I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender…
The chapter name sounded cool so i kept it. I'm not so sure if the word's offical definition fits my definition, but oh well right? Enjoy :)
Chapter 5) Revelations
Katara led her two children around the wall of snow. Kasumi held Jia Li while Katara kept a firm grip on Tsun's hand. The boy followed obediently after his mother. Katara's smile grew as she saw the white mound of fur that before had been flying above the village. A crowd had already gathered, mostly children, welcoming the arrival. Katara felt a pang of jealousy as she realized Aang had visited Sokka multiple times while she had not seen him once since the wedding. She led Tsun and Kasumi into the growing crowd and smiled brighter as she saw her friend step off Appa's back. He still wore a bright grin, the same one he had when they traveled the world. He was still bald, and his blue arrow still looked funny. Katara let herself see the changes then. He was older of course; he looked taller. Katara wondered if he would have to look down at her now instead of up. She saw how he scanned the crowd of children before giving a more serious grin to the adults gathered. Katara pulled Tsun and Kasumi closer as Aang's eyes swept through the crowd. She felt his gaze linger on her after doing a double take. Her blue eyes centered on him as he opened his mouth, dumbstruck.
"K-K-Katara?!" he asked. Katara flashed him a smile and the crowd parted around her, where Aang's gaze fell. Murmuring spread through the crowd as Aang stepped forward and embraced her. She returned his hug and noticed he was taller than her now, though only a bit.
"Katara's here?" asked a voice Katara knew as well. Toph jumped down from Appa's saddle and slid on the ice. Katara watched as the blind earthbender regained her balance, thanks to Appa, and walked a few steps forward. Katara noticed Toph had on a pair of small boots; it would not be smart to walk around the South Pole without shoes. Ice and snow blinded Toph anyway, so the shoes made no difference.
"Toph!" smiled Katara. Aang let her go so she could hug Toph. Kasumi and Tsun watched as their mother petted the large furry beast when she finished her hug. After a few words from Aang and a promise to play with the children later, the crowd disbanded. Katara was happy to see Aang seemed to love the children who flocked to him. She looked to the avatar before her.
"It's so good to see you again Aang," Katara smiled, "I haven't heard from you since the wedding." Aang looked puzzled, but his question was interrupted by Tsun.
"Who are they Mom?" he asked.
"These are my friends," Katara explained, "this is Aang and Toph," she put a hand on each of their shoulders then stepped back and reached out to the bison, "and this is Appa."
"You forgot Momo!" Aang smiled. He leaped into the air with a gust of wind to aid him and landed on Appa's saddle. The two children watched as he leaped back down to the snow and held out a sleeping lemur.
"And this is Momo," he said.
"What is it?" asked Tsun. He reached out to poke the flying lemur when it opened its green eyes and flew backwards wrapping itself around Aang's head. Kasumi took a startled step backwards while Tsun laughed. His laughter was followed by a fit of coughing. Katara hovered over him while his coughing subsided; Aang watched them, concern on his face.
"Let's go inside and say hello to Sokka," Katara suggested. Toph nodded and the little group followed Katara back to the main igloo. Suki and Sokka stood with Hakoda and Mizu in the front room, waiting. Aang and Toph each hugged Sokka and came inside to the kitchen. Toph took a seat near the cooking fire and promptly pulled her shoes off. She still could not see, but having the shoes off felt better. Aang seemed a little apprehensive at starting a conversation the way he would have before; luckily Toph had no such inhibitions.
"So Sugar Queen," Toph laughed, "where's Zuko?" Katara laughed at her old nickname and could not fight the smile that spread across her face.
"He's back at the palace," Katara stated through a giggle, "where else would he be?" Katara was unsure whether Toph had not acted different to her new self because she had yet to see her or because she would always just be Sugar Queen to her. Either way, Katara hoped it stayed that way. She needed something the way it was before. No one replied to her question, but Sokka turned to Aang to get right to the point.
"You're heading to the Northern Water Tribe right?" he asked. Aang nodded.
"One of their messenger hawks found us as we were leaving an island off of Kyoshi," Aang explained, "we thought we'd drop by before we went north." Tsun sat down by the fire and put his hands close to the flames. He coughed a few times, the fire jumping erratically with each ragged breath. The room was silent during his episode. Suki broke the silence.
"It's a good thing you came," she said, "Katara needs someone to take her and her children to the Northern Water Tribe." Aang looked to Katara and smiled.
"I'd love to take you!" he grinned.
"Our little adventure has come full circle," Katara smiled, "it's almost like we're repeating it." Katara and Aang's eyes turned to Sokka expectantly.
"Oh no," he stated, "I'm not going! That was my least favorite part of our adventures. All your 'magical water bending' practice, pirates, getting sick, and eating frogs, no… I'm staying right here!"
"I seem to remember you enjoyed yourself when we got to the North Pole," Katara joked. His sister's grin was so contagious Sokka had to laugh; he was happy to see her so happy. Tsun coughed again and wrapped his arms around his legs.
"If you're ready, we can go now," Aang suggested.
"We can leave whenever," Katara explained.
"Alright then," Toph stated as she got to her feet. She pulled on her boots and walked from the room muttering, "more snow and ice, great." Katara laughed and helped Tsun to his feet. Kasumi, Tsun, and Katara followed Aang to Appa with Suki, Sokka, and Mizu right behind. The two children seemed apprehensive about climbing onto Appa, but Katara set the perfect example after hugging Sokka goodbye. Once they were all aboard, Aang sat on his bison's head.
"Yip Yip Appa!" called Aang. The bison lifted its massive tail and rose into the sky on a gust of air. Tsun and Kasumi latched onto Katara as they rose into the air. Katara held Jia Li and tried to comfort the two children the best she could. They flew over the ice walls and Katara gave her brother one last wave before he disappeared under the clouds.
"Aang," Katara sighed, "weren't you going to do something with the kids? Won't they be mad they'll have to wait for you to come back?" Aang raised his eyebrows in confusion.
"They won't have to wait long," the avatar said, "we'll be back within the year." Katara looked to the baby in her arms and sighed.
"So Sokka gets to see you twice a year and I don't?" Katara asked as she closed her eyes.
"The councilmen keep sending me messages saying how much everything is working out and that you and Zuko are really busy," Aang explained. He put the reins down on Appa's head and let the bison fly itself north through the familiar air space. "I've sent you letters, but you've never written back."
"I've never gotten any letters," Katara said, "when did you send them?"
"They were with the notes I sent to the council," Aang stated, "I only had one messenger hawk, so I gave it everything. I told them to give you the letters. I wonder if they forgot or got lost."
"They didn't forget Aang," Katara said, her voice solemn, "they've kept them from me on purpose." Toph looked to Katara, confusion apparent in her expression. Tsun still clung to Katara's waist, his golden eyes shut tight in fear. Kasumi listened to the conversation, yet she appeared to be gazing at the passing ocean, though her hands were white from her death grip on the edge of the saddle.
