Disclaimer: I do not own any part of ATLA in any way, shape, or form. I own NOTHING!

Chapter 2:

KATARA

Momo sleeps contentedly in my lap, my fingers wandering aimlessly through his soft, white fur. I sit beneath one of the many charred, leafless trees surrounding the camp and watch everyone load up eel hounds and ostrich horses with food and supplies.

"Ostrich horse or eel hound?" Sokka inquires.

"Neither."

I want Appa. I keep thinking that I need to load my supplies into the massive saddle on his back. I've done it for so long that my mind refuses to let it go even though I know that he is gone. I should know better than anyone. I was with him as he drew his last breaths.

Sokka's brow wrinkles. "You wanna walk then?"

I dread riding one of those things, but I want to go home. I can't take all the death and destruction anymore. I am so sick of all the soot and savagery. I want to see a part of the world that isn't dying, burned, or blanketed in ash. I need to go to the heart of the Earth Kingdom and help the injured and the sick, but I simply (and selfishly) want to see Gran Gran and mourn Aang in peace in the comfort of my home. There is nothing else left for me now. My destiny is intertwined with Aang's, but he is gone, taking my hopes, my dreams, and my destiny to an early grave with him.

Choosing not to answer, I look away, out at the dreary expanse around us. Skeletons of trees black as oil are everywhere, reaching up out of the scalded ground towards the sky like desperate hands with decrepit fingers, but no one is reaching back. What isn't covered in snowy ash is singed. Blades of grass turn to black dust in my hands when I touch them or when Momo scrambles around in search of nourishment (although there is none to be found).

During Sozin's Comet, Sokka, Suki, and Toph took out some of the war balloons Ozai dispatched to burn down the Earth Kingdom, but it hadn't been enough. They'd done what they could, but they eventually had to retreat. Once Aang was…gone, Ozai called for reinforcements, and they milked the last of the comet dry in order to burn down as much as they could before it finally vanished. I doubt they reached every part of the Earth Kingdom, but the portions that were spared are undoubtedly scarred by the events.

Sokka sighs heavily and hobbles back towards the heart of the camp, likely to make the decision for me. That's fine. I doubt I am capable of making one anyway.

Everything about this feels wrong. It feels so much like betraying Aang, like they are officially giving up on him. I keep thinking that he is going to magically come back. He is the Avatar. He can't possibly be gone.

But he is. And when I leave to help find the new Avatar, it will cement that fact. It will make all of this even more real, and I'm not sure if I am ready for that. I am suddenly having second thoughts. The urge to curl up in my bedroll until everything goes away (or I waste away) is back.

Sokka returns with a young man leading an ostrich horse toward me. "You don't have to do much. I know you aren't crazy about what we've decided to do, so just ask around to see if any babies were born on the day of the comet. And of course, ask if anyone has heard from Dad."

I manage to nod, then he embraces me.

"I know this isn't what was supposed to happen, but everything's gonna be alright. We'll set everything right somehow," he whispers into my hair, sounding strangely sure although I know he isn't. There are no guarantees. Our situation now proves that.

"What about Suki and Toph?" I ask as he pulls away, but I hold onto the fabric of his shirt so he can't get far.

"I think Toph wants to help the other earthbenders with what remains of the forest fires and eventually go home to see if her family survived. Suki will go to the North Pole with me after doing the same."

"Sokka…I want us to stay together." I've said this to him already, but it is worth reiterating and giving another shot.

"I know, but we don't have time. Ozai knows the next Avatar will be a waterbender too, so he could send firebenders at any time on ships or in war balloons. We don't have time to check each tribe separately and search for Dad. It could be too late by then. It might be too late already."

"Then send someone else to the northern tribe," I counter. "Isn't Pakku going back to the North Pole anyway? He could—"

"I still have to find out what happened to Dad, and even if I didn't, this is our responsibility, Katara. We've already talked about this," he interrupts, adamant and surprisingly stern.

I manage yet another nod, but this is all going in one ear and out the other. I am going numb. The little feeling I have regained is slithering out of me again.

"What will we even do if we find the new Avatar?" The question hangs heavy on my tongue like bile.

"Protect it," he muses breathlessly, practically shrugging. "Despite everything, I still believe in what Gran Gran told us when we left to join Aang, that our destiny is intertwined with the Avatar's."

