A/N: I know this is really quick, but I had a day off today because of crappy weather (Yay!) and wrote the next 3 chapters. Sorry if Katara was a little ooc at the end, but she's been under a lot of pressure as the backbone of the gang. Hope you like the chapter, and R&R!
Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.
Chapter 9
Aang studied Zuko for a while. Katara wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and sat up straighter as she looked intently into the princes' eyes.
"And how are we going to rescue her?" she asked him.
"Knowing Azula, she'll take Toph to the war balloon. It's a trap and she'll be waiting. I've been inside these balloons while they were being constructed. They're not much different from the ships. This needs stealth, not force."
Zuko had kept his gaze on Katara until the last. He locked gazes with Aang and a smile tugged at the Avatars' mouth after Zuko finished.
"Do you still have it?" he asked Zuko quietly.
"Not the original, but yes."
Katara glanced from Aang to Zuko and back, her eyes narrowing. "What are you two talking about?"
Zuko and Aang both looked at her and smiled slightly.
"C'mon, let's get under cover. We'll have to wait till dark anyways," Aang said as he stood up, helping Katara up as he straightened.
Zuko nodded and followed the two as they walked to the valley wall. Aang stopped a few feet from the wall of earth and stomped his foot down. A small pocket of earth crumbled away, revealing a cave. Aang then proceeded to lead Katara in. Zuko glanced around again, making sure they weren't seen before following them inside.
He waited until his eyes adjusted just inside the opening. The cave was small, yet left enough room for them to move around easily, and plenty of room for him to stand up straight. Katara and Aang were already seated at the back, so Zuko sat against the side wall.
He watched as Katara opened her water pouch and bent the contents out and onto her hand, making it glow a bright blue. She then placed her glowing hand onto her shin where she had been burned and took a deep breath, relaxing. Zuko could only watch in amazement as the burn nearly disappeared, leaving only a faint scar where before half of her lower leg had been covered by the burn.
She then turned to Aang and laid her still glowing hand on his arm where Zuko noticed a small burn for he first time. He felt her gaze on him and was surprised when she got up and walked over to him.
"Here," she said as she kneeled down next to him. "I can heal that."
She gestured to his right arm where blood had soaked the sleeve of his shirt. Zuko remembered catching one of Mai's knives in the arm and raised the sleeve so that the cut showed. Katara pulled more water out of her pouch and placed a glowing, water covered hand onto the cut. Zuko braced himself for a stinging sensation that usually went with doctors and their antiseptics, but none came. Only a cool, balmy feeling came over the cut area, and when Katara removed her hand, a small scar was all that was left.
"Anything else?" she asked him.
"Yes," he said as he lowered his sleeve and opened his shirt so that his left shoulder showed. Katara drew in her breath sharply as she saw the burn that Azula had given him before the river had separated them. She quickly lowered her hand onto the burn and the same cooling sensation occurred there.
"There, that should be better," she said as she took her hand away. The water was gone, and the scar was larger than her own healed burn, but the burn Azula had inflicted upon him had been more intense than Katara's and at close range.
"I'll try and heal it more later, but its ok for now. Now, what are you two planning?" She sat back and waited for an answer with her arms crossed over her chest.
Zuko could only think she looked like a stern mother who had just caught her children about to pull a prank on someone. Before he could answer, Aang spoke up.
"Katara, do you still have your robe and veil?"
She looked startled and blushed, dropping her gaze to the floor. "Yes, but I don't have the hat or any paint anymore." She looked at Aang again, peering intently at him as if she was trying to read his mind. "But why would I need those? What's going on?"
Aang smiled at her and turned his gaze to Zuko. "Have you heard about the Painted Lady?"
Zuko thought for a moment. "Yes, she's a local river spirit, said to protect and nourish the river towns. There were some reports that she had truly appeared and destroyed an incinerator that was killing a river and its town. Wait…was that you?"
He looked at Katara as he asked her and saw her blush again. She raised her gaze to meet his and he noticed that her strength had returned to her eyes.
"Yes, I couldn't just sit there and let them suffer."
"Katara, have you heard of the Blue Spirit?" Aang asked her.