"Why would they do that?" Toph asked.
"Because if you showed up at the palace," Katara paused, "you'd see how out of control everything has gotten and how much power the court has decided it has." Aang noticed Katara's blue eyes suddenly take on a determined sheen.
"But the rest of the world seems fine," Toph spoke, "they must be doing something right."
"They are when it comes to the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes, but the Fire Nation is suffering." Katara explained, "I don't know for sure what those two are after, but they'll kill to get it."
"No," Aang said, "if you and Zuko think something's wrong, then I'll fix it. The point wasn't to punish the Fire Nation for following Ozai; it was to try and realign the elements again and balance the world." Everyone was quiet as Aang's words sunk in. Katara had not realized how much he had recently grown into his role as the Avatar. She smiled and leaned against the saddle watching the ocean under her pass by like an unbroken mirror.
---
Sokka watched Appa disappear into the clouds. He half expected to see Appa reappear to come get him because Aang had acted on a whim and decided that they needed to have him to go to the North Pole. Sokka made his way to the ice wall that surrounded the village and looked north. Then again, Aang seemed to have grown out of acting on his whims. Sokka wondered how long it would take them to get to the North Pole if they did not stop at every island on the way. He started to return back to the house when shouting got his attention. He looked down to the running men below him.
"What's going on?" he called.
"There's a Fire Nation ship in sight," replied one of them men, "it's flying the royal flag."
"Assume that it's the Fire Lord and send for an escort," Sokka ordered. He leaped down from the wall and hurried to the front gate. Sokka wanted to know what was going on in the Fire Nation. If Zuko's story and Katara's story were the same, then something was wrong. Suki and Mizu joined Sokka moments later. The Fire Nation ship was being led into the harbor.
"Is it Zuko?" asked Suki.
"I think so," Sokka replied. The ship halted and the nose lowered to let down the occupants. The five men were strangers to the Water Tribe; they glanced around apprehensively.
"Is Fire Lord Zuko with you?" asked Sokka.
"No, he is back in the Fire Nation," answered one of the men.
"Then why are you flying royal colors?" asked Suki.
"We are here to represent the court," the man in front of the group explained. The five men walked down to the snow and stood before Sokka, Suki, and Mizu. "They've inquired about the whereabouts of Lady Katara and the Prince and Princess." Sokka paused; Katara had told him that the court wanted to bring her back. They could not know she had been here.
"Why would she be here?" asked Suki. Sokka smiled inwardly. Suki always was one step ahead of him. The man hesitated.
"The lady was born here, her family is here," he stated, "where else would she go?"
"Katara isn't here," Sokka stated curtly, "if that's all you're here for, I'm sorry to disappoint you." Seeing that the straightforward approach did not seem to have its intended effect, the man switched strategies. Sokka watched as he slipped into a different role.
"You aren't worried- your sister-," he said hesitantly, hoping he remembered the correct relation between the lady and the tribe leader, "will be hurt or find herself in an undesirable situation?" He paused. "You do know she's expecting her next child any time soon."
"Katara's a master waterbender," Sokka stated, "she can handle any situation she gets herself into."
"Even in her condition with two children, the heirs to the Fire Nation no less, with her?" he added. Sokka sighed exasperatedly. These men did not know Katara at all; they severely underestimated her. If anything, his sister was extremely resourceful in any situation.
"I trust my sister's judgment," Sokka said, "but if I hear anything, I'll be sure to send word to Zuk- I mean, the Fire Lord."
"That is all we can ask," the man apologized, "We're sorry to bother you then."Sokka and Suki were slightly surprised that the man had believed their blatant lie. They watched the ship close back up and shove off from the ice. It was gone in a matter of minutes.
The blue eyed warrior looked to the north, hoping the Avatar would keep his sister out of danger long enough to accomplish what she needed to do. There was nothing more he could help her. Sokka turned and walked Suki back to the house with Mizu following behind.
---
The palace was quiet as the Fire Lord walked through the garden. Zuko had to admit he missed Katara more then he thought he would. Meal times were lonely; the courtyards were silent; and he missed the refreshing splash of blue in this red dominated world. He walked down a hallway and wandered past empty rooms. He had yet to have a meeting with the court since Katara's 'disappearance'; the one scheduled for today had been cancelled.
Zuko walked by the aviary and paused. A flutter of wings and an impatient squawk roused his curiosity. A messenger hawk flapped its wings on the perch near the open window. Zuko approached the bird and watched as it stuck out its leg. He took the message and held out his arm. The bird climbed on obediently and cocked its head to look at him from a different angle. Zuko smiled and brought the hawk to its empty cage and shut the door. The bird seemed to sigh and fluffed its feathers happily. Zuko opened the letter.
"To the Royal Council- the other messengers have sent in their reports and each of them carried the same message. Here is the brief summary, as I know you are all very busy." Zuko read to himself. He paused and wondered what the topic at hand was being discussed. As the Fire Lord he should know what they were discussing at least. He read on, "From Ba Sing Se- No sign here, none of the smaller towns know anything. From the Southern Islands- the people here have seen no one matching the description." Zuko was still unsure at what was being reported on. He concluded they were looking for something; the next location gave it away though. The Southern Water Tribe- her brother claims not to have seen her, but a fisherman on Whale Tail island reports he dropped a waterbender and three children there."
"Katara?!" Zuko asked the paper in his hand. The birds around him flapped their wings at his outburst. His mind was suddenly running wild. Three children? That would have meant that- Zuko cringed at the thought. He wondered how she had gotten so far until he remembered she was not in the Southern Water Tribe. Where could she be? He looked to the message for more clues.
"I'm sorry our boat has not reached the North Pole yet, we had some engine difficulty," Zuko read, "we will search the whole North Pole under the royal banner if the people their question us. Don't worry, we will find her, even if we have to turn the world upside down. You have my word- ~Your Loyal Assistant~" Zuko simply stared at the paper in his hands in disbelief. He had enough time to turn towards the door and rest the paper on the table before one of the court members appeared at the door. It was the shorter of the two men that represented the Fire Nation.
"Fire Lord Zuko," he stated, surprise in his tone, "I didn't expect to find you here."
"But you expect to find Katara by destroying the reputation the Fire Nation has worked so hard to build in the past fifteen years?" Zuko asked, his voice rising, "and by turning the world upside down, do you mean barging through doors and burning villages?"
"It's the common procedure," shrugged the man, an evil grin spreading over his face.
Zuko was too stunned to say anything. He took a moment to regain his focus and held out the letter to the man, "you'll probably being looking for this." The man skimmed through the letter, a frown replacing the grin.
"Aren't you worried Fire Lord Zuko?" asked the man. His question was laced with fake concern.
"About what?" asked Zuko.
