…tap, tap…taptaptap. Katara tried to shut her eyes tighter to block out the sound of whatever it was brushing against the canvas tent. Why her tent, and why did it have to happen in the middle of the night?
"Katara," whispered a voice she recognized as Zuko's.
She groaned then hissed back, still not having opened her eyes, "What?"
The tent shifted when Zuko entered. Succumbing to necessity, she opened her eyes to find it was not the middle of the night but morning. Bright sunlight filled the space, and that, plus the fact Zuko was seeing her with her hair and clothes in a mess, caused Katara to sit up with some urgency. "What is it?"
"I heard Sokka moving around, and you still weren't up. I don't want him to think something's wrong." Although Zuko had also been out last night and (she sleepily remembered) half carried her up the side of the steep foothills, he didn't look much more tired than he usually did. Katara suspected she looked worse; eight people was as many as she had ever healed at once.
The helplessness she felt the night before came rushing back. She wouldn't say she was a skilled healer: combat wounds were most of what she knew how to fix. Deep, systemic issues were out of her depth.
But she couldn't think of that now. She'd done her best, and that was all she could give.
"Thanks," she said to Zuko.
He shrugged and took a step to leave but stopped. "You're okay? Last night…"
"Yeah…I just wish they had been healed."
"But you did something." While his words were clearly meant as encouragement, his expression was more intense. It cleared when he shook his head, and he added, "I'll get breakfast started." He started to leave but, again, stopped. "You took me through town on purpose, didn't you?" he asked. "The hospital was on the other end of town, and we could've gotten there with only your waterbending. We didn't need to walk through the entire length of it. You wanted me to see how the people are living."
"I wanted you to see why I wanted to help them. It's not just about us, Zuko; they're the ones we're trying to save."
He ran his hand through his hair. "I know." It looked like he wanted to say more, but he only said quietly, "I'll let you get ready," and left.
-o-0-
Katara only had time to sit down for breakfast before Sokka emerged from his tent, stretching widely. "Gooooood morning. Breakfast—" He stopped, his eyes fixing on Katara. "You look awful."
Her heart leapt. "What do you mean? My hair?"
"No, your…" He pointed at all of her. "Did you sleep alright?"
"Yeah, fine. Want breakfast? Zuko—and I," she corrected, "made some breakfast."
"Rice," supplied Zuko.
"Yeah, rice and…" Katara said, looking inside the pot over the fire.
"Rice," Zuko finished. Sure enough, a steaming pot half full of rice sat there. No meat. No veggies. No sauce.
She glanced at Zuko, and he shot her a look that said, I don't know how to make anything, remember? "Rice," she said with a weak chuckle.
After Katara handed her brother a bowl-full, he remarked, "You've got to teach him how to make something, anything, else. It's good, Zuko—not overdone this time—but I'm a meat-eater. I need something, er, meatier than rice."
"You made rice?" Aang walked up to the group with Momo on his shoulder and rubbing his eyes. He had decided to sleep next to Appa, thank the spirits, so he wasn't by the campfire when they got in last night.
"Yep," Katara portioned out another bowl and gave it to him. "Eat up." And don't say anything about my appearance.
"Toph!" Sokka yelled at the stone tent near where his was ten or so paces away. "Food's hot!" Sleepy, groaning curses emitted from the tent. "She's up," he said.
Momo pawed at Aang's hand whenever he brought it to his mouth to eat. "Hey! I'm hungry too, Momo, and I can't eat some of the things you can," Aang said, but gave him a clump of rice anyway.
The entrance of Toph's shelter slid open, punctuated by a loud, dry cough. "Hey." Hair usually kept in a tight bun, Toph had seemingly decided to forego her routine and showed off her wild, unkept hair.
"Wow. I always forget how much hair you have," remarked Aang, followed by nods from everyone else.
" 'reakfas'?" asked Sokka with his mouth full.
"Not hungry."
That brought conversation to a halt. Not hungry? Who was this? "Everything okay?" asked Katara.
"Peachy."
If they hadn't been paying attention before, they were now. Again, Katara asked, "What's wrong?"
"Oh, I don't know," she replied, sarcasm dripping off her tongue. "May have something to do with drinking a whole bunch of that river water yesterday. Ugh," she groaned and held her stomach. Katara noticed then that Toph looked paler than usual despite her hair doing a lot to cover up her face. "You don't look so good. Maybe you should rest."
