I'll Follow You Home – A Zutara Story.
Meeoko
Summary : Sequel to 'Eventualities Are Inevitable'. After being captured by a group of Fire Nation radicals and uncovering a secret plot to destroy the Avatar Cycle, Zuko and Katara must work together to find a way to stop the Sila Vatra before Sozin's Comet arrives.
Spoilers : Puppet Master, Day Of Black Sun part 1 and 2, Western Air Temple, Fire Bending Masters and Boiling Rock part 1 and 2.
Author's Note : Hey peeps. Some people have been worrying a little about the fact that I have rated this fiction M. Don't worry – Katara and Zuko aren't going to have sex. They're WAY too young for that! There may be a few references to something of that nature, but that would be an official spoiler and I'm not going to be giving anything away just yet.
Although, I might re-think it and just put it back down to a Teen Rating...
Let me know what you think.
Also, just wanted to add some other awesome Zutara fanfics to the 'recommended' list for you all to read.
One is by a very loyal reviewer, PantomWriter2.0. The fic is called 'Continuation' and it has some more in-depth views about character development and a nice little plot line about Western Air Temple living.
The second is called 'Rises With The Heart' by Jimi's Little Wing. It's a fast paced Zutara set in season 2 and it's very action-packed.
They had arrived at the outskirts of the Fire Nation capital by the afternoon. The sun had been almost unbearable, penetrating through the thick leaves of the forest tree's as easily as lightning passing through paper.
Why did our enemy have to be 'the Fire Nation'? Why couldn't it have been 'the Moderately Pleasant and Cool Nation'?
Katara noticed that the leaves were beginning to turn. Thousands upon thousands of shades of reds, oranges and yellows coloured the ground below as the relentless sun shone through.
I wonder if Fire Nation trees are always red and yellow, like the countries colours.
A single leaf fell from its perch in the treetops and drifted down gently in front of Katara, the sweeping motion catching her eye as it fluttered toward the ground. Its points were tipped with yellow, but there was a large crimson blob in the centre of the leaf, spreading out through the limbs and veins connecting it all together.
Katara shivered. It looked as if a single drop of blood had fallen upon the leaf and slowly spread outwards, following the cracks and grains.
A bleeding leaf. Like a bleeding heart...
Without realising that she was doing it, Katara repeated those same comforting words over and over again in her head that had given her the courage to confront the Sila Vatra and escape.
It's just red water. It's just red water. It's just red water.
Katara lazily bent the sweat from her upper lip and forehead and cast the small watery orb casually aside into the bushes. To her, it seemed as if the capital was a lot warmer than it had been when they had last visited, during the Invasion. The entire landscape seemed as if it were slowly boiling over. Preparing, waiting and growing stronger as Sozin's Comet drew nearer. The end of summer was nigh.
And getting closer and closer until the arrival of the Comet.
They had kept a much slower pace than Katara had hoped, but they still reached the Merchant's Track in good time.
She tried not to gape at the daunting structures of the hollow volcano as they steadily followed the path closer to their goal. It was an almost impenetrable defence from outside attackers at sea. Nature had created the most fitting home and rock solid protection for its people without even intending to do so.
A fitting place for a fitting race. Katara thought, though it was without malice.
After all, where else would Fire Benders feel more at home? Masters of aggression and destruction, but also a form of life, Fire Bender's relied on the inner flame that coursed through their veins and into their muscles like blood to manipulate the element.
So too did the volcano.
Underneath its exterior skin, thousands upon thousands of trails acted like slender veins. Hollow pools under the rock acted like the main organs of a human body; stomach, heart and brain.
And throughout each of these trails and pools ran the intense, continuous flow of lava, keeping the pulse of the volcano alive.
Just like blood inside a body. And just like an Inner Flame...
They had run over their plan numerous amounts of times.
They had all had to switch back to their previous Fire Nation clothing, as to do otherwise would mean instant capture or death.
Chit Sang had supplied some fresh Fire Nation clothing for those without an already existing set before they had left the temple that morning.
He said that he had 'purchased' them in the previous town he had been visiting before coming to find them.
Purchased? Or stole?
