Weathering the Storm

"No," said Sokka. "No, no, no. No, no…no."

"But, Sokka-"

"How many times do I need to say 'no,' Aang?"

"I'm with Sokka on this one," said Katara. "Aang, we can't keep him with us."

"But he's hurt. If we leave him here alone, he could die."

"People die in war all the time, Aang," said Sokka.

"Well, war is stupid!"

"No one's arguing about that," said Katara. "No one likes war."

"Unless they're sick-minded jerks like the Fire Nation," Sokka added."

"But this is Zuko. He's just going to try to capture you the first chance he gets."

"He saved me from Zhao!" said Aang.

"He only did that so he could take you as his prisoner," said Sokka. "Face it, Aang. You're just some big, fancy prize for him to show off to the Fire Lord."

Aang shrank under the weight of Sokka's words. They made logical sense, of course, but Aang couldn't fully bring himself to accept that Zuko was totally selfish in rescuing him. He wanted so badly to believe the best in everyone, and especially of someone from the Fire Nation. It had become such a common occurrence to hear about or directly witness the brutality and cruelty and outright evil of the Fire Nation, but Aang knew a different side to them.

A hundred years may have passed, but it still seemed like it was only a few months ago that he and his friend Kuzon were playing on Black Sand Beach for the last time.

"You promise you'll come back soon?" Kuzon had asked.

"Of course, I will. I'll pinkie-swear to it, even!"

"Okay, but if you're not back here in two months, you don't get any of my mom's special custard tarts. And she's going to make a big batch of them for the Midsummer Festival."

"You know I wouldn't miss that for anything."

"Aang? Aang!" Katara shook him.

"Huh? Sorry, I kind of zoned out for a second."

"We were just saying we need to get our stuff and go."

Aang looked over at Zuko, still passed out on the floor.

"No."

"What?"

"I'm not going to leave him here to die."

"Aang, come on," said Sokka. "We've already been over this."

"I know, but it just doesn't feel right. The monks taught me to always help those in need. And, right now, Zuko needs our help."

To emphasize his point, he sat down by Zuko's side and stared resolutely forward.

"Aang, why are you trying to defend him?" said Sokka. "He's a bad guy. He's chased us all the way from the South Pole."

"He stole my mother's necklace and held me hostage," Katara added.

"He burned down the Kyoshi Island village."

Aang knew all that. He had every right to list his own grievances against Zuko. The fact, alone, that he was a prince of the Fire Nation should have been reason enough to let him die given what had happened to the Air Nomads.

But Aang just glanced over at the frail, injured teenager who had saved him, feeling sorrow deep in his bones. He found himself thinking of Kuzon, again, and of other Fire Nation kids he'd befriended before getting trapped in the ice. Aang had no idea what happened to them. Kuzon had been fiercely determined and outspoken and he cared about Aang; he would have never condoned the slaughter of the Air Nomads, and Aang didn't want to consider what might have happened to him because of it. The other Fire Nation kids that Aang knew could have felt the same, others might have gone along with the war to protect themselves and their families. It was hard to imagine any of them actively seeking out Air Nomads to kill them or joining the army to attack the Earth Kingdom.

But that had happened, hadn't it? Kids that Aang knew and liked could have been forced into killing or being killed. Some might even have bought into whatever lies the Fire Lord spread to justify it. What else could they do in such a situation?

Looking at Zuko, he saw just another kid whose life had been messed up by the war. Just like the kids from a hundred years ago.

If we'd known each other back then, Aang thought to himself, do you think we could've been friends, too?

"He's not hurting anyone now, is he?" said Aang. "He can't even defend himself."

"Aang, this can't be the hill you're willing to die on," Sokka said in visible disbelief.

"Not 'die,' exactly. More like…it's the hill where I want to grow a tree of understanding."

Sokka and Katara exchanged looks at the metaphor.

"You don't know the parable of the 'tree of understanding'?" said Aang. When they shook their heads, Aang decided to elaborate. "It's an old Air Nomad teaching.

"Two families were arguing over who owned a hill. Both insisted that the hill was on their side of the property line. One family claimed that their grandfather's pig-cattle had grazed there, so it must belong to them. The other family claimed that the hill was where their great-grandparents married, so the hill was rightfully theirs.

