Chapter 19: The first of many
Katara wrapped her arms securely around her shoulders. How could the Fire Nation be so cold? The instant reality set in Katara and Zuko both rushed to duty. He taking Tylee to the hospital ward until they could sort through the current situation. Katara ran as fast as she could to Azula's small house. If Tylee had come from there, and died shortly after arrival more people there would need her. Initially she'd been too occupied to notice how horribly heart retching the scene had been, but now, hours later, she was back in the palace, leaning against the wall outside the hospital she remembered everything and it made her so cold.
When she had arrived the building was steadily burning, ashes already drifting on the wind. Katara had expected screaming and crying but she should have known better. Not a sound escaped their lips as the stronger warriors pulled their injured and even departed companions—sisters from the smoldering flames. Not even a whimper fell from them as each warrior brought one of their friends to Katara's aiding hands. But the pain was clear on their paint smeared faces. Blood covered their hands, hair was singed, burnt make-up flaked, fabric was torn, metal headdresses were bent beyond recognition, but above everything else, Katara saw the silent tears shed by the mighty women. Tears by the injured, tears of pain relieved, tears for their lost, dead companions, friends, sisters.
These women shared a bond, deeper than words could describe. Deeper then the eye can see, or the hands can touch. Deeper then the bond of friendship, or love, or family. The bond these women shared came with putting their very lives in the hands of those around them. War and fighting has a strange way of bringing souls together. Katara knew, she felt it with Sokka, and Toph, Suki, Zuko, and as much as it hurt to admit, she felt it with Aang too. They were all connected by invisible bonds, stronger then steel, yet finer then the silk of a spider. If she lost any of them, her heart would be destroyed beyond repair because part of her would die with them.
Perhaps that's why, in this heated hallway she felt so, so cold. The silence she encountered haunted her, straight to the core. She knew it wasn't strength that held their tongue. The girls were broken, sobs didn't come because they wouldn't. Cries didn't drift on the air because the heart had forgotten how. All they could do was cry, silently for their sisters of the soul.
"Oh god." Tylee, she was just one of the many laying just on the other side of the wall to her back. These girls had faces, names that she knew, and now? Now they're gone. Katara's face found its self buried in her hands, the situation rushing to her in thick heavy waves, "Oh god"
"That was the first, you know. The first of many friends to pass with time." Sokka took a deep breath, his old lungs protesting at the gesture, "First it was Tylee, the other warriors. Then came Bumi, he just sort of… croaked, suddenly, you know he was about my age when he died."
"Earth to uncle, back to the story, please."
"I was getting there, don't worry. When we got the letter I watched Suki's heart break. At first she didn't believe it was real, she thought it was a joke. But when we got to the palace… I watched something inside of her die as she said a prayer for each of her girls. She blamed herself, you know. If she hadn't been so hasty in letting them go.
"I tried everything to explain, but she just… wouldn't let me. She let me talk but she simply didn't hear me."
Katara, Toph, Sokka, Zuko, and even Aang stood together, before four distinct burning spires. Sokka's heart went out to his wife, she needed him, but she was untouchable, standing resolute with her warriors, her family,while Sokka held their baby, her face shielded against his chest from the smoke. He knew it was ridiculous to think of, but what would become of them after this?
As the retroactive leader of the Kyoshi warriors, Suki decided they needed to be home, on the beach at Kyoshi Island. Katara forced herself to swallow back a hiccupie-sob, when Suki had gotten pregnant it was time to hand over the warriors. Katara didn't quite know who had taken over, but she knew the girl rested, lifeless, in a burning pile, her bones slowly turning to ash, her embers catching on the winds. Slowly drifting up and up, until a draft brought them down, against her skin.
Katara had to close her eyes, turning her head away. Her dead friends were now nothing more than a breeze against her skin. Ash, stuck to her legs, her arms. The strength inside her was barely enough to keep her from going into complete meltdown, batting franticly at everything.
"Guys, we have to find her." The room had been quiet up until now. The ceremony had ended hours ago, the friends were due to depart soon, but first was this. The moment all weren't looking forward to. It was time to decide things.
"Find who?" Katara's voice was so quiet, barely heard above the steady symphony of the crickets.
"You know very well who." Tension rode on the edge of Sokka's words, pain their leader.
"Azula did this, you know it." Zuko held Katara's hand in his trying to be gentle on the topic.
"No. She couldn't—" Katara shook her head viciously, this couldn't be true.
"You saw it, inside her brain." Like a knife Aang's words attacked her, digging holes in her bones. "You were constantly wriggling inside her, poking and prodding. You saw what she could do."
"Aang—!" surprised shouts were called over the table at the bald monk.
"You know Aang, I'm not the one who got knocked up." Her eyes were like venom, locked upon him, poisoning the blood in his veins and the marrow in his bones. Fire against him burnt inside her. His very existence brought a red tint to her eyes, and venom to her mouth. He didn't have the right to talk to her.
"Twinkle toes is right Katara, don't you get all magic eyes and stuff? You could have seen what was in her mind. You should have known this was coming."
"But that's the problem, I wasn't done, she couldn't have done this. She wasn't capable. She doesn't even Fire Bend"
"Yes she does. I've seen it."
"Zuko, you know better, she doesn't do it consciously. It's like breathing to her. She doesn't realize when she does or doesn't."
"Then why couldn't it be her?"
"I know it's hard for you to think of, but who else is?"
"Oh, I don't know… Any other Fire bender?" Katara had a point, she knew she did. Problem was, nobody else seemed to notice her point.
"True, any other Fire Bender could do this, but it just makes sense, We've already seen what she can do, it has her signature written all over it."
"No it doesn't—" No matter what they said Katara knew in her heart, something was wrong.
Zuko held her cool hand in his, stroking the fingers individually, he knew this was rough for her. Something inside Katara changed when she started healing Azula, she'd explained a couple of times, something to do with minds brushing, but he didn't really get it. All he knew, it changed her, somehow, "I know this is… rough but we have to what needs to be done. We have to find her." And when they find her… they had to kill her.
