I'M FINALY BACK!! HOORAY!! Okay, I know it's been a while, but I let this overtake my life, and my grades went down, and I realized I wasn't obsessed with my story, I was obsessed with pleasing all of you amazing people, my readers. I'm sorry this took so long, but I hope to get at least one chapter per week up, on the weekends. Maybe two this weekend, because for once, I have no homework! Yeah!
Anyway, so here's my next chapter! Probably another one of the saddest… warning you now… Also, a lot of you think that I'm pairing Ara with Zuko. Think what you want, but they are just the best of friends, protectors, father and daughter (metaphorically), she's his love, his protection, his hope, his everything, he's her love, her father (again, metaphorically, sorry Zutarians), her mentor, her best friend, her everything as well. You know when I did the chapter with when Ara was born that she touched Zuko's scar, that's their unbreakable bond right there… anyway, here you are, please read and review! Thanks for being patient!
"No…"
Zuko gasped for air and tears filled his eyes as he suddenly ran to Ara's side, sliding to his knees next to her. She was laying face down, her body covered in cuts, blood, and burns, and a sword sticking out of her left side of her back, dried blood surrounding it.
"No, no, no, no, no, no…" he tried to get in air into his bruised and burning lungs. "Ara," he whispered between breaths. The tears fell down his burned cheeks as he gently grabbed hold of the swords hilt and eased it out of her back. Mai turned away. She couldn't bear the sight, her tears covering her cheeks as well, her feet ground to the spot where she had found the necklace.
Zuko eased it out of Ara's back and threw it as far as he could away from them and started sobbing as he gently flipped her over. The anger and hate was completely gone from her face, but so was life.
Her skin was deathly pale, and her face was dirty and ragged. Her hair was in strands. A wound like an explosion was on her chest, matching her father's and mother's. A deep cut ran above her eye, and dried blood ran from the cut down her cheek and neck. Burns, cuts, and numerous welts covered her body, and her knee was badly mangled. She didn't even look like Ara anymore.
Her clothing was shredded and burned and her body was cold, but he didn't care as he picked up her head and chest, setting her body in his lap, holding her as Mai walked up and stood behind him, crying silently while Zuko held the young girl tight, sobbing over her body, rocking her back and forth.
Never in his life had he experienced this kind of sadness and anguish. Never in his life had he ever cried for so long and so hard. He felt like he was breaking inside. Zuko just poured his grief onto Ara's body as he sat there, holding her in the dirt and blood of the battlefield, his sobbing and grief the only sound around them.
The sun finally set in the western horizon, and the heavy storm clouds that had stayed on the horizon as well moved in. The solstice was over, and the red sky immediately vanished, leaving the sunset only orange and yellow against the storm. Thunder cracked and lightning split the air, and a few heavy drops started to hit the ground. Mai looked up and the sky, then back to her love sitting on the ground, his shoulders shaking over his best friend's body.
"Zuko, we need to get back," she said softly, putting her hands on his shoulders. He shook violently under her fingertips, but she urged him. "Zuko, we need to go."
He didn't answer, and didn't seem to even hear her as it started to rain harder.
Zuko looked at Ara's closed eyes, her cut up face. Just like Aang, no smile filled her face, no shine filled her beautiful grey eyes. He wiped some dried dirt and blood off of her arrow, and he touched her cheek, his lips quivering and pressed in a firm line.
"I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Ara. I'm so sorry. Forgive me." His tears fell again. And even though he had no power from the solstice left, he decided to try and bring her back. He lit his hand on fire and, breathing in, the fire turned blue. He placed it on her chest, and breathing in, and then out, focused his energy through her cold body.
Nothing happened.
"No," Zuko whispered, looking at her face, then her chest, looking for breathing or some sign that she was alive. He tried again and again, focusing all of his energy through her, but nothing happened. The fourth time, Ara didn't wake, and exhausted, Zuko dropped his head to hers. She was still gone. He couldn't save her.
