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 : Okay, so here we go! Chapter 20! Sorry I haven't uploaded since last week, but I've been holding out for reviews. They've been getting scarce lately, so I'm going to be a cow and demand that I get at least 20 reviews for this chapter (20 for chapter 20 lol) or I'm afraid I'm going to make you all wait for another week until the next chappie.
Sorry about that, but I'm beginning to wonder if anyone's actually reading the fic!
Zuko had been standing in a clearing among tall, slender tree's. The sun had been blocked out by the towering canopy of leaves above him and he lit a fire in the palm of his hand to bring light into the clearing. He could see a lengthy gash in one of the tree trunks to his side, and he walked over to it, gingerly running his fingers over the cut.
He realised then where he was. It was the very same clearing that he and Katara had stood in all those weeks ago. The clearing where they had been ambushed by the Sila Vatra.
"This is where it all changed..." he sighed, his breath coming out as a plume of smoke, though it wasn't cold.
Thump!
Zuko jumped, immediately reaching for the dual swords at his back. But they weren't there!
He looked down, feeling for the Black Ice Blade at his hip. It wasn't there, either!
Thump!
Looking around wildly in between the trees, Zuko tried to find the source of the noise. They sounded like drums. But he couldn't see anything through the thick darkness of the tree trunks.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The drum beats began to pick up speed, moving into a steady rhythm. Zuko could feel himself begin to shiver, though it wasn't cold.
Suddenly, the flame in his palm went out. His eyes went wide as he tried in vain to reignite it. But nothing happened.
He thrust forward, expecting the fire to burst forth from his fist.
But it didn't. His bending wouldn't work!
Wrapping his arms around himself, Zuko tried to get warm. It felt as if there was a lump of ice lodged inside his chest and he began to panic when he realised that it was his inner flame. His inner flame had gone out!
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The drums sounded in his ears as Zuko began to see figures forming through the trees. Colourful figures, decked in red and yellow feathers. Each of them wore face paint and their faces looked blank and empty as they emerged from behind the trees to form a circle around him. The drums continued as the Sun Warrior's stood around him.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
"What's happening?" he had demanded, whipping around to stare at each blank face. "Why can't I Fire Bend? What's wrong with me?"
But nobody had replied.
Zuko's entire body shook with cold. He hunched over, knee's dropping to the ground as he looked up helplessly at the Sun Warrior Tribe, desperately trying to warm himself.
"W-why won't you h-help me?" he pleaded, his teeth chattering with the cold.
"Why should they waste their precious time with you?"
The eerie voice sounded through the trees, swerving in and around the trunks like the wind. It chilled him to the very bone, even as the waves of cold swept over him. Ozai looked down at him from behind the Sun Warrior's, taking the place of their Chief at the head of the circle.
"Ozai..." Zuko hissed between clenched teeth.
Raising his hands up into the air, the Fire Lord looked down at him, a grim smile spreading across his face. The drums stopped.
Suddenly, Katara was standing in front of him, looking down at Zuko. Tears streaked her face and she clutched at her throat as if she were gasping for air.
"K-katara..."
Zuko tried to stand up. But he couldn't move. It seemed as if there was ice around his ankles, rooting him to the spot.
Ozai clapped his hands. Zuko grabbed at his ears as the sharp cracking noise swept through the forest, the unbearable noise momentarily blocking out the cold that wracked his body.
Then there was silence.
Katara began to sink to the floor as she grabbed at her throat, though she made no noise. Zuko struggled to get up, but the violent shivering kept him rooted to the spot. He was so cold.
"Come forth!" Ozai boomed.
The trees shook, as if they too were shivering. The Sun Warriors stood silently, their gazes all bearing down on Zuko.
"The face of youth..."
Zuko tensed. He darted his head around, looking for the source of the noise.
"The face of beauty..."
Shadows pooled around Katara's feet, circling her like a beast stalking its prey.
"The face of death!"
Zuko's eyes widened as the shadows burst up from the floor. Katara screamed, though still she made no sound. Towering above her was the shadowy form of a giant centipede. Its legs twitched and it heaved, as if it were breathing.