"I could say the same thing about you. You look like you were up all night." Wait, did she know? Katara fought the urge to glance back at Zuko to see his thoughts.
"Ha!" Sokka laughed. Seeing what must have been a puzzled expression on Katara's face, he added, "You know, 'cause she's blind."
"No, really, you don't feel bad, Katara?" Toph asked.
Something was up. Katara squinted her eyes at the small girl, trying to discern what her true motives were. Toph never cared how she felt. Slowly, cautiously, Katara replied, "I don't know."
Aang remarked, "You do look a little sick."
"I'm not sick. I'm just a little tired. Didn't sleep very well."
"I thought you said you slept fine," replied Sokka.
"Spirits, are you the sleep patrol? I slept fine but not great. Should I tell you how I sleep every night?" she sniped back at her brother. Spirits, he could be annoying.
Sokka lifted one hand up defensively while holding his breakfast in another. "Sheesh, Katara. Just wondering. You really don't look great. I'm serious."
"I'm fine—"
"Katara?" Toph interjected and jerked her thumb back behind her. "Can I talk to you?" adding, "Girl stuff," when the boys questioned her. That shut them up quickly, and Katara followed Toph out of their earshot.
"What is it?" she asked.
Toph crossed her arms. "What are you doing?"
"What?"
Rolling her sightless eyes and sighing as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, she explained, "You're tired, right? After getting back late with Zuko?"
She started to answer, "No, we were—I mean, I…" but there was no use trying to deny it. "So?" she said.
Toph cracked a self-congratulating smile. "Thought so."
"Why do you care?"
"I care because you snuck away with Zuko without telling anyone," she said, smile gone, "and you came back so exhausted that he almost had to carry you. And you're still not telling anyone." Her last sentence came out like an accusation.
"No!" Katara exclaimed, then looked back to check on the rest of the group. Apparently, the others had heard her and were looking her way with confused and concerned expressions. She hurriedly turned away and back to Toph. "No," she repeated, whispering this time. "I'm waiting to tell them. I knew they'd get upset." Her thoughts went back to the images of sick people in the makeshift hospital, and she shook her head. "And I didn't mean for Zuko to get involved."
"How did you lie to me? I didn't sense anything." Toph sounded both impressed but concerned, and she was being unusually attentive waiting for Katara's answer.
Not wanting to deceive her further, she gave Toph the abbreviated version in the half minute they had before the boys got curious: "I didn't lie; at the time, I meant it…."
-o-0-
The fatigue that had plagued Toph the prior night kept its hold on her in the morning as Katara told her how she had really told the truth—that had to have been what happened for Katara to lie without Toph's catching her—then risking getting discovered to heal the villagers. And failing. A thought like that would have made her feel upset, and she was, but beyond that, Toph felt like she was sick.
Stupid, gross water.
"…came back and went to sleep. Okay?" Katara finished, daring her to say more.
Spirits, why does this have to happen now? Of all the times to argue, it had to be when Toph was at a disadvantage. Mustering up the energy required to do battle, she replied, "I still don't know why you lied—sorry, 'changed your mind.' You couldn't wait a couple of weeks? We were going to come back after the war. You could have been found out and led them back here." Then, for good measure: "Or was it more important that Sugar Queen remind everyone how perfect she is?"
Silence filled with seething anger answered until Katara spoke through gritted teeth: "They're dying, Toph."
All the remaining energy left to bicker evaporated in light of cold reality. Toph's shoulders sagged. "I could have gone with you, you know," she said after a moment.
Katara nodded then shook her head more fervently. "You would have argued."
"Hey!" called Sokka from the camp some distance away. "What's taking so long? What are you talking about?"
"Nothing!" the two of them shouted back. They half-chuckled at the coincidence, and the mood shifted back to normal.
"Well, we should go back," Katara said, stifling a yawn which Toph copied. Boy, we're fun, she thought but soon realized Katara hadn't moved.
"Katara?" Toph said.
"Yes?" It seemed she had been waiting for her to say something.
Toph took another second or two and chose her words carefully: "Since you're, you know, tired—a little sick—it might be good to stay another night." The important thing was it wouldn't be her fault for the delay.
Unlike the thin veil that had failed to mask any of Katara's anger, the one Katara wore now hid something else, something that was much less easy to sense. "You know," Toph added, "let the boys take care of everything for once?"
