Blood and Tears

Chapter Five

When Zuko opened his eyes, he found himself back home in the throne room, and in the presence of … he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Father?"

His Father turned around to face him, a look of question upon his face.

"What?" came his Father's voice.

Zuko realized he was not showing his Father the proper respect he needed too. So he quickly moved from lying to a kneeling and then a bowing position with his face to the floor and his one good hand to his forehead on the floor. He still couldn't move his other arm. He realized he was wearing his royal robes. Zuko took this as a good sign, but the question in his Father's face, he took as disapproval.

"I am sorry Father." Zuko apologized still in the bowing position.

"Sorry for what?" his Father asked.

Zuko looked up at his Father. Of course his Father would make him face his failures.

"I am sorry Father," Zuko began. He always found it hard to talk to his Father, especially since his Mother was gone. "You banished me and tasked me with capturing the Avatar. I have spent three long years trying to complete this task. Now with the Avatar gone, I can no longer regain my honour." Zuko couldn't take it anymore. He knew he would seem weak to his Father, but he was desperate. Tears were beginning to fall, he bowed to his Father again so he wouldn't see. "Please Father, take me back. I promise I will be the son you always wanted. I will never fail you again. Please Father."

Zuko sobbed silently as he waited for his Father to respond. But when non came, he treid one more time.

"I have learned so much Father." Zuko stayed bowed down, still hiding the tears that refused to stop falling. "I am stronger now than I have ever been."

Zuko tried to take a deep breath, but his chest was starting to hurt. He couldn't understand why his Father wasn't saying anything to him. Was he still a failure in his Father's eyes? But then why was he dressed in his royal robes? The pain was getting greater, and so was Zuko's desperation.

"Please Father," he tried again "Please give me a chance to prove myself to you. To prove to you I am a loyal son. I promise I won't let you down."

All of a sudden there was an unbearable sharp pain in his chest. His good hand went to his chest holding it tightly to him. He was now in a ball of pain, and a scream ripped from within him. Everything around him was forgotten, until finally, darkness claimed him.

Katara didn't know what to do. She had been puzzled when Zuko mentioned his Father, as though he had been right there. She had begun to think that she had heard him wrong. But when she looked at him and saw his eyes glazed over like glass, and then saw him bow to her speaking as though she were his Father, it hit her. He was hallucinating.

Katara had frantically gone through her memories trying to figure out what to do. She remembered seeing that glassy look before, a long time ago. Then she remembered. GranGran had helped care for one of the tribesmen after the second raid, the one that found her Mother dead. At one point he had become so sick that his eyes glassed over and he began seeing things. At one point he had seen GranGran as an old friend of his long gone. GranGran played along and acted exactly as his friend, motioning for both Katara and her brother to keep quiet and out of site. GranGran later explained that during such a time people are at their weakest and its they bodies way of letting out what troubles them and anything that kept trapped deep inside. She told them that when faced with someone going through such a state, one must act the part that the other see them as. It helps with the healing process. But you have to be careful because you could cause a lot of harm too.

Fortunately for GranGran, she knew about both sides, their relationship and the situation being addressed at the time. But Katara on the other hand, knew nothing. And with the reaction to her question, she was doing more harm than any good. For now Zuko was bowing down to her – well his Father – again, but not before she saw the tears.

Katara, not knowing what to do, just stood there wishing her GranGran was there to help. She did decide that the best thing was for her to stay silent. Though this didn't seem to work either, for Zuko was getting worse.

Katara had never seen Zuko like this before. He always seemed so strong, determined, stubborn, headstrong and haughty. And yet here he was broken in front of her - weak, begging and unable to stop crying. The next moment he was crunched in a tight ball screaming in pain. And then he was deathly still, not a sound uttered from him.

Katara continued to stare at him, but this time in horror. She thought he had just died on her and it was her fault. But what could she have done?

She cautiously went over to where Zuko laid still in a ball. She bent down next to him. He looked so deathly pale. When she gently touched his cheek, she was relieved to feel it hot. Yes he was still running the fever, and it had gotten worse, but at least he was still alive.

Katara gently moved him so he was lying on his back again. She figured it would be much more comfortable than scrunched up in a ball. And after what she had just learned about him, she wanted to make him feel as comfortable as possible.