Tears spill from my eyes, and I wipe them away, unsure if they are hopeful or just sad. Maybe Sokka is right. Maybe our destiny still revolves around the Avatar, not just Aang but maybe other Avatars too, and that thought is as devastating as it is uplifting. Maybe there is still some hope left for us. Maybe my destiny isn't as bleak or as short-lived as I thought.

I can't keep myself from thinking about what Zuko said, how he said we needed to confront this one day at a time. He's right. That is the only way any of us are going to get through this, one step at a time, one goal at a time, and for now, helping the Earth Kingdom and finding the new Avatar will have to do. Everything else is just too overwhelming, too insurmountable. But this? This I feel like I can do. This seems possible in a dying world full of impossibilities.

I am still unsure, though. I'm unsure about everything.

Yes, I want to go home. Yes, I want to protect the new Avatar. Yes, in some roundabout way, I still feel the Avatar is my responsibility. Yes, I want to find out what happened to Dad and even Haru and the others, but I really don't want to be separated from Sokka either.

"Can we establish a rendezvous point?" I ask. I will need one if I want to get through this. I need assurance that this is only for a little while, that it is merely temporary. I need something to look forward to.

"Somewhere in the Earth Kingdom would probably be best." He grips his chin as he mulls it over.

"The swamp?"

Sokka frowns. "You just love torturing me, don't you?"

I almost smile for the first time since I learned about Aang.

Before I can answer, Sokka hobbles off towards Zuko who apparently approached during our exchange but hasn't interrupted.

It isn't until I see Zuko that I remember that he is going on this trip with me, something I'm still not sure how I felt about. It is a relief knowing I won't be going on this journey alone, but I can't help but feel like a burden. I don't need an escort, and Zuko undoubtedly has much more important matters to attend to. But we have both agreed to the arrangement, and now we are stuck with each other. Again.

Zuko's mouth twitches when our eyes mate, but he doesn't speak. He is lost in his head most of the time and doesn't talk much. He always seems to be thinking, like he is constantly mulling something over, solving some impossible puzzle in the back of his head.

I find myself staring at him as he folds his arms and has a quiet exchange with Sokka. His eyes go to Sokka's face every now and then but continually shoot to the ground or on the terrain behind him.

Is that how I act when people talk to me? I'm probably worse. I am here, but I'm not really here. I am detached. I'm detached to the point that I hardly notice how many members of the White Lotus are gone. Most of the tents are packed up and the campfires have been extinguished. Almost everyone and everything is gone except for us. Soon it will be like we were never here at all.

After losing Aang, I thought goodbyes would get easier. Nothing could possibly feel worse than losing Aang. Everything should be dull in comparison, but it isn't. Saying goodbye to everyone is unbearably hard although it is temporary. Even saying goodbye to Iroh is difficult.

Watching Zuko and Iroh is always touching. Zuko listens to him intently and looks like a child saying goodbye to his father for the first time as Iroh embraces him. It fascinates me to see how much Zuko can really and truly care about another person. For so long I'd thought him incapable of such things.

"I never really had the chance to thank you before, but thank you for saving my nephew." Iroh holds my hands and looks directly into my eyes with an expression that can only be described as earnest. I honestly don't know when he approached me or how long he has been squeezing my hands.

"Oh." I shake my head in an attempt to regain focus. "You're welcome."

"Would you mind looking after him a bit longer?"

"Not at all," I reply, but Zuko being with me is more for my benefit than his own. Or perhaps it is more of a favor to Sokka. I know the others think I am out of it, that I'm not mentally or emotionally fit to do something like this alone.

They're probably right…

"And take this with you." He places a teapot along with two cups into my hands. "Some tea might be a nice luxury every now and then."

I smile. "Thank you, General Iroh."

He hugs me. I hesitate at first, but I return the gesture. Iroh is unnaturally warm too, but it is different than Zuko's warmth somehow, just like how his eyes are golden but not quite as sharp or as intense as Zuko's.

"Keep Zuko out of trouble, Sugar Queen," Toph declares. Her chest is puffed, but she lacks her usual quip. "And don't go burning anyone else's feet." She turns toward Zuko and punches him in the shoulder, causing him to grimace and rub his arm.

I can count the number of times I've seen Toph cry on one hand, but her faded eyes swell with tears as Suki embraces her. Her voice breaks when Zuko wraps his arms around her shoulders, and by the time she gets to Sokka and me, she is crying softly. And then we cry too. Even Zuko sheds a few silent tears before it is all said and done.

