Review Replies:
pukachujan19999: Thank you! I personally feel like I could have gone into more depth with the flashback and some of the fight sequences, but I appreciate your support! I'll be updating this regularly.
Southernbelle0718: I'm glad you're loving this! I shall be continuing indeed :)
rach12901: My thoughts precisely. I think that Zuko not joining Katara and Aang was stupid. The only explanation I feel could possibly make sense would be that Zuko resented Katara for offering him salvation from his scar, only to have it pulled from him. I'll be exploring his motivations for initially betraying Katara, and elaborate on this theory. As for Katara, it won't be a quick healing process. That lightning wound was absolutely lethal, and the spirit water was the only thing that could have pulled her back from the brink of death. I'll be sure to have them bond over this slow process though :D
The shimmering green glow of the tunnel lit up Zuko and Katara. Her amulet of spirit water dangled from her neck. Perhaps just a few minutes prior Zuko would have pocketed such an item. Betraying the waterbender's trust wouldn't have mattered then. But now... Now was different. The strong, brave, compassionate, fearless Katara was dangling in his arms, teetering on the verge of entering the spirit world herself- permanently. He trudged on, feeling the heat subside from his back. He had deduced that Katara's healing abilities could be used on herself, and that if she were to be introduced to some pool or other body of water, perhaps some of the damage could be undone. But that was just a theory. Zuko realized then just how utterly screwed him and Katara were. Wanted, alone, one facing death, the odds were certainly stacked against them. But he had to try. If nothing else, he owed that to her.
He next encountered the cavern that him and Katara were initially trapped in. He paused here, leaning her frame against the crystalline wall. He took in her condition. Her skin, once vibrant, full of life, was already beginning to somewhat pale. This wasn't good. He next looked down her torso, ignoring the creeping feelings of self-consciousness and a sense of decency. Now was not the time for such concepts. He saw the scorched hole where the lightning had penetrated the fabric of her garb, and saw the dark red, charred flesh that was once her soft, smooth skin. In addition, her forearm had been marred and burnt in a similar fashion, striking welts and oozing blood dripping through the remnants of the blue fabric. He lifted his hand to her slumped chin, gently tapping her, trying to get some sort of reaction from her. No response. This is bad, he thought. When he saw her head slump further forward however, and failed to hear her faint breathing, he realized that she was dying.
"No no, Katara, Katara! Stay with me!" he frantically shouted, shaking her lightly. Fear coursed through him. "I c-can't lose you! Katara, please!" he was shouting at this point, unconcerned as to the reach of his panicked voice. The admission he had just uttered, he would never had vocalized if the circumstances were not so dire. He felt his world begin to recede once more, the darkness being accompanied by visions of loss. His own sobs, his hyperventilation seemed to grow more distant and distant as his mother's face appeared, followed by his reflection in the mirror- one without a scar. As he struggled to think clearly, a soft voice whispered into his hear. "Use the spirit water, Zuko." the feminine, seemingly young voice called out. "Save her, for your sake." He turned to the direction the voice appeared to be coming from, only to see a shimmering, blinding white form. It reminded him of the moon's glow during those nights as a fugitive with his uncle. Realizing immediately who she was, he croaked out a reply: "Thank you, Yue." The figure seemed to smile, her visage faintly showing, before he was drawn back to reality. The reality where Katara was succumbing to her injuries. He roughly tugged on the amulet, causing the thin cord to strain, and eventually snap. He moved Katara's body off of the wall and laid her onto the ground. He didn't hesitate to practically rip open the front of the water tribe garb, exposing her bare skin and underwrappings.
In another world, another time, perhaps, this would have been off-limits for Zuko. Off-limits for any sensible, honorable young man. But not now. Things like shame and modesty could wait. He removed the vial's cap, and held the mouth of the container to her scars. He opted to try to heal the more sensitive area, just above and left of her navel, instead of her scarred and bleeding forearm. He bit his bottom lip tightly, his skin having gone ashy white from the sheer trepidation of this moment. If he messed up... that was it. And he knew it. He held his right arm with his left hand in an attempt to ease the shaking. He allowed the spirit water to slowly pool upon her dark skin. He saw immediately that this water was special, how it clung to Katara's body, molded around the curve of her torso, rather than spilling off and onto the ground. He brought both of his hands to the water. Taking a shuddering breath, he began to rub the water into the wound, ignoring the blood and dead, charred skin tissue that caked his fingers and palms. He saw how the wound had channeled deep within her body. He allowed cupped the edges of the wound, concentrating the water on certain damaged or completely destroyed tissues. He doubted even his own scar immediately after being burned was this bad. It couldn't have been.