It turned to face Zuko. Staring back at him was not a centipede, but a beautiful woman was flowing black hair. A giant eyelid flickered over the woman's face and suddenly Zuko was staring at the face of a small boy. He realised with horror what he was staring at. Koh, the Face Stealer!
"You may claim your prize." Ozai smirked, pointing a sharp finger at Katara.
"Not hers. Not hers." Zuko shook his head in terror. Ozai nodded, the same victorious, dominant smile on his face. Koh's face flickered to the aged features of an old man.
"Not hers. No! Have mine. Take mine instead."
Koh's sharp legs scuttled underneath him and he slithered himself around, to face Katara. Zuko shook as the ice inside him held him down. He could feel his body beginning to slow down.
"Not her face! No, stop! Please!"
Koh's slinking shadow began to circle Katara, who slowly fell to the floor, her hand still clasped around her throat as she tried to breathe. Zuko tried to stand up. The muscles inside his body clamped together, desperate to warm themselves, and he fell back down to the floor.
"Don't take her face!" he pleaded. Zuko looked up at his father as the shaking in his body began to get worse."I'll do anything! Please!"
But Ozai simply smiled. Koh began to curl around Katara's body as the very last breath of air left her body. His spindly legs clicked against each other and made Zuko feel sick with terror.
"Call it off, Ozai!" Zuko screamed, pleading with his father. "Make it stop! Please!"
Zuko could feel tears streaming down his face as Koh squeezed the last spark of life out of Katara. She looked over at him before the last, shattering breath was crushed out of her. Koh loomed above her, enveloping her face in shadow.
"You already took half of my face!" Zuko sobbed, looking up at Ozai with all of the hatred he could muster. Katara was gone! "Why take hers too?"
The tears continued to fall from his face as black began to cloud the corners of his vision. His limbs felt heavy and it took all he had to hold his head up as the fresh waves of pain and anguish swept over him. His father looked over at the form of Katara and Koh, as if he was satisfied with what he had done. Zuko tightly shut his eyes as sobs and shivers wracked his body.
"You'll pay!" he screamed desperately. "I'll make you pay! I'll make you regret ever having had a son!"
When Zuko opened his eyes, he could see Koh's shadow, arching over Katara's body, trapped between the centipede's coils. He looked at her face one last time. The tears froze on his face as he looked over at the still and cold face of the woman he loved. Koh's shadow swept over her and the beautiful, cerulean eyes disappeared.
"Call it off!"
The next thing he knew, Zuko was once again looking up at those beautiful blue eyes. He managed to call her name before the warmth flooded through his bones and his mind thrust him into the silent void.
Zuko felt like he was falling. The way Katara was looking at him broke him down.
Stop it! Stop scaring her! Stop talking like-
He caught his breath in his throat as the mirror image flashed before his eyes, the dream that had been haunting him since they had first found their way back to the Western Air Temple.
...like Ozai.
Feeling his eyes grow wide, he turned his head away from Katara. He couldn't look at her. He didn't want to have to stare into her cerulean eyes, holding behind them such purity, such beauty, such innocence. Zuko didn't want to be the one responsible for ruining those qualities.
A sudden wash of nausea crept over him like a lurching shadow and he had to swallow forcefully to stop himself from retching. His back hurt and he stared up at the ceiling, wondering exactly how he'd ended up on the floor. He couldn't remember much. Just those same, beautiful blue eyes staring down at him with such fear and terror that it made him want to scream.
Zuko longed to take himself back into the peaceful, secluded frame of mind that had been his home for the past few hours. At least, he assumed it was hours.
He would often go there.
Sitting beside the Turtle-duck pond, with the gentle breeze blowing the cherry blossom petals from their branches. He would smile as the Turtle-ducks tentatively took the bread from his hand and he would look up into the faces of both his mother and Katara. The warmth from the sun would settle on his face. But there was no longer a scar, just smooth skin. When he was there, everything was pure and he was whole again.