"As the two families got increasingly angry, a little boy appeared and walked past them. At first, they didn't notice him, but their attention was drawn when he suddenly began to dig a small hole at the top of the hill. When they asked him what he was doing, the boy said, 'I'm planting these seeds to grow a tree.' The families started to argue with the boy, claiming that he had no right to do that on the property they both claimed.

"The boy just looked at them in confusion and asked since when did either of them have claims on the hill. When the families stated their claims, the boy was just more confused. He told them, 'Your grandfather raised his pig-cattle there, and your great-grandparents were married there. You both have received blessings from the hill, but did you ever give the hill anything? I'm just here to plant a tree because my family says the hill will erode away if there is no tree to stabilize it. Why would you bicker about something that will soon be gone if it is not cared for?'

"The boy planted the seeds and left. As the days went on, the two families noticed the tree slowly growing on the hill. Every day, members of both families would go out to tend the tree, as they all became concerned for its growth. Despite having fought, they worked side-by-side with each other so that the tree would flourish and the hill wouldn't erode away. As the tree grew, the families drew closer until they had forgotten they had ever argued over the hill. The families became friends and shared the hill forever after."

"Cute story, Aang," said Sokka. "But I don't see the point."

"The point, Sokka," said Aang, "is that people are prepared to hate each other over pointless things and not see the real issues underneath. The only way to resolve disputes and move forward is to work together and help each other so that those past hatreds can be let go."

"And you think helping Zuko will make him become our friend?" Katara said skeptically. "I'm sorry, Aang, but I just can't see it."

"But you'll see it when he gets better! He'll realize we don't have to be enemies. And it'll be because we showed him compassion and helped him when he needed it."

It was at that moment that Zuko stirred from his rest. He blinked away the sleepiness from his eyes and looked around the room with a dazed expression.

"Zuko, you're awake!" Aang said cheerily, ignoring how Sokka and Katara immediately got into defensive stances. "How are you feeling?"

Zuko stared intently at him. Then suddenly grabbed Aang's face and pulled it awkwardly close.

"You're the monkey-boy who stole my fireflakes, aren't you?"

"Uhhh…Zuko, what are you talking about?"

Zuko shoved Aang away and pointed an accusing finger at him.

"Don't lie! You took my fireflakes, Monkey-boy! Did my sister put you up to it? I'll bet she did. Lala is always stealing and lying."

Aang looked over to Sokka and Katara, who could only stare back in equal amounts of confusion.

"No, Zuko. I didn't take your fireflakes and I don't even know who 'Lala' is."

Zuko sat up more, leaned forward, and started poking Aang's face.

"You smell like you're telling the truth," Zuko said. "But you're not allowed near the turtle-ducks until your information can be verified."

"What's with him?" said Katara. "He's acting kind of…"

"Absolutely wolf-batshit nuts?" Sokka suggested. "He's not making a lick of sense."

"Maybe he got the same sickness we had. You sure talked a lot of gibberish, yourself, only a few hours ago."

Sokka made an offended face while Katara just looked thoughtful.

"What was in that medicine you brought back?" she said. "If that herbalist lady was crazy enough to make us suck on frozen frogs, there's no telling what she put in the stuff we just gave Zuko."

"I was kind of in a hurry to get back, so I didn't stick around to ask," said Aang. "I can go back to talk to her and see if we did something wrong."

"And leave us here alone with wacked-out Captain Fireflake?" said Sokka.

"When did everything get so shiny?" said Zuko, waving a hand around in front of his face.

"You didn't have a problem with it before you saw his face," Aang pointed out.

"Don't expect me to keep tending to him," Katara said sharply. "You might want to help him, Aang, but I still think it's a bad idea. Who knows what he might do?"

Zuko had started making whooshing noises and flapping his hand, sending tiny sparks out of his fingertips.

"Great, now he's firebending," said Sokka. "And he's firebending while being completely off his nut."

"Please, you guys," said Aang. "It's just until we can get him patched up. Then, we can start flying for the North Pole like there's no tomorrow."

Sokka and Katara still looked dubious about the whole business.

"Fine," Sokka said. "Just until we can get him to a real doctor. Not a minute more than that."

