Chapter 25:

Katara, a few seconds ago had felt like an invincible and empowered woman. Now she had been nearly crippled by the same dress she loved so much. The man in front of her look at her in rage and jealousy, not love and compassion. She had felt naked in that moment, standing in the room with just herself and Aang. She was both surprised he was here and worried all the same.

"Aang, what are you doing here? You know you can't just pop up to see me in public like this. What if cameras were around?" She turned her back to him. She examined herself in the mirror and adored how the dress made her feel powerful.

"We haven't talked in two weeks! I just had to see you." Aang brought a gentle hand to Katara's bare shoulder."I wanted to make you're okay and if he's treating you well."

"I'm fine, Aang. I've been busy lately."

"Yes, I know. You're busy being Zuko Agni's perfect woman. I see the pictures and the interviews and the videos. I can't stand him touching you, Katara. It's driving me insane not being around you."

"Well, for the next few months this is how it's going to have to be. We cannot be seen in public together. You could've derailed this entire thing by stalking me!"

"I am not stalking you! I just was driving by and maybe saw your car. I might have checked to see if it was your license plate."

"That is crazy, Aang. You cannot follow me around like I'm some object. It could derail this entire plan, not mention it's creepy."

"I don't follow you around… much."

"Much! When else have you stalked me?"

"I am not a stalker. I just want to make sure you're safe when you're with him."

"I am fine, Aang."

"Yeah, obviously. Look at you dressed like a princess, getting showered with gifts, and $500,000 rings. I'm sure you like his money and his attention just fine."

"How can you sit there and say I'm in this for the money when you actually suggested we live off Zuko's money when this is all over? You have lost it! Stay away from me. Maybe six months of space is what we need!"

"You've changed. It's only been two weeks and you're already wrapped around his finger."

"You're right, I have changed. I realize how much I need a break from you." Katara shoved passed Aang and stepped back into the bridal party room. June was busy on her phone and Azula was busy applying another coat of makeup when she returned.

Aang come out of the dressing room and shot Katara an angry glare before leaving the store. Katara exhaled loudly, feeling like a weight had fallen off her shoulders the moment he left. Maybe a break was the right thing to do? Aang could snap out of foolishness and Katara could have time to sort out her feelings, whatever she was feeling.

"We will be talking about your little boy toy later, Katara. It was irresponsible of you not to tell me," June said as she placed her phone on the table.

"Don't worry. No one has to worry about him anymore," Katara responded while Kirsten played around with the train of her dress.

"Oh, we do. He's already injected himself into an already complicated situation. He knows too much. We have to handle this."

"Well, can we handle this later? Azula has an appointment later and would really like to get out of here," Azula said nonchalantly. "Maid Girl, next dress. Chop, Chop."

Katara glared at Azula and held back what she actually wanted to say to the spoiled socialite. Something along the lines of her being able to bleed alcohol if she ever got a cut. Instead, Katara dragged her feet and went back into the dressing room. She hoped this next dress wouldn't give her warm and fuzzy feelings. It hurt less that way.

~/~

All was silent. The sky was full of grey clouds and hid any sign of sunlight. The day was dark, breezy, and somber. The rain seemed to have washed away any remnants of what once was. The morning left a dewy film on the grass under their feet. All that was felt in the air was a nagging sense of death and emptiness. The two young people entered the graveyard with heavy hearts, but with good intentions of moving forward.

"Are you sure about this Zuko?" Katara asked as she saw the look of pain in his eyes. Today he wore all black, in mourning and remembrance.

"It's time I faced her." Zuko took one step forward. The closer he got, the more withdrawn he became. The tombstone was black ivory with a gold engraving: Ursa Agni. January 25, 1969- April 16, 1999. Devoted mother. Loyal wife. Beautiful spirit. She was only 30 years old when she passed away. She was a young mother, probably full of vibrancy and beauty. Katara imagined a woman with Zuko's same smile chasing two kids around and somehow never growing tired. Cleaning the household and never growing bored. Watching time pass before her and never growing old.

Zuko kneeled down in front of the grave site. Weeds and dirt had overgrown around the place his mother rested. Zuko, with a clenched fist and a damaged heart, rested his forehead on the cold headstone and let out a passionate scream. Katara had only stood behind him to allow him to be completely taken into the moment.

His voice was broken and low when he finally found the courage to speak. "I- I'm so sorry mom. I should have visited more. I could've at least brought you flowers. I know how much you loved gardening. I'm an awful son and you don't deserve this. I should have protected you from him."

