Author's note: TGIF! Well, everyone, my friend postponed her visit until next weekend, so I'm posting at the usual time. Next week's might be early.
Thanks again to all the reviewers: AnnaAza, darkpassion89, hg-always, Jumpingbeans480, XxSparklesxxBrightlyxX, Katey123, secretsofadarkangel, Calchexxis, InItToWinIT, BlackMagicWhiteMagic, meggie-moo s, GunboatDebater, andtemariXshikamaruluva. You guys are super-awesome. With only 4 more reviews, I will be up to 100!
And now to resolve that literal cliffhanger…
Chapter 7: Fall
"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be."
-Lao Tzu (Chinese taoist Philosopher, founder of Taoism, 600 BC-531 BC)
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion; she heard Azula's mad laughter above them as they fell. Zuko held tight to her, and rocks pelted them as they fell. The sound of the air in her ears as they hurtled through the emptiness was deafening.
She realized they were nearing the water. Water. Instinctively, she bent the water up towards them to help break the fall. She moved her arms to bring a large column of water up to their falling bodies. Zuko saw the water rushing up to them; he held tight to her and angled his body so he would take the brunt of the impact.
The breath was knocked out of Katara's lungs when they hit the water. She heard an audible pop as one of her ribs snapped. She bent a bubble of water away from her head and quickly gasped some air.
Zuko. Where is Zuko?
She quickly scanned the water around her, and saw a figure limply drifting toward the bottom. She realized he must be unconscious. She fought against the pounding surf as she swam toward him. Praying to Tui and La that she would reach him before his body was smashed against the rocks, she shot towards him.
Her hands reached out and grabbed one of his arms. Even with waterbending, it took all her strength to pull him away from the rocks. She sank to the bottom of the harbor with him, and pushed the water away from them. She could only hear the sound of her own breathing in the small sphere of air.
Zuko wasn't breathing.
It took all her concentration to keep the water surrounding them from crashing down into the empty space while pulling the water out of the young Fire Lord's lungs. Beads of sweat formed on her brow as she pulled a ribbon of water from his nose and mouth. She was rewarded with a sputtering cough.
He rolled onto his side and began to retch as he emptied the salt water from his stomach. His arm hung limply at his side; his shoulder had been dislocated. He coughed and gasped for a few more moments; the sounds echoed in the small space of air Katara had created for them on the sea floor.
When he finally caught his breath, he looked up. If the situation hadn't been so dire, Katara would have laughed at his reaction. His eyes nearly popped out of his head, and he jerked back as he realized they were on the sea floor. Sea creatures lazily swam by, seemingly unconcerned with the strange beings that had settled at the bottom of the harbor.
"I thought it would be best to stay down here a bit before we surfaced. She's probably waiting to see if we survived," she explained, her voice echoing in the small space.
Zuko just nodded numbly, and winced in pain as he realized his shoulder had been dislocated.
"I can reset your shoulder, but we'll have to wait until we get back on land. I can't hold the water back while concentrating on your shoulder," she said apologetically.
Her breath quickened in the stale air as his good hand reached out to cup her face. He gently ran his thumb over her salt-encrusted cheek. She struggled to keep the wall of water from wavering.
"Thank you," he said, his golden eyes meeting her gaze.
She looked away. "You're welcome," she said quietly. She wasn't quite ready to think about the fact that she had now saved the Fire Lord's life.
"We need to get out of here. We've been down here long enough that Azula probably thinks we're dead. Even so, we should probably surface away from here. If we can find a low enough point on the cliff, I can waterbend us back up. You'll need to lose the armor though. It's too heavy," she said tiredly. The effort of holding the water at bay was taking a toll on her.
Zuko removed the heaviest parts of his armor, struggling since one of his arms was useless. He bit his lip against the pain his shoulder caused him.
"Are you ready?" she asked him. He gave an affirmative. "I can use waterbending to help you, but you'll have to try to swim. Can you do it?" she asked worriedly.
"I will do what I must," he said with determination.
