod, too caught up in the palpable weight of this moment, and is ripped out of her stupor when Zuko kicks the door down.
"That was so loud! Someone's going to-"
"Come on, Katara."
He jumps into the room seconds before she does, already striking a stance with fists outstretched and effectively shielding her body with his, but no dangerous objects fly at them. She wastes no time in making her way to Yon Rha's desk and rummaging through the papers.
"We're looking for papers from 15 years ago. Where would those be?"
He opens his mouth and raises one finger as if preparing to give a detailed speech on how gangs organize their information. Then he sighs and his hand moves to press at the bridge of his nose.
"I have no idea."
"Let's get looking, then."
The search for papers about Kya lasts at least half an hour, an interval during which both vigilantes are jumpy and ready to fling their elements into the air at a moment's notice. So when Katara gasps, the lantern in the room blazes dangerously, threatening to scorch all the papers.
"Zuko!"
"Sorry."
"I found the papers. And- and the photos," she says, and not even a whole second passes before her face is tucked into the space between Zuko's shoulder and neck.
"You shouldn't look at them."
But it's too late for that. She's already seen her mother's mangled body, haphazardly pulled out of a car that's going up in flames, and left to bleed out on the road.
Katara is still dazed when they finally leave the Southern Raiders' headquarters fifteen minutes later, after Zuko has scanned all the pertinent files with his phone. They now have pictures of Kya's itinerary on the day she was killed, details about her car model, plans about the route she would be taking and the different intersections at which they could corner her, and gruesome photography of the murder itself.
None of which should have been with the Southern Raiders if they were truly uninvolved.
This kind of evidence could only ever be argued against by the best lawyer in the nation - and with all the resources and money at Zuko's disposal, she's not too worried about that.
"I'll print these scans out, plant them in Zhao's office, and pretend I found them there. They'll launch an investigation, find all the information, and we'll have gotten two birds with one stone," her partner says in a low, solemn voice, like he's worried there's an ocean between them and he doesn't want to rock those waters.
She desperately needs a distraction from the photos that have stamped themselves on the back of her eyelids, so as her hands continue to propel their iceberg, she takes a few moments to parse Zuko, to reconcile the dorky businessman from the coffee shop with this door-destroying, tactical renegade, and comes to the realization that she can lean on him in moments of need, and she trusts him with everything in her.
(And she realizes she's long left behind the precipice - she's falling now, she knows she is.)
The self-concession feels both like something that has been sprung on her, as well as a gradual point they've been destined to reach since the start.
She scoots backward until their arms are pressed together and his body heat starts to envelop her. He leans into the contact, letting his arm shift to pull her closer, and she knows he understands.
It seems as though the world is ablaze because of the news.
It's plastered across newspapers, blaring on televisions, passing from mouth to mouth on the streets.
Son of Azulon Ind. CEO Accuses Company of Murder
CEO Ozai's Right-Hand Man Facing Charges in Murder Case
The Southern Raiders Embroiled in Criminal Lawsuit
Who is Kya of the SWT and What Really Happened to Her?
Katara has been on the phone with Sokka, her father, and Gran-Gran seemingly constantly for the past week, and although it is impossible for them to leave the South Pole at the moment, they have pledged their support and promised to do whatever they can to help her.
In fact, Zuko's already received three care packages and several tear-stained, gushing letters from her home village. The soft, astonished face he had made when she had informed him that he was now as good as family was unforgettable.
And she is grateful for this little haven with the people she loves - plus Zuko - because outside of it, there is nothing but utter chaos. She is unable to travel to the more run-down parts of Caldera City to work on her smart-faucet system without being stopped by at least ten interviewers and journalists. Every newspaper she stumbles across has some version of her mother's death laid out for the world to see. Every morning, when she looks out her apartment window, she can make out the top of the Azulon Industries building, and she lives in perpetual fear of opening her front door and finding Ozai or Zhao waiting for her.
Some nights, she starts to dial Zuko's number, but he has his own set of problems, more than half of them brought about by Hurricane Katara, so she never presses the call button. Instead, she finds solace when she sits at her desk and watches Zuko's screen show her animal video after animal video.
Sitting still during the court case is one of the most difficult things she's ever had to do. The only thing stopping her from standing up and freezing everyone in the room to their seats whenever the defendant speaks is Zuko's hand pressing down on her knee. It's a reminder that he's there, and just as incensed as she is, but they have to put their faith in the evidence they've found and the arguments their lawyer has constructed. At least for now - he's already promised her, twice, that he will go through the appeals system as many times as he needs to until Kya receives justice.
It certainly helps that Yue is, inarguably, the best lawyer in the country, if not the world. Katara will admit that she had initially been skeptical of the shy, docile-looking girl and had whispered of her incredulity to Zuko, but she had been reassured that Yue knew what she was doing. Now, watching the attorney speak passionately of justice and undeniable evidence and honor, Katara thinks her mother would have loved Yue. It's fitting that such a strong-willed Water Tribe woman is fighting in defense of another.