I keep thinking that I am finally, finally out of tears, but somehow, my body continually proves me wrong.

"Take care of him?" I whisper as I cling to Suki.

"I will. I promise," Suki insists as she reluctantly pulls away. "We'll all be back together before you know it."

I nod and offer a small smile.

Nearby, I am sure Sokka and Zuko are having a similar conversation but with more talk of strategy. Zuko is probably vowing he will protect me. I think they will merely shake hands or grip each other's arms, but Sokka actually gives Zuko a quick hug.

Of course, I cling to Sokka the longest. This will be the longest we have ever been apart. Ever. We have always been together. It has always been the two of us. Sokka is a constant, but if this is what Sokka wants to do, if this is really what they think is best for everyone, I'll do it.

"I'm gonna miss you," I whimper. I am soaking his shoulder with tears and other fluids, but I can't help it nor do I care.

"I'm gonna miss you too, but this isn't permanent, okay? Just for a little while until we can sort everything out," he insists, but it doesn't make me feel better. I've heard this already. It's like everyone is telling me this to keep me from falling apart again.

I hug him a while longer, whispering how much I love him and getting him to make all kinds of unrealistic promises until he finally has enough and eases away from me.

"Okay, Katara. I'm gonna have to pry you off now...and change clothes." He examines his now damp shoulder with obvious and exaggerated disgust. It is the most animated I've seen him. He seems more like my brother, which is bittersweet considering I am about to be separated from him. I am glad to see his humor slowly returning, but I will miss it when I am with Zuko. Zuko has proven time and time again that his sense of humor rivals that of a piece of seaweed.

Suki and Sokka make their way toward their eel hounds, but I can't watch them leave. I don't think my heart can take it, so I sit down by one of the burned trees with Momo. Apparently, Momo has decided to stay with me instead of going with Sokka.

If someone asked how long I sat there with Momo in my lap, I wouldn't be able to tell them. Time marched on without my acknowledgment. I forget that it is a thing of consequence, something I should pay attention to.

"You ready to go?"

Zuko looms over me. He has his cloak on, the one he wore when we went to see the Ember Island Players. He is ready to hide his identity if necessary.

I almost tell him no, that I'm not ready, that I will never be ready to move on, but deep down I know I have to. Not for myself but for the others, for those who remain, for those I care about.

"I guess so." I sigh and with Momo on my shoulder, I reluctantly make my way toward my ostrich horse.

Zuko and I only talk when necessary, but I am surprisingly okay with that. Talking isn't much fun lately anyway. All the topics usually depress me, so the quiet isn't that bad.

I will be the first to admit that I didn't want to go on another journey with Zuko, but I've found comfort in it. After we got the news about Aang and left the Fire Nation Capital, we were forced to clumsily make our way through the Earth Kingdom with nothing but the frail hope of maybe finding the others. It was a horrible time for both of us. Zuko was hurt, and I was devastated to the point of delirium, but the motivation to find the others kept us going.

It isn't until now that I realize how…used to Zuko I've become. There is a certain level of comfort that comes with being with him because he is no longer foreign to me. We have been through this before, and I know quirky little things about him simply because of how much time we've spent like this.

He rises early and usually goes to sleep shortly after the sun goes down. He likes almost all of his meals well done. Otherwise, he will either pick at it or not eat much of it. He gets hot easily and sometimes sleeps on top of his sleeping bag instead of in it. He is also surprisingly clean. I had to beg Sokka, Toph, and sometimes even Aang to wash, but Zuko bathed diligently. I assume that is the prince in him making an appearance.

If I did this with another member of the White Lotus or even Pakku, it would be more of a struggle and a bit more awkward. Sure, Zuko is not beyond getting on my nerves, but he is predictable. I know what to expect from him. We know how to coexist with one another.

When I really think about it, I've spent more time with Zuko alone than I have with any of the others, excluding Sokka of course. When it comes to the others, we were almost always a group, but Zuko and I have been a duo repeatedly. First when I went after Yon Rha. Again when he asked me to help him defeat Azula up until we reunited with the others after the comet. And here we are again, going to the South Pole.

"I miss water…" I muse as we sit in a shallow creek surrounded by a few dead trees. Thanks to the comet, the drought, and the summer heat, it is essentially a big mud puddle, but when I saw it after a long day of riding ostrich horses through dry earth, I demanded we stop.

