IMPORTANT NOTE!
Shortly after publishing this, I received a couple of confusing reviews, and going back to read over what was uploaded, I discovered the entire last scene was missing! So if you've already read the initial version of this update, then please scroll down to the end so you can view the final segment of the chapter, which was accidentally left out before. Sorry for any confusion!
The stairs leading up to the parapet of the outer wall were loose and unstable, and Katara had to pick her way carefully across the shifting stones: no easy task when one hand was occupied with a bowl of food. As she neared the top, one of the steps gave way beneath her, sliding out from under foot and forcing her to throw her free arm wide, gasping as she struggled to keep her balance.
As her body arched out dangerously over the courtyard below, her flailing hand caught hold of another, and a strong arm reached around her waist, swiftly pulling her toward the safety of the wide rampart. She stood there for a moment in her rescuer's embrace, breathlessly listening as the clattering flagstone crashed to the forest floor far below.
"That could have been you," reprimanded Zuko disapprovingly as he released his grip on her and stepped away. Katara continued to stare in dismay into the darkness below.
"What are you doing up here?" he demanded crossly.
"I was…I just thought…you might be hungry and," she stammered, still trying to calm her wildly beating heart after nearly plunging to the ground. Wrenching her eyes from her near doom, she finally finished coherently. "I brought you some food."
She held up the bowl for him and his expression softened as he took it from her.
"Thanks," he murmured.
The two sat down along the battlement and Katara kept her eyes on the shadowy forest while Zuko ate his meal. He had skipped both breakfast and lunch that day, and though he'd never admit it, she knew he must be famished.
"You know," she remarked idly, "that's the third time you've kept me from falling."
Zuko frowned in concentration as took a bite of his food, chewing thoughtfully while he tried to recall what three incidents she meant. The near accident just now was obviously one, and there was the moment she'd fallen off of Appa, but he couldn't place a third…unless she was referring to…
He looked at her in surprise as he remembered the Shirshu; she'd begun to slip off the monster's back, and would have smashed to the cobblestones face first if he hadn't grabbed her by the tunic and held her in place. The fact that she had remembered the occurrence was only slightly less disconcerting than the idea she considered it an act of concern for her welfare, considering she'd been his captive at the time.
"It's just a reflex," he mumbled noncommittally, returning his attention to the bowl he held and poking his chopsticks rather forcefully into his food.
"In that case, I'm glad you have such good reflexes," she stated good-naturedly.
An awkward silence settled between them and, suddenly remembering the extra canteen draped across her shoulder, she pulled it off and offered it to him.
"Here."
He took it hesitantly, and she noticed he drank only the smallest amount before replacing the stopper and giving it back to her.
"You really don't trust him, do you?" she asked quietly as she set down the flask.
"Don't you find it the least bit suspicious that the only person capable of verifying anything Jet says was attacked and rendered unconscious just moments before he arrived?" he replied irritably. "Or that he sent us to a location that has no water for you and Aang to bend?"
"No, I don't," returned Katara in mild exasperation. "Jet is our friend, Zuko; he nearly died helping us in Ba Sing Se. How could he know the water here had dried up, or that Toph had been attacked?
"I know you dislike him," she continued more gently, "and I don't blame you after what he tried to do to you and Iroh. But people change, Zuko," she said earnestly, impulsively placing a hand on his arm before finishing quietly. "You, of all people, should be able to understand that."
The prince gave her a doubtful look before letting out a short sigh, bowing his head ashamedly at the truth of her words; perhaps he was merely holding a senseless grudge. He kept his eyes cast downward as Katara got to her feet and made her way to the steps leading down.
"We gave you a second chance," Katara reminded him softly over her shoulder, "Maybe you should give him one too."
Left alone once more on the wall, Zuko stared out into the darkness, his mind a whirlwind of confusion and misgiving. His gaze fell to the canteen Katara had left behind and, setting the bowl of food aside, he picked up the water, staring at the container as if it held more than something meant merely to slake one's thirst.
At last, he uncorked the top and took a long, satisfying drink.
Laughter erupted from the campfire as Katara made her way back, Iroh having apparently just finished telling a joke of some sort, and she avoided returning Jet's steady gaze as he watched her sit down next to Iroh, as far from the young man as she could possibly get.
