"These are the tears of the moon. They are my longing for you. Take them, and me, for I will give you all I have, and more." - Tears of the Moon, Nora Roberts
Chapter Sixteen: Where We Began
She dreamed of when they first met. He was so full of anger, of hurt, and her heart ached at the memory of it.
He burned his way through her thoughts- as he always seemed to do now. Like a fire, he was all consuming, until there was nothing else but him.
She dreamed of when they began. Now he was full of so much more- and looking at him was like watching the sun rise, when the world was waking and new and full of hope. When he touched her, she felt like she could burn with that same feeling, forever. When he kissed her, she never wanted him to stop, for it to never end. The world could freeze or burn, and she wouldn't care.
He was beautiful.
She dreamed of that moment when they were caught in the rain, and the stolen moments that followed. She dreamed of how he had always been there, and somehow she knew he always would be. He was constant, and she did not want him anywhere else but by her side.
The dreams were soothing, blanketing any of her hurts. She no longer drifted, but was safe in her memories and the thoughts of her future.
A gentle, cool touch on her wrist started to draw her away from her dreams. She wanted to linger there a bit longer, but something else was pulling her awake.
Katara opened her eyes, and was met with the sight of golden eyes already watching her. "Zuko," she murmured.
Zuko's eyes flickered towards her wrist briefly, before Katara noticed Iroh next to him.
"Iroh," she said, struggling to sit up.
Iroh moved to help her, but Zuko shifted so he could grasp her and she pulled herself into a sitting position. The waterbender leaned against his side, her hand tightly clasped in his.
The older general watched this silently, before addressing the pair. "There has been no news about Ozai and Azula's whereabouts."
"Damn," Zuko growled, his eyes narrowing.
Katara looked equally disappointed. "How did they get away?" She turned to Zuko. "What happened?" Her gaze drifted down before she saw the bandages wrapping his side, then her own.
Without another word, Katara summoned water from her skin, while laid nearby. The water enveloped her hand, and started to glow. Gently, she parted Zuko's tunic before placing her hand on his side, assessing his injuries.
"I'm fine-," Zuko was interrupted by a fierce glare.
Katara frowned as she pulled her hand away. "Your body is still healing. I've healed the internal damage, but you should rest for a while."
"So should you," Zuko pointed out, pushing her hand towards her own wrapped wound.
Placing her hand on her side, Katara exhaled sharply. The wound was deep, with internal damage like Zuko's. She healed it, but watched as the scar remained.
"It's just a scar, Katara," Zuko told her, noticing her expression.
Katara looked up at him. He had been scarred three times by his family's hands now, and still he watched her with no pity, only with gentle understanding.
Zuko looked down at her wrist again. "Did this happen when you fought her?"
Blinking, Katara's brows furrowed as she examined the odd marking. "No," she said slowly, before looking at Zuko and Iroh. "I don't know how this happened."
Iroh frowned, pulling at his beard thoughtfully. "Katara, what do you remember after your fight with Azula?"
The waterbender concentrated. "I remember…"
Something, somewhere. Someone was there, and she talked in a voice both young and old.
"Dreaming, I think," she finished. "It's hazy."
A sort of longing rose up inside her, so foreign yet familiar, that her throat constricted, leaving her bewildered.
Iroh, who seemed to sense her sudden sadness, took her hand gently and examined the mark closer. "When I was a boy, my mother and grandmother told me many stories about the moon. What do you know of the moon, Miss Katara?"
Katara blinked. "The moon? As in the Moon Spirit, Tui?"
"Yes, I suppose some of the stories are about Tui," Iroh agreed, nodding.
"And there are stories that are not?" Zuko asked, eyeing the mark.
"There are many stories," Iroh told them both.
The words reverberated in Katara, giving her an odd sense of deja vu. Someone else told me that. "What other stories are there?"
Iroh leaned back slightly, releasing her hand, before folding his hands into his deep sleeves. "There are some that believe that the moon is not a spirit, but a goddess. That she and the sun god ruled over the skies long ago, before the earth and the sky, before the trees and man."
Zuko and Katara exchanged an incredulous look.
"The moon and the sun gods eventually faded, so eventually the stories changed or were forgotten. My grandmother told me that the moon and the sun could take on any form, but they chose to remain what they are now, forever watching over us in the sky."
Katara shook her head. "But the Moon Spirit is linked to La, the Ocean Spirit. How can the moon also be linked with the sun?"
"I guess it depends on what you believe, my dear," Iroh said. "The moon and the sun are just as linked as the moon and the sea- they only share the sky for only a moment, just as the moon will always push and pull the sea."
Katara examined the crescent-shaped mark. "It's… shaped like…"
"The moon," Iroh agreed. "It seems you are linked to the moon in more ways than one, Miss Katara."
Who's linked to the sun? Katara wondered vaguely, her thoughts drifting to a hazy memory of a golden betrothal necklace, set with a sunstone.
