"All hail Prince Zuko!" Cheers erupted from beneath him as he stepped forward on the balcony, looking down at his father's people- his own people, now. The waves of noise surrounded him, caressed his skin, and he raised a hand, acknowledging their praise.
They all thought the Avatar was dead. They all thought he was responsible. But he had hunted the boy for years; he knew that he was still alive even if no one else knew. And as much as it hurt him, he knew it was for the best. Now that there was no threat to search for, they would be safe- Katara, her brother Sokka, the little blind earth bender named Toph, and whoever their allies were.
Zuko felt a hand grip his shoulder tightly and came out of his reverie to stare at Azula. Her eyes were cold and cruel, but her smile leered at him in what could be mistaken as true affection. "Welcome home, brother!" she proclaimed, and her voice echoed out over the sea of people who sent up an answering roar of approval.
Katara spotted the camp before anyone else and shook Sokka awake, her heart beating in her throat. "I see it!" she yelled over the roar of the wind, and jumped down from the saddle to Appa's reins. Sokka went to work securing their stuff for the dive as Toph woke up, green faced and grouchy. She went over to Aang's still form and rubbed a hand over the fuzz on the top of his head with a smirk before pounding lightly on his chest, getting a good look at his vitals.
"Everything's good with baldy! Well, now he's got hair, so I guess I can't call him that anymore. Hmm. Everything's good with airhead!" Her high, stubborn voice affirmed, and Sokka smiled wearily, tapping her on the shoulder as the signal that she should hold on. Her smile faded into a look of disgust, and she latched onto his arm. "I hate landing," she grumbled, and the Water Tribe warrior chuckled and kissed the top of her head.
"Yip yip!" Katara said, and snapped Appa's reins, leaning forward and giving him slack. The huge animal groaned and angled downwards, gaining speed as the ground got closer. Toph squealed a very un-Toph-like squeal, gripping Sokka so hard that he gritted his teeth in pain, but he never complained.
Katara bit her lip as they hit the ground, paying close attention to how Sokka jumped off and took care of the earth bender until she herself touched the ground. It was in those few moments in which she was airborne that their bond truly showed. She mused to herself that maybe one day they'd actually admit to loving each other. The thought tore her heart into little pieces as the face of her own love flashed in her mind. They'd only had minutes when she needed days, months. Only one kiss when she longed for forever in his arms.
And then Zuko was gone when she had needed him there. "Hey Sugar Queen, we need to get Aang down from the saddle!" Toph yelled in her usual brash way, and Katara nodded, pushing the bitter thoughts aside. She wordlessly pulled a great wave from the ocean, and with a circular twist of her arms she flattened it out into a large disk. She splashed it onto Appa's saddle to get the water underneath the Avatar, then pulled it from the leather and froze it so that Aang was lying on a sheet of ice. She brought her long arms in a swoop over her head and the ice followed her command, hovering to the ground next to her and then melting, running off his body and back into the ocean.
The group of teenagers got him onto a moving rock platform of Toph's, and they made their way down the hill. It had been years since she'd seen her dad- Sokka had talked about how he hadn't changed at all, and a small bubble of excitement rose in her stomach, making it hard to breathe. They entered the camp to cheers for the safe return of the war heroes, and it was hard to keep from smiling as she recognized the men from her village. There was Bato and Nirnuk weaving a net, and the butcher, her uncle Drokil, came out to clap Sokka on the shoulder as they came by. Only then did they seem to realize that something was wrong, the Avatar wasn't walking with the rest of them- was he injured? Hushed murmurs cloaked their backs as a man came forward, introducing himself as Chief Hakoda's third in command, Ape'gtu. They were led straight into the largest tent, and Toph waited outside as Katara and Sokka went in, leaving his sleeping body in her small but capable hands.
"Dad." she whispered brokenly, tears falling freely from her eyes, and the man looked up, smiling when he saw his daughter and son standing before him. His own identical eyes misted over as he pulled them in for a hug, and Katara broke down completely, wrapping her arms around his waist and feeling his lips moving gruffly on her hair. She cried for Aang, for Zuko, and for herself. "I missed you!" she cried, and Sokka pulled back, letting Hakoda wrap his arms more securely around his daughter.