"Katara?" said Aang.

Katara scowled and wouldn't meet Aang's eyes.

"I'll go along with it if you think it's for the best," she said. "But I am not looking after his injuries."

"Just don't try to push him off the balcony while I'm gone, that's all I ask," said Aang.

"Fine, but hurry back, Aang. I don't want us to be stuck with him any longer than necessary."

Aang snatched up his glider and set off once again to speak to the herbalist.

Katara glared into the fire.

Not long after Aang left, Sokka announced his decision to go look for something to eat. Which meant Katara had to sit there on her own with the delirious firebender. She prodded the campfire with a stick, wishing she could jab Zuko's stupid face, instead. Occasionally, she would shoot a look over at him, as if she could make him disappear with just the intensity of her expression.

"You're a terrible person, you know that?" she snapped.

Zuko turned his bleary gaze to her, eyes wide and almost innocent.

"What did I do, Ocean-lady?" he said.

"You know what you did. Always following us, hunting the Avatar, trying to capture the world's one chance for peace."

He was the same as every other person from the Fire Nation. He didn't care who he had to hurt as long as it got him what he wanted. They were all the same. Cruel, violent, a bunch of savage brutes who didn't care about the lives they destroyed in their thirst for conquest. And she'd actually treated his injuries. She'd been the one who showed Aang how to tend his wound and had pressed her hands down on it and cleaned it and felt his blood on her fingers. It made her feel disgusting, violated, tainted that she had actually done that for a monster like him.

"…I'm sorry," Zuko said softly.

"What?" said Katara. "What did you say?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad."

"Then why are you trying to hurt Aang?" She didn't bother to disguise the anger in her voice.

"I don't want to hurt anyone." His voice quieted even more and he seemed to shrink under the weight of her words. "Just…wanna go home."

"Then why don't you? We never asked you to follow us. No one wants you here." She returned to glaring daggers at the fire.

"No one…no one wants me…"

That was when Katara heard a sniffle. Turning back around, she saw that the terrifying Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, the one who had threatened their village and tried to capture the Avatar, was crying.

"Why?" he said. "Why doesn't anyone ever want me?"

Katara stared, unsure of what to make of this scene.

"What did I do wrong?" He looked at her with strangely gentle eyes. "Why does everyone hate me?"

That was a loaded question if Katara had ever heard one. She shook her head and told herself that he was just spouting nonsense. It wasn't as if the spoiled, angry, evil prince actually cared what people thought of him. It was just the medicine in his system making him say random things that popped into his head.

"Get some sleep," she said to him. "You need to rest and heal."

She tried to ignore the faint sobs coming from the vulnerable figure lying prone and hurting on the floor. She was sure that it didn't mean anything, and she was determined to convince herself that it didn't bother her in the slightest that a firebender was crying himself to sleep over some harsh words.

Monsters aren't supposed to cry, a voice whispered at the back of her mind. Only people cry.

Everything was silent for a while. Zuko must have drifted back off to sleep as his weeping stopped. There was only the faintest sound of breathing mingled with the soft rustle of the wind blowing through the ruins.

"No…" Zuko's voice broke the stillness, small and frightened. "No…please, don't."

Katara stared at him, stamping down the instinctive twinge of concern that shot down her spine at the outburst.

"Please…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Katara kept her gaze focused on the fire, poking it repeatedly to keep her attention anywhere except on the firebender. She could only hope that Aang and Sokka would be back soon.

Aang let out a groan as the herbalist continued to prattle on about plants.

It's not that plants weren't interesting, but he really was on a time-crunch. He'd explained to her the strange side-effects the medicine had had on Zuko, to which the old woman had responded that it was a perfectly natural reaction. It seemed that the medicine, in question, had trace elements of cactus, which could induce delusions and other odd behaviors when ingested.

"Why did you use it, then?" Aang asked.

"It helps to reduce the risk of shock," the herbalist said, smiling. "You said your friend has an arrow in his shoulder. If he goes into shock from the pain or the blood loss, his entire system could shut down. The cactus will ensure he stays calm. Just keep him comfortable, make sure he doesn't agitate the injured area, and don't try to remove the arrow, yourself. Now, I have some interesting stories about this thousand-year-old ginseng-"

"But what about him being all loopy? He could hurt himself more if he's not at least a little bit lucid."