Then suddenly, the water began to shimmer brighter than it already had been. A white, ethereal glow emanated from the sacred liquid, and it seemed to push itself down into Katara's torso, the glowing light now enveloping her frame, and somewhat dazing Zuko. Please, Agni, save her, Zuko silently prayed. Slowly, that scrunched up, pained expression on Katara's face began to ease, loosen up. A strange hymn seemed to come from the water, which was now enveloping the damaged tissues, and beginning to regenerate them. Katara suddenly took a quick, stuttering breath. Zuko instinctively grabbed her right hand, squeezing gently. "Come on Katara..." he said in a low, hopeful tone. Then, the process hit its climax, as Katara briefly became lost in that ethereal, supernatural glow. Slowly, the glow ceased, and Zuko could see Katara once more. Lowering his eyes to her wound, he was stunned to find it had turned into a scar, a dark red, purplish, streaking mark that wrapped around the side of her stomach.
"Z-Zuko?" she called out. He trained his eyes upwards to her cerulean blues, which were just beginning to flutter open. "Yes." he responded simply, looking at her as if she was a rooster-rhino. "You're... alive." she said, breathing heavily. "Yeah." was all Zuko could say. He was lacking the vocabulary to adequately convey his emotions at this very moment. Katara's eyes moved to his hand, which clutched the empty amulet. Realizing with utter shock what Zuko had done, she clapped her hand over her mouth. "Zuko! Y-You... saved me..." was all she could manage, before Zuko had pulled her off of the floor, and brought her into a tight embrace. "I had to. A-After what you did for me..." Katara found this a sufficient answer. Once the adrenaline and shock began to wear off for her however, she hissed sharply. Zuko immediately pulled himself back from her, fearing he had done something wrong, or the healing had been interrupted or- then he saw it. Her left arm was still bleeding, though the clotting beneath the burned, charred skin tissue had somewhat curbed it. "I don't have any more spirit water..." Zuko said quietly. "That's okay... I just... need... something else. Another water source." she said weakly. Zuko stood up, helping here onto her feet. She wobbled dangerously, and Zuko had to press his hand to the small of her back to steady her. "Can you walk?" he asked urgently. "I could use some help, I guess." Katara admitted sheepishly. With that, Zuko wrapped his left arm over her shoulder, and allowed her to use her good arm to sling over his shoulder. Turning towards the entrance that Aang had originally used to enter the chamber, they began walking slowly but resolutely, Katara with a pronounced sluggishness and weakness.
"Where's Aang? And the others... what happened?" she asked suddenly, stopping as she looked at him, her eyes wide. "They, uh... they escaped. On the bison. We're here alone, still under Lake Laogai." Those sentences caused something to break within Katara. "They left... me... to die?" she whispered. It wasn't really a question, and Zuko's averted eyes told her everything she needed to know. It was as if a dam had broken, the tension that had built up just erupted out of her in the form of shuddering sobs. Her weak state (which Zuko was thankful for at this moment, much to his chagrin) dampened the severity of her crying, but it nevertheless hurt the same. Zuko instinctively moved closer to Katara, those protective urges from earlier having flared up once more. Katara pushed her head deep into Zuko's chest, taking solace in his warmth and guiding arms. She had never felt so isolated, so abandoned, betrayed... yet so protected, and cared for. The conflicting feelings tore at her insides, and her frame shook with ever quiet sob, thin streaks of tears absorbing into the fabric of Zuko's shirt. "Shhhh, I'm here, Katara. I'll be here, I won't leave, okay?" he whispered softly into her ear, hoping to placate her. "I'm so... so sorry for everything I've done." Zuko said in a pained tone, his voice cracking. At these words, the crying quieted, then ceased. A few moments passed in which Katara struggled, and managed to compose herself. She just gazed sadly into his soft, inviting amber irises, sniffling as she did so. "I know... I forgive you." Zuko managed a smile at this. Even though he felt he didn't deserve her forgiveness, he'd take an extended olive branch at face value. "Thank you." Zuko whispered back. He wasn't just thanking her for her forgiveness. He was thanking her for saving his life, for offering him unconditional acceptance when no one but his mother and uncle had ever done so. For giving him a second chance after he'd betrayed her. "You too, Zuko." Katara replied, offering a small, weak smile.