"You're in water," he counters dryly without opening his eyes. He looks like a starfish splayed out on the bank beside me. I can't figure out if he is sunbathing or soaking. Only the lower portion of his body is in the water.

"Lots of water," I clarify as I bend some onto my hands. "Enough water to swim in."

"Maybe we can find some tomorrow."

I sigh and wriggle my toes in the mud at the bottom of the creek. I feel grosser now than I did before we got in, but I am not as sweaty, so that is an improvement. Since our time in the desert, I've learned to not take even the smallest amount of water for granted.

After watching Momo attempt to catch nearby frogs and tadpoles for a while, Zuko has had enough. He stands, shakes some of the water out of his dark hair, and firebends the rest off his body until it is either steam or vapor in the air.

"I'm going to make camp." He grabs his shirt off the ground and slings it over his shoulder. "You can stay here a little longer if you want."

I nod and keep my place in the muddy creek. Water – no matter how dirty – always comforts me, and I need comfort in this new world that offers so little of it. Water is my constant. It is faithful, and it doesn't betray me by stirring up painful memories.

Once I am essentially a sea prune, I decide I should go help Zuko make camp, but he already has our tent and campfire set up amidst what was once a clearing in a small forest. He sorts through our food in an attempt to piece together a meal.

If Toph were here, she'd call me a hypocrite. For someone who had once been so stern about everyone doing their share, I am surprisingly lax now. I've broken one of the rules I'd once strictly adhered to and enforced.

"Sorry… I stayed longer than I meant to…" I say shyly as I wring my clothes in my hands. I feel bad about breaking my own rule and making someone who is still recovering from basically being electrocuted to death make camp by themselves. Sure, Zuko is much better, and I worked on his chest at the creek, but he is still sore even though he insists he's fine.

Zuko's mouth does the thing that it does whenever he is on the verge of smiling. "It's fine."

"You can take a break now. I'll handle dinner."

"Good because I had no idea what to make," he admits, sounding significantly relieved. I can't keep myself from grinning a little.

I make stew while Zuko does his best to brew tea in the pot Iroh gave us, and it is actually pretty good. I'm not the biggest fan of tea, but I enjoy this batch. It isn't that strong and is sweeter than normal, which I like.

Briefly, I wonder if Zuko has catered to my tastes like I cater to his when it comes to my cooking, but I decide it is just a coincidence.

Like always, once the sun is gone and his belly is full, Zuko crawls into the tent. And since I don't want to be alone, I put up the leftovers, douse the campfire, and follow suit even though I'm not tired.

Momo settles in between us like he usually does, but Zuko and I have both refused to redress after our time in the creek. The unnatural heat is getting to both of us, but I can't figure out if I stayed in my bindings because I am hot or if I am just so out of it that I simply forgot to redress. Regardless of the reason, it isn't a big deal to me anymore. Modesty is more trivial than it used to be. Besides, Zuko has seen more of me than this before.

Zuko's back faces, and I find myself staring holes into it. He is broader than Aang and Sokka. Perhaps not more muscular but definitely broader, thicker. I wonder if it is a firebender thing or just his particular bloodline. I haven't had the privilege of seeing Ozai up close, but I've heard he is massive, and Iroh, while stocky, is far from small.

The silence in the tent is deafening, which is good for sleep, but the quiet I've become so acquainted with lately is no longer as comforting as it once was. Maybe I am regaining some of my senses. Maybe I am lucid and sober enough to remember that I like social interactions, or maybe I don't want my mind to have the chance to go into dangerous territory.

"Zuko?" I call tentatively.

"Mm?" He shifts but doesn't roll over.

"Can we talk about something…?"

I can't see his face, but I know his brow has furrowed. He probably doesn't understand. This is a bit of an odd request.

He rolls onto his back and looks over at me. "What do you want to talk about...?"

"Anything but new Avatars and the new world order."

Zuko frowns. "You do realize I'm horrible at this kind of thing?"

"Then just…tell me something I don't know about you." I sit up and lean back onto my haunches as I gaze down at him. "Something simple. Like your favorite time of year or your favorite color."

He sits upright too and folds his legs underneath him. "…I like spring, early spring when everything starts to bloom and come back to life. It isn't too cold, and it isn't too hot."

I can tell that time of year holds some special memory for him by the way his eyes glaze over. I am also briefly startled by how his eyes glow in the dark like hot, golden cinders.