"Take a deep breath, NOW!" she instructed. She let go of her hold on the water, and they were once more at the mercy of the currents. She propelled both of their bodies through the water, trying to reach a point further along the cliff wall. Zuko valiantly stroked through the water using one arm. When her lungs were ready to burst, she boosted both her and Zuko to the surface.
They looked up worriedly, scanning the area for any sign of Azula. The cliff appeared to be abandoned. She deemed it low enough to waterbend both of them up. The effort of stilling the current around their bodies was rapidly exhausting her, but if she let go of her hold, they would be smashed against the rocks.
She looked over at Zuko. He was holding his own, but his face was more pale than usual. It was time to get out of the water.
"Hold onto me," she instructed. Wordlessly, he grasped her around the torso with his good arm. "Ready?" she asked.
"Yes," he answered simply.
With that, she gave one more monumental effort to get them out of the water. They rose up on a column of water. When they were level with the edge of the cliff, she bent the wave over the dry ground. They fell to the dirt in a dripping heap.
Katara dragged herself up off the ground. Ignoring the searing pain in her side from her broken rib, she turned to Zuko.
"Ready to reset your arm?" she asked.
He winced in pain. "As ready as I'll ever be," he replied.
"Want a stick to bite down on? This is going to hurt," she offered.
He gave her a weak smile. "I think it's best that I don't put anything flammable in my mouth right now," he said.
"Ah. Makes sense," she said nervously.
Note to self: don't stand in front of him while resetting his arm.
She firmly grasped his limp arm. She had done this a few times before – some of her fellow warriors had dislocated various limbs during her time raiding the Fire Nation. As the resident healer, it had always fallen on her to help them.
She pulled, twisted, and pop! The joint resettled itself in the socket. To his credit, Zuko didn't cry out. The only evidence of his pain was tendrils of smoke escaping from his nose. He worked his arm slowly to test it.
"Much better," he told her. Katara took a deep breath, and stabbing pain hit her in the side. She doubled over in pain. The adrenaline of their escape had worn off, and now the agonizing pain was hitting her full-force. Even with these injuries, Katara knew they had been lucky; their injuries could have been much worse.
Zuko looked at her with concern. "What's wrong? Are you alright?" he asked worriedly as he ran to her side.
"I'm fine. It's just a broken rib. I've had them before," she replied tersely. He backed off at her angry tone. Feeling guilty, she said softly, "I'm sorry, Zuko. I'll be fine though – really." With that, she gathered some ocean water that remained in a puddle on the ground and held it against her side. She couldn't completely mend broken bones, but she could dampen the pain.
Zuko paced back and forth. "What do we do now?" he asked agitatedly. "If Azula knew we were going to be there, then what about Toph's diversion? What if they've been captured? What about my men? She said the scout told her where we had been staying."
He paled as a sudden thought occurred to him. "What about the town? If she and her group were riding eel hounds, they could have been there and back by now..."
Katara met his worried gaze. "We need to get back. Hopefully we won't run into her on the way back," she said worriedly. "Are you recovered enough to run?" she asked.
The look on his face made her glad that she was no longer on the receiving end of his wrath. This was why the world feared him. The man she saw before her would let no one stand in his way. Including his own sister. His eyes had narrowed into amber slits; his jaw was set and determined. The scent of fire filled her nostrils as some stray smoke emanated from his clenched fists. If Katara didn't know better, she would have almost pitied Azula in that moment.
"Let's go. Azula will pay for this," he said darkly.
Running on pure adrenaline, the two benders ran the few miles up the coastline back to the town. All the while, they were on the alert for any evidence of Azula's forces, but they didn't see anyone. The urgency grew when they saw smoke billowing in the distance. It was right about where the Earth Kingdom town that had harbored both Zuko and Toph's forces was situated.
They arrived at the gates of the town, gasping for breath. Horror laced their expressions as they surveyed the scene before them. Several buildings still burned. Bodies lay strewn about, either crushed with large rocks or burned beyond recognition.