"Finding the lady," stated the man, "it has been almost and a week and a half that she's been gone." Zuko avoided the question; Katara was better off away from the palace, if only he could get away as well…
"Do you really think she's in the Northern Water Tribe?" Zuko asked, "why would she go there?"
"We've searched the coasts and major cities and any spots where people knew she had been to. None of them were any good," the man said, "the North Pole is the last spot. There's nowhere left to hide. I've sent orders to search the city to the generals."
"But the people there won't let you in without a valid reason," Zuko stated, "I can't let you do that without first knowing if there is any chance that she's there."
"The order has already been sent out, all the standing army and navy will converge there in four days time, "the man stated matter-of-factly, "the command will be followed and the Lady will be brought back home." Zuko inwardly cringed at the mention of the word home; it was more like a prison. Zuko turned back to the doorway to find the man was gone. The Fire Lord left the room and walked halfway down the hall. He walked through a doorway into a large open room filled with columns and flickering candle flames. Zuko walked through.
"How's the puppet king doing today?" sneered a voice from behind one of the columns. One of the red candle flames turned to blue. Zuko did not even have to look.
"Go away Azula," he ordered.
"I didn't think you cared that much about the waterbenders," she said, her eyebrows lifted in question, "or maybe it's just one waterbender in particular."
"Azula," Zuko warned. He walked past her. She sighed and slid around the column into the hallway.
"All I'm saying, Zuzu, is that you've never been this depressed before. It's just since her departure that you've been acting this way," Azula stated. She examined her fingernails on her left hand. Zuko stopped; his back still faced her.
"What are you suggesting Azula?" asked Zuko, "since you seem to know everything." Azula stepped into the blue light from the candle on the wall.
"Go find her," she smiled deviously. Zuko turned to his sister and blinked in confusion.
"What did you say?" he asked. Azula rolled her golden brown eyes.
"I said," she repeated, "go and get her back."
"But I don't know where she is," Zuko stated.
"Don't you?" Azula smiled. Zuko watched his sister for a moment and realized she had heard his conversation with the man from the court.
"But I don't have a ship," Zuko stated more to himself then Azula this time.
"Do I have to do everything for you?" Azula stated exasperated, "you're the Fire Lord! You have a whole navy at your disposal!" Zuko nodded to himself and turned on his heel and strode back to the aviary. He felt Azula right behind him, keeping pace with each step. The Fire Lord entered the aviary and pulled out some parchment to send his massage. Azula peered over his shoulder.
"What do you want now?" Zuko asked, keeping his tone even, "thank you, by the way."
"I didn't just do this for you," Azula said, "I'm coming too." Zuko stopped writing the letter.
"What?" he asked.
"I won't let you have all the fun," Azula grinned. Zuko rolled his eyes to himself but knew better then to argue with her. With the court so concerned about Katara, no one would miss him for a few days. He selected the one hawk that knew where to go and rolled up the message in its pouch.
"Who are you writing now?" Azula questioned as she watched the bird take to the sky.
"Admiral Kalo," Zuko replied, "we'll need a ship."
"Perfect," Azula said as her familiar calculating smile spread over her lips.
---
An hour later Zuko and Azula walked aboard a large ship. The deck was mostly empty since all the catapults and large crossbows had been long dismantled. It was one of the larger ships that Zuko had managed to avoid being sunk to please the world after the war. It had since changed hands several times until the young Admiral Kalo had become its permanent captain for the last eight years. The man was one of the only military leaders who Zuko actually knew was not trying to brownnose him into a better rank and have their ideas put into effect.
He had been promoted to his role after the war had ended, only ninteen at the time. He had since been sent to help rebuild the Earth Kingdom and provide leadership and safety to the other men under his command and keep the pirating at the local ports to a minimum. He had done his job well and returned back to the Fire Nation only a few months before.
Zuko saw him as the start of the new generation of military leaders; ones who would provide leadership and protection without the hunger for power and ruthless killing. The Fire Lord just hoped he was not one of a kind. Zuko and Azula were greeted with a smile and a bow as the admiral walked on deck to meet them.
"Admiral Kalo," Zuko stated.
"Fire Lord Zuko," the admiral greeted, "Princess Azula," he added in a less friendly tone, but still cordially. He turned back to Zuko, "my crew and I are proud to have you aboard our ship." The Fire Lord nodded.
"Can you take us to the North Pole?" Zuko asked, "I know this is still part of your time off, but I need your help." The Admiral nodded with a confused expression. No one refused even a favor for the Fire Lord.
"Will it just be you two?" he asked as he called off orders to the rest of the crew and led them to the tower and the steering room. Zuko knew he was looking for Katara.
"Yes," Zuko stated. The main room's door opened and Zuko peered over the course map. "How fast can you get us there?"
"A little more than a week," Kalo said, explaining the course to the captain.
"We're in a hurry," Azula snapped. Zuko glared at her.
"Is there any way we can get there faster?" Zuko asked, taking a step towards him and away from his sister.
"We could probably make it in under a week, maybe a little less if all the engines are at full force," he replied, "what's the hurry?
"Katara's there," Zuko stated. He left the room; his sister followed before the door was closed, leaving Kalo alone with the navigator.
---
Night fell on the ocean and the great flying white bison landed on a small island. They had avoided the Fire Nation all together and flew towards the islands of the long ago Air Nomads. They landed on a beach and everyone slid onto the sand. Katara and Toph went off to collect wood for the fire Aang could now make for them. Soon, the flames licked at the air and warmed the area where they all sat. Tsun's attention, through his coughing fits, was held by the dancing flames. Kasumi had taken up the task of holding and watching her baby sister, Jia Li.
Most of their journey had been in silence. Only Tsun's bone jarring cough seemed to pull them back to reality. Aang's thought's always seemed elsewhere. After his conversation with Katara at how the 'court' seemed to be ruining the Fire Nation instead of helping the world, he was silent. His grey eyes cleared only when everyone's attention was focused on the slowly dying child in front of him as the boy coughed for longer and longer intervals.
Katara sat near him and kept a comforting hand on her son's shoulders. After each attack of coughing, his breathing was ragged and heavy, each breath a struggle. Kasumi watched her mother as she wrapped her arms around Tsun. He fell asleep on her lap, the fire light dancing across his face.
"We need to get to the North Pole faster," Katara stated, her voice lowered, "I don't know how much more he can take."
"We're not even halfway there," Aang sighed, "Appa needs to rest each night or we can't keep up at the speed we're going at." Katara sighed and rested her head on Tsun's shoulder, her blue eyes closed to keep her tears from surfacing.
Aang watched in silence. The fire flickered away as the sound of the tide and ebbing water filled the night.
---
Zuko stood on the deck of Kalo's ship watching the dark sky on the morning of the forth day they had been at sea. If the ship could make it to the port by noon, he could issue the command to halt the fighting that would surely ensue. The sun had yet to rise; the halo peeked out from below the horizon.