Zuko's tears started to fall again, his healing ability had failed him. Weak, exhausted, and torn apart from the inside, he just stared at her face, trying to speak to her through his thoughts. His forehead on hers, he screamed in his head to her.
Ara, please, wake up! You can't do this to me! I need you! Please!
The anguished prince then thought of another idea. Instead of trying to heal her, maybe he could give Ara life.
"Spirits," he whispered, looking to the pouring sky, "please, please let me give of my life to and through her. Please, give of my beating heart, give of my breath, give of the life which she has already given me. Please, spirits, save her."
He lit a hand on fire again, and breathing in, the fire turned blue. He placed it on her chest, and suddenly, his hand glowed like Aang's tattoos in the Avatar state. He breathed deeply, in and out, and light from his body went through his hand to under his fingertips into her body. And suddenly, he lost his strength. He groaned and fell backwards, his hand on her chest falling away, his other hand still gripping her body.
"Zuko!" Mai cried as she fell to her knees to catch him.
"Ugh!" he mumbled as he fell against her, still holding Ara in his arm. He looked up at Mai, who had worry filling in her eyes.
"I'm fine," he whispered, his life drained from his body, exhaustion entering his bones. Mai helped him sit up, and she looked at him. "What happened?"
"I gave her part of my life," he said, looking down at her body, yet no life showed in her face. But then, he saw it. Her chest rose and fell, barely noticeable, but it was there!
Mai gasped. "He saved her," she whispered, putting her hand on his shoulder. She then yelled to him through the pouring rain and the storm happily. "Zuko, you brought her back!"
He breathed out quickly, smiling, tears in his shining eyes now filled with hope. He looked at Mai. "We need to get her to help—now."
Mai started to help him up, and she ran to the waiting bison. When she turned and stared through the rain, she saw Zuko, highlighted by the lightning, walking towards her, hair and clothes plastered to his face and body, holding Ara tight in his arms.
She smiled at how proud and magnificent her prince looked, and then good on Appa. Zuko got on Appa's tail, and as Appa lifted it, they took off. Mai took off her robe and threw it back to Zuko. "Here! Cover her in it!"
He caught it and tucked it around her, trying to keep her cold body warm and dry. He shielded her body from the storm as much as he could, and his mind flashed back to when he had been shot by Azula. Ara had risked her life and saved him by jumping off of Appa, Ara had brought him back when he had died, it was Ara how was always by his side, holding his hand, it was Ara's grey eyes and her concerned face which he always saw when he came out of unconsciousness or sleep. He couldn't do the same for her. But he vowed to be at her side until she at least became better. He vowed to save her this time.
Appa flew back to the medical buildings, where Mai helped all of the other survivors off, and Zuko carried Ara in. By now, the commotion inside had cleared and so he carried her to the nearest available room, which wasn't occupied by anyone. He called in a doctor and a healer.
"Please, she's badly wounded. You need to save her. Please!" he pleaded.
"We'll do our best, son. We'll find you if you need anything. Please wait outside."
Zuko took one last glimpse of Ara before being led out the door. Mai was waiting for him. She put her hand on his cheek, and he leaned into it, closing his eyes and sighing. And when he opened them, she noticed that they were back to the handsome rich gold that she knew. She intertwined her fingers in his, and she smiled. "Let's go see Aang and Katara. I know you want to check on them."
They finally stopped at the room, and Zuko nervously opened the door. All candles and torches were out, except for one candle on the table between the two beds. Zuko crept towards Katara, where he could see that she was cleaned up, had bandages on her most severe wounds, and her hands were firmly wrapped up to her elbows. She was sleeping peacefully, at last. He smiled, but then looked to Aang.
The still-unconscious Avatar was heavily wrapped in linens and bandages, but he hadn't moved since Zuko had placed him there. He went to Aang's side and lightly put a hand on his shoulder. "Get some rest, Aang," he whispered, and without another look, walked out to where Mai stood. He rubbed his eyes. "I'm sorry, but I need to see everyone else to see if they're okay too."