"Let's leave this prison." Zuko told her. "Alright..." Katara said quietly back. She took a deep breath, and they began to walk once more. The pathway that Aang had followed banked upwards, which meant that Zuko often had to lift Katara step by step- an excruciating process, but he ignored the growing discomfort. It was the least he could do for her, after having chased and attacked them for months now. As they went around a bend in the path, they were painted by the bright light of the sky above their subterranean pathway. Just then, Katara's head slumped forward a little, and her eyes closed. Zuko noticed this and was just about to freak out again when Katara spoke softly: "I just... need sleep... I'll walk." she murmured, her grip around his shoulder tightening slightly. He simply nodded, even though he knew she wouldn't be able to see that. They trudged forth, a plan slowly beginning to form in Zuko's head. He knew that no matter what they did, him ending up as a fugitive all over again would be the end result. At least this time Katara would be there with him, as opposed to his uncle. He'd have to nurse her back to health, he knew, but he didn't mind doing so.
Zuko didn't know what he felt for her. All he knew was that liked this feeling. It was familiar, but he couldn't recall experiencing anything like this other than from his mother. A bond had formed, that was all he knew. He didn't know what lay ahead for them in the future, not even what the next hour would entail. But he felt secure.
And so did Katara.
Sokka's world had shattered, completely and utterly. He thought about what had transpired in the last ten minutes or so. He recalled him and Toph flying towards the entrance to the caverns, how they heard one, then another blast of lightning. Sokka would later reflect on this, and determine that he knew something had gone wrong upon hearing the second lightning blast. As they descended towards the entrance, they glanced over the edge, to see terrified citizens running about and panicking, evidently having heard the two blasts. When they began hovering over the vertical shaft leading down into the caverns, they could hear the distinctive whooshes of flame, and saw the stray licks of plasma all the way from the surface, felt the heat. Toph had held onto the side of the saddle for dear life as they began their descent under Lake Laogai. Halfway down, he made out the first dead Dai Li operative, the scorch marks, and what appeared to be streaks and pools of blood. As they swooped down into the cavern, they knew immediately something was terribly wrong. All they saw was fire meeting fire. No water whips, or waves, or ice daggers. No airbending or earthbending either. Sokka first saw Aang, who was clutching the side of his stomach, his face contorted in agony. He saw Aang briefly use airbending to propel himself to the saddle, having apparently expended all of his strength in this one simple maneuver which he could have accomplished as a 10-year-old, some 102 years prior. Sokka next looked around for his sister. Where was she, where was she... he thought to himself, getting more and more worried until his eyes finally made out her crumpled, limp form behind Zuko, who was locked in a fire blast duel with his sister. He didn't register himself crying out at that moment, his protective personality catching up with the reality that his sister was hurt, or... he couldn't fathom it. Sokka leapt from the saddle, with Toph closely in pursuit.
Almost immediately after his feet met the ground, he truly took in the ferocious heat the two firebending siblings were putting out, and found himself unable to get much closer to his sister. Toph however managed to get several meters ahead of him, using a rocky shield in an attempt to shield her from that horrific, boiling heat. He recalled with an overwhelming surge of shame that even though he held his boomerang in his hand, he never threw it once. Never even made an attempt to intervene, to save his sister. Perhaps it was simply that he was overcome with awe, panic, fear, shame, grief, or all those at the same time, he didn't quite yet know. Meanwhile, Toph called on her element, and was sending waves of earth at Azula, but trying not to target Zuko. At the time, he had been incensed, but he further remembered that Zuko had taken what appeared to have been a... protective stance, somehow attempting to shield Katara. Which might have been the case, considering that he was facing the wrath of Azula. Furthermore, he realized that Zuko and Toph appeared to be synchronizing their attacks, his fire blasts timed to target Azula right after Toph's lumps of earth would go for the Crown Princess' legs and feet. Then, his vision lit up with a brilliant orange and white, the boiling heat accelerating rapidly towards him. Sokka would have accepted this fate, having failed to protect his only sibling, his sister whom he had sworn to protect to his father all those years ago. His life was spared only by Toph's instantaneous reflexes, with the plate of brown earth that she had solidified and brought out in front of Sokka to deflect the blast, in all of one second. Even so, Sokka recoiled from the overwhelming strength of