WANTED

Chapter Four

Extension


The firebender, Zuko, was having a nightmare. Katara watched silently from her sleeping roll across the fire as he struggled and moaned in his sleep. She wondered, briefly, what was terrifying him so badly before she forced herself to wonder if she'd have to deal with additional noise every night. Sokka and his snoring was already a lot to handle.

But just as the thrashing and calling out seemed to reach a crescendo Iroh silently rolled over and placed his weathered hand over the young man's heart. The prince seemed to still almost immediately. She could hear the old man's quiet whispered and again wondered what ailed the young firebender.

"I should guessed you'd be up a this hour… so close as it is to a full moon." He said, suddenly directing his attention towards her sleeping spot. It caught her off guard and she instinctively shrank into her soft blue blankets. Iroh chuckled lightly at her reaction before smoothing his hand over his nephew's wrinkled brow. "But I suppose that's a good thing. I can never complain about someone standing guard, even if it is unintentional. Though I suppose it would be far easier with an earthbender in company. They're so very good at spotting a threat before it can be seen."

Katara smiled, recognizing the old man's tactics. "That's one of Toph's specialties." she replied, not bothering to hide her voice. Her cover was blown with Iroh, but that still didn't mean she wasn't going to keep up the charade when it came to Zuko. She had a distinct feeling that, at one point or another, it would be an important ruse. "But she's with Aang now, watching over him."

"And if you don't mind me asking, where would that be?" Iroh prodded gently.

"All I can tell you right now is that we will be walking four days to the east."

"Oh!" Iroh exclaimed, sounding pleased. "I have a very nice friend who lives in the east."

'I'm sure you do.' Katara thought to herself, wondering how the soft mannered old man got stuck with his ill-tempered nephew. 'Probably because he pissed off everyone else he knew.' She thought sourly.

Fire and blood filled his dreams that night. Faces he'd fought for seven years to forget suddenly flooded his vision. He could see his hands desperately trying to rip rock away from his cousin's body as he slowly burned. He could see his hands covered in his mother's blood; could see her face as she tried to smile in death.

His father's face lashed out at him… laughing at him, laughing at his weakness. He could feel the bile rise with his shame.

He could remember again, what it was like to be so young, to be charged with such a burden and failing so miserably.

Guilt, terror and shame threatened to overwhelm him.

"You are safe young one." He suddenly heard his uncle's voice cut through the images of blood and fire.

"I am here and you are safe." Slowly the fires began to die. Slowly only embers remained.

"We're going to right the past Prince Zuko. We're going to make your mother proud of you." Slowly even the embers began to fade; and slowly Zuko slipped into the darkness of a dreamless sleep.

The next morning Katara avoided both newcomers. She quickly and silently prepared a breakfast porridge and the group sat in a rough circle as they listen to Sokka tell an elaborate and exaggerated story about hunting a saber-toothed moose-lion.

As Katara packed her belonging back into her satchel, Zuko confronted her.

"I'm sorry about my outburst last night." He explained lethargically, looking at the ground and not bothering to meet her gaze.

Katara suspected his uncle put him up to it.

"I just, uhm…" he seemed to be thinking about what to say; his brow knit tightly together as a faraway look passed over his face. "It's not about his ability; I'm sure he's a great bender… I just have a hard time with the idea of having a fifteen-year-old training to face off the Fire Lord."

Katara couldn't help but admit that the confession surprised her. She could tell, from the brief displays of Zuko's firebending, that he was nearing mastership. He couldn't be more then twenty or so years old. It was a perfectly acceptable age for his level of bending ability, probably even a bit above average. She wondered why Aang's age bothered him. Again Katara wondered what Zuko's story was.

"It's just, I've fought Ozai, I mean, the Fire Lord." Zuko tried to explain. "It's going to take a lot more then a fifteen year old Avatar to defeat him."

Katara suddenly wanted to tell him that there was going to be a lot more then just a fifteen-year-old Avatar fighting his father. She wanted to tell him that he had no comprehension of Aang's skill. She wanted to tell him that age had nothing to do with their ultimate goal. She wanted to tell him that all they really needed was his uncle, and if he didn't mind they'd continue the trip without him.

But at the same time, and beyond a recognizable reason, Katara suddenly wanted to ask him about his scar, his banishment and why his struggled and called out in his sleep. The urge was strong, but brief. She could feel her own forehead start to crease. The urge to talk, however was overwhelming, so Katara was forced to ignore the Prince and his apology. Taking one last look at the seemingly flustered firebender Katara turned her back and continued packing her belongings.

A frustrated huff of air sounded behind her. "Remind me to forget about apologizes whenever it comes to you." He muttered before returning to his uncle's side of the campsite.

They walked until Sokka forced the group to stop just after midday. The day was hot and they'd just reached the edge of a small lake. "Look, I'm just a normal guy. I can't make ice whenever I feel like it and I can't say I'm unaffected by the heat." He complained, throwing the three benders a mild look of distain. "So I'm going to sit in the shade for and hour until my blood stops boiling, if you don't mind."

Katara rolled her eyes as she watched him unceremoniously collapse to the ground underneath a sizeable pine. They had been slowly making their way into the mountain range that lined the eastern coast of the Earth Kingdom. If they were lucky they would be able to get halfway through before tomorrow afternoon. Aang was supposed to meet them at the coast in four days and she really didn't want to spend any more time in the Earth Kingdom then absolutely necessary.

Zuko was still irritated at the waterbender for so casually blowing off his apology earlier that morning. He'd spent the first half of the day glaring at is back as they slowly made their way into the southeastern mountain range of the Earth Kingdom. Slowly the desert was giving way to small evergreens, and from there large trees began to fill the skyline as they climbed gradually higher.

But still, the rejection from the waterbender bothered him. He couldn't shake the look he'd given him. Usually he seemed disapproving or oddly blank. But in this circumstance, Zuko could almost say that the waterbender seemed… surprised. For what reason he wasn't sure and he dwelled about for the rest of the day. He was glad Sokka had insisted upon a rest stop. Zuko really wanted at least a few moments alone to ponder his future.

He never expected two Water Tribe brothers would wander into a Si Wong Desert bar and ask Uncle to teach a Boy Avatar to bend fire. He groaned again, thinking of his age and responsibility this group of strangers had heaped on his shoulders. Sure Ozai was a tyrant, his nation had completed the worst genocide in history and would carry out more if it could mange it. Zuko understood the necessity or removing his father from the throne… but to put it in the hands of a boy?

Zuko settled himself against the bark of a tree several feet from the edge of the lake and tried not to think about his own fifteenth year.

He had no idea where this was adventure was going to take him, he just hoped the scaring would be kept to a minimum.

Katara watched Zuko from the safety of the water. She had not expected the firebender to approach the lake and caught her off-guard. Thankfully she had time to hide behind the reeds before Zuko would have the opportunity to notice her. Not only would her disguised be ruined, but she was completely naked.

Twenty minutes later the firebender hadn't moved and wasn't even bothering to nod off. Ten minutes after that Katara decided she had had enough and quietly extended her arm, snaking it through the reeds into the direction of the distracted firebender. Drawing her hand into a gentle fist she willed the blood in Zuko's head to slow down and he quietly slipped into slumber.

A/N: I was blazing through this story, and then I had a mental lapse…. And then I figured it out and picked up speed again… and then my mom turned on the Monty Python's Lawyer's Cut and I was ruined.

Anyways, I would really appreciate some reviews. It'd be nice to know if this story is making any sense to anyone. Otherwise I'll probably be convinced to give up on this project. I've got a bunch of adventures planned out for this story and I'd really like to share them with you guys.