Surprise did a better job of hiding Katara's thoughts than anything. "Why?"
"I told you: you're tired."
"No," Katara said. She modified her original question: "Why do you care?"
That stung more than she cared to admit, and Toph found herself shooting back, "What makes you think I wouldn't?"
"I—" But Katara cut herself off. Her heart slowed, and she said, "I'm sorry."
But the apology felt wrong. There were plenty of times Toph could think of that sometimes seemed like she didn't care. She shook her head. "We should go back. I'm surprised Aang hasn't tried to come over yet."
Katara didn't move. "Are you going to tell them?"
"It's not my secret to tell, but, Katara, you can't lie anymore. Not to us."
She nodded once.
"I need you to say it."
Relenting, she replied, sounding irritated, "I won't lie to you."
That was good enough. "Okay."
-o-0-
The girls returned after what looked like a heated argument. Aang wasn't sure what it was that set it off, but it was weird. It wasn't like Toph and Katara were shy about having an argument in front of everyone.
"What was that?" asked Sokka, speaking what was on the rest of their minds.
But Katara brushed him off, saying, "We're not feeling well." She explained why they should stay—and Toph surprised them all by being Katara's strongest supporter. She must be sick. It was soon decided that Katara and Toph would rest up while Zuko trained Aang, then Zuko with Sokka. They could also use the time to figure out where to travel next.
After breakfast finished, first up was Aang and Zuko. The three hour session was focused on a mixture of drills to introduce new complexities to his firebending and a series of "fights" with a focus on different attacks and ways to defend those attacks.
Zuko's firebending fighting style was different from the other elements: more direct and fast-paced. It didn't involve the stiff, solid movements like earthbending, nor the grace and smoothness of waterbending, nor airbending's predisposition toward redirecting an opponent's attacks. Zuko fought hard, always putting pressure on Aang.
Near the end of the session, Zuko paused their exercises and, still breathing heavily, invited Aang to walk with him through the stunted trees and numerous boulders that dotted the rocky foothills. "You're improving," his teacher said. When they had trained before, praise like that felt empty, but this time it seemed like he really meant it.
He smiled. "Thanks, Sifu!"
Nothing was immediately said, and they kept walking.
Zuko didn't like it when he said too much so Aang didn't talk, so instead he tapped out a soft tune on his leg and glanced around at his surroundings, entertaining himself by imagining faces in the rocks they passed.
They came to a place where the mountainside had washed out, discouraging them from proceeding further. Aang watched Zuko stare at the sea of unstable rocks and pebbles before slowly turning around and continuing back to camp.
"…do when this is over?"
"Hm?" He hadn't realized Zuko had started to talk.
Eying him with a chastising look, Zuko repeated, "What do you want to do when this is all over?"
"Like, after Ozai?"
A nod. "Sokka said you weren't going to take his place, so…what? What do you want to do?"
Shouldn't he know what he wanted? He did, but even the Avatar couldn't have some things. Shrugging, he replied quietly, "I don't know."
Rather than being disappointed like Aang expected him to be, Zuko nodded. "It's difficult to think about for a lot of reasons, I know," he said, "but I would try if you can. I know you're doing a lot of this because of your people, but I think it's important to look into the future too."
"What do you want to do?" Aang asked.
"I want to help my uncle help the Nation. I want to help people like them." He gestured to the village below. "There is a lot that needs fixing. I can't do much about it now, but maybe after…" Zuko let the sentence hang as they continued to walk.
Aang thought back to their previous adventures. "That's not much different than what we do all the time: fix things where we can." Zuko bowed his head and nodded several times. Sensing him holding something back and guessing the cause, Aang added, "We'll help them soon. I don't like waiting either, but Sokka's right: we can't risk being reported."
They had nearly returned to the others. "I know," Zuko replied. "It doesn't make it easier."
No, it doesn't, Aang agreed. With a small wave, he left Zuko's side and went to Sokka, Zuko following a step or two behind.
As was common for him, Sokka was pouring over the map laid out in front of him, completely still with his back facing them. No wonder Katara snuck up on him.
In a direct contradiction, Sokka lifted his head and looked over one shoulder. "Zuko ready? We still need to figure out where we're going to go. Hey, Zuko—!"
Zuko stepped closer on his other side. "What?"