Zuko felt pure fury run through him as his gaze landed on a small body crushed beneath a large boulder. Even as he ran to the figure, he knew who it was. The boy that had defied him. Li. A large sword lay just out of reach of the boy's hand; it sat useless in the dirt. The young teenager had been trying to protect his mother…who lay burned just a few yards away.
He sensed Katara move beside him. Her hand covered her mouth, and tears filled her cerulean eyes.
Zuko let loose a large plume of flame in frustration.
"Zuko, don't! What if they're still watching?" she cried.
"Then let them come! I will kill them all!" he yelled. His shoulders sagged in defeat. "Katara, how could she do this? To everyone! The women! The children!" he shouted as he grasped her shoulders.
Her next words would haunt him for the remainder of his life.
"Zuko, you have done this. Maybe not personally, but you have ordered attacks like this. It's not just the warriors that die, Zuko. You have exterminated people. Including my own," she said, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice. She stepped away from him.
He started to protest, but the words died on his lips. He couldn't deny the charge. He had ordered raids such as this. He hadn't specifically ordered everyone exterminated, but he might as well have.
Katara remained with her back toward him. Her fists were clenched at her side. He moved toward her to say something, anything, as way of apology, when he realized that someone was coming. By the sound of it, they were approaching quickly.
He grabbed the waterbender's wrist and dragged her into hiding behind a building.
When she looked at him furiously, he responded in a whisper, "Someone's coming."
Her eyes widened in understanding, and they waited and listened. They couldn't see much from their hiding place, and soon a clear voice cut across the distance.
"Sparky! Ice Queen! Come out, I know you're there. It's just me," Toph called.
Their shoulders sagged in relief when they realized it was the earthbender. They heard more noise as the rest of her battle group caught up with her.
Zuko and Katara stepped out of hiding to speak with Toph. The look on the young earthbender's face was furious.
"Her Royal Craziness knew we were coming! We arrived at their camp, and they were gone! So no diversion – sorry. Did you guys have any luck finding her fleet?" the rebel leader asked.
Zuko snorted. "Oh yes, we found her fleet," he answered.
Toph raised her eyebrows. "Okay, Sparky, what aren't you telling me?" she demanded, crossing her arms.
"Azula herself paid us a visit. She knew we were coming and where we would be. She appeared with her Dai Li agents when we reached the cliff face – she had them destroy the cliff beneath us. We're both still alive thanks to Katara," he answered, looking meaningfully at the waterbender while he spoke.
A sudden thought occurred to him. "I thought you could tell when people were lying. My sister said that the scout betrayed us – she bribed him with gold," he accused.
The earthbender's face became as hard as her element. "That's because I didn't hear it directly from the scout. He gave his message to one of my aides. As far as she knew, she was telling me the truth. From now on, I will ensure that I get any intelligence reports directly from the source," she said tightly.
Zuko looked over at Katara in concern. She hadn't said a word during the entire exchange. Her cerulean eyes continued to survey the carnage around them – carnage that Toph was just now beginning to "see".
"Zuko?"
He looked up in surprise. It was the earthbender who had spoken. She hadn't used a nickname.
"Yes?"
"I smell smoke. Things feel…out of place. They destroyed the town, didn't they?" she asked grimly.
The young Fire Lord could barely bring himself to answer. For the first time in his life, he was ashamed of his family and his country. Azula had done this, but he was responsible. He had carried on the war; only now, when it had reared its ugly face directly in front of him, did he realize the suffering that had been placed on the world.
A strange thought entered his head. Perhaps Katara was right. Perhaps there would not be peace even if the Fire Nation controlled the entire world. There would always be uprisings, and the Fire Nation would always have to smother them. He forced himself to look at the body of the young boy who had defied him mere days before. He had been trying to protect his home and his family. And now the child was dead.
Zuko pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind. He would deal with them once Azula had been defeated. If his sister emerged victorious, then the world would truly be lost. She would suffocate the people of the world with her rule. He couldn't let that happen.
He blinked in surprise at a sudden realization. A few days ago, his main concern about Azula had been losing his throne to her. He wanted to remain in control; it was his birthright. He had been worried about his own people. He knew she wouldn't have their best interests at heart; she would use them for her own gain. Now, while he still had those concerns, he realized he was fighting for the good of the world.