Katara thought for a moment before the memory surfaced. "Yes, he was all over the wanted posters with you in the earth kingdom. That was you?!"
Zuko sighed. "Yes."
Aang was grinning now. "Well, now we have the Blue Spirit and the Painted Lady, two they won't be expecting, and two who get by through stealth. I'll get you up to the balloon, and then you two can rescue Toph."
"I don't have a hat or paint, Aang, and those are two of the most important parts of the costume."
Zuko sighed and got up. He walked to the entrance of the cave and checked their surroundings to make sure it was clear before he stepped out. Once he was sure no one was there, he walked to the river and picked an armful of reeds.
On his way back, he saw some red ochre next to the valley wall and picked up a piece of the red earth before going back inside. He tossed the red ochre into Katara's lap as he sat down and set the reeds next to him.
"What's this?" she asked him as she studied the clump of red dirt and then looked puzzled as he started tying two of the reeds together.
"Red ochre. Mix it with water and you'll get your paint. And I'm making a hat for you," he said as she opened her mouth again.
Katara quickly clamped her mouth shut and studied him. "Where did you learn to do that?"
"When I was on my own in the earth kingdom," he answered her, never looking up from his weaving.
"But why?" she asked when he remained silent after his simple explanation.
Zuko looked up for a second and saw that she was actually interested before he turned back to his weaving.
"Uncle and I didn't have any money. I had to learn how to fix things, like a hat. It's actually a simple process. Here."
He handed her the wide brimmed woven hat which she accepted and promptly tried on.
"Thank you," she said as she took it off and set it to the side.
"You're welcome."
Katara stared at him. She apparently hadn't realized that she had said thank you to Zuko
"See? You two can get along," Aang said, smiling.
Zuko smiled back at the Avatar and saw a smile trying to tug at Katara's mouth. He frowned again as he thought about what they were preparing for when he remembered that Ty Lee had been able to touch him.
"One possible problem for tonight," he said and waited till both of their attentions were focused on him. "Ty Lee was able to touch me and I can't bend. How long does it last?"
Aang shrugged and looked at Katara. Katara looked deep in thought for a minute before answering. "A day usually, sometimes a little longer. Has she been able to poke you before? And how many times did she touch you today?"
"No, and just once, on the inside of my elbow."
She sighed. "I don't know, but at least a full day, maybe less."
Zuko nodded and sat back against the cave wall. "Then we should get some rest before nightfall."
Aang and Katara agreed, finding comfortable spots to lie down. Zuko watched them as they closed their eyes and fell asleep. They unconsciously moved closer to each other and when Aang turned, he lay his hand on hers. A smile crept onto both of their faces as they fell into a deeper sleep.
Zuko could only look on in envy at the closeness the two shared and his thoughts turned to Mai. He still liked her and regretted that he now had to fight her. He hoped one day that she would be able to forgive him. She was the only one during his time back at the palace that he cold really talk to, that understood him.
But all along, she had been Azula's friend and when he turned against his father and the fire nation, he had turned against her. He knew she still cared for him, though they were on opposite sides now. They would have to wait to see what destiny brought them after the war was over.
His thoughts on Mai slowly changed to that of another girl. A short, black haired girl who showed her emotions more easily and was stubborn, irritating, and was becoming his closest friend. He could never see Toph as truly blind, not after she had led him through the caves and saved his life.
He reflected on his emotions earlier when he had realized that she was gone after Aang and Katara had pulled him away from the fight. He had been frantic, worried and then anger had risen in him, a type of anger that he was once used to. The determined anger of one who had been wronged and had something precious taken from them.
Zuko remembered this very same anger that had kept him going after he had been banished, but what he once thought was precious had turned out to be an empty lie. But now, this anger was directed at Azula, and Toph wasn't his honor or his father's love. She meant more to him than those false hopes had ever meant and he was determined to rescue her.
He looked out as the light shifted towards afternoon and quietly whispered a promise.
"I promise I'll get you out, no matter what."
He then closed his eyes and rested, trying to remain alert. A light touch on is shoulder startled him and he was shocked when he opened his eyes and looked into Katara's blue eyes in the dusk light.
"Get ready, we'll leave soon."