He gave a start when Zuko seemingly appeared by his shoulder, and he lowered his voice back to a normal volume: "Sorry. We need to figure out where to go tomorrow."
He pointed at the map, and Zuko stepped closer. The two boys peered at the host of islands in the Fire Nation while Aang watched over their shoulders.
Like before, there were several options to land but few that fit their needs. In the end, the choice was clear: Shu Jing, a tradestown located inland between two volcanoes—long-dormant, Zuko told them. It was slightly larger than the last town and would have better food and supplies for sale.
That decided, it was onto Sokka's training. "Can I watch?" Aang asked before they began. With both girls not feeling well, he had very few playmates left, though if Sokka or Zuko said no, there was always Appa and Momo.
Looking uncomfortable at the thought of an audience, Sokka hesitated, but then nodded. To his teacher, he said, for Zuko's sake as well as his own. "Does it really matter?" Zuko didn't argue with that and he nodded his consent.
The two warmed up before some light sparring, though Zuko was already very much ready judging by his shining face leftover from his previous training session. He caught his breath between bouts when Sokka ran through a few drills that he seemed well-acquainted with.
It was fun watching them, and Aang pet Momo in his lap as he did so. Toph joined him not long into their training and called out her usual type of remarks: "C'mon, Cactus Man! You could have gotten him there."
"How are you feeling?" Aang asked her as she sat down.
She shrugged.
"What about Katara?"
"She's—well, ask her yourself."
Sensing movement to his right, Aang turned and spotted Katara emerging from her tent. She walked over to them and sat down on the other side of Toph. Her eyes were red and tired, and she still was a bit pale, though maybe less pale than before. "How are you?" he asked.
She gave a meandering nod that neither committed to feeling well nor poor. "Better than before."
He smiled at her progress then nodded at the boys in front of them. "They're fighting."
"I see that."
The three spectators watched the boys spar and how their movements grew slower and slower as time passed. By the end, their arms and legs shook with effort. Sokka got in several hits on Zuko's arms and legs with the flat of his blade, though Zuko still won most of the time. They would both end up with bruises, that much was certain.
Aang thought ahead to the remainder of the day and the possibility of training with Katara or Toph—or not training at all which, looking at them, was becoming more likely. He had mixed feelings: on one hand, it was a day off of training with the girls which seemed to be all they were doing with each other lately, but on the other hand, he should be training. "I'm guessing you don't want to train today?"
Katara shook her head and rubbed her eyes. "Sorry." Cutting off Toph as she started to say something, she added, "And Toph won't be either." To her, Katara said, "I know you don't feel like it, so don't beat yourself up thinking you have to. He can go one day without training."
Regardless of how he felt it worried Aang that their illness was bad enough to stop them from training. "I hope you feel better."
"I'm sure we will," Katara said with a reassuring smile.
Toph announced, "They're done, I guess."
There was an absence of swords clashing against each other, and Aang and Katara turned their attentions back to the boys. Zuko had his sword resting on Sokka's shoulder while Sokka had his blade up against his friend's ribs. Not quite the stalemate but the attacks would definitely hurt if any real power had been applied.
Their chests rose and fell rapidly, and sweat soaked their tunics. But despite that, they were grinning like they had just defeated Ozai himself. "I…totally…" said Sokka between breaths.
"Lost your…head," finished Zuko.
Sokka's arm dropped like rock, no longer able to keep his sword up. "I could've sliced you…open."
Zuko sheathed his weapon and let out a breathy laugh. "Sure."
The two walked back to the three, reuniting their group once more. Still catching his breath, Sokka fanned himself and asked, "Did you see me?...I got Zuko a bunch of times."
"I think I counted four or five times," Toph corrected.
"It was five and that's still a bunch!" he replied in a high voice. Then, looking from Katara to Toph and back to Katara, asked, "How are you feeling?" When they gave the same replies they told Aang, Sokka said, "Well, take it easy. We can't afford to have you sick during the invasion. You should sleep more."
Yawning, Katara replied, "I was actually going to try to do just that. First, did we figure out where we're going tomorrow?"
"If you're feeling well enough, you mean," said Zuko.
She shook her head. "Even if I'm not feeling well, we're going. I'll feel better once we meet up with Dad again."
"I won't argue with that," Toph said, once again acting strange as Katara's advocate.
