From the pace that she had left the cave she suddenly stopped not to far away and dropped her head. This was stupid. She should go away and leave him in the cave to rot, so why was her subconscious telling her differently? This was the perfect moment to leave, and to make him feel the way she felt with him and his sick little plot to capture her friend.
He deserved this so why suddenly her feet couldn't move?
Sighing, there was just no other choice. Her maternal instincts that always kicked in for everything finally snapped inside of her and she soon found her feet leading her back into the cave where he still was positioned laying down facing the wall silent and not moving.
"Your back," he stated the obvious calmly, "Why?"
Setting the pack down easily at the entrance of the cave she went over to where she slept the night before and sat down. At first she didn't speak because she didn't honestly know how to answer that question. If she said: Even though you tried to kill my friends and I on numerous attempts, and capture me all the same I can't leave you die in a cave alone, so that's why I think that you should travel with me until we meet up with our parties and that's where we should part ways.
Yeah, that would work if I was part of the circus and was asking for a bone.
Thinking again she looked around at the walls until her eyes fell on him again. He wasn't his strong air-headed self, but instead as far as she could see from the back he was shivering and cold.
"You are cold," she stated sadly, and was about to get up and grab the pack when he held up his hand.
"I don't need your help," he shouted and sat up facing her, "I don't need anyone's help. So if you feel sorry for me or some kind of pity or guilt you shouldn't. You don't owe me anything for help-"he stopped there and turned back around lying down on the cold cave dirt.
He helped me. Why is it I can't remember, Katara thought? Things were still blurry so she guessed that that was how it was going to be unless he told her anything. But the odds of him of telling her anything she wanted to her were nothing to, actually, that's all it was.
"You know," she said shifting her hands in her sleeves uncomfortably looking anywhere but him, "You helped me last night, so that means I owe you one. It's not fair to have an uneven wager."
With her comment she watched as he continued to shiver, but he sat up on his elbows.
"Didn't you hear me before," he said through gritted teeth still with his anger, "I don't want anything from you."
It was a start in her opinion, not his answer, but that he wasn't so deadly calm anymore. It was more of the fact that even though she didn't want it to come out per says, but he was hiding something. Something was bothering him, and he wanted to be left alone on the outside, but what about the inside.
Why am I thinking this, she thought to herself, he doesn't have a caring bone in his body. He did save me though.
"You need to find a town, you are coming down with something, and if you don't get out of this cave you could die," she suddenly shouted clenching her fists at her sides fighting back the tears that threatened to fall in her angry yell.
Why wasn't he cooperating? Did he want to say here in the cave and die? This wasn't the normal him, and she wanted the normal him, so she didn't have to sit here and actually worry about him. I don't care what he's done in the past right now, but right now I don't want a death on the account that I couldn't do everything in my power to change it.
In her little thoughts the tears actually came to the rim of her eyes and slit down her cheeks. She did not whimper or anything but it was more in her anger that they came, but not really from her sadness. Her sadness was because he wasn't budging.
Sitting up he faced her as his appearance showed her that he was in need badly of medicine and a peaceful warm place to rest. He was paler than normal and the scar on his face appeared darker than it was normally. He looked at her and stared particularly at her eyes.
Standing up carefully he went over to her and knelt down right in front of her.
Though he was right next to her fear of him became noticed but her tears were still rolling slowly down her cheeks. His aura was cold and up close he was visibly weakened.
Taking his right hand carefully he reached out to her face but she quickly pulled away in the moments fear that he would strike her or something.
He quickly snapped back and his face snapped mad.
She slowly lifted her head and looked into his eyes, and instantly regretted her quick snap instinct. He was only going to wipe the tears from her face, not strike her. He wanted to get rid of the pain she openly shared when it happened, and now that she was scared and snapped herself way into her defense he was mad. It was the way it was when someone tries to help and the other person just backs away as if it was going to be differently.
"I'm sorry," she said and looked away. Now he was hurt in a deep way even if it was for a moment, and she was still feeling helpless in her defense to get him to leave.
"Don't, you know you have every right," he said and looked to the entrance of the cave.
Don't, you know you have every right. Was he going to strike her after all? Maybe he was actually starting to see how he came on to others has its hurtful moments, and that because of everything going on he needed to actually get a first hand bases of what it was like. Maybe it would change his perspective after all.