A new resolve came over him.
"We need to travel back to the Fire Nation quickly. Her fleet was still loading supplies – we will have a head start of a few days. She will be lulled into a false sense of security, because she believes I am dead. I am sure she will figure out that I live very soon, but we should perpetrate rumors of my death. I have already recalled my fleet, but much of the navy is far from home. It will take time to gather my forces," he stated as he paced back and forth.
Toph looked up at him sharply. "Who do you mean by "we"?
"I mean all of us," he responded pointedly.
Zuko watched the young earthbender cross her arms once more. She was about to protest.
"Wait a minute, your highness. I never agreed to cross the ocean to fight your battle in your homeland. We gave you our help, and your sister is leaving the Earth Kingdom. That means our deal has come to completion," she argued.
The Fire Lord made a conscious effort to dampen the anger that was rapidly rising in him. Mindless arguing would get him nowhere.
"I believe our agreement stated that the terms of our temporary truce would not be brought to fruition unless Azula was defeated. She is not defeated yet," he said, a deadly calm in his voice.
Katara shifted beside him, and finally found her voice.
"Toph," she began, a note of pleading in her voice, "please, this is for the good of the world. Zuko cannot gather his entire military in time to face Azula. As it stands now, the Fire Nation cannot face Azula's entire army with success right now. Perhaps if there was more time…but time is not something we have. She will set sail within the next couple of days," she pointed out. Zuko admired her calm persuasion.
Still, the younger girl resisted. "Look, that's all fine and good, but this is your problem. I need to take care of my people. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go find survivors," she said angrily.
"Toph, wait!" Katara called before Zuko could formulate a response.
The girl paused in her march away from them, but did not turn around.
Katara spoke once more, and a hint of anger had crept into her voice. "This may not be your problem now, but it will be your problem soon if Azula stages a coup in the Fire Nation. She will not only conquer the Earth Kingdom, she will use and abuse its people! She will enslave you all! Toph, I have seen the madness in her eyes! If Azula rules the Fire Nation, there will never be a chance for peace! The world will be led into ruin," she said vehemently.
Toph turned toward them, and crossed her arms in hostility once more. Various emotions seemed to flit across her face as she tried to determine the best course of action.
"And there's a chance for peace now? That's news to me! As far as I'm concerned, the Fire Nation has already enslaved the people of the Earth Kingdom. Why should it matter to us which tyrant is in charge?" she asked, her voice rising with every word.
Katara looked at Zuko with worry etched on her tan face. The Fire Lord was sure she was worried both that Toph would not help them defeat Azula, and that he would lose his temper with the impertinent earthbender and attack her. He sighed. As much as the girl's disrespect bothered him, he knew her argument was valid.
The Earth Kingdom girl was not going to pledge her forces to defeat Azula. All would soon be lost. He reached deep down, and threw out an offer that he knew the Earth Kingdom girl would be unable to resist. The idea had been playing through his mind ever since his arrival in the Earth Kingdom. Katara had been the first to plant the idea of peace into his head. The decision was difficult. He would be giving up so much of what he had fought for for so long. He would not rule the other nations; they would rule themselves.
"If you join us in our efforts to defeat my sister and her army, the Fire Nation is willing to enter into peace talks with the Earth Kingdom."
Both women in his company looked at him with open-mouthed expressions.
"Zuko…?" Katara said with disbelief in her voice.
His offer gained the desired reaction.
The earthbender looked at him, for once at a loss for words.
"Well Sparky, in that case, I guess we'd have to consider it," she said hesitantly, as if she didn't quite believe him.
"Well, think about it for a while. For now, we need to rescue any survivors," he said.
For the next few hours, they worked to pull survivors of the attacks out of rubble. Zuko had never felt more useless. He could locate survivors, but more often than not, Toph and her earthbenders were required to remove the heavy rocks. Katara was busy healing the injured. When it became apparent he could do no more, he met with his senior leadership and began formulating a plan for the defense of the Fire Nation against Azula's invasion.
