This next chapter kind of slows down the story, so I apologize. It's basically to get some Kataang in. Zutarians, listen, I'm on your side, but this story called for Kataang. Sorry. My friend, Kataang-or-Zutara, helped me edit this chapter, as she does with every chapter, giving me advice and what not. (Sorry for not crediting you earlier, Linz. Don't sue, please.)
Dedications: KityPryde & RedLoveDrop. You guys are awesome!
R&R! -Katybug
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Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. (Stupid Mike and Bryan. They won't let fans do anything...)
Chapter Six: Restless Night
The wary group flew back to the temple, watching over the wounded Liz. Every time she would moan or twitch, Zuko would jump, and Katara would end it. "Shh," she'd whisper, calming the girl down. "You're going to be okay." Her lips trembled as she spoke the lie.
- - -
Sokka set one foot down on the temple floor, holding Liz in his strong arms. Aang's pet, Momo, ran to him and climbed up his side. Licking Liz's cheek, Katara took him in her arms and set him down, saying, "Shoo, Momo. Liz needs to rest." Sokka walked to his blue sleeping bag and set the girl down on it, being careful not to wake her up.
Katara followed him and sat next to Liz, telling Sokka, "You go tell the others we're back. Afterwards, go with Haru to find more of that fruit. We need something to eat tonight." Her tired brother nodded his head. His blue eyes carried bags underneath them.
The waterbender waved her bony fingers over a canteen of water lying next to her. A bulge of clear water floated up from inside. She pulled the puddle into her hands, inhaling slowly, then exhaling, and rubbed them on Liz's burn. The water began to glow as the healing was taking effect. A gruff noise came from Liz's mouth, making clear that the water was stinging a bit. None the less, Katara kept her hands on the girl's leg, being sure to do the best she could to heal it.
Focusing on her patient, Katara didn't notice the shadow coming from behind her. "Katara?" Aang's voice managed to say after the long day. Katara jumped slightly, startled.
She turned her head, never lifting her hands. "Yes, Aang?"
"Well, Zuko helped to build a fire, and I thought that you might want to take a break."
"Sorry, Aang, but I can't leave her right now. She needs constant supervision."
"I'm sure she'll be fine," he assured her. He held out his hand, and she stared at him. Katara bent her fingers and grasped the water in her palms. Her mouth dried as she slipped a breath down her throat. Then she dragged it with her slight movement of gripping her fingers and flowed it all through the air, then placed it in the container. She took the boy's hand, and he helped her up. They walked together to the fire, not saying a word while their knees were shaking as they walked.
Katara noticed the darkness taking over the ruins and asked, "It's nightfall already?" The light of the fire glared against the black of night as the two walked towards it, their skin begging for the warmth. The crackle of the flickering fire danced through their ears.
Sokka, Zuko, Toph, and the others were sitting around it, leaning in. Aang and Katara sat down, and Toph asked with a sort of mocking in her voice, "Princess, I heard you got captured today. What happened?"
Katara's eyes glanced up at the earthbender from under her eyelashes, not really wanting to answer her question. "Well," she began, with a sigh in her feminine voice, "we went to the market, and..." She paused, thinking hard. The day was a blur. So much had happened so fast. "And..." Katara pursed her thin lips.
"Katara was noticed by someone," Sokka finished for her. Everyone's eyes widened. He tried to explain the rest of the story, but only Aang to tell them what had happened on the beach.
"So what did you do?" Teo asked, hungry for so much more from the story.
"Katara and I tried to hold off the guards, and one snuck up on Liz. He burnt her leg, and Katara's been trying to heal her since then," he said, leaving out any gruesome details he could think of. He did include Zuko's shining moment, though. "As soon as Liz went down," he continued, "Zuko rushed in and finished the guards off. To be honest, I've never seen him bend like that." All eyes found their way to Zuko, who was quietly listening, keeping his head down the whole time. "Where did you learn to do that?"
"I don't know," Zuko replied without any emotion in his rough voice. "It just sort of...came out." He forced himself to glance at the waving flames. His eyes ran back to the ground, thinking about the burn that hit Liz's leg. How could I let that happen? he asked himself. He now understood what Liz was feeling earlier that day. Terrible...
- - -
That night, Katara returned to Liz, and noticed she was sweating. She cooled her down by waving her wrist and hand back and forth over Liz's hurt body, cooling off the water inside of her. After she thought the girl would be fine for the rest of the night, she slowly shuffled back to her sleeping bag, tired from the long and perilous day. She crawled inside and closed her eyes.