It had been his Uncle Iroh who had taught Zuko the life-saving majesty of the Warrior's Will, many years ago, before his banishment. He had seen no use in it then, but when everything had changed, Zuko had found himself depending on the empty void more and more. Many times it had spared him from madness, and many times, it had thrust him straight towards it.
I can't do that to her. The look on her face...I can't go back there now.
"Zuko, don't talk like that. We're going to get through this."
Katara looked down at him, eyes shining with unshed tears. She squeezed his hand gently, sending a ripple of guilt down through his spine. He couldn't keep doing this to her. It wasn't fair.
How much longer is she going to be able to stand this?
Zuko desperately wanted to tell Katara that she was wrong, that she had no way of knowing if they were ever going to step foot off the Fire Sage's Island ever again. But imagining the hope that shone in her brilliant blue eyes, he couldn't bring himself to say it. How could he take away her hopes when they had nothing else?
Looking again at the ceiling, Zuko tried desperately to push away the images that had been haunting him. He didn't want to think about them anymore, but they wouldn't leave him. They never would.
It was as if Ozai had poisoned him somehow.
When he had struck down and burnt his own son, the Fire Lord had sent a deadly, overpowering disease into his blood stream. It was as if Ozai had control over him. No matter where he went, there was his father, towering over him and laughing. Zuko wasn't safe in his dreams, or in his reflection. The only time he felt the icy, black clutches of his father was when he was with her.
"I guess I should tell you the legend." he mumbled to Katara, not daring to look over at her. "I was going to do it today anyway."
"What?" she asked, the look of worry on her face dominating her senses.
Look what you've done now! Stupid, stupid, stupid!
"You were reading my letter." Zuko said simply, letting go of her hand.
Zuko could feel his heart straining to snap in two when he saw Katara's hand immobilized in the air, where she had been grasping his own. Realising that he was looking at her, she quickly pulled her hand back towards herself, her fingers curling into the palm, as if hoping to grab onto something that was slipping through her hands
"Oh." she looked down at the floor, obviously feeling ashamed. Zuko didn't much care.
"It's okay." he mumbled as he stared at the tips of his fingers. They felt stiff and sore, though he didn't know why. "It doesn't matter anyway."
Frowning painfully as he raised himself up and into a sitting position, Zuko felt a strange crumbling sensation on his back. Arching himself around to try and get a better look, he could see that the wooden floor he had been sitting on had been stuck to his back and had crumpled away in pieces onto the floor. There was a large person sized shape burnt into the wood, turning it from a light brown, to intense black.
He grumbled as he felt around his back, intent on prising away the splintered shaving of wood that had come away from the boards and stuck to his skin. The back of his shirt had burnt away and he let out a frustrated breath.
"Great." he huffed. "Now I need to go and buy more clothes."
Katara had a hand pressed over her mouth, looking worriedly at the black spot on the floor. Zuko had a feeling that that wasn't the only damage he had caused.
Oh Agni. I did that, didn't I?
Zuko had turned back around and his eyes had immediately been drawn to the desk he had been sleeping at.
Not only where there large black scorch marks along the front of it, but there seemed to be thin, lengthy lines scraped down the middle of it. The wood had splintered and it was etched with blood. And something else that stuck to the wood and looked suspiciously like human skin.
"I healed your fingers." Katara said softly when she saw him looking down at the marks in the desk. "They might be sore for a while, but the damage was minimal."
Raising them once again up to his face, Zuko looked down at his fingers. They looked alright. A little red, but nothing more. Zuko didn't know what he had done to his fingers and chose not to ask. He didn't want to know.
"Thank you, Katara."
For a moment, they simply stood in silence. Katara looked as if she was having difficulty forming words, and Zuko was concentrating as hard as he could not to let his dreams spill over into reality. It had chilled him to the very bone, those images. And he didn't want to subject Katara to any more turmoil than he already had.
I can't keep doing this to her. It's going to drive her away. And it's going to drive me insane.
"Why did you write that?" Katara broke the silence, looking concerned. "Why did you tell you write those awful things?"