Footsteps echoed on the deck behind him. Zuko continued to watch the ocean as the man stood behind him waiting.
"Do you miss her?" asked Kalo, breaking the silence.
"Yes," Zuko said after a moment's hesitation, "more than I thought I would." Kalo was one of the more amiable admirals, but he, like the rest of the world, saw him and Katara as a perfect couple. Only Azula and the court knew of their imperfections, how their relationship seemed to be only smoke and mirrors. Silence fell between them. The sun peeked above the horizon.
"We'll reach the port in a few hours," Admiral Kalo announced. Zuko nodded and turned to make his way back to his room. He walked passed Azula as the sun pushed her from the shadows as she leaned against a wall. Her eyes flashed in the sun as she looked up to meet his.
"Liar," she sneered, a grin on her face. Zuko kept walking even as the words hit him. It was almost as if he could hear her train of thought, why do you need to answer to him?
"No," Zuko corrected, "you're wrong." He disappeared down the hall into the room he was given, leaving his sister with a confused expression which quickly changed to a knowing smile.
He wondered what had made him refute her claim In the first place. The Fire Lord started to wonder if he really did love Katara. He remembered the snatches of conversation between them that held softness and caring; of the times when he felt compelled to reach out and comfort her with a simple touch, and even when he found himself staring at her face, her lips, her ocean blue eyes for no reason.
Zuko tried to slow down his stampeding thoughts. The two of them had been pushed together under the worst of circumstances; he had never thought anything would bloom from it. When the two of them were still on opposite sides of the war he had noticed her, but only because she seemed the key to capturing the avatar. Then in Ba Sing Se he saw a different side to the waterbender, one that vanished once he tried to repent for his actions by offering to help them. He had looked out for her as a teammate would, but he had never loved her back then.
He had had Mai before. This feeling he had now was different from that one though. Mai was demanding and needy, Katara was willing to listen and to sacrifice for the good of a concept that even he had trouble grasping at times. Zuko started to wonder what his relationship with Mai really was, and if that was not love, was what he felt now for Katara the real thing? Zuko sat on the bed in his room with his head in his hands, trying to figure out his emotions.
- -
"Are you sure you don't want me to get closer to the port?" asked Admiral Kalo as he leaned over the railing while a boat as lowered into the water below him.
"This is fine," Zuko called up. Azula sat next to him eyeing the water with hatred. They both were bundled up in thick red cloaks against the cold. "Don't let the other ships see you," Zuko called, "we'll find you when we need to." Kalo nodded and disappeared behind the steel railing. The small canoe like boat touched the water and Zuko released the lines tethering it the large ship. He grabbed the double sided oar and slowly maneuvered the craft away from the ship. Azula watched her brother steer them behind some large icebergs. She had heard him tell Admiral Kalo that his ship must not be seen and that they could not get too close to the Northern Water Tribe. The tribe's villagers, even while they had sanctioned the way the new order was to be run, still were wary of the Firebenders and their remaining military force.
The sun rose to its apex in the afternoon sky as Zuko and Azula climbed out of the boat and onto the small section of ice that jutted out from below the wall of the village. The gathered ships still had not made a move on the village and Zuko hoped he could find Katara before the court decided on a plan of attraction. They ducked around to the main wall. The ocean water was only inches from where they walked on the ice. Zuko noticed the watchman he had seen before were absent, but he figured that they had all eyes trained on the Fire Nation's navy. The scene reminded Zuko of the siege that took place here sixteen years ago, without the fighting -at least so far-.
Zuko pressed his hands to the solid wall of ice and watched the heat he had channeled to them melt it through. Azula rolled her eyes after a minute had passed and her brother had yet to get through. She added her power and together they melted an opening through the wall and slipped inside. To keep anyone from noticing the gap, Zuko pilled and packed snow into the hole.
"Anyone who's looking can tell that it's not part of the wall," Azula said offhandedly.
"Good thing no one's looking," Zuko smiled. Azula looked away and started off away from the wall. Zuko joined her. He was determined to find Katara first.
---
The sun had already begun to set by the time Kasumi tugged on Katara's sleeve and pointed towards a large mass of ice. Katara followed her daughter's eyes and spotted their destination. Her heart dropped as she saw the Fire Nation's Navy moored just outside the tribe's harbor.
"What's going on?" asked Aang, "would Zuko-?"
"He wouldn't," Katara stated, "but why-"
"What's happening?" Toph questioned. Katara turned to look at Toph and remembered she was blind to the invasion sized navy on the ocean waiting. Katara knew that most of the ships had to be disarmed and destroyed after the war, but could not remember how many were kept. This surely had to be over the Fire Nation's limit.
"The Fire Nation's navy is here," Aang explained.
"But what are they waiting for?" asked Katara. Tsun coughed suddenly, his whole body shaking. "We need to get into the tribe and fast, but we can't be seen."
"I know," Aang stated. Appa descended so that he flew inches from the ice that would soon be the buildings of the Northern Water Tribe. The ice just before the city formed random piles and up-bursts that were large enough for Appa to hide behind. Katara slid down onto the ice and Aang assisted Tsun. The boy held onto Katara's arm once his feet reached the ice and snow for stability. Toph peered over the saddle.
"I guess I'll just have to stay here with the girls," she said, "I can't see anything anyway." Katara watched as Kasumi handed Jia Li to Toph so she could curl up in her cloak. The girl watched her mother with understanding in her eyes; she did not want to cause trouble for anyone.
"We'll be back Toph, Kasumi," Katara called, "don't worry."
"We'll be fine," Toph called back, "now get going Sugar Queen." Katara smiled and pulled Tsun gently along after her through the snow to where the cliffs dropped off into the village. Any normal person would have seen the cliffs as impassible, but with two master benders, there was nothing stopping Aang and Katara. Aang would have just jumped down but he wanted to be careful with Tsun; the boy could hardly stand correctly as he was.
Katara shifted into a bending stance and pulled a stairway of snow from the side of the cliff for them to walk down. Aang went first, Katara leading Tsun after him down the snowy steps. They came to the bottom and found themselves at the edge of the town. Aang forced the snow made staircase back into the cliff and looked around. The town was deserted. He wondered if everyone had already taken cover. The Avatar frowned as he let Katara led them over a bridge and towards the center of the village at a rapid walk. This was supposed to be a time of peace; even after sixteen years, the mistrust between the two surviving nations and the Fire Nation still burned strong.
Once in the shadows of the buildings again, Katara paused. The stillness of the arctic air had changed. The air around her seemed to have changed from calm nervousness to a tense anticipation. A red flare shot above the city and exploded into a small display. Aang felt the change as well and turned to Katara.
"Katara," he said, "stay here. I'm going to tell them to stop whatever they're planning. Don't worry; I'll make sure you find Tsun a healer."