Minutes passed, and, for some strange reason, sleep never found her. She turned over and tried again. Nothing happened. Her eyes fluttered open, and she pushed the bag back and stood up. Not knowing how she would sleep, Katara shuffled her petite feet across the floor and found a balcony where she could think some things through.
The dark sky was peppered with white stars. "I could 've died today..." she mused, not knowing why in the world Aang would risk his life to save hers. Was it the same reason she would do the same for him? Asking herself these question, she couldn't hear Aang stepping towards her. Her eyes flickered to his direction and back, and she saw him coming. "Can't sleep?" she asked him as he rubbed a tired eye with the back of his hand. He stood next to her, but he tried not to look directly into her eyes, knowing he would be too distracted to speak.
"Yeah," he mumbled. Aang took a chance and turned his head to look at her. "I need to talk to you." Katara looked at him with concerned eyes. "Katara, when I heard you yelling at those guards, trying to free yourself, I felt...I don't know. Hurt, I guess."
She smiled at him. "Aang, everything's okay now. Thank you for saving me. Just...Just know that everything's okay now. Liz is looking better, and no one else was hurt."
"What about when I face the Fire Lord? What if I can't do it?" His grey eyes began to shine with tears.
Katara smiled even wider. "Everything will be okay," she assured him. "You are the most talented boy I know. Don't tell Sokka I said that, though." Aang nodded, chuckling. "Ozai doesn't know what he's up against. Neither does Azula." Katara leaned toward Aang and kissed his cheek. He gently blushed and hoped Katara didn't notice. A grin grew on his face, and Katara continued. "Now, you should probably go back to sleep. If Sokka wakes up because of that weird dream where all the meat in the world is gone, he'll need someone to comfort him." Aang laughed again, and he began to walk back.
Katara kept standing on the balcony, staring at the beautiful stars and thinking about her mother. She thought about that day so long ago, and she thought about the last time she saw her mother. Her face twitched at the memory of the man's cruel eye. It all felt like it happened the other day, all still fresh in her mind.
Unable to fall asleep, still, Katara walked back to where Liz lay sleeping, kissing the stars goodnight as she left. Nothing had changed since she'd left the girl's side. Well, actually, Liz was snoring when Katara walked beside her. Drool was slipping out of her mouth, and every time she inhaled, the spit would travel back into her open jaws. "Ew," Katara whispered. "You'd think she was Toph..." Her voice trailed off.
- - -
Zuko was running. Trees flew past him as he tried to get away from something following him. Too scared too look behind him, he could only guess.
"Hurry, Zuzu! Hurry!" a voice screeched behind his back. His guess was correct. Blue lightning filled the dark sky around him, and crackles of fire sounded in his ears.
Suddenly, the dark forest ended, and a tall stone wall appeared before him. Squinting his eyes, he slowly turned to face Azula, her evil face tinted with blue from her fingertips and a forest of burning trees and orange flames behind her. A frightening grin was spread across her face, and she lifted a hand, two fingers pointed to the sky, ready to strike.
"Zuko, help!" screamed a voice next to him. Afraid to turn, he could only adjust his eyes to his right. He gasped at the sight of Katara kneeling down next to a wounded Liz. "Zuko, please help!" Katara screamed again. "She's hurt!"
"Save her, Zuzu," Azula insisted with pride in her voice. His feet wouldn't move, frozen with fear. He knew he would die if he took another step. He glanced at Katara and Liz, her hair sprawled out on the forest floor, and a look that could scare Death on her face.
"Zuko!" Katara shouted once more. He lifted his foot towards her and saw a straight line of blue coming directly at him.
That's when he woke up.
Zuko shot up from his sleeping bag. Sweat was gushing from his forehead. He took slow, deep breaths, feeling the air move to and from his lungs. Finally, he sighed in relief that it was all a dream. He laid back down and closed his eyes, comforted by the darkness of sleep.
- - -
Sokka also awoke that night, his face sweating as well. A terrible dream had taken place in his stressed mind. "Aang," he whispered. A few yards away, Aang slowly sat up.
"What is it, Sokka?" Aang asked with sleep still stuck in his voice.
"The meat was gone..." Sokka whispered to himself. "All the meat was gone..."
"Sokka, it was just a dream," Aang stated, lying back down. "Go back to sleep."
Sokka laid on his side and pulled his cover over him, but his eyes wouldn't shut. "All the meat was gone..."