Katara thought about what had just happened as she stared at the boy lying before her. She had always thought that the Prince had an easy life and that capturing the Avatar was really just a game to him and perhaps a way to increase his so called honour and ranking. Perhaps even another title. But after the ordeal, she wasn't so sure anymore. Perhaps Zuko was actually a regular human being. Perhaps under that stubborn and arrogant side was a boy just wanting to be accepted, who just wanted to be loved. She was beginning to think that perhaps the reason Zuko was the way he was, was because he was never shown love, and therefore didn't know how to give it. Perhaps he didn't even know what a real family was like.

She gently stroked his cheek with the back of her fingers. It felt so soft to her. He looked so fragile lying there with his skin so pale. He looked as though he could break easily, like a new born baby. Her heart went out to him and she gently kissed his hot forehead.

Katara's stomach rumbled which made her realize how hungry she was. So she got up and walked over to the pond. She knew she couldn't leave the cave to look for food, not with Zuko still being unconscious and the chain only going so far. But she hoped that she would be able to find some fish in the pond – that is if she could reach it before running out of chain.

Upon reaching the ponds edge, she scanned it for any signs of life. Unfortunately, there was non to be found. But Katara kept her gaze on the pond, it seemed to bring her a calming peace which washed over her. The bubbling center of the pond (which Katara knew to be the sign of an underground spring) created the calming ripples which found their way to the pond's edge. Then her gaze drifted to the cave walls where pattern's of light bounced off the pond to play on the walls around her. She laid down on her back and watched as the light patterns seemed to dance and at the center, the pattern was ever changing as though in a mad dance. She laid there watching it for awhile before finally getting back up again.

She looked over to where Zuko laid unconscious, and realized that now would be a good time to care for his wounds the best she could with what was available to her. At least while he was unconscious, he couldn't fight her over it, and make it harder for her to take care for him.

First she wanted to know how the water was for drinking. With there being a natural spring, there was more chances of it being very fresh and good for drinking. And sure enough, when she cupped her hands into the pond, she was glad to feel how cold the water was. Katara took a sip from the water she had captured within her cupped hands. She never tasted such refreshing water. It flowed throughout her body giving her an energy she didn't realize she had, the water was that refreshing and cold. She knew the water was perfect for Zuko. As soon as he woke, she would have him drink some of the pond water. She was sure it would help him.

Then she looked around the cave for something she could use for a bowl. She didn't want to dirty their drinking water with blood and dirt. But she knew if she couldn't find something, she would have too. Katara knew Zuko's wounds needed attending too, and that they should have not been left for so long.

She searched as far as the chain would permit her. And although she didn't find anything representing a bowl (which she could take over to the pond to fill up), she did find a substitute. She had found a small dip in the rock floor not far from the pond. She could fill this up with water cupped in her hands, and she would use this for cleaning their wounds and such.

So Katara spent a lot of time filling up the dip with water from the pond. It was a long process with only being able to transfer as much as her cupped hands could carry. By the time she was finished, Zuko was already awake and watching her.

Zuko managed to get himself into a sitting position as Katara brought him some water from the cave pond. When she reached him, she was relieved to see that his eyes were no longer like glass.

"Here, drink this." Katara said as she lowered her cupped hands so that he could drink the cold water they held within. "It's water from the pond. It's really cold and should help revive you some."

Zuko bent his head down and drank the water offered to him without so much as a word.

Katara could feel the heat coming off him as it began warming her hands, which were numb from her earlier task of transferring the water.

"Do you feel a little better?" Katara asked Zuko, when he finished.

Zuko gave a small nod in response.

This worried Katara. Zuko wasn't very responsive and very quiet. This was not like him at all. There was no trace of anger that always seemed to be upon his face. All that there was, was a child broken and drained of all life. This scared her. She couldn't imagine how she could survive with him gone. After all, she couldn't drag his body all on her own while they were still sharing the same chain. There would be no leaving the cave for food or anything.

Food. That's right. Now that Zuko was awake, it was time to venture out of the cave to the river for some fish, and anything else they could find for food and supplies.

"Come on Zuko" Katara tried to help him up. "We need to get some food."

And once again, without so much as a word, Zuko did as he was bid. Well at least as much as one could, being as sick and injured as he was.

And so they started their journey out of the cave and in search of some food.

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I am so sorry for the wait on this chapter and I shall not let that happen again. But there was a lot going on, what with my brother moving out and getting married. I haven't been able to work on any of my projects until recently.

Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter (it was becoming pretty long so I decided to break it down into smaller chapters). Please, leave a comment on what you think of it. I would love to hear from all of you. Thank you.