He nodded and reached into his pack, pulling out a set of black clothes and a velvet bag. He opened the bag and stared at the blue and white mask that stared back at him with a grin on its' face. He remembered going back to the lake before he had left for home, and had seen the mask peeking put between two rocks at the waters edge. It seemed as if it was waiting for him, that he still needed it for something.
Zuko looked up as Aang earthbended a wall between Katara and them and then another in front of Zuko. He smiled and quickly changed, thanking the Avatar silently for the dressing room.
"Ready?" Aang asked after a few minutes.
"Yes," Zuko replied as he heard Katara reply at the same time.
The earthen changing room walls dropped back to where they had come from and Zuko stared at Katara as he held his mask in his hands. She looked other worldly with a long, light, flowing robe that went to her feet and a veil over her hat that obscured her features. The red paint rolled down her cheeks in wide streaks and made her truly look like a spirit. He could only tell it was really her when she lifted her head and he saw her blue eyes sparkle.
"Well, I think black is an improvement on you, Zuko," she said as she walked by him and peered out. "But we need to go."
Zuko nodded and strapped his swords on before donning his mask. As he looked through the eyeholes of the mask at Katara and Aang, he felt a smile appear on his face. Azula was going to be in for a big surprise.
Aang walked out with Katara once she signaled that it was clear and they started hiking up a path to the plateau above. Zuko followed, letting his senses expand and become alert for any sign of trouble. Thankfully there wasn't a single sign of the fire nation as they hiked. Once on the plateau, they hurried to the tree line and stopped.
Zuko saw the war balloon tied down to the plateau a quarter mile away from where they stood, and soldiers guarded the lines leading up to the balloon. The sparse forest sat a couple hundred yards away from the plateau edge and ran along past the war balloon and back to the edge about two hundred yards behind the balloon.
"We can come in from behind," Zuko whispered as he pointed to the trees behind the balloon. "There's an engineer opening at the very back of the balloon. It'll be the least guarded and the closest to the cells."
Aang nodded and started walking quickly through the trees to circle the balloon. Katara followed and Zuko took up the rear. They stopped a few times as guards came close to the tree line, but continued on again as the guards turned back to the balloon. Once they were behind the balloon, near the cliff edge, Aang snapped out his glider.
"I'll take Zuko first, then you, Katara," he said.
Zuko nodded and walked over to stand next to the glider as Katara scowled at him.
"Can't you take us both?" she asked Aang.
"It's too much weight, I won't be able to get any lift, and he knows how to open the door. Don't worry, I'll be right back."
Katara continued to frown, but nodded her approval.
"Hold on to the top bar," Aang instructed Zuko. "This may take a while, but it's the best way."
Zuko nodded again and held on as Aang perched himself on the plateau edge. He closed his eyes and braced himself as Aang pushed off and they fell before he felt the air take them and push them upwards. Once he was sure they weren't going to crash, Zuko peeked his eyes open and was surprised that they were almost to the balloon.
"The ledge at the tail," he said to Aang when they got closer.
Aang didn't answer but redirected the glider slightly and soon they had landed on the four by two foot ledge. Zuko steeped closer to the balloon and held onto the door as he tried to regain his breath and stop his shaking limbs. Aang just smiled at him.
"I'll be back with Katara. Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'll wait," he replied, glad that his voice was calm and even as he looked at the empty space in front of him as Aang took off.
He tested the door while he waited for Aang and Katara. It was locked, but didn't look like it would be too hard to open. Katara and Aang landed soon, and Katara was breathing heavily, though her eyes shone with excitement from the ride.
"I'll wait here," Aang said. "Be careful."
"We will," Katara said as she hugged Aang. Zuko nodded and turned to Katara.
"I don't suppose you can pick locks with your bending, can you?"
She smirked at him and walked over to the door, bending a small amount of water from a water bag at her waist into her hand. She kneeled and inserted the water into the key hole and soon Zuko heard a crack and the door swung open.
She continued to smirk at him, and gestured for him to go first. He smiled as he passed her, though she couldn't see it. Once inside, he checked the corridors before hurrying off silently to his left. Katara followed him and he could hear her bare feet follow him through the corridors as they searched for Toph.