"So what's with all this?" Jet asked Aang amicably as he reached over and ruffled the fine, dark growth of hair on the young Avatar's head.
Aang's hand went self-consciously to his scalp and he gave a sheepish chuckle.
"We thought it might be a good idea to grow it out," he admitted, "the tattoo is a little conspicuous."
"It does make you stand out in a crowd," Jet agreed.
"I just hope it grows fast," Sokka added, ruefully scratching at the lengthening hair on the sides of his own head.
"Now don't start up your whining about losing the 'warrior's wolf-tail'," teased Katara.
"Hey, your hair-loopies are the next to go, Sis," he shot back. Katara tugged the twin strands protectively.
"I know," she said peevishly. "But we're still weeks away from worrying about that, and you and Aang need that time to let your hair grow."
"So…you guys are going to the Fire Nation," stated Jet incredulously as he began to comprehend the reason for their new hairstyles.
"That's where the Fire Lord is," answered Aang somberly.
"And I take it you're their guides," Jet said to Iroh. The old fire bender merely nodded.
"But he and Zuko are also teaching me fire bending!" Aang interjected excitedly. "Check this out!"
And before anyone could stop him, he breezed to his feet, bounding a short distance away from the others where there was more room. Katara was about to protest, but Iroh held up a hand and stilled her before she spoke. Sokka, however, leaned towards Jet, who was closest to the area where Aang was about to give his demonstration.
"Um, you might want to move back a bit," he warned the other teen. But before Jet could act on the advice, Aang began his kata.
He stepped precisely through the stances, his face a mask of calm concentration. Only Zuko had seen him successfully perform this set, and the Avatar was determined to do his teacher justice. With carefully controlled force, he lit up the night with flaming hands and feet while the others watched in awe.
From his post high above, Zuko also observed the performance, mentally going through the kata with Aang and anxiously watching for common mistakes. And each time the boy carried on without making one, Zuko unconsciously nodded in silent encouragement.
When the series of kicks and punches were finished, Aang placed his fingertips together, palms down, and settled his chi with a serene bow of his head. He was a picture of sedate focus…until the moment he looked back up at his audience with a triumphant, cheesy grin plastered across his face.
Everyone cheered and praised him as he sat back down, the water tribe siblings demanding to know when he learned to do that. And on the parapet wall, the prince couldn't help but smirk proudly as Aang's exuberant answer drifted up through the darkness.
"Zuko taught it to me this morning…"
Distant thunder rumbled through the overcast dawn, and Katara tossed fitfully in her sleep. Disturbing memories flashed through her dreams: angry tears of betrayal as she froze Jet to a tree, desperately fighting off Zuko when he tried to take Aang from the Spirit Oasis, Jet lying on the cold floor under Lake Laogai, Aang's broken body falling through the catacombs after Azula's lightning attack.
Next, she found herself on Appa, flying away from the Eastern Air temple under heavy fire. The saddle lurched and sent her backward over the side. But this time, there was no hand to grab hold of her at the last moment, and she plummeted into the void.
She bolted upright with a gasp.
Still disoriented from the troubling dreams and breathing deeply to try and calm herself down, she looked around the camp. Aang was curled up on Appa's side, Sokka was snoring blissfully in his bedroll, and Iroh snuffled occasionally as Momo's tail brushed the old man's nose, the lemur having made a comfortable bed out of Iroh's beard. The amusing sight went a long way in dispelling the horror of her nightmare.
But it wasn't until her eyes settled on Zuko, sound asleep on the pallet between her and Iroh, that she let herself smile. Apparently, he'd finally abandoned his watch to get some much-needed rest. It was the first sign of trust he'd shown since Jet's arrival, and she couldn't help but feel pleased that she may have had something to do with that.
Things were starting to look up, she thought to herself. They weren't attacked in the middle of the night, Toph was resting up at a healer, and Jet was…
Katara's brow furrowed as she silently rose to her feet. She saw the ostrich-horse still tethered nearby, but Jet was nowhere in sight. A rustle in the forest beyond the ruined wall caught her attention, and straining her eyes to see into the gloom, she thought she could make out a person moving among the trees.
Ignoring the ominous growl of thunder overhead, she picked up her water flask and headed into the woods.