Later that evening, Zuko sat wearily in his tent. His shoulder was still sore from the attack that morning, and lifting rocks to rescue the townspeople hadn't helped much. The earthbender was supposed to meet him soon to give her final answer on offering the Earth Kingdom Resistance's forces. He found himself wishing for Katara's presence. The woman had the ability to infuriate him to no end, but lately, he found her presence to be calming. He knew she was busy healing the people of the village. He had tried to tell her she needed rest, but she had nearly bitten his head off when he suggested she take a break. He decided to leave her alone for the moment.
Finally, there was a stirring at the entrance to his tent. He heard his guard conversing with the owner of a familiar voice.
Toph. She was here with her answer then.
"Enter!" he called.
He found himself once again wondering at the girl's abilities as she strode into his tent with confidence. Her blindness didn't slow her down in the least. She knew his exact position in the room, and she fixed a glare on him. He found it amazing that she could glare at him when she couldn't even see him.
She didn't offer any pleasantries.
"Fine. You win. Before we help you, I want a signed document that says the Fire Nation will be willing to hold peace talks with the Earth Kingdom," she said.
Zuko allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction. Perhaps they would win this after all.
Later that night, Zuko returned to the town to locate Katara. She hadn't yet returned, and he grew worried. He entered the hospital ward, and found her sound asleep from exhaustion. A bowl of bloody water was at her side, and a patient slept peacefully in the bed in front of the waterbender, the accelerated healing process having taken a toll on them both.
Katara's head snapped up, and she looked around in panic for a moment.
He leaned down and whispered to her. "He's doing fine, Katara. He's asleep. Come back to camp with me. It looks like you've healed them all."
She nodded numbly at him; her eyes were still clouded over with sleep. Zuko scooped the exhausted waterbender into his arms and carried her out of the stuffy building. The clear night air hit them, and Katara became more aware. He felt her struggle a bit in his arms.
"Just sleep," he whispered down to her. "I'll carry you. It's not far."
He was immensely relieved when she didn't fight him. He felt contentment wash over him when she rested her head on his shoulders and closed her eyes.
The next day was a blur as the combined forces made preparations to depart for the Fire Nation. Time was of the essence – Azula's fleet was only days from departing. It was imperative that they get a head start.
Katara had experience in organizing people and supplies, so she settled into a role of assigning warriors and supplies to individual ships. Zuko's fleet was to depart that evening. Katara, Toph, and some of Zuko and Toph's best warriors would be joining the Fire Lord on his flagship. His ship was the fastest in his fleet, and they would sail with all haste to the Fire Nation capital. The rest of his fleet would be close behind him.
Messenger hawks had been sent on their way, and the rest of Zuko's navy would soon be on the way back to the Fire Nation. He had also sent messenger hawks to the Fire Council in the capital, and they had been instructed to begin making preparations for a large invasion.
Finally, near sunset, all was prepared. She followed Zuko up the ramp into his flagship. She grimaced in distaste at entering the metal vessel once more. It was difficult to feel the water through the hull. She still missed the wooden ships of her people. She reflected on how her circumstances had changed from the last time she had boarded Zuko's ship. The last time she had been led onboard this ship, it had been as a prisoner. Now, she entered it willingly as a warrior. Her life had certainly taken a strange turn.
She stared as his straight and muscular back as he led her through the passageways of the ship. He had instructed his warriors to show the earthbenders to their cabins, and now she was alone with him. The last time they had been alone was their foray into the forest to discover Azula's fleet. So much had happened since then.
Wordlessly, he took her hand, and she reveled in the warmth that emanated from him. He led her up onto the deck of the ship, and she felt the ship shudder beneath her as the furnaces roared to life. She looked up at his face, and he was wearing a look of grim satisfaction as he watched the rest of his fleet begin to depart from the port.
She settled into his arms as the ship gathered speed across the waves. It was nearly sunset; this was their time. They had come to appreciate the time of day when the sun and the moon shared the heavens. Together they watched the sun sink below the horizon, and stayed until the moon was high in the sky.