When Yue brings up Azulon Industries' motive and begins to name all the cases Kya had taken on and won, Zuko leans close and whispers, "Your mother was a brave person."
She nods, not taking her eyes away from the judge's gavel. But he goes on.
"As are you. She would've been proud of the person you are today."
Katara swallows and turns to look at him, in awe of the way he never fails to be on her wavelength. Her hand moves, slowly but surely, until it's encased by his. A squeeze from her, gentle pressure from him in response, and they stay like that during the rest of the proceedings.
The jury takes two days to deliberate. When the jurors start filing back into the courtroom, Katara's nails are digging into Zuko's arm harshly, and they're both on the edge of their seats, muttering and praying.
A piece of paper passes between the jury foreman and the judge before the verdict is announced.
"The jury has unanimously decided that Zhao and all accused members of the Southern Raiders gang are guilty of first-degree murder."
Zuko's shoulders seem to loosen just a bit, but hers don't; she doesn't even let herself breathe properly, she can't, not until the judge has said the final word.
"To the jury, thank you for your services. To the accused, you have been convicted by the law on charges of first-degree murder, and you are thus sentenced to life imprisonment. The court will now adjourn."
The tight wall of pressure that had been building in her chest crumbles, and she falls back into her chair as her eyes slam shut. His hand runs across her back in circular motions, only pausing when Yue comes to stand in front of them. Katara shoots out of her seat, throwing her arms around the lawyer and gasping out thanks.
"Miss Yue, I can't even- can't even begin to tell you what this means to me and my family."
Yue smiles softly. "I understand. I am sorry about what happened to your mother. She was a role model for countless young Water Tribe girls who aspired to go into law. And now you are the same for girls looking into computer science. You are strong, Master Katara, and I am honored to have had the chance to know you."
"Thank you. Thank you so much." The words are wobbly, but they are sincere and from the bottom of her heart, something that seems to be apparent to Yue from the way her eyes shine.
The white-haired woman then turns to Zuko. "It was a pleasure working with you as well, Master Zuko. Thank you for all your help. And thank you for being brave enough to stand against your family for a Water Tribe woman's justice."
"Oh," he responds, seemingly taken aback, and he scratches the nape of his neck. "Just Zuko is fine. And it didn't take any bravery on my part. That was all Katara."
Yue shoots Katara a secretive, knowing grin before turning her attention back to the firebender. "What you did was most certainly brave, Master Zuko, and I fear you have no idea what's coming your way. You have my contact information, should you find yourself needing legal advice."
"Thank you. But I'm not worried about anything that may happen," he murmurs, and the hacker knows without looking that his eyes are on her.
She resolutely studies the hardwood floor. Yue excuses herself and after a few minutes, the only noises in the room are that of her and Zuko's synchronized breathing.
"We did it," he says, in a voice that reminds her of freshly fallen snow in that it is familiar, soft, welcoming, and she lets it coat her in a sense of belonging. "Now the world has proof of Azulon Industries' maliciousness, and even if Fath- the CEO is too powerful for there to be serious consequences immediately, this is still going to have repercussions. I know it's not the same as having your mother back, and if I could do that for you, I wou-"
She's on the tips of her toes, hugging him so tight he's probably suffocated, and a moment later, he's doing the same.
"You've done so much, Zuko. So much. More than I can ever thank you for. It's my turn now. We're going to find your mother. I won't rest until we do," she swears, lips just a whisper away from his ear. His hands tighten around her waist.
"You probably should rest, I've heard it can be good for you."
She chuckles before setting herself back on her feet. Unwilling to let this closeness disappear, she brushes nonexistent lint off of his suit and fiddles with his tie, fixing the knot and straightening it out before looking up at him.
Her fingers are pressed against his chest, so she can feel the quick thumps of his heartbeat, but that's not what makes her breath catch in her throat.
No, it's the overwhelming tenderness in his golden eyes that leaves her feeling like she's drowning and alight all at once.
One gentle tug at his tie and they're meeting each other halfway.
(She thinks that's an accurate summary of them. Of Zuko and Katara. The universe pulled them together once, and now they can't stop finding each other in the middle.)
"I can hear you thinking, you know," he breaks away to say. "It sounds an awful lot like your computer does when it overheats."
"Stuff it, Zuko." The next tug on his tie is much less gentle, but it's also unnecessary because he's already leaning back in and his hands are cradling her head, holding her so close that she can't sense a thing outside of him.
He shakes her braid loose just as her hands roam up and around his shoulders to press him closer.