Mai just nodded and smiled quietly without saying a word. The two walked slowly down the hall, where they got directions first to Sokka's room.
As Zuko entered the room, he gasped at the sight of the warrior. His entire body was burnt, and bandages covered his arms, neck, legs, chest, and abdomen, but Zuko's shock mainly came from seeing his best friend's face.
Sokka had a heavy bandage wrapped around his forehead and on half of his face. His face was also one huge burn. He was asleep, but it looked like a pain filled sleep.
Zuko touched his friend's shoulder, and began to walk away.
"Zuko?" a hoarse voice barely whispered. Zuko turned to see Sokka moving a little. He went back to his place next to him.
"Hey buddy. You look awful. You feeling okay?"
Sokka smiled weakly, but ignored the question. "Is Katara alright?"
"She's fine. She's resting for now, but will be okay."
"And Toph?"
"She—I don't know. She was shot by archers, but if you and I know her, she'll be just fine."
"And Aang?"
Zuko paused, and Sokka sensed his sadness. "He's—gone—isn't he?"
The prince looked up at the pain filled face whose lips were now pressed together, trying not to cry out for his best friend. Zuko sighed.
"No, but he's dying—slowly. So is—is Ara."
"Oh," was all Sokka could say, tears forming in his uncovered eye.
Zuko decided to leave him alone. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'm sure they'll be okay." He lied. He didn't know what would happen. "You get some rest, okay?"
"Okay. And please tell Katara and Toph that I love them."
"Gotcha."
Zuko left the room and walked with Mai onto Toph's room. When they found it, Zuko walked in and immediately spotted her bed. He walked to one side, where the young woman lay silent. Her eyes were closed, her arms were covered in bandages, and her chest and shoulders were wrapped up tightly.
He turned to go.
"Hey, just 'cause I can't feel your vibrations doesn't mean I can't hear your loud footsteps," Toph said, her voice almost normal.
Zuko turned back around. "I'm not that loud," he said, chuckling. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "You doing okay?" He looked at the wall, which was cracked, "—besides having fun throwing the nurses through the wall?"
Toph smiled. "Yeah, thanks to you. Thank you, Zuko, for saving my life."
He smiled and squeezed her hand again. "Sokka wanted me to tell you he loves you."
"Is he okay?"
"He's badly wounded, but I think he'll be okay."
"What about Katara?"
"She's sleeping. She'll be okay."
"And you don't have to tell me about Twinkletoes," Toph whispered sadly. "I heard Katara screaming for him from here when you brought him in. I felt you carry him in. I felt no vibrations from him. He's dead, Aang's gone—isn't he?" Tears formed in her blind eyes.
Zuko sighed, bowed his head, and rubbed his own eyes. "No, but he's dying. Toph, I honestly don't know if he'll survive."
Toph closed her eyes, her tears falling. "If you go visit him though, tell him he needs to get better, for all of us."
"I will. Get some rest. I'll visit you later."
"Okay. Wait, what about Ara?"
Zuko sighed. "Same fate as her father."
Zuko walked out of the room, and he took Mai's hand. "Can I see Ty Lee?"
"Sure," she said quietly, leading him. "But she's still unconscious. And you won't recognize her."
They came to her room, and both Mai and Zuko walked in. And Mai had been right. Zuko gasped, for the young woman didn't even look like Ty Lee. Her whole front of her body was burned, her eyelashes and eyebrows were gone, her face was blistered and peeling, her shoulder was in a sling, and her chest was heavily wrapped. The only sign of her being alive was the small but steady rise and fall of her chest under the blanket.
Mai sighed. "I'm going to stay with her, if that's okay. She's my best friend. She needs me."
"Okay. I love you." He kissed her forehead gently.
"I love you too."
Zuko walked out and went to find Hakoda.