Katara was still a little wary of the tall, bulky Fire Nation fugitive. She had not known exactly what kinds of loyalty he had possessed in the Boiling Rock. She wasn't exactly sure why he was continuing to help them. She suspected that it was for his own benefit.
And what was he even convicted of? What crime did he commit to be put into the Boiling Rock?
Katara wasn't too certain about the answer. She had assumed that he had told Sokka and Zuko exactly why he had been imprisoned, but that the reason wasn't substantial enough to tell her. Secretly, Katara hoped that this was true, although she wondered sometimes if anyone knew exactly what Chit Sang had been imprisoned for.
I hope that Aang will be safe with him around. He might be a murderer or a master assassin and we'd never know.
But despite her initial wariness of him, Katara had been incredibly relieved when she noticed that Chit Sang had also brought along a set of Fire Nation clothing that was made for a woman. Katara's initial Fire Nation disguise had been completely tarnished, battered, dirtied and burnt during her encounters with the Sila Vatra and there was no way she would be able to wear them again.
They weren't even fit to use as rough bandages or to clean pots! It felt so good to be finally rid of them...
But most of all, it was the emotional connection in the clothing that Katara loathed most of all. It carried every bad experience, memory and tear that she had experienced. Katara had never wanted to wear it ever again for that sole reason.
Zuko's blood. Zuko's blood was on those clothes. Blood that I took from him. That I had to force from his veins after hurting him...
Before they had left the Air Temple that morning, Katara had asked Zuko to burn them to feed the fire. And he had. Although he had said nothing about it, Katara had a sinking feeling that Zuko knew the real reason why she had wanted to be rid of them.
They had all changed into their new Fire Nation disguises before making the descent from the forest and onto the Merchant's path. Despite the seriousness of their situation, Katara had to try incredibly hard to stifle a laugh at her father's new appearance.
Water Tribesmen were used to wearing loose, comfortable clothing. It suited them to be mobile and unrestricted. But this however, was not the case with Fire Nation clothing.
Hakoda had been given a high-collared shirt, with long billowing sleeves. His usually baggy trousers had been replaced with tight fitting pantaloons, which were tucked into a pair of high, stiff boots. Of course, these boasted the typical Fire Nation sole, so they pointed upwards, forcing her usually flat-footed father to adopt an entirely new (and apparently uncomfortable) stance.
He had also removed the distinctive blue Water Tribe beads from his hair and pulled the longer strands up into a topknot high on his head, in the traditional Fire Nation style. He had point-blank refused to remove his Water Tribe Chieftain necklace and had instead settled for hiding it underneath the incredibly high collared shirt.
He looked very unhappy.
Like a lamb dressed as mutton.
"How do you people live this way?" her father had grumbled to Zuko "How are you supposed to fight when you're so...restricted?"
Zuko had simply sighed, seeming a little miffed at the affront to his people's culture.
"It isn't that bad. The shoes usually do take a while to get used to, but I think you're just being a bit over-dramatic about the rest."
Welcome to my family! Over-protective, over-dramatic and overly-sensitive...
Katara was personally very pleased with her new robes.
It was a very simple affair, very similar to her Water Tribe clothes. A long lengthy robe covered her arms, shoulders and stomach. Much like her Water Tribe robe, it fell down low at her legs. It had lengthy slits up both of its sides and underneath, she wore comfy, loose pantaloons. As the Fire Nation was far too hot for anything more stuffy, Katara wore her sandals. The pleasant breeze around her feet seemed to rejuvenate her energy.
She was a little conscious of the fact that the robe had a circular hole cut out of the fabric just before her breast wrap began, but otherwise, Katara was definitely happy with her newest disguise.
"You certainly look...different." Katara had commented to her father, trying very hard to hold back her giggles.
"Just not very convincing..." Zuko had muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" the Chieftain asked him irritably as he tugged at the small collar of his new shirt.
"Nothing." Zuko replied, keeping his head down. Katara thought she saw the hint of a smirk on his face. "Nothing."
It had taken some time for them to convince Katara to help disguise them further.
"Okay, so we have the disguises, clothes and uh...hair." Sokka had announced, trying not to snigger at his father's new look. "But there's still one problem that could make or break us."
Katara had frowned a little, unsure of exactly what it was Sokka could mean.