If he lets go of her now, if his lips leave hers, she thinks - knows, rather, with full certainty - that she will fall apart. And it's not that she needs a man to hold her together, but by Tui, does she want one and she wants it to be him. So in that moment, she happily gives him the passcode to her heart and lets the firewalls fall away.
The first kiss tastes of victory. The second tastes of balance and harmony, the next tastes of justice, and the one after that reminds her of happiness. After that, it's all just Zuko.
Ursa is a common Fire Nation name, so even with the expansive archives of the library as her primary resource, Katara's having considerable difficulty finding information. So far, she's gathered a couple of obituaries, all of which make it very clear that no body had been found, missing posters, and invitations to vigils.
And healing Azula raises more questions than it does answers. The girl knows something about Ursa, but she refuses to spill, and Katara knows better than to press.
Even if she does find it odd that Azula's in such a high-security mental clinic. Nothing the waterbender has found out about her "patient's" situation sits right with her.
She was admitted when she was only ten, by none other than her father. She's been kept under constant surveillance and the most she's seen of the outside world for the past thirteen years is the tiny, rundown courtyard behind the facility. Despite her frequent cryptic mutterings and the chemical imbalances in her mind that Katara has grown very familiar with, she has never been provided with the resources needed to heal. Nor are there any records of tests being performed on her to see if she really needs to be in the clinic at all.
There's some piece missing, something that the waterbender needs to uncover here, but the solution isn't coming to her easily.
When she asks Zuko why his sister had been sent away when she was so young, he looks at her like she's missed something integral.
"You're asking why she was sent to the Royal Academy for Girls? She had to start her schooling."
Katara shakes her head slowly. "Azula has no history of being at the Royal Academy for Fire Nation Girls. I don't think she's ever stepped in that building. She's been at the clinic since she was ten."
"Ten?" His indignant shout receives a glare from the barista, but Katara ignores her in favor of reaching across the table and putting her hand over Zuko's smoking fist. "That's...that's not what Father said."
"Yeah? What did Ozai say, then?" Her voice is acidic, but he knows it's not directed at him and answers anyway, in a dejected voice that pierces her heart.
"He said she needed time away to get over Mother. And to get better at firebending."
"The papers at the clinic say she's been locked up there for thirteen years, drugged every day to prevent bending. And I don't think they've given her a therapist."
His forehead slams against the table and he mutters, "How could I have let this happen? My baby sister-"
She puts an end to that right away. "Zuko. You cannot take the blame for this. You were only twelve yourself, and he never let you out of his sight, right?"
"Yeah, he thought I would tarnish his name if I went out in public. So he kept me hidden at home, and he outsourced locking up Azula."
"Exactly. There was nothing you could have done."
"Then. There was nothing I could have done then. But I have to do something now."
"We have to. And we will."
His hand turns over to clasp hers. "Why ten, though? What could she possibly have done when she was ten to make him so mad? She was the perfect child, the prodigy, the one he took on all of his business trips even before she knew what an investment was. I should've been the one sent away, but instead, it was her, and I stayed home so he could beat me up whenever he wanted? And I would've never even known she was at a clinic if Zhao hadn't slipped up last year and mentioned it!"
"We'll figure it all out, Zuko. I promise. You'll get all your answers."
He shifts his head to rest his chin on the table and looks up at her, and the miserable expression on his face makes her want to cry, so she blows a small cloud of frost toward his face. As always, it gets him to make the most adorable giggle before retaliating with his own small puff of fire. Steam starts to obscure her vision of him, and they both breathe a little harder to push the mist away.
Next thing they know, the barista is hauling them up and out of the cafe. "What have I told you two buffoons about bending inside the establishment?"
"Sorry, Jun," Katara says, managing to press pause on her laughter for one second.
But when the door slams shut behind them, they fall into each other's arms, absolutely uproarious.
"One of these days," Zuko gasps out, "one of these days, she's going to ban us."
"But we're her best customers!"
"Yeah, real great customers. Either we're crying and ruining the mood for everyone else or blowing elements into each other's faces."
"Or making out."
"That too."
And then they're bent over again, clutching at their ribs, and laughing so hard they're crying - and yes, maybe Jun kicking them out isn't that funny, and maybe not all the tears are happy ones, but this is where they want to be, dizzy on caffeine and love and holding each other.
Katara has completed developing systems and applications for her smart-faucet project, and all that's required from her in this next phase is daily check-ins on the manufacturing side of things. So she finds herself having the energy to visit Azula more often, and she no longer needs her boyfriend there to bring her refreshments. Despite Ozai's insistence on ignoring his son, Zuko is no slacker, and so he goes into work every day to toil over business deal after business deal, making sure smaller businesses aren't being shortchanged and laborers are being treated properly.
On the days she goes to the clinic alone, she always makes sure to call Zuko in the evening to let him know about any progress she's made.