"That's what the ginseng is for, boy. If you'd stop interrupting and listen, you could learn a thing or two from your elders. As I was saying, this ginseng can help negate some of the side-effects of the detoxing medicine and boost your friend's healing rate. Just make it into a nice broth for him. Maybe have your other friends take a little of it, too, just to keep them from getting sick again. Ginseng soup has all sorts of benefits, you know. Personally, I like to take mine with pig-chicken and some jujube. Maybe a few scallions for flavor."

Aang gave a deep groan as the herbalist began another lecture on the health benefits of ginseng soup.

Sokka grumbled to himself about crazy airbenders and their crazy obsession with making friends.

If it were up to Sokka, they would have gotten out of those ruins and been on their way as soon as they saw that it was the angry jerk prince who was under that mask. He paused and gave a deep stretch, feeling the kinks pop in his tired muscles. He always felt so sore after getting over an illness, but at least this one had cleared up fairly quickly. He just wished it hadn't had to involve sucking on frogs.

Sokka rubbed at his throat. He could swear that there was a wart growing on the little throat-hole flap thing that he forgot the name of.

He and Katara probably should have been resting, as they had only just recovered a matter of hours ago, but that wasn't really a luxury they could afford. Especially not when they had a drugged-up firebender they needed to watch. Sokka was a bit uneasy about leaving his little sister alone with Zuko, especially as Sokka had walked a few good miles away from the camp, but he trusted her to be able to protect herself if Zuko came out of his stupor and tried anything. Besides, even if Zuko did attempt to attack, that arrow in his shoulder would put an end to it in seconds.

Sokka hadn't gotten too far into the woods when he saw exactly what he needed.

A red-crested pheasant-pigeon was strutting about and pecking idly at the ground, letting out the occasional coo. Licking his lips in anticipation of the tasty meal the bird would make, Sokka waited patiently behind a tree as it drew nearer.

Just a little bit closer, Sokka thought. He was primed and ready to grab it.

The bird suddenly let out a short cry as an arrow pierced it. Killing it in an instant.

Sokka froze and watched as two figures emerged from the trees. They were clearly Fire Nation, being dressed in dark red uniforms, and they had tattoos on their faces. Those must have been the archers Aang had mentioned when he'd told them about how he'd been captured. Sokka immediately pressed himself firmly against the tree and held still.

"Do we really have time for this, Setseg?" one of the archers said.

"Tömör, we've been non-stop for two days," the second archer, a woman, replied. "We didn't even get a chance to sleep or eat our dinner after we caught the Avatar because Zhao wanted to grandstand. I don't know about you, but I can't function on an empty stomach."

"Admiral Zhao won't be happy if he finds out we're shirking our orders."

"Then he can catch the Avatar, himself, because I am not doing anything else until after I've had some food and a minute's rest."

Sokka forced himself not to move as the woman came right up close to the tree that he was hiding behind to snatch up the pheasant-pigeon.

"Why did that idiot Zhao have to come along?" Setseg continued. "Things were so much better with Colonel Shinu calling the shots."

"Don't go saying that when we get back," said Tömör. "You saw how Zhao decided to 'make an example' of Lieutenant Asahi when she got too critical of him within earshot."

The two archers made shuddering sounds.

"Hope I never have to see something like that again," said Setseg. "How did that man even become an admiral, anyway? Last I heard, he was still a commander. From a Fifth-Tier officer to a Tenth-Tier officer in one day. Something hinky is going on, there."

"It's the Fire Lord's decision, not ours."

"I know, but I thought Fire Lord Ozai wants us to win the war."

"Can we please just eat and get back to work? For all we know, the Avatar could be just around the corner, and we'll miss him because you insisted that we take a break."

"Oh, don't get your bowstring in a knot. It's not like the kid will get too far if he's still carrying around that masked guy. I got an arrow right into his shoulder."

"How do you know it wasn't my arrow that got him?"

"Please, Tömör, you barely passed basic training. The only reason you're in this unit is because your mother is the Yuyan Clan leader."