"The fact that none of us can set fire to an entire town and not give two monkeys?" Toph had suggested dryly. Despite herself, Katara felt the corners of her mouth trying to tug into a smile.
Even when I'm united with the Fire Nation Prince. Even when I know that he has a good heart. Even now, I still can't help but smile when someone mocks the Fire Nation. I guess it's just out of habit by now...
Zuko had scowled at Toph's remark, but did not voice his aggression.
"Nooo." Sokka continued, rolling his eyes at Toph, though obviously, she wouldn't be able to see them. "This problem won't affect you anyway, Toph. Or you, Zuko."
What's Sokka talking about? What could affect us, but not Toph or Zuko?
"Well, what is it then? We ain't got all day, Snoozles." Toph had snapped. Katara wished just as much as Toph that her brother would just spit it out.
"Our eye's." he stated, pointing (a little unnecessarily) to his own. "Fire Nation people have pale skin and golden eyes. Obviously, not all Fire Nation people have pale skin, as we found out while posing as colonials - so we should be okay there," He pointed primarily to Katara, Hakoda and himself. "But without the right colour eyes, we'll be spotted instantly as intruders. It's kind of like...a Fire Nation trademark – as well as burning down whole villages without giving two monkeys." he added.
Zuko grunted and scowled even more fiercely. Sokka held up his hands in front of him.
"Obviously, with some exceptions." he mumbled at Zuko, acutely aware of how his folly could result in a fire fist to the face.
Definitely one of your wiser decisions, Sokka.
Teo scratched at his head. His own fire Nation disguise didn't seem to bother him as much as it bothered Hakoda. If anything, he wore it rather well. But he still kept his goggles hung around his neck. It seemed that everyone was keeping a little piece of their old lives close by, even when they were undercover. Though Katara was unable to wear her Mother's necklace in plain view, she had instead fastened it around her wrist and hidden it underneath the sleeve of her new robe.
"Well, what are we supposed to do then?" Teo asked "It's not like we can change our eye colour."
"That is where you're wrong, Teo." Hakoda piped in, still fidgeting with his new clothing like an impatient child. "There is one person here who can do exactly that."
He looked over at Katara.
Is he joking? Is this some sort of prank he and Sokka are pulling? A test? He can't be serious...
"What? Dad, what are you talking about? I can't do that."
But the agitated Chieftain only stared at her, toeing the ground with his new, pointed shoes, obviously trying to break them in. Katara had to physically restrain herself from telling him in an irritated motherly tone to stop fidgeting.
"Actually Katara, it's perfectly possible. Do you remember your healing lessons with Master Pakku? How you had manipulated the water throughout the body to seal wounds and pinched together the cell walls inside to redirect blood?"
Katara nodded, but still didn't quite understand exactly what her father was getting at.
What does healing have to do with eye colour?
"Did you know that the eye is made up of about ninety-two percent water, Katara?"
Katara stood still for a moment, trying to fully understand exactly what her father was telling her. It only took her a moment before her mouth fell open and she began shaking her head defiantly.
"No, no way. I'm not bending your eyes! That's...that's...insane!"
"Why? What's so weird about it?" Toph asked "It's still just water, right? It'd kinda be like healing someone, but in reverse."
Has everyone gone mad? I'm not Eyeball Bending!!
Katara couldn't believe what she was hearing. She stumbled over her words for a minute, before throwing her hands wildly up in the air in a desperate bid to get them to understand just how ridiculous their proposition was.
"It's not at all like Water Bending, Toph! You're just saying that because I don't have to do it to you!" she snapped back at the young Earth Bender, still a little unbelieving at the completely alien suggestion.
"Come on, sis." Sokka pleaded, putting a hand on her shoulder. Katara noticed that her brother was using his 'do this for me and I won't sulk' voice. "Me and dad talked about it before and it's the only way. Dad says that it should be perfectly safe...as long as you're careful."
What?
Katara pushed him away, her mouth gaping as if she were Momo, trying to catch himself some flies.
"Oh, so no pressure on me then! I guess I'll just have to try my best and hope that I don't leave any of you blinded or bleeding internally or brain damaged!"