"Sokka!" whispered Aang, shaking the water tribe warrior to rouse him. "Sokka, wake up!"
The teen grumbled something incoherent and rolled over. Meanwhile, Zuko sat up groggily at the disturbance, rubbing his eyes.
"Sokka, come on," Aang pleaded again, "I can't find Katara, or Jet."
This got Zuko's full attention, but Sokka didn't seem phased at all.
"They probably just went somewhere private so they could smooch," he suggested with a yawn.
The other two boys glared at Sokka with identical scowls, neither of them seeming the least bit pleased at that possibility.
"They've been gone for over an hour," Aang stated tersely.
"What?" snapped Zuko, on his feet in an instant. Even Sokka finally opened his eyes in alarm.
"Okay, I'm up," Sokka stated worriedly, throwing off his covers and getting to his feet.
"What's going on?" asked Iroh drowsily.
"Jet and Katara are gone," Sokka informed him soberly.
"Perhaps they've gone to check on Toph?" offered Iroh.
"On foot?" interjected Zuko grimly, pointing at the still present ostrich-horse.
"Or they went for a walk," continued Iroh optimistically, waving a hand toward the sky, "to enjoy this…" His words faltered as he noticed the dreary, low-hanging clouds, "lovely…morning."
The old fire bender started getting to his feet as well. Sokka was already pulling on his boots, and Zuko was untying his twin dao from Appa's saddle and strapping the scabbard to his back. Sliding his boomerang into its sheath, the water tribe warrior turned to Aang and Iroh.
"You two stay here in case they come back," he instructed with natural ease, "and break down the camp so you can get out of here at the first sign of trouble."
Aang and Iroh nodded their assent and began packing up the gear.
"Okay, Zuko. Let's-" Sokka began, but when he noticed the prince already heading into the woods, he had to run to catch up, calling indignantly after him as he did so.
"Hey, wait for me!"
Katara stepped quietly through the woods, following the shadowy figure that darted between the trees far ahead. Several times, she began to call Jet's name, but the growing fear that it might not be him she was following stayed her tongue. So she traveled in silence, keeping her eyes and ears open and hoping nothing bad had happened to him. She plunged forward until she suddenly found herself nearing a wide clearing.
Hearing low voices that she could not quite make out, she crept into the bushes to try and get a better look. But just as she drew near enough to see, the voices stopped and all she saw in the clearing were the retreating tails of three mongoose dragons.
Her eyes widened in terror and stifling a gasp, she backed away. Heart beating wildly in her chest, she turned to run back the way she had come, to warn Aang and the others, but collided with something solid that threw a hand over her mouth, stifling her impulse to scream. It was Jet.
She nearly collapsed against him in relief. Assured she wasn't going to give away their presence, he tentatively lifted his hand from her mouth.
"We have to get back and warn the others!" she whispered hastily. "Azu-"
"I know," he interrupted urgently, "Come with me."
Then taking her by the arm, he led her away; glancing back over his shoulder to ensure they weren't seen and followed.
Author's Note: I realized about halfway through the last chapter of this story that I've yet to mention the fact that Aang and Sokka were growing out their hair. There was originally a conversation and decision among the group that was part of a deleted scene from 'The Solstice Festival' that I forgot to work back in. And since I have a tendency to let descriptive details to be imagined by the reader unless they are crucial to the plot or character development, well…it got left out.
And of course, in light of recent spoilers it may appear that I've thrown this into the tale as a result of what has been revealed. I didn't. This really is something that has been planned for a long time, back when new hairstyles were merely a rumor.
I will say that the new looks I imagined for my story months ago are eerily similar to what has been shown for the third season (in fact, I nailed Katara's new hairdo...go me!). And after seeing the San Diego Comic Con footage for Book 3, I find that many of the ideas I still have planned for the remainder of my fan-fic may indeed be seen in the actual show (War balloons! Oh yeah!).
So anyway, I just wanted to put that out there. Not that it really matters how close or how far I get to the actual season three storyline, but I didn't want people to think I started changing what I had planned from the beginning just because we now know more about what will really happen. Everything in this set of stories is my own idea, despite any minute similarities to the real thing. I'm not even going to try and match Mike and Brian's vision.
They've got their story…and I've got mine.