"…"

"Not even going to try disputing that?"

"No point. You're not wrong."

The two started to walk away, but Sokka could still hear them chatting.

"Anyway, it won't even matter if we have a little break. This whole area is swarming with troops. Altan told me that Zhao's going to have us search those old ruins tomorrow."

"I guess Admiral Zhao can't be faulted for being thorough, at least."

Katara let out a sigh of relief when Aang swooped in.

A grim and misty evening had fallen over their campsite and Katara was feeling incredibly drained from the excitement of the last twenty-four hours. It had been late afternoon the day before when Aang had first gone to see the herbalist concerning Sokka and Katara's illness, only for him to be captured by Zhao and held prisoner for the night. Then, in that same night, he'd been rescued by Prince Zuko, of all people. It had been sunrise when Aang had dragged the unconscious firebender up into the ruins of Taku and they'd spent the whole day tending to him after Aang gave them those frozen frogs.

The entire ordeal felt like it had been a week.

While she was determined not to help Zuko, she did agree to assist Aang in making the ginseng soup the herbalist had recommended. It was only to ensure that they could be rid of their unexpected guest sooner, she told herself. It was not as if the sad and scared noises of the firebender bothered her. People like him didn't deserve sympathy after all that they had done.

"Why are clouds so fluffy-looking?" Zuko said, still very out-of-it.

"Did you know that clouds are made out of air and water, Zuko?" Aang said brightly as he stoked the campfire.

"No. Really? But they're fluffy! Like big, fluffy, flying koala-sheep."

"That's nice. Do you like koala-sheep?"

"Uh-huh. When I was little, Mom took me and Lala to visit some farm families. We got to pet the koala-sheep and ride Komodo-rhinos."

That puzzled Katara. Why would a prince go to visit farms? Shouldn't he have been lounging around in his palace eating fruit tarts all day or screaming at servants for not polishing his crown correctly?

She wanted to ask, but focused, instead, on the soup. She'd managed to find a large cooking pot and had gotten some rice rations from their pack. They'd also lucked out in finding a number of gardens in the ruins. According to a dedication plaque, someone named "Princess Haruki" wanted her people to have readily available food sources and had planted a number of public vegetable gardens. While many of the gardens were overgrown and infested with weeds, some of them still had a few good plants, and even things that were considered weeds but were still edible, like wild onions and miner's lettuce. Enough to make a decent meal, at least.

The aroma from the ginseng was quite strong. A sort of bitter, earthy scent. It wasn't bad, exactly, but it did definitely smell like medicine.

"Right, this seems to be ready," said Katara. She filled a bowl and passed it to Aang.

"Zuko," Aang said, immediately darting over to the firebender. "Dinner's ready."

"I don't want it," Zuko grumbled.

"You need to eat this. It'll help you feel better."

"No! I don't want tea!"

"This isn't tea. It's soup. A nice, warm soup with veggies and rice."

"No! It's tea! You're trying to make me drink more tea like Uncle does. I don't need any tea!"

Aang kept trying to get Zuko to drink the soup but Zuko, in a fit of childishness, pinched his lips shut and kept dodging the well-intentioned attempt to feed him. Finally, Katara had enough of the antics and, against her wishes to no longer be involved in caring for the firebender, grabbed a second bowl and came over. She took the first bowl from Aang and sat down beside Zuko.

"You keep an eye on the soup," she said to Aang. "I'll handle this."

He looked surprised for a moment, before giving a bright smile as he hurried over to stir the contents of the cooking pot.

"Zuko, this soup is very good," Katara said in a low, gentle voice. "See, I have a bowl, myself."

Zuko pouted and narrowed his eyes at her like a stubborn little boy.

Fine. If he was going to act like a petulant child, she would just handle this as if he was one. Katara took a sip from her own bowl. It really wasn't bad. The ginseng was an interesting flavor and it did make her feel less tired.

"Mmm, this sure is good," she said. "Too bad you don't want any. I guess I'll have to eat your bowl, too."

"No!" Zuko shouted, snatching the other bowl away. "This is mine! You have your own."

He began downing it as quickly as if he'd been challenged to some sort of soup-chugging contest. Katara tried to warn him that it was still quite hot, but he insisted it wasn't hot enough. After getting him to take another bowl, Zuko eventually settled down and went back to sleep.