Tonight is one such night, but she's downcast as she presses the green 'Call' button. All she has to report today are more mumblings that make absolutely no sense.
By the time Zuko returns her call, she's curled up in her chair, staring at his monitor unseeingly, a halfway-eaten dinner left on the desk.
"Katara?"
"Hi, Zuko."
There's silence for a moment, followed by a soft, "What's wrong?"
"I was with Azula today."
"I see. I'll listen to everything you have to say in just three minutes, but until then, I want you to finish your dinner. Can you do that, please?"
"I'm not a child," she grumbles, but picks up her plate again and puts a forkful of noodles in her mouth anyway.
(She'll never tell him, but every time he texts her to remind her to drink water, every time he asks her to finish dinner, every time he figures out something's upsetting her just from the tone of her voice or texts, her heart feels like it's going haywire. Having someone look after her is nicer than she thought it would be.)
"Alright, I'm back in my flat," he announces, and she sees his cursor wiggle a bit. "Did you finish eating?"
"One more bite." She stuffs said bite in her mouth and sets the plate back down, wiping her hands on her jeans. "Done! Have you eaten today?"
"Just finished."
"Good, good." The nerves are less forceful now that there's something in her stomach, but they're still there, and she just-
She doesn't want to disappoint Zuko.
"Katara, you know you don't owe me a thing, right? This healing will happen at your pace and at hers. Whenever you think it's getting to be too strenuous, I need you to promise me you'll take a step back."
Again with the telepathy.
"It's not that. It's...it's frustrating, but not because I don't know what I'm doing. I really think I've got a hang of this mind-healing thing. It's frustrating because I have no idea what she's saying! And it feels like she's trying to tell me something, but I'm too daft to catch on-"
"You're not daft."
"Well, it's like someone's given me a two and another two, and I have spent hours here, unable to put them together and make four out of it!"
"Maybe you're meant to divide instead?"
"What?"
"Never mind. Metaphors are stupid. Just breathe. Breathe deep and then tell me exactly what you heard, so we can figure it out together."
Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.
"She kept saying 'she' and then 'river.' She river, river she. Again and again. When I asked her what she meant, she told me to get my head out of my laptop for once and then maybe I'd know. And she mocked me about being a waterbender."
"I'm sorry she treated you that way."
"It's fine."
"It's not. And look, don't worry about this 'she river' stuff too much. I'll think a bit more about it but it doesn't seem like the type of thing we should read into."
She sighs, unable to shake the feeling that this is important, but also well aware of the fact that sometimes Azula just rambles. "Fine. Let me know if you come up with anything."
"Of course. Good night, Katara. Go to sleep soon, okay? You need to rest your eyes."
"Yes, yes, I will," she says with faux exasperation that's completely undermined by the grin audible in her voice. "Night, Zuko."
They both remain on the call, listening to each other breathe. They're playing the game that makes no sense - the game you lose if you hang up first.
When the call stopwatch hits 25 minutes, Katara laughs and hits the red button. Immediately, she gets a text.
Zuko
Today 11:32 PM
Why'd you hang up? Wanted to hear your laugh
Too bad
❤️❤️❤️
Predictably, Katara does not go to sleep. She stays in front of her computers, prototyping a personal safety app and letting her eyes drift over to the monitor every so often.
It's just a few minutes past midnight when he finally searches up 'she river.' Katara drops any pretense of completing other tasks and gives her full attention to the search results that pop up.
The first thing that comes up is actually a suggestion - did you mean: Shi River?
She's never seen him click on anything so fast.
He scrolls through the new results so quickly, she's not sure he's actually reading any of them. She's certainly unable to - all she gathers is that this river lies on the border between the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation. When he hits the bottom of the page, he clicks on the search bar and types, "Ursa Shi River."
Only articles about when you can see the Ursa constellation from the Earth Kingdom pop up. She breathes a sigh of relief, thanking whatever spirit is looking out for Zuko that nothing awful showed up.
But he isn't ready to give up on any possible lead.
His next search is, "Shi River deaths."
A few links show up and there is a distant thudding sound right as her heart hits the floor.
She can only watch in mounting horror as his mouse hovers over the first result and clicks after an eternity (fifteen seconds) passes.
Mutilated Woman Found in Shi River
Right underneath the headline, there is a gory, terrible picture, and her eyes track the movement of his cursor as it zooms in on the body's hand. There is a barely identifiable spot of yellow in the magnified snippet...
And suddenly, she is back in a cafe, catching a glance of a gaudy, golden ring on a boy's finger.
AN: if, while reading this chapter, you found yourself thinking, "how on earth did that happen that makes no sense," - just know you're not alone :p
anyway, this story is something I wrote entirely for my own enjoyment, but it still means the world to me that you guys liked the first chapter. seriously. thank you so much
will wrap up all the loose ends and answer all the questions you may have in the next chapter!
