Katara
X
Zuko's face is set in stone; his breathing is soft and shallow as he lies on the mattress. His scar is faded, as is the rest of his skin. He looks older than he did two nights ago. A bubble rises within me as I seek the words that can justify my presence in this tent. Toph's eyes are blazing, her features stern, almost hostile. Her stare is unrelenting and holds the simple message that she doesn't think me worthy of being in Zuko's presence.
"You love him?" Toph questions, and laughs sarcastically. "After all he's done for you, you'd better love him. You…" she points in my general direction, a scowl playing on her features. "You are not worthy. He's getting better and I don't want you messing anything up," she announces and my heart pauses. "Don't you know that Gran Gran and the village physician have said that there is hope; that his bending has managed to keep him alive?" her face is red with the anger directed solely at me. "Your being here impedes his recovery."
"Get out," she breathes, the tone in her voice poisonous. "He doesn't need you, Katara. You're doing more harm than good," the revelation that this is what she thinks of me first extracts shame which quickly turns into anger.
"I am his wife!" I'm practically shouting and I do not hold back. "What's wrong with you? You wanted Aang then and now, you want Zuko too?" the jealousy that stems from my heart is ever so obvious. "I am his wife… and I want to see him," I say as I try to hold back the tears that threaten to fall. "You have no right to stand between us," I tell her and her rage grows tremendously, as a slaps rings out. I inhale sharply, surprised by her hitting my face, despite not being able to see. Although, most of all, I am embarrassed at the position I am in now. I cup my cheek and ignore the cry that comes from my mouth.
"Toph," Yan says quickly and places a hand on her shoulder, trying hard to calm her. His next words are measured. "Maybe… maybe we should give her a chance."I am grateful for his intervention and the presence of a calm soul between us. "Think about Zuko…"
"I am!" she says loudly, an angry and incredulous expression on her face. "I am thinking about Zuko and that's why I don't want her anywhere near him," she tells Yan and crosses her arms over her chest, certain that she will not budge. "You need to leave," she says harshly, pointing at me.
"You don't understand!" I shout, my voice making her increasingly upset. I touch my hand to my head absently and feel the temperature of my skin growing hotter. There is a kind of weakness in my knees, which must be from some sickness I have.
"I do. And I understand that you have got to…"
"He's going to die!" I blurt out even as my stomach churns. Toph stiffens. She turns around as confusion comes upon her. "He doesn't have long before…" I am crying now, too upset to hide it any longer. "I just want to be with him before the time comes," I feel my chest constrict and my heart drop.
Toph pauses, weighing my words, and then she nods slowly and turns away, starting out of the tent. Yan shoots me an expression I cannot identify, before he takes her hand and follows her out.
When they are gone, I step toward Zuko. His body is rigid and my mother's words play on in my head.
Your husband is going to die.
I nearly choke on my tears but find comfort in the fact that he is breathing. I turn around and notice that there is water in an earthen pot that sits just beside his bed. The healers must have left it here.
Perhaps I didn't expect it, perhaps I didn't know that my ill health could cause this, that I was in a state so vulnerable; because I still do as my instincts tell me. I encase my hands in liquid and pull it over Zuko's brow. I watch as the water glows, as it sparkles. I watch, until my consciousness fades and I am catapulted into oblivion.
X
/Her previous visit to the Crevice is nothing like the one today. She is in the middle of a desert now but the temperature is low, so low it is distantly troubling her. How can this place be so cool and so absent of warmth? Katara wonders as she looks down at her clothes. She is dressed in grey, the fabric loose around her body. The waterbender walks absently and winces at the roughness of the desert sand beneath the soles of her bare feet.
There are two celestial bodies above her, a star that is red and dim; and a moon of blue. It isn't Yue, she knows. It's light is far too dull and its disposition so cold that she feels a touch of sorrow emitting from its core. It is torn, broken really, as bits are scattered about the dimness of the sky. She wonders what this means. Could it be that they are dying creatures? That they are on their way to the afterlife? They must be, she thinks and wonders why she is called here.
The absence of heat makes her shiver and curse the thin fabric covering her form. She hates the uncertainty, the distant oddity of this entire situation. Being in between worlds is nothing to celebrate. It is devoid of warmth and comfort. She moves walking quickly all the while trying to ignore the discomfort of her feet.
"Show me," she whispers under her breath as her palms come to face upward and her eyes gaze at the sky. "I want to see," she tells whoever might listen.
