In which someone has an out-of-body experience.


The poisoning was unexpected, its results immediate, and the aftermath terrifying.

One moment Zuko was laughing at one of Sokka's few good jokes.

The next moment he was bent over, blood streaming from his mouth.

He could hear someone shouting for the guards – and now he was on his side and couldn't remember falling over – and now he was on his back. When did that happen? He could see Katara's determined face looking down at him and a cool tingling sensation at his chest and throat. She was trying to heal him…but what was going on…he couldn't feel anything-

"Zuko! Zuko! Please, Zuko you have to stay awake, Zuko! ZUKO!"

"But Katara, I am awake!" he shouted. "Hell, I'm standing right her-" And that's when he noticed an unfortunate fact.

He was floating in the air.

His body was still on the floor.

(***)

"How could this happen?" said Aang worriedly.

"We didn't have our resident lie detector," said Sokka angrily. "Toph would've known if anyone entering the room felt overly nervous." He smiled bitterly. "Though I guess it's my fault she's not here. Being eight-and-a-half months pregnant really takes the appeal out of flying halfway across the world. And it might not have been a server, anyways." He paused. "It had to be the drinks. Everyone was eating the same food. We would've all been affected otherwise."

Zuko moved closer to the conversation.

"I really wish Katara would take a break," said Aang, his eyes softening. "She's been in healer mode ever since this happened."

"I don't see why she's continuing, to be honest," said Sokka. "The physicians said they have to let the antidotes do their work now." Zuko and Aang gave him disapproving looks; Sokka only noticed the latter's. "Don't give me that stinkeye, Twinkletoes." Zuko smirked as Aang's face twitched slightly. "I know my sister means well. Her healing almost certainly saved his life right after the poisoning happened. But it's not like Zuko got a stab wound or was hit by lightning. Poison's a different animal altogether, and her waterbending isn't going to make things go any faster…though I wish it did," he added sadly. "Hopefully Zuko wakes up."

"And if he doesn't?" said Aang.

"Then the Fire Nation will have its first waterbending Fire Lord in history," said Sokka grimly.

(***)

Zuko could float, pass through solid objects and see other spirit beings (it turned out that some of the palace ghost stories were true), but he could not talk to anyone – which basically made the whole thing moot, as far as he was concerned.

It was…odd to watch himself lying there as pale as a corpse and, according to the chatter of his physicians, nearly as cold as one. But Katara was there at every possible opportunity and, in blatant defiance of the advice given by her brother and many others, continued to try and heal him with her waterbending.

(***)

He followed Katara to the weekly advisors' roundtable. Everyone's eyes snapped to her the second she entered the room.

"My husband is currently incapable of discharging his duties as the ruler of the Fire Nation," said Katara, her eyes critically surveying every person at the table. "As such, I will henceforth act in his stead until he is fit to reassume the throne. I hope no one has any objections to this."

A hand went up.

"Is there something you'd like to say, Finance Minister?" she replied, internally bracing herself for the man's infamous patronization.

"Fire Lady Katara, perhaps it might be best if you left matters of the realm in the hands of this council," began Xian Lee in a simpering manner. "Your mind would be understandably divided between the enormous task of running the state and attending to our belovéd Zuko. Rest assured that we can amply manage-"

"Rest assured, Lee, that I am more than capable of running the country and making sure that my husband stays alive. I won a war when I was 14, or have you forgotten that?"

"That's my girl," said Zuko proudly, though no one could hear him.

"A shame that producing an heir is still a talent at which you fail spectacularly." The words were out of Lee's mouth before he could rein them in. He immediately blanched at this grave misstep.

There was a deafening silence in the room.

"And that's 'Fire Lord Katara,' if it please you, minister," she continued, pretending as if nothing had happened. "I hope for both our sakes that it doesn't become a permanent addition to my name."

Though her eyes betrayed little other than determination, Zuko knew that Lee's words had drawn blood. Their fertility problems had been an unspoken issue and point of gossip since their wedding day. That doesn't matter, love, thought Zuko. Keep the bastards in line.

"Now, unless anyone has any serious objections to my regency…" Everyone, save for a thoroughly chastised Lee, shook their heads. "We should begin our business." Katara took her place at the head of the table; Zuko floated over to her.

This is Zuko's place, not mine, thought Katara, and she had a flashback to an argument early on in their marriage.

"We may rule as a team, but I made it clear that I never wanted to swim in public with all these damn unagi," said Katara.

"But everyone knows that most of my decisions we make together. You should be at all the business meetings and just make it official," argued Zuko.

"But it's still your job. I only married you, not your job, remember?" smirked Katara.