"Sokka's right, Katara." Hakoda stated, as if his fatherly word was final. "All you have to do is manipulate the tiny droplet of moisture inside the Iris."
"What's an...Iris?" Teo asked awkwardly from his chair, a little wary of Katara's wrath.
"It's the coloured part of your eye." Zuko replied. "It's made up of tiny little cells that determine what colour eyes you are going to have when you're born. If you have blue eyes, there are less cells in the Iris and if you have brown eyes, there are lots because of all the different colours. It's kinda complicated."
Hakoda nodded, although Katara already knew perfectly well what an Iris was.
"Exactly, Zuko. It is a simple, but delicate procedure. You would simply have to use the liquid inside the eye to put a tiny amount of pressure on the receptors inside the Iris. This should bruise them slightly and turn the colour of our eyes a light brown, like a normal bruise you would receive on the skin. Unfortunately Katara, there's no way you would be able to recreate the exact same golden colour of most Fire Nation people. The closest you'd really be able to get is a very light brown."
This is insane! I'm not bending anyone's eyes!
Katara stood with mouth agape for a few moments before regaining control over her initial shock. She decided to lower her voice a little, as the information her father had provided did actually line up with some of the healing lessons she had received on eyes.
Katara knew that there was a plentiful source of water in the eyes. She had detected them easily during some of her healing sessions. She had also able to sense the thousands of tiny receptors inside the Iris, as Zuko had said. But they were small – incredibly small.
"Dad...how...how do you know all this? You're not a healer." she stuttered.
Hakoda's face fell a little at her question, as if she'd mentioned something painful to him.
"When you're fighting Fire Nation soldiers, there tends to be a lot of smoke. It was always very common to receive smoke damage to the eyes whilst on the battlefield. Many of our troops had to be trained how to deal with minor eye irritations or infections. I learnt how the eye's work and how exactly to treat them. When you're away for a few years, it just becomes common knowledge. A lot like your healing."
But it's just so...risky. What if I do something wrong? What if I put too much pressure on someone's eye and...and blind them?
Katara sighed, weighing up everything in her mind that had been said.
On one hand, what Sokka and her father were asking of her was especially risky and dangerous – she'd never even attempted something like this before and anything could go wrong!
But on the other hand, they were sure to be spotted in the crowd if they kept their tell-tale blue eyes. There was no way they'd be able to get into the capital if they were recognised as Water Tribe. They'd be captured, tortured and probably killed.
"But even if it was a success and Katara somehow managed to turn your eye's brown, wouldn't that make you...colour blind?" Zuko asked quietly from where he was seated on a rock. Katara flinched inwardly. She hadn't even thought of that.
By cutting off the receptors, she'd be filtering out the parts of the eye that could tell the brain what colours it was seeing.
"Only temporarily." Hakoda replied to Zuko. His voice was calm and steady, as if things like this happened to him every day. "If it is done correctly, when the bruised Iris heals, we should be able to see colour as before. We should also regain our own original eye colour in time."
"Just like a real bruise! Her brother piped up. "It's a funny colour for a few days, but when it heals, all that's left behind is the old colour of your skin." Sokka smiled positively. Katara had no idea how he could look so optimistic about letting her bend his eyeballs!
"I don't know..." Katara mumbled uncertainly as she crossed her arms across her chest defensively. "If something went wrong...if I pressed just a little too hard or accidentally slipped, you could all go blind."
Toph let a loud puff of air escape her lips, sending her bangs flying upwards from her face.
"Yeah. Because being blind is just sooo terrible."
Katara felt a little guilty. She hadn't meant to offend her little friend.
"No, it's nothing like that, Toph. I know that you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. More-so if anything. Your senses have saved us a countless number of times." she replied gently "But you have to understand – you can still 'see' a little by using your Earth Bending. If Sokka or Teo or Dad went blind...they'd be,well, blind. Completely and totally."
Forever.
Toph shrugged dismissively. When she replied, her voice was blasé, as if she were completely unmoved by the idea of newly blinded and vulnerable friends at the gates of the Fire Nation.
But Katara knew that this new prospect worried her, Toph was just keeping up her confident act for the others.
"Meh, guess you have a point there, Sugar."