Katara nodded as she watched Aang sprint away and around the corner. She noticed he had neglected to bring his new glider she had seen on Appa's saddle before. Tsun leaned against one of the ice walls of a building and looked to Katara. They stood in silence for a moment until sounds from the ship's engines rang in Katara's ears. She heard the telltale sound of the ships' bows crushing ice barriers and metal booted feet hurrying across the platforms. She wondered if the navy was attacking.
Her attention turned to Tsun as he began coughing again. It was a dry, ragged cough at first until he doubled over and fell to his knees, his hands holding him up off the snow. Katara wished he would have told her he was hurting from all the coughing as she knelt beside him. The boy was never one to admit he could not do something. Admitting it would be weakness. Katara would see to it that Azula made sure to tell him that asking for help when he was injured was not a weakness; it meant that he was being smart, since it was Azula's fault he thought like this.
Tsun began choking, his breaths coming faster and faster. The young prince knelt on the snow for a moment, his breath coming in labored gasps. Katara lifted her son to his feet and noticed the snow was speckled red under where he had been coughing. Katara's blue eyes went wide when she realized he had been coughing up blood. The waterbender knew she could not wait for Aang; she had to get help now.
Katara lifted the seven-year-old into her arms and wrapped his legs around her waist. She let him lean his chin over her shoulder as her arms wrapped across his back to keep him from sliding. She hurried down the path as fast as she could with his added weight, a fast jog, and made for the bridge ahead of her.
Before she knew what was happening she was on her back in the snow on the bridge. She noticed it must have snowed recently since small snowflakes stuck to her hair. She looked up to see what had caused her fall and was met by golden eyes.
"Well you found here," Azula smiled.
"Katara," Zuko breathed. Katara watched him through Tsun's hair for a moment. They must have collided when their paths intersected. Katara wondered to herself how she had flipped over in the air to prevent Tsun from being squished under her, but pushed it from her mind as she sat up. Another flare burst above them over the city.
"The troops are in the city Zuko," Azula commented as she looked down the canal. Zuko was silent as he picked Tsun off of Katara.
"He's too weak to walk," Katara started to say, but she noticed that Zuko had already situated him on his back, like he was giving him a piggy-back ride. Zuko grabbed Katara's hand, pulled her to her feet, and ran down the walkway. Azula followed behind them as Zuko pulled Katara so she kept up. At the next branching of paths Katara switched the positions and led the way.
"This way," she instructed. Zuko hesitated for a moment before following after her, but it was long enough that Katara felt it was now her hand that closed around his. She did not have much time to dwell on it though; the healing hut appeared behind the next turn.
"There!" Katara exclaimed. She rushed through the door and ran into the woman who appeared to be just entering her fifties. The woman fell backwards, the blankets in her arms falling with her.
"I'm sorry!" Katara apologized. She helped the woman to her feet while she stood in the doorway.
"Why aren't you with the others at the palace," the woman questioned, "everyone is supposed to take cover."
"Katara," Zuko stated softly, but firm enough to demand her attention. He stepped inside the building and the woman gasped.
"Fire Lord Zuko," she squeaked. Katara ignored her panic for the time being as she focused on Tsun's shuddering body. He was coughing again, but he seemed to be trying to hold it back. Katara turned to the woman.
"Where is the healer?" she asked desperately.
"I a-am," the woman said shakily.
"Can you heal him?" Zuko questioned. He was not going to leave Tsun with just anyone, especially not a second rate healer. Katara needed Tsun to pull through, and it had taken Zuko until this morning to realize that he needed Katara back in his life in one piece.
"Of course," the woman stated. Zuko noticed she seemed to think that he thought of her as incompetent and now she wanted to prove him wrong, "I'm the master healer of the Northern Water Tribe." Katara wondered what happened to Yagoda, but pulled herself to the present when she heard shouting and explosions from outside. She looked up and felt Zuko's hand on her shoulder.
"Are Kasumi and the baby safe?" asked Zuko quietly. Katara remembered that the last time she had seen Zuko she had still been pregnant with Jia Li. She wondered if it was the tenseness of the situation they were in now that made him seem not at all surprised about the baby being already born. She mused that he had found out already through the same source that had brought him here to find her.
"Yes, Kasumi and Jia Li are with Appa and Toph," Katara replied. Zuko smiled to himself and Katara imagined him going over the new baby's name in his mind. His smile comforted her.
"Good… don't worry," he said, "Azula and I will take care of it." He let her take Tsun into her arms and disappeared out the door. Katara did not let her mind linger on the fact that his touch alone had reassured her or the fact that he had promised to protect her. She set Tsun on the small dais where she had learned healing before and explained the problem to the master healer.
- -
Zuko stepped through the threshold of the building. Azula glanced at him from the corner of her eye and then looked down the path. Four figures appeared from behind a building and made their way calmly over under the light from the rising full moon.
"What a surprise that we might find you two here," the shortest man of the group said. Azula could tell he was not the least bit surprised.
"Stop your attack," Zuko ordered, "Katara is safe. Kasumi and Tsun aren't in danger."
"That's too bad Zuko," the man frowned. Zuko stared at the man who had caused him so much grief back in the court meetings at the capital. For such a short man, he was a big pain. Zuko recognized the other member who represented the Fire Nation at the short man's right, but he did not know the two men behind them who dropped into bending stances.
"I'm the Fire Lord," Zuko growled, his golden eyes flashing, "you will call off the troops."
"I'm sorry to be the one to have to tell you this, but you're no longer the Fire Lord," the man said with a grin, "the monarchy has been dissolved.
"You can't do that," Azula hissed. She pulled her cloak from her shoulders and let it pool on the snow behind her, out of her way. She might not have had on her armor, but she knew a fight when she saw one and was not going to back down. She grinned; she was going to enjoy this.
"You don't have the power to dissolve the royal line," Zuko stated.
"Don't we?" asked the short man. He took a step closer and Zuko felt himself tense. "The moment you and your sister left the Fire Nation, all the power fell to the court. With that power we held a meeting and disbanded the monarchy and replaced it with us. Since there was no one with royal blood to stop us, we now have total control."
"But the moment anyone of us steps foot back into the Fire Nation, your actions are void," Zuko stated, remembering the section of the document that they were pulling their power from. He had read the original document several times since the signing when he thought that the court was overstepping their power; they never were.
"That shouldn't be too hard to solve," the man smiled, "we'll just have to kill all of you." At some unseen signal one of the benders sent a stream of fire at Zuko. His surprise lasted all but a second as Azula came to his aid and blasted a hungry blue flame at the four men. Zuko sidestepped the attack and joined his sister. There was no way these men would get away with their plan.
- -
Katara looked up from Tsun's face when she saw the healer pull her hands back. The woman returned the unused water back to the small pool in the shape of a ring in the floor around them.