He felt his shoulders drop. Staring at the claw marks on the desk, Zuko ran his fingers over the dents inside the wood. Black soot came away and clung to his fingertips. Sighing, Zuko knew that although he didn't want to hurt Katara, he also couldn't keep lying to her.
"Because I believe them." he said blankly, feeling the same numbing feeling wash over him.
Katara lowered her head, her slender shoulders sinking down deeper than Zuko felt. She stood there for a moment, with her arms wrapped protectively around herself. But when she raised her head again, there was something different behind her eyes.
"Zuko, look at me."
But Zuko couldn't bring himself to do it. He hoped that she would be content with him staring at her feet instead. But she wasn't, and he didn't blame her.
"How many times have I broken your nose now, Zuko?" Katara's voice was stern.
Frowning at the strange question, Zuko rubbed at the bridge of his nose, the memories still sore in his mind. Katara seemed to enjoy breaking his nose rather a lot.
"Twice." he mumbled in reply, still staring at her shoes.
And God's did it hurt! Who'd have thought such a slender, beautiful girl had the left hook of an Earth Kingdom cage fighter?
Katara nodded, though she knew that he wasn't looking at her.
"Twice." she repeated, her voice sounding angry, but eerily calm. "Now, if you don't look at me in the eyes right now, I think we can try for three."
Unsure of whether he should frown or burst out laughing, Zuko complied. It took almost all of his willpower to force his eyes to look up from her shoes to her face. He didn't want to see the emotion in her eyes. Emotions that he had caused and she didn't want.
But they were beautiful, none the less. Whether they were bright with joy, or dim with sadness, he thought that her eyes were always beautiful.
"How can you start doubting us before we've even begun?" Katara demanded, if a little sadly. "What makes you think that you're allowed to have the luxury of doubt, when the rest of us are trying so hard not to give up hope?"
Zuko opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. He knew that there was nothing he could say.
Why are you doing this to her? To yourself?
"How do you think it makes me feel, reading something like that, Zuko?" Katara asked passionately, her voice straining.
Reaching down, Katara grabbed the parchment, lying forgotten on the floor. Opening it out again, she began to read from it. Zuko could feel himself cringing and reached out to grab it away. But Katara was too quick and swerved out of his grasp.
"I asked her to marry me, Uncle." she read, her eyes beginning to cloud over. "I don't know what gave me the courage to do so, but I'm glad that I did. Because she accepted! Hopefully, we'll be able to get that far."
"Katara, stop." Zuko pleaded, though a little forcefully. He hadn't been angry when he had found her reading it, but he didn't want to have his own feelings used against him.
But Katara continued, her lips beginning to tremble.
"But I know, that if she was ever put in that kind of danger, I would do anything I could to save her. And that is why I don't think that I'll live to see the Avatar bring about peace. I love her, Uncle."
"Stop it, Katara!" Zuko cried, unintentionally raising his voice. "Give it back!"
"Don't let Ozai hurt her anymore. It hurts knowing that your own flesh and blood can cause so much anguish and pain. I don't want to be a part of that, Uncle. Not if I can help it. I'm tired of death."
"Katara!" Zuko lunged for the parchment in her hands, but again, she was too fast. He could begin to feel himself boiling over. The temperature inside the room began to rise. He blinked, trying to dispel the images of his father flashing in front of him. "Stop! Please!"
"If somehow I don't make it back to you after the coming of Sozin's Comet, then I can at least die knowing that I did something right."
Zuko was about to move again, intent on getting the parchment away from her. But she dropped it herself, letting the paper glide uselessly to the floor. Her face no longer hidden behind his letter, Zuko could see the tears that streamed down her face. He stopped in his tracks when she looked at him.
"What do you think it feels like, reading those words, Zuko?" she asked, quietly. "That even though you asked me to marry you, you don't think that we'll even get that far?"
Zuko was speechless. He stood there for a moment with his mouth open and arms hanging limply by his sides. It felt as if Katara had physically struck him. As if all of his reasoning had been punched clear out of him. It seemed like all of his reasons for writing what he had written were now silly and trivial.
They probably are.