"I know the risks, Katara. We all do." Sokka sighed, a little grimly "But if we don't do this, then there's just no way that we'll even be able to get close to the palace. We'll be jeopardising the whole mission. We'll be endangering the whole world. And we'll be endangering Aang."
Aang...
There was a rather lengthy pause as the force of Sokka's words sunk in.
Another blood red leaf fell from the tree's above and landed a few feet away from Teo's wheelchair. Katara's eye's followed it all the way down to the ground as if drifted silently on the wispy breeze. Its movements were somehow hypnotic.
When it finally glided softly to the floor and didn't stir again, Katara noticed that Teo was staring at her. There was something there, in his eyes. Something she hadn't seen before...
Katara found it difficult to read his face. There was some sort of emotion on his face that she couldn't quite pinpoint. Katara wasn't certain what it meant, but she knew it wasn't anything good.
He looks like he's about to lose everything he ever held dear...
"My dad's in there, Katara." he whispered, his grey eyes pleading with her like a lost child looking for its mother.
She had only ever heard Teo's voice at that pitch once before – the day he had had to leave his father behind in the hands of the Fire Nation.
Katara felt her heart breaking for him.
If that was you...if it was you who knew that your father had been imprisoned beyond those walls, you'd want to find him.
You'd want to find him more than anything else in the world...
Katara sighed heavily and looked down at the floor, which was slowly beginning to look like a painted canvas as summer drew on and leaves began to fall.
I can't believe I'm doing this.
"Okay, Teo. I'll do it. We'll get in and I promise, we'll find your dad."
Falling down onto a nearby tree stump, Katara felt herself breathe an immense sigh of relief.
It felt as if a huge weighting responsibility had been lifted from her shoulders, allowing her to breathe again. To relax.
Thank the Spirit's, I'm done!
It had taken almost an hour to bend their eyes into the light shade of brown, as close to gold as she could possibly get without causing any lasting damage.
Sokka had adamantly volunteered to go first, since he was the one who had suggested it.
After meditating for ten minutes in preparation for her new 'bending requirement', Katara finally felt that she was ready.
Terrified, yes. Worried, yes. But ready.
Using all her concentration, Katara had focused in on the tiny amount of liquid behind Sokka's eyes, just underneath the disk of the Iris. At first, she simply practised the delicate movements, moving the tiny liquid stream a fraction the the left, right, up and down.
When she was confident that she knew exactly how much movement would be allowed within the confides of the Iris, Katara began.
She had moved with utmost care, petrified of blinding her brother.
Okay. Here goes...
Using the delicate hands of a practiced healer, Katara had only to use the most minimal of physical effort to manipulate the puny amount of water inside Sokka's eyes. At first she had been incredibly timid, uncertain of exactly where to position her newfound surgical tool.
But as she managed to plunge the tiny water particles deeper and deeper into the microscopic layers of Sokka's Iris, Katara's confidence had grown.
She thoroughly covered every possible receptor in the Iris with the hair-thin layer of water and slowly pressed her thumb and forefinger together. There was almost no pressure to her touch. But she could slowly feel the receptors under her brothers eye begin to give way underneath the gentle but steady pressure.
Slowly, but tenderly, she forced the receptors down enough to create tiny gaps between each one, Katara leaked the remaining water from her brothers eyes into the cracks, between each receptor. Making another minimal pinching motion with her fingers, Katara slowly squeezed her film of water around them and pressed them inwards until she could begin to feel the cells falter.
It was then that Katara pulled away and released all hold on the liquids inside her brothers body, concerned as to wether she should go any further, or if she had put too much pressure onto the Iris.
But in a matter of minutes, Sokka's eyes began to darken. They began to lose their bright, shining blue and started to dull. Colours, hues and other flecks of shaded browns began to appear. Slowly but surely, Katara could see the subtle changes taking place within her brothers body.
Within ten minutes, Sokka's eye's had turned a light shade of brown, the colour of an oak chopstick or the damp inside of bark from a tree.
It really does look like a bruise...
"Cool!" he exclaimed, darting his head this way and that, as if he had only just discovered that he had eyeballs. "Everything's in black and white! It's like a big seal-blubber painting!"
Eww, Sokka!