"So?" Katara asked nervously. She wanted to hear that her son was cured.
"I healed the slight damage done to his lungs from his coughing," the woman sighed, "but, I can't cure the illness."
"You have to be able to," Katara cried, this was her last hope at healing him. Why had she risked everyone's lives to come to the North Pole with the court chasing after her when she could have stayed with her brother just to know that Tsun would die? Katara closed her blue eyes as her thoughts composed themselves.
"What about the spirit water at the oasis?" Katara questioned. The woman looked taken by surprise.
"You know about that?" she asked. Katara nodded. This woman obviously had no idea who she was. When Katara sent news that the spirit water had healed Aang all those years ago and he survived the deadly attack, the Northern Water Tribe had been proud of her quick thinking and of Master Pakku's decision to train her and give her the gift in the first place. If she would have received Aang's letters, Katara would have known that she held a place of honor in the Northern Water Tribe; everyone supposedly knew her name. Except everyone also knew she was supposed to be in the Fire Nation, not running around the world like she used to.
"Will the water help him?" Katara asked, "that water has special healing properties, it can go beyond what normal water can do, and with a master healer guiding it-" Flattery always helped.
"It won't hurt to try," the woman replied, "carry him." Katara picked up Tsun in her arms and balanced him so he would not fall. The healer and Katara stepped outside the healing hut and found a small battle raging. Katara noticed the two men who represented the Fire Nation along with two benders she had never seen before, attacking Zuko and Azula.
One of the benders caught sight of the two women and sent a fire ball in their direction. Katara would have bent some of the snow at her feet up to stop it, but her arms were full holding Tsun. Zuko noticed and stepped between the fire and Katara, his arms wide as he stopped the flames and it was snuffed out. Zuko gave her a quick look and saw the woman pulling on her arm to follow. Katara watched Zuko, her mind buzzing on whether he stopped the fireball to protect her or for Tsun. Zuko knew that each second she stood there staring, they were all put in danger. She had to get away from the battle.
The other bender sent a series of kicks at Azula, none of which hit, but they landed dangerously close to where the healer's feet had been only moments before. The woman's knees buckled under her and she fell to the snow in shock. The shorter man pulled out a short sword the length of his forearm and threw it at the healer's stunned figure. Neither Zuko nor Azula were in any position to stop it. Luckily, an unseen force sent the blade whirling into the snow near her knees. The avatar appeared at the roof of the healing hut and jumped down to help the healer up. Once on her feet she pulled Katara's sleeve in the direction of the oasis. Katara stood still as a statue, blue eyes locked onto golden ones.
"Katara go!" Zuko ordered. Her concentration broke and she let herself be pulled from the battle and around a corner. She heard Aang trying to reason with the men before they turned another corner and it all was lost to her ears
As Katara stepped around the building and disappeared from sight, Aang stepped forward. Zuko watched the three men who were still in front of him and the fourth who was just out of his sight. Azula wondered what the Avatar was thinking as he stepped in front of her and Zuko.
"What are you doing?" he questioned. Zuko had thought that he would be able to figure it out. Obviously the four men were trying to kill them.
"Step out of the way Avatar Aang, unless you want to die as well," the shortest man stated. Zuko saw the blood lust in his eyes. The man walked to their right, Zuko and Aang's eyes following his every step. Without warning, a blast of fire came towards them as the two benders combined their attacks. Out of the corner of her eye, Azula saw a flash of red. The tall man used the distraction to follow after Katara and the healer. Azula took a step in the same direction to follow, than hesitated.
"Zuko!" she called. Her brother blocked a set of fiery punches and looked to her.
"One of them went after Katara," Azula called. Zuko's eyes went wide for a moment until he sprinted passed her as Azula blocked an attack headed for his back.
"Thank you," he mumbled as he passed her. Azula grinned to herself and took a breath. Lightning shot from her fingertip at one of the benders. She hit her mark.
"You're welcome," she smiled jauntily.
---
"Mom," Tsun whispered as another set of coughs racked his body. While the coughing sounded less painful, he was still weak; he needed to be fully cured before his body gave out on him. Katara watched as the healer opened the portal-like door to the oasis and stepped through. Katara followed her, hoping it would ok if they left the door open since her hands were full. The woman knelt beside the pool and Katara laid Tsun down in front of her. Tsun closed his golden eyes and tried to stifle the series of coughs that overcame to him.
Katara took a step back and heard a sound above her. She turned her head and saw Appa land nearby. The bison landed on a section of ice and slipped before regaining his balance with his six legs. Kasumi, Jia Li in her arms, slid down his tail onto the snow and hurried over to Katara.
Katara took Jia Li into her arms and snuggled with the baby for a moment before wrapping one of her arms around Kasumi. Katara turned to watch as the healer began her task with the oasis water. She leaned against one of the wooden poles that stood just a small ways from the pool to wait. The healer's expression alone told Katara that something was happening that was different. The water was being absorbed by something. Whether or not it would cure Tsun, Katara was still unsure.
"Is Toph still-?" Katara started to ask.
"I'm here," Toph called from Appa's saddle. Katara saw her wave a hand in her direction and smiled. Toph probably thought that there was no ground here so she was staying on Appa's saddle. The woman with Tsun pulled more water from the pool. Katara could see the two koi fish swimming in their never changing circle throughout the pool. She hugged Kasumi closer as she looked to the sky. The moon was bright and full as it peaked overhead. She hoped the power all waterbenders drew from it aided the healer with Tsun.
The silent moment was shattered as Katara felt a presence behind her; a glint of steel flashed before her blue eyes just before she felt the sharp edge of a blade pressed to the front of her neck. Katara pushed Kasumi away from her body. The girl fell to the ground on her stomach, rolled onto her back, and looked up at her mother, fear crossing her golden eyes. Katara cringed as her action pressed her neck closer to the blade; a thin line of red appeared where it cut her skin superficially.
"Don't move," the man holing the knife ordered. Katara obeyed. Her eyes flew to the entrance of the oasis when she heard footsteps. Zuko ran in and stopped when he saw Katara's situation. He took a few steps until the man with the knife shouted out at him.
"Don't come any closer," he ordered. He pressed the blade against Katara's neck; she winced. Zuko stiffened and took a single step backwards in compliance. The red line began to well with blood just under the cut. Katara tried to still her hammering heart.
"If you try anything I'll kill her, the baby, the prince and princess, and then you and your sister," the man stated. Zuko had never heard so many words come from this man's mouth at once. It was normally his partner who did the talking; he was always silently nodding in the background. Zuko would have never have thought of him as a threat before. He mentally cursed himself for not seeing this coming.
"Don't do anything drastic," Zuko said calmly, "if you'd just put the sword down-"
"No," the tall man stated. He looked to Zuko with confusion for a moment before moving his left hand, the one without the sword, from Katara's chin to where her shoulder and neck meet. "Why do you want her to live so badly? What's she to you?"