Katara wiped at her eyes, turning away from him, as if she were ashamed to cry in front of him. Zuko could only begin to imagine the amount of times Katara had held herself back from crying because of him. How many times had she turned away so that he wouldn't see her cry? Did she think that she had failed him because of it?
With a guilty pang in his stomach, Zuko realised that Katara had probably cried more in the recent weeks because of him than their entire situation. It made him feel small and pathetic.
This is the woman I love and all I seem to do is make her miserable. I keep making her cry, when I should be protecting her.
Zuko covered his face with his hand, closing his eyes against the guilt. A small voice popped up inside his head that sounded suspiciously like his Uncle.
You can't keep doing this to her. You have to stop! Even if you think that everything is going to go wrong and that you're going to die – at least try! Try for Katara, Zuko! You don't have to be your fathers son!
The last sentence sent a shiver through his spine. But though Zuko hated to admit it – the Iroh voice was right!
The guilt he felt whenever Katara cried had to stop. Watching her gather up her sadness inside, so that he wouldn't see it would slowly pull them apart, if he left it much longer. He could remember the words that he had said to Toph back at the Three Embers Inn, without really listening to them himself.
"If you don't talk about this, it's just going to keep eating away at you."
Trying his hardest not to scream or break something, as he would have only a few months ago, Zuko let the words wash over him. He tried to absorb everything that Katara had said.
He had to fight the overwhelming urge to bang his head against a wall. But he knew that giving himself a large bruise and calling himself stupid over and over again wasn't going to help anyone. It wasn't going to help Katara.
Swallowing all of the pride and arrogance that the old Zuko was trying to force onto him, he crossed the gap between himself and Katara in a single step. Wrapping his arms around her tiny shoulders, Zuko hugged her to him. He didn't know what else he could do. He had never been any good at apologising.
Or even speaking to anyone, for that matter!
"I'm sorry." he whispered in her ear as he held her, with her back pressed against his chest. "I never should have written that. I don't know why I did. I guess I was just -" he sighed and grit his teeth, hating to admit his weakness with every fibre in his body. "- scared."
If Azula had heard me saying that, I'd never hear the end of it!
Bringing up one of her delicate, tiny hands, Katara softly touched Zuko's arm, still wrapped around her. She sniffed and Zuko felt a tear fall onto his skin.
"I know it's hard." she whispered. "I can't even imagine what it is you have to fight inside yourself every day. But to hear you speaking like that, Zuko. It scares me. It's as if you've given up on everything – given up on me. And I can't do anything to help you."
Frowning, Zuko bit down on his lip to stop himself from saying something he would regret. It made him feel weak and vulnerable, it took him out of himself and made him hate every single word he spoke – but he would do it. He would change for Katara.
"Don't you remember your promise, Zuko?" Katara whispered again, sniffing. "What you promised me in those woods, when we were trying to find our way back to the Air Temple?"
Zuko squeezed her gently, remembering the words as clear as day.
"Don't talk like that! You can't talk like that anymore! Everything you say, even when you're trying to help me – when you say those awful things, it just makes things so much harder! How can I think you've changed when you can say such terrible things?"
The words had stung. Especially when he had seen her face, dirty and pained behind the bars of the cage that had held her. It had almost broken him, seeing her like that. And Zuko was ashamed to say that he hadn't kept his promise to Katara. He thought that he had, but now he could see that it was different. He wasn't hurting other people anymore – he was hurting both himself, and her.
"Of course I do." he whispered into her hair, resting his chin on the top of her head.
"Then why won't you listen to it?" Katara mumbled sadly.
Feeling his resolve begin to fail him, Zuko took in a deep breath. He was trying, he really was!
Placing his hands on Katara's shoulders, he slowly turned her to face him. Her face was stained wet with tears and her eyes were red. She wouldn't look him in the eye and he realised just how unsettling it must be for her, whenever he chose not to look at her.
"Because I'm an idiot." he said simply, hating himself all the way. "Because I'm too stubborn and stupid to listen to you and because I think I know what's best for myself. But obviously," he swallowed, not wanting to carry on, but knowing that he needed to "obviously, I...don't know what's best."