"Okay, fine." Sokka had narrowed his eyes at the two of them. Then, as a worrying idea hit him, he cried out, "But you're still well enough to cook lunch for us, right?"
-o-0-
Katara retired to bed a lot later than she expected. Sokka persuaded her to cook lunch, but he and Zuko were guilted (by Aang) and mocked (by Toph) into cooking instead but only under her supervision. It wasn't like it was difficult to prepare a lunch of dried meat and rice, but they were nervous and eager to please.
Lunch tasted good and, now full and with mid-afternoon approaching, Katara left their small circle and finally went to her tent. She lied down, tired enough to sleep the entire day and night away.
Yet the events of the night before continued to pursue her, never straying from her mind for more than a minute or two. Nothing good had come out of her sneaking out; in fact, not telling Aang and Sokka hurt more than she thought it could. Toph was right, not that Katara had thought she was wrong in the first place: it was wrong to hide it, and she needed to tell them. They would be mad, Sokka more than Aang—that, she was used to handling—but it was Aang's disappointed look that would hurt her more than anything.
Still…she had tried to help and there was nothing wrong with that. Tried and failed, she reminded herself. But what more was there to do?
There was a soft knock against the center post holding up the entrance to the tent. "Are you awake?"
Zuko. Katara sat up. "Yes," she answered.
The entrance parted, and his face poked in. "I didn't get a chance to talk to you today. How are you? And," he added, frowning, "how sick is Toph?"
"You caught that, huh?"
He stepped into her tent fully, and the flap shut behind him. "I think everyone knows something is off with her but not what it is. It can't be just because of the river water, or is it?"
Katara quickly explained how much Toph knew and that she was actually sick, perhaps more than she was willing to show. "I'm okay being the reason for us staying, though. I really am tired."
He shook his head. "Toph got sick after drinking the water once; I can't believe how those villagers are able to live in that. I can't—no, I suppose I can believe the Fire Nation would let them live in that. After the invasion, we can dismantle the factory, and I—well, Uncle, when he takes the throne—can order any others like it destroyed too."
She nodded. Waiting was the best solution. It was the one that allowed them to remain hidden before revealing themselves on Day of Black Sun. It was smart for them, but, the villagers…
"What if we sabotage it?" she asked, thinking aloud. "Not destroy it but stop it from working for a little while?" The idea, once spoken, flowed out from her and built upon itself, gaining momentum. If they could stop the factory, it could buy the village time. If they could do that, the Painted Lady could get stronger and maybe fight for the village too. "We could make it seem like an accident."
"We tried helping already and did what we could; as much as I want to see it burned to the ground, it's not smart to tempt getting caught by Fire Nation soldiers. You should get some sleep before we leave tomorrow. We can't let this interfere with training Aang or meeting up with your father."
With a sweep of a hand, Katara replied, "I can sleep when we fly tomorrow, and we'll go tonight when no soldiers are there." It wasn't much of a plan, but it was an easy one to follow—much easier than doing nothing. "We need to help them, Zuko. If we don't, no one will," she said, adding, "and I never asked you to come."
Zuko shifted his weight and stared at her with a hard expression, clearly agitated. "I have as much right to be there than anyone else. What I have a problem with is you've snuck out once already against the group's wishes when you agreed not to. I went along with it. Fine. But you said you promised to tell everyone what happened, but you haven't, and now you want to go out again?"
"Sh!" she hushed his rising tone. The face of the village girl her own age came to mind: the hesitant acceptance of the possibility of hope existing, the joy of painlessness, and then the admiration and love for the "Painted Lady" that was Katara. "Something needs to be done."
"I agree."
"Now."
"Why does it have to be now?"
The Painted Lady's message to her, images and ideas of looming death and disease, rose up as an answer. But that was a vague memory. "After Day of Black Sun, I don't know when we'll be able to return, do you? We'll be busy making sure Ozai stays in prison until Sozin's Comet, and I don't know what else." There was a similar concern if the invasion didn't go well that went unsaid.
"That's true." But he still seemed to hold back his agreement.
"I'll tell them after tonight," she promised.
"Before we leave in the morning."
She nodded fervently. "Yes, of course."
"Alright. We'll leave after everyone's asleep." Left with nothing to do, Zuko stood there for a moment, then turned and left without another word.
Relaxing once more, Katara lied down on her cot, ready to sleep and be rested for the long night ahead.