The question caught Zuko by surprise. Katara was stunned as well. The man seemed genuinely curious as to the reason though.
"You don't love her," the man stated, Zuko cringed inwardly, only his eyes giving his inner thoughts away. He continued, "so why protect her when you could save the others?"
Katara wanted to turn around and punch the man in the face, but her hands were around Jia Li. She wanted to tell him they had been teammates, they had worked together and had to compromise and get through so many situations; they had gone through hell with the court together. They were partners through it all. Though Katara did wonder why Zuko had reacted slightly to the man's statement. No one else could have seen it, but she knew how to see beneath the mask he always wore outside the palace. It was as if the man's words had hit home.
She closed her eyes and her mind ran with the thought as the man tightened his grip on the blade and slid his fingers up her neck slowly to press her chin upwards, stretching the already damaged skin. Her blood began to bead at the surface of the cut. Katara opened her eyes and saw why he had moved. Azula and Aang had appeared and each seemed to wear a different express on their face: surprise in Azula's case, and shell-shock in Aang's case, at her predicament.
"If either of you move, I'll kill her," the man threatened. Aang put his hands in front of his body, palms open, in a sign of peace and took a step forward. Katara hissed as the knife was pressed into her skin. A drop of blood slid down the front of her neck.
Kasumi blinked back tears as she lay petrified on the ground. The healer was still, her job done; Tsun lay with his head in her lap, his breathing even and controlled. Katara wished Jia Li had still been in Kasumi's arms. The koi pool was so close. Kasumi's feet were only inches away from where Katara stood. If the princess reached a little to her right, her hand would be in the water. Katara knew if she bent the water into an attack she would not be fast enough to get away unharmed.
"Why are you doing this?" Aang asked. He stood at Zuko's right; his face had a pained look plastered onto it, "what will killing Katara accomplish?"
"Once the royal line if gone, the full powers of the new government will be put into permanent effect," the man stated.
"The Fire Nation is fine the way it is," Aang said, "I-"
"You were too lenient after the war ended," the man said, "you let him keep the throne instead of giving the nation over to the newly decided court."
"What difference would it have made?" asked Aang. Azula raised her eyebrows as his emotions grew beneath his calm exterior as he continued, "you're both working to keep the world in balance!" His exclamation ignited a soft yet malicious laugh from the man.
"Why is that so funny?" asked Zuko through his teeth. His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides. Katara watched his reaction and felt the same way. The man's laughter sent shivers down her spine, though that might have been because he was laughing into her ear.
"The reason you shouldn't have kept the throne is because you don't have the want to be the best," the man explained, "once we would have had control, we would have used the cover of peace to infiltrate the world, then given the signal, and attacked. What do you do? You actually tried to balance the world and make everyone equal. Your father was right to banish you." Zuko narrowed his golden eyes as he moved to jump into a firebending stance to attack. The man grinned and flexed his fingers around the sword at Katara's neck. The blade suddenly burned at her skin, the metal unreasonably hot. Katara cried out and took a step backwards into the man trying to escape the heat. He pressed the blade to her skin even as she tried to avoid it. Another stream of blood flowed slowly down her neck. Katara's blue eyes were shut tight as her breathing became faster. Her hold around Jia Li was tense as she tried not to clench her arms too tight.
"Remember now Zuko," the man grinned, "don't make any sudden moves. I can make the blade even hotter if I want." Aang's fury was clouded by his confusion. He had thought that the man had only pressed the knife deeper to Katara's neck. Katara had not reacted this way before.
"What are you doing to her?" the avatar asked, his voice begging the man to stop without admitting the words.
"He's a bender," Azula stated with a calm voice. Her eyes were still riveted on Katara, "but he can't bend fire the way normal benders do. Firebenders like him can only focus the fire's heat to their hands and feet. Normal benders go one step further and can form fire. Apparently he can't firebend, or he would have done it already." She looked to him with an expression in her eyes daring him to prove her wrong.
"The princess is right," the man said, "I can't bend. But this is more much effective for this task, don't you think?" He pressed the blade into Katara's neck slowly as he sent more heat into the metal. Katara felt tears escape from her closed eyes as she felt the skin on her neck start to go numb from the burning.
"If you just wanted us dead," Zuko spoke, "then why did you change the laws about inheriting the throne? Why did you make more trouble for yourself?"
"Killing all of you would have been a delicate matter back in the capitol," the man replied, "instead we tried to use the section of the document that the leaders of the world drew up after the war ended that would transfer the power to us without incident."
"There wasn't any part in that agreement that would give you all that power," Aang said.
"Don't you remember?" the man asked, a grin on his face, "if either Zuko or Katara decided to terminate the union and separate, the original world leaders decided that the power would fall to the decided group after three weeks."
"I don't remember that part," Aang said as he looked down, trying to remember it. Now that he thought about it, he recalled skimming through the document only lightly before signing it that day. He thought that only topics that they had talked about would have been added to it. "Why would they do that?"
"Because they didn't trust me," Zuko answered for him. He recalled sitting and listening to the conversation of trust between him and the other nations. "Without Katara's tie to the Water Tribes, they thought I would launch concealed attacks at the other nations and take over. Exactly like the court is planning to do."
"So the part was added and she," the man said as he tightened his grip on Katara's chin and turned her face to face Aang, Zuko, and Azula, "broke it when she took the two heirs and left the Fire Nation." Katara took a deep breath and looked at Zuko. Her vision blurred over and she blinked, a new set of hot tears raced down her cheeks. She knew she should have been paying attention at that meeting. She had been so mad at the fact that they had chosen her to get married that her mind had focused on trying to get out of her task.
"As part of the court's job," the man continued, "we had the right to decide if her action was a break in the agreement; and we decided it was. Why wouldn't we, she finally took the hint we had been trying to send since day one."
"You were trying to separate us?" asked Zuko.
"While everyone else may have seen you two as the perfect pair of elemental opposites working together for balance, my partner and I saw the opposition repelling the two of you since the wedding. If there was nothing holding you two together to begin with, it would be all the easier to break you apart," the man explained with an evil sneer on his face.
"And you can see how well that worked," Azula said as she rolled her eyes.
"So all the rules and the time limits and the change in who can become an heir to the throne were to try and get us to hate each other and call off the marriage?" Zuko asked.
"You two held on tighter then we'd thought," the man growled, "we were about to switch tactics until she decided she'd had enough and left. But now, it would seem that you two have every intention of returning to the Fire Nation and keeping the throne. Too bad I can't let you do that." The man lowered his voice and spoke softer so Katara would know it was her to whom he was addressing. "As thanks for this opportunity," the man smirked in her ear, "you can die first." Katara closed her blue eyes and bit her lip as he tilted her chin higher. He pushed the blade slowly across her neck so he could make one swift cut in the other direction, but was stopped short by surprise.