Katara looked up at him, a small frown wrinkling her nose. Her lips were parted and she looked genuinely surprised. Zuko realised that this was probably the first time he had openly admitted any weakness in front of her. He hated it.
But I'll do it. I'll do it for her if it kills me.
"Zuko." Katara looked up at him, still frowning quizzically. "Did you...did you just admit your were wrong?"
Zuko could feel himself grinding his teeth together. The little muscles inside his jaw were working overtime and he could feel a headache coming on.
Agni! Why did she have to ask me that? Can't she just drop it?
He took in a deep breath and swallowed before he replied. When he did, it was between clenched teeth and he momentarily looked away from her. It took almost all of his willpower to simply say that one word.
"Yes."
Leaning back, as if to get a better look at him, Katara's open mouth slowly began to turn into a small smile. Her face was still streaked with tears, but to Zuko, she still looked beautiful.
For a moment, he couldn't help but think swallowing his pride and his values had been worth the embarrassment. Just so he could see her beautiful smile again.
"You're really trying, aren't you?" she asked, her voice small and shaky, but positive. It sounded as if she was impressed, though Zuko couldn't understand why.
Zuko brought a hand up to her cheeks and wiped the tears away gently with a swipe of his thumb. His hand lingered there, cupping her cheek in his palm. There was something about her skin that he just couldn't bear to leave alone.
It's for Katara. It's for Katara. It's for Katara.
He repeated the mantra over and over again inside his head, reminding him exactly why he was admitting to the woman he loved that he was like normal people and that he felt fear. Zuko should have felt a little silly, but he didn't. To him, it felt as if he was admitting to some sort of abominable crime!
"And I'll keep trying." he replied quietly, looking down at her. "Until I get it right."
Looking down at Katara's tear-stained, delicate face in his hands, Zuko tried to ignore the little Ozai voice inside his head that told him he was weak and worthless.
"Why should she return your love? You are burnt and disgraced. Small and weak."
"Zuko?"
Katara smiled up at him through her clouded eyes. Zuko wanted to smile back, but found he couldn't. He hated it when Katara cried. He hated knowing it was because of him that she cried!
"Yeah, Katara?"
"Thank you."
Opening his mouth to say something, Zuko tried to get the surprised look cleared from his face. He certainly hadn't expected Katara to be so forgiving – never mind thank him!
But he stopped himself. A small thought crept up inside his head. The memory of the beautiful Water Tribe girl standing beside an Emu-Horse, with the sun shining down on her.
"Katara," he said slowly, feeling a smile tugging at his lips. "do you remember what happened the last time you thanked me?"
One corner of Kata's mouth bent upwards into a grin. She wiped at her eyes and brought her fingers to rest on Zuko's palm, which still gently cupped her face.
"How could I forget?" she replied, a she pulled him into a kiss.
Zuko couldn't help but smile. He would tell Katara the legend later.
Toph was not doing very well.
"I hate this. I can't see a thing!"
She was hunched over in her seat, with her head between her hands, grumbling and groaning every few minutes. Zuko hoped she wasn't going to be sick. There wasn't much room on the boat for them to avoid it.
"You gonna be okay, kid?" Chit Sang asked, looking at Toph warily. He was the one sat closest to her, after all.
The poor Earth Bender groaned in response, clutching at her stomach in a feeble attempt to quell the sea sickness.
"Do I look like I'm okay?" she grumbled. "I can't see a thing out here, we're rocking back and forward, I've nearly been hit by that giant stick three times now and if I fall out – I can't swim!"
Zuko tried to stifle a laugh. He knew that he shouldn't be laughing at poor Toph's plea, but he couldn't help but find the situation amusing. Toph hated almost every mode of transport other than walking and of course, being the Avatar's Earth Bending teacher, she had probably been carted all over the world in all manner of ways. Zuko wondered just how many times Toph had been in this same situation.
If chasing the Avatar from pole to pole is anything to go by, I'd say a lot.