"I am here," she is taken aback by the answer. The voice is neither soothing nor irritating, neither kind nor menacing. "Do not be alarmed," she hears and she turns around quickly. There is no one there, simply a larger expanse of sand and bareness.
"I am not to be feared," the voice makes Katara frown as a touch of curiosity and Spirits forbids, fear, clouds her mind. "You must hate me, you must resent my presence. I hate myself sometimes also," Katara turns around as she hears the sound come from behind her. "But I assure you," the voice is to her left now. "My brother is the one you should despise," she is informed. Right now, the waterbender is confused. "His name is Sorrow."
"And what is yours?"
He doesn't answer her.
"Over here," she hears and turns, seeing a black cloud of sorts rush beside her before taking human form and presenting itself. The hooded figure is covered in dark fabric, and seems so distant, yet so familiar. "I have seen many humans in my existence, both good and evil; both powerful and weak; both pure and darkened, and now I see you," he says. "I have known you since the day my sister gave you a part of her," this is growing sickening as curiosity creeps into her heart.
"Are you my mother's sibling?" she asks, feeling silly, with the knowledge that her mother is an only child. "My mother was an only child," she tells the figure that steps to her right. "Who are you and what have you done to Zuko?" she asks, impatient. Katara shifts again and winces as the grains of sand bore themselves into her foot.
"He is still in the Crevice," he informs her and Katara relaxes slightly. "But… as much as I feel sorry for you… as much as I wish to send him back to the material world… I cannot," he says and her eyes sting with unshed tears. "The Cosmic Elders," he begins and her lips turn down at the sides. "Their initial intention was for me to take Azumi, you daughter," he tells her. This time Katara doesn't hold back her cry.
"But there was, Zuko… your husband willingly stepped between the girl and I, he took her place with full knowledge of what he was doing," the voice tells her and a muscle in her jaw clenches. "You see Katara, I have to take a life; his life. Unless there is another… but I know very well that there isn't."
"Who are you?" she says as her eyes narrow.
"I am Death."/
X
Yan
X
Toph and I stand outside the tent, in front of a small fire. We watch as the infirmary staff go around the frozen hospital. There is something about the way they move; the purpose in the steps they take that makes me have great admiration for them. I rub my thumb over Toph's hand and witness her expression calm as she tries to hold back the tears and fear in her eyes.
Life can indeed be cruel. Distantly, I wish that hurt and pain were foreign and alien to us, that issues of heartache are not this familiar. Yet, the gods are wicked, they are unkind and have made things more trying than they have to be. Toph turns away from me but I have already noted the tears in her eyes. Instinctively, I wrap my arms around her and hold her, whispering quietly into her hair.
She says nothing, simply comes apart and bawls. Her sorrow and fear is so clear and profound I find myself crying also, even as I tell her that everything will be fine. There is a change in the weather and it becomes uncomfortably cold as snow begins to fall from the sky. The thunder roars loudly, angrily and Toph pulls her face away from my tunic. She closes her eyes as a dusting of snow comes upon us.
"We should go inside," I say but she pulls at my arm.
"I'm scared," she tells me and I feel my stomach knot. There is sincerity in her words, there is vulnerability and a tinge of uncertainty. "Could it be that Zuko… is going to die?" the last word comes out soft as it hangs in the air between us. "I don't know if I can ever accept if another one…"she stops abruptly as the unspoken reference to Aang makes things uncomfortable. "I can't," she sighs softly, resigning to fate.
"Let's go inside," I tell her and bring her into the main section of the infirmary. The hospital is impressively large, with tall ice buildings and big tents, beds and hospital staff filling the spaces. We walk amongst the patients. I watch the physicians and nurses helping the sick. It is quite a sight indeed, how a once small village has changed and developed into this huge city.
We wander around the south wing of the hospital as I observe the people there. They mostly look unhappy, even though some are less sorrowful than others. Toph stops abruptly and I turn to face her. There is a troubled look on her face, yet her eyes are intrigued, the sixth sense she has come to acquire shining through.
"We should really go back," Toph tells me and tugs at my sleeve. She seems uncomfortable and when I look up I see a woman, her eyes are green, her hair disheveled and her expression vacant. Toph's hand is shaking within mine, her body tenses up as I realize that she has sensed the presence of a lost soul.
My eyes go to the name tag on her clothing.
Her name… is Shin.
A/N: oooooohhhhhh. Shin makes a comeback! alrighty! there is hope. THERE IS HOPE! zuko might just live, although he might just die too. it can go either way. rnr people! so sorry for not updating for so long!