"Spirits, Katara honey, you look so much like your mother. You have no idea how much I've missed you." They stayed like that for another moment before Bato interrupted gently. He asked where Aang was, and Katara felt fresh agony brewing just under the surface. "He's hurt, I tried to heal him but he's still not awake- Toph's with him now outside." Hakoda's face hardened as they all stepped out into the sunlight, and he called some of his men to bring the boy to the healing tent.
"Now Katara, your brother told me about your healing abilities, and I'm so proud of you for that, by the way. A lot of my men are hurt, just minor burns and such. Maybe you could try to work on Aang a little bit more and then heal my men? If you're not feeling up to that, then its okay, honey." His tone of voice was understanding and gentle, and she sighed, nodding and making her way to the first man. He was clutching his side and she noted the bloodstained bandages at the side of his bed. He moved his hand away and she saw a large gash right between his ribs. Looking at the injury brought a small pang of hurt to her own old wound, but also confidence made her smile gently- she'd healed it before, she could heal it now.
"Hello, my name's Katara. Are you experiencing any dizziness or nausea?" The young man introduced himself as she took the cap off her bending water and pulled it out, onto the cut. He sighed in relief as she worked, feeling the flow of his own energy. She restored his side and ran a finger over both of his wrists and neck to improve blood circulation to the area, and then moved on to the next person. This was a woman dressed in an earth bender's uniform. She'd been captured by Fire Nation soldiers then escaped with a burn on her shoulder, then had found the tribe and guided them around. Katara worked away the old skin and stimulated the skin cells before turning and continuing her work.
There was only one person in the tent other than Aang that she still had to heal. She brushed the sweat from her forehead and ignored the feeling that she was seriously exhausted, turning the sleeping boy over and gasping as she caught a glimpse of his injury.
"He was in a fight with a highly advanced fire bender- a general in the army. There's nothing we can do for something so serious. We've been keeping him asleep so that he won't have to feel the pain. Can you do anything for him?" Hakoda's voice was soft and pleading, but she couldn't tear her horrified eyes away from the burn that covered his chest, arms and neck. His face was almost smooth save for an ugly burn that covered his left eye- she swayed on her feet as an image exploded in her mind of Zuko's face before she'd healed it- the wasted skin had been wrinkled and discolored, sickening.
Her hands wavered as she drew more water onto her palms and ran it over his skin. The bond that connected the healer and the victim was faint, but she could feel everything, the sting everywhere on her own skin, making her shudder at the pain. The water was doing little for the soldier- his breathing was heavy and labored, and her own lungs felt the pressure. She groaned quietly as the burn finally started to heal, and she kept at it.
The pain in her body receded as his faded away, and it was so relieving to finally be free of it that she was giddy. She turned to Aang, swaying dangerously on her feet, and reached out a hand that felt as heavy as lead. "Stop, Katara, that's enough." her father said, and at that moment her legs buckled underneath her and she fell into his strong, supporting arms.
Zuko felt a sudden weariness come over him during dinner, and he excused himself, ignoring his servants' disapproving stares. As he made his way into the royal bedchamber he stripped off the ceremonial armor and let his hair down from its top knot. He slumped into his silk sheets and turned over, instantly falling asleep.
There was only one thing in his dreams. He followed her as she wove her languid way through a small crowd of people and into a small, dark room. Blue water flashed in her hands as it touched a burn, and his skin crawled as he felt a dull sting all over his body. She was weaving as she moved, and he longed to help her, be her strength. She collapsed, he reached forward, and Agni, she was right there but so far away, all he could do was hold onto the feeling of her spirit as everything else faded.
Katara smiled as warmth ran its way over her body, and reached a hand out to touch the face before her, the golden eyes looking at her softly and a backdrop of red silk lulling her into a strange sort of comfort. Pale skin brushed her dark hair from her face, strong limbs wrapped around her small, delicate waist, and his voice murmured in her ear. "I'll be your strength…" She opened her eyes, expecting to see him right next to her, but instead she was in an empty room, there were no red and gold trappings and sheets, just dark grey wolf-tiger pelts and small seal oil lamps burning dimly in the darkness.
She could still feel his warmth through, so she smiled and went back to sleep, back to the dreams of being wrapped in Zuko's arms as they slept where no one could touch them.
Hope you liked it! I'm determined to actually have a story line in this, so I'm giving the couple some time apart. Please review!