While he looked away she began to cry for real. Everything just came crashing down on her. This wasn't working out after all, her friends could be in great danger since the day before storm, she still had no answers and she began to actually feel guilty about her reaction when all he wanted to do was wipe it away.
Looking at her now he was confused yet he wasn't mad but a frown still plastered his face.
Wiping her own tears away this time she caught him out the corner of her eye staring at her as if he caused it.
As if they were having a silent conversation she answered, "I'm just really stressed."
Instead of frown now his face turned into curious, but was suddenly interrupted as he violently coughed.
Setting herself on her knees she reached a hand to his back when he violently slapped away, and hurled down coughing and vomiting water out of his stomach.
With the stink in her hand she stood in stance. Then an idea popped into her mind: even though he was in no condition to fight she could challenge him. With him being him he would not give up the opportunity; even if it was fighting a girl.
When he settled back into sitting she put her hands on her hips and said with as much muster she could present: "I challenge you! If you lose then you have to leave with me."
"You know as very," he paused to cough some phlegm out, "Well that this is so much as a disadvantage just so your scheme to work. But I want to leave. I don't want anyone owing me anything so I agree that we will go to town, but at the town we split way." He stood up fixing himself and walked a few feet before looking over his shoulder, "We're even."
Wiping her eyes she fixed herself up. He on the other hand took the pack and used the blanket to protect himself against the harsh winds.
Walking with him was like walking with someone you've just met and they asked you to show them how to get somewhere. It's very awkward and it wasn't like when she was with her friends. With them Sakka either had something to say, or do, and there was always something funny going on.
But it was quick pace because he stopped for nothing or stopped to observe anything, and soon enough structures came into view and people.
Many people appeared.
Stopping on top of the hills they observed that all the people were wearing green so that must've meant that they were refugees.
"Do you think its safe," she caught herself blurting. Looking at him she hoped that he would answer, but caught the site of his deadly self; pale and with his eyes closed as if he was trying to subside from something. His shaking was more visible now as in tremors.
"We have to go," she said and grabbed the blanket which he wrapped around himself from the cold, and to her surprised he dragged along.
The town was in ruined but stood still and was heavily crowded. Many people stood on the outside of building with looks in their eyes that said a lot. It described their anger, their suffering, the need for revenge and the need to get someone or something to take what they had or worse off kill them.
Walking with him and these people his sense perked up and he was alert at the looks from the people and the evil plot in their eyes and the shine of weapons hidden amongst them if worse came to worse.
But before any of the hopeful fights he hoped to come across they spotted a small like structure which a witch doctor owned and they went in hopefully.
Inside it smelled of many herbs and medicines and there were many all over the place.
The witch doctor which she hoped would help them had her back to them and the clang from the opening of the door brought out her reply: "If you don't have any money you have to leave now."
Katara never thought of that. Of course they would want money, but she didn't have any. Dragging him all this way and for what, it was for a waste of time.
"Here," he whispered very close to her ear which she felt that sent her a shiver, and he grabbed her hand positioned lowly and slipped the money in and closed it holding on for a moment.
He should let go, her mind was telling her. It felt just so wrong to be like that, and the warmth from his fever and his body was just to much.
Letting go she gave half of it to the lady and she brought them to a room where there was just a cloth on the floor and Zuko actually obeyed for once and lied down while she observed him and went into her room and came back out with a medicine which she instructed him to drink.
Luckily for the both of them they had the stay for the night since they paid the money. The sun was setting and many more people came in to see the witch doctor and were placed in the same area. There was enough room for everyone to be in there and for the personal space everyone needed to not be on top of everyone.
There were just to many people there. There were men in their though. Some had a look in there eye and she shuttered to think about them. Looking down at Zuko he was asleep and in his sleep from besides being weakened he looked at peace for once.
Tonight she had to be his caretaker and watch out for him since he wasn't going to conscious for quite sometime. With darkness creeping in she looked for the closest thing to protect her, a blade that he had laying next to him she picked it up and held it. Sitting at his feet she put her knees to her chest and let tears from her eyes. She didn't know why, but she felt so helpless.
Hope you've enjoyed this. Let me know. I thought this was my best chapter yet. Take care. Review!