the heat, which was now beginning heat his skin to the point of initiating boils and welts on his forearms and face. Tears blurred his vision, as he made a dash for the saddle, Toph closely following behind him. As he leaped on board Appa, who was loudly groaning, panicked the flames that threatened to set his fur alight, was shifting about, hampering Toph's effort to get on. Sokka extended his arm to her, utilizing all his strength to get his friend on board. As they made to leave, he gave one last torturous look at the scene before him, looking at his motionless sister, and only allowing one conclusion to materialize in his head. He looked at the scarred Crown Prince. Zuko's eyes locked with his, and he saw a faint nod, even as Sokka saw the firebender, his enemy (was he the enemy now? It didn't appear so) begin to struggle to maintain his bending form. Sokka merely nodded back shakily, overcome by resignation and grief. He called out 'yip yip' to Appa, who was more than happy to oblige, the fear of the flames propelling them out of the cavern within seconds. Toph had shielded Aang's unconscious form (he'd blacked out during all this. The Avatar, our savior, had laid in the saddle doing nothing) as they ascended rapidly out of the subterranean depths, and broke the surface level. He knew they couldn't stay here, and so they made for familiar shores. Perhaps Kyoshi, perhaps the North Pole, he didn't know yet. Without Katara by his side, he was beginning to lose any sense of purpose here. Maybe it lay in the Avatar, but he didn't know if he would re-awaken.
Once Sokka had cleared the inner layers of Ba Sing Se and gotten to a height just above the clouds, he turned back to Toph. The pale, stunned expression on her face, one which he had never seen before. "S-Sokka...?" she spoke softly, in a tone much unlike her usual, tough, abrasive voice. "Kat-Katara... She's... I don't know if she had... a heartbeat.." she said, quivering as the full weight of her words crashed down on both of them. Sokka realized a few seconds later that she was hyperventilating. He didn't hesitate to draw the small girl into his arms, comfort her as her frame shook with sobs that he had never heard before, with a grief he had never been exposed to from this tough earthbender. If he couldn't provide comfort or protection for his own blood, the least he could do was to do so for his friend. Whom, it seemed, was all he had now. They would stay in this position for several minutes, letting her empty out all her sorrows, and allowing them to silently begin to process what had just occurred. The harrowing loss which they had been exposed to. Not since Mother had died had he felt something like this. It was a poignant scene, the rushing of the air around them the only company they had. Aang had checked out, it seemed. Sokka decided then that he resented him, for not making more of an effort to save Katara. Sokka knew he was being irrational, having seen for himself the severity of the wound that Aang was sporting. It seemed that the only reasons for his continued survival and breathing were his unique position as the Avatar, and the location of the wound.
One thing was certain however: Aang was going to answer some questions. He had to know what happened. What happened to Katara... and Zuko. He didn't know where the other teenager's loyalties lay. All he knew for certain, as he began to look at the situation from a logical perspective (as logical as he could maintain his thought, considering the circumstances), he knew that Zuko had to have been protecting Katara. His positioning left no other reasonable alternative. Alas, Sokka would have to consider this for another time. His priority lay in protecting the one human connection he had retained thus far, helping the once haughty and rough-edged earthbender in his arms. "I'm here for you, Toph." he said softly, trying hard to keep his voice steady and strong. "O-Okay." Toph replied simply.
As the sky began to shift towards the evening, they simply embraced each other, enjoying this rare, solemn solitude, heading towards an uncertain future.
Poor Sokka and Toph :(
I wanted to delve into the pure pain, shock and guilt that he must be experiencing when I was writing this chapter. He always had this complex about being overprotective with Katara, whether that manifested through his initial misogyny, and throughout the show as he attempted to stop her from doing stuff (Admittedly stupid stuff sometimes, but still). As for Toph, she's stunned because beneath her tough, confident, headstrong exterior, she still has issues from being isolated from her parents. With the loss of Katara (who acted as a sort of impromptu mother to them, in addition to providing a sisterly connection), and with Aang being knocked out, she bonds with Sokka, who she's always had a special connection with (remember The Serpent's Pass?).
Hey, at least Katara's not hovering over death now (though neither Sokka, Toph, nor Aang know that). Also, Yue says hi :D
I'll be exploring Iroh's perspective in the next chapter, in addition to Zuko and Katara's movements throughout Ba Sing Se. We'll also explore the rest of the Gaang as they begin to deal with the loss of Katara.