MD: Last adventure. I had a hard time writing the end of this, so I apologize if it's rather lackluster. DX
disclaimer: I only own the entire first season on DVD.

Escapade Four: Rage

Katara was not a happy camper. For one, she had yet to reach her campsite, so she wasn't even sure if she could consider herself a 'camper'. Two, she was stalking behind a rather arrogant exiled prince. Out of all the people to get lost with, it had to be him. She normally just tuned him out when he got annoying, but they were – she hated to admit it – lost, and he was her only company and companion. One minute, they were following Iroh, and the next, they were alone in the woods.

She grumbled something incoherent, and Zuko glanced over his shoulder at her. "What was that?"

"Oh, just complaining to myself. You already told me you don't care, so I'm not going to tell you."

He hmphed and faced forward, continuing to march onward. She stuck her tongue out at him, knowing full well he wouldn't see and couldn't do anything about it.

"Something's wrong."

She nearly crashed into his back when he stopped walking, but managed to cease moving inches from his body. "What? What are you talking about?"

"I'm not sure we're lost."

"Then what else are we?" she sighed, crossing her arms.

"Not sure. But I'm almost positive we've passed that particular tree three times already."

"Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"I wanted to be certain. Either way, let's keep walking."

She rolled her eyes, but fell into step behind him, swinging her arms idly. She wondered if she could calculate the right amount of force needed for her fist to smash into his back and make it seem like an accident. A devious laugh echoed in her mind as she took aim –

And found herself sprawled on the ground, as if tossed to her side. She had no time to contemplate what was going on, for her eyes landed on the image of Zuko slamming against a nearby tree, his right arm colliding with wood. She scrambled to her feet, as he shoved himself off, and hurried towards him. "What was that for?" she hissed.

"I didn't do anything!" he barked, careful eyes scanning the area around them. Two seconds later, Katara was thrown to the ground again, and Zuko doubled over in pain, clutching his stomach as if someone had just kicked him.

She managed to land on her hands, saving herself from a lot of pain to her back. She watched with wide eyes as his arms flailed out, and he was smashed against the tree again, but this time unable to lessen the blow. His face contorted in pain, as his spine met the tree head on, and he sank to the ground.

"Zuko!" she wailed, half walking, half crawling over to him. He put a hand to his back, wincing. There'd be a nice black and blue there shortly. "What was that?"

"Do you think I know?" he growled, anger evident in his eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine," he croaked out, maneuvering himself to get into a standing position. Something flickered out of the corner of his eyes, and instincts took over. He grabbed Katara and rolled, tumbling away from the tree as a blaze of off-blue fire soared passed the spot they had just been. They landed side by side, and Katara stared with astonished eyes at the inferno while Zuko kept one arm wrapped protectively over her.

"What the – "

She didn't finish her sentence, for another bout of fire was soon flying at them and Zuko shoved them both out of the way. Without hesitation, he was quickly on his feet, shifting into a defensive stance.

"We're obviously being attacked," he said, but there was no hint of belittling in his voice. She rushed to her own feet, uncapping her water skin and standing beside him.

"Where are they coming from?"

"I'm not sure…"

The words were hardly out of his mouth before what felt like a kick landed against his chest, sending him staggering backwards. Katara didn't have time to be shocked, for the ground came out from under her, and her abdomen had a date with the dirt. Above her, the temperature grew hot, and she knew another wave of fire was dancing above her head. Once the heat subsided, she pushed herself up, tilting her body to check on Zuko.

He managed to dodge the fire, but he was clutching his chest tightly. His gaze wasn't on her, and the next thing she knew, amidst shouts of "Get down!" she was crushed to the ground again, getting a mouthful of filth. He hoisted himself off of her quickly, jumping to his feet.

"Who's there?!" he demanded; his glare was dangerous enough to send a saber tooth-moose lion running for cover. After spitting up the grime in her mouth, she quickly climbed to her own feet, trying to make sense of what was going on.

"I will have revenge for my death."

Katara had never heard a more bone-chillingly honest statement, and the intonation of the voice sent a shiver through her whole body. She unconsciously stepped closer to Zuko, unable to tell the direction from which the voice had come.

"I know that voice from somewhere…" he muttered, and she looked up at him curiously.

A force stepped between them, tossing Zuko carelessly to the ground. Katara found herself rising in midair, invisible hands gripping her upper shoulders tightly. Her arms were compressed against her sides, and her eyes closed tightly in pain. She felt movement from her shoulder to her neck, and her lungs were suddenly being deprived of oxygen. "Zuko…" she hissed out, grinding her teeth together.

A blast of fire shot directly in front of her, and she fell to her knees, clutching her throat and gasping for air. He was at her side, a concerned hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked, and she nodded twice, slowly.

"Where's the fire coming from?" she murmured, still in the process of refreshing her lungs.

He shook his head. "I don't… sense anyone, and I haven't seen anyone."

She inhaled a deep breath, and turned her gaze on him. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he nodded. "You?"

"Considering I was being choked by something, just peachy."

Zuko grew silent, and Katara knew his mind was shifting into strategic mode, so she remained quiet herself. At the same time, her eyes drank up the area around her, searching for a hint as to what was going on.

Almost on reflex, she pulled a large supply of water from her flask, bending into a shield as another fume of fire shot at them. The elements collided and steam rose; Zuko was instantly back in action, grabbing Katara's wrist and pulling them both away from the danger.

"There's something weird about that fire," she noted, ignoring the unnecessary tight grip he had on her.

"Like what?"

"I don't know. I mean, I've seen different colors of fire before, but that one was…"

"Green." He stopped walking, and she nearly crashed into his back. He turned to face her, a contemplative expression in his eyes. "I've seen my share of firebenders, but never has the flame been that shade of green."