After searching for a while, he finally found the warrior resting. He actually looked the best out of all the group, with just a few burns and a broken leg. He opened his eyes when he heard Zuko come in, and he groaned as he sat up. "Hey, son, you look awful. Why haven't you gotten fixed up, especially your arm? You know it's still bleeding, right? And why are you soaked? You're gonna catch a cold. Go get a blanket and take care of yourself. And—"
"Hakoda," Zuko interrupted. "you're changing the subject. You—you heard about Aang, didn't you?"
Hakoda bowed his head. "My son," he whispered. He looked up. "I heard he is dead."
"No, but close," Zuko sighed. "Katara, Sokka, and Toph are all badly injured too, but they'll pretty much be okay. Ty Lee might not make it though. I haven't seen my uncle yet either, but I think he's okay."
"And what of my granddaughter?" Hakoda's blue eyes searched deeply into Zuko's. "Zuko, where's Ara?"
Zuko wavered. "She's severely and fatally wounded. I don't know if she'll live, either."
The Water Tribe Chief's eyes watered. "My family. I can't bear to lose them. Any of them. We've been through too much. I'll try to visit them. But seriously, get yourself fixed up." He gave a sad smile.
"Okay, bye."
As he walked out, he found another doctor, who pointed him to his uncle's room. When he walked in, he sighed with happiness and relief that his uncle was awake and alert, drinking tea and laughing with his roommate. Iroh looked up at his nephew when he came in. "Zuko!" he cried happily, and Zuko have never seen a happier smile on his uncle's face.
Zuko ran to embrace him, and Iroh never wanted to let go, thankful that his nephew was alive. Tears spilled down his cheeks as he parted.
"Sit down, sit! Tell me the outcome of the war. Who killed my brother?"
"Aang."
"And Azula?"
"Ara."
"I am proud of them both. How are they?"
Zuko's smile fell, and Iroh saw the sadness in his eyes.
"Zuko?"
"They're both severely, fatally wounded." Zuko's tears started welling up, and even though he was trying so hard not to, his tears rolled down his cheeks and he fell to his knees, sobbing in anguish.
Iroh, who wasn't badly injured, leapt out of the bed and ran to his nephew's side, holding him close. Zuko didn't care that he was a grown man crying on the floor, or that his uncle was holding him like a child; all he knew was that his heart was breaking, his friends and family were dying, and he just needed to pour it out to someone who understood.
Finally, he sighed, content. He closed his eyes, leaning against his uncle while Iroh held him tight. Zuko reached you and put his arms around his uncle, hugging him.
"Thanks uncle, you know, for everything."
"I'm always here for you, nephew."
Suddenly a doctor ran into the room. "Someone told me you were here!" he cried, bowing to Zuko. "We have looked everywhere for you."
"What's wrong?" Zuko asked as he got up, wiped his eyes and helped Iroh up. "What is it?"
"It's the girl…" the doctor started, and Zuko looked at Iroh.
Iroh looked into his nephew's eyes. "Go. I'll be right here."
Zuko nodded and ran out the door to Ara's room. The doctor ran alongside him. "We started working on helping her, but then she started tossing and turning. All of her wounds reopened and are bleeding, and she has a very dangerously high fever. She keeps groaning and crying out a name, over and over."
"Whose name?"
"A person named Zuko."
Zuko stopped running, trying to catch his breath. "That's me," he whispered, and the doctor nodded. "We tried to calm her down, but she's in some state of deliria. She also is severely, severely dehydrated from the solstice, but we can't get any water down her throat. And with her fever, she keeps sweating out what little water she has left. But we just needed you to see if you could do anything. If you can't help her, she'll die."
They reached her room, and when they entered it, Zuko saw that two nurses stood on either side of Ara, trying to bring down her burning fever with cool wet cloths. As for Ara herself, her head moved from side to side on the pillow, groaning and wincing as she tossed. Her long hair had been let down and brushed by one of the nurses, but now her sweat made some of it stick to her face. Her body tensed every few seconds, and she cried out. Sweat covered her face, and fresh blood seeped from the gash over her eye. One of the nurses turned as the doctor and Zuko walked in.