"You're evil and totally twisting the issue," grumbled Zuko.

"No. I'm just sane and want to stay that way," smiled Katara, and she gave him a hearty kiss on the lips.

If only you could see me now, Zuko, she thought.

Zuko, innately sensing that Katara could use some comfort, laid a hand on her shoulder (or rather through it). And though she didn't know from where this small shred of comfort had magically sprung, Katara felt a little more confident about publicly taking on the task of ruling – and ruling alone.

"Interior Minister, I believe Zuko likes to start with you," she began, trying to muster a smile of sorts. "Let's hear your report…"

(***)

Zuko kept watching Katara as the days turned into a week, and then into two and into three.

He watched her argue with the ministers about taxes, trade, infrastructure, law and whether the decisions she made were truly in line with Zuko's ideals.

He watched her as she kept vigil over his body, often only getting an hour or two of sleep each night.

On the nights she sneaked away to her study in the palace gardens he watched her cry from the stress and lack of sleep and the agony of not knowing whether he was going to wake up or slip away.

One night he could no longer bear the sound, and as she knelt on the floor sobbing onto the wooden panels below her, he put his arms around her in a futile attempt to give her a hug.

Amazingly, his arms felt solid against her skin. Hey, I can touch her! thought Zuko triumphantly.

Katara felt it too. Her reaction was not as positive.

She jumped up in terror, wondering who had managed to enter the room without her hearing anything. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

Okay, maybe that wasn't the wisest approach, but how was I supposed to know? Zuko stopped to think. Hey, if I can touch her, then just maybe with a little more effort…

He floated around to Katara's back again, and this time when his arms surrounded her, he put everything he had into whispering her name.

This time his efforts were not unrewarded.

"Katara."

She froze, completely stunned. Not only was the weird presence there again, but it had called her name in a very familiar voice.

"Zuko?" she whispered desperately.

"I'm here for you, love," he said, and rested his head on her shoulder.

Katara didn't know if her husband was really there or if she was being delusional, but it didn't matter. She believed. She believed that he was aware, and he was fighting and he would come back to her. And so she just stood there and let Zuko's presence comfort her, her tears now considerably less sorrowful than before.

Spirits of fire, guardians of the world and everything in it…if you have any mercy at all, please…pleasesend me back to her, pleaded Zuko.

(***)

At the beginning of week four and in the middle of the night, Zuko sat upright in bed and screamed such as he'd never had before.

Katara immediately burst in from an adjacent room, followed swiftly by a nurse and a handful of palace guards.

Zuko blinked painfully and winced. "My body is on fire. Owwwwww," he croaked.

"You big wuss," said Katara, tears of joy streaming down her face.

"I should get the doctors," said the nurse, who swiftly disappeared from the room.

"You should go too," whispered Zuko, painfully waving his hand at the guards. "I wish to speak with my wife."

"But your majes-" Katara's venomous look sent them scurrying.

"I'll never complain about your snoring again," said Katara, turning back to her husband.

"You mean I didn't snore?" said Zuko.

"No," said Katara, the tears now flowing twice as strong. "You were as pale and silent as the grave and I kept trying to heal you even though everyone said it wouldn't do anything and then I had to run everything in your absence and by the spirits how do you deal with those assholes, I mean, I've heard you complain about them but I never knew and then I…" Katara was almost hysterical.

"Shh, shh shh shh," said Zuko, forcing himself to stroke her cheek. "It's alright. I'm alive. Mostly."

"Don't joke like that. Please…"

"You're the boss," replied Zuko, coughing violently for a few seconds thereafter.

Silence.

"I saw you, you know. I saw you taking care of things while I was asleep."

"...what?"

"I saw you. Watched you, really. I was…outside my body…like a ghost, except I wasn't dead. Not totally. And I saw everything. All the fights, all the tears, all your triumphs…you did good, love." He swallowed. "No…you did great. Better than me, even."

Katara squeezed his hand tightly. "Nonsense. I work best when my partner's beside me."

"You mean I work best when my partner's beside me," replied Zuko dryly. "We both know that things would be a disaster without you to straighten me out."

"That's true," said Katara, kissing his forehead.

Eventually the doctors arrived and they poked and prodded and theorized and determined that though he was awake, the Fire Lord would still require weeks more of bed rest before he was fully recovered. When Katara climbed into bed beside him they all vehemently protested; she gave them all an icy look that sent shivers down Zuko's spine, and wisely they all walked away without further comment.

Katara snuggled into the crook of Zuko's neck.

"Go back to sleep," she whispered, kissing his cheek. "But please, wake up. I'll be right here."