"Is there even such thing as green fire?"

"It's rare, but that fire…" His gaze fell on something behind her, and he grabbed her shoulders, pushing her to the side and rolling. She landed on her side and he on his back, barely missing another blaze of fire.

Without warning, Zuko groaned; his head tilted back and his feet bounced off the ground. He grabbed at his chest, as if trying to push something away.

"What's going on? What's wrong?" Katara exclaimed, making her way towards him.

"Something's… holding me down…" His words stammered in his struggle. He sent off a fireball in the air, but still could not move.

She manipulated the water into a whip, aiming it just above his body. She struck something, which was evident as the liquid splashed, but he was still trapped where he lay. She attacked again with her whip, inching closer with each step. Before she could get close enough, she was shoved harshly to the ground, the force strong enough to make her bounce. She cried out, wincing as she attempted to get up.

Zuko was finally freed, and he hurried towards her, helping her to her feet. "My back…" she whispered, the pain vibrating most near her tailbone.

"We need to get out of here. Now."

She couldn't agree more, nodding eagerly. He slipped an arm around her waist when she stumbled, her left hip screaming when she put pressure on it. "Oh, no…"

Zuko didn't question her; he saw it for himself. A wall of fire was converging on them from all sides. It crept closer slowly, as if promising an agonizing demise. She felt his hand tighten against her, and she swallowed.

"Zuko, let me go."

"What?"

"I'll make a shield."

"With water? That won't work!"

"You plan to use fire then? It's the only thing I've got!"

Sighing, he removed his grip on her reluctantly. She stood, but wobbled. "Brace me," she ordered, and he hesitantly placed his hands at her sides, holding her up. Nodding, she pulled all the water from its skin, encircling them in a thick bubble. "When the water's gone, use your fire to fight it off. Or at least enough so that maybe we can get through."

He agreed, watching as the fire drew closer. Quite suddenly, the water turned to ice, and both benders blinked in surprise. "But – I didn't!" she cried, waving her arms to melt it, hence the fire do it for her.

It remained frozen, and Katara backed up, colliding with Zuko's chest. Her mouth opened and shut, but no words escaped. The fire outside was barely a foot from them, and without thinking, Zuko pushed them both to the ground, covering her small frame with his larger one.

The elements met; the ice shattered, and the force sent a detonation blaring in all directions. Zuko chanced a peek, and his eyes fell on the fading form of a very familiar face.

Azulon scowled, glaring ferocious daggers at his grandson as he faded into nothing. Shuddering unconsciously, he clutched the girl beneath him tightly, burying his face in her shoulder.

Katara lifted her head, staring at the broken ice shards scattered around. She froze, her eyes landing on the hazy outline of a woman. Tears streamed down her face, as she willed her voice to scream out, desperately wanting to call out to the smiling shape of her mother. The older woman blew a kiss at her daughter before stepping backwards, slipping away beyond reach.

She began to shake, startling Zuko from his stupor. He sat up, pulling her upwards as well. "Are you okay?"

"I saw my mom."

"What?"

"She… I saw… She was standing…" Her eyes rotated to the spot she had seen her mother, and she shuddered. Hesitantly, he slipped a supposedly comforting arm around her shoulder.

"If it's any consolation, I saw my crazy grandfather."

She giggled a bit, relaxing against him. "I'm… guessing we're done getting attacked?"

He nodded, unsure of the weird feeling bubbling in the pit of his stomach as she pressed against him. The adrenaline that had been coursing through their veins was slowly dying away, leaving them in an almost euphoric state, if they weren't so fatigued. "We should… try to find the others."

She glanced up at him, the moment broken, and nodded once. Lifting herself, she hobbled before he quickly caught her. "Guess I still can't walk. I'll have to heal it, but I need more water."

"There was a stream by the camp." He pulled her arm over his shoulder, supporting her weight with his own. Before they got very far, leaves rustled and three bodies burst onto the scene.

"Katara!" Aang cried, taking in the panorama before him, eyes widening. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Sokka didn't know whether to be worried alarmed or angry alarmed; he did not like the fact that Zuko was touching his sister, but his concern outweighed it. "Katara!"

"I'm fine…" she replied, shaking her head. "Nothing I can't take care of…"

"Geez, Sugar Queen, what the heck happened here?" Toph asked, looking around sightlessly as her feet portrayed the area to her. From behind her, Iroh appeared at a much slower pace; his calm eyes looked around curiously as well.

"Can everyone just shut up so we can get back to camp?" Zuko hissed, heaving Katara up a little, unknowingly pulling her body closer to his. He wiped away a trickle of blood that started to escape his mouth. Aang nodded eagerly, sensing their need for rest and healing. Without another word, but after assuring Sokka that everyone would explain things later, he directed his group in what he hoped was the direction of their camp.

Zuko and Katara lagged behind, hiding the actual complexity of their injuries from the rest. But despite being exhausted, once their long awaited camp was finally reached, the two of them sat awake by the stream. In a sweet silence, Katara shifted the water between the two of them, mending the various wounds each had received.

Unbeknownst to them, Iroh smiled contently as he watched the act unfold before him. Perhaps Lu Ten had been wrong. Maybe Zuko didn't need his uncle as much as he thought. Perhaps a waterbender would suffice much more.

Just because spirits could divinate the future didn't mean they were always one hundred percent right. Chuckling, Iroh left them alone, anxious to get comfortable and have a nice night of sleep.

END

MD: That's all, folks. Hope you enjoyed my Halloween obsessive inspired Avatar fic.
And if the ending doesn't make sense - Katara's mom saved them. I don't know how exactly, but that's the idea. Yeah... Thanks for reading!