That was when Sokka finally showed back up.

"Where have you been?" Katara said as he stumbled in. "Are you okay?"

"We need to leave," Sokka said, his tone almost frantic. "We need to leave as soon as possible."

"What's going on?" said Aang.

"Fire Nation. I saw some a couple of those archers who caught you and I overheard them saying that they're going to investigate this place tomorrow."

"Do we have enough time to rest? You guys have been sick and we all need to get some sleep."

"I don't think we should wait."

"If they're not coming until tomorrow, maybe we could get a few hours, just so we're ready," said Katara. "We can leave while it's still dark."

"That feels like it's cutting it close, but fine. A few hours. Then, we need to get going."

"Here, have some of the soup." Katara passed him a bowl.

Sokka made a face when he saw it was only vegetables and rice, but still drank it without complaint.

"What about Zuko?" Aang asked. "What if he's not ready to travel?"

"Aang, this is a dangerous situation. You know I'd prefer to just leave Zuko here. I mean, he's the prince of the Fire Nation. What's the worst Zhao could do him?"

"He could arrest him for treason if he realizes it was Zuko who saved me."

"Fine, but he's still the Fire Lord's son. I'm pretty sure his dad will just try to hush it all up."

"I don't know," Katara said, suddenly feeling unsure as a memory came back to her. "Remember what happened at Roku's temple? After Aang got into the sanctuary, Zhao arrested Zuko and had him tied up like the rest of us."

"That…okay, that was odd, I'll admit. But I still think Zuko would be fine. Either way, we're leaving before first light, whether Zuko's up for it or not."

Author's Note: I made up that parable Aang tells the Gaang. It was actually kind of tricky, because you don't want to be too heavy-handed with the symbolism and meanings in parables, but they should still speak for themselves. I think it turned out all right. At the very least, I think it sounds like the kind of moral lesson that Air Nomads would teach kids.

Yeah, Zuko's really out of it in this scene. If he realizes how silly and weepy and crazy he acted, he will probably self-combust in embarrassment.

Also, I have a very limited idea of how to take care of someone who was shot with an arrow. All I know is you need to keep them still, make sure the wound is bound tightly, and do not attempt to remove the arrow yourself. I do know that you can bleed out from an arrow wound in about 5-7 minutes if a major artery is hit (in Zuko's case, let's just say it hit some veins and maybe dented the bone). Please suspend your disbelief over Zuko surviving. I'm not a medical expert (I'm taking some first aid classes, but that's all) and the arrow is just a plot-device.

Today's C-drama recommendation is "Ashes of Love," the first C-drama I saw after "The Untamed" and my first ever Xianxia drama (Xianxia is basically high fantasy with gods and stuff, as opposed to Wuxia, which is more low fantasy, martial arts adventure). If you love the whole fire-water forbidden love thing like I do, as you can tell from my Zutura obsession, you will definitely find something to enjoy in "Ashes of Love."

In the story, the Flower Immortal dies giving birth to her daughter Jin Mi on the day the Water Immortal is forced to marry the Wind Immortal. With the last of her strength, she creates a magical pill for her child that will make her unable to feel romantic love and so protect her from sharing her mother's fate; she also orders that her child not be allowed to leave the Floral Realm for ten thousand years. Jin Mi grows into a carefree and silly little grape fairy who gets into all kinds of trouble and loves eating and sleeping. After saving the life of the Fire Immortal and forming an unexpected friendship with the Night Immortal, both of whom are sons of the heavenly emperor, Jin Mi is drawn into an adventure that takes her to the heavenly, demon, and human realms, gets her involved in heavenly court intrigues, sends her through the cycle of reincarnation to become a goddess, and places her at the center of a love rivalry between the two heavenly princes.

It's a very engaging drama. Jin Mi can be a bit annoying sometimes, but I still think she's a good character (just a little too airheaded and gullible, at times). Best characters are Yan You (the smartass snake spirit) and the Moon Immortal (the flamboyant, matchmaking fox spirit uncle of the heavenly princes). The CGI can be a little off-putting and weird, but that's kind of normal for C-dramas.