Katara leaned down and wrapped her arms around him. She felt the wetness fall against one of her hands. He was crying. He was hurting. He was feeling for once.

"I dream of you some nights. You're so beautiful and in every dream you tell me not to worry, that everything you had done you did for me. Well, what if I'm not worth it? I wish I had died instead of you. I wish I didn't have to suffer anymore. Mom, it hurts. Everything really fucking hurts. I'm desperate for someone to love me, to help me, to make me feel like living actually means something. I'm angry at myself. I hurt every single person that cares about me. Azula. Mai. Katara. Countless other women. I am not worthy of love."

Katara held back her tears as Zuko continued, "I have a wonderful daughter with Mai, Mom. I know you didn't care for her father, but we have a seven-year-old together. I love her but I'm afraid I'll end up hurting her too, just like I did her mother. When I look at her I see innocence and I see myself in so many ways. I remember what Ozai did to me. How he stole my innocence, how he marked me. I can't ever forget. It haunts me so much that I'm afraid to be him. What if being cruel is just in my blood? What if I can't save myself?

"I can't even protect my sister from the very same disease that ruined me. She's so sick, Mom. She drinks every day. I know Ozai has hurt her and she's drinking to forget the pain. I tell her to stop, but who am I to tell her to stop doing the thing I want to do every day? I want to relapse so badly. I want to escape so badly. If you were here, if you could hold me, maybe it would be easier. If you were here you could talk to Azula. She thinks you don't love her, but that's not the truth. It makes me feel helpless, knowing my sister doesn't love herself.

"I don't even know how to love. I want to be a good man. I want to be an honest man. I want to be a man who you'd be proud of. I don't know how it got so bad. I just need you. Mom, please."

He sat there, quiet, his arms wrapped tightly around himself in a hug, hoping to comfort himself. His body gently rocked back and forth, his cheeks stained with the endless stream of tears from his glossy eyes, enduring the emotional pain that continued to engulf him.

"Please. Answer me." Zuko banged his closed fists against the tombstone. "Answer me, Mom!"

He pounded his fists against the hard rock, wishing for answers, and all he got was silence. Zuko continue to beg and plead with tears streaming down his pale face.

"Please." Bang. "Please." Bang Bang. "Please." Another hard bang. "Help me." Zuko hit the rock again. The sound of his fist impacting with the stone echoed. "WHY WON'T YOU ANSWER ME?"

He beat his fists into the tomb stone until his knuckles were bloodied and red. Katara felt him fall apart under her. He cradled himself into a ball and sobbed. The tears and blood had mixed now and made a red film all over his hands. Katara didn't let go and continued to hold him. She was not going to let him feel this alone. If she could endure some of the pain for him, she would have.

"Zuko, it's okay," Katara whispered, stroking his hair. Zuko continued to cry into his hands, which mixed blood, tears, and years of pain.

The clouds broke. The sun came out and there was light. The sunlight had bathed the wet grass in its glow and made each drop of dew shine like a crystal. Katara felt the warmth on her face and smiled. Everything was going to be okay.

"FUCK!" Zuko screamed as he let out one more hard punch against the ground. The gravel had ground into his cuts and burned, but he didn't care, it seemed. As he let out a deep and much needed breath, he picked up his hand.

"I, I miss her. I need her. I'm so angry and sad and pitiful."

"You aren't pitiful. You're just hurt. You can get through this," Katara encouraged him.

"I'm tired of feeling alone. I'm tired of hurting people. This is killing me. I'm getting more and more bitter every day. I don't want to turn into someone I hate."

"You have me. You won't feel alone as long as I'm around." Katara smiled and turned to face Zuko.

"Fuck, Katara, I hate this. Why do you keep doing that?"

"What?"

"Making it hard for me."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I'm tired of your shitty boyfriend and I'm tired of holding things in. No amount of pushing you away can change that."

Katara had frozen at the sound of that confession. What was she supposed to say? The man had just poured his heart out and now…

"Listen forget I said that. I, I know how you feel about me. I don't mean anything to you. I didn't mean it, okay. My emotions are just getting the best of me with my mom and everything else." Zuko got up and brushed what dirt he could from his clothes. The blood had dried on his hand now and stained it red.

"Come on. Let's get your hand wrapped before it gets infected," she advised. Even though Zuko had told her he didn't mean it, in the back of her head she wished he had.

~/~

Zuko Agni had rushed into the hospital. It was 5AM and he had received a call early this morning that almost stopped his heart.