"No," came a small voice. Katara let the breath she had been holding free and looked down in surprise at her daughter. The girl had sat up, her left hand curled in a fist, her right one hovering in the air as if she was going to pick up a rock and throw it at the man. Zuko was stunned. It was the first time either Zuko or Katara had heard her talk in a long time.
"So you decided to break your silence," the man stated with an amused look. Kasumi's golden eyes narrowed.
"You will not hurt my mom!" she exclaimed. She whipped her right hand around from behind her and closed her fist mid-motion. The knife slid across Katara's neck as the man fell backwards, slicing a deep but not immediately fatal cut. Katara sank to her knees and shifted Jia Li in her arms so she could touch her neck. Kasumi crawled forward and met her mother's eyes, a new determination burning in them.
"Are you ok?" she mumbled. Katara saw Zuko, Azula, and Aang rush in their direction; they moved passed them and converged behind her. Katara heard lightning hiss through the air and saw a flash of fire through her blurring vision out of the corner of her eye. The scent of burning flesh filled her noise and she coughed. After the quick attack, she heard nothing. She began to sway even though she was seated on her knees.
"Mom!" Kasumi cried. The girl took Jia Li from her mother's arms and held her with one arm while trying to keep her mother from falling over with the other. Katara's vision dimmed until her view of the world pulsed to the beat of her heart. She pulled her hand away from her neck and saw it coated in her own blood. The wound must have been deep. Katara felt the world start spinning out of control until her name brought her back.
"Katara," she heard Zuko's voice say. She felt her daughter's shaky hand replaced with his steady ones. Zuko leaned Katara backwards so she could lean against him. Katara tried to clear her blue eyes, but the world seemed to refuse to come into focus. She felt Kasumi crying against her legs, the girl's sobs shook both their bodies.
"Zuko," Katara heard Azula say. She wondered why it sounded like the princess actually cared; there was no malice or teasing in her tone at all. "He got her when he fell; the wound is deeper than it looks." Katara could have told them that, but she wasn't thinking straight enough to form the statement. If any of them had turned to look at Azula they would have seen the princess holding the blood stained blade to the light. She gave it a final once over and threw it at the lifeless, charred body behind her. Katara felt a hand at her neck around the torn skin, she cringed.
"Sorry," Zuko mumbled as he drew his hand back. Katara felt the others hovering around her. She could physically feel her eldest daughter at her legs. She hoped someone had Jia Li, because Kasumi no longer had her in her arms. Azula stood behind Zuko who sat with her head propped on his knees; Aang and another presence, who she realized was Toph, stood on her right side. Everyone was silent. Katara lifted her hand to neck again and was stopped in mid motion. Zuko caught her wrist gently and set it back on her stomach.
"Don't," he said gently. She saw a small figure rise at the edge of the pool and take a few steps to her. One of the Koi fish splashed at the surface of the oasis pool.
"The water!" Toph exclaimed, "Katara can heal herself." Katara responded with an agreeing ah-hm.
"Or the healer-" Aang's statement was cut off as he turned to look at the woman. She was lying on the ground.
"She passed out when you attacked," Tsun stated, referring to Azula's, Zuko's, and Aang's attack on the man. Zuko noticed he sounded more normal already; his voice no longer had the lingering sound of someone who had been coughing for a long period of time. Zuko stood and carefully lifted Katara. Her head rested against his left shoulder while his arms supported her under her knees and around her back. Her hands were folded in her lap as he moved to stand over the koi pool. The two fish, still swimming in their never ending circle, moved from the center of the pool to the edges, as if inviting the pair to join them.
Zuko surprised the watching group when he stepped into the pool. The water came to his knees when he stood in the center, and it was not cold as he thought it would be. Zuko slowly bent over until he was sitting on his knees in the pool; the water came to the middle of his chest. He felt his clothing and cloak absorb the water and let a slight chill seep through, but his mind was on other things. Katara lay in his lap, the water soaking through her blue clothing as well. The Fire Lord picked up Katara's hand and held it at the surface of the water.
"Katara," he said, "are you ready?" Katara looked up at Zuko. Just being in the water seemed to have helped a little; she could make out his face but not the details, it was really only his golden eyes she could focus on. Katara nodded. The water around her hand glowed bright blue and Zuko lifted it to Katara's neck. The bloody wound was slowly stitched shut as the miracle water healed the skin. The gash was deep, and it took a while until the blood stopped flowing.
Katara's vision slowly returned until she could see everyone once again. Azula leaned against the pole that Katara had not chosen to use before. Her red cloak was pulled tight over her shoulders in an effort to not admit she was cold. Kasumi and Tsun sat near Appa pulling his white fur through their fingers, combing it. They both glanced over in their parents' direction a few times to make sure everything was all right. Toph sat on the ground, tugging at the arctic grass in an effort to pass the time while 'watching' the infant. Aang, after seeing the situation was being taken care of, left to call off the navy and explain the situation. The others had left them alone.
"What happened?" Katara asked. Her voice was soft and she cringed after the words left her throat. "Why did he-?"
"It was Kasumi," Zuko explained. Katara simply relayed her confusion through her eyes.
"I don't know if it was a spur of the moment thing or if she could do it all along," Zuko said, "but she used water bending and turned the water from the pool into an icicle and hit him in the eye." Katara blinked a few times in astonishment. It was unbelievable, Kasumi had used water bending. It had taken her sixteen years to discover she had the power, but she had finally found it. Katara smiled.
"And what about-" Katara asked, her eyes searching for the tall man's figure without moving her head.
"Don't worry about him," Zuko reassured her, "Azula and I took care of him." Katara visibly relaxed in the water. The glow around her hand grew brighter as her strength returned. The bleeding at her neck had stopped, but the wound could still be healed further. Katara closed her eyes in silence for a moment as she let the events wash over her. She felt Zuko's heartbeat and heard his breathing as she relaxed further into the water and consequently into him. She opened her eyes and looked up.
"Zuko," she asked, "before, when he asked you why you wanted me to live," she dropped her eyes to the water and saw the black fish swim by her feet, it's dorsal fin breaking the surface. She looked back to his eyes. "You cringed when he-" Katara's words were cut off as Zuko's lips met hers in a tender kiss. The moment lasted until Zuko lifted his head once more. He guided her hand away from her newly healed neck.
"Does that answer your question?" he smiled gently.
I told you it was Zutara! Haha! Anyway only the epilogue is left. I would have a gooey romantic moment but it would kill the tone and I would butcher the scene beyond recognition. Tell me what you thought of it… Was anyone way too out there for their character (for what I've built them to be anyway), I tried to keep everyone as close to their character design as possible, aside from Azula because she's too cool to go crazy : ) …
I really love reviews, but I'm not getting a lot of them… it makes me want to cry.