So. Hi. It has been a very long time since I've written. You may be able to tell since I can't remember a good portion of what's happened in this story. So, we'll see how this goes. Why the sudden update? To prevent the growth of fungi. *wink wink* I will reread my story later and fix it up a bit, but for now, imma just write like the wind. I should be studying for a geometry test tomorrow, but I think I can handle one hour less of studying. So, without further ado, I present to you the next chapter in The Rising of a New Sun. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Don't own it. Wish I did. Moving on.
Katara's eyes fluttered open. She was in a bright, red room. The ceiling was at least six feet above her head, and it was curved at the very center.
There was a sunny beam of light coming in through the windows that were as tall as the ceiling. There were also billowy curtains floating in the gentle breeze. She turned her head to the side and noticed where she was laying.
Katara happened to be situated on a startlingly large bed covered in silk, baby blue sheets. 'Huh…' she thought to herself. It was more than a little strange that the color scheme was so suited to her own tastes—she had always loved blue, but being in the Fire Nation for so long on her travels with Aang, Toph, Sokka, Suki, and Zuko had really made her love the color red.
Speaking of Zuko, where was he? Where was she? She slowly sat up and looked around the room again. She now noticed that there was a beach right behind the building she was in.
"Where am I?" she wondered aloud.
Something in the corner of the room stirred. Katara already had taken water out of a vase on a bedside table next to the bed and froze the figure to the chair.
The figure's head shot up. It was Zuko. "KATARA! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" he shouted angrily.
Katara breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness it was Zuko. Still, she retorted. "How was I supposed to know it was you? These past few months, I've been living in nothing but war zones—I acted purely out of instinct!" she said defensively.
Zuko groaned. "Who else could it possibly have been, Katara?" he asked, exasperated.
Katara was on her feet, angry. "Zuko, how am I supposed to know?" She thought back to the events that had happened before she had blacked out. "My father may be dead by now, and there may be an assassin after me. What was the deal with that, anyway? How long have I been out? What happened while I was out? Where am I? Who tried to kill my dad? Are they after you? Was it all a big mist—" She was suddenly cut off by a hand.
"Katara," Zuko said quietly. "Will you ever learn that if you're going to ask a question, you should at least wait for an answer before you move on to your next question? Now take a deep breath." Katara reluctantly obeyed as she cast him a glare. "Good. Now ask your first question again, please."
Katara inhaled again. "What happened to my father? Is he—" Zuko wagged his finger at her.
"One question at a time. Now, we know that it was Azula attempted to murder your father. I think you should know that her weapon was a knife, and for now your father is okay. He's in a pretty bad condition, but he's okay. We have the best healers in the Fire Nation working on making him get better. He's on a coma, but if he continues making progress like he has been recently, then he should be better by the end of the month. Next question," Zuko finished.
Katara thought for a moment. "Where are we?" she finally decided to ask.
Zuko sighed. It seemed as though he had been dreading this question for some odd reason. "We are on Whale Tail Island," he said quietly. Katara's jaw dropped. She was about to ask a string of follow-up questions, but Zuko held up a hand. "We don't know who Azula is after now, if she is after anyone. My council members and I decided it would be best if we were to come here in the case that Azula did come after us. For now, we have been told to stay here by the Water Tribes, Fire Nation, and Earth Kingdom. My guess is that if Azula is looking for us, she'll find us. So it's pointless to go looking for action where we can't find any. But on the other hand, we don't know what Azula is actually after. It could be anything," he spoke with a sense of finality.
"You sure do have an interesting family," Katara said slowly.
Zuko let out a cold chuckle. "I do." He lifted Katara's face up a little higher so she could see his face better. She suddenly realized how close they were, and she felt her cheeks turn a shade of pink darker. "Katara. I am so sorry. I feel as though I brought this on you and your family. I can't explain it, but I really do feel as though this entire thing is my fault. I promise that I'll do anything to make it up to you." His eyes had begun to water a little bit, and his pupils were a searing shade of gold.
Katara shook her head. "It's not your fault, Zuko. You couldn't have known that any of this would have ever happened…." She trailed off.
"But that doesn't change the way I feel, Katara. For some reason, I think that I probably could have prevented this whole thing from happening."
He moved over to the chair he had been sitting in originally and placed his head in his hands. Katara walked over to him and knelt down. "Hey…" she whispered. "It'll be okay. It's not your fault, and I don't blame you, and I'm sure no one else does either. Your sister is just evil, and that probably won't change. Don't blame yourself for her evil nature, okay? Promise me, Zuko," she said softly.
He took his head out of his hands. "I can't do that. It is my fault," he said with a twinge of sadness in his voice.
"How?" Katara asked, wanting to understand.
Zuko's lips twisted upward in a crooked smile. "I can't explain it. Just trust me. I blame myself, and that won't change anytime soon. So just forget about it. I am sorry, though. Don't forget that," Zuko trailed off, his eyes glazing over.
Being with Zuko, she felt a wave of calm wash over her. She didn't know what it was about him, but she felt completely safe despite everything that had happened recently.
She gave him a small smile. "So…" she began. Zuko cast her a look of curiosity. "What?" she replied to his gaze. "I've been asleep for how long, now? I think it's about time I had something to eat. Do we have to catch it ourselves, or is there some somewhere in this spirit forsaken place?" she said jokingly.
Her attempt at humor worked. Zuko chuckled. "Come on, you peasant. It's time you learned how us royals eat."
AN: Well, whatcha think? Short, I know. But it's all I could pump out while I am dying from too much school. :P Leave me ideas for what to do next! Cause I still don't know where I'm going with this….. Thanks for reading!