"Where is she," Zuko demanded as he remembered the phone call he had gotten from his Uncle just an hour before.

"Uncle, it's 4 'o clock in the morning and I have work at 6. What do you want at this hour?"

"A-Azula. Your sister."

"What about her? What's wrong?"

"She was found unresponsive and rushed to the hospital. I called as soon as I heard. I rode with her in the ambulance. Ozai isn't answering at all, Nephew."

"I'll be right there."

The doctors lead Zuko up to the third floor for patients in need of Urgent and Emergency Care. When he saw his Uncle sitting in the waiting room, he ran to him.

"Uncle," Zuko exclaimed. "Is she, she okay?"

"The doctor said if she would have been rushed in a moment later, she would have gone into shock and cardiac arrest. She swallowed 52 tablets of Xanax today and had two bottles of vodka. Her alcohol level was well over .08. She was having a seizure when they put her in the ambulance."

"Oh God, Azula. Was she trying to kill herself?"

"I don't know Nephew, but I do know she's been carrying around a lot of pain and burden to go to that place."

Silence set in. A young man walked over to them and sat down next to Zuko.

"You're her brother and uncle. I'm Jet, her boyfriend." Jet introduced himself, and hardly sounded remotely upset that his girlfriend almost died.

"Young man, do you know what happened to my niece this morning?"

Jet lit a cigarette and leaned back his chair to relax. "Pst, Zula is fine. She pops pills and drinks all the time. My guy said she fell and hit her head or something."

"You can't smoke in here," Zuko reminded Jet, glaring at him. Jet shrugged him off and blew the smoke out.

Zuko grabbed the lit cigarette, crushed it in his hands, and threw the crushed tar in Jet's lap. "You can't fucking smoke in here. Are you that reckless?"

"Dude, do we have a problem or something? I don't even know you!"

"Yes, dude, we have a big problem when my little sister ends up in the hospital for a drug overdose. You don't know me, but I know you. Katara told me about you."

"Uh, is this about Katara? I don't want that broad. Your sister has a genuine, good ass right there. Besides, if I want anything it would definitely be your company. I was number two on the Forbes list, behind you, of course."

Zuko rubbed his temples in annoyance. He didn't even want to waste time addressing him.

"What happened, Jet? Why was she alone? Why weren't you there watching her?"

"She does this shit all the time. Sometimes she passes out, but she always wakes up. I had work to do. You know how busy us business man can be."

"You left her passed out, ALONE?"

"I may be old and suspicious, but I think you had something to do with this, young man," Iroh chimed in.

"No, I didn't, and she was already a drunk when she came to me."

"She may be an alcoholic, but she never took Xanax before. Azula hates swallowing pills, she doesn't have an anxiety problem, and I know for a fact no doctor in their right mind would ever prescribe her with that drug, considering her history of addiction."

"She came to me one day, begging for me to help her. The alcohol wasn't helping her because her tolerance had grown too high. She was going through withdrawal horribly and complained that she in so much agony that she wanted to kill herself. I gave her the Xanax and told her it would help calm her down. Ever since then, I've been giving her the pills. It helps her, so why wouldn't I continue giving them to her?"

Zuko grabbed Jet by his collar, lifted him in the air, and pressed him up against the wall.

"Nephew," Uncle protested. "He's not worth it."

"You got my sister addicted to pills! You could've killed her! LEAVE!" Zuko threw Jet onto the ground of the hospital floor with a loud thump.

Jet, who was now on the floor, slightly shaken up, said, "Listen man, it's not a problem."

"Get out of here before I kill you myself! LEAVE," Zuko yelled. Jet ran away down the hall. By this time, onlookers and doctors alike were staring at him.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU LOOKING AT? Do your damn jobs!" Zuko yelled at the crowd that had formed. They all returned to their daily activities, while Zuko took a seat next to his uncle.

"You never let another man have power over you, Nephew."

"I swear to God, if I see him again, I'll kill him."

"Zuko Agni?" A doctor with a white coat and clipboard walked out of one of the patient's rooms.

"Yes," Zuko said.

"Ah, you're here for Azula, correct? You are listed as her secondary emergency contact. She's your sister, right?"

"Yes, Doctor."

"Great. We managed to stabilize her. She is awake and alert now. You can go in to see her. Just don't make any loud noises," the doctor advised.

Zuko took a deep breath. This could have possibly been the most difficult moment of his life.

Author's Note: What do you all think? Special thanks to my awesome Beta Reader Carabayby for looking over this for me!