Zuko leaned a little closer, drawing Katara's attention back to him. His eyes were molten, burning, and while she watched him, she was filled with the same sense of deja vu.
"Do you think… she could have gotten the mark from the Moon Spirit?" Zuko asked, glancing at his uncle.
"I suppose it's possible," Iroh said slowly. "Journeying to the spirit world may leave a mark if one as to return."
Katara picked up on the change in his tone. "You say that like you know that for a fact."
Iroh smiled. "Another story for another time. I believe that the moon, in its many forms, has touched you, Katara, when you were so close to death."
Katara pulled her hand close to her chest, stunned. And yet some… instinct inside her told her that the old man spoke the truth.
A while later, Katara and Zuko were ordered to get some more rest while the others took turns watching over them. Both benders slid back into their dreams, due to being tired more so than being in pain.
Katara dreamed of a crescent moon shaped mark, and a sunburst shaped scar.
Ooo0ooO
Toph sat quietly at the edge of their campsite, enjoying the shade of the nearby trees as she thought about recent events.
A slight tremor in the earth told her that someone was talking up to her, and she recognized their heartbeat. She sat up slightly, smiling. "I don't think I can drink anymore tea," she told him teasingly.
Iroh chuckled. "I do not have any tea, miss Toph, but I was wondering if I could join you."
Toph nodded, and Iroh sat next to her, leaning against a tree with a deep sigh.
"How are Katara and Zuko?" Toph asked.
"Resting. Miss Katara healed their internal injuries, so they may be able to travel in a few days."
Toph frowned, thinking about how she should have been able to sense Ozai and Azula's presence, but how they used sand to their advantage against the blind bender.
"My niece is a clever woman," Iroh stated, as if reading her thoughts. "She uses her knowledge to her own advantage, and often against her enemies."
"I've noticed," Toph grumbled, slouching against a tree, crossing her arms over her chest.
"You must not blame yourself," Iroh instructed her gently. "None of you are to blame. My nephew and Miss Katara will be all right."
"It just feels like everytime we get close to catching up to them, one of us gets hurt," Toph said, brow furrowing at the memory of the attack in the mountain pass.
"This is not the same journey as the one you have taken before. Ozai and Azula are no longer in positions of power, or at least as much as they were before, and they have to resort to dirty tricks and murder to accomplish an ends to their means."
"Iroh…" Toph began hesitantly. "What do you think we should do if we captured Ozai and Azula?"
The old general looked up at the sky, watching how the sunlight filtered through the trees. "I do not have an answer for that, Miss Toph," he admitted in a grave voice. "That, I think, depends on the will of the spirits. Many have suffered terrible fates from disturbing the balance."
"Even if they don't attack any spirits?" Toph asked curiously.
"The spirits are old, and many rely on the balance between our world and theirs. The Avatar is the bridge between these worlds. I would not be surprised if the old spirits were awakened from this."
If they have not been already, Iroh added silently.
Ooo0ooO
Zuko stared at the fire inside the tent he was sharing with Katara. Sokka, who had been the last person to watch over them, decided to give the benders some space after Zuko woke. Zuko suspected it was also because the Water tribesman wanted to spend time with his wife, but Zuko kept quiet about that.
Katara woke up a little later, and noticed the expression on his face. "Zuko?" she asked, sitting up. "What is it?"
Zuko shook his head, remaining silent. He surprised her by then moving closer to her, so he was sitting behind her so her back was leaning against his chest. His arms encircled her and his chin dropped to her shoulder on a sigh.
Katara leaned into his embrace, pleasantly surprised, knowing Zuko was not one to show such physical displays of affection so easily. Her lips quirked when she remembered how when they all last travelled together, they had had to coerce him into joining in on the group hugs.
Zuko's fingers played with the ends of her hair. "Katara, I have something to tell you."
Katara turned a little, so she could see his face. "What is it?"
"I… Lately, I have been having more of those strange dreams," Zuko began slowly. "And I do not understand what they mean."
Katara blinked. "You're still having those dreams?" she asked, remembering the last time they had shared what they had dreamed.
"Yes, for a while now."
"How are they different from the ones you had before?"
"No two dreams are the same, but the only consistent thing is… the sun and the moon."
Katara's eyes widened.
Zuko, seeing the plain shock on her face, nodded "I know," he said. "After this…" He picked up her hand, his thumb brushing over the crescent moon mark. "I am beginning to wonder if these dreams are more than just… dreams."
Why is it the sun and the moon? Katara thought, her heart racing. The sun and the moon… If I was touched by the moon, then…
Her gaze lifted to Zuko's, and her breath caught. His eyes burned in the fire light, like two twin suns.
Like the sun…
Her hand, unknowingly, rested on his chest, over his sun-shaped scar.
What does this mean? she wondered.
The strange dreams, the foreign feelings of love and longing that did not feel entirely hers, and now the strange marking…
Then there was that voice, both young and old, and when it spoke again, it spoke to them both.
This is only the beginning.
Ooo0ooO
Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA or any of its characters.
Author's Note: Please review!