"It's okat, Toph." Katara soothed, trying to reassure her young friend. "This is my element, remember? If you fall out, then I'll just bring you back in again. I'm not going to let you drown."
"And that 'stick' you keep moaning about is called a boom." Zuko said dryly, unable to hold the comment back. "Without that, we aren't going anywhere."
Zuko had been at the back of the tiny boat for almost three hours, slowly steering a course towards the Fire Sage's Temple. It was difficult for him, because of the choppy waters. Not to mention his scar.
Almost as soon as Zuko had stepped foot outside of the Inn and into the wind, the sharp stabbing pain had come back, causing him to clutch at it and grimace. Eventually, the pain wore off a little, but the dull throbbing was always present.
Making facial expressions was made particularly difficult by this and Zuko tried to avoid all conversation, until they arrived at the island.
But despite the pain, Zuko felt quite content. Some small part of himself might have even called it happy. He was proud of himself, though he still felt like a fool for having to speak about it. Though it had been pure torture for Zuko to admit to Katara that he was afraid, he was glad that he had done it.
It'll get easier. Just remember that you did it for Katara...even if you do feel foolish.
Zuko and Katara had spent most of their time on the small boat in silence. Zuko steered the boat and Katara used her Water Bending to speed up the process. But it wasn't an angry or awkward silence, like he had expected it to be. It was a contented, peaceful silence.
He would often catch a glimpse of Katara from behind the sails as the boom swung back and forth, sat at the bow of the boat, her delicate arms moving quickly to bend the water around them. Sometimes she would smile, though Zuko couldn't fathom why.
The small craft skipped over the water and bumped back down again with a hard splash, causing Toph to lurch and turn a light green colour. Zuko felt sorry for her, but there was nothing he could do about it. Beside's Katara's bending, all he could do was try to sail through the rough waters as quickly as he could.
"So, how are we going to get into the temple?" Suki called to Zuko over the winds.
"Should be pretty easy." he called back, the wind blowing into his eyes. "Because there's not a temple there anymore."
"Avatar Roku destroyed it, last time we were there." Katara added from the bow of the boat, still bending. "Now it's probably just rubble."
"Then why are we goin' there?" Chit Sang raised a beefy hand in confusion.
"They must be there." Suki frowned as she patted Toph's back. "How else could they get to the Spirit World? That temple is the most spiritual place in the Fire Nation!"
We're going because I'm a fool-hardy idiot.
"There's still somewhere that the Sila Vatra could go." Zuko turned the small craft, zigzagging through the water onwards. "There are underground chambers built into the volcano. It's possible that they could be hiding there."
Katara looked back from her position at the bow, momentarily slowing her bending so that she could rest. The wind died down just slightly, though it still stung at Zuko's scar like little blades. She looked at him quizzically.
"How do you know about those?" she asked, over the wind.
Having a Fire Sage as a Fire Nation History tutor certainly helped...
"The royal family are taught all about them." he called back, still staring ahead of him. "There's a chamber underneath the volcano that's said to house the Sage's greatest relic. And that's where we're going to go."
Suki smirked as she rubbed Toph's back, though she maintained a good distance away, just in case the poor Earth Bender couldn't hold it back any longer.
"It's kind of funny." she said to Zuko as the boat began to pick up speed again. "Even though your family has tried to kill you on numerous occasions, they've really helped us out quite a lot. Who knows what we'd be doing right now if you hadn't learnt all this stuff?"
Zuko frowned and looked back ahead. A fresh wave of pain shot through his scar and he rubbed at it with his free hand, willing it to die down. Tightening his grip on the rudder, he urged the boat onwards as the island that had once been home to the Fire Sage's Temple came closer and closer.
Yeah. He thought. And that's the worst kind of irony.
Ask blew up from the ground as Zuko stepped foot off the boat. An eerie chill whipped throughout the crevices of the island, despite the smoldering lava that lay beneath. The once great temple that had sat atop the great volcano now lay in ruin, with many trails of lava slowly pooling through the wreckage. The very sight of it in the moonlight made Zuko shiver.
"Land!"