He turned to Hakoda, who was waiting patiently whilst Katara began on Teo's session of 'Eye Bending'.
"Hey dad, is that what the world used to look like when Gran-Gran was a kid?"
Hakoda slapped a palm to his forehead and rolled his eye's skywards.
"Just because she's old, Sokka, doesn't mean that everything was black and white when she was younger! Gran-Gran had colours just like everybody else."
But Sokka was too busy waving his now black and white hand over his eyes to take any notice of his father's words.
"This is just like the Cactus Juice." he mused "But without the giant mushrooms..."
Teo had taken less time to bend, because his eye's were grey and didn't require nearly as much bruising as Sokka or Hakoda's.
It had been a little difficult when Katara had to 'bend' her own eyes, as she wasn't able to have a clear vantage point.
But soon, she just concentrated and slowly focused on the sensation of the moving water inside her body. The fluids and damp muscles, nerves and veins were her guide and eventually, Katara could see her own eyes dimming and draining of colour. Then eventually, everything turned black and white. Even the blood leaf on the ground at her feet didn't deter Katara.
She had done it!
Looking at her handiwork, Katara honestly would have passed any one of them to be Fire Nation if she didn't know them personally. The eye colour wasn't exactly golden, but it was certainly a very close brown. Teo looked especially convincing, with his paler skin and evident ease with Fire Nation attire.
Look at us! A couple of regular Fire Nation citizens.
She was left to catch her breath and try to adjust to her new 'Gran-O-Vision' as Sokka had dubbed it. Katara had expected the bruising of the Iris receptors to hurt. To throb or sting. But she hadn't felt anything. No pain whatsoever.
Perhaps the nerves aren't sensitive enough to feel pain. Or maybe I just got lucky.
Katara's breath quickened when she saw Zuko come back up the hill. The other's had just recently left the forest edges and headed down onto the Merchant's Path to approach the city. Katara had taken a little longer to follow, feeling completely and utterly drained by the terrifying and alien experience.
"Hey Katara, you coming?" Zuko asked, reaching down a hand to her.
Smiling, Katara grasped his strong, hard hand and hauled herself up from the stump she was sitting on. Zuko smiled back down at her, but didn't press further as he released her hand and they began to walk down the hill and out of the forest, towards the Merchant's Path.
"That was really...amazing, Katara." he whispered, without looking at her. "I had no idea that Water Bender's were capable of so much."
Katara allowed herself to sigh a happy breath. Katara hadn't really spoken to Zuko since leaving the Western Air Temple and she was honestly beginning to miss his company. But of course, they had to remain strictly 'tolerable and formal' to each other, as they had before their capture at the hands of the Sila Vatra.
To think that one night can change so much about the way we think about each other. About how we understand each other. How we feel about each other...
"It was pretty complicated. I was so terrified that I was going to blind them or hit something and brain damage them! I'm just glad that it's over now."
Zuko briefly touched his hand to her own as they walked, before they were within sight of the rest of the group. He was smiling the most contented smile on his face. It reminded Katara of the calm before the storm.
"First Knife Bending and now Eyeball Bending." he smirked "I hope to Agni that I live to see the next unexpected bending technique."
He released his light hold on her hand as they neared the group. Despite herself, Katara slowly felt her own smile and good mood slipping away as the large gates of the Merchant's Quarter loomed in the distance.
So do I, Zuko. So do I.
Author's Note : Dear sweet Agni, I am so tired! It is now 5:10am (I started writing this chapter at about 1:00am) and I am thoroughly knackered and in need of a smoke. Don't ask me why it took so long to write this chapter, it just did.
Hopefully, this chapter was informative enough about the working of the inner eye. It's a rather complicated system, but I just wanted to stick to the Iris, as that's the one that controls the colour of the eye.
Anyway, hopefully the gaang will be alright getting into the Fire Nation and getting used to Gran-O-Vision.
Can't wait for Southern Raiders to air. Will honestly be peeing myself if I don't get to see it (apparently the Nick channel for Sky user's is being a douche and not playing the episodes that it says it will).
If I miss any of those episodes or the finale because of Bryke's screw-up, I will honestly be mutilating somebody.
Sorry...I'm a little cranky because I'm tired.