"She's getting worse. Her fever is climbing, and she won't stay still long enough for us to bandage her. And she keeps crying out, louder and louder, 'Zuko!' What do we do?"
"This young man is Zuko," the doctor motioned to the prince, "and I got him because maybe he can help her. He's the one who carried her in." The doctor looked at Zuko. "You're her only hope, son."
The nurses backed away, and Zuko walked up to Ara's bed. She continued to toss and turn, breathing heavily. "Zuko…" she whispered, then winced as he felt her burning forehead. "Zuko!" she moaned, breathing as if she couldn't catch her breath.
Zuko bent up a flame, and breathing in, the fire turned blue. He put his hand on Ara's forehead, breathing in and out steadily. And where she moved her head, he followed. Bit by bit she stopped tossing, and her breathing went back to normal. "Zuko," she barely whispered one last time as her head fell to one side, relaxed. Her face released the tension, and she sighed heavily. Zuko breathed out, taking his hand off her head, and he sighed as well.
The nurses rushed forward and they gasped. "Her fever is gone!" one of them said.
Zuko smiled weakly. The doctor looked at him. "Do you want me to get you fixed up?"
"Yes, please."
About a half hour later, Zuko too was bandaged up. He got most of his severe burns treated, had his cut arm wrapped and heavily bandaged and in a sling, and now was just sitting by Ara's side, watching her, never wanting to leave her. He had promised.
After he had calmed her down, she too had been cleaned, bandaged, and given water to drink through a long tube. And the doctor had now declared her as in a coma state, so the prince planned on staying by her side as long as it took. It was now about midnight, the rain poured, and the thunder shook the earth building, but still Zuko only focused on Ara.
Another hour went by, and a messenger walked into the room. "Sir? I have a message from Lady Katara. She needs to talk to you."
Zuko didn't want to leave Ara's side, but she looked alright fro now. He sighed as he got up and walked to Katara and Aang's room.
It didn't surprise him that Katara was not in her bed. She was sitting on a chair next to her husband, stroking his hand. Aang still hadn't moved once, but he looked like he was in a stable state, for now.
But suddenly what did surprise Zuko was when Katara turned to look at him. The light of the candle caught the shine of a line of tears running down her cheek. Her face was etched in fear, sadness, and agony.
"Katara?" he asked, worry filling him. She slowly got up, and walking to him, opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
She fell forward and he caught her, not worrying about his arm in the sling, as she started crying silently, but her body shook violently in his embrace. He held her in a warm hug as she clung to him, crying once again. He softly stroked her hair and whispered soothing words to her.
"Shh, shh, it's alright. What's wrong?"
"Aang. They told me—they told me he's going to die…"
Man, I feel like I'm boring you guys! It feels like a soap opera to me, so if you don't like it, tell me what I can do to make it better! So I know it's sad, but Ara's alive, for now. And as for Aang…well, what does Katara's last saying tell you? Hmm? Anyway, I'm so thankful you all were so patient and so understanding about my situation, and now I'm going to try and get a chapter out once a week. Sound good? But I love ya guys, as I finish this chapter, it's almost 3:45 am, and I've been working on this for a few hours. I will give up sleep for y'all. So thanks, hope you enjoyed, hope you didn't cry too much, and please read and review! And I will write back if I can! Sorry for the big cliffhanger again, but that's what I do… hope you all enjoyed, and I'll be looking forward to seeing your reviews! I love you guys! And my artwork has been inspired by my own story, and they're not up yet, but will be soon, but if you want to see my avatar art so far, here's my page and I'll put spaces so ff doesn't block it: www. avatarone3. deviantart. com. Tell me what you think! Thanks guys, and I'll be back next weekend!