Toph thrust herself eagerly from the small boat and landed face-first into the dusty earth. She didn't seem to notice the ash that had blown up into her face or hair as she made an ash angel in the ground.
"Sweet, sweet land!"
If it had been any other occasion, Zuko might have allowed himself to smile. But this was no time to rejoice. This was serious.
The choppy sea waters had slowed their progress more than Zuko had hoped. Originally, they had planned to make it to the island by the afternoon. But neither the tide or luck had been with them and they had ended up reaching the island far later than they had intended.
We don't have the time to rest. The comet comes at dawn!
Katara stood by his side as she jumped gently from the bow of the boat, looking forward at the smouldering remains of the Fire Sage's Temple. She looked serious, but determined. It was the same look Zuko had seen on her face when they had escaped from the Sila Vatra.
"Scared?" she asked him, though it wasn't in a mocking tone.
"No." he replied, closing his eyes against the dull pain in his scar.
She turned her head to look at him, frowning slightly. Zuko found it incredibly difficult not too kiss her at that very moment.
"Is that really what you feel,Zuko?"
Zuko could see what Katara must have been thinking. But for once, Zuko wasn't lying. Although he doubted she would believe him, he had made a promise to her that he intended to keep – no matter how uncomfortable it made him.
"It isn't a lie." he said bluntly. "I don't feel scared. I don't feel anything."
He was surprised when Katara nodded, agreeing with him. Mere words couldn't describe what any of them were thinking. They were thinking logically, making preparations, plans and strategies. But although they weren't thinking – they weren't feeling.
Feelings are just as bad as goodbye's...
"I wish I did though."
Despite his initial discomfort, Zuko found himself feeling glad to have said it. He was tired of hiding behind an emotionless mask all of the time. It would take some time, but Zuko was certain that if he survived long enough to see the end of the war – he would get better.
He would find a way.
They each looked up at the daunting structure of the volcano before them, looming above like hell on earth. It should have terrified them. It should have made them feel wary. But it didn't.
Katara's slender fingers entwined in Zuko's own and he squeezed them gently, each mentally preparing for what might lie ahead.
"I think I know how the Sila Vatra are planning to destroy the Avatar Cycle."
She looked up at him, with her mouth open in surprise.
"Zuko?"
He sighed, mentally slapping himself for not telling her earlier.
"That legend I was going to tell you about, I think there might be some truth to it."
Katara sighed, as she reached up to touch the pendant at her neck with her free hand.
And it's not good...
"You can tell me on the way there, Zuko." Katara said softly, with sadness in her voice. "Can we just...wait for a minute?"
Zuko nodded, rubbing at the back of his neck. He knew what she wanted. He wanted it too.
To see the stars and breathe the air. Before the whole world turns upside down.
Toph sighed happily from underneath the pile of ash that had gathered around her as Suki giggled, helping her up. Chit Sang had crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at the young Earth Bender fondly. The two had began to grow fond of each other when they had all been confined to the small space of the war balloon.
"You got some moxie, kid. If I didn' know better, I'da thought you were a straight-up con."
Toph burst into a sly grin and began to brag loudly about her encounters as 'The Runaway', thrusting her chest out proudly.
Zuko smiled sadly. Gently rubbing Katara's palm with his thumb, he looked over at his friends and comrades, as confident and relaxed as if they were simply playing a game of Pai Sho. She squeezed his hand gently, also allowing herself to smile.
"The calm before the storm." Katara sighed.
Looking back up at the looming structure of the dilapidated temple, Zuko nodded. His scar prickled, though he ignored it.
Tomorrow, we enter the eye of the storm.
Author's Note's : Well, the peace wasn't going to last forever. Well... 'peace' isn't really the perfect word to describe their situation so far, but you know what I mean. They only have one night to stop the Sila Vatra before the comet. I know that in the finale, Sozin's Comet comes during the day, but I think it'd be much more dramatic if it came during the dawn.
Congrats to anyone who guessed what Zuko's dream was about. There was definitely some confusion. :P
And thank you to Pepipanda, who came up with the idea for Zuko's 'happy place'!