"Your turn." His eyes lock onto me as if sensing my staring, and I shrink a little. Something about the gold in his eyes, especially in the dark, intimidates me. Is that inherited too? Are their eyes like that for the sole purpose of intimidating people and bending them to their will? If so, it is terribly unfair for genetics to favor them that way.

"Um." I nervously run my fingers through the ends of my hair. "Seasons are kind of hard for me. You know, because I grew up at the South Pole. There were just different levels of cold, but once I started traveling…" I flinch, the memory of starting my journey with Aang piercing my heart.

"Color," Zuko says immediately, anxious and desperate to divert my attention. "What's your favorite color?"

"I like purple," I reply without hesitation.

"Purple is nice…" he adds awkwardly.

"What's yours? Red?" I scoff, snickering a bit.

"I don't like red as much as you'd think. Red is more of an obligation than an indulgence."

He sounds like a prince, and Zuko rarely sounds like a prince. It's intriguing. Perhaps he was a prince often to other people, but around us, he was either a jerk or a callous young man. It is hard to pinpoint Zuko, though. He has all these layers and sides that contrast as much as the opposing sides of his face. He is nothing like my original opinion of him—at least not anymore.

"Then what color do you like?" I realize that I am genuinely curious.

"I like yellow more than red, but blue is nice too." His eyes meet mine again, and something tells me that my eyes are the blue he is talking about. My face and ears suddenly feel hot. "But I hate green."

My brow knits. "What's wrong with green?"

"Green…reminds me of my mistakes."

Ba Sing Se. He doesn't say it, but that is what he is talking about. Ba Sing Se, the Crystal Catacombs, and maybe even some of his other experiences in the Earth Kingdom. I can't really blame him. Ba Sing Se wasn't exactly a pleasant time for me either.

"Now that I think about it, I don't really like green either," I confess.

Zuko sighs heavily and folds his arms over his chest, looking uncomfortable.

I reach out for him, taking one of his hands in both of mine. I don't remember giving my hands permission do to that, but he looks miserable, sad, and wounded, and as a healer, it is my job and my instinct to take pain away.

His expression is nothing if not bemused as I hold onto his thumb with one hand and the rest of his fingers in the other, but his hand twitches in response to my touch.

"It's okay," I whisper even though I honestly have no idea what I am talking about anymore. Ba Sing Se? How he'd betrayed me? Aang? The Phoenix King? His reign?

"I don't understand you…" he breathes, but his fingers curl around mine.

"It's okay," I repeat, squeezing his hand.

He is so warm.

Zuko sighs then closes his eyes and lazily rests his forehead against mine, shaking his head. He looks at a loss. He also looks like he is in pain again, and my thumb runs across his skin as a result.

It is nice to comfort someone else for a change. It is liberating - like I have some of my old strength back.

His breaths are strong, healthy, heavy, and (no surprise) warm, almost like the steam that levitates off a hot bath. The breaths are right against my mouth, running along my lips, trying to coax them apart so they can wriggle inside and fill my lungs with fire. However, it isn't until I feel his hair tickling at my cheeks and his nose brushing against mine as he shakes his head that I realize just how close he is to me. I can even smell him, that smoky, earthy smell with spicy undertones-

It is so dangerous for two wounded, damaged people to be alone together. It clouds their judgment and makes them do things they wouldn't normally do if the circumstances were different. But the circumstances aren't different, so this feels…nice.

I stare at him, mesmerized by how thick yet short his lashes are, and how they caress the dark circles hanging under his eyes.

His eyes open and the intensity in them and the glow of all that gold mere centimeters from my eyes cause me to jolt and jerk away. Zuko doesn't seem fazed or surprised, though.

No longer as drunk on grief, the summer heat, that spicy, smoky smell, and Zuko's warmth, I release his hand.

"Try to get some rest," he says lowly as he lies back down.

I curl up next to him out of habit, out of some basic, primal need to be comforted by him. Apparently, he has spoiled me. I don't know when I became so pathetic, but I rely on him for this sort of thing. It is almost instinctive now. Anytime I feel sad about Aang and the loss of my hope, of everything I know to be true, I get close to Zuko simply because that is what I did after Sozin's Comet while we searched for the others. He was all I had then, and he is all I have now. He is what makes me feel better. He makes the pain bearable, and I am